"Tell me again why I'm doing this?" Zac asked as he paced back and forth slowly, scanning the giant posters that covered the walls of the tattoo parlor.
"Because you lost." Carter grinned. She was sitting in one of the waiting room chairs next to Melissa.
"But it wasn't even a real bet." Zac plopped down in the chair next to Melissa and gave his best "pouting" face. It was a face that usually got him whatever he wanted from Carter.
"It was a bet." Melissa jumped up and started looking at the posters. To any other person it would appear that she was a customer trying to figure out which tattoo she wanted. Zac knew better. Melissa wasn't the kind of person who got tattoos or piercings. She had plenty of ear piercings but body modification wasn't really her thing. He knew that she would never be caught dead with a tattoo or a body piercing. "I bet you I could balance a chair on my chin and I won. Therefore, I get to choose your punishment." The Porter and Hanson families took their bets very seriously.
Zac frowned and stomped his foot on the floor. "She's turning into you, you know." He waved his hand in Carter's face and continued to pout. "And where the hell did you learn to balance a chair on your face anyway?"
Melissa shrugged and squinted at a poster covered with chinese symbols and tribal bands. "I had a lot of free time in my first semester of college. I finished all the work in about 2 weeks. Why the hell would anybody get a chinese symbol? They're getting a little overdone."
Zac's jaw dropped. "Two weeks? How is that possible? Aren't there like, lectures and crap that you have to go to before you can even take the tests?"
"Theoretically. But I read the text books in about 3 days and then got together with my professors and after that the testing was really easy. People do it all the time, Zac. It's not like I'm some kind of freak."
"I didn't say that..." Zac sighed. "I mean, I knew you were smart but... So what exactly are you going to make me get done? I'm going to go home with a tattoo of MOM in a heart on my ass aren't I?"
"No." Melissa smiled and sat back down next to Zac.
Carter smiled to herself and began humming silently. She was so happy that her sister was out of the hospital and healing perfectly. She had made more progress than the doctors thought she would. The only thing that remained of her injuries was a small scar on her collarbone, another on her forearm, and another on her cheek. She still had trouble breathing from time to time but she was healing. She always did things faster than people expected. Even though it wasn't until Carter graduated highschool with her 16 year old sister graduating right along side of her that she realized just how advanced she really was.
Even though Melissa was missing a year of college because of her car accident, people were convinced she would have a degree before she turned 19.
"So what did you have in mind? What kind of tattoo?" Zac interrupted Carter's thoughts.
Melissa "I just figured I would make you get that piercing you've always talked about."
"Piercing? What piercing? I've never wanted a piercing." He lied. He'd always wanted his labret done. Just something simple that would drive his mother crazy.
Carter frowned. "Meli, you can't make him get something he wants to get. It has to be something good like "big daddy" tattooed on his forehead."
Zac reached over Melissa and slapped Carter lightly on her arm.
"Ow! You hit a girl! You can't do that."
Zac laughed. "You're not a girl. You're Carter. You're tougher than any guy I know, therefore I'm allowed to hit you."
"And now you sound like Taylor did back when we were 8 years old."
Melissa smiled. "So, you're getting your labret done today. I already made the appointment."
"It's going to hurt like a bitch, isn't it?" Zac cringed.
"Nah. It's really not that bad. Besides, the guy here is really good at piercings. The tattoo guy is amazing, too." Melissa stopped and looked over at her sister and Zac. Zac was staring at her, conpletely confused, and Carter was giving her a look that only a big sister could give. It was the silencing look. "I've heard." Melissa corrected herself. "I used to come here with Abbie and Todd. Todd was best friends with the piercer and Abbie had a tattoo fetish so she'd sit here and watch for guys to come in... what?" She stopped when she realized Zac was still staring at her
"You know way too much about this." Zac shook his head. "You have a tattoo, don't you." He turned to Carter. "She has a tattoo!"
"Yeah, yeah. I know." Carter smiled. "I was going to get one too and then I realized I was completely broke."
"Where?!" Zac jumped up and pointed at Melissa. "You have to show me now! How have I not seen it?!"
Melissa laughed. "It's not exactly a place that's accessable to the public... or you."
"Oh, come on! Now you have to show me."
Melissa sighed. "Fine." She stood up and pulled the front of her pants down a little, revealing her right hip bone. Scrawled across her skin were the letters, LP, surrounded by scattered music notes.
"LP? Your mom?"
Melissa nodded. "Yeah. I got it when I was 15. It's not technically allowed but I had a connection with the guys that work here. It was the first thing I ever had done so I was really excited. Barely felt it." She smiled.
"I'm impressed." Zac sat back down and started tapping his feet on the floor nervously. Suddenly, he stopped. "Wait. The first thing?" He turned to Carter who bit her lip and looked away.
Melissa giggled and shook her head. "Clueless boys are cute. Yes, Zac... I have some piercings. 7 in my ears and some others."
"Some?!" Zac jumped up again. "How is it possible that I didn't know about this?" He turned to Carter. "You can't keep secrets! You suck at keeping secrets."
Carter shrugged. "I do. But this was a big one and if my dad found out, he would have kicked Meli out a long time ago."
"So you have..." Zac started counting the piercings in Melissa's ears. "Wait. I count 5 in the ears."
Melissa shook her head. "These are singles." She pointed to the two cartilage piercings in each ear. "They count as 4 because I had them all done at different times. Then there's the 3 in my lobes."
"Ok so... 7. Where are the others?"
"A lady never tells." Melissa crossed her legs and smiled, staring straight ahead.
Zac's jaw fell open and he looked back and forth from Melissa to Carter several times before realizing they were never going to tell him. "This whole sisterly bond thing is really starting to suck."
Melissa laughed. "Oh hey! You're up."
Zac looked to where Melissa was looking and his face turned completely white. Standing in the doorway was Jesse. He was dressed completely in black and looked exactly the same as he did the last time Zac saw him except now, looking down at Zac, he looked 3 feet taller and 3 times scarier. "Wait... he's the piercer? You never said..."
Zac had always had a slight fear of Jesse. Carter was fascinated by him and knew that Melissa had always been fond of him. He was the only person she knew that was as smart as her. Zac never knew why he was afraid of him. He was just intimidated beyond belief. And now, Jesse was going to shove a needle through his face. "I'm not coming out of there alive, am I?" He muttered as he stood up slowly and left the room with Jesse.
"Don't worry, Zac. I'll be gentle." Jesse laughed and slapped Zac on his back.
"He's gonna cry." Carter laughed and leaned back in her chair, smiling at her sister.
Zac sat in the passenger seat of the car next to Carter and pulled down the mirror. "So, how exactly am I supposed to eat?" He touched the small silver stud lightly and made a face. "Ow."
"God, you're a wuss." Melissa laughed.
"Oh, excuse me if I'm not an expert at getting pierced." He turned around. "Come on, tell me."
"Nope."
"Come on! If you get impaled, you have to tell me! It's the rule!"
"That's not the rule."
Zac kicked the dashboard. "I'm making it the rule!"
Melissa laughed. "How about this. Maybe some day... if you're good... I'll tell you where I'm pierced."
"No. You have to show me. I'm a newbie at this. I need to learn through visuals." Zac turned around, smiled, and winked at Melissa.
"Ew, Zac," Carter made a fake gagging noise. "I just threw up in my mouth a little. Maybe you could not flirt with my sister."
"Sorry." Zac looked back into his mirror and touched his new piercing again. "Heh. Mom's gonna be pissed. I love my life."