Page 65 of The Sun
“No shit. How do you know him?”
“He came into the church a few weeks ago when I was filing some paperwork for Dad. He has a few tattoos, and I started asking some questions. One thing led to another, and he told me he’d give me a piercing for half off.”
“What?” I went all wide-eyed on her as it sank in that she was actually here—the preacher’s daughter—to get something pierced. Not to mention, she had dragged me along, by proxy making me an accomplice.
“It’s for Ben.” A devious grin curled her lips.
There were three places a girl would get pierced for a guy. Two of them were more for her than him. I snatched her elbow and yanked her down an aisle full of Buddha figurines and coffee cups. “You are not getting your tongue pierced.”
She smirked. “You think I should go for the nipples instead?”
“No.” I facepalmed. “Your dad is gonna kill you, Daisy.”
“He won’t know.”
I kind-of-sort-of laughed and decided that my best friend had officially lost her mind. We made our way back to the front of the store just as the door leading to the second floor creaked open. A guy with black rimmed, Buddy Holly glasses and a trench coat stood in the stairwell. Tattooed flames crawled up his neck and curled around his ears.
“You ready?” he said.
“Yep.” Daisy snagged a random tongue ring and ducked under his arm.
I glanced at Magpie like she would do something, but she was busy with a crossword puzzle.
“Come on, Sunny.”
I followed Daisy and Ziggy up the dingy stairwell and into an open room. The walls were covered in tattoo designs. Ziggy pointed to what looked to be a dental chair as he moved to the side of the space, snapping on a pair of latex gloves. Daisy hopped into the seat with a pleased grin.
“You want something pierced?” Ziggy asked me as he sat on a rolling exam stool.
“Um. No. That’s all right.”
Shrugging, he rolled the chair to the far side of the room and grabbed a silver tray from something that resembled a metal fridge, then scooted next to Daisy.
It was hard for me to focus on anything aside from the three rings hung through his septum, at least until he held up the biggest needled I had ever seen in my life.
I glanced at Daisy in horror. “He’s literally going to stab you with that thing.”
“I’m not stabbing anyone,” he said, his voice surprisingly monotone.
“It’s fine. Relax.” Daisy folded her hands over her chest while he tilted the chair back. She smiled like the idea of having the strongest muscle in the human body jabbed with a sharp object was the best thing in the world.
Tattoo Man grabbed what I could best describe as a pair of tongs, then glanced over the rim of his glasses. “You aren’t gonna pass out, are you?”
“No.” I wasn’t going to faint because I was about to close my eyes and keep them shut until this was all over.
In a matter of seconds, Ziggy was done, and Daisy had a silver barbell dangling from her swollen tongue. On the way out to the parking lot, all I could think about was Pastor Fulmer discovering that I came with Daisy. Her mom would definitely tell my mom. God, I would be grounded for being involved, and Daddy would likely have Magpie shut down for piercing an underage preacher’s daughter’s tongue.
I glared at Daisy when I climbed in her car. “If your parents find out, you better not dare tell them I came with you for emotional support.”
17
Elias
Warm air blew from the AC unit. “Piece of shit.” I pounded my fist over the grate, and the motor ticked a few times before cooler air whooshed out. I laid back on the couch, “Stars” playing in the background.
Groaning, I wiped my hand over my jaw. I hated the tight, jittery feeling in my chest that I couldn’t seem to shake. I couldn’t stand that every time I closed my eyes, I saw her and him on our beach. I liked having control, and I had none with Sunny—not with how she felt about me or how I felt about her. Out of habit, I reached for the ring on my necklace, pausing when I realized it was no longer there. Just like she wasn’t.
Since moving home, I’d spent plenty of time wondering what it was about Sunny Lower I’d never been able to quite let go of, but some things are just beyond simple explanation. The earth is round and the moon changes the tides. That’s just how it is.
