She Is My Baby, I Love Her So, But It's Too Late Now, I've Let Her Go, chapter 12
Bailey drove back to her own home in a daze. She kicked open the door, and put away her helmet and jacket. She pulled out her phone and sent Naomi a text, asking her to come over now.
Five minutes later, Naomi was there, complete with a grocery bag stuffed with Bailey's favourite foods, mini cartons of Ben and Jerry's ice cream in Fossil Fuel, Cookie Dough, Phish Food and Half- Baked varieties, plus popcorn, chocolate, and a selection of DVDs. As soon as Naomi had shut the door to Bailey's pool house, Bailey collapsed onto her friend.
"He dumped me." Bailey sobbed. "And he said he still loved me. And I was such a bitch!" She said some more stuff, but she was crying so hard, Naomi couldn't understand her.
Naomi just hugged her best friend, letting her cry. When Bailey had begun to calm down, she passed her a pack of Kleenex, the mini Cookie Dough ice cream and a spoon.
"OK, calm down and start from the beginning." Naomi ordered.
"So, I went to his house," Bailey gulped, "And he couldn't seem to get the words out so I said he wants to finish, and he said yes. And then, jeez, I pretty much told him he meant nothing to me... "
"Which is a total, rat arsed lie."
"Yeah. And I quoted the Jesus video, you know 'You'll be a great memory' and he was all like 'I loved you and I still do' and that's when he shut the door on me, and I came back here."
Naomi slid her arm around Bailey. "Wanna watch Bridget Jones' Diary?"
"No."
"Edge Of Reason?"
"No."
"Miss Congeniality? Go on, I know you like watching guys get kicked in the balls!"
"Tre only has one testicle." Naomi choked on a chocolate pterodactyl from the Fossil Fuel ice cream.
"BAILEY! I don't want to know that!" Naomi smacked Bailey with a pillow. "Anyway, Amityville Horror? The Exorcist? House Of Wax?" Naomi made an 'Oh shit' face, as Bailey's eyes filled again. "I'm sorry, Bay. I completely forgot... "
"Wish I could." Bailey sighed. "Go on then, I'll point to one." Bailey closed her eyes, and jabbed at a film. She howled. "DIRTY DANCING?! Naomi!"
"Sorry, Bay. Come on, let's get loaded on sugar and go crazy hyper!"
By the end of the film, the boys had arrived, and Bailey and Nibs, on another of their infamous sugar highs, were doing a Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey impression on her bed. Nibs caught Bailey, and lifted her above his head.
"Nibs!" Bailey squealed, and they fell off, landing in a heap on the floor. Beanpole yelped, and ran into Bailey's massive walk in wardrobe. Nibs sat up and looked at Bailey, jammed under his leg, a worried expression on his face.
"Bay, you've seriously lost some weight."
"Aww, thanks bunny." Bailey shoved his foot out of her face, and pulled PeeWee onto the bed. "Come on, Pee, your turn." PeeWee pushed her away.
"I don't dance." Bailey stuck out her lip.
"Pwetty pwease?"
"No."
"Git. Chalky?"
"Nuh-uh."
"Toad. Ooh, Beanpole?" The now huge Alsation growled.
Nibs grabbed Bailey. "Girl, I'm serious. You're getting all bony."
"Am not. Look." Bailey lifted up her shirt, and showed her tummy. "Flat, yes. But not skinny. I just have very toned abs." Bailey turned to her full-length mirror, and stroked her belly thoughtfully, before turning to her friends, a wicked gleam in her eyes. "I want a belly button piercing. Let's go to that new tattoo place!"
"Yeah!"
Half an hour later, Bailey parked her new Porsche in the mall parking lot. It was just down the road from Skin Graphics, the new tattoo and body piercing shop. Inside the shop, the boys looked at the tattoos available on the wall. Naomi and Bailey selected their studs, an emerald for Bailey and a star sapphire one for Naomi. The sapphire was actually black, but when it caught the light, it looked as though it had a tiny star trapped inside. (All together now, aww! ) Bailey decided she also wanted her nose pierced, and a tattoo on her shoulder. The boys were taken into a separate room each for their tattoos. There was only on piercing person available, so Naomi went first while Bailey chose a tattoo.
There was a massive book full of them, and Bailey chose her favourite two, a Him heartagram, and a wicked witch sitting on a broom. The witch was slim, but curvy, like Bailey, with deep purple hair, and a flock of tiny bats flying around her. Bailey couldn't choose one, so she asked for them both, the heartagram on the inside of her right wrist, the witch on her left shoulder.
To save time, two tattooists took her into another room. The guy took her wrist; the girl took her shoulder. They each wiped down the areas with alcohol, and spray it with soap and water, carefully sticking the duplicating paper with the designs on them down. They rubbed Vaseline over the designs, poured out capfuls of different colours and started their machines.
The tattoos took well over an hour. Bailey's eyes were watering, and she was biting hard on her lip. Naomi and the boys came in, all looking slightly pale and sweaty. Nibs peered at Bailey's shoulder, where the girl was still working. The guy, Del, had finished the simple heartagram, and was setting up to pierce Bailey's navel.
"How was it, Nai?" Bailey asked.
"Fine. My guy froze the skin, so it was OK."
"Woah." Nibs muttered. "That is a seriously cool tat, Bay."
"I know." Bailey whimpered softly. "Ouch."
The girl finished, and rubbed some special ointment into Bailey's shoulder, like Del had done. She held up a mirror so Bailey could see.
"Woah." The witch was standing now, the broom held at her side, her purple hair flying out like the tiny bats. A black cat was twisting around the witch's bare leg. The witch herself was wearing a black Basque- type dress, with torn, blood red robes flying out like her hair, and the most gorgeous pointed Goth boots were on her feet. The detail on the tattoo was incredible for something only about four or five inches long. The girl folded a paper towel over Bailey witch, and taped it up, before taking the tiny emerald nose stud, and putting into a piercing gun. The nose piercing took all of five minutes, then Del sat her back on a low table, wiping her tummy with a cleaning fluid.
"Now, 'cause you've got a more toned, slim stomach, like your friend here, this is going to hurt more, 'kay?"
"'Kay"
"Put your arms above your head, stretch your tummy, that's right, and try not to contract your tummy muscles." Del wiped her tummy again.
"Is that to freeze it?" Bailey asked. Del shook his head.
"Nah, Eddy does that, but I don't. Might get frostbite! OK, here we go." He took a pair of weird looking scissors out. "These are to clamp the skin." He put them in place, and took what looked like a mini screwdriver from a sterile pack.
"Is that the needle?!"
"Yup. Hold still." It felt like a tearing sensation in Bailey's navel. Nibs and PeeWee went even more pale, then a funny green colour.
"Scuse us, a sec." They ran out of the room, closely followed by Chalky, who turned round just before the door shut.
"Bai, you're seriously screwed in the head."
When he had finished, Del handed Bailey a leaflet and a bottle of liquid.
"Now this is a salt water solution. Use it three times a day to clean around the stud. Leave it in for six months or so, and always keep a stud in it after that for a few more months, otherwise it will heal over. Now, I know you girls will want the pretty studs in ASAP, but just wait, because they will not be so pretty when you have nasty pus oozing out. And I've explained the tattoo care, haven't I?"
Bailey nodded mutely, her body hurt so much she had gone numb. They all paid, then walked to Bailey's car.
"I can't drive yet. Come on, let's go to the mall's Starbucks or something."
They threw a couple of teenie preps off their favourite squishy sofas, and compared tattoos. Chalky had a big, inverted Celtic cross over his right elbow, and his lip pierced. Nibs had a snake curled around his lower right arm and his right eyebrow pierced. PeeWee had a sexy female devil on his left shoulder and three hoops at the top of his right ear. Naomi had had her nose and belly pierced, like Bailey, but with a deep blue sapphire in her nose, bringing out the blue in her eyes. Bailey's emerald made her eyes look greener than ever, and it was agreed that her witch was the best, well worth suffering over.
"I wonder what my dad's gonna say!" Bailey giggled. "Do you think he'll freak?"
"Can't say too much," reasoned Naomi. "He's got way more tattoos, and didn't he used to have his nose pierced?"
"Yeah, I suppose." Bailey touched her own ears. "Just count how many times I've had my ears done, will you? I can't remember."
"Four in your left, two in your right."
"I thought I had three in my right."
"One got infected and you had to take it out."
"Oh yeah."
Bailey considered the few drops of hot chocolate left in her mug.
"Come on, let's go. PeeWee, can you drive, please? I still don't feel right." Bailey handed him her keys, and they walked to the Porsche, stopping in a drugstore to get some aspirin. In the car, Bailey drummed on the door handle with her deep, Cadbury Dairy Milk wrapper purple nails.
When they got back to Bailey's, the boys said their goodbyes, and walked down the road to their own house. Bailey sat by the pool, and took a deep drag on a cigarette. She offered it to Naomi, who accepted it gratefully. Bailey sighed, unconsciously stroking the drum kit on her charm bracelet. Naomi walked into the pool house, and handed Bailey her helmet, biker jacket, gorgeous black-with-purple-roses DMs and the keys to the Harley.
"Huh?" Bailey stared at her best friend.
"It's only now gone ten," Naomi told her. "Go talk to Tre. I'm gonna hang out with the guys. If you aren't back before midnight, I'll know you've made up. And out!"
"Dutty cow!" Bailey grinned as she walked to her bike. "Don't wait up!"
Five minutes later, Naomi was there, complete with a grocery bag stuffed with Bailey's favourite foods, mini cartons of Ben and Jerry's ice cream in Fossil Fuel, Cookie Dough, Phish Food and Half- Baked varieties, plus popcorn, chocolate, and a selection of DVDs. As soon as Naomi had shut the door to Bailey's pool house, Bailey collapsed onto her friend.
"He dumped me." Bailey sobbed. "And he said he still loved me. And I was such a bitch!" She said some more stuff, but she was crying so hard, Naomi couldn't understand her.
Naomi just hugged her best friend, letting her cry. When Bailey had begun to calm down, she passed her a pack of Kleenex, the mini Cookie Dough ice cream and a spoon.
"OK, calm down and start from the beginning." Naomi ordered.
"So, I went to his house," Bailey gulped, "And he couldn't seem to get the words out so I said he wants to finish, and he said yes. And then, jeez, I pretty much told him he meant nothing to me... "
"Which is a total, rat arsed lie."
"Yeah. And I quoted the Jesus video, you know 'You'll be a great memory' and he was all like 'I loved you and I still do' and that's when he shut the door on me, and I came back here."
Naomi slid her arm around Bailey. "Wanna watch Bridget Jones' Diary?"
"No."
"Edge Of Reason?"
"No."
"Miss Congeniality? Go on, I know you like watching guys get kicked in the balls!"
"Tre only has one testicle." Naomi choked on a chocolate pterodactyl from the Fossil Fuel ice cream.
"BAILEY! I don't want to know that!" Naomi smacked Bailey with a pillow. "Anyway, Amityville Horror? The Exorcist? House Of Wax?" Naomi made an 'Oh shit' face, as Bailey's eyes filled again. "I'm sorry, Bay. I completely forgot... "
"Wish I could." Bailey sighed. "Go on then, I'll point to one." Bailey closed her eyes, and jabbed at a film. She howled. "DIRTY DANCING?! Naomi!"
"Sorry, Bay. Come on, let's get loaded on sugar and go crazy hyper!"
By the end of the film, the boys had arrived, and Bailey and Nibs, on another of their infamous sugar highs, were doing a Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey impression on her bed. Nibs caught Bailey, and lifted her above his head.
"Nibs!" Bailey squealed, and they fell off, landing in a heap on the floor. Beanpole yelped, and ran into Bailey's massive walk in wardrobe. Nibs sat up and looked at Bailey, jammed under his leg, a worried expression on his face.
"Bay, you've seriously lost some weight."
"Aww, thanks bunny." Bailey shoved his foot out of her face, and pulled PeeWee onto the bed. "Come on, Pee, your turn." PeeWee pushed her away.
"I don't dance." Bailey stuck out her lip.
"Pwetty pwease?"
"No."
"Git. Chalky?"
"Nuh-uh."
"Toad. Ooh, Beanpole?" The now huge Alsation growled.
Nibs grabbed Bailey. "Girl, I'm serious. You're getting all bony."
"Am not. Look." Bailey lifted up her shirt, and showed her tummy. "Flat, yes. But not skinny. I just have very toned abs." Bailey turned to her full-length mirror, and stroked her belly thoughtfully, before turning to her friends, a wicked gleam in her eyes. "I want a belly button piercing. Let's go to that new tattoo place!"
"Yeah!"
Half an hour later, Bailey parked her new Porsche in the mall parking lot. It was just down the road from Skin Graphics, the new tattoo and body piercing shop. Inside the shop, the boys looked at the tattoos available on the wall. Naomi and Bailey selected their studs, an emerald for Bailey and a star sapphire one for Naomi. The sapphire was actually black, but when it caught the light, it looked as though it had a tiny star trapped inside. (All together now, aww! ) Bailey decided she also wanted her nose pierced, and a tattoo on her shoulder. The boys were taken into a separate room each for their tattoos. There was only on piercing person available, so Naomi went first while Bailey chose a tattoo.
There was a massive book full of them, and Bailey chose her favourite two, a Him heartagram, and a wicked witch sitting on a broom. The witch was slim, but curvy, like Bailey, with deep purple hair, and a flock of tiny bats flying around her. Bailey couldn't choose one, so she asked for them both, the heartagram on the inside of her right wrist, the witch on her left shoulder.
To save time, two tattooists took her into another room. The guy took her wrist; the girl took her shoulder. They each wiped down the areas with alcohol, and spray it with soap and water, carefully sticking the duplicating paper with the designs on them down. They rubbed Vaseline over the designs, poured out capfuls of different colours and started their machines.
The tattoos took well over an hour. Bailey's eyes were watering, and she was biting hard on her lip. Naomi and the boys came in, all looking slightly pale and sweaty. Nibs peered at Bailey's shoulder, where the girl was still working. The guy, Del, had finished the simple heartagram, and was setting up to pierce Bailey's navel.
"How was it, Nai?" Bailey asked.
"Fine. My guy froze the skin, so it was OK."
"Woah." Nibs muttered. "That is a seriously cool tat, Bay."
"I know." Bailey whimpered softly. "Ouch."
The girl finished, and rubbed some special ointment into Bailey's shoulder, like Del had done. She held up a mirror so Bailey could see.
"Woah." The witch was standing now, the broom held at her side, her purple hair flying out like the tiny bats. A black cat was twisting around the witch's bare leg. The witch herself was wearing a black Basque- type dress, with torn, blood red robes flying out like her hair, and the most gorgeous pointed Goth boots were on her feet. The detail on the tattoo was incredible for something only about four or five inches long. The girl folded a paper towel over Bailey witch, and taped it up, before taking the tiny emerald nose stud, and putting into a piercing gun. The nose piercing took all of five minutes, then Del sat her back on a low table, wiping her tummy with a cleaning fluid.
"Now, 'cause you've got a more toned, slim stomach, like your friend here, this is going to hurt more, 'kay?"
"'Kay"
"Put your arms above your head, stretch your tummy, that's right, and try not to contract your tummy muscles." Del wiped her tummy again.
"Is that to freeze it?" Bailey asked. Del shook his head.
"Nah, Eddy does that, but I don't. Might get frostbite! OK, here we go." He took a pair of weird looking scissors out. "These are to clamp the skin." He put them in place, and took what looked like a mini screwdriver from a sterile pack.
"Is that the needle?!"
"Yup. Hold still." It felt like a tearing sensation in Bailey's navel. Nibs and PeeWee went even more pale, then a funny green colour.
"Scuse us, a sec." They ran out of the room, closely followed by Chalky, who turned round just before the door shut.
"Bai, you're seriously screwed in the head."
When he had finished, Del handed Bailey a leaflet and a bottle of liquid.
"Now this is a salt water solution. Use it three times a day to clean around the stud. Leave it in for six months or so, and always keep a stud in it after that for a few more months, otherwise it will heal over. Now, I know you girls will want the pretty studs in ASAP, but just wait, because they will not be so pretty when you have nasty pus oozing out. And I've explained the tattoo care, haven't I?"
Bailey nodded mutely, her body hurt so much she had gone numb. They all paid, then walked to Bailey's car.
"I can't drive yet. Come on, let's go to the mall's Starbucks or something."
They threw a couple of teenie preps off their favourite squishy sofas, and compared tattoos. Chalky had a big, inverted Celtic cross over his right elbow, and his lip pierced. Nibs had a snake curled around his lower right arm and his right eyebrow pierced. PeeWee had a sexy female devil on his left shoulder and three hoops at the top of his right ear. Naomi had had her nose and belly pierced, like Bailey, but with a deep blue sapphire in her nose, bringing out the blue in her eyes. Bailey's emerald made her eyes look greener than ever, and it was agreed that her witch was the best, well worth suffering over.
"I wonder what my dad's gonna say!" Bailey giggled. "Do you think he'll freak?"
"Can't say too much," reasoned Naomi. "He's got way more tattoos, and didn't he used to have his nose pierced?"
"Yeah, I suppose." Bailey touched her own ears. "Just count how many times I've had my ears done, will you? I can't remember."
"Four in your left, two in your right."
"I thought I had three in my right."
"One got infected and you had to take it out."
"Oh yeah."
Bailey considered the few drops of hot chocolate left in her mug.
"Come on, let's go. PeeWee, can you drive, please? I still don't feel right." Bailey handed him her keys, and they walked to the Porsche, stopping in a drugstore to get some aspirin. In the car, Bailey drummed on the door handle with her deep, Cadbury Dairy Milk wrapper purple nails.
When they got back to Bailey's, the boys said their goodbyes, and walked down the road to their own house. Bailey sat by the pool, and took a deep drag on a cigarette. She offered it to Naomi, who accepted it gratefully. Bailey sighed, unconsciously stroking the drum kit on her charm bracelet. Naomi walked into the pool house, and handed Bailey her helmet, biker jacket, gorgeous black-with-purple-roses DMs and the keys to the Harley.
"Huh?" Bailey stared at her best friend.
"It's only now gone ten," Naomi told her. "Go talk to Tre. I'm gonna hang out with the guys. If you aren't back before midnight, I'll know you've made up. And out!"
"Dutty cow!" Bailey grinned as she walked to her bike. "Don't wait up!"
