Chapter Six

Sara applied my eyeliner, and eyeshadows, and all that good stuff, and when I least expected it- Selena took me out for my belated 15th birthday gift… I was getting my lip pierced. “I was supposed to get that done with Brad and Adam!” I protested. “Well, Adam’s been in on this since the beginning...” Sara said, with a sly smile creeping across her face. I was stunned, no HORRIFIED, that one of my best friends could do this to me- but then again, it was Adam, that was something expected of him. I sighed and rolled my eyes, “Fine! So- Adam’s getting his lip done, too?” I asked, praying that I wouldn’t be the only one making a complete and total a.s.s of myself. Sara and Selena nodded in unison. Wow, I never actually looked at Sara before, only saw her eyes, a soft hazel- but the rest of her, was just a soft. She had honey blonde hair, a petite figure, and an infectious smile. She really was a great person, and she had such a bubbling personality.

When we finally got to the tattoo parlor [which also did piercing’s] Adam was standing there, with his 6 feet and 4 inches of pure glory- his new tattoo with his baby sisters name on it, who had passed away due to cancer. It made me feel so many different emotions all at once. “Hey, Adam!” I said cheerfully, to not just my surprise, but everyone else’s- except Adam’s. “Hey Ice! Check out my new tat’!” Adam said oozing with enthusiasm. We ‘ooh’ed and ‘awweh’ed over it, but thats when I remembered. “I’m supposed to be getting my lip pierced, not wallowing in my jealousy of Adam’s new tattoo!” I admitted, jokingly. A huge grin spread over Adam’s face, as he slung his arm over my shoulder. “Shut up-” he whispered into my ear, but to some untrained ‘Look At How Close Adam And Ice Are’ eye, it would look like he was BITING my ear.

On the way to chair that looked like it belonged at a dentists office, I nearly broke my ankles wearing the high heals Sara had demanded I wear. “Watch yourself, kiddo!” The tattoo guy kept telling me, like I was supposed to know what that meant. I insisted on Adam going first, because he already got the tattoo, and with that, the competition broke out. ‘To see who could go the longest without wincing- or showing any kind of pain’ I think was the game we were playing, Adam had screamed half way through, but demanded they keep going. My stomach was doing summersaults. Next, it was my turn- I had a mean poker face, Brad always joked about… Brad. I was no longer in the tattoo parlor, but in a small wooded area behind Brad and Adam’s house, that Brad had showed me. He took me to their old cabin to go camping. And that’s where we first kissed- I was brought back to reality by the crushing memory’s and how I was so stupid, but my facial expression didn’t change, tears were just streaming down my face.

When the piercing was done, I thanked the guy, and rushed out of there as fast as possible- just my luck too, I was bawling. And who do I run into a block away? None other then the infamous Brad Wilson! “Woah! I didn’t think you guys were actually serious about the lip thing.” Brad said, straining a joke. I sniffed, then laughed, “I wasn’t sure why you sent your goons to make me do it, though!” I giggled, helplessly- I already looked crazy, hell- I probably was! “My ‘goons’” Brad asked, his face becoming serious. “Yeah, Sara and Selena...” I slurred my words, so it sounded more like ‘Yeh, Sra ‘n Sela’. His eyes went wide. And then he burst our laughing. “Oh my dear sweet JESUS! Hon, did ‘they’ do this to you?” He asked, stifling his laughter. “By ‘they’ do you mean Sara and Selena?” I asked, half heartedly. He nodded. I sighed. “Yep, makeover and everything- don’t I look hot?” I asked, wiping the last remaining tear from my face, or so I thought- Brad leaned down, to stroke one last tear away. “You were beautiful, just looking like you- not looking like somebody who’s trying to cover that up with makeup and hair dye..” Brad’s slate grey eye’s were glistening with sincerity, how could I NOT believe him?

I hadn’t noticed exactly how close our faces had gotten until I heard people stop behind us, and someone whistle. “Ow ow! Brad, she’s hella fine!” It was Jessie- our head’s snapped up, knocking together. “Ow! SHIT! Ow!” I laughed, my eyes still locked in on Brad’s. “Ohmygosh, ICE?!” this time, the unknown voice belonged to Moira, I whirled around. The only thing I could do was smile sheepishly at my group of friends who stared at me, slack jawed. “What?” I asked, hoping they weren’t angry at me or anything. “You look-” Moira said, tripping over her words. “Hot!” Jessie finished, looking me up and down. “Ahaha, I mean, like coming from one friend to another, you know..” Jessie added. Brad must’ve thrown Jessie one of his infamous ‘death glances’ the guys were always chattering on about