Broken Arrow

Looking out the window; I saw our surroundings change. I glanced around and caught sight of a street sign; N La Brea Avenue. The street became more and more familiar as we drove, but I couldn't pin point a time I had ever actually really been here. It wasn't until we pulled up in front of a small shop with a bright yellow exterior that I realized; I'd never been here, I'd seen it on TV, many a-time.

"No. Fucking. Way." I gasped, reading the bright red letters above the entrance, which read "TATTOO"
Krista stopped the car and turned to me. "Recognize where we are?" She asked.
"Yes." I nodded, wide-eyed.
Demi popped up between our seats. "Ready to get inked?" She smirked deviously.
"How did you get us in on such short notice?!"
"Ruby, I'm dating The Reverend Tholomew Plague." Demi reminded me. "You think getting an appointment in a high-end tattoo parlour is that difficult when you're dating a rock star?"
"Apparently not." I smiled, struggling to contain my excitement.
"Guys, get the poor kid inside before she explodes." Trixie laughed.
I all but shot out of the car. "I'M GONNA MEET KAT VON-FUCKING-D!" I shrieked.
"Calm your tits!" Demi laughed.

She and Krista looped their arms through mine, and led me through the famous glass door into the bright pink tattoo parlour. I sucked in a huge breath, in total awe; Admiring the skateboards, paintings and guitars that covered every possible inch of wall space, and the bright red floor with it's yellow lightning bolt design.

"Holy fuck." I whispered.
They led me up to the counter, where we were greeted by none other than Pixie Acia.
"Hey there." She smiled, getting up from where she sat and rounding the counter.
"Hey Pixie." Demi said, hugging her.
"Demi, ain't seen you in awhile." She replied. "Who's your friend?"
"This here." Demi spoke. "Would be my friend Ruby, the one you've heard so much about."
"Oh right, Syn's best friend, nice to meet 'cha." She grinned, holding her hand out to me.
I took her hand and shook it. "Pleasure." I nodded.
"Let's see..." She said, picking up the book on the counter. "Who've they booked you in with?"
"Is she here?" I heard a familiar, slightly husky, yet feminine voice ask.
"Oh my god..." I breathed.

Kat Von D emerged from the backroom, dressed in a High Voltage T-Shirt she'd cut into a crop top, leather pants, and five inch heels. The lack of covered skin meant all her beautiful tattoos were on display. Her black hair was razor cut, with blonde in the very tips of her fringe. She was even more stunning in real life than she'd been on TV.

"You must be Ruby!" She smiled, extending her arms as she approached me.
My heart almost stopped as she hugged me. "That's me." I barely managed to speak.
"It's so good to finally meet you." She grinned. "You have gorgeous red hair, by the way, wow."
"Thank you!" I smiled.
"Please, come sit!" She said, motioning toward her booth.
I followed her and took a seat in the reclining chair.
"You ever been tattooed before?" She asked, pulling her tattoo gun and a few small pots out of the drawer.
"Never." I admitted. "Is it gonna hurt?"
"Where you're supposedly getting it, maybe a little." She chuckled, squeezing her thumb and pointer finger together to emphasize her point. "Demi told me you've wanted the Deathbat on your lower back since you were Sixteen."
"Is that what they booked me in for?"
"They mentioned you might want it done, but it's totally up to you what you get." Her beautiful red lips parted in a pearly white grin.
"What's it feel like?" I asked nervously.
"It's like a burning, stinging sensation, but the pain varies on where you get it done." She explained. "Wanna back out?" She laughed.
I licked over my lips and bit my lower lip, thinking for a few moments. "Fuck it." I sighed. "Deathbat on my lower back sounds great." I smiled.
"Sure?" She asked. "It's there for life."
"Positive." I nodded.
"Okay." She smiled, turning to her table to get everything out.
"Demi!" I called over.
"What?!" She called back.
"Come hold my hand!" I laughed.
"Bitch, harden the fuck up!" Demi scoffed.
Kat chuckled as she poured the ink into the small pots.
"I'm gettin inked myself shortly." she added.
"Trix?" I asked, hopeful.
"I'm gettin inked too." She frowned apologetically. "Dem and I are getting matching tattoos."
"I'll do it." Krista smiled, pulling a chair over next to where I lay on my stomach. "I'm the only one not getting inked today."
I let out a small yelp as Kat wiped the alcohol on my skin to clean the area.
"Is that cold?" She asked.
"Freezing." I laughed.
"I'm sorry." She chuckled.
"It's okay."

As Kat smoothed the stencil over my skin, Trixie and Demi made their way over to two of the other booths on the opposite side of the parlour. Demi was getting tattooed by Kim Saigh, and Trixie was getting tattooed by Hannah Aitchison. I gasped when I saw Corey Miller walk in the front door of the parlour; He'd been one of my favourite tattoo artists to watch on the show.

"Corey!" Kat smiled.
"Back from my lunch break." He said. "Who's the redhead?"
"Ruby Rose." Kat introduced me.
"Oh right!" He grinned. "Syn's friend." He approached me and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise man, huge fan, I love your work."
"Thank you!"
"No worries." I smiled.
"You a musician yourself then?" He asked. "If you're friends with Syn?"
"I sing." I shrugged. "I haven't sung in public in a long time though."

The truth was, I had lost my drive for it when Jack broke up with me. He used to be my motivation, "My Muse" one could say. But since he walked out of my life, the fire had gone out. He and I had first bonded over the both of us being vocalists, very different styles, mind, but it had brought us closer together. We used to sing together all the time, I'd sing cleans, and he'd scream.

"What style?" Corey asked.
"Punk/Rock."
"Old school, or?"
"Kinda like Green Day, Simple Plan, Sum 41, Blink-182 style." I verified.
"Nice." He grinned. "So kinda Skater-Punk one could say."
"Something like that." I nodded.
"That's cool, last thing the world needs is another Hayley Williams."
"OI!" Demi snapped from across the room. "Don't you be ragging on Hayley, motherfucker!"
"Oh shit." Trixie said, she obviously knew how much Demi loved and adored Hayley.
"Sorry!" Corey chuckled.
"Okay, just check the placement's alright, and we can get started." Kat said.
I got up from the chair and walked over to the mirror, twisting so I could see where the tattoo would be. "That's fine just there, Kat." I smiled, walking back over and laying down on my stomach once more.
"Alright." She turned on the tattoo gun. "Ready?"
"Krista." I whined.
She grabbed my hand.
"Okay, go." I squeezed my eyes shut, wincing slightly as the needles pierced my skin.
"All good?" Kat asked.
"Mhmm." I mumbled, biting my lip as I squeezed Krista's hand.
"Just think." Krista spoke. "It'll be worth it, and the guys will love you for it."
"And Brian will want to fuck your brains out." Demi sniggered, her leg propped up as Kim placed the stencil on her thigh.
"Dem!" I snapped. "We're just friends!"
"Mhmm." She nodded. "Kay, bitch."
"Seriously, Dem." I pushed. "There is nothing going on between us."
"You'd fuck him though." Trixie piped up as Hannah put the stencil on her thigh, one the opposite side that Demi was getting hers.
"I would not!" I scoffed. "It'd be like fucking my big brother!"
"No, that's what I'm doing." Trixie chuckled.
"And you know I wouldn't touch Matt in a million years, there's no spark there, he's just too much of a big brother figure." I reassured her.
"And because you want Brian's dick." Demi smirked.
"I don't!" I exclaimed.
"Bitch, I have seen you checking him out, and I know for a fact that long hair, tattoos and big arms make your clitoris scream." Demi remarked.
Kat snorted with laughter and had to stop tattooing for a few moments due to having lost it laughing. "Oh my god." She chuckled, wiping tears from her eyes. "Makes your clitoris scream, that's the best thing I have ever heard." She snorted again.
"Just because Brian has long hair, muscles and tattoos, does not mean I want the D." I said, rolling my eyes.
"Then stop eye-fucking him every time he's around!" Trixie scoffed. "Because it says otherwise."
"Even Zacky's made note of it." Krista added.
I scowled at her. "I'm not attracted to him." I pressed.
"So how long have you known Syn?" Corey asked, coming to my rescue as he pulled a wheelie chair over to Kat's booth, sitting on it the opposite way and leaning upon the back rest.
"Three years." I said. "But we've only just recently caught up again."
"Oh?"
"We were... Separated for a couple of years, due to my Ex." I frowned. "He was the really paranoid type, never trusted me around other guys, didn't like the nature of my friendship with Brian."
"God, I hate guys like that." Kat muttered.
"I left Huntington Beach to move to Chicago with Jack, he basically said I had to either move away with him and lose contact with the guys, or stay in Huntington and lose him." I explained.
"Aww, that sounds terrible." Hannah sighed, listening in as she tattooed Trixie.
"Why on earth would you leave your friends?" Kat asked.
"She was in love." Kim chipped in. "I know the feeling, been there myself, you'll give up anything for them."
"That's exactly how it was." I nodded.
"You're back in Huntington now I assume?" Corey asked.
"Yeah, I'm in the process of moving back, living out of a suitcase at the moment, still yet to go grab the rest of my stuff." I said.
"So why'd you and Jack break up?" Kat asked.
"Because he's a cockhead." Trixie stated.
Corey snorted.
"It was a headfuck of a situation." I frowned.
"No, he gave a pathetic excuse." Demi cut in. "She sat on some dude's shoulders at a gig, and the crowd was going crazy, and she was at risk of falling, the guy who was holding her up was gripping her legs to keep her from falling and-"
"And Jack got the wrong idea." Hannah finished.
"Yeah, basically." I confirmed.
"What a stupid excuse." Kim scowled, shaking her head.
"You deserve better than that." Kat added. "Seriously, guys like Jack are cowards, they fall out of love, and they're too gutless to admit it so they make up some ridiculous excuse and don't give a fuck how it affects you."
"Why didn't he just hold you up himself?" Corey asked. "He was your Boyfriend and all, I'd do it for my Wife."
"I have no idea." I sighed, shaking my head.
"Well Ruby." Hannah said. "I'll tell you one thing, girl, guys like Jack, they're no good."
"Don't pine for him." Kat added. "Just forget his worthless ass."
I chuckled. "I'm trying to." I smiled weakly.
"I know it's hard, take your time." Corey comforted me.
"Well Ruby." Kat's voice sounded more chipper now. "You're done." She said, cleaning the blood off where she'd tattooed me.
I got up slowly, wincing at the pain in my lower back, and made my way over to the mirror. "Oh, my god Kat." I breathed, admiring the Deathbat now forever inked into my skin. "It's amazing, thank you!"
"I'm glad you like it." She grinned.
I followed her back over to the booth and sat on the edge of the seat as she patched me up.
"Done." Kim smiled, wiping Demi down.
"And you too." Hannah said.
Demi and Trixie peered down at their tattoos.
"Oh fuck yes." Trixie grinned.
"It's amazing, thank you!" Demi smiled.
"You're very welcome." Kim grinned as she got out the bandages.
"I'm glad you approve." Hannah smiled.
"Show me." I said.

They walked over and stuck their legs out so I could get a good view. Trixie had gotten a Zombie'fied Belle from Disney's Beauty and The Beast, and Demi had gotten a Zombie'fied Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Both tattoos looked amazing, and I suddenly felt the urge to get myself a more extravagant piece next time.

"Those look fucking sick." I grinned.

The four of us; Demi, Trixie, Krista and myself, walked back to the counter, where Demi forked out the money to pay for all our tattoos. As Pixie handled the money, Kat finished cleaning her work station and came over to bid me goodbye.

"Thank you so much, Kat." I smiled.
"No worries." She said, hugging me. "You take care, Ruby, and tell Syn I said Hi."
"I will." I nodded.
"And Ruby?"
"Yeah?"
"Stay strong." She smiled. "It'll get better, promise."
"I know."
"I wanna see you back in here real soon, okay?" She smiled.
"I might do some work on you next time." Corey added. "Free of charge, sound good?"
"Sounds awesome, thanks man."
"No worries." He grinned.
"Take care!" Kat called after us as we left the parlour...

Notes