Ink (32 page)

“
Why don’t you tell me some more about you, Karsen?” Kidd threw in.

“
What does a guy like you want to know?” she asked, giving a smile.

“
Anything you care to share,” Kidd shot back.

Karsen bit her bottom lip playfully, thinking about what to share.

I leaned in to Slade. “I promise she isn’t always so harsh. I think she has jet lag or something.”

“
I’m not worried about it. What are you guys up to tonight?” he asked, trailing a finger down my leg.

“
I don’t know. I want to do something fun with her,” I said. I knew Karsen expected some kind of thrill while she was here for another six days.

“
There’s a concert tonight. Come over and hang out. That should be fun. And judging by the looks of things, Kidd will keep her entertained,” Slade pointed out.

Kidd and Karsen flirted with one another. He played with her hair and she touched and commented on each and every tattoo on his body, even ones in places she probably shouldn’t have ventured to look at. I now knew Kidd was the proud owner of tattoos right above his manhood. And he wasn’t afraid to show them off.

“
So we will see you guys around nine then,” Kidd told us as we were parting ways finally.

“
If you’re lucky,” Karsen teased, turning quickly. She grabbed my arm in sheer delight. “He is hot. And you should have seen what he is working with.”

I scrunched my nose. “I think I’m okay.”

Karsen shrugged. “And Tucker, he said you guys were once good friends. He’s really cute in an all American kind of way. What happened with that?”

I rolled my eyes, hating to dive into the story. “Let’s just say he isn’t what he comes off as. And his dad is awful. Stay far away from them both.”

That’s all it took for Karsen to change the subject back to Kidd. I hoped it would stay that way but Tucker always had a way of popping up everywhere. But I knew Henry Park was the one place we would be safe in.

I
watched Karsen apply blush to her cheeks, sweeping the brush against her face, completely mesmerized by her conversation with me about Slade and his friends.

“
They’re so dark and brooding. You can totally tell no one is comfortable being near them. And I don’t know why they are so hot. All of them.” She set the brush on my vanity with a soft clink and raked her fingers
through the sides of her hair.

“
And I think that has to really suck for them, don’t you?” I asked, trying to get her to think rationally. It seemed since she got here all she did was act like a girl with the sex drive of a porn star. And I knew this wasn’t the usual Karsen.

“
I think its captivating,” she mumbled, shoving a clip into the right side of her hair. She turned her face towards me. “They don’t care if everyone despises them. And that is hot.”

I sighed. They didn’t care because they were witches. Something she knew nothing about. Neither of us did. And it was probably the whole town’s hunch that kept them far away from Slade and his pals.

“
Everything can’t be hot, Karsen. Slade has run into a lot of problems. Most of them having to do with Tucker.” I pulled my rose colored t-shirt off the hanger.

“
I know. Tucker told me.” She stood, finally content with her hair and makeup. She unzipped her shorts, wiggling out of them. “Once the old Tuck Meister realized we were friends, he told me all about Slade. He said he attacked you and some other girl. That he is no good and that he hates that you are socializing with him.”

I stared at Karsen as she squirted lotion into her palms, rubbing them together. She acted like it wasn’t a big deal.

“
So?” I asked, a bit disturbed. She slid her hands down each thigh, working the lotion into her skin.

“
So, I know when a guy is trying to compete with another guy. It’s obvious he likes you. So of course he is going to talk bad about Slade. Boys think with their penis. What better way to scare you away then to make up crazy stories about Slade and his dark following?” Karsen gave a satisfied smile and pulled a black skirt out of her duffel bag. She pulled the skirt up to her waist and then quickly slid her pink panties off.

I gave her a disgusted look when I realized she wasn’t hurrying to swap her panties with another pair. “So, that’s all you see it being?”

“
Of course. I really don’t think you would be running around with some guy who attacked you and some girl. Do I look stupid?”

I shrugged. “Well, you are wearing a very short skirt with no panties to a concert with a bunch of violent, thrashing metal heads.” I gave a small smirk.

“
Slade’s friend is hot.
Kidd
. What a name. I’m sure something is going to happen, so this makes it easier. Besides, those panties are really expensive and I don’t want to lose them.”

I stood up, shaking my head at her. “Did you ever think it makes you look… um…” I couldn’t finish my sentence; I didn’t want to offend her.

“
Easy. Provocative. Sexy. Savvy. Smart. Ready for sex?” She rattled off word after word. None of them was fitting my idea of right.

“
Karsen, can we be serious for about five minutes?” I crossed the room, searching for my jean shorts. When I couldn’t find them Karsen tossed me another black skirt, if you wanted to call it that. It was more a belt. I tossed it back.

“
My dad would kill me,” I assured her. I was pretty sure he would kill her too, but luckily he wasn’t home yet.

“
Go on about serious. I don’t have all night.” She plopped down on my bed.

I took a seat at my desk. “Is everything okay? You don’t seem like yourself. I never knew you to be so vocal.”

Karsen’s expression fell. “I’m just letting loose. Finals, test, school. Not to mention dance. It’s just a lot.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a long sigh. “And you’re gone. It was a little hard being myself without you there with me. So, maybe I just got used to putting on a show for everyone. It makes it easier to deal with the day to day.”

I wiped at my tears that were spilling from my eyes now. “It’s hard here too. I went to school for barely a week and was expelled. This whole town hates me. The only people I can relate to are the outcasts. And I was attacked on the beach by the Mayor but no one believes me. It’s hard here too.”

Karsen sat up, she wiped her own tears. “I wish I could stay. I wish by some miracle I could just stay here.”

“
Me too.”

“
Hope, don’t worry about all of these people. Just be you. And the outcasts are hot, that to me is well worth it. It doesn’t get any better than that.” She laughed, causing me to laugh.

We both agreed our lives sucked. We were almost eighteen, so there wasn’t much we could do about it but wait.

“
I don’t know if this skirt was a good idea,” Karsen told me as we approached the gates of Henry Park. She held tight to my arm and used the other hand to keep her skirt from flying up from the strong breeze.

“
I told you to wear underwear,” I said in her ear. The line moved at a snail’s pace.

“
Oh, I got underwear,” Karsen said, pulling a lacy pair of boy cuts out of her bra. She didn’t bother to look at all the astounded expression as she bent down, working her underwear up her legs.

“
Karsen, there are men watching you,” I hissed.

“
I’m sure they’ve seen panties before, Hope,” she assured me, taking my arm again as the line kicked back into gear.

The man behind us moved even closer to us, breathing down our necks. “You girls into Evil Kings?”

I barely made eye contact with him, afraid after what Karsen did that it was a bad idea. “Yeah, of course.”

Karsen turned and gave him a smile. “I’m new here. But whatever Hope is into, I am, too.” She gave a wink and tugged me through the gates.

“
This place is amazing,” Karsen yelled over the band playing on stage.

The crowd was so thick it was going to take a lot of upper body strength to get anywhere. I gripped Karsen’s hand tightly, afraid to lose her in such a boisterous crowd. I knew I would never find her, and I also feared for her wellbeing if I lost her.

The high temperature from the crowd and the atmosphere was overpowering. Karsen pushed and pulled me through the crowd a lot better than I would have. We frequently brushed into sweaty black t-shirts, passed sweating chests and beers clutched
in tight grasps. But, finally, after all the battle, we reached a clearance and some fresh air, not the musty rank air of sweaty skin infused with too much liquor.

I rushed to the bus with Karsen in tow. Lucy and Erica were outside of the bus tuning guitars and reading sheet music.

“
Look who it is!” Lucy exclaimed, standing up. She rested the guitar against her chair, giving me a firm hug.

“
The boys invited us out,” I told her. Lucy’s expression fell on Karsen now, as well as Erica’s.

“
This is Karsen. She’s my best friend from home. She’s visiting for a week,” I told them.

Lucy gave a swift nod, extending her hand. “Karsen, it’s good to meet you.”

Karsen studied them both closely, growing a bit quiet. “Hey.”

“
She’s so blonde. Are there even any blondes in this place tonight?” Erica asked to not a soul but herself.

“
And you’re so dark and mysterious. In a good way, of course. I love your tattoos,” Karsen said to Erica.

Erica’s expression promptly fell. She didn’t know what to make of the vivacious blonde anymore now that she fed her a genuine kind word.

Erica bit down on her blood red bottom lip. “I like your skirt.”

I smiled, pleased they could get along. If only I had known all it took was a couple contemptible compliments to get on Erica’s good side.

“
Hey,” Slade said, coming down the bus steps. He came to a stand next to Lucy.

“
Hey,” I said back.

“
I’m singing three songs tonight. You can sit offstage and watch. Karsen, too,” he told me. Lucy watched us both as we silently wished we could be a little closer. Her meaningful smile revealing she totally understood what was going on between us.

“
Well, that’s about an hour from now,” Lucy pointed out. “I say you guys hang out for a bit. It looks like you need to.” She touched my arm, heading inside with her guitar.

I smiled, feeling at ease. Slade came closer, taking me by the elbows. He stared down at me, his body smelling of fresh soap and musky cologne. “You look hot.”

I accepted his compliment and his kiss. “So do you.”

“
Erica seems to like Karsen. You might have lost your best friend,” Slade pointed out. We both watched Erica and Karsen giggle and chatter softly.

But that soon ended when the bus’ door flung open, carrying Kidd down the steps. He wore dark jeans, a white t-shirt and a black baseball cap
turned nearly backwards on his head. Brown bits of hair peeking out from underneath the cap, and the usual black bracelets and scarves. He flipped Slade and me the bird, black nail polish resting on each fingernail.

“
Hey there, Hope. Sex kitten,” he said to Karsen. Erica shook her head, heading inside.

Karsen allowed Kidd to draw her from the chair she was sitting in. He checked out her black skirt and her red cowl neck halter top. Kidd threw an arm around Karsen. “I think I’ll take the time to get to know your best friend a little more.”

I gave a nod of permission, letting Slade take me in the opposite direction. Karsen looked pleased and I was happy to have a little time to talk to Slade about a couple of things that were on my mind.

Slade did the usual, taking hold of the bus and pulling himself to the top. He dropped down, giving me his hands.

“
Do you get nervous before you sing in front of so many people?” I asked, leaning into him
as I stared out into the night sky. His hand wrapped around my waist, his fingers caressing my skin.

“
No. I got used to it a long time ago. Did I ever tell you my parents used to make me sing in front of all their friends since I was little? Before I even knew I wanted to sing, or could?”

“
No, you never told me that. You really do have a great voice,” I said, smiling at the thought of it.

“
So do you,” Slade assured me. “You should be the one on stage.”

I laughed at the idea of that. It sounded more like a fantasy than reality.

I let out a breath, deciding to go for it. “Slade, the night that we slept together…” I started.

“
The night we had great sex in the water, you mean,” he corrected, running a hand across my leg.

“
Yeah, that night. Well, I was thinking about it, and I don’t remember you using anything. Slade, you used a condom right?” My heart padded in my chest. I hoped he didn’t think of me as an idiot after asking him such a thing.

Slade laughed. “If I can invoke a bikini, panties and a tattoo, don’t you think I can conjure a condom?”

My cheeks warmed. “I just wanted to be sure.”

“
That’s fine. It’s always okay to ask.” He squeezed my leg. “You can ask me anything.”