he discarded the pen and picked up an eraser to remove any stray traces of pencil.
“Is it some kind of eye?” Katsuko asked.
The tattooist looked up from the table, his expression unreadable, but Sammi thought the question had irked him somehow.
“It shows the power of the storm,” Dante said, with a smiling nod to Sammi. “Friendship is like that, isn’t it? Gathering in strength, all of its elements—each of you—working together, becoming more than you could ever be on your own. Nothing can stand in the path of the storm.
“But like I said, it’s many things.” With one long finger, he pointed to the ring at the center. “This is the core, the world itself, the bond you share. Circling the world is the ocean, and here are the five of you, waves on the water.”
Sammi saw that he meant the curling prongs that swept up from the outer rim of the sphere, and felt foolish that she had not seen that before. There were five of those stylized waves, one representing each of them. As they watched, Dante added small dots around the waves that might have been stars in the sky above the world, or parts of the storm, whatever metaphor they wanted to use to interpret the design.
“It’s beautiful,” Letty breathed, staring at the drawing as the tattooist put down his pen.
There were fans blowing in the shop, a small one in this front room and at least one larger one in the back. Sammi could hear the buzz through the half-open door that led back there. Despite the fans, the shop had begun to grow uncomfortably warm. She reached back and lifted her hair off her neck.
T.Q. looked a bit flushed, but whether from the heat or embarrassment or excitement, Sammi couldn’t tell.
“It is,” the redhead said. “It is beautiful, and very cool of you, but we’ve actually got…Caryn, she’s an artist. She designed a bunch of—”
Dante glanced at Caryn. “I’m sorry. I should’ve heard you out before I let inspiration run away with me. If you’ve already picked something out, that’s fine. Can I see your designs?”
Caryn reached for her back pocket, where she’d carried the folded-up designs they had all discussed at Letty’s. On the way over here they had all seemed unanimous about which design they liked best. Now, though, Caryn hesitated, then gave a small shrug.
“Yours is much better.”
“But we want something just for us,” Katsuko said, all business. “Unique.”
Letty touched the edge of the artist’s drawing table, staring at Dante’s design. “This is unique. I love what Caryn did, especially the Pisces kind of thing with the fish, but this is, like, the perfect symbol for us. Don’t you guys see it?”
T.Q. nodded, crossing her arms. “Yeah. I see it. I just don’t want to see it on anybody else if it’s supposed to be ours. ”
Dante slid off his chair and stood. He put a hand on Letty’s shoulder and reached out to touch T.Q.’s arm. Both girls drew stares wherever they went, and at school were considered startlingly beautiful. According to a lot of guys Sammi knew, T.Q. seemed unapproachable to them. They mistook her shyness for disdain, as though her academic ability made her think herself their superior. In truth, guys made her nervous as hell, and whatever she saw in the mirror, Simone Deveaux did not think herself beautiful. Most guys left Letty alone simply because she was a lesbian, although some of them flirted with her harder because of it, as though that were a kind of game for them.
Next to Dante, both girls seemed only ordinary.
Letty smiled when he touched her shoulder. T.Q. flinched and shifted her weight from one foot to the other, blushing furiously.
The tattooist seemed not to notice. He looked around at the other girls, at Katsuko, then Caryn, and finally at Sammi.
“I won’t pressure you. But the design exists because you came into my place looking for something special, and that inspired me. I created this for you. If you like it, I promise you I’ll
“Is it some kind of eye?” Katsuko asked.
The tattooist looked up from the table, his expression unreadable, but Sammi thought the question had irked him somehow.
“It shows the power of the storm,” Dante said, with a smiling nod to Sammi. “Friendship is like that, isn’t it? Gathering in strength, all of its elements—each of you—working together, becoming more than you could ever be on your own. Nothing can stand in the path of the storm.
“But like I said, it’s many things.” With one long finger, he pointed to the ring at the center. “This is the core, the world itself, the bond you share. Circling the world is the ocean, and here are the five of you, waves on the water.”
Sammi saw that he meant the curling prongs that swept up from the outer rim of the sphere, and felt foolish that she had not seen that before. There were five of those stylized waves, one representing each of them. As they watched, Dante added small dots around the waves that might have been stars in the sky above the world, or parts of the storm, whatever metaphor they wanted to use to interpret the design.
“It’s beautiful,” Letty breathed, staring at the drawing as the tattooist put down his pen.
There were fans blowing in the shop, a small one in this front room and at least one larger one in the back. Sammi could hear the buzz through the half-open door that led back there. Despite the fans, the shop had begun to grow uncomfortably warm. She reached back and lifted her hair off her neck.
T.Q. looked a bit flushed, but whether from the heat or embarrassment or excitement, Sammi couldn’t tell.
“It is,” the redhead said. “It is beautiful, and very cool of you, but we’ve actually got…Caryn, she’s an artist. She designed a bunch of—”
Dante glanced at Caryn. “I’m sorry. I should’ve heard you out before I let inspiration run away with me. If you’ve already picked something out, that’s fine. Can I see your designs?”
Caryn reached for her back pocket, where she’d carried the folded-up designs they had all discussed at Letty’s. On the way over here they had all seemed unanimous about which design they liked best. Now, though, Caryn hesitated, then gave a small shrug.
“Yours is much better.”
“But we want something just for us,” Katsuko said, all business. “Unique.”
Letty touched the edge of the artist’s drawing table, staring at Dante’s design. “This is unique. I love what Caryn did, especially the Pisces kind of thing with the fish, but this is, like, the perfect symbol for us. Don’t you guys see it?”
T.Q. nodded, crossing her arms. “Yeah. I see it. I just don’t want to see it on anybody else if it’s supposed to be ours. ”
Dante slid off his chair and stood. He put a hand on Letty’s shoulder and reached out to touch T.Q.’s arm. Both girls drew stares wherever they went, and at school were considered startlingly beautiful. According to a lot of guys Sammi knew, T.Q. seemed unapproachable to them. They mistook her shyness for disdain, as though her academic ability made her think herself their superior. In truth, guys made her nervous as hell, and whatever she saw in the mirror, Simone Deveaux did not think herself beautiful. Most guys left Letty alone simply because she was a lesbian, although some of them flirted with her harder because of it, as though that were a kind of game for them.
Next to Dante, both girls seemed only ordinary.
Letty smiled when he touched her shoulder. T.Q. flinched and shifted her weight from one foot to the other, blushing furiously.
The tattooist seemed not to notice. He looked around at the other girls, at Katsuko, then Caryn, and finally at Sammi.
“I won’t pressure you. But the design exists because you came into my place looking for something special, and that inspired me. I created this for you. If you like it, I promise you I’ll
Similar Books
