but the scars are covered; I can barely see them.
“ Cookie,” I say. “This is amazing. It's better than anything I could have expected.”
“ I'm glad you like it,” she says, handing me my T-shirt, which I quickly and carefully slip over my head. I don’t bother re-hooking my bra. It would only irritate me.
Cookie threads my arm in hers after pocketing the three hundred dollars I was prepared to pay plus a fifty dollar tip. I should be a little unsettled, spending money like this, but the touch up was necessary.
“ Well,” she says. “Let's go see what this surprise is, huh?”
When we’re back in the lobby, Stevie and Jad e are already done and sitting on the same couches as before with huge grins on their faces.
“ So?” I ask.
In unison, they both jut out their left hands, turning them so their inner arms are facing Cookie and I.
On Stevie’s thin wrist is an intricate, cursive “J”. My brother has an “S” in the same style.
“ Aw,” Cookie says. “That’s cute.”
“ Very nice,” I agree.
“ Yeah,” Jade says, wrapping an arm around Stevie. “We thought you should be one of the first to know.”
“ Know what?” I ask.
“ We're going to get married!” Stevie blurts out.
What happens next can only be described as a mash up of a group hugs, kisses, and excited “I'm happy for you's” and “I love you's.”
“ So when are you planning on?” Cookie asks as soon as the group disassembles.
“ You know,” Jade says, “Whenever we have enough money and all that.”
“ But this is good too,” Stevie says, inspecting his shiny, wet ink. “For now.”
After a few seconds, Jade turns to me. “Well?”
“ Well what?”
He snorts. “Let me see yours.”
Without much hesitation. I spin around and Cookie lifts the back of my shirt, gesturing to my renewed wings like she’s Vanna White.
“Awesome,” Stevie says first.
“ Just as awesome as the first time,” Jade says to Cookie.
I turn back around, covering my puckered skin.
“No itching it this time,” Jade half-jokes, half-scolds me.
I laugh, and it’s almost an easy sound. “I promise.”
Once we’re done basically celebrating our new ink and the impending wedding, we say goodbye and Stevie and Jade follow me back to my apartment in the sweltering heat. They only stay for an hour or so before they have to leave so they’ll have time to catch the four o’clock train back to New Jersey for work.
I’m off today—from rehearsing with my band and with Honus, as well as from working merch—but I agreed to baby sit Leena. Mom and Adam have been seeing a marriage counselor here once every three weeks and then they go on a date. I offered to watch my baby sister whenever I was free because I miss her like crazy and have no time to go back to Jersey to visit.
Adam drops by around five. I haven’t seen him since he helped us move in a few weeks a go, and I barely even feel the irritation his arms create against my fresh tattoo when he hugs me. His shirt is clean and pressed and he smells like home when my head is against him.
“ Where’s Mom?” I ask when we’re apart.
Leena squeezes past us to dump the contents of her backpack—which is mainly coloring books, crayons, and markers—onto the coffee table in my living room.
Adam’s hair is the exact orange as Leena’s, except his is always in place. Leena somehow looks bigger and taller. Her orange hair has gotten longer, and her chubby cheeks have a few freckles on them from the sun.
“She’s downstairs waiting in the car,” he says. “We’re kind of running late for our session.”
As far as I can see, the therapy seems to be working. There’s less fighting. There’s less tension. But I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Mom’s brand of crazy isn’t exactly something that goes away overnight.
“Are you sure twelve isn’t too late to pick her up?” he asks, one hand on the doorknob.
I wave a dismissive hand. “I’m usually
“ Cookie,” I say. “This is amazing. It's better than anything I could have expected.”
“ I'm glad you like it,” she says, handing me my T-shirt, which I quickly and carefully slip over my head. I don’t bother re-hooking my bra. It would only irritate me.
Cookie threads my arm in hers after pocketing the three hundred dollars I was prepared to pay plus a fifty dollar tip. I should be a little unsettled, spending money like this, but the touch up was necessary.
“ Well,” she says. “Let's go see what this surprise is, huh?”
When we’re back in the lobby, Stevie and Jad e are already done and sitting on the same couches as before with huge grins on their faces.
“ So?” I ask.
In unison, they both jut out their left hands, turning them so their inner arms are facing Cookie and I.
On Stevie’s thin wrist is an intricate, cursive “J”. My brother has an “S” in the same style.
“ Aw,” Cookie says. “That’s cute.”
“ Very nice,” I agree.
“ Yeah,” Jade says, wrapping an arm around Stevie. “We thought you should be one of the first to know.”
“ Know what?” I ask.
“ We're going to get married!” Stevie blurts out.
What happens next can only be described as a mash up of a group hugs, kisses, and excited “I'm happy for you's” and “I love you's.”
“ So when are you planning on?” Cookie asks as soon as the group disassembles.
“ You know,” Jade says, “Whenever we have enough money and all that.”
“ But this is good too,” Stevie says, inspecting his shiny, wet ink. “For now.”
After a few seconds, Jade turns to me. “Well?”
“ Well what?”
He snorts. “Let me see yours.”
Without much hesitation. I spin around and Cookie lifts the back of my shirt, gesturing to my renewed wings like she’s Vanna White.
“Awesome,” Stevie says first.
“ Just as awesome as the first time,” Jade says to Cookie.
I turn back around, covering my puckered skin.
“No itching it this time,” Jade half-jokes, half-scolds me.
I laugh, and it’s almost an easy sound. “I promise.”
Once we’re done basically celebrating our new ink and the impending wedding, we say goodbye and Stevie and Jade follow me back to my apartment in the sweltering heat. They only stay for an hour or so before they have to leave so they’ll have time to catch the four o’clock train back to New Jersey for work.
I’m off today—from rehearsing with my band and with Honus, as well as from working merch—but I agreed to baby sit Leena. Mom and Adam have been seeing a marriage counselor here once every three weeks and then they go on a date. I offered to watch my baby sister whenever I was free because I miss her like crazy and have no time to go back to Jersey to visit.
Adam drops by around five. I haven’t seen him since he helped us move in a few weeks a go, and I barely even feel the irritation his arms create against my fresh tattoo when he hugs me. His shirt is clean and pressed and he smells like home when my head is against him.
“ Where’s Mom?” I ask when we’re apart.
Leena squeezes past us to dump the contents of her backpack—which is mainly coloring books, crayons, and markers—onto the coffee table in my living room.
Adam’s hair is the exact orange as Leena’s, except his is always in place. Leena somehow looks bigger and taller. Her orange hair has gotten longer, and her chubby cheeks have a few freckles on them from the sun.
“She’s downstairs waiting in the car,” he says. “We’re kind of running late for our session.”
As far as I can see, the therapy seems to be working. There’s less fighting. There’s less tension. But I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Mom’s brand of crazy isn’t exactly something that goes away overnight.
“Are you sure twelve isn’t too late to pick her up?” he asks, one hand on the doorknob.
I wave a dismissive hand. “I’m usually
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