Sienna Pov:

Me and Laura are at the park 

“You’re not staying for the summer!?” I yelled, Laura physically flinched back shushing me.

“No I’m not, but it's not like I'm leaving the WHOLE summer just for a week,” Laura tells me.

“But a week is sooo long, and I don’t want to be alone for a week. Could you skip out please,” I tease, not being serious but Laura makes a face.

“I-I mean i can opt out if you want i mean it doesn’t matt-”

“I’m joking Laura, you go have fun. Don’t worry about me. I’ll find something to do,” I chuckle nervously rubbing the back of my head. 

She sighs at me and rests her head on my shoulder.

“When do you leave,” I say distractingly, trying not to focus on the fact that we’re touching. 

“In three days, my parents wanted to send me off early but I decided against it because I wanted to be with you before I go,”  Laura sighed.

My heart was beating uncontrollably, it was so loud I was worried she could hear it.

“You are my best friend, after all,”  she closes her eyes dozing off. 

“Yeah… best friend,” my heart stops thumping and I lay my head on hers.

—----

“Bye Sisi, I’ll see you tomorrow!” I wave as she peddles off, a half genuine smile placed on my face. It immediately drops as she rounds the corner. I run my hand through my hair in exhaustion. The last couple of days have been nonstop. I’ve been looking for a job for quite some time now and I got rejected for the third time yesterday. I hop on my bike and peddle home. If only I had done those stupid community events. I sit down on the couch and scroll through my phone, looking through the limited job applications. 

I scroll and scroll until one catches my eye. Reception at a tattoo shop? Is that even allowed? Whatever. Sounds cool, I’m gonna apply. I stretch out on the couch. Putting my hand over my eyes. 

I head upstairs and pull open my drawer, I take my sticker decorated sketchbook out of the drawer and lay on my bed. My room is nicely decorated to my dad's liking. Because of him, I can’t have my drum set and band posters in my rooms. He’s the reason I can’t wear my baggy clothing and my overalls. Why I can’t wear my makeup and drop my grades below 90? According to him, “A woman who dresses nice, gets picked by a nice man. A woman who dresses like you do attracts bad and weird men.” Well, good thing I’m gay then. I get up and head to the shower. I stand there till the water runs cold. I never noticed it did until I heard harsh pounding on the door and my ‘brother’ yelling at me to get out because all the hot water was gone. He doesn’t even shower, why does he need it? I sigh and step out of the shower. 

—---

Every day passes the same, hang out with Laura, Sleep, work out, shower, lay in bed, and so on and so forth. Until Laura had to leave, I couldn’t wish her goodbye because for some reason my ‘father’ knew of her departure and he forbade me from going out of the house. 

The next day I lay in bed staring at my ceiling, There’s not much to do until Laura gets back. I sigh, sit up, and grab my phone.  I get a notification on my phone.

Thank you for applying for the position, your interview will be tomorrow at 5:30 pm. Try not to be late as we run on a strict schedule. See you soon!

— Manger Zion K.

I got the interview! What should I wear? There are so many things to choose from! I open my closet and look at my clothing. My favorite shirt? No, unprofessional, especially with a middle finger printed on the front. you could probably tell but I got this behind my ‘fathers’ back. My only good pair of skinny jeans? No. my pink dress? No, too formal. 

What about my old clothes, I wouldn’t be surprised if he threw them away but it wouldn’t hurt to check. Where would it be though? It could possibly be in the attic with my drumset. There's no harm in checking. 

I check the front of the house threw my window. His car is gone. With that reassurance, I head to the attic. I pull the string and the door flings open. I pull the fooled stairs down and head up. I have my head on a swivel looking for my drum set. Ah! It was disassembled and lying on the floor coated in a thick layer of dust. The various stickers are in different states of decay. Next to it lay a box. The box had no label, but the top was open. So he didn’t throw them away. I grab the box and leave the attic. I hear the sound of the front door opening.

Shit! Shutting the attic behind me I race to my room. I hide the box in the closet and sit on my bed. Pulling my phone to pretend I'm scrolling through insta or something. Thumping comes up the stairs. My door knob turns as he walks into the room.

“Hey kid, I'm home,” he says and closes the door. 

“...Okay?” I say flashing him a confused face and turning back down to my phone.

“I heard that you were looking for a job. I can get you one. There's a reception job open at the office and I wouldn’t mind an assistant,” he says with a frown. 

“Did mom make you say that? Or is it from the ‘kindness in your heart’” I say and roll my eyes. 

“Honestly I wanted to offer it to your brother but he is busy this summer,” he says with a huff. 

“Ah, okay,” I hum. When is he going to leave my room? His presence makes me uncomfortable.

“...So do you want the job?”

“No, that's alright I have a job interview tomorrow.”

“Do you need me to drive you?”

“Nope.”

“Well”

“Yeah… please get out.”

“Okay,” he says and he walks out the door closing it behind himself. So fucking awkward. I sigh for the millionth time that day. I hear him descend down the stairs most likely to tell Mom I rejected his offer. I go to my closet and pull the box out. I look through the box until I find my overalls. Perfect just what I needed! It’s a little dusty but it’ll do. 

The next day I grab my bike and pull up the GPS. I really need to get my license. The place was twenty minutes away which meant thirty on bike. Christ. 

I make it 5 minutes early, sweating like a hooligan. I park my bike and put the lock on it before heading inside. The door jingles as I walk in. 

“One moment and I'll be right with ya’” a loud voice booms from the other room. 

“O-okay” my nervous stutter gets the best of me.

This place is better the I imagined. Various drawings on the wall, posters of bands, and even the lobby walls are painted black. Two archways are on each side of the round desk in the center. Both I assume lead to different tattooing rooms. Everything was in black. Besides the drawings, those were beautiful colors. So many blended together to make beautiful masterpieces. I get caught up staring at them mesmerized.

“You like ‘em? Most of ‘em I made but others were made by my wife. Her name was the one who sent you the application. That's what you’re here correct?” A taller man with a darker complexion. He had dreads down to his hips and wore a lace top over a tang top. His jeans were ripped from the lower thigh to the middle of his shin. He also wore big black combat boots. Saying he was pretty was an understatement by far means.

“the names Tye, What’s your’s?” He says smiling and goes to shake my hand I comply and stick my hand out.

“Hi Tye, call me Sisi. I don’t like my name too much,” mostly because it was all Alex called me.

“Let's go to my office, I want to go over your resume and then we’ll see what we’ll do from there,” he starts walking “Follow me,” he waves his hand. I follow him to his office.

The office is decorated differently than the lobby. The walls are painted a dark green color and all the furniture was different shades of brown. It was well lit, it was almost blinding to go in there.

The interview lasted for an hour,  random scenario questions, you know all that interview stuff. It wasn't necessarily boring but it was exhausting. By the time I left the tattoo parlor, it was 8:15 pm. I’m late for dinner. I get on my bike and ride home.

“You’re late,” ‘My brother’ tells me. 

“Yeah, I can tell,” I head up the stairs not feeling in the mood to eat dinner. I lay in bed for a few moments before a ding comes from my phone.

                   Fluffy <3

Fluffy <3

I hope your interview went well, I miss you and can’t wait to get back! <3

Me

It went well or at least i think it did lol

Miss you too <3

I shut my phone off with a smile and head to the shower.  I watch TV for the whole night before gently falling asleep.