Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
03
"HERE IT IS," Scott says, letting the door to the parlor swing open and hit the wall.
This place is like a third home to him -- after the florist shop, of course. It's dim-lit and grungy and smells of antiseptic. Permanent Records is beautiful to him like how Sweet Stems is beautiful to any flower-enthusiast. He's just able to relate to the tattoo shop much more, especially since his best friends are here, and he can really just let loose and create his artwork.
When someone lands their eyes on Scott Akers, through the slightly tinted windows, standing with a subtle grin on his face, they don't think anything of it. His dark clothing and his undercut and his lip piercing and his tattoos make him fit in with this type if scene. There's nothing too much about him; he's made for this place.
"It's nice," Camille says, tentatively stepping inside and sweeping her hazel eyes over the place, "and it really suits you."
She thinks so, too, apparently.
"Yeah?" Scott smirks, striding further into the parlor, listening to the whir of the machines, yet still waiting for one of them to pop out and tackle him.
"Yeah," she nods, running her fingers through her short hair, "Hey, Scott, they won't mind that I'm here, right?"
"No," he says in reply, genuinely meaning it, "If anything, they'll end up liking you more than they like me."
"Scott," a voice calls from the back of the room. It's deadly and feminine and all too familiar to Scott, "I'm gonna fucking kill you!"
See? His friend is threatening Scott with death. Of course they're going to like Camille better than him.
"Oh really?" Scott shouts back with an undertone of playfulness, having learned that Pepper's threats are always empty, "Too bad, Pepper! I got a girl that I need to return back to her mom! Kill me some other time!"
There's a moment of silence.
Then, there's a collective round of shouts and gasps before four people rush into the main lobby. They're all talking over each other, gradually getting louder and louder, as they throw congratulations at Scott for getting a girlfriend. The whole time, Scott watches all of them in amusement, knowing that they'd throw it out of proportion.
He glances at Camille, who watches his friends with wide eyes.
"Scott's got himself a girl!" Pepper Gilmore happily shouts, tackling him like how Scott predicted. He's so accustomed to this action that he doesn't even falter in his step from the impact.
