Hermione was back to being our friends.
I gotta say, I missed her so freaking much.
Dustin was still staying with us. He didn't want to live with his parents anymore and my parents were really happy to have him with us.
We had written our SATs and we all passed.
So now, it was writing application letters to college and well getting ready for prom.
Hermione was freaking out about the latter. We were in a store looking for prom dresses.
"Hermione, prom is 2 weeks away. Why are we looking for dresses now?"
"Because by next week, all the stores will be a hunting ground. It's better to find now. We should have searched months ago. Even before SAT."
I rolled my eyes when she gave me a pastel pink ball dress that stopped on the knee to try out.
When I came out, her eyes widened.
"That is the one Tracy."
"Really? I feel like Cinderella when her evil stepsisters tore her dress."
"Just check the price tag. You are paying for it." she said firmly.
I groaned and sat on the couch when she entered the dressing room to try her choices.
"So how are the guys?" she asked.
"We're good. Tomorrow is movie night."
"Who's hosting?"
"Clark."
"Oh."
"You should come." I suggested.
She came out with a pretty red number. I liked it but from the look on her face, she didn't.
"I don't think they'd want me there."
Ever since the Allison incident, Hermione had been avoiding the guys to the sadness of Jayden. I have been telling her they wouldn't mind to have her but she keeps shaking her head saying they would
She still feels guilty every time.
Clark apologized to me and even invited me for his mom's birthday. It was beautiful. Her reaction was priceless and everything Clark probably dreamed of.
"Hermione, of course they'd want you there. Dustin's hanging out with us too, you know."
"Dustin didn't betray their trust Tracy. Just drop it please."
I sighed and watched her enter the dressing room. She came out with a blue flowing dress.
Okay this was it.
"This is it." she said.
Later that evening, Dustin parked his car in front of Clark's house.
I carried the 2 boxes of chocolate that Dustin and I bought and walked to the front door.
I allowed Dustin to knock. Selone opened the door, a toothy grin on her face.
"We have more visitors. Hi Tracy, Tracy's friend."
"It's Dustin."
She had a confused look on her face.
"Why would your parents name you after a chore?"
Dustin shrugged.
"I ask myself the same thing every single day. Love your pigtail."
She smiled.
"Thanks. Come on it."
We entered and sure enough, everyone was here. Even Jaine, Fred's younger sister.
"Finally." Clark yelled.
"We're only 3 minutes late." I said.
"We could gone through all the production shit the film would put us through by then."
I rolled my eyes.
"What movie?" Dustin asked.
"The entire John Wick franchise."
I groaned.
Love, love, love Keanu Reeves. Not a fan of John Wick.
"Exactly why I want us to watch it." Clark said pointing his finger to me. "Now, pass the chocolate."
We had already gotten past all the production dedications when a knock was heard.
"Who ordered pizza?" Clark asked not taking his eye from the TV.
"No one. We have 5 boxes here." Fred answered.
"I got it." Selone yelled.
I heard Selone's chipper hello and a muffled reply. On instinct, I turned my head and saw Selone followed by a blonde head.
"Hermione." Dustin said, gaining everyone's attention. He stood up and walked to take the box of pizza from her hand.
"Sorry. Didn't know you guys had pizza already." she said, her cheeks turning tomato red.
"It's okay. More for us." Clark said collecting the box from Dustin's outstretched hand.
"Now sit your ass down. We are watching John Wick." Fred said turning his attention back to the television.
She gave him a small smile and sat down beside Jaine.
Jaine stood up and told Hermione to scoot.
"She likes to sit at the edge of a chair." Fred explained. "You can sit next to Jayden."
I saw he and Dustin share a look. I raised an eyebrow (although I think I raised both). Since when did Dustin start matchmaking?
Hermione blushed and sat down beside Jayden.
After the movie, I volunteered to trash the pizza boxes outside. Caesar said he would follow me.
After we trashed everything trashable, Caesar asked for my age.
"I'll be eighteen the day after tomorrow. Why?"
He shrugged and had the passive look on his face.
"No reason."
Oh yeah, because of all this Hermione drama, I totally forgot about my birthday.
So on Sunday, after my parents and Dustin had sang me the birthday song and Dustin volunteered to do all my chores for the day, I sat down in my room listening to Imagine Dragons.
I got a lot of birthday calls from people I was expecting (my cousins, aunties, uncles, grandma, Hermione, lab partner since freshman year). What I was not expecting was a call from the virgins (I know it's weird to call them that).
"It's my baby's birthday." Fred said.
"Dude, remove your face from the camera. I can't see the birthday girl." Clark said.
We were on facetime.
"Happy birthday Tracy." Jayden said with a smile.
I couldn't really see their faces because Clark and Fred were wrestling to grab the phone.
"Yeah, what he said." Fred yelled.
"Thanks guys." I said, my cheeks heating up.
"We have a surprise for you." Caesar said as calm as the sea on a sunny day.
"Really? What is it?"
"If we told you, it wouldn't be a surprise." Clark said with a smirk on his face.
"We'll come get you."
"Why can't you show me here?"
"Because we need to take you to the surprise. Duh!" Fred said.
"Alright fine. But you'd better come early. My mom won't let me go anywhere until I eat my birthday breakfast."
Clark tsked. "Such a child."
"I'm guilty with that." I said.
"Tracy, breakfast's ready." my mom yelled.
"Coming mom." I yelled back and faced the four boys in my screen. "See you guys later."
After breakfast, my parents went to their room while Dustin and I went to the living room to watch Grown-ish when we heard the doorbell.
"Who is it?" Dustin asked.
"Special delivery for a Tracy Bouts." someone said.
He looked at me. "You wanna get it?"
I groaned. "Fine."
I went to the door and opened the door to reveal four guys. A black, brunet, blond and redhead.
"Tracy Bouts?" Fred asked, a smile on his face.
"That's me."
"We were sent to take you out."
"Really? By who?"
"Us bitch." Fred yelled.
I rolled my eyes.
"Oh, it's you guys. Thought you were some kidnapper of some sort." Dustin said. In his hand was a butcher knife.
Their eyes widened.
"You were planning to ambush us with that?" Caesar asked, his expression back to impassive.
"Well yeah."
"What if we had guns?" Jayden asked.
"Then I will blame Sidney Sheldon for his amazing storylines."
Fred crossed his arms with a knowing smile on his face.
"I didn't know you read Sidney Sheldon."
"I didn't know you know Sidney Sheldon." Dustin retorted.
Jayden covered his mouth. Clark and I snorted while Caesar just had a smile on his face.
Fred had a flabbergasted look on his face.
"We just came to take Tracy out."
"Well, you have to check with her parents first." Dustin said pointing to the staircase.
"MOM, DAD, SOME FRIENDS ARE TAKING ME OUT FOR A BIRTHDAY SURPRISE." I yelled.
They all flinched.
We heard my dad's reply, "okay honey. Be back before 2."
"'KAY." then I looked at the boys. "C'mon, let's go."
When Fred said they had a surprise for me, I was expecting a day at a really fancy restaurant. I wasn't expecting a tattoo parlor.
"Why are we here?"
"To get tattoos. Duh."
"You forgot TCOTPBMCACMWB #5. Fucking tattoos. We are graduating soon and if we don't get the tattoos, all our restrains not to kill you was for nothing." Clark said.
Okay, Clark and the word 'killing', 'murder' and 'death', is beginning to scare me.
"You agreed to it Tracy, remember?" Jayden said.
We were still outside the parlor.
"Think of it as your passage rite to adulthood."
"I thought it will be taking alcohol." I said bluntly.
They all started to laugh, even Caesar.
"Wait, you are not kidding." Fred said after looking at the serious look on my face.
"Sweetie, every teenager in America has tasted alcohol." Clark said.
"If not gulped down." Jayden added.
"Come on Tracy, please get a tattoo with us." Fred pleaded.
I thought about it for a while.
"Fine, but I am getting it because my parents gave me their blessings to get a tattoo once I turn 18."
"Bless your parents." Fred yelled.
"Well, we are outside standing like we are in a Harry Potter franchise, let's go in."
-*-
"What would you like?" the tattoo artist asked me.
Unlike most tattoo artist, he had only one tattoo on his massive body. It was on his right arm. It was the crufix.
Whoever drew that, needs to be praised.
We all decided to make me get mine first. There was no way, I was getting mine last. Or even second.
I checked the book he had and found nothing to my taste. It was only hardcore tattoos that will probably take forever to do and a lot of pain.
I told him to give me a minute and quickly searched Pinterest. It gave me amazing ideas and I finally chose a butterfly tattoo.
"Do you want it where it was done?" he asked pointing at the picture.
It was on the back of the wrist, where the palm of the hand was.
"Yeah."
"Alright."
While he was doing it, I tried to zone out the pain but I just realized that the tattoo was done around the vein area and well, he was doing it on the vein area.
It hurts.
"Crybaby." Clark muttered.
I only realized that tears were streaming down my eyes.
"Macho Banana." I retorted quietly.
That was the only retort that was in my head at that time.
Fred burst out laughing and even the tattoo guy let out a smile.
After forever hours, he was done. I stood up and looked at the black ink on my wrist. It was a beautiful butterfly.
I also looked at the red blush surrounding the black ink, my hand was still red from the pain.
Was this what people like Justin Bieber and Wiz Khalifa went through?
How do they even go through this? Props to them all.
He handed me a white cloth with wet with what felt like methylated spirit. I took it gratefully and placed it on the tattoo. It hurt but soon, it became and uncomfortable sting.
"Who's next?" he asked.
Jayden raised up his hand.
He showed the guy, Daniel was his name, what he wanted.
Daniel nodded and began drawing it out.
For a rather big drawing, Jayden didn't even wince once.
At the end, it was a Sphinx on the left side of his neck.
Clark got a weird tattoo design on his shoulder blade.
Fred got the word Fraine on his elbow.
"Fraine?" I asked
"Fred and Jaine." was his answer.
Caesar got a book drawing on his skin just above his heart.
After we were done, Fred paid and we drove back home.
"Thanks." I said when Fred packed in front of my house.
"No problem. See you during prom."
"Yeah."
-*-
Hope you enjoyed it?