"𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚖𝚢 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎."
~~~
𝐒𝐚𝐠𝐞'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕
"Hello, I'm Nora, welcome to Tristen's Tattoo Shop." The girl behind the counter finishes the french braid she was currently tackling and puts her full attention on us as soon as we walk through the double doors. "Are all three of you ladies being serviced today?"
"No, just us two." Vic replied, referring to her and Izzy.
Because Izzy and I are constantly together at Newspaper club she's been hanging out over at our dorm often late nights working on different projects Ms. Rayes has assigned to us. The three of us have bonded really well these last few weeks and I was liking the start to this new trio.
"Noor?! Who's next?" The raven haired girl who I'm assuming is Tristen appears from the back of the shop, sporting nothing but an acid washed vintage crop top, dark ripped jeans and a multipurpose apron with supplies sticking out from the pockets.
Pulling back the loose strands of hair behind her ear, I notice a blonde streak complementing the nape of her head. She stood on a pair of platform Doc Martens and with every movement the chunky chains hanging from her pants clink together.
"We have a group but only two of them are getting inked today." She replied, scribbling away in a notebook, then handing Tristen a blank receipt.
Tristen nods, opening the register before quickly counting the several twenty dollar bills to put away. Her movements are fast paced like she was on a tight schedule. I had assumed this place took walks in when Zach talked about how he came here on a regular basis.
"I'll be back in a couple weeks, Tris." A random guy coming out with a patch of plastic on his sleeve says, walking towards the door. In his hand is a clear bag I assume is full of aftercare products.
"You know where to find me Gus!" Tristen glances up with a smile as the door closes behind him, before turning to face the three of us. Her eyelids are covered in a bold eyeliner that accentuated her hazel eyes and deep red lipstick.
I don't think I've seen Vic blink since the moment she arrived. And obviously now I know why. There wasn't an empty space on her body, with her arms closely resembling an artist sketchbook and the overwhelming amount of piercings attached to her nose and ears. She was truly mesmerizing to look at. Her assistant can barely keep her eyes off her, looking away ever so often with tinted red ears to match her cheeks.
"I'm going to take them to the room. Make sure Fred doesn't leave without paying this month's tab." She orders seriously and Nora shakes her head with a firm understanding. "Girls, follow me." Tristen leads us to the back of her shop and I can't help but let my eyes wander across the exposed brick wall. There's sketches everywhere. The walls, her surprisingly well organized desk, the door and even an easel in the corner is occupied with bare canvases of multiple sizes.
"This is—" Izzy starts, not being able to put her thoughts into words.
"Wow." I finished for her, turning in a circle with my eyes wide and curious.
"Holy shit." Vic mumbles, standing still in the middle of the very large and open room. The windows reach the ceiling and touch the ground letting hues of natural light loom through the glass. There is a single tattoo reclining chair occupying the space and a wooden bench where I take a seat.
"That's pretty much everyone's reaction when they come back here." She laughs, taking a second to admire the room herself.
Victoria goes straight for the open journal that showcases prior tattoos she's done and I don't miss the excitement behind her eyes.
"You're an artist." Tristen states with a knowing look.
"N-no not really. I just draw here and there." Vic stammers incoherently, which is so unlike her. Even I'm a little taken back.
"Well, you could've fooled me." She replied almost instantly.
"Don't listen to her. She's an art major and one of the best artists I know." I insisted and Vic pressed her lips together, suppressing a thankful smile.
"Really?" Tristen glances between the two of us before settling her attention back to Victoria. "You gotta show me your work sometime. I'd love to take a look."
"I can't possibly compare to this." Vic glances around the room in appreciation.
"Let me be the judge of that." Tristen winks.
Once Tristen's in the zone she's fully focused on the completing the task ahead. It's been thirty minutes since she's clean, moisturized and prepped Izzy to go and for the most part Tristen remains quiet while she presses the gun to Isabella's sanitized rib cage.
Izzy was getting an assortment of flowers underneath her right boob but with how much detailing she wanted they would have to schedule two more appointments on top of this one since it all couldn't be done in one go.
Beside me, Vic was still flipping through Tristen's tattoo binder and fighting between getting a spine tattoo or a simple drawing on her ankle.
"Are you sure you don't want to get one today?" Vic whispers to me even though I had already made up my mind.
"I wanna wait till I'm sure I know which one I want."
"Okay." She drawls. "But I swear to god if I see you and Zach with matching tattoos I'm going to kill you first."
I give her a pointed look. "Vic."
"Sage." She imitates, mockingly a little bit too loud.
Tristen pauses her movements, recognition instantly dawning on her face. She then returns to wiping Izzy's reddened skin free of ink residue. "So, you guys go to Syracuse, huh?"
Her question sounded more like a statement.
"Yeah, how'd you know?" Vic's curiosity peaks.
"Keychain." She eyes the orange lanyard hanging from my wristlet. Her change in tone deceives her. "Plus it's not far from here. I get tons of drunk guys trying to flirt their way into a freebie."
"Did you go there?" I ask, subtly trying to enter the conversation.
She nods with a half smile as if she were remembering fond memories. "I did and it's a great school really, I met some of my greatest friends there." I sense her tense a little. "But I realized college just wasn't for me so I dropped out halfway into my junior year."
"I completely understand. I don't think I would've went to college if I continued to-"
"Model." She interjects.
"Yeah-" I pause, brows furrowing. "How'd you know?"
"Nora, my assistant, recognized you when you came in. I think she's still fangirling out there."
"Really, I couldn't tell."
Tristen smiles warmly, her cheek turning a soft shade of pink before her curtain bangs could cover the clear feelings displayed out to the open. She cleared her throat. "Yeah, she's a bit shy. I kinda had to break her out of her shell for this job."
For the remainder of the session, the four of us can no longer stay quiet. We talk frankly about everything. From Tristen's college days and how she became interested in owning a business to Izzy and Victoria fighting over who's playlist has better songs and my crazy obsession over Tristen's spine tattoo, she stopped to show Vic as inspo.
"Please stop by again. It was nice having a girls chat instead of being hit on for once." Tristen leans up against the doorframe with a much lighter mood than before.
We ended much earlier since Vic decided she wanted to wait till after the showcase to get her spine tattooed. Izzy and Nora are at the front desk discussing a payment method as I walk out the room last.
I chuckle, nodding after. "Of course, we'll definitely be back."
"And Sage..."
"Yeah?" I turn around to meet Tristens amused face.
A mischievous smirk plays on her lips as she crosses her arms over her chest. "Tell Zach, he's late on his tab for me."
My jaw hangs for a sec before I nod, feeling how hot my cheeks are burning.
___
"So she knew, all along." Vic muses, the corners of her lips tugging upwards. "Wow, I love that girl." She adds, while running the flatiron through her already bone straight hair for the third time.
After dropping Izzy off to her doctor's appointment, Victoria drove us back to the dorms, unsafely might I add, where we shared a frozen pizza and watched cheesy romance movies for the past couple of hours. This kind of thing was rare with our busy schedules. I almost forgot how it felt to just sit and gossip over the sound playing in the background.
"Yeah." I faceplant on my bed and let out an internal groan of embarrassment. "She definitely knew it was me. I mean she straight out laughed at my blushing face when she mentioned Zachariah." I turned over to lay flat on my back. My eyes glued to the ceiling as I fish under my weighted blanket for my book.
Releasing the tip of the pen from between my lips, I check another item off my checklist and my face falls once I see the next attached item. Court Hearing to be held November 28th. Winters V. Major Models.
Vic quickly glances over her shoulder, immediately noticing my fallen expression and her mouth droops into a frown that mirrors my own. "What's that look?"
"Nothing, what look?" I close the planner and shove it underneath my pillow, sitting up straighter in the process.
"You look like Willow just died." She referred to the husky I had fallen in love with back at home.
"You're so out of pocket sometimes you know?" I throw the plush flower shaped pillow towards her, but it hits the edge of the chair instead and falls to the ground.
She grins down at the pillow that had missed her, laughing lightly at my weak throwing skills.
"Wouldn't have to be if you just told me what's up." She shrugs, unplugging the iron from the outlet and wrapping the cords so they wouldn't get tangled in my drawer.
"I haven't really told anyone besides you but...the court date has been set." I rub my sweaty palms onto the sides of my jeans. Nerves rack through me and I lift my gaze to meet Victoria's serious one.
"What?" She whispers, fully turning around.
"I have to see Kelsey in a couple days and I don't know how to tell Zach." I pause, thinking back to the moment before we started cooking. "He's been very out of it lately and with back to back games coming up, I just couldn't break the news to him especially since I know he'd want to be there with me."
Vic nods in understanding but I don't expect her to disagree with me next. "I'm sorry but he should be there with you, Sage. The judge needs to see you have people on your side in support of you and that you're not just this spoiled model looking for an easy way out. If we have Kelsey's brother in the seats behind you, it's like an automatic bonus. You know it and I know it."
I plop down on my bed and take in her words. They started to make sense as I registered the information but at what cost. I didn't want Zachariah to be in the middle. It would only complicate things further.
"I don't know..."
"Just think about it. Okay?" She replied before I nod reluctantly.
"Can we talk about something else? I don't want to be down for Zachariah's game."
The shift in the air was highly noticeable and to be fair, weird for the both of us.
"Mhmm." She hums and that's when I notice the time. I was still in my home clothes and there wasn't much to do with my hair which was slicked back into a low bun to accommodate for my baseball cap.
"Crap!" I shoot off the bed and pull open the closet door, flipping through the racks of hangers carrying my freshly washed clothes. "What am I going to wear?"
"Sage, I think I fo-"
"For the last time, I'm not wearing one of your dresses Vic." I interrupt her sentence too quickly.
"Well that was very rude. My dresses are actually very nice." Her tone of voice tells me she had rolled her eyes and I turn around just as she picks up a plain white box I hadn't noticed before sitting in the corner, with a red bow attached to the cover. "I think Zachs already got you an outfit."
Picking up the tiny post it, I subtly trace the words as I read them.
I can't wait to see you in my jersey when I look in the stands tonight.
-Z
I bite my lip from smiling so hard, it physically hurts and draws a tinge of blood. I lift the white and black colored jersey from its box and turn it around. The back read STONE and inside the number four, ink resembling Zachs signature was printed towards the middle.
I placed the note on my nightstand and Vic snatched it back up to read for herself. It takes all but five seconds for an exaggerated awe to leave her mouth.
"If this doesn't say he's fallen in love with you, I don't know what will."
I tense at her words, staring anywhere but her eyes. "W-We haven't—yet." Although the only thing I could think about lately was saying those three words.
"Oh Sage, all because you two haven't said it, doesn't mean you guys don't feel it." Vic replies softly.
Her confession lingers in the corner of my mind until we leave for the game.
___
There's a thousand eyes burning a gaping hole into the middle of my back as I walk up the bleachers with nothing but a number four jersey keeping me warm tonight. Just like I expected the stands are filled to the brim tonight, causing many eyes to familiarize themselves with me once again.
Ignoring them, I closely trail behind Vic to the seats Miles had saved for us. It was in the perfect spot. We had the best view of both teams and the players' seating area. Internally I'm grateful Ms. Rayes gave us this game off from reporting.
Surprisingly I take the stares better than I imagined, choosing to ignore the swarm of students mixed in with outsiders, breaking their necks with confused expressions and instead pay attention to the game that was clearly on its way to start.
I spot him from a mile away and that's when I take the time to openly appreciate my boyfriend. Like always his hair is tousled into messy locs and he can't help but brush away the single strand that had fallen in front of his eyes. Unlike my jersey, his clung tightly to his well structured body, enhancing the proportioned and solid muscle he had trained night and day for.
Him and his coach seemed to be indulged in a very heated conversation, both of them speaking in hushed tones and away from the other players. Once their finished Coach gives Zach a hard slap in the ass as he jogs to the rest of his team huddled in a circle. He looked determined and more focused than I expected.
"Give 'em hell, babe." I murmured to myself, playing with the hem of the fabric glued to me. The action felt intimate seeing as we were wearing the same exact thing.
"You think the sitters fine? She hasn't called at all yet and it's been two and half hours." Miles yells through the incredibly loud chants and screams overpowering his already deep voice.
"Babe, she would've called if anything happened. Take this as a good sign." Vic assured him and calmness visually washes over his features as he nods in return.
"Do you know who we're playing tonight?" A male student dressed in our school colors leaned in to ask me. He look interested in everything but the game as he stared at me with hopeful eyes. I scooted to my right hoping for some distance but we were still dangerously close.
"Honestly, I don't have a clue. I'm just here to watch my boyfriend play." I cross my arms attempting to warm myself with only the heat radiating off my body.
"Boyfriend?" His voice dampens and disappears with the noise of the crowd.
"Speaking of boyfriend." Vic nudges my arm while casually entering the awkward turned conversation.
I tear my gaze from the guy next to me and continue to scan the field of players, settling on a familiar pair of stone grey eyes.
I drown out every meaningless noise.
From the yells of several fans behind me, to the cheerleading team chanting the familiar slogan from previous games and lastly the whistle blowing, snapping both Zachariah and I out of this daze.
His intense gaze shifted swiftly back and forth between me and the stranger standing a bit too close and his silent glare is enough to widen the space between us.
Noticing the amount of empty space I had just received, I shake my head, chuckling, before mouthing good luck. The corners of my lips tugging up seconds after.
My pulse quickens when Zachariah taps the left of his chest twice before pointing directly towards me, causing the crowd to instantly turn their heads. The slow and dreaded smirk I couldn't resist slowly comes alive and I hide my face behind my hands, blushing furiously.
"He never did that for me." Miles jokingly admits and Vic is rubbing his back whispering I know, like the idiot had actually gotten his feelings hurt.
Zach takes one last look before he hooks both palms to his helmet, pushes it on and runs to center field with the rest of the guys.
"Okay, okay, it's starting you guys."
Within seconds both sides of the football field had shattered the sound barrier. The large floodlight illuminated the turf and the opposing teams playing on it. The game officials began taking their places and the air suddenly shifted.
Quarter 1:
The game was just beginning.
Some plays are successful, others not so much. The score is still tied 0-0 and both teams are getting their assess handed to them by their respective coaches once a timeout is called.
It's kind of funny to watch.
Watching Zachariah play while wearing his jersey is so exhilarating that I find myself sitting at the edge of my seat, watching his every move. Will he catch the ball? Will some idiot tackle him too hard? Is Coach Benson going to base his decision off this game alone? All questions I don't have the answer to. But at the same It's nerve wracking knowing that among the audience are scouts and NFL recruits here that could see his potential and change everything for us.
Initially, Zachariah has one more year left of college before he's off to god knows where and I'm still stuck here for another three years aiming for my journalism degree.
Miles bounces out of his seat, catching me off guard when I notice Ezra's phenomenal throw lands directly into Zachariah's grasp on the opposite side of the field. Coach Benson is motioning towards the end zone as he takes off for another couple yards.
I'm instantly on my feet, adrenaline suddenly cursing through my veins.
"Go baby!" I scream, but I doubt I can be heard over Syracuse's student section that has come alive in the past thirty seconds.
In that time a player on the opposite team reaches up to Zach, closely on his trail. My pulse quickens inside my chest and Vic tightly clutches my arm unknowingly.
In that same moment, my phone vibrates in my pocket, causing me to look down for half a second. I choose to ignore the call, thinking nothing of it when the pause lasts only a minute and vibrates again.
I dig into my pocket, pulling out my phone and the name of my lawyer displayed on my screen confuses me. Why was he calling me this late in the day? Sending a quick text that I would call him later, I shove the phone back into my jeans.
By the time I looked back to the farthest corner over at the end zone, the play in action had already stopped, along with the increased screams of excitement coming from the people in the bleachers.
I don't know whether to breathe through my nose or mouth at this point. It hurts to do either.
The image of the player clutching his leg in pain is gut wrenching and my chest constricts once more when the players surrounding him on the ground disperse for medics to get close.
Tearing my gaze from the commotion, I scan the field for player number four's uniform. It takes all of three minutes before I come to terms that the search has lasted way too long and I go to look for a pair of sleeve tattoos instead.
Nowhere to be found.
Miles' empty stare never leaves the field and Victoria meekly rubs my forearm in a fickle attempt to comfort me.
"Sage, I think..." She trails and my brows pinch together because of her guilty voice.
I gulped, nodding, not being able to speak for myself.
No.
Please no.
"We'll be taking a short intermission so we can check on Syracuse's wide receiver." The announcer booms through the arenas speaker.
The crowd is void of any noise and that's when I realize the player on the ground is in fact Zachariah.
End of Chapter
So much has happened in this single chapter. Let me know what was your favorite part and poor Zach. Hope he's not hurt too bad. Lol okay bye. See you guys next week.
Hint: There was a bunch of foreshadowing in this chapter.