Tatt and toos
Choosing Liv over Joey may have been the worst decision ever.
All night she wouldn't stop asking me questions.
So at four in the morning, when Liv finally fell asleep. I slip out of her room and ambush Joey.
He squeals like a girl. I put my hand over his mouth.
"Be quiet, it's just me," I whisper.
He nods, I know he's still freaking out. I slowly remove my hand.
"Princess what the heck? It's four in the morning." He catches his breath.
"Yes, and your sister kept me up. Wanna go for a light run?"
"Are you asking or telling?"
"I'm asking."
He rolls onto his stomach and stuffs his face in his pillow. "Then no I want to." His words muffle.
"Please Joey. I'll do anything not to go alone."
"Get a tattoo from Bruno." He says sarcastically.
"I'll do it."
He immediately sits up. He rubs his face and pulls on his ears, "did you just agree to get a tattoo done by Bruno?"
"Yes now let's go." I drag him out of bed.
We both changed and as we try sneaking out Lucas catches us.
"Lucas, why are you sitting in the dark? Almost gave me a heart attack." I hold my hand to my chest.
"I heard my son screaming like a girl and it looks like he's fine. Where are you two going?"
"We are going for a morning run," Joey answers him.
"Have fun I'm going back to bed." Lucas trails away.
Joey and I are pretty silent while we jog. I chose to bring up a conversation, "you know you really look like your dad." I tell him.
"Princess I look like neither of my parents."
"You look like both of them but more of your dad." I counter.
He laughs, "my mother nearly has a white complexion. She has straight hair. And she has hazel eyes. And my dad, he is the darkest man in the neighbourhood. He's not just black he's blick. He has tight kinky hair that fits into that huge afro of his. His eyes are like dark honey."
I stop jogging. Joey stops and looks at me questionably. I shake my head at him.
"Yes, you are brown skin. Yes, you have waves. But you had a loose afro as a kid, I saw that picture in Liv's room. Yes, your eyes are dark just like your Abuela's eyes. But you have the same facial structure, nose, eye shape, and body structure as your dad. You have your mom's smile. Her dimples. And her tiny ears too." I poke him and start to dash.
Joey catches up to my dash.
He's improving.
Joey eventually stops in front of a house.
"Come on princess."
I have no idea whose house this is. It's almost six in the morning...
Joey just walks through the door. "Ummmm Joey I pretty sure this is illegal everywhere."
He ignores me and starts screaming in Spanish.
Outcomes Bruno... and he's butt naked.
"Oh gosh." I tilt my head up and stare at the ceiling. Bruno's whole body is covered in tattoos.
Bruno laughs, "hey Izzy what brings you to my fabulous home?"
"Bruno go put on clothes." Joey scolds him.
"Why? I don't hear any complaints."
This is just horrible, "umm Bruno can you please put on clothes."
I hear footsteps walking away. I still keep my head up.
"Princess you can put your head down."
"Are you sure? I still want to wash my eyeballs."
Joey gives me an apologetic look.
Bruno comes back in jeans and a ripped up jacket. His torso of tats is all exposed.
"Why are you here cousin?" He asks Joey.
"Izzy is getting her first tattoo." He says.
Panic surges through my body, "Woah! I thought you were joking?"
He tilts his head to the side studying me, "you really thought I'd go one a run at four in the morning without seeing you get a tattoo from Bruno?"
I nod viciously.
Just then Joey's phone starts to get a ton of notifications.
"Princess?"
"Please don't tell me something bad happened." I cannot deal with more stress.
"De Grasse posted a video and tagged both of us in it."
I grab his phone out of his hands and watch the video.
He-he's on my side. He's one of my sponsors. I mean our sponsors. That means the race is on!
He ends it off by saying, "you got this Izzy." He fist-bumps the camera and it cuts to a screen that says 2022.
"OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! JOEY!" I am jumping like a maniac.
"So I guess this means the race is on. Next year." Joey nudges me.
"I know what tattoo I want," I say.
Joey widens his eyes, "oh I thought we were going to fight about this. I was ready for a comedy show. Seriously!"
"You are such a child," I turn to Bruno. "Do you do knuckles?"
"Izzy I do all parts of the body." Yep, that definitely creeps me out more.
"I just want the letters WWR on my fingers," I say.
Joey cuts in, "you want the one Andre has don't you?"
I nod.
"Then I'll get it too." He says which surprises Bruno more than anyone.
"Your mom is going to kill you." He sings.
We get set up.
"Princess, how well do you handle the pain?" I'm asked.
I shrug, "I don't know it depends."
"I can gag her."
"Bruno, do you enjoy this?" I ask him because I really want to wrap my hands around his neck as he begs for mercy.
"Very much." He replies.
Joey stands there like he's used to this.
Bruno wipes down my hand and gets to work. It's not that bad. It's just a bunch of tiny pinches on my left hand.
I hate being a lefty. It kills my mood.
When Bruno finishes, my hand is numb.
Joey, on the other hand, screams like a banshee.
"Dude he barely made a line!" I yell over him.
Bruno straps Joey's arms down. And I see a bandanna laying around. I shove it in the sucker's mouth.
Joey is staring at me wide-eyed trying to talk and it just sounds like he's violently moaning and Bruno and I think that it's hilarious.
When it's done and over with I take the bandana out of his mouth.
"I don't like either of you!"
Bruno and I both shrug.
"Can we leave before Ma goes nuts because we aren't home?"
"Actually Bruno I want Why We Run between my knee and foot."
"Give me a kiss and I can make that happen." He smirks.
"Hey, she doesn't know where your mouths been. How will Quinn feel knowing you're playing mind games with Izzy?" Joey smacks him upside the head.
"Quinn and I are in an open relationship!" Bruno walks up to me.
"Touch her, I break your neck," Joey growls. Bruno freezes in his tracks.
The air is so tense. Joey is being... well Joey.
I wrap my arms around Bruno's neck. "Awe but Joey look at him." I squeeze his cheek.
"Princess?"
I kiss Bruno's cheek. "I'd like my tattoo now."
Joey mutters, "unbelievable."
I get my tat and I can't walk...
Joey gave me a piggyback ride home. We just talked while we walked back. It was hysterical.
We slip in and Joey thinks he can hide from his mother. Liv snitches on us.
Elena dragged us back to Bruno's house and she went off on us...
Well not me, but Joey and Bruno.
Back at the Easterbrooks, Afi called me. I have another sponsor, they want Joey and me to do a photo shoot. Right here in Argentina. Next week.
I need to step up and I have to do this.
Well just a little filler before the hard hitting plot continues. Most the book I write are so long. This isn't. It's so straight to the point I dont know how to feel about it.
By the way some (to my friends who read this book) you were right about something in the next chapter 😉