Page 11 of Until the Ink Dries

She was right. Thinking about them was going to put me in a bad mood and I was here to have fun. I grabbed a shot as the waitress placed them on our table and took it to the head. It was time to clear my thoughts. Tonight was about me and my girl having a good time and that’s just what I planned to do.

* * *

An hour later, me and Shirah were good and tipsy.

Duke had come through with the free drinks and we were throwing them back like it was nothing. The DJ gave our graduating class a shoutout before playing a ton of songs that were popular during our senior year. Of course, we couldn’t resist getting out on the dance floor.

I was having the time of my life, but I regretted wearing heels. My feet were on fire and I had to sit down and rest for a second.

“Whew, girl!” Shirah said, fanning herself. “This takes me back to prom!”

“Right? Remember you broke your heel from dancing so hard?”

“I do. I also remember getting out there barefoot and shaking this ass.”

“Principal Williams almost escorted you out that night.”

“She was always my biggest opp.”

“And you were her biggest problem.”

“I really wasn’t that bad. She hated that I was a straight A student, even with me being a clown.”

“You think she’s gonna be there?”

“Of course, she is. She came back as principal last year. Those poor kids.”

I laughed as I took a sip of my water and surveyed the space. Duke really had a hot spot in town. As popular as he was back in the day, I could see this being a lucrative venue for him. While we were eating, Shirah told me about him and his motorcycle club and how they always gave back to the community.

I found that admirable.

Duke had his flaws, but beneath his exterior, he’d always been a decent person. Like me, he was friends with everybody, so it made sense that people came out to support his business venture.

I was mid sip when my eyes landed on a very familiar face at the bar. I couldn’t place the name, but I knew we went to high school together.

“Shy, who is that?” I asked, pointing at the guy talking to Duke.

She followed my gaze. “Girl, that’s Benny. You remember Benjamin Davis?”

“That’s him?”

“Mm-hmm. Fine, ain’t he?”

“Girl… he was fine back in high school, but that’s grown man fine. When did he get all those tattoos?”

“He owns a tattoo shop,Off The Wall Tattoo.”

“How long has he been around?”

“He never left. Benny keeps to himself, girl. It’s a whole story behind that, but that isn’t my business to tell. He minds his business, but I make him speak to me whenever I see him. He’s asked about you a few times.”

“Really?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Benjamin Davis and I weren’t exactly friends, but we’d been friendly. He was the handsome guy that minded his own business back in the day, too. The problem with that was, trouble seemed to find him.

“Ben! Benny!” Shirah yelled over the music.

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