Page 13 of Ash
“I’m sorry if Ash hurt you.” Indy’s soft voice rings through and I give her a smile.
“Nah, I’m tough. It will take a lot more than Ash and his big boy voice to upset me.” That’s a lie, when he snapped at me at the hospital last week, I was slightly hurt. It irritates the ever-loving shit out of me that he was able to pull that emotion out of me, but he did. So here I am with hurt feelings thanks to Ash’s ’big boy voice’, but Indy doesn’t need to know about that. I know Ash didn’t mean anything by it, our conversation was on a very sensitive subject, and I can’t say I wouldn’t have acted the same way if the roles were reversed.
“I don’t know what he said exactly,” Indy smiles sweetly. “But just know he’s all bark, no bite.”
“Sucks for him,” Janie says while lying on Ren’s lap. “Because Sunday isallbark and bite.” I laugh sarcastically at my redheaded friend before flipping her off.
“So, Stevie,” Janie says after taking a swig of beer. “Babe, I love you and will support any choice you want to make, but just know, if you don’t come and be my piercer, you are dead to me.” Stevie groans as Janie tosses a green folder onto my coffee table. Ren chuckles as she picks the folder up and begins to look over the paperwork. Ren is our group's unofficial, non-practicing lawyer. She went to law school and practiced for a while, but last year she followed her dreams and became an audiobook narrator.
“I love how you think I would fuck her over,” Janie scoffs at Ren before pushing her with her foot.
“You know it's a habit.” Ren rolls her brown eyes before dropping the papers and sitting back.
“I mean,” Stevie says in her soft voice as she worries on her bottom lip. Poor Stevie has been getting hounded by Janie for months to become the shop’s new piercer due to her experience and expertise from running a shop before she moved here, but she’s super hesitant about taking the leap. “I do miss it, and I was good, but… Janie, I just don’t deal well working for men.”
“What men?” Janie asks and we all burst out laughing.
“Janie!” I snort as I sip my beer. “How about the four massive apes you are constantly wrangling?” Janie taps her beer to her mouth in thought.
“Yeah, I gotta ask again, what men? Those are four giant babies.” She sighs longingly. “It’s why I can never have kids. I’m damned to take care of dumb, dumber, dumbest, and stupid for all eternity.” She instantly snaps back to Stevie and gives the nervous girl her biggest smile. “Butttt, you wouldn’t be working for any men. The guys have no say on the piercing side. You will be in your own part of the shop, and I will get you a helper with the jewelry and stuff that’s a female. Maybe Ash will let Indy out of her tower one day and she can help.”
Indy chokes on the water she had been drinking and looks around nervously. “Yeah, probably not a good chance there.”
“What is with that?” Janie asks while taking her socks off so Luca could start painting her toes. “I’m not expecting perfection, I know my shakes are a pain.” Luca tsks while waving her concerns off. Janie suffers from a condition that makes her body shake constantly. Some days are worse than others, it depends on her anxiety or stress. Today seems like a higher day because the poor thing is having a hell of a time relaxing.
Indy shifts uncomfortably. “I have some medical conditions, and Ash is protective of me. Prefers to treat me as though I’m glass.”
“Epilepsy,” pointing to myself and taking a drink.
“Essential Tremors.” Janie smirks while holding out her trembling hands.
“Type One Diabetes.” Ren shrugs as she points to her pump just poking out from under her sleeve.
“Uterine Fibroids and Endometriosis,” Stevie says after a minute, and we all look at her. Stevie has never once mentioned that she might have an illness. She shrugs as if sensing our confusion. “I’m more of a ‘handle it on my own’ type.”
“Wow,” Indy chuckles lightly. “It’s like a women with disabilities support group.” I snicker, and Janie laughs heartily.
“Yeah, but we don’t call ours ‘disabilities’. More like, extra spices.”
“So, what’s your spice?” I ask Indy, who blushes.
“My main one is MS.” We fall silent. MS–Multiple Sclerosis is one of the big boys. Not that any one person can say they have it worse than the other. Any one of us can have an issue that the others couldn’t relate to due to our disability. But MS is one of those diseases you hear about and your heart plummets.
I clear my throat, not wanting her to feel like we are going to give her special treatment. After all, she probably gets it all the time from Ash and everyone else. “Damn girl, awfully big disease for such a tiny lady.” She gives me a small chuckle.
“Yeah well, go big or go home, right? But seriously, I would love to work at Hel’s, Janie. I’ve been trying to get Ash to let me apply for months since he made me quit my job, but he just keeps saying no.”
“Where did you work before?” Stevie asks as she feeds Luca a nacho while he continues his work on Janie.
“Oh well, I was a nurse at the Children’s hospital, and I was a part-time princess.” She beams and I blink in confusion.
“A… what?” I laugh lightly.
“A princess? I was starting up this nonprofit called the Crown Project. It’s where I would dress up and go to the hospital and have parties for the kids there. I remember dressing up one year for Halloween and the kids were so excited. I just like making them feel special.” Holy shit… she’s like an actual honest good person. And of course, she has a disease that is taking everything from her.
Janie clears her throat. “You wanna work at Hel’s with Stevie, you got the job. I will handle your brother, and if there are days that you're flaring up too bad to come in, it’s no problem. Similarly, if there are things you will need to better accommodate you, let me know.” Janie turns her gaze to the quiet turquoise-haired girl. “Same goes for you. Now, are you two my new piercing crew?”
There is a small pause during which Stevie looks at Indy and they seem to share a private discussion in their minds before Stevie looks back at Janie and smiles, causing her dimple piercings to move. “Looks like you got yourself a piercer.”
