Page 75 of The Bad Girl List

I nod again. We sit in silence, drinking wine and watching the sun set. Gramps brings out a bag of potato chips, which I decide is a better dinner than I’ll get at home.

I eat the whole bag. Gramps brings out a second bag. I realize I’m starving and eat that bag, too.

By the time I’m finished, I know it’s time to go back home and text Dominique. After all she’d done for me, I was a complete shithead to her last night. I need to apologize. No, I need to grovel.

I made a promise to help with the Bad Girl List. Tomorrow is Tuesday, the night I promised to take her skinny-dipping. She held up her end of things by coming to dinner last night. I can’t bail on her after she helped me out.

But beyond wanting to make things right between us, I still have no clue what I want from her.

I only hope she’ll forgive me so I have time to figure it out.

CHAPTER 23

Tattoo

DOMINIQUE

“What are you girls going to do tonight?” Mom asks. She and the aunties are almost ready to leave for the casino for their rematch with the old-timers.

“Fast and Furious movie marathon,” Annika says. “We’ve been waiting for you guys to get out of the house so we can crank up the volume and properly experience the adrenaline of Vin Diesel and fast cars.”

“You’re not going out with the Moretti boys?” Mom says.

She’s looking at me when she asks this question, but I pretend not to notice. I’m sprawled on the couch drawing, working on different ideas for the tattoo I’m going to get later tonight.

My morning may have started out crappy, but my mood has been restored thanks to the fun day planned by the aunties. I have a deep lavender pedicure with polka dots, and we got lots of fun family pictures on our beach picnic.

I still feel a twinge when I think about Trevor. It bothers me that he broke off contact before holding up his half of the bargain to help me with the Bad Girl List, especially when the whole thing had been his idea. He was supposed to go to the tattoo parlor with me, among other things.

At least I’m not waiting around like a desperate loser. This tattoo is happening tonight, with or without Trevor Moretti.

“No Moretti boys tonight,” Annika says, answering my mom. She opens the front door, making a grand gesture as the aunties gather their things for their trip to the casino. “You guys have fun tonight. Don’t hurry back.”

“Win lots of money,” I add.

As soon as they’re out the door, I turn to Annika. “Come check out my tattoo ideas.” I did a lot of drawing today while we sat on the beach. I’ve narrowed it down to a few ideas, all of them things I had seen on our trip today.

A few days ago, the idea of getting a tattoo had been appalling. Now, I’m actually excited.

“What do you think about this one?” I sit next to Annika as she grabs her laptop and opens Netflix. We have almost two hours before my tattoo appointment.

“No dandelions,” Annika says. “The dandelion idea has been done to death.”

“Okay, how about this?” I flip to a picture of a yellow wildflower I’d seen on the beach.

“Mmm.” Annika frowns. “Nah. I think yellow ink will fade too much over time.”

“What about this?” I show her a picture of a crashing wave.

“Not you. Wait, what’s that?” She takes the book out of my hand and flips open to a page I had passed. “How about this?”

She points to the small cluster of blue butterflies I had seen outside of Trevor’s bungalow. I had sketched them after I left his bungalow.

“I don’t know,” I say. “I saw those outside of Trevor’s house.”

“So what? It’s not like you’re putting his name on your ass cheek.”

“I don’t want to think of him every time I look at my tattoo.”

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