In which Keith persuades Ellis to get a tattoo.
"C'mon, El, it'll be awesome! Ahm nearly eighteen an' you look a lil older 'n y'are - I bet they won' even ask us fer ID or nothin." Keith grinned like a lunatic, waving his arms about in that animated way of his. He had more than enough enthusiasm for the both of them and it bubbled over in such an infectious way that it was practically impossible for Ellis not to grin back, in spite of his doubts.
"Aw Keith, ah dunno.." he argued, but his heart wasn't in it. He knew for a damn straight fact that wherever Keith went he would follow in a heartbeat and whatever he did Ellis would do too. More than once, when he used the excuse 'but Keith did it first' as an excuse for whatever dumb shit he did, his ma had asked him, 'if that boy put his head in a fire would you do it too?' and he genuinely had to stop and wonder because chances are he'd say yes. "..ah s'pose we could try.."
Keith whooped in response, grabbing Ellis by the front of his overalls and dragging him up from the workbench he was sitting at. Ellis could do nothing but laugh and shove lamely at his best friend's hands, cawing at him to "git away, damnit". But he didn't mind. Not really. Not at all.
Once they were out of the garage Keith let go of him so that he could scramble up into the driver's seat of his beat up hybrid monster of a truck. Ellis paused outside of the passenger door, fingers resting on the handle. "We ain't goin' right now, are we?" He asked uncertainly, not wanting to put a damper on Keith's mood.
"Hell yes we are!"
"But we don' even know what we're gonna git.."
"Aw hell Ellis, that don' matter none," Keith brushed his fears off with a wave of his hand, already revving the powerful engine of his vehicle. It coughed for a moment before firing out a burst of black smoke from the exhaust pipe, and roared violently into life. Ellis doubted it had much longer left for this world. "They's got books 'n book a pictures at the tattoo joint. We's c'n have a look-see there an' pick somethin' cool."
Ellis hesitated just a couple of seconds longer under Keith's stare, before shrugging and loading himself into the passenger seat. "S'gon be cool." Not quite a question, but Keith nodded anyway, and hit the accelerator. The truck lurched forwards. "Real cool. Real fuckin' cool, El."