"She's far from perfect, but in the eyes of Chase Collins she sure is the perfect tool."
The Tool
Prologue: "Lin"
It was already dark out when she stumbled into the tattoo parlour marking her return after four months of absence. Christmas break was over, and local girl Lin Allen was back and ready to get another tattoo to ad to her collection.
She was leaning heavily on her taller friend, one arm wrapped around said friend's shoulders, while her other hand was busy clutching a bottle of Jack Daniels.
Lin rested her head on Clara's shoulder; her dark hair entwining with the strawberry blond curls. She picked at them twirling them around her finger.
"Lin?" a voice called.
Their eyes shot towards the doorway, standing there was a man who knew her body all to well, he had put twelve tattoos on her, hopefully thirteen after tonight.
"Joe!" She called, with a smirk on her lipsticked mouth. "I'm back."
"So I see," he said. "I was starting to worry about you," he leaned against the wall crossing his arms which, were decorated by colourful tattoos.
"Worry? About me? I'm a big girl Joe," she said before taking a swig from the bottle of Jack.
He nodded. "What are you here for?"
"I need a new butterfly," she answered. "I closed another chapter, need yet another tattoo to mark the occasion."
"You're drunk," he stated.
"Don't start complaining now, you did eleven of them while I was plastered, hurts too much otherwise and you know it."
"Told you the ribs are a painfully place but you didn't listen then and now you're stuck with it little miss stubborn-ass," Clara muttered.
"You know I don't like tattooing people when they're drunk."
"I'll sign a fucking consent form, happy?"
He seemed to debate the idea before nodding and disappearing into the backroom.
"Told you he'd cave," Lin said smugly pulling herself from Clara's hold before walking into the backroom she knew and loved. She hopped onto the table and got comfortable.
"So the usual design?"
"Yep."
"And the size? Is it one of your big chapters or just a tiny one?"
"Eh, make it medium sized, it wasn't that big of a deal."
Clara eyed her from her seat on one of the beaten up chairs: "No big deal? It was fucking rehab for Christ's sake, if that's not a big deal, what is?"
"Rehab?" Joe repeated.
"Yeah, rehab and it is non of your business," Lin snapped.
Joe ignored her: "What colours?"
"Pink bod of course with green and black wings, like a poison," she said before taking another swig from her bottle. She took of her forest green t-shirt revealing not only a jade green lace bra, green was her thing, but also twelve butterflies in different sizes and colours scattered over the skin covering her left ribs.
"You're always so poetic," Joe muttered sarcastically as he washed his hands thorough. He was thorough that's why he was the only tattoo artist who could touch her.
"You're getting paid to tattoo me, not to make shity remarks," she sneered as he cleaned an area of her skin. "Oh that tickles."
"You're lucky you're a walking advertisement otherwise I would've totally kicked you out," Joe retorted grumpily.
"What do you mean?" Clara asked curiously as she played with her curls.
"All your little friends from Spencer Academy have been getting there tattoos here."
Lin raised an eyebrow. "What? Those bitches have better kept their hands of my butterflies."
"Yeah cause everyone just loves butterflies," Clara said rolling her hazel eyes.
"No, thank god no more butterflies," Joe muttered as he slipped on a pair of latex gloves. "Though they're all not really all that original, well except this one guy…-"
"A guy with interesting tattoos? Do tell. Want a sip?" She asked offering him the bottle of Jack.
"I don't drink and tattoo thanks," Joe stated as he fiddled with his equipment. "And it's some blond kid named Reid,-"
"Garwin," Clara finished for him.
"Yeah you know him?"
Clara shrugged. "Kinda he's on the swim team."
"And he's like buddy buddy with my ex," Lin said grumpily. "Reminds me Clara baby got any good gossip on Cattie Katie."
"Can't you like, let it go?"
"No, I cherish my grudges," Lin retorted before letting out a small yelp of pain, Joe had started tattooing the outline. "You could've given me a heads up bub!" She scolded shooting him dirty looks.
"Like I can get a word in between," Joe said not bothering to look up at her.
"Asshole," Lin spat. "So Clara, gossip please now."
"No."
"Pretty please with all sorts of sugar on top."
Clara just crossed her arms and looked at the ceiling showing her disinterest in pleas.
"C'mon Clara-boo, some gossip to numb the pain."
"To numb the pain? I thought you had the bottle for that," Clara retorted offhandedly.
"Stop acting like a bitch and tell me already before I blow a fucking fuse!"
"Don't get so worked up," Clara said rolling her eyes. "If it's that important to you, the word is Kate totally cheated on Pogue with some transfer student who disappeared soon after."
"Disappeared?" Lin repeated smirking. "Did good old Pogue get a little carried away?"
"Neah, couldn't have been him, he was in the hospital after some freak motorcycle crash."
"Oh Pogue nearly die? All the good stuff happens when I'm away," she smiled before taking yet another swig from the bottle she was still clutching.
"You wouldn't mind if he died?" Clara asked frowning: she knew her friend was a bit insensitive but this…
Lin smiled. "If he croaks, I won't shed a tear."
"Heartless bitch," Joe mumbled his brow furrowed in concentration.
Lin's expression changed dramatically. "He hurt me, he hurt me bad you asshole, he actually made me cry, when he left me for that plastic bitch of his."
"So you have a heart, it's just all black and shrivelled," Joe said. "Who would've known!"
"Shut up!" Lin said emphasising each word threateningly. "And do what the fuck you're being paid for!"
"Don't you forget I'm the one holding the tattoo gun."
"And don't you forget I'm the one with the pocket knife in her pants."
"Oh, I'm shaking in my boots Lin."
"Fuck you!"
"Fuck you right back darling," Joe muttered with a smirk.
She'd always liked Joe, he was no bullshit straight out the point plus he'd never let a little girl like her intimidate him. She guessed him to be in his late twenties, with constant stubble gracing his chin and cheeks.
"I hate what you did to your hair by the way," He stated randomly as he started to clean the outlines.
"Ass," she hissed. "What's not to like?"
"Well the lime green streaks freak me out," he muttered.
"Lime green freaks you out?" She asked watching him toy with the tattoo gun, probably readying it to colour in.
"No lime green doesn't freak my out, it's just everything about you is green. Your hair, your eyes even you're freaking underwear."
"Green's just-,"
"Your thing, we know," Clara stated as she flipped through one of the tattoo albums.
"Clara, you think I look pretty right?" Lin asked after a short period of silence.
"Of course you look pretty hunny," Clara said with a friendly smile. They occasionally hated on each other but they were best friends, or as closest thing to best friends as they could be.
"Pretty enough to torment Kate?" She asked childishly as the fingers of her free hand traced the thin straps of her bra.
"I should've known," Clara muttered rolling her eyes.
"You're no fun," Lin huffed.
"Don't you get therapy in rehab?" Joe butted in.
"Yeah they do, said there was nothing they could do for me."
"Liar."
"No, apparently I'm a psychopath," she stated dully.
"Well that wouldn't surprise me, you fit the bill."
"Apparently I totally aced the Hair Psychopathic checklist."
"I believe that's Hare and not Hair," Clara stated rolling her eyes.
"I can't believe I'm tattooing the real life American psycho," Joe muttered shaking his head.
"I'm not a psycho I'm a psychopath."
"And a narcissist, a compulsive liar and-," Clara said.
"I get it I'm seriously flawed can you now like please get off my back I'm trying to get a tattoo in peace thank you very much!"
The three of them didn't notice that there was someone, or something, watching them from outside, through the window. It laughed, a cold joyless laugh: "Oh miss Lin Allen, you'll do just fine thank you very much."
T.B.C
Yes another story, I wrote this on my way back from vacation…since I'm suffering from terrible writers block on Burn this Girl, I have the last chapter all done, but the two middle chapters still need to hatch p
I really want to explain the OC a bit, I'm trying to make her like the opposite of what most people look for in an OC, I wanted an OC you could dislike for something other besides her overly bubbly personality.
Lin Allen is a typical spoiled little rich girl who wants to act all badass, don't take everything she says serious, everything she says is part of a carefully crafted image. In my head she's the annoying love child of John Bender (Breakfast Club) & Drusilla (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)
Please do tell me what you think, if I should make her a bit more annoying or something, or if you want an OC you can sympathize with a bit more…This story is me toying around a little but I really want some input!
See you soon!
