Merton had a way of shocking people.
It wasn't just his clothes. Most denizens of Pleasantville seemed to be used to seeing him all decked out in black, though there were a few who were usually caught off guard by his attire. It wasn't just his inky hair, always sticking up in meticulous spikes. Tommy couldn't count how often the Goth normally shocked him. Whether it was his knowledge of the occult and supernatural, his high IQ or the reaper tattooed on his chest (Still temporary. He didn't dare go against his mother's wishes on that. Yet.). Yet this was by far the latest in his shock factor.
"If you don't stop touching it, it'll get infected." He warned.
"Excuse me for not getting a good look when she did it." Merton muttered, his eyes still on his reflection, fingering his latest accessory in his pursuit of individuality.
"And it doesn't hurt?"
"No. Aches a bit, but that'll stop soon."
"And you know this how?" After he spoke, Tommy wondered if he should retract that question.
"Becky got hers done. I had to hear her moaning about it for months." Was Merton's reply.
"And yet you still got one?"
"Pain for the price of being a rebel, Tommy."
Tommy rose and got closer, looking at the small pewter skull charm in his best friend's ear. "You're mom's gonna make you get rid of it, rebel boy."
