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Asher Tyler pushed the door to the library open, adjusting how his backpack sat on his shoulders once he stepped inside. Wearing a Megadeth muscle-t that showed off the ink on his sides and arms, as well black skinny jeans, it was obvious that he didn't have work today, but he did have other plans. Walking toward the back of the building, his eyes searched for the small blonde-haired girl that had made his life filled with confusion and happiness for the past two weeks. They met by accident, the two of them from completely different worlds, but they became friends fairly quickly. No one would have believed it if they were told that him and Tatum were friends, it just didn't seem normal. Even Ash's older brother couldn't believe he was friends with a girl so different from his own appearance and background. But there they were, together as one. They might have not shared their biggest secrets with one another, but friends they were. Asher let a small smile slip onto his face when he saw her sitting down at a table. Unsure if she had noticed him or not, he slipping around to the other side of the table, pulling up a chair to sit across from her, "Hey," he breathed out, sitting his bag down on the floor.
Tatum walked through the back door of the library, her huge tote bag slung over her shoulder. She carried her books in it, and it was easy to make, so she'd sewed a few for the girls around campus. Hers was made from leather, though, and lined with a pale pink fabric that felt very Chanel. She was wearing an oversized, black knit sweater, with a pair of campo green skinny pants. Her hair was in a huge mess around her face, since she'd stopped using the expensive hair products she'd brought with her to college a couple of days ago. But most importantly, there was a huge, dazzling smile on her face. She was walking through the stacks and shelves of books to meet Asher, so they could study for the philosophy class that they both had to take. Tatum found it silly, that every college kid has to take a philosophy class, but she was just glad that she sat next to Asher in hers. She'd found that he was a really great guy, with a fun sense of humor. Not to mention he was so unlike what she was used to. The exact opposite, really. Her ex fiancé was a preppy lacrosse player from Manhattan, while Asher is the punkest, most tattooed person she'd ever met. But she liked him, and he'd become her best friend over the past two weeks. There were muffled clicks on the floor from her heeled boots as she went across the carpet, but she tried to be quiet. Tatum went straight to the back, where there was a couple of windows for her to people watch out of, and picked a table there. She pulled out her notebook and a few pens, all in different colors. She even opened up her notebook, and started to flip through the pages some, when someone surprised her by sitting across from her. She jumped just slightly and looked up, grinning once she saw that it was Asher "Hey," she said, noticing his clothing and how many tatoos were visible "No work today?" She asked him with a quirked brow.
Ash leaned over to the side, his hand going for the zipper of his backpack to pull out a textbook and set it on top of the table. He noticed that Tatum already had supplies spread out around her, ready to jump into their studies. Her voice rang out into the air, breaking the moment of silence before them. "Nope," he responded to her question, a smirk slipping across his lips. "I traded a work day with one of the other guys, so I've got to work next Friday." The campus cafe was honestly pretty fair, knowing that students couldn't work every single day due to classes and things of the like. They always had someone to fill if you called in, which was one of the best things since he didn't have much sanity to begin with. "So, uh," Ash flipped to a random page in the book, his eyes flickering up to look at the girl. "Let's get started." Studying was never his strong point. Hell, school was never his strong point, but here he was, just trying to make it through his first year of college without having to call his brother in desperation. He stared at Tatum for a few seconds before looking back down at the book. He did not want to be here, at least not doing this. Spending time with her was okay, that was pretty much all he really wanted to do anyway, but studying? There were better things to do.
Tatum picked up a Pen and started to aimlessly doodle, her purple pen hovering over the margins of pages and pages of notes. She glanced up some, looking at Asher's tattoos. She had an odd fascination with them. Her parents had always told her that tattoos were only for people that weren't going anywhere, but Asher, she could see Asher doing whatever he wanted. He was so intelligent, and bright, she was sure that he could do anything he set his mind to. She leaned her elbows down against the table, the edges of her pink lips curling up into a sweet smile "I'm glad you did," she said to him "I sure as hell can't handle this stuff in my own." She told him, pushing air through her lips, to make them vibrate together a little bit. She didn't want to study. Most of her classes were in marketing or design, so philosophy wasn't really her cup of tea. She looked at Asher instead "What do you think would be a good first tattoo, like a place where it doesn't hurt a lot??" She asked him, her arms folded on top of her notebook.
Ash raised his pen to his mouth, taking the end of it in between his teeth to bite down on the plastic. He craved a cigarette but knew he couldn't pull one out right now, there were certain rules even he would follow. So, a pen would have to make do. He studied the look on Tatum's face when she asked him a question. She was serious, wasn't she? It was odd, completely odd for someone like her to be asking such questions, but perhaps he was rubbing off on her. Deep down, he hoped that wasn't the case. "Shoulders, arms, and legs." Asher responded with the pen still pressed against his lips, telling her where the best places to get a tattoo would be. He lowered his hand, letting the pen fall down onto his textbook. "You planning to get one?" He quirked an eyebrow. What he wouldn't pay to see Tatum sitting in a chair at a tattoo shop, some guy with twenty facial piercings and countless tats covering his arms giving her a tattoo of, what? A bow? A heart? The thought almost made him laugh but he kept the thoughts to himself. She was much too innocent to be seen in such a place, but with that mindset, why was she there accompanied by him?
Tatum noticed the pen between his teeth, to be honest it was almost funny to her to see what she assumed to be a silly habit out of Asher. She could just imagine her mother having a heart attack over a habit like that. It made her smile just to think about. She pursed her lips when he said where good places were to get tattoos. "Shoulders? That sounds good. An arm one could be cool too, though." She said softly, talking more to herself, but in a tone to where Asher could easily hear her little mutterings. Her eyes focused on him when he asked her a question, and narrowed as soon as she saw the look on his face. "Are you making fun of me?" She asked, a look of disbelief on her face. "Yes, Asher, I want to get a tattoo. Because everyone around here has them, and I think they make a person interesting." She told him adamantly, her lips turned into a sour sort of pus as she looked at him. He thought he was so smug with all his tattoos and intimidating facial expressions, well he didn't intimidate Tatum one bit.
Asher held back a laugh. So she really was thinking about getting a tattoo, huh? It was such a weird thought, everything about the concept foreign to him. Tatum was the girl that tried to explain designer brands to him when they first met, the one that said she "grew up crawling around in Dior", not someone who wanted to discuss the ways of ink. Of course it was funny to him, how could it not be? He bit his lip, trying to force his smile down. "No, of course I'm not making fun of you." Asher stared at her in amusement, listening to the reasons why she wished to get a tattoo. They were terrible, really, absolutely terrible, but he wasn't going to voice those thoughts aloud. "Tattoos are something you should think about, something you should really want and not just think of as an accessory." He leaned forward, bringing his face closer to hers, a smile he was unable to defeat still plastered against his lips. "And besides," his voice was hushed, almost a whisper, but you could still hear the twinge of cockiness in the time. "you're too straightedge to get a tattoo."
He said that he wasn't making fun of her, but it was so obvious that he thought it all was very funny. Honestly, it hurt Tatum a little bit that he didn't think she could do it, just go get a cute tattoo and have fun with it. She had been excited to talk to him about it. "Yes you are, I can practically hear you laughing." She said in a grumpy tone of voice. When he leaned towards her she listened closely, thinking that he might actually have something important to say. But then there was some cocky remark and Tatum let out an offended squeak. She whacked her hand against his arm in a strong slap "I am not straight edge! In fact, I'm very... I'm very curved edge. Very curved." She said, trying to come up with some kind of remark. "Just because I like fashion and I don't know a lot of street slang doesn't mean I can't want a tattoo." She told him in an offended tone of voice. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest by then.
Asher leaned back into his chair when Tatum's hand hit his arm, leaving a tingling feeling where she contacted him. He let his gaze fall upon her face as she came up with a comeback, stumbling over words and trying to sound professional. Sitting up when she said she wasn't straightedge, he swallowed and strained to listen to the rest of what she had to say. He couldn't hold it back. A laugh broke away from his throat, bubbling up enough to where he hunched forward in protest to his own actions. Laughing wasn't the best option right now, especially when Tatum wasn't in the best of moods with him. Ash cleared his mind, backing away from the thought of the girl calling herself 'curved edge'. Sitting back up straight, he managed to catch the last bit of her statement. "You're right, you're right," he said when he noticed she wasn't exactly pleased. "you should do what you want, I just wasn't expecting you to actually ever want a tattoo. Seriously, I just wasn't expecting it to come out of your mouth." Asher blinked and then picked up his pen again, glancing down at the book before him. God, he didn't want to study, or even take this class, for that matter. Tatum was one of the only people he got to spend time with at this school, and he hated when they had to spend that time together studying. There were better, more exciting things to do, but he knew that if they got behind in this class that they'd be dead for sure. Being in a class where people were discussing life should be easy, but for him it was just a chasm of words about something that he so desperately tried to get rid of multiple times. "So that Avicenna guy, huh?" He looked down at the book before him, and then back up to Tatum.
Tatum held a glare at him while he laughed at her, her blue eyes attempting to pierce him, to make him feel like a jerk for laughing. But it wasn't working, and he told her that he just didn't expect it from her. Ugh, Tatum found that to be one of the worst things ever. She didn't want to be so predictable. She sighed loudly and nodded "Yeah, he was really something. All about medieval Islamic philosophy, right?" She asked, then peeked down at her notes. She was trying to concentrate, but it wasn't working. She just had thoughts nagging at her. Finally Tatum looked up at Asher and swore under her breath. "Forget studying, come on." She said, standing up and putting all of her work and school supplies back into her hefty purse. "I don't want to be the kind of girl that everyone thinks is too sweet to do anything interesting. I don't want to be predictable." She said, capping all of her pens and placing them carefully into the pockets of her bag.
Asher let out a slow breath of air when Tatum replied to him, asking if Avicenna was during the medieval Islamic time period. How was he supposed to know? It wasn't like he knew much better than she did, which was why they both - most likely - desperately needed this study session. He swallowed hard, tipping his head sideways and trying to grasp a hold of the concepts before him. "I, uh... I think you're right." his fingers flipped through a couple pages of notes, but nothing big and bold jumped out at him. Ash blinked when she said to forget the studying. After all, wasn't this whole study idea partly hers? "What do you-" Tatum cut him off. ''I don't want to be the kind of girl that everyone thinks is too sweet to do anything interesting...'' What was that supposed to mean? Was she just going to bail on studying to find something better to do, to shop? He kept those thoughts to himself, yet voiced his next ones. "So you're just going to fail this next quiz to prove me wrong?" Asher closed his textbook and shoved it into his backpack, along with his journal. He looked up at Tatum, sliding the bag onto his shoulders. It wasn't like he tried to make her upset, it just happened sometimes. Nature, if you would. He didn't necessarily mean for the girl to want to leave and do something else, there was just a line drawn that he couldn't see, forcing him to step over it. He brushed it off, though, trying to not dawn on it for too long. "Well, c'mon, then. Let's get out of here."
Tatum rolled her eyes "I'm not going to fail, and it's not just you." She told him, heaving the bag onto her shoulder. She took soft steps towards the door, but really she didn't know where she was going. Tattoo parlors?? She didn't exactly have a top ten list on her phone, like she did with restaurants and boutiques. But she had Asher, whatever that meant. Well, she didn't HAVE him, he wasn't hers, but, well. Anyway, she glanced towards him "It's everyone all the time. I'm just supposed to do what people expect and not step out of line, and well, I wanna try stepping out of line for once." She told him. Her voice was actually strong when she spoke, surprising even herself with being level-sounding in this decision. "And we can study after, I don't care about pulling an all nighter if that's what it takes." She said, then realized that her words could've sounded a little bad "I mean, like, a studying all nighter. Not the other kind...heh." She said. Of course hen Tatum realized that by "revising" her sentence, she'd made it worse, and her cheeks curated with a dark pink color. She ducked her head, trying not to let Asher see it.
((Muahahaha))
((Muahahaha))
Asher took a few moments to watch as Tatum took hesitant steps toward the door before taking long strides and joining beside her. It was obvious that the girl had no idea where she was heading, but if it was a tattoo shop she had in mind, he knew exactly where to go. There weren't many around this part of town, possibly one, but if she wanted one done with high quality, they'd have to take a journey to the slums. "Alright, princess,you can get a tattoo." he smirked slightly, letting his gaze fall downward onto her. Asher nodded once when she said that they could study later, but then rose an eyebrow as she continued to speak. Tatum tried to make up for her wording choice, but failed miserably, forcing her own cheeks to turn a deep red color. He took a step closer to her as they walked, pressing his arm into her shoulder, "Its okay, I know you wanna sleep with me," a smug smile was plastered onto his face. Ash wasn't particularity good with flirting, but.... "No need to hide your feelings."
Tatum cringed her way through the silence that followed her terrible blunder, wishing she could knock her head into the nearest wall. Then Asher decided that the best way to handle it would be to get closer to her and she almost exploded in embarrassment at his words. "I do not!!" She squeaked out, slapping his arm lightly. Because she didn't want to sleep with him, of course not. He was just Asher, he wasn't some...well he was good looking, but that didn't mean... Ugh. She crossed her arms over her chest then, and mumbled "Punk slut" under her breath. She thought it was a nice nickname for him, a nice equivalent to the whole Princess thing. She tried to shake off her red cheeks and once the two of them were outside, she held her head a little bit higher, letting the afternoon air take care of the redness for her. It was a bit chilly out, but in her sweater, Tatum was fairly comfortable. She slowed down some when she came to the sidewalk "So do you know where we're going? Like should we get a cab or can we walk?" She asked him, looking up at him, trying to still seem unfazed by the events.
Asher side-stepped when her hands hit his arm. He let out a laugh through a smile, trying to lighten the somewhat heavy mood. It was easy to see the frustration behind Tatum's eyes, and by the way she defiantly crossed her arms, she was just a little bit confused on everything going on. He perked up when she muttered something under her breath, and he tuned in on what was being said before it was too late. "I think I deserve something a little more hardcore than 'punk'," Asher announced once they stepped outside of the library. "I mean, I'm not that soft." It took him a few moments to process what was going on around him, and he regretted not wearing more weather-appropriate clothing. A shirt without sleeves? No jacket? Perfect decision for one of the more chilly days this week. He made a mental note to actually check the weather for later in the day before he went out next time, but shoved the thoughts away when Tatum opened her mouth again. "Uhh, we can take my car if you want. It's less money, plus the place a little ways away." Ash looked at her, waiting for a response. They'd have to walk to the parking lot to get his car, of course, but it's better than paying god knows how much just to get to the destination. He waited for a response, though, unsure what Tatum would say.
Tatum shook her head, sending her blonde hair flying around her face "Hello no you don't. You want to be more hardcore, but you really aren't. You're like a puppy dog with sharpie tattoos hat some five year old did. That's what you are." She said, not exactly sure where that comparison had even come from. But she could see it now. Some puppy with tattoos, yeah, that was kind of the Asher she knew. She glanced over at him and nodded easily about taking his car "Oh yeah, let's do that. I forgot that you had one..." She said honestly, setting out towards the parking lot. She didn't feel awkward at all about getting in Ashton's car, she was just a New Yorker. She was used to hopping into cabs and paying huge prices. Hell, she was a trust fund baby that had already inherited all of her dead parents/brothers money. She didn't really think about how much things cost. "I think I know what I'm getting. And it's not a butterfly or a heart so don't try to pick on me." She said quickly, knowing where his mind would go.
"A puppy with sharpie tattoos?" Asher repeated, slightly confused on why she would make that assumption of his personality. They had only been friends for a few weeks, was it really that easy to see who he really was? He'd been scared of life itself since he was a child, and if Tatum could see bits and pieces of that while he's twenty-three, that terrified him just a bit. He loosed up when she said they could take his car, though. Being within the grasp of something he's used to being around was like a safety net, and a safety net was the best thing he could ever have in his life. "What're you planning to get?" Ash asked her, cramming his hand into his pocket to dig out his keys. "Please tell me it's not a cliché star tattoo. I swear, if you get that, I'm not supporting it at all."
"Yeah," Tatum said with a nod, "because you're nice, you're like a sweet person, kind of soft and mushy. But you look all hardcore at first. But then once you get to know you, you're mushy on the outside, too." Se said, actually trying to explain her logic, and surely getting nowhere "So, yeah. You're a puppy with fake tattoos." She said, as if the whole thing made wonderful sense. Her steps on the concrete were louder than the carpet, the heels on her boots clicking while she walked beside Asher, her shoulder close to his, but not touching. "No, not a star tattoo. I want to get a date in Roman numerals. I know it's stereotypical, but it's pretty important. I'm thinking either on my ribcage or my wrist, whichever hurts less." She told him, walking into the parking lot and staring up at the sky rather than at the cars that she was in danger of being hit by. The sun was on its way downward in the horizon, and it's background was starting to get a rosy pink tinge to it, like the sky was blushing for her or something,
Asher listened as Tatum explained herself, explained why she called him a puppy with fake tattoos. It made him think, honestly. Did everyone have the same interpretation of him? Did everyone believe that he was some kick-ass guy at first, and then he was doughy on the inside? Is that what Liv thought of him? His throat tightened. It had been weeks since he thought about that girl, since he even tried to come in contact with her. It was actually Tatum that had been keeping his mind away from his ex-girlfriend, but that didn't mean anything at all. It could've just been the college lifestyle that was dragging him away from the girl, from the old memories. Asher violently shoved all of the thoughts away, clearing his mind to bring him back to reality. The concrete shifted to asphalt, the loose gravel shifting beneath his feet. "Ribs fuckin' hurt." he said plainly, his voice even and smooth. "Wrists hurt, too. Not as bad, though. I'd go with wrist." Ash nodded slightly to the right, brushing against Tatum's shoulder to steer her in the correct direction. "That way," he breathed out. It took a few moments before he could get his thoughts back under control. Why he let himself get off on a personal rant about Liv, he had no idea, but it definitely wasn't the best option for him at the moment. It had been going good, he'd been cracking jokes with Tatum just moments before.... but he had to think about his ex. He had to drag him back into the hell he'd been trying to get out of for God knows how long. He couldn't just let himself be happy for one whole month, could he? Something always came up, something always got in the way. "Let's go get that meaningful tattoo," Ash said once his car was in sight.
Tatum glanced over at him some, since he wasn't saying a word at all. He was just too quiet, more quiet than Asher usually was. And when she did, she caught a glint of something in his eyes. Something that made him look sad or upset, maybe a little bit anxious, nervous. She didn't know why he would feel that way, honestly. Had she said something wrong?? Tatum really hoped that wasn't the case, and was about to ask if he was okay when he nudged her softly, his skin brushing against hers, and that shut her right up. She wasn't really sure why Asher made her feel so....tingly. But he did, and she wasn't sure what to do about it. "They do?? Well if wrist only hurts a little bit less I might just get it there, I think it would look cooler. I dunno I think I can tough through the pain of it. Maybe." She said, her eyes searching the ground, like there would be some kind of answer there for her.
Asher tried his hardest to push everything down, to keep his mind on the current situation. There was no need for him to be thinking about Liv right now, no reason for his brain to think about the past or his family. He knew that he wasn't okay, after all he hadn't been perfectly fine for a very long time. His mind was a weird thing that didn't know when was a decent time to unlock thoughts and memories. Now was Tatum. Now was anything but struggles and heartbreak. Tatum was something, someone, new. He had to keep good face just to save himself from revealing too much about the past. There were certain things that she didn't need to know about him yet.... Or was it that he wasn't ready to speak about those events? Ash's brown eyes flickered over to her, watching her silently as she spoke and rambled. "If it's not very big, it won't take very long. A small tattoo that hurts a lot isn't has bad as a chest piece that takes multiple visits back to the shop." He stepped in front of her, walking across the path she was blazing in order to get to his car. It wasn't much - an old beat-up Geo from his teenage years - but it got him from A to B, which was all he needed. He unlocked the drivers door, siding in and shutting it behind him so he could lean over and unlock the passengers from inside. Asher watched as Tatum walked around the car, personally hoping that she wouldn't refuse such a terrible ride.
Tatum want comfortable with the silence that hung between them, because she felt like Asher was unhappy with something. She didn't know what it was, and definitely didn't want to figure out later on that the reason was something dumb she'd said about puppy dogs, that would seriously suck. She tried o think about what she was about to do, and focused on how crazy it was. She, Tatum, was about to go sit in some chair while a very intimidating individual stuck her with colorful needles over and over again. She was slightly terrified, but there was also a certain feeling of excitement going through her. Tatum just barely stopped herself from knocking straight into Asher, and made a beeline with him for his car. It wasn't the kind of vehicle she was used to, but she didn't really care, it was just a car in her eyes. "Yeah, it won't be too big. And I think I can take it." She told him, somewhat nervously. Once she'd sat down in the car, she swing the door closed and looked over at her friend while he started he car. Tatum placed her hand lightly on his upper arm, trying to get him to look at her "Are you alright? Did I say something stupid?" She asked him, her eyes looking concerned.
Asher was surprised. The day he met Tatum, he never would have thought that she would bail on studying to get a tattoo. It was a weird concept that he had to take a few moments to dwell upon. This was really happening. He was actually about to go and help a preppy little girl get a tattoo. He couldn't be sure if it was his influence that caused her to want this, or if it was something she had thought of completely on her own. Either way, he was still a little concerned that she would end up regretting the ink in a few days. It was permanent, and getting it removed would cost more than his own life savings. He placed the key in the ignition, his hand stopping there, not turning it due to the brush of skin against his arm. Ash turned his head, looking at Tatum, her eyes wide and filled with worry. His thoughts must've been shown on his facial expressions. Damn it, that wasn't good. "Yeah, no, I'm fine...." he blinked a few times, and then raised his hand to run it through his hair. He moved his head to look back out the windshield, his hand turning the key to start the car. "It wasn't you, I'm just really overwhelmed right now." Asher backed out of the parking spot, trying his best to maneuver around the other cars and not hit anything. He really should just tell Tatum everything that's going through his mind, but that wasn't an option. She wouldn't understand, and even if she did, he wouldn't really want her to. He looked over at her before continuing to drive, "Now's not about me right now. Let's go get a tattoo, princess."
Tatum watched him pause some when she touched him, she hoped she wasn't overstepping any boundary, but he didn't seem upset about that, which was good. Tatum sat back, letting her hand drop back into her own seat when he started the car "Alright," she told him either a little smile "I just had to check." She muttered as an afterthought. She peeked out the window as they went, and with the slowly waning sunlight, the city actually looked gorgeous from the passenger side of his car. "Yeah, okay punk slut. All about me time." She said, a smile growing on her features. "I think to be honest, that I'm kind of crazy for doing this. But it should be fun, to have a new tattoo. I don't know how to take care of them though. Will they tell me??? I don't want to mess up the tattoo right after getting it." She told him, biting down on her bottom lip lightly.
In the Platt Library, students sit quietly and study, research, or work on their class assignments. Watch out for the librarians though, they're real killers.