Page 86 of Vying Girls

‘I’m getting one too.’

‘Cool. I’ll do you now if you want.’

‘Oh, well, I’ve not picked yet.’

‘No worries.’ She pushes off the pillar. ‘We can do that.’

She waves me through to a room, hopping onto the stool there. She’s like a little goth pixie as she swings her legs—the true kind, mischievous and manipulative and out to prank.

‘What vibe you going for? Tilda, right?’

‘Right. And I don’t know. Something like my others.’ I put a finger to where my moth tattoo is. ‘Something to do with nature. Spooky nature.’

‘Spooky nature.’She smiles, the ink of her face shifting. So brave, having tats like that. ‘My speciality, I’d say. What have you got already?’

I give her a quick rundown, then she points me to her book of designs, the ones already used crossed out with a sharpie. Nice to know it’ll be an OOAK, whichever I choose.

Skylar swivels away from me, humming along to the rock music playing as she preps her equipment. My eyes flit between the book, the stickers and art tacked to every available space of wall, and Skylar herself.

She’s been with all three of them. I just can’t get it out of my mind. I’m not jealous, it’s not that. Maybe it’d be differentif there were any feelings involved, but I know to my core that wasn’t the case, not for any of them.

She’s even been with Haz. That makes my heart pinch a bit. She’ll sleep with Skylar, but not me? Did Skylar have toproveherself first? Not likely.

I take a breath, focussing back on the book. Her work is so fucking good. It’s all my style, all of it. Crisp line work, dark shading. I love the deer skulls, the ones with flora wrapped around the horns. I turn the page. More flora, this time stuffed inside the eye sockets of skulls.

‘How you getting on?’ she asks over her shoulder.

‘Sorry. It’s all amazing.’

She hums out a chuckle. ‘Take your time.’

I thumb through a few more pages, narrowing it down to a rat and ivy tattoo, and a tapering serpent.

The next time I look up, it’s to Skylar staring. Her knees are bent to her chest, feet on the chair. She smiles.

‘Down for some girl chat?’

‘Um. Always?’

‘I’ve been wondering—what’s the deal with Nic and gang? And how thefuckdid she smash up that room?’ She grins around the tablet pen she’s chewing on. ‘Most exciting night I’ve had in fuck knows.’

I smile, smoothing a palm over the book. ‘She got angry at me. What else is new?’

Skylar tilts her head. ‘Why?’

‘Because I’m her biggest fucking trigger.’

Skylar nods slowly. ‘Sweet.’

She looks down at the pen, flicking the top of it. ‘Babes, I don’t know you, don’t know Nic apart from her pussy, but I get vibes, yeah? And it’s like you’re’—she crosses her fingers on both hands—‘you know? Every time I see you two, there’s thisweird sizzling. And I don’t mean pheromones, or whatever, but something. Like heat above radiators. Or hot roads.’

Something in me buzzes at her judgement. I nod, still quick to add, ‘It’s not like that with me and Nic. We go long back but…it’s different with Haz and Elly. That’s…yeah, that’s real.’

Skylar nods more empathetically this time. ‘They’re alright. Both of them. Good teachers if nothing else.’

I chuckle. ‘Yeah, plenty of that.’

She nods to the book. ‘Picked yet?’