Inked in the Steel City Series (16 page)

Jess watched with gleaming eyes as Mina pulled the tape from the box and opened it, pushing aside several layers of tissue paper before lifting the gown from its depths.

“Oh my God. It looks even better than in the catalogue!” Jess clapped her hands together, eyeing the dress with glee.

As she stared down at the silky purple confection, Mina had to admit that it
was
nice – perhaps even nicer than it had looked in the photo, as Jess had said. It was downright gorgeous, and the expression on Jess’s face convinced her that it had been well worth the money. “It’ll look even better when you’re wearing it. Come on.”

They retreated to Jess’s bedroom, where Mina helped her out of her chair and onto the edge of her bed. She sat there steadily, barely holding onto the end of the bedframe for support. Her bi-weekly physical therapy sessions had really been paying off. She’d developed an amazing amount of core strength for a fourteen year old girl, and though her progress came in marginal increments, she was getting better at standing, too. Sometimes Mina wondered if Jess would someday be able to take a step. The thought stirred a bevy of conflicting emotions – pride at Jess’s progress and positive attitude, as well as the familiar anger and bitterness that always rose up in her when she thought of Jess as she had been several years ago, when she’d been able to walk. She shoved the thoughts into a dark corner of her mind, unwilling to spoil Jess’s joy over her new dress by brooding.

In a few short minutes, she helped Jess out of her street clothes and into the gown. She pulled the zipper up slowly. “How is it? Not too tight or too loose?”

Jess sighed, as if she’d been holding her breath. “I think it’s perfect. But there’s only one way to tell for sure. Help me stand up.”

Mina obliged gladly, helping Jess to her feet and offering her arm for support.

“That’s OK,” Jess said, waving away her offer. “I’m fine. Will you open my closet door?”

Mina hurried across the room, knowing that Jess couldn’t stand on her own for long. As she swung the closet door open, Jess gasped.

Mina hurried to stand beside her, where she could see her reflection in the full-length mirror that was attached to the inside of the closet door. To her equal surprise and chagrin, she felt tears prick the corners of her eyes as she took in the image. Jess looked beautiful. Standing there in the gorgeous gown, she did it more justice than the model in the catalogue had. “Jess, you look amazing.”

Jess’s face was split from ear to ear in a gigantic grin. “I knew I’d love this dress. Thanks, Mina. For buying it for me, I mean.”

“No problem. I’m glad we sprung for it. I can’t wait to see you on the night of the dance, with your hair and make-up all done up…” The pressure behind her eyes mounted as she imagined it.

“Mina, are you
crying
?” Jess asked incredulously.

“No.” Mina hastily wiped her arm across her eyes, catching the incriminating moisture with her sleeve. To her horror, when she opened them again she saw that Jess’s legs had given out and that she was collapsing backwards onto the bed. “Jess!” She reached for her, but it was too late. Jess had landed squarely in the middle of the mattress in a heap of violet satin.

Jess giggled, pressing a hand to her mouth.

“What are you laughing about?”

“Sorry, but you’re acting like one of those moms who cry at weddings or something.” Jess sniggered, splaying her other hand across her belly as if to suppress her laughter. It didn’t work. Soon she was all but braying with amusement.

“Ha ha,” Mina said austerely, not quite managing to hide a smile of her own.

Jess looked as if she might make another jibe at Mina, but Mina’s cell phone interrupted first, ringing shrilly from her purse, which she’d deposited on Jess’s desk. Mina’s heart leapt. Maybe it was Eric. After pausing to help Jess into a sitting position, she answered it. “Hello?”

“Mina, it’s me.” Karen almost always greeted Mina that way.

“Hey. How’s it going?”

Karen launched into an enthusiastic account of her recent days, relating how beneficial her work for Hot Ink had proven to be. Jed had allowed her to leave a stack of her business cards on the front counter – Mina saw it every day at work – and apparently, they’d resulted in more business than she’d initially dared to hope for. “I mean,” Karen explained, “people are willing to endure a lot of pain and sacrifice a lot of time and money to get their tattoos in the first place, right? So why wouldn’t they want to have them showcased with professional photos? I shot like five Hot Ink clients this week.”

“That’s fantastic, Karen.”

“That’s not all though,” Karen added, her choice of wording and apparent excitement combining to make her sound more than a little like an infomercial. “Guess where else my photos are appearing?”

Mina shrugged before remembering that Karen couldn’t see the gesture. “I don’t know. Where?”

Karen rattled off the name of a publication, and it took a moment for it to click. When it did, Mina’s eyebrows shot halfway up her forehead, seemingly of their own accord. “Isn’t that the tattoo magazine that was on your desk in the studio?”

“Sure is.”

“Which photos are they publishing?”

“Oh, a couple, including a certain photo that you might recognize from Hot Ink’s window. You know, the one of you and Eric.”

“Seriously?”

The smile Mina knew Karen wore was practically audible. “Yeah, which reminds me – I’ve got a check to split with you two. The payment isn’t huge, but Mina, this is my first magazine publication! And don’t worry,” she added hastily, “I got permission from Jed before submitting the photo. He’s thrilled about it. Hot Ink is getting credited, along with Eric and the artist that did his dragon tattoo. They’re even mentioning that you work there.”

Mina smiled. “I’m really happy for you.” As for the photo, she didn’t mind who saw it. It was already on display in Hot Ink’s windows and on their website. Now that she’d left the bank behind, she had nothing to worry about.

“Thanks again for posing for me,” Karen said. “I knew that photo would be amazing. But anyway, that reminds me – how are things with you and Eric?”

Mina wandered out of Jess’s room and into her own, closing the door behind her. “Amazing,” she said, her reply coming out more breathily than she’d intended it to.

Karen laughed. “So does that mean you finally…” She trailed off delicately, but Mina knew exactly what she meant.

“Not exactly. But Jess’s homecoming dance is coming up, and since she’s going to be out late that night at the dance and the after party the school is hosting, Eric is going to come over to my place.”

“I see.” Karen sounded almost smug. “Well if you need someone to drive Jess anywhere that night, just let me know. I’d be glad to play chauffer. I can’t tell you how glad I am to finally see you being happy with someone.”

“Thanks a lot.” Mina smiled, not minding, for once, that Karen seemed to think Mina needed a boyfriend to be truly happy. In truth, she felt happier than she had in a long time – maybe happier than ever. Just a week ago, things had seemed so rocky, with her work woes and the trouble Jess had been having with bullies at school. But now, things really seemed to be shaping up. Everything was going smoothly for Jess, and Eric was turning out to be more than Mina had ever really thought she’d find in a man. She couldn’t wait until Friday, when they’d finally have a night – or at least, half of one – alone together. She intended to finally show him exactly how she felt about him.

****

Mina barely made it to the high school in time to pick Jess up. It had been an especially busy Friday afternoon at Hot Ink. As she pulled around the side to look for Jess at her usual place, a group of girls scampered in front of her car carelessly, laughing and practically skipping. Thank God Mina had been moving at a crawl. Excitement over the homecoming dance seemed to have infected all the students, depriving them of their common sense. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to be annoyed. She was excited too; for Jess, and for herself. Tonight, she and Eric would have her apartment to themselves and would finally make love. Her stomach flip-flopped nervously as she contemplated it, unconsciously smoothing a hand over her right thigh.

Jess was in her usual spot, her bright coat causing her to stand out among her classmates. Mina kept her gaze on Jess as she parked, trying to make eye contact, but Jess was staring down at her lap, absorbed in – what? Mina climbed out of the car and started across the asphalt. “Jess!” she cried when she got within hearing distance.

Jess didn’t look up.

She took a few more steps toward her. “Jess!”

She slowly raised her head, revealing a face devoid of the excitement reflected in her classmates’.

“Jess?” Mina stopped at her side. “Is everything OK?”

Jess shrugged and pushed her chair’s joystick, moving forward. Her giddy classmates moved aside, allowing Mina and Jess to emerge into the parking lot.

Jess remained quiet and subdued as Mina helped her into the car. When they were on the road and the high school had faded from sight, Mina tried again. “Jess, what’s wrong?” As she waited for a reply, it was as if a dark cloud were hanging over her head. What could have Jess so upset mere hours before the dance she’d been looking forward to for weeks? One particular possibility came to mind, putting Mina on edge.

“I’m not going to the dance,” Jess said, her tone low and her voice quiet. “Will backed out on me today at lunch.”

Sadness lanced through Mina’s heart, leaving her feeling as if it had broken in half. “I’m sorry, Jess. But maybe you should still go. Don’t you think you’d have fun with your girlfriends, even without a date?” She tried to keep her frustration out of her voice. What kind of jerk would back out on Jess at the last minute, leaving her without time to find a new date?

Jess shook her head furiously, and her honey-blond waves fell over her face. She left them there, probably to hide tears. When she spoke again, she sounded like she was on the verge of crying. “I can’t go. It would be too humiliating.”

“Is Will going with someone else?” Mina asked, suspecting the answer before Jess replied.

Jess nodded, her hair cascading forward and covering her face more effectively than ever. “He’s going with Stephanie.”

Mina sucked in a breath and bit down on her inner lip, her ire rising instantly. Stephanie was the ringleader of the group of girls who’d sent Jess to the emergency room because she’d been jealous of Jess’s homecoming date in the first place. “She shouldn’t even be allowed to attend the dance. None of those girls should. What’s your principal
thinking
?” She tightened her hold in the steering wheel, her knuckles going white as she wrung it in a death grip.

Mina wracked her mind desperately during the rest of the drive, trying to think up some way to convince Jess to still go to the dance; to somehow enjoy herself. By the time they reached the apartment, she hadn’t managed to come up with much. “Jess…” she said as she closed and locked the door behind them, “are you really sure you don’t want to go?” It broke her heart to think of Jess’s beautiful dress hanging in her closet, unworn as Jess sulked through the night while her friends had fun without her.