Free Love-Struck by Rachael Wing Page B

looked like he was going to be sick.
    â€œOK. So are you going to give me something for the pain, Nurse Hockers?”
    I hadn’t thought of that. I pulled up my school bag.
    â€œErrm, I could give you some paracetamol?” I said, rummaging around. “Ooh! You could bite on this, too!”
    I gave him my pencil.
    â€œI think I’d rather have the drugs…” he said, reaching for them and taking two.
    I took a deep breath.
    â€œOK, let’s do this! Lie down.”
    â€œAnd you’re sure you know how to do this?” he asked me as he leaned backwards on to his pillow.
    â€œYeah, sure!”
    I wasn’t about to tell him that I’d never actually seen it done in real life, or done it myself, but instead was basing all of my piercing knowledge on The Parent Trap where Lindsay Lohan pierces her twin’s ears, even though it wasn’t her twin because she doesn’t have one, it was just Lindsay again. I have no idea how it was made, so that film blows my mind every time!
    So I sliced a bit of apple off, shoved it behind his ear, and got my needle ready.
    â€œGot the needle, got the earring, everything is sterilized, we’re good to go!”
    I leaned forward. Now was not the time to start feeling a bit sick. I put the needle to the dot we had drawn on his ear.
    â€œOK, do you trust me?”
    â€œWhat?!” he cried incredulously. “What are you doing to me? Of course I trust you, I don’t trust anyone else! Just do it before I change my mind!”
    I nodded and cleared my throat.
    â€œOn second thought,” he muttered. “Could I have the pencil, please?”
    I gave him the pencil with shaking hands.
    â€œWait a second – are your hands shaking ?”
    â€œNope. On the count of three. One, two—”
    â€œAHHH! YOU SAID ‘THE COUNT OF THREE’ YOU—”
    The needle was through and I thought I was going to be sick. Never, ever again.
    I backed off.
    â€œHolly, what are you doing?” he yelped. “You’ve still got to put the earring in!”
    I took a deep breath and went back to his side. He had bitten through the pencil. Yikes!
    â€œAre you sure you want me to do this? I mean, I could just take the needle and bandage it right up if you wanted!”
    He shook his head and scrunched his eyes. “Just do it. Now.”
    So I did, and after a second go I pierced his ear. Then I pretty much collapsed by his side as he admired the ear in the mirror.
    â€œIt’s good,” he whispered, smiling shakily. “It looks pretty good!”
    He sat back down on the bed and pulled me on to his knee, giving me a big bear-hug squeeze.
    â€œThanks, H’y baby.” He grinned happily, looking into the mirror in front of us. The earring glinted back. He looked at me in the mirror and laughed. “I can’t believe you did that!”
    I watched him laugh off the tension of the previous few minutes, and then looked at my own reflection. I was white as a sheet.
    â€œYeah,” I replied humourlessly. “No worries…!”
    I felt like I was going to faint.
    Â 
    It got to Friday. Friday night was gig night.
    I’d been flying around at home after I’d got back from school – I had no idea what I had been thinking! I’d been so busy trying to sort out Wes that I’d forgotten about planning for tonight.
    The past couple of days had gone quite well. Wes was actually suited to the darker side of life, and his charming wit was in the zone. But I had caught him holding the door open for Emily the day before, to which I’d shaken my head profusely. In horror, he just let go of the door, but it swung back and hit her in the face, leaving a small bruise. Not what I was going for, but she saw the funny side (crazy, always-happy American girl). Apart from that small glitch, Wes’s makeover had become a success. He’d even managed to get her number, and they had been