I’d never noticed it before, but it was a cool design. The ink wound in intricate coils along the handle of the ax, the dark color fading as it neared the edges.
“It’s a labrys.” Lisa glanced at me. “It’s a lesbian symbol.”
“Wo-o-oww.” Tammy stretched out the wow so long she sounded breathless. Everyone around the table was smiling at her after that. “That’s so cool.”
“Thanks.” Alex grinned. “A friend did it for me.”
“Were you scared?”
Alex laughed. “Yeah. I figured it’d hurt, so I bit my lip while I was waiting for the needle the first time.” She demonstrated, sinking her teeth into her lower lip. “That’s what I do whenever something scares me. That little bit of pain reminds me I can handle more.”
“Did the needle hurt?”
“Like Hell, but it was worth it.” Alex grinned while Lisa and Tammy laughed.
“Maybe I’ll get one, after I’ve saved up some money.” Tammy rubbed her shoulder. “How much does your friend charge?”
Alex raised her eyebrows. “No offense, but…are you eighteen?”
“Er.” Tammy laughed. “I was hoping your friend wouldn’t ask.”
Everyone at the whole table was laughing now, me included.
I can’t believe how easily Tammy manages to fit in anywhere she goes. Two weeks ago, she was a pampered Orange County girl in designer clothes. This afternoon I saw her wearing a stained apron and joking around with Javi while she swept dead flies out from behind the display window. Now here she was, effortlessly talking tattoos with the lesbian feminists. She didn’t seem nearly as nervous as I’d felt the first time I came to the bookstore.
“Are you sure you want a tattoo?” I asked her, when the laughter died down. “What if you got it and then changed your mind later?”
Lisa gave me a wry smile. “You think it might be a passing phase?”
“What?” I had no idea why, but Alex and the others were laughing harder than ever.
“Heads up, everyone, I’ve finally got the sign-up sheets for the bus trip to Napa,” Evelyn called from the cash register where she was shuffling through a stack of envelopes. Becky stood next to her, counting out dollar bills. “It’s tomorrow, and we need more people.”
“Where’s Napa from here?” Tammy asked.
“North.” Lisa pointed. “An hour and a half away. Easy trip. We’ll knock on doors, give the usual talking points.”
“I have to work tomorrow,” I reminded Tammy. “You do, too.”
She sighed. “Shit.”
“We’ll have plenty more door-knocking trips, don’t worry,” Evelyn added. “Plus we need volunteers to travel for the debates in the fall. Harvey and Sally against Briggs and his cronies.”
“That sounds so cool.” Tammy licked an envelope so fast I was afraid she was going to give herself a paper cut, but she sealed it quickly and reached for another. The stack of finished mailings next to her was already high. She’d clearly had a lot more envelope-sealing practice than the rest of us. “I can’t wait to see them hand Briggs his ass. He’s been my senator for years, and he’s never had the first clue what he’s talking about.”
The smiles around the table faded. “Your senator?” Lisa asked.
“Well, formerly. I’m from Ocean Valley, in Orange County. I was lucky to escape with my life.”
Tammy laughed, but this time it was a tacked-on laugh. As if she wasn’t sure if she was joking or not.
Alex leaned toward her, looking a little uncertain herself. “What brought you here, then?”
“Sharon.” Tammy turned that sunny smile my way. It was the first time she’d looked at me since we set foot inside the store, and the sudden shift made me blush. “We were pen pals, so the second I got loose from my family, I came straight here. I knew she was the one person I could absolutely trust.”
I was blushing so hard by the time she finished talking I’m surprised I didn’t burn to a crisp, but no one was looking at me. Every single person around the table was nodding at Tammy.
Becky came over from the cash