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The New Member

The New Me

Noortje’s POV

I was sitting up in bed with Tony’s head in my lap. Yesterday had consisted of everybody taking weird photos with the buildings and doing silly things. It was currently 4am and Tony was sleeping soundly while I was stroking my fingers through his hair. I couldn’t sleep and it wasn’t the first time this had happened. It probably meant that my insomnia was creeping back. Now matter how tired I was, I just couldn’t go back to sleep. And when I don’t sleep, I tend to overthink everything.

This time I was thinking about my life in general. I was thinking about how people around me have influenced my life, directly and indirectly. People such as Vic, Jaime, Mike, and Tony have altered my life significantly. If it weren’t for them I probably would have been hidden away in my apartment, too scared to come out… Or worse, I might have been dead. Then there’s my parents. They probably have affected me the most… but not necessarily in a good way.

Was I really who I wanted to be? Or was I someone that people expected me to be. Sure, over the years I have spent in America I have become more open and less reserved. But was I truly me? Me in final form? No. No I wasn’t. I have just been in my comfort zone for too long. It was time for me to be the real Noortje, the one that has always been hidden away.

No, I am not changing myself completely. I just had to do what I always wanted to do before it was too late. And too late might be soon.

I carefully moved Tony’s head out of my lap and tried to sneak out of bed.
Tony stirred and mumbled, “Where are you going?”
“Just the bathroom. Go back to sleep.” I kissed his forehead and watched him fall asleep again.

I didn’t completely lie. I was actually going to the bathroom, but not for the reason he was thinking. The bright light in the bathroom burned my eyes and I squinted. My makeup still had to be somewhere in here… I found it in a bag placed on the floor next to the sink. The different bottles and tubes clattered together as I found what I was looking for. I took the top of the red lipstick and put it on my lips. The feeling of it on my lips was weird, but I the color was astonishing. Next I made sure that my eyes popped out, using a bit of mascara and some eyeliner and eyeshadow. I didn’t bother with foundation, that stuff is nasty.

I tiptoed out of the bathroom and made my way over to my suitcase. After rummaging through it I found a tight crop top and some tight high-waisted skinny jeans. To finish it off I put on some red vans that matched my lips and a poncho. This was a lot more revealing than what I normally wore. I was actually showing off my stomach for once.

I grabbed some money and walked out of the hotel room, but not before looking back at Tony and smiling. This was the night I was going to change myself.

----

It was dark out and I felt confident. The streetlights were creating spotlights and an occasional car zoomed past. I walked past a bar and looked through the window. It was surprisingly still open, and there were just a handful of people in it. I shrugged, what was there to lose? The door dinged as I opened the door and sat down at the bar. Some people were looking at me, while others were just ignoring my presence. The bartender, who was wiping the bar proudly, walked over to me, throwing the towel over his shoulder.

“Wat kan ik je aanbieden?” He asked. (What can I get you?)
I slid him 10 euros, “Wat dan ook ik hiermee kan kopen.” (Whatever I can get with this.)
He nodded and turned around, mixing some stuff together.
A few seconds later he returned with 3 concoctions, each a different color. I smirked and thanked him.

I started off with the brightly colored drink in a malibu glass. The drink tasted amazing. I would have barely noticed there was alcohol in it if it weren’t for the slight buzz I was starting to feel. I quickly gulped down the blue beverage afterwards. There was a significant amount of alcohol in this one, and it was getting me excited. I felt like I was doing something I wasn’t supposed to. The last drink was a shot. I inspected it for a bit before throwing it in my mouth. It burned, but the burn was good. I could get used to this.

I believe I was in there for a total of 20 minutes… which probably wasn’t that long. The bartender laughed when I tried to stand up, but wobbled a bit.
“Nu al dronken?” He chuckled. (Drunk already?)
“Ik drink nooit, en plus, ik ben helemaal nog niet dronken!” (I never drink, plus, I’m not even drunk yet.)
He chuckled again and shook his head. He bid me farewell and I left the bar.

I continued walking down the street. I knew it had to be here somewhere. Everyday after work I would walk past it, and contemplate whether or not I should go in. But this time I knew I was going to. I ended up in front of a Tattoo & Piercing shop. I entered and was met with tonnes of different artworks posted on the walls and tile flooring.

Somebody walked up to me and asked what I wanted to get. After considering every option, I had finally decided on a simple nose stud and a black and white tattoo. The tattoo was of a skull with a rose, and a moth was resting on top of the skull. I thought it represented me perfectly: A new me, but still myself.

It was nearing 6:30 when they started tattooing my lower arm. I knew by now that I wouldn’t be back on time for Tony to wake up. He would probably wonder where I was, but I couldn’t think about that now. All I could think about was the burning sensation coming from the tattoo gun. It was satisfying, and I could see myself getting addicted to it. I started drifting off to the low buzzing.

----

When I woke up it was already 9am. The tattoo had taken two and a half hours to complete, but, god, did it pay off. I looked at the mirror and beamed. The white nose stud twinkled in the light and the tattoo was shaded perfectly. I hugged the tattoo artist and walked outside.

The sun was blinding and I couldn’t see anything but white. As soon as my vision turned back to normal I saw how the town was busy. The quietness from a view hours ago was long swallowed away, and the streetlights no longer created funky shapes on the sidewalk. I could feel I was slightly drunk, but I knew I had to get back to the hotel.

I stumbled the walk to the hotel, which, instead of the 10 minutes it should take, took me half an hour. The hotel look large and impressive in my drunken state and I stared at it with wide eyes. How did I never realise how funny looking it actually was? Oh well. It was time to get back to Tony.

There were just a few more steps to the hotel room…. Who’s door was open? What? Why was it open? I heard voices coming from the room.
“Relax, Tony. She’s probably fine. She knows her way around here.” Vic reassured.
“I don’t know.” Tony mumbled.
“We will go look for her, ok?” Jaime suggested.
I walked in, thinking this was the perfect moment. I saw Vic, Jaime, and Mike, in their pyjamas, surrounding Tony who was seated on the bed. Tony looked to worried and upset, it was actually kind of funny.
“Woooo!” I screamed out, throwing my hands up in the air.
They all turned to look at me and their eyes went wide. I went to join them, but tripped over my own feet and face planted on the floor. I turned over on my back and started laughing uncontrollably.
Mike walked over and looked at me before grinning, “Are you drunk?”
I tried standing up, but failed miserably. Eventually I got grip on the bed and was able to push myself up. I turned to Mike.
“Maybe.” I blushed.
The others just looked at me bewildered. Tony rushed over to me and pulled me into a hug.
“Don’t ever scare me like that again.” He muttered.
I patted his head and wriggled out of the hug, “I’m fine.”
I walked over to the bed and fell on to it, face first. I raised my head and looked and the pillow. There was a red mark from my lipstick and I started laughing again.
“Wait. Is that a nose piercing!” Jaime shrieked, “Awesome!”
I nodded my head, “And this is a tattoo.” I tried pointing at the tattoo but got the direction completely wrong.
Vic laughed, “We can see.”
I yawned and snuggled into the pillow.
Tony sighed, “Why don’t you try to get some sleep. We’ll talk about this later.”
I tried to nod my head, but fell asleep in the process.



Notes

Do you you guys have any suggestions? I'm starting to run out of ideas.


- DSN

Comments

@Nickyvlxx
Hahaha, thank you. You can totally see how my writing has developed in this story; the first chapters are written so bad. I'm excited for our story as well.

Yaaaaay I read it all! I finished it! I loved it, babe. You're an amazing writer and I'm happy I get to work together with you :) ♡

@Nickyvlxx
Thank you so much. I remember writing chapter three when I was in a really weird mood; I was so confused about everything. I'm Dutch as well, but (as I recall you saying somewhere at the beginning of the story; I have a really weird memory for weird things) English is my first language because I've been speaking it a lot more than Dutch since I was very young. But this wasn't the reason I chose to make her Dutch, I wanted something European and put some random countries in a hat (well, on a website, but same thing) and it came out. So yay!

I have read 3 chapters now and I honestly love it! You have a beautiful writing style and the story is really unique! I also kind of relate to Noortjes feelings. I have the same problems with reality. And I like it a lot that she is dutch because I am too :p

I'M STILL READING!!

Candy_Monster Candy_Monster
12/5/15