{"id":3340,"date":"2024-07-12T07:37:35","date_gmt":"2024-07-12T14:37:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/needlepictures.com\/tbd\/?p=3340"},"modified":"2026-01-11T22:54:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T06:54:36","slug":"chiima","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/needlepictures.com\/tbd\/2024\/07\/12\/chiima\/","title":{"rendered":"Chiima – A Short Story from my upcoming collection Short Songs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Skye is not only excited for her new tattoo, she’s also looking forward to hanging out with her old friend and her favorite ex-boyfriend Yuri. But fate decided to give her day a turn she was not at all expecting.<\/p>\n

This story is featured in my collection of short stories entitled Short Songs<\/a>, featuring characters from The Rise and Fall of Skye Wright series<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/center> <\/em><\/p>\n

     \u201cSeriously?\u201d
\n      Skye rubbed her forearm as she sat on the bed. \u201cYeah.\u201d
\n      \u201cHow\u2019d you get an appointment with Gnarly?\u201d
\n      \u201cI worked it out with her some time ago, when I knew we\u2019d be coming through Chicago.\u201d
\n      Roach rifled through her band shirts as she talked. \u201cYou really wanna get The Dynamite Chicks logo tattooed on your forearm?\u201d
\n      \u201cFuck yeah I do. I mean, I am in The Dynamite Chicks!\u201d
\n     \u201cSure, but what if this whole gig falls apart?\u201d
\n     Skye shrugged. \u201cIt still changed my life, even if it like, all blows up tomorrow. Y\u2019know, when you an\u2019 me get into an epic fistfight on stage.\u201d
\n     Roach stuck her tongue. \u201cYou know I\u2019ll kick your ass!\u201d
\n     \u201cIn your dreams!\u201d smiled Skye.
\n     Roach dropped her new band shirts into her suitcase. \u201cYou think it\u2019s gonna fall apart soon?\u201d
\n     \u201cThe only thing that\u2019s really fuckin\u2019 us up is Annie\u2019s flaky bullshit. An\u2019 maybe Molly coming apart at the seams someday.\u201d
\n     \u201cYeah,\u201d groaned Roach as she dropped her eyes and looked down into her suitcase. \u201cI don\u2019t think the band could really go on without those two.\u201d Roach rolled her eyes around. \u201cMaybe without Annie, but definitely not without Molly.\u201d Roach shut her suitcase. \u201cYou want me to come with you to your tat appointment?\u201d
\n     \u201cNaw. Yuri\u2019s gonna meet me there.\u201d
\n     \u201cHoly shit, your ex?\u201d
\n     \u201cMy favorite ex.\u201d
\n     \u201cThat\u2019s gonna be a trip.\u201d
\n     \u201cYeah, well, I wanna talk to him without his girlfriend around.\u201d
\n     \u201cHe still with Chiima? That gal\u2019s pretty cool.\u201d
\n     \u201cAs far as I know,\u201d said Skye as she narrowed her eyes. \u201cI mean, he knocked her up.\u201d
\n     \u201cWhoa! Seriously? I didn\u2019t know that.\u201d
\n     \u201cYeah\u201d groaned Skye.
\n     \u201cWhat? You don\u2019t like her?\u201d
\n     Skye let out a long sigh. \u201cShe\u2019s cute, she\u2019s smart, she\u2019s down with the street, she\u2019s really nice, and she\u2019s fun to be around. And I hate her guts.\u201d
\n     \u201cOh dear. Totes jelly?\u201d
\n     \u201cIt\u2019s much easier to lust after taken men if they\u2019re goin\u2019 out with jerks.\u201d<\/p>\n

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ <\/p>\n

     Skye made her way up the three flights of stairs to the Assorted Fruits tattoo shop, where the underground artist and punk sensation Gnarly worked. Skye had to ring the doorbell and get buzzed in to get inside the shop.
\n      The slick and clean studio was covered in artwork, including long shelves with rows of small clay and ceramic sculptures of demons, punks, and witchy figures.
\n      There was only one person working in the shop, a dark haired woman in a baseball cap, carefully concentrating on tattooing the arm of a large and wide red-haired woman in frayed jeans and a tank top. Both of them were heavily tattooed, with work even on their necks and faces.
\n     Skye quickly spotted the intricate red, green, and bright blue braids of the tall and skinny Gnarly. She came walking up to Skye wearing a torn up Exploited shirt and tight black jeans, her Doc Marten boots clomping on the floor.
\n     \u201cMiz Skye Wright,\u201d smiled the jovial Gnarly. \u201cIt\u2019s an honor to have you here!\u201d
\n     Skye shook her hand. \u201cThat sounds kinda weird,\u201d said Skye with an uncomfortable smile.
\n     \u201cHey, some of my girlfriends wanted to stop by and meet you, but I chased \u2018em off. I know you don\u2019t want a crowd around when you get tatted.\u201d
\n     Gnarly took Skye to her tattooing chair and showed her the prepared artwork. It was from the cover of their first album, a woman riding a giant stick of dynamite like a horse while lighting its fuse.
\n     Skye thought it was perfect.
\n     \u201cYou got a friend comin\u2019 in today, right?\u201d asked Gnarly.
\n     \u201cMy ex Yuri. He lives nearby.\u201d
\n     \u201cYour ex? You\u2019re friends with one of your exes?\u201d
\n     \u201cYeah. Weird, ain\u2019t it?\u201d smiled Skye.
\n     \u201cI suppose for some people it ain\u2019t.\u201d
\n     \u201cWell, it is weird. But I still like him.\u201d
\n     Gnarly held the artwork up to Skye\u2019s forearm, working out how it would be positioned and angled before applying the stencil. Gnarly went off to make the stencil as Skye eyed the doorway, wondering when Yuri would show up.
\n     A tall, skinny, and heavily tattooed woman with long green and red hair walked in just as the door buzzed.
\n      Skye\u2019s heart skipped a beat as red and green hair opened the door.
\n      Chiima, Yuri\u2019s short girlfriend with her bobbed black hair and pixie face, walked in.
\n      She looked just about the same as the first time she met her, only she was not wearing a band shirt. She was wearing a large dark green shirt that was stretched out.
\n      She was quite pregnant.
\n     \u201cHey,\u201d said Skye, trying her best to hide her disbelief.
\n     \u201cHiya. Yuri couldn\u2019t make it, so he asked me to come by in his place.\u201d
\n     \u201cOh,\u201d said Skye flatly as her brain whirled, trying to process the sudden turn of events.
\n     Skye could feel her blood rushing into her temple as her shoulders and arms tensed up. She took in a breath and held it, exhaling a moment later as she tried to let herself go, trying to get herself to relax. She was not interested in being tense and agitated as she was getting tattooed.
\n     Chiima lowered herself onto the bench next to the tattooing table. Skye felt her shoulders become light, as she was finding it difficult to resent someone who was so pregnant.
\n      \u201cSo, tattoo time?\u201d asked Chiima with an impish smile.
\n     \u201cWhen are you due?\u201d
\n     Chiima held up a finger. \u201cOne more month!\u201d
\n     \u201cNervous?\u201d
\n     \u201cNaw. Second one. The first one was a breeze.\u201d
\n     \u201cYou already got a kid? Yuri never told me that!\u201d
\n     Chiima gently put her hands on her stomach. \u201cI had my first when I was fifteen. He lives with his grandma.\u201d
\n     \u201cThat sounds like a story.\u201d
\n     Chiima kept her head down and bit her lip.
\n     \u201cI know some girls who had kids around that age,\u201d said Skye.
\n     \u201cYeah,\u201d said Chiima as she nodded.\u201cI want to raise this kid with Yuri. I want to do it right this time.\u201d
\n     \u201cDamn. Yuri bein\u2019 a dad. That’s a trip.\u201d
\n     Chiima lifted her head. \u201cIt’s always a trip when your friends become parents. When some skater scrub who used to score dope and booze for you is suddenly responsible for an actual tiny human.\u201d
\n     \u201cSee, that was Yuri!\u201d
\n     Gnarly came back out with the stencil. Chiima sat back, watching and sitting quietly as Gnarly applied the stencil to Skye\u2019s forearm.
\n     Gnarly peeled back the paper. \u201cWhattaya think?\u201d
\n     Skye looked down at the blue lines on her forearm. Her heart skipped a beat.
\n     She held her arm out to Chiima. \u201cHow’s it look?\u201d
\n     \u201cThat’s totally sick!\u201d smiled Chiima.
\n     \u201cWe good?\u201d asked Gnarly.
\n     Skye nodded. Gnarly picked up her machine and wheeled a small table with her bottles of ink and various other instruments next to the chair.
\n     Gnarly stretched out Skye\u2019s skin with one hand while she brought up her machine and started the outline. Skin felt the pinch of the needle once she started, but she quickly settled in with the familiar buzzing sting as her skin became numb.
\n     Skye did not have as many tattoos as most of her friends, but she had gotten enough that she knew what to expect.
\n     Chiima looked at her phone. \u201cYuri just let me know that there\u2019s a Writing Heretics show at The Kammy Club tonight.\u201d
\n     \u201cWriting Heretics? That\u2019s a band?\u201d
\n     \u201cYeah. Weird shit. Y\u2019know, like noise improv.\u201d
\n     \u201cSounds like a gas.\u201d
\n     Skye glanced down at her arm, watching Gnarly make the outline.
\n     \u201cSo, you think you might wanna go to that show?\u201d asked Chiima. \u201cI know Yuri would love to see you.\u201d
\n     Skye felt a charge go through her, warming her temples as her neck got tight. She did her best not to flinch as she started to really feel the bite of the tattoo machine.
\n     \u201cI know I don\u2019t stand out as much as Miranda or Molly,\u201d said Skye, \u201cbut if someone recognizes me they might start schmoozing me.\u201d
\n     \u201cSchmoozing?\u201d
\n     \u201cShe owns Butt Fork now,\u201d said Gnarly as she kept concentrating on her work.
\n     \u201cNo shit?\u201d said Chiima. \u201cI thought you were just on their label.\u201d
\n     \u201cIt\u2019s my label now.\u201d
\n     \u201cWow.\u201d Chiima looked across the room as if she were trying to digest the situation. \u201cI don\u2019t think Yuri knows that.\u201d
\n     \u201cI\u2019d love to see the look on his face when you tell him.\u201d
\n     \u201cYeah, he\u2019d\u2026\u201d
\n     Chiima trailed off, suddenly looking embarrassed.
\n     \u201cWhat?\u201d
\n     Chiima hunched her shoulders and clasped her hands, making herself look like a shy schoolgirl. \u201cI heard a lot about you in your Hell Nose House days.\u201d
\n     Gnarly stopped her machine and lifted her head. \u201cHell Nose House?\u201d
\n     \u201cThat was my place, years ago in San Francisco,\u201d said Skye. \u201cBack before when I was in the original version of The Dynamite Chicks.\u201d
\n     \u201cPsh!\u201d said Gnarly. \u201cThat\u2019s an incredibly silly name for a house.\u201d
\n     \u201cYeah it was.\u201d
\n     Gnarly put her head back down and started up her machine again.
\n     Skye looked to Chiima with a raised eyebrow. \u201cSo what did Yuri tell you about me?\u201d
\n     Chiima hunched her shoulders. \u201cY\u2019know, just like, how you guys played music all th\u2019 time, and how wasted you both got.\u201d
\n     \u201cWasted Skye,\u201d said Gnarly. \u201cThat\u2019s what I wanna see!\u201d
\n     \u201cDream on,\u201d scoffed Skye. \u201cThose days are over.\u201d
\n     Chiima leaned back on the bench. \u201cI was the same as Yuri, back in my fucked up clubbing days.\u201d
\n \u201cOn the horse?\u201d
\n     Chiima nodded.
\n      \u201cToo many people are,\u201d said Gnarly, still concentrating on Skye\u2019s arm. \u201cOr used to be.\u201d
\n      \u201cI was the opposite,\u201d said Skye. \u201cI went up instead of down.\u201d
\n      \u201cI know,\u201d said Chiima. \u201cI was surprised to hear that, considering you were going out with Yuri at the time.\u201d
\n      \u201cSounds like a demented Hallmark romance,\u201d said Gnarly as she lifted her head. \u201cHe was a junky. She was a speed freak! Can two people going in opposite directions find true love?\u201d
\n     \u201cMaybe I should write a song about that,\u201d said Skye.
\n     \u201cDo it!\u201d
\n     Gnarly concentrated as she finished up the outline. Chiima stood up and craned her neck to get a look at the work.
\n      Skye looked at Chiima as she tried to ignore her sore forearm \u201cHow did you guys meet? Yuri never filled me in on that.\u201d
\n      \u201cJust\u2026\u201d Chiima waved her hand in the air. \u201cJust around the scene. We\u2019d see each other at shows all the time. One night I decided to go to a Meatbangers show by myself. I couldn\u2019t find anyone else to go with and he happened to be there. We hung out and after the show I asked him if he could walk me home.\u201d
\n      \u201cReally?\u201d asked Skye as she screwed up her face. \u201cYou asked someone to walk you to your house?\u201d
\n      Chiima looked down at the floor. \u201cWell, I\u2019m tiny. An\u2019 I don\u2019t get into fights like you and your buds do all the time.\u201d
\n      Skye sat back, feeling somewhat embarrassed. \u201cYuri told you about that then?\u201d
\n     \u201cHe told me a couple of stories about some of your epic club battles. He told me about how you beat up some guy named\u2026 Sam? And how everyone heard about it.\u201d
\n     \u201cYeah. Sam the Flake. That\u2019s one of the beatdowns I don\u2019t regret.\u201d
\n     \u201cHe told me how everyone was happy you kicked that guy\u2019s ass, that no one could stand him.\u201d Chiima looked right at Skye with a guarded look. \u201cHe also said everyone realized what an ass kicker you were, after that beat down. A lot of people got scared of you.\u201d
\n     \u201cPssh! I don\u2019t know about that.\u201d
\n     \u201cYuri does. He\u2019s sure of it.\u201d
\n     Skye\u2019s thoughts drifted back to those days. She was proud that she knocked down and injured the smarmy and dismissive scenester who had completely shattered his girlfriend with his callous behavior, causing him to be one of the most disdained figures in the scene. She knew it made her popular, that she had knocked him down and beat him up, but it was still strange for her to hear that it made her intimidating, that the one-sided fight had given her the reputation of a tough club brawler.
\n      Skye became quiet as she watched Gnarly start to work on the shading. Gnarly and Chiima started to talk, mentioning local bands and clubs with their insider knowledge of the Chicago scene. Skye believed she knew enough about Chicago\u2019s music and club scenes, but she was happy enough to get in on the finer details as she took in their conversation.
\n     After what seemed like long, sore moments, Gnarly wiped off the finished tattoo.
\n     \u201cDone!\u201d declared Gnarly as she moved away from the chair.
\n      Skye stood up and looked at her new tattoo in the mirror.
\n      She felt a warm wave of satisfaction, seeing the logo from her band on her forearm.<\/p>\n

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~<\/p>\n

     Skye could not tell herself why she accepted Chiima’s invitation to grab a coffee at a nearby cafe. She could not remember the last time she had ever felt more out of place or uncomfortable as she sat across from Yuri\u2019s girlfriend.
\n      She casually sipped her coffee as she stared across the cafe.
\n      \u201cSo how d’ya like it?\u201d asked Chiima.
\n      \u201cWhat?\u201d
\n      \u201cYour tat. You good with how it came out?\u201d
\n      \u201cRight!\u201d Skye held up her arm, her fresh tattoo wrapped in surgical film. \u201cIt’s awesome. But I already knew Gnarly was going to do a killer job.\u201d
\n      \u201cI should get some new ink,\u201d said Chiima as she looked down at her forearm which had a few small tattoos. \u201cI should really link up these random ones with some kinda\u2026 I dunno, some sort of background.\u201d
\n      Skye looked down at Chiima\u2019s forearm. She had small, seemingly random tattoos: a skull, a bee, and a musical note.
\n     \u201cAre you a musician?\u201d asked Skye as she pointed at the musical note.
\n     \u201cNaw. I mean, not really. I was in a few bands, but they fell apart so fast I never really got into the groove of playin\u2019.\u201d
\n     \u201cYou never finished your story,\u201d said Skye flatly.
\n      \u201cWhat?\u201d
\n      \u201cAbout you an\u2019 Yuri, how you guys got together.\u201d
\n      Chiima turned her coffee cup around. \u201cYou sure you wanna hear it?\u201d she asked as she kept her eyes down on her coffee.
\n      \u201cYeah,\u201d said Skye, even though she knew she just needed to hear about it, rather than wanting to hear about it.
\n      Chiima shifted around while clutching her coffee cup.\u201cI don\u2019t remember exactly how, but he ended up coming up to my place that night, when I asked him to walk me home. We were sittin\u2019 around and chatting.\u201d
\nv \u201cHe hit on ya\u2019?\u201d asked Skye as she could feel her skin standing on edge.
\n      \u201cHell no. I kept waiting for him to make a move, but he never did anything. I just couldn\u2019t take it anymore an\u2019 I leaped on him.\u201d
\n      Skye felt a seethe. She did her best to push it down.
\n      She wondered if her face was flush, if Chiima could tell she was getting worked up.
\n     \u201cSometimes that freaks them out,\u201d said Skye. \u201cI traumatized a couple a guys by doin\u2019 that.\u201d
\n      Chiima scrunched up her face, trying to force down a laugh. \u201cYuri might still be traumatized. Who knows? Maybe our relationship is just Stockholm syndrome.\u201d
\n     \u201cAlways a proven method of bagging a boyfriend!\u201d
\n     Chiima looked down at the table. \u201cYou miss him, don\u2019t you?\u201d
\n     Skye snapped a look at Chiima. \u201cDid Yuri say something?\u201d
\n     Chiima scrunched her shoulders. \u201cI can\u2026 It\u2019 just\u2026\u201d Chiima\u2019s eyes fluttered and she gripped her coffee cup. \u201cI can just tell. I mean, I know I met you before, but I never really hung out with you until today.\u201d
\n     Chiima became still. She narrowed her eyes and looked right at Skye.
\n      Her expression unnerved Skye a bit.
\n      \u201cHe\u2019s the one who got away, isn\u2019t he?\u201d asked Chiima matter-of-factly.
\n      Skye sat back with an expression that put Chiima on guard.
\n      \u201cMaybe he is,\u201d said Skye. \u201cMaybe he\u2019s just one of the few boyfriends I\u2019ve had who wasn\u2019t a complete fuck up or a psycho, or just a jerk. That sounds weird, because he did have a sketchy temper back when I knew him. And, yeah, he was all bombed out on drugs most of th\u2019 time.\u201d
\n      \u201cI kinda have a hard time picturing him like that.\u201d
\n     Skye slowly shook her head. \u201cYou and I have gone out with different Yuris. He was someone else, back in those days.\u201d
\n     \u201cSo was I,\u201d said Chiima quietly. \u201cI have a lot of friends that I made after I cleaned up, after I stopped getting fucked up all of the time. It\u2019s hard to imagine some of them\u2026 being like that. The wild whatever-the-fuck party animals.\u201d
\n      \u201cToo true.\u201d
\n      \u201cSome of them. There are others who are too easy to imagine being like that.\u201d
\n      Skye nodded. \u201cAlso true.\u201d
\n      Chiima tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at Skye. \u201cSo what brought you back to Earth? How did you get around to gettin\u2019 off the stuff? I mean\u2026\u201d
\n      \u201cYeah. I guess\u2026 I had gotten out of the mainstream speed scene. I mean, at least I stopped dealing it. I kinda\u2026 I dipped back into it now and then. I was still drinking. Hell, I was drinking even more to compensate for the lack of drugs. And I guess, I just wanted to live. I looked back on where the drugs and drinkin had taken me. Hell, when I was in my teens an\u2019 twenties I did all kinds of reckless shit. The way I partied, the way I drove, the fights I got into\u2026 It\u2019s like I didn\u2019t care if I got maimed or killed or ended up spendin\u2019 a decade in state prison.\u201d
\n     Skye saw Chiima\u2019s face go cold.
\n     \u201cOr it could also be that I cheated on my twenty-something boyfriend with jailbait after a drug binge.\u201d
\n     Chiima looked up with wide eyes. \u201cWhat?\u201d
\n     \u201cY\u2019know, the kind of things that make you realize you\u2019re fuckin\u2019 up too much.\u201d
\n     Chiima narrowed her eyes again. \u201cOkay, now you\u2019re just makin\u2019 that shit up.\u201d
\n     \u201cTrue story.\u201d Skye Leaned on the table. \u201cDon\u2019t tell Yuri.\u201d
\n     \u201cNo. But he might find out anyway.\u201d
\n     \u201cTrue enough.\u201d Skye leaned back. \u201cHow about you? How did you get around to quitting?\u201d
\n     Chiima pushed away her coffee cup. \u201cThat\u2019s a long story. Maybe for another time.\u201d Chiima glanced at her phone. \u201cI should get goin\u2019.\u201d
\n     Chiima pushed back her chair and put a hand on the table to steady herself as she got to her feet. Skye took her by the hand and helped her stand up.
\n     \u201cThanks,\u201d said Chiima as she stood straight. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to maneuver with this beer belly.\u201d
\n     \u201cAre you going home?\u201d
\n     \u201cYeah. Gonna get ready for that show with Yuri.\u201d Chiima looked up at Skye. \u201cYou wanna come with us?\u201d
\n     \u201cWell\u2026\u201d
\n     \u201cIt would make Yuri really happy if you came with us.\u201d
\n     Skye felt flush.
\n     \u201cSure. Lemme go back to my hotel an\u2019 grab Roach. We\u2019ll be there.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nShort Songs is avaiable on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.
Just click on the pic!<\/strong><\/p>\n


\n
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/needlepictures.com\/tbd\/book\/short-songs-tales-from-the-punk-side\/
\n<\/a><\/p>\n


\nYou can find the entire Skye Wright series below.
Just click on the pic for the series!<\/strong><\/p>\n


\n
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/needlepictures.com\/tbd\/book-series\/skye-wright-series\/<\/a>
\n<\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Skye is not only excited for her new tattoo, she’s also looking forward to hanging out with her old friend and her favorite ex-boyfriend Yuri. But fate decided to give her day a turn she was not at all expecting. 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