Lake Larson

"—Thank you so much, Hudson." Lewis's eyes shifted to me. "Lake."

Hudson glanced at me with a bright smile. I tucked my hair behind my ears as we walked to our seats. Hudson sat with his friends today, but I could feel his eyes on me. Our presentation went smoothly with no problems besides Mr. Lewis asking questions we didn't expect.

"Okay, the next presentation will be Gilbert and Tracy." Lewis looked over at the two in the back of the room. "You two ready?"

The two nervously walked to the front of the class, starting their boring PowerPoint. I played with my pen while glancing up at the lights before peeking at Hudson. He had already been watching me and brightened his smile when I made eye contact with his blues. I couldn't help but smile back while his friends nudged him, chuckling loudly.

"Quiet down," Lewis said, pointing at the guys.

Hudson laughed under his breath. "Sorry."

Shaking my head, I glanced down at my paper before me. Now, we didn't have an obligation to meet at the library. Would that mean not seeing Hudson anymore outside of class? Maybe he had been nice to me so he could get a good grade.

I glanced back at him while he kept his eyes on the two presenting to the class. Hudson slowly peeked my way with a smirk, knowing I was watching him. I quickly focused back on my notebook.

I flipped my page to scribbles of handwriting I didn't recognize. A man's handwriting crossing out words and rewriting. In the center, there was a ball of black frustration.

"Was this you?" I tapped my pen on the page, whispering to Ian.

Ian's head lifted from the desk, cleaning his mouth with his arm. With his eyes blurred, he glared at the page. "Oh," he barely let out. "Yeah."

I flipped the page, seeing more scribbles. "What were you doing?" I turned the pages until there was a blank one.

"Just writing." He laid his head back down, bored by the presentations.

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head while flipping the pages back until there was a sentence I could read. Within you shines brightly, his handwriting clearly written. My heart hitched a beat, and I slowly closed my notebook.

I quickly looked at Hudson again, seeing him laughing with his friends. Was Hudson who I truly wanted? I glanced at Ian with his head resting in his arms. Yes, Hudson was alive. Right?

"Is everything okay?" Ian asked with his mouth muffled by his sleeve.

"Yeah," I replied with an awkward smile. "Why?"

"You looked to be in a deep thought."

"Yeah."

He sat up straight, brushing his hair with his hand. "I don't sleep, but this boring class could put me into a deep nap."

"I don't think I did that bad," I whispered, leaning closer to him.

He tilted his head with a smirk. "You did amazing," he said, pointing at Hudson. "Him, on the other hand." He cupped his hand to his mouth. "Boring!" he yelled toward Hudson.

"Don't be mean."

"Like a robot reading a screen," he replied, slumping into his seat.

I leaned against the desk, positive nobody could see I was talking to myself. "Am I sensing jealousy?"

He breathed a snarky chuckle. "Nah." Ian crossed his arms. "The guy just doesn't have the same passion as you." He scooted his chair closer to me. "When you talk about the ocean or Dakota, you are happy." Ian rested his hand on my arm. "You get in your little world and ramble on until everyone feels the dedication."

His hand stayed on my arm as I shifted my eyes to his. My cheeks burned with heat instantly. I looked away but couldn't fight the pull to glance back into his hazel eyes. The most amazing eyes I had ever seen. Ian could tell me stories with the specks in them without saying a word.

Professor Lewis cleared his throat, causing me to jump. The two presenting headed back to their seats while everyone clapped.

"Thank you to the ones who had presented today. We will pick up again," Lewis said, checking his clipboard. "I believe we only have a couple more left."

Ian jumped up. "Thank you, sweet baby Jesus, done with this class." He clapped his hands in front of some student's face.

"Stop," I whispered, putting my notebook in my bag.

"Why?" he laughed. "They can't see me."

"Yeah, well, I can," I replied, shifting my backpack on my shoulders.

I smiled at the girl who sat behind me while she looked at me, confused. Coughing from embarrassment, I looked away from her, seeing Hudson exit the classroom with Ian behind, mocking his walk.

A hand gripped my elbow. "Lake, can I have a word with you?" Mr. Lewis asked with a creepy smile.

"Um, okay," I responded, while the last student exited the room.

Lewis pointed at my seat. "Here, sit down." He grabbed his office chair and wheeled it to the front of the desk.

I slowly sat down, and his hand reached across the wood to set it on mine. He quickly gripped tight and rubbed his thumb on my skin.

I ripped my hand away, standing and knocking my chair over. "Sorry, sir—"

"Lake, I know how the girls look at me," he said, standing up and walking around the desk. "I know what all you young ones say about me."

I shook my head, stepping back, trying to keep the distance. "I'm not interested."

"I may be older than you, but I'm sure I'd blow your mind if you let me." His smile grew, grabbing my wrist quickly.

I pulled, but he didn't budge. "Stop," I cried, feeling a warm hand on my hip.

Ian wrapped his arm around me, adjusting Lewis away from me. "Get the fuck off her!" he yelled, swinging his fist and hitting my professor square in the nose.

Lewis held his face while red dripped down the front of his shirt. "Get out of my classroom, Lake!" he yelled. "And bring this man with you!"

Ian stepped closer to him. "You are lucky she is here, or I'd break more than your nose."

I grabbed Ian's wrist. "Ian, please," I whispered, pulling.

Lewis shook his head, putting his hands in the air. "Okay, let's put this behind us." Blood pooled from his nose and onto his lips. "I didn't know Lake had a boyfriend."

Ian stiffened. "Her having a boyfriend or not does not permit you to touch her when she clearly said no, and you are being inappropriate to a student!"

Mr. Lewis held his nose and pushed out his shoulders, not backing down. Ian stepped before me, blocking the view of Lewis to me. A knock on the door had Lewis step back toward his desk. A student poked his head into the room.

"Sorry, are you busy?" he asked the professor.

Mr. Lewis waved for the student to enter. "Nope, they were just leaving," he said in a deep, angry tone.

I spun quickly, rushing out the door without looking at the newcomer. With my head down, I ran down the empty hallway. Someone grabbed my elbow, stopping me and swinging me into their arms. I instantly knew it was Ian, while he wrapped me in a hug.

"Are you okay, Lake?"

"Yes," I replied, tucking my face into his chest.

I pulled away, slowly smiling at him. My grin soon turned to a laugh as I shook my head, giggling at the ground.

"Why are you laughing?"

"You punched my professor in the face," I laughed, hearing my voice echo down the hall. "My ghost friend socked him directly in the nose."

"What?" He pointed toward the classroom. "He deserved it."

"Yes, I'm not saying he doesn't." I raised a brow. "I've heard once that Mr. Lewis sleeps around with students but didn't know he approached them that way."

Ian's face scrunched to a disgusted expression. "But he's old."

"Yeah," I laughed. "You are telling me."

Ian smirked. "Wait, did I step in too soon?" He grabbed my arm, pulling me a couple of steps. "Do you have a thing for him?"

I protested, dragging my feet. "No."

"We can go back." He spun, grabbing my hips and jogging.

I laughed into the air, turning to face him. "No!" My forehead pressed into his chest. "Please, no."

Ian's body vibrated as he laughed. "Okay, are you ready?"

I peeked up without my head leaving his body. "Ready for what?"

"It's a surprise."

Ian walked me out of the building into the cold weather. The wind blew around my hair, and I placed my hood over my head. He kept a steady pace with me beside him until he stopped before my car.

"Driving?" I tilted my head. "Where?"

Ian jogged to the passenger side, stepping through the car without answering me. I shook my head in disbelief, hopping into the vehicle.

"So you need to answer me if you want me to pull out of this parking spot," I said, clicking my seatbelt over my chest and starting the engine.

"A tattoo shop," he finally spoke.

"Nope." I cut the engine, reaching for my belt.

Ian cupped my hand, stopping me. "Yes, Lake," he said with wide eyes, leaning close. "It's time to jump from that bubble and do something crazy. Something you've been wanting to do but could never do it."

I froze, watching his eyes but not seeing them. The idea of a tattoo seemed out of this world, but the idea of me having a ghost friend seemed even more outlandish.

"Okay," I said, entirely not thinking it through.

Ian shook his fist near his face with excitement. "Yes, I got the perfect place if they are still in business."

We drove downtown and pulled up to a brick building. A group of teenagers strolled from the boutique as rain misted the air. We walked alongside the old red stone as I opened the door with a loud creak.

"This way," Ian said, guiding me down the stairs with a red-tinted light.

The scent of mold and mud filled my nose as I watched the maroon neon sign blink the open letters. A black cat rushed across the hallway, jumping onto the open pillars above our heads. Its yellow eyes watched us before I turned to look at Ian.

"You sure about this?"

"Yes," he said, opening the glass door with images of tattoos taped on the window. "Don't worry so much."

A man with a shiny bald head poked up from behind a desk. "Hello," he said over the buzzing sound of someone getting a tattoo done in the backroom. "Welcome. Both or just one?"

I glanced at Ian, unsure why some people see him while others didn't.

"She's here for her first," Ian responded. "You taking any walk-ins at the moment?"

The guy smiled brightly at me. "It's your lucky day because my schedule opened up after a cancellation." He grabbed a binder, plopping it on the desk. "What do you think you are looking for?" He tapped the pages. "Got some good starters in here."

"I-I-I—" I stuttered.

"I'm picking," Ian interrupted. "She's not seeing it until finished."

"Wait," I protested, but Ian wrapped his arms around me, stopping my words.

The guy raised a brow. "Okay, well, you can call me Nick," he said, crossing his arms. "Do you have something in mind?"

Ian reached a hand toward Nick. "Ian, and this is Lake." He smiled over at me, removing his hand. "And yes, I already have an idea."

Ian leaned closer to Nick, whispering without me hearing. I shook my head, looking at a butterfly tattoo picture on a woman's breasts. The blue wings spread across her boobs, covering everything with ink.

"I get to pick the location." I shifted my eyes to another tattoo of an eagle on a man's back.

"Sounds like a plan," Nick responded, waving his hand toward me. "Come on over to my workshop."

I followed him and Ian to the back corner with a bright light hanging above a plastic seat. My heart beat out of my chest as my skin sweat with nerves.

"This is it," Ian whispered behind me. "You step up to the chair or turn around. Either way, I won't force you."

I let out a deep breath. "I want this," I said, smiling awkwardly.

Ian pressed his hand on my back and guided me to the seat. "Now, where do you want it?"

I glanced at my ankle, unhappy with the generic spot, and then my wrist. "Here," I replied, brushing my finger over my inner wrist.

"Perfect spot," Ian said, wiggling his brows. "Now, keep your eyes on me. No peeking."

Nick wrapped his hand around my wrist, cleaning the canvas. I watched his fingers dance a circular motion over my skin and smiled at Ian.

"Let's do this," I said while Ian sat on the bench before me.

Nick let out a deep chuckle. "Fuck yeah!" he yelled.

The sound of the tattoo gun vibrated in my soul as my leg shook. Ian placed his hand on my thigh, squeezing it tight. My leg bouncing stopped, and I looked at him with unsure eyes, and the piercing stung my skin.

"You doing okay?" Ian asked, reading my expression. "Take calm breaths."

"Yes," I replied, closing my eyes. "Not as bad as the stories I've heard," I said each word like it was its own sentence.

"Yeah?" he questioned me, not believing a word. "So tell me, why Hawaii?"

I opened my eyes. "What?"

"You told Hudson you wanted to work at the aquarium on Maui." He shrugged his shoulders. "Why?" He glanced over at my wrist, smirking.

"Oh, yeah." I sucked in a deep breath. "My dad—" I clenched my jaw from the pain. "My dad used to tell me his dream was to take an ultimate road trip down the road of Hana." I pictured my dad's face. "I guess one day. I decided I wanted more than a trip to Maui."

"Maui would be perfect for you."

"How?"

"You are—" he paused, looking at my tattoo. "Almost done."

"What?"

Nick cleared his throat, patting the chair. "All done, my lovely couple."

I glanced at a clean cloth covering my tattoo as Nick slowly wiped away the blood. A tiny sea turtle no larger than a quarter. The line work was perfectly smooth, like the ocean with the colors of the sea.

My jaw dropped as I looked at Ian. "I love it!" I yelled, bringing my wrist closer to my face. "This is perfect."

Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around Ian, tucking my head into his chest. "Thank you," I whispered. "For everything you had done."

He rested his chin on top of my head. "As long as you keep giving me these hugs, I'll keep doing my best," Ian whispered.

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