On a string... (open)

[cherry johnson]

So I swing and I sway.
Wave my hand, kick my leg,
And it is always right with the music.

Cherry wrinkled up her nose a bit, as he said he had an eyebrow piercing. Those didn't look good on anyone...at least not anyone she'd ever seen. It just made everyone look like trailer trash, or something, as she was quick to tell anyone who had an eyebrow piercing. She loved piercings, and all, but some were just a big 'No'. "Well, it's a good thing you took the eyebrow piercing out...or I probably would be talking to you. Those things just scream ugly." She shook her head a little bit, and sighed. She couldn't imagine him with one, for some reason...but she had a feeling it would have made him look ugly, even though he clearly wasn't.

She looked back at him, never really shying away from eye contact, and thought about it. Having fun did sound appealing...even if his kind of fun wasn't her usual kind of entertainment. Then again, one of the good things about having to go to this school was that she was getting a new start...maybe his kind of fun could be her new kind of fun. "Fine." She said, after taking a few moments to think about it. "I guess a little fun couldn't hurt...much" She smirked a little bit, although she was kind of nervous as to what kind of fun this guy had in mind.

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[joseph fitzgerald]

He could tell by her reaction to the news that he had pierced his brow at one point that she felt the same way about it that he had grown to. "It was about four or five years ago that I had it in there, I learned a llittle bit more since then, like how terrible it looked on me." He was real glad that there hadn't been any real scaring from it, only the smallest dot that you couldn't see unless you took an incredibly hard look in just the right spot. "But yea, eye brow piercings are really the only kind that I am turned away by." Well and the guy he had seen with spikes sticking out of his skull but he didn't even know if he would call that a piercing. "If you ask nice I might let you redo my nipple, something a bit better then just a safety needle."

She had thought about it, that was good. If she had just said yes then it might not have been as much fun to corrupt her, but thinking about it for a moment indicated that she might not be sure, a challenge... fun.

"First stop is a knife shop, most malls have them and even though it is against the rules for us to have weapons at the school I think you should get one. There are more then a few real dangerous people at the school and being able to flash a little steel would go a long way toward keeping yourself safe." That was more of a test then any real fun, that stuff could start after he would see if she could break a rule for a good reason.

Climbing out of the car he started toward the mall, not even waiting for her because he knew she would keep up.

[cherry johnson]

So I swing and I sway.
Wave my hand, kick my leg,
And it is always right with the music.

Cherry was glad he didn't have any plans to get it redone or anything...that would just turn her away from him all together. Talking to a guy with a grotesque eyebrow piercing did not sound very fun to her, not at all. Nipple piercings, however, she found incredibly hot. "I'm not very good at asking nicely, though." She said, smirking a little bit. "You could just let me do it anyway, though." She'd never actually done a nipple piercing before...she'd done her own lips, and even her brother's ear once, but that was really it. She wasn't very experienced in piercings, or anything...well, not at actually doing the piercing. She knew quite a bit about how to keep them clean, and free of infection.

Having a knife didn't really sound life a safe idea, at all...she didn't even know how to use one, and even if she just flashed it around for show there were probably people at their school who actually knew how to use the things. But...she could always just get one, and then not do anything with it...just for the sake of not having to back out of their 'fun'. It almost felt like he was challenging her, or something. Like those little truth or dare games, only this was just dare...and they weren't twelve year old's at a sleep over.

She followed him towards the mall, feeling excited, even if she didn't want to...she had a feeling it was actually going to be fun, even if the whole knife thing didn't sound all that fun to her. "To the knife shop, then..." She muttered, walking and looking at her feet...it was kind of a habit...and the reason she was always bumping into people and things.

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[joseph fitzgerald]

Seemed like the idea of getting to stick a piece of metal through him sounded appealing to her and it appealed to him as well. The piercing thing had pissed off his parents more then almost anything else he had ever done, he had only taken it out because he had gotten tired of it but getting it done for real might be interesting. "If you aren't willing to ask then we are going to have to work out some kind of deal." He said with a little bit of a chuckle as he walked through the doors of the mall. "I mean I don't let just anyone stick sharp pieces of metal through my more sensitive body parts."

Finding the knife shop was the next step, he had after all never been to that mall before, so he stopped in front of one of those mall maps, trusting the fact that every single mall seemed to have a knife shop rather then any earlier research. But as luck would have it the mall did have one, not to far off.

As soon as he saw where they had to go he paused to wait for Cherry to catch up with him. "Don't worry, I am just thinking something small the snaps open with the push of a button." He said as he slipped an arm around her waist, another little test just to see how she would react.

[cherry johnson]

So I swing and I sway.
Wave my hand, kick my leg,
And it is always right with the music.

"I'm not just anyone though, I'm special." She still had a small smirk playing on her lips. "It wouldn't hurt that bad." Actually, she had a feeling it would hurt like hell...which was why, other than her eyebrow, a nipple piercing was the one thing she would never get done herself. Plus, it was just kind of slutty on girls...and she wasn't a slut, or anything like that. She liked to have a good time, sometimes, but she definitely couldn't be considered a slut. "But what kind of deal are you talking? Would I have to sign my soul over to you or anything? Because that is where I draw the line."

She nodded a little bit. "Sounds good." Maybe she would carry it around, if it was small...maybe she'd get one in a pretty color. That wouldn't be so bad...unless she got caught with it, or something, that would probably end badly...even though she was usually quite good at getting herself out of trouble. She could usually use her cute looks to play innocent...but if she was caught with a knife it wouldn't be quite as easy...especially at the school she was going to.

As his arm around her waist she raised her eyebrows, but didn't say anything. It wasn't like it was that big of a deal, or anything...although she did kind of worry what people around her might think. She actually did care what people thought of her, even if she often pretended not to. But she decided to ignore it, mostly because, well, she didn't really mind...and he would have to move it eventually, anyway.

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[joseph fitzgerald]

"You are definitely special but I have yet to see if you are special enough." Joseph observed with a small smirk, attractive was good but it would take interesting to put a needle there on him. "But don't worry, I have absolutely no issue with pain, wouldn't go so far as to call myself a masochist but hedonism is always fun." The question about her soul made him smile a bit, more then one person, occasionally an ex had referred to him as evil or the son of Satan. "What use have I for your soul?" He teased her cheerily. "I will keep it in balance though, I won't ask you to get my name tattooed on your body just because I let you stick me with something, equivalence is the key word."

"I should probably get a knife to, the officer I got searched by wouldn't let me keep the blade I tried to sneak in... which is a bit odd considering I bribed him to keep my drugs." But the officer might have just thought it was a good idea to keep weapons out of that school. Still it seemed a little bit hypocritical for him to do that to Joe.

From out of the corner of his eye Joseph saw her eyebrows raise. "Willing to take drugs from me but you get nervous about where I put my arm?" He asked as he squeezed her hip a little bit...

But then he saw it, the chance for some real fun. "Forget the knife." he muttered. As he eyes the couple who were walking toward them, no doubt just heading the other way. He read the guy like an open book, the way he had his arm around his significant others shoulder and was tightly gripping her hand with another. "Just be ready to run or to play along any time you like."

[cherry johnson]

So I swing and I sway.
Wave my hand, kick my leg,
And it is always right with the music.

She rolled her eyes a little bit. "Well, you are certainly not sticking any needles in me. I have all the piercings I'd like, at the moment." It was true, any other piercings would just look bad on her, or so she assumed. Nose piercings were a big no, she already had a few in her ears, and she didn't want anymore on her hips. "Plus, I wouldn't let you come near me with a needle, to be completely honest. I don't trust you in the least." She smirked a little bit, but she was serious. Of course her trust issues usually dissapeared after a few drinks, but she wasn't about to say that...

She was glad when he said to forget the knife, although she tried not to show it. She didn't exactly get what he meant about playing along though, so she just nodded. "Okay..." She said, slowly, following his gaze to the couple. She still wasn't exactly comfortable with where his arm was, but she didn't say anything. He could already tell she was a bit uncomfortable, she was sure. It was odd...if he were to do the same thing half a year ago she wouldn't have cared, but since the thing with her dad...everything changed. "What exactly am I playing along with, if you'd care to elaborate?" She was saying it quietly, in case he didn't want the couple approaching them to hear. She was assuming he didn't, as he was muttering.

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[joseph fitzgerald]

She really seemed to think that he was going to go for straight equivalent or that he was even being honest about the equivalence, he would make sure that he got what he wanted from her in time but it was more fun to play the game for the time being. "I don't feel a need to stick any needles in others, there is some kind of fetish for that but not one that I happen to be afflicted with." Maybe she was a fan of that particular kink but it wouldn't be the weirdest thing he had ever gotten involved with.

"If I elaborate then it won't be nearly as much fun for us." Joseph said with a wink. "Now you can either try to improvise or when the time comes you can run... and will know that time when it comes."

With that he moved away from Cherry to block the path of the couple, doing his best to look somber. "Um hey... I think we need to talk." He said before they could move around them. "I don't know if you remember me or my name... I don't remember yours but lets face it, we were pretty blitzed when we met." He said to the young lady, noticing the confusion and annoyance spread over her boyfriends face. "It was about a month ago." He said slowly, as if trying to help her remember. "We met at a bar and had a few drinks and well... look I just had a blood test and it turns out I have herpes... you should get tested."

It all happened in an instant, the boyfriend looked down at his girlfriend and then suddenly threw a wide punch at Josephs head which he barely managed to step back from. It was a lie, and not even a good one, but Joe had read it right and had just started a bit of chaos.

[cherry johnson]

So I swing and I sway.
Wave my hand, kick my leg,
And it is always right with the music.

She frowned a little bit. "I'm not afflicted with any weird fetish..." She muttered...although maybe she was. The idea of sticking a needle in someone did sound oddly appealing to her. "What were you talking about, then?" She was a bit confused...what was the equivilant of a piercing, if it wasn't a piercing? She was sure it wasn't going to be something she was too excited about...this guy certainly was a weird one. That was probably why she was taking a liking to him, though...boring people tended to...bore her.

She watched the whole scene with a wary eye, not really knowing what Joe was trying to do. Get himself a black eye? Or maybe just stir up some drama. It was kind of entertaining, but kind of immature at the same time...not that she was mature all the time...just...most of the time. It would have been obvious to her that he was lying, even if she hadn't been told to play along. "Do you really think this is a good idea? " She asked, sounding slightly annoyed, as she crossed her arms. It was obvious to her now that she and he had completely different ideas on fun...because this definitely wasn't fun to her. Fuck, they were probably going to get thrown out of the place, or something, which really didn't sound all that fun... "This is kind of...what's the word...stupid?" She used the most polite word she count think of to describe the situation at hand...even though she could think of a million different ones that weren't quite as polite. Then again, a part of her kind of wanted to know where he was going with this...

count: 297

[joseph fitzgerald]

"There is a fetish though... a very small number of men are aroused by poking women with needles and drawing blood, some of them become serial killers." He informed her with all the knowledge of a student from a prep school who had taken an abnormal psyche class... and enjoyed it.

"OK maybe the word equivalent wasn't quite the best choice." Joseph admitted. "What I mean to say was that we can trade for something on the same level, if I get bored one day at school you could skip a class with or something, a small favor that will take up little time." Not quite honest there, the skip class with him thing might work out, hell even skipping class to do it would probably be fair but he did think that he might be able to go for more. If he was careful with how he played it, waited to pick the right moment then you never know what could happen.

He heard Cherry as he ducked another swing, really he could have just punched the guy and had the same effect but this way if anyone bothered to check the taped it would show that anything Joe did from here was self defense, the best kind of trouble to cause was the kind that you couldn't be punished for even if you go caught... but Joseph didn't intend to get caught, instead he just took a step in and brought his knee up into the guys crotch and as he fell to the ground Joe just walked back to Cherry. "I admit it was stupid." He chuckled. "Now we walk away like nothing at all has happened." There was no sign of security yet and everyone could probably lose interest before they arrived while the guy he had just kicked in the balls would be egar to leave.

[cherry johnson]

So I swing and I sway.
Wave my hand, kick my leg,
And it is always right with the music.

"...That's...creepy..." She didn't even want to question how he knew that, so she didn't. She definitely had no heard of it before, that was for sure.

Cherry had skipped class several times in her life, so that didn't sound that bad. She didn't see how it was on the same level, though. Skipping class wasn't very bad at all...sure, she might get in a bit of trouble, or something, but that was no big deal. She'd had a detention or two in her life, even been suspended once...and that was all skipping class would usually do in her old school. "Okay, so you're going to let me pierce your nipple, if I skip class with you?" She asked, in a confused way.

"Very stupid." She agreed, walking away. "What, exactly was the point of that?" She didn't bother to look back to see if he was following, instead assuming that he was, as he was the one who said they had to walk away...plus, she really didn't want to stand around there any longer. She didn't exactly feel bad for the poor guy who'd just got kicked in the balls...partly because she hardly ever felt bad for people, and partly because, well, he swung the first punch, even though it was kind of obvious that Joe had been lying...or at least it was to her, but that might have just been because he had told her to play along, which obviously meant he was lying.

count: 260

[joseph fitzgerald]

"You learn some really creepy things when you take an abnormal psyche class one semester because you thought it would be fun." Joseph felt like he should probably explain that one to her, he didn't want the rumor going around that he liked to poke people to get off.

"I am not going to set that one in stone but yeah, that sounds about right." Joe said with a laugh as he hurried to catch up with her. "YOu no doubt think it would be fun to put a needle through my nip and I hate skipping class on my own because of how incredibly boring it is." ANd when skipping maybe he could get her to go out drinking or something, it was worth a shot and his fake ID did say twenty one.

Her comment about how it was very stupid just made him laugh all the more. "I did it because it was an impulsive thought. But I want you to admit that no matter how stupid it was for me to do that when you hear about this incident tomorrow in class it will amuse you." He figured that within the next few days the story would have grown to the point that he had been jumped by three guys and somehow used kung fu to fight them off. "I am however willing to make up the stupidity to you... pick out any store you like and a few outfits are on my dads credit card."

[cherry johnson]

So I swing and I sway.
Wave my hand, kick my leg,
And it is always right with the music.

"I see." That explained a lot...and made her think he was a bit less of a freak...but only a bit. He was definitely a very odd guy, there was no denying that one. Not that she really had much room to talk...although she was pretty normal, her past wasn't exactly. She liked to think she was a fairly normal person, though, despite what she'd gone through...though some might disagree.

Cherry nodded. "I think it would be immensely fun to put a need through your nipple, actually." It was actually a win-win situation for her, as she wouldn't actually mind skipping class, either. She definitely wasn't the most achademical person, ever..she also wasn't a complete idiot, but she hated school as much as any other teenager...well, any teenager that didn't like school. "What day is all this going to happen?" She had a feeling that it wouldn't...lots of people she knew made plans to do shit, then never did it. Although he didn't seem all that reluctant to let her pierce his nipple. She actually wouldn't be too upset if he backed out, though. It wasn't like it was a big deal or anything. The fact that he was even thinking about letting her was one of the many reasons she knew he was an odd guy.

"Fine, fine, I admit it." She rolled her eyes a little bit, but knew it was true. She probably would have found the story amusing even if she wasn't there to watch it in person. She definitely wasn't one of those rumor spreading girls who can't go three seconds without gossiping, but she did hear a fair bit of what was going on, so chances were she'd hear all about what she had just witnessed...with a few changes, of course. Rumors tended to change the more they were told.

She frowned a little bit. "No thanks." She said, in a dull, emotionless way. She really didn't like taking things from people...well, not things that she needed. Clothes were essential, and she wanted to be able to provide them for herself. If he were to offer her something else, something cheap, and meaningless, she'd take it with no issue...but clothes, or food, or anything like that just made her feel like she was a charity case, or something.

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[joseph fitzgerald]

It seemed to work out perfectly then, except she was asking when it would happen and Joe wasn't always the type to make plans in advance, the best plans were improvised and spur of the moment. "It can happen on the same day that you are going to pierce me." Joe suggested because that seemed like the easiest way to do it. "But I don't know anything beyond that, you will give me your phone number and some time I will call you and tell you that we are on for then... we can put if off for a test or something though if you like." He wasn't going to tell her that it had to happen right as he demanded because that would just be a good way to alienate her without any reason to.

When she admitted that she would enjoy hearing it the grin on Josephs face grew to the point where it threatened to split his cheeks open, not quite litterally but it was downright possible if he got any more amused. "I am willing to put money on the fact that in a few days the story will have grown to the point where we won't even be able to know if what we are hearing did start here today."

So she didn't want the clothing, well if he was trying to be nice he wasn't the type to just give up in his efforts, it happened so rarely that when the mood did strike him he made a real effort to see it through. "Ok fine, not clothing then, bathing suit, shoes, a purse... my daddy's platinum is burning a hole in my wallet and I feel like buying someone other then myself something... now what random thing is it that you want?"

[cherry johnson]

So I swing and I sway.
Wave my hand, kick my leg,
And it is always right with the music.

"Well, aren't you Mr. Spontanity?" She said, in a teasing way. "But, that sounds good, I guess." She actually preferred to make plans...but maybe she could learn how to be more spontanious. She'd never really tried it before...but it would definitely be an interesting change of pace. Plus, her new friend could help her out with it...although she didn't exactly know if she could consider him a friend. She hadn't known him for very long at all...and she didn't usually consider people friends even after she'd known them for years. She didn't actually have any friends back in New York...she had people she hung out with, but that was it, really. Maybe that's all he was...just someone she'd hang out with a few times, then never see again. She was fine with that...kinda.

She smirked. "Probably. People will probably be saying that you were attacked completely off guard, and that he was about seven feet tall with muscles the size of your head. Of course I will be completely left out of the story, thank god. I hate people talking about me." Not to mention the fact that no one in the school really knew who she was, yet...and they probably never would. She had decided to try and stay anonamous in this school...she knew she probably wouldn't have the same reputation she did in her old school. Back there she was the freak most people tried to stay away from, but here she was pretty much normal...which was nice.

She sighed a little bit. "Buy me...a bottle of water." She was being sarcastic, but she really didn't want any random thing. She didn't exactly grow up being able to buy whatever she wanted...the few things she had she had to work for. "Just by yourself something, I don't want anything." She figured the reason he seemed to want to buy her something so bad was just to spend his father's money, or something...he did seem to dislike him. That was something they had in common; a dislike of their fathers.

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