Page 27 of Unmasking My Dark Knight

“I’m not sure she does.”

“I swear. Mami is perfect. I’m more like her angel, so I make sure to always keep up with my appearance. In exception to the tattoo, of course. That was a mistake,” I laughed nervously. “It’s pretty embarrassing to admit.”

“I don’t think it’s a mistake. I think it’s perfect,” he said sternly but sweetly. “If it matters to you, then it matters enough… and don’t be embarrassed. I have my fair share of rebellious tattoos, and mine are actually bad. Like this…” He turned his arm inwardly, pointing at his bicep. I felt subconscious even looking, as if I were ogling. “I know what you’re thinking, and yes, I swear it is right here. It’s not some purposeful place to show off. It was pretty painful, actually. Worst place to get a first rebellious tattoo.”

We stopped in the middle of the road, just the two of us. Bountiful strobes of colorful lights cascaded around us. I stared up at him, and time slowed down. Blue and purple lights fell across his made-up face, and there was something dorky but sweet about how his expression softened. “May I?” I wanted to brush my fingers over it.

He nodded his approval. I traced around the little purple dog, but also felt the corded vein on his muscle. I tried to hide the fact that my breath hitched. This man had me wrapped up in nerves, and he had no idea. Or maybe he did—I hoped he didn’t.

“Hold on, isn’t this from a cartoon or something?” I snapped out of my haze, quickly putting my hand down.

“I was obsessed with Courage the Cowardly Dog growing up. He was the first thing I thought of when I sat in the chair the first time.”

I took his story in. He was pretty animated as he talked about his blast from the past. My brain itched for more. “Why were you rebelling?” I asked.

“I’ll tell you if you share yours with me,” he said.

I thought about it for a while. High Jynx was a stranger to me. Nobody really knew me like Tallulah did, but sometimes sharing things with a stranger was easier. “Deal,” I said.

“It’s not really anything exciting, other than… me and a few other friends were bored one night. We were eighteen, itching to do something crazy. We went out and bought cartons of cigarettes, because we could, then we decided to get a tattoo down the street. Thinking back on it, it doesn’t sound very rebellious, but we sure as hell felt that way when we were getting them done. Mainly because I kept it from my Dad. He kinda had a temper growing up with my sister and me." He cringed, a little reluctant to say more.

"Oh... I'm sorry," I said, feeling like we stepped into the middle of a vulnerable moment.

High Jynx shrugged it off. "Don't be sorry. I eventually stood up to him... that's what you do with monsters. You push back when they try to control you. You tell them to fuck off." He smiled.

"That's brave of you," I said, playing with my fingers.

"And what about your tattoo? What's your story?"

Oh, geez. Did I really want to tell him?

I took a quick breath in. “Now mine really does sound stupid.”

“No judgment from me. Ever,” he said seriously, like a promise. We continued walking up the path, side by side. I’d glance over at him every now and then. My heart pounded when we’d both catch one another’s eyes.

“Okay. My best friend and I, Tallulah, decided to get drunk on this one particular night. We had barely turned eighteen, and we raided my parents’ liquor cabinet. They had just left for the night to celebrate some fancy work thing. And when she and I were drunk enough, we stupidly decided to get tattoos. Except when we got there, there was a sign that said we couldn’t be drunk. Shortly after reading that, Tallulah puked on the side of the building. But not me. I was so determined to get this tattoo, I yelled at her to stay outside and keep it down! And somehow I kept a straight face the whole time!”

“Hmm. And they tattooed you just like that?”

“I think maybe they knew, but they didn’t say anything because I gave them a few hundred dollars for it. My parents really upset me that night. I kind of crashed out, and oh my god, they were so angry when they found Tallulah and me snoozing by my pool when the sun was rising. Good times.” Thinking about the memory with fondness was nice. I’d only thought about the bad part since it happened. It was the turning point for my entire future, the introduction of Antonio, and the future plan to get me to some altar. Instinctively, I tugged on my sleeve, covering my tattoo.

“Did they ever explain why you couldn't get a tattoo?” he asked. It wasn’t like I thought he was purposefully prying, but… I wasn’t used to answering questions this freely. It kind of freaked me out.

“A story for another time?” I asked. “I really have to find those rings,” I told him.

He obliged, and we kept walking. “Sure. I look forward to it. We’re just gonna go straight down this path,” he pointed up ahead. “And hey, I appreciate you sharing your story with me. Thank you."

I wasn’t thrilled to really share it, but it came out so naturally. It stumped me. It was funny; I’d never even told my brother that story. Maybe I could tell him and embarrass him at the reception. Although I doubted my parents would think it was a cute story, like High Jynx did.

CHAPTER 11

Romeo

She came back. Keeping the rings with me was a shitty thing to do, but it got her back here, and I finally got to see her as High Jynx again.

After the disastrous encounter at the corn maze, I was convinced that Ivy Jade would be too scared to actually come back to the Scare Park. And to her credit, she made the effort to conquer her fears for the sake of her brother's wedding. I had to applaud her for it, and though she was still a little feisty, she seemed to mellow out a little more… well, sorta—in her own Ivy Jade kind of way.

I couldn’t help but be disarmed by how attentive she was to me and how easy it was to talk to her as my alter ego. If anything, being High Jynx made me braver, funnier, more… I guess likable to Ivy Jade, which was strange. You’d think she’d hate me, being a “scary” clown who accidentally ran her into a ditch. Still, it almost seemed like the mission of finding her missing rings took precedence over whatever animosity she had. I was actually able to help her... which was fucked up, considering I was part of the problem, but I just wanted more time to get closer. Was that so bad? It was our fun little meet-cute that we could laugh about later.