ShapeShifter Fiction: Mitchell’s Ears

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Trevor took a deep drag on his cigarette and motioned at Mitchell with it. “C’mon. Quit being a wuss.” It was more a command than a request, but of course, Mitchell wouldn’t see it that way. You could command the idiot to eat an entire chocolate cake and he’d quit after two bites and say he was saving it for later.

“I’m not being a wuss, dickhead. I don’t want an earring.”

“How can you be a respectable rock star without a pierced ear? Name me one single fucking star out there who doesn’t have at least one hole in his ear.”

Trevor could tell from Mitchell’s face that the guy didn’t even realize most stars had ears, let alone shit dangling from them. Too, he could tell that the idiot didn’t think that image meant a single fucking thing.

Waiting Mitchell out was useless, so Trevor filled the space with his cigarette. When it was all but gone, Trevor sighed. Smoke that hadn’t escaped his lungs chose right then to come out his nose; he decided he understood how dragons felt.

“Look,” he told Mitchell, “it’s no big deal.”

“Tell that to Ma. She’ll kill me if I let you do this. And then she’ll kill you for doing it!”

“No, she won’t. Not if you’re serious about this band thing.”

“I am, Trev, and you know it. You fucking know I am!” Mitchell crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. “But I gotta draw the line somewhere, and I’m drawing it at earrings!”

“No one’s gonna think your ass is gay,” Trevor drawled. “Despite what Amy did over the end-of-day announcements that one time. No one bought it then and no one’ll buy it now.” He ground out his cigarette in the ashtray Mitchell’s mother had given then when she’d given up the battle to keep her precious baby boy from smoking.

“That’s not the problem.”

“Yeah, and I’m already a fucking rock star.” Trevor eyed Mitchell, convinced he knew what the guy was about to whine: it’ll hurt, Trev.

“Dad,” Mitchell said instead. “He meant it when he said he’d kick me out of the house if I do it.”

Trevor sighed as loudly as he could. How stupid was Mitchell? “That’s why you grew your hair out, asshole.”

“I thought it was to get girls.”

“Well, since it didn’t work for you, let this be the reason you did it.”

“Amy’ll tell.”

“I’ll handle Amy,” he said easily, knowing it was true. His usual methods may not have worked with the wanna-be doc, but Trevor Wolff did not have only one way to get through to a girl. Besides, he had plenty on Amy if it got that far. Which it wouldn’t.

Mitchell chewed on his thumbnail, eyeing Trevor, who wanted to jump up and down with glee. The guy was teetering on the edge. All he needed now was one little push and he’d do most of the jumping himself.

“It’s a chick magnet.”

“Just one,” Mitchell said. “One hole, one ear.”

Giggling, Trevor ran for an ice cube. When he got back, Mitchell was sitting on the edge of his bed, hair pushed back behind his left ear, hands braced on his knees. “Make it fast.”

“The ice’s gotta have time to work. You don’t want to feel it, do you?”

Mitchell swallowed hard and Trevor handed him the ice. “Hold it on your ear until you think your ear’ll fall off.” He pulled out his lighter and produced a pin from a pocket.

“You sure you know what you’re doing?”

“I did Jeremy and Eliza’s after HJ did mine,” he said. “Wait. I gotta find the… Put the ice back on!”

It was in his denim jacket pocket. The earring they’d leave in while the hole healed. The same one he’d used, the same one he’d let Jeremy borrow, and the same one he’d stolen right out of Jeremy’s head when the dumbshit wasn’t looking.

Trevor held its post and the needle in the lighter’s flame. Mitchell turned paler than he normally was.

“Okay,” Trev said when the ice had melted away and Mitchell was swearing about how his hand felt. The wuss had been impressive in the way he’d held onto that frozen water; if it was a test of manlihood like HJ had insisted, the blonde idiot in front of him had passed with flying colors. “Can you feel this?” he asked, poking at the air beside Mitchell’s head.

“Nope.”

“Good,” Trev said and jammed the pin through Mitchell’s ear.

Mitchell swallowed a scream that still managed to get halfway out — and then passed out. Trevor caught him and laid him gently on his right side, left ear facing out.

“Easier this way,” he said to no one in particular since he doubted Mitchell was up for listening and engaging in conversation.

The first hole went so easily that Trevor dug two more starter earrings out of his jacket and gave Mitchell a grand total of three.

He crossed his arms and nodded, satisfied with his work. So what if Patterson and Sonya didn’t like it? They’d never throw their precious baby out of their house. Not them. No way, no how.

This is part of Rhian‘s Poetry Train; jump on aboard. As you can see, you don’t have to post poetry. (Wink to Karen)

Also, I hope you’re looking for some Hidden Treasures to spend the summer with. The contest begins whenever you want to read; remember to post your reviews online starting July 15. Scroll down for more info; sticky post or something similar coming soon.

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

29 Comments

  1. Robin

    June 18, 2007 8:48 am

    So so so glad I just went to the earring place in the mall when I got mine done. Zip zip with the gun and it was all over.

  2. Anna J. Evans

    June 18, 2007 9:14 am

    Lol! I loved this. So well written and a great scene. My 8 year old wanted ear rings SO badly, but had to earn the right to get them pierced with 3 months of good behavior. She did, and so last December we went to the mall and were getting ready to do the deed and she totally wimped out.BR/BR/hilarious, lol.BR/BR/anna j. evans

  3. Janet

    June 18, 2007 9:27 am

    I love a man with pierced ears 🙂

  4. Ellira-who-is-actually-Lindsey-but-needs-to-protect-her-identity-so-has-gone-undercover ;)

    June 18, 2007 10:19 am

    Trevor is evil. And Mitchell is a wimp! How shocking!

  5. RED GARNIER

    June 18, 2007 10:30 am

    LMAO!! OH, Susan, this is super funny!!! I’m still rocking back and forth clutching my abs, LOL!! I love it when you write about Trevor. And this is one of my favorite’s so far! =)

  6. Joy Renee

    June 18, 2007 10:34 am

    that Trevor! He’s a stinker. If he’ll do a friend this way….BR/BR/I knew a boy like this once. I had the WORST crush on him.BR/BR/Merry Monday

  7. Lisa Andel

    June 18, 2007 10:43 am

    I wanna kick Trevor’s ass. Can I?BR/Please?BR/BR/What’s this from? Is there more? Is threre going to be more? (I know you didn’t write a whole book about Mitchell’s Ears or title it that 😉

  8. Karen

    June 18, 2007 11:45 am

    Love the outtake, though I’m not sure it qualifies as poetry… lolBR/- A HREF=”http://morsiereads.blogspot.com” REL=”nofollow”karen/A

  9. Breeni

    June 18, 2007 12:31 pm

    ROFLMAOBR/BR/I love the finale!!

  10. Robin L. Rotham

    June 18, 2007 12:57 pm

    Oh God, I feel myself getting pale! My step-mother pierced my ears, using ice to “deaden” them (yeah, right), when I was ten. I screamed my head off. They got infected and I let them grow closed, then my mother repierced them when I was in high school — without any deadening at all. We both nearly passed out.

  11. Rhian / Crowwoman

    June 18, 2007 2:44 pm

    GAWD!! I LOVE Trevor!! He’s such a badass – can i take him home and keep him? Can i Susan? BR/BR/I had to sneak to get my ears pierced when i was 14 and had it done that way – with ice and a needle. I remember it hurt like holy hell even after the numbing. Unfortunately they stabbed the needle in crooked so i have an earring hole that goes at a funky angle.

  12. bunnygirl

    June 18, 2007 2:47 pm

    Hm. Trevor should’ve tried the shortcut– getting Mitchell drunk. I have a friend of a friend who worked up the courage to pierce her own nose that way, and I hear noses hurt worse than ears. 🙂

  13. Carol

    June 18, 2007 3:05 pm

    Well written scene and you really want to slap old Trevor. Carol

  14. Sparky Duck

    June 18, 2007 3:27 pm

    I am all for guys havin earrings if they want them. I am not for them letting their nitwit friend do it with ice and a lighter 🙂

  15. karen!

    June 18, 2007 4:59 pm

    I saw the edit!BR/I guess I should make sure to read the fine print before posting any snarky comments…BR/:P

  16. julia

    June 18, 2007 10:54 pm

    Trevor always delivers! This is a great scene. Definitely makes me glad mine were pierced with a gun.BR/BR/So many ways to suffer for their art.

  17. MyUtopia

    June 19, 2007 10:14 am

    I remember getting my ear pierced, I was five. I freaked out right before hand.

  18. T.A.Chase

    June 20, 2007 10:57 am

    Susan,BR/BR/I love the scene. Trevor seems like a rather interesting guy. I love a man with an earring. Sort of like a bad boy image.BR/BR/I posted something today for the Poetry Train. Better late than never, I guess. 🙂

  19. Susan Helene Gottfried

    June 23, 2007 2:29 pm

    Oh, Cheesy, he is. Have no fear. Mitchell’s the wuss we all love.

  20. Pearl

    June 25, 2007 8:58 am

    good story. I’m a bit pale myself after it tho.

  21. anthonynorth

    February 9, 2008 5:29 am

    I can testify that, when I was in a local rock band in the early 1970s, the earring was essential.BR/ Though I was chicken and got it done professionally 🙂

  22. gautami tripathy

    February 9, 2008 7:06 am

    I got my second piercings in my ears in 2001.BR/It was so painful! BR/Now I put tiny studs in the upper holes. BR/BR/I love Trevor!

  23. paisley

    February 12, 2008 8:28 am

    always a pleasure top spend a little time with the band…..

  24. jadey

    February 13, 2008 11:26 am

    LOL this is great. Poor Mitchell. He will get through it won’t even realize what happened when he comes to.

  25. Susan Helene Gottfried

    February 13, 2008 11:32 am

    Oh, you didn’t see the follow-up post, then, Jadey…

  26. Jeques

    February 14, 2008 3:38 am

    I like this simple way of telling a story – easy to read and the story just moves you as it progress without knowing that you’re already in the bottom of the page.BR/BR/I think this piece has a lot more to tell, the story is still in progress and there would still be more pages after this.BR/BR/Please check out my series poem: Changes.BR/BR/Happy Valentines!BR/BR/I wish you well.BR/BR/~ Jeques

  27. Wylie Kinson

    April 28, 2008 10:31 am

    HOW? did I miss this post, Susan?? I thought I’d read everything you ever posted on Mitchell and um… what’s-his-name. The rude one. ;)BR/BR/This was brilliant. i love the both!!

  28. Susan Helene Gottfried

    April 28, 2008 10:55 am

    “The rude one” — Wylie, if I weren’t married, I’d be proposing about now. That’s precious!

  29. spyscribbler

    February 19, 2009 12:07 pm

    OUCH! I’ll go to a professional, LOL!

    Ow, ow, ow!!!!

  30. West Of Mars — The Meet and Greet » Blog Archive » Thursday Thirteen #34 - Earring Aftermath
  31. West of Mars » Blog Archive » Thursday Thirteen: Demo Tapes Year 2

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


*