The sun had long since set when we brazenly decided that it was the perfect time to get pierced. It was mid-July of 2019, when the air was still too humid even after midnight, and the breeze only carried the scent of the ice cream shop we lived next door to instead of the comforting chill of nighttime. My body was clad in loose sweats and a wrestling tee that made the humid air feel stickier, and I was armed with a crumbled fifty-dollar bill.

“Are you actually gonna go through with it this time or are you gonna chicken out?” My older sister – Dezzy – asked teasingly as we both pulled our seatbelts on. As soon as her seatbelt was clicked into place, she reached for the heavenly air conditioner. It wasn’t a long walk to the car at all, but man was it hot in Texas. As she pulled out of the driveway my eyes drifted to the dash, which displayed in small red numbers, 2:23am. We were probably going to regret this all in the morning.

“Shut up.” I rolled my eyes playfully, my hands fiddling with my phone mindlessly. “Rani said it’s only a 10-minute drive to his house from her own, so we should be home before 4am.” I informed her, moving to turn the radio onto the Bluetooth channel. The silent car soon filled with the groovy beat of What You Won’t Do for Love by Bobby Caldwell, the perfect song for the cruise down highway I-35.

We arrived at my older sister’s house in no time, barely 3 songs into Harry Styles when she slid soundlessly into the backseat. “Y’all ready to get some metal in our bodies?” She said with a wagging of her eyebrows, which were still arched to perfection despite the late hour. “It’s just down that way, near your old middle school.” She instructed Dezzy down the dark streets.

“So you’re sure this guy is legit?” I asked skeptically, looking out at the old house we were parked before. “Because this seems more like a scary movie than a piercers house.” Outside the window, the old house across the street from our old middle school was surrounded by overgrown grass and various cars parked in the driveway. The bright moonlight casted an eerie glow on the shadows sat on the porch, making them seem far scarier than they probably were.

“I’ve gotten 4 piercings done by him, he’s legit, and sweet.” Rani assured, climbing out of the backseat with no hesitation. We followed her sure steps with slower, more hesitant ones, my hands fisted discreetly in my pockets. “Is Charles in?” She asked one of the shadows on the porch, and to my surprise, an older woman stepped forth with a kind smile.

“He’s in the back room, head right on in, suga’.” She said kindly, gesturing towards the screen door that led inside. With a quiet ‘thanks’ from each of us, we walked into the gestured doorway slowly, and were immediately hit with the distinct scent of disinfectant the closer we got to the back room.

Rani pushed open the door, displaying a couple of teens, probably my age or older, that were making their way out, with the guy holding a tissue to his newly pierced nose. The man that sat behind them waved us deeper into the room with a comforting smile as he removed the latex gloves. “What can I get for you ladies tonight?” He asked politely, turning his chair slightly so that he faced us. I refrained from making eye contact, instead focusing on the room surrounding us.

The space in the room was limited, with a couch along the wall beside the doorway, a long padded table adjacent to his work station, and the part that really caught my attention, a wide glass tank, with a few baby snakes slithering around. Charles caught where my attention had drifted to and laughed as he rolled over to the tank. “Y’wanna hold one?” He asked us as he pulled one of the baby snakes, which immediately coiled around his finger tightly. “They’re babies, and they don’t have any teeth, so they won’t hurt you.” He said reassuringly, holding out the small animal with a welcoming smile.

Dezzy took the baby snake excitedly, cooing softly about the feeling of the scales. I watched her cautiously as Charles rolled back to his work station and made quick work of washing his hands. He lathered them in sanitizer before he pulled on a fresh pair of latex gloves with a cliché snap. “Who’s going first?” He asked, which made Rani step forward confidently. They chatted aimlessly about the healing of her previous piercings before he started cleaning the area of her belly button diligently. I watched her face closely, my eyes like lasers, taking in every bit of her expression as the needle pierced her skin.

I still hadn’t decided what I wanted to get pierced yet, and I was definitely basing my decision on my sisters’ reactions to the pain. Fortunately, Rani seemed entirely unfazed by the needle that pierced her skin, but the same couldn’t be said for Dezzy. As soon as the needle pierced the skin of her belly button, she let out a loud wail, dramatically clutching my hand. Instantly, my confidence in my decision to get my belly button pierced dissipated.

How could I get my belly button pierced if it hurt that much? I kept thinking nervously. With these doubts running through my head in high speed, I was hesitant to step forward when he’d motioned for me, supplies fresh and gloves clean.

“I promise it won’t hurt as much as she made it seem. Everyone has a different pain tolerance.” He said, but it did barely anything to soothe my nerves.

“Mo, when are you planning on getting that nose piercing you’ve been moaning on about?” Rani attempted to distract me as Charles began to clean the area around my belly button. My body tensed as he placed the clamp on my skin softly, turning it up and down as he contemplated where to place the mark. “I’m starting to think that you’re just scared, I mean they don’t hurt, obviously.” She said teasingly, gesturing to her own double-pierced nostril. Again, I could tell she was trying to distract me, but I still rose to the bait at the accusation of being scared.

“I’m not scared. I just don’t know if it’s something I’m ready to get yet. I mean, it’ll be in my face for a long time, and what if it gets pulled out and it closes or something? Nose piercings are just wildcards and I’m not ready for that kind of commitment yet.” I rambled, so caught up in my own words that I never felt the needle pierce my skin.

Rani smirked at me as she motioned down to my stomach, where a shiny silver barbell was now placed through my skin. I looked at the new jewelry with gleaming, excited eyes, in awe of the fact that I actually hadn’t felt that. I looked back up and smiled at the other three people in the room, my body now filled with excitement instead of nerves.

“Could you pierce my nose as well?” I asked brightly, earning excited, over-exaggerated cheers from my sisters when he nodded.

That night I walked out of that creepy old house with two new piercings, $30 left over, and a new sense of self confidence that came in the form of two tiny pieces of metal.