– No, not too bad.

I nodded.

– Yeah, here comes the bit that really sucks.

Chev twisted the jewelry into the hole hed just put in her nipple, and gripped the ends of the open hoop of surgical steel with two pairs of needle-nose pliers, torqued until they lined up, popped a tiny bead between them and pinched them together so they held it tight. The girls mouth flew open and she made a long whining noise and a little urine stained the crotch of her way too fucking expensive for their own good jeans.

I looked at the photo spread in the magazine.

– See, hurts like a motherfucker.

Chev took the clamp from my fingers.

– Asshole. Get the fuck away.

– What? I was helping, you said I should come over here and help.

He released the clamp and the girls nipple snapped back.

– Just get out of here, will you? Go get me some smokes.

I twisted the magazine into a tube and stuffed it in my back pocket.

– Give me some cash.

Chev looked up from the blood he was swabbing off the girls tit.

– No.

– Fine, Ill tell them were not using money anymore, that weve moved beyond outdated concepts like commerce and that they should just give me your American Spirits because its a goodwill society now.

He placed a gauze pad over the girls nipple and had her hold it there while he taped the corners down.

– I gave you money for breakfast this morning and you never gave me the change. Use that in lieu of goodwill and go buy my smokes.

– Thought the change was a tip.

– It wasnt. Go. Get out.

He took a card full of cleaning instructions from his work table and handed it to the girl and started telling her how to care for the piercing, blotting her eyes for her with a Kleenex.

– Youre gonna want to take the bandage off in a couple hours, in the shower with water running over it so it doesnt stick to the dry blood. Then you gotta clean it, rotate the jewelry under the water.