Jenny's Awakening Ch. 01

Chapter 1 - A big step

Jenny had always been a shy girl. She had a small physique, light brown shoulder length hair and a few freckles. What made her most insecure about her appearance were her large glasses, her strict parents had selected for her. In the past she didn't have many friends, especially not very close ones. She wasn't too bothered that she never even had a boyfriend as she hadn't met anyone she was remotely interested in.

After high school she worked a few years at her local convenience store to save up some money to help finance her college degree.

On her first day at college she met Sophie who lived in the dorm room across the hall. Sophie was the total opposite to her. Her hair was dyed bright purple, she had a large tattoo on her right forearm, a large hoop pierced her septum and she wore a large tongue stud which gave her a small but cute lisp. She just looked 'cool'. Over the course of the next few weeks they became good friends despite Sophie's frequent complaints about how 'lame' Jenny was.

One Tuesday afternoon Jenny was sitting at her desk working on a boring essay when someone knocked on her half opened door. "Come in," she said. Sophie took a step into Jenny's room and asked "I'm driving to the mall later this afternoon to get a new outfit for the party next Friday. Do you want to come?"

"I wasn't planning on going to that party," Jenny answered. "I still have a lot of homework to finish" "Come on, even if you're not coming. I might need a second opinion. It will be fun" said Sophie.

"Promise that you won't take forever choosing." Jenny said.

Sophie came a few steps closer and put her arm around Jenny's shoulders. "Sure, I might even treat you to something nice," she said. Jenny smiled, "Sure I'll come." Jenny's parents would be very disappointed if they knew that she was spending time with people like Sophie instead of studying.

A few hours later she hopped into Sophie's car and they drove across town to the new mall. After over an hour of shopping around in several boutiques for, in Jenny's opinion, way to revealing clothes, Sophie said "I need some jewelry that matches this shirt. Let's head over to Claire's."

The shop was quite busy when they arrived and they started looking for necklaces. Jenny found a delicate silver one and pointed it out to Sophie "How about this one? It really suits you." Sophie studied the necklace for a moment and then said "I think it's far too simple. Let's look for something a little more unique." Jenny went over to a small jewelry display in a back corner of the store. She picked up a necklace that was made out of green colored glass beads and a large green fake gemstone. She brought it back to Jenny and said "Is this more to your liking?"

Sophie looked at the green necklace and then up at Jenny and said "It's a little strange but it's unique. I love it."

By now the shop was much less busy than it had been when they arrived and Sophie decided to look for matching earrings. Jenny spotted a lovely pair of dangling silver earrings and said "I think these will go nicely with your necklace." "They're gorgeous," Sophie replied. "Let's get them," said Sophie. Jenny was about to move on to another display, when Sophie showed her a pair of small pearl studs. "I told you I might get you something. These would be perfect for you." She said and added with a grin. "They might just be boring enough."

Jenny took a quick look at the pair. They were simple but pretty. She turned the package around and saw the stud and butterfly clasp. "I don't know," she blushed, "I don't have my ears pierced. They won't work for me."

"You never got them pierced?" Sophie replied "I had my first ones done when I was a baby. And since then I've gotten a lot more."

"My parents never allowed me to get them done" Jenny muttered "They think it's uncivilized." She shook her head and said "Sorry, they're just not for me."

"Come on, they'll look great on you." Sophie smiled mischievously.

Jenny was starting to feel embarrassed. "I'm too scared about the pain. Also my parents might punish me if I do get them."

"You won't feel a thing," Sophie replied, "little girls get them all the time. We can get them pierced right here." She pointed to a chair next to the entrance with a sign "Free ear piercing" above it. She added "Now is as good a time as any. We're already here."

"But my parre..." Jenny started.

"Nonsense! You are 21! Your parents can't stop you." Sophie replied "Trust me. You need to try new things if you ever want to stop being lame"

This finally was one remark too many for Jenny. She said "Fine I'll get them pierced. I'll trust you. But stop calling me 'lame'"

"Great!" Sophie replied "I'll get the shop assistant".

A few minutes later Jenny was sitting on a chair next to the entrance of the store.

She had to admit that Sophie was right. She was too scared to ask her parents about the piercing. Getting them like this was probably the only way she might ever get them.

"She wants to get two earrings in each ear" Sophie started to say to the assistant.

"Two? Jenny interrupted her.

"You said you would trust me. So trust me." Sophie replied.

"Fine" Jenny said resigned. "Two in each ear it is."

The shop assistant handed Jenny a clipboard with a form on it and told her "I'll need your signature here stating that you're doing this of your own free will."

She took a glance at the form and just signed it. She felt sick.

The assistant took out her tools and started cleaning the first ear. While Jenny just sat there and stared at her nails.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into getting my ears pierced" Jenny muttered.

"Please look straight ahead. We want the holes to be even." The assistant said.

"Wait!" Jenny interrupted her. "I haven't selected any earrings yet."

"I've selected them for you. Don't worry," Sophie replied. "You can't just pick them for me," said Jenny. "I'll have to wear them for weeks." "Look, you were so busy being scared that I took the matter into my own hands. Trust me. Now just relax and enjoy it. This won't hurt at all."

The assistant touched Jenny's ear and she flinched. Sophie rolled her eyes and said "The lady isn't going to pierce you just yet, she just wants to mark your ears."

"Ah. Ok." Jenny remarked quietly.

The process of marking the position where the studs were supposed to go took about a minute and Jenny just sat there staring blankly at a display. It didn't hurt. It just felt weird.

"Looks even to me" Sophie said "Do you want to check the positioning yourself?"

"No," Jenny replied. "Let's just get it over with."

The assistant picked up a white tool that looked very much like a gun. Jenny closed her eyes and tried not to think about what was about to happen.

"I'm going to count to three," The assistant said.

Jenny felt something cold touch her right ear.

"One"

"Two"

"Three"

Jenny heard a silent click and felt a tiny prick.

"One done, three to go," the assistant remarked happily.

"That actually didn't hurt that much" Jenny sighed relieved.

"Told you" Sophie said.

When she saw the assistant pick up a second white gun she immediately closed her eyes again feeling less nervous this time around.

The left ear hurt even less than the first one. She exhaled and started watching the assistant reload her tools. "I'm halfway done" she told herself "two more and I never have to do this again"

When the shop assistant put the gun to her right ear again she didn't even close her eyes. The assistant started her count again. This time it seemed to take a lot more force to put the earring in and it hurt a lot more. Jenny inhaled sharply but remained silent.

"Only one more to go and you can take a look at your ears in the mirror." the assistant remarked.

For her final earring Jenny closed her eyes tightly again and waited for the count. This time the assistant pierced her on "two" instead of three.

"Ah..." she shouted.

This time it hurt a lot. Even after the initial pinch had subsided her left ear burned a lot and she started to feel a throbbing sensation in her right ear.

She didn't have to look at the mirror the assistant was now holding for her to know that there had to be blood. "Ouch!" she said "Look, I'm bleeding"

"Don't be silly." Sophie replied "There's hardly any blood. You'll be fine."

Jenny took a closer look at her ears in the mirror. A few drops of blood were trickling from the upper two holes. Her upper two holes.

Her first holes had a pair of medium sized pearl studs, a bit larger than the ones Sophie had shown her earlier, in them. Her second ones spotted a pair of small sparkling studs. The longer she looked at them the more she liked the look. It was very cute.

She only half listened to the assistant's explanation on how to clean her new piercings.

Her piercings. She just let her friend talk her into getting her ears pierced. Twice. She started to have a strange feeling in her stomach the more she was thinking about that.

After paying for their jewelry and her new piercings they left the mall and headed back to their dorm.

"You gonna come to the party on Friday?" She asked.

"I'm really not into parties and I have to study for the midterms. So no." Jenny answered.

"The midterms are weeks away. You are so lame..." Sophie complained.

"You promised you wouldn't call me that again." Jenny said angrily.

"We'll see..." Sophie said mischievously.