My alarm goes off. I look at the time. 7:00am on Friday morning. I'm kinda nervous but mostly excited. I stumble up the stairs and hear my sister walking around and getting things ready to leave for her morning classes. She told me that if I wanted her to pierce my ear, I would have to get up at 7am so she could do it before class. She was going to be leaving for the weekend and I wanted her to do it while I still had enough ca ca ca. . .courage.

I had my mom's permission. But I still hadn't asked my dad who was out of town. I decided to text him the night before:
"Dad, is it ok if I get my left ear pierced again?" He texted back: "Yes that is ok with me. You did say ear not nose. . . right?" "Yes dad. Ear." (:

I grabbed a quick bowl of cereal to eat before she does it. After what happened the 1st time I got them pierced, I know better now than to get it done on an empty stomach. What's that? You don't know what happened the 1st time? Shame. Remind me to enlighten you sometime.

Quickly finishing up my cereal, I grabbed a knife and opened up the fridge. There it is. THE apple. I brought it over to the counter and cut it into pieces. The next step? Pressing an ice cube on my ear until she is ready. The night before, I had put everything on the counter in the bathroom. Marker, cloth, chair, rubbing alcohol, q-tips, and. . .the earring.

All I was waiting for now was for Bethany to come upstairs and do it.
As I waited, I continued to hold the ice cube on my left ear. Finally, she came. It was time.

We exchanged nervous smiles.

She started by cleaning my ear off then grabbed the purple marker and marked the spot the earring would go. After confirming that it was in a good spot, she grabbed the apple, stuck it behind my ear and picked up the earring.
EEK! I clutched the cloth I had brought up the night before, stuck it in my mouth and clenched down with all my might.

"Sis!" B said, "You can't bite that! It makes your ear move!"
"I HAVE to bite it! I don't want to wake everyone else up with my screams!!!"
"No. You can't."
"How bout this much? Is this ok?"
She looked at the thread that was in my mouth and agreed that it was ok.
"Just count to 3! Count to 3! Count to 3!"
"Ok," she replied. "I'm gonna count to 3 then push it in with all my might. 1, 2, 3!"

I cringed and tensed up.
I didn't feel anything. Wowie, Sis! That didn't hurt at all! You're the best! I thought.

"I pushed as hard as I could and it didn't go in! You can't pull away from me!"
"I didn't!"
"Yes, you did!"
Enter me freaking out.
"You can't do it! Dont' do it! GET AWAY! I will just go somewhere and have a PROFESSIONAL do it! Don't! DON'T!"
I was totally freaked out that she pushed really hard and it didn't go in.
"NO SIS! I woke up and I'm GONNA do it before I have my classes! Don't make me late!"
"Eeeeeeeee! Ok, ok, ok. ONE more try."
1, 2, 3.
"EEEEEE!" It DEFINITELY went in THIS time.
"Don't look, don't look!" she said.
I looked.
It was only in 1/2 way. Eeeeeeeee! OUCH!
She pushed again and my squealing began once more.
I clutched her sweatshirt, whimpering and squealing.
"Don't worry, you're doing good. Only one more time." The last push hurt the worst but then, I heard the apple crunch and I knew it was in.

As soon as she let go and put the backing in, the pain stopped.
I turned and looked in the mirror.
Oh dear.
My face was as white as a sheet. But there it was, a pretty earring. It had been worth it.

"Eeee! It looks SO cute! Yeah!"

I looked over and B was sitting down, her face red. She looked sick. She was.
After 5 minutes, we both recovered. Neither one of us had hurled. Yeah!
She really did do a good job. And I have an earring to prove it.
Thanks, sis. You rock!