Chapter Six : Dog Tags
February 1995

Stephanie's stomach hurt from laughing so much. It was nice to not feel tied down by her mother. Her mother didn't even file a missing child report. Maybe she wasn't even missed. But right now it was her and Luke just walking around the city.
"Yo!" Luke suddenly pulled Stephanie aside right before they got to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He started to run his hands over a set of hanging dog tags from a cart. "Steph check these out."
Steph chuckled, "Boys." She found a place next to Luke at the small shop cart. Her eyes fell on a metal dog tag. It was plattled with the date Sunset Curve had their first gig. There were two tags on the chain, one with the date plate the other was blank. "Sir?" She spoke up to the shop owner.
"Yes ma'am?"
"Why is this blank?"
He pointed to a section of the cart that was full of metal pounders, "You can pay more to customize it."
Luke looked over the date that was on the chain Stephanie was so focused on, "How much more?" He asked as if he was reading Stephanie's mind.

"You got two extra bucks?"
"I'll do it." Stephanie spoke up. She pulled the five dollars out of her bag, the shop owner handing her the chain.

"Just walk over there and do it yourself." Stephanie smiled, heading over to the small part of the cart.

Luke started to haggle with the shop owner for the tag he wanted. Stephanie ran her hands over the different tools to hammer into the metal. Her eyes landed on the Gemini zodiac symbol.

Slowly she picked up the hammer and metal, her hair falling into her face as she lined the symbol up with the tag. The sound resonated around the cart as she hammered down onto the dog tag.

She placed the hammer back on the table, looking over the shaped metal. It glimmered in the sunlight, blinding her slightly. She smiled, draping the chair around her neck and pulling her hair out of it.

Luke came around from behind her, wrapping his arms around her, "What was that about boys?" He teased.

Stephanie rolled her eyes, pulling his arms off of her, "That they're still a pain in the ass, even if sometimes they find something cool."
Stephanie grabbed the dog tag now around Luke's neck. She read over the date. The day he was born, and the day his father came home from Vietnam, the other side of it covered in camo. The date was just a few years before both of them were born.

"What'd ya think?" Luke slurred as she dropped the chain.

"I think. I think I'm glad you pulled me aside from the road."

~