Attack of the Tattoo

"Attack of the Tattoo" is the second short story featured in the book Still More Tales to Give You Goosebumps.

Plot
While sorting through her Halloween candy, Jeannie comes across a fake tattoo of a large, black snake. Jeannie thinks it looks awesome, so she rushes into the bathroom to apply it to her skin. She presses a washcloth to the tattoo, but upon removal, the tattoo is still stuck to the paper, not even wet. She studies the tattoo until a message comes into focus: "To apply, use water scorched by the sun." Jeannie follows the instructions given, and the tattoo finally works properly.

Jeannie decides to show her best friend, Maggie, and heads out on her bike. While traveling, Jeannie feels a snake slither across her legs. When she arrives at her friend's house, Maggie reveals she too got a tattoo. That night, Jeannie feels a snake slithering across her once again, and realizes they are coming out of her tattoo. She tries her hardest to remove it, but nothing seems to work. She tells Maggie what is happening to her, and she suggests that maybe the tattoo can reveal the way to remove it. Maggie's idea ends up working, and Jeannie is able to remove the tattoo.

The next day at school, Jeannie is horrified to find everyone else wearing tattoos. Zach, one of her friends, overheard the method of applying the tattoo and thanks her. Before she can react, Zach slaps a tattoo of a rat on her.

Trivia

 * While Jeannie's surname is never revealed, her friend, Zach has his revealed to be Bailey.
 * Jeannie's dad jokingly calls her "Jeannie with the light brown hair", likely a reference to the 1854 song of the same name.