Shay, a dynamic protagonist of “Eraser Tattoo,” is a teenager living in Brooklyn. The story centers around her family’s imminent move to North Carolina, considering the ramifications of the move as it relates to her relationships with her boyfriend Dante and with her community at large. Shay is sad to be leaving Brooklyn because she doesn’t want to leave Dante. However, the fact that she refuses to accept a tattoo of his initial on her skin shows that she is more flexible and open to the change than Dante is. She also mentions the possibility of breaking up with Dante eventually, which is an idea Dante can’t bear.

Shay spent her entire life in the home her family is about to leave, so she is nostalgic about the house and neighborhood, but she is not as devastated to be leaving it behind as her mother is. She wants to be a marine biologist when she’s older, so Shay is excited by the prospect that she will live close to the ocean in North Carolina.

Shay experiences some level of inner conflict about the move, which speaks to The Challenges of Young Love—as an adolescent, Shay must go where her parents go and is therefore powerless to prevent her separation from Dante.