Chapter 3 Three

The club seemed a bit empty in the day except for a few men who sat at tables, drinking and flirting with the day-call girls. Abby and I walked in towards the front bar and were greeted by the chatters of Paige, who stood behind the bar table, Blaire, ena, and Amy who occupied the bar stools at the front. I looked at my right-hand side to see Donovan walking up with a paper board in his hand. He stops to talk to one of the club's attendants before looking up to see me. I quickly waved a hand at him before stopping in front of the bar with Abby.

Don pats the guy's shoulder before walking to us.

"Hi, Don!"Abby exclaimed, calling everyone's attention "I'm so sorry for coming late, let me explain!"

"Kelsey, "Don calls, ignoring Abby's plea "what are you doing here? I told you to stay home"

"Why?"Blaire asks, joining the conversation as she turned on her stool to look at Don. "What she's sick again?" Don and I glanced at her. Ignoring her, we looked back from her again.

"I'm fine now, Don, "I replied "I was getting o I decided to come"

"Isn't this rather interesting?" Blaire said again, her eyes glancing from Don to me, a smile on her lips "the club's manager giving Kelsey a break which she ed, which is very much against the rules here"

"Stay out of this, Blaire"Don warned her.

"What's the matter, Kelsey?" she gave me a suspicious look "pregnant?"

I just continued to stare at her, words unwilling to leave my mouth, hating every second I spent just standing there and watching her.

"Why don't you just mind your own business?"Abby shot back.

"It's a shame," Blare said nonetheless, tsking her teeth as she watched me "how you're always letting other people stand up for you. I don't Kelsey. Is it that you're just dumb or stupid?"

I forced my gaze down as her words ate through me, my hands clutching tightly on my shoulder bag. I imagined myself slapping the tooth out of her loud mouth but that was just it. All I ever do is imagine what I'll say or do to people without actually doing it.

Before she said anymore, I turned and hurried towards the bathroom, slamming the door behind me, chin straight up to hold back the tears. I'm such a cry baby. Slowly, I pushed myself towards the sink mirror, staring back at myself, wondering why I had to be such a pushover every damn time. But Blaire wasn't wrong about all she said, maybe I was dumb after all.

The door pushed open and I saw through the mirror as Abby walked in.

"Kelsey"

"I'm okay. Really" I quickly dab out my tears.

"You're not gonna let Blaire get to you right? And you know better than anyone else that everything's gonna be alright" she places a hand over my arm.

"I don't know,Abby. It's so hard to believe that anymore"

"Hey,hey,"she moves over to the sink to face me "nothing bad is gonna happen to you here. We both know Blaire is just a stupid wannabe. She's desperate,Kel"

"She's kinda right,Abby. I mean,I'm always this..... pathetic and dependent girl. Me being here,it's like I'm letting Don take care of me , I can't even speak for myself and..."

"Kel, it's okay to be taken care of. We all can't be on our own sometimes. Don't feel bad about that, that's just Blaire in your head"

My father's voice of abusive words rang through my head and I shut my eyes tight. When I opened them I felt a strange feeling of depression enfold me. "I don't know, Abby. I just feel like I've let Don do too much for me. First, letting him protect my virginity while working as a stripper and now this...."

"Kelsey,no one is protecting you here. Not your virginity or anything. It is your choice to keep it and as far as I know,it hasn't been a bad idea so far"

"Don't you see,Abby? It's getting harder and harder everyday to pretend to be what I'm not and...."

The echoing sounds of hands clapping from behind me stops me and we both turned to see Blaire walking in, a sadistic smile on her lips like she'd caught her prey.

"What the hell, Blaire! Seriously?!" Abby roared at her "eavesdropping? What is that your thing now?"

"Calm down, Abigail" she said, her lips smirking my way "now isn't this an interesting piece of news? Kelsey the stripper is indeed a virgin," she air quotes her fingers "you see I've always known there was something peculiar about you but now it turns out to be something even way more interesting. "You maniac,"she laughs sinisterly "do you know how much one of those men would be willing to pay just to sleep with you. God, I bet Francisca would put out out for bidding and make a lot of money for just one night!"

Abby and I exchanged a look which said it all. Blaire was out of her mind and it was a big mistake she heard this.

"Or why don't I make this a little more interesting hmm?," She brings up her phone "why don't I just call our boss, Francisca and tell her this great news?"

We watched wide-eyed as she punched on her phone and dialed.

My fingers itched, adrenaline pumping inside me and before I knew what I was doing, I was slapping the phone away from her hand. I saw and heard it fall off and hit the floor before I realized what I just did.

The moment I looked up and met with Blaire's raging eyes, I knew this was it for me. But I never expected what she did next.

The next thing I heard was the resounding pain on my cheek, the sound of her hand slapping across my face really hard and the intensity with which my face stung.

"Blaire!"Abby screamed but the sound was too sharp in my ear as I cradled my burning cheek with my palm.

"Why did you hit me?" Was all I could say as tears threatening to spill from my blurring eyes.

She doesn't reply and instead continued to glare at me. I felt Abby's hands reach over my shoulder consolingly.

"Are you so jealous, Blaire?" I continued. I didn't know where this confidence was coming from but I was suddenly filled with so much energy, so much words to say to her "did my virginity spike up some regret in you?"

"Regret?" She chuckles "you think you're so great but you're just pathetic!"

"Then what the hell is your problem with me?" I felt a tear roll down my eye. Shit,I'm doing it again. I decided then that I wasn't gonna be a pushover anymore, I wasn't gonna take whatever she threw at me just because I didn't know what to say back. I tried to pull back the tears and continued "you torment my every living here when you barely know me! You say the most inhumane things to me. You hit my nerves deeper than anyone ever did when you're no different from everyone here, when you're just as pathetic as every other person here! You're just a pathetic wannabe hiding under the shadows of these walls you and I stand in! Pretending to be this amazing,killer person when you're nothing but a piece of shit just like the rest of us. You walk on high horses like your father built this place. If your father was that well off, maybe he even own a couple of companies around the world then what the hell are you doing here?! But no, you're just as much a low life like the rest of us here, trying to make a living. All these acts? Are all bullshit. They're just camouflage so people don't know who you truly are! So people don't know your story! You're just here to sleep with every man that comes into this club just to get paid too!! So I get it, I get that it must really hurts so fucking much!"

Whack! She slaps me again, the glare on her eyes magnified. She slap turned my face around, stinging hard. But instead of cradling my cheek, I slapped her back. Her face is spinning backwards from the impact, her black hair sprawling all over her face.

She stumbles back again,looks me in the eye, anger contorting every inch of her face and her hands grabbed my hair, jerking me closer to her. I yelped in pain,tried to reach for her hair too since she was taller than I am. When I grabbed hold of her hair, I yanked her head down, causing her to scream in pain. I could hear Abby's voice on the background as we continued to fight, telling us to stop but that was not gonna happen today.

"Hey,stop that!" Sean interveins, pulling us apart.

All I could hear was the fast beating of my heart as I watched Blaire with so much hate. I wanted to spit on her face!

"What were you girls thinking?!" Sean screams, his hands still spread between us to keep us apart.

"She started it so don't you fucking yell at me!"She barked.

I stood breathing heavily until I knew I had enough of this. I picked up my bag from the floor and stormed out, towards the bar. Then I heard Abby's feet as she ran up behind me.

"Kel, are you okay?" She catches hold of me at the front bar, her hand running up my face in an inspective manner. "Oh your face is pink"

"I'm fine,Abby"

I felt truly fine because I finally stood up to Blaire and obviously put her in her place.

"Come on, let's go" she grabs ahold of my wrist. I didn't know where we were going but I let her drag me out of the club.

______________________________________________

Abby's beaten up yellow roadster car pulled up in front of the small estate house she shared with her brother, Diego.

"Seriously, Abby? Your house?" I asked distastefully.

"Diego isn't in the house okay? Now come on, I'm starving" she replied, stepping out. I sighed before reluctantly getting out of the car and following her all the way through the driveway and into her house.

We were greeted by the presence of Diego, who stood at the kitchen's doorway, arms folded across his chest, eyes on the exit door as if he was actually waiting for us. Of course he was. He's your typical kind of Mexican thug. he has a hefty, tall and well built muscular body structure from all his regular body fitting exercises, a couple of dreadful tattoos running through his neck and all over his upper and lower arms which protruded out of his milk colored armless button up shirt.

Diego has never liked me ever since the day he found out about my friendship with his sister which pretty much explained the glare he threw at me as I walked in after Abby. He's always too rude and straight forward and never welcomed me into the house. Back in the days, I'd thought he only usually has bad mood swings that I just always happens to come across mostly because of his constant consumption of illegal drugs but later on, I realized he just didn't like me. People in general. Imagine the realization.

"Hey Diego," Abby calls, setting her bag down on the couch "what are you doing at home today?"

"I didn't have any job today so I came home" he replied.

The look on Abby's face was exactly what's on my face and we were probably thinking about the same thing. Does Diego never have any 'job' to do? I just stood there, arms folded and minding my own business.

"Well," he throws another look at me "you didn't tell me you were bringing a friend over, Abigail" I held his gaze too till he looked back to Abby.

"Kelsey isn't a stranger,D, and I'm sorry, am I supposed to tell you first before bringing anybody home?"

"That's damn right, Abigail! I am still your big brother and you have to tell me whatever it is you wanna do!"

"Oh really? Isn't this the only time you know how to be my big brother?"

"Hey, hey, what is that supposed to mean,huh?" He corners the couches to face Abby now.

"What I'm saying is you're never even there when I need you and you just pop up one morning and go on about being my big brother?!"

"What? I am doing everything for you, can't you see that? Don't anything ever get into that thick head of yours?!" He poked her forehead.

"Don't yell at me, Diego! You're not the only one doing everything around here. I'm doing something too and you do not have the right to dictate for me!"

"Now hold on a minute!........" He yelled on top of his voice. I stopped understanding what they were yelling at each other when they started talking in Mexico. I watched them, the anger on his face and the distress in her voice.

I couldn't help the pity I felt for Abby all over again. Her life hasn't been any better from mine. Both of them. Born to a Mexican father and a naive American mother, Abby and Diego has had to live with the hard and cruel experiences of life.

When Abby was seven, their father had been run over by a truck and he'd died instantly. Their mother was a reckless drunk who died of lung cancer when she was eleven and Diego was seventeen. Three years later, they'd managed to move here to start a life on their own.

While struggling to finish her Schooling, she'd joined the strippers club at the age of Eighteen, four years ago. When I newly started working at the club I'd instantly a liking in her. Over the years I realized we'd bonded so much, we were pretty much the same. We shared the same screwed up life. We had pretty much the same family too. While she had a responsible father and an irresponsible mother, I had a really responsible mother and a very irresponsible father and we we pretty much lost everything except that she still had someone. She had Diego. She's never been so alone.

"Who was that man you were with last night, huh?" Diego says in english now, tuning back my attention.

"You're tailing me again?!" Abby yelled back.

"Just answer the damn question, Abby! Who was that man? Because Franklin told me he was no good"

"Whoever I'm with is non of your business, Diego! And stop sending your stupid friends to follow me everywhere!"

"I've told you Abby, stop working at that club. You and I know that you do more than just bartendering!" That said he stormed towards me, then disappeared out through the door. Abby slowly sits back against the couch and I moved towards her.

"See why I don't like coming here?" I told her.

"I'm really sorry, Kel," she dabs at her eye bags.

"No, I'm sorry," I sit beside her. I reached a hand over her back and tried to sooth her. "You didn't tell him you work as a stripper?" I asked her.

She shakes her head negatively " Diego wouldn't like that. But I know he knows what I do. It's why he's been acting so strange to me and fighting me on every little thing. I'm actually surprised he didn't find out sooner, he always had his friends watch me"

"I think he's just caring,Abs"

"I know..."

Silence.

"You know," She breaks the building silence "the day my dad got run over, Diego had been missing. Mom beat him after he refused to go buy her cigarettes. He got so pissed and left the house. I tried to stop him from leaving but he didn't listen to me. When our father came back from work later I told him what had happened and he left too to search for him. He.......he found Diego near the train station at the end of the city but before he could reach him, he was hit by a truck" she sobbed quietly into her hands.

"I'm really sorry" I said consolingly.

"Mom blamed him for his death even though she didn't really care if he was gone or not. You know," she looks at me now " things would've been a lot better if Diego didn't blame himself"

"He does?"

"Yeah, he told me that. He thinks he lured dad to his death by leaving the house"

"That's so horrible. Come here" I pulled her into a hug.

"I really want him to be okay," she continued to sob "he's always so agressive,he thinks he's going to hurt me too"

She moves away and settles back on the couch, whipping away her tears. "I'm really sorry," she said, trying to laugh but her voice comes off broken "I shouldn't be doing this in front of you"

"No, it's okay. I'm here for you, aren't I?"

She smiles and continued " you know...... Stephen is a really great guy"

"The guy you were with last night?"

"Yeah," she beams a smile " I know I've met a lot of men in that club but he's...... charming"

"no,no,no,no. Don't use that word. When a woman uses that word on a man it means she's...."

"In love with him?" She completes for me "don't be ridiculous, Kelsey. I mean sure, he knows all the right buttons to push in bed but...."

"Gosh, Abby!"

"What? He's really good in bed, you should try him"

"Uh no thanks"

She laughs aloud " I wouldn't even let you try. But he's charming. And.... I think I really like him and I really don't want Diego meddling in that. He always has a problem with my choices in men. Diego has been the cause of my first break up with my boyfriend"

I snorted a laughter "what did he do?"

"He beat him up and warned him to stay away from me. Poor guy had to break up with me if he wanted to keep his life. He'd threatened the second guy who dared to ask his permission to take me on a date"

"Wow"

"Yeah, wow" she takes in a sharp breath.

"I'm really starving. I've got a few mexican food, wanna try some?" She stands up.

"Sure...."

"Come on then. I need to be back at the club before 4p.m"

She stalked towards the kitchen and I followed suit.

We spend a couple of hours at her house, getting her nails polished for her to be precise before dropping me off at the motel and leaving for the club. My other roommates had arrived by now and were getting ready for the club. The sight gave me headaches. I took a shower and tried sleeping for a bit. That's when the ugly event with Blaire occured to me. The stunt she pulled earlier lingered on my mind.

At some point my thoughts centered on what had happened at Abby's house. It reminded me of my father and.....mom.