Chapter 3 End of the road

Jojo:

My eyelids parted, much to my disdain, only to find my body flat against a soft mattress.

The fear that hugged my chest came after the stinging pain at the back of my head and the side of my left arm. The fear that Mykel had succeeded in having his way with me. I had lost the strength to fight him last night, and I suddenly passed out, so...

I shook my head vehemently as I struggled to sit up. Any iota of sleep that had remained, suddenly vanished from my eyes. I sprang up and lay my back against the head board. I looked down at my body and saw that I was fully dressed, relief washed over me like waves at the shore of the sea.

Mykel could not have touched me, because he could not own a bed like this. My green orbs traveled around the hexagonal room. Neither could he have a room like this.

If I wasn't with Mykel, then...where was I?

However, I didn't have the time to figure it out. I had to get back to work and had to do so fast.

I sprang up to my feet and rushed towards the glass sliding doors. I found it pretty fancy, but I did not stop me from hurling myself out of the room, without turning back. I ran through an array of rooms and corridors, and did not stop until I was out of the building.

I hailed a taxi and hurried to the restaurant I worked in.

At noon, the restaurant was bustling with customers. I walked to my designated table to take orders. Armani suits and Rolex wristwatches, I could tell these men were rich just by the scent of their cologne, and the cuffs of their sleeves. I cleared my throat loudly.

"Good day Sirs, can I take your orders?" I asked, flashing them my signature smile.

They both heads turned to look at me and my stomach's knot tightened immediately. I fought hard to stop myself from looking down at my feet by biting my lower lip gently. It happened whenever I got nervous around people. Men like this crept me out.

Men in general, actually.

"Hey, beautiful." The blond guy started. His eyes raked through my skin, looking me over and stopping at my name badge.

"JoJo," he recited.

"I'll have steak and baked potatoes. And a glass of cold orange juice."

I scribbled down his order, my eyes fixed on my notepad, deliberately avoiding any form of eye contact and looked over to the second man.

"Same order." He paused.

"Are you on the menu, though?" He spoke with confidence, the false sense that I would even be a tad bit interested in his nuisance, licking his lips.

I wanted to smack his face with the notepad in my hands. But, I broadened my fake smile and managed a retort.

"Unfortunately not, Sir. Would that be all?"

He nodded.

"If that would be all, I'll get your orders now."

I left their table. When I handed the orders in and waited for them, by the counter, my best friend Mel walked up beside me.

"Those kind of men pay a shitload amount of money for one night, JoJo. When are you going to stop rejecting them?"

"Never. Not in any of their wildest dreams Mel. I value my body." I bit back. Although it was true that I needed a lot of money quick, that didn't mean that I was willing to sell myself.

She scoffed and rolled her round eyes.

When it was time for the restaurant to close, I dragged Mel to the storeroom and told her about what had happened the previous night. When I was done, she was furious with Mykel, the scumbag who almost hurt me. In order to calm her down, I had to keep telling her that I was fine. Then her eyes were laddened with pity as she stared at me.

"Shit. I cannot believe you have to go through this at such age. I couldn't...I couldn't imagine it. But why didn't you tell the police? Mykel deserves to be punished," Mel said, pursing her lips unhappily.

"It won't do me any good to piss him off. I'll lose my job if he comes here and makes a scene, and I need this job more than anyone. My aunt decided to stop paying my mother's medical bills. I'll have to pay them myself from now on."

"JoJo, I wish I could help. Honestly, but I already used up most of my savings to redecorate my apartment..." She trailed off.

Both of us fell silent for a while.

Suddenly, she said. "You know Alpha Lake Rush, right? Well, Lake owns the biggest casino in the country, located in this city, of course and he is looking for... strip dancer to work for him. They could be paid up to three thousand dollars in one night."

The words strolled out of her mouth like it was just another normal word, like waitress, or doctor, or nurse.

"Strip dancing?!" I had to repeat it, I had to be sure.

She rolled her eyes so hard, I thought it ached her.

"Yes, Jojo Wyatt. Stripping. It's basically dancing on a pole. You took up ballet before, right? I think stripping won't be that difficult for you. And you need the money, so don't you dare say no."

This wasn't ballet, this was next grade whore activities.

"No." I spat out.

My conclusion was final. I made to leave for my second job; the automobile repair store I worked in, as a mechanic.

Even though many customers didn't believe it, I, a delicate and petite woman, was good at fixing cars. In fact, I was the best mechanic in our shop.

Today's car was a recent Tesla model, I could not be mistaken.

The man stood aside his car was definitely a pack leader, or worked directly under a pack leader.

After I finished my job, the man gave his car a short test run and then left me a generous tip . But, before I squeezed the money and tucked it into my apron, Mr Greg appeared from the blues, snatching everything from my hands.

"I'll consider this payment for the debt you owe me."

He disappeared back to his counter. Whatever iota of joy I had gotten from holding the money in my hands, vanished instantly.

I heaved a sigh and dejectedly made my way back home. I felt as though I had been up for two days straight.

To my surprise, when I reached the house, I found Valerie waiting for me outside.

I looked at her in confusion. "What happened, Valerie? Why are you standing out here in the cold?"

She lowered her head pitifully. "Auntie said that you hired someone to beat up Mykel, so she kicked us out. She even threw all of our stuff in the trash."

I froze, not knowing what to say for a moment. I had been so busy with my part-time jobs all day long. Mykel had almost raped me last night, but I didn't even have the time to feel angry at him. Aunt knew clearly that Valerie and I had nowhere to go. How could she do this to us?

I banged frantically on the door in a desperate attempt to change our aunt's mind.

Soon, Aunt opened the door angrily. "You beat up my son, you little bitch. How dare you make a scene here?"

"Please, I beg you. Don't put us on the street. I'll do anything... If not for anything, for the sake that we are your sister's..."

"I do not like to repeat myself, JoJo. If you don't want me to throw you out right now, leave!" She threatened and I saw my sister kneel from my periphery.

"Please, auntie. We'll pay you. I'll work, too and help my sister so we can pay you, please don't throw us out, we don't have anywhere to go to." Valerie joined in my pleas, kneeling beside me. It tore my heart to see her like this, it broke me.

Her promise made my heart bleed. She was so helpless, and there was nothing I could do.

My Aunt scoffed. "You? What can you possibly do? You're useless, even more useless than your good-for-nothing sister and I'm done putting up with the two of you. And I'm doing this not because of the little change your sister has failed to offer to me, but because I'm not going to stay here and watch this witch kill anyone in my family. You wanted to kill my son, right? And who's next? Me, probably? I'm even giving you a roof over your head and this is how you'll repay me?"

She threw her hands in the air, dramatizing every word that came out of her mouth.

"Since you aren't ready to leave, I'll have to throw you out." She matched towards us, and grabbed my little sister first.

"No!"

I yelled. I jumped up to snatch my sister away from her. She drove her elbow into my cheek and I drew back in pain. I could taste my own blood in my mouth.

Valerie's high pitched scream echoed in my ears. I jerked up, ignoring all my pains. I shielded her from the angry woman.

Elowen's hand hit my face and pushed me into the streets, into the cold, into the uncertainty of the dark night.

Valerie followed me and clutched my palm in a tighter grip, her little sobs filling the night's silence. We began to walk. I did not know where we were going, did not know what we were doing, but we walked. I turned my head to look back at the house.

Was this truly the end of the road for us?