Ecstasy

Past to the Present

"Life has taught me that you can't control someone's loyalty. No matter how good you are to them, doesn't mean that they will treat you the same..."

- Excerpt by Trent Shelton

"After I went back home to where Mom was. I actually house-hopped for a couple of months. I barely attended school after that. I needed to make sure I wasn't on the streets. I did anything to survive. Even... sexual... favors. I lost my virginity at 14 so it doesn't change a thing.

When I was 16-years-old, I had a very close friend who was visiting Los Angeles during the summer. I decided to come along since her parents didn't mind as well. It lasted for around a month and we all hung out with one another.

Once that month was over, they were going back to Las Vegas. Instead of going back there, I decided to stay. She gave me some money and then left. It helped me out only a little bit but it was hard finding a job and eventually, I was homeless.

I stayed homeless for a couple of weeks, I think around 2 months and probably the lowest point possible I had ever hit. I met this guy and I stayed with him. Not a creep at all, he had genuine sympathy for me.

He was an aspiring artist and he also helped me get my GED since I really didn't want to go back to school. He helped me get a job and life was going well.

He got a girlfriend and his girlfriend got jealous of me. Incredibly. I don't know why, he was in his mid-20s and I was only 16 and he was nothing close to being a predator. I would know.

His rapper career ended up going really well and he moved to New York. He gave me some money and left saying to ever contact him if I needed help.

I didn't because I lost his number. I don't know where he is at all either. It's 3 years ago so I won't be able to remember that information.

Life was going good and I was able to actually live but then I was fired from my job and soon ended up being homeless again. This time, it was much worse. It lasted longer. I celebrated my 17th birthday on the street and I was homeless for almost 6- nearly 7 months.

I ended up meeting my now best friend, Hannah, and I lied about my age to her afraid she would think of me differently. She has an adorable kid by the way.

She helped me out and I needed a job, any job. Something that would give me money and quickly. At that low point in my life, I didn't care.

She didn't know my age and she... introduced me to being a stripper. She succeeded."

"You were a stripper?" Chloe interrupts and I turn my head to her, taken out of my trance I was just previously in. I nod, biting my lip nervously.

"Yeah," I sigh.

"I'm sorry. I thought... I didn't know your life was so difficult. I feel like shit going through life so easily and this is how you were handled," she says. I hear a sniffle and I pat her back. I don't want her to cry.

"Yeah, life was pretty difficult," I whisper.

I take another deep breath and I continue, "My boss ended up finding out that I was 17 and he was not happy. Hannah was disappointed and my boss was upset because he ended up hiring a minor. Police could come and everything would be very bad.

I begged him to let me continue because it was all I had. I was unable to do anything else and I would be homeless and/or dead without it. I was also getting a lot of money even without taking my clothes off. It made me happy.