My Beautiful Boy ✔️

21

It's been a few days since my encounter with the bald man and I haven't left the house. I was too scared to go to college and I've decided that it's time that I catch up with Leilana. Tonight, because she's working, I'm going to go to the strip club she works at and see what the environment is like.

Because she isn't the main attraction, she's mostly working on entertaining the men. I gag at the thought. So, I slip on the nicest green dress I have and leave the house.

I catch the bus and get dropped off on a street away from the strip club. I walk the rest of the way, show my ID to the bouncer, and enter the club, instantly being met by many women dancing on stages. There were many eyes on them and I shifted uncomfortably further into the club.

I finally spot Leilana as she walks down the stairs of the stage towards some random men. I watch as she winks at them and runs her acrylic nails across their chests and across the back of the seats they sit on. When she finally spots me, her eyes are wide with shock and she's carefully making her way towards me and she's gripping my arm, pulling me into a private room.

My mouth opens with shock when I look around and see that everything is red. The couches are red and the walls are red and the floor is red. "What are you doing here?" Leilana asks me, closing the door behind us.

I turn to face her, eyeing her outfit. She wore an extremely short skirt and a corset that made her breasts pop. I have the urge to reach out and touch them to see if they're real. "I wanted to see what kinda environment you work in." I tell her, grinning.

"You haven't shown up to college in days, Alayna. We've all been worried." She says, and I sigh, shaking my head.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that. There's something I need to tell you." I say, sitting on the couch. Leilana sits next to me, her hand on my shoulder.

"Is everything okay?" She frowns and her eyebrows are scrunched in concern. "You're worrying me, Alayna."

"There's a whole bunch of shit connected to the boy that was being beat up." I nod my head, running my hands through my hair. Leilana raises an eyebrow. "I don't know if I should be telling you this, but his dad owes a lot of money to some bad people. A few days ago, the same people threatened me. They said that if his dad doesn't pay them, they'll... they'll hurt me." I say, and Leilana's eyes widen in shock.

"Alayna..." She shakes her head. "You have to cut him off. I don't care how much you wanna help him, if you're in danger, get the fuck out of there." Leilana exclaims, but now I'm shaking my head. "Are you insane? These men will hurt you, Alayna!" I can sense the fear in her voice.

"It's worth it to keep him safe." I say. "He'll end up dead, Ana, if I don't help him."

"What about you? There's no guarantee that you'll be safe. You're crazy if you think a boy that you barely know is worth risking your life for-"

"He is worth it." I interrupted her. "You don't understand."

"Enlighten me."

"Well... we kissed." I tell her, and I finally let myself think about the brief interaction between me and Dawson. It was quite possibly the best kiss I've ever experienced. Despite the fleeting moment only lasting less than thirty seconds, it was possibly the greatest intimate moment of my life.

Dawson's lips are as soft as velvet and the way he caressed my cheek sent shivers and sparkles down my spine. I was dying in his arms and he had no idea. He held me and I would have gladly let it be my last moment on this Earth.

I don't know what possessed me to kiss him in the first place. It just... it felt right. I'm glad I did it.

I see the way Leilana's eyes pop and her mouth drops open as she lets out a dramatic gasp. I can tell she's battling between being happy and being fearful, and she has no idea what to say. "I- you- what?" She stares at me as I shrug my shoulders.

"We kissed. I don't know what it means, but... you have to see that I can't let him deal with it all by himself. I care too much about him to let him go, Ana." I tell her, and she's side-hugging me, running her hand through my hair.

"You like him, don't you?" She asks, and I nod my head against her chest. "I feel like I can't change your mind about this." She adds, and I shake my head. "Okay, then. I can only hope that this goes well for you, Alayna. I hope to God you know what you're doing." Leilana states, and I frown.

I don't know what I'm doing. I'm winging it and hope it goes well. I'm hoping that the world is on my side for this whole thing. Me and Dawson are still up in the air, and I have no idea what the kiss means for our friendship. Rest assured, our next encounter is going to be awkward.

Over the past few days, me and Dawson have only communicated in texts and he's been checking on me, making sure I'm alright and nothing has happened. I told him that I'm planning on going back to college tomorrow, but I'm not sure what he's planning to do. If he's planning anything. I don't even know if he's going to keep his word.

"Well," Leilana stands up off of the couch, clasping her fingers in front of her. "I need to get back to work. The men probably miss me." She adds, and I grimace.

"If you insist. I'll see you later, okay?" I say, and we both walk back out of the private room. We're instantly met by blasting, loud music and bright lights. Leilana plasters a smile on her face before she struts over to the stage, climbing back onto it. I watch as she walks around, waving at the middle aged men.

I wonder how many of them know that she's only a few months into adulthood. I doubt they would care.