Unfold

Chapter Twenty-One (21)

Everyone was silent, and Jean knew she was drunk and was certain she killed the mood. Matt was the first to speak.

"Jean, that is a lie. You are one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen and I'd fight for you until the day I die."

Jean didn't know how drunk his words were, or how much truth he was speaking, but she found herself smiling anyways.

"I'll drink to that!" Brooke said, raising her glass and everyone followed suit. When everyone cheered, Jean found tears threatening her eyes again.

"Now back to the subject!" Matt said, pointing to the stage. "I want to see you dance!"

Jean shook her head, but Donny pulled something out of his wallet that caught her eye.

"I've kept this hundred on me for the right moment," Donny said, holding up the bill. "And if you get on that stage, and say to hell with whatever is holding you back, it's all yours."

Jean looked at Donny and then to Brooke whose mouth was hung open. From the look on her face, she could tell that this was definitely out of the ordinary.

What was holding her back? Shawn? Feeling like she was too good for this place? She worked at a strip club but didn't want to fully commit. She went to church and pretended to be part of it. Today it became evident she didn't belong there, and now she would find out if she had what it takes to belong here too.

She stood up from her chair, the alcohol almost making her stumble.

"One song, and I'm not taking my clothes off."

Everyone leaped from where they were and cheered, and Brooke ran to the booth as fast as she could before Jean could change her mind. The lights went dim and she grabbed the microphone.

"Gentlemen, after much anticipation, please welcome to the stage for the very first time, The Magic Jeanie!"

The three men already by the stage raised their drinks in the air and shouted, and Jean doubled over in laughter at the use of her nickname. Brooke shrugged and used her hand to shoo her towards the stage. The crew followed her over, and even though the alcohol was making most of her movements, Jean still found herself nervous. The music was loud and the lights being turned off made it easier to move onto the stage. She couldn't help but laugh the entire time, but she tried her best to dance to the music through her laughter.

"Use the pole," Brooke said over the microphone, and Jean could see her cracking up laughing from the booth.

She had no idea what she was doing, but her eyes became fixed on the money that was being tossed on the stage. Did they really want to watch her that much that they were offering her their money? This was a joke.

With everyone cheering, it was easier to let loose and have some fun. She saw Matt and Donny laugh with her and she tried her best to navigate the stage.

When she was up there, Shawn crossed through her mind again. What would he think if he saw her right now? If he just knew?

She quickly pushed him out her mind. Shawn would never be here, because he didn't belong in a place like this. And she didn't belong with him.

The song was over before she knew it and the place erupted in cheers from the few people that were there. Matt started a chant with her name and Jean bowed as she collected the money and stepped off the stage.

Jean walked back to the bar with everyone and she counted her money there.

"I've worked here a long time," Brooke said. "And I can honestly say that I never made $125 in three minutes on a Sunday night."

It was an overwhelming amount, but Brooke also made it too big of a deal. She also doubted Donny would give her a hundred dollars again.

Jean started to drink water, knowing that she needed to drive home soon. As she sat at the bar, and as the alcohol started to fade, she began to think more and more about the line she just crossed. She had danced for money, and even if it was a joke to her, she couldn't deny that anymore.

She pulled her phone out to check the time, and she felt like she had been punched in the stomach.

Shawn had left a voicemail.

Her first thought was that he somehow knew what she had just done. Instinctively she looked around, but she knew he wasn't there.

The timing couldn't have been worse.

"You okay?" Donavan asked, probably from seeing the look of horror on her face.

Jean forced herself to smile, growing more nervous the more she thought about what the voicemail might say. Why couldn't Shawn just text like a normal human being?

"Yeah, I'm fine," she closed out her phone and put it back in her pocket.

"You looked amazing up there," he said. Suddenly, Jean wasn't so proud of herself.

She drank the water quickly, not being able to listen anymore to conversation. Maybe he was still angry and was just going off some more, but even with wishful thinking she knew that wasn't true.

When Jean sobered up, she said goodbye and couldn't get out of there fast enough. As much as she wanted to listen to the voicemail when she got in her car, she was smart enough to know not to sit alone in her car in a strip club parking lot.

When she got home, she ran into her apartment and locked the door. She sat on the couch and put the phone to her ear.

"Please be angry," she whispered, not knowing if she could make it through the guilt.

"Hey," Shawn's voice said, and then he paused. Dang it, he sounded calm. "I didn't like how this morning went. I'm sorry for losing my temper and leaving like that, and for taking this long to say anything..."

No, why did he have to be so good? Jean pressed her forehead into her knees on the couch, squeezing her eyes shut as she continued to listen.

"I just...I know when girls say they're fine, it means that they're not fine. Zeiler told me that. And I learned the hard way with Megan. Anyways, sorry, I'm probably not making any sense."

She felt the tears begin to slip from her eyes. He was making sense.

"I guess I just know something happened at church, and whatever it was, please know that...it's a lie. It's a lie that you don't belong there, that you don't belong with Jesus. Maybe that's weird for you to hear right now, but I pray for you every single day. I pray that one day you'll know that there's so much more to this life than what we see right now."

She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to make it through the voicemail. He prayed for her? Every single day?

"Anyways, I hope you're okay. Just know that I meant what I said earlier. I care about you Jeanette Teresa Arthur. I care about you a whole lot."

When it was over, she let the phone slide from her hand as she wiped her face. She couldn't hold the sobs within her. Why was he such a good person? Was he even capable of doing wrong?

She knew it was true. She didn't deserve Shawn Lewis, but either did the world.