Peaches

Twenty Five

It was a haunting moment to walk into Honeys knowing that Vic would never again be seen. The girls might ask about him, wondering if he had quit all of a sudden.

No goodbyes, or parting words.

Just gone.

I made a promise to myself to deny any tears that begged to be shed. What's done is done, and there was no undoing that. Chris was riding that high like it was no tomorrow, and he had made it abundantly clear that I should not feel sorry for Vic.

I shouldn't.

The music in the club was nearly deafening, matching with my thudding pulse that echoed in my ear. Honeys was dead. Meaning no bosses, no Marcello, no Daddy, it was just us dancers save for a few slummy clients. To say that I was afraid was an understatement.

There was no need for the overly loud music and extra girls, but we tried to make the best of it by practicing moves and showing off to the baby strippers.

My feet hurt, even with my most comfortable pair of heels, the blisters were too excruciating to dance through. My knees were yellow and purple, marked by days of hard work and crawling. I deserved a break.

With my legs crossed over each other, I sat perched on the tall tables, looking over the room. Did I feel guilty for this laziness? Not in the slightest.

Unless one of my overseers walks in.

I tapped at the table, creating a small rhythm with my acrylic nails while gnawing at my lower lip. Anxiety was slowly but surely taking over, knowing that I was only a good hour into the shift.

"You're ruining your lipstick." Candy grumbled behind me, plopping down in the chair across the table.

I tried for a smile, noticing that she had obviously been crying. "I didn't know you were here tonight."

"Yeah, I've been in the restroom." Her eyes avoided mine, focusing down at the shiny table, freshly polished. "My shift ended an hour ago."

"That's when I started." I reached my hand out and took hers delicately, nothing that her hand was shockingly cold. Ice cold to the bone. "You should've told me that you were here today."

God I needed to spill the secrets that burned holes in my chest. Vic was gone, and all because of Chris.

What would she say?

Her face was solid stone, scrunched eyebrows revealed a level of untold pain. She was hiding something deep, something that was eating her alive from the inside out. It was more than the coke addiction, there was a more tourmenting issue on her mind. She wouldn't even answer me.

"Hey," I squeezed her fingers, leaning over the table. "Is something going on?"

"Mom died two days ago."

"Candice," my shoulders dropped, feeling the weight of her pain drop onto my heart. "I am so sorry. I- how are you doing?"

"It was her time to go," she tugged away her hand, sheathing it in the sleeve of her hoodie before wiping up on her nose. "She's happier in death."

"Did you see it coming or-"

"Nope. I woke up from a hangover nap and found her nurse calling an ambulance to call her time of death."

"Fuck," I brought my hand up to my temple and rubbed it vigorously. "Have you been drinking a lot?"

She laughed cynically, finally looking at me with her pinned eyes. "Not drinking, baby."