~13~
When I was 13, I was invited to my first ever party (I mean technically everyone was invited, but I chose to look at it as if I was invited personally).
I remember sneaking out of the orphanage that night so I could go since the curfew was 7 and I wasn't allowed out after or else I would face serious consequences. It was so stressful but so worth it at the time.
I guess that night I thought I could turn my life around and make a few friends, you know, see where the night takes me?
Well.. that's not how it went at all.
The party I went to was a high-schooler's party. And as a high-schooler, drinking seemed like the coolest thing to do. It was like a right of passage to drink alcohol if you wanted to be cool, or something like that.
Now you see, I didn't know this. I walked into that crowded house of bodies expecting to see coolers of sodas and waters, and of course pizza and chips. But no, there was only beer and liquor.
I left almost immediately, not wanting to get involved with the very drink that I had been familiarized within my past. I chose to stay away from it for a reason. And let's just say I never trusted parties after that..
Now, walking into the strip club was like taking the first step onto a new planet; a crazy, exotic, and different planet. Scandal was like if you mixed a strip club with red wine and cocaine if that made sense. The lighting was dark, the girls were dancing, and the guests were cheering them on while they drank too many drinks to count. It was insane.
Colby indeed had VIP access to the top balcony view, which we had to ourselves.
Upon walking into the club, we were guided graciously by our half-naked hostess, who wore tight leather clothing (and by clothing I mean basically undergarments). She rocked it too, swaying with confidence as she guided us up the stairs and into the vacant area filled with tables and our own personal bar.
She booped my nose as she walked away too, which I found strange but alluring at the same time. I knew I blushed hard, meaning she accomplished what she was aiming to do. Do I know what that is?.. Maybe..
It was no new news to me that I was attracted to both males and females. It's something I discovered in my youth and I have come to terms with it over the years. Now, this doesn't mean I waved this fact around carelessly; I mean, who would have I waved it to? I had no friends so I guess I had nothing to worry about. Now I do have "friends", but, I don't think they would mind.
But even then I am not about to go randomly kiss a girl, hell, I don't even do that with guys. As I said, it was a fact I was aware of, not a fact I act on.
While everyone got a variety of mixed drinks and straight liquor, I sat on the couch near the edge of the balcony and watched as different girls, all wearing different exotic outfits, danced around poles and performed for their audience as people tossed dollar bills on the stage, which they also picked up throughout the performance in a tantalizing manner. Strippers were something I had read about in articles, and I knew it was a well-paying job, but, seeing it in person was a whole nother experience.
It was almost mesmerizing, seeing them all dance. Each having a different style, they all showed off their different dances in pure confidence. Music blared through speakers as they twisted and climbed up poles and batted their long (and fake) eyelashes at men who came here to have a good time, all while letting their bodies move freely with the rhythm. The constantly changing lighting even gave their performance a magical and mesmerizing touch. They enjoyed what they were doing, you could tell. And it was because of that did everyone else enjoy it as well.
I couldn't pry my eyes away from them.
It was like I was studying them and everything happening around them, imprinting this experience in my brain.
Devyn approaches me a few minutes later, "Having a good time?" She yelled over the loud music. She had a drink in her hand, taking sips from it here and there, leaving a red lipstick print on the glass.
I nod, "I am, it's really.. cool." Would that be the right word to use? I guess it works.
Her eyes flickered from me to Colby a few times before she said, "What's going on with you and Colbs?" She asked, leaning her head on her hand while her elbow sat on the arm of the couch.
I let out a single breathy laugh, "What do you mean?"
She gave me a 'don't act like you don't know' look when she said, "The limo? The tension was higher than me on a Friday night." She giggled, taking another sip from her drink.
"Oh." Uh, "Sorry about that, getting under each other's skin is something we like to do." I force a smile, hoping she couldn't see past my lie. I barely knew what happened in that limo, but, I was stilled pissed nonetheless.
She did though, "Yeah right. What is it, he sleeping with another girl? I thought y'all weren't exclusive?" She quizzed.
I shook my head, "We aren't, and it's not like that at all."
Her eyes darted away from me and back to Colby, where they stayed. Strangely, I followed her eyesight to see Colby with a sparkling girl sitting on his lap. Yes, I said sparkling. He was basically undressing her with his eyes as she talked about who knows what and traced her fingers over his chest in a circular motion.
Way to keep the Act going, Colby.
I roll my eyes and look back to Devyn, who was giving me pouty lips.
I couldn't help but laugh in confusion, "What on earth are you doing?"
"You're jealous." She stated sadly.
"What? No, I'm not?" I laugh, genuinely confused about how she thought I was jealous. Jealous of what? My kidnapper flirting with another girl? Seriously, why would I be jealous of that?
"It's no worry's, you give me that 'I fall in love with the person I hook up with' vibe." "I do?" " But! It's no problem," she grinned and set down her drink, "Mama will take care of it." She stood up and grabbed my hand, lifting me to my feet and guiding me over to the group.
Tara was sitting on Jake's lap, legs wrapped around his torso, while she poured a bottle of who knows what into his mouth one shot at a time, the liquid falling every once and awhile onto the side of his face and down his neck. I wonder if they are always like this. Very touchy and.. Yeah, touchy is the only way I can explain their behavior.
Next to them was Colby and that girl, who was still flirting with him heavily, only now, I was able to actually hear what she was saying.
"We should get out of here." She whispered into his ear, then nibbling his lobe. The weirdest part was he actually looked like he was enjoying it.
My chest tightened out of disgust.
I just- ew.
"The hell did Kat go?" Devyn asked to no one in particular.
"She and Sam ran off, I think she needed to use the restroom and he didn't want her to go alone," Jake replied softly. Tara was now, quite literally, licking the excess alcohol off his cheek before connecting her glossy lips with his. Jake's hand then moved to the back of her hair where he gripped it harshly and leaned more into the kiss.
"Well okay then. Tara let's go." Devyn grabbed Tara's arm and dragged her off of Jake's lap and away from his lips, making Jake's head lift up in confusion as to why her lips suddenly left his own.
"Hey-" Devyn cut Tara off, "Sorry girly but we have business to do. Livia is getting laid tonight." She cheered, walking us over to the stairs.
"What?" Tara and I said in sync.
I turned my head right before we disappeared down the stairs and saw Colby's eyes glued to my back as we walked away. The mention of me getting lid seemed to spike his interest, and his attention seemed to stray away from the sparling girl quite quickly. The girl on his lap was obviously still talking to him but he didn't seem to be listening in that exact moment.
"Why are we getting Livia a man if Colby's here?" Tara asked, just as oblivious to the situation as I was.
"Did you not see that girl getting into his pants and Colby just letting it? Liv's jealous and angry with him because of what happened in the limo" Devyn replied. We got back onto the main floor and she walked us over to the bar in the corner, passing the dancers as we did so. She then sat me in a chair and turned me around to face the bartender.
"Devyn, I am not trying to have a hookup tonight!" I argue.
"No dur, the point of this is to get you and Colby to have sex tonight. You just need to get him jealous, trust me, I have seen the way he looks at you so this won't take long. But first, you need a drink." She tells me, flagging down the bartender.
"But she doesn't drink," Tara stated, obviously annoyed we dragged her from whatever the hell she and Jake were doing. Sorry, not sorry.
"Well that is bullcrap and I think tonight we take away your sobriety."She smiled sweetly, then ordering a drink for me which the bartender quickly began putting together.
"I am not drinking," I state firmly.
"And why the hell not?" She replied back.
"Because!" I yell.
She waited for an answer, an answer I was not comfortable giving.
"There you go." She nodded her head and took the newly made drink from the bartender, placing it in my hands. The strong scent lingering from it made me want to gag. It was horrid.
I shook my head and placed the drink on the counter, "No, I can deal with Colby on my own but I am not drinking." I tell her, "Now out of my way." I stand up and push past her. I get she was only trying to help, but, I did not want to be pressured into doing something I didn't want to do. That kind of behavior annoyed me and I wasn't going to stand for it. She watched as I walked away, shocked. Even I was shocked at myself.
I was going to deal with Colby in my own way.
I made my way back over to the VIP balcony, but, before I could even stake a step on the stairs a pair of hands pull me into the room next to it. I let out a small scream, which was masked over by the music, but immediately stopped when I realized who it was that had grabbed me.
"Colby what the hell!?" I hiss, watching as he shut and locked the door behind us. The room was very dark, but, I could easily tell this was one of those rooms where guys received a special and private dance from one of the girls. Ew.
"What makes you think you can just go off on your own without my permission?" he hissed, pacing towards me. I stood my ground and crossed my arms, annoyed.
"What makes you think you can go against the act and basically fuck a girl in front of everyone?" I retort, "And for the record, I wasn't on my own, Devyn and Tara were there with me." I roll my eyes at the thought.
"And they can't be trusted either, those two plus Kat can get out of hand when they're drunk."
"Okay and? You've known me long enough to know I am not stupid. If you're wondering, they offered me a drink and I declined, they also wanted me to hook up with someone, I declined. I was on my way back up to do nothing before you pulled me in here." I explain as a matter of fact.
"So no guys? No flirting or teasing?" Does he seriously take me as that kind of person?
"Colby I have never even kissed a guy much less flirted with one." I tell him, "Trust me you have nothing to worry about."
He stared at me, trying to figure out if I was lying, which I was not.
Then suddenly he began to laugh. Laugh at me. Oh. my. God. Can this guy get any more infuriating? Like, Can I just punch him already in his perfectly structured face? I was going to. I really really wanted to.
"Why does this not surprise me?" He laughed, putting his arms on his hips, "Of course the pure and shy book nerd hasn't had her first kiss." He teased. "Virgin."
Oh, that was it.
I glare. Seconds away from punching that smug little smile off of his lips and leaving him with a scratch from my rings. A drop of blood from his face caused by me sounded great right now, especially since he was laughing at me.
"Let's go." I firmly grab his hand and drag him over to the door and right out it, making my way through the dance floor until I returned to the bar. He, surprisingly, let me drag him. Obviously, he was confused, but also amused and interested to see what I had to do or say. I sat him down on one of the seats just like Devyn had done with me, but I turned him around to face the stage. I gave him one final glare before storming away and towards something I didn't think I'd ever set foot on. But before I could walk on the stage where my plan would take place, I redirected myself towards the DJ.
"Do you allow performances from unpaid dancers?" I ask, "You guys can keep whatever's thrown on stage, I just need to put on a show." I was determined to prove a point to Colby. I wasn't some "shy girl who loved books". I was a strong woman who was smarter than he could ever anticipate. And part of being a strong woman is being comfortable in her own body.
And we're in a strip club, what best way to prove it?
The guy looked me up and down and smiled, "For you, I'll allow it." He said. It was the way he said it that annoyed me, but, I let it slide. I was doing something that's gonna have a lot more guys drooling over my body.
"Name?" He asked.
"Does it have to be my actual one?" I ask, not keen on us wing my actual name.
"It can be whatever you want love." He replied with a grin.
I thought for a moment, looking down at my hands and staring at the snake wrapped around my wrist. I stared at its eyes until the perfect name popped into my mind. I leaned over the DJ table and whispered it into his ear before leaving the table and making my way over to the stage, climbing up the stairs, and preparing myself for what was to come.
Should I even do this?
I spot Colby still sitting near the bar, but this time joined by Sam who appeared from nowhere. Colby was watching my every move, depicting what I was doing. I barely knew what I was doing. But, just by seeing his smug and annoying face gave me a great confidence boost and I entered the stage, causing all attention to float into me.
This is crazy this is crazy this is crazy this is crazy..
"Everyone please give a warm welcome-," the DJ spoke into his microphone, people already starting to whistle and cheer for me as I strutted towards the middle of the stage.
"For, Ruby."
What can I say, Red is currently in my favor.
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Invisible Chains
Lauren Jauregui
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0:37
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I found within the first few seconds of the song starting, and me beginning to dance, that you needed to get lost in the music. Your body had to feel the beat and the rhythm and you needed to allow it to move freely. So, that's what I did. I swung around the probably germ-infested pole and showed off my body while keeping my dress on.
Yes. I wasn't about to completely strip in front of these people.
No one seemed to mind though. Everyone watched just as I did awhile ago, hypnotized. Both men and women cheered and hollered for me as my body moved with the music, money being thrown into the stage in singular dollar bills. It was so fascinating to me how they showed their appreciation for a dance with money, but, not unexpected.
This is what being a stripper meant. Earning money and earning it with style.
I could see why girls didn't mind this profession.
It was.. empowering to say the least.
As my body did its thing and my mind was floating in the audience, I kept a lot of my attention and eye contact on Colby and Sam who were still in the back. Sam looked completely shocked and stunned at what his eyes were seeing. He was witnessing the girl who didn't even drink basically become a pole dancer in front of an audience of at least 100 people while they tossed money to her and whistled for her body.
I would be shocked too.
Colby on the other hand was taking it all in. He was displaying different emotions all at once, as expected from him and his lack of a certain mind. Anger was portrayed in his eyes, amazement in his lips, and surprise in his body. I say surprise in his body because it was quite relaxed. His back leaned against the counter of the bar and he held a drink in his hand which he must have ordered while I was coming over here. He swirled his drink, staring deeply into my eyes as we made contact every once in a while.
This was a message to him.
A message that he doesn't really know me like he thinks he does.
I am a wild card.
At least for him..
He didn't think this was going to be easy right?
The song ended almost as soon as it started and I fixed my posture as everyone continued to cheer and throw money on the stage for me. I didn't really know what to do, so, I did a single courtesy and walked off the stage. Looking behind me, I saw the workers begin to sweep off the money on the stage and put it in a black sack. They then walked it over to me and placed it in my hand, commenting on my dancing before walking off and doing other things.
I stared at the full bag and walked over to the DJ, handing it to him, "I believe this belongs to you?" I smile.
He laughed and shook his head, pushing it back to me, "No love, you earned this."
I stare at the money, then back to the guy, "Thanks."
He nods and then I walk off and back into the crowd. Men stared at me as I paid no attention to them and walked over to Sam and Colby, tossing the bag to Sam which he caught with ease and shock.
Colby stared intensely into my eyes when I spoke my next words.
"You Don't know me. So don't act as you do."
And then I walked off back towards the VIP balcony where I was greeted with apologies from Devyn. She said she was sorry for trying to pressure me but I told her it was no big deal. Because, well, it wasn't anymore. It is in the past now and there's no point in dwelling on it. Then she continued to shower me with compliments about my dancing and guided me back over to the group who also showered me with kind words of amazement.
Colby returned later on and reclaimed his seat, listening in on the conversation but not participating. As usual, he was lost in his own mind. But, I wasn't really focused on it anymore.
I had accomplished what I wanted to do, so now I could enjoy myself and have a good time with my "friends"
Despite the rocky start, I would say this night was a success. And I even did pole dancing for the first time ever, which was unexpected to everyone including me. It was an experience I loved but would never do again. What can I say? I'm not one for all that attention.
But if it was to anger Colby?
Hell, I'd dance till the end of time.
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A/n:
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooh *gasp*
I spent a lot of time writing this chapter so I hope y'all enjoyed!!!