|Anastasia|
I tossed my bag onto the rickety dining table placed in the tiny area beside the kitchen. I walked up to the sink and began washing the large pile of plates and bowls. I heard thumps trailing down the stairs.
"Hey, A."
I turned to face my brother, who was standing at the edge of the staircase. "Hey, how was school?"
"It was good. What about you?" He sat at the dining table, resting his elbow on the table.
"It was alright." I turned back to the dishes.
"You get any shit today?"
I shrugged. "Nothing different than normal."
He let out a long sigh. "I'd beat the shit out of all of them if I had the chance."
I chuckled. "You're half their size, Austin."
"I'd give it hell."
"Well, I appreciate it, but I'll be fine. I don't really care about those fuck heads." I dried off the last bowl and placed it in the cabinet. "Anyways, have you seen mom?"
He looked down, playing with his fingers. "No."
I let out a sigh. It's been four days now. "Alright." I wiped off the counters and tossed the rag into the laundry room. "Do you have homework?"
He sighed dramatically and trudged up the stairs to get his backpack. A few minutes he came back down and tossed his bag on the table next to mine.
"What do you have to do?"
He pulled out a bunch of crinkled papers from his bag and tossed them on the table. "Math and history. I have a science test next week. I'll study that over the weekend."
I nodded. "Do you need any help?" He shook his head. "Alright. What do you want for dinner?"
"Don't worry, sis. I can fend for myself tonight."
"Are you sure?" He nodded. "Alright." I looked at the clock. 5:33. "Shit. Shit. Shit. I'm gonna be late for work." I quickly grabbed my purse and shoved my phone into it. "I'll see you in the morning, bub." I walked over to him and hugged him. "Lock the doors, alright?"
He just nodded, not saying a word. Ever since he found out about what my job is, he has made it very clear that he doesn't like it. I don't either, but we need money. I'm not tryna get in trouble with the law by selling drugs or some shit. It was my last option.
The economy dropped about ten years ago, causing my mother to lose her job. We were rather wealthy. Damn close to rich. We had a gorgeous house in the Hills. We had endless amounts of friends. Austin and I got pretty much anything we wanted. We had the best of the best. But when shit went down, it didn't just stumble. Everything fell straight on it's ass, as well as my mother. She invested all of the money she had saved up into alcohol and drugs. So, now we're here. In the south side of LA. Everyone at school knows where I live but I would be caught dead if they knew what I did for a living. Besides, none of those rich ass kids come down here.
I pulled up to the brick building. It was 6 on the dot. The sun was beginning to set and everyone's getting off work. I walked inside and headed to the dressing rooms. I stripped to the least amount of clothing I had on. See, normal jobs require you to wear khaki pants with a shirt that has the logo of the store embroidered on it. My job is a little different. Our uniform is "wear the absolute least amount without showing your nipples or your clit." So that's exactly what I was wearing today. I decided with blue. It's the one that always got me the most money and Austin has a field trip he's dying to go to. I can't say no to him. I look myself over, making sure my makeup is in place, as well as my hair.
I've never been one to have a big ego, but I've always been confident in how I look. My tan complexion really did my green eyes justice. I would most likely be the definition of curvy. People have compared me to Nicki Minaj, but I don't like being compared to the queen herself. Though, I do have a nice body. I've always been one of the better dancers among my co-workers, so I've been told. It makes me feel good that I'm good at something, even if it is considered provocative. I see it as an art, personally. I love what I do, to be honest. I just don't like the reality of it. I don't enjoy having the reputation of being a whore, dancing with no clothes on for money. It will be near impossible to get a decent job with this being the only thing on my resumé. I don't worry about that kind of stuff, though. I just know that I have to have money in the bank to be able to make a living. Might as well try to love it in the mean time, right?
I let out a long breath and slipped on the ridiculously high heels and walked out onto the stage. It was already a full house. I wrapped my hand around the pole while listening to the loud whistles and hollers.
"Here we go."
