My Stripper Mate

Chapter 1

The cold sweat consumed me as I lurched up from my resting position. The blanket that once covered my shaking body fell from my shoulders and into my lap, although it didn't stay for long, as my hands acted on their own in throwing the blankets off me. I felt a chill run down my back and I brought my hands to my hair and pulled. The roots of my hair stood strong as I ripped at my scalp. Anxiety clawed its way up my throat. A sour taste filled my mouth, I opened it in desperation to get the taste out. The anxiety filled screams rang silent in the air. I froze. Wide eyed in panic, desperate to find the calm once again. From the corner of my eye I noticed movement, and before my mind could comprehend, I felt a heavy weight in my lap. A soft paw patted my arm in comfort, drawing my hands out of my hair. My eyes flickered in front of me, and I saw my dog laying on me. She propped her paws up on my shoulders and forced me to lay back down as she laid on top of me and whimpered. My hands immediately found her fur, but instead of the pulling, I pet her softly as sobs erupted breaking the silence. My night continued in a pattern of dozing out of consciousness, and coming back to reality only to continue crying and petting.

"What time is it?" I mumbled to myself groggily. I felt Bebe, my dog, nip at my shirt as I stopped my gentle strokes. A slight smile arose on my face at her neediness. My eyes shifted to look at the clock resting besides my bed.

5:53

"Come on, get up." I demanded as I shifted my body to the side. Bebe scooted off of me noticing my attempts to get up. I swung my legs off the mattress that rested in the corner of my apartment. Grumbling at the thought of getting up, I forced my legs into action and made my way into the bathroom. Doing my business, and starting the shower, I became distracted by my appearance in the mirror. Dark circles surrounded my eyes as evidence of the sleepless nights and my hair was matted around my head framing my face only adding to the psychotic look. With a deep sigh, I stepped away from my own terrifying appearance and into the shower. Hot water poured down my body, as I stood. One may picture a girl standing in the rain looking up, arms outstretched, and eyes bright with life, but I was not that picture. I was the image of a drowning rat. My dark hair fell flat against my neck and shoulders adding to the malnourished look.

Laughing at my own thoughts, I proceeded with my shower soaking in the water until it fell cold. The shower always felt cold. I never showered longer than 10 minutes, due to the water bills I could receive, but by 8 minutes and 30 seconds the shower water had most definitely become cold. I stepped out shivering slightly as my bare feet touched the cold tile of the bathroom floor. I opened the door feeling more awake than just 15 minutes earlier, and walked to the closet. The apartment wasn't a nice place by any means. In terms of style, the interior designer must have been drunk every day, and even the location of the place. I lived on what was considered the 'bad side of town.' The closet was no more than a bar hung between a nook in the wall. No doors and no nice walking space. I pulled out a warm wool sweater, that would protect me from the cool autumn breeze, as well as my trusty pair of jeans. Slipping on my clothes, I walked out of my bedroom and into the kitchen, once again the interior designer was most definitely drunk. Bebe's soft footsteps cautiously followed me as I walked into the kitchen.

Most nights I had nightmares, but most nights I would wake up and have trouble falling back asleep. Some nights I woke up in panic. She was my court mandated service dog. After I was released from the hospital one night, the hospital demanded that I receive help. After my private court case was filed, I was 'assigned' a pet. Bebe was the best thing that ever happened to me.

I smiled back looking at her cute puppy face. She wagged her tail in response and my heart beat calmed further. She galloped towards me in joy as I scooped her some food and plopped it into her bowl. I plopped some of my own cereal into a bowl, and filled it with milk. We both ate in a peaceful silence, but if I had learned one thing from life, peace and quiet never lasted long.