Tori P.O.V
"I used to be the queen." I said to the blank bartender. I stirred the thin straw around the martini glass as he nodded his head and scrubbed a spot off the bar top. "Like, I had this group of friends, all talented as hell. We were the most popular kids in school and didn't even know it." I sucked down on the last of the tart drink. I would tell this story to anyone who would listen. Anything to take me back to High school when everything was okay. "What happened sweetheart?" The bartender asked with fake concern as he continued to scrub the spot. The question discouraged me deeply. Every time I get to this part of the story I have to take some shots so I don't burst into tears. I bit down hard on my lip. "Hollywood happened." I whispered softly as the bartender slid me another drink.
I literally had it all in high school. The looks, the body, talent for days and the best friends ever. That all changed when we graduated. Beck and jade broke-up. She went off to Washington for school and Beck disappeared. Cat's off living with some blonde chick, Andre got a record deal and is touring Europe. That was 6 years ago. We all grew up and moved on. Trina left for Mexico to act and my parents put me out. Just like that, all that potential I had was gone. I didn't know what to do. Every audition I booked was a bust. All I could get were small singing jobs at rundown clubs, hoping from couch to couch trying to get by. Then I met mike. He showed up at one of the clubs I was singing at and approached me kindly. From then, he showered me with gifts and paid the bills at a loft for me in L.A. he was the perfect gentleman and never asked for a single thing in return. That was, until he did.
We went to a fancy club in Hollywood. I wore my tightest dress and highest hells, just as he had asked. He introduced me to this business type man named john. We mingled for about 30 minutes until they stepped out of the room and talked. Mike came back up to me and with an extremely coy voice, explained what he wanted from me. "Tori, baby. I need you to do something for me. John- is a very important man. If you want me to be able to continue paying for your lifestyle, I'm going to need you to sleep with him for me." The words were like poison to me. Did he really think he was able to pimp me out like I was some cheap whore and I would be ok with it? I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry and hit him. But then the words ran through my head for the second time. "If you want me to continue paying for your lifestyle" replayed in my mind. Then I felt bad. This man gave me everything that I wanted and asked for nothing in return. The one time he ask for one little thing from me, I freak out. I felt like I owed him this. I sucked down the last of my vodka cranberry and slowly replied to him. "Okay. Where is he?"
The sex was sweaty and rushed. He didn't look me in the eyes or kissed me on the lips. Afterwards, he got up quickly and left a wad of money on the nightstand. He ran out of the room and didn't say a word before slamming the door behind him. I picked up the money and counted out seven crisp $100 bills folded in half. Mike came in soon after that, but I was too blank to even hear what he was saying.