AN: Prompt 94 - "last hope".

"What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?"

It wasn't the question that made me look up, but the genuine surprise in his voice. The bar was a real down and dirty type of place, where men go to meet cheap hookers and get very, very drunk on bad liquor. The kind of place most women steer well clear of, in case some drunken idiot tries to feel them up, or worse.

"If you're looking for a nice girl, you're in the wrong place. There's nothing sweet about me, babe." Not strictly true. I used to be a nice girl, a good girl. Wore pink, went to school every day, played on the beach with my friends. Then everything changed, and I had to get along by myself. Living like I do makes you tough and cynical.

"So, what's your name?" He orders two drinks, one for himself and one for me, and I study him. Not my usual type, more lean and hungry than the guys I usually get. Still, a girl like me can't afford to be choosy. I pick up my glass and raise it in a mock toast.

"For a price, babe, you can call me anything you want."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

He takes me to a hotel nearby, looking a little awkward as we enter the lobby. I saunter in as though I belong - I have as much right as anybody else, after all. Unusually, he doesn't try to grope me in the lift, like most guys would. I'm guessing it's the first time he's paid for sex, and he's unsure about the boundaries. I only have one rule, really. I don't, won't, kiss anyone. Kissing brings emotions into it, and if that happens, I'm lost. The rest, as they say, is up for grabs.

I take the lead, undressing him and sinking to my knees. Very few guys will turn down a blowjob, so it's always a good place to start if they're unsure. After a while, I think he forgets that I'm just another whore off the street, and begins to relax and enjoy it.

The sex is nothing unusual, and when he comes, he calls out a name. "Roxie." Must have been a girlfriend, presumably ex, or he wouldn't be here with me.

I lounge on the bed as he dresses again, hurriedly, as though covering himself will reduce the shame I know he's feeling. He's watching me as I watch him, and it strikes me how similar we are. Red hair, pale skin, both skinny and not quite tall enough to be considered lanky. His eyes, bright green, rove over my body, which I make no attempt to hide. Too many people have seen it for me to be at all embarrassed.

"Sorry I called you Roxie." He's blushing, how sweet.

"Trust me, it's no problem. I'm used to it." I stand, and brush back a lock of his hair. It's a very innocent gesture, despite my nudity, and I'm not sure why I did it. "You want to talk about her?"

"Him, actually. Roxas." He does, he tells me about their relationship and how it all went so wrong, then asks about me. I end up telling him the whole sorry tale, something I've never told anyone before. When he gets up to leave, he hands me a wad of cash and kisses me on the cheek.

"I still don't know your name, but you deserve a better life than this. Call me, tomorrow." There's a business card with the cash, and I realise this could be my way out of this life.

"Kairi. My name is Kairi."

It's a name I haven't used since coming to this town, a name I left behind with the nice girl I used to be. But he doesn't hear it, he's already gone. Maybe I'll call him, this Axel. I owe it to myself to give it a try, get off the streets, so something better than this. It could be my last chance to escape, my last hope of a better life.

AN: Even when you think there's no end to the misery, there is always the hope of something better in the future. That's a sentiment that keeps me going.