"TWENTY-ONE"
"Wake up you lazy butt! It's your birthday and you're not going to spend it in bed!" I groan as I fumble around, trying to find the comforter that Christina ripped off of me. When I don't succeed, I crack an eye to see her holding it, smiling down at me.
"You could have at least let me sleep in a little bit. I'm sure you have a whole evening planned."
"You have no idea. Now up and at 'em!" She smacks my ass and I let out a sharp yelp, rubbing it as I try to kill her with my mind.
We spend the morning at the salon, getting our hair and fingers and toes done, followed by shopping for a new outfit. I politely remind Chris that it's my birthday and not hers, but she just waves her hand and shoves an outfit at me. After a painstaking few hours, we finally eat lunch and she agrees to let me take a nap if I promise to let her do my makeup and not mess up my hair. I glare at her but agree because I am completely worn out already.
I wake up on my own, in a much better mood, until I see her hovering over me again with a smile.
"Please tell me why I agreed to this?" I say as she slathers my face with all sorts of things.
"Because you love me."
"I might need to rethink that," I say, smiling as she lets her mouth fall open.
"Speaking of love," she says, drawing out the 'o', "You and Four…?"
"What about us?"
"Just wondering how that's going. You know, if you've said it or not."
"Not that it's any of your business, but no."
"It is too my business! And really? Somehow I thought he would have dropped that already."
I close my eyes as she swipes a brush over it and replay her words in my head. Why would he say it, and not me? Does she know something that I don't? My heart beats a little faster as I think of the implications. What would I do if he did say it? Blush furiously, probably.
Do I love him? Of course I do. The more important question though is am I in love with him? There's a huge difference between the two. I mean, I love Christina, but I'm not in love with her.
Am I in love with Tobias? I don't know. I do know that I could be, though.
The fact that this thought crossed my mind so quickly is a little alarming. It's not like I've known him all that long. Hell, I haven't even met his dad and he hasn't met Caleb. Not that I need anyone else's approval to love someone. Chris likes him, and our friends like him, obviously. I open my eyes slowly when I don't feel anything, and see Christina staring at me.
"What?"
"You just looked a little lost in thought there."
"That tends to happen when your best friend brings up the 'L' word." She grins from ear to ear, and I shoot her a look that she only laughs at.
When we're finally ready, I'm glad I let Christina do all of this for me. My makeup is subtle but fierce, and my new outfit looks amazing.
"Look at you. All ready to go out on your first outing as an official adult with the rest of us."
"Oh ha ha. Where are we going exactly?"
"That, is a surprise my friend. I have to say though, we took a vote, and it wasn't unanimous, so you can't be mad at me." A vote?
"Chris," I say warningly, "Who is we?"
"Oh, you know, Zeke, Uriah, Will…"
"You let the boys decide? Jesus, we'll probably end up strung out in Mexico by the end of the night. This is not The Hangover."
"Oh relax. And hey, Four voted too." I sigh as there's a knock at the door. I answer it, and smile when I see Zeke's open arms and wide grin.
I have to say, I'm incredibly surprised to see a limo out front. I raise an eyebrow at the others, but smile when I see the door open, and Tobias come out.
"Totally not necessary," I say as I lean up to kiss him.
"I know. Now shut up and get in." I hold a hand to my chest to feign shock at his demand, but he just grins and points at the limo. We pile in, and I'm pleasantly surprised when we pull up to a fancy restaurant.
We share appetizers and they cheer when I order a drink and am carded- the joys of being the youngest in the group. The waiter makes a big deal about it being my twenty-first birthday when he brings me my drink —complete with a sparkler in it— and I blush when the tables around us join in and clap and sing me happy birthday. Tobias leans in and kisses me on the side of the head, apologizing for all the attention. I give him a look, but smile anyways. This is one of the last milestones in a person's life after all, and I'm glad I'm surrounded by people I care about.
After dinner and another embarrassing draw of attention involving cake and singing happy birthday again, we get back into the limo.
"I hate to do this," Tobias says from next to me, "But it was agreed upon before we left." I stare at him, not quite understanding until Zeke hands him a handkerchief.
"Oh, no," I say. "You are not blindfolding me."
"Oh come on, Tris. It's all part of the package!" Uriah says, grinning just like his brother. I look around from person to person, all of them eager and smiling. Tobias gives me a sympathetic look, and I narrow my eyes at him.
"You. Owe. Me," I say, emphasizing each word.
"Oh, I'm sure he'll be more than willing to pay up later," Zeke says with a laugh, and Tobias shoots him a look before kissing me on the cheek and tying the handkerchief around my eyes.
Despite my unending flow of questions, nobody says anything that even hints at where we're going. All I can think of again is The Hangover, and I vow to myself that I will not eat or drink anything if I feel even the tiniest bit suspicious. Tobias helps me out of the limo when we finally reach our destination. Based on how late it is, there aren't a whole lot of options, and I strain to hear anything that will give it away. I hear nothing.
Tobias guides me as we walk, and when we stop, I feel him fish in my purse for my I.D. He rests a hand on my back and whispers, "Don't kill me," in my ear before pushing me forward.
I'm immediately assaulted by loud music and the faint smell of cigarettes. My first thought is a club, but why on earth would they blindfold me to take me dancing?
Dancing.
Oh no.
"Tobias," I say warningly over the music, and take the blindfold off. A strip club. These fools brought me to a strip club. I shoot Tobias a look, and he just raises his hands in surrender.
"It wasn't my idea!" he says.
"Well you obviously didn't protest it too much," I snap back at him. Everyone has a smile on their face except Christina, who seems way too interested in her nails. Guilty. "I'm going to murder you in your sleep," I say to her before finding a dark corner to sit in.
It takes approximately 3 seconds for a girl to end up in Tobias' lap. I raise an eyebrow at him, but he just smiles nervously. Good. He should be nervous. A quick look around finds a girl in each guys lap. I shoot Christina another look but she she just waves her hand at me and leans in to talk to the girl currently grinding on Will. How can she be that laid back?
I look back to Tobias and see he's looking at me, and I smile. The girl turns around and notices. "Is this your girl?" she asks.
"Yeah," he answers.
"I always like when couples come in here. It's kinda cool that you can share something like this, you know?" I sorta shrug and Tobias nods. Okay, maybe this isn't too horrible. Everyone else seems to be having fun. Besides, this type of thing is a sort of rite of passage. I can't exactly blame them for wanting to bring me here.
"So what brings you all in here? You're a pretty big group."
"It's her birthday," Tobias answers. "Twenty-one."
"No shit?" she says, standing, "Well happy birthday. Come here." She holds a hand out and I nervously take it. "Melody," she says, shaking my hand before pulling me up.
"Tris."
She shoves me in Tobias' lap and says, "Stay put, Tris. Theses bitches are vultures."
We watch her walk away- my mouth hanging and Tobias grinning. I have to say, at least we have one of the best looking girls in here. And one that seems to be on the lookout for my boyfriend. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing though.
"Why did you tell her? She's probably gonna do something embarrassing now," I say.
"Tris, this is a strip club. They're not gonna bring you a cake and sing you happy birthday." I look over my shoulder and see the girl that was in Will's lap is in Christina's now. Will's eyes are wide as he sits completely still, watching, while Christina laughs and stuffs money in her bra. I blush —hard apparently, because Christina notices it in the low light— but she just gives me a wink and an encouraging nod.
"If she wanted to come here herself, she could have just said so," I say, feeling Tobias laugh against me.
"Hey, don't knock it till you try it."
"Oh? And just how many times have you—" I start, but I'm interrupted by loud feedback. I look to the stage but don't see anything. I hear a song I'm familiar with start, and immediately shrink into Tobias.
Go shorty, it's your birthday.
We're gonna party like it's your birthday.
"Tobias!" I whisper.
Melody appears out of nowhere and yells out, "Trust me!" as she takes my hand and drags me up on stage.
She plants me down on a chair that's magically appeared too, and wraps a hot pink feather boa around me as someone else puts a tiara on my head. I'm certain I've never been redder in my life.
The song continues on as she dances for me. I hear the hoots and hollers from my friends, and I just reach a hand out and flip them off. It only spurs them on. Other people join in, cheering and throwing money and I cover my face, willing myself to disappear. Melody pulls my hands away and smiles.
"Enjoy it doll. They love you."
I finally manage to look out into the crowd and see the men —and women— who are throwing money at us. I look out and find Tobias, and even though it's dark and there are lights flashing all around, I can see the small upturn of his mouth. Somehow, in this crazy situation, it's comforting. It's not going to stop me from killing him later, but it makes me relax just a bit.
I might as well give in a little. It is my birthday, and it's not like I'll ever be up on the stage in a strip club again. I wink at him and reach a hand out, running it down Melody's thigh, making an 'O' face as she bends over in front of me. Tobias raises an eyebrow and I hear a few whistles, but I can hear Zeke and Uriah clearly being amused over everything else. Melody stands up and turns around, straddling me, so I bend to the side real quick and grab a dollar and shove it in her thong. She smiles and does the same —only shoving it down my shirt— and I laugh.
When the song ends, another girl brings out a mini bottle of vodka and says it's on the house. I thank her, and Melody hands me a wad of cash. "You earned it," she says with a wink, and I stand there, unsure of what to do next. I really didn't expect my twenty-first birthday to be the day I performed in a strip club for money. Tobias comes up to the stage and helps me down, and I'm suddenly glad my little foray into 'stripping' is over with.
"Oww!" Uriah yells when I walk up. "That was amazing! No way I'm forgetting that any time soon."
"Ew!" I say as Marlene smacks his arm.
"What? I'm a guy, those are two hot girls. What do you want from me?" I shove him and sit down. Tobias takes the vodka from me as Melody comes up with a tray of shot glasses. He pours us all a drink, including Melody, and I get a toast to 'working hard to pay for college'.
"I hope that wasn't too embarrassing," Melody says. "You two are just adorable, and I thought you could use a little fun on your birthday."
"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," I concede. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. You know, if you don't mind, I'd like to give you one more present."
"Oh I don't—" I start, but she cuts me off with a wave of her hand.
"This one is private."
My stomach flips around, mostly because I have no idea what she's talking about. I look at Tobias, who is doing absolutely nothing to help by staring back at me with a blank face. A million things race through my mind— from stories of guys getting more than just a dance in a private room, to her performing a simple dance and then trying to charge us an exorbitant amount for it. When I look back to Melody, she doesn't seem like the type to do that though. He eyes are kind, and her smile puts me at ease.
"Okay," I manage to get out, and she takes my hand.
"You coming?" she asks Tobias over her shoulder as she starts walking, and I don't think I've ever seen anyone move so fast in my life.
She leads us into a private room and leaves for a second to bring in another chair. She tells us to sit, so we do, facing each other. Tobias shrugs as we turn our attention back to her.
"I normally don't do this kind of thing," she says, "But I was like you once, Tris. Saw you as soon as you walked through the door; that cautious and timid girl. Not to say that's a bad thing, but it doesn't hurt to break out of that shell of yours every once in a while." She touches a button on the remote she has, and music starts playing. She straddles Tobias, and I don't know if I want to be her, or hit her.
"Watch," she says. She moves slowly, more seductively than she did on stage. Her hips grind, her hands caress, and Tobias fidgets. "See. That's how you do it." She gets up and straddles me, repeating the same moves. She places her hands on me, softly rubbing, and I can see why she's doing it to both of us. Different vantage points let you see it all. Tobias just looks like Will did, eyes wide and unmoving.
She changes the song, and Tobias smiles. "Nice choice," he says, and I raise my eyebrow. She straddles him again, this time facing away from him. I watch as she incorporates different moves and try to pay attention, but the song distracts me.
I want to fuck you like an animal
I want to feel you from the inside
I want to fuck you like an animal
My whole existence is flawed
You get me closer to God
I blush at the words, and blush a little more when Melody switches to me. She moves differently, more insistently, and I understand again.
"Is your name really Melody?" I ask, trying to distract myself a little from everything going on right now.
"No," she laughs. "I used to sing, so that's why I chose it. Came to California to make it big, you know? But I got tired of fake Hollywood producers trying to take advantage of me, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. Why fuck for free when you can get paid?"
I look at Tobias with wide eyes, and he is still of zero help. I panic a little, wondering if I was wrong about her and thinking of all the horror stories that slowly seem to be unfolding right in front of me.
"Do…do you like it?" I ask, trying to be as nice as possible. Maybe I can convince her to not take advantage of us.
"Stripping? It pays the bills."
"Oh."
"Don't 'oh' me. I really don't mind. It's just a job. It's not like I'm treated horribly or expected to sleep with anyone. If that was the case, I wouldn't do it. No, I just like my body, and don't feel as awkward about it as I used to. And hey, if a guy wants to throw money at me while I'm in my natural state, who am I to stop him? After all, a fool and his money are soon parted." Tobias smiles, and so do I. Okay, maybe Melody isn't the Dateline case I'm making her out to be.
"Does your, uhh, boyfriend mind?" I roll my eyes at myself. I almost feel like I'm spewing word vomit at this point. I have no idea why I keep asking her all these personal questions, but I can't seem to stop.
"Oh I don't have one of those right now," she says, standing up. "I'm sort of a little into the female side of things right now anyways." She looks me up and down and gives me a quick wink. The back of my neck burns, and I don't miss Tobias' eyes as they get even wider.
"I hope you learned something, Tris. Don't be afraid to own your sexuality. You're beautiful, and so is your guy here." She smiles. "I hope you have a fantastic rest of your birthday, and you guys can come back and see me whenever you want. Maybe I'll teach you another thing or two." She smiles again —at just me this time— before leaving the two of us standing there.
"Tobias, what just happened?"
"I don't know," he says, adjusting his pants, "But it's time to get you the fuck home."
A/N:
SONGS: 50 Cent - In Da Club
Nine Inch Nails - Closer
1 month
(If it wasn't clear, the time frames are from the very beginning of this story!)