I can't let anyone find out what I'm doing tonight, or most nights even. They'll judge me, and make me feel like a worthless person. So instead of telling Tony and Toby what I'm doing later tonight, I'll just briefly go to their party, and then I'll leave just in time to go to where I really have to be.
My next few classes are short, almost boring, but eventually, it's time for detention, which I'm so excited for, note the ever so evident sarcasm in my voice. I walk into the classroom, ah yes, the paradise that is room 5, cold as ever. "good afternoon Ms Pierre, Mr Francois, I trust I'll have no problem with the two of you this afternoon. Detention will only last for 30 minutes, I have somehwere to go" Ms Walker says, rather sternly, she's never late, I'm sure she's been here for like what? 30 minutes?
Toby and I don't respond, we just sit in our chairs and start doing our homework, yup, this is that fun education system that public school promised alright. It takes about five minutes of work before Toby pushes into a rather uncomfortable position in his chair just to whisper to me "psst, Pierre, you're coming to my party right?" I'm tempted to say no, but he won't leave me alone unless I say yes, so I whisper back "Yes Tobias, I'm coming to your stupid party, will your friend stop harassing me now?" he nods his head yes, and sits back down, and continues with his homework like nothing was said.
Before I know it, 30 minutes is up, and I'm now trying to hide from my basketball coach so I don't have to explain why I didn't go to practice today. I don't have a car, so right now, it's a race between me and unemployment. I race my way over to McDonald's, barely making it before my shift starts, but I made it either way. Better late than never right? "Hello beautiful" DeAndre says when I walk in, he hands me my apron, and watches me take my jacket off and put the apron on, "Hi DeAndre, isn't your shift supposed to be over?" I ask, making my way to the back to wash the dishes. Yeah, it's a bad job, but money's tight at home and I need a way to make money, and if this is it then so be it.
He doesn't answer, so I take it his shift isn't over, or he picked up an extra shift or something I don't know. Some people say washing dishes is therapeutic, I mean I disagree on many levels, but I'm making money from this, so it doesn't really matter whether it's therapy or not. "Keep smashing them dishes into each other like that and you'll never have to pay for therapy again." Ashley says, she's my manager, so instead of giving her a witty response like I'd give to the rest of the people here, I look her in the eye and say "sorry, long days, you know how it is" she doesn't answer, instead she gives me a stern look, and I don't know what it is about her eyes, but they scream 'get back to work'. So I do, I wash all the dishes, clean up the storeroom, and just like that, my shift is over.
Time to rush over to my place to change for that stupid party, I'll make sure to pack some other stuff too for tonight. I live in the projects, the ghetto, some would call it, but for some reason as I run all the way to my apartment, it's almost beautiful. Not entirely, but just a little bit, enough to make me want to stop and look at it, but I don't, I have places to be and time and tides wait for no man. "Where are you going?" Fayola asks me immediately when I open the door, why is she even here, she's supposed to work the nightshift on weekdays "I have some stupid party to go to, you know how high school kids are" she gives me a skeptical look, but doesn't question me any further. And so when I finish changing and packing a few extra things, I leave.
Toby's place isn't that far from mine, except he lives in his grandmother's house, and his grandma isn't home much, so he can throw stupid parties like this all he wants and he doesn't get shit for that at all. "Would you look at that, Dom made it" Tony says when I walk through the door, he looks me up and down, almost as if he's taking my outfit in, I'm wearing grey sweatpants and a bedazzled crop top that my sister got for me, I'd say I look good, but I put minimal effort into this so who cares.
Everyone here is drinking, and there's red cups all over the floors, the sink looks sticky, people are grinding on each other, this just looks like high school kids acting up simply because they can. "Hey Pierre, want a drink?" I don't even have to turn around to know who that is, it's Toby, I know because he's the only one who calls me Pierre, and his voice makes me nauseous. "Yeah sure" I respond, following him into the kitchen, if I want to let loose tonight, I'll need to be just a little tipsy. He hands me a red cup with something in it, it's probably vodka I can't remember what he said it was, the music here is too loud. It's stuffy in here, there's so many people. Which is good for me, because when I want to leave, no one will notice.
I know it's my cue to leave when Amelia shows up, she's like that one girl that claims she's the it girl, but she isn't because literally no one likes her, and she's not even pretty. Speaking of it girls, or lack thereof, I wonder if Delilah is at this party, she's one of my friends, we're close, we fight a lot, but we're close. "Hey Toby, where's Delilah?" I shout, trying to make sure he hears me over this loud music, "I don't think she's here" and when he says that, I take it as a cue to leave, an excuse. "I'll go look for her then" I get up from the red chair I was sitting on, and walk past the teenagers grinding on each other, smoking pot, playing truth or dare, and all kinds of useless bullshit that teenagers do, and I leave, heading for where I always go late at night.
It's close to here, so I don't have to walk that far, I have my bag full of clothes in hand, and I'm almost excited to be coming here again. I stand in front if the building, the words 'New York Dolls' flashing in bright pink, I don't like this job, but it's necessary, I do it for the money. And so with guilt in my heart, I walk in, the girls say hi, we go backstage to change, and I start working on the job. I start by giving this creepy old man a lap dance, as instructed by my manager, he gives me a good amount of money, and this goes on for the next few hours with different men. Before I know it, the night is over, and I'm walking out of the club with enough money for groceries.
"What the hell Dom, you were gonna bail on my boy for THAT?" Tony pulls me to the side of the club to ask, I don't even know why he's here, he never comes here. "don't start with me Tony" I say, trying to loosen from his grip, but he's persistent, and only tightens his grip around my arm.