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Maddy wished she never had to sign up for all of this.
She was hiding in a toilet cabin as she let silent tears roll down her blank face. Fortunately, her waterproof makeup minimised the damage, not wanting to ruin the show that she was about to put on in front of all the strangers waiting for her.
She was Alamo's new girl, after all.
He didn't give her time to process Nate's death. Not even one single day. All of her pent-up emotions were about to break right in the middle of this bathroom, where any of the strippers could catch her. But she wouldn't, because her job required to be strong, and she was.
But having to pay for a year worth of money that never existed felt like Hell.
Maddy thought it was unfair, then stopped thinking about it the second she remembered it was all her fault : for helping Cassie get out of the situation Nate pulled her in. The man she once loved, despised, and now had to mourn in a place that smelled like weed, sex and luxurious perfume.
She could only blame herself for all of this.
Only herself and nobody else.
Her phone rang, and as she saw the name of Cassie displayed on the screen, she let out a big sigh. She wouldn't answer. Not only because she had to be in the backstage in 2 minutes, but also because she didn't have the strength to stand the desperate cries of her widow friend.
So instead, she turned her phone off, got out of the cabin and quickly rearranged her makeup in front of one of the mirrors.
Once her cheeks dried, a pitiful smile formed on her lips.
It was fake, but nobody would know.
The men coming to this place only cared about the looks, not the insides. Except the ones that they used to get off, of course. Boobs, ass and pussy was all that mattered to them. As Cassie's manager, she acknowledged that very fast.
Maddy went on autopilot the second she heard Magick calling her from behind the door of the bathroom.
"Hurry up, Maddy ! ¡Vamos a subir al escenario pronto!"
She took one deep breath before opening the door.
"Ready for your first night as a stripper ?" The spanish hooker asked with a proud smile, leaning against the door.
"I've never been more ready, girl."
She was never ready.
Maddy watched Magick twirling her body under a downpour of dollar bills and the bright smile she kept on her face the entire time she performed her little show. She wondered if the energy would be the same when she'd enter the stage. If she would be able to keep up, to move, to smile in order to satisfy the guests watching her.
These thoughts disappeared the second she realized she didn't have a fucking choice but to pray for her feelings to not influence her performance.
Magick blowed a kiss to one of the customers before going backstage, joining Maddy. Their eyes briefly met.
"Your turn, putita."
She winked at her before disappearing behind the curtains, where all of the girls were gathered and hyping each other up. Their cheers of encouragement didn't help Maddy at all despite their dedication.
She couldn't feel anything at all, only fake the excitement.
Dressed in her pretty black and gold lingerie, she walked up the stairs leading to the stage, and walked up to the pole in complete darkness.
And as the music started, every doubt she had about herself washed away.
Maddy played around the pole. Danced like she owned the stage she was stepping on. Twisted her body in ways she never did before. Mimed moans right in front of one of the guest's face. Grinned against the floor, shook her ass and moved her hips in a way that left nearly all of the customers speechless.
Alamo was watching.
And he was proud.
She could see it on his face.
However, somebody else was watching.
And when Maddy met eyes with this person, her heart stopped.
Rue.
Rue was watching too.
She was sitting at the bar, spectating the show as if completely shocked by the view that was given to her. What was striking to see is that her gaze never dazed off of her face. Never traveled down her body, which was the main event.
Rue was simply looking straight into her eyes, almost as if she could see every single emotion she was holding back since yesterday night.
Maddy nearly let herself be destabilized by this unsettling encounter before she turned her attention to Alamo for support.
And it worked.
When she saw his smile getting bigger and bigger, Maddy gave everything she had to the audience. Her sensuality, her beauty, her style, her devotion, even her whiling to live.
Everything, from her head to her toes.
And now the show's over.
As the lights went off, Maddy sprinted to the backstage like her life depended on it. She was about to snap. She could feel the sobs stuck in her throat begging to be let out, her hands shaking in fear, her mind getting fuzzy and her heartbeat racing. Good thing she wasn't the last stripper to perform tonight, so the attention didn't focus on her rushed exit.
She was about to enter a corridor when a feminine voice raised behind her.
"Maddy ! Wait !"
She turned around and was met with Kitty handing her a piece of paper.
"Alamo sent me to tell you that a customer wants to meet you."
Maddy didn't understand. So she read what was written on the piece of paper and suddenly, everything lined up.
« Meet me in Room 5. I'll be waiting for you. »
"You should take that chance, Maddy." Kitty suggested. "I know this guy and he tips a lot."
Now, Maddy's eyes expressed nothing but pure devastation. Was that really what her life would be reduced to from now on ? Dancing on poles and prostituting herself for an amount of money that would never even be hers ?
Yes. It was. No matter how hard she would try to make it look like something else, there was no purpose in denying the truth.
She had become a fucking hooker.
"Is everything alright, Maddy ?"
She snapped back to reality.
"Yes ! I'm so glad somebody noticed me, it's going to be a memorable night... !" She let out a little laugh as she said that last sentence.
Kitty didn't laugh, though. Instead, a worried look grew on her face.
In reality, she knew what it felt like to be treated like a sexual object and felt compassion towards her coworker.
"You might need to take some of this before you join him." The blonde girl handed her a small bag filled with what seemed to be cocaine. "It helps with the feeling of... numbness."
Maddy didn't declined the offer, taking the bag and pressing it against her palm in a desperate way to prevent her hand from shaking.
"Thanks."
Another forced smile, another wave of stress coursing through her body.
She shouldn't feel this vulnerable, yet the complete opposite was happening.
"Have a good night, Maddy."
"You too, Kitty."
As Maddy watched Kitty walk away, she went autopilot again.
Head up, she headed towards the Room 5.
But before she could even reach the right floor, she felt herself be violently pulled away from her path. And without any idea of who could have snatched her arm so hard, she found herself in a small luxurious room, face to face with Rue.
"Maddy, what the hell ?"
Shit.
"Rue, this is not... It's not what you think, it's just..."
She started hyperventilating before she could even find the words to describe her current situation to Rue. It was all just too hard to explain and she didn't have the energy to do it.
Rue noticed the signs of a panic attack and quickly took her hands in hers.
"Hey, hey... You're okay. Maddy, look at me."
As she went to stroke the side of her head, she felt something in her hand. And as she looked at it, she realized that it was a small bag filled with cocaine.
That's when it hit her. Maddy was on her way to meet someone, probably a costumer. She guessed it by the bag and the way it was sealed. It was one of Kitty's, the ones she took the time to prepare every night, right before going to please the VIP customers.
Fuck. Why was Maddy doing that ? She warned her about Alamo and yet, it seemed that she didn't listen. But Rue didn't have all the answers to her questions, so she couldn't jump to conclusions too fast.
Maddy on her side, couldn't look at Rue. She kept her eyes firmly closed, the only feelings coursing through her head being guilt and shame.
"I ruined my life, Rue."
"No you didn't. We're gonna get you out of here."
"NO !" Maddy pushed Rue's hands away. "Alamo's gonna get me killed if I don't do this, ok ?! I owe him this !" She sniffled loudly. "Just... mind your business, Rue. Please."
As she was about to grab the doorknob, she was once again interrupted by Rue grabbing her hand.
"Don't do this, Maddy."
"I don't have a fucking choice." Her eyes traveled down to her hand trapped in Rue's. "Now let me go."
With a sigh, Rue did as she was asked to. She watched, powerless, a single tear falling from her friend's eye before she got out of the room.
Despite the danger of the decision she was about to take, Rue couldn't let that happen. Not after Angel's departure and all the shit that had happened in this fucked up place.
Watching her friend prostituting herself against her will was what made her choose to deploy her plan of last resort, as she dialed Fez's number on her phone.
"Hi, Fez. Can I bring a friend to our trip to Australia ? Alamo fucked up really bad tonight, and I... I can't leave knowing she'll stay there, selling her ass to strangers against her will every single day.
Silence.
"I just don't want her to meet the same fate as the others."
A disappointed sigh could be heard from the other line.
"You're such a pain in the ass, Rue... Y'know that ?"
Rue smiled.
"I know. That's why you can't decline any of my calls."
"I'll be waiting at the gas station tomorrow mornin'. You better be on time, Rue... M'not kidding. This some serious bullshit you got me into..."
"Count on me, brother."
"Be careful, sis'..."
"I will."
5:00am.
The night was rough, as expected. Maddy had never hurt so much during sex. It was violent, brutal, bestial... He even strangled her, reviving traumatic fragments of her relationship with Nate. But now she knew she paid a part of her debt's towards Alamo, and it comforted her into thinking it wasn't that bad, even if it was.
Laying next to the man who used her body all night long, she had a hand plated on her mouth to restrict her sobs from being heard. Her makeup had already been ruined by the sweat, and now the tears were finishing the job.
She knew she wouldn't be able to look at herself in the mirror the same way she used to. Her rambling thoughts made it impossible for her to get any sleep.
She just wished somebody understood the pain she's going through right now.
That's when she heard the floor squeak.
Someone had entered the room.
And while she sat up, she was met with the sight of Rue injecting a transparent liquid inside of the man's neck with a syringe.
Maddy was too confused to say a word, so Rue spoke first.
"It's just a tranquilizer. I'm not killing him."
Once she was done, she walked around the bed to get on Maddy's side.
"Rue, what are y-"
She didn't let her finish her sentence as her face found itself inches apart from hers.
"I'm saving you."
She had never seen Rue this serious. It was crazy how drugs could change a whole person's system for years. She seemed so certain, so confident in what she was doing, that Maddy almost agreed without a second thought.
Fortunately, it wasn't Maddy's habit to not have a second thought about anything.
"No, Rue. If I ever have to be saved, I'll be the one to do so."
"Nobody can save themselves here. Alamo's smarter than what you think."
She handed her a large shirt and a big fur coat.
"Dress up. We're getting out of here."
Maddy's breaking point had finally been reached. After bottling up all the emotions caused by the shock of seeing Nate's dead body in the coffin, Cassie's screams and having been used as a cum bag by the man sleeping next to her, she was starting to break apart.
She stared right into Rue's eyes as she threw away the clothes she just gave her, standing up from the bed to confront her. At this point, being half naked was far from being a discomfort.
"I don't wanna get killed, Rue. I don't wanna live knowing I could be shot by one of Alamo's guys at ANY moment. I-I've never considered leaving this place and breaking my arrangement with him..." She struggled to breathe properly. "I need to pay the price of my own fucking actions, Rue !"
"I know. Cassie told me everything."
Maddy's eyebrows frowned.
"Cassie ?"
"Yes. She called me a few hours ago." A look of pity grew on her face. "She told me about your sacrifice to save her, and... about Nate."
Maddy felt her lips trembling.
"I know what that feels like... I'm sorry."
"If you're so sorry for me then leave me alone."
Rue sighed.
"Maddy, I can't-"
"LEAVE ME ALONE !" Her voice gradually raised. "Leave me the FUCK alone, Rue !"
"Quiet, you're-"
"I DON'T WANNA BE SAVED ! EVEN LESS BY YOU !"
The curly-haired girl raised her hands with a harmless face, not wanting things to escalate. This would never solve the problem anyway.
"Ok, ok..."
Rue walked towards Maddy, and as her body moved closer to hers, she began to embrace her slowly. This would either lead her to get a slap from Maddy or calm her down. Only God knew the outcome.
And surprisingly, the only thing she felt was her friend melting into her arms.
"Why don't you fucking understand... ?" Maddy spoke with a broken voice. "Rue... why..."
Soft sobs started to echo in the room. Rue made sure to hold her close to her chest as they did so.
"It's ok. I'm here." She hushed. "I'm right here..."
Feeling safe in Rue's arms didn't even seem possible, and yet here she was. Clutching to her clothes, needing more.
She stroke her hair with a softness Maddy had never felt before.
"Alamo's never gonna get you, Maddy. I swear to fucking God, this man will never lay a hand on you ever again."
Rue's lips unintentionally touched the dark, messy hair of her friend, leading her to feel even safer.
"I don't want you to suffer. Fuck. You suffered enough in your life !"
Maddy's eyes stayed closed as her sobs softened.
Now she gets it. Rue knew what she was doing, and now that she swore to God nothing would happen to her, then nothing would happen to her.
"I'm here to save you." Rue slowly pulled away from their hug. "And I need you to tell me that you trust me."
Maddy looked up, her eyes red and puffy from crying. Never ever had she felt so miserable and safer than she was right here, right now.
Lips shaking, she still couldn't get a single word out of her mouth. So instead, she nodded while Rue's hands wiped away the tears on her cheeks.
"Do you trust me ?" She asked again.
"I t-trust you, Rue..." Maddy sniffled before a angry look appeared on her face. "I trust you, and you better not fucking fool me... !"
"I promise." Rue sighed in relief as she heard those words. "Now put on some clothes and let's get out of here."