05. Little princess

I woke up with the feeling someone was staring at me. My eyes slightly opened as the sun's rays from the window hit my face. I groaned and turned to find Andrea staring at me. His face beamed into a smile and I slapped it, causing him to groan.

" Why are you looking at me like that, you creep!" I exclaimed, sitting up from my bed.

" Its homecoming," he said with a smile plastered on his face.

" And?" I asked, folding my arms on my chest.

" I'm sleeping over at Tae's after the party. I will only be coming back on Monday when I come back from school," he said, and I frowned.

" What? Why?" I asked, getting up from bed.

" Cause Tae is going to be home alone till Monday afternoon, so I thought we could bunk over in his crib," he said and I frowned.

" Please use a condom. I do not want you giving me more problems," I said and he chuckled.

" Don't worry, I'll buy them at the drug store later on," he said with a smirk on his face, and I grabbed my pillow and threw it at him.

" Dick!" I yelled while he chuckled. " What time does the game end?"

" It starts at six and ends at about eight," he said, and I groaned.

" Shit, I have the night shift. I will see what I can do," I said and he frowned. " Don't worry, I'll make it."

He then nodded, and walked out of my room, closing the door behind him. I quickly grabbed my phone and dialed Patrick's number. After seven rings, he answered.

" Wassup?" he asked.

" Can I come for my shift at seven? I will stay till late. Please!" I begged and I heard him sigh.

" Fine. I will put Hope in your place then," he said, and I beamed with joy.

" Thank you," I said, and he ended the call on me. I rolled my eyes at the rudeness.

I quickly made my bed and hurried up to the bathroom to go prepare for my terribly busy day. After cleaning up, I rushed into my bedroom and put on a pair of jeans and the golf shirt under a black hoodie. I tied my hair into a messy bun, grabbed my school bag and rushed out of my room, grabbing a seat next to my brother at the breakfast bar.

My grandma was dancing and moving her hips while frying eggs in a pan. She was in a good mood today. She turned to face us and a smile beamed from her face. She placed toast and sausages on each of our plates before Andrea added eggs to his. I poured juice into our glasses, before taking a large sip.

" So, how are my grandbabies doing?" she asked and we both frowned.

" We are okay," Andrea said, taking a huge bite from the sausage.

" Oh good. Andrea, good luck on the game. Nonna cannot make it. Nonna is old now. Cannot walk or cannot move," she said, and we chuckled.

" Seemingly she can shake her assets all over the kitchen," I scoffed and she smiled.

" I dance with Terrence." She said, moving her hips side to side. The chubby short lady still got it.

" Can you and nonno dance anywhere else?" Andrea asked and I chuckled as my grandma scowled.

" You, I smack you with a pan," she said in her broken English.

I continued to eat my food while my brother and grandmother continued to throw shots at each other. When I finished, I took my dishes and dropped them in the sink before rushing back to get my bag.

" Where you going?" Andrea asked, facing me.

" To the college facilities. I need to hand in my last assignment before my test that is to come in a month. Then I am rushing to the diner. Then Jorja and I will be on the way to the game, then I will go to Oliver's house," I said, and they nodded.

I kissed everyone goodbye before I rushed out of the apartment and closed the door behind me. I checked my pockets to make sure I had money to catch a taxi, and I did. I then rushed through the corridors, down the staircase and out the building. I suddenly stopped a taxi before I jumped in.

" UCLA," I said, and the taxi driver nodded.

In thirty minutes, I was outside the university building. As enthusiastic parents say, " the scent of education fills our nostrils," or something along those lines. I rushed up the long ascending staircases, rushing towards the admin lady. Luckily, there was not a line or anything of some sort.

" Good morning. Cataleya Anastasia Tory. I am here to submit an assignment due to Mr. Edwards. I am part of his night class." I said and the kind lady smiled at me before taking in my file and clicking the keyboard. She then took out a pile of papers and handed them to me.

" Mr. Edwards or myself, will send an email telling you your examination date or if you have an access key to write at the examination venue." She said with a smile and I nodded.

" Thank you very much mam," I said, taking the file and rushing out of the building.

I was only left to go to the diner and then my brother's game. The second team played at three pm, so they would finish playing at five, and that is when the first team played. So, I would be able to do a bit of reading of the worksheets the kind admin gave me.

I rushed down the staircase, tripping over on the last step and rolling over. Shit! Trust me to be at my highest level of clumsiness when I have a lot of things to do. I quickly picked up my stuff, oblivious to the snickers and the glares, and rushed up to stop another taxi, throwing myself in, and telling the driver to take me to Derick's Diners.

After forty-five minutes of sitting in the taxi, I grabbed twenty dollars and handed it to the driver before jumping out and rushing into the diner. The place was not packed like always, which made me happier because that meant less work for me.

I took off my hoodie, threw it in my bag before placing my bag in the staff chambers. I went back into the diner, cleared all the dirty tables up and made sure everything was spick and span. As I was cleaning, a tall lady with an elegant stature and a very classy aura walked into the diner.

A small, little, cute girl was walking behind her. Mother and daughter, I presumed. They were so cute in their matching all-white dresses with all-stars. The lady with an expensive-looking bag, hanging from her arm while the other hand occupied the little girl's hand. I rushed over to them, and they both beamed with joy.

" Good morning. My name is Anastasia, how may I help you this morning?" I asked, handing them the menus.

" Hello, I would like the greasy English breakfast with the Mexican hot sauce and some orange juice please," the very elegant lady said and I jotted it down.

" And what about you, little princess?" I asked, showing her my feint dimples, causing her to giggle and show me hers, which seemed like big holes in her cheeks, making her look extra cute.

" I don't know what I want," she said softly before her youthful skin started creasing near her eyebrows, indicating she was frowning.

" Tania, you must choose though," the lady whined and the little princess pouted.

" How about I surprise you? " I suggested and her smile widened.

" Really?" she squealed.

" Yes," I squealed back, clapping my hands like a two-year-old who just got ice cream.

" I love surprises," She squealed and I nodded.

" Then it's a surprise you will get," I said, turning away and rushing over to the kitchen to place an order. I decided to order her a chocolate chip waffle with vanilla ice cream rather than syrup and added orange juice.

I know it is too early for such a meal, but who would say no to ice cream?

In thirteen minutes, I gathered their meals on a tray and rushed up to place them on their table. The little princess squealed and clapped her hands while the lady thanked me with just a smile. I then rushed up to finish my duties, alone, since somehow Ms. Smith decided to either ditch work or come late as per usual.

After hours of working, it was now three and I was not going to stay there any longer. I rushed up to Jamie's office and knocked but he did not answer. I knocked again but silence filled the hallway. As I was about to turn around, the door creaked open and I heard a " Come in" from a very scary voice.

I peeked through, to find very scary looking men in silky suits, standing right next to Jamie's desk. I pushed the doors open and cleared my throat to get Jamie's attention, also to get everyone else's. What was weird is how they wore masks on their faces.

The masks looked expensive, three of them were sparkling every time they hit the light, indicating they had diamonds. They were revealing nothing about themselves. That is scary and creepy.

" Stasia?" Jamie nervously said. You could not miss the strain and fear in his voice.

" I'm here to get my weeks wage before I leave," I said softly.

" Oh..." he said before clearing his throat. " Can I give it to you tomorrow?"

" I don't come on Sundays," I answered, and he nodded.

" Monday then. Yeah Monday." He said, shaking and I nodded, quick to close the door, turning on the balls of my heels, grabbing my bag and rushing out of the diner, going back home, just to rest for a few minutes.

When I reached the apartment, my nonna, was not there. These days she was busy with something and she would not tell us. I remember yesterday she wanted to tell us something but she could not, as a call swooped her away from us. I ran up to my room, stripped off my clothes, dived on my bed and I slept.

A buzzing woke me up from my sleep. I grabbed my phone, swiped right, and placed the phone on my ear. I groaned on the phone when no one spoke. You could hear the heavy breathing but not the voice of the one that called.

" Uhm hello?" I asked, annoyed, but the person did not answer, so I ended the call. I do not have time for that bullshit. As I was about to close my eyes yet again, my phone buzzed and I hissed.

" Hello!" I roared again.

" Sheesh, you are so ready to bite my head off. I will be at your house in like thirty minutes. We are already late for the game by fifteen minutes. So, I hope you are ready. Bye," she said and I groaned, only to remember that I had fifteen minutes to get ready.

I grabbed a blue scotch skirt with a white tank top and my Nike's. I quickly grabbed my handbag and rushed down to the kitchen. I was too hungry, so I decided to quickly make a smoothie but then my phone rang, stopping me from my goal. I groaned and grabbed the house keys and locked the apartment door, before rushing down the stairs and out the apartment building, to find Jorja's G63 waiting.

I flew in the car panting. She took a quick glance at me before laughing. She was wearing a blue and white spaghetti short dress and sneakers. She stepped hard on the accelerator and we sped off. In five minutes, we were already parking the car. We jumped out of the car and rushed through the tunnels towards the field.

It was fully packed. The cheers, the excitement and the thrill flooded the whole field. I pulled Jorja over to grab a seat. We jumped over people who were seated and pushed all those who were roaring in our ears away. I saw the score board, it was still a tie. 6-6. I fell on my seat, dragging Jorja down.

On the field, both teams huddled up, giving us a nice yet ugly view of their bums. I snickered at the thought. Jorja too joined the roaring of the audience. I quickly glanced over at everyone sitting and cheering for the Wolves, and one caught my eye. The man was wearing a black winter coat and his eyes were covered by expensive-looking shades.

Shades at night?

Really?

I removed my eyes from him and turned back to the game. I saw my brother waving over to me and I jumped up and waved back. I mouthed an "I love you" hoping he could see it, and he also said it back and I giggled. I turned to find the man now staring at me, and I froze. We had a staring contest for three seconds before I decided to turn into my brother's number one fan.

When it was half time, I rushed out of my seat, running towards my brother before they could disappear into their locker room. Luckily, he caught me and twirled us around. He smelt like sweat and his cologne. His curls were sticking to his forehead. He put me down and held my hands.

" Don't worry, you guys will win," I said reassuringly.

" I hope so. The scholarship people are here. Turns out, if I win this game, they will fund my schooling next year when I go to university and then they will allow me to play for their team," he said, and I beamed with joy.

" Prove them right," I said, and he nodded.

He rushed down the tunnel, going to the locker room with his teammates. I rushed up to go grab my seat but stopped when I realized the man was gawking at me. I frowned at him before taking my seat, while he took out his phone and placed it on his ears.

I turned back to find Jorja rushing up to me with sausage rolls in her hand and two diet sodas. She knew I was very hungry. She handed them to me and I beamed with joy.

"How is he?" she asked, whispering directly in my ear, so I could hear her.

" Nervous. The big dogs are here, so he is nervous. He wants to win," I said, whispering back into her ear, and she nodded.

We heard people start cheering and clapping louder than usual. I turned to see the Wolves and the Serpents running out of the tunnel. I too jumped up and started cheering. Screaming. Roaring. Whatever I had to do, I did it!

The game started, and that is when I sat down, only to find my phone was ringing. I frowned when I saw the caller ID. Jorja glared at me and I showed her the caller ID, and she scoffed, rolled her eyes, and continued to roar out

" Hello," I said.

" I called to remind you that at seven you must be here," he said.

" Yes Patrick, I know." I said, rolling my eyes.

" Good," he said, and he dropped the call.

After another hour of cheering, roaring and being a fan, The Wolves won. Not by a long shot, but they won 36-32. The Wolves were running around the field, doing backflips and all the crazy things they could do. I dragged Jorja down, and we rushed towards the field.

Tae and Andrea ran to us and we jumped on them before they let us down. They were both incredibly happy. Tae's silky hair fell over as he shook the sweat out. They were both sweaty and musky.

" I told you that you would win!" I snickered and he nodded.

" So, when are y'all going to the party? I want to come with you!" Jorja said and I rolled my eyes. She would never dare to miss a party.

" It starts at eight but we are going to Tae's house after the pep talk and everything, so we leave here at half past seven." Andrea said.

" Then I'll pick you guys up so we can go to Tae's house together, but I need to drop Stacia somewhere," she said.

" Where?" Tae asked and I shook my head no.

" You like things." I spoke. " I'm so proud of both of you. I hope you both get the scholarship."

" We hope so too. Only five of us were offered in our team." Tae said, running a hand through his silky hair.

" I'm proud of each and every one of you," I managed to say before my phone rang and I scowled. " Jorja, we need to go."

We bid farewell and rushed out of the tunnel, going to the parking lot. We jumped inside the car and Jorja sped off. She would steal glances from me but I would wave her off and tell her to concentrate on the road, rather than at me.

We finally pulled up at the club. I jumped out of the car after hugging her and I rushed inside the club. Twiddle DeeDoo wasn't behind the bar tonight, so I was alone. Patrick was waiting impatiently in my changing room. He was tapping his foot and the leather pants clung on to his thin thighs. His eyes went wide when he saw me.

"You sure took your time." He said and I rolled my eyes. " You only have ten minutes to get ready."

I rushed into my changing room and ripped all my clothes off. I didn't have time to be neat or pack them away, so I left them on the floor. I grabbed a black lace suit with spaghetti straps. I grabbed a pair of thigh-high, black-velvet boots and put them on.

I don't put on makeup, but only masks. The only make-up I use is the cherry lip gloss that makes my lips pop. I slicked my hair into a low ponytail and my look was finished. I rushed out of my booth, going back stage.

Hope, emerging from the curtains. She left me with "good luck" before walking away. The black string disappeared into her butt. Patrick then announced my name, making it my cue to go dance for those dirty men. I'm the only girl who wears masks and all black. That's my signature. All girls have their signature styles and mine is black and masks.

Wild side by Normani was playing. As soon as my leg peeked through the curtains, you could hear the thirsty cheers of married men. I walked out and slithered towards the pole. Money has already been thrown at me like a blown-up ATM.

I didn't want to do too much; I only did that for my private dances. I need to keep them keen. Those who can afford private dances are wealthy, so I enjoy them more since there are not any other people there with me. When I was done, the whole stage was covered in money. I rushed up to my booth, waiting for Patrick to enter and announce who had asked for a private dance. Speaking of the devil.

" I'll give you your pay on Monday. The boss is coming to visit," he said, and I nodded.

" Any dances?" I asked.

" About that...you are not allowed for any private dances anymore," he said and my mouth gapped.

" What? Why?" I asked. Private dances paid more. I would walk out of here with twenty thousand dollars just because of one dance.

" Rules don't allow you to do them," he said.

" What rules? I thought I wasn't allowed for private sessions yet", I scoffed, and he shook his head no. This bitch.

" Rules are rules, Catalina. Go home now. I'll clean up your money for you. You will get eighteen thousand on Monday. Those were the total amount from last week's Monday," he said before walking out.

I groaned while ripping the mask off my face and hurriedly grabbing all my clothes from the floor. I took off my suit, wore my clothes, and grabbed my bag before walking out.

I was mad.

Pissed was even an understatement because it all happened all of a sudden. I didn't understand why, because when I danced for that stranger, it was no problem. Unless they found out about what had happened?

That I had allowed someone to pleasure me even though I was only supposed to dance for them. I hope they haven't found out about what I did. During private dances, the clients weren't supposed to touch us, but my client did more than just touch me. I ended up climaxing on his hand.

I pushed my way out of the club, finding Fernando smoking weed. He ushered me into the taxi, and I found Leo in a huge argument over the phone.

" Argh, you such a bitch!" he roared before ending the call. He then glared at me. " My mom. Bitch thinks I'm a billionaire or something."

" Shame," I said, snickering.

" So why the long face?" he asked, turning the car into gear.

" I found out I am no longer doing private dances. Turns out, those are the rules. No fuck them and their stupid rules." I gritted and he snickered.

" Shame," he managed to say before a blinding light peered through the window.

I turned my face only to find glass spattering all over my body. The car was tossed over, now upside down. The ringing noise in my ear. The warm liquid glided down only to drop on the roof. I peered over to see leather boots, situated on glass before lights out.