Status: Posting and rather quickly
No One Told You Life Was Gonna Be This Way
Just Lily
Tiger Lily strutted in wearing her costume that she wore on stage. The tiger print bra and panties with those insanely high stripper heels. “Your friend paid for an hour and a half.”
“Look you don't have to do anything. I just- Can we just talk?”
She sat on the raised platform with questioning eyes, “What?”
“I really don't want to be here right now- No offense to you. Strip clubs aren't really my thing. This is all my friend's brilliant idea.”
She drew her knees to her chest and clasped her hands around her legs, “Your friend being Max Talbot?I figured strip clubs weren't your thing. Your image is too wholesome.”
“You know who I am?”
“Of course I know who you are. You're the Sid the Kid. The Next One. You scored the overtime goal that won Canada the gold medal. You led the Pens to the Stanley Cup. You're kind of a big deal.”
“You seem to know a lot about me, but I don't know anything about you. What's your name?”
“Tiger Lily.”
“Your real name.”
“I really shouldn't tell you that.”
“What am I going to do? Stalk you?”
“Lily. Just Lily Copeland.” She wasn't supposed to tell clients her real name but who was going to find out? At that moment Lily felt completely vulnerable. She was suddenly aware of how much skin was showing and felt self-conscious about her appearance. For the first time with a client, she felt like Lily Copeland from West Des Moines, Iowa, instead of Tiger Lily. “So if you're not into strip clubs, then why are you here?”
“Max thought it would be a good idea for me to forget about my girlfr- my ex-girlfriend.”
She started laughing. Laughing.
"That's not the reaction I expected," Sidney said dully.
“I'm sorry, it's just that that's so Friends! You're Chandler!”
“You watch Friends?”
“Watch it? I'm liked obsessed with that show! I have all the seasons on DVD.”
“Me too!”
“Have you successfully entered Phase 2?”
“Well I'm not drunk yet,” Sidney pointed out.
“I can fix that,” She teased. “What happened with your girlfriend? Why did you guys break up?”
“We had an argument and when I came over a few days later to apologize, she had slept with her co-worker.”
“Was his name Mark?”
“We were not on a break. We just had an argument and needed time to cool off, you know, get a frozen yogurt.”
She laughed, “How long were you wearing your sweatpants?”
Sidney decided that he liked hearing her laugh. “Three days. What are you doing in a place like this?”
“What's not to love about Rosemary's Garden?” She joked, “I'm originally from Iowa. I thought I was perfectly content living the country life, working the farm, marrying the guy next door. I did dance and gymnastics, was a cheerleader, even. For a competition, we traveled to Pittsburgh. It was eye -opening. I realized then and there that up until that point, I lived my entire life in a five block radius. I eventually got a gymnastics scholarship to Pitt, but the scholarship only covers half the tuition. Gymnastics isn't exactly a money maker. I'm an out of state student so I was paying close to $20,000 a year. My parents don't exactly support me going to across the country for college so I had take out a loan, actually loans. I make more money stripping in one night than a whole week at Walmart.”
“You don't belong here.”
“Thank you.”
“What color is your hair?”
“Pink,” She smiled, “Though yesterday it was red and the day before that platinum.”
“What is it naturally?”
Lily ran her hand underneath the seam of the wig and pulled it off. She removed the bobby pins holding the black, mesh wig cap to her scalp. With a tug of an elastic, smooth, shiny blonde waves tumbled down Lily's toned back. “I suppose that's all the stripping I'll be doing for you?”
“Why do you hide your hair?” Sidney resisted the temptation to wind the blonde strands around his fingers.
“It makes me less recognizable. It works as a disguise, I suppose.”
There was a loud knocking on the door, “Five minutes,” A deep bass voice called out.
“That's Volt. He's a bouncer,” She explained, “Good luck, with everything,” She stood up to leave.
“You don't have to be here, if you don't want to. There are other ways.”
“That's where your wrong because there are no other ways that don't end up with me seriously in debt,” A slight frown creased her forehead and turned down her lips, “Thank you for just wanting to talk,” She smiled. She walked out of the room, just walked, no swaying hips or sultry strut, just her.
“Don't let him back in here, Volt.”
“But that's Sidney Crosby. Why shouldn't I let him back in?”
“Don't bring him back or I think I might fall in love," I found myself smiling, "I think I already am,” I said more to myself than to Volt.
“Look you don't have to do anything. I just- Can we just talk?”
She sat on the raised platform with questioning eyes, “What?”
“I really don't want to be here right now- No offense to you. Strip clubs aren't really my thing. This is all my friend's brilliant idea.”
She drew her knees to her chest and clasped her hands around her legs, “Your friend being Max Talbot?I figured strip clubs weren't your thing. Your image is too wholesome.”
“You know who I am?”
“Of course I know who you are. You're the Sid the Kid. The Next One. You scored the overtime goal that won Canada the gold medal. You led the Pens to the Stanley Cup. You're kind of a big deal.”
“You seem to know a lot about me, but I don't know anything about you. What's your name?”
“Tiger Lily.”
“Your real name.”
“I really shouldn't tell you that.”
“What am I going to do? Stalk you?”
“Lily. Just Lily Copeland.” She wasn't supposed to tell clients her real name but who was going to find out? At that moment Lily felt completely vulnerable. She was suddenly aware of how much skin was showing and felt self-conscious about her appearance. For the first time with a client, she felt like Lily Copeland from West Des Moines, Iowa, instead of Tiger Lily. “So if you're not into strip clubs, then why are you here?”
“Max thought it would be a good idea for me to forget about my girlfr- my ex-girlfriend.”
She started laughing. Laughing.
"That's not the reaction I expected," Sidney said dully.
“I'm sorry, it's just that that's so Friends! You're Chandler!”
“You watch Friends?”
“Watch it? I'm liked obsessed with that show! I have all the seasons on DVD.”
“Me too!”
“Have you successfully entered Phase 2?”
“Well I'm not drunk yet,” Sidney pointed out.
“I can fix that,” She teased. “What happened with your girlfriend? Why did you guys break up?”
“We had an argument and when I came over a few days later to apologize, she had slept with her co-worker.”
“Was his name Mark?”
“We were not on a break. We just had an argument and needed time to cool off, you know, get a frozen yogurt.”
She laughed, “How long were you wearing your sweatpants?”
Sidney decided that he liked hearing her laugh. “Three days. What are you doing in a place like this?”
“What's not to love about Rosemary's Garden?” She joked, “I'm originally from Iowa. I thought I was perfectly content living the country life, working the farm, marrying the guy next door. I did dance and gymnastics, was a cheerleader, even. For a competition, we traveled to Pittsburgh. It was eye -opening. I realized then and there that up until that point, I lived my entire life in a five block radius. I eventually got a gymnastics scholarship to Pitt, but the scholarship only covers half the tuition. Gymnastics isn't exactly a money maker. I'm an out of state student so I was paying close to $20,000 a year. My parents don't exactly support me going to across the country for college so I had take out a loan, actually loans. I make more money stripping in one night than a whole week at Walmart.”
“You don't belong here.”
“Thank you.”
“What color is your hair?”
“Pink,” She smiled, “Though yesterday it was red and the day before that platinum.”
“What is it naturally?”
Lily ran her hand underneath the seam of the wig and pulled it off. She removed the bobby pins holding the black, mesh wig cap to her scalp. With a tug of an elastic, smooth, shiny blonde waves tumbled down Lily's toned back. “I suppose that's all the stripping I'll be doing for you?”
“Why do you hide your hair?” Sidney resisted the temptation to wind the blonde strands around his fingers.
“It makes me less recognizable. It works as a disguise, I suppose.”
There was a loud knocking on the door, “Five minutes,” A deep bass voice called out.
“That's Volt. He's a bouncer,” She explained, “Good luck, with everything,” She stood up to leave.
“You don't have to be here, if you don't want to. There are other ways.”
“That's where your wrong because there are no other ways that don't end up with me seriously in debt,” A slight frown creased her forehead and turned down her lips, “Thank you for just wanting to talk,” She smiled. She walked out of the room, just walked, no swaying hips or sultry strut, just her.
“Don't let him back in here, Volt.”
“But that's Sidney Crosby. Why shouldn't I let him back in?”
“Don't bring him back or I think I might fall in love," I found myself smiling, "I think I already am,” I said more to myself than to Volt.
♠ ♠ ♠
Not sure if I mentioned this but this is intended to be a mini-story, longer than a few-shot but shorter than a full blown story. I hope you guys enjoy it and please comment!