As I brush my hair and put on my outfit, a tight sea foam green bra and matching panties, the color were said to suit me, I looked at Michael, he came home late last night and passed out drunk on the couch. I can't believe I'm stuck with him. Ever since my parents died I've been living with this alcoholic, him being the only one who would take me in. I feel my left cheek and hate the feel of all the makeup. I have to wear it to cover the bruise from where he struck me in a drunken rage. It's not just my face, he has stricken me in other places, which I also have to cover with makeup. But damn I do a good job at hiding the bruises.

I put my hair in a messy ponytail, which all the guys seem to love, and put on black wedges. I quickly rush out the door and over to Love Planet. I go through the back door and see all the other girls, one who rushes over and says "Hey, you said I could style your hair today." I nod and say "You're right. I'm sorry, I forgot. Here, I'll mess it up for you." All of the girls here are really nice but only to the other dancers. They know how hard it is for each other so they stick together and try and be all friendly. As Amanda brushes my hair, I hear our boss say it's almost time and that we should get ready. I sigh and try not to cry, I wonder how long I'll be doing this. Probably for the rest of my life. As Amanda puts my hair in a dutch braid and  puts the finishing touch on it, our boss runs out, pointing at me and saying "You're going out first, we got a guy who's heard a lot about you and wants to see you work it." I nod and make sure my breasts are sticking out just the right amount. I look towards the curtain and sigh, walking forward to do my job.

~

I grin as I take the seat right by the stage, I've heard Gardenia is the best dancer here. 'Move Your Body' by My Darkest Days started playing and almost immediately she came out on stage. But my grin, which turned into a smile, had completely faded when I saw her. She was very beautiful, but she looked like she was 16 years old. She looked at me and smiled but I could tell it was a broken smile, and the look in her eyes I could tell she was dead inside. I felt a pang in my chest, I don't know why but this hurt. She started to sway her hips in perfect motion and timing to the song but it made me feel sick. I had to stop this.

I stand up and walk over to Gardenia, offering my hand and saying "Can I talk to you privately?" She smiled the same broken smile and nodded but didn't say anything, I could tell she was too scared to. I lead her towards the entrance and immediately take her outside.
"How old are you?" I ask, suddenly angry.
"D-Don't worry, I'm 19." She said in a scared tone.
"Bullshit, I'm 19 and you look like a fucking 16-year-old," I said more harshly than I meant to. Gardenia backed away and said "Okay, I'm 17. But don't tell anyone, I need this job. My boyfriend doesn't work and if I don't work then I get in trouble." I got angrier and said, "How old is your boyfriend and what the hell do you mean when you say you'll get in trouble."

Gardenia was silent for a good while, I could see tears well up in her sapphire blue eyes. The tears immediately fell and I noticed that she was wearing a bunch of makeup on her cheek. It started to run and I could see a dark discoloration. In one quick motion I wipe away the sludge of makeup and see her cheek is horribly bruised. I feel rage boil up inside me.
"Did he do that to you?" I demand. She just tries to back away but I grab her arm to stop her and snap "Answer me!" She started to fully cry and says "He beats me in a drunken rage and if I don't work or clean or cook. He doesn't even let me eat and I have to sleep on the floor." Despite feeling completely enraged I pull Gardenia into a gentle embrace, something she probably hasn't felt in a long time. She cries into my chest for a good while before saying "Please, don't tell anyone about any of this. I need the money and Michael is the only one who'll actually let me stay with him. I've got nowhere else to go." I stroke her hair and say "It's okay, you can stay with me. But you have to quit your job." I can tell by how quickly she nodded that she was relieved to quit her job.

Suddenly she started shaking and I knew she just realized how cold it is. I take off my coat and put it around her, she smiled at me for my act of kindness and I take her hand, leading her to my motorcycle. Once we get on, Gardenia says "Where are we going?"
"Someplace where we can get you clothes," I respond simply and rev up my hog. Gardenia wraps her arms around my waist and I drive off. As I drive I pass by some angry looking guy, it looked like he had something in his hand. I noticed it was a rock and that he was gonna throw it at us so I quickly sped down the road so when he threw the rock it didn't hit us. I look behind me for a second and see that he is even angrier. I don't know what his problem is but I don't care. I turn my attention back towards the road and try to think of where I should get her clothes. I don't know any place that has nice women's clothes. I heard Target is good but a lot of women say they prefer Walmart because it's cheaper and sometimes they have way better clothes than any other stores. Walmart it is.

Later

As soon as I park my motorcycle and I get off, Gardenia stays on and looks rather afraid to get off. Though I know she's really afraid to go inside, scared people will recognize her. I wrap my arm around her shoulder and say "Don't worry, if anyone says anything then I'll shut them up." She smiled lightly and got off, delicately walking forward. I keep my arm wrapped around her as we walk inside and over to the women's clothing section. I had recently got paid a good sum of money for a job that involved a swarm of green Beelzebubs. Some rich guy said he'd pay me any amount as long as I could clear them out of the hidden sewers under his new mansion. After I killed all of them, I told him it would cost him 5 thousand dollars. He quickly handed over the money and told me to take the money, thanking me profusely. I then told him for an extra 2 thousand I could check through the sewers again to check if they laid any eggs. Easiest 7 grand I ever made. Because of how much I made, I told Gardenia to get whatever she wanted.

10 minutes later I had a shopping cart filled with tank tops, yoga pants, skinny jeans, and t-shirts all with some design on them. She also got some long sleeved shirts, one was the color of cardboard but had dark purple and pink designs of flours. Another one was a creamy white color with all shades of purple combined to make a picture of a wolf in a clearing howling. Though you had to pay attention in order to see it otherwise it just looks like a bunch of pretty colors. One that I actually thought was pretty was a dark emerald color with thick black lines to form some kind of intricate design. I told her it's gonna be getting colder out so she should get a sweater and a jacket for when winter is finally here. She grabbed a thick dark blue sweater but couldn't decide on a jacket. I look at her and I can see the skimpy outfit underneath my jacket. I don't know how long she has been working at love planet but I've been hearing the rumors about her for a year so she's been working there since she was 16 and everything she told me only an hour ago made me feel angry again but also kind of sad. After everything she's been through I kind of want to pamper her, make her feel better about everything.

Judging by the tank tops and shirts she put it in the cart, I'm assuming her favorite color is blue. I grabbed a thick light blue winter coat with dark blue fur at the cuffs and neck and put it in the cart. She smiles brightly again and this time I notice that it's not another broken smile, it's genuine. After about an hour the cart is also filled with panties, bras, socks, and some hair ties as well as a hair brush. For shoes, she grabs a black and white pair of converse and a red and white pair. After having to wear wedges and heels all the time maybe this makes her feel a bit better. After I buy everything, Gardenia goes into the changing room to get dressed into something decent. When she steps out, she is wearing the dark emerald shirt, dark blue skinny jeans, and the black and white converse. She looks so much better dressed like this.

I take her hand and lead her out of the store with both of us carrying the bags. It looks like it's gonna rain. My coat that Gardenia had given back to me will protect me from the rain, but her sweater won't protect her. Her winter coat would but it's not cold enough to wear it. I was contemplating giving her my coat to wear again when the same guy from earlier stormed up to us. He slapped Gardenia so hard she fell to the floor. It was after he struck her that I noticed her thin, fragile frame. She was so small and delicate and I honestly thought he would break her.
"You whore! You skip work and I find you waltzing around with another man? Am I not good enough for you?" He was about to kick her but I reacted quickly and stomped kicked him in the stomach, using enough force to make him go flying.

The man, who I instantly knew was Michael, got up and stormed over to me.
"What the hell are you doing with my girlfriend? You're no better than her! If I ever find you near my woman again I'll-GAH!" I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground, saying "She is not your woman, don't treat her like she's your property 'cause she isn't. And she isn't your girlfriend anymore, she's mine, I actually know how to treat a lady, unlike you. If you ever touch or even come near Gardenia again, I'll cut you open and use your insides as shark bait." I looked over at Gardenia to she was still on the floor, trembling. I dropped him and said "You have till the count of 5 to get out of here. If I get to three and you're still here I will crush your skull, if I get to four I'm going to cut off your arms and cauterize the stumps. If I get to five I'm going to throw you through the door, then I'll come out myself to see if you're still alive. And if you are I'll finish the job, very slowly." Michael got up and sprinted out of the store, tripping over his feet as he ran.

I was so angry I hadn't even noticed Gardenia's crying. I look to where she was and see her covering her face and quietly sobbing. I immediately stand her up and say "It's okay, I won't hurt you, I promise I'll never hurt you. I also promise to keep that bastard away from you and to keep you safe from him." I stroke her hair in an attempt to calm her down, she just clung to me and cried harder. I couldn't understand what was wrong until she spoke.
"I've been stuck with him for 2 years, I've had to deal with so much abuse, I never thought I'd be free of him." she cried into my chest, I felt the urge to comfort her, and so I did.

~

The white haired boy picked me up and held me tightly, but not tight enough to hurt, it was actually comforting. He gently brushed the tears from my eyes with his thumb and smiled down at me, I don't know why but I suddenly felt so much better, happy, even. I wrap my arms around his neck and whisper a 'Thank you'. I don't even know his name but I wish I did. He set me down and said, "You said that bastard doesn't let you eat?" When I nod he picked up the bags and said: "Well, let's go get something to eat." I smile and pick up the bags I dropped and followed the boy out of the store. I haven't eaten in so long, I'll be glad to get something in my stomach, even if it's just something like McDonald's, I'm just happy that I can finally eat. 

He put all the bags in this container attached to the motorcycle, it just looked like another part of the motorcycle to me, and got on. I quickly got on as well and wrap my arms around his waist. As he drives to whatever place, I start thinking about something he said. He said I was his girlfriend now. I don't know if he was serious or if he just said that to make Michael leave me alone. I'm kind of hoping it's true. I know I just met him and that he may turn out to be like Michael, but he has done more for me than anyone else has since my parents died. I rest my head on his shoulder and relax, knowing I'm in good hands.