Chapter 1
Bliss
Bliss looked at herself in the dressing room mirror. What had her life become? Her face had become almost unrecognizable to her own eyes. At 25, she knew that she had not made all of the right choices in life, but what at lead her here to Houston, Texas? To this Place? Married to her high school sweetheart at 20 she thought that she had it made. Eric was in the Army, first duty station, Ft. Sam Houston. It was the first time either of them had been away from the small North Carolina beach town they were from. A place where sweet tea and honey seemed to run through everyone's veins; Everyone was too nice, in a sickening way, she had to get away. So after Eric got home from AIT he popped the question. They ran down to the County courthouse and got married that day. Weeks later she was in Texas. The marriage only lasted 3 years. The hardest three years of their life. Two deployments in their three year marriage tore them apart. His PTSD was so unbearable and then the abuse started. She had to get away. Luckily for Bliss her best friend Grace had moved to Houston with her boyfriend after he got out of the Marines. She was a dancer at a local club called "Luckys". Bliss moved up to Houston with them in hopes of hiding from Eric. He was pissed when she left. She got a job with Grace at the club. She figured it would be a temporary thing until she could figure out her next move. That was two years ago and she was still a dancer at Lucky’s. Her stage name was Kendall; she for sure could not use her real name. Just in case Eric ever got wind of where she was.
"What the heck are you doing Blissy" Grace snapped her out of her daydream. "Just thinking," Bliss jumped as she answered. She must have been thinking hard because she did not even see Grace sit down at her mirror next to hers. "Are you still sad Mark would not let us have the night off for the concert?" Grace asked. "No, I am over that, I will just see them the next time they come around I guess," Bliss answered sadly. She had wanted to go to a Hanson concert all of her life, but her parents never had the means to let her go. Mark would never let them have a Friday night off.
"Hell No Kendall", Mark said red in the face (she really hated it when he called her by her stage name when there was no need for it) when Bliss had asked a month ago for the night off, "You and Grace are the best girls I have, I just can't let you have Friday night off, If I give it to you two then all of the other girls would want a Friday off and I cannot afford that." ,
"Yeah we will just make sure we ask off for it like six months in advance next time", Grace said trying to assure her best friend.
"KENDALLLLLLL, Your up next set", Mark yelled from the doorway of the dressing room.
"Coming, Mark", Bliss yelled back. "What a douche bag he can be, why can't he just come in here and talk to us like human beings instead of calling us like cattle."
"Bwahahahahah," Grace laughed, "Good luck Hun it’s a packed house out there, I just made $150 just on stage”. ”Sweet," Bliss exclaimed as she headed out of the dressing room.
Zac
He was not sure why, but he decided to go for a little stroll down the street from the hotel after the concert to clear his mind. He thought about getting a drink somewhere and listening to music that wasn't his own that he played night after night for fans. He loved his fans, but it’s nice to hear something other than the sound of your own voice sometimes. He had not walked far when he came across a bar called Lucky’s. It was a “Girls Girls Girls” type place. He had been to a few strip clubs in his life. Not too many. Usually just for a business meeting or a bachelor party for one of his friends back home. It looked like a decent enough place for what it was. He opened the wooden door and was hit in the face by the sound of Crazytown's Butterfly. "Wow that is loud," He thought to himself as he pulled out his wallet to show the door girl his ID. "That will be $5, hun." He handed the door girl his money and let her put his wrist band on his arm. "Good, she did not freak out, I hate it when they freak out," he thought to himself again. He made his way to the bar and got himself a beer. He turned around to check out the scenery. There were some decent looking ladies here. All shapes and sizes. He liked variety to look at. He found himself a seat near the stage, but not too close. He did not want to risk having a dancer freak out and fall on him. That happened once, in L.A. she fell right on him, WHAM, she had fainted.
