Free

Chapter 2: Two is better than one

Chapter 2

Katherine stood on the sidewalk with another cigarette in her hand, Nikki right next to her, mimicking her position, minus the cigarette.

"How do you stomach those?" Nikki grimaced and swatted her hand at the cloud of smoke that swarmed their heads.

"Need the kick." Katherine shrugged. "Helps me relax." She sighed, glancing around the street, watching men and women stroll by. The men leered, the woman sneered. The men wanting them, the woman hating them for being wanted. It only took barely a look to see and realize why katherine and Nikki were on the streets. Short skirt and even shorter daisy dukes with matching crop tops that exposed too much stomach and under bra to be appropriate.

Katherine sighed in annoyance. Her black knee high boots were rubbing again the flesh uncomfortably, the zipper digging into her skin with every movement she made. The man from the night before had ripped her stockings in her eagerness to get her undressed, and with no money left from her salary, that left her unable to buy a new pair until the next day. That was if she was able to get at least one client.

"You ok?" Nikki frowned at her friends stiffness.

Katherine nodded. "Yeah. Boots are rubbing. That's all."

"Well they shouldn't." Nikki said. "You're wearing stockings, right?"

Katherine shrugged. "Not wearing any. Guy from last night ripped them. Douchebag. They were my last pair."

"Why didn't you say anything? I would've given you a pair of mine." Nikki's scowl grew deeper. It was so typical Katherine. Suffering in silence and never asking for help when she needed it.

"I'm fine, Nikki." Katherine smiled. "Really. They won't be on for much longer anyway." She winked. But Nikki saw the same thing every time she laughed or joked. The smile never reached her eyes.

Nikki sighed sadly. She was going to have to say something. Again. They had the same argument at least once a week. She braced herself before opening her mouth to speak.

"Kat, why are you still here?"

"Because I haven't managed to reel one in yet. Maybe I should take off my jacket..." she said the last part mainly to herself and began unzipping the faux leather trench coat from her body. A few wolf whistles came from across the street as a small group of drunken men happened to stumble out of the bar, unsuccessfully trying to stand up straight.

"You know that's not that I meant, Katherine." She sighed, shoving her hands into her pockets to keep them warm. The weather was getting colder. And with no money to buy more clothes, they would both have to deal with the chilly breeze biting into their skin.

"Nikki. I mean it. Please stop. You're nagging me a lot more than usual lately and it's really starting to piss me off." Katherine glared at her through a cloud of nicotine haze. "If I wanted to be nagged, I wouldn't have left home, and I would've allowed my mother to keep picking at me."

"Kat," Nicole sighed. "You know as well as I do that you don't belong on the streets. You're not bred to be a 'working girl'. Why don't you just go home?"

That did it for Katherine. She snapped. The lack of sleep from the night before, plus her sore feet and calves, paired with Nicole's lecture blew her to boiling point.

"Do me a favor, Nikki. Shut the fuck up." She snarled. "I am so sick of you bitching at me and making me feel like shit. Well guess what? You're in the same situation as me. Worried about how we're gonna make rent, much less even be able to put enough money aside to buy another pair of fucking stockings. So how about you come down off your high horse, and stop acting as if I'm not good enough to be here." Katherine glared at Nicole's shocked face. But she wasn't finished. "Don't forget that I chose to be here. I could very easily call my dad from that payphone across the street and have him drive across the country to get me. Hey, maybe he'll even send the limousine like he did when he couldn't be bothered to pick me up from school. But then I'd have to face my mother, and grovel at her feet and tell her she was right, that I couldn't make it on my own, and that I'd never see broadway or my name in lights. But you know what, living in that shitty apartment, sharing the bed and clothes with you, is hundred times better than that. And I'd rather live out my time here as a 'working girl', like you so put it, than go home and face either of them. Not because I'm embarrassed, but because I've been happier here these last four years than the eighteen I spent under their roof. And who knows, maybe one day I'll be on stage. Like I dreamed about as a kid. It may be tomorrow, next week, or maybe it'll be ten years from now. But I'll get there. But I will never, go back to my parents." Katherine finished with a sigh. She felt better now that she had gotten it off her chest. Fair enough it took four years to do it. But she did it. She never opened up so much when the argued. Yes she had told Nikki about her dreams as a child, her dream role being Christine from Phantom of the Opera. But she had never spoken about her reasons for leaving home and dreams in one sentence. Katherine glanced at Nicole's face, the other girl looking almost embarrassed at having pushed her friend so far. Katherine never said much, the girl always sticking by the phrase, 'If you haven't got anything to say, say nothing at all.'

"I'm sorry, Kat." She apologized. "I didn't realize you felt that way. You'll get to Broadway. I know you will." Nikki smiled encouragingly. I hear you singing in the shower all the time. You're really good. And you know I've said that since we met."

Katherine smiled. "Thanks, Nikki. And don't worry. It's already forgotten."

Nicole shivered as she felt the breeze brush against her exposed stomach. "Hey, it's your birthday next month." She began. "What do you want?"

Katherine scoffed. "Ideally i want to be in New York, but at this time of year it's far too cold to be a tourist." She winked, causing Nicole to laugh. "I'd settle for getting that piece of crap tv working though."

"I'm sure we can sort something that simple." Nicole giggled. "Oh, I think I've got a bite." She grinned coyly, brushing her coat down off her shoulders and swinging it over one arm as a man with greying hair and a slightly protruding beer belly approached the two of them. He was dressed in an expensive suit with a pair of shiny, black designer shoes. Clearly one of those 'more money than sense' type of people.

"Hey, handsome. Looking for a date?" Nicole purred. Katherine giggled inwardly. Flattering a potential 'costumer' was a sure fire way to seal the deal. And this man was by no means handsome. Average more so.

"Actually, I was looking for two." He leered over at katherine, the skin on her body breaking out in a ripple of goosebumps. How she didn't visibly shudder she'd never know. It wasn't rare for some to take the two of them at one time. More often than not, the man liked for the girls to engage together, and they payed to just watch. Katherine loved Nicole, but there was a difference between sisterly love and romantic love. Yes it payed the bills, but katherine never really enjoyed spending the night with her head between her best friends legs. She was 100 percent straight. Yes, Nicole was gorgeous, but Katherine wasn't even remotely attracted to her. Still, money was money. And that was why she smiled and nodded as the man lead them both across the street and into a motel....
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I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. This is going to be quite a long story, so you can expect at least 30 chapter. Let me know what you think and I'll be sure to respond back. Free will be updated every day so keep checking!