I'm in love with a stripper

Ch.2

When Madison pulled up to the parking lot of Diamond Princesses, it was packed. I really didn't want to go inside. There was a line longer than my patience.
"Girl this shit bout to be lit." Madison smiled from ear to ear, grabbed her flask and downed whatever drink she was drinking back at my condo.
"I really don't feel like waiting in that line." I pointed out and rolled my eyes.
Madison ran her fingers thru my long black wavy hair. Usually I kept it in a bun but tonight, she wanted to straighten it so I let her. That was something I didn't let her do often.
"We ain't waitin' for shit. Just follow me." Madison opened the car to her Nissan Maxima and stepped out. The wind blew over my bare shoulders, making me shiver. I was wearing a black strapless dress with a diamond cut out in the middle of my back. The black red bottoms on my feet made my toes feel suffocated but Madison kept praising my look for tonight so I didn't complain. Typically I didn't dress this way but I didn't mind the attention.
I followed Madison up to the front of the line, ignoring all the glares we received and held my breath. So far, I wasn't enjoying myself and someone forgot to put on deodorant.
Madison hugged the bouncer, kissed his cheek and smiled when he lifted the red velvet rope.
"Oh hell no! Who is that fat bitch?!" Someone yelled from the front of the line. Madison chuckled but didn't pay the sweaty girl any attention. It didn't affect her when people talked about her weight but I hated it. I started to turn around and slap the bitch but Madison grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the club.
The music was so loud my chest thudded with the beat and my ears started ringing instantly. There were so many different smells going on, I tried not to focus on the overpowering smell of sweat and cologne.
Madison pulled my body closer to hers as we made our way to the bar. She didn't need anything else to drink but she ordered a double shot of tequila anyway.
"Damn this bitch is lit tonight." Madison's eyes were wide and she was excited. This was her scene, not mine. I nodded my head and sipped on the glass she placed in front of me. It tasted fruity and honestly, nasty as hell. The music was so loud, my head started to throb.
My eyes lingered past Madison's broad shoulders to a familiar head of light brown dreads. My heart skipped a beat. Lawrence? I could feel his intense stare even from across the room. How the hell was he still so goddamn fine?! As he made his way over to Madison and I, he licked his pink lips and smiled. When we were together, his pearly white teeth and light green eyes always made my knees weak. Tonight was no different.
"What's good, Aaliyah? Hey cousin." Lawrence opened his arms out for me but I declined and kept my eyes away from his gorgeous face and smile.
"Whatchu doin up here fool?"
"You didn't think I would see the birthday girl and not come speak, did you?" His smile glistened in the flashing lights. Even though the music was loud as hell, I still heard him.
"You remembered my birthday?" I asked, shocked because I didn't even remember my birthday. Birthdays weren't important to me, they never were and would probably never be. Lawrence nodded his head and smiled like a school boy. I melted on the inside.
"Wouldn't be able to forget it if you paid me."
"Yeah, alright Lawrence." Madison was starting to feel my agitation towards him. No matter how hard he tried to sweet talk me, he still broke my heart three years ago. Because of Lawrence, I probably would never want to be with another soul again just to end up destroyed.
Memories came flooding back even with me trying to block them out. I gave Lawrence every part of me just to catch him fucking my cousin in our fucking bed, on my birthday.
Madison followed me into the crowded bathroom, almost on my heels. As soon as I looked in the mirror and saw the tears threatening to expose my emotions, Madison reached for her flask.
"I didn't want to bring your birthday up, i just wanted us to have a good night. I ain't even know he was gon' be here." Madison took a swig, handed it to me and glared at whoever was walking into the bathroom. I fanned myself so my tears didn't ruin my makeup.
"I'm fine." But she knew I wasn't. Seeing Lawrence brought back so many emotions and I honestly couldn't handle it.
Normally I didn't drink but I tilted my head back and let the burning liquid run down my throat smoothly. As I licked my lips, the door to the stall behind me opened and the last person I expected to walk out was a stripper.
Glitter glistened on her caramel skin that was so exposed, she almost looked naked. I tore my eyes away from her curvy body right away, not wanting to get caught staring at her.
"I feel like shit. I know you already hate your birthday and the fact he's here is killin' my vibe, cousin or no cousin." As Madison spoke, I felt the strippers eyes on me. When I glanced at her, she surprised me with a smile that had whiter teeth than Lawrence's and perfectly arched eyebrows to compliment her face. Her hair was curlier than mine and sat effortlessly over her bare shoulder. From the mirror, my eyes lingered over the skimpy outfit she wore. It looked like she had on a bikini only it was covered in diamonds.
"But since it's your birthday we might as well get drunk." I heard Madison say but I wasn't really listening to her.
The stripper finished washing her hands and headed for the paper towels. Still, I couldn't take my eyes away from the way she filled out her outfit of diamonds. Is this what all the strippers looked like?
"I really don't wanna go back out there and see him." I confessed onto deaf ears. Madison shook her head with disapproval. The stripper left with a smirk on her face.
"Nah, we gon celebrate your 29th birthday and turn up bitch."