"Come on, move it!" Adrenaline coursed through my body as I followed as fast as I could. My guide led me through broken fences, prickly bushes, and down alleyways giving me several cuts and bruises. The footsteps behind me were close and I felt like I wasn't running fast enough. Getting passed up would be embarrassing. I didn't want to be the slowest one of the group and I picked up the pace. 

Finally our group slowed to a halt around the corner of some abandoned building. My sides ached and I took deep gulps of air while the kids around me cheered and high fived. Someone patted me on the back before checking out the loot. "Aw, nice!" he said pulling out a pack of smokes. Taking one out he lit it up and passed the carton around. I accepted one despite my weak state. Ramona took one too, only because everyone else did. Neither me or her wanted to be the odd one out. So we did what was expected of us. Ramona coughed and choked on the smoke.

"You okay?" I asked and she nodded, taking another puff. Our unofficial leader, Arnold, rummaged around in his burlap sack for the other goodies. 

"Who wants the lipstick?" he asked, holding up a cheap tube. 

"I'll take it," Maria said, grabbing it from him. I certainly wouldn't touch cheap makeup. After resorting to it knowing good and well we couldn't afford better, my skin broke out badly. School was a nightmare and I swore the shit off. Ramona turned it down too. She never wore makeup and was a natural beauty. Clear brown skin with silky black hair tied up in braids. Long eyelashes over her brown eyes and one tiny mole on her right cheek. I found myself jealous of her looks sometimes. 

Ramona Diaz was a good kid. She got caught up in this life because of me. I didn't want to turn these guys down and so Ramona joined too. I wish she hadn't. Her little sister really looked up to her and might end up doing the same stupid shit as us. One of us had already been caught and sent to a juvenile detention center last month for stealing a bag of weed and possession of said weed. None of us had seen him since.

Arnold pulled out bits of cash and passed it around to all of us. The house we broke into wasn't a fancy one so I didn't expect him to pull out any diamond watches. But it really hurt inside knowing we probably took the owner's few possessions. I focused on my cigarette. Ramona barely touched hers. 

"Ah, here's something," Arnold said pulling out a fancy crystal glass. "This might be worth a good fifty bucks."

"I say thirty five," Robert said looking it over. "It's got a chip in it." Arnold huffed when he saw it. 

"Alright, thirty five. We can split that five ways." He put the glass back in the bag carefully and pulled out a pocket knife. "Now this is for me."

"Come on, that's not fair!" Robert whined. With his buzz cut and unattractive face, I thought he resembled a potato. It was rude of me to think so but I couldn't unsee it. His pushy demeanor made me feel less bad about making the connection. "Why do you always get the good stuff?"

"I didn't see you cracking the front door open and taking stuff!" Arnold shot back. He pulled out a toy kaleidoscope. My stomach churned at the thought that we might have robbed a little kid. "Here, go crazy."

"Asshole," Robert said but looked through it anyway. Arnold gave us girls a wicked grin. 

"Here," he said pulling out a pair of pink, lacy underwear. "You ladies can fight over these." He tossed them at us and they landed on the ground when Maria jumped away from them. 

"Ew, I'm not touching those!" she screamed and the boys laughed. 

"Come on, what's the matter with them?"

"I have no idea where they've been, first of all," Maria said while the boys doubled over with laughter. "Were they washed? Probably not!" Ramona and I backed away from them. Neither of us were interested in a pair of used underwear. "You're a fucking creep, Arnold, you know that?"

"Alright then, leave them there for the owner to find," Arnold said. He pulled out a tiny bag of something none of us recognized. "I didn't steal this, I promise." Robert's eyes widened and Maria's mouth hung open in shock. Ramona and I were clueless. The bag was tiny with some light brown powder inside. I knew it had to be a drug of some kind. I knew what weed looked like, everyone did. But this was something else. Something sinister. A shiver went down my spine.

"No fucking way..." Robert marveled. 

"Bought it off an older friend who got it from his dealer," Arnold said, flipping the bag around in his hand. "I've got some needles stashed away at home we can use."

"You're an idiot," Maria said. "Scoring heroin, are you insane?" Ramona and I exchanged looks. Ramona looked sick and I was in shock. I'd never seen heroin before. It looked so ordinary in Arnold's hand. 

"I assume you won't be having any?" he asked Maria. Maria rolled her eyes.

"Of course I am," she said. "I'm not letting you bozos have all the fun." Arnold looked to Ramona and me. 

"What about you two?" he asked, holding the bag out for us to see. My heart raced. I didn't know what to say. I should have turned them down right away and Ramona and I could have gone on to do something else, something that wouldn't get us arrested or killed. But everyone else looked so happy and eager to try it. Maybe it wasn't so bad; the media loved scaring kids away from drugs with creepy PSA's on television. 

"Isn't it really dangerous?" I asked and Ramona nodded. 

"I heard it's really addictive and can kill you," she said. 

The other three scoffed and rolled their eyes. "Of course they're gonna tell you that," Maria snapped. "Soda pop can kill you if you drink enough of it."

"Yeah, water can kill you, man," Robert added. "Saw it on TV once."

"Hey, it's no big deal to us if you don't want any," Arnold said, looking back and forth between Ramona and me. "One little hit won't do much. We're all gonna try some at my place. More for us if you don't go." Ramona gave me a pleading look. Right then I should have said no and walked away. I'm still so angry at myself for giving in. 

"Well....if you say it's okay...." I said. "But just a tiny bit, I don't want to, like....foam at the mouth or anything." Mom told me horror stories of people trying drugs and having all kinds of freaky things happen.

"That only happens if you overdose, which we just won't do," Arnold said and he stuffed the little baggie back into the burlap bag and motioned for us to follow him. Giving Ramona an apologetic look, I followed. 

I could feel Ramona's eyes on me the whole time. 

**********

The sheets were soaked. A cold sheen of sweat covered my entire body yet I shivered and shook. My head throbbed from the echoes of Jack Daniel's and I had goosebumps up and down my arms. I put a hand to my head.

Scorching hot. I was running a fever.

Wrapping a couple blankets around myself I slid off the bed and stumbled into the bathroom. Scout took my spot on the bed where it was warmer. Looking at myself in the mirror, I was surprised the glass didn't shatter.

There was no way I could go to work like this. 

My tan complexion looked almost a sickly grey and my eyes were dead and dull. My whole body ached and I wouldn't be able to dance. I would just have to call in sick again. Celine wouldn't be happy but it was obvious this time. Maybe it really had been a dizzy spell and had nothing to do with Bon at all. Either way I was spending the day in bed feeling sorry for myself. 

Picking up the phone I dialed Celine's number. The club wasn't open this time of day but Celine would surely be at her house by now. She gave us all her number in case of emergencies. Shivering, I waited for her to pick up. 

"Hello?" she answered, her French accent light and airy. "Celine Dubois speaking."

"Celine? It's me, Esther," I said. The sound of my voice was like gravel. Rough and scratchy and I coughed into my elbow. 

"Loulou, you sound awful!" she commented. "Are you still sick?"

"Yeah," I said, keeping up with my previous call to the club. "I'm feeling worse today, actually. I won't be able to make it."

"That's too bad, Esther," she said, sounding very much like a mother. I wrapped my blankets tight around myself and could feel the sweat under my arms. "I hope it's nothing serious. I don't want it spreading around the club or we'll have to close down for a while."

Me missing a couple nights of work was bad enough. The entire club going under was a nightmare. So much business would be lost to the hands of microscopic assholes hellbent on ruining your day. "I won't come back until I know it's gone," I said.

"Good, good," Celine said. "Get plenty of rest, okay? Drink water, take your vitamins-"

"I know, thanks, Celine," I said unable to help the smile. "I'm real sorry about all this."

"You see I made the right choice?" she asked. "When you almost fell of the stage I knew you shouldn't be working." I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah...yeah, you were right."

"I always am," she said bright and cheery. "Take care, Loulou, alright?"

"Yeah, you too." With that I hung up and sighed, my sigh turning into a hideous cough. Scout looked at me from my spot on the bed, all tangled up in the blankets. Maybe I could have the heat going for just one day? It surely wouldn't help my illness to live in a freezer this time of year. Before I could get up to turn it on the phone rang again. "Hello?"

"Hi, Esther." Bon's voice was almost drowned out by the background noise. I heard a chorus of men's voices saying 'Hi, Esther' on the other end. Bon sighed. "Don't mind 'em, hon. They're messin' about," he said. 

"Is that your band?" I asked. 

"Yeah, we're havin' a little band rehearsal before the show tonight, ya' know?" he said. "I was wonderin' if ya' wanted to come over an' hear us play."

My heart skipped a beat. That would be amazing! To see a real life rock and roll band practice their set list before a concert. This was every girl's dream come true, I was so lucky! But my muscles screamed at me not to go. I coughed into the phone. "I'd love to, Bon, but I can't," I moped. "I'm sick."

"Aw, gosh, that's too bad, hon," Bon said. I heard more muffled voices in the background. "The guys are askin' if they can come see you instead."

I could have dropped the fucking phone. There's no way Bon just asked if he could haul his band over to my apartment. There's just no way. My apartment was freezing but if I turned the heat on for one day it would warm up pretty quick. I'd have to make sure my drawer was closed tight and clean up all my dishes and clothes. I'd be a fucking idiot to turn them down. "Sure!" I said and coughed again. "I don't mind you coming but I don't want to get anyone sick."

"Ah, don't worry, we all know the risk. But I-we wanted to see ya'." I blushed. "Tell ya' what. Rehearsal will be over in a couple hours an' we'll drop by for a bit. I can cook ya' somethin' to make ya' feel better."

"You can cook?" I asked sounding more skeptical than I meant to. 

"Sure I can!" he boasted. "Show me the stove an' leave me to it!" I laughed.

"Okay, okay," I said. "You can cook dinner."

"Great," he said. I could practically hear his smile over the phone. "I'll see ya' in a bit."

"Goodbye, Bon," I said and hung up. Scout was sitting at my feet. "We're having company, my boy." I kissed his snout and went to turn the heating on. One day wouldn't cost too much money. I'd make it up at work when I felt better. For now I needed to follow Dr. Dubois' orders and rest. 

**********

It wasn't until that evening when I realized I hadn't told Bon what apartment I lived in. I wasn't sure he could recognize the place with the sun still up and my room number was never brought up. Scout and I waited patiently, Scout enjoying his dinner and me refusing to eat before Bon could get here. If he was cooking dinner I wanted to have enough room to eat it. 

While I waited I cleaned up as best as I could. I did the dishes and shoved my scattered clothes into an already crowded drawer. The heating felt so fucking good and I decided to leave it on the whole night. Scout finished his meal and stretched out on the floor, relishing in the warmth. I felt awful depriving him of basic needs. Sure he had fur, but he deserved a warm house to live in. Why did rent have to increase every time I blinked? 

To my surprise there was a knock on my door. Scout jumped up and raced for the door, barking. I hustled to grab him before he took someone's eye out. Opening the door I was greeted by five friendly faces. "Evenin', Esther," Bon grinned. I stepped aside to let them in. They were all bundled up in coats and scarves. "Sorry we're late, the rehearsals went on forever."

"Yeah, sorry, love," Mal said, heading straight for the couch. Scout wagged his tail at so many new friends. "Tried to fight off management but they're strict."

"That's alright." I kept away from them as much as I could so as not to get them sick. Imagine a concert called off because of me. 

Imagine the concert Jeanie was supposed to attend getting called off because of me....

I started laughing and the boys looked at me funny. "What?" Phil asked. 

"Nothing," I coughed. Angus knelt down to pet Scout and Scout loved the attention. "This is Scout."

"What a good boy you are," Angus said, almost as happy to see Scout as Scout was to see him. "Bon mentioned ya' had a dog with ya'."

"How did you guys find me?" I asked. 

"The bloke at the gate," Bon said. "We asked where ya' lived an' he gave us the number."

"We told him we weren't criminals," Phil said. "He believed us an' jus' let us in."

"Thanks, Barney,"I muttered. Happy as I was that they were able to make it, I was a bit peeved at Barney for just letting any old group of men into my apartment. Maybe he recognized the band. 

"So where's the stove?" Bon asked. "Got me mum's recipe for chicken soup here." He pulled out a crumpled card from his pocket and smoothed it out against his leg. 

"Back there," I said, pointing to the kitchen. Cliff followed Bon and I just then noticed Cliff carrying a giant bag of groceries. Thank fuck too, because my cupboards were bare. I heard pots and pans, much like when Bon was helping clean up at a friend's house.

"Nice place ya' got here," Mal said looking around. I hoped he wouldn't look around too closely. "Jus' the right size, ya' know?"

"Thank you," I said. 

"Angus an' I shared an apartment a few years back," he went on. "An' we're not very big, ya' know...but even so the place was too small. Angus took up all the room."

"An' Malcolm ate all the food an' hogged the hot water," Angus shrugged, petting Scout on the floor.

Malcolm! So that was his full name. "So are you guys related?" I asked.

"He's my kid brother," Malcolm said. "Bit of a large family, ya' know?"

"Ya' have any siblings?" Angus asked. 

"No," I said. "I'm an only child."

"Bon told us your family came from Italy?" Phil asked. I froze up for a second, wondering how much Bon told these men. I nodded. "Which city?"

"Nana was from Venice," I said, trying to remember. It was so long ago that she told me all of this. "She's my dad's mother and they moved to New York. And my mom's parents were from Florence and they also moved to New York." More banging pots and pans. "That's how they met."

"Sorry!" Cliff called from the kitchen. "Too many cooks in the kitchen!"

"Can ya' speak Italian?" Malcolm asked. I shrugged.

"Nana tried teaching me," I said. "I know a few words...I'm not fluent at all. But I wish I was." Scout rolled over onto his back and let Angus pet his tummy. "Cane means dog."

"Bet dinner was always good," Angus said. I smiled.

"Nana was a great cook. She'd make dinner sometimes for Mom and me after Dad died." I bit my tongue. I hadn't meant to let that slip. The room got quiet.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Malcolm said. "Bon hasn't told us much about ya'....jus' how much he likes ya'."

My heart skipped a beat. "I'm just...not an open book," I shrugged. I coughed again, hoping I wasn't disgusting any of them. 

Bon and Cliff were having a friendly disagreement about how to cook the soup and we listened for a while. Eventually Cliff came back and sat on the couch. "Almost ready, love," he smiled. "Bon knows what he's doin'."

"Have you guys eaten?" I asked. I didn't want them going hungry while I pigged out. 

"Had a bit at rehearsal," Phil said. "Someone bought pizza."

"An' we might jus' go out an' eat somewhere before the show," Malcolm said. 

"Stay and eat dinner here," I said, sniffling. I was starting to feel congested but the medicine I took brought the fever down. "I'm sure Bon's making plenty for everyone."

"Nah, we don't wanna eat your food," Angus said. "An' I'm sure he wants you to have leftovers."

"And I want you to stay for dinner," I said. I coughed. "If you can. I'll try not to cough on your food."

Phil laughed. Malcolm shrugged. "Alright, if ya' insist."

"It's ready!" Bon called from the kitchen. He came out wearing a little apron I had tucked away in a drawer and oven mitts on his hands. He looked silly and I giggled. "Any time you want it, Esther."

"Esther's invited us for dinner," Malcolm said standing from the couch. "She said we can have your mum's soup."

"Sure," Bon smiled. "I wouldn't mind havin' Mum's soup either."

**********

There wasn't enough room at my tiny table so we ate in the living room. Bon's mom really knew how to cook. The soup tasted great. I was sure to be feeling much better in the morning. After we were finished Bon offered to do the dishes while the rest of us talked. "So how's work been, Esther?" Cliff asked. "Bon didn't tell us much about it."

"Uh...." Footsteps came rushing into the living room from the kitchen. 

"I didn't say anythin', Esther, I swear," he said, holding his hands up. He was still wearing the apron. "Figured you'd tell 'em if ya' wanted...."

"Thank you, Bon," I said. "I appreciate it." I looked from one face to the next, all looking back at me. They were my friends now too, weren't they? It wouldn't hurt to tell them. "I think I can trust them." 

"You an FBI agent?" Angus asked. 

"Mafia?" Phil asked.

"Hit woman?" Malcolm guessed.

Bon and I exchanged a look. "I'm a dancer."

"Like, ballet, or what?" Malcolm asked. "Ya' play in concert halls or..."

I laughed out of nervousness. "Actually...." I sniffed. "I dance at a club."

The men looked at me. They looked at each other and looked back at me. "Ya' work at a club?" Angus asked.

"Yes," I sighed. "I work at The Diamond Dollhouse. I'm a Diamond Doll."

One by one they started to grin. "Well well well, let's go an' watch ya' dance!" Malcolm said. 

"I'm sick, remember?" I said, coughing for extra emphasis. "I called in sick."

"Aw, well, we'll get out there sometime," he said, giving Scout a few pets. "We'll be sittin' front row cheerin' you on."

"I've seen that place before, Cliff said. "They got poles an' everythin', don't they?"

"Yes," I said. "Poles, a bar, private dance lounge, everything."

"Might have to make it a day event," Phil said. I shook my head. I should have known they'd be...erm...supportive of my career. "Drinks expensive?"

"Not the basic stuff," I said. "The more ingredients it calls for the more money it costs to pay for expenses."

"Who's the best dancer there?" Angus asked. I sighed in thought. Honestly, probably Jeanie. She was always doing fancy tricks on the poles since she was a gymnast and cheerleader in high school. She had years of practice to develop her craft. But Betty was damn good too.

"I guess you gentlemen will have to be the judges yourselves," I said. I looked to see Bon smiling at me. 

"Alright, field trip to Esther's club then," Phil said. He looked at his watch. "We'd better get goin'," he said standing up. "Soundcheck's in an hour." All of them got up from where they were sitting and found their coats. Scout followed Angus around as he packed up to leave.

"Sure is a cute little dog," he said. "Think he likes me."

"All the dogs like you, Ang," Malcolm said. "You're one of 'em."

"Hey, fuck off," Angus muttered, yawning. "I'll be seein' ya, Scout. An' you too, Esther."

"Goodbye, Angus," I said giving him a hug. I gave everyone a hug as they left, the wintry air blowing in with the door open. Cliff was the last one out and he closed the door. Bon had put the apron away in the kitchen and came out to grab his coat.

"Thanks for lettin' us come over," Bon said. "An' eat your food."

"Forget about it, it was nothing," I said. He scooped me up in a hug, not giving a damn if he got sick and set me down again. "Thanks for cooking."

"Wasn't anythin'."

"It was to me."

Bon grinned. "Have a nice night," he said.

"You too." He shut the door behind him leaving Scout and I alone. The soup and the heating did wonders for my body and I immediately jumped in the shower. The water felt great. After I got out I gave Scout a quick bath in warm water and dried us both off with towels. Squeaky clean and exhausted to boot, we jumped into bed and snuggled together under the mountain of blankets. 

I didn't shed a single tear that night.