PROVIDENCE ACADEMY

The next day, I'm slowly wandering in the school hallway, nibbling on a stage plank cookie.

"Catty?" Sebastian said, catching up to me wearing his boarding school uniform.

"Hey, Seb." I greeted him.

"What are you doing, just wandering around in the half-empty hallway?" Sebastian asked as we take a stroll together.

"Nothing much." I said. "Why? What's up?"

"Oh, nothing." He said. "You're not gonna go through with it, are you?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"The thing that Shaun mentioned. The strip tease thing?" Sebastian asked.

"Maybe, maybe not." I said to him.

"So, you're really gonna do it? Do a strip tease and dance on a pole?" Sebastian asked, surprised.

"I don't know, maybe, but Shaun probably just said that because she thinks that I'm not gonna do it." I said to him.

"But you're gonna prove it." Sebastian said.

"Sebastian? Why are you making a big deal out of it?" I asked.

"Because it's not you." Sebastian said.

"Well, people change." I said.

"Most people do." Sebastian said. "And you're not like most people."

I stopped walking and faces Sebastian and he stopped walking and faces me.

"What are you trying to say?" I asked. "You don't think I can actually do a strip tease?"

"That's not what I'm saying, CP. Take Grayson for example. He spent weeks at the juvenile detention center and it might've changed him. And if you decide to join his Thrasher gang, it might change you." Sebastian said.

"I will always be who I am, Seb. I'm a young adult, I can make my own decisions." I said to him.

"I know, just be sure whenever you make a decision, it's the right one." Sebastian said.

Sebastian and I exchange looks at each other and then, I see Drake Pierson with Jade Ester.

"Who's the guy with Jade?" Sebastian asked, looking at Drake Pierson.

"That's Drake Pierson. Grayson knows him from the juvenile detention center." I tell Sebastian and gently pulls him behind a set of lockers.

"Is Drake bad news?" Sebastian asked.

"According to Grayson, he is." I tell him. "He even flirted with me at Rochelle's."

"He did?" Sebastian said.

"Yeah, apparently, he knows me by a Polaroid that Grayson has of me, but other than that, I have a bad feeling about Drake." I said to Sebastian.

"And plus, Jade Ester is bad news. Who knows what she's up to." Sebastian said.

"There's something else that's more to Jade." I said.

"By the way, check this out . . ." Sebastian said, gently rolling up his right sleeve, showing his red snake rose tattoo on his upper right arm.
" . . . Mr. Baxter did it for me after I left the Blue Clam last night."

"Did it hurt when he tattooed it?" I asked.

"Nope, he airbrushed it." Sebastian said. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah, it is." Sebastian said, gently rolling back down his sleeve. "You know, even though, we broke up, we still hangout with each other."

"Yeah, I forgot that we broke up." I said, walking away from him.

"But at least, we're chatting with each other. That's a good thing, right?" Sebastian said.

"It is." I said to him. "I bet you feel kinda big with your tattoo."

"Grayson talked me into it. We both got one together." Sebastian said.

"Well, I'm glad you two have made amends and reconciled with each other." I said to him.

"Yeah, me too." Sebastian said. "I gotta go. I'll see you around, Carrey."

"You too, Seb." I said.

And Sebastian walks away.

◾◾

ARTS AND CRAFTS ROOM

Later that day, I'm sitting at the round desk table with art supplies scattered out on the table.

With my laptop, I continue my research on Jade Ester.

Catty (VO) There's something more to Jade Ester than it is.

She was committed into the Wainecroft For Troubled Youth for having sociopathic tendencies.

There are even pictures of dead bodies of nuns and orderlies with their throat slits and stab wounds.

And Jade was responsible.

Catty (VO) Oh my gosh, Jade Ester is a sociopath.

"Hey, Catty." Alyssa greeted me in the doorway.

I look up at Alyssa with a small smile. "Hey, Alyssa."

"If you would like to, could we, you know, hangout sometime?" Alyssa asked me.

"Uh, sure." I said.

"Look, I know you tolerate me because of what I put you through, but I'm trying to make up for it." Alyssa said.

"I thought you and Shelly were gal pals." I said.

"Shelley and I had a little falling out and she's not quite chatting with me as of right now." Alyssa said.

"Wait a minute, you really don't have any real friends, don't you?" I asked her.

Alyssa doesn't answer, she just looks away with a glum expression on her face.

I close my laptop and folds my arms, looking up at her. "Damn. You really are alone here at Providence Academy. With Trixie at the rehabilitation center and Shelley ticked off at you, you have no one else to confide in."

"I know, I know." Alyssa said, sitting down at the round table with me. "And I'm the reason why Grayson and You aren't together anymore, and not to add on that, my parents are divorced, my Dad moved out of the house, and my Mom has been drinking. I don't know what the hell to do anymore."

"What about your grandma?" I mentioned.

"She sits alone in her mechanical wheelchair in her room. She barely comes out of her room." Alyssa said. "So, you see my house life is dull."

"I'll think about it, hangout with you." I said to her.

"Okay." Alyssa said, and gets up and walks away.

◾◾

THE BLUE CLAM DIVE BAR AND LOUNGE CLUBHOUSE

That evening, Me and the Beckett Crew had regrouped with each other at the dive bar.

My parents and I slowly walks inside the main room of the dive bar.

"Holland." My Dad said.

"Peter." Holland said.

Peter and Holland gently shakes each other's hands, exchanging small smiles at each other.

"It's good to see you again, old buddy." Peter said.

"You too, Peter." Holland said.

Peter and Holland gently pulls away from the handshake.

"Um, how about a drink?" Holland asked.

"Sure." Peter said.

Peter and Holland walks away, walking over to the bar counter.

And while everyone is sitting around and hanging out with each other, I glance at the stage.

I walks up onto the stage and selects a song on the sound system.

{Song: Heaven - Julia Michaels}

Getting everyone's attention, I slowly walk to the middle of the stage and undress myself.

I unbuttoned my sleeveless light blue blouse and takes it off, revealing the top of my black lingerie top, and then, i unbuttoned my pastel green skirt, revealing my black undies.

"Oh my gosh." My Mom and Dad said in unison, completely shocked.

With the stage overhead lights on, I gently runs my hands in my blonde hair, getting into the song as I slowly heads over to the pole.

With some pole dance tutorials I googled, I gently arch my back and gently pulls myself back up.

"What the hell?" Sebastian said.

I gently twirl myself around the pole, performing a pole dance.

"Son of bitch, she's actually doing it." Shaun said, with an impressive grin on her face.

I do another twirl around the pole and arch my back and gently pulls myself back up again.

I look at Shaun and she looks at me with an impressive smile on her face.

As the song ends, I gently slides down the pole and slides back up and gently leans backwards against the pole itself, finished with my pole dance.

[Song ends]

Everyone is quiet, still shocked that I did a pole dance.

Shaun applauds me from behind the bar counter and everyone joins along.

I get my clothes from the stage floor and Holland gently puts his Thrasher leather jacket over my shoulders.

"Um, what a nice performance, Catty." Holland complimented me with a small smile. "Let's hope you're not in too much trouble with your parents."

"Yeah, me too." I said and walks away, walking off the stage.

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