RJ

Feb 3, 2014, Monday

Cherry.

My eyes linger at the door where she left. She calls herself Cherry, but I know who she is.

Even with her red masquerade mask covering half her face, I can still recognize that familiar face shape, the bit of baby fat on her cheeks, the pink, supple lips that spread a cheerful, contagious smile. I can recognize her voice too; no matter how much she tried to mask it with that forced coyness, it still has that same, distinct gentleness to it.

And the way she bolts out the door seals it—that girl is Chloe Lee for sure. I have seen her race out of the classroom in this same manner every single day after school, as if the thought of staying in school a minute longer might kill her. I always thought it was because Logan kept trying to catch her after class to ask her out. That dumbass. I always laughed at him and told him, "Dude, she hates you so much."

But all this time, this is what she has been up to? Working in a place like this, serving these assholes, dressed like that? I thought she was working in some kind of bakery? Or was she lying to her friends? She's not even old enough to drink and yet she's serving people drinks?

Not that I should judge—I am also here with a fake ID. But I cannot help feeling frustrated. Of all places, why would she work here?

My frustration turns to anger when I notice the other guys' eyes—full of glee... and lust.

Fucking perverts.

"Stop staring lah," I snap. They give me strange looks, so I take a sip of my martini to calm myself. "I got us two bottles of Chardonnay. Come drink."

"Ah, thank you, thank you!" Markus exclaims. He drops his suitcase on the table and jumps into the spot next to me.

One by one, the rest of the group occupy the rest of the couch while carefully averting their gaze from me. I wish I could punch every one of their little smirks away. I am not sure why, but the more I think about the way they ogle Chloe, the more I am filled with rage.

"You fooled me leh, RJ!" Markus lets out an obnoxious chortle as he leans back on the couch. "I thought you were being so nice to me when you booked a VIP room here, but it's actually for yourself!" He slaps me on my back. "Next time just tell me lah! I know another place with tons more pretty ladies."

I roll my eyes. "I booked this room because of the privacy."

"Yeah, yeah, privacy." Markus gives me a wink before turning around and wiggling his eyebrows at everyone else. "Privacy is super important, right?"

If not for the fact that I need Markus for his services, I would have punched him. Maybe I'll punch him after I get the stuff from him.

The rest of the group laughs along with Markus. Soon, they are all holding glasses of wine, and the conversation inevitably steers towards girls, bars, and other parts of the red-light district I'm not as familiar with.

For the first time, these topics make my skin crawl. This is not all fun and games anymore—I have a classmate working here. And the realization is fueling the rage inside me. Why would Chloe Lee work here? How can she even bring herself to do this?

Before I break the glass of martini in my hand, I set it down and change the topic. "Okay lah, enough talk, show us what you've got, Markus."

Immediately, the room falls silent. They are all here for the same reason, after all. Markus' smirk widens as he clicks his tongue.

"All of you are gonna love this." He reaches forward and opens up his suitcase. Bags of green line the bottom of the suitcase, while the top has rolling paper and lighters tucked in their own compartments. He waves his hands dramatically. "Imports from California."

"How did you get it ah?" a random dude at the far end of the room asks.

"Medical marijuana," Markus says with a wink. "You get a license, and then it's super easy to buy."

I doubt it was easy to buy and sneak marijuana over to Singapore, but obviously, Markus is not going to reveal the entirety of his business strategy.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"Okay, I got five different strains for you all to try." He takes out one of the plastic bags. "This one is a super popular one. It's from Los Angeles, the land of the dreams. It's mellow, the smell a bit fruity, and also I heard that it's slightly sedative."

He passes around pieces of rolling paper and lets each of us take a scoop to try. It has been a while since I last tried to roll a joint but it is not too hard to figure it out again. Markus helps me with the lighter and I take a whiff of it.

A sense of calmness already creeps into the back of my head. The full effect should take a while to hit, but I am already looking forward to it.

As I blow, the smoke tickles my nose. It does have a hint of fruitiness. Maybe... cherries? Fresh cherries. Logan is going to love this.

The calmness in my mind disappears when the door opens.

Chloe strides back in, with her scarlet mask and glittery dress. That stupid, breathtakingly beautiful dress that hugs her curves in all the ways our school uniform does not.

Suddenly, a pang of guilt hits me and I smash my joint in an ashtray.

Chloe is followed by three other bargirls, and they are all holding different plates of snacks.

"Complimentary snacks for our VIPs!" she exclaims as she lifts her plate to the ceiling. Her nose crinkles when the smoke in the room hits her, but that expression is quickly replaced by her fake, cheery smile yet again.

"Markie!" a blonde girl in a yellow mask sets down her plate next to Markus and sits on his lap.

"Hey, Mango baby." Markus's talking tone instantly changes to a soft croon. Argh, so this is why Markus wanted to come to this bar. I look away from the cooing pair before I have to gag.

The rest of the girls circle the room, talking and sitting by whichever customer clicks the most with them. Chloe does the same as well. She walks around with that sweet smile, greeting and offering her plate of fruits to each person. Whenever somebody reaches out for her butt, she swerves to the side while nudging their arms away with her free hand as if she's trying to reject them without offending them. As if she's used to doing this.

Why is she even doing this?

I clench my fists. For every smile she flashes at somebody, for every fake, high-pitched giggle she lets out, the fire inside me burns even more. She is never like this in school, and this new image of her is wrestling with the cute, innocent Chloe in my mind. And I don't know why, but I hate it.

The moment Chloe is within reach, I grasp her arm and pull her towards me.

"R..." She almost calls out my name before her lips smack shut and the eyes under her mask widen in fear.

"Sit with me," I say.

"Huh? Oh, okay..." A blush creeps up her cheeks. All the previous confidence she had chatting with the men seems to have vanished. Hesitantly, she settles on the spot next to me, but several centimeters away.

I narrow my eyes. Every other bargirl is so touchy-feely with their customers, but Chloe sits away from me like I have spines growing out of me or something. Is she like this all the time, or is she afraid of me? Maybe I frightened her too much when I threatened to take off her mask.

"Eh, eh, chiobu, go do your job and sit closer to RJ lah!" Markus cajoles, probably thinking he's doing me a big favor. "She's trying so hard to make a move on you leh!"

Chloe's blush intensifies as she nods and scoots towards me. "S- Sorry. You... want fruits?" she asks, holding up the platter and creating yet another barrier between us.

"No need lah." I grab the plate away from her hand and set it on the table. "Just sit here and... just sit here, okay?"

Slipping my hand around her waist, I tug her closer. She lets out a soft gasp but does not protest further.

"Look at you, RJ. You like this one so much ah?" Markus chuckles, obviously enjoying the scene. His favored bargirl, Mango, feeds him a grape and he takes his time chewing it. "But wait, aren't you, like, together with that guy—what's his name ah?—the son of Soon Kwek Foods?"

Argh, I should have known Markus knows about me and Jon. The question must have intrigued Chloe as well—I can feel her curious eyes boring into me.

"You mean Jon Kwek?" I lean towards Markus. My hand is still around Chloe, so she leans together with me too. Blowing into his face to dispel the smoke that is coming out of his mouth, I lock my eyes with him. "Fuck him lah. I do what I want."

I return to my previous position, with Chloe tucked safely next to me. Every other person in the room is now staring at the two of us, and I can sense Chloe's unease. But whatever. Her job may be to entertain men, but I'm not letting her do that. Not when I booked this room and paid for her service.

Markus blinks and then roars with laughter. "Oh my god, RJ, I really like you leh, you know that?" He lights up a fresh joint and hands it to me. "Want to try this other strain? This one relaxes you in... a certain way."

I raise my eyebrows. I'd snuffed out my previous blunt for some reason, and I badly needed a new one. "Sure."

Markus whistles in delight as I take a hit. He turns towards Chloe. "You want to try too, chiobu?"

Without a second thought, I pop my head in between them. "Hell no."

"What? Aw, come on lah, RJ, let her try lah. If she likes it, maybe you can even buy for her!"

"No. I paid for VIP treatment, and I can't get that if she's high."

"Okay, okay, whatever you say, boss." Markus laughs again before turning back to his girl.

I glance at Chloe. A small pout forms on her red lips. She must have wanted to try, but I cannot bring myself to let her get entangled with someone like Markus. She is already breaking enough laws.

"Drink instead." I grab a glass and pour her some wine—just a little bit, I don't want her to get high or drunk.

Then, I slump back onto the couch and continue smoking. This strain has an earthy taste, and it's not as nice as the cherry one. I let the high take over my mind while I watch Chloe sip on her wine, occasionally casting a wary glance at me. Am I that scary? But whatever. I am too angry—and too high—to care right now.

The room is filled with laughter and smoke. Everyone around us is chatting and talking and flirting, but I am content with keeping Chloe next to me. Keeping her safe.