Chapter 5

The alarm clock chimed at a bright and early 5 AM. Kenny sighed without opening his eyes. He raised a hand and smacked the clock, turning it off. He was required to wake up at five in the morning or else the Miller's would march in and force him awake. He crawled out of bed and pulled on his jeans, not bothering with a shirt. His bruises and cleaned up nicely, allowing him to go without a shirt with pride and not having to explain anything to Karen.

He opened the bedroom door and headed into the bathroom, taking care of his business. He took a quick shower and redressed in his jeans. He headed back to his bedroom and pulled on a shirt then grabbing his cellphone.

Kenny had bought him and Karen cellphones with what money he had left from his father. He made her promise that she wouldn't tell the Millers. He set up a PO Box so he could get his phone bill to keep it hidden. With the few months they've spent at their new home, they learned very quickly that electronics were strictly prohibited. No TV, cellphones, computers, radios, anything. The only electronics they had were a fridge and coffee maker.

He spent a lot of time helping her with her homework and out trying to find a job. Unfortunately the job market was horrible. Kenny spent two months getting interviews and not getting a job. His money was slimming up quickly, with all the purchases he had to make just to make sure Karen had a proper education. He had to by her a laptop so she could do her homework, as well as internet and figure out how to set it up himself. He wanted Karen to have a normal teenage experience and not live in the 50's.

He fell onto the bed, taking a minute to think and sighed. He hated his new school. Everyone was a stuck up brat, considering the Miller family sent them to a private school with uniforms. Everyone talked down to him and Karen. Kenny spent most of his time trying to get her to stop crying after girls would pick on her for not having an expensive purse or a smartphone. He didn't want to spoil her but with the school, he didn't have much of a choice.

Kenny missed his friends and his hometown. He missed seeing Tweek freak out when someone walked up behind him and scared him. He missed Thomas randomly shouting curse words even though he desperately tried to hide it. He missed how he and Craig would sneak out and go to parties and get in trouble. We wished he could go back, take away his past and live in South Park again. Maybe then he could have built of the courage to tell Craig his feelings.

He got up and went into the kitchen. Everyone was accounted for and the table filled with the same breakfast food they had everyday. He loaded his plate, making sure Karen had a full plate and was eating. While he sipped his coffee, he took a second to look Karen over. She had really filled out since they left South Park. She wasn't skin and bones since she ate full meals three times a day. Her skin was shining and her hair was healthy. She had become a very beautiful young woman.

Kenny was pretty proud of himself as well since he had been eating more. His muscles had started to develop and felt good to be strong. He wasn't macho buff, but he had muscles where he needed them and loved his new, fit body. He didn't feel as weak as he used to, with the lack of nutrition before. Now he was the picture of health.

He took a bite of eggs when Mr. Miller spoke, "You got a call in the shower, Kenneth. You have an interview at 3:30 this afternoon."

"Where at?" Kenny asked, his tone mono and continuing to eat.

"I don't remember," Mr. Miller replied, "Barbara, did you wright down the address?"

Mrs. Miller stood and fetched the notepad from next to the phone. She handed it to Kenny and said, "Here you go."

"Will you be able to pick Karen up after school?" Kenny asked, "I'll walk to my interview afterward, then come home. I just want to make sure she'll get home."

Mrs. Miller nodded and replied with a smile, "Of course, dear."

Kenny ripped the page out and went to put it back as Barbara sat back down. Kenny hated that he had to set his calls to the Miller's house instead of his cellphone. The phones were practically useless unless Karen sent him texts during class or when he went out on his jogs.

He tucked the page into his pocket and went back to eating. After breakfast, the two dressed for school. Kenny had to wear khaki pants with a dark green polo with the school emblem on the left breast, as well as Karen, accept she wore a dark green and white plaid, knee-length skirt. Kenny refused to get a haircut the made his hair any shorter than a half inch below his jaw, so he had to keep his bangs out of his eyes at school, considering the policy. He used one of his sisters hair pins, holding back his bangs. It made him look a little girly, but he could really careless. After growing up the way he did, the only thing he cared about when it came to his appearance was if a bruise or scar showed. His bruises had healed but there were some scars that remained on his neck and jaw, but he made up excuses like, he fell out of a tree or something.

Once dressed the two said their goodbyes and began their walk to school. It was about an hour walk but it was good exercise and it gave the siblings time to talk. Karen always talked about a friend she made a school. Kenny didn't care for her talking about her friend, but he was happy that she had somewhat gotten over their parents death. She was smiling and laughing like she used to, if not more.

They arrived at school and parted ways, Karen running up to her friends who giggled and blushed at Kenny. Kenny would smirked and wave, but went back to not caring and ready to get the day over with. He made his way to class and carried on a typical day. He took notes like a good student and took bulling with stride. He was so used to having Cartmam calling him poor and picking at him that no bully really bothered him.

The clock stuck 3 and the school bell chimed, signaling for everyone to go home. He met with Karen and made sure she got in the car with Mrs. Miller and waved them off as he started his walk the opposite direction. Mrs. Miller had brought him a change of his clothes so he would look nice for this interview. He made it to a restaurant, where his interview would be held, and hurried to the bathroom. He changed into a dark orange dress shirt and a brown tie. He pulled on black jeans and combed his hair, slicking it back with a wet comb and trying to look his best.

He stuffed his uniform into his backpack and went to the register, letting them know he was there for the interview. They told him to wait and he did. In the time he waited, he thought about all his past interviews. Everyone rejected him. At first he was rejected because he didn't have nice enough attire, then he was too young, other times it was just not enough experience.

He had thirty interviews before this one. He was still determined however, if he and Karen were going to get out of their own when he turned eighteen, he had to start saving soon. He sighed, dropping his head against the seat he waited in. This one had to pay off, he'd gotten an interview with every business in Casper and he would have to wait before he could try to get a second chance.

"McCormick?" a man asked, looking around the room.

Kenny stood up and gave a nice smile, holding himself in a proper position. "That's me."

The man was dressed well, a manager tag on his shirt. Kenny felt his smile drop when he saw the man with a skeptical look on his face. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but I just filled the position."

"How could you have just filled it?" Kenny asked, anger rising in him. "I got the call this morning."

"For one," the manager replied, "You're very young and inexperienced. We had a more experienced individual come in this morning and we had to give them the position."

Kenny looked over at the counter, seeing an older woman training a younger one. It was a bomb-shell blonde with big boobs and all the right curves in the right places. Kenny knew exactly why this girl was highered and not him. Whether she had experience or not, the reason was obvious.

"So you're not even going to give me an interview?" Kenny asked angrily. "You're going to higher someone without interviewing all your potential candidates? Wow, what a way to run a business."

"Mr. McCormick," the manager answered, "I looked over your application and you just didn't have enough experience as the girl we highered."

"Yeah," Kenny scoffed, "Plenty of experience in flashing her tits and giving you head whenever you ask for it." The manager's face turned bright red and filled with anger. "Yeah, I caught you know! I know that look when I see it. That's how she got the fuckin' job. 'Hey baby,'" Kenny started, imitating the man's voice, "'I'll higher you if you suck my dick. Aw yeah you're highered bitch!'"

"I think you should leave," the manager said as calmly as possible.

"I'll gladly leave!" Kenny shouted. "But you know what, some people really need a job. My parents died two months ago and me and my sister have nothing. I want to give her a good home so we don't starve to death in the future. But no! You gotta go higher a dumb bimbo that sucks your dick because your wife hates you. Hope you feel real proud of yourself you fucking jackass!"

Kenny grabbed his bag and left the restaurant. The door slammed behind him. He walked down the street, about a building away, and stopped. His anger was to high for him to keep walking. He turned into an alleyway and slammed his fist against a brick wall. "Fuckin' rich, spoiled down! Selfish bastard, assholes!"

The blonde pulled his hand a way, seeing busted and split knuckles. He felt tears run down his face, this emotions overflowing with anger and depression. He turned around and slid down the wall until he hit the ground. He kept his sobs under control but his tears kept rolling. He was tired of facing rejecting and was now to the point that he would do anything just to bring in a paycheck.

He sat in the same spot for almost an hour, seeing gray clouds forming over head. Raindrops started to strike the ground, getting Kenny's attention. Kenny sighed and pulled his knees to his chest, resting his forehead atop his caps. The blonde decided he was just going to sit in the rain, refusing to get up and go home.

"Honey," a soft voice asked, "You gonna be alright?" Kenny looked up, seeing a middle-aged, well dressed woman standing over him. She had a sweet smile with a cigarette hanging out of her lips. She held her hand out, offering it to him, "C'mon. Let's get you inside before it starts raining to hard."

Kenny took her hand without question, somewhat happy that someone in this city was nice enough to help him. She led him across the road to a coffee shop. They found a table and sat across from each other. The woman called for coffee and were immediately brought two mugs of black coffee. Kenny went to take a sip and said, "Thank you."

"It was nothing, dear," the woman replied, smiling at him. She took a spit of her own coffee and asked, "Now would you mind tellin' me why you were sitting in that alley in the rain?"

Kenny thought about his answered and replied, "I went in for a job interview and got rejected."

"Well that's no reason to sit out in the rain all depressed," the woman, chuckling to herself.

"I've been rejected thirty times," Kenny continued, adding, "And I kinda left on a bad note."

The woman raised a brow and asked, "'A bad note?'"

Kenny nodded and said, "He didn't even give me the interview. He said he highered someone with more experience but the girl had to have been my age. She had a pretty face, to-die-for body, big boobs. The works basically. I may have jumped to conclusions but I don't think she had experience when it came to the working field, but not in other things."

The woman chuckled and replied, "That's about anywhere you go, my dear. This city included. It's filled with men with unsatisfied desires. Of course, every city or town has men who want something specific. Like with a job, some men want to be surrounded by beautiful women even though they make the place fail. Other jobs, however, require beautiful men women to keep business running."

That last line caught Kenny's attention. The way the words flowed from her lips made the young blonde curious. He let the thought slip past him and he nodded, agreeing with her statement.

"So tell me," the woman asked, "What make's a young man like yourself want a job so badly?"

Kenny took another sip of his coffee before he answered. He cleared his throat and replied, "A couple months ago, my parents and older brother died in a fire. Me and my little sister got away. We were sent up here, our home being in South Park, Colorado, and are now being fostered. I want a job to help keep my promise to my sister."

"What promise?" the woman asked, cocking her head.

"Growing up," Kenny continued, "Our parents were always drunk and fighting. My dad ran a meth lab and they were always abusing me. I kept my sister away from it all, not letting her know how horrible our parents were. Before they died, I made a promise to her that when I turned eighteen, me and her would move out and I would take care of her. She knew about my parents arguing, just not about my abuse. I wanted her to have some happy memories of our parents after we left. But I can't keep my promise if I don't have a job. I've got two years before I turn eighteen and I've yet to get a job. I'd do just about anything at this point."

The woman pursed her lips and smirked. "You are a very mature young man for your age," she said, "Going out and trying to find a job to make sure you keep a promise to your sister. That shows hard work and dedication. I admire that in an employee. I think I may have a business proposition for you."

"Really!?" Kenny said, his voice raising with excitement. He calmed down and settled in his seat. He then repeated in a more responsible manner, "I mean...really?"

The woman smiled and nodded, holding out her hand, "Madam Elsa."

Kenny then realized that they had yet to exchanged their names and replied, "I apologize for being so rude...Kenneth McCormick. But you can call me Kenny if you want to." He took her hand, shaking it firmly.

"The job I believe you would be wonderful at," Madam Elsa continued, then paused, searching for the right words. "Is...well...a very interesting job. It's one that would require a lot of dedication and a bit of role play."

Kenny then felt a little regret in the job she was offering him. She had yet to tell him what the job was and was already nervous. He let the woman continue, listening to her intently.

"I have to say though, what I'm offering you his highly illegal. You will have to get a fake ID as well as a few other things. You must have a fake name, as well as an address. I will take care of everything, the only thing I need you to do is, anytime someone asks you your information, you tell them your fake information."

Kenny raised an eyebrow and asked, "What kind of job is this?"

Madam Elsa smiled bigger and giggled, "I own a Strip Club. I want you to become a dancer for me."

"Ahh... Okay," Kenny replied, not sure how to take that information in.

"It's a special club that gets quiet a lot of business," she continued, hoping to clear any confusion. "It has two sides that run daily, seven days a week. The main side is filled with my female dancers. The back side is for my Other dancers."

"'Other dancers?'" Kenny asked, confused.

"I have men, Drag Queens, Transvestites, and so on," Madam Elsa answered. "I get many customers and you are very beautiful. Well, you're also very handsome. What I mean is, under that right circumstances, you can turn the heads of both men and women. I know you're young, but you have the perfect body. You're thin, but not too thin. You've got a well toned body, but still not too effeminate. You have a body that is both masculine and feminine. You would be a wonderful asset to my business."

Kenny took in her words. He was actually agreeing with her and leaning towards taking the job. However, he was still very skeptical. This was an illegal matter and if they were caught, he would more than likely be taken away from Karen. He was worried, but he did say he would do anything.

"I can see you're worried," Elsa said, reaching a hand out and patting his. "But let me assure you, when you take the stage, you're untouchable. You are in control and you can do as you please to the men and women that come in. If they touch you, whether you want them to or not, they will be immediately removed from the premises. Trust me, you are perfectly safe in my home."

Kenny sighed, wanting to take the offer, but there was something holding him back. "Look, I appreciate the offer and everything you're trying to do. I really am happy you offered this to me. But, I don't know."

"It's alright, honey," Madam Elsa said, reaching into her purse. She pulled out a card and handed it to him, "If you change your mind or want anymore information, just call this number. You'll get my cell and I only answer my cell."

Kenny took the card and nodded. "Thank you," Kenny replied, "Trust me. I will think about it. I'll let you know yes or no. It was wonderful meeting you." Kenny shook her hand before added, "You're the first person to be so nice to me since I moved here."

"I'm glad I could help," Madam Elsa replied, shaking his hand.

Kenny bid her farewell and began his trek home. It took a couple hours, but he spent a lot of time thinking about the job offer. The pros were that he would have a paying job. He knew how stripping worked. There was annual payment from the employer, but there were also tips they got from the customers. The way she was talking, Kenny would do very well in tips.

The cons, however, were that it was illegal. He would have to have a fake life just to keep the job, and he had to live that life. He would be surrounded by full grown men wanting to touch him. They would be ogling him. He made his skin crawl. The thought of the men watching him made memories flow back to him.

Although he did have an advantage. Strippers weren't allowed to be touched. They could do as they pleased if they were touched, the result always being that he man was thrown out. There was a lot to think about, but the words he told himself kept making him want to call her now and accept. He sighed, saying to himself, "I have to keep my promise to Karen."

He reached home and entered. Karen met him with a hug after he closed the front door behind him. He hugged her back as she asked, "How did it go? Did your interview go well?"

"Uhm," Kenny thought quickly. Technically he did have an interview. He then replied, "Yeah, it went good. Just gotta wait for them to call me back. If they want me that is."

"That's good," Karen said, pulling from the hug. "Come on, dinner is almost done."

The blonde nodded and went to his room to change clothes. He sighed, afraid that he had lied to Karen. He had officially decided on if he was going to accept or not. He changed into a t-shirt and went to the bathroom to wash up. He washed his face and looked in the mirror. He ran his hand across his cheeks and around his jaw, taking in his features. Madam Elsa was right, in the right setting he could be both a boy and a girl. He wondered what he would look like with full make-up and a skimpy outfit.

He burst out laughing at himself, calling himself an idiot. 'Me in a skimpy outfit and make-up? What's wrong with me?'

He dried his face and went to have dinner. All through the meal, the conversation ran through his brain. He was carefully considering everything the woman had said and knew it was a limited time only choice to make. He didn't want to go through being sexually abused again. He glanced at Karen who was smiling happily as she told a story about a friend at school. He desired nothing but her happiness and went out of his way to remove her from their home and keep her safe. He was willing to do anything for her. Kenny eyed his plate and reconsidered one last time.

"I forgot to mention," Kenny said abruptly, the Millers with their eyes on him. "I got a job today..."

Please review. I hope you enjoyed. Just need a review/favorite/follow/PM or any other feedback, and you will have the next installment of the story! Pointing out grammatical errors, spelling errors, and plot confusion is much appreciated. Flames welcome!

Much love! ~ Francis J. Toran