help. And I don’t need you telling me I should be doing this and I should be doing that . Go deal with your own shit and let me deal with mine.”
“My shit is doing just fine. I’m getting my degree at the end of summer. And you could have, too, if you had taken classes—“
“Give it a rest, Sierra. For years you’ve ragged on me to go to school. I’m done with school. I’m never going back. I keep telling you that, but you won’t listen to me.”
I continued as if I hadn’t heard my sister’s protest. “My only problem is you , Lola. I’m afraid you’re spinning out of control, again. Breaking up with Dick, who you love!”
“ What’s love?” Lola asked darkly. “He smothered me, like you smother me.”
“I’m just trying to—“
“Help,” Lola finished. “Which brings us back to that again. I don’t need your help. It’s none of your business.”
“I’m family, Lola. We live together. If you spin out of control again, you’ll take me down with you. I’m living pay check to pay check here. And I know you relied on Dick for rent money. What are you going to do?”
Lola shrugged one shoulder, looking away. “I’ve gotten a couple of modeling gigs. I’m hoping this work with Martin will get to be a paying gig, too.”
“Modeling.” All of my doubts filled my voice. Lola may be pretty, but neither of us were fashion models.
“Bondage modeling.” Lola lifted her chin. “And before you say anything, it’s just pictures. And it’s only topless. It’s not like it’s porn.”
I stared at her, unable to form the words that were swirling around my brain. The first thing that came out was, “Are you kidding me ?!”
“There’s nothing wrong with it, Sierra.” Lola got to her feet. “This is why I didn’t tell you. Let me live my own life. Or I’ll have to find another place to live!”
Lola stomped into the bedroom and slammed the door shut. I was used to that. Lola let everyone know when she was mad.
But the last time Lola told me to butt out of her life, she had been doing a lot of drugs with her ex-boyfriend. Lola was once again following some random guy to her doom. Just like our mother.
Even worse, Lola had never threatened to move out before. It was our unwritten rule, going back further than I could remember, that we stuck by each other. Through everything. No matter what else happened, we had each other’s back. How could Lola forget that?
What would I do without Lola? The practical side was a nightmare. I couldn’t afford to live in the city alone. Not on my pay.
I was breathing faster, trying to figure out why Lola was suddenly threatening to move out.
It must be that guy, Martin. He had lured her away from Dick, and he was luring my sister into flashing her breasts and going to a fetish club. Maybe he was trying to get Lola to move in with him, so she would be dependent on him. Instead of me.
I must have sat there a full five minutes, running possibilities over in my mind. Then I reached for my laptop and punched in the website Dick had given me. I had to make my own profile to get in, so I signed up as Francisco29 to throw everyone off, and clicked at random on the buttons asking whether I was gay or straight.
As soon as I was in, with a question mark for a profile avatar, I searched for Lollycat.
I quickly found the profile and knew it was Lola because she had posted several dozen photographs of herself in her gallery. I clicked through quickly. Some were topless, all right. Lola was tied into unusual shapes, and was suspended by ropes. In several, she was held up by a thick webbing. A couple of them were stunning. I couldn’t believe that was Lola, her profile so serene as she arched in a perfect circle, dangling from a crossbeam in an abandoned building.
Where on earth… did that happen?
She must have been doing this while I was sitting here worrying about her.
It was both better and worse than I feared. It wasn’t quite porn, but it was a
“My shit is doing just fine. I’m getting my degree at the end of summer. And you could have, too, if you had taken classes—“
“Give it a rest, Sierra. For years you’ve ragged on me to go to school. I’m done with school. I’m never going back. I keep telling you that, but you won’t listen to me.”
I continued as if I hadn’t heard my sister’s protest. “My only problem is you , Lola. I’m afraid you’re spinning out of control, again. Breaking up with Dick, who you love!”
“ What’s love?” Lola asked darkly. “He smothered me, like you smother me.”
“I’m just trying to—“
“Help,” Lola finished. “Which brings us back to that again. I don’t need your help. It’s none of your business.”
“I’m family, Lola. We live together. If you spin out of control again, you’ll take me down with you. I’m living pay check to pay check here. And I know you relied on Dick for rent money. What are you going to do?”
Lola shrugged one shoulder, looking away. “I’ve gotten a couple of modeling gigs. I’m hoping this work with Martin will get to be a paying gig, too.”
“Modeling.” All of my doubts filled my voice. Lola may be pretty, but neither of us were fashion models.
“Bondage modeling.” Lola lifted her chin. “And before you say anything, it’s just pictures. And it’s only topless. It’s not like it’s porn.”
I stared at her, unable to form the words that were swirling around my brain. The first thing that came out was, “Are you kidding me ?!”
“There’s nothing wrong with it, Sierra.” Lola got to her feet. “This is why I didn’t tell you. Let me live my own life. Or I’ll have to find another place to live!”
Lola stomped into the bedroom and slammed the door shut. I was used to that. Lola let everyone know when she was mad.
But the last time Lola told me to butt out of her life, she had been doing a lot of drugs with her ex-boyfriend. Lola was once again following some random guy to her doom. Just like our mother.
Even worse, Lola had never threatened to move out before. It was our unwritten rule, going back further than I could remember, that we stuck by each other. Through everything. No matter what else happened, we had each other’s back. How could Lola forget that?
What would I do without Lola? The practical side was a nightmare. I couldn’t afford to live in the city alone. Not on my pay.
I was breathing faster, trying to figure out why Lola was suddenly threatening to move out.
It must be that guy, Martin. He had lured her away from Dick, and he was luring my sister into flashing her breasts and going to a fetish club. Maybe he was trying to get Lola to move in with him, so she would be dependent on him. Instead of me.
I must have sat there a full five minutes, running possibilities over in my mind. Then I reached for my laptop and punched in the website Dick had given me. I had to make my own profile to get in, so I signed up as Francisco29 to throw everyone off, and clicked at random on the buttons asking whether I was gay or straight.
As soon as I was in, with a question mark for a profile avatar, I searched for Lollycat.
I quickly found the profile and knew it was Lola because she had posted several dozen photographs of herself in her gallery. I clicked through quickly. Some were topless, all right. Lola was tied into unusual shapes, and was suspended by ropes. In several, she was held up by a thick webbing. A couple of them were stunning. I couldn’t believe that was Lola, her profile so serene as she arched in a perfect circle, dangling from a crossbeam in an abandoned building.
Where on earth… did that happen?
She must have been doing this while I was sitting here worrying about her.
It was both better and worse than I feared. It wasn’t quite porn, but it was a
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