Look in the mirror.
What do I see?
An angry motherfucker looking back at me.
The pressure of the world got my mind on rewind.
Man I reminisce when things were divine.
But everything is fucked up and ass-backwards plus it's whack.
You better hope someone you trust got your back.
You're already hit slobbering red spit in the world of rock-n-roll shit gets
out of control.

The music played so loudly, Matt couldn't even hear the wind whipping into the open windows of his car as he did 70 up I-605 towards Los Angeles. It was a short 45 minute drive, but he felt like he couldn't get there fast enough. It was going on 10 PM...and Kat would be working at Max's Cabaret that night.

It had only been a week since he left LA...shit had officially hit the fan. Val had packed up all her belongings in record time and had moved back in with her parents. He hadn't heard from her since and was pretty sure he wouldn't be hearing from her again.

He pulled into the crammed parking lot at the strip club, almost getting out before the car was in park. He entered the club, feverishly looking everywhere for Kat. He didn't have to look for long...she was just coming on stage. He weaved his way through the crowd, finding a seat close to the stage.

She was wearing tight leather booty shorts and a fishnet shirt with nothing on underneath and knee high patent leather boots. She seductively lifted her shirt exposing her stomach, rubbing her sides slowly as she dipped her ass towards the floor. Whenever she was on stage, her mind was in another place...she was completely disconnected from her body. Her thumbs latched onto the waist of her shorts, pulling them from her hips as she bent over.

Matt felt the crotch of his pants grow tighter as he watched her. He didn't even hear the cocktail waitress ask him if he wanted a drink. As far as he was concerned, she was the only other person in the room at that moment. Her second song began to play..."Unholy Confessions"...it was playing so loud, it almost felt like it was being performed live inside the club.

Nothing will last in this life,
our time is spent constructing,
now you're perfecting a world... meant to sin.
Constrict your hands around me,
squeeze till I cannot breathe,
this air tastes dead inside me,
contribute to our plague.
Break all your promises,
tear down this steadfast wall,
restraints are useless here,
tasting salvation's near.

Kat violently ripped her shirt from her body as Matt's voice ferociously ripped through the sound system, shaking her insides. Matt could see the other male patrons shift in their chairs at her intensity. Everyone in the room had their eyes on her and found it impossible to look away. Her breasts were drenched in sweat, a small glint of light reflecting off her pierced nipples every so often.

I wish I could be the one,
the one who won't care at all
But being the one on the stand,
I know the way to go, no one's guiding me.
When time soaked with blood turns its back,
I know it's hard to fall.
Confided in me was your heart
I know it's hurting you, but
it's killing me.

From where Matt was sitting, it looked like there was at least $200 strewn about the stage at her feet. As the song wound down, she bent over picking up each last bill, clutching her discarded clothing in her arms. She still had no idea that Matt had been there watching her the entire time.

"Let me know when that bitch gets out on the floor," Matt overheard a younger, cocky man next to him talking to his friends. "I'll turn that shit out!" he boasted as he smacked hands with his friends.

Matt's blood began to boil under his skin.

"There she is," another man spoke up, pointing back towards the bar. "Go buy that bitch!!"

The first man stood and headed towards Kat. Matt sat motionless, playing out ideas in his head. He felt like he couldn't interfere with her work...he stood and moved closer to where Kat was standing with the man, but stayed out of sight.

"You're fucking hot," the man cooed to her, stroking her cheek with his fingers. "How much is a dance?"

"Fifty," she answered coldly. "And please don't touch me."

"Come on...if I pay my money, I can do whatever I want," his hand slid down to her ass and he gave her a rough squeeze.

"Listen jerk," she fumed, knocking his hand away from her.

Like a freight train, Matt's fist came crashing out of nowhere, hitting the man squarely in the nose, knocking him to the floor.

"Fucking shit!" Kat yelled in surprise as she backed away. Matt was on top of the guy, pounding away, his fists being washed red with blood. "MO!!!!!" Kat screamed at the top of her lungs.

Within seconds, three bouncers were pulling Matt away from the man. "Enough!" Mo yelled as he gripped Matt's arms tightly behind his back. "Outside, NOW!" he pushed Matt forward.

Kat stepped over the man's crippled body in the floor following the men outside. "Jesus Christ, Matt!" her voice echoed loudly in the night air. "What are you THINKING?!" she pushed him slightly. "Mo, fucking let him go," she ordered.

"Don't come back inside, you got that?" he barked loudly in Matt's face, Matt nodding his head in understanding.

She took Matt's hand in hers, looking at the damage and wiping the blood off with the hem of her shirt. Her hands were trembling from the intense act that just played out at her expense. "Why did you do that?!" she huffed.

"He touched you," Matt answered out of breath.

"Yeah, lots of guys do! You can't fucking bash their faces in like that!" she said as she paced back and forth.

"So you didn't mind him touching you like that?" Matt raised his voice.

"Yes, I mind! But that's why we have guys like Mo! I'm going to get fired for this shit, Matt," she rubbed her forehead firmly with the palm of her hand.

"You don't need to be in that fucking dump anyway!" he continued to scream at her. "I fucking gave up what life I had because of you!! I came here tonight to get you the fuck out of this place!"

Kat grew silent at his revelation. He told Val...she was no longer a dirty secret that he had to keep hidden away from everyone.

"Here," she held out her apartment key to Matt.

"What?" he asked, looking at the key.

"Just take this and go to my house. Let me finish up here and I'll be there soon."

He reluctantly took the key from her still trembling hand and climbed into his car. She stood motionless and watched him leave.