The Mystery of You

Jamie took me down a long corridor where we passed more girls wearing not very much. Again making me feel extremely uncomfortable. I wasn't sure how I felt right now, apart from sick. I'd been lied to, not only by Jamie but by my Best friend.

Jamie lead me into a dimly lit room "Take a seat" I did as I was told and sat opposite his desk whilst he closed the door behind him "I know how this must look to you Charley" I bit my lip and closed my eyes as he sat down opposite me behind the desk. My eyes opened and I gazed around the room, not wanting to look at him. "I should have been honest with you from the start, you know. I was planning to at the cafe where we went in Birmingham but It was so clear that she hadn't told you a thing about her real life in New York..." I tore my eyes away from the porn calendar on the peeling Yellow wall behind him "Please tell me she was just a part of your bar staff or waitress team" Jamie looked down at the pile of sheets in front of him and took a breath "I'm sorry to let you know Charley but Katelyn was a stripper... One of the very best we had here actually"I scoffed "We had auditions today, and honestly we can't find a good enough replacement for her" I stood up not wanting to listen to this "Charley I'm sorry. I would have told you, honestly I would but after I met her parents, they believed she was just an average girl you know? University student, going about her life.. I wasn't about to tarnish her reputation like that at her funeral" I sat back down "Do you want a drink or something?" I let my head fall into my hands "I'll go get you something, just, wait here" When I heard the door close I lifted my head again and took another deep breath. A stripper? I really didn't know Katelyn did I?

When Jamie returned with a glass of Brown coloured liquid I took it back straight away "I'm so sorry about all of this Charley, I didn't think you'd find out... How did you find out?" I bit the inside of my lip... I wasn't going to tell him about the letter "She mentioned something a while ago... I thought I'd look into it" I lied. "Were you really her Boyfriend? Because I honestly don't believe for one second that if you loved her you'd let her do this?"Jamie scoffed
"Of course she wasn't my Girlfriend... Although she'd told you and the rest of her family she had a Boyfriend and so I had to follow the story... You wouldn't believe the amount of cops that came sniffing around here asking things I didn't know! They nearly put me out of business" I snickered "Well they should have!"I heard myself say It was silent for a few seconds as I watched Jamie pick up his glass and drink the shot of Whiskey. "Look, I only came here to clear out her locker" Jamie stood up and walked around to the door, opening it he turned to me "Turn Left and you'll find the girls dressing room... The lockers are just outside on the Right hand side" I stood up myself and pushed by him following his directions. There was music now pounding from the club and as I got to the lockers I peered into the dressing room door which was open a crack. There were a couple of girls sat on stools in front of a huge mirror which took up the whole back wall. The walls were Painted a Hot Pink. I couldn't imagine Katelyn being sat there. Gossiping with these kinds of people. I turned away and looked at each of the lockers. Before I spotted one that read Kitty in what looked like Pink glitter glue with a Tiny love heart dotting the I in it.... I'd heard the bouncer call her Kitty Katelyn which must have been her name around these parts. The locker was locked though and I didn't have the key anywhere which was a great help. I pinched the bridge of my nose."Everything ok there Hunny?" someone said behind me. I turned around and looked at her. She was Dark skinned and had a Red and Black corset on that hugged her curves perfectly. Her heels made her at least Six foot and I had to look up at her heavily made up face "Hi, erm yeah. I need to get into Katelyn... I er mean Kitty's locker?" The girl tilted her head to the side and huffed "Finally someone is clearing it out?" I nodded "You'll have to ask Jamie, he has spare keys for all the lockers... How do you know Kitty anyway?"
"I'm a friend of her's from England" she nodded. Another girl shouted from the dressing room "Gotta go, see ya around hunny" I watched as she teetered back into the dressing room and then turned back to go and find Jamie.

()()()()()()()()()()

Jamie's office was empty when I got there and I wasn't about to go and hunt him down. I let myself in and hunted in draws and on shelves until I found a rack of keys in a cupboard under his desk. All of the had key rings with names on and I found Katelyn's immediately. Kitty was written on it in the same Pink Glitter. I grabbed it and headed back towards the lockers.

I placed the key in the lock and the door swung open. The first thing I noticed was a clothing rail at the top of the unit where a few outfits hung. Red and Hot Pink Corsets hung as well as Black, Red and White fishnet stockings. On the floor of the locker was an array of shoes all Black, Red and White with at least six inch pointed heels. I rooted through the bags that sat on the shelf but found nothing of interest, just strange provocative accessories and Nipple tassels.This wasn't Katelyn... Or maybe it was and I just didn't know her as well as I thought I did. We'd drifted apart too much after she moved last year. We hardly spoke. What if she felt as though she couldn't tell me what was going on over here? I wondered now if she was struggling for money. Was she even studying? I went to close the locker when I caught sight of the photos hanging on the inside of the door. A picture of me before Katelyn left last Summer. It was a Polaroid. I was eating an ice cream at Aston Park. I looked at the back and there in her messy handwriting were the words 'I miss you'in Black marker. I shut the locker door and lent against it, holding the photo to my chest. I should have tried harder at keeping in contact. I should have known something was up.