"Christy, back off ok? I can take care of this myself!" I screeched. She gave me a stern look, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Laurel, your only 19 years old. You shouldn't have to live your life this way! You have so much going for you, yet your still here." Christy said gently. I blinked back tears, and finished dressing.
"I never wanted to end up in as a prostitute! It's the only way right now to make money. I won't do it forever Christy..." I reasoned with her, slipping on my shoes. She walked in front of me, blocking the door. I rolled my eyes. "Just let me go Chris."
"Laur, pack up and leave while you can. One of these days your going to get killed. Much less get an STD. Would you like to have a disease at 19? And spend the rest of your life with it. That'll be attractive." She protested. I glanced at my watch.
"I have to go." I said softly, pushing past her. Christy sighed as she watched me leave, defeated.
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Ok. Let's start with the basics. My name is Laurel Quinn. I'm 19 years old, but have experienced almost everything in life someone that a 50 year old has experienced.
I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a great place to live, I had alot of friends, and great parents. My parents...Peter and LeAnn. They did the best they could for me. So, what's the problem, right?
Obviously I wasn't meant to live that kind of life. At the young age of only 6, my parents were taken away from me. That's the light version. They went to take my puppy Zack out for a walk one evening, because I was at my best friend Rebecca's house, playing.
Some stupid bastard was driving home from work, angry. He was speeding up our quiet street and was too angry to see my parents crossing the road with my dog. It was a hit and run case. My parents died instantly, and Zack passed away later at the local Animal Hospital.
I was sent to an orphanage, because the rest of my family were either dead or didn't want me. I didn't know why, but I figured It was because I had never had any contact with them all my life anyways. I spent four years at the orphanage. Four horrible years. The other kids there were cruel to me, It seemed they didn't even care that they were parentless.
Finally at the age of 10, two parents Steve and Linda adopted me. They had two other kids, both twins. Jack and Aaron, they were both 8. The orphanage told me the whole family were very kind. You wouldn't believe how excited I was. Not only to get out of that place, but to meet my new so-called "great" family.
When they arrived to pick me up I was stuck in the back, in between the two twins. They teased me to no end. And the parents never even acknowledged me. I would try to talk to them all, as the years went on. But all they did was ignore me. Until one night...
I was only 13, but I decided to stand up for myself. I remember walking into the kitchen where Linda was making dinner. I asked her if I could talk to her. She ignored me as usual and continued chopping up the vegetables. I remember I laid a hand on her shoulder, to grab her attention. She world around, her green eyes flashing with fury. In the process she swiped the knife across my bare arm. I cried as the blood seeped from the wound. I figured she didn't mean to, but when I looked up and saw her laughing at me, I knew she had meant to do it.
From then on, whenever I would talk, Linda would slap me. Sometimes when she was in a bad mood she would do more. Beat me, kick me, anything. Peter never knew, but he never cared either.
Needless to say, I ran away from home when I was 15. I had nowhere to go, so I catched a thousand buses until I was back home. In Georgia, I hitchhiked to my street. And ran up to my post-best-friend Rebecca's house. Excited, I rang the doorbell a hundred times.
Finally, the doorframe opened, an old lady appeared from the inside. "How may I help you?" She asked, peering at me. I looked at her confused. "Is Rebecca here?" I asked. The old lady furrowed her brow. "Rebecca? No. Only I live here." She said. Rebecca had moved away....now I had nobody to go to.
I retreated to the dangerous streets of the city. I had some money that I had snuck out from Linda's drawer. But not too much. I bought myself a warm hot chocolate and stood outside. I had no idea what I was going to do. I decided to rest in the cheapest motel I could find for the night, and worry about the rest of my life tomorrow.
Anyways, I ended up staying in that motel for 3 years. The money I had ran out after a month. But I begged on the streets for money, and that payed for the rest of the nights. The awful nights I may add. Not only did I have nightmares each night, but the room was the size of an office. A small one. There was one single bed, with one sheet, and no pillows. There was no t.v., radio or phone. The bathroom was the size of a linen closet. With one dirty toilet and a small, cramped shower. I had no shampoo or soap. There were no sinks either. This was my lifestyle for three, whole, awful years.
Not only that, but I was so close to being raped at least 10 times. I would go to bed each night thinking about my life. I would question to God "What did I do to deserve this is?" Of course that didn't help.
After those three years, I decided to try something else. I took my small stash of money, and caught numerous buses until I got to New York City. Dirty, with ripped up clothes, my hair a mess I received at least a thousand stares as I wondered down the streets of Times Square. That was, until she found me.
I liked to think of her as my fairy godmother. That is, if a hooker can be a fairy godmother. She took me under her wings until I was 19. That was when I decided to take care of myself, I started to do what she did for a living. I became a prostitute.
I made about $200 dollars a day, and slowly my bank account was rising up. But not enough. Christy, that is her name, was not at all happy that I was keeping this as my job.
I remember one night we talked into the early hours of the morning. She asked me what I always wanted to be when I was a kid. I said "An Actress." then I laughed. That was something I would never be, I would always tell myself. But everyday she still tried to get me to leave the horrible environment I was living in, and to take my dreams. And make them come true.
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