"I'm not waiting all night, girl." Emma growled tiredly, her body was aching and shaking with tired and strained muscles, and she just wanted to live in her bathtub for the next month.
   Grace grinned and wiggled her fingers before sitting down with one of the guys she was flirting with earlier.
   Groaning and leaning back against the wall, Emma tried to stay upright and awake. Five minutes. She'd give Grace five minutes, and if she wasn't done she was leaving.
   Having been through this too many times already, she knew if she waited longer than the five minutes, Grace would stretch it out into forty-five.
   Counting along with the second hand on her watch, Emma kept her eye on her friend at the same time. Cursing her stupidity once again.
   Once the negotiated five minutes was up, Emma stepped forward and cleared her throat. "I'm going, Gracie. Staying or going?"
   The guy who's lap she was nearly in grinned, and Emma interrupted his surely lewd comment. "Don't care, dude. Sorry but I don't." She shrugged and looked at her friend, "Grace?"
   Mimicking her shrug, Grace smiled that smile Emma had taught her. The placating yet annoying sugar coated smile. "I think I'll stay with Rick and," she coughed delicately, "come later."
   Rolling her eyes at the innuendo, Emma waved her hand and headed out. Feeling her bones creak with every step.
   Glaring at her paint-cracked car, she tried to think positive and how the shop promised to repaint it for her at half charge. Next week.
   Going through the motions of unlocking the low rider and getting inside it, she wrinkled her nose at the musty interior. She'd think twice the next time that she allowed Grace to 'borrow' it.
   Igniting the engine, she looked out her rearview mirror and waited as a white convertible backed out behind her. She gritted her teeth, seeing Grace snuggled up beside the driver.
   Putting her car in reverse, she eased off the clutch and tried not to groan at the horror of being in a grocery store at two in the morning.    Laughing lightly, she straightened in her seat and tried to peer at herself in the dark in her mirror.
   Grimacing, she mentally started counting off what was wrong with her appearance. Too pale. Eyes bloodshot. Heavy bags under eyes. Messy hair. Still coated in baby oil. Too much make-up.
   Glancing quickly at her clothes as she pulled into the slightly lit parking lot, Emma tried not to pull the skimpy tight tee shirt down farther over her stomach and rip the material. Like she did last week. Anna, the club's costume maker, wasn't thrilled about having to hem it up for her.
   Grabbing the nearly skintight sweater Grace had left and wriggling into it, Emma sighed and sent a prayer of gratitude to her wayward roommate before climbing out of the car and slamming the door behind her.
   She hated grocery stores. Hated how everyone talked and stared under bright florescent lights. Complaining over prices, arguing over what to eat, and gossiping over anybody and everybody that they thought mattered. Putting in their two cents on situations that didn't pertain to them.
   Ducking her head down, Emma walked as quickly as she could. Gathering the items she needed, and a few she wanted so that her and Grace could eat for the rest of the week. Or at least tomorrow anyway.
   She merely smiled and nodded at the old lady cashier, who rolled their eyes after giving her a once over and sniffed in disapproval.
   Clutching the return change in her hand, Emma bit her tongue but still couldn't stop the words from spilling out. "I may never be good enough lady, but money always will be."
   Straightening her spine, she left with her head held defiantly, even though she passed Brent, one of Isaac's friends, on the way out.
   Gritting her teeth as she threw the plastic bags onto the passenger's side, Emma climbed in after and jerkily started her car and put it in gear. This new life of hers was fastly becoming unbearable. Just like her other ones did.