“Go on,” I coax her. “What were you saying about your job?”
Rose bites her lip, her tiny nose flaring as she takes a sharp inhale. I can tell she is fighting to push the words out. When she finally speaks, all the words break through in one brisk exhale. She clasps her hands together tightly in front of her chest and squeezes her eyes shut, causing crows’ feet to magically appear in her usually smooth, round face.
“I’m an escort,” she admits.
I blink a bit.
“Sorry?”
She peeks at me through her lashes.
“I’m an escort,” she repeats again.
Oh wow, I did not see that coming. I thought she was going to say she took a gig bartending at one of those awful frat houses where they like to put anorexic blonde girls on makeshift stages to dance. It’s their way of telling other fraternities, ‘We are better than you, hence the hot girl.’ That would be something to hide from your roommate.
But Rose is an escort?! I have so many questions to ask. I rack my brain for a polite way to comment, but shock has taken over. Before I’m even aware of what my lips are parting to say, the words start spilling out.
“Like a prostitute?” I blabber. Way to not be judgmental, Lucy.
“No!” she squeals back at me. I feel a tinge of remorse as I watch her cheeks become a blotchy red. Her voice drops to almost a whisper, as if someone more dignified than us may be listening on the other side of the dorm room wall.
“We don’t have sex with the men, I swear. It’s just …” Her shoulders droop and her lips curl back as the word sex uneasily rolls off them.
“We?” I ask. “You mean girls all over campus are doing this? I can’t believe this is the first I have heard of it!”
Rose shakes her head miserably.
“It isn’t a campus thing Lucy. I don’t think NYU would exactly approve of my boss having a vendor table at the job fair.”
“Yeah, I’ll say.” She shoots me a look. I really want to be handling this news with more calm, but I keep blurting out stupid stuff.
“Sorry,” I say apologetically. “Didn’t mean for it to sound that way.” I decide to switch gears. “Well, escort or not, you are sick. You can’t possibly go tonight! You need to get your rest.”
She turns to look at herself in the mirror and frowns.
“You’re right. Even all this heavy makeup can’t hide the fact that I’m a walking bag of germs. But I’m supposed to be meeting a new client tonight, and he’s supposedly filthy rich. But I obviously can’t. Not like this.”
She stares blankly out the window for a few moments, giving me a chance to try to process all this new information. My heart contracts as I see my best friend through this new lens. I can’t believe Rose has been carrying the weight of such a heavy secret. It must be pretty bad at home if she felt she needed to go this far. How can I help?
But then, I see her eyes begin to glow and her whole body perks up, turning to face me again. What could it possibly be now?
“I can’t go. But you can, Lucy,” she says tentatively with a hopeful look.
“No,” I respond point blank, flat, and instantaneously. “Not a chance in hell!”
“Oh, but Lucy, please?” she begs of me. Rose must be joking.
“Absolutely not! For starters, the client would definitely know.”
She cuts in, her voice still filled with optimism.
“I haven’t even met him yet! Besides, we look pretty similar. Remember that one time we convinced the Anderson brothers we were twins on our golf date?”
I roll my eyes.
“The Anderson brothers are stupid. You are two years older than me and they know that! It’s beyond the point, anyways. I’m sorry, I feel for your situation. I really do. But that is a line I can’t cross. I can’t be an escort, Rose. It isn’t something I’m comfortable with,” I continue. “Besides, I am so shy and terribly awkward on even normal dates. The client would definitely know something is up. I don’t have the same suave charm that you do.”
But Rose won’t be denied, and she sits up straighter.
“Oh, sure you do!” she cajoles. “He’ll love you! I just know it!”
Oh no. I’ve made the dangerous mistake of making her think it’s just a confidence thing holding me back, but it’s so much more than that. Escorting? I don’t want to insult her, but I just cannot! Ew!
But then, Rose sees the look of disgust in my face and breaks down with fat tears rolling down her cheeks. I can’t stand to see her cry, and I soften my position slightly.
“I’m sorry,” I begin, but Rose interrupts me.
“It’s so bad for me right now. My dad just lost his job, and I only have a few more weeks to pay the balance of this semester’s tuition before my enrollment gets placed on hold. And I can’t put off my schooling any longer otherwise I’m going to be ancient by the time I finally graduate. I’m already twenty-three Luce! You know that’s old!”