Please R and R, they are much appreicated!! =D hope you like it! Rated M for later chapters.

"I know things haven't been the same since I got back…but I think you deserve the truth, that much I owe you…I've met someone else and we've been together a while now. I'm so sorry Gerry…" her words echoed through my ears as I sat on the secluded bench in the park, holding a hipflask of good old Jack Daniel's. He was the only one who understood me now. I glanced at my watch, nearly 11. If I was in work, I'd have my sixth year History class now. They're probably glad I'm out, so I wont be missed there. I took a long swig from my whiskey, replaying the scene that happened only hours ago. I couldn't believe she was seeing someone else! How could she do that to me? We were going to be married next February. I clutched to my hipflask as tears began to fall from behind my glasses. That was my first serious relationship, and it was over, three years, and what have I got to show for it? Nothing, here I sit drinking whiskey at eleven in the morning, in the park. My life had reached an all time low, I had nothing…

"Sir?" a familiar voice said timidly. I knew who it was straight away.

I looked up and saw a student, Circe, one of my favourite students, who was supposed to be in school. I was really close to her, I was the one person she trusted to talk to, about her messed up life.

"Are you ok?" she asked very aware of the hipflask I was holding.

"Do I look ok?" I slurred. I didn't mean to sound mean, but I was a tad drunk.

"Well, no…sorry" she said timidly.

"I'm sorry Circe, please sit"

She came up and sat next to me, never taking her chill blue eyes off my pathetic form.

"Sir, what's happened?" she said in that loving, understanding voice I had heard so many times before.

"Why aren't you at school?" I hiccupped.

"I could ask you the same question" she smiled meekly. "What are you doing here?"

"Having a drink, obviously" I snapped.

If I was her at this point in time, I would have left my sorry ass there to rot. I didn't deserve her kindness and sympathy, the way I was talking to her. But she didn't leave, she stayed.

"Why aren't you at work?"

"Because I didn't feel like it!"

She swiped the hipflask and poured the contents out onto the ground.

"What are you doing!" I yelled. I would have got up if I had of been able too.

"Helping you. I don't like you when you're drunk!"

All that could be heard was the splashing of the liquid against the hard concrete.

"Now…" she started as the last drop of whiskey fell to the ground. "Why aren't you at work?"

I held my head in my hands and tried not to cry.

"Because…my girlfriend was cheating on me! And now she's gone off with him! And she left me here with nothing. I hate my life Circe, I really do!" I sobbed.

I felt her light touch on my back as she tried to comfort me.

"Aw Sir that's awful, I'm sorry to hear that." she soothed.

I continued to cry into my hands, until she lifted my arms up. I wrapped my arms around her and cried into her chest.

"I have nothing!"

She didn't speak for a few moments, she must have been contemplating her next sentence, and I can understand why, it was not what I expected her to say.

"Sir, you have me…" she said quietly.

I didn't say anything, what could I say?

I sat with my head tucked safely beneath her chin. She smelled so good. I felt so safe as she ran her fingers through my hair and whispered in my ear. I was supposed to be the adult who comforted her, the child, but now it was the other way around.

"You should go to school" I slurred.

"I cant leave you here by yourself. I would feel awful…"

She pondered her next sentence for a second as if wondering if it was appropriate.

"Come on I'll take you home"

She wrapped her arm around my shoulder helping me up. I was such a mess, I cant believe I let her see me like this.

"And no more drinking" she warned

I nodded but I knew I'd break it. She brought me home and put me to bed. I made her promise me she'd go to school now and she said she would. I fell asleep before I saw her leave.

Later that night…

I sat in a bar drinking away my sorrows. Her words echoed through my head as I tilted the bottle into my mouth watching the beer level decrease from the neck. I couldn't believe she cheated on me, I couldn't believe I was so stupid as to think that she even loved me. I couldn't believe we were going to get married…

I looked around at the drunks that surrounded me, their beer filled heads lolling towards the bar and the pools of spilt beer and vomit. My stomach turned seeing some collapse to the ground off their broken bar stools. Some, at the end of the bar in the dark corner, were gathering a layer of dust as they sat there wallowing in their pathetic lives. I finished my beer and staggered up. I fell slightly over, but steadied myself against the bar. I didn't want to go home, I was worried what I might do if I did. I stumbled out of the bar and down the road. All around me, all I could see were happy couples out enjoying their lives. I felt something sick in the bottom of my stomach. Then I saw a neon light flash from across the street. It flashed again catching my attention more. It was a strip joint. Normally I would have never went into a strip bar but I was so low, naked dancers who cared less about themselves than I felt about myself at that point in time is just what I needed. I paid the overpriced entrance fee and headed straight for the bar. I sat myself down on an uncomfortable bar stool and ordered a large neat whiskey. I gulped it down before the waiter had put the bottle back, and ordered another. As he poured, the lights went dim and wolf whistles and cheering was all that could be heard. Then a loud voice came over the intercom "Now the mistress of all things evil and dirty, Harrrley!"

Every single pervert and horny bastard cheered and whistled. I looked around out of pure curiosity, and a spot light landed on the stage. A blonde girl appeared from around the red, velvet curtain wearing a masquerade mask over her eyes. She wore a black and red bikini top just covering her perfectly rounded breasts. She danced across the stage, her sliver piercing in her navel flashing in the light. She danced across to the pole and swung out of it. She wrapped her long leg around the pole and swayed to the other side. Offensive comments and gestured were made to her as she rocked her curvy hips back and forth. There was something very hypnotic about the way she danced. I mean she was a stripper, so I mean she must have no self respect whatsoever but still…

Men threw fifty Euro notes at her, stuck them in her g string, just trying to cop a feel. She seductively sauntered down the steps working her way through the crowd of erections. She danced around a few of the younger ones who got hypnotised pulling wads of notes of their wallets, not caring how much it was and shoving them into her g string. She came towards me and her eyes met mine and I knew them from somewhere… she ran her hand over my cheek, then danced back up on stage. She reached behind her back and pulled at the skimpy string that held her bikini on. The cheering got louder as it fell to the stage and she danced more exposed now. However, there was something very juvenile about her body. I could see a hint of puppy fat around her tummy, and around her face.

"Take off the mask!" someone shouted.

I turned full around in my seat waiting to see if she would take the mask off. She stuck the tip of her finger in her mouth and reached behind her head. The blue ribbon that held it on was pulled undone and she took it off. I nearly choked on my whiskey when the mask came off. Behind it, stood my seventeen year old student Circe, who I was just talking to in the park a few hours previous, who had so selflessly taken time to bring me home and take care of me when I was at my lowest. And here she was dancing naked on a stage with a bunch of old perverts leering at her. She was just a child…what was she doing? How long has she been doing this? Why did she think she had to do this? Did she recognise me?

"Ok folks, that's all Harley has time for!" the intercom suddenly shouted.

There was a sigh of sadness from the crowd as the light dimmed and she walked back behind the curtain. I was still in shock, I had to get out of there. The air all of a sudden got heavy and started crushing my lungs. I got up and left the strip joint hailing a taxi in the middle of the street and went home.

As I lay in bed, all I could think about was Circe. Every time I closed my eyes I saw her dancing before me, naked and vulnerable, all those hungry eyes leering at her, ravaging her innocent body. How could she do this to herself? I knew how messed up her life was and how depressed she gets, but that was too far. I was one of the few people who knew the real Circe. But now she just added another puzzle to the tapestry that was her life. I drifted into a troubled sleep that night…