He had never missed a day of work in his life, but on that day, Miles called in sick. He had never been in a strip club and the exposed sexuality made him feel both embarrassed and aroused. He saw them sitting by the stage with dollar bills in hand, as a busty brunette dangled her breasts in front of their faces. Miles distanced himself from the stage, and he sat in a dark corner where he could keep an eye on them.

In high school, Paul had long, thick black hair that he kept pulled back, but now his head was so bald that the disco lights in the club seemed to bounce of its surface. He used to have a stocky athletic build, but now he was so fat that his belly hung over his belt making the belt nearly invisible. Jimmy looked aged with wrinkles clustered around his eyes and bits of grey speckled in his red hair.  Miles felt satisfaction in seeing that they had grown old and ugly, because his appearance had changed very little since high school.

His satisfaction dulled as he observed Paul grab the stripper’s ass. The stripper turned around and she pointed to the guards while screaming something Miles couldn’t quite hear over the music. Paul and Jimmy both laughed as they stood up. Paul crushed a dollar bill in his hand and threw it at the stripper as they both turned to leave. Miles waited until they turned the corner before following them. As Miles turned around the corner, he saw Paul and Jimmy slip into the bathroom.

Miles reached his hand into his pocket and gripped the handle of the taser. He didn’t want to use it, but he wasn’t going to let them hurt him again, never again.

Miles was careful to open the door slowly and quietly as he entered the bathroom. There was a divider, which blocked his immediate view of the urinals, and as Miles prepared himself to confront Paul and Jimmy, Miles heard a grunting noise.  Miles waited, but the noise continued, so he peeked his head around the divider, and he couldn’t believe what he saw.