Chapter 41

Sam was counting out the money he'd collected, singing Tim McGraw's 'Live Like You Were Dying' under his breath. He didn't turn around when Kenny, the bouncer, knocked on his door.

"You know a Sebastian?" he grunted.

"Yeah, let them in." Sam sighed. He put his head in his hands and waited for the telltale padding of feet. "You promised you wouldn't tell him." he mumbled accusingly when Puck dropped into the chair next to his.

"It was his idea to come here." Puck grumbled. "I tried to stop him." Sam glanced up to his mirror cautiously, to see Sebastian leaning against the makeup station behind his, arms crossed and looking like he was trying to not flip out.

"Sam, what exactly possessed you to become a stripper? You told me you worked at Dairy Queen." He said slowly, as if weighing each word. Sam frowned at the term 'stripper'.

"I made what I would make in a year at the Dairy Queen in less than ten minutes tonight." Sam said quietly. "I wasn't born into money Seb. My job is the only thing keeping my kid sisters off the street and out of social services. This right here," he waved about half the wad of money he had, "is enough to get food for two weeks and pay rent for the month."

He busied himself wiping the bits of eye makeup the girls had insisted on him wearing, digging through his bag to find his street clothes.

"I'm not saying that-"

"I'm not quitting Sebastian." Sam cut him off, still refusing to look at either of them. "I won't let my family go back on the street."

"So I'll get my parents to buy them a damn house." Sebastian snapped. "Either way, I'm not going to let you keep doing this."

"Your parents aren't likely to spend their hard earned money on something that has no effect on them." Sam mumbled, changing and throwing himself back into his chair.

"Hard earned my ass, they inherited everything from their grandparents." Sebastian snorted. "Look if you're not happy, I'm not happy. And when I'm not happy they go through hell. Trust me. It's happened many a time before."

Sam refused to speak after that. He knew there would be discussion and, knowing Sebastian, punishment for lying to him. But he would take it all, if it meant his family wouldn't go hungry.

*break*

"A stripper? Seriously?" Kurt asked, bewildered. Sam smirked a little and nodded. "No wonder you knew all those dance moves…" he trailed off before shaking his head. "Is he going to let you keep working?"

"Doubt it. He says he'd pay the bills for my parents but it's bad enough I have to. They won't take his help." Sam sighed. "Short of locking me in an inescapable room, he can't stop me from going."

There was a pause, where the two focused lazily on the movie playing in Kurt's room, passing the two bowls, sour cream and onion chips in one and cheetos in the other, back and forth.

"So, you're just going to keep doing it even if he's mad?" Kurt enquired. Sam shrugged and refused to continue the conversation. Kurt couldn't help but sigh.