Tricks

Whitney does not care about Lucas or Skylar anymore because she is in love with Bryn. She thinks that Bryn is better than Lucas, although Bryn is several years older than her.

When Bryn picked Whitney up after the party, she thanked him for helping her.

Bryn took her to the beach, and they talked. Bryn related to Whitney over her issues with Kyra. Bryn told her that his mother died a few weeks earlier and that he is in town to go through her possessions. Whitney told Bryn about what Lucas said about having sex with her, and Bryn told her that Lucas does not understand how special she is.

Whitney knows that Bryn’s speech is overdramatic, but she still feels attracted to him. She knows that she is falling in love with him, even though they have only known each other for a few weeks. Bryn has already told her that he loves her.

Bryn told her that he fell in love with her the first time he saw her. He knew that she was special, and he wanted to be with her. As a photographer, he tells her that he has seen many pretty girls but that she is the most beautiful that he has ever seen.

Bryn has told Whitney that he does not want to have sex with her until she is ready because he values her more than her body. Whitney feels ready, especially when they go to the beach for Bryn to take pictures of her. Bryn dresses her in a white outfit with a blouse that comes off her shoulders to symbolize her “virginity.”

At the beach, Bryn tells her to take off her bra and underwear so that she can tease her body. Bryn kisses her, and Whitney asks him to have sex with her.

Afterward, Bryn assures her that the sex was good and that he wants to teach her how to be even better. Bryn tells her that he needs to move to Las Vegas to shoot a beauty pageant and that he will miss her.

Whitney feels crushed. Bryn tells her that he wishes that she could come to Las Vegas with him.

When Whitney gets home, her mother gets mad at her for how she is dressed. Whitney snaps at her, and her mother tells her that she cannot leave the house without permission. Whitney goes to her room and asks Bryn to pick her up.

In Ginger’s poem, she wonders how long she can survive before fate or destiny makes decisions in her life.

Ginger observes the side of Las Vegas that people end up regretting. She sees sex work as exploitative and wonders why people would choose to come to Las Vegas to pay for sex.

When Alex and Ginger arrived at Lydia’s house, she told them that they needed to pay their way. Lydia has a business called “Have Ur Cake Escorts” where she takes a cut from the people she employs in the escort service.

After Alex and Ginger were unable to find jobs, Lydia offered to employ them in her escort service. She told them that they could make $500 a night stripping and that the escort service would ensure that no one ever touched them.

Alex and Ginger work as a team when they strip so that they can look out for each other. Alex and Ginger give a cut to their drivers, who watch out for them. Ginger loves Alex, and she loves that she gets to be with Alex, even after strange men lust after her. It is the first time that Ginger feels like she is in control of a sexual situation.

Ginger and Alex knock on the door of the condo, and a young man lets them in. Alex strips for the groom, and one of the men asks if she will perform oral sex. Alex says that she will only perform oral sex on Ginger and that it will cost an extra $100. The man pulls out a $100 bill and hands it to her.

Afterward, Alex and Ginger get into their driver’s car. The driver takes them to their next appointment. They give lap dances at the party, but one of the men gropes Alex. When the man does not stop, Alex threatens to leave, but the man holds on to her and tells her that he will not let her go until she touches him. Afterward, he lets go of her, and they leave hurriedly. Alex shows Ginger that the man gave them a large tip.

Later, Alex and Ginger drink together and then take a shower. Ginger reaches for Alex in bed, but Alex tells her that she is tired. Alex lets Ginger hold her, and they fall asleep.

In Cody’s poem, he writes about a memory where he urinated in the car because he did not know how to speak up.

Cody complains about how he has been losing at gambling.

Cody wants to get Ronnie something for her birthday, but he does not have any money. He knows that if he wins big once, he will have enough money for everything.

Cody hears his mother crying, and she tells him that she cannot find even a minimum-wage job. When he tries to comfort her, she says that they will lose the house.

Cody knows that he must find a way to make more money so that they do not lose the house. He decides to sell some of his possessions at a pawn shop. The man at the pawn shop offers to buy two items of jewelry, which were gifts from Jack and Cody’s mother. Against his better judgment, Cody sells them for $200.

Cody realizes that the money will not cover any of their bills. He decides to use some of the money to buy Ronnie some lingerie for her birthday.

Cody spends more than he means to on lingerie and realizes that he will need to make up the money gambling.

Cody goes home and notices that Cory is not in his room. He decides to gamble on his computer while he is home alone. As he gambles, the phone rings.

The caller ID says that it is the police department. Cody gives the phone to his mother, who has come home. After she hangs up, she tells him that Cory was arrested for assaulting someone during an attempted robbery.

In Eden’s poem, she writes about how important freedom is and how she will not take it for granted anymore. She hopes that she will find her old self now that she is free and that God will forgive her.

Eden does not understand how Jerome can do what he does to her and pretend to be a man of God. The first time they had sex, Eden cried after he left. Eden feels grateful that Jerome uses a condom so that she does not need to worry about pregnancy.

After a few weeks, Eden can shut her brain off when they have sex. Eden wishes she could say “no,” but she knows that saying “yes” will be the key to freedom.

Eden tries to get Jerome to sympathize with her so that he can let her call Andrew. They bond over their shared religious trauma; however, Jerome confesses that he is in love with her.

Eden knows that Jerome will not help her find Andrew, nor will he leave the door open for her to escape.

Eden plans to pretend to enjoy sex with him so that he will believe that she is in love with him. Eden tells him that she wishes that they could run away together. She promises that she will take care of him, and he says that he will think about it.

Eden does not see Jerome for a few days, and she starts to worry.

As Eden walks back to her room one day, she smiles at another girl, but the girl looks away in fear.

Eden refuses to accept that Andrew is out of her life. Jerome visits her again, telling her that he has a few days off.

When Jerome returns, he tells Eden that they will leave the next night and go to Salt Lake City, Utah. He says that his brother lives there and that they can hide there.

As they have sex, Eden thinks about how to escape from Jerome.

After he leaves, Eden cleans herself and lays on the bed, wondering what will happen to her. She decides that if she escapes from Jerome, then she should try to make it to Las Vegas, where she can contact Andrew.

In Seth’s poem, he describes Las Vegas as a hydra that seduces people with its beauty.

Seth learns that Carl has a lot of money when they arrive in Las Vegas. He knows that he only came with Carl because he did not have anywhere else to go.

When Seth told Carl that he had nowhere else to go, Carl told him about Simon. Carl explained that he “kept” Simon and that they had a mutually beneficial relationship where Carl provided safety and a place to stay; in return, Simon slept with him. Carl offered to have the same relationship with Seth.

Later, Seth got on a plane with Carl to Las Vegas, and Carl enjoyed showing Seth off in public. Seth didn’t enjoy it, but he didn’t want to be unhoused.

When they got to Las Vegas, Seth could not believe how large and loud the city is.

Seth saw exposed skin everywhere. After the first few days, Seth was left alone in the apartment, and he got bored quickly.

Seth does not feel like himself because he knows he belongs to Carl. He tries to be grateful because he lives comfortably.

Seth has never experienced boredom because there was always work to do on the farm. He goes online to find a connection in a chatroom called “Men Kept By Men.”

In the chatroom, Seth meets men looking to be kept and men who want to keep others. A couple of men approach him and ask him to call them and talk dirty. Seth does it because of how bored he feels.

Seth has a flashback to when he was 12 and Father Howard asked to see him alone after Mass. They talked, and Father Howard hugged him closely. Seth enjoyed being hugged by him.

The next time they were alone, Father Howard gave him a massage.

The next few times, Father Howard touched him more. They never had sex, but they touched each other. Seth did not realize that he was a pedophile until he read about Father Howard and a boy in another town. Seth knows that Father Howard took advantage of him, but he realizes that it was the first time that someone did not condemn him to hell.

Seth asks a man named Chad in the chatroom what makes being kept different than marriage. Chad tells him that if Carl dies, no one will take care of Seth.

In Whitney’s poem, she writes about how she never could have dreamed that someone would love her.

Whitney feels free of her mother and Kyra with Bryn. She thinks that Las Vegas is a wild place, but she likes it. Bryn promises that he will take care of her and never let anyone else hurt her.

They stay in a motel while Bryn works at the beauty pageant. At the motel, Bryn photographs her naked. One day, Bryn calls her on his way home and tells her that he has a surprise.

Bryn shows Whitney the surprise: heroin. Whitney feels nervous to try it.

Bryn promises that it will not be addictive if she does a little at a time. She asks that they do not shoot it, which he agrees to. When Whitney takes a hit, she chokes on it, but after a few minutes, she feels euphoric. Bryn sets up a webcam and says that he wants to film them having sex. They have sex, and only when it is over does Whitney realize that Bryn did not have any heroin.

A week later, Whitney does heroin five more times with Bryn. She likes how it makes her feel, but Bryn does not try it because he says that he wants her to have it. When Whitney is sober, she worries about Bryn’s treatment of her.

Whitney wonders if Bryn has other girls. She starts to obsess over having enough drugs to keep her feeling good.

Bryn comes home at midnight with another man named Oscar. He tells Whitney that he wants her to have sex with Oscar. Bryn says that if she loves him, then she will do what he says.

Whitney gets high first and then goes into the bedroom with Oscar. She lays on the bed thinking about how she hates Bryn.

Oscar rapes her, and Whitney sees Bryn standing in the doorway, watching them.

In Ginger’s poem, she writes about staring at the night sky and wondering about her existence.

Ginger and Alex move into their own place. Lydia told them when they left that they could make more money if they had sex with their clients.

Alex decides to offer sex to her clients because then they could save money to move to a nicer city. Alex’s decision reminds Ginger of Iris.

Ginger thinks of Gram and knows that she must be worried about her. She wishes that she could tell her that she is okay, but she worries that Iris will find her. Ginger misses her siblings and feels guilty for leaving them.

Ginger takes time off stripping because of her period.

Ginger does not like that Alex must work alone while she is on her period. She decides to do laundry while she waits for Alex to come home and sees another girl in the laundry room.

Ginger says hi to the other girl, and she jumps. Ginger sees that the girl is younger than her. Ginger thinks that she might be on drugs, possibly heroin. Ginger tells her that she reminds her of her sister Mary Ann. The girl says that she has not seen her sister in a long time, and she leaves.

Ginger sees the girl go into a room diagonal from their own. Ginger wonders with whom she lives.

Ginger calls Alex, but she does not answer. She looks out the window and sees the girl from before leading an older man into her room.

Ginger wonders if every woman is a sex worker in Las Vegas. Ginger promises that she will find a way out of the commercial exploitation of children for herself and Alex.

Alex comes in late, looking messy. Alex tells Ginger that she knew about Lydia’s escort service before they arrived and that Lydia offered them a place to stay in exchange for working for her. She says that every time her stepfather calls, Lydia says that she does not know where Alex is, so Alex owes Lydia.

Ginger cannot stand the thought of Alex having sex with older men. She wonders if Iris once thought that she would stop being a sex worker too. Ginger looks out the window and sees another man go into the room with the girl across the hall.

In Cody’s poem, he quotes the saying, “[W]hen a door closes, somewhere a window opens” (472). Cody does not think that believing in something makes it true.

Cody feels that his life is out of control, and he does not know how to fix it.

Cody places a large bet on the Chiefs, but Misty calls him and asks him to come out with her. Misty helped Cody get connected to Lydia. Cody met her because her boyfriend, Chris, plays poker with Vince. Misty told Cody that the best way to make money is to get paid for sex until he has enough money.

Misty told Cody that he could make $100 an hour. He thought about it for a few days and then called Misty to get Lydia’s information.

Lydia told Cody that he would be having sex with men, not women. Cody didn’t want to do that since he had never had sex with a man before, but Lydia told him that men are what her clients want.

Cody tells Misty on the phone that he already has a client that night. Lydia told him it would get easier, and it did.

Cody arrives at the casino. He does not know how he ended up having sex with men because he is not gay, but he wonders why he enjoys it sometimes.

Cody knocks at the hotel door, and a man named Dan lets him inside. Cody collects the money upfront and then asks what he can do for him.

Dan takes off his clothes, and Cody performs oral sex. He thinks about how he must do this for Cory, who is in juvenile detention until he gets rehabilitated.

As he has sex with Dan, Cody realizes that he is aroused. He orgasms and feels guilty immediately.

Cody goes home, depressed. He takes a shower and wishes that he could scrub away the memories.