Down With Love
Chapter 4
I couldn’t believe myself. I needed to stop thinking about Anna this way. Just the the thought of her, with her tight black shirt, and- No. God, I can’t believe herself. She’s Matt’s cousin. And she’s a bitch. I tried to ignore the order of those two thoughts. It was unimportant anyway. She brought me water and an asprin though. But that was just so that I would help her sell merch, I was her last choice… my thoughts were interrupted by someone calling my name. I snapped to attention when I heard it again:
“Jimmy! Jimmy!” I was repulsed to see the source of the noise hobbling over towards me on crutches, and in a moment of horror, the entirety of last night’s events came flooding back to me. I cringed in disgust as the girl ran her hand down my arm when she reached me. “Last night was really fun,” she said, fluttering her eyelashes at me. I had to hand it to her: I had no idea that one person could have so little dignity. Just yesterday, we embarrassed and even hurt her in front of her fans, and now she was hanging off me like a leech. Every inch of me was yearning to burst out with ‘GET SOME SELF RESPECT, YOU WHORE!’ But I didn’t. I did, however, use my height to my advantage and looked straight down at her, glaring. I was about to say something along the lines of ‘that’s lovely’ in the iciest tone I could muster. But then an idea struck me. That bitch Anna wanted me to be nicer to the Millionaires, I would be nicer to the Millionaires.
So instead, I wrapped my arm around the barely legal little skank. “Oh really?” I asked with a sly smile. “Well what do you say we go back to my tour bus, and continue the ‘fun’?” I asked her with a wink.
“Oooh!” She squealed. “You’re such a bad boy,” she let out a shrill giggle and hit my arm playfully before returning to stroking it.
“I just have to go get something I forgot at the merch stall,” I lied. I had to parade this in front of The Bitch Anna. When we arrived, the shock on Anna’s face made every second I’d spent with the little skanky girl whose name I didn’t know worth it. Anna gawked at us. Her mouth hung open, and her eyes were the size of saucers. It was amazing. But then I realized I had no excuse to come back here. None to tell the clone at least. I slid my hand down the girl’s waist, before grabbing her ass. She squeaked, and Anna glared.
“Alison, right?” Anna spat. I took more pride in the anger in Anna’s voice than I had in the takeover of the Millionaires’ set. Jeez, I thought this summer was going to be terrible, but it was just getting better by the moment. The girl giggled and shook her head, introducing herself as Melisa Marie, but to call her Melisa. I made a mental note so I wouldn’t mess it up. Not that it really mattered, to be honest. I ran my hand up and down the skank’s back, and she smiled, leaning her head against my chest.
“So, yeah…” I started. “I just came here to make sure you could handle the booth all by yourself, I’m gonna be busy this afternoon,” I told Anna with a smirk. She glared, and I could have sworn she even looked a little bit hurt. I shrugged it off, assuming it was just a part of my imagination, though part of me was sure that I’d regret this action later. “If I bump into anyone, I’ll tell them that you need some help at the stall,” I said, feeling a sudden pang of guilt.
“Don’t bother. It’s just the lunchtime crowd, I can manage, why would I be hired otherwise?” She turned away from me, and took a wad of one-dollar-bills from some acne-faced 12-year-old.
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What the fuck is this, some sort of sick, karma-based joke life’s decided to play on me? All I’ve heard since I’ve got here have been insults, the only defense being ‘you were horrible before!’ I don’t remember being horrible. All I remember, actually, was them being horrible to me… Jesus Christ, why did you take this job, Anna? I thought to myself as I handed some kid their shirts. Nothing’s fucking changed. Hell, you were even nice to that chick from the band, defended her when she was there and even when she wasn’t and what happens? She thinks I’m a piece of scum and is now fucking the guy who not only embarrassed her, but could have practically killed her yesterday. Jimmy. Jimmy… Jimmy…
No. stupid fucking Anna. Don’t do this. He hates you more than the rest of them for Christ’s sake. At least the rest are trying to be nice, if not for your sake, then for Matt’s… I remembered the conversation I’d overheard between my cousin and Val, and I suddenly realized what I’d gotten myself into, how empty I felt. I was to spend the next two months living on a bus with people who couldn’t stand to even look at me, doing a menial, boring, pointless job for long hours and little pay in hundred-degree weather, with crappy meals and nobody to talk to. Harsh reality dug into me as if someone had tied a noose around my stomach and kept pulling- I almost doubled over with the sudden pain, and I could feel myself going dizzy. I wanted home, I wanted home now.
“Jimmy! Jimmy!” I was repulsed to see the source of the noise hobbling over towards me on crutches, and in a moment of horror, the entirety of last night’s events came flooding back to me. I cringed in disgust as the girl ran her hand down my arm when she reached me. “Last night was really fun,” she said, fluttering her eyelashes at me. I had to hand it to her: I had no idea that one person could have so little dignity. Just yesterday, we embarrassed and even hurt her in front of her fans, and now she was hanging off me like a leech. Every inch of me was yearning to burst out with ‘GET SOME SELF RESPECT, YOU WHORE!’ But I didn’t. I did, however, use my height to my advantage and looked straight down at her, glaring. I was about to say something along the lines of ‘that’s lovely’ in the iciest tone I could muster. But then an idea struck me. That bitch Anna wanted me to be nicer to the Millionaires, I would be nicer to the Millionaires.
So instead, I wrapped my arm around the barely legal little skank. “Oh really?” I asked with a sly smile. “Well what do you say we go back to my tour bus, and continue the ‘fun’?” I asked her with a wink.
“Oooh!” She squealed. “You’re such a bad boy,” she let out a shrill giggle and hit my arm playfully before returning to stroking it.
“I just have to go get something I forgot at the merch stall,” I lied. I had to parade this in front of The Bitch Anna. When we arrived, the shock on Anna’s face made every second I’d spent with the little skanky girl whose name I didn’t know worth it. Anna gawked at us. Her mouth hung open, and her eyes were the size of saucers. It was amazing. But then I realized I had no excuse to come back here. None to tell the clone at least. I slid my hand down the girl’s waist, before grabbing her ass. She squeaked, and Anna glared.
“Alison, right?” Anna spat. I took more pride in the anger in Anna’s voice than I had in the takeover of the Millionaires’ set. Jeez, I thought this summer was going to be terrible, but it was just getting better by the moment. The girl giggled and shook her head, introducing herself as Melisa Marie, but to call her Melisa. I made a mental note so I wouldn’t mess it up. Not that it really mattered, to be honest. I ran my hand up and down the skank’s back, and she smiled, leaning her head against my chest.
“So, yeah…” I started. “I just came here to make sure you could handle the booth all by yourself, I’m gonna be busy this afternoon,” I told Anna with a smirk. She glared, and I could have sworn she even looked a little bit hurt. I shrugged it off, assuming it was just a part of my imagination, though part of me was sure that I’d regret this action later. “If I bump into anyone, I’ll tell them that you need some help at the stall,” I said, feeling a sudden pang of guilt.
“Don’t bother. It’s just the lunchtime crowd, I can manage, why would I be hired otherwise?” She turned away from me, and took a wad of one-dollar-bills from some acne-faced 12-year-old.
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What the fuck is this, some sort of sick, karma-based joke life’s decided to play on me? All I’ve heard since I’ve got here have been insults, the only defense being ‘you were horrible before!’ I don’t remember being horrible. All I remember, actually, was them being horrible to me… Jesus Christ, why did you take this job, Anna? I thought to myself as I handed some kid their shirts. Nothing’s fucking changed. Hell, you were even nice to that chick from the band, defended her when she was there and even when she wasn’t and what happens? She thinks I’m a piece of scum and is now fucking the guy who not only embarrassed her, but could have practically killed her yesterday. Jimmy. Jimmy… Jimmy…
No. stupid fucking Anna. Don’t do this. He hates you more than the rest of them for Christ’s sake. At least the rest are trying to be nice, if not for your sake, then for Matt’s… I remembered the conversation I’d overheard between my cousin and Val, and I suddenly realized what I’d gotten myself into, how empty I felt. I was to spend the next two months living on a bus with people who couldn’t stand to even look at me, doing a menial, boring, pointless job for long hours and little pay in hundred-degree weather, with crappy meals and nobody to talk to. Harsh reality dug into me as if someone had tied a noose around my stomach and kept pulling- I almost doubled over with the sudden pain, and I could feel myself going dizzy. I wanted home, I wanted home now.