‹ Prequel: Fact Or Fiction
You Forgot Your Duck
You Forgot Your Duck
I sing along to Queen’s Killer Queen as I get ready for my night out. My friend set me up on a blind date. I didn’t want to go at first, but with the day I’ve been having, I figure this can’t make it any worse. The pharmacy I work in was robbed by some crack-head with a butcher knife. After that whole fiasco, I left work only to see that said crack-head had busted some of the windows out of my car and took my spare tire. Who steals a spare tire? Honestly?
Capping my mascara, I check my appearance. The black brings out the vibrancy of my green eyes. My full skirt makes me look like a gypsy and the off the shoulder top only adds to the effect. I put on a few brightly colored metal bracelets, finishing off the look. Satisfied, I shut out the bathroom light and go get my shoes. Choosing shoes is hard. I’m five feet tall so heels would be the better choice, but heels don’t go well with the look I’ve got goin’ on. I settle on flats, telling myself that if he makes fun of my height it will give me a reason to leave the date. I almost hope he mocks my height.
She's a Killer Queen
Gunpowder, gelatine
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Anyt-
I shut off the music, grabbing my purse from my dresser. I dig my keys out, nearly tripping over the carpet in the hallway. Today is not my day. Making it to the door without any more accidents, I lock up and skipping down the walkway to my car. My poor car. The back windows are covered with rainbow sheets of duct tape. I felt creative when trying to think of how to fix them.
I get in and start the car. Avenged Sevenfold immediately blasts from the speakers. I giggle to myself, starting to sing along. Remembering that I have to pick up my date, I pull the directions out of my purse. It’s totally lame that I, the girl, have to pick up my date, the guy, from his house. That’s part of the reason I was reluctant to go. What kind of guy doesn’t drive on dates? A cheap one. That’s what kind. To say I had bad vibes about this date would be an understatement. I’m just hoping it gives me a reason to look back on this day with anything but frustration. The whole day has been a ‘what the fuck’ day, and not the good kind.
I raise an eyebrow at the directions. He lives in the rich part of town. Okay, sucka coulda driven. Cheap ass. I knew it. I mutter angrily to myself as I park in his driveway. I am not getting out of this car. He can walk his cheap ass down here. I honk obnoxiously. The front door bursts open and a lanky body bolts out. He’s screaming and flailing his arms. Part of me is amused, the other part is scared shitless. Is this my date? Before I can decide what I want to do, he’s in the car.
“Go! They’re going to come out here and kidnaps us if we don’t get a move on!” The idea of being kidnapped jolts me into action. I reverse out of the driveway just as four figures flood out the front door. He’s panting heavily, I’m guessing from that narrow escape.
Once we’re a few blocks away from the house and stopped at a red light, I look at him. Oh. Shit. Jimmy Sullivan is sitting in my car. The Rev is my blind date!? My hand shoots out and clicks the CD player off.
“Sorry about that, Audri. The guys wanted to have a night in and I hadn’t told them about this date. Brian decided they should interrogate you to make sure you’re not some deranged fan who’s going to take me to a lake house in the middle of nowhere and have your wicked way with me. Idiot.” I blink, unsure of what to say. “I mean, I told him not to worry. I’m the one that chose the place for the date.”
“But I’m the one driving.” My voice startles me. I didn’t think I’d be able to talk if I ever met him.
He laughs. “You are the one driving, but only to dinner. I had Val drop my car off at the restaurant.”
“Then why am I driving at all? The guy is supposed to pick the girl up.”
“One, I’m not conventional. Two, I wanted to be sure you’d actually show up. And if I came to your house, I wasn’t sure you’d leave. Val said you can be unpredictable, but you’re dependable. I thought if you had to pick me up, you wouldn’t chicken out and I was right!”
“I almost didn’t come today. My being here has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the day I’ve had.”
“No need to get irritated.” I glance at him from the corner of my eye. He’s pouting. I groan and apologize. I don’t want to upset him. Sure he looks cute when he pouts, but this is Jimmy! Every time I’ve seen him in interviews or videos online, he’s been a ball of energy. I don’t want to be the one to take that from him. “No worries. Say... Why do you have a rainbow of duct tape over your back windows?”
“I got creative trying to patch them up.” He shrugs as if this explains everything. He doesn’t even ask why I needed to patch them up in the first place. Jimmy directs me to the restaurant. Johnny Rockets. Oh no. I try to hid my disappointment as I park. Jimmy scurries from his seat, coming to open my door for me. I smile weakly and take the hand he’s offering.
There’s no one inside. I look at Jimmy, confused.
“I rented the place out so no one would bother us. I didn’t want to have to leave ya hangin’ for a few minutes if a fan came up to me.” A sweet gestures. Or it would have been if we hadn’t been at Johnny Rockets. He leads me to a table in the middle of the restaurant. A white table clothe is draped over it and two candles burn between the place settings. Jimmy pulls out my chair for me. I smile a thank you as I sit down. He takes the seat opposite me, grinning widely.
A waiter rolls up to take out drink orders and I giggle. I’ve always loved those restaurants where the servers are on skates. Jimmy winks at me. The waiter leaves and we fall into a comfortable silence. He asks me what I want to eat and I bite my lip. How do I tell him?
“Oh! Don’t worry about the whole no eating meat thing. I was forewarned and I can assure that tonight’s meal will be meat free.” I sighed in relief.
“So you don’t mind me being a vegetarian? That usually turns guys off on the first date.”
“No, I don’t mind. Everybody’s different right?” He smiles at me and I relax a little more. Maybe tonight will make up for the shitty day I’ve had.
Dinner goes smoothly. For the most part. Jimmy asks me about the tattoo on my shoulder and that breaks the ice. Our conversation flows wonderfully until the food gets to the table. Jimmy accidentally knocks over his water, a good portion of it soaking my skirt. He apologizes repeatedly. I simply excuse myself to the bathroom and use the hand dryer to dry my skirt as much as possible.
The dinner wasn’t so hot. Once I got back to the table, Jimmy kept apologizing. It made me so nervous that I ended up accidentally squirting him with ketchup. The blush still hasn’t left me cheeks. Every time I see that red stain on his shirt, my embarrassment flares up and I have to hide my face.
The car ride after dinner is silent. I know we can talk to each other because the conversation was great until we started eating, but it’s awkward now. Jimmy parks and I look out the window. I realize I hadn’t been paying attention to my surroundings. We’re at a carnival.
“Audri? Is this okay?” I guess my silence is making him more nervous. “I didn’t want to do the lame dinner and movie date. If you don’t like if I can think of someth-”
“It’s fine Jimmy.” I smile at him and open my door. “I like carnivals.” He huffs out a relieved sigh. Laughing to myself, I slide out of his truck. “Race ya to the gate!” I slam the door shut and take off. I hear him yelling a few well natured profanities and his car door snap shut loudly. I squeak and run faster. It’s no use though. Two skinny arms wrap around my torso, pulling my backward into a warm chest. My smile quickly turns to a squeal as I’m lifted off the ground. “Down string bean! Down!”
“You did not just call me string bean! It’s so on!”
“Like Donkey Kong?” His body vibrates wildly as he laughs. I have to squirm my way down since he refuses to put me down. Taking his hand, I drag him the rest of the way to the gate. He pays the entry fee, and then tugs my hand gently, telling me to get a move on. I shake my head. He’s extremely hyper now and going on about all the rides and games we need to hit up before we leave.
It’s safe to say the carnival is going better than dinner. Conversation restarts as we wait in line for the Tunnel O’ Love. Jimmy wants to make fun of all the sappy scenery. The way his eyes light up with unrefined mischief slowly builds my own excitement.
We get thrown off the rid halfway through. Jimmy stood in our boat yelling about going to candy mountain and telling the boats behind us what was coming up in the tunnel. I lean on him, still laughing, as we walk around.
“I wanna win you a prize! Oh look! Water guns!” I have to jog to match his long strides. It’s one of those racing games where you shoot the water into the clown’s mouth to make the marker move up the board. “They look ready for a blowjob,” Jimmy muses as we get settled. The carnie working the game rolls his eyes and I snicker. Jimmy rubs his hands together. “Get ready to lose Audri. I am the master.” I snort, not bothering to retort.
The carnie calls out for us to get ready and I smirk. I’ve always been the best at these games. I goes easy on him, letting him get his marker a quarter of the way up before I even start shooting.
“Hey!” Jimmy protests when my marker passes his. “So not fair!” I hold my laughter, focusing on beating him. He starts bumping me, trying to get my aim off. Soon our water guns are turned on each other and random bystanders. The carnie shouts at us over our laughter, but gets ignored. I can safely say, this is one of the best dates I’ve ever been on. By the time the water stops spurting from the water gun, Jimmy and I are both soaked. I look at the game to see that both our markers are stuck at the top.
“Jimmy, we won!” He looks and lets out a cheer. The carnie throws two huge stuffed animals at us as security approaches us. Jimmy’s eyes widen and he picks me up, running away from the fake cops. I hold onto our prizes and him for dear life.
We make it back to the car without getting caught and collapse in fits of laughter. Jimmy has to help me into the truck because I keep slipping.
“Val took your car back to your house if you’re wondering about that.” That explains why she wanted the spare key from me earlier today. His hand slips into mine slowly. I lace our fingers together. “Sorry we got kicked out. I was going to behave tonight, but that didn’t turn out to well.”
“Jimmy, I’m glad you were yourself. This date was awesome!” He flashes me a goofy smile. “Seriously Jimmy. Thank you for taking me out tonight. I needed it.” He kisses the back of my hand lightly, whispering a ‘welcome’ against it and I shiver.
We reach my house all too soon. Jimmy parks in the driveway, next to my car. I reach for the handle, but he stops me. When I look back at him, he kisses me softly. I gasp, kissing back. I was not expecting this, but I’m not going to regret it either. I’m not sure how long the kiss continues, but I feel like it wasn’t long enough when he starts to pull away. His thumb strokes my cheek, his eyes finding mine. I smile shyly.
He chuckles, pecking my lips. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Auds. Be ready by seven.” I bite my lip, nodding. “I’ll walk you to your door.” He releases me and we get out of the car. Jimmy’s hand locks tightly in mine on the short walk to my door. I’m going to have a hard time letting go and I think he will too. I don’t know when the mood changed, but I like it. I dig my keys out with my free hand as we step onto the porch. After unlocking the door, I turn back to Jimmy. He draws me into a tight hug, kissing my head. I snuggle into his embrace and kiss his chest.
He whispers my name and I look up at him. Usually a height gap like the one between us bothers me, but not this time. There’s something about him looking down on me like this that I like. I smile at him as his eyes roam my face, eventually settling on my lips. Taking the hint, I raise on my toes and meet him in a heated kiss. Suddenly, I’m not so cold anymore. I want to keep the kiss going, but he pulls away. What is it with him and pulling away too early?
“If I don’t go now, I don’t think I’ll want to leave.” He kisses my forehead, one hand reaching back to open the door for me. “Night Audri. Until tomorrow.”
I have to catch my breath from that kiss before I can answer. “Night Jimmy.” I sneak another kiss before slipping inside. Shutting the door quietly, I lean against it, one hand to my chest. That date was insane and I can’t wait until tomorrow. As I push off the door to head upstairs, the doorbell rings. Maybe he doesn’t want to wait until tomorrow either. I open the door, “Yeah?”
He smiles cutely, pulling the stuffed animal he won at the carnival from behind his back. “You forgot your duck."
Capping my mascara, I check my appearance. The black brings out the vibrancy of my green eyes. My full skirt makes me look like a gypsy and the off the shoulder top only adds to the effect. I put on a few brightly colored metal bracelets, finishing off the look. Satisfied, I shut out the bathroom light and go get my shoes. Choosing shoes is hard. I’m five feet tall so heels would be the better choice, but heels don’t go well with the look I’ve got goin’ on. I settle on flats, telling myself that if he makes fun of my height it will give me a reason to leave the date. I almost hope he mocks my height.
She's a Killer Queen
Gunpowder, gelatine
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Anyt-
I shut off the music, grabbing my purse from my dresser. I dig my keys out, nearly tripping over the carpet in the hallway. Today is not my day. Making it to the door without any more accidents, I lock up and skipping down the walkway to my car. My poor car. The back windows are covered with rainbow sheets of duct tape. I felt creative when trying to think of how to fix them.
I get in and start the car. Avenged Sevenfold immediately blasts from the speakers. I giggle to myself, starting to sing along. Remembering that I have to pick up my date, I pull the directions out of my purse. It’s totally lame that I, the girl, have to pick up my date, the guy, from his house. That’s part of the reason I was reluctant to go. What kind of guy doesn’t drive on dates? A cheap one. That’s what kind. To say I had bad vibes about this date would be an understatement. I’m just hoping it gives me a reason to look back on this day with anything but frustration. The whole day has been a ‘what the fuck’ day, and not the good kind.
I raise an eyebrow at the directions. He lives in the rich part of town. Okay, sucka coulda driven. Cheap ass. I knew it. I mutter angrily to myself as I park in his driveway. I am not getting out of this car. He can walk his cheap ass down here. I honk obnoxiously. The front door bursts open and a lanky body bolts out. He’s screaming and flailing his arms. Part of me is amused, the other part is scared shitless. Is this my date? Before I can decide what I want to do, he’s in the car.
“Go! They’re going to come out here and kidnaps us if we don’t get a move on!” The idea of being kidnapped jolts me into action. I reverse out of the driveway just as four figures flood out the front door. He’s panting heavily, I’m guessing from that narrow escape.
Once we’re a few blocks away from the house and stopped at a red light, I look at him. Oh. Shit. Jimmy Sullivan is sitting in my car. The Rev is my blind date!? My hand shoots out and clicks the CD player off.
“Sorry about that, Audri. The guys wanted to have a night in and I hadn’t told them about this date. Brian decided they should interrogate you to make sure you’re not some deranged fan who’s going to take me to a lake house in the middle of nowhere and have your wicked way with me. Idiot.” I blink, unsure of what to say. “I mean, I told him not to worry. I’m the one that chose the place for the date.”
“But I’m the one driving.” My voice startles me. I didn’t think I’d be able to talk if I ever met him.
He laughs. “You are the one driving, but only to dinner. I had Val drop my car off at the restaurant.”
“Then why am I driving at all? The guy is supposed to pick the girl up.”
“One, I’m not conventional. Two, I wanted to be sure you’d actually show up. And if I came to your house, I wasn’t sure you’d leave. Val said you can be unpredictable, but you’re dependable. I thought if you had to pick me up, you wouldn’t chicken out and I was right!”
“I almost didn’t come today. My being here has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the day I’ve had.”
“No need to get irritated.” I glance at him from the corner of my eye. He’s pouting. I groan and apologize. I don’t want to upset him. Sure he looks cute when he pouts, but this is Jimmy! Every time I’ve seen him in interviews or videos online, he’s been a ball of energy. I don’t want to be the one to take that from him. “No worries. Say... Why do you have a rainbow of duct tape over your back windows?”
“I got creative trying to patch them up.” He shrugs as if this explains everything. He doesn’t even ask why I needed to patch them up in the first place. Jimmy directs me to the restaurant. Johnny Rockets. Oh no. I try to hid my disappointment as I park. Jimmy scurries from his seat, coming to open my door for me. I smile weakly and take the hand he’s offering.
There’s no one inside. I look at Jimmy, confused.
“I rented the place out so no one would bother us. I didn’t want to have to leave ya hangin’ for a few minutes if a fan came up to me.” A sweet gestures. Or it would have been if we hadn’t been at Johnny Rockets. He leads me to a table in the middle of the restaurant. A white table clothe is draped over it and two candles burn between the place settings. Jimmy pulls out my chair for me. I smile a thank you as I sit down. He takes the seat opposite me, grinning widely.
A waiter rolls up to take out drink orders and I giggle. I’ve always loved those restaurants where the servers are on skates. Jimmy winks at me. The waiter leaves and we fall into a comfortable silence. He asks me what I want to eat and I bite my lip. How do I tell him?
“Oh! Don’t worry about the whole no eating meat thing. I was forewarned and I can assure that tonight’s meal will be meat free.” I sighed in relief.
“So you don’t mind me being a vegetarian? That usually turns guys off on the first date.”
“No, I don’t mind. Everybody’s different right?” He smiles at me and I relax a little more. Maybe tonight will make up for the shitty day I’ve had.
Dinner goes smoothly. For the most part. Jimmy asks me about the tattoo on my shoulder and that breaks the ice. Our conversation flows wonderfully until the food gets to the table. Jimmy accidentally knocks over his water, a good portion of it soaking my skirt. He apologizes repeatedly. I simply excuse myself to the bathroom and use the hand dryer to dry my skirt as much as possible.
The dinner wasn’t so hot. Once I got back to the table, Jimmy kept apologizing. It made me so nervous that I ended up accidentally squirting him with ketchup. The blush still hasn’t left me cheeks. Every time I see that red stain on his shirt, my embarrassment flares up and I have to hide my face.
The car ride after dinner is silent. I know we can talk to each other because the conversation was great until we started eating, but it’s awkward now. Jimmy parks and I look out the window. I realize I hadn’t been paying attention to my surroundings. We’re at a carnival.
“Audri? Is this okay?” I guess my silence is making him more nervous. “I didn’t want to do the lame dinner and movie date. If you don’t like if I can think of someth-”
“It’s fine Jimmy.” I smile at him and open my door. “I like carnivals.” He huffs out a relieved sigh. Laughing to myself, I slide out of his truck. “Race ya to the gate!” I slam the door shut and take off. I hear him yelling a few well natured profanities and his car door snap shut loudly. I squeak and run faster. It’s no use though. Two skinny arms wrap around my torso, pulling my backward into a warm chest. My smile quickly turns to a squeal as I’m lifted off the ground. “Down string bean! Down!”
“You did not just call me string bean! It’s so on!”
“Like Donkey Kong?” His body vibrates wildly as he laughs. I have to squirm my way down since he refuses to put me down. Taking his hand, I drag him the rest of the way to the gate. He pays the entry fee, and then tugs my hand gently, telling me to get a move on. I shake my head. He’s extremely hyper now and going on about all the rides and games we need to hit up before we leave.
It’s safe to say the carnival is going better than dinner. Conversation restarts as we wait in line for the Tunnel O’ Love. Jimmy wants to make fun of all the sappy scenery. The way his eyes light up with unrefined mischief slowly builds my own excitement.
We get thrown off the rid halfway through. Jimmy stood in our boat yelling about going to candy mountain and telling the boats behind us what was coming up in the tunnel. I lean on him, still laughing, as we walk around.
“I wanna win you a prize! Oh look! Water guns!” I have to jog to match his long strides. It’s one of those racing games where you shoot the water into the clown’s mouth to make the marker move up the board. “They look ready for a blowjob,” Jimmy muses as we get settled. The carnie working the game rolls his eyes and I snicker. Jimmy rubs his hands together. “Get ready to lose Audri. I am the master.” I snort, not bothering to retort.
The carnie calls out for us to get ready and I smirk. I’ve always been the best at these games. I goes easy on him, letting him get his marker a quarter of the way up before I even start shooting.
“Hey!” Jimmy protests when my marker passes his. “So not fair!” I hold my laughter, focusing on beating him. He starts bumping me, trying to get my aim off. Soon our water guns are turned on each other and random bystanders. The carnie shouts at us over our laughter, but gets ignored. I can safely say, this is one of the best dates I’ve ever been on. By the time the water stops spurting from the water gun, Jimmy and I are both soaked. I look at the game to see that both our markers are stuck at the top.
“Jimmy, we won!” He looks and lets out a cheer. The carnie throws two huge stuffed animals at us as security approaches us. Jimmy’s eyes widen and he picks me up, running away from the fake cops. I hold onto our prizes and him for dear life.
We make it back to the car without getting caught and collapse in fits of laughter. Jimmy has to help me into the truck because I keep slipping.
“Val took your car back to your house if you’re wondering about that.” That explains why she wanted the spare key from me earlier today. His hand slips into mine slowly. I lace our fingers together. “Sorry we got kicked out. I was going to behave tonight, but that didn’t turn out to well.”
“Jimmy, I’m glad you were yourself. This date was awesome!” He flashes me a goofy smile. “Seriously Jimmy. Thank you for taking me out tonight. I needed it.” He kisses the back of my hand lightly, whispering a ‘welcome’ against it and I shiver.
We reach my house all too soon. Jimmy parks in the driveway, next to my car. I reach for the handle, but he stops me. When I look back at him, he kisses me softly. I gasp, kissing back. I was not expecting this, but I’m not going to regret it either. I’m not sure how long the kiss continues, but I feel like it wasn’t long enough when he starts to pull away. His thumb strokes my cheek, his eyes finding mine. I smile shyly.
He chuckles, pecking my lips. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Auds. Be ready by seven.” I bite my lip, nodding. “I’ll walk you to your door.” He releases me and we get out of the car. Jimmy’s hand locks tightly in mine on the short walk to my door. I’m going to have a hard time letting go and I think he will too. I don’t know when the mood changed, but I like it. I dig my keys out with my free hand as we step onto the porch. After unlocking the door, I turn back to Jimmy. He draws me into a tight hug, kissing my head. I snuggle into his embrace and kiss his chest.
He whispers my name and I look up at him. Usually a height gap like the one between us bothers me, but not this time. There’s something about him looking down on me like this that I like. I smile at him as his eyes roam my face, eventually settling on my lips. Taking the hint, I raise on my toes and meet him in a heated kiss. Suddenly, I’m not so cold anymore. I want to keep the kiss going, but he pulls away. What is it with him and pulling away too early?
“If I don’t go now, I don’t think I’ll want to leave.” He kisses my forehead, one hand reaching back to open the door for me. “Night Audri. Until tomorrow.”
I have to catch my breath from that kiss before I can answer. “Night Jimmy.” I sneak another kiss before slipping inside. Shutting the door quietly, I lean against it, one hand to my chest. That date was insane and I can’t wait until tomorrow. As I push off the door to head upstairs, the doorbell rings. Maybe he doesn’t want to wait until tomorrow either. I open the door, “Yeah?”
He smiles cutely, pulling the stuffed animal he won at the carnival from behind his back. “You forgot your duck."