A Rock Opera.
She's Holding On My Heart Like A Hand Grenade
I awoke the next morning feeling dizzy and just generally unwell. Jimmy was still asleep – while Ariel was no where to be seen. I sat up from where I lay on the dusty floor, rubbing my head. There were still rolls of pot laying around carelessly, bringing my mind back to the previous night.
The last thing I could remember was feeling like I was soaring high in the sky…other than that, there was nothing.
Jimmy moaned from a few feet away, awakening much like I had. His dark hair was tousled, spiking out from all angles. He threw me a disgusted look.
“What did I do?” I asked indignantly. “Don’t blame me for your drug hangover.”
“It’s not that.” Jimmy gave a tired smile, his eyes glinting maliciously. “Hey Jesus, would you happen to remember anything from last night?”
“Uh…no…” Had I done something I would regret that badly? “Why?”
“Just you and Ariel were doing some pretty weird shit last night.” He grinned again. “Ah, so she’s sucked you in. She’s damn fine.”
“Ah shut it.” I wondered what could have possibly happened. Unless that was the reason for Ariel’s departure…
The door soon swung open, revealing Ariel dressed in different clothes. She looked as though she had had a shower – her hair was damp and a flowery scent hung in the air.
“Where did you go?” Jimmy demanded, pulling a fresh beer from his mini fridge and abruptly taking a sip. He chucked me a beer, yet continued to look at Ariel intently.
“To get fresh clothes from the club and have a shower. Mind you, I had to avoid that sleazebag of an owner from barging in on me while I showered.” She gave a little shrug, taking a beer from the fridge. “Feeling fine, Jesus?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Because she fucked you so hard you’ve probably lost all ability to have children now.” Jimmy gave me a wink.
Ariel stamped her foot. “Another crack like that, Saint Jimmy, and I’ll shove this beer bottle up your ass, and then hit you somewhere that will lose your ability to have children.”
“I’m just saying…” Jimmy gave an innocent shrug. “Fine. So she didn’t fuck you. But you were doing something – “
“What were you doing?” I asked, eager to change the subject. “Did you bring home another whore?”
“Pfft. After the last one? Please. No, while you guys giggled like schoolgirls I was laying there like a philosopher. My mind seemed to be saying all this crazy shit, I dunno why – “
“Dude, pot’s not going to do that to you,” I marveled, taking another swig from the beer bottle.
“Oh. Must have been the ritalin.”
“That would explain it,” Ariel said, rolling her eyes and sitting down on the edge of his bed. “What are we doing today?”
“There’s some party tonight,” Jimmy said thoughtfully. “Tunny’s meant to be playing there – “
“Who in hell is Tunny?” I asked.
“He’s some random guy Jimmy met on the street once. Apparently he’s in a band or something,” Ariel explained. “Mind you, Jimmy meets lots of randoms. Most of them he fucks.”
“Another crack like that, and I’ll shove this bottle up your ass,” Jimmy retorted. “Anyway, you guys in for the party?”
“Is there anything else to do around here?” I grinned, finishing my beer and rolling the bottle across the other side of the room.
“You can get Ariel to give you a lap dance…”
“What did you say, Jimmy?” Ariel raised an eyebrow, twirling her bottle innocently.
“Nothing. Well, let’s go for a walk. Just as old chums, you know. I’ll probably end up burning something along the way, but don’t mind me.”
The rest of the day passed just like that – I got to know my new friends a little better. But despite having known them for only a few days, they felt closer to me than my old friends back in ol’ Jingletown or any member of my family.
Both Ariel and Jimmy were so independent. They’d lived most of their lives alone on the streets, fending for themselves, and they had that ‘Fuck you’ attitude as a result. They weren’t trying to pretend everything was alright. If they had a problem with something then they would do something about it, not pretend everything was dandy. Jimmy was hell’s little rebel. He was a free spirit, and would always be that way.
But Ariel… I couldn’t put my finger on it. I’d never met a girl like her. She seemed to pull you closer the longer you knew her. She was the symbol of resistance, and she was holding on my heart like a hand grenade.
The last thing I could remember was feeling like I was soaring high in the sky…other than that, there was nothing.
Jimmy moaned from a few feet away, awakening much like I had. His dark hair was tousled, spiking out from all angles. He threw me a disgusted look.
“What did I do?” I asked indignantly. “Don’t blame me for your drug hangover.”
“It’s not that.” Jimmy gave a tired smile, his eyes glinting maliciously. “Hey Jesus, would you happen to remember anything from last night?”
“Uh…no…” Had I done something I would regret that badly? “Why?”
“Just you and Ariel were doing some pretty weird shit last night.” He grinned again. “Ah, so she’s sucked you in. She’s damn fine.”
“Ah shut it.” I wondered what could have possibly happened. Unless that was the reason for Ariel’s departure…
The door soon swung open, revealing Ariel dressed in different clothes. She looked as though she had had a shower – her hair was damp and a flowery scent hung in the air.
“Where did you go?” Jimmy demanded, pulling a fresh beer from his mini fridge and abruptly taking a sip. He chucked me a beer, yet continued to look at Ariel intently.
“To get fresh clothes from the club and have a shower. Mind you, I had to avoid that sleazebag of an owner from barging in on me while I showered.” She gave a little shrug, taking a beer from the fridge. “Feeling fine, Jesus?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Because she fucked you so hard you’ve probably lost all ability to have children now.” Jimmy gave me a wink.
Ariel stamped her foot. “Another crack like that, Saint Jimmy, and I’ll shove this beer bottle up your ass, and then hit you somewhere that will lose your ability to have children.”
“I’m just saying…” Jimmy gave an innocent shrug. “Fine. So she didn’t fuck you. But you were doing something – “
“What were you doing?” I asked, eager to change the subject. “Did you bring home another whore?”
“Pfft. After the last one? Please. No, while you guys giggled like schoolgirls I was laying there like a philosopher. My mind seemed to be saying all this crazy shit, I dunno why – “
“Dude, pot’s not going to do that to you,” I marveled, taking another swig from the beer bottle.
“Oh. Must have been the ritalin.”
“That would explain it,” Ariel said, rolling her eyes and sitting down on the edge of his bed. “What are we doing today?”
“There’s some party tonight,” Jimmy said thoughtfully. “Tunny’s meant to be playing there – “
“Who in hell is Tunny?” I asked.
“He’s some random guy Jimmy met on the street once. Apparently he’s in a band or something,” Ariel explained. “Mind you, Jimmy meets lots of randoms. Most of them he fucks.”
“Another crack like that, and I’ll shove this bottle up your ass,” Jimmy retorted. “Anyway, you guys in for the party?”
“Is there anything else to do around here?” I grinned, finishing my beer and rolling the bottle across the other side of the room.
“You can get Ariel to give you a lap dance…”
“What did you say, Jimmy?” Ariel raised an eyebrow, twirling her bottle innocently.
“Nothing. Well, let’s go for a walk. Just as old chums, you know. I’ll probably end up burning something along the way, but don’t mind me.”
The rest of the day passed just like that – I got to know my new friends a little better. But despite having known them for only a few days, they felt closer to me than my old friends back in ol’ Jingletown or any member of my family.
Both Ariel and Jimmy were so independent. They’d lived most of their lives alone on the streets, fending for themselves, and they had that ‘Fuck you’ attitude as a result. They weren’t trying to pretend everything was alright. If they had a problem with something then they would do something about it, not pretend everything was dandy. Jimmy was hell’s little rebel. He was a free spirit, and would always be that way.
But Ariel… I couldn’t put my finger on it. I’d never met a girl like her. She seemed to pull you closer the longer you knew her. She was the symbol of resistance, and she was holding on my heart like a hand grenade.