A Rock Opera.
Cult of the Life And Crime
I awoke with the sounds of doors slamming and yelling sounding around the room. Hoisting myself up groggily, I turned to see the front door close abruptly. Ariel was sleeping peacefully on the floor a few feet away, whereas Jimmy was causally pulling a beer out of the fridge.
"Morning," Jimmy said, taking a swig and slumping down on the bed.
"Where's Jules?" I asked, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.
"Up your arse. Where else?" He rolled his eyes.
"She left?"
"Obviously. Beer?"
"This early in the morning? Fuck off."
"Ah, what are you - a girl?" Jimmy grinned, nodding over to Ariel. "She's more man than you are."
I gave a sarcastic smile. "And she's a bit more dignified than you are. You and Jules didn't seem to last long."
"What are you, my relationship counsellor?" Jimmy rolled his eyes again. "I s'pose I hurt her feelings when I said it was only a one night thing, not a possible future marriage."
How did he do that? Act so casual and relaxed?
Jimmy obviously saw me staring at him.
"What am I - a pet in the zoo? Or do wanna fuck me as well?"
"Chuck us a beer, will you?" Ariel called sleepily from behind me. Jimmy raised his eyebrows at me, grinning, and threw her a bottle from the fridge.
"Fuck! That was my last bottle," he groaned, looking longily at the bottle Ariel was now opening with her eyes half closed.
"Well go out and buy some dumbass," she said in a matter-of-fact voice.
"Easy for you to say. Does it look like I have a job?"
"Go out and busk. Steal some. Use your fucking imagination!"
"I stole us money last time...isn't it your turn?" Jimmy asked in a whiny voice, throwing his bottle behind him carelessly.
She rolled her eyes. "Fine. But you guys have gotta help, anyway."
"Where do you steal it from?" I asked, getting up and following Ariel and Jimmy out the door.
"7-11. Supermarket. Anywhere, really," Jimmy said casually. "I mugged a lady one time, but that was much harder work."
We made our way to the main street, where the hustle and bustle was already building up for the morning. Businessmen and women hurried along, briefcases swinging by their sides as they talked on the phone. Shops began to open, people going on with their daily duties. There weren't any people our age in sight - they were, presumably, slaving away at school.
"There we go. Perfect." Ariel gestured up ahead, where a young man was happily busking with his violin, playing a complicated tune.
Jimmy smiled; they had obviously done this so many times before.
"OK, Jesus, you can distract him." Jimmy continued to look ahead where the guy was playing.
"How do I do that?"
"Use your imagination. Hurry up, or they'll suspect we're up to something just by standing here."
I hesitantly walked forward, straightening up my frame and quietly strolling up to the man. I pretended to flick a coin into his violin case. He nodded and continued to play.
I stood in front of him, gesturing for him to stop playing. He did so, giving me a sharp yet questioning look.
"Yes?" he asked.
"I just wanted to ask...what...what - uh...type of violin that is," I asked, shoving my hands deep into my pockets. "You see, I am interested in purchasing one for my sister for her twelfth birthday, and - "
"Is this some kind of joke?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes.
"Uh, no, it really is her birthday," I said, in the most genuine voice I could muster.
"Riight...well, this violin is - "
Ariel snuck up next to me and grabbed the violin case. "Thank you!" She and Jimmy sprinted off in the direction we came.
"HEY!" The guy screamed, dropping his violin to the ground.
"See ya later!" I grinned, sprinting off after the other two. I heard the man continue to yell after us, yet no one seemed to care. We soon arrived back at the warehouse and hurried inside, firmly closing the door shut behind us.
"How much is there?" I asked, my heart rate slowly returning to normal as my lungs burned from the cold air.
"About thirty bucks," Jimmy said with a grin. "Nice work, guys."
We hi-fived all around - and, for the first time in my life, I felt like I'd met some genuine people.
"Morning," Jimmy said, taking a swig and slumping down on the bed.
"Where's Jules?" I asked, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.
"Up your arse. Where else?" He rolled his eyes.
"She left?"
"Obviously. Beer?"
"This early in the morning? Fuck off."
"Ah, what are you - a girl?" Jimmy grinned, nodding over to Ariel. "She's more man than you are."
I gave a sarcastic smile. "And she's a bit more dignified than you are. You and Jules didn't seem to last long."
"What are you, my relationship counsellor?" Jimmy rolled his eyes again. "I s'pose I hurt her feelings when I said it was only a one night thing, not a possible future marriage."
How did he do that? Act so casual and relaxed?
Jimmy obviously saw me staring at him.
"What am I - a pet in the zoo? Or do wanna fuck me as well?"
"Chuck us a beer, will you?" Ariel called sleepily from behind me. Jimmy raised his eyebrows at me, grinning, and threw her a bottle from the fridge.
"Fuck! That was my last bottle," he groaned, looking longily at the bottle Ariel was now opening with her eyes half closed.
"Well go out and buy some dumbass," she said in a matter-of-fact voice.
"Easy for you to say. Does it look like I have a job?"
"Go out and busk. Steal some. Use your fucking imagination!"
"I stole us money last time...isn't it your turn?" Jimmy asked in a whiny voice, throwing his bottle behind him carelessly.
She rolled her eyes. "Fine. But you guys have gotta help, anyway."
"Where do you steal it from?" I asked, getting up and following Ariel and Jimmy out the door.
"7-11. Supermarket. Anywhere, really," Jimmy said casually. "I mugged a lady one time, but that was much harder work."
We made our way to the main street, where the hustle and bustle was already building up for the morning. Businessmen and women hurried along, briefcases swinging by their sides as they talked on the phone. Shops began to open, people going on with their daily duties. There weren't any people our age in sight - they were, presumably, slaving away at school.
"There we go. Perfect." Ariel gestured up ahead, where a young man was happily busking with his violin, playing a complicated tune.
Jimmy smiled; they had obviously done this so many times before.
"OK, Jesus, you can distract him." Jimmy continued to look ahead where the guy was playing.
"How do I do that?"
"Use your imagination. Hurry up, or they'll suspect we're up to something just by standing here."
I hesitantly walked forward, straightening up my frame and quietly strolling up to the man. I pretended to flick a coin into his violin case. He nodded and continued to play.
I stood in front of him, gesturing for him to stop playing. He did so, giving me a sharp yet questioning look.
"Yes?" he asked.
"I just wanted to ask...what...what - uh...type of violin that is," I asked, shoving my hands deep into my pockets. "You see, I am interested in purchasing one for my sister for her twelfth birthday, and - "
"Is this some kind of joke?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes.
"Uh, no, it really is her birthday," I said, in the most genuine voice I could muster.
"Riight...well, this violin is - "
Ariel snuck up next to me and grabbed the violin case. "Thank you!" She and Jimmy sprinted off in the direction we came.
"HEY!" The guy screamed, dropping his violin to the ground.
"See ya later!" I grinned, sprinting off after the other two. I heard the man continue to yell after us, yet no one seemed to care. We soon arrived back at the warehouse and hurried inside, firmly closing the door shut behind us.
"How much is there?" I asked, my heart rate slowly returning to normal as my lungs burned from the cold air.
"About thirty bucks," Jimmy said with a grin. "Nice work, guys."
We hi-fived all around - and, for the first time in my life, I felt like I'd met some genuine people.