Mike

As I watched an avalanche of uneaten chips tumble out of the girl's mouth, it had me second guessing myself about what I was doing with my life.

Why was I here trying to get this slop to fall for me? It should be the other way around where she would be the one clobbering all over me, doing everything she could to be with me, Mike Nor. I was way too good for her.

My eyes landed on the cute blonde, who welcomed me in, and looked her up and down. Hell, I should be spending my time going after her, not Slobber Mouth here.

Whatever, I had to stick to the plan that Garrison gave me and pressure Ashley into dating me. It better turn out the way I wanted it to or else Garrison and I were going to have a talk. If this plan of his fails to bring me justice in the end, I will make a complete fool of myself by chasing after a girl that doesn't deserve my attention.

My whole entire reputation and pride depended on him. All I could hope for was that he wouldn't screw me over, but why would he do that?

Ashley's roommate was horrified by Ashley's manners and scrambled up to her in a panic. The girl deserves some respect for living with such a mess.

If I was her, I would have already buried her in a dumpster and got rid of her for good.

"God! Ashley, what on earth is wrong with you!"

Seriously, what was wrong with her?

She reminded me of those poor old ladies that were senile in those musky nursing homes- especially the creepy ones in the back who seem to stare into oblivion with their mouths gaping wide open, letting the food the nurse’s had fed them drool out.

The nurse, who would be Ashley's roommate in this case, would clean the food off of Ashley's lap and gently close her mouth shut.

I shuddered at the thought. It was like I had seen a whole disturbing snap shot of Ashley's possible future. Damn, what if I was going to be like that? One day, I will be old and helpless and all my fame will wither away, but I can't let that happen. I won't let it.

"It's okay, really. I don't mind." No, it wasn't okay- this whole thing was not okay.

I was an actor for Hollywood, not a fake that pretended to be head over heels for a girl that I hated with a burning passion. An actor was to act as a character besides himself and live in a reality that has never existed.

Acting was not lying. I can't pretend to be someone I'm not, so this whole mission that Garrison sent me out on was pointless. I can't do it. I'm not believable enough.

Whether it was the voice on my left shoulder, the right shoulder, or the little voice in my head, it told me a phrase that my mother had whispered to me long ago, That's what actors do, they make the unbelievable believable. You're the best of them Mike, and I know that you can do anything with that power.

This situation didn't do my good mother and her remaining words any justice, but the idea fit the tar pit I found myself in.

Letting out a deep breath like I usually would before stepping foot on the set of Blood Run, I put my game face on and got ready to make this girl fall hard.

The blonde didn't matter now, so I pushed her to the side to get to Ashley. “I’m just happy to be here with my baby. I really am."

Garrison wanted me to play it so Ashley would think that I liked her, but I wanted her to know the whole time that I was playing her. I wanted her to think that she had a chance with me but knew better that she didn't when I had the upper hand.

When she was the most vulnerable, I was going to dump her.

After I squeezed her hand tight, I slid my arm behind her waist and kicked back into the couch. This was going to be easier than I thought it was. "Ashley," I continued, "I'm really sorry about today." Taking advantage of her current state of shock, I kissed her on the cheek to make the scene more believable.

Most girls would smell or taste like berries, candy, or other girly things like that-but this girl? She smelled of chips to the point where I felt like I gained a whole pound.

The blonde sat on the coffee table in front of us and gave us a dumbfounded look. "Are you- are you two like a thing now?"

Was she kidding me? After all the acting I went through, she just got the hint that Ashley and I were 'dating'.

Rolling my eyes slightly so she wouldn't be able to see through me, I nodded and leaned in closer to my target.

This whole act was about body language and if she didn't get the cue, maybe I wasn't building the intense chemistry that I wanted to build. But what else have I not done? Like what a couple should show, I sat next to her, used the petty voice that girls always want to hear, and even kissed her cheek.

What else was I supposed to do- sit on her lap and stroke her hair?

I forced myself into giving her a smile. "Of course, Ashley and I were always a thing-"

"It's Ashlyn." The girl growled while handing me her signature punch right beneath the ribs.

What the hell was that for? I groaned and was plunged back into the couch, holding my side and hoping that the punch didn't pack a broken rib or a bone. The season finale for Blood Run was coming up, and I couldn't perform like this.

Now don't look at me and go into one of those don't-ever-punch-a-girl-under-any-circumstance rants because I know that already, but I had to do something about this.

Do you honestly expect me to let a girl to beat me around like her own personal punching bag? I had to at least stop her from hitting me.

This was absolutely insane. I was being beaten up by a couch potato that hardly fit under the category of a girl. One would think that the amount of sloth packed into such a petite figure wouldn't have the strength to do what she was capable of doing now, but here she was pounding me out like Hulk.

"Bitch," I snapped, "that's enough!"

There goes my cover up.

In a blink of an eye, Ashlyn and I ended up on the floor rolling on top of each other. I had the upper hand for a few seconds by pinning her arms down on the floor so she couldn't slap me, but she kneed me again in the ribs and got on top of me.

All of it happened so fast that I couldn't comprehend what was going on. I probably looked pathetic and weak. Great.

Ashlyn's roommate was still in the room with us, and I bet she thought that I was some sort of loser right now. This would be difficult, but I must preserve as much of my pride as I could. It was hard to do since there was a girl trying to hit my face but there had to be a good moment to fight back.

Thankfully, Ashlyn stopped and let out a deep heave of anger.

I know that this was not the right time to be a smart ass but there weren't any other options. "Well look at that," I chuckled and acted as if I didn't feel a thing, "not many girls insist on being on top."

Ashlyn's eyes popped wide open and stared at me like a deer in headlights. Finally, things were going my way, and I had the upper hand for a few seconds. All I had to do was make the best of it and make a fool out of her.

I had no problem turning this whole situation into something awkward because the joke was on her. Girls like Ashlyn freak out over this stuff. Once you scare them out a bit, they avoid you at all costs once you are in their sight.

Giving her a mischievous grin, I crossed my arms beneath my head and smiled innocently up at her. "It's fine. We have all night, so just take your time."

"Uhhh-" I looked behind me and found Ashlyn's roommate awkwardly backing up towards the door and fumbling for the knob "I'm just going to leave you two for your own business."

It was an awkward angle to look up from the floor, but I flashed her another smile and gave her a quick nod. "Thanks. Ashlyn and I like our time alone." My time was running out when I noticed Ashlyn's arms growing tense and her hands reaching out for my neck.

Play time was over and right on time, I rolled out beneath her and got up on my feet. The blonde finally left the room, so I didn't have to hide anything anymore.

Hothead lunged towards me and reached for my throat. "Get out of here, or else I'm calling the police!"

Ashlyn managed to grab my arm and yank me towards her, pulling me into a headlock. This girl wanted me dead, I'm pretty sure of it.

Clawing at her arms, I desperately tried to pull myself up to get some air. “What the hell! I just came here to talk, but no. You just had to punch me!"

Her grip tightened and the breath was squeezed out of me. Black dots jumped across the furniture and through the walls-giving me the notion that I only had seconds before I blacked out.

"Then why did you call me 'baby' and kiss me on the cheek!"

With the energy that I had left, I rolled my eyes. "Damn it, I do that to everyone now let go!"

"Explain why you did that or I'm not letting go! You can't be Mike Nor!"

Could she not see the striking physical and vocal resemblance between the TV that she had playing just a few minutes ago? I wasn't able to look over at the television at the moment, but when I came in I was confident I heard Blood Run playing.

I'm just guessing, but the only people that watch that show are people who are into it-crazy people. If Ashlyn was a fan of that silly show that I was in, how can she not recognize me? For crying out loud, I am the main lead!

Talk about a fan in serious denial.

My body began to tingle-sort of like soda pop-and felt my head droop down to her elbow. Not good. "If you don't let me go right now, I won't be able to tell you a thing."

"Why?"

Damn it, was she really this dumb? "Cause, I'm going to black out-"

My eyelids felt heavy and it didn't seem that bad to take a little nap, but as soon as I closed my eyes Ashlyn dropped me face first on the floor. For the first time in my life, I didn't care about anything-the constant hassle of upholding my icon, girls, money- but to sleep peacefully on this floor.

It was so quiet and peaceful I didn't ever want to get up.

"Get up!"

I refused to move, but Ashlyn pulled me up by the collar of my shirt and propped me up against the couch. "Now tell me," she continued, "who are you and why are you following me."

"First off," I chocked, slowly pulling back into consciousness, "figure out for yourself Hothead. Who do I look like cause I sure as hell don't look like Tom Cruise. Second, I'm not following you. I just wanted a talk."

The grey hue that lined my vision started to disappear, and I looked down at the floor and noticed my face was previously lying in the pile of chips that came from Ashlyn's mouth. Was I crazy to want to sleep in that?

Heck, I don't even want to imagine what it would be like when I was full on drunk if I was this lousy being unconscious. I've gone to a few parties before and drank my ass off, but I don't even care to to remember what I did or even seen.

"Stop joking around." Ashlyn sighed, sitting on the floor right across from me. "You can't be Mike Nor because Mike Nor is probably doing a lot of important stuff like walking down the red carpet, not talking to me."

I looked over and noticed how calm she suddenly was. It was tempting to push a few more of her buttons so we could be even, but I didn't want to fight anymore.

Giving her the death glare, I crossed my arms. "Well he's here, staring right at you."

Ashlyn covered her mouth and shook her head in denial. "You got to be kidding me."

If I was kidding her, I wouldn't keep on persisting it. This whole thing was a waste of my time, and I had to explain to Garrison that there must be some other way to get to Ashlyn like rumours, gossips, set ups, and etc.

However, this was the best way to get revenge, so I'll just go ahead and give this one more shot.

"I was here because I held an interest in you and wanted to ask if you wanted to hang out. The deal is off 'cause you apparently hold more of an interest in punching me than dating me."

Of course, I didn't mean a word of it.

I looked her up and down and shook my head. What a shame. If Ashlyn spent more time on her body instead of burying herself in chips, she wouldn't look all that bad. The girl already had a pretty face with long wavy brunette hair, and all she would have to do was complement it with clothes or whatever.

Surprisingly, she still held a fairly decent shape for the lazy attitude she held.

Maybe if she stepped it up and acted like the other girls in Ridgewood- without the fangirling- I wouldn't mind to date her and have a spin. She was pretty, confident, and had an edge above the rest.

However, she ruined it for herself by destroying my image at school. She had a chance, but not anymore.

The girl tilted her head and leaned against the wall, tapping her finger lightly against her lips in contemplation. "But why," she started "do I not believe you?"

I rolled my eyes and walked out the door because there was no chance but for me to continue this escapade tomorrow. This was enough for today. Standing between the doorway, I lowered my eyes to give her a callous look.

"I don't care what you think. It's about what I feel. You can't change that."

That was a good note to leave on. Hopefully, it would seep into her mind and soften up the tough shell that she put against me. This was Mission Impossible, but I'm Mike Nor, and I always get what I want.

I turned around to leave, but my face planted into the enormous beast behind me. From his shirt I could pick up the light smell of desserts and pastries, and that could only mean one thing. The demon behind me was my annoying older brother, Dane.

Who did he think he was to follow me and make me am embarrassed? Someone was a little too spoiled at home and thought he could break all the rules.

All I ask for is a little respect, but of course Dane doesn't care.

"You're in my way." I growled as I tried to push past him.

He stepped to the side to block me and firmly held my shoulders so I couldn't move. "Who's this?" Dane asked in his concerned older brother voice, peeking in the door and trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on.

Please. I knew he didn't care about me so what was this whole show about?

Jerking out of his grip, I slipped into the hallway and tried to walk away like nothing happened. Even if he did see the girl in there, Dane wouldn't know who she was. The chances of Dane being in the proximity of the accident that happened earlier would be rare.

Dane caught my shoulder again. "Mike, why were you here!"

Like this was any of his business. "Why the fuck do you want to know?" When will he ever leave me alone?

"Wasn't this the girl that beat you up earlier? Are you crazy? Sure, being punched once is kind of funny but multiple times? Look at you! You look terrible!"

"Wow. Thanks."

"Seriously," he continued, "what on earth were you thinking?"

Classic Dane-always butting into things and wanting to know the what’s, the who's, the when’s, and the where’s. This was none of his business. "How did you know about Ashlyn?"

Dane was hesitant at first, but he spilled it. "I was watching, okay? It was hard not to because there was this huge crowd and all. But that doesn't answer my question. Why are you here!"

I rolled my eyes and leaned against the wall. Whenever I get hurt, Dane's mother mode suddenly activates, and he goes into a torrent of 'are you okay' to 'are you stupid'. He was the weirdest brother on earth, I swear.

Dane backed up and shook his head-his fists shaking in anger. "I'm going to talk to her."

Wait, what? The last thing I wanted was for Ashlyn to know that I had a brother. Word in Ridgewood spreads like wildfire, so if she tells anyone I'm screwed. There was no way that I could have everyone know that I was related to this geek.

"Dane, no-"

It was too late. Dane already barged into the room, and I could hear him announce himself loud and clear as Dane, the older brother to the infamous Mike Nor.

This was bad. Really bad.

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A/N: Mike. Mike. Mike. He's ALWAYS getting himself into trouble isn't he? Stupid looser LOL. (It's okay, my characters are used to me bullying them ALL the time ;).)

You might not like Mike, but do you like this book? Cause... you know... if you do you can vote it up ^.^ I'm actually planning on putting this in the contest for Watty Awards 2015, so yeah, MAKE THIS FAMOUS! Jk haha <3.

Question: (I'm blank lol). Dane and Mike... who seems to be the real bad one here? Mike... Mike just has a nasty character. That's that. Dane... he's a teddy bear haha

(I'm asking you cause I don't know myself. xD)