Reality's A Bitch.

[Micky O'Reilly]

I finished recording my promo and turned to Aly.

Micky: So what do you think baby?
Alyson: What the hell have you done? All my hard work from last month's promo, wasted!

She grabbed a folder from the footwell of the car and hit me in the face with it, an ineffective assault. The the tears in her eyes however cut me deep. I enclosed her hands in mine.

Micky: What do you mean?
Alyson: You just spent the last three minutes lying through your teeth! Making Preston look like a cheat and yourself look like an idiot!
Micky: All I did was tell the truth!
Alyson: Really Micky? Do you actually believe any of what you just said?

I thought about it. I had seemed odd but it felt so real at the same time.

Micky: Yeah, I remember you, me, Preston…
Alyson: Christ Micky, can't you see what this shit is doing to you?

She grabbed my hipflask of whiskey and threw it at the floor in anger.

Chauffer: Hey! Careful of the car!
Micky & Alyson: SHUT UP!
Alyson: Pull over, I don't wan't to do this like this.

The driver pulled over to the kerb, we were in a residential area in some kind of suburb. No one else was around. She got out and I followed her.

Micky: Alyson, Aly. Wait.
Alyson: That stuff is poisoning your mind and you don't even realise it!
Micky: What do you mean? Please Aly, talk to me.
Alyson: We never went to a god-damned party with Preston Blake! After the fight you decided you needed a celebratory drink and went to the pub and got plastered! Me and the camera guy had to support you all the way back to the motel and you fell unconscious as soon as you hit the bed!
Micky: But I remember…
Alyson: You don't remember shit Micky! You get pissed and your mind invents these ridiculous stories to fill in the blanks. You don't believe me ask him, he's got all the tapes.

She gestured at the camera man who was always following me. Twenty something, blonde, lanky. I didn't know his name.

Alyson: Get back in the car Micky, I'm going to my parents for a few days. I'll call you soon.

She turned her back on me and started walking away. I didn't know what to do, so I just did as I was told. I got back in the car, the camera man following. We drove off again, guess the driver heard everything..

Micky: Is that right fella?
Camera man: What?
Micky: Do you have tapes of everything I've been doing since I got here?
Camera man: Pretty much, I can show you when we get to Huntington.
Micky: Good.

I picked up my hipflask and unscrewed the top. I went to have a swig, but stopped. I wound down the window and up-ended it, emptying the content on the asphalt, I wasn't in the mood.

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We sat in the room at the Royal Huntington, our motel for the week, and the camera man set a spare camera on the TV. His other one was in the corner on a tripod, recording as usual.

Micky: Where's the tapes?
Camera man: 21st century dude, SD card.

I had no idea what he meant but video started playing so I didn't worry too much.

Camera man: OK the film for 02/22/12.

The video cut in with me walking back to the changing rooms, Alyson ran down to meet me.

Alyson: Well done baby! I knew you could beat him!
Micky: It was a sure thing, what do you say we go celebrate?
Alyson: I saw a nice little restaurant on our way in…
Micky: Come on, you know I don't do all that posh stuff. I think I saw a pub two minutes away.
Alyson: But…

I carried on walking completely ignoring her.

Micky: Can we speed this up boss?

The camera man pressed a button on a small remote he was holding, a small 'x6' came up in the corner.

I grabbed a shower, got changed, took Alyson's hand and we exited the building. I signed some autographs and we walked in high speed to a small pub. I went to the bar and got two drinks, an orange juice for Aly and a very large whisky for me. I knocked it back and the barman got me another. We sat at a table and continued drinking, occasionally getting up for more drinks and to do karaoke that was set up in a corner. Alyson looked annoyed the whole time and I started stumbling in to tables and people. I had what looked like an argument and Alyson pulled me out of the pub by my hand. We walked 200 yards and I fell over, I saw the camera man's hand reach forward and help me up. The camera pointed to the floor and swayed all the way back to the motel and to our room. I fall forward onto the bed and Alyson undress me. The screen went black.

Camera man: That's it dude.

I didn't respond straight away. Alyson was right, I'd made us both look stupid with my bull-shit promo.

Micky: My first week. Show me.
Camera man: I don't have it all, after two weeks I edit it down to just the interesting bits…
Micky: I don't care, show me.

He got up and swapped a card in the camera.

I was sitting in a bar, a woman was talking to me.

Grace Adams: So will you beat up Mike Tomkins for me or not? Just rough him up and leave him somewhere, that's all.
Micky: No. I already put him down once tonight. I have to stick to John's plan.
Grace: Fine. Sorry to waste your time, have another drink on me.

She got up and walked past the camera man.

Grace: Get that fucking camera out of my face.
The video ends.

So I hadn't jumped Hopkins and left him in that pile of rubbish. That was one mystery solved.

I was walking up a street in mid-day. I was stumbling side to side, clearly drunk. I stopped and talked to two guys, the ones who hung around outside the Quick Stop.

Skinny guy: Hey guy, you want some weed? Wanna get fucked up like some kind of fucking test rabbit?
Micky: What have you got boy? Any whisky?
Skinny guy: Nah, but I these.

He pulled a clear plastic bag with some kind of cigarettes inside.

Skinny guy: Smoke one of these babies and you won't need anything else, guaranteed to get you high as a mother fucking kite. Tell you what I'll even give you your first sample free cos I'm such a nice guy. Mother fuckers a pimp like Morris Day.

He grabbed a few cigarettes and put them into my hand,

Skinny guy: You don't like it, no hard feelings. You do, recommend me to your mates. I'm Jay, the fucking mac daddy of New Jersey, and this here is my hetero life mate, Silent Bob.
Micky: Cheers fellas, I'll let you know.

Weird, I didn't even smoke. The film cut to a new scene.

I was walking down a street in the late evening, I blew out some smoke and threw the butt of one of those cigarettes into a gutter. A scream pierced the video.

Micky: Did you hear that fella?
Camera man: Uh yeah, maybe we should call the cops.
Micky: Fuck that, let's check it out, what are ya? A pussy?

I turned down a back alley and the camera followed.

Camera man: This is such a stupid idea. Why did I get assigned this bum?

We turned a corner and saw two big white guys in leather jackets confronting a woman, Alyson, who had been backed up to a wheelie bin.

Guy 1: Like I said, hand over your purse and we won't hurt you…
Guy 2: Not much anyway.
Micky: Is there a problem fella's?

The second man turned and pulled a flick knife from a back pocket.

Guy 2: Stay out of this unless you feel like getting cut.
Micky: Didn't your ma' teach you to treat ladies with respect? No? I suppose it's down to Micky then.

He lunged at me with the blade. I sidestepped and grabbed his wrist with my left hand and his throat with my right. I shoved him back into a wall, cracking his head against it, concussing him. He dropped the knife and I dragged him to the floor, straddling his chest and raining down on his face with my fists. The other guy tackled me from the left, following up with a boot to my jaw. I spat out a mouthful of blood, and as he came to kick me again I threw an uppercut. His foot connected with my shoulder at the same time as my knuckles crushed his nut sack. He screamed in pain and fell to his knees, I capitalised with a jab to his throat, damaging his windpipe but not crushing it. He lay on his side gasping for air, trying to shout but producing noting more than a croak.
I got back to my feet and walked over to Alyson whose mouth was open in an O.

Micky: Are you ok Miss? Did they hurt you?

She came back to her senses.

Alyson: What? Uh, no I'm fine… Thank you.
Micky: It's late and I'm not too happy about a pretty girl walking home by herself. You'll be safe with me if you'd like some company?
Alyson: I can see that. I'm Alyson, you said you were called Micky right?
Micky: Yeah, let's get you out of here.

We walked past the two guys, Alyson punting them in the ribs on the way. The camera faded again.

Micky: That's enough for now fella.

He stopped the video.

Micky: I need a drink. On my own this time.

I walked out, grabbing the camera on my way

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The scene opens up with a close-up of O'Reilly.

Micky: Haha, did it. I see you little red light. Here I am again.

The camera turns to show a table, it's out of focus but we can see a whiskey glass, empty of course. The camera goes back to O'Reilly.

Micky: Stupid. Stupid Micky O'Reilly. That's me.

His speech is slurred beyond anything we've seen before.

Micky: I lied to everyone. I said stuff from dreams. It didn't happen. I lost her.

He picks up the glass and tries to drink from it.

Micky: Haha. Gone too. Everybody Leaves. Stupid Micky. Sorry for lying. I thought it was real. Make believe. Imagination. That's what she said. Then she left. Didn't try to make her stay. Don't deserve her. I watched the videos.

O'Reilly zones out, staring into the camera, saying nothing. Twenty seconds pass.

Micky: Wednesday. Fight Preston. If I win, no more drink. Alyson might come back. If I lose…

He just shrugs his shoulders and exhales. Reality has hit him like a brick wall. He's a fuck up and he know's it.

Micky: Have to win. Have to show her. Stop drinking if I win.

A smile crosses his face and the screen goes blank.