TAKE A LITTLE RIDE WITH ME, GIRL
(a/n: This is my first attempt at an "outside the arena" fic. Reviews are always welcomed but don't be too harsh.)
Plane, airport, rental car, hotel, arena, hotel, rental car, airport and repeat.
That's the life of a WWE superstar on the road. It's not as glamorous as most people think it is. Jillian Hall knew that well. The great part of being a WWE superstar was getting to travel to all kinds of places she might never see otherwise. The downside was the constant travel between shows. "Good thing for those frequent flyer miles and preferred customer bonuses", Jillian thought to herself as she signed the paperwork for her rental car. She'd done this so many times the she didn't even have to read the fine print before she signed it. But this time, something unusual happened.
"Jillian?" someone asked. Jillian turned around when she heard her name called, and of all people, Mike "The Miz" Mizanin was standing there. "Oh, hi, Mike", she said as the two gave each other a friendly one-armed hug. The two usually didn't travel in the same circles and didn't normally hang out with each other, but both being on the Raw roster, they couldn't help but know each other.
"So what brings you all the way out here?", Mike asked.
"They have me doing a personal appearance at a Best Buy", she told him.
"Which one?" he asked.
"Middletown" she answered.
"No way. They have me going there, too", Mike answered, then said "I'm staying at the Sheraton. What about you?"
"Same here", Jillian told him. "Small world, isn't it?"
"Jillian, I have a proposition for you", Mike said.
"I'm not that kind of a girl!" Jillian half-said, half-yelled at Mike.
"Not THAT kind of propostion, Jillian. Hear me out. Since we're going to the same places anyway, and you already have your rental car, I'll make you a deal: we ride together and I'll pay for dinner later on. What do you say?" Mike asked and gave a little shrug and a smile to Jillian.
"Okay, but it has to be a real dinner, not McDonald's", Jillian told him.
"No problem. We'll go to Burger King instead", Mike said and tried to keep a straight face as he watched for Jillian's response. Jillian just said "I hope you're kidding, unless you want to walk." Mike answered, "Just kidding, Jillian. I am The Miz, and am not a cheap date."
"Okay, Mike, they're bringing it around. Let's go", Jillian told him and picked up her bag.
"Are you sure this is they we're supposed to go?" Jillian asked. They had been driving for an hour and had been on smaller two-lane roads for the last 20 minutes.
"Absolutely", Mike told her as he looked at his iPhone, using its GPS app to navigate them. "We're only a few miles away. A few more turns and we're there."
Jillian stopped the car at a red light. Looking around the intersection, she and Mike saw there was a racetrack next to them, and in the parking lot, there was a carnival set up. Mike looked at a sign posted across the street and read it out loud: "Lions Club Strawberry Fair. Damn, strawberries must be a big deal around here. Look at the size of the setup they've got. Look - two ferris wheels, no waiting." Mike waited for a laugh from Jillian, but didn't get one. As the light changed color and Jillian resumed driving, Mike asked, "Hey, after the signing, you wanna go check it out?"
"You're trying to get out of buying me a nice dinner, aren't you?" Jillian accused.
"No, Jillian, I'm not. Make a left here. It's just that our appearance is 3 to 6, right? So what are we going to do afterwards? I don't think this town is going to have too many nightspots, and I'd like to believe you want to do something more than go back to the hotel and do your toenails."
Jillian pondered it for a minute, then said, "Sure. I haven't been to the fair since I was a teenager. Who knows, maybe it'll even be fun.", then gave Mike a little smirk.
"What's that supposed to mean, Jilly-bean?" Mike asked. "Make a right at the light."
"I was just joking around with you, Mike. You take things too seriously." Jillian told him.
"I resent that. I am the Miz, and IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII have a great sense of humor, I'll have you know. And right there, across the street, voila! Middletown Best Buy."
"Okay, Mike. You were right" Jillian acknowledged.
"Thank you. Now just take the two jughandles coming up and we're there." Mike told Jillian. He then made a few presses on his iPhone and asked, "So where do you wanna eat afterwards? There's Friday's, Chili's, Applebee's, Olive Garden, Ruby Tuesday ..."
"Let's worry about it after we're done" Jillian said as she turned into the Best Buy parking lot. "Okay Mike, we're here. Got your crowd face with you?"
Mike answered "Right here" as he put his hand in his pocket, pulled it out again and used his thumb and index finger to push a big smile onto his face. He then put his hand back in his pocket and said "If you want, I've got a spare" and pulled his hand out again and offered it to her.
Jillian parked the car behind the Best Buy and said, "No thanks, I've got my own. Besides, my delicate little face couldn't handle your big mouth" Jillian grabbed her purse, Mike grabbed his travel bag containing his US title belt and Money In The Bank briefcase and the two left the car to go inside.