Mike and Jillian walked over to some of the game booths. All kinds of games of chance where people could try their luck and win a prize were there. Ring tosses, ball tosses, mini-bowling, spin-the-wheel games, froggy splash, target shooting, - you name it, it was probably there. The pair stopped at the Water Gun Fun booth. Mike asked, "Shall we give it a go?" Jillian answered, "Sure", and they waited for the current race to finish. Once it had finished and the winner was declared, Mike and Jillian sat down at two of the guns and waited for the game to reset. Mike paid the attendant for him and Jillian. Some newcomers sat down, some stayed from the previous race. The attendant collected everyone's money, made sure there was no one else joining in, then announced it was time to begin.
Water Gun Fun operates like this: each contestant sits and fires a water gun at a target with a hole in the middle. The more water that goes into the hole, the faster a pole rose up from the game. When someone's pole reaches a certain height, that person is declared the winner. Mike and Jillian, as well as the other contestants, readied themselves and fired as soon as the attendant announced "GO!" and the upbeat background music came on. Mike got out to an early lead and was well on his way to winning when, near the end, Jillian pushed his gun off-target, costing him the game.
"What did you do that for?" Mike asked, trying not to yell at her.
Jillian pointed to the winner and said, "That's why." The winner was a 10-year old boy who enthusiastically celebrated with his father. "I saw how crushed he was when he lost the last game. Besides, winning here will mean a lot more to him than it does to you. Care to try again?"
Mike replied, "No, Jillian. I think we should try something else, something more … one-on-one." Mike looked around and said, "Something like that." They stood up, and she followed as he led to where he wanted to go: the basketball toss. As they got nearer, the attendant called out, "Step right up. Care to try and win a prize for the little lady?"
Mike looked around and asked jokingly, "What little lady?" Jillian smacked him in the shoulder and said, "He means ME, silly." Mike looked her right in the eye and said, "You're not exactly 'little', my dear", looking down at Jillian's breasts. "I may not be so little, but I know you are", Jillian replied and pointed down at Mike's crotch. Mike told her, "Not cool, Jillian. Not cool at all."
The attendant loudly cleared his throat and said, "Care to try your luck? Three balls for three dollars. Sink one and win a prize. Sink all three and you get to pick one from the top shelf."
Mike said, "You're on", and paid the attendant. The attendant handed Mike three mini-basketballs and motioned towards the basket at the back of the booth. Mike quickly sank all the balls with very little effort. The attendant pointed to the top shelf prizes and asked, "Okay, what will it be?"
Mike turned to Jillian and said, "It's your choice". She looked over the stuffed animals available for prizes and selected a large stuffed whale. The attendant took it down and handed it to her saying, "There you go, my dear."
As they walked away from the booth, Mike asked, "Why did you pick that as opposed to any of the others?" Jillian asked back, "Is there something wrong with it?" Mike answered, "No, just making conversation. You just strike me as more the teddy bear type, that's all."
She said, "Well, if you really must know, when I was little, my family went to Sea World and my parents got me a stuffed whale that I used to call 'Whaley'. I slept with it for years and I was crushed when my mom gave it away. Now I've got a new one. Thanks, Mike." She finished by leaning her head against his shoulder. Mike put his arm around her and said, "You're welcome, Jilly-Bean."
"Mike, can we go on one of the ferris wheels next?", Jillian asked.
"No problem. Ferris wheel it is", Mike said and they headed off.
The two got in line for the ferris wheel, but it was a long line and they knew it might take a while before they got their turn on the ride. As they waited, Mike asked, "Permission to speak freely? Normally I don't like talking shop away from the arenas, but can I be very honest with you?"
Jillian told him, "Sure, Mike. Go ahead."
Mike said, "You repeat this to anyone and I'll deny it, but I think the Divas division is getting royally fucked over. They reward the ones who just look good and can't wrestle, but the ones who can work don't get squat. I mean, look at you. You're one of the best female wrestlers in the company, but nobody knows it because all most fans see is a comedy character. Gail and Nattie are fantastic in the ring, too, but neither of them has had anything in a long time. And who gets put on TV instead? The Bella Twins and The Beautiful People 2.0."
"Not so loud, Mike", Jillian told him with a laugh in her voice, putting her finger up to her lips. "You don't want Mark to find out you're talking about his woman and her BFF, 'The English Muffin', but thanks for what you said about me. I didn't know you noticed. And if it means anything, I think it's totally unfair what people say about you."
"What's that?" he asked.
She told him with a slight tinge of regret, "That you stink in the ring and that Bryan should have been training you on NXT, not the other way around. I know you've worked hard to show you're not just some guy with a big mouth who rode John's coattails."
"That's the price of success, I guess. People always want to knock you down", Mike pondered out loud. "Look at John Cena. He's the top guy in the company, and fans keep complaining that he only knows five moves. But getting back to Bryan. He's a really nice guy and if I had had my way, I would have been tag-teaming with him, not feuding with him. Our strengths would cover each other's weaknesses. Nothing against Alex Riley, but I think Bryan and I would have been great together, especially since the tag-team division has been dead ever since me and John got split up." Then he noticed the line moving and said, "Let's move along, Jillian. The ferris wheel awaits".