Loverboy Monty

Chapter Three

Peyton

"hey!" a familiar voice calls out.
it's not every day that you go somewhere notorious for rumors of child slaughter, only to meet a really hot dude who eats you instead of his nachos.
it's also not every day he leaves mysteriously in the middle of a date he brought you on that day. especially after he was your first experience and i don't even know his last fucking name.
"hey." i reply, my tone flat and as bad as i feel for it, i've definitely not had the brightest day.
"you look.." peyton's voice trails off as he eyes me suspiciously, "like you've just stage dived and no one caught you."
"thanks." i growl, looking up at the stage. i hadn't looked at myself in the mirror so i don't really know if he's right but it makes sense. i could see it being true. i'm still pale and light headed so it wouldn't be too far off.
"what's crawled up your ass?"
it feels more like what hasn't. or who i wish did but didn't anyways because they just walked out on me in the middle of our first date.
"it's nothing. where's your friends?" i ask, peeking over his shoulder and doing a small spin in hopes to find his weirdly named friends.
"oh, their parents picked them up already."
"why?" i stop looking for them and look at him instead.
he shrugs, "dunno."
"oh.. kay then."
"mhm. wanna play laser tag? it's super fun and intense!"
i look up at the stage, sort of zoning him out. the tylenol is taking its course and the pounding stops. but the flashing lights hurt too much for me to want people intentionally aiming more flashing lights at me. the concert is coming to an end and that.. monty gator animatronic has finally looked away. he's looking forward. completely normal. maybe i was seeing things.
"hey! listen to me! i want to play more laser tag!" peyton yells, attempting to catch my attention.
he succeeds
my eyes linger on the gator as i shake my head. "why don't you go make more friends? i.. hit my head a little harder than i expected at the go-kart. i'm gonna look around and do a little shopping. meet me at the arcade in.." i turn on my phone. 4:32 lights up and i turn it off. "an hour and a half. at six. then we'll do something together and we'll go home." i say. he seems to frown but quickly pikes up again when i say we'll do something together.
it's annoying how much your siblings will make you feel like they don't give a shit what you want in public but when it's just you and them, they want everything to do with you.
i flick his forehead, smiling when he puts a hand over the spot and whines before i give the stage my attention once again.

I do just that. the concert ends, i go about the mall and small shops and get more medicine, taking it to keep my headache at bay. all the while i keep a lookout for billy. i can't seem to find him though. and i've asked around for him but people just shrug and shake their heads so when my phone pinged telling me it was 5:30 i made my way to the arcade. deciding to play for a while, while i wait for my brother. turns out he had the same idea.
"hey, little man." i chuckle, slamming my hand down on the control keys of the game, making his in game character die.
peyton turns around and irritation visibly pulls at his eyebrows. "i thought you wanted to meet here in a half an hour?"
"yeah, but i'm still allowed to get here early, aren't i?" i say, a smug smirk on my lips as i grab a stool from a nearby game and slide it over before sitting down. "what're you playing?"
"I was playing Balloon World. I'm pretty sure it's featuring their newest animatronics sun drop and moon drop."
"you mean along with Roxanne and Monty?"
"well.. yeah. but the game is only featuring those two. this place is... odd."
"odd?"
"yeah. i saw the sun guy.. or Kayte saw him and showed me a video. he's.. definitely well programmed but he's a little freaky."
"huh. maybe we'll have to pay him a visit." i cast peyton a wink but he doesn't seem to be listening. he's already restarted the game and is playing another round.
"i think he's cute. look at his smile."
"he's fake." peyton grumbles
"what's crawled up your ass?" i ask, tilting my head.
"nothing- but i've tried a million times and i can't win. it's impossible."
"nothings ever impossible. let me try."
I stand up and so does he, we switch places and i spend a round trying to figure out what it is i'm doing. afterwards, i try to win. and again. and again. after about five tries i groan and lean back, "you're right. this game is hopeless. it's impossible."
"told you." Peyton chuckles as i stand up. we begin walking and he stops at a few games and plays them then i try to play them to beat him and we both come to the conclusion that we suck at arcade games.
the whole time though, i keep a secret eye out for billy. as i'm sitting at a new game, paying half attention to it i can't help but want him to come back. i barely know him but i really want to. i want his name on my lips again. i want to hear his voice say mine. i want to feel him- to see him. it takes me too long to realize i've lost and peyton grabs my shoulder, shaking me from my thoughts.
"hey, earth to-"
he gets cut off when there's a child's scream from behind us. we both stand up and walk towards the crowd, trying to figure out what's going on. Peyton chuckles a little as we approach.
"what if the rumors are true? what if another kid got killed?"
"shut up-" i say through clenched jaws as the side of my fist meets his shoulder. "don't make jokes like that, we could get kicked out." he stumbles a little and puts a hand over the area but he listens to what i say. we shove our way to the front to find two elementary kids fighting. tooth and nail. over some chica pushy.
i shake my head, taking peyton's hand, walking away to let other people see the sight.
"kids are so dumb.." i mumble, smiling slightly as peyton rips his hand from mine. i catch a glimpse of the gators attraction and look to peyton. "hey, since we're trying things we suck at, wanna give mini golf a whirl?" i ask.
he looks forward, to the entrance to the attraction and chews at his lip for a moment before nodding. "sure. let's go." he takes the lead. there's no line unlike the other attractions and those that were at the front of the queue went straight to the hoard.
we get in front and show the staff bot our cards, it grants us access into the hall and i step in. the whole area is green and swamp themed which i guess makes sense. there's stars everywhere. i walk through and i pick out a golf club and look around, there's a few people in the area but otherwise it's a pretty vacant.. quiet mini golf area. my head doesn't hurt any more and i swear i could kiss the gator for having such a peaceful attraction.
a deep growl from behind me makes the hair on my arms and legs stand up, though. i slowly turn and there, right behind me, forcing my head to crane upwards to see his face stands monty. fuck- i didn't mean i'd actually kiss him. he's a robotic humanoid alligator.
"hey there, little guy." monty says, looking down at my brother. immediately i step between the two. i've heard of the rumors and even though this is monty's area, i'm not comfortable letting them talk to each other.
Peyton steps to the side behind me and waves, "hey.. monty."
monty's gaze shifts to me and i swear to god he smiled. "oh, you. i saw you at the concert. i hope you enjoyed the show." he makes a show of tilting his glasses up on his forehead before winking, "between you and me, though.. your friend is bad news."
i blink a few times and move my head back a little. what? how- huh? billy? bad news? yeah right. "why do you think that?" i ask crossing my arms.
the gator looks over to my brother and ignores my question entirely. he walks past us and grabs a club, walking away. "i hope you guys impress me. maybe i'll give you a gift." the gator growls as he goes.
Peyton, obviously, looks over at me. "im bad news?" he asked. i turn and gently smack the back of his head as i shake my own head. "no. idiot. i was.. with someone else. i'd met him when i was at the food court." i say, making my way towards the first little area.
"hah. the food court? it's a surprise anyone would want to stay with you after watching you eat." peyton laughs. i set the ball down and look at him, holding the club in the air as i shoot him a glare.
"he's nice, unlike you, dick wad."
"pfff- im as nice as it gets, i don't know what world you think you're from but-" i hit the ball and it rolls away, going in to the hole.
"hole in one!" i say, punching the air, cutting my brother off.
"please, it's easy. i'll beat you." he said, grabbing one of the note books and writing our names in before setting his own ball down. i write my score and watch him miserably fail.
"third times the charm, pey pey." i tease. he groans and puts the ball in, making it.
"shut up." he mumbles as he makes his way to the next area. i hum and write down the score before moving along behind him. i feel eyes on me but when i look around i don't see anything.
"you know what i think is.. weird." Peyton says.
"hm?" i ask, setting my ball down. "what's weird?"
"that.. rabbit. freddy and bonnie are originals from the beginning of the freddie's pizzeria thing and.. well, the rabbit isn't here- physically. but his portrait and attraction are here. it's like.. having a birthday party for someone who isn't there."
"i thought they said he was in for maintenance." i say, gently tapping the ball. punching the air again as i get a hole in one.
"beginners luck." peyton says as he walks past me, setting his own ball down.
"you're just mad." i chuckle, shaking my head. "but the rabbits fine. are you upset they closed the bowling alley?" i ask. that's peyton's favorite thing. he kicks my ass in bowling every single time so my success in this game is him wishing it was him winning. i don't blame him.
"yeah. it's just that.. well, isn't it weird? there's always odd things around the rabbit. there was that yellow one.. i heard there's a man inside it- and it just.. disappeared one day. one of the security guards or something."
"you're over thinking it. it's just a robot. and this place is cursed."
"i don't trust rabbits. or security guards. and that thing is the both of em mixed together. what if the rabbits fought? they both wanted the fame but couldn't share it since there's only allowed to be one bunny."
he puts and misses.
"relax, peyton. you'll give yourself nightmares."
those eyes are still on me so as we talk i'm looking around casually, but still i can't find anyone, or thing; that's staring at me.
"plus, they're robots, remember? they don't care about fame. they're not real."
"i don't know.. they feel real." peyton says, shaking his head. "like.. there's something someone's keeping secret. they make decisions and.. say things that aren't scripted. they have- thoughts. like the green guy just told you he doesn't like your friend- they're allowed to not like people!" peyton is getting so worked up people are staring and finally my gaze shifts up and i find that thing that's been staring at me. standing at the rafters at the top of the room is the animatronic himself. monty. i grab peyton's hand, not trying to seem suspicious in any way.
"look up. but pretend you're yawning. then say you need to go to the bathroom. i.. i think we should leave." i whisper. peyton grumbles but does exactly that and when we walk out i can see the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.
i know i should be focused on the fact that i was being spied on by an animatronic but.. where'd his glasses go? and wow.. his eyes are red.