Venom

03

"So..." Ellie began as she picked up the dishes from the table. "I take it you didn't score the apartment with Greek Salad?"

"Greek Salad?" I repeated, taking the Windex bottle from her hand.

"Yeah, we need some way to refer to my gorgeous neighbour." She offered me a Windex bottle. "Unless, of course, you got his name already?"

I spritz the table before wiping it down."Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because," I picked up dishes from a second table, "He's a piece of crap."

"What did he do?"

I went through my encounter briefly as we continued to clear up the tables. It was just before noon so we were clearing up everything before the lunch guests arrived.

I'd crashed at Ellie's apartment, not wanting to sleep in a moist, smelly one. She'd been half asleep when I'd arrived so we hadn't gotten the chance to talk until now.

Ellie sighed, blowing the hair away from her face. "Why is it always the hot ones?" She muttered rhetorically.

Seriously! Why is it always the good-looking ones?

We discussed possible next moves for me, I was ranting about an upcoming test that I had barely prepared for before Ellie reminded me about the match on Saturday.

"Do I have to come?" I asked, praying she'd say no.

"Yes! I can't let the second ticket go to waste, it was so expensive." Gah. "Oh, and wear something cute! I'm telling you, there are gorgeous guys there."

"When did you become so obsessed with wrestlers?"

"Ever since Ace Hendricks stepped into the picture. You know, I've got a whole plan to make him fall in love with me."

I laughed, "What's my role in this plan of yours?"

"You're my wing-woman, of course." She beamed.

* * *

All I could smell was sweat, popcorn, and something metallic.

The arena was hotter than hell and the stench was becoming unbearable.

"Ellie, we've been here for an hour, when is the match starting?" I yelled over the bustling of the audience.

We'd driven together after work and were sitting in the third row, popcorn and pop in hand.

"Any moment now. I promise when you see him you'll be hooked into these matches and be begging me to come to every single one."

I watched as a bald man who must've been in his mid-thirties stepped onto the ring. He smiled at the crowd, displaying missing front teeth. Yikes. A small portion of the crowd hollered for him.

"That your boy, Ace?" I sniggered.

Ellie smacked my shoulder. "Please, I have some taste."

A couple of seconds later another guy stepped up into the ring. I couldn't see what his face looked like, but he was much less burly-looking than the bald dude.

"Oh my god, that's him!" Ellie squealed beside me.

"Who?" I joked, knowing exactly who it was.

"Shut up!"

"What's so special about him?" I asked, shoving popcorn into my mouth. I noticed the girls sat beside us throw me distasteful glares.

"He's only the hottest, most successful, and youngest wrestler in America!" Ellie sipped on her drink.