Not that bad // Rhea Ripley

90 - Tango de Roxanne

 "Why does my heart cry"

Jose Feliciano

The next month was basically the fastest one pf our lives. Between the press conferences, the interviews, meetings with the booker, and the seamstresses to prepare our gear for the big day, we barely had time to ourselves. We appeared in shows but did not really wrestle, and Demi and I trained hard to be in the best possible shape. We did not even have the chance to really focus on our relationship during this time. There wasn't any going out, and physical attention was a minimal, not really more then after our first date. But I decided to not really dwell on that, as there were more important things coming up, for the both of us. But finally, after busting our asses off, we decided to take a little moment off, that coincided with the arrival of a few of Demi's friends. We were right now driving to my place in Tampa, since that was where Wrestlemania would be held.

"Thank you for letting me stay at your place." Demi smiled, as I parked the car.

"Don't be ridiculous, of course I was going to let you stay." I smiled. "We've been living together for like what, 3 months now? How could I ever survive without you."

She smiled and pecked my lips, before exiting the car. I did the same, and we grabbed our bags and suitcases, taking them to my little studio. As I pushed the door open, we were met with boxes everywhere.

"You've never unpacked?" She questioned, intrigued.

"I mean, I got this place in a hurry, when Colby basically threw me out of his place, and I'm never here." I shrugged. "So I just unpacked what was necessary for me to live, and the rest stayed in boxes. It's mostly stuff that belonged to Colby and I, so I don't really want to see them. I'll have to throw them away someday."

She smiled softly at me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, for comfort I suppose. But it didn't really hurt anymore. I mean, it was only months away, but it was so violent that I broke something in me, maybe that was what helped me get over it fast. He was in the past now. A past that I still had to see everyday, but a past nonetheless. My life had changed, I had changed, and I wasn't going to be dwelling over him for long.

"Hey, you know how I'm supposed to meet up with some friends tomorrow?" Demi asked as she opened one of her bags.

"Yeah, you told me?" I made the bed, eager to just sleep the travel away. "What about it?"

"I was thinking, you could come along?" She fumbled with her hands. "I know it's probably a big step, and we haven't been dating long, but I want you involved in my life, and they've been my friends for years."

"I mean, if you want me to come, then I'll come." I smiled at her, and she smiled back.

Yeah, what could be so bad after all? They've been her friends for years, they can't be horrible people.

But they were. I mean, not every one of them, but 2 in particular, had decided they hated me, and would make me feel like shit. First they had proceeded to judge me on my looks, in a really obnoxious way, while Demi was away, chatting, and welcoming another of her friends. At that point, we were all huddled in my studio, that they had brought down a few moments earlier, in the tone of a joke, about how much more money I should be making, since I was wrestling for a long time. This kind of bummed me, but I tried to not let it get to me too much. This was Demi's day with her friends, and she seemed to enjoy it. Once her friends were all there, we left to go and get something to eat. Luckily, they were all too occupied with Demi to take care of me.

"Oh and, what about you, Roxanne right?" Her voice startled me. It was the third friend of Demi, the one I hadn't spoke to yet.

"Yeah." I smiled, a bit forcefully. "What do you wanna know, I'm not that interesting."

"Have you been Demi's friend for long?" Oh yeah, right, they don't know yet, and It's not my place to tell them.

"A friend introduced us like, 4 months ago?" I turned my head and Demi smiled at me. He hand was stroking my thigh under the table. "On the sole criteria that we're both from Australia." I laughed a little.

"Ooooh? You're from Australia too?" Another one asked. One of the mean ones. "Where from?"

"I grew up in Quaker's Hill, close to Sydney." I simply explained.

"Oh, so your family has money, that's how you got in here so fast, that explains everything."

I was about to respond, to defend myself, but they laughed right after it, making it seem like they had been joking all along. Demi laughed with them, and I just closed up on myself. The rest of the day went on the same, and the few times I tried to snap back at hem, they just turned their humiliation into jokes, and everyone would just laugh. I was so, so glad to find the comfort of my home as soon as we came back from dinner. Demi probably had sensed that I was tensing up, but again, I didn't want to ruin her reunion with her friends, she had missed them, and she loved them. Maybe I was the problem, and they didn't think I was right for her? Maybe they're right, and I don't deserve to be with a woman as amazing as Demi.

"Baby?" She asked from the kitchen, as she was pouring tea for the both of us. "Are you okay? You've been awfully quiet for the past few hours." She set the cups in front of us and sat on the couch next to me. "I'm sorry, I probably neglected you, I just hadn't seen them in so long, and everything is going so fast in both of our lives lately, and-"

"Shhh." I shut her up softly, with a smile. "You did nothing wrong. If anything, I distanced myself today, I should be the one who's sorry. I just, had a feeling that your friends didn't like me? I mean, except for Carla, she's a complete sweetheart."

"Oh really?" She grabbed her cup and blew softly on it, bringing her legs up on the couch. "I'm really sorry you felt like that, and now that I think of it, I get it. I know their way of talking about people like that can be mean, and it was not a laughing matter. I'll talk to them, alright?"

"I don't want you to have a fight with them or anything you know?" I started stressing. "And I don't want them to hate me anymore than they do. And I really, really don't want them to talk you into leaving me."

"What? Is this really a concern of yours?" She put down her cup and scooted closer to me, grabbing my hand. "I would never, ever leave you over what someone else has to say. They never liked any of the people I was interested in. They're a very, erm, possessive group of friends. That's why I didn't tell them you're my girlfriend, because they would have made your life a living hell for that. I'm sorry you didn't spend a good day, really. But I would never leave you because of them, and they'll hear about how they made you feel because that shit is not okay."

I smiled at her even harder, and just went and snuggled against her. I really am the luckiest girl right now.