Tame

Chapter Eight

"Ad, this is crazy. Please start talking to me again."
I whirl around on AJ exasperatedly. "But what about what you said before? About not knowing Ada Blackburn until I rid myself of Punk?"
She sighs, running her foot over a crack in the concrete floor. "I know," she whispers. "But that was before I realized how hard this separation was for me. You're my best friend, my only friend actually and I don't want us fighting like this."
I look up at her and sigh. "I don't want us fighting like this either," I agree. She holds out her pinkie to me and I loop my own around it,
sharing a smile that she returns.

Instead of Cena being Miz's guest for Miz TV like planned, Miz chose me. To get ready for the interview, I slip on a navy blue dress with a red and black striped skirt, red ballet flats with bows at the toes, red bow-shaped earrings, a navy blue braided bracelet and my black nerd glasses. I twist my hair up in a messy bun and deem myself ready in the mirror. I walk out of the locker room right into Dean. I stumble back, catching myself on the wall.
"Can you watch where you're going?" I ask.
"But you bumped into me," he points out making me roll my eyes.
"Whatever," I mumble, shouldering past him.
He grabs my wrist and spins me around. Circling his arms around my waist, he sticks his bottom lip out.
"Are you mad at me?" he asks in a babyish voice.
I try to push him away but his grip gets tighter.
"You shouldn't be here," I tell him. "Especially out in the open. Do you know how many people want to rip your head off?"
He shrugs. "I don't care," he says nonchalantly. "I'm not here for them, I'm here for you."
"Why?" I question, folding my arms across my chest.
"Because I am," he answers. "Come on, Ada, I like you..a lot. Why won't you give me a chance?"
"Because you don't deserve one," I tell him. "Now let go. If I'm late for this interview because of you..."
He reluctantly releases me and I straighten out my dress. "I suggest you give up on me now," I say. "Because you'll grow tired eventually so why not save the energy."
I turn on my heels and walk down the hall toward the guerrilla.
I sit on the uncomfortable folding chair for ten minutes before I hear the cheers of the fans get louder. The show's starting.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen, I'm your host The Miz and welcome to Miz TV," I hear Miz announce. I stand and run my hands over my dress. "And please welcome my guest at this time, the beautiful, the lovely, Ada Blackburn."
I fight my blush as I walk out onto the stage and wave at everyone who cheers for me. I blow a kiss to a baby in the front row and hop up onto the apron. Miz holds the bottom and middle ropes apart for me to get into the ring. I politely thank him and take a seat on one of the movie set-like chairs.
"Thank you for coming, Ada," Miz says as he takes the other chair and hands me a microphone.
"You're welcome," I reply.
"Now, before I jump into any of the juicy questions I'm dying to ask, how are you?" Miz wonders. "How have you been lately?"
I shrug. "Pretty good. Kinda confused about some things, but all in all pretty good," I tell him.
Miz nods. "Well, I really want to know, and I'm pretty sure the WWE Universe wants to know as well, what's going on between Punk and those new guys that helped him win at Survivor Series?"
I laugh softly. "I wish I knew, Miz," I say. "I mean, Punk told me he didn't know what was going on, so...."
Miz chuckles. "And you honestly believe him?" he questions.
I frown. "Of course," I state confidently. "Punk's, like, my best friend. He would never lie to me."
"Well, Punk is very good at making people believe anything he wants them to. You don't think he's doing that to you?"
"Of course not," I say.
Miz looks down and chuckles again for a moment before looking back up at me. By the look he's giving me, you'd think I was ten-years-old and not 18.
"Ah, Ada," Miz sighs happily. "Sweet, innocent, naïve Ada." He grabs my chin and shakes my head a little. "You're too nice for your own good."
"What are you talking about, Miz?" I question.
"Ada, Punk's playing you," Miz states simply. "He knows exactly what those guys are doing here, but of course you would believe his lies because he has you wrapped around his finger." Miz smirks. He rises from his seat and strolls over to me. "And don't think that I think you're actually innocent in this. You know why they're here, too."
"What?" I demand. "No, I don't."
"Oh, really?" Miz crosses his arms over his chest. "Then explain this."
A picture appears on the titantron of Dean and I backstage about twenty minutes ago. He has his arms wrapped around my waist, grinning down at me. My face is turned away from the camera so you can't make out my expression. The crowd gasp in shock and I can hear Mr. Cole saying, "What's Ada doing with Dean?"
"You're dating one of the members of that little group," Miz accuses.
The voices of the WWE Universe rise and I raise my hand to stop the noise. "Look," I say. "I know that looks bad, but it's not what you think."
"Then please enlighten us, Ms. Blackburn," Miz simpers.
I sigh. "The only thing I know is that Punk is friends with them and they butted themselves into Punk's reign, for what reason, I don't even know," I begin to explain. "As for the picture, Dean Ambrose has been messing with me ever since we met the Saturday before Survivor Series. I don't know why he's taken an interest in me, but he has and he won't leave me alone. Trust me, the last place I wanted to be was in his arms, but he wouldn't let me go. If you don't believe me, then I don't know what else to tell you, but it's the truth."
"Let me guess, you turned him down and he's pursuing you because you're a challenge?" Miz asks, his eyes losing their accusatory twinkle.
"Yes," I confirm.
"Oh, so he's one of those guys." Miz nods, understanding. "Answer something for me, Ada, why is it that all of the roster knows about what's really going on except you?" And we're back to Punk and the guys.
"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe it's the other way around?" I question. "I mean, I'm the closest to Punk so I know the real story and the real story is this: Punk has nothing to do with Dean, Seth, or Roman. Why they're here, I don't know, and Punk is just as in the dark as the rest of us are. "
Miz grabs my face, smashing my cheeks in. "You're so weak-willed, Ada, it brings tears to my eyes. When are you going to grow a backbone and think without anyone else telling you what to think?" he growls.
Next thing you know, Punk's theme plays and he runs down to the ring. Just as he slips in, Miz crawls out and yells, "What?"
Turning his back on Miz, Punk goes over to me and places a hand on the top of my back. "Are you okay?" he asks. I nod.
He takes the mic from me and turns back to Miz who's inching his way toward the ramp. "It is just like you to poke at someone, Miz," Punk states. "Now, I could care less about who you tease and taunt, but when it comes to Ada, that's where I draw the line."
"You're just mad because I'm telling her the truth," Miz retorts. "You're scared because I'm exposing you for the kind of man you really are and she might be believing me."
Punk shakes his head. "You're feeding her lies and it's going to stop. I could care less about what the other people backstage or even the WWE Universe thinks about me, but I refuse to have Ada look at me as this monster because of what you're telling her. For the last time, I don't know why those guys are here."
Miz rolls his eyes. "Whatever. You still have Ada under your thumb now, but I'll get the truth-the real truth-out of you soon enough. Just you wait, Punk."

"You okay, Munchkin?" Punk asks me once he shuffles me backstage.
"No," I reply, my throat thick with unshed tears. "He said I was naïve. He said I was weak-willed. He said I had no backbone, Punk. How can I be okay when he said all those things about me."
He folds me in his arms, but his consolation isn't helping. If anything, his efforts to comfort me make me want to cry even more.
"I'm going to go to the locker room and see if AJ's in there," I tell Punk after a moment of just standing there in the middle of the hallway in his arms.
"Alright," Punk says, letting me go.
I wave goodbye as I head down the corridor. As I'm making my way to the Divas Locker Room, I get a lot of sympathetic looks from the superstars and divas I pass. I keep my head down until I'm safely in the room and finally look up to see AJ with her arms out for a hug. I run into them and embrace her, still forcing myself not to let any tears fall.
"Aw, honey," AJ whispers. "It's going to be okay. Don't listen to anything Miz said."
"You're thinking the exact same things," I state.
"I'll admit, I agree with some of the things he said," AJ confesses. "But he shouldn't have said it the way he did and he definitely had no right to lay his hands on you." I sigh as we sink onto the floor. "You want to go home?"
I shake my head. "Kane has a match coming up in, like, an hour or so. Randy's in the main event so he's going to want me to stay."
AJ nods in understanding before leaning away from me. "Well, since you stole my thunder tonight," she says lightheartedly, playfully slapping my arm, "John and I have a thing at the interview area back here instead."
"Sorry, but Miz did that," I say, laughing a little.
"I know," she says, ruffling my hair up some.
"I still can't believe you guys basically made out in front of the entire world. Serious PDA much?"
She throws her head back and laughs. "He started it."
I roll my eyes, shaking my head. "Whatever."
She gets up off the floor and waves goodbye before leaving the room.