Tame

Chapter Seventeen

I'm feeling very Hello Kitty Monday night. I decorate myself in light washed jeans, a gray HK sweater, and matching purse and Nikes. I place a new pair of nerd glasses with a red bow on one end of the frames over my eyes as Dean starts the rental. Over our weekend, I talked to AJ and I've had to dispel two phone arguments between Daniel and Kane. Punk hasn't texted or called me since I took him home and there's no way I'm talking to him first, if ever again.
AJ said that he's coming tonight to talk about his injury and I hope to keep as far away from him as possible until he leaves. I know I should be giving Dean the cold shoulder, too, because he hasn't been entirely truthful with me, but I know he's not going to just accept my not talking to him lying down.
"You okay?" he asks, turning off the car in front of the Prudential Center.
I wring my hands as cold rain lightly taps the windows of the car. The not-even-one-inch snow melted hours ago.
"Can I ask you a question?" I wonder.
"Sure," he answers, shrugging.
"Remember when I was on Miz TV and Miz was talking about how stupid and blind I was when it came to Punk?"
Dean nods tersely, his jaw set. He remembers that night just as well as I.
"Do you agree with him?"
Dean looks down and I know he's picking his words carefully. "Just spit it out," I tell him. "I'll be able to handle it."
"I just think you're too loyal for your own good," Dean finally says, looking up at me. "You're a great friend and you have a heart that can hold the world, but sometimes those qualities keep you from seeing how people really are. There are bad people out there, Ada. You just need to learn how to scope them out."
"What about you?" I question. "If that's the case, then why should I not be wary of you?"
Dean sighs. "I'm a bad person," he confesses. "I'll admit that. But I'd never manipulate my friends. At the end of the day, they're the only consistent thing in my life and I need to keep it that way."
I look out the window, taking in what he said.
"Why do you ask?" Dean wants to know.
"When I first came to the WWE, Punk was really sweet towards me. We really hit it off and became great friends. Yeah, he really changed over these past few months, but I never really thought about our friendship changing, too. No matter what others thought about him, I knew-I thought I knew-the real him. Now, I feel really stupid. I've always had to prove to people that I can make my own decisions, that I can wisely pick the right people to be around. Now I really feel like this 18-year-old that has no idea what she's doing. I don't want to be like that. I don't want to be easy."
I don't hear anything from his side. Not even his breathing and I have no choice but to look over to read the reaction smeared across his face, but his expression is indecipherable.
"What? What is it?"
He shakes his head. "You made one mistake. Big deal. That's your problem, Ada. You're gonna let this minor setback determine your entire personality? Your entire mindset? Do you know how many people would kill to have made just one mistake? You're too smart and too bright to let something this small and insignificant just take you down. Forget about Punk. He's just like all the other assholes that have let the fame and success get to them. Do you know how many people you still have left in your corner? People that are not going away anytime soon?"
I roll my eyes. "You're not leaving anytime soon? Dang it."
He gives me a sarcastic smile. I laugh softly. "Thanks, Dean," I tell him. "That was exactly what I needed."
"I'm glad I could cheer you up," he replies. "Just don't forget that everything I told you is true."
I lean over and kiss his cheek. "I won't."
We might as well have still been outside. The backstage area of the Prudential Center is cold and I get a lot of chills and cold twitches that shake my entire body.
"Don't look," Dean murmurs in my ear and I stiffen, knowing that Punk is close by. I spot him a few feet down making his way in the opposite direction of us on the far side of the hallway.
Crutches are helping him hobble down the corridor while Mr. Heyman-clutching Punk's title belt as if it's his own-serves as his spotter, hovering a few steps behind. It doesn't take much effort for Mr. Heyman to ignore me, but I can see Punk's Adam's apple bob and his shoulders stiffen, and I know he knows I'm there. He looks over at me and I expect to see something along the lines of an apologetic smile, but it's like he's looking through me, not registering that I'm actually here. My eyebrows knit together as he continues on his way. I look over my shoulder at his back and I know that I'm going to be seeing more of it than I'd like.

When I walk into Kane and Daniel's locker room, they're going at it, spitting words at each other so ferociously, they're two seconds away from throwing punches. I sigh as my duffel bag slides from my shoulder. After the weekend I've had, I'm really not in the mood.
"Quiet!" I shriek just as they both say, "I can't stand you!"
Slipping my fingers under my glasses, I rub my eyelids vigorously. "What is it this time?"
"Kane ate half of the snacks I stashed in my bag!" Daniel whines. "He didn't even ask."
"We're a team," Kane says. "What you have, I get."
"But you never share with me," Daniel points out.
"Why do you think I said, 'What you have, I get'?"
Daniel's face turns red and before he can open his mouth, I butt in. "Stop," I scold. "Kane, ask before you take Daniel's stuff. Daniel, don't let Kane get under your skin. You guys are a team, you shouldn't be fighting like this. Especially over things so stupid and simple."
Every time the guys fight like this, I curse AJ for making me their peacekeeper when she was the General Manager. My nerves just can't take this on top of everything else that's been going on lately.
"Ada, are you okay?" Daniel asks out of nowhere.
"Yes, why?" I answer defensively. Do I look like there's something wrong with me?
"Well, I was just wondering. With everything that's been going on, I'm surprised you've been able to keep it together so long?"
Daniel thinks I've been keeping my cool despite everything that's happened? Do I look like that on the outside? Because it feels as if everything's falling apart inside of me.
"I'm fine," I lie. I hate lying to Daniel because he's the only one between him and Kane that cares about what goes on in my life. My bond with him as always been more special than mine with Kane. He's just there.
"Okay, just checking."

At the end of the show as the guys limp their way to the locker room, a crew director stops me.
"There's a fan here who wants to see you," he informs me.
"Okay, cool," I say.
"Bring him over," the crew director says into his wallow talkie as I rock on my heels waiting for my fan. This is the first time I've been sought out for a backstage exclusive with a fan of mine. I'm so jittery with excitement that the cracking thunder sounding from outside doesn't faze me at the moment.
A security guard-Keeper, we call him because he has M.B.K. tattooed on the outer part of his right forearm-ushers a vaguely familiar gentlemen over to me while the crew director disappears from sight. The man is tall with his hair shaved close to his head. He has a black busy goatee and is sporting a simply outfit of a navy blue sweatshirt, jeans, and black Converse. I squint at him, hating that I know his face but can't come up with a name to match it.
"Hey, Mel," he greets and my eyes widen because there's only one person I know that refused to call me Ada.
"Angel?"
He stretches his arms out as if presenting himself. "In the flesh. Long time, no see. Did you get my letter?"