Dirty Deeds

CH 35: The Walls Fall

      "Wh-What?" I stutter.

Matt stares up at the ceiling as he talks. "I had something special planned for tonight, at the party. I was going to ask you to move in with me. I was so glad to see that you and Layla made up earlier so I told her my plans. She told me that we needed to talk, and when the Shawn Michaels match started, she followed me out into the hallway. She told me not to make a fool of myself, that now that Wrestlemania was over, you were going to dump me because all of this was some stupid bet that the two of you made a couple months ago. How you bet her that you could get me to fall for you. Well, you win, Michelle." He looks at me, and I can see how hurt and angry he is. "You win. So congratulations to you." With that, he pushes away from the wall and turns toward the main locker room.

"Matt, wait!" I say, hurrying to catch up with him. "It's not like that."

"Isn't it?" he asks, turning to glare at me. "Because it makes sense. You and Punk, hanging out together all the time. Probably making fun of me behind my back. Your fight with Layla. That was to put me at ease, wasn't it? You never cared at all about me; I was just some poor sap, a means to an end. What did winning get you, Michelle? Was it worth the pain you caused me? I sure hope so. I hope it was worth the sleepless nights I'm going to have. Was I ever anything to you but a bet?" He stalks away from me.

"Matt," I say. "Matt! Damn it, it's not like that!" I chase after him. "I love you, Matt!"

"You have a funny way of showing it."

"What, by spending every waking minute with you? Yeah, I guess that's a funny way to show it!"

"Whatever, Michelle. You may have fooled me for all these weeks, but I don't have the wool pulled over my eyes any more, do I? She told me everything, including how you conspired to get Maria fired."

I bit my lip. "I didn't."

"Why would I believe anything you say?" he asks.

"Why would you believe Layla?"

"Layla's never made a secret of how she feels about me. You've done nothing but lie to me from the start!" He turns back to me and meets my eyes. "Stay away from me. Don't talk to me. Pretend I don't exist, because as of right now, you no longer exist in my world, McCool. As far as I'm concerned, you're a horrible mistake that I was saved from making by someone I don't even like. So tell Layla thanks for me, and then forget I ever cared about you. I'm sure that won't be hard for a cold hearted, shallow bitch like you."

He walks away, and I stand in the hallway and watch him go. What else can I do? It's over, ruined by my own stupidity. I had a thousand chances to tell him the truth and instead, I stupidly ignored it and hoped it would go away, that none of my friends would ever say a word. I can feel the tears on my face, but I'm numb inside. It doesn't hurt. What does that mean? I walk back to my locker room and Layla looks up at me, concern on her face. "Hey, Michelle, are you okay?"

"Why did you tell Matt?" I ask her, sliding down on the couch.

Her expression changes. "I'm sorry. He told me that he was planning on asking you to move in with him, and I thought... Well, you know. He might not be as into you as you were into him. And this proves it, doesn't it? If he really loved you, none of this would have mattered to him. He would have stayed. But he didn't, did he?"

"No," I whisper. "He didn't."

She hands me a tissue. "Just tell people you're sad to see Shawn Michaels go, and no one will question the tears."

"What are you talking about?"

"The party, of course!"

"Layla, I'm not going to the party."

"What? But we always go to the party!"

"I don't really feel like going, okay?"

Layla sighs. "God, Michelle. He's just some guy. A complete loser. So he dumped you. So what? You'll have another guy by the end of the week."

She doesn't get it, and I know why she doesn't. Up until Matt, I was the same as Layla. One guy could always be replaced by another. She's never actually loved any of them, so she's never felt heartbreak crushing her lungs and making her want to curl up in a ball and die. "I just want to go to the hotel." I pause, as something dawns on me. "And I don't have a ride."

Layla rolls her eyes. "Whatever. I'm going to the party. Ask Punk to take you back. He won't care. It's not like he likes these parties."

Punk. Layla's right. He'll take me back to the hotel if I ask. "I'm going to go find Punk."

"Good idea."

I leave my locker room and head for catering. Hopefully, he'll be there. My heart twists as I think about Matt also being there, and everyone else, but I push the thought away. I can't think about anything but finding Punk right now.