Hey guys, I'm here again.
This particular one-shot was a request from DivaliciousDooL, but it's got some of my natural snarky writing style in there.
DISCLAIMER: Mara and Jake belong to DivaliciousDooL, as does most of the plot (I'm sorry, I added a little thing of my own in there because I didn't want it to be all doom and gloom), and the wrestlers belong to WWE and themselves and all that hoopla.
One thing I can't do very well is write in the American style so much, so I'm pretty sure there are a ton of grammatical mistakes that are correct in English UK but not in English US, so try and ignore them if that's alright.
Okay, well that's all out of the way, so for now, enjoy!
Mara looked up as her best friend walked towards her while she was reading on the porch. She smiled broadly, her dark eyes flashing as Randy sat on the porch railing. "Hey doofus," she joked.
Randy reached a hand out and playfully tugged at the end of her dark brown ponytail. "Hey yourself, Mara. Why aren't you out in the back yard, catching some rays? Your skin is lovely, but it's so white."
"Randy Orton, we've been best friends since we were four, and you're telling me you don't remember that summer just after I turned six when I was out in the sun for half an hour and ended up looking like a lobster?" Mara replied, cringing. "My skin was even peeling. God, that was awful."
Randy laughed, before staring at Mara intently. She raised a hand to her face, looking dubious.
"What are you staring at? Is there something on my face?"
"Uh, no."
"Well then take a picture, it'll last longer."
"Mara, do you want to come to Senior Prom with me?" Randy asked nervously, watching his best friend carefully. She raised an eyebrow, though the corners of her mouth were threatening to twitch up in a bright, excited smile.
"Are you asking me out?"
"Trying to," replied her friend with a smirk. Mara truly smiled then, before laughing at the idea that for once, a guy actually liked her on his own account, without her having to try and fail epically. Unfortunately, when Mara tried to talk to a guy romantically, it always failed. Randy looked uncertain for a moment before she nodded and leapt up to hug him. "Thank you, Mara."
"For what? I should be thanking you. I wasn't even planning to go. Oh crap, that means I have to buy a dress, so I have to phone Aunt Julia in New York, seeing as Mom... well. Anyway, it's a good thing my dad isn't short of cash, isn't it?" Mara said, her smile tightening from the sudden pang of sadness she felt when she remembered the loss of her mother. Kate Grayson died in a car crash the winter after Mara turned six, and as a result, Mara had missed out on all of the things that a girl needs from her mother. Sure, her dad was amazing, but she needed a mom. So for those things that she could only ask a woman about, she had to call her Aunt Julia. She wasn't actually sure who Aunt Julia was in relation to her, because neither of her parents had any siblings, but she was grateful that Julia was around, at any cost.
"Hey," said Randy, bringing Mara back to the present. His arms tightened around her, and she was grateful for the extra support from her friend… no, her date. "Are you thinking about your mom again?"
"Yeah. I'm cool, though. Jeez, I've got three weeks to buy an outfit for Prom. I mean, I love you Randy, but couldn't you have decided to ask me sooner? And you've got to rent a tux that'll go over those arms of yours." Mara said, feeling slightly anxious already. Was three weeks enough to ensure that she looked stunning for her first ever Prom? Were those few weeks enough to ensure that Randy really did see her as more than a friend? The thought made her pulse quicken in an uncertain, but not at all unpleasant way.
"I should get looking then," said Randy. "Go on, call your Aunt and then persuade your dad to give you his credit card. I'll text you tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure. Bye, Randy." Mara said, waving her friend off and walking inside the house with her book. She took the stairs to her dad's study two at a time and after cocking an ear to make sure he wasn't on the phone, knocked on the door.
"Mara, is that you, honey?"
"Yeah, who else would it be?" Mara answered, walking in and sitting in the comfy chair in front of the desk. "So Dad, I kind of need to ask you a favour."
"You need you Aunt Julia's number again?" David Grayson, multi-billionaire CEO of a telecommunications company, looked at his only daughter with worry. Any time she needed to speak to her Aunt, she was always in some kind of turmoil in her life. His daughter nodded. He sighed and unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk to get the decade old sticky note with the New Yorker's number on it. He gave it to his daughter, who unlike usual, didn't look relieved once she had it. "Is everything okay, Mara? Is there anything you want to talk to me about?"
Mara fidgeted in her seat, nibbling at her lower lip. "Well, Randy kind of asked me to the Prom. And so, I kind of need some money to buy a dress, and shoes, and get my hair done and everything. You know, just girly stuff."
"Right," said David, secretly pleased that a horrible, random boy wasn't asking her instead of Randy. Mara and Randy had been best friends since they were four years old, and he knew and trusted the son of the wrestler not to hurt his only daughter. He was even secretly hoping that maybe Randy would ask her out before they both went rushing off to their different colleges. "So how much money do you need?"
"I'm not entirely sure. I mean, I've never been asked to Prom before by anyone," said Mara, looking doubtful.
"Well, you know, I was planning on giving you a gift for finishing your finals anyway. Seeing as I already have it here, and you just need to sign it, I can give this to you and you won't need to bother," replied her father, reaching in another drawer of his desk and giving Mara an envelope that was addressed to her. It had come in the post the day before, and he watched as she opened it slowly. She pulled out the credit card and looked from the plastic to her father and back again. He smiled, pulling up his bank's website and logging in. He beckoned his daughter over and she walked around the desk, watching him as he typed five numbers into the box to go from his account to hers. Mara gasped. He was giving her ten thousand dollars as a gift. This almost topped the cute little black Audi he'd bought her for her sixteenth birthday. She gulped as her dad confirmed the figure and typed in his password again. "There you go, honey. You've got money to buy your Prom stuff. If it isn't enough, I can transfer some more cash in there."
"Oh my goodness, Daddy, thank you!" Mara said excitedly, throwing her arms around her father's neck as she stared at the credit card on the desk. She had ten thousand dollars to spend as she wished. She grabbed the card and her Aunt's number and dashed to her bedroom.
An hour later, feeling a lot more excited, more than a little nervous, and definitely more relieved, Mara knocked on her dad's door again. Half an hour later, it was agreed that Mara would accompany her father to New York that weekend to go shopping with her Aunt Julia while he was at the various meetings that were required of him. This was it, for Mara. She was going to have the Prom night that every girl would kill for, and she was going with the boy that she would kill for.
Mara stared at herself in the mirror, stunned at what she could see. Her hair had been cut, she'd had lighter brown highlights put in her dark brown hair, and it was styled so that it was all put up in an elegant up do, except for a few loose tendrils that had been artistically pulled out and slightly curled, and her make-up looked stunning. She had a coppery eye shadow to bring out her nearly black eyes, with a deep black lining and mascara swept on the upper lashes. She was even wearing a dusky pink lipstick, which made her lips look super cute(or as the make-up artist had said "even cuter than you already are!"). She paid the three figure price with a small wince at the reception desk of the salon, and dug in her bag for her car keys. She checked her watch as she hurried into her car to avoid being seen. She had exactly three hours before Randy was supposed to pick her up, so she drove slowly back to her house to take a bath and get dressed.
Two and a half hours later, she was pretty sure she looked like a movie star. She was wearing a floor length emerald green thirties-style gown that made her white skin appear to glow, and her hair and make-up was still completely perfect. She had beautiful art-deco style earrings that were silver and diamond (that she suspected her father had paid a fortune for, seeing as he'd given them to her that afternoon), and a bracelet to match. She was wearing an old silver and diamond band of her mother's on her pointer finger, and her shoes were silver and strappy and had an enormous heel. Mara was pretty sure that nothing was going to ruin her night, and she couldn't stop smiling, that was for sure.
There was only one thing that Mara was hoping for, that she wasn't sure she was going to get. She wanted Randy to kiss her. She was surprised that she wanted it so bad, but they had gone to something beyond friendship when he asked her to go to Prom with him. They had been hugging more than usual, and they even held hands sometimes. She just really wanted something to work out between them romantically. She had even dreamed of it, which she found more than a little embarrassing. She had dreamed of him dropping her off at the end of the night and kissing her like the couples in romantic movies kiss. She wanted a fairy-tale romance with her friend, and she hoped that maybe he wanted to have that same thing with her, too.
The doorbell rang.
"Randy!" Mara exclaimed when she yanked the door open. Her father wasn't home that night, unfortunately, as he'd had to go to Seattle for an urgent meeting about something or another, so she could technically stay out as late as she wanted. She hoped she'd be able to spend that time with Randy anyway, and hopefully he could stay over, if she had her way. They didn't necessarily have to get up to anything, but to have him there with her would be nice. He was stood there, looking more handsome than she'd ever seen him, with a tux that looked like it had been made for him. He held a white corsage in his hand, and Mara could see his dad's convertible in the driveway. "You look amazing!"
"God, so do you," said Randy. He sounded sad, which confused Mara like hell until he spoke again. He slid the corsage on her wrist. He then kissed her softly on the cheek and held onto both of her hands. "Mara, you're beautiful, breath-taking. But I'm not going to Prom with you tonight. I'm on my way to pick up someone else."
"What?" Mara whispered in shock. "What are you talking about? Why?"
"I'm dating Samantha. You know, Samantha Speno. And I'm kind of going to Prom with her. I wanted you to have this corsage, though. I wouldn't feel right if you didn't have it." Randy said quietly. He looked down at their linked hands, and Mara's blood ran cold.
"You're breaking up with me?" Mara whispered, unable to look at him. A lump had risen in her throat and her eyes were becoming blurry with tears. She wrenched her hands out of his, hoping it was a messed up kind of nightmare.
"We weren't even dating. Listen, I'm sorry, Mara. I should have told you sooner. I wanted to tell you sooner, I was just a coward. I'm so, so sorry. I'll call you, okay?" Randy said, backing away slowly. Mara struggled with the corsage, but finally ripped it off of her wrist.
"Don't even fucking bother. Don't speak to me. You ask me to Prom, and lead me on so I think we've got a fucking chance together and then you ditch me for someone else on Prom night? Do you have any idea how much I was looking forward to this? And you ditch me and still give me the corsage you would have given me. Did you buy two; one for me and one for her? How could you even do this to me? We've been best friends since we were four years old. Doesn't that mean anything to you? Take your stupid, cheap corsage and just go. I don't want to see your face again, ever," said Mara furiously, throwing the white rose at him. Her voice didn't wobble, even as tears streamed down her face. Randy nodded once and drove away. She broke down in tears and sobbed, curled up in a little ball on the porch. She felt betrayed. She felt cheap. Her phone rang, and she answered it in a whisper. A sad male voice greeted her.
"Mara, are you okay?"
"No."
"Are you going to Prom?"
"I'd intended to. I don't have anyone to go with though," said Mara, as more tears dripped down her cheeks.
"Well same here. My date ran off with another guy."
"Isn't that some tragic irony," sniffed Mara. "Randy fucked off with Samantha."
"Your date went off with mine?!" The voice on the other end exclaimed. "What colour is your dress?"
"It's green."
"Would a white Lily go with that?" Matthew Korklan asked, sounding urgent.
"I don't know. I suppose so."
"Give me two minutes," said Matt, and he hung up the phone. Mara dug through her clutch until she found her mirror and her tissues. She dabbed at her face, thankful that her makeup hadn't run or been smudged while she was crying, so she patted her face dry and put on a little more lipstick. She was just clicking her bag shut as a silver car parked in her driveway and her friend got out.
"Hey, Matt."
"Wow. Mara, you look beautiful. Randy's an asshole." Matt stated. Mara nodded and smiled weakly, sniffing quietly. "Mara Grayson, would you do me the honour of being my Senior Prom date, please?"
"You don't have to do this."
"I want to. We both wanted to have a great Prom night, and I spent more money than I like to think about buying a tux, and you clearly put a lot of thought and money into your outfit. You look beautiful, and two assholes are not a reason for either one of us to waste a nice night being miserable indoors. Please, Mara, come to Prom with me." Matt pleaded, taking a pretty white Lily corsage out of a box.
"Then, of course I'll come with you," replied Mara, watching as Matt slid the pretty flower onto her wrist. She smiled weakly again, and Matt tugged at her hand and pulled her in for a hug. As she clung onto her friend, one more tear dripped down onto the shoulder of his tux, and Mara sniffed before pulling herself out of his grip. She locked up her house, made sure she was still decent enough to go to Prom, and climbed into the passenger seat.
It wasn't a brilliant night, but Mara and Matt made the best of the shit situation they had both been thrown into. They danced, and they laughed, and they did their best to ignore their previous dates. Mara even won Prom queen, which had surprised the hell out of her, but had given her a strange – almost bitchy – smugness as she accepted the tiara and flowers, staring right into Samantha's eyes. At one in the morning, Matt drove Mara back to her house.
"Thank you, Matt. If you hadn't called me, I probably would have stayed inside, crying all night," said Mara, sighing. Her friend smiled.
"Don't worry about it. Despite it all, it wasn't a bad night."
"No, you're right," agreed Mara. She hugged him tightly, not actually wanting to let him go, but knowing he would have to go home. She sighed softly again, starting to let Matt go. However, he kept one arm around her waist, and his hand cupped her face gently. She looked at him, feeling nervous, expectant and hopeful all at the same time, and then his lips slowly and sweetly touched hers. Mara's eyes fluttered shut as her arms wound back around his neck and the kiss deepened. His tongue flicked against her lip, and she opened her mouth to let his tongue touch hesitantly to hers. They kissed for a while longer until Mara felt hardness near her groin. She half gasped, and Matt pulled away from her, flushed red.
"I'm sorry," Matt stammered. "I'll let you go in now. Thank you for coming with me tonight. I'll see you in school on Monday, okay?"
"Sure. Drive safely, Matt," said Mara breathlessly. She unlocked the door and only stood long enough to watch him drive away before she shut the door behind her and flicked on the light in the hall. She kicked off her shoes, picked them up off the floor and walked up to her bedroom, where she removed her dress and her fancy underwear and put them all on the chair in the corner of her room for her to put away when she got up. She let her hair down and sat in front of the mirror to remove her makeup. The kiss was still playing on her mind, and she wondered whether kissing him at all had been a good idea. They were both still upset that their dates had run off with one another, and while they were friends, they weren't all that close. He didn't know her flaws and her secrets and her fears and the little things that made her happy. He didn't know them like Randy did.
Mara disposed of the cleansing wipe and looked at her make-up free face. She hated to admit it, but as nice as that kiss with Matt was, she had been visualising Randy in his place. When she closed her eyes, it was easy for her to imagine that it was Randy that had been with her tonight. She put on an oversized t-shirt and finally removed the corsage that Matt had ended up giving her. She smiled slightly at the feather tattoo that was on her wrist. Randy had encouraged her to get it. She wished Randy would get out of her head. She was mad at him, and humiliated that he had essentially dumped her to go to Prom with someone else, on the night of Prom. But she still wished it was Randy kissing her instead of Matt, and she resolved to apologise to Matt on Monday. She climbed in her bed with a sigh, and wiped away a few more tears that had leaked from her eyes before she fell asleep.
WWE was in St Louis, Missouri that night, and Mara was going to the show. Wrestling had never really been her thing until first Randy, and then Matt had cracked the WWE. And then she never missed a show. Mara still saw Matt often, more so now than a few months previously, since he'd been suspended and then got in a car crash.
She was now working for her dad's company, and since he died a few years before, he had left her his whole empire. She would have traded it all in a heartbeat, though, if it meant she could have her parents back. She was the CEO of the whole company, but she wasn't completely heartless, so she created a COO position for the man who had been the Executive Vice President under her father. She'd given him a higher salary, more control and a better healthcare plan, the latter of which had been stretched out to all of her employees. She still had the biggest salary, of course, and she definitely made sure from time to time that Mr Johnston knew exactly who owned the company and could fire his ass in a heartbeat, but everything was running smoothly, and Mr Johnston, and her father had advised her and taught her everything they could about running and managing a business. She'd done well as the CEO for the past six years, though, so there was no worry from her employees, her customers, or her shareholders. Mara had a boyfriend, too, who she had been going steady with since her dad died, and she'd gotten two new tattoos. She now had a small musical note behind her ear and a butterfly on her upper back. She was truly happy, and living life as it came.
"Jake, baby, are you ready?" Mara called up the stairs of her house. She had inherited everything from her father, and her childhood home had been one of them, which she'd moved back into. The apartment she'd been living in when she was at Harvard in Massachusetts was being rented out, and a few other apartments she owned near universities were also being rented out to students. If she'd decided to pack up the telecommunications business tomorrow, she'd still be making a semi-decent living.
"Yeah, just coming down," he called. He appeared at the top of the stairs, where he was putting his shoes on. "You know, even after six years, I'm surprised that you like watching WWE. I get that you know Evan, I mean, Matt, but still."
"Why don't we just go and have a good time. I got some pretty awesome seats, and even though I wasn't going to tell you this, I did kind of get us a backstage pass. We're going to meet some of the guys and gals back there," said Mara with a smile, watching as her boyfriend's face lit up with joy. He stared at her, and was stunned at just how perfect she was. She didn't flaunt her fortune, but she used it to make those close to her happy. She was loyal and brave, and strong, and kind. He loved her, and he was pretty sure that she loved him, too.
"Haven't you met a bunch of them before?" Jake asked, tying his shoelaces.
"Sure, but only when they've been at Matt's place when I've gone to see him. I've never actually been backstage there before. It's going to be exciting, I think."
"So who have you met?" Jake asked as they drove to the arena.
"Hmm… I've met John Cena a few times at Matt's. And I met Kofi Kingston when he was there with CM Punk and Colt Cabana, though I've met Punk a couple of times. I've met a few of the Divas too. It'll be nice to see the familiar faces again." Mara said. She parked the car in an underground parking lot and got out to go to the elevator. They came out in the crowded lobby, where Mara flashed their tickets and their passes, and they were escorted to a seat near the commentators table. There, they had an awesome view of the action that frequently spilled out to the commentators' area, and if they listened closely, they could get the commentary too.
"Ms Grayson, Mr Laurinaitis wants to know if it'll be okay for us to get a camera shot of you. The WWE is tied with your company, so it'll be good for everyone," asked a tech person. Mara smiled.
"Sure."
After the show, once they had seen the action and gotten their faces on TV, Mara and Jake were accompanied to the back, where they met more superstars and Divas. John had greeted Mara with a hug and a huge smile, like they were old friends, and even Punk had given her a small hug. Everything was going smoothly, until…
"Mara? Mara Grayson. Is that you?" Randy Orton said. The smile slipped from Mara's face. She hadn't spoken a word to Randy in over a decade, since that awful Prom night. Jake hadn't noticed the Viper's appearance just yet, but he was sure to die of excitement when he did - Randy was his favourite wrestler ever. Until, of course, he realised that his girlfriend and the former World Heavyweight Champion knew each other very well.
"You know her?" Punk asked and his eyebrow rose, at the same time as Mara said, "I don't know, Randy, you tell me."
"Oh my god. It really is you. You haven't changed."
"I wish I could say the same," said Mara. She looked at her boyfriend and reached for his hand, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Randy. All the old feelings he'd had for her had come flooding back. But he'd married the girl he'd ditched Mara on Prom night for, and he now had a four year old daughter with her that he adored.
"It's been like thirteen years, Mara. I'm sorry about what happened, if you're not still mad about it."
"I know. Me too. What you did was cruel, and you were a complete ass, but I forgave you a long time ago. This is Jake, my boyfriend," said Mara, turning to Jake, whose mouth was open in shock. He looked from the tanned, jacked wrestler to his girlfriend, trying to work out what to say to who.
"Jeez Mara, you told me you'd met John Cena, you didn't say that you knew Randy Orton thirteen years ago," said Jake quietly. Randy laughed and Jake stuck out his hand. "I'm Jake Watson. It's real cool to meet you, man."
"Yeah, thanks for coming. And she didn't just know me. We've been best friends since we were four. Well except for those thirteen years when she didn't say a word to me and I gave up trying."
"If I recall correctly, Randall, it was because you ditched me on Prom night – the only Prom I ever attended, by the way – for the woman you're now married to. And you gave up after two weeks, which negated almost fifteen years of friendship. If you'd have kept trying for another couple of months, I might have forgiven you then and we could have carried on that friendship. And then this conversation wouldn't be going on," said Mara with a small, almost hopeful smile. She inwardly winced at how bitchy it had sounded, and she actually winced when the crowd of superstars that had grown around them started hollering like teenage boys. Mara noticed that their guide had disappeared.
"Randy, you seriously ditched her on Prom night?" John Cena asked. Both Mara and Randy nodded, and John smacked him around the back of the head, making Mara snicker. Seeing her smile made Randy's heart leap into his throat, and not even his wife made him feel like that.
"Gee, will you just take a picture? It'll last longer, trust me," said Mara, blushing slightly under the heat of his gaze.
"You said that to me the day I asked you to Prom."
"Oh wow, because we needed awkward here," blurted Mara. She flushed a deeper red as the Superstars laughed.
"I actually like this one," commented Punk. "Can we keep her?"
"I like to watch the wrestling, but I don't think I'd settle in too good here," said Mara to the tattooed WWE Champion. She noticed that Randy was still looking at her, and she sighed. "I said I forgive you. Come here, you big doofus."
She held her arms out, and Randy hugged her tightly, lifting her off the ground and making her squeal. She felt his nose at her neck, and the flutter of his eyelashes on her jaw. The way he was holding her made her feel uncomfortable. This was the way things should have been after Prom night. This was the way he should have greeted her every day, and he should always have followed it up with a kiss. But Mara didn't want that any more. It had taken a long time for her wounds to heal, but they did heal, and she was in love with the man she had bought these tickets for. She wriggled out of Randy's huge arms, noticing that he'd actually gotten better looking with age. She stepped back and found herself safe in her boyfriend's arms as they wrapped around her front. She let her head rest back on his shoulder and laid her hands over his. She felt his lips touch her hair, and she smiled.
Randy, however, couldn't help but regret it all. He loved Sam, he really and truly did. But seeing Mara made him doubt it all. He could have had everything he had now with her, and he wouldn't have to worry about her cheating, because she was never like that. He wished he hadn't ditched her that night, and the way he did. He'd heard from Matt a few years later, when Matt had come to the WWE that they had kissed that night, and he remembered how jealous he had been then. But Matt had very rightly said that he didn't have that right. He watched Mara with the other superstars, and he watched her with the Divas and Johnny Ace and some of the other people flitting around. She was still as sweet as she used to be, and as kind and friendly. She was a good person, and he had hurt her bad. She even posed for pictures to go on and filmed a little video with Matt Striker, because she was that selfless and was always looking for a way to make someone smile. Randy Orton could have had it all with her, and he inwardly cursed his own stupidity at letting her go all those years ago. Because if he was honest, he wasn't completely happy. He didn't see his daughter enough, and he wondered if his wife was cheating on him while he wasn't home to keep the bed warm, and he missed the girl with the dark hair and the darker eyes and her beautiful smile. He knew now that if he'd had just taken the chance with her and ignored the stupid impulses that led him to date Sam instead of Mara, he would have kissed her every minute to see her smile, and he would have made love to her every day if she wanted it. She would have had his children - more than one because she was an only child - and they would have had a dog. They would have had the most perfect life that anyone can have. And yet he threw it all away.
He told himself that he shouldn't feel how he was starting to feel for her, because he had a gorgeous wife and a beautiful young daughter waiting for him at home in Missouri. He tried to force down his crazy feelings and he caught Mara's eye. Randy smiled at her and she widened her eyes at him like she used to when they were younger and something unexpected was happening. He laughed then, and walked up to her.
"I did want to get into contact with you a few years back, but I wasn't sure where you lived," said the Viper quietly, nervously.
"I've lived where I used to as a kid. I'm sure you still remember that house." Mara said.
"Of course I do. Anyway, listen, I was real sorry to hear about your dad. He was a great man."
"Thanks, I know he was," replied Mara. She smiled at him again. "He told me before he died that if I ever saw you again, I was to tell you that when you die, you'd better not be in the same place as him or he'd kick your ass for leaving me on Prom night."
"I'll be fully prepared to get my ass kicked, don't worry," said Randy with a laugh. He pulled her to one side. "I regret it, you know."
"You can regret it as much as you want, Randy, it doesn't change the fact that you broke an eighteen year old girl's heart. The eighteen year old never got over that. It's just a good thing she's not around anymore. The past is the past, though, I guess," said Mara.
"I still care about you."
"And I'm in love with Jake. And you have a wife and a daughter."
"Could I get that kiss that Matt ended up getting instead?"
"Could you rewind thirteen years and get it back then?"
"No, but I wish I could."
"We'll you're just going to have to keep on wishing, Randy. It's over, you saw to that personally."
"I think I love you." Randy blurted out, far too loudly. Mara was turning away when he said it, and she whirled back around, with fire in her dark eyes. The wrestlers went silent, and Jake stood still, stunned from what his favourite wrestler had just told his girlfriend.
Mara took two steps towards the tattooed man and slapped him as hard as she could across the face. "How dare you? I'm here with my boyfriend, who by the way, I am in love with, if you didn't hear it the first time I said it. You are the one that left me. You are the one who barely even tried to gain my forgiveness, instead taking the easy way out. You are the one who has turned into someone I don't even recognise anymore. I haven't changed. I stayed true to myself, but you became a jerk. How do you think Sammy Speno's going to feel when she finds out that her husband is telling the girl he left for her that he loves her? You see that amazing man over there? He has been by my side through thick and thin, through good times and bad for the last six years. I may not have hurried into marriage with him, but I love him, and I'm pretty sure he feels the same. You have no right to say anything like that to me after you changed your mind. You know what, Randy? Screw you. I was hoping we might be able to repair our friendship after tonight, but you have gone and let that ship fucking sail away. And next time you feel like saying that to anyone, make sure that a) you haven't rejected them first and b) they aren't in a committed and happy relationship."
"Wait, Mara," said Jake. "There's one more thing before we go that I want to say." He stepped forward and punched Randy in the face. "That's for trying it on with my girlfriend tonight and for breaking her heart when she was eighteen."
Randy raised a fist to punch Jake back, but John held him back. "No," said John somberly. "You deserved everything you just got given."
Mara left the arena that night with a heavy heart. Sure, she'd gained a few numbers, and twitter handles and a huge bunch of merch, but her childhood best friend had been well and truly lost – forever. She clutched Jake's hand as he drove them home, and he seemed to understand how she was feeling, because he sat down with her with a glass of wine and some ice cream, and for the only time in his whole life, did not complain when she watched a crappy rom com movie while she was tucked into his side.
Randal Keith Orton went to bed in a strange hotel room, alone, wishing that he could go back to the past and force his stupid teenage self to love Mara and give her everything she deserved, not everything she didn't. She walked straight back into his life and breezed out as fast after thirteen years apart. And he loved her. He was certain he loved her, but now he was never going to have her again because of his stupidity. It was a good thing he never went through college, he supposed, because he certainly wasn't smart enough for it if he let her go twice.
So Randy Orton, millionaire, didn't have everything he wanted in his life, and he was really fucking miserable. But Mara Grayson, multi billionaire, didn't have everything she wanted in her life, and she was happy. It all came to the fact that a chance meeting didn't change a thing.