"And the winner- via count-out- Randy Orton!" Justin Roberts announced, eliciting both cheers and boos from the crowd.

Zack Ryder slowly limped his way into the back, wincing at the pain in his ribs and lower back. Randy's newest position as the face of the company seemed to have gotten into his head, with him picking fights with anyone, knowing that the Shield was backing him up. Zack had only passed him in the hall, and suddenly he had been placed in a fight with the Champ.

Randy; true to his past Legend Killer persona; had given him the beating of a lifetime, stopping every few minutes to taunt him just to humiliate him even further. Then, after a few illegal movies unseen by the referee, he had left Zack outside of the ring to be embarrassed even further with a count-out victory.

As the Long Island Iced Z limped his way through the backstage, he glared at the floor, feeling all of the pitiful glances sent his way. All he had wanted to do was just go home. No, not even back to the hotel room that was void of anyone else, seeing how nobody wanted to room with him. No, he just wanted go back to Long Island and back in his house, giving up on wrestling all together.

He slowly made his way back to the locker room, changed into his street clothes, then decided to go to catering before leaving. He knew he should have gone to the trainer's to check out if his injuries were serious, but he just wanted to eat and leave.

In catering, he sat alone, most of the other superstars that still tolerated him getting ready for their own matches, and all the other ones just doing their best to avoid him. Zack slowly ate his food, deep in thought as he did so.

"Hey, Zacky."

Zack looked up from his plate, only to find the Queen of Crazy herself, AJ Lee, standing in front of him, holding tightly onto her Diva's Championship Belt.

Zack swallowed slowly, looking at her uncertainly.

"Uh... Hi, AJ." He answered, feeling a bit disturbed as she continued smiling at him.

"How are you?" She asked, softly swaying from side to side as she waited for an answer.

Zack looked around the catering room, as if to make sure that no one was going to pop out of nowhere to attack him, which made AJ chuckle.

"No one's going to attack you, Zacky. I'm not like that." AJ told him, making herself comfortable in the chair in front of Zack.

The blonde only raised an eyebrow at her, his meal long forgotten, and asked, "Are you serious? That coming from the same chick that devised such an evil plan to take down her once best friend?"

AJ's head twitched to the side, her smile turning into a sour frown at the mere mention of her ex-best friend, but breathed in deeply and smiled once more. "Yes, Zack. You should believe me when I tell you that you do not have to worry about anyone attacking you now."

Zack nodded slowly, then got up and turned to leave. "Where are you going, Broski?" AJ called as she ran after him, all the while he shook his head.

"Either I have a concussion and am now seeing things, or I'm in an alternate universe where people believe that doing bad things doesn't make you less believable. Either way, I'm going to the trainer's to make sure I don't have a concussion."

Zack was set on going just there, but suddenly a huge hand was wrapped around his neck and he was slammed against the wall. His vision blurred because of the brute force, his own hands scratching at the one cutting off his air supply, but that did nothing to help him.

"Ryback! I didn't tell you to do that!" AJ scolded the large man in front of her, glaring as he growled at Zack.

"I still don't see why we need him, AJ." Ryback breathed in deeply, seemingly analyzing Zack as if he were some sort of specimen that was meant to be prodded at. "He's weak, annoying, and he likes stupid music."

Zack wanted to bite something back at the much larger man, but his brain swirled, not coming up with anything snarky to retort.

"I already explained this to you, Ry! He's been screwed over as many times as we have, and I see that he at least deserves a chance at retribution!" AJ explained once more, growing more frustrated with the seconds that passed by.

Ryback looked from Zack; who was struggling to breath now; to AJ, then snorted, and after squeezing Zack's neck once more, he let go of the smaller man. Zack crumpled to the floor, breathing heavily as he tried to get oxygen back in his system, all the while AJ rushed to him.

"I'm so sorry, Zack. I didn't mean for the meeting to go this way. Ryback just gets angsty at times and doesn't think things through." AJ apologized as she helped the man stand, supporting most of his weight as he rubbed his neck, glaring at the monster in front of him.

"I can see." Was all that Zack could wheeze out, getting a glare from Ryback.

"Look, it's not safe for us to speak here, where everyone can see us. Why don't you just head back to our hotel room with us and I'll explain everything to you?" AJ asked hopefully, looking up at him with big brown eyes.

Zack looked down at her blankly, wondering why she thought that after the attack by Ryback he would willingly go back, then remembered something very important. AJ is crazy.

"That means you're coming back with us, toothpick. The easy way..." Ryback told him, crossing his arms menacingly. "Or the hard way."

Zack glanced from the Hulk-like male, then back to the pixie known as AJ, and shook his head. "You two are insane." He pulled himself out of AJ's grasp, taking a few steps away from them. "Now I know that I have a concussion."

"Why's that?" AJ asked, her head cocked to the side curiously.

Zack wanted to laugh at the situation. First he was unjustly thrown into a hopeless battle with Randy Orton, then AJ had tried speaking with him, then he had been attacked by the monster called Ryback, now the two of them wanted him to go back to a hotel room they were staying it. Concussion was the only answer for this set of unusual event.

Ryback only shook his head, saying, "I told you this twink wasn't going to work for our plan, AJ. He's too stupid to do anything right."

Zack found offense at the insult, but found himself having another dizzy spell and having to lean against the wall to not allow himself to fall to the floor.

"He's not stupid, Ryback!" AJ shot, then looked at the usually happy wrestler, thinking of something. "He's just... Too innocent. Yeah, innocent's the word."

Zack didn't even have anything to say about that, completely confused as to what was going on.

"Fine. If you want him..." Ryback muttered, making Zack widen his eyes as the large man stepped towards him. "But if he costs us everything we're working for, it's his funeral."

"You know it, Ry-Ry. Now let's get him back to the hotel room before anyone sees us." AJ commanded, starting to skip towards the parking area.

"Wait... What?" Zack asked, only to find himself being thrown over Ryback's shoulder, his head swimming even more at the sudden movement.

Ryback didn't even have the decency to say anything as Zack groaned, he just followed AJ, Zack in one arm and their bags in the other.

All I had wanted to do today was collapse in his bed... Was that too much to ask for? Zack asked himself, promptly blacking out as soon as Ryback 'accidentally' hit his head against a door frame.

"Ryback!" AJ scolded as she saw the man's unconscious form, all the while Ryback chuckled darkly.

"Oops."

All shall be explained in the following chapter!

Two reviews and I'll update tomorrow.