7/9/05…

"You're just gonna pick up and go?! Your life is here!" Andre said before Amanda turned back to him.

"My life will always be here but my dreams aren't! I'm sorry but-" Amanda responded, Andre gripping her right elbow. "You can't force me to stay… and I won't be your friend if you try to, Andre." She finished, moving her arm away from his hand and Andre turning incensed as Amanda put the last bag in John's Charger.

Without warning, he grabbed the 15 year old and kissed her… and she shoved him back and slapped him hard across the face.

"Don't ever do that to me again, what the hell's the matter with you?!" Amanda responded threateningly, Andre wiping the blood away from his split open upper lip and saw that she was wearing a cropped RKO Legend Killer shirt.

"Crushing on your brother's best friend, huh?!" Andre growled.

"That's none of your business!" Amanda said.

"Hey, you keep your trap shut!" The two heard… before Immy was over with them quickly and delivered a hard slap to Andre's side, him stumbling back. "Mandy, you go and you make yourself a brilliant and firm career. I'll keep in touch and try to keep control over this idiot, I don't know… occupy him in some experiments or something."

"Thanks, Immy." Amanda said, the two hugging before John headed over and he and Amanda got in the car and drove off… a distance away, John turned to Amanda, having seeing the blood on Andre's mouth.

"Didn't agree with you leaving, huh?" John questioned, Amanda shaking her head. "It won't be the first time… now you're getting involved with all this company and that, you're gonna learn very quickly that there's always gonna be someone who's against whatever you're doing. But you also learn to ignore them who tell you otherwise, it's your life and path, your fate. Not theirs to argue with."

"It is but for as long as I can remember, he's always been a part of it… since we were little kids playing on the monkey bars." Amanda responded, John seeing a bite on her lower lip.

"I remember you tried looking at more of a relationship with him a couple years back… I know it didn't work out but you still stayed close, maybe Andre just doesn't know how to react to someone who's basically become his sister leaving home suddenly." John replied.

"Still hurt though, his teeth sinking in like that…" Amanda said.

"Ah… now he's been watching too many movies. Old romance films have it that biting your partner's lip while you kiss, and drawing blood, usually means… well, dominance. Either he's desperate, or he figured that if he showed something like that towards you, you'd chose against leaving… or he was just smashed up in the head." John responded.

"Probably was." Amanda replied as Rebel Rebel by David Bowie started to play and John turned the volume up a bit.

Amanda started to relax and sing, John joining in as well… and seeing how happy she looked…

Present time, 10/7/15, NXT TakeOver Respect…

Amanda found herself clearing her head outside… and felt a hand on her right shoulder, turning and seeing Finn.

"All too much tonight?" Finn asked, knowing that the Dusty Rhodes Classic tournament had caused Amanda's as well as everyone's emotions to hit a fever pitch.

"I feel like… I lost another part of myself after everything that had happened. And yeah, this tournament was a hell of a way to honor the American Dream… I guess I didn't think of how hard it would hit all of us." Amanda explained, Finn pulling her into his arms.

The tension and fighting had increased between the majority of the wrestlers on NXT and the main roster… and Finn could tell it was getting on Amanda's nerves.

"Hey… they'll calm down on their own. Well, most of them will." Finn responded before they let go, his hands lightly wrapping around her wrists and rubbing them.

"Depending on who they're hanging around tonight… I know we were thinking of going and hanging out with our friends tonight but I just feel like getting some takeout and heading home." Amanda replied, Finn lightly resting his right hand on the left side of her face as he held her right hand in his left hand.

And he couldn't blame her for just wanting to head home... midway through the final match in the tournament, he noticed someone watching Amanda and that it rattled her.

"They'll understand, Darlin'." Finn responded before they left.

It was after picking up food from McDonalds that they ended up back at the apartment… after changing into pajamas, Amanda took her makeup off and headed downstairs before she and Finn ate, the two curled up on the couch.

It was after a while that Finn looked to his right, seeing that Amanda had fallen asleep… smiling slightly, he turned the Tv off before picking her up into his arms and carefully standing up.

Finn quietly walked upstairs, putting Amanda on the bed and pulling the covers over her before he lightly tucked some of her hair behind her right ear and then changed into pajamas himself before turning both of their phones on sleep mode.

"Sweet dreams, lass." Finn whispered after getting under the covers himself, wrapping his left arm around her back and closing his eyes.

He often felt like they didn't get enough peace and quiet… especially with how badly some of the others treated her for hanging around him.