"Colby?" I asked softly not really sure it was the same kid from high school I was actually looking at. "Um…yeah?" he returned slowly looking me up and down before giving me a sheepish smile "Should I know you, on more than just a work basis?" he asked quietly scratching the back of his head "Kelsie Dornquast…I let you use my locker in high school, my notes, homework, lunch money?" I listed off watching as it clicked for him "Oh, wow you changed." He gasped eyes bugging out as I spun in a slow circle "Puberty" I shrugged giving him a sweet smile "Who knew huh?" I laughed slightly adjusting the sweat pants I was wearing over my gear for the night. "Uh, yeah wow" he nodded slowly "Hey Colbs, who is this?" his ex-partner Jon Good asked walking over with his arm around Renee Young, his current beau. "Um Kelsie, this is my friend Jon, or Dean Ambrose I guess." Colby stuttered gesturing between the two of us like I wouldn't know who the man was. "It's nice to finally meet you" I smirked going to say something else when a techie came over and said my match was up in 10. "Thanks" I grinned "Nee are you going back by the locker room?" I asked sweetly hugging the other blonde woman tightly thankful that she was one of the first people I had met. "Yeah, I was on my way over there now to talk to Nikki and Brie." She nodded "Can you just toss my stuff on my bag?" I asked pulling my sweat pants and tank top off to reveal my ring gear. "Wow." Colby mumbled looking me over again and again as Renee took my stuff and headed away. "I know, I'm not the dorky girl with braces and glasses anymore." I shrugged "You should really close your mouth though" I teased as my music started and I headed out to the ring slapping hands on the way thoughts of the two toned Ninja on my mind, images of a dark haired teen filling my head in place of the two toned man backstage.
I walked backstage with a smile on my face accepting the water and towel handed to me by Colby. "Thanks" I grinned guzzling a good amount of the water as we walked "So I was just wondering, if you maybe wanted to get some dinner after the show. We can catch up" he suggested slowly as we paused outside the women's locker room. "Sure, I came with Nikki and Brie, so I'll just come find you after the show" I grinned stepping onto my tiptoes to kiss his cheek before I closed the door behind me rolling my eyes at the twins who immediately started asking questions. "You went to high school with Colby?" Brie asked quietly even though she was practically bouncing in her seat. "Yeah, don't think too much into it though. I was the dorky girl who had braces and glasses that no one liked." I shrugged pulling out jeans and a shirt for going out after the show. "Colby shoved me into trashcans and stole my lunch money more times than I could count" I informed pulling the jeans up my legs and over my spandex. "Seriously, it was one of those situations where our parents were best friends and so when we were around them he was nice and decent but around everyone at school he was a total ass." I sighed shaking my head at the memories that started swarming my mind. "What do you mean?" Nikki asked sitting right beside her sister as I sat in front of them. "Just when we were hanging at one of our houses he was a flirt, he talked video games, comic books, books, movies, I helped him with homework, he helped me with basically anything I asked." I paused to take a drink of water before I continued "But when we would get to school he'd call me four eyes, metal face, chubby, he'd shove me around, take my lunch money all of that normal public school bully stuff." I paused again "Then we'd get alone and he'd pretend like none of it happened. He was two different people my entire life. Now I don't know who he is, you know?" I shrugged accepting their hugs of reassurance. "I'm sure you'll get answers" Brie commented before they got up to go do their segment. I decided to walk around and maybe meet some more people while I waited for the show to finish.
"Hey, you're Kelsi right?" an unknown voice greeted and I turned to see Nick Nemeth, better known as Dolph Ziggler standing behind me. "Yeah" I grinned kind of proud that someone knew me. "It's a pleasure to meet you" he smirked kissing my knuckles before spinning me and whistling "the TV screen really did you no justice. You're exquisite" he complemented, my cheeks flaring red with a blush. "Thank you" I whispered squeaking as a body flew into mine nearly knocking me down. "Hey Kelsi, you did great out there tonight" Jon grinned his arm around my shoulder as if we had known each other for longer than 5 minutes. "You two know each other?" Nick asked pointing between the two of us with raised eyebrows "Oh yeah, her and Colby go wayyyyyy back, we only go kind of back" Jon nodded seriously "Speaking of Colby, he was looking for you." He added trying to steer me away from Nick. "Right" I nodded obviously not believing him "Jon, leave the poor girl alone." Renee sighed coming over and also putting an arm around me just around my hips instead. "I should go stretch for my match, I'll see you around Kelsi" Nick grinned kissing my cheek before he walked away. "Nope, no, I hardly know you but you're friends with Colby so nope" Jon shook his head quickly "First off, Colby and I are FAR from friends, and second what's so wrong with Nick?" I asked crossing my arms over my chest and staring at the couple. "He likes to do the fuck and run, he doesn't care who it is as long as they're hot" Renee sighed, nodding along I can understand why they were concerned, they didn't want me to get hurt. "I thought you and Colby went to school together?" Jon asked finally registering that I said Colby isn't my friend. "We did. He was an ass. He liked to pretend I meant something alone but in front of people at school I wasn't even good enough to tie his shoes." I shrugged playing with the bottom of my shirt as I remembered just how awful he had been to me.
"I apologized for all of that…and more" Colby sighed walking up to us with his bags dressed in his civilian clothes. "You stood me up at our senior prom, and then proceeded to laugh at me about it when my mom made me go and dropped me off because she thought you were running late." I sighed rolling my eyes at him. "She still believes that, actually I'm pretty sure she still expects us to get married one day." I added spinning on my heel and walking away, waving goodbye to Renee and Jon as Colby followed after me. "She thinks that one day we'll both come home to visit at the same time and fall madly in love. I'm sure she's just over the moon that we work together." I huffed picking up my bag and checking my phone sure enough there was a missed call from my mom. "You can call her back while I drive" he decided leading me out of the building and over to a jeep. "You did always want one of these" I whispered running my fingers over the letters before I jumped in the passenger seat and dialed my mom's number. "I can't believe you and Colby work together! I told you Kelsi, you two are meant to be," she squealed as soon as she answered the phone, I sighed heavily "Nothing is going to happen between us Mom. That ship sailed" I retorted smacking Colby's hand when he tried to grab mine. "Oh whatever. How is he?" she asked, of course more concerned about him than me. "I don't know talk to him" I snapped shoving the device into his hand and tuning out as I watched the scenery fly by around us until he pulled into some 24 hour diner about 20 minutes from the hotel. "Of course I'll have to stop by next time I'm around. Yup, bye Mrs. Dornquast" Colby sounded before the phone was being set delicately on my leg. "Kelsi I'm" he tried to say but I cut him off "is it acceptable to get breakfast now? I mean it is 12:04" I wondered getting out and moving to head inside but being stopped by him tugging me into his arms.
"I'm sorry you know, I really am." He whispered into my hair as my arms slowly slid up and wrapped around him too. "I did really like you, I was just scared what everyone would say because you were well" he faded off "Fat and ugly. I know, you made sure to tell me all the time." I sighed attempting to pull from his arms but he just held me tighter "But I made up for it when we got home and hung out just us." he whispered, his breath brushing across my skin reminding me just how he made up for it. "Colby…don't mess with me. This isn't high school anymore, you can't beat me around and bash everything about me around people just to crawl in bed and pretend to love me when we're alone. I went through that once, I can't do it again." I whispered the tears falling from my eyes as old wounds were reopened. "You know what, just take me back to the hotel please." I mumbled pushing him away and getting back in the jeep, my back turned towards the driver's side door but it didn't matter because he opened my door and stood between my legs. "Kelsi, god I never wanted to hurt you." He whispered wiping the tears from my face "I mean I was in love with you, then we both went off and did our own things. I started to accept that I'd never be able to fix anything I ever did to you. I imagined you having this cute family and being successful and I was happy." He paused and took a deep breath his bottom lip trembling like it usually did before he started to cry. "When I saw you, when you told me who you were I was shocked, my first thought was damn, this is the girl I treated like shit just to seem cool. My next thought was you had to have some guy somewhere, but there was no ring on your finger. My last thought, I'm being given a second chance because Kelsi, every time I look into your eyes I still get the same blood pumping, heart stopping feeling I did then." He finished tears slipping from his eyes, this time it was my turn to wipe them away and hold him close. "I can't say we'll be the same as then, but I really want to know the new Colby. The REAL Colby" I whispered running my fingers through his hair as I talked "You have A LOT of work to do to become my friend, and even more work before I trust you like I did" I added fading off as he sniffled and nodded "Can I start with buying a coworker breakfast, because personally I think anytime is acceptable to order breakfast" he smirked referencing my earlier question. "I think buying a coworker breakfast would be the perfect start." I nodded smiling at him in return tugging him close until I could brush my lips over his "If it makes you feel better, you look a lot like my next boyfriend" I whispered giving him a smile before I jumped out and let him lead me inside and over to a corner booth. It was there in the parking lot of that small diner outside of Lexington that I saw the real Colby Lopez, my Colby Lopez. It was also where we found out that it really is acceptable to order breakfast at any time.