2:

"Come here, Cena, I have something to say to you," Wade said.

I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath.

He's going to tell me about Orton.

"Yeah?" I asked nonchalantly.

Wade was staring out the window of the Seattle arena, looking at the already building lines of people coming to see the event scheduled for later that night. I wasn't scheduled to wrestle, but Wade had a match with John Morrison, and although the event was not going to be a televised one, the tickets sold out faster than anticipated. Usually things like that got me hyped up, but not today. Not when Wade was taking his time to respond to me.

He continued staring out the window for several more seconds, as if the lines of people were far more interesting than whatever he had to say to me. I was almost ready to ask him what he wanted when he turned to me and said, "I've made a decision that is going to affect you."

I was wrong. He's not going to tell me about Orton, he's going to tell everyone.

My heart started pounding. I tried to keep from looking guilty as I asked, "What are you talking about?"

Wade turned back to the window again. I sighed with frustration and asked, "Wade?"

"Oh, right, yeah," he turned to face me again and explained, "I think I'm going to hire Michael McGillicutty and Husky Harris to join the Nexus. Since you're working for us, I want you to extend your duties to them as well."

That was it. That's what he made me wait for. What the fuck?

I nodded, replying, "Right, I'll be sure and take note of that."

Wade tapped my shoulder before I could leave and mentioned, "I want you to take all the boys out today. Get them some fresh air."

I shrugged, asking, "What could we do?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. He handed it to me as he replied, "I don't know, something American. Now, get out of my sight."

I took the cash and walked off, still stunned that Wade had said nothing about last night. I could have been relieved, but I wasn't.

Now I would have to wait for him to tell me.

:-:

Stuck. In a limo. With The Nexus.

Shitty McShit Fuck.

Otunga couldn't stop climbing up through the sunroof and screaming at the top of his lungs. Cars recognized him and honked as they zoomed past. Slater was going through the mini bar and chucking complimentary cashews at me while Gabriel, McGillicutty and Harris were comparing ringtones on their cell phones. I had the window seat, which would've been nice if Otunga wasn't elbowing me in the shoulder every time he got back down from the sunroof.

"Hey, Cena, how many times do you think I can beat Santino?" Otunga asked me randomly.

"I don't know...never," I answered.

Otunga gave me his usual stink-eye look and retorted, "You're just jealous because I'm so damn good at what I do!"

What you do is detail your hairstyle with alternative advertising.

He added with a snort, "I don't care what you say. I'm awesome."

McGillicutty laughed at Otunga, asking sarcastically, "Whatever you say, Miz!"

The other guys laughed, making Otunga glare at them resentfully.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Gabriel asked, looking around like he could somehow find where we were going.

"Just up the ramp," I nodded ahead.

Slater scoffed, his breath smelling like nuts and alcohol as he said, "This is gonna be a shit party."

"You want to go to Wendy's instead?" McGillicutty asked, making everyone laugh.

I smiled, but Slater glared at me so I looked away, pretending like I didn't hear the joke that referenced the nickname I gave to Slater. The limo pulled around the ramp and parked in front of the Paint Pit, a paint ball stage where I planned to let the guys vent their frustrations.

Maybe this would exhaust them from venting on me.

We all went inside and grabbed our gear. Otunga inspected the color of paint balls in my gun several times, as if preparing himself to tackle me if any of that particular color ended up on his clothes. I wasn't planning on shooting him, but if the opportunity came up...

"I'm taking Otunga," Slater started the team pick.

"I'll take McGillicutty and Harris," Gabriel mentioned.

I waited for someone to say my name. The guys continued to put on their gear as if I wasn't there.

"What about me? Anyone want me on their team?" I asked, mocking distress.

"You're on your own, Cena," Slater said coldly.

No one objected. I stood there, dumbfounded.

"So I'm just by myself? Me against all of you?" I asked, drawing a circle in the air with my finger.

"More like you're our whipping boy, Cena," Otunga pointed out, making all the guys laugh at once.

I raised a brow, asking, "You mean you all think I'm going to just lye down and take your hits?"

McGillicutty answered easily, "We don't want you to just lye down, Cena. You've got to at least act like you're trying to get away. Otherwise, it's just stupid."

I couldn't believe it. These guys were seriously thinking that I was going to let them play target practice with me. I opened my mouth to argue when I heard a familiar male voice shout from nearby, "I paid with a Benjamin and I want exact change back, bitch!"

Teddy DiBiase, known to the wrestling legends as Junior, was noisily heckling with the man in the Paint Pit stand, while Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton were nearby, inspecting a set of gear.

Randy was here.

I hadn't stopped thinking about him since last night. I wasn't sure how it would feel to see him again, and it was an unexpected but pleasant surprise. I smiled a little just as he looked up, but his gaze didn't set on mine. Instead, he was looking past me, and his expression was disturbed. I assumed Otunga and Slater were probably doing something rude behind me.

Rhodes nodded at us and shouted, "Well, if it isn't my NXT rookie and his band of brats, The Plexus!"

"It's The Nexus," Otunga corrected him snidely.

"That's what I said," Rhodes replied arrogantly.

Sons of legends are so damn cocky, but if it's directed at Nexus members, I don't care.

DiBiase came up behind Rhodes and Orton, still counting out his change. Rhodes looked at him and mentioned, "What the hell, Teddy! You didn't have to harass the guy!"

Stashing his money in his pocket, DiBiase pointed out, "Hey, I may be rich but I don't like to just throw money away."

Otunga patted his gun and said, "Let's get moving. Hundred bucks says I clip Cena first."

The Nexus members laughed. I glanced at Orton, and I could see his jaw muscles constricting.

Rhodes broke in with, "Hundred bucks says I get you first, Otunga! Maybe I'll even go for the rest of The Sex-us."

"It's Nexus, and you're on!" Otunga countered loudly.

"I've got a hundred for DiBiase," Harris called out.

"Two hundred says I take out Harris and McGillicutty in two shots," DiBiase countered.

"I'm taking Cena for a hundred," Gabriel said.

Orton suddenly broke in with, "Three hundred says I take you out before you get to Cena, Gabriel."

There was a moment of stunned silence. Gabriel nodded timidly and replied, "Yeah, yeah, you're on, then."

Orton smiled wryly and lifted his gun, filled with silver colored paint balls, to rest on his shoulder. I hadn't noticed how rarely he smiled until that moment. He looked really good.

Rhodes waved his paint ball gun in the air and shouted, "Let's get a move on, Tex-us! Anyone who clips my face is going down!"

"It's NEXUS!" Otunga yelled.

Rhodes ignored him and disappeared behind a foam wall. I took off for a series of obstacles and dove underneath them before the Nexus had time to realize where I was. I took my time, using my elbows to scoot along like a soldier in the middle of a heated battle.

In some ways, that's kind of what it was.

"Cena! Cena, where the fuck are you?" Slater called out suddenly.

I didn't dare respond to him. There was a loud snap and a paint ball gun fired several times. Some voiced shouted angrily, then it was silent again.

I scooted my way underneath a foam rectangle and peeked out into a clearing. I spotted Gabriel behind a foam wall, but he was looking away from me, anticipating something ahead of him.

Taking my chance, I aimed my paint ball gun and fired.

I got him between the shoulder blades. Gabriel tried to turn his head to see where he had been hit, then looked around frantically for the source. I kept myself carefully hidden until Gabriel sighed with frustration and turned off to leave the field.

"Cena? Cena, where are you?" Slater taunted me from somewhere nearby.

I couldn't see him. I wasn't even sure where his voice was coming from with all the obstacles in the field absorbing or echoing the sound. I crawled out of the rectangle and rushed across the clearing to another series of obstacles that were more safely positioned.

"Cena! Come out, come out, Champ! We want to play!" Otunga's voice called out.

I took a moment to debate my position. If I stayed in hiding long enough, I might be able to keep myself from getting hit by any members of the Nexus, but I wasn't sure what game Orton, Rhodes and DiBiase were playing. I doubted Orton had plans to shoot me.

Then again, he wasn't called the Apex Predator for nothing.

A whistle in the distance. Probably Otunga. I held my gun closer to me, keeping my finger on the trigger, and waited.

Silence. A minute, then five minutes. Nothing.

Maybe I was wrong. I glanced around, but there was no one in sight. They must've moved on.

I stood up and surveyed my surroundings. Still nothing. I was in the clear.

Otunga charged me from out of nowhere, slamming into my right shoulder and sending me into the ground. I lost my paint ball gun, and the next thing I knew, I could feel blood dripping from my cheek.

I sat up, touching my face to feel the damage. It wasn't bad, but it was painful. I turned to yell at Otunga, but instead, I found Slater standing over me with his paint ball gun pointed just under my right eye.

This was going to hurt like hell.

THWAP!

"Oh FUCK!" Slater grabbed his left ear and fell to his knees in pain.

I blinked. I realized Slater hadn't shot me, but someone had shot him in the back of his ear. Paint seeped through his fingers as he held his ear, looking like he was bleeding silver.

Silver. That was Orton's gun.

Dozens of paint balls came flying at once. Otunga was just getting up after he had tackled me, and most of the paint balls hit him in the backside. Slater was getting pummeled as well. McGillicutty and Harris appeared from behind some obstacles, but they were slammed with paint balls as well. After the flurry finished, I realized every remaining member of Nexus but me was covered in blue and yellow paint.

Rhodes and DiBiase appeared from behind a foam wall and held up their paint ball guns, loaded with blue and yellow paint. Orton came out from a foam overhang on the other side and glanced at me as if to survey if any damage had been done to me, then he focused his intent on Slater, looking as if he were thinking about causing Slater some real pain.

"I am your God now," Rhodes joked with a confident smile.

I could still feel the blood on my cheek. I stood up slowly, feeling new pain in addition to the bruising on my hip that still held from my Nexus beating the night before. I didn't look at Orton, but I could feel him watching me. Slater got up at nearly the same time and said, "Fuck, I think my ear is bleeding."

"Oh, go cry to your mommy, then," DiBiase shooed him with his hand.

"Whatever," Slater started to leave.

DiBiase called out, "Hold up! You owe us some big money!"

Slater scoffed and replied, "Cena'll pay it."

I said aloud, "What? I don't have bet money!"

"Wade gave you some money," Harris tried to argue.

I corrected him, "Yeah, for gas and lunch and our entrance fee for here, but not for bet payouts."

Slater shouted angrily, "God, Cena! You are fuckin' useless!"

I saw Orton open his mouth like he was about to counter, but I didn't want things to go from bad to worse, so I shouted at Slater, "What, do you want me to sell my ass on the street corner for some extra cash? I think I could make a few hundred if I shake it."

Rhodes and DiBiase busted out laughing. Slater gave me the finger and stormed off, the rest of The Nexus following after him. I shrugged and turned to look at Orton.

He was smiling humorously.

:-:

I took my time getting back to turn in my gear. I checked the damage to my cheek in the bathroom mirror, cleaning it up so that it looked like nothing more than a faint scratch. There was a food parlor built into the front office, and I checked it out when I went inside, catching sight of Orton, Rhodes and DiBiase sitting at a table and enjoying a round of beers. I gave them a quick nod, then I glanced around, but I saw no sign of The Nexus.

There was a scrawny teenage boy waiting for me when I reached the counter. I handed him my gear and asked, "Did some athletic ugly looking guys drop off their gear a little while ago?"

The kid smiled with a mouth full of braces and replied, "Yeah, they went outside."

I nodded and turned to leave, then the kid asked, "Hey, are you John Cena?"

Turning back to face him, I smiled and answered, "Yes, I am."

He beamed ecstatically, and I felt a rush of esteem that I hadn't felt since losing my match to Wade at Hell in A Cell.

My fans were still out there.

He asked me timidly, "Hey, could you like...I mean...get me Wade Barrett's autograph?"

...and my boost is gone.

I swallowed hard and replied, "Well, I don't carry his autograph around, but maybe I could get you something else."

"Really?" the kid gasped.

I reached into my pockets and pulled out a handful of things, searching them for something I could give away. I pulled out a wrapper filled with chewed gum and said, "Wade put this in my gym bag this morning. I meant to throw it away, but if you want it..."

I held it out to him, thinking he would turn it down. Instead, he lunged at it like a squirrel on drugs and eagerly took it from me, surveying it between his hands like it was precious.

"Right. I'll be going now," I walked away quickly.

Once outside, I walked toward the parking space where the limo had stopped. I noticed almost immediately that the limo wasn't there. I glanced around the parking lot, but I could see no sign of anything that remotely looked like a limo. It didn't take me long to realize I had been ditched.

Ditched at a paint ball game. I feel like I'm in high school.

I quietly walked back into the front office. Orton looked up at me, and I saw from his expression that he already knew what had happened. I wandered over to him, feeling kind of sheepish. DiBiase and Rhodes both perked up when I came near, so I tried to shake off my disgrace.

"Why the long face, Cena?" Orton asked, pretending he didn't know.

"Looks like Nexus ditched me," I answered with a shrug.

"You want a ride back to the arena?" Orton asked, still acting casual.

Rhodes put up his hands and argued, "I don't have room in my truck for one more!"

Orton narrowed his eyes at Rhodes and replied, "Then you get to be the one to tell McMahon why we left one of his main events stranded."

Rhodes swallowed hard and answered grudgingly, "Fine. He can come."

Orton pulled out a chair from the table and said, "Sit."

I did, feeling relaxed for the first time all day. Orton asked me once I was seated, "You want a beer?"

"No, I'm good," I shook my head.

Orton turned to Rhodes anyway and said, "Turn on the charm."

Rhodes turned around to face the female waitress and asked aloud, "Excuse me, gorgeous, but we'd like another round of drinks."

He finished his sentence with his signature smile, and the waitress blushed, giggling as she quickly went to grab more beers. DiBiase elbowed me in the arm and said, "Hey, your Nexus buddies didn't pay me their bets. What do you have on you, Cena?"

Orton groaned with frustration and said, "Damn, Teddy. You sound like a cheap whore."

Rhodes burst into a fit of laughter. I laughed myself, always a fan of Orton's extremely dry sense of humor and his straight faced jokes. DiBiase leaned back and stated, "Hey, I resent that remark! If I were a whore, I sure as hell wouldn't be cheap!"

That only made Rhodes laugh harder.

:-:

When we got back to the arena, Rhodes and DiBiase took off, leaving me alone with Orton. He didn't say a word as we walked together down the hallway. It was a comfortable silence, unlike the usual constant noise and horseplay I got when I walked with The Nexus. I started to turn off toward the locker room, but I stopped dead in my tracks when I looked up and saw Wade coming my way.

Oh shit, he looks pissed.

"Where the hell have you been?" Wade yelled before I could say anything.

I put up my hands in defeat, answering, "The Nexus ditched me. I had to hitch a ride back."

Wade towered over me, putting his balled fists on his hips as he countered in his snide British tone, "Really? See, the way I heard it, you ditched Nexus!"

"What? Are you fu-" I started.

Wade came nose-to-nose with me and finished threateningly, "I don't think you want to finish tha' sentence, Cena."

Randy was by my side in a moment's notice. He put his palm on Wade's chest and shoved him backward. Wade kept his balance, but looked at Orton with a stunned expression. Randy stated boldly, "Cena is telling the truth. I saw The Nexus leave without him."

Wade blinked, looking as if he was unsure how to react to Orton. Then, he quickly collected himself and displayed a cocky smile, replying, "How convenient that you were there for everything, Orton. Same grounds, same game, same moment that Cena needs someone to back his story."

Orton clenched his fists. I expected Wade to do the same, but he didn't. Instead, he turned on his heel to leave, saying over his shoulder, "Let's go, Cena! William Regal has me out an' we're already late!"

I looked at Randy. He looked back at me with a sympathetic expression, then he reluctantly nodded for me to go on. I took my leave, glancing back to see if he might try to follow.

Randy stayed where he was, but his fists were still clenched.