Chapter Eleven

2010

I really hate to do this, Ari, but I need to ask a huge favour.

Fresh out of her lab for the afternoon, Ari leaned against the wall beside the door of her class and scanned the text message on the screen of her phone with narrowed eyes. It had been a long afternoon, and the lab had been trickier to nail down than previous endeavours. She'd spent the better part of the class irritated and frustrated that it wasn't clicking into place with her, only to have everything come together as the lab was coming to an end. She wished she could have a hard reset on her day and do a little better.

It was just past three in the afternoon, and Ari had less than three hours to get home, shower, change, eat, and get started on her homework before she had to report to her shift at six. Monday to Friday was always a hard grind, but she always reminded herself that the reward in the end would make the lack of a life worth it. Depending on the day, sometimes it was hard to see the forest for the trees. When she was exhausted and felt like she was on the brink of insanity, sometimes it was hard to believe juggling so many things would ever be worth it.

As she read the message once more, her thoughts began to race in a million different directions. She was surprised; Drew was as self-sufficient as she was. It was very, very rare that the man asked her for anything. She could count the number of times he'd asked her for anything on one hand in the entire time they'd known each other. Chewing on her lower lip, she quickly fired back a response.

Are you okay? How big of a favour are we talking here? Ari sent the message off before pushing herself off the wall, narrowly avoiding a group of guys walking past. They were talking loudly, laughing about some show she'd never heard of, all of them dressed in pop culture T-shirts and jeans, high-fiving each other and quoting obscure inside jokes she wasn't privy to. She readjusted her backpack over her left shoulder and made her way down the crowded hallway, looking for the first side exit she could slide out of. Pushing her body against a side door, she shoved her way outside.

It was a nice afternoon, not too hot or too cold, but the perfect temperature for someone like her. The sky was a pale blue, the clouds only slightly tinged with grey. She'd heard on the radio on her way to school that morning that rain was in the forecast, but she wasn't sure if it was going to happen; it was too nice of a day to believe it could veer in that direction.

She scanned her surroundings, trying to remember where she parked from where she exited. Stuck in her thoughts, she was startled by the phone vibrating in her hand. She quickly checked the message, hoping there was nothing serious happening with Drew.

I'm fine, thank you. It's not for me. I got this new student. She just moved here and the place she's staying at isn't ready for her to move in yet. She needs a place for like, a week, tops. I know it's no notice whatsoever, and I normally wouldn't ask, but you're literally my last hope here. Ari couldn't help but smile as she read the last sentence.

Does this student of yours have a name? Ari sent the message quick. Looking both ways, she began to cross the parking lot. Her car was parked at the back, about as far away as one could get. She didn't get another response until she made it to the driver's side door.

Kim. I'm really sorry. You know I wouldn't ask if I weren't desperate…

Ari nodded, even though he wasn't standing in front of her. Do you vouch for her? While she waited for him to answer, she opened the back door and shoved her backpack inside. She slipped into the driver's seat and sat back against the seat. The last time she'd tried to play Good Samaritan with someone at Combat Zone, she'd noticed a few small things missing in her apartment. Drew had promised to deal with it, and while she'd gotten some things back, she hadn't gotten everything. She'd never heard his name mentioned again.

If I didn't vouch for her, I wouldn't be asking.

Ari nodded. He was right; he'd never put her in a situation where she'd feel unsafe. Is she in town now, or is she on her way to town?

She didn't start the car right away; instead, she sat in the driver's side and waited for the conversation with Drew to come to an end. She's in town. I'm just finishing up a class with her. I can bring her out after.

Ari sighed. I'm just on my way home. I'll meet you there.

His response was almost immediate. Thank you, Ari. I owe you HUGE.

She shook her head. I don't keep score. See you at my place. Tossing her phone on the passenger's seat, Ari started the car and made her way back home.

Pulling into her parking space, Ari was relieved she'd made it first. Her shower would have to be fast; she wasn't sure what time Drew was going to be leaving with his student, but she knew it was a fifteen-minute drive from the building to her apartment, so she had a small window of time. She took the steps two at a time, moving briskly to her door. Once she was inside, she dropped her backpack beside the shoe rack and kicked off her runners. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she dropped it on the couch on her way to the bathroom. It was the fastest shower she'd ever had.

Changed into a pair of black sweatpants and a black T-shirt, wet curls pulled into a bun, Ari made her way to the kitchen to brew a cup of tea, her usual ritual after class. She rifled through the cupboard, settling on green tea over all else. She leaned against the counter and wondered what her new roommate for the next week was going to be like. It wasn't the first time she'd put a wrestler up in her home; but it was the first one that Drew had asked her to put up. She'd hoped it wouldn't be a problem like the last one; Drew had been so angry.

Ari was deep in thought when Drew arrived with Kim, his loud knocking on the door pulling her back to reality. Ari moved quickly to the door, unlocking it and opening it quick. Drew stood on the other side, dressed in black basketball shorts and a maroon V-neck T-shirt. Ari assumed it was Kim behind him, a timid-looking blonde in a baggy red shirt that fell off her right shoulder, with jean shorts and sandals. Her hair was pulled back and clipped. "Hey. Come on in. I just need to go get the kettle off the burner."

She left them, moving quick as the kettle began to whistle. She poured her cup of tea and turned off the element, placing the kettle down on another burner. "Does anyone want a cup?" she asked.

"I'm okay," Drew called back.

"I'm okay," Kim echoed. Ari rounded the corner. Drew opened his arms and she walked into them.

"Thank you so much for doing this," Drew told her, hugging her tightly. She laughed, hugging him back.

"It's no problem. It's just a couch."

"It's better than nothing," Kim told her. "My car is just packed in the backseat."

"I wouldn't let you sleep in a car if I had a couch available," Ari assured her. She turned to Kim and extended her hand. "I'm Ari, by the way. It's nice to meet you."

"Kim. Thank you so much. Drew speaks highly of you."

"Oh, he does not," Ari said with a laugh. She looked at Drew, who blanched at Kim's announcement. "He just says that because I come in and stitch up his friends for free."

"All this and modest, too," Drew drawled. Ari bumped him with her shoulder and snickered.

"So where are you from?" Ari asked.

"Seattle."

"Seattle? I'm from Aberdeen," Ari replied. Kim grinned. Ari looked at Drew. "I see what you've done here."

"There's always a method to his madness," Kim jumped in.

"I always tell you I'm smarter than I look," Drew joked.

"He's the best trainer you can have," Ari told her. "This guy knows his stuff."

He looked at her, touched. "Thank you."

"I have to work at six, so you'll have this place to yourself tonight," Ari told her. "I'm usually home just after one. I'll make sure I'm quiet when I come home."

"Thank you again for doing this," Kim told her. Drew nodded.

"I owe you one. But I gotta get going. We'll get together this weekend, okay?"

"Sure thing. Maybe we'll do dinner here," she told him.

"Sounds like a plan." He gave her another hug. "I owe you huge."

"It's fine. I promise."

"You got a heart of gold, Ari." He pulled away from her. "Have a good shift."

"I'll see you this weekend." The two women watched as he let himself out. Ari turned to Kim. There was an awkward beat of silence between the two of them. Ari smiled. "Come on – it's not a big apartment but let me give you the five-cent tour."

Dressed in black leggings and a black tank top underneath a white and grey striped cardigan, her hair pulled back in a loose braid, Ari held her cup of coffee close to her chest and looked out the living room window. Across the road, Eva Gardener was out on the front lawn with her dog, a small Pomeranian. She watched her, debating whether or not she should go outside and talk with her.

There was a time when Ari had both longed to be Eva and had despised her at the same time. Tall and beautiful, Eva had been the epitome of the cool girl all through school. She was the ringleader, the one who had all her friends who were willing to do whatever she said, the girl who was always on top of fashion trends. It had all gone to her head early, and for years she had been Ari's worst nightmare. The cruel words she'd spoken to Ari and the untruths she'd spread around school haunted Ari until she left town, made her constantly feel uncomfortable in her own skin.

We're all adults now. Those days are gone, Ari thought to herself. She's had her own tragedies, her own curveballs. Ari was a little ashamed to realize that she still held a bit of a grudge for everything that she'd been through. Even though she was living in a beautiful place, with a nice little house and beautiful trails to jog, with a great career that she thoroughly enjoyed, there was still a little voice in the back of her head that told her that she was a fraud. That everyone would find out about her past and it would all be over. It felt like she was always running from the Aberdeen chapter of her life; it was exhausting.

Now, Ari and Eva were across the road from one another, with a good amount of time passed between them, their lives an almost comically cruel reversal of fortunes. Eva had been so popular and so loved; now, she was back home with her parents, divorced and alone, grieving with her mother and wondering what had happened to her life. On the other side of the road, while she was still struggling with the emotions that came with returning to the States, Ari did have a life that she was proud of, that she'd built from the ground up after leaving everything she'd ever known. She'd come from a broken environment that could hardly be considered a home, and somehow she'd turned out all right. Ari knew a lot of that came with Barb adopting her at thirteen. She'd spent her life called unspeakable names because of her mother's reputation; she'd spent years being kept at arm's length by the other adults around her. Ari was a demon spawn, a bad seed, cheap and filthy like her mother.

There were times where she honestly thought death would be the only escape from all of it. She was thankful for Barb, who talked her through the days when the world was too much to bear, and she was grateful for the scholarship that got her out of the town, across the country, and into a new life where she had friends who knew nothing about her past. If she'd acted on those thoughts when she was a teenager, she would have never met Drew, or seen the world. Her life wasn't perfect – she'd never known perfect – but she was proud of her life. She had a decent savings account, and while she built that, she educated people to survive the absolute worst that life could throw at them. Her life had been full of hardships and tragedy for so long, but in the end, she'd turned it around and found a way to help others while doing it. On the days when she struggled with the decisions she'd made, the knowledge that she was helping others made it a little easier to look at her reflection in the mirror.

With a sigh, Ari slid her feet into a pair of slippers and made her way outside. It was a grey morning, but there was no sign of rain. The sun was trying to burn through the grey clouds, leaving Ari to doubt whether or not it was going to rain later on in the day. She shut the door softly and made her way down the driveway, sipping her coffee.

Sensing the new presence, Eva looked up from her Pomeranian dog, her eyes narrowing. "Arista?"

"Good morning," she greeted with a gentle smile. Looking both ways across the street, Ari walked across the empty road, coming to a stop on the sidewalk in front of the white house lined with lilies. Ari studied the woman in front of her. In the years since they had last seen each other, Eva had cut the long layers of hair off, instead going for a cute bob. She was dressed in a long tan sweater with a turtleneck and black leggings. Ari noted that she looked frail. "It's been awhile."

"It has," Eva agreed. There was an awkward silence between the two of them. "Your mom mentioned you were coming back to the Northwest."

"Yeah. I had some vacation time I needed to take, and Bryan got some good news about his health, so I thought I'd come out and surprise him." Ari took a sip of her coffee. "Mom mentioned everything that's been happening with you and your family. I'm sorry."

"It's life," Eva said with a sigh, her shoulders curving. "You know how it can be."

"All too well," Ari told her quietly. She turned her attention to the dog on the lawn. "Who's this?"

"This is Suzie. I adopted her last month."

"Oh, she's just adorable." Ari crouched down to pet the dog. She straightened her posture and turned her attention back to Eva. "How's your mother doing?"

"She's doing okay. I mean, she's gutted about Dad like I am, but she's keeping it together." Ari nodded. They were quiet again. "I feel like I should apologize for the things I've done to you."

"We were kids," Ari told her.

"I'm embarrassed about some of the things I did to you back then," Eva confessed. "I couldn't imagine how hard things must have been for you. Looking back on it now, I don't know how you coped with it."

"I threw myself into courses and academics," Ari told her. "I told myself I'd rise above it if it killed me."

"I should have spent more time building skills," Eva confessed. "I probably wouldn't be where I am now."

"It's never too late," Ari assured her. "We're still young."

"You're right. All of this has just made me feel old." Eva sighed. She turned her attention back to the house. "I should get inside. Mom should be up soon. We're going to see Dad at the cemetery today. It was good seeing you again. We should get a coffee while you're here. How long are you here for?"

"I'll be here until the middle of the month."

"Coffee sound good?"

Ari nodded. "It sounds great."

"Well…I'll see you around."

"I'll see you around." They said their goodbyes and Ari returned home. Her hands were trembling slightly. Everything was the same, but it somehow still felt different. Making peace with a childhood enemy was a strange feeling. She walked into the house and kicked off her slippers, padding across the living room to the kitchen to fix herself another cup of coffee. After talking with Eva, she went into the liquor cabinet and got herself a bottle of Bailey's to splash into her coffee. Ari looked at the time on the microwave and sighed; it wasn't even noon, and her nerves were already shot.

Ariya Daivari sat between Tony and Jack, watching Drew with a look of absolute wonder. Across the table, Drew was shoveling into his enormous crepe, eating like he had been starving for weeks. Upon his first bite, the sound he made was inhuman to the trio's ears, causing the three men to exchange uncomfortable glances with each other. Drew looked up at the three of them, a dollop of whipped cream stuck to the side of his mouth. He shook his head.

"Don't even, guys - I'm fucking starving," Drew told them. "I was so busy at the show last night, I forgot to eat, and then everything was closed. I've had like, two bags of Cheez-It's and a chocolate bar to get me through."

"How you must have suffered," Jack drawled. Drew shot him a look, and Tony laughed.

"I suffered - he bitched all night," Tony told them. The men laughed. Drew looked at Tony, chagrined. "You did. I'm not out here spreading lies."

"You guys are the worst. Why do I even hang out with you guys?"

"Because you love us," Jack shot back. Drew shook his head.

"There's no love in wrestling," Drew told him with a snort. Tony dabbed at the side of his mouth. It took Drew a moment to click in and he sheepishly reached for a napkin to wipe the whipped cream off the side of his mouth. "Thanks, dick."

"Speaking of love, have you spoken to Ari at all?" Jack asked. Drew shot him a look.

"You and Noam. I'm having both of you deported." He looked at Tony, who was biting back laughter. "You see the shit I have to put up with? All of you - the absolute worst."

"Why are you trying to have Noam Dar deported?" Ariya asked. Jack grinned.

"Noam's smitten with Drew's little girlfriend."

"He asked for her number last night," Drew revealed, shaking his head. "I can't tell if he's serious, or he's trying to get a rise out of me."

"It's Noam we're talking about here - probably both," Ariya replied. Drew thought about it for a moment and nodded.

"You're probably right." Drew looked over at Jack. "To answer your question, yes, I spoke to her last night, and she made it home safely. I'm gonna call her a little later and see how she's doing."

Ariya studied him. "You miss her?"

"Always," Drew said with a snort. "I just want to hear her voice. It sounds silly..." He shot Jack a look. Jack raised his eyebrows and sipped his tea. "But there's a lot you guys don't know about her, and how hard it is for her to head back there."

"You could always tell us," Tony said. Drew shook his head.

"It's not my story to tell," Drew replied. "We knew each other for almost four and a half years before she even talked to me about Aberdeen."

"And who says women can't keep secrets?" Ariya cracked, sipping his coffee.

"I haven't had enough coffee to deal with this shit," Drew murmured. The waitress walked past and he stopped her, asking for a quick refill on his cup.

"Well, when you talk to her, tell her we said hello," Jack told him.

"Let her know we're excited to see her again at Money in the Bank," Tony told him.

"Noam, especially," Jack jumped in. Drew's eyes narrowed.

"I hate you."

"If you're into her, you might wanna get to it before that guy does," Jack suggested. "He's been asking around for her number."

"I'm not worried about that," Drew said with a laugh. "The second he asks Bryan, Bryan is gonna kill him."

"Oh." Jack nodded. "I see how it is."

Drew nodded. He sipped his coffee. "I don't think that much has changed."

"Everyone's adults here," Tony told him. "It's better than sitting here and watching you pine."

"I'm not pining," Drew insisted.

"You've been kind of a whiny bitch since she left," Ariya told him. Drew shook his head.

"I'm never inviting you anywhere again."

"You know what I think?" Jack told him. Drew snorted.

"Nobody asked."

"I think she feels the same way you do. But whatever happened between the two of you has made things weird." Jack sipped his tea before turning his attention to his hash browns and eggs. "It's not an easy talk, but it's one you two are going to have to have."

Drew sighed. He hated to admit it, but Jack was right. "I'll talk to her at Money in the Bank. Trust me, guys - she's got enough on her plate right now."