Fourteen

Candice Michelle watched her interacting with John. The way she laughed, the way he went out of his way to touch her. She could sense something was going on between the two of them that reached further than this album ever could. They spent just about every waking moment together and when they weren't together, they were sending text messages back and forth.

"Hey, Candy," Torrie said, approaching her friend from behind. "What are you looking at?"

"Your cousin making googly eyes all over the Champion," she replied with a roll of her brown eyes. "You should get that girl under control; the way she flaunts herself back here." Torrie guffawed.

"Coming from a girl who has her ass hanging out at this very moment," Torrie chortled. Candice narrowed her eyes. "Candy, would you lighten up? They're working on an album together. It's a very collaborative effort, with her doing a lot of composing. This is great for her; especially with her going back to school pretty soon."

"Yeah. I forgot about that; when does she leave?"

"In about three weeks." Torrie looked at the clock on the wall. "I need to go and talk to Mickie James about something. I'll see you in a bit for our tag match?"

"Yeah. You know it." Torrie walked away. When Candice was sure she was out of sight, she fixed her cleavage in her corset and walked over to John and Marianne, a seductive smile on her exotic features.

Marianne turned as Candice approached, turning back to John and rolling her eyes. "Hello, Johnny," she purred, running a manicured hand up his muscular arm. "Marianne," she added, her tone taking on a hard edge.

"Candice."

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Working on the album," John replied, shooting a helpless look at Marianne as Candice petted him. "Top secret stuff."

"Is this your guitar?" Candice asked, pointing to Marianne's Tiger Maple guitar leaned up against a trunk.

"Yeah. This is my baby. Tiger Maple. Isn't it gorgeous?"

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess," she replied indifferently. "It's just a ratty old guitar to me."

"So what are you over here for?" Marianne asked, "To insult my guitar or pet my collaborator like he's some Chihuahua in your purse?" John coughed. Candice shot him a dark glare and he motioned to his throat.

"You just wait until I tell Torrie about this!" Candice hissed. Marianne shrugged.

"Go ahead. We're all adults here." Shrieking, Candice hurled herself at Marianne, sending the two of them over the trunk. Marianne screamed in surprise as the two of them fell over the trunk.

"Whoa!" John shouted, jumping up and over the trunks to dig the girls out. Victoria was there in an instant, trying to help Candice, but a few security guards were there, pulling them all apart. John held Marianne in his arms, staring at her in shock. Candice held a clump of her hair in her hand, a sick, twisted, demented smile on her face as she dangled it in front of Marianne.

"Has all that silicone infected your brain, you crazy whore?" she shouted.

"Don't talk to Candy like that," Victoria warned her.

"Oh, look, here's Tweedle-fucking-Dumb sticking her nose where it doesn't belong," Marianne fumed, running a hand over her sore and aching head. How she wished she could get her hands on Candice and send her sailing through a wall.

"You won't talk to me like that," Victoria howled.

"What is your guys' problem?" John asked, astounded at how quickly everything had completely broken down. In true Diva fashion, all three of the girls ignored him, instead venting their anger at one another with renewed venom.

"You better watch your back here, bitch," Candice warned her. "Torrie and John can't protect you ever hour of every day."

"I can handle myself, Silicone Queen, don't you worry," she assured her. Security began to pull Candice and Victoria away. They finally conceded to the security guards, but not before levelling a stern warning to Marianne that it wasn't over. When they were out of earshot, John turned his attention to Marianne, who was cut on her forearm.

"Jeez…you're bleeding," he breathed. He looked back down the hall, where they had disappeared, before turning his attention back to her. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," she assured him. "I've been bullied worse." She shook her head. A searing jolt of pain reverberated through her cranium.

"Mari-"

"I'm fine, John," she reassured him firmly. Her face had yet to loosen up out of the scowl she was sporting. "I think all that saline is starting to rot her brain." John laughed.

"Come on," he said to her, "let's get you to the trainer's office so they can have a look at you."

"I'm…"

"Stop. It's a precautionary measure. Just to make sure you don't have a concussion."

"I know I have a concussion…crazy bitch." She grabbed Tiger Maple and allowed John to lead her down the hall towards the trainer's office. Torrie ran up to her, her eyes wide in shock.

"Candice said you attacked her! Mari!"

"That's bullshit, Torrie," John informed her. He turned his attention to Marianne. "Go talk to Dr. Rios, get yourself looked at." Knowing better than to argue with him, Marianne went into the trainers room and John turned his attention to Torrie.

"Way to ask her what happened first, Torrie."

"What did happen, John?"

"Candice attacked her. It happened fast too. One second Candice was on me, the next she was on Marianne, banging her head against the storage crates." He shook his head. "Candice and Victoria are nothing but a bunch of bullies."

"What did Victoria have to do with this?"

"She tried to double team Marianne with Candice."

"What?"

"Your friends are not your friends, Torrie. And God forbid they act out on any of the threats they are making on your cousin." He shook his head, staring at the door, wondering just what was going on in there. He shook it off and turned back to Torrie. "There's a good shot that she has a concussion. You're going to need to do your job and watch out for her tonight." Without giving her a chance to speak, he turned on his heels and went into the room, closing the door in her face.