CHAPTER 21: Reality
Over the next month, AJ and Punk continued making love as their relationship was finally sealed. It was now April 23rd and AJ was back at her office desk despite it being a Sunday as she wanted to make sure that she was able to squeeze in enough time in order to free up more space so that she can spend more time with Punk.
It was an especially exciting time for the couple as he would finally be able to move out of the halfway house a week from that day and she was especially excited as today was Nikki's boyfriend, John Cena's 40th birthday and that night they were going to be throwing him a surprise party at their house.
AJ of course wasn't planning on staying, but rather to just stop by and drop off a few gifts to him. Everything was seemingly going just fine that day…that was until she heard the very familiar sounds of her supervisor Layla's throat clearing, prompting AJ to quickly turn around.
"Ms. El?" she asked. "Is everything alight?" "No Ms. Mendez, I don't believe that it is" said Layla. "Is…there trouble between you and Mr. Rhodes again?" asked AJ. "Because I do believe that Trinity is a better counselor for you to discuss this with considering you're not her supervisor and she specializes in couple's therapy." But as she finished her sentence, she could tell that wasn't what Layla was here to see her about. "Actually April there's something I'd like to speak to you about in my office now" said Layla. "In your office?" AJ confusingly asked.
"Yes AJ, my office" said Layla. "Because quite frankly I don't think what I have to say to you is something that you'd want discussed out here." This worried AJ as she stood up and followed Layla into her office as the tone of her voice was the most serious she has ever heard in the near 3 years she had worked for her. As the women entered into the office, Layla closed and locked the door behind them.
"Sit" she said sternly. AJ did as what she was told. "First of all April…" Layla said. "I don't even know where or how I should even begin." "I…I don't understand" said AJ. "Oh trust me. You will" Layla said sternly. "April it has been brought to my attention that there is a strong possibility that you might be having an inappropriate relationship with one of your clients by the name of Phillip J. Brooks." AJ's heart suddenly sank at the words that were being told her.
"There will be a thorough investigation going underway and because of this you'll be suspended for the next 2 weeks while it is pending with pay" Layla continued. "No!" AJ said. "You can't be doing this to me Layla. You just can't be." "I'm sorry AJ but you know that I am just following protocol" said Layla. "Now I will be escorting you back to your office to gather up your belongings."
AJ couldn't believe the words that she was hearing as she slowly stood up while fighting back her tears. She couldn't believe that someone had told on her. She quickly struggled to put the pieces together until she had suddenly realized who told on her: Nikki and Kaitlyn as they're the only ones who had the opportunity to do so. "The text!" she thought. "Oh…my God." With this in mind, she was filled with rage as she now knew what she was going to do next and that was to confront them at the party.
A few hours later, AJ had arrived at John and Nikki's loft in Tribeca with one goal in mind which was confront her and Kaitlyn about what they did. Her heart was beating fast as she rode the elevator up to their apartment which was something that Nikki and John could afford since he was a professional wrestler after all. As the doors opened up, she stepped inside of the living room where she was immediately greeted by Nikki who was wearing a party hat.
"Hey AJ I'm so glad that you can finally make it" she said cheerfully. She went to go hug her but as she did, AJ pushed her off of her. "Don't touch me" she said bitterly. "AJ…I don't understand" said Nikki. "Is everything ok?" "NO EVERYTHING IS NOT OK!" she shouted. Suddenly the music stopped as the other partygoers could notice their problem at hand.
"AJ…what's wrong?" asked Nikki. "WHAT'S WRONG!? WHAT'S WRONG!?" shouted AJ. "WHAT'S WRONG IS THAT YOU AND THAT BITCH CELESTE WENT BEHIND MY BACK AND TOLD OUR SUPERVISOR THAT PHIL AND I WAS SEEING EACH OTHER AFTER YOU BOTH PROMISED ME THAT YOU WOULDN'T!" "But April" Nikki said. "I didn't tell anyone." "HOW COULD THE TWO OF YOU DO THIS TO ME!?" AJ yelled. "I…I loved him and the two of you not only possibly took away my job but…now him." Her face was red with anger and as she finished shouted, Bryan's eyes widened at this stunning fact because he had no idea that she was seeing Punk and that she was in love with him.
"Honey…" said Brie. "Are-are they talking about your client?" she asked. "I….I think so" said Bryan. "April you've got to trust me on this one" Nikki said. "I'm telling you the truth. I didn't tell anybody anything." "BULL!" AJ said tearfully. "You and Celeste took the two things that mattered to me the most in the world and for what? Because you were concerned that it wasn't appropriate? Well it wasn't your business to do so!" "AJ…I…." Nikki trailed off. "Oh save it" said AJ. "You two just couldn't stand to see me happy."
"AJ that is not it!" said Nikki. "I didn't do it. Celeste must have!" Suddenly Kaitlyn causally strolled over with a red and white plastic cup of beer in her hand. "Hey you two" she said with a sarcastically sweet tone. "How are you guys holding up?" AJ turned to face her. "Is Nicole telling me the truth!?" AJ shouted.
"Why April I don't know what you mean?" Kaitlyn said as she took a sip. "ARE YOU THE ONE WHO TOLD ON ME!?" shouted AJ. Kaitlyn just snickered as she continued drinking from her cup. Angered, AJ had knocked the cup out of her hand, causing it to spill on over to the floor.
"Don't play games with me" she said sternly. "This isn't the fucking time." "Ooh someone's got your panties twisted in a knot didn't they?" Kaitlyn taunted. "Or did the overly pure goody two-shoed religious girl finally decided to grow a pair?" On this note, AJ slapped Kaitlyn across the face, nearly knocking her over. "OW!" she shouted as she held her face. "THAT SHIT HURT!"
"Well you did deserve it" said Nikki. "Besides you're the same faith as her. You shouldn't have even gone there." "Oh don't play innocent Nicole" said Kaitlyn. "You were in on this too and besides I don't try to act like I'm perfect." "WHAT!?" shouted Nikki. "I wasn't in on anything! You're the one who went behind both of our backs and told on AJ, didn't you!? Didn't you!?"
Kaitlyn smirked. "Out of all the things that I've ever done to this sad and pitiful excuse for a girl's life since I've met her…this should be at the very least of her problems…am I right Nicole?" "Nikki what the hell is she talking about?" asked AJ. "Ooh AJ aren't you worried about going to hell for swearing a little too much?" asked Kaitlyn. "Shut up" AJ said. "SHUT THE HELL UP!" "And if I don't, what are you going to do? Make me or better yet go hookup with another convict?" Kaitlyn began to evilly laugh.
"You're such a bitch" said Nikki as she shook her head in disgust. "Oh so what the secret's already out Nicole" said Kaitlyn. "Alright AJ. I did it. I did a lot of things to you in your past like for instance remember when you "lost" that $500 in the park? I stole it. Remember when you couldn't find your house keys when we got back from that club at 2am? I stole them so that you couldn't get back into your apartment to safety and I threw them into the Hudson. Remember when you woke up one day late for our finals? I took the batteries out of your alarm clock and I took your phone charger so that you couldn't wake up for it. Remember that other final that we all took together, the one that you studied for a full month straight? I cheated off of you and I nearly cost you to get into the PhD program. Remember that strange text you got? I did it. I did it all and you wanna know why…?"
"No Celeste….why don't you tell me?" AJ said bitterly. "Because I got tired of your little prissy and perfect little ass acting like you're better than everyone else since you think that you're so holier than thou! THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO DESTROY YOU SO WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT YOU WERE HAVING AN IMMORAL RELATIONSHIP WITH ONE OF YOUR CLIENTS…I JUST COULDN'T RESIST TELLING LAYLA THE TRUTH! SURE I LET YOU THINK FOR A WHILE THAT EVERYTHING WAS FINE!" Kaitlyn shouted. "But…I knew. I knew that after some time, after I let you think that the coast was clear…that I was going to tell on you." "Do you have any idea of what you've done to me?" asked AJ. "No April and to be honest with you I don't really give a fuck" said Kaitlyn. "I don't I really…don't." She paused.
"And you wanna know what else AJ? I don't even know what the hell does he even see in you anyway? I mean it's not like you have anything yourself. What no ass, no tits and that stupid little converse collection of yours and your clothes…they're hideous! Absolutely fucking hideous! I mean I've never in my life met another girl who dressed like they were ready for the retirement center I mean where do you get them anyway? The Good Will?"
"You are the evilest person I've ever met" AJ said. "Yeah AJ I know" Kaitlyn said. "But I'm sure as hell proud of it. Besides Punk shouldn't be with a girl like you when he can have a woman like me…I mean have you seen me? I've got everything. The body, the looks. Everything! I mean shit AJ you make like $72,000 a year and yet you live in a dump." Nikki continued to shake her head. "You know God will punish you for all you have done to me" AJ said. "I'm not going to touch you but he is and I never want to speak to you ever again." "That's just fine with me AJ" said Kaitlyn. "I haven't wanted to ever talk to you in 13 years…but I did pretty damn alright since then, you know having to fake myself and everything?"
"No" said AJ. "You haven't and one day you're going to realize that and I don't even think that God can help you to do so." AJ turned to face Nikki. "I'm sorry Nicole" she said as her voice started to break. "Tell John…tell John that I said…happy birthday and by the way…I'm not perfect at all….no one is." With that she left, leaving Nikki and the small group of partygoers stunned. Brie, Bryan and John walked over towards her and Kaitlyn. "Get out of my house" Nikki said coldly. "Or what you're gonna call the cops on me?" asked Kaitlyn. "Oh I'll do much worse to you than that" said Nikki.
Kaitlyn scoffed. "Oh so you too decided that you was finally going to grow a pair just like AJ?" "HEY!" John shouted. "NOW YOU WATCH YOUR FILTHY MOUTH!" "Or what John?" asked Kaitlyn. "You're a guy. There's nothing that you can do to me. You can't touch me…and the fact of reality is that none of you can."
"I said get out" Nikki repeated. "Fine. You want me out? I'll leave" said Kaitlyn as she went to go get her belongings, but Nikki stopped her by pulling on her arm. "You really don't get it, do you?" she asked. "You just ruined her life and you don't even care that you did." "Nicole…I don't have to care if I don't want to care" said Kaitlyn. "Shit Nicole the truth of the matter is that I actually never did honestly give a fuck about her. I hated her since day one. Now if you'll excuse me…." She viciously shook herself out of Nikki's hands as she left the party.
"This is crazy" Nikki said as she held her hands up to her face. "Bryan you've gotta do something" said Brie. "You've gotta help her." "I…I don't know if I can Brianna" said Bryan. "What do you mean you don't know if you can't?" asked Brie. "You're a well trained lawyer. There's gotta be something that you can do." "Even if I did it might be a conflict of interest" said Bryan. "Why?" Asked John. "Because he and AJ helped whoever that Phil guy is out on parole last year" said Nikki. "And it'll look like some sort of conspiracy theory…oh man if this gets out in the public, the media will have a field day like nothing we've ever seen before."
"Well I'm sure that Layla will try to do the best she can to keep it under wraps" said Brie. "Right?" "Hopefully" said Nikki. "I just…really…hate myself." "Don't hate yourself, this isn't your fault" said John. "It is my fault" said Nikki. "I should have told AJ a long time ago the type of person that Kaitlyn really was…only I was too scared." John wrapped his arm around her. "Don't be yourself up" he said. "I'll see what I can do in the morning" said Bryan. "I just hope that AJ will be alright" said Nikki. "I'm really worried about her.
Sometime later, AJ arrived back at Punk's room at his halfway house. She cried her eyes out as she continued sitting up against the cold and dark wall as she waited for him to get off of his shift from work with a million thoughts racing through her mind. As curled her knees up to her chest as she sunk her head down as she continued loudly sobbing, so much so that she didn't even noticed when Punk had arrived.
"April!?" he called out to her in a panic. He rushed over to her side and dropped his duffle bag onto the floor. "April! What happened baby!?" "Oh Phil!" AJ sobbed as she pulled him into a hug. "It's over! It's all over!" "What's all over baby!? Tell me what's going on!" said Punk. "What happened honey baby!?"
"That stupid dreadful bitch Celeste told on my supervisor to me about us and now they're doing an investigation on!" AJ said as she continued sobbing into his chest. "Oh no" he said sadly. "Come here. It'll be alright." "No it's not!" AJ screamed. "I've been suspended for 2 weeks!" Punk couldn't believe what she was telling him. He carefully scooped her up in one arm and his bag with the other as he carried her into his room. Once inside, he gently placed her down onto the bed where she continued crying.
"Oh April" he said. "I'm so sorry." "I'm sorry too Phil" AJ said. He locked the door behind them and stripped down to his boxers and removed her shoes before climbing up into bed next to her. "I'm sorry that I didn't take a shower" he said. "It doesn't really matter" she said tearfully. "My career is going to be over and it's all because of that vengeful bitch who's had it out for me since day one."
"What do you mean?" asked Punk. "I found out today that she was the one who was responsible for all of my misgivings in college" said AJ. "And she didn't even try to deny it…she tried to blame it all on Nikki who is a victim too in her sick and twisted game."
"Baby I am so sorry" said Punk as he held her closer to him. "I'm here now." "But I'm not supposed to be" said AJ. "If anyone finds out the truth…or more of it…I don't know what is going to happen to me." "We'll worry about it in the morning" said Punk. "But right now you've gotta calm down or else you'll make yourself sick and I don't wanna see that happening to you." AJ continued sobbing into his chest for another 2 hours as Punk did his best in consoling her even though deep down he knew that this was something that was not in his control, a fact that horrified him the most.
He watched as she slowly went to sleep and as he did, he got up to clean her face before leaving to take a quick shower. After about a half hour, he returned to see that she was still fast asleep, having not moved from the position he had left her in. He wondered how in the world could anyone hurt someone who was pure and angelic as her. I guess that's something that he'll never understand. He sighed as he carefully got back into bed with her and held her as closely as he could without suffocating her. Even though he wasn't a religious person…he was now starting to hope that someone up there would look out for her and to make sure that she'll get through this ok.
A/N: I can only imagine what happens next. Thank you for all of your reviews and please keep them coming :-)