The Good Life

AN. Thank you to ViperDiva, MizEveTedFan, BigRedMachineUK, , xHalosandwings, my time is now, OhSoQuizzical, sophia0401, xTwistedxImperfectionx, xsostarstruck, xSimplyCristi & xSMILEwithLOVE for reviewing the last chapter.

Thanks very muchly! :)

Chapter Twenty-One – Lost and Insecure

Emily DiBiase slammed her locker door in frustration and turned on the spot, willing—no, challenging—another classmate to shoot her a knowing look. As expected, the students all whipped around when she met their eyes and she was left – once again – with the hollow feeling of knowing everyone in school knew about her family's dirty little secret.

It had been hard enough to come home from a fun trip at the mall with cheerleader friends and notice something amiss in the quiet DiBiase household – but this? It killed her to know that her Dad moving out and taking up residence in a shoddy motel in a hasty move was public knowledge for everyone to discuss at will.

The thought of her poor father hit her hard once again—the way in which he kissed her forehead before he left, lingering momentarily as though he really didn't want to leave her, but knew he had to.

Just as she felt herself tear up again, the young blonde told herself to keep her head held up high – a tip her mother had given her; "In terms of a crisis, never stop being fabulous" – and with this in mind, she powered through the corridors, onwards in the direction of the school gym.

In that very moment, she knew she needed to hear Tyler's voice. She needed to hear him tell her that it was all going to be okay, that she wasn't falling apart with no chance of retrieving the pieces of her broken heart...

"Shit. Your girl's gotta be going through a tough time right now."

That was him now. Well it wasn't Tyler, but it was one of his idiotic friends she could hear. Instantly, Emily ached to be in her boyfriend's arms, comforted by his soothing words. She was certain he would be the only one in this wretched school to settle her into a calm state.

"Yeah, I bet she is." Ah, that was his tone now. She was feeling better already. Just a few more steps, a chance to slip in through the doors they were standing behind and she could see his face. "But you know what? I'm not surprised. I've been to her place before and seen her Mom—obviously when we were done in the bedroom, if you know what I mean—and let me tell you something. Maryse DiBiase looks like a whore."

The teenager stopped in her tracks, stared at the door and felt something reminiscent to shock growing in her system. Their shadows bounced as the group surrounding him laughed but her eyes remained on his outline, and his only. Why was he saying that to them? Why was he lying – about the sex and her mother?

"Ted's away all the time for his wrestling shows; I don't blame her for wanting someone else's dick. I wouldn't blame her if she jumped on me the next time I'm around. I would let her, too. She was practically gagging for it last time I saw her..."

Emily was fairly sure she heard the words 'minx' and 'stripper' thrown around after that—from Tyler or his friends, she wasn't entirely sure—but she refused to swallow them; instead, she ran through the throngs of students in her way, ignoring their looks or matching them with a surly expression of her own, and headed in whatever way she could.

Feeling the urgent need to slow down and get her breath back, she reached the library. This would be a safe place to hide out until the bell rang again to signal the end of her lunch break. The place was usually a safe haven away from all the drama that filled the school corridors, and she ventured inside slowly, keeping to herself and hoping for the best. The books outnumbered the students, to her relief.

Maybe she could read a book... or find a nice table to settle down behind... or maybe log onto the school computers and finish off the rest of her coursework... or—

"Emily?"

Shaking, she turned into Logan's curious gaze. This was a turnaround: she, the most popular girl in her year, was a blotchy, red mess and he, the nerdy kid, looked perfectly at home in his surroundings. She took in his familiar spiky brown hair and then that concerned look of his, and suddenly she had no choice but to surrender to her emotions.

Uncaring of those around her, Emily burst into tears and dropped her bag to delve into his arms. Though surprised, Logan wrapped his arms around her, putting the book in his hand down onto a nearby table to rub her back soothingly. He had a hunch that this was about her parents and the ordeal they were going through right now; he couldn't blame her for acting out like this.

"It's alright, Emz." He whispered quietly into her ear, using the familiar nickname he'd given her when they were younger. "I'm here. It's okay."

The name comforted her more than he would ever know. Emily closed her eyes against his chest, staining his shirt with her mascara-streaked tears. "Thank you," she whispered back, inaudibly.

Though Eve hadn't known what to expect when she knocked on the front door of the DiBiase household, it definitely hadn't been this. It had taken her a while to adjust to the sight of Maryse who answered ten seconds after she'd called round, as if expecting her, with her pearly whites on show.

The blonde ushered her inside shortly afterwards, making a sweeping gesture into the tidiness of her home. With her make-up perfectly applied, her hair perfectly curled and only the best designer trends gracing her slender figure, she looked like the head bitch in charge everyone knew and loved.

But perturbed as she was, the brunette had taken comfort in the fact that after five minutes of conversation in the conservatory, it was evident her friend was not in bright spirits. On closer inspection, she even saw the sensitive pink areas around her eyes which concealer had failed to cover up, and the way that glamorous smile would drop in the middle of a sentence.

Maryse Ouellet could not keep up with her usual character and it showed.

"Would you stop looking at me like that?" Maryse almost snapped as she reached for her teacup. After taking a modest sip, she rolled her eyes at her friend's expression. "I mean it. I'm perfectly fine."

"Except you're not. I know it, you know it and while I think it's adorable you think you can hide it from me, save yourself the trouble and just admit to it." Eve fixed her with a pointed look.

She knew she shouldn't have expected any less from the housewife. Maryse was called the head bitch because she could act like one; no-one ever doubted a woman with wonderful power and a rich smirk. So it was no surprise that as the social butterfly in Avidian Lane, she should like to keep up appearances.

Now however, it was just sad. Sad and pathetic. Maryse sensed this and dropped back into her seat. "I can't hide anything from you." A hint of a smile played on her lips, but disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. "It's been hell, Eve. Ted was back and everything was perfect again and then... well, you know the rest. He's left me. He'd rather be in a disgusting, flea-filled pit than at home. Shows how he feels."

"I don't blame him."

The French-Canadian beauty picked up on her comment with a sharp look. "Excuse me?"

"An affair, Maryse – really?" Eve trailed on and ignored her defensive attitude. "Were things really that bad between you and Ted? I knew you and Mike had grown close but this is a surprise to me. How did you get to this point?"

The question seemed to stump her. "I relied on a friendship for more than it should have been. He was there... Ted wasn't. We talked and I felt like he really understood me. Do you know how long it's been since Ted has been able to read my thoughts – to know what I'm thinking in an instant? He didn't see me as I was..."

"So you decided that sleeping with The Miz was an acceptable thing to do? Wow."

"We all do things that don't make sense from time to time. Or do I need to remind you that you have a date with John Cena coming up when practically everyone in town knows you're in love with Alex Riley, his roommate? We all make mistakes, Eve. Don't you dare try and act high and mighty."

"Fine, we're both as bad as each other. Is that what you want to hear? Fine, whatever. But Maryse—" At this point, the brunette let out a sigh. The woman sitting opposite her was her very best friend on the street and there was so much she wanted to say to her, but she didn't know how to word it. The situation was still so mind-boggling to contend with. "I really didn't think I'd be having this conversation with you right now."

"I didn't think I would end up cheating on my husband – not least of all with a guy who made me feel good for an hour or so." Unlike her, she buried her head into her hands. Her voice was muffled when she spoke next.

"I even thought I was falling for Mike, you know?" She looked back up at her friend. "He made me feel like Ted did once, when we were a happy, young couple and everything was just perfect. We had each other and Emily... and that was all I needed. Mike brought it all rushing back to me. I craved it so badly that I fooled myself into believing that an affair was ideal."

"And then Ted came back..."

"And then Ted came back," echoed Maryse, shaking her head. A tear dripped down the left side of her face and she hurriedly wiped it away with the back of her hand. "He realised the error of his ways and he had this wonderful speech. My old life was coming back and suddenly I felt like I was worth something again—"

"Hang on. When did you ever feel like you were worthless? Don't ever think that."

When the woman grasped her hand, she merely squeezed it softly, grateful for the touch but not in the mood to go into that matter just yet. "I fell right back in love with him all over again. But Mike was still an issue and he wouldn't go away. I know I was stupid to do what I did. I know that. But..."

Barely a whimper escaped her lips before the sobs took over; loud and long, only cut off when another one came along. Eve moved from her seat and perched on the arm to take her friend into a warm embrace. It hurt her to see such a strong woman in such a bad situation. "I wish you would have talked to me. I had no idea you were going through this."

"I wouldn't have told you. I had it in my head that you and the girls would all be biased towards Ted and not have a clue what I was talking about—besides, I'm supposed to be the headstrong one here. It wouldn't be fitting."

"Would you just listen to yourself? You act like none of us have our little secrets too. We all know Layla's not happy in her marriage, something has always been dodgy about that relationship, and Tiffany and Drew haven't been seen together since they returned from their honeymoon. As for me... well, you're right about one thing; I am in love with Alex." Admitting it out loud was strange, but she didn't dwell on her words for long. "I guess we all have our comforts – the main one being that when we put up appearances for other people, at least they can believe we have the perfect life."

"You're a smart woman, you know that?" Maryse sniffed. Seconds later, she gave a giggle—it was almost convincing. "Who would have known that with all the booty-popping you did back in the day with R-Truth? I always used to call you the wannabe black girl, remember?"

"I could never forget – and you were the stuck-up Barbie girl with your 'Maryse hand'. That's what it was called. I could be in the middle of saying something and then your hand would just go up and that was the end of that. Frustrated everyone. Not least of all Ted. Wasn't he on the receiving end quite a lot?"

He had been. Remembering it now – and then remembering the way he'd stormed out yesterday with his things in tow – the blonde sobered quickly. "Oh God, what am I going to do?"

"How did you leave things?" Eve resumed her seat opposite her and drank her tea, intrigued.

"When we got back to the house after my outburst at Layla's party, I tried to talk to him – tried and failed. We ended up arguing for a good two hours and then he stormed into the bedroom. I thought he just needed some time to settle down, but when I came in to have another go I caught him packing his things. I told him he couldn't leave but he didn't listen..."

"And he left anyway. Maybe you should go and see him?"

"I've called him and left him a message. Well, about ten actually. I've never worked so hard to keep a guy before." Maryse gave a sad smile. "I told him that I booked our first therapy session—we were discussing going to couples counselling before—and I said I would love it if he came along. Now more than ever, we have issues to work through. I told him we could make it work."

"Do you believe that?"

A small silence grew, but not one of doubt. Merely contemplative. "I love him. I'm in love with him. I don't know how he feels about me, but I don't want to give up on us. I don't want to think of a world without him and Emily in it. I want us to be a family again."

"That's good to know. Do you want me to try and talk to him? He might listen to me."

"Please don't trouble yourself. I think this is something I have to sort out on my own."

"Okay, that's fair enough." The brunette finished her tea and set it down on the coffee table separating them. Leaning back, she glanced out of the clear glass window, out to the sunny weather and the gorgeous day it posed. Funny how everything could look bright and promising when it was the furthest thing from the truth for some people. "I know you can work past this."

"I hope you're right. Oh, and Eve?" When she turned, the housewife was smiling at her. A true smile; one that reminded her of the first time they became friends and she realised that the 'stuck-up Barbie doll' wasn't half bad when you got to know her. "I hope you realise what an idiot you're being. John's great to look at but if he's not who you really want..."

"Look who is back to being the bossy bitch."

"Hey, you always have to be fabulous. That's what I say. You helped me and now I should help you—unless you want to wind up like me and be outed at a public event for your secret."

"There were quite a few people there huh?"

There was a moment of silence between them as they stared at each other, remembering that very cringe-worthy time, and then they laughed together at the absurdity of all that had happened recently.

When Maryse settled, she reminded herself that all was not lost. In her own way, Eve had told her this and she believed it with all her heart. She only hoped Ted DiBiase would see it her way too.

So there's the next chapter. Please review :)

Coming Up: Tiffany packs for her trip to see Evan and decides on whom to give the extra ticket to.