Blood River: Chapter two: Pilot, part 2.
For the first time since she'd left the Ohio psych ward, Alexa Bliss woke up from her night's rest feeling truly refreshed. She hadn't experienced the recurring nightmare that had invaded and violated so many of her previous slumbers, and Alexa figured the only difference between last night and every night preceding was the presence of real friends in her life. She'd come to Georgia devastated and broken, with only a few suitcases of lightly singed clothing, a few pieces of furniture and nicknacks from her childhood home, and her puppy, a loving golden retriever named Macy. Alexa had begged her parents for a dog for years, and they'd finally acquiesced the Christmas previous, with the eager and unrelentingly cute canine running to meet her, red bow around her neck, as she'd descended the stairs to open her Christmas presents. Alexa was overjoyed. She'd spent the first hour of her holiday morning playing with her new best friend on the floor of the massive Bliss family room before snapping out of her euphoric state to dutifully open the rest of her gifts.
Now, just 9 short months later, Macy was the only family member that'd been able to make the trip to Georgia with her. The light brown puppy had warmly greeted Alexa the day she'd been picked up outside the institution in Ohio, and had stalwartly rested her head on her master's thigh during the long drive to Georgia. Even now, as she trudged up the stairs behind the lethargic Alexa Bliss, Macy the puppy couldn't bear being too far from her owner.
Alexa thought it was kind of a stupid tradition that both football players and cheerleaders were expected to wear at least parts of their uniform to school on game days. For her part, the ever-blooming Alexa had woken herself up even earlier than usual, so as to have time to curl her long, vibrant blonde hair with cherry red tips. She noted to herself that she might have to change the color of her hair dye to match her Raiderette uniform, but that that could wait until someone told her she absolutely had to.
One thing Alexa still didn't enjoy was the alarm clock's invasion of her REM cycle. But, as she always did, she arose to face the day with a stoic smile and a deep sigh. In addition to the aforementioned curls, the tiny eye-catching waif went through her complete beauty routine, humming softly along to "Every Morning" by SUGAR RAY.
Thirty minutes later, as she lightly brushed on the remainder of her makeup, Alexa Bliss had to admit to herself that she looked pretty damn good. Giving herself a final "once over," she traipsed from her bathroom, through her room, and up the stairs, Macy following her all the way.
…
As Dean Ambrose and Bayley Martinez negotiated the crowded halls of Blue RIver High, the top story of that day's gossip chain was completely clear; no one seemed to know where Mike Mizanin was. Every member of the formidable Raider football team was required to check in with their position coach as soon as they arrived on campus. Dean had himself gone directly to the coaches office and greeted linebackers coach Billy Gunn. He'd also snatched a donut from a stack of boxes of the pastries, meant for the overworked coaching staff.
That had been several hours ago, before first period. Now, while Dean, Bayley, Alexa, Dana, and several other of their friends sat at rapt attention in their chorus class, the entire school seemed to know that their star quarterback had been a "no show" on the day of the first game of the year.
Ms. McMichael really tried to have a normal class. She'd began them with vocal warmups, and the students actually did try to give their music their full attention, but the young people just weren't capable of any quality output while such insanity was going on. Finally, because it was a Friday and "Ms. Mc" was as tired and distracted by the day's current events as most of her students were, she allowed the pupils to talk quietly amongst themselves while she and a handful of her most trusted students organized sheet music and planned out the fall rehearsal schedule.
Alexa, not knowing much about Mike Mizanin, except that he'd winked at her once after throwing a touchdown pass in the Saturday scrimmage a couple weeks beforehand, abstained from comment about the situation, but in the back of her mind a foreboding sense of dread began to take over. She knew that situations like this rarely ended well. But no one asked her for her opinion, so she didn't offer it. Instead, she listened to Bayley, Dana, and the other girls sitting around her offer their own conjecture as to the whereabouts of Mike and Maryse.
The rest of the school day was simply more of the same. Whispers turned louder as the afternoon paced on. In her afternoon chemistry class, Alexa took her lab stool next to senior cheer captain Trish Stratus. Trish was one of Blue River's most visible, popular students, and she'd taken an immediate liking to Alexa. As Alexa began pulling her needed class materials out of her backpack, raised an eyebrow at Trish's facial expression. Everyone else Alexa had interacted with that day had been somber, almost shocked. Trish was attempting to keep an excited smile off of her face.
"What's up, Trish?"
Stratus glanced down at the surface of her lab table. "I feel bad. I'm worried about Mike. I am. I know him since we're like seven. It's just that Christian is his backup, which means he'll get to start at quarterback tonight."
Alexa knew her lab partner well enough to know that she was referring to her boyfriend, fellow senior Christian Cage. From what she'd gathered, Christian was a good athlete, starting at safety on defense. He also was a standout on the basketball and baseball programs. He'd never in four years, however, had a chance to start at quarterback for the Blue River Raiders. Mike Mizanin had been the picture of consistent excellence, and Cage could never wrest the job away from his competition.
Alexa rolled her eyes. "You're too much, Trish. Everyone else in this school is worried that Mike might be dead and you're psyched for Christian to take the snaps tonight…"
Trish giggled and lowered her eyes. "I know, I'm a terrible person. But Christian has tried SO hard for so long, and he finally gets a chance now."
Trish continued on for a moment, faithfully trumpeting the athletic accolades of her first love. Before too much longer, their teacher broke everyone's string of consciousness by beginning class. Mr. Rotundo, the erstwhile Chemistry instructor, called their attention to the day's assignments on the overhead projector, putting a temporary end to the two girls' discourse.
…..
That's the way the rest of the day went for Dean, Alexa, and the rest of Blue River's student body. There was a "pep rally" just before the end of the day, where the entire school's population cheered and stomped for their team. In a lot of places, such an exercise would've been met with apathy at best, and outright disdain at worst. But not at Blue River. These kids loved their football team, cheerleaders, and all peripherally involved students. The marching band blistered their way through the school fight song, and the Raiders coaching staff introduced the players. Alexa was impressed by the whole process. She also couldn't help but smile when she heard how loudly every girl on the premises seemed to scream for Dean upon his name being called. Other than wide receiver AJ Styles, and maybe starting tailback Apollo Crews, Dean got the loudest reaction of any player introduced that day. He was also the only member of the Titan football team to really bask in the attention.
The crowd dispersed at the 330 bell. Most of them were headed home to paint their faces, change into their blue and silver, and otherwise prepare themselves for that night's key gridiron showdown with the crosstown villains from Central. The athletes stayed on campus to prepare. The offense really needed the repetition, especially with Mizanin still MIA.
First though, there was an early dinner for the team. Generally, on game days, the entire squad remained in silence from the time they entered the locker room after school. It wasn't always easy, and Dean didn't always see the point, but it was one of the most sacred of traditions, and so week after week, the young men pretended to focus on the task at hand, though their minds were almost assuredly anywhere else.
As it always was, the meal was chicken, green beans, a baked potato, and pineapple. The players stood in line silently, first the starters, then the non-starting seniors, then everyone else. Dean found himself about third from the front. He strode through the queue, staring straight ahead as the volunteers from the booster club filled his tray with nourishment for him. Finally he reached the other end of his journey, where some of the cheerleaders were gathered to hand each athlete in line a gatorade and a smile. The football schedule could be a grind, and it was always nice for these overworked, anxious kids to exchange a greeting and a grin with a pretty girl before returning to their sequestering. As Dean approached, Alexa's heart skipped at least a half beat.
"Tea or water, Dean?" She asked, hoping to sound sweet but not anxious. He smiled, almost sadly.
"It doesn't matter. Tea. Is it sweet?"
Alexa nodded. "Of course. It is Georgia, right?" She laughed slightly before handing him a tall styrofoam cup filled with opaque brown liquid. He winked at her, trying to establish a casual connection without again breaking his informal vow of silence. He accepted her offering in gratitude, before moving on.
Alexa glanced quickly to either side of her person, making sure none of her cheerleader compatriots caught a whiff of what was happening between her and the erstwhile renaissance man. To her great dismay, however, she caught the gaze of AJ Lee, the other "flyer" on the Blue River Raiderette squad. AJ closed the gap between the two girls before beginning her line of conversation.
"I saw that, Lexi," she began. "He likes you. He looks at you like Baron looked at me before we started going out."
Alexa scoffed, attempting to downplay the effect Dean was having on her. "You think? I think he's just being friendly because his step-sister is like my new best friend."
AJ suppressed a giggle. "No way. I can tell. He likes you a lot. And I think you like him, too."
Alexa shook her head, though not with as much gusto as she might've liked. "I don't like him. I don't NOT like him, but I barely know him."
Now the waifish brunette rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. I could tell. It's the softness in both your eyes. You two look at each other like you're in a greeting card commercial. He's gonna ask you to fall carnival, if he doesn't make a move sooner. You should give him a shot."
Alexa rolled her eyes. "Everyone has an opinion on my love life. I've told you a hundred and twelve times that I'm not ready to date."
AJ giggled and shook her head. "I think you're over-complicating things. Dean's hot, kind, and talented. And he likes you. I'm not saying accept a promise ring from him, but if he asks you to dance at Brock's party tonight, you should."
Alexa nodded, now just wishing this conversation was over. "I'll think about it, AJ." Her friend meant well. Alexa knew that. AJ had been among the first to get to know Alexa at a level deeper than "surface" since she'd come to Blue RIver, and her congenial nature had immediately endeared her to Alexa.
"Good, that's all I ask. He's like the most decent boy at this school." She giggled. "I had SUCH a big crush on him in the ninth grade. Then we were cast as romantic opposites in 'West Side Story' and we kissed in front of hundreds of people. We became too close to ever really date. He's a babe, though. Handsome, talented. Good athlete. His dad is the coolest. Seriously. The coolest."
"Maybe I should go after his dad, then," Alexa quipped.
AJ rolled her eyes. "You avoid this all you want, Lexi, but Dean likes you. And he's quality. Just have an open mind, okay?"
All Alexa Bliss really wanted was for this to be over. "Okay, AJ," she returned, more to change the subject than anything else.
The two young women continued their task with a smile, trying to make sure every athlete was greeted warmly and heard a kind word. The sweet grin of Alexa Bliss made an indelible impression on several of the young men in that line, but only one of Blue River's athletes made an impression on Alexa Bliss. And it concerned the waifish blonde how indelible a mark the presence of Dean Ambrose had etched in such a short time.
….
Head Coach Arn Anderson was an institution at Blue River High. He'd been the steady hand at the wheel for the school's football program for just short of three decades, and the 1998-99 team might've been his most talented one yet. There was just one issue; his All- State quarterback was nowhere to be found.
The news of Mizanin's disappearance hadn't yet made news, as the local police were still making efforts to find him. His parents were out of town, in their Tuscan villa for another two weeks, so there was no pressure from family to find Mike. Which was tragic in and of its own right, but that did mean that there was no outraged loved ones calling the newspapers and blaming the police for moving so slowly.
It also meant that the disappearance itself could be kept very quiet. And Coach Anderson, against maybe all conventional wisdom, planned to exploit that. After warming up his players, he pulled aside Johnny Curtis, a sophomore Wide Receiver who was around the same size and left handed like Mizanin.
For those who are unfamiliar with the procedure involving the leadup to a prep football game, most schools take a roughly twelve minute period for their first team offense to run plays. There is no defense and no contact. Instead, it mostly serves as a chance to make sure everyone involved knows the offense and is prepared. Coach Anderson sent Curtis out in Mizanin's jersey and equipment to run the first half of the period, giving the appearance that the star player was in fact present for the game. While that slight-of-hand was going on in plain view, Christian Cage remained in the fieldhouse, being prepped for his first start at quarterback by Coach Huffman and Coach Steamboat.
"Are you sure this is even allowed?" Another of Anderson's assistants asked.
"Truthfully, I have no idea," the grizzled coach quipped. "But I know we need the element of surprise on this. Better they think Miz is gonna play. That way when we catch them off guard with Christian, they won't have prepped."
And it was true. The team headed back to the locker room, then ran out onto the field through a twenty foot high banner that read "The Road to Glory Starts Here!" Curtis, as he was instructed, spent a few minutes tossing the football with a starting Wide Receiver, as did Cage.
Finally, it was time for kickoff. The team captains; Brock Lesnar, Senior running back Apollo Crews, and Ambrose, made their way from the sideline to midfield where a crew of officials awaited them. Alexa watched Dean saunter toward the coin toss with a growing sense of attraction to him. If she were being honest with herself, she would acknowledge that her affinity for the boy had already gone from "Silly crush" to something far deeper. However, tonight was not a night for honesty. Not from Alexa and not from the Blue River coaching staff.
Johnny Curtis never actually took the field as Mike Mizanin. There was some curiosity amongst those in the Blue River crowd of spectators as to why Mizanin hadn't been one of the captains sent out to midfield. It would've been more conspicuous that the starting quarterback for the Blue River Raiders wasn't one of the representatives sent to determine who would start the game with the ball and who would have that right to start the second half. As it was, Apollo Crews would be doing the talking for his team.
As he'd been told by his coaches, Crews chose "tails" for the coin toss. Blue River won, and elected to defer their choice until the second half.
"Defense first," Roman Reigns thought to himself. This decision was smart for a number of reasons. First, the Raiders defensive unit was stout. Their line was big and athletic, anchored by Reigns himself and Bobby Lashley at End and Titus O'Neil and Brock Lesnar in the middle at Tackle. The Linebackers were fast and tenacious. Dean Ambrose served as the unit's leader on the field, and he had four or five close friends to rotate in around him.
The game started as one would anticipate. Adam Page, Central High's Quarterback, led his team onto the field for their first offensive series. Alexa, when she wasn't trying desperately to recall all the new routines she'd learned over the summer, watched Dean Ambrose with great interest. And her focus paid off almost immediately. In the middle of a chant urging the defense on, Alexa's countenance lifted immensely as she watched her Dean sack the overconfident Page for a big loss on second down.
"MY Dean?" She thought to herself as she bit her lip in apprehension. She'd talked to the boy all of a half dozen times in the week since she'd met him, and that included their car ride to Ryder's Grill together. The level of attraction she felt to a young man she'd just met absolutely terrified her, and the effect of seeing him violently collide with a rival was arousing to Alexa in ways she didn't like talking aloud about. A raucous cheer rose from the grandstands as Ambrose and Page smashed together, and Ambrose stood over Page's body. Alexa couldn't make out what Dean was saying, but she couldn't imagine it was pleasant in any way. As discretely as such an act could be done, Alexa glanced over at Sasha Banks, who was pouting in the student section, her arms folded across her chest as two of her minions attempted to comfort her. The pink-haired girl was sporting Raider blue, but also conspicuously displayed a large pin with Adam Page's football picture on her chest. Alexa had gathered that it was a local tradition for the romantic interest of any boy on the team to wear their pin on game nights. AJ Lee, Alexa's most steadfast friend on the cheer squad, prominently showcased Baron Corbin's portrait on her uniform. Alicia Fox wore Apollo Crews' pin on her shirt, and Alexa could see dozens of girls and parents on the sideline and in the stands wearing the pictures of the player they supported the most steadfastly.
A tight, low-scoring battle ensued. Trish Stratus watched tentatively as Christian Cage gamely led the Raider offense to the best of his abilities. He was aided by an entire rotation of talented offensive personnel, led by Apollo Crews and wide receiver Adam Copeland. The Raiders roster was chock filled with big, talented players, and this was clear every time the offensive unit took the field. Cage had been implored by his coaches to get the ball in the hands of the playmakers around him, and that's what he did, though the stout defense of the Central High Buccaneers made the sledding tough. One thing Cage had working in his favor was a stable of talented, fast, physical running backs to lighten the load for him. In addition to Apollo Crews, whose accolades were so numerous that the coaching staff at Blue River had often joked about giving him his own wall in the athletic building, there was freshman sensation Cedric Alexander. His handful of touches per game were often electrifying, and word of his natural ability spread through the football-mad community quickly. There was sophomore Xavier Woods, steady, quick, and sure-handed. He often subbed in on passing downs, and played some wide receiver too. Finally, there was Bobby Lashley, who was the short yardage power back, entering the game to pick up the brutal yards needed on third down to sustain drives. Coach Anderson and his staff made it perfectly clear to Christian Cage that all he was expected to do was manage the game. Get the ball into the hands of the talent on Blue River's offensive team. Don't make any stupid mistakes that would lead to a loss. Be smart. Keep possession of the ball for as long as possible.
These were all the tenets of the religion of Blue River Raider football. And Christian Cage was as devout a follower as could be found. He managed the huddle well, echoing the coach's play call with a resolute confidence befitting a senior leader. And early on, the strategy paid off. Blue River scored their first touchdown early, with the aforementioned Alexander catching a short pass from Cage, cuing the band and causing a raucous reaction from the home crowd.
Alexa smiled broadly while taking in the sights and sounds of her first game in her new home. Friday night football had been one of her primary joys in Ohio, and losing herself in the sights and sounds of something so familiar was insanely fulfilling to her. Over one shoulder, she could turn and see her Aunt Mickie, sitting with the Ryders, who'd come to support their son Zack in his efforts as a starting wideout for the home squad. Over the other, she could see her other new legal guardian, John Cena, patrolling the sideline in uniform. A second crescendo teemed from the rollicking home fans, and Alexa turned in rapt attention. Her gaze focused just in time to see Dean Ambrose intercept his nemesis and run with the ball into the end zone. She couldn't help but let out a lood whoop as she watched him cross the goal line and let her grin go wide as she watched the boy she was getting to know celebrate with his teammates.
That was all the scoring for a while. Central could manage only three field goals in the first half, and Blue River took a 14-9 lead into the break.
Halftime was a chance for Alexa to take a little respite from the commotion. There were a lot of things happening around her, and it stood in stark contrast to the sterile and nearly silent environment of the institution she'd called home before moving to Georgia. She waved to her Aunt, who gestured for her to join her in the bleachers. The tiny blonde checked the halftime countdown clock. "Eighteen minutes," she observed. The Marching Raider band was well into their halftime show. Alexa was pretty sure it was "sounds of the seventies" or something, because "Stayin' Alive" by THE BEEGEES was blaring from the collective instrumental voices of the proud Raider band.
She visited with her aunt for a precious few moments. Mickie had bought her a hot chocolate, though it wasn't cold enough outside to really warrant it, and Alexa sipped it gingerly while Mickie validated the effort her niece was putting in.
"You are absolutely killing it, Lexi. I think you're the best cheerleader on the squad. Cutest, too."
Alexa rolled her eyes, but she couldn't suppress the grin from forming on her face. "Stop, Mickie. I'm just trying to keep up. These girls are serious. At my old school it was all preppy girls with one or two real tumbling athletes. These girls could all be playing volleyball or basketball or something."
Mickie snickered. "Yeah, they take it seriously here. All sports, really. Fine arts, music. Anything where there's a trophy, Blue River students are trying to win it."
Alexa pondered this for a moment before nodding, as though she'd worked out in her head what Mickie was saying. In the background, the marching band switched to "When the Levee Breaks" by LED ZEPPELIN. Alexa gave Mickie a sad smile. The album this song was from, Led Zeppelin IV, was Alexa's mom's absolute favorite, and the reminder that she wasn't living with her mom anymore sobered the tiny blonde slightly.
"I know, baby," Mickie intimated, almost in a whisper. "Monica loved Led Zep." She slid an arm around her niece's slight shoulders, pulling her close to him.
Alexa nodded, trying desperately to distract attention from the tears welling in her eyes. In that moment, she missed her mom more than she thought it was possible to miss anyone, and feeling so far away from her family wasn't helping her fight loneliness. She'd made some friends in Blue River, sure. Bayley. Trish Stratus. AJ. Sarah Logan. Dana Brooke. Kaitlyn Bonin. Layla El.
And Dean. Even now, as she was sharing a few moments with her aunt, her crush on the talented junior pervaded her consciousness. Which both thrilled and crushed the blonde. She felt like she was cheating on Buddy, though she'd left their relationship behind in Ohio, and she knew he would want her to be happy wherever she was. The other part of her was cautiously optimistic about the chance at the happiness that evaded her for so long.
Sensing something was going on in her niece's troubled mind, her aunt leaned into the small girl even more.
"Dean's playing well," she mused, anxious to see her ward's reaction.
Alexa rolled her eyes, though she couldn't prevent the color from washing over her face. It was a bit unnerving to Lex how thoroughly transparent she was regarding her schoolgirl infatuation with the broad shouldered boy who'd given her a ride to Ryder's Grill that fateful evening after the first day of school.
"Shut up, Mickie, someone is gonna hear you!" Alexa insisted, though she really wasn't convinced anyone was listening.
Mickie threw a gentle elbow into the waifish young woman's ribs. "I'm just kidding. Even though I could see you staring at him."
Alexa's eyes grew wide. "Really?"
Mickie grinned wickedly. "No, but now that you admit you like him…"
Alexa popped her favorite Aunt on the leg, causing a laugh to erupt from Mickie.
"I do not 'like' him, Mickie. I don't really know him. He seems sweet, but I'm not ready for that yet." Her eyes started welling with tears, the emotions within her teeming to the surface.
"I know, sweetie," Mickie cooed in return, continuing to "rock" Alexa back and forth with her arm around the smaller girl. "I know what happened was horrible. And you don't need to push yourself into anything. Just...let life happen. You didn't think you wanted to cheerlead anymore and look at you now." Mickie gestured toward the track directly in front of the bleachers, where Alexa and her teammates had been plying their craft. "You're kicking so much ass here."
Both girls giggled. "Yeah, I guess I got back on that horse, huh?" Alexa fired back playfully, as her aunt handed her a paper cup filled with warm apple cider. It wasn't cold yet in Georgia, but it was cooling off considerably at night, and Alexa drank the sweet nectar with gusto, feeling the warmth all the way down her ribcage.
"Yummy," Alexa mused, grinning.
"Look at you, Ms. 'Egg Whites and Honey,'" Mickie fired back. She'd noticed, with great relish, how Alexa's eating habits were changing as she let her guard down around her new friends. Alexa blushed again, her infectious smile growing even wider. She shrugged, trying to deflect the praise for her aunt.
They spoke a few more minutes. As did the marching band and other students involved with gameday presentation that weren't actually playing the game, Alexa and her fellow cheerleaders had the first half of the third quarter off. AS such, Alexa opted to spend most of that time with her favorite Aunt, although she also spoke with the Ryders. They were nice, if a bit loud, and Alexa got the distinct feeling that Zack's mom was trying to get her to see her son as a potential match. She smiled politely and nodded as Mrs. Ryder talked about her son's GPA and football prowess, but Alexa had no interest in the spike- haired receiver. From her limited interactions with the boy, he seemed more interested in Dana Brooke, although Alexa also guessed he hadn't told his mother about the softball player. For what it was worth, Alexa had seen her buxom friend cavorting with Nia Jax and Charlotte Flair in the student section of the home bleachers, and shared a smile and a brief wave with her. Alexa liked Dana, more than she liked most of the students she'd met at Blue River, and getting a smile from her made Alexa's day just a little bit better.
Finally, after exchanging pleasantries with the Ryders and briefly allowing her Aunt Mickie to make small touch ups to her hair and makeup, Alexa returned to her post, doggedly determined to perform as she had in Ohio; at the highest standards and without any outward fatigue.
…
The second half of the football game went much as the first half did. Christian Cage led his team admirably, if not totally skillfully, and before long Blue River had a commanding 27-9 lead over their rivals. It made Alexa happy to see Trish so thoroughly proud of what her man ended up accomplishing on that fateful first game, though the prevailing thought on everyone's mind was still "what on God's earth happened to Mike Mizanin?"
The question no one had to ask, however, was where Dean Ambrose was. Because he was everywhere. In the offensive backfield, cheering for his teammates on the sideline, he even hopped the fence between the stands and the field to go buy a hot chocolate while his team was on offense, drawing a laugh from his captive audience and a loud admonishment from Coach Anderson.
As the final horn sounded, and a loud cheer rose from the home bleachers at the cumulative announcement of Blue River's 38-12 victory, Alexa blushed. Her teammates all around her were embracing, and she currently found herself between Trish Stratus and AJ Lee as they jumped up and down in a circle. Alexa had underestimated how excited the entire town would be over a victory as decisive and dominant as this one was. What she couldn't hide, however, was her level of excitement at getting to socialize after the huge win. She grinned at Bayley, who'd rocked the halftime show with her rendition of the guitar solo on "Free Bird." She waved at Trish, who was busy congratulating her boyfriend Christian Cage on his first win as the starting varsity quarterback at Blue River. Before she could vacate the premises, however, her stream of consciousness was interrupted by the raspy, confident, warbling voice of Dean Ambrose.
"Hey! Tinkerbell!" He called, knowing that his loud greeting would draw the blonde sprite's attention.
She turned, trying her best not to look too desperate for his approval.
"Yeah?" She returned, sassy smirk plastered deliberately across her cherubic face.
Dean jogged closer, his right hand gripping his facemask, allowing him to carry his helmet in his hand.
"We're having a big victory party at Brock's tonight. My band is playing, Bayley is DJ-ing between sets. I'll be doing a shot every ten minutes until I pass out. It'd be pretty dope if you showed up. I'll introduce you around if you want. You can be my date."
Alexa's eyes narrowed slightly as she processed what Dean was saying. "Your date?"
Dean rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Not like a date as in like, kiss me or jerk me off or anything. Just tell people you're with me in case they try to get too much out of you."
Alexa hesitated. This was a BIG step. Even in Ohio, where she was a big deal, she'd always been apprehensive about aggressive partying. Her mom had always lectured her about her reputation and how it was the most important attribute she could have. Before she could respond, however, he saw the glowing form of her aunt in her peripheral vision. Mickie was nodding, an excited smile across her face, as Alexa considered the offer.
"Ok," she agreed, cautiously, "but that just means we arrive together and leave together. And maybe you get a dance. Maybe. If you're lucky." She winked playfully at her would-be suitor, as Mickie tried her best not to jump out of her skin for joy at what she was seeing. Her traumatized niece was finally socializing with her peers.
"Hey, what're you trying to do? Tie me down? I'm not ready for that yet." He feigned an air of hesitance. "I dunno, maybe this isn't such a good idea."
Alexa rolled her eyes. "I'm almost positive it isn't, but my aunt Mickie thinks I'm going to end up cloistered in my room for the rest of my time here if I don't immediately go out and make every friend possible as soon as possible, so I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt." As she said this, she raised the volume of her voice loudly enough for aunt Mickie to hear, glancing over to make eye contact with her and lifting her eyebrows as if to say "happy now?" It galled Alexa somewhat when all she got in response from the older woman was a grin and an enthusiastic nod.
"That's probably not smart," Dean retorted, before chuckling. "Tell you what. I'm gonna go up and shower. Change my clothes. Shouldn't take long. Meet me at my truck in what, fifteen? Twenty?"
Alexa pondered this. This schedule wouldn't allow her to wash her hair, but she could always do that tomorrow. "Besides," she mused to herself, "maybe sweaty hair will keep him off of me." It immediately struck Alexa that the notion of him staying away from her was causing a queasy feeling of dread from a certain part of her. Every time she was around him or thought about him, there was a part of her body that tried to take the wheel of her collective being.
"Twenty works. Don't make me wait." With that, she turned on a bit of the haughty charm she'd been famous for in her previous life, spinning on her wheels and flipping her hair as she strode away confidently. Dean, for his part, just stood there with a bewildered snicker on his face.
…
The ride out to Lesnar's Farm was only slightly less awkward than the ride home Dean had given Alexa earlier in the week. At least, that's how it started. They made choppy small talk for a few minutes, with Dean telling the story of how Bayley's mom met his dad and made them a blended family, and Alexa sharing selected portions of her childhood in Ohio, conveniently leaving out any of the last two years. Part of Dean wanted to broach the subject, but he got the sense that there was a lot of pain associated with whatever had brought her to live in Georgia with her aunt, so he tread carefully.
Finally, the ice broke. Dean had sung along to the radio tens of thousands of times in front of Sasha, to make her smile or roll her eyes or coo with affection, but he hadn't even realized he was doing it when Alexa burst forth with a quick barrage of laughter.
"You like this song?" Dean asked, grateful to have found an "in" with his blonde passenger. As they spoke, SMASHMOUTH's "All Star" drove through the speakers of Dean's trusty SUV, brightening the mood of both occupants.
Alexa shrugged. "It's okay. It's funny when you sing it, though."
Dean tried not to blush as he tried to figure out if the tiny blonde cheerleader he was so infatuated with had just admitted to liking his singing or not. For her part, Alexa was mortified. In her mind, she'd just confessed to enjoying Dean's singing. And while she did, she didn't need him to know that at that moment.
"I heard you can sing, too," Dean returned, trying to sound as detached as he wished to appear.
Alexa shrugged. "I used to sing a lot more in Ohio. I'm mostly in chorus now because it was better than taking Home Ec or whatever bullshit class the non artsy kids have to endure."
Dean chuckled. "Bullshit is right. Bayley sits next to you and she says you sing like a bird. What're you trying to hide?"
Alexa shook her head, rolling her eyes at the same time. Of course Bayley would sell her out. "I'm not hiding anything," Alexa countered. "I'm just not sure I'm ready to make my Georgia debut yet."
Dean nodded, then shrugged nonchalantly. "You could sing and play a couple with us tonight. Roman and Zack and I can all follow really well, and Bayley's the queen of improv. She's the queen of everything, where music is concerned."
Alexa laughed. "I heard. Dana was saying she's basically Dave Navarro."
Dean scoffed. "Fuck him. She's waaay past Dave Navarro."
"Really?" Now Alexa was just impressed. She'd heard all week about what a virtuoso Bayley was on the guitar, and she'd briefly seen proof of this during the halftime show, but that comparison was one that did Bayley no favors.
Dean nodded again, more solemnly this time. "Bayley can fuckin' play." He heard himself use the expletive in front of this girl before he could stop himself. "Sorry," he blurted out. "Sasha swore like a tatted up sailor and I'm just used to it."
Alexa suppressed her laugh long enough to wave a hand dismissively. "It's fine. Buddy used to swear a lot."
Dean nodded, though he wasn't sure he followed completely. "And Buddy was your boyfriend in Ohio?"
Alexa shook her head in the affirmative, a lonely tear forming from the corner of her right eye. "He was. Right up until I left…" She trailed off, trying not to let the memories overwhelm her.
Dean tried his best to mask how deeply seeing this girl get emotional affected him.
"Rough breakup?"
Alexa snickered through the budding waterworks. "You could say that." She paused, before exhaling deeply and turning toward her would-be chauffeur. "Let's talk about something else. I would love to play with y'all tonight. Do you guys know 'Kiss Me?'"
"The Sixpence song?" Dean responded. "I do. I think Bayley does. Roman can follow along pretty much by ear. Zack too."
"Zack's in your band?" Alexa asked, almost incredulously.
Dean nodded again. "Yeah, he started playing piano when he was a kid. After a year or so his parents started making him play at their restaurants on Sundays. All the old people go there after church and they just made the biggest deal out of cute little Zackie with his spiked hair…"
He trailed off, turning onto the long dirt road that led to the Lesnar family Compound. Alexa was surprised at how far Brock and his family lived from the school, but Dean had mentioned something about how big the zone that fed into Blue River High actually was. As the northernmost high school in the county, the stalwart institution of education was responsible for the bulk of the farm kids that resided near the less populated end of the massive Lake Lanier and river that fed into it.
"Almost there," Dean mumbled. "We come out to this farmhouse all the time. Mr. Lesnar keeps this barn even though he doesn't deal in animals anymore. So know the band practices there and we all hang out after home games. Sometimes it's a party."
Alexa chuckled. "And why wouldn't it be a party all the time?"
Dean shook his head and grinned wryly. "Sometimes Roman's brother can't get us a keg."
Alexa laughed loudly. "It's that kinda party, eh? You know my legal guardian is married to a sheriff's deputy, right?"
Dean didn't know this, and the color actually left his face slightly as he processed this information. After a full five count of silence, he snickered, regaining his composure.
"I'll turn this car right around, Bliss, then neither of us can have any fun."
Ordinarily, Alexa wouldn't have been okay with Dean being so familiar so fast, but she was trying VERY hard to leave her normal comfort zone behind and move past the trauma of Ohio.
She giggled and grinned, but before she had a response fully formed, Dean pulled his SUV to a stop.
"We're here," he announced softly, throwing the gear shift into "park" and making sure he had everything he needed. He turned toward Alexa. "So, the band's gonna go on pretty soon. Like, as soon as we're sure everyone's here and gets a chance to tune up and run a quick sound check. I have an extra guitar if you need it. Do you play?"
Alexa smiled, the tight lipped, enthusiasm-disguising type of smile she hadn't gotten to use in some time, before nodding. "Yeah. I haven't played in front of anyone in a long time, but I do play."
Dean grinned and grunted his approval. "Good shit." He popped his door open, then sprung to the passenger side of his well-worn SUV to release Alexa.
"Thank you," she cooed politely, enjoying flirting with Dean but not ready to commit to more. She hopped down daintily and followed her escort into the spacious outbuilding.
…..
Alexa could immediately see why this particular space was so appealing for the students of Blue River High. The Lesnar barn stood tall in a sea of harvested cotton plants, it's bright lights appearing like a lighthouse over the wavy plain that so painstakingly nurtured the Lesnar crop every year. Even from outside, the tiny blonde could hear the booming bass of whatever PA was currently set up. Dean slid the barn door open, as though he were Dorothy revealing Oz, it's color in sharp contrast to the world she was living in. The offending song was "Brass Monkey" by THE BEASTIE BOYS, and as she took in the sight of her new schoolmates in their party environment for the first time, she could feel the release that came from a party of this magnitude.
The moment she breached the doorway, Alexa immediately felt a comforting rush of familiarity rush over her. This was exactly the same as every barn party she'd ever been to in her hometown of Columbus. Almost instantly, she saw the grinning face of Dana Brooke light up with recognition.
"Hi, Lexi!" The stout blonde called from her spot some ten feet away.
Alexa returned her smile and gave a polite finger wave in return. It was still overwhelming for her at times just how friendly everyone here seemed to be. She'd heard from Mickie about "southern hospitality," but it appeared that it was much more than just a clever saying. To her great surprise, these kids she'd met this week truly appeared to want to be her friend.
"You coming?" Dean asked, breaking Alexa's trance. He snickered back at her. It was another of Dean's facial expressions that Alexa was finding maddeningly attractive.
"Yeah," she returned, following him across the room.
Behind the eighteen inch lifted platform that the Lesnars used as a stage, Dean's band gathered for their brief pre-show meeting. Bayley had allowed fellow student and friend Alex Riley to take over the DJ booth temporarily so she could speak with her friends. After an awkward moment where Alexa just kinda stood there awkwardly, Dean gestured her over.
"Guys, you've all met Alexa, right?" Dean inquired, glancing from one face in the tight circle to the next.
Everyone nodded in the affirmative. "Hey," the tiny blonde offered quietly.
Dean continued. "She's gonna play a song with us tonight. Y'all know 'Kiss Me' by SIXPENCE NONE THE RICHER, right?"
Roman nodded. "Yeah."
Bayley grinned. "I like that one."
Dean snickered again. "Zack, you brought your accordion, right?"
The spiky-haired keyboard player nodded. "Sure did. Thought you might wanna play a bit around the bonfire later, so I packed it. I'll go get it while you guys soundcheck."
Dean nodded and smiled again. "Beautiful. Lex, I guess do the first verse and chorus by yourself so we hear all the chord changes. You can play my guitar if you want. I think Bayley brought one, too. You can try them both out in a few if you want."
Alexa smiled, trying not to let her nerves get the better of her. "Okay. What are you gonna play?"
"I'll play keys on that song, just lay down some organ since Zack is playing the accordion line. You play rhythm, let Bayley do the heavy lifting on guitar, yeah?"
Try as she might not to be, Alexa was super impressed by Dean's leadership. As hard a time as his friends seemed to give him about the band's name, they all seemed more than willing to follow him into metaphorical combat. The charismatic young man brushed the hair from his eyes and continued addressing the troops.
"Everything else we do exactly like we practiced all summer." He turned toward another of his friends, the long-haired safety from the football team that Alexa knew as "Seth." "Seth," Dean continued, "don't pass out on us this time. Would be a real bitch to try to play all these songs without drums."
Seth rolled his eyes. "Dude, that was one time."
"We've only had one concert outside of school, genius," Dean spat. "And Brock will fucking filet me if we shit ourselves tonight. Does anyone here feel like shitting themselves?"
The boys in the huddle chuckled, and Bayley rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot, Dean."
"I know," Dean returned with a smirk. "But you have to love me. I'm family."
Bayley, without speaking, shook her head in mild disbelief. Dean looked around and continued. "Okay, let's get this soundcheck knocked out so we don't have to keep our adoring public waiting any longer than is necessary, cool?"
Roman chuckled. "You don't lack for confidence, do you, Dean?"
"Nope," the sneering linebacker retorted. "Okay, let's kick the tires and light the fires, bitches."
Seth turned to Zack Ryder incredulously. "Did he just quote Independence Day?"
Ryder laughed loudly at his friend's audacity. "He sure as shit did."
With no further discussion, the small huddle broke and began their final prep for the first concert they'd played since the previous spring.
….
Alexa was in love. Not with a boy, or girl, but with the extra guitar Bayley had brought to the spacious Lesnar barn to serve as a backup in case her primary instrument broke a string or otherwise malfunctioned. It was a gorgeous color; electric blue body with a standard ash wooden neck. The tuning head bore the instrument's manufacturing brand; G&L. And it played as though Alexa herself had pulled it from a stone, fulfilling her ancient destiny. She'd tried Dean's guitar first, but the neck of his Fender Telecaster was so wide in her tiny hands that it may as well have been made for Dennis Rodman. She'd wanted to use his, if she were being honest. It was a way to establish a connection with him without any physical intimacy. But Bayley's guitar was a total dream machine, and Alexa was stumped as to why the virtuoso didn't use it as her primary weapon. But that wasn't her business, and so she simply took a position by the side of the stage with Roman's girlfriend, who plastered the fakest smile Alexa had ever seen. The two exchanged brief pleasantries, but the tiny blonde got the distinct impression that Natalya resented not being the only hot blonde in that corner of the spacious barn.
With a jarring start, Elohssa began their eager set with "Lump" by THE PRESIDENTS OF THE USA. Almost immediately, the crowd turned their attention to their schoolmates, who really had improved vastly since their last public appearance. The first thing Alexa noticed was how confident and comfortable Dean seemed leading a band. The first thing Dean noticed, other than how much Seth Rollins had improved his skills on the drums, was that Alexa seemed incredibly interested in their musical stylings. "Lump" wasn't a very long song, and so they went directly into their second number before the enthusiastic applause had even died down. That song was a callback to Dean's "breakthrough" performance from the ninth grade. As an anonymous freshman who was dying to make an impression, Ambrose had entered the Spirit Week talent show, and showed up in a suit identical to the one Michael J. Fox had worn to the "Enchantment under the Sea" dance in Back to the Future. Without any warning, he'd led the house backup band through a blistering, note-perfect rendition of "Johnny B. Goode." Now, he found himself doing the exact same thing, even using Marty McFly's line from the movie to introduce the song. "This next one is kind of an oldie. At least, it's an oldie where I come from." Alexa, herself a huge movie buff, got a kick out of Ambrose's attention to the almost sacred source material. Dean turned to his friends manning instruments behind him, speaking again in the exact words Michael J. Fox had uttered to Marvin Berry and the Starlighters. "Ok fellas, this is a blues riff in B, watch me for the changes, and try and keep up, okay?" He then launched into the most recognizable opening guitar riff in American pop music history. That song also only lasted three and a half minutes, and that included guitar solos from both Bayley and Dean. That performance drew even more applause from the audience of students, which had grown in the last few minutes. Song number three was a surprise to almost everyone, as bassist Roman Reigns stepped in front of his microphone and drew the adulation of every female in the crowd with his charismatic rendition of "Save Tonight" by EAGLE EYE CHERRY. No one would mistake Roman for a world class vocalist, but his singing was strong and clear, and he was on pitch, so the response he got from his sly baritone delivery was beyond what they'd expected.
Dean took the next song. It was his favorite song from one of his favorite bands; "Buddy Holly" by WEEZER. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, Dean glanced over at Alexa during the pre-chorus, when the lyrics went to "woo hoo, and you know I'm yours," winking at her, as though he was sharing the funniest joke in the world. The waifish blonde fought with all her might against her blushing reflex, before receiving a knowing elbow to the ribs from Dana Brooke, who'd come to stand with her. Dana was having trouble disguising her crush on Zack Ryder, and so Alexa at least felt like she had a kindred spirit in that respect.
To that point, the surprise of the evening was the performance Bayley gave during the song she ended up singing. JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS' "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." For someone who swore up and down that she wasn't a singer, the eager and able Martinez belted her vocal with an earnest confidence that belied her lack of experience as a lead vocalist. As soon as that tooth-rattling tune was finished, the entire venue exploded in loud, sustained applause for maybe the friendliest and most talented student at Blue River High.
Dean looked over at Alexa, gesturing with his head that she should join them on stage. As she tuned Bayley's guitar, kicking her feet firmly against the pedals Dean had given her to use for her song, the young lead singer of the band introduced their guest.
"So, uh, guys, this is Alexa. I think most of you have met her. She's a cheerleader, and apparently she also plays a pretty mean guitar, so she's gonna do this next song with us. Everybody okay with that?"
The room exploded into spontaneous clapping and cheering, which made Alexa feel even more welcome. Part of her wondered if she should say something before she began playing her song, but ultimately she decided just to start playing. The recorded version of the song called for a twelve string guitar, but Alexa found that with one of the pedals on Dean's board she could actually replicate that sound. She began her singing, a breathy soprano made softer than normal by her nervousness. She made all of her guitar chord changes perfectly, as she'd done so many times in her own bedroom in Ohio or her aunt Mickie's basement. At the end of the first chorus, after she sang the words "so kiss me," she winked over at Dean, who'd taken a position behind Zack's keyboard. Ryder, for his part, was playing an accordion over on the side of the stage closest to Dana Brooke. Alexa reminded herself internally to ask Zack how he'd come into taking up the eclectic instrument.
It wasn't like Dean to get flustered by a gesture as innocent as a wink, but he'd had to remind himself what instrument he was playing when Alexa had done it. "What the fuck," he muttered internally. "Get your shit together, Ambrose." After Alexa finished the second chorus, Bayley rocked a brief solo, then the tiny blonde began the lyrics to the chorus again.
By the time the song ended, Alexa had the crowd eating from the palm of her hand. Her genteel nature and sweet voice had won over even her most ardent of critics. After the applause died down, Dean informed the crowd that the band would be taking a break. Secretly, he was hoping that people would start leaving the party soon, so that Elohssa wouldn't have to re-take the stage. Their first real concert had gone well, and Dean saw zero need to push their luck. Luckily for them, as the clock drifted further and further past midnight, most of the tertiary students began trickling out the barn doors in groups of two and three, hoping against hope to beat the county-wide curfew of one am for minors. Finally, Brock gave Dean the signal that their night was done. Dean breathed a huge sigh of relief before slowly making his way to the stage to pack his guitar and the rest of his equipment.
As he finished, Brock Lesnar beckoned him to the back sliding door that separates the interior of the barn from the sprawling circular firepit area that the few invited students would be occupying in a few minutes.
"'Sup?" Dean inquired, puzzled as to what Brock Lesnar could possibly want at this hour.
"Look," Brock returned, clearly showing signs of fatigue. "I've been working Charlotte all week. She seems...affectionate right now." As he spoke those words, both boys glanced over at the Amazonian blonde, who was occupying herself by cleaning up the snack table with Dana and Nia.
"So?" Dean countered.
"So, get your acoustic out and play some songs while we cozy up to these chicks, man. I know you want a shot at getting close to that tiny little blonde chick you've been hollering at all week."
"Yes, yes I do," Dean acquiesced.
"Okay then, motherfucker," Brock returned. "The keg is still pretty intact. Most folks just drank the shit they brought. Let's pour some fresh beers and try to get it going with these fine-ass ladies."
Brock had a point. Dean hated admitting it, because when Brock was right about something, it usually meant someone was going to get punched in the fucking face.
That thought made Dean chuckle to himself. From the corner of his eye, he saw Bayley meandering toward the stage with an acoustic guitar case in each hand, making her way slowly toward where Dean was coiling cable and casing his electric instruments.
"Tonight is the chance," Dean decided to himself. He was going to ask Alexa Bliss on a proper date. Little did he know, at that time, was the immense amount of strife that such a request would bring into his life, and how much his resolve for the tiny cheerleader in his sights would be tested.
…
The fire was much bigger than Alexa was comfortable with. That was the first thought she'd remembered. When Dean had used the word "bonfire" to describe what was happening next, she'd pictured something to roast marshmallows over. Maybe big enough to warm up the cool September evening. What she'd gotten was a blaze large enough that she was sure they were visible to some of those military grade satellites she'd read about the year before. Brock had tossed an entire bottle of lighter fluid into an already healthy fire, and the result was an inferno like she'd never expected at a gathering of high schoolers.
Dean, his agenda clearly at the front of his mind, just played it cool. He'd pulled his beloved Martin acoustic from its worn case, smiling as several other students, either members of his band or simply fellow students who'd taken up an instrument, were casually strumming melodically, their hands deftly maneuvering over strings they'd long since memorized. Roman Reigns wielded an acoustic bass guitar. The cedar Tacoma instrument had been a birthday gift the year before, when the stout Samoan had made his first "A" in his music class. Bayley picked at her well-worn mid-level Alvarez acoustic guitar, grinning widely as she shared a large blanket with Dana Brooke, who occupied the seat next to her on the long planks of timber that made up the benches around the blazing fire. Her stepfather, Dean's dad, constantly offered her an upgrade, but Bayley loved the old guitar.
Zack played his trusty accordion. The unique keyboarded apparatus had served him well, allowing him to play from table to table at his parents restaurant. Seth produced a fiddle from somewhere. The symphony violin had been his first musical instrument, long before he'd taken up the drums, and he often wished he'd never wrapped his fingers around the drumsticks that now served as extensions of his hands. In situations like this, however, he was as dependable as a morning erection. His fingers deftly caressed the strings, producing a tone that was almost regal in its sophisticated manor.
Alexa sat next to Dean, her fingers yearning for either the acoustic guitar she stored under her bed or her trusty mandolin. She'd taken up the latter instrument after a school field trip to see RICKY SKAGGS AND KENTUCKY THUNDER play just over the Ohio/Kentucky border in the sixth grade. Her F-style Hatbox Mandolin was one of her few personal items to make the trip from her family home, and if Alexa had known she'd have the opportunity to impress her new friends with her proficiency, she'd have tied the tiny case to her backpack. But she hadn't, and so all she could do was sing with whoever was leading the current ditty.
Right now it was Dean's turn. He'd started chording out the haunting 6/8 melody of "Champagne High" by SISTER HAZEL, and began warbling the lyrics as soon as Bayley and Seth had fully caught on to where he was going. It really was one of the saddest songs Alexa had ever heard. In particular, the tortured delivery Dean employed when singing the lyric "toast to the future, but that'd be a lie" spoke to the blonde pixie's heart.
After a few more songs, mostly sang by either Dean or Bayley, the inner circle of remaining party guests dispersed into small groups, talking, laughing, and drinking with close friends. Inhaling deeply, glancing over at the little blonde heartbreaker perched next to him, sipping beer from a red solo cup, Dean decided now was the time to take his best shot.
"So, Alexa," he began, "you really sounded fantastic tonight."
The tiny bombshell grinned. "Thanks. I had a lot of fun."
"So, here in about three weeks the town is gonna have something called 'the Blue River Harvest Fair.' It's cheesy as hell, but they have, like, food and rides and carnival stuff. Everyone talks about how much they hate it and then spend every night there for the month it's open. I was hoping maybe we could go together on the first night."
Alexa's heart skipped several beats as she exhaled deeply. On the one hand, this was the moment she was certain her fateful first week of school was leading up to. On the other, Alexa wasn't sure she could accept Dean's very sweet invitation without filling him in on what he'd be taking on.
Trying not to alarm him, she slid a tiny hand up his arm, resting it on his shoulder. "Dean, that's very sweet, and I'd like to go with you, but there's some things you need to know about me first. Things that no one here knows about me, and why I'm here living with my aunt Mickie instead of in Ohio with my family. Is there somewhere we can go and talk?"
Dean nodded, his brow furrowed. Part of his anxiety was over whether or not Alexa was as into him as he clearly was into her, but there was another side of him that felt genuine concern for his new love interest and whatever situation had brought her to Georgia. The young man looked around, gauging his options, before remembering how expansive the Lesnar farm truly was.
"Yeah, actually. Brock's dad does hayrides in October and November. The path is lit on its own circuit out here. The switch is right on that power pole. I'll go deal with it and then we can go, yeah?"
Alexa nodded, watching Dean traipse quickly over to the large utility pole some twenty feet from the barn. Her aunt was right, she realized. These boys here were different. One, in particular, was captivating her imagination.
….….:...::..::...:...
Dean Ambrose had never been more enraptured with a story than he was with Alexa's. At the moment, she was regaling him with how she'd met her beloved boyfriend Buddy. Even though the diminutive sweetheart was technically telling him about the boy she'd once loved with all her heart, Ambrose felt nothing in his soul but empathy for the blonde sprite strolling next to him, her long warm up pants swishing softly with every stride as she regaled Dean with her heartwarming account.
"...So, I met Buddy at church when I got into the youth program. I was in seventh grade and he was in eighth. We went on a whitewater rafting trip and by the time we got back he was pretty much attached at the hip. My brother HATED it."
Dean snickered knowingly, having three stepsisters and a half-sister of his own. "I bet."
Alexa continued, acknowledging Dean's assertion with a smile. "I knew he liked me, but he kept telling me that if he asked me out before I got to high school his friends would give him a hard time." Alexa's gaze grew wistful as she recalled the events in question. "He even used to make sure my friends from church were coming to visit me when I had my eating disorder in eighth grade and had to live at the hospital for a while." She smiled as she recalled so many of the kind things Buddy had done for her. "Then on my first day of high school he waited for me at the front door and took my hand and showed me where all my classes were and made sure everyone knew not to mess with me."
"I bet your brother hated that, too," Dean observed, trying to remain as involved in the conversation as possible.
"Eh," Alexa fired back, with a small shrug. "Allen was just trying to make his girlfriend happy. She was hard on him. Anyway," she refocused her narrative, "I was pretty much Buddy's girlfriend two weeks into the semester. He was so good to me. He was my first kiss, he took me to Homecoming… we were gonna go to prom. We were even starting to talk about our future, and colleges..."
Dean's brow furrowed. "And then what happened?"
Alexa took maybe the deepest breath that she'd ever inhaled. This question, the one that would require the first out-loud explanation of the events of that fateful day in December since the occurrence itself.
"I was on my way home. I was late. My mom had called me earlier in the day and reminded me to get ice cream. We were celebrating Allen's birthday. I had to pick up Macy from the vet, too. She threw up on the rug a bunch of times and dad was afraid she was really sick. She wasn't, but dad was super protective of my dog. I ended up being over an hour late getting home."
Alexa's voice began to crack. "By the time I got there, the house was fully on fire. I could see the flames from the end of our driveway, which was a full quarter mile from the house itself. There were fire trucks already there. An ambulance. Three police cars." She hid her eyes from Dean temporarily, regaining her composure. "By the time I got up to where everyone was parked, there were two sheriff's deputies waiting to give me the bad news."
"What bad news?" Dean inquired softly, already suspecting what Alexa was going to reveal.
"My mom, dad, brother, boyfriend, and my brother's girlfriend were all... dead. The deputies said it was a 'random home invasion.'" She shook her head wistfully, as though she were still in disbelief. "They found the bodies of two men they said were there to rob my parents."
"But why were they still in the house when the fire got bad?"
Alexa paused to wipe a small tear from the corner of her eye, before taking a drink from her plastic cup. "The police said as best they could figure, the men came in while my mom had popcorn on the stove. She loved popcorn and they found...evidence... I guess, of there having been one of those stove-top 'Jiffy Pop' things on the stove. They think that during the struggle, the kitchen fire got out of control and there was no time for anyone to get out."
Her breath came more quickly as she fought to keep control of her emotions. Dean, sensing she needed to move on with the conversation, kept Alexa talking.
"I am so, so sorry, Alexa. Truly."
The waifish cheerleader sniffled twice, wiping a tear from her eye. She had clearly been practicing telling the story of the unimaginable trauma that had irreparably changed the course of her life.
"Thank you for saying that. For real.. I've never told anyone here this, so thank you for being a good listener, too."
Dean nodded. "What happened after? What did you do?"
Alexa scoffed, though there was no malice in the gesture. "I completely shut down. They sent me to a 'psychiatric care center.'" She noted the confused look on Dean's face. "That's what they call mental institutions now." Alexa watched him in mild amusement as the look on his face transformed into one of comprehension. "I was there from right after Christmas until the end of the school year this past spring. Then Aunt Mickie and Uncle John picked me up and brought me here."
"Wow." Dean added thoughtfully, being very careful not to portray any emotion but the one he was showing his new friend outwardly. Exhaling deeply, the young man began to speak again.
"I am...floored, Alexa. Holy shit. The fact that you're here amongst people and not talking nonsense to yourself in some padded room somewhere is pretty badass, honestly."
Alexa shrugged, an air of stoicism on her face. "It wouldn't do anyone any good for me to be somewhere crying. Losing almost everyone I loved was devastating. Horrifying, even. But I can't change it and I can't stay locked away forever, no matter how bad I want to." She sighed, giving their conversation an air of finality. "I just thought you should know this about me before you tried dating me or anything."
Dean grinned, that shit-eating smirk that so many of the girls in his class swooned over. "Well, I'm glad you told me. Although, given my recent 'track record' with the ladies, if you WERE crazy, that wouldn't necessarily deter me from trying to hook it up."
Alexa giggled and rolled her eyes, but she did lightly feather her hand up and down Dean's arm. There was one more notion she needed to share with her potential paramour, however. "So, we can start like, hanging out, and of course I'll go to the fair with you, but I can't go too far too fast. A LOT of messed up shit happened to me this year, and emotionally I am not ready for anything serious. Can you handle that?"
Dean considered this, his brow raised in deep thought at what she'd just told him. "Yeah… Yeah, I can handle that. Just… if you're gonna start being seen with me, and if everyone at school is gonna think we're 'together,' even if we aren't, please don't be seen flirting with a bunch of other dudes. I'm sure Bayley told you what happened-"
Alexa cut him off with a small, sweet smile and a calming hand to the middle of his chest, before raising up on her tiptoes and ever-so slightly brushing her pink lips against his cheek. "She told me. And trust me, you have nothing to worry about. You've been very sweet to me, and I've never been the type to crave attention for attention's sake. Let's try to look at this as what my therapist would call 'testing the waters.' I think you're cute, and I want to get to know you better. I will assume you think the same thing about me?"
"'Cute' isn't the word I'd use, necessarily, but basically."
The tiny blonde rolled her eyes again. "Whatever." She checked her watch. Seeing that it was well after their 1 AM curfew, she swore under her breath and tensed her body.
"I didn't realize it was so late. I need to get home. I have to watch Brynlee and the twins in the morning and then Uncle John is taking me car shopping."
Dean nodded his head in approval. "Nice! You thinking Camaro or Mustang or what?"
Alexa laughed louder than she had at any point that evening. It wasn't lost on her that Dean Ambrose made her laugh more frequently and with less effort than anyone she'd encountered since the tragic loss of her family. "Probably more like a Civic. Gotta get good gas mileage and I don't have a job right now, so…"
Ambrose snickered. "I get it. Dad makes me work part-time during the summer, but he says during the school year it's my job to get good grades and do well in my extracurriculars so I can get scholarships." He glanced down, making eye contact with Alexa. "I seriously despise having to please that guy to get what I want. But I'll tell you about that some other time."
Alexa nodded and bit her lip softly. "I'd like that. Maybe coffee or dinner Sunday?"
Dean's face morphed into a totem of overdramatic shock. "Are you asking me out now? After we just talked about not moving too fast?"
Now, the tiny girl shook her head and clicked her tongue. "I am already regretting this…"
Dean stopped laughing long enough to raise his arms to stop Alexa from getting irritated. "I'm just kidding. I would love to eat or have coffee Sunday." With that, he motioned for ALexa to walk back up the dimly lit path they'd taken out into the dense forest behind the Lesnar farm. Dean smiled to himself as he felt Alexa hook her hand lightly into his forearm, but did nothing to call attention to the mild show of affection.
The pair walked quietly, occasionally glancing into the other's eyes, until a sharp SNAP in the woods some thirty feet away brought both youth to a standstill.
"You hear that?" Dean asked in a sharp whisper.
Instead of audibly answering, Alexa just nodded urgently, and Dean could feel a slight tremble radiate through the young woman's petite form at the notion that she might not be completely safe here in the deciduous mass behind the giant metal storage barn.
"We should go. Now." Dean continued in the same tone, taking Alexa by the hand and stepping briskly in the direction they came.
….
"That was fucking weird," Dean allowed, though his eyes never left the two lane road he was navigating.
"You're telling me," Alexa retorted. She was ready to be home, where her loyal dog would protect her to the death and where she felt as comfortable as anywhere she'd been in the last twelve months. "And can I ask you something?" She continued, nonplussed by her relative newness to her social situation. "Why wasn't anyone talking about where Mike and Maryse were today?"
Dean snickered knowingly. "Mike has done this a few times. Just taken off without anyone knowing. I'm sure he'll be back at school Monday with a hangover and a couple of really good stories of what he and Maryse did to each other all weekend, either at his parents' lake house or his grandparent's beachfront condo or some such shit." Alexa giggled at hearing Dean's vulgarities while describing such seemingly mundane acts.
"Still though," Alexa countered, not entirely convinced of Dean's theory. "It just seems weird."
Dean grinned and nodded. "Yeah. It does. But again, Mike's fine. I mean, he has some deep rooted issues relating to his absentee parents, but he lives in the nicest house in town, so I'm sure he's not losing any sleep over it."
That answer should've satisfied Alexa. But given what she'd been through, she automatically assumed there was some sort of sinister machination taking a foothold in her new life.
"I hope you're right. It's just...odd. I mean, isn't it? Or do high school kids frequently go on multi-day benders in this part of Georgia?"
Dean scoffed, not sure how serious Alexa's inquiry actually was. Glancing over at his passenger, the young man could see that Bliss had at least a semi-inquisitive expression on her face. "No, no they don't," he offered cautiously. "But Blue River is a weird fuc-". He stopped himself from cursing, causing a titter of laughter from Alexa. "It's a weird place," he continued. "I'll fill you in on Sunday. It's nothing that huge, or super-insane, but the tragic history of this town is worth knowing if you're gonna live here."
"Looking forward to it," Alexa lilted, before sliding her hand over Dean's, which was resting on the center console. The two of them enjoyed a quiet ride to Alexa's, with each Junior's mind flush with endless scenarios and possibilities for their budding relationship.
….
Alexa Bliss couldn't get her heart to stop racing. She'd allowed the scruffy linebacker/lead singer to walk her to her front door, then again lightly brushed her lips against Dean's flushed cheek. She'd promised to call him the next afternoon to firm up their plans for Sunday afternoon, then bid him a sweet goodnight.
The very next item on her agenda was an incredibly overdue walk for her patient canine companion. The incredibly compliant dog hadn't even lifted its head when she came barging into her basement bedroom, having successfully avoided waking her Uncle John or the three kids living in the house.
"C'mon, Mace," she gently urged the puppy, letting her scamper through the basement door that Alexa rarely used except for this very function. Having waited several hours to take care of her necessities, the cinnamon colored dog assumed the familiar squat that still made Alexa chuckle as though she were a child.
It didn't get cold in Georgia nearly as early as it did in Ohio. Alexa knew that, having visited her mom's favorite sister on several occasions as a small child. But, out of habit, the paper-thin girl still threw on a hooded sweatshirt the moment she strode through her bedroom entry. The well-worn charcoal grey garment provided her some emotional security, having been her favorite article of clothing to wrap up in before her life had been turned upside down. She stared off into the woods, not completely aware of what was happening around her, until she was shocked back into her current reality by a low, persistent growl.
"Macy, stop!" Alexa whispered, though it was loudly enough to be heard from the house. She was milliseconds away from repeating her urgent command, before her auditory senses were invaded by a similar sound to the one that had cut her walk with Dean short. A loud SNAP of a twig breaking, presumably under someone's boot, echoed throughout the James-Cena backyard. Alexa sprinted the ten yards between her and her canine companion, grabbing the erstwhile pooch firmly by the collar and forcing her back into the home she shared with her Aunt and Uncle.
Alexa's pulse wouldn't deaden at all. Her worst nightmare was playing out before her very eyes. The feeling that someone was watching her was one she'd often had in Ohio, and she'd hoped against hope that she'd left that notion in the Buckeye state. But now the prospect of sleeping in the basement, all alone on that floor of the house, was unworkable to her. So, recalling a conversation she'd had before with Mickie, Alexa tiptoed up the stairs, Macy closely in tow, until she came to a stop outside Brynlee's bedroom door.
Her little cousin often had the same nightmare issue Alexa herself experienced. Mickie had divulged that tidbit during one of Alexa's own episodes, and so every once in a while Alexa got so unsettled by a dream she'd had that she'd crawled into bed with her grade-school aged housemate.
Alexa cracked the door to Brynlee's bedroom, noting with some mild amusement that the fourth grader had fallen asleep with her reading lamp on and a book resting face down, wide open , strewn next to her. Alexa laid down, sighing softly, then finally felt her panic start to subside as Macy turned a circle at Alexa's feet and settled in.
There was supposed to be a murder this chapter, but I didn't like the way it felt. There will be two next chapter. Thanks for reading. Do you think we've met the killer already? If so, who do you think it is? Answer in the comments.
