Chapter 3:
Enter X-Pac
Miranda rolled her eyes as X-Pac told yet another disgusting joke, this one involving a Rabbi, a blind homosexual, and a prostitute. She would never understand why Kane liked this guy.
She looked over at Kane. Kane was laughing gamely, although Miranda was pretty sure that he didn't get the joke.
X-Pac laughed a bit longer at his own wit before turning and looking at Miranda. "What? You didn't like the joke?" he asked, pushing a strand of his greasy hair from his face. Miranda didn't answer, but only glared at him. "Man, your friend here is a cold one..." X-Pac said to Kane. Kane looked at Miranda to see if she was upset.
"She...is a...good friend..." Kane said finally, in Miranda's defense. X-Pac grinned.
"I just bet she is...she looks real...*friendly*..." he said with a wink and an obscene gesture. Miranda stifled an acid retort. X-Pac was Kane's friend, after all. And although she personally loathed the "grease rat", as she had dubbed X-Pac, she had to respect him as Kane's friend. So she stood.
"I'm gonna go get a beer...you want anything, Kane?" she said. Kane thought for a minute before shaking his head. "Okay...I'll be back in a few minutes," Miranda said, walking toward the door.
"Hey, while you're out, I'd like a...well, fuck you too, bitch!" X-Pac said as Miranda flicked him off as she left. "Damn, big man...that girl has some issues...if you ain't fuckin' her, then kick her ass to the curb. She's *beyond* bitchy."
Kane looked up at X-Pac, tilting his head. Miranda was his friend, and had been for almost two years. And Miranda was always nice to him, which made it all the harder for him to understand the way she had been acting lately. She was so different: cold, bitter...it wasn't the Miranda that Kane knew at all.
"So, how 'bout it, Kane? I can pick us up some honeys...what's wrong, big man?" X-Pac said. Kane was staring at him. "What'd I say?"
"Miranda...is my...friend. I...won't...send her...away..." Kane managed to get out. The effort of speaking made his throat hurt and he wished he'd asked Miranda to bring him back a soda.
X-Pac shook his head. "Some friend..." he muttered. But he said nothing else.
***
Miranda was sitting in a small offshoot of the main corridor of the arena, drinking beer and palying poker with the Undertaker's Acolytes. "You are a lying whore, Mira...I'll see you and raise you fifty," Bradshaw said, throwing down his chips.
"I ain't stupid, man...she has something...I'm out," Farooq said, laying his cards down. Miranda grinned and looked toward Bradshaw.
"She ain't got shit...Well, let's see what you got..." he said. Miranda laid down her hand: royal flush ace high. "Goddammit!!" Bradshaw yelled, throwing down his cards. His two pair had done him no good.
"Lying whore, huh?" Miranda asked as she raked her chips in. "A lying whore with all your money, big man..."
Bradshaw swore some more and lit a cigar. "Why don't you go back and hang out with that monster friend of yours?" he asked after taking a few puffs. Miranda rolled her eyes and took a swig of beer.
"That bastard's in there with him. I had to leave before I strangled the grease rat." Farooq nearly choked on his beer as he laughed at the name. "What?" Miranda demanded. "I hate the little punk...I don't trust him. There's just something... He's using Kane; he'll turn on him the first chance he gets."
Bradshaw shrugged. "Kane's a big boy...he can handle his own shit. Don't get all worked up over it..."
Miranda sighed and drained her beer. "Yeah, maybe..." she muttered, standing. "I got a match against Sable..." She walked off, ignoring her pile of chips.
"Damn...she left without your money..." Farooq said in surprise. "Wonder what's got into her..." Bradshaw just shrugged again and took back his chips. "Hey! Some of those are mine!"
Enter X-Pac
Miranda rolled her eyes as X-Pac told yet another disgusting joke, this one involving a Rabbi, a blind homosexual, and a prostitute. She would never understand why Kane liked this guy.
She looked over at Kane. Kane was laughing gamely, although Miranda was pretty sure that he didn't get the joke.
X-Pac laughed a bit longer at his own wit before turning and looking at Miranda. "What? You didn't like the joke?" he asked, pushing a strand of his greasy hair from his face. Miranda didn't answer, but only glared at him. "Man, your friend here is a cold one..." X-Pac said to Kane. Kane looked at Miranda to see if she was upset.
"She...is a...good friend..." Kane said finally, in Miranda's defense. X-Pac grinned.
"I just bet she is...she looks real...*friendly*..." he said with a wink and an obscene gesture. Miranda stifled an acid retort. X-Pac was Kane's friend, after all. And although she personally loathed the "grease rat", as she had dubbed X-Pac, she had to respect him as Kane's friend. So she stood.
"I'm gonna go get a beer...you want anything, Kane?" she said. Kane thought for a minute before shaking his head. "Okay...I'll be back in a few minutes," Miranda said, walking toward the door.
"Hey, while you're out, I'd like a...well, fuck you too, bitch!" X-Pac said as Miranda flicked him off as she left. "Damn, big man...that girl has some issues...if you ain't fuckin' her, then kick her ass to the curb. She's *beyond* bitchy."
Kane looked up at X-Pac, tilting his head. Miranda was his friend, and had been for almost two years. And Miranda was always nice to him, which made it all the harder for him to understand the way she had been acting lately. She was so different: cold, bitter...it wasn't the Miranda that Kane knew at all.
"So, how 'bout it, Kane? I can pick us up some honeys...what's wrong, big man?" X-Pac said. Kane was staring at him. "What'd I say?"
"Miranda...is my...friend. I...won't...send her...away..." Kane managed to get out. The effort of speaking made his throat hurt and he wished he'd asked Miranda to bring him back a soda.
X-Pac shook his head. "Some friend..." he muttered. But he said nothing else.
***
Miranda was sitting in a small offshoot of the main corridor of the arena, drinking beer and palying poker with the Undertaker's Acolytes. "You are a lying whore, Mira...I'll see you and raise you fifty," Bradshaw said, throwing down his chips.
"I ain't stupid, man...she has something...I'm out," Farooq said, laying his cards down. Miranda grinned and looked toward Bradshaw.
"She ain't got shit...Well, let's see what you got..." he said. Miranda laid down her hand: royal flush ace high. "Goddammit!!" Bradshaw yelled, throwing down his cards. His two pair had done him no good.
"Lying whore, huh?" Miranda asked as she raked her chips in. "A lying whore with all your money, big man..."
Bradshaw swore some more and lit a cigar. "Why don't you go back and hang out with that monster friend of yours?" he asked after taking a few puffs. Miranda rolled her eyes and took a swig of beer.
"That bastard's in there with him. I had to leave before I strangled the grease rat." Farooq nearly choked on his beer as he laughed at the name. "What?" Miranda demanded. "I hate the little punk...I don't trust him. There's just something... He's using Kane; he'll turn on him the first chance he gets."
Bradshaw shrugged. "Kane's a big boy...he can handle his own shit. Don't get all worked up over it..."
Miranda sighed and drained her beer. "Yeah, maybe..." she muttered, standing. "I got a match against Sable..." She walked off, ignoring her pile of chips.
"Damn...she left without your money..." Farooq said in surprise. "Wonder what's got into her..." Bradshaw just shrugged again and took back his chips. "Hey! Some of those are mine!"