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Nora stumbled into the arena, with Trish helping her keep her balance. "What the hell happened last night?" Trish asked, thankful that their locker room was nearby. They set their things down and Nora collapsed onto the bench, letting out an exhale of relief.
"I don't know. I can't really remember," she replied, holding her head.
"Were you with Paul?"
Nora thought back to the night before. She remembered the club and Dwayne and the fight he and Paul were going to start before she intervened. And then… "I think so."
Trish giggled, "Wow! Let's look at the facts: you were with Paul, and now you can't remember what happened. There are so many possibilities that can lie between that."
Nora chuckled, "Seriously, I doubt anything like what you may think happened. I woke up alone today though. I can't remember if Paul stayed with me or not."
Her friend waved a hand and unzipped her bag, "Ah, he probably stayed with you until you fell asleep. Here," she handed her a capsule of pills, "have one."
Nora held her head with one hand and took the bottle with the other, "What's it do?"
"Ugh, it helps you remember things!" Trish threw a scarf at her friend, "It'll help with your headache! Don't act like you don't have one. I can tell."
"I feel hung over."
"Well, I'd say get some sleep but Vince McMahon won't have that, will he?" Her eyes popped out and she gasped, "Oh! That reminds me! I—I have to go!"
"What? Why? The show starts in 4 hours," Nora said.
Trish grabbed her bag and opened the door. Looking back, she answered, "I just remembered that I…have to meet with an old friend! She lives around here and we promised to meet up at this one restaurant every time we come, so I better go. Later!"
Before Nora could let one more word out, Trish zoomed off, out of the arena.
**
Paul strode into the arena, wearing a big smirk on his face. Some of the guys smirked back, having a strange feeling that Paul was up to something. He went through the mazes of hallways and finally found his locker room. He set his things down and turned toward the locker, to open it. But a strong pair of hands forced him against the wall. "Oh!" he reacted, hitting his head, hard.
"What the hell do you think you were doing?" Dwayne shouted, staring him straight in the eye, determined to get answers.
Paul stuttered, feeling like he was caught, "What do you mean, man?"
"After the club, where did you take her?!"
"I took her to the hotel! Why do you wanna know so badly?" Paul asked, shoving Dwayne away from him.
He continued shooting questions, "Where is she? Did you stay with her?"
"I don't know where she is! She's probably here by now!" Paul said. He straightened his attire and reached to open his duffel bag. He glanced at Dwayne, who was still in the room, and pointed at the door, "You can go now."
Dwayne left, his words unspoken. Paul stuck his head out of the room after he left and then shut the door, dimming the lights.
**
Nora slowly began to feel the effects of the pill Trish gave her. Her headache seemed to fade, but her memory was being slower than the medicine. She held her head and tried to think of the events of the night before.
"2 shots."
"I've never had those."
"You're in for a treat. But you have to drink it fast."
She then remembered being in her hotel. In her mental image, she noticed Paul was with her. She remembered closing her eyes, to sleep. And seemingly 5 seconds later, she awoke, feeling a bit of pain. She felt cold, too. Then she remembered someone whispering something.
"Just lay still," the voice seemed to say.
What did it mean?
A loud banging made her lose her train of thought, "Nora!"
"Dwayne?" She stood and unlocked the door, letting him in, "What do you want?"
He took her hands and breathed, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Well…no, I'm not."
"Why? What happened?" He sat and pulled her down, next to him.
"I…I can't remember."
"What did he do to you?"
Nora gave him an angry look, "What's that supposed to mean?" She laughed out loud and stared at him, coldly, "You're still with the 'Paul will hurt you' thing? Oh, God, Dwayne! What's wrong with you? Paul is not what you think or want me to think! What is it you want me to see? He's sweet and caring, and I'm sure if I could remember what happened last night, it'd prove he'd never hurt me, in any way."
Dwayne shook his head, "You don't remember what happened last night? Think hard!"
She began to think, trying desperately to remind herself of what happened. After a while, she sighed, "Nothing."
"Nothing happened or nothing comes to mind?"
"Both! I can't believe you'd accuse Paul of such terrible things. What is it you hold against him, anyway? What does he have that you want?"
Dwayne wanted to shout 'You!' but he held his tongue and hung his head.
"Just leave Paul and I alone." With that, she walked out. As soon as she stepped out of the room, she leaned against the closed door and let out a soft sob. Tears welled in her eyes and she tried not to blink, so they wouldn't be let loose. On the other side of the door, Dwayne felt her need to be comforted. He opened the door, "Nor—"
Nora's lips meeting his cut him off.
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