Chapter 8- I didn't mean to, but I'm going
"I've called everyone. Most of them are there anyway." Lita said quietly as Shawn nodded. He stood up and sighed. "You guys go ahead. I'll need to do something." He said softly. Lita hugged him before getting into her car and starting the engine. Trish hugged him too. "Don't tell anyone what you've told me, promise?" Shawn whispered in Trish's ear. Trish nodded as she got into the car. Shawn stood still as he watched the car drove off, leaving him alone. He started to walk towards Manny's house. He got out the keys and opened the door. He could still smell her inside. He went to upstairs to her room; he had to bring her back to Houston. But first he needed to find out where her brother lived. He searched her drawers for an address book, but to no avail. 'Don't try to contact me for a while' Shawn looked up as he heard a voice. Shaking his head in disappointment he went back downstairs, took a framed photo of Manny and walked out the house, locking the door behind him.
In the Yard, everyone was gathered around the ring. All of them were wondering what was going on. "Do you think Kevin's kicking Mark out the group?" Adam asked as others replied with 'maybes' and 'can't bes'. Lita and Trish stood in a corner not saying a word as they knew what was going one. Everyone went quiet as Kevin came down the ramp and got into the ring. He looked at everyone. "What's the need for this?" Kevin yelled as everyone looked down. "Okay, who called everyone here?" Kevin yelled as he eyed everyone surrounding the ring. "I did!" A voice roared from the top of the ramp. Everyone including Kevin turned around. "Shawn." Kevin said sarcastically. Shawn walked down the ramp and got into the ring. Kevin leaned against a turnbuckle as Shawn eyed him up and down. "Mark, get you ass in this ring now!" Shawn said as Mark looked shocked. "I'm not asking, I'm telling." Mark then got into the ring. "What are you up, Michaels?" Kevin asked as Shawn held a piece of paper in one hand and a frame in the other. "What am I up to?" Shawn said laughing. "Funny, I should be asking you two the same damn question." Everyone started to whisper. "Do you know where I've just been?" Shawn asked as Mark shook his head as did everyone else. "Well, isn't it strange that a certain person isn't here?" "Wait, where's Manny?" Adam whispered to Jeff. Jeff just shrugged his shoulders. "Oh yeah, Manny's not here. Is she?" Shawn added as Marcus had a puzzled look on his face. "What does that have to do with us?" Kevin asked as Shawn shook his head in disappointment. "It has everything to do with you. You're the reason why she's not here. She's gone, Kevin. She left Houston and Texas about 2 hours ago. Do you wanna know why she left? Don't worry she told me." Shawn said as he unfolded the piece of paper. "Everyone should listen to this." Shawn added. He read Manny's letter out loud. Lita and Trish already had tears in their eyes. Once Shawn has finished reading Shawn held the framed picture of Manny in the air for everyone to see. "You see her happy here, don't you?" Shawn said as he wiped a tear away from his face. "Well the last time I saw her, she looked miserable. Not like the Manny I know and I don't even know where she's gone." "That was her choice, not ours." Kevin said. Shawn looked at Kevin with hatred eyes. He turned to look at Marcus who was looking down, shades covering his eyes. "He can't stay here." Adam finally said as he climbed up onto the apron. Shawn turned to look at him. "Yeah, you know the rules. You don't mess around with anyone else in the group." Jeff said as he stood next to Adam. Trish and climbed up too. Everyone except for Marcus were staring at Kevin. "Sorry, big man; a rule's a rule. You can't just mess her around like that. You, my friend, are outta here." Shawn yelled as he pointed towards the door. "I founded this group. You can't do this to me." Kevin roared as he looked at Marcus. "No, that's your mistake for believing that shit. It was Manny that brought this group together; it was Manny that made the Yard possible; it was Manny that kept us together. You didn't do anything. Now get out before I do something I regret." Shawn replied. Kevin looked at everyone before walking the Yard. Everyone watched him leave. But the question on everyone's mind was will Manny come back to Houston.
Everyone watched Kevin walk out the Yard. Once Kevin's truck left, Shawn turned his attention to Marcus, who was still looking down. "And now you" Shawn said as Marcus looked up. "I told you not to hurt her. But little did I know you already did. Just because you two are taller than everyone else does not mean you are bigger than everyone else. Who do you think you are anyway? You told everyone, including Manny, that you loved her and then this happened. Why? Why Marcus? Why?" Shawn cried. "To protect the ones I loved in the past." Marcus replied quietly. "Who?" Lita asked as she got into the ring. Marcus stepped forward and took his shades off. "That I cannot reveal. Kevin somehow found out and told me to that if I did not sleep with her then he'll tell everyone about my past. He knew Manny would be here earlier on so he told me to act like it was a bet. I didn't mean to hurt her like this. Whatever I told her was true." Marcus replied as tears stung his eyes. Lita saw the hurt and guilt in his eyes. "I believe you, Marcus." Lita said softly. "But I don't know if I do." A voice said as everyone looked to see who it was. Seeing who was there, everyone walked up towards them, except Marcus. "Manny?" Shawn whispered. Manny nodded as tears continued to fall from her brown eyes. "I had to say good-bye to everyone." Manny said as she looked around. She walked towards Jeff who had tears in his eyes. "Jeff, don't stop being Jeff. Every time I see a ladder, I'll think of you." She said as she hugged him. "Manny?" Adam said as he ran his hand through her hair. "I'll miss you." He said as he wrapped his arms around her. "Me too, every time I comb my hair, I'll be really combing yours." Manny said. "Back at ya" Adam replied. "Trish, take care of Shawn for me. Make sure he never gets hurt. Promise me." Trish burst into tears as both women hugged each other. "Take care of yourself." Trish whispered. "Lita, take care of Adam and yourself, I'll miss you." Manny said as she hugged Lita. She then turned to Shawn. Shawn looked at Manny with red puffy eyes. "Please Shawn; don't make this harder than it is. I'll miss you the most. You'll always be my brother." Manny said as she burst into tears and hugged Shawn. "Don't leave me here. I'll take care of you. Please?" Shawn cried as Manny shook her head. "I can't stay, you know why. Just take care of Trish. Okay?" Manny replied as Shawn nodded. Everyone looked at Manny then at Marcus who was still in the ring. "You gonna talk to him?" Lita asked. Manny looked at Marcus and tilted her head to the side. Marcus looked into Manny's eyes. Manny pointed to her eye, then her heart and then at him and with doing that she ran out the Yard, got into her jeep and drove to where her brother lived. Back in the Yard, Marcus took off his shades to reveal tears that stung his eyes. He sat on in the corner as he couldn't believe what he had just seen. He regretted ever agreeing to the bet with Kevin. He regretted not telling Manny how he felt sooner than he did. Taking a deep breath, Marcus stood up and got out the ring he headed towards the entrance of the Yard where everyone was. He looked at them all and walked out. He got onto his bike and sped off into the distance. "Oh my God!" Lita gasped as everyone looked at her. "What?" Adam replied. "He's gonna find her and bring her back to Houston." Lita said as Trish held Shawn in her arms. 'I'll find her before he does' Shawn said to himself.
"I've called everyone. Most of them are there anyway." Lita said quietly as Shawn nodded. He stood up and sighed. "You guys go ahead. I'll need to do something." He said softly. Lita hugged him before getting into her car and starting the engine. Trish hugged him too. "Don't tell anyone what you've told me, promise?" Shawn whispered in Trish's ear. Trish nodded as she got into the car. Shawn stood still as he watched the car drove off, leaving him alone. He started to walk towards Manny's house. He got out the keys and opened the door. He could still smell her inside. He went to upstairs to her room; he had to bring her back to Houston. But first he needed to find out where her brother lived. He searched her drawers for an address book, but to no avail. 'Don't try to contact me for a while' Shawn looked up as he heard a voice. Shaking his head in disappointment he went back downstairs, took a framed photo of Manny and walked out the house, locking the door behind him.
In the Yard, everyone was gathered around the ring. All of them were wondering what was going on. "Do you think Kevin's kicking Mark out the group?" Adam asked as others replied with 'maybes' and 'can't bes'. Lita and Trish stood in a corner not saying a word as they knew what was going one. Everyone went quiet as Kevin came down the ramp and got into the ring. He looked at everyone. "What's the need for this?" Kevin yelled as everyone looked down. "Okay, who called everyone here?" Kevin yelled as he eyed everyone surrounding the ring. "I did!" A voice roared from the top of the ramp. Everyone including Kevin turned around. "Shawn." Kevin said sarcastically. Shawn walked down the ramp and got into the ring. Kevin leaned against a turnbuckle as Shawn eyed him up and down. "Mark, get you ass in this ring now!" Shawn said as Mark looked shocked. "I'm not asking, I'm telling." Mark then got into the ring. "What are you up, Michaels?" Kevin asked as Shawn held a piece of paper in one hand and a frame in the other. "What am I up to?" Shawn said laughing. "Funny, I should be asking you two the same damn question." Everyone started to whisper. "Do you know where I've just been?" Shawn asked as Mark shook his head as did everyone else. "Well, isn't it strange that a certain person isn't here?" "Wait, where's Manny?" Adam whispered to Jeff. Jeff just shrugged his shoulders. "Oh yeah, Manny's not here. Is she?" Shawn added as Marcus had a puzzled look on his face. "What does that have to do with us?" Kevin asked as Shawn shook his head in disappointment. "It has everything to do with you. You're the reason why she's not here. She's gone, Kevin. She left Houston and Texas about 2 hours ago. Do you wanna know why she left? Don't worry she told me." Shawn said as he unfolded the piece of paper. "Everyone should listen to this." Shawn added. He read Manny's letter out loud. Lita and Trish already had tears in their eyes. Once Shawn has finished reading Shawn held the framed picture of Manny in the air for everyone to see. "You see her happy here, don't you?" Shawn said as he wiped a tear away from his face. "Well the last time I saw her, she looked miserable. Not like the Manny I know and I don't even know where she's gone." "That was her choice, not ours." Kevin said. Shawn looked at Kevin with hatred eyes. He turned to look at Marcus who was looking down, shades covering his eyes. "He can't stay here." Adam finally said as he climbed up onto the apron. Shawn turned to look at him. "Yeah, you know the rules. You don't mess around with anyone else in the group." Jeff said as he stood next to Adam. Trish and climbed up too. Everyone except for Marcus were staring at Kevin. "Sorry, big man; a rule's a rule. You can't just mess her around like that. You, my friend, are outta here." Shawn yelled as he pointed towards the door. "I founded this group. You can't do this to me." Kevin roared as he looked at Marcus. "No, that's your mistake for believing that shit. It was Manny that brought this group together; it was Manny that made the Yard possible; it was Manny that kept us together. You didn't do anything. Now get out before I do something I regret." Shawn replied. Kevin looked at everyone before walking the Yard. Everyone watched him leave. But the question on everyone's mind was will Manny come back to Houston.
Everyone watched Kevin walk out the Yard. Once Kevin's truck left, Shawn turned his attention to Marcus, who was still looking down. "And now you" Shawn said as Marcus looked up. "I told you not to hurt her. But little did I know you already did. Just because you two are taller than everyone else does not mean you are bigger than everyone else. Who do you think you are anyway? You told everyone, including Manny, that you loved her and then this happened. Why? Why Marcus? Why?" Shawn cried. "To protect the ones I loved in the past." Marcus replied quietly. "Who?" Lita asked as she got into the ring. Marcus stepped forward and took his shades off. "That I cannot reveal. Kevin somehow found out and told me to that if I did not sleep with her then he'll tell everyone about my past. He knew Manny would be here earlier on so he told me to act like it was a bet. I didn't mean to hurt her like this. Whatever I told her was true." Marcus replied as tears stung his eyes. Lita saw the hurt and guilt in his eyes. "I believe you, Marcus." Lita said softly. "But I don't know if I do." A voice said as everyone looked to see who it was. Seeing who was there, everyone walked up towards them, except Marcus. "Manny?" Shawn whispered. Manny nodded as tears continued to fall from her brown eyes. "I had to say good-bye to everyone." Manny said as she looked around. She walked towards Jeff who had tears in his eyes. "Jeff, don't stop being Jeff. Every time I see a ladder, I'll think of you." She said as she hugged him. "Manny?" Adam said as he ran his hand through her hair. "I'll miss you." He said as he wrapped his arms around her. "Me too, every time I comb my hair, I'll be really combing yours." Manny said. "Back at ya" Adam replied. "Trish, take care of Shawn for me. Make sure he never gets hurt. Promise me." Trish burst into tears as both women hugged each other. "Take care of yourself." Trish whispered. "Lita, take care of Adam and yourself, I'll miss you." Manny said as she hugged Lita. She then turned to Shawn. Shawn looked at Manny with red puffy eyes. "Please Shawn; don't make this harder than it is. I'll miss you the most. You'll always be my brother." Manny said as she burst into tears and hugged Shawn. "Don't leave me here. I'll take care of you. Please?" Shawn cried as Manny shook her head. "I can't stay, you know why. Just take care of Trish. Okay?" Manny replied as Shawn nodded. Everyone looked at Manny then at Marcus who was still in the ring. "You gonna talk to him?" Lita asked. Manny looked at Marcus and tilted her head to the side. Marcus looked into Manny's eyes. Manny pointed to her eye, then her heart and then at him and with doing that she ran out the Yard, got into her jeep and drove to where her brother lived. Back in the Yard, Marcus took off his shades to reveal tears that stung his eyes. He sat on in the corner as he couldn't believe what he had just seen. He regretted ever agreeing to the bet with Kevin. He regretted not telling Manny how he felt sooner than he did. Taking a deep breath, Marcus stood up and got out the ring he headed towards the entrance of the Yard where everyone was. He looked at them all and walked out. He got onto his bike and sped off into the distance. "Oh my God!" Lita gasped as everyone looked at her. "What?" Adam replied. "He's gonna find her and bring her back to Houston." Lita said as Trish held Shawn in her arms. 'I'll find her before he does' Shawn said to himself.