Dangerous Business
Chapter XXII
Smackdown!
8:00 P.M
Liz sighed as she lay down on the leather couch in the locker room she and her cousins were sharing. On the monitor in front of her, Smackdown started. She paid it no attention, other to press the mute button down on the small remote lying next to her. Instead, her eyes were focused on the Women's title lying beside her on the coffee table.
Finally things were starting to turn right. Her friends had apologized for believing that she'd joined Evolution-well, most of them, at least-and their friendships with her were becoming stronger. And Brock-she couldn't hide the grin that came onto her face at the thought of the kiss they'd shared the night before. She'd gotten her payback on Evolution-twice, actually-for what they'd done to her.
Okay, so there were a few holes in this almost-perfect life she'd dug up, the biggest hole being Rob. Every time her thoughts wandered to him, she felt an unbearable pain, along with another emotion she couldn't describe. Willow's words came to her when her thoughts led down that path. The feelings rampaging in her were killing her. She wanted to hate him for what he'd done to her, the pain he'd caused her. She wanted to love him, to relive what they had.
It was all so confusing.
The other problems in her life seemed so…insignificant compared to her problems of emotion with Rob. Dominique was rushing off to talk to Shane at precise times, which Liz knew wasn't true, as Shane came in almost every time looking for her. Evolution would be looking for revenge, and she'd have to patch things up with the fans, who, thankfully forgave much easier than Matt.
Matt was another problem. Liz couldn't understand why or how Lita could love him. He made no move to forgive her or take back the words he insulted her with when she was with Evolution. Liz had walked in on a conversation he'd been having on his cell phone, and he'd made it clear to the person he'd been speaking with that he thought she was, frankly, a bitch.
Since she'd made it no secret that she'd overheard him, he'd been making comments about her whenever he got the chance, whether it was in front of her or behind her back. Liz was torn between her pride and her sense of protecting Lita. If she let her pride come through, it would no doubt lead to a fight between her and Matt. Matt would make Lita choose between them.
Liz pushed her hair behind her ears as she stood up, stifling a yawn. The plane ride to Connecticut from Arizona had been brutal. She'd left Arizona at about 2:00 A.M, and gone onto 5 connecting flights until she'd gotten to Connecticut. All curtosey of the idiot who booked a whole plane for the wrestlers every time they left. He'd apparently rented a way-too-small plane, and she, along with about 10 others, had to get to Connecticut on their own.
Liz glanced at the monitor, where Crash and The Hurricane were fighting. Letting out another small yawn, she pressed her palm to her forehead. She would have to go out there in about 10 minutes for her re-match against Lita.
But first, she was going to go visit Rob, for the sake of her sanity.
Liz grabbed the title as she walked out of the room, hating the way she already knew where his locker room was. As she approached, she bit down on her tongue lightly. What was she doing here, anyway?
She knew she couldn't hate or love him, but there was no avoiding him, either. She had to do something…
Liz knocked on the door, biting down harder when she realized that she was feebly hoping that he wasn't there.
Rob answered the door, trying and failing to hide his shock. She pressed a small smile forth, feeling awkward and unwanted. Still, she stood her ground.
"Hi Rob," she said, in such an unemotional voice that she briefly thought it'd come from someone else.
"Hi Liz," he said slowly, opening the door wider. "Come on in." She bowed her head, keeping distance between them as she slipped through the door. Liz stood stiffly in front of the bench.
"We didn't leave on the best of terms, did we?" she asked quietly.
He shifted, his eyes skittering away from hers, not wishing for the first time that Paul hadn't gotten involved. "No," he replied his tone even and quiet, "We didn't." Rob glanced up at her, effectively hiding his pain. She was doing fine without him, and the knowledge hurt.
"Look," she said hesitantly, and stopped. Gritting her teeth and pushing her eyes to the ground, she continued, "I keep trying to hate you. But I can't."
Rob stepped forward, his hand cupping her cheek, not caring about the consequences of what he would say. Her eyes jerked upward, and he almost shivered at the expression on her face.
Fear.
"When-when I broke up with you, Liz," her expression changed to something between anger and pain, "I didn't want to. Our relationship… That was the most important thing to me. But I had to let you go, Liz, for your own good."
She stepped back, her jaw clenching. "For my own good? You think that what you did to me what for my own good?"
"I-I can't explain," he said, shielding away from her, his hand dropping to his side. Looking up wearily, he asked, "Is there ever a chance of us…getting back together?"
Her gaze struck back to him again. She clenched her fist to stop it from shaking as she looked away. "N-No," she said, blinking furiously. "There isn't." All reasons of why she came gone in her mind, she gave him one last glance, fighting to keep her eyes from tearing. The look on her face bored itself into her mind, and she fled, wanting to get away. He stood his ground, watching as his locker room door swung shut.
After the first few steps, Liz slowed her pace to a shaking walk. Wrapping her arms around herself, she remembered what his words were.
'I didn't want to…'
'Our relationship…was the most important thing to me…'
She sighed. She had gone to Rob to patch things up, to leave as…friends? Perhaps, but she came out with more questions, and more pain. And the knowledge that Willow was right.
Liz glanced back at the door to his locker room, and froze abruptly, jade eyes widening, not believing what she saw.
Why on Earth was Paul Heyman going into Rob's locker room?
* * * * *
A/N: Sorry it took so long to update! R/R!
(Sorry it was short!)