"Wait, what? How did you get this number?" I said, thankful Matt was a heavy sleeper.
"That's not important. I want to see you, you and your brother. I want a chance to be a better mother to you two. Can we just talk?" she said.
"Yeah, now you want a chance to be a mom? After you nearly killed me when I was five, then when I'm six, we finally get a little bit of solstice, then one of the workers in that run-down orphanage we got put in raped me everyday for a month, before my real parents adopted me and Matt. So please explain to me what good can come out of me seeing you?" I said, before flipping my cell shut.
I looked at the clock, 6:00 am. I'd just been sitting on my bed, staring at the wall for hours, thinking about rather or not I should see my mom. I mean, she is where I came from, but come on; she beat the shit out of me and then left me to get raped. I let the tears flow down my cheeks. I was only a baby; Matt barely knew what was going on, till I broke down and finally told him. I still don't know what happened that night, I blacked out after the guy, Williams I think his name was, threw Matt against the wall and down the stairs before he turned to me...
"Ari, are you crying? Baby, you never cry. Come here and tell me what's wrong." I heard Matt say from his bed. I went over, and I sat on his bed. I wouldn't have really started to cry, if Matt hadn't put his arm around me. "What's wrong, Munchkin?" he said, wiping my tears.
"She called." I said quietly.
"Who called?" he was completely oblivious.
"Our mom." I said, wiping away more tears.
"Why would you cry if mom called? Is something wrong with dad or something? I don't get it Munchkin, what's going on?"
"No Matt, our biological mother." I told him about our whole conversation.
"Baby girl, we don't have shit to say to her. She nearly killed both of us...namely me! I can't believe that she has the audacity to call. How did she get your cell number anyway?" he mused.
"Don't ask this little black duck," I said, yawning.
"Don't even think of going to sleep, its 6:45, and the wake-up call is in 15 minutes. You'll just torture yourself." He said, pushing me out of the bed and into the bathroom. I showered and got dressed in about 45 minutes, which is a record for me. By the time I was completely dressed, and Matt was in the shower, there was a knock on the door. I went to answer the door, and who should be at the door, but Shelton Benjamin, still in his PJ's, which consisted of blue and black pajama pants, and a pair of socks.
"Honestly Shelly, do you have to be half-naked every time we meet?" I said, eying his perfect physique.
"Shelly? Woman, you're not wearing a skirt today, I'll harm you," he said, walking into the room smirking at me.
"Oh really, I've been wrestling since the second grade...you can't see me!" I laughed, doing my dad's old hand thing.
"Oh really?" he said before spearing me onto Matt's bed. I quickly recovered and got up to put him in a sleeper hold. It was hard, but I finally got it locked. He flipped me over and pinned me between him and the bed.
"I win," he said softly, a smile playing on his full lips. I flipped him over so quick, he didn't know what hit him.
"Sure about that?" I said just as softly, right before I kissed him. The kiss was soft and sweet, not even all that passionate. I can't explain it, it was...just perfect. Shelton then deepened the kiss, and soon, we were making out on my brother's bed. It was great...till I heard my brother scream.
"Ariel Nicole Cena! What the fuck are you doing? Shelt, just get out...now." I had never heard my brother so angry. When Shelton had left, Matt snapped. "What the fuck is going on?" I just looked down at the floor; I'd never seen him like this before. "Answer me, damnit!" I still said nothing.
"I don't know Matt, it just happened. I felt something there...I think he felt it too..."
"Yeah, he felt something alright, your ass in his hand! Stop acting like a hoe and respect yourself!"
"I can't believe you! The first time I get interested in a guy, and you basically call me easy! You're such an asshole!" I screamed at him, going to my bag and grabbing some sweats.
"Yeah, well maybe if you weren't acting like a hoe, I wouldn't have to call you one!" he said. I hauled off and punched him in his face. I got a good hit in too; he staggered back, blood now on my knuckles. I walked out; sweat clothes in hand, towards the gym in the hotel, crying out of pure anger. I got in the gym, and changed my clothes in the locker room. I went over to the stereo in the corner, and put an old Linkin Park CD in. Then, I went to work on the bag, taking my frustrations out. Soon, I zoned out....
I was walking to the gym to work out with Charlie Haas, an older wrestler, who could still hold is own in the ring. He was the only wrestler I was closer to than Matt. He is the only one who knew about me and Ari. He was really understanding to both sides of the story, me for wanting a relationship with Ari, and Matt's for wanting to protect his sister.
We were walking towards the gym when I heard music playing. It was a Linkin Park song that must have come out when I was in the fourth grade.
I don't know what's
worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don't know why I
instigate
And say what I don't mean
I don't know how I got this
way
I know it's not alright
So I'm breaking the habit
I'm
breaking the habit
Tonight
There in the middle of the room was Ari, punching the shit out of a bag. She was crying, and her knuckles were bleeding; but she wasn't showing any signs of stopping any time soon.
"Ari, stop, you're going to hurt yourself if you don't stop." I said over the music, hoping she'd stop. She didn't.
"Stupid mother fucker...why did he say that anyway......and why did she call..." she muttered, still beating the shit out of the bag. I watched her for another 10 minutes as her punches became less fashioned as punches and became weak slaps. Eventually, she sat in the middle of the floor and cried. I went over to her and hugged her.
"Ari...are you okay?"
She glared at me with this, 'well, what do you think?' look on her face.
"You wanna talk about it, get something to eat?" I said, wiping her hair out of her sweaty face.
"Yeah...I'll go change in the locker room into some real clothes, and I'll meet you in 30. Deal?" she said, almost cracking a smile.
"Yeah, and you still owe me a date when we get to LA next week." I said, trying to get a smile out of her. I didn't get one, but I was going to if it was the last thing I did, I thought as I walked down the hall towards my room, not even concerned at the thought that my best friend practically hated me.
"Damn, Shorty, could those jeans be any tighter?" I joked. She was looking good in these tight blue jeans and a pink tank top that was underneath a black button-down shirt that was left un-buttoned; on her feet, pink and black Air Force Ones.
"Actually, they could." She said, almost laughing, but cracking a small smirk, not the full out smile, that I was hoping to get out of her. "I take it you like how I'm looking this morning then," she said, putting her hands on her hips and leaning all of her weight on her left leg.
"Hell yeah. You look great. You'd look even better of you'd smile a bit more. I swear I only saw you smile about once today. Smile, Damnit!" I said, getting a laugh out of her. "Thank you for smiling, Shorty. Remember, it takes 42 muscles to frown, but it only takes four to lift your hand up and slap the shit out of whatever pisses you off!" She fell out in laughter, and I couldn't help but laugh too...her laughter was infectious. Come on pretty girl, let's get some grub!"
We were sitting in my rental car, driving towards Denny's. WE got in, and ordered, then, we started to talk.
"So will you explain to me why you beat the stuffing, literally, out of a perfectly good punching bag?" I said, eying her still slightly bloody knuckles. She pulled one of the napkins out of the dispenser, dipped it in her ice water and began to wipe the dried blood from her knuckles.
"Well, I'm kind of a head case," she started. "Everyone knows the story of how John and Antoinette Cena adopted two kids ten years ago, what you don't know, is what happened before the adoption papers were signed. My mom, the biological one, beat the shit out of me and Matt from the time we could walk. She was put in jail because when Matt was 9, she let him stay overnight at a friends house, and the parent of the kid whose house he was staying over saw that he was bruised all over his body. Kid's dad calls the cops, the rest is history. We were in the park one day, we ran away from the orphanage and we were just playing around for a while. We met who would end up being mom and dad one day. They took us back to the orphanage because they had to wait for the paper work to clear. During that month, I was raped by the same man every night for a month. I was six years old. One night, our Social worker came by to tell us John and Ace were adopting us, and she found me and Matt unconscious. I woke up in the hospital to Dad, Mom, and Uncle Wayne sitting with Matt, who had a cast up to his shoulder from a broken collarbone, humorous, and a dislocated shoulder. But we've been with Mom and Dad ever since." She had tears streaming down her face. "I was already kind of ticked this morning because my mom, the biological one, called me; talking about how she wanted to be a real mother to me and Matt now...she's full of shit. And on top of that, the one person that I thought understood me and loved me besides my parents called me a hoe this morning!" She put her head down on the table and cried.
I was, for once, speechless. I couldn't see how she was strong enough to make it through all of that and turn into such a beautiful woman. When I told her this, she laughed.
"I'm nothing near a woman, I'm only 16. I just turned 16 about a month ago actually."
"I mean, now I know why Matt yelled like that...he's just trying to protect you since he couldn't the first time. I have a 15 year old little sister; I know what's going through his head. If we had you guy's life, I'd be the same way."
"No, he had no right to say what he said. He called me a little hoe, he deserved what he got." She said, folding her arms in front of her and leaning on the table to look at me.
"What did he get?" I said, thinking I missed something.
"A bloody, and hopefully broken, nose." She said, wiping her still bleeding knuckles.
"Baby, I think that you need stitches for those knuckles, they're still bleeding; they should have stopped by now. I mean, we've been here for almost an hour. I'm taking you to the hospital, no arguments." I added, when I saw her open her mouth in protest.
"Fine."
"Now that's a girl!" I joked, making her grin.
"Now let's get to this damn hospital, then we can see what's really in Fresno!" she said, wrapping her hand in a napkin.
Shelton and I hung out all day. We hung out in this little park playing with this football we found in the trunk of his rental. Everything was cool, till my cell rang.
"Hello?"
"Where are you?" Matt screamed into the phone.
"Why do you care, I thought I was nothing but a little hoe?" I retorted.
"You're with him, aren't you?"
"Yes I am with Shelton, now you're trying to control me? Get a life Matthew, I'm not a little girl anymore, if I want to hang out with a guy, you're not going to stop me!" I shouted., in tears.
"Get back to the hotel Ariel. I'm not playing with you. You don't even know him, how do you know he's not playing you?"
"Matt, he's not my boyfriend! We're just friends. Why do you have to be such an egotistical asshole about everything? I hate you! I'm going home!" I said, slamming my phone shut. The next thing I know, I'm in Shelton's arms, and he's holding me, telling me to calm down. He was kissing me o my forehead, wiping my tears away. I hadn't cried this much in almost 10 years.
"I'm going home...I hate my brother and I just want to be with my parents now. Me and Matt have never fought, ever. We've always been close, growing up in the system and all. I never thought that he would turn on me..." I stopped talking, and pulled out my cell and called my Uncle's cell phone
"Hello?" the voice answered.
"Uncle Wayne? It's Ari. Is my dad around?"
"No baby, he went to the store. What's wrong Munchkin?"
"Matt...he called me a hoe, Uncle Wayne. All because I was hanging out with Shelton! I want to come home!"
"What the hell is his problem? He knows not to talk to any woman like that, especially his little sister.
Can you get my stuff from Matt's hotel room? I'm taking the rest of my birthday money and getting a plane ticket back to Boston." I told him, choking back tears.
"Honey, don't worry about your brother. Ma, your dad, and Randy are going to take care of him." Uncle Wayne said.
"Don't worry about that, Waynie-bear.." I said, laughing while Shelton kissed on my neck. It wasn't enough to give a hickey, just small pecks here and there. He was standing behind me, arms around my waist.
"How so?"
"I think I broke his nose this morning."
"Wow, did you bust your knuckles open on a punching bag again today? Charlie said he heard you and Matt arguing, then he saw you go into the gym. Next thing he knew, he was hearing 'Breaking the Habit', your fight song, and when he went into the gym, there was a trail of blood on the floor."
"Yep, that was me...you know I always take my frustrations out on the bag. Had to get stitches again." I said, as Shelton pulled me down on the ground, me sitting between his legs, his arms still around my waist.
"Hold on baby doll, your dad just walked in...I'm gonna tell him what's going on, and then I'll have him give you a call."
"Okay Uncle Wayne. I love you!" I said, punching Shelton in the chest for mimicking me under his breath.
"Love you too, Munchkin. And Ari,"
"Yeah?"
"Tell Shelton I said hello, and if he breaks your heart, there is an army of people that will break every bone in his body. I know he's sitting behind you listening...HI SHELTON!" he laughed.
"Hey Mr. Johnson." He said, laughing at my Uncle.
"BYE UNCLE WAYNE!" I yelled into the phone, right before I hung up.
"You know, you're uncle is pretty cool..." he said as we got up and I jumped on his back. He started walking towards his rental. We went back to his room, and watched a movie. I fell asleep on the couch, Shelton's arms the only blanket I needed.
I woke up the next morning to screaming. But it wasn't Matt's, it was my dad's.
Well, there's 2...Now we know Ari's mom wants to be apart of her life, now that she's out of jail...and what is really Matt's problem with Ari being with Shelton? Why is John Cena yelling in the hallway of the hotel? Find out these answers, and ask more questions in Chapter 3!
5 reveiws gets you chapter 3!
Angel40689
