The voice I heard screaming wasn't Matt's, it was my dad's.
"Oh shit, I think I might be killed today," Shelton muttered, laughing.
"Shelt, this isn't the time to joke..." I said as I pulled my shoes. Shelton, who asked me to be his girlfriend in the middle of Fast and the Furious while all of my energy was focused on Vin Disel, was calm about it, but I could tell that he was about to piss his pants. I opened the door, and my dad was down the hall, yelling at Matt, Uncle Wayne and Uncle Randy standing behind my dad, waiting for their turns.
"You've got a lot of nerve, talking to your little sister like that. After all that she's been through...I'm surprised she didn't attempt again...I swear to you boy...if something happened to my little girl...Where is she?" He demanded, gripping Matt's T-shirt and pulling him close. Matt was scared. He'd never seen dad this mad. Uncle Wayne was who really scared me though. He had this death glare in his eyes...and Uncle Randy...he looked like he was about to commit murder. I took a deep breath, grabbed Shelton's hand, and walked up to the group.
"Daddy?" I said quietly. He turned around, and his whole expression softened. He came over and pulled me into a hug. Randy was still seconds from punching the shit out of his nephew.
"Munchkin, you okay? Where were you?" Dad said, not noticing Shelt yet. Matt did though. He dove on Shelton screaming:
"You! I told you to keep away from my little sister...it's you're fault all of this is happening! I'll kill you if you don't leave her alone! Leave my little sister alone, you bastard!"
Randy and Wayne pulled him off, and I want right to Shelton, who got up, wiped his mouth, and walked away without saying a word to me. I was furious.
"Matthew Jacob Cena! What the hell if your problem? I've had what? Four boyfriends in my whole life, and once I meet someone who is even a little interested in me...you scare them away! You know what me and Shelton did yesterday? He took me to emergency to stitch up my knuckles, and then we went to some random park. We fell asleep, ON THE COUCH, watching The Fast and the Furious! I hate you! I want to go HOME!" I screamed. I wasn't crying...I was just pissed that my brother didn't trust me.
"Wait a minute, stitch up your knuckles? Matt, you got her mad enough to go to the bag? I didn't think it was this serious...what song were you listening to?" Dad said quickly, so he could see how pissed I really was.
"Breaking the Habit."
"Damn, boy what did you say to her to get her that mad? All Wayne told me was you were really upsetting her and she wanted to come home. So, what did you say to my little girl Matthew?" Dad said, his voice now low and really dangerous. I was scared and I wasn't even the one getting yelled at. Matt didn't say a word.
"Ari, what did he say?" Uncle Randy said softly.
"He called me a hoe." I said, glaring at my brother angrily.
"Get your stuff, I can't even look at him any more...I can't believe- let's go Ari." Randy said. We left the hotel with out another word.
I don't know what Matt's problem is, but Ari don't deserve shit like that in her life. From what she told me, I know that Matt is like all she has. I known he doesn't trust me with his sister, but he didn't have to hit me it took all that I had in me not to kill him. I just couldn't bring myself to hit him in front of Ari, and I can't afford to lose my job, since I'm on probation...I can't go back to jail right now...I got too much to do on the outside, like try and talk to Ari.
It's been a week since I had my fight with my brother, and went home to Boston. Me and dad were hanging out in our basement/gym, fooling around in the ring, when my cell phone rang.
"Hold on dad, I'll get you in five minutes...Hello?" I answered the phone.
"Ariel? Sweetie it's your mom."
"What do you want? And you're not my mom!" I said into the phone.
"I want to see you."
"Well I sure as hell don't want to see you; you nearly killed me, and then left me to be fucking raped! I was six years old, I was a baby! I don't want to see you, and don't call my phone again!" I turned off the phone and went to my cabinet in the gym. I pulled out the tape, wrapped my hands up, put on a Three Days Grace CD, and went to work on the bag.
I hate everything about you
Why Do I Love you?
You hate everything about me
Why do you love me?
I punched and kicked, and screamed until I couldn't lift my arms. My dad watched me, and waited until I was done to come over and talk to me, because he knows that there is no talking to me when I'm at the bag...I'll either ignore you, or turn you into my punching bag.
"Baby, was that who I think it was?" he asked me softly, starting to un-tape my hands for me. I had busted a stitch or two in my left hand.
"Yeah, it was her daddy. I don't know what to do about her. I mean, she says she wants another chance at being a mom, but she nearly killed me and Matty...how do you really and honestly forgive someone who left you at six years old to be raped? I mean, I know she didn't know it was going to happen, but if she would have just not gone after me and Matt with that bat, we wouldn't have gone to the orphanage...so everything that I went through is her fault."
"Baby girl, remember that me and Ace are always here for you...you're 16 years old, and we can't make you forgive her, nor can we make you hate her. You have to look in yourself and make that decision. I'm here for you princess, remember that, okay?" he said, wiping the blood that had leaked out of my stitches.
"You know, I'm glad you taught me to take my anger out on a punching bag, because yesterday, I slipped up, and punched Matt in the face...I busted his nose. Imagine if I would have kept going!" I chuckled into my dad's chest as he hugged me.
"So, are you calm enough to go back on the road with your brother again?" he asked me.
"I'm calm, the question is, is Matt going to stop beating up my boyfriend long enough to except us?" I said as we headed up to the kitchen.
"You really like this guy, don't you?" he asked me, mischief gleaming in his eye.
"Yeah, he's really sweet, and to be honest...I think he likes me too." I grinned, going to the freezer and pulling out the chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream while dad got two spoons. "I don't know how to explain it....like I've known the guy like a week, and we've talked on the phone constantly. I don't know what it is around him, daddy. It's like, when I'm with him...nothing else matters; do you get it?" I said, spooning more ice cream into my mouth.
"Yeah, I get it, princess...that's how I used to feel around your mom when we first started dating. You have the same look on your face I did: happy-goofy." He chuckled.
"If I call Matt, do you think I'll be able to talk to him without arguing with him?" I asked him, reaching for my cell.
"Well, he's had a week to calm down, and on top of that, the shiner you gave him must have healed by now..."
"DAD! I'm serious."
"Sure, call your brother and talk to him...they're in LA next Monday. You could meet them there."
"Okie dokie, daddy!" I said in my best baby voice. Then I pushed number 2 on my cell phone, and it dialed Matt's cell. After about three rings, he answered.
"Hello?" he answered, breathless.
"Matt? Am I interrupting something?" I said, laughing.
"No, me, Shelt, Jindrak, and Cade are doing a tag team match for fun in the gym at the hotel. What's up?"
"Wait, did you say Shelton was with you?"
"Yeah, we talked, and I realized that I was being an asshole. So we patched things up. Plus, when we were pissed at each other, we lost all of our matches."
"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Matthew Jacob Cena? The Matt I know NEVER admits he's wrong without someone twisting his arm off."
"I know...Uncle Wayne put me in a sharpshooter till I admitted it. Then Uncle Randy punched me a little harder than you did!"
Oh no, did your nose break?" I said, trying not to laugh...hey he deserved it!
"No, he hit me in the stomach; my rock-hard abs saved me."
"What ever, beer belly!" I said, causing dad to look up. ("he's drinking?!") "NO dad, I'm joking. Matt, dad thinks you're a drunk!" I giggled into the phone.
"I'm gonna kill you Munchkin....Yes, Shelton, I'm talking to my sister. Okay. Shelt says 'hi.'"
"HI SHELLY!" I screamed into the phone, making dad jump, then laugh at me.
"I thought I told you not to call me Shelly, woman!" Shelton joked as he took the phone from Matt. "What's up baby?"
"Nothing much, pigging out on chocolate-chip cookie dough ice cream with my dad."
"Don't tease me...that's my favorite!" he groaned. After I giggled, said, "So I see Baby Tyson is in a good mood today, Matt. How's the nose man?" (Kiss my ass Shelly) "I love you too man. See what you've started, Shorty?" he said, smirking.
"Well, could you put my brother on the phone please? I gotta ask him something."
"Okay. I miss you."
"I miss me too! I'm just playing...I miss you too, Shelton."
"Bye"
"Bye"
"Munchkin, what did you say to the man, he's all happy-goofy and whatnot."
"Nothing! I just told him I missed him. ANYWAY, I wanna come back traveling with you...can I, PLEASE Monster? I wuv you!" I said, throwing a magazine at dad, who was making kissy faces to a picture I'd cut out of Shelton From WWE Magazine and taped to the inside of my Journal.
"Okay, on one condition." Matt said.
"Name it!"
"No more making out with my best friend in my presence. ESPECIALLY on my bed! Deal?"
"Deal. Monster..." I said.
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"One more thing."
"What, Munchkin?"
"Don't tell Shelton. I want to surprise him."
"Okay, Dollface."
"Don't call me that."
"Okay." Matt laughed.
"BYE MATTHEW!" I said, giggling.
"Bye Ari."
I hung up my phone, and chased dad around out kitchen for making fun of me. I couldn't wait to get back on the road.
