"Yeah?"
"How's it going?"
"Could be a little better. Did she have to let Keibler yank on my hair like that? I realize you don't have this much hair, but that shit really hurts."
"It had to look good."
"Sure."
"Forget about your hair. When this is all over, I'll personally pay for you day of pampering at the spa of your choice. For right now, though… how's it really going?"
"As well as it could be. After tonight, I think he's definitely on my side. Or our side, as the case may be. It really didn't take too much to get him ready to kick your ass."
"It's a talent, m'dear. I can make any guy hate me."
"Uh huh. What about you? I mean, tempers flared tonight, but after that… Orton's a wild card."
"Orton wants to be a champion, and he'll take it any way he can get it. He's actually a lot like you."
"Why does that neither impress me nor make me happy?"
"Because you don't want to believe that you're just as dirty as the rest of us."
"Maybe. I don't know. I've gotta go, though. Seeing as how my ride hates me now and has probably cancelled my reservations…"
"That's right."
"…I've gotta find a way to the hotel and a place to stay. If we're lucky, I'll get both from the same person and we'll be moving along quite nicely."
Trish flipped her phone shut and looked around. Right about now, Stacy Keibler and Randy Orton were probably laughing it up in the hotel room that, at one time, had been hers. She'd yet to check in, which meant that Stephanie and Shane could do whatever they wanted with the reservation, considering that they were the ones that made it. They probably let Keibler and Orton sit on her seat in the limo, too. If nothing else, they were making it exceedingly easy for Trish to drum up feelings of bitterness and contempt for the two that would, hopefully, one day soon be her partners in crime.
Tonight, though, she had to find a ride. A place to stay wouldn't be as hard as she could let on to be. There was nothing stopping her from getting another room, and it would probably show her supposed independence from the McMahon family, but there was no way she was standing around and waiting for a taxi. Granted, there were probably plenty of people who would give her a ride now that she was aligned with the biggest babyface in the company, but… She didn't want a ride from just anybody.
A shadow fell on her, blocking the light above, and Trish turned her head. Dave leaned against the wall, his shoulder squishing against the concrete. He looked tired, but not beaten. Though his body was weary and drooping, there was still a fire in his eyes that was unmistakable. He was ready to destroy someone, just as soon as his body caught up with his mind. Trish wondered if she should offer him a Red Bull… if she had any, that is.
"Finally leaving, huh?" Trish turned completely towards him, then leaned on the wall. Her hair slid harshly against the cement as she rolled her head upwards to get a better view of him. "You're what… last one out?"
"Got into another fight." He held his sunglasses in his hands. He looked down at the tinted lenses then put them in the pocket of his jacket. "Seems Hunter wanted to get in on the show. He just didn't want to associate with Stephanie or Shane to do it."
"Figures. He always did like to take the easy way out." Trish sighed and shrugged. "So, why are you standing here instead of walking to your car?"
"Because you're standing here." He looked past her, then smirked. "Looks like you're out of a ride."
"Well, how would you ever guess." Trish rolled her eyes. "After tonight, I don't think I'll be riding in limousines anymore."
"No, but we're close enough to D.C. that I still a roll in a Mercedes."
Trish stood up straight and gave him a small grin. "Why, Mr. Batista, is that an offer? Or is it a little bit of fun at my expense? Because if it's an offer, I gladly accept. A ride in a Mercendes is a lot nicer than a ride in a taxi. But, if it's mockery you're handing out, then you're just going to have to find somebody else to get your kicks off of, because I'm not the girl. Not tonight."
Dave stood up slowly, but kept his eyes on her. His face wasn't necessarily blank, but neither was it definitive one way or another. There was a light twinkle in his eyes that could have gone either way. The grin that turned up his lips could have been sincere or mocking. He ran his hand over the top of his head, then pushed back the side of his coat. His hands flittered around his waist for a second, then fell to his sides. He rose one hand and traced the line of hair that led from his lower lip to his chin, then smirked.
He turned and walked off, leaving Trish to stand and stare at him in shock. Was it possible that he was just going to walk off and leave her there? Had she misjudged him that much? She wondered if she'd come on a little too strong. It was possible that she had gone past joking and waded into the waters of standoff-ish.
"Are you coming or what?" She looked up to see Dave turned around, but still walking towards the center of the lot. "I'm not going to wait all night!"
Trish narrowed her eyes, then shook her head and ran after him. This guy… She thought she might have to admit that, just like Evolution had done in the past, she had underestimated him. She wondered if she had to really play so hard to get a ride or, if she hadn't avoided him for the rest of the show, he would have offered in the first place. Something told her that he would have, and that said that she would have to be a little less rigid. She might not have to work quite as hard to get him to see things her way. In fact, it was quite possible that she was right all along and they didn't have to do this in the first place. They probably could have just approached him straight forward. Of course, that would have been too easy and McMahons never did anything easily.
Dave opened the trunk and the two of them just barely fit their things inside. He walked to the side and held the silver door open for her, shutting it when she was inside. He went back to the driver's side and slid in with only minimal resistance. The car was much better suited to his size in the summer, but with the air frigid, he wasn't about to drop the top and freeze all the way to the hotel.
He started the car, then smirked. "You think you still have a room?"
Trish looked to him, then shrugged. "I don't know. Probably not." She shrugged again. "I'll figure it out when we get there. For now, though… I think the ride suffices as a way of putting my night on the right track."
