Part 7

Trish giggled, wrinkling her nose at the corny joke Adam cracked. She shook her head, using her good hand to playfully punch him on the arm.

Adam grabbed his bicep, feigning a pained look as the two Canadians walked down the hall together. After a brief silence, Adam's expression grew serious.

"How's Jay doing?" he asked her suddenly. "I've called a few times, but he doesn't seem to want to talk to me when I do."

Trish frowned, a tired sigh escaping her lips. Jay didn't seem to want to talk to anyone these days. And despite the fact that she was still furious with him because of their fight, she was extremely worried. This was exactly what she feared would happen to him.

"Honestly, Adam, I haven't even spoken to him in three days," she told him with a shrug.

Adam paused, raising a curious eyebrow at her.

"Are you guys okay?" he asked, a hopeful gaze in his green eyes.

He would hate to see the pair fighting. He knew first-hand what injuries did for relationships, and he'd hate to see his friends suffer a similar fate. Once again, Trish replied with a shrug.

"I'm sure we're fine," she said, though her tone wasn't as confident. "We just had a big fight a few days ago, but we'll get over it."

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked, cocking his head to the side to glance down at her.

Trish looked up at him, brushing a stray lock of blonde hair away from her face. If anyone would understand the strain of an injury on a relationship, Adam would be the man. There was a possibility he would have some advice to offer her.

"Well, I think I'm just overreacting about the whole thing," Trish started, crossing her arms over her chest. "To make a long story short, he thought I'd be rehabbing my hand at home, and when I told him otherwise, he flipped. Not that I didn't do my share of yelling, but I just couldn't believe he came at me for wanting to get back on the road. He just seemed so immature about the whole thing."

Adam nodded perceptively, biting his lip. He held back a frown as he glanced away, not wanting to upset her. This situation sounded all too familiar.

"I'm sure it's nothing, Trish," he said after a slight hesitation.

"You don't sound so sure about that," she noted.

Adam sighed, offering her a reassuring smile, "I'm positive. It was just a fight... you know how Jay can be."

Trish nodded in agreement. While her boyfriend was usually very laid back, he at times had a firey temper. The pair continued on, until their silence was interrupted by the ringing of Trish's cell phone. She pulled it from her pocket, examining the display screen.

"What's up, Ames?" she answered with a smile.

Adam's stomach dropped at the mention of Amy's name. It was the same feeling he'd gotten every time he heard her name.

"Get your ass to the locker room, pronto! It's an emergency," Amy called from the other line.

Trish shook her head, laughing at the mock urgency in her friend's voice. She stopped walking and turned to face Adam, who had since frozen in his tracks.

"Let me go see what the hell she wants," she said to him.

Adam nodded weakly, remaining in his spot even after Trish had hurried off. He sighed, the butterflies in his stomach increasing rapidly by the second. Resting his back against the nearby wall, he closed his eyes, exhaling slowly. He forced himself to control his breathing, sighing again.

What the hell was wrong with him? He was still so far in... and at this point, Adam wondered if he would ever be able to get out.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I refuse to reveal such personal information!"

Stacy winced as a piece of chicken, having been flung from Trish's fork, hit her in the cheek. She reached up in distate, wiping the moisture from her face. She glared at Trish, and the blonde diva simply shook her head, digging her fork back into her salad.

Amy's "emergency" phone call hadn't been urgent at all... just requesting that, since they had some down time to kill, the three ladies go out to lunch. Since their arrival, Amy and Trish had been drilling the leggy diva nonstop for details about her relationship with Chris. So far, Stacy had given up close to nothing.

"This coming from the girl who called me three seconds after Drew asked her out to tell me," Amy rolled her eyes. "Just spill it, Keibs... you know you want to."

Stacy bit her lip, and though her brown eyes were nervous, she smiled. Trish took note of the small expression, and she asked a much simpler question.

"Are you guys official or not?" she inquired, sending her a questioning stare.

When Stacy hesitated, Trish loaded another piece of chicken onto her fork, aiming it at her menacingly. Throwing her hands up in retreat, Stacy caved.

"Alright, alright!" she cried. "Yeah... we're official."

She closed her eyes, the content of what she had admitted sinking in on her. It was the first time those words had left her mouth since Chris had asked her out that weekend. When she opened her eyes, Amy and Trish beamed at her, both women genuinely excited for her new relationship.

"That's wonderful, Stace!" Trish said. "You two are made for each other."

"Yeah, and it's about damn time, too," Amy added, shaking her head. "You guys have only been fooling around for God knows how long."

"Anyway," Stacy said, ignoring the redhead's comment. "Trish, how are things with Jay? Chris and I have been wondering about him lately."

Almost immediately, the grin slipped from Trish's face. She glanced down, stabbing at a piece of lettuce on her plate. Amy noticed her changed demeanor right away, and concern flooded her hazel eyes.

"What is it?" she asked, her tone softening considerably.

Trish sighed... she really didn't want to talk about her fight with Jay again. Then again, she didn't really finish her conversation with Adam, and if anyone knew as well as he did, it was Amy. Perhaps she'd actually be able to get some answers this time. She shifted her gaze to Stacy for a moment before resting her eyes on Amy.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly recounted her week with Jay, starting with their argument. Throughout her entire explanation, a frown marred Amy's face. This story hit way too close to home. Hell, if she closed her eyes, she could very well have been talking to herself. She didn't have the heart to tell Trish, but their case was identical to hers and Adam's, before their breakup. She hoped with all her heart that they would not suffer the same demise.

"It's not so much the fight that bothers me," Trish concluded, "it's his attitude. He is absolutely impossible to please anymore."

Both of the women across from her nodded in silence. Stacy picked up her glass of water and took a sip, but Amy remained still. Her head was still reeling. Jay was never a pessimistic person... and neither was she, which was probably why they were so close. Where would the sudden attitude problem come from?

The more she thought about him, she realized that she could not recall the last time she'd even spoken to Jay, let alone seen him. A determined look filled her expression as returned her focus to Trish. If anyone could figure out what was up Jay's ass, it was her.

"You know what," she began, "I think it's time I paid your boyfriend a visit."