"Lil, I love it, I love it, I love it!" Trish squealed as she came from the back room of the salon where she had just gotten her pedicure and saw her friend's hair. Lilian had decided to get blonde highlights, something she hadn't done since she and John had gotten married. She smiled at Trish, admiring her new hairdo as the stylist put the finishing touches on her hair. Lita sat next to Lilian, dozing slightly, her facial finished long ago.
"Thanks, Trish, I like it, too," Lilian said shyly. "Your hair is cute," she added, noting the trim and style her stylist had done for Trish. She glanced at Lita, grinning, as she added, "And Li is so fascinated too."
"Shut up, I'm just resting my eyes," Lita grumbled, wiping her bleary eyes with her hand.
"Uh, huh, sure you are," Trish teased.
"Look blondie, remember who your partner is. I can very easily 'not be in position for the hot tag' when you're getting your ass kicked," Lita shot back.
"Hey, hey, now come on. That's low. And why am I always the one getting my ass kicked?" Trish asked as Lilian laughed.
"Cause I can fight off anyone I want with one arm tied behind my back," Lita said dryly.
"Now I know why my brother is obsessed with wrestling," the older stylist doing Lilian's hair interjected. "Are you guys this humorous on screen?"
"Eh. It depends," Trish said with a shrug.
"You're all done, sweetheart," the stylist said, spraying Lilian's hair with hairspray one more time.
"Thank you so much," Lilian replied, patting her hair and admiring it in the mirror one more time before standing up.
The three ladies paid for their services, then exited the salon. "Where to next?" Lita asked, glancing at Trish. She was relieved that Lilian seemed to be having fun. Lita and Trish had talked about Lilian and how jumpy she seemed. They both had a strong feeling John had done something to hurt her, but knew better than to press. When Lilian wanted to talk, she would talk.
"How about food?" Trish suggested. "I'm kinda hungry."
"You know, for someone so skinny, you eat a lot," Lita said jokingly, nudging Trish with her elbow.
"Aw. Come on Red, you know it's my shitty metabolism," Trish whined playfully.
"I'd say it's pretty good metabolism if you can clear a buffet and not gain a pound," Lilian teased.
"Look, Lil, don't make me kick your ass, too," Trish joked, grabbing Lilian's upper arm and pulling her toward her as if she was about to fight.
Lilian immediately stiffened, her guard going up at the rough contact, as innocent as it was. Trish felt her friend's muscles tense, and immediately let go. Lilian backed away as soon as Trish released her, her arm going up to rub the area.
The three women were silent for a few moments, Trish and Lita exchanging a nervous glance as Lilian stared at the ground, ashamed. Finally, Trish cleared her throat and said softly, "Jesus, Lil, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Trish," Lilian said in a whisper. "I think I'm just overreacting."
"No, I'm sorry. That was insensitive," Trish conceded, cautiously wrapping an arm around Lilian's shoulder. When the blonde didn't flinch or pull away, she kept it there. "How about we eat?"
"Sounds good to me," Lita said as brightly as possible, wrapping her arm around Lilian's waist. Lilian managed a small smile, quietly allowing her friends to lead her to a nearby restaurant, missing the worried look the two exchanged over her head.
The three ladies exited the restaurant an hour later, laughing over Trish's flirting with a young waiter. The poor kid was drooling as soon as the three had walked into the restaurant, dropping their menus and almost spilling Lilian's water on Lita. As if the poor kid wasn't nervous enough, Trish had decided it would be fun to flirt with the kid.
"Trish, you're bad. I'm telling Bubba," Lita teased, poking her friend in the side.
"Me? You're the one who asked for strawberries and whipped cream for dessert and then kept licking it off your fingers!" Trish shot back, taking off after Lita. The redhead giggled, running away from Trish as the blonde chased after her. Lilian followed at a slower pace, simply shaking her head at her two friends antics. She noticed Rob, Shawn, Bubba, Torrie, and Billy in the hotel pool, soaking up the sum and swimming.
It wasn't until Lilian heard a car engine revving that the hairs on the back on her neck stood up. Looking up sharply, her stomach dropped when she saw a car speeding directly toward where Lita and Trish were playfully fighting in the parking lot. They hadn't noticed or seen the car now speeding toward them.
"Lita, Trish, look out," Lilian yelled, breaking out into a run as she dropped their leftover food on the pavement. Lita and Trish looked up, fear registering in their eyes as they saw the car heading directly for them.
Lilian ran as fast as possible, diving at Trish and Lita in an attempt to push them out of the way before the car hit them. All three women crashed to the ground as the car sped by, inches from hitting Lilian's legs. The driver of the car slammed on the brakes, jerking the wheel around so they were again facing the three women.
"Move!" Lilian yelled, shoving Trish and Lita away again, struggling to stand as the car aimed for the three women. She barely dove out of the way, watching numbly as the car crashed into a nearby fence. Lilian stared, terrified, as the car slammed into reverse, then into drive. She struggled to stand, prepared to once again leap out of the way. However, instead of going after the ladies this time, the driver sped away, knowing that the chance to take them out was over and they needed to get out of there.
Lilian watched numbly as the car sped away, falling backwards as the rush of adrenaline she just had left her body. Luckily, Rob appeared behind her, catching her before she could hit the ground. Lilian leaned against his body, not caring that she was getting wet now since he had just gotten out of the pool.
"Jesus, Lil, are you okay?" he whispered, barely noticing the others as he wrapped his arms around Lilian's waist, pulling her close to him. Lilian nodded quietly, watching as Shawn comforted Lita and Trish buried her face in Bubba's chest.
After a few moments of silence, save for Torrie on the phone with 911, Trish and Lita walked up to Lilian, who was still being supported by Rob. "I owe you big time, Lil," Trish whispered, hugging her friend.
"Yeah, Lil, that was fucking crazy," Lita murmured, hugging Lilian too. "But thanks."
"Can we wait inside?" Lilian finally spoke up. "I don't want to be a fucking sideshow," she added, nodding toward the fans who had gathered around, gawking and taking pictures of the group. Granted, the girls were probably more interested in Shawn, Billy, and Rob in their swimsuits then the fact Lilian, Trish, and Lita were nearly rundown by a maniac.
"Yeah, Lil, let's go," Rob said quietly, noticing her agitation at being the center of attention. He wrapped an arm around her waist, guiding her to the hotel, not missing the fact that she was limping and there was blood trickling down her knee and elbow. Trish and Lita followed, each guided by her respective boyfriend. They seemed to be a little better off, though Lita's shoulder was bleeding and Trish had a scrape on her knee and part of her skirt was torn.
Rob led the group into the hotel, surprised to see Stephanie and Chris at the front desk. "What the heck happened?" Stephanie asked as Rob led Lilian to a chair to sit down.
"We were almost run over," Lilian said through gritted teeth, wincing as her hip hit the side of the chair. She was almost afraid to look at her hip, especially since there was blood on her shorts.
Stephanie paled, glancing at Chris quickly before kneeling in front of Lilian. "Are you guys okay?" she asked, glancing between the three ladies.
"Yeah, thanks to Lilian," Trish murmured, collapsing in a chair as well.
"We're fine," Lita added, choosing to stand despite the fact her knees were still shaking somewhat.
Stephanie nodded, somewhat satisfied despite the fact Lilian remained quiet. However, the owner of WWE had a bad feeling that things were about to turn ugly.
End Part 9