AN: So English 101 is looking to be harder than I expected. Not because the work is difficult, but because the workload is quite large. I'm trying my best to sort-of pay attention in class while planning out the next chapters. We'll see. I recently looked over my notes for the story, and I found that some things for future chapters overlap with things that happened in previous chapters. I didn't realize that when I was writing some chapters.

I love my reviewers! You all brighten my day and inspire me to continue, even when I think I can't possibly write anymore. I want to dedicate this chapter to start-a-revolution, who's pretty much awesome. Go read her fic, Between Friends.

Chapter 5

"Hey, baby!" Maria waved giddily in front of CM Punk's face. It had been a week since she had last seen her boyfriend, and she was beyond excited to be working with him again, even if only for a short time. She didn't wait for his greeting in reply. Instead, she kissed him, and his arm routinely made its way around her waist.

"Mmm," she purred. "I missed that." Maria smiled slowly as she closed her eyes, seemingly rendering her oblivious to CM Punk's lack of reaction. But he didn't squeeze her in the ticklish spot right above her hip. She knew right there, or at least suspected, that something was not right. Confronting him seemed like the best idea.

She quirked her lips in a questioning expression that matched her furrowed brows. "Is something wrong?" she questioned. "You don't seem like yourself."

He merely looked down at her, tracing her features with his eyes. He was silent the whole time, finally breaking the tension with a kiss, no longer laced with emotion but void of love and passion he once had for her. Avoiding the question, he quickly made an excuse for himself.

"Hey, um, management needed to talk to me real fast. I'll see you after the show?" He made a hasty exit, not even slowing to hear her response.

Maria stood alone and confused in the OVW locker room. CM Punk was not acting like his normal self, yet everything seemed in order. She quickly brushed it off, thinking it was just one of those days for the illustrious CM Punk.

A soft knock came from the general direction of his door, and John called out to the person, "Door's open. Come on in."

He looked up from lacing his shoes to greet the guest and smiled. His favorite person, Maria, just walked through the door. "What's up, Ria?"

"John," she began. This seemed so familiar—this conversation, this interaction, this situation. She timidly entered his room before their tag match that fateful February night, and nothing seemed the same since.

She stood silently before him, twining her fingers through her hair as a means of distraction.

"What is it? What's up?" he inquired, genuinely curious as to what was bothering his favorite girl. "Come on, Ria, what's wrong?"

She unsurely began, "John…we're friends, right?"

John looked at her strangely. After all they had been through, after all those chillin-with-the-boys days, she doubted their friendship? He had found himself a silly, yet loveable, girl. "Of course, we're friends, Ri. Now what's really bothering you?"

"Um, well, you see, something's wrong with Phil."

"OK, you're going to have to be a little more specific here, hon."

"Well, I don't know much, really. There was just something about his kiss yesterday." John cringed at the thought. He hated the thought of the woman of his dreams kissing CM Punk. He wasn't fond of the relationship situation, considering his feelings, but he had to be happy for this girl.

"Something how?" he inquired, trying to help his friend. "What seemed different? Good different, like when you first hooked up? Or bad different?"

"That one!" Maria interjected. "It felt bad-different. Something felt wrong."

John put an arm around her as she sniffled. "It's okay. Do you know why? Maybe he was just having an off day or something. It happens to the best of us."

"But he didn't tickle me when he kissed me!"

"Oh, like this?" John smiled as he tickled the girl next to him. She fell back on the couch, laughing too hard to make him stop. That was how Stephanie McMahon-Levesque found them when she came inside John's locker room, looking for said male.

"Uh, guys?" Stephanie cleared her throat. John didn't move to get off Maria. Instead, the pair turned their heads to the intruder, he with a slight smile on his face. "Yeah, you have to tape a clip in a few minutes. I just wanted to tell you guys in case you forgot or something." Sensing the tension and possible awkwardness, Stephanie continued rambling, "Ok, so you guys were pretty busy, and I don't want to interrupt something like that. So yeah, uh, back to your regularly scheduled programming." It was a rare day when the boss's daughter became flustered, so she hastily made her exit.

John and Maria broke out in giggles at Stephanie's rambling. "Mmmkay, you ready to go?" Maria asked John. She wiggled out from underneath him and soon stood in front of the couch.

"Yeah," he replied. "You go on ahead, though. I need to finish something real quick."

"Alright. See you in a few, then, lover." She mock-alluringly drew out the last word, giggling profusely as she exited the room.

Cena fell back on the couch. He was glad he could get CM Punk off her mind for a few minutes, especially since he was acting strangely. But he was stuck in a bad place—between friendly and friendlier. Lover? He thought. I wish. He was hurt because of the situation—hurt because he liked her and didn't want her to be with Punk, hurt because he hated seeing her upset, hurt because he couldn't possibly be anything more. Deep down, his shoulder devil was grinning devilishly. Deep down, he was ecstatic. Deep down, he knew this was the perfect opportunity for him to make his move on Maria.

Pushed up against a wall was not where she expected to be right now. She thought she was going to talk with the guy she was involved with in this storyline. But thoughts of interviews and kayfabe relationships were pushed to the back of her mind when lips captured hers. She passionately responded.

He pushed her higher up on the wall and pushed himself flush against her body. Things grew more heated as their little make-out session continued. A hand slowly inched its way up her skirt. Moans filled the otherwise silent room.

They broke apart angrily at the sound of a knock on the door. "What?" the man exclaimed.

"You've gotta be at the Gorilla with your girl in two," the man at the door responded.

"Okay," he called out, setting the girl on the floor. "You go on ahead," he told the girl. "I'll see you in a minute, alright, Tiff?"

Tiffany giggled and kissed CM Punk one last time before leaving. He was mesmerized by this green-eyed blonde with whom he was paired in this romantic storyline, and thoughts of Maria were long lost.

Maria sat alone in the boys' locker room, waiting for John and Shelton to come out of the showers so they could head to the hotel together. Bored and lonely, she whipped out her cell phone, ready to text her boyfriend. How was the taping? She quickly typed. When she did not immediately receive a response, she grew suspicious. He always replies right away, Maria wondered. Perhaps he was just caught up in some other business. Before she could reassure herself further, John and Shelton emerged from the showers, fresh, clean, and clothed. She smiled.

"Let's go already," she whined. "I've been waiting for so long. The rest of the girls were being weird today, so I didn't hang out with them. I've been here for like, ever."

"Jeez, M," Shelton replied, raising his eyebrows. "We're going now. Come on."

"Yeah, come on, Maria," John chimed in. "We're leaving you!" He and Shelton joked, both racing to the door.

"Hey!" she called. "Don't really leave me!" She raced after them, thoughts of CM Punk far from her mind.

They reached the car eventually, with Maria hoisted onto John's shoulders. "You were walking too slowly," he rationalized. She just giggled in response.

Soon the trio arrived at the hotel. They threw their belongings about the room, each settling and claiming their area. Maria called the bathroom to change, and John and Shelton rock-paper-scissor-ed for the bed. They would take one of the two mattresses on the bed and create a makeshift bed with it on the floor. The winner would get the comfort of the remaining mattress left on the bed.

"Best three out of five!" John argued as Maria exited the bathroom.

Shelton shoved the larger man onto the floor. "No way, man. I won two out of three. You get the floor."

"Asshole."

"Back at ya, buddy."

Maria walked unnoticed to her bed. The boys sensed something was not right with their favorite girl, so they decided to leave her alone. Whipping out her cell phone once again, she decided to call instead of text CM Punk. She missed his voice, and she felt that today was not a good day. His voice soothed her, and she hoped that it would do the same today when she needed him most.

"Come on, baby, answer. Ugh, why aren't you answering?" She dejectedly closed her phone, setting it on the nightstand. She lay down on the bed, rolling over on her side away from the boys. She was oblivious of the concerned looks they gave each other.

The next OVW taping, Maria confronted CM Punk right away. "Hey, Phil, why didn't you answer your phone on Monday? I texted you, and you didn't respond. Then I called after the show, but you didn't answer. I know you weren't asleep then; it was only 12:30."

"Oh, um. You know how it is, baby. I was probably just busy or something." CM Punk was nervous. He was almost caught.

"Oh, ok then. I was just wondering," Maria replied, back to her perky self.

"No need to worry, babe," he winked at her, taking her hand as they headed to the locker rooms.

AN: As I finished writing this chapter, I realized the whole straight-edge thing includes no promiscuous sex. I don't think there was any sex here (unless someone really looks into it and sees something that I didn't), and I don't think there will be in later chapters. At least I hope not.

In other news, my summer class ends on July 13. But, I go on vacation for a week in Cancun from July 16-23. I want to put out a chapter on the 13th if I can, because I won't have time on that Friday or Saturday. I'll try my best, and I'll be writing on the plane there and back. Love you all—Kiora Storm.