Chapter 15:

Back In Business

Isabella stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and sighed. Even with a brand new dress, new shoes and a new haircut, she still didn't feel any better. Everyone told her to do something for her, to get her mind off things and feel brand new, but the lifelessness in her eyes was still there, a reminder that she was in the middle of a funk she couldn't pull herself out. The bags under her eyes refused to disappear, no matter how much she slept. All the makeup in the world couldn't hide the fact that she was suffering.

Two days ago, Isabella returned home. Ruby was angry with her for leaving. Even though Isabella got Ruby to admit that she had no idea what Isabella was feeling Ruby was still frosty. She insisted Isabella had acted selfishly. She was also put off that John had only invited Isabella to go to the WWE show. It felt like no matter what she did, she couldn't win Ruby's approval anymore. Isabella knew Ruby felt left out, so she didn't talk much about the show. Not that it mattered; Ruby and Isabella were hardly talking anyway.

The dress was nice, a little black bandage dress that clung to Isabella like a second skin. She put her sandy hair back into a high ponytail. Her makeup was natural, with nude lips, eyeliner and blush. Isabella finished the look off with a cream colored cardigan and black ballet flats. She looked good, but she felt awful. Isabella also had her suspicion that she was overdressed for a pro wrestling show.

Everyone told her she would feel back to normal in time. But each week felt worse than the one before. Ruby putting up a wall between the two of them didn't help matters.

"What time are you coming home at?" Ruby asked. She was leaning against the bathroom doorway, dressed in a white hooded sweatshirt and red plaid pajama pants. Black fuzzy slippers kept her feet warm. Her hair was pulled into a low ponytail that was in danger of falling out.

"I don't know. Hopefully not too late," Isabella answered honestly. She was sure she spent around eighty percent of her days sleeping, and she still woke up exhausted. Sleep was the only thing that kept her from thinking about her brother's last moments, about the fear he must have felt. She wondered about it all the time, if it was sudden and he had no idea, or if he had suffered. Those thoughts alone tormented her every waking moment. Isabella looked at her reflection and sighed. "All the makeup in the world can't hide the fact that I feel like Hell."

"I'm sorry, Izzie. I wish I knew what to say."

"It's fine, Rube. I know I have to work through this," she confessed. They hugged each other. It was the first sign of warmth Ruby had shown Isabella since she had come home. Isabella pulled back and sniffled, carefully wiping at her eyes with her fingers.

"I want you to have fun tonight, Izzie, and I want all the details when you get home. I'll be waiting with a bowl of popcorn," Ruby told her, smiling. Isabella nodded. They left the bathroom and Isabella grabbed her purse. She really wasn't sure she was up for a night out, but she didn't want to let John down. She knew that her presence on his first night back after a two year absence meant the world to him and she didn't want to let him down.

When Isabella arrived at the arena the sun was already going down. The sky was a soft mix of pastel blue and pink, with cobalt creeping in. It took Isabella a while to find a parking spot. John had a ringside seat and a backstage pass set up for her at the box office. All she had to do was give her name and show some ID. She was surprised that he had given her a backstage pass. It meant that she was going to meet some of his friends, something that made her feel a little nervous. She got out of the car. It had been two years since she had been to the arena; last time she had gone to a Britney Spears concert with Ruby. It wasn't Isabella's cup of musical tea, but Ruby hadn't wanted to go alone.

Security showed Isabella through the floor area, escorting her to her seat. She was surprised to find she was right across from the ring. It was a great view; she could see everything. Slowly, the crowd began to find their seats and a pleasant buzz surrounded her. People were talking excitedly. Isabella felt out of place, and, true to her suspicions, overdressed. She was determined to have fun in spite of her lack of knowledge on pro wrestling. As the time drew closer, however, Isabella was mentally berating herself for not surfing YouTube or Wikipedia for any information.

The commentators began to come out. Isabella noted the mixed reaction for the man with the crown, known as Jerry Lawler according to his entrance video. The other guy, Michael Cole, was met with outright disdain from the fans. She decided quickly to just stay quiet. Ring announcer Lilian Garcia came out and sang the national anthem. Isabella thought she was phenomenal.

It was a high-energy, fast-paced show. Isabella was caught up in it. About an hour and a half into the show, Randy Orton came out to face a man who called himself Dolph Ziggler. The second she saw his face on the screen Isabella felt herself tense. If he saw her, he didn't react, much to Isabella's relief. He posed on the corner of the ring, with his back to her. Isabella found herself momentarily blinded by the flashing of hundreds of cameras. Beside her, a man wearing a ECW T-shirt was screaming the most profane things she'd ever heard about Randy and his family. As much as she disliked Randy Orton, she thought the fan was out of line.

It was a good match that saw Randy emerge victorious. Isabella thought the match could have gone either way. After the match Randy left the ring, never looking back to face the crowd. Medical personnel tended to Dolph. It was such a physical match that Isabella wasn't surprised to see he had been hurt. She hoped whatever the injury was, it wasn't serious. John had already gone out of his way to prepare her with the "highly choreographed" discussion, but Isabella wasn't stupid; she knew accidents could happen. Fake or not, it was still athletic.

By the end of the night, Isabella wondered if John was going to come out at all. Before the show, John had stressed to her to keep his return under wraps, so she knew she couldn't turn to the man beside her and ask. In the ring stood a man by the name of Wade Barrett. He was a striking man, the tall, dark and handsome archetype. Isabella realized quickly that they were intending on picking up where they had left off, since Wade had fired John last time he had been on WWE TV. She remembered Trey had been upset to see John Cena fired.

In the two years since John's departure, Wade Barrett had become WWE Champion. The Nexus had long since disbanded, with Wade becoming the most successful story of them all. Isabella found him intimidating as he bellowed that he had run through all of the challengers WWE had to offer. He was dissatisfied with the competition. The WWE Championship rested comfortably on his shoulder. The crowd lit up as new music began to play and WWE Chairman Vince McMahon stepped out. Isabella felt second hand embarrassment for Vince over the suit he wore.

"I understand your frustration, Mr. Barrett. It does appear that we haven't been able to supply you with suitable competition in quite some time," Vince agreed, holding his arm out, motioning to Wade. "Quite frankly, you've been downright dominant. You've been...unstoppable. However, I think I've found competition for you that's more than suitable, and I'm sure you'll agree"

The crowd began to murmur. "Is that so?" Wade demanded. Vince nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, Isabella saw John running through the crowd. The reaction was almost deafening with shock and cheers. John hopped over the barricade and made a beeline for the ring, sliding inside from under the bottom rope. Wade turned, dropping the title. He was frozen in place, looking as though he had just seen a ghost. John lunged, taking him down with a double leg take down. He climbed onto the British champion and began to rain punch after punch on him. Wade struggled and tried to get back out of the ring, but John grabbed him by the ankle and dragged him back inside, putting the champion in what appeared to Isabella to be a painful submission hold. The crowd was screaming. Isabella was cheering rabidly as Wade began tapping out.

Referees stormed the ring to tear the two men apart. Wade grabbed his belt and rolled out of the ring, stumbling and landing on his butt at the foot of the ramp. John threw up his hands, staring out at the crowd and everyone cheered. On the ramp, Wade was on his feet now, shouting and a smiling Vince McMahon. It looked to Isabella that Wade was shouting, "You can't do this to me!"

After a few moments, when Wade and Vince had disappeared and the cameras had gone off, John got out of the ring and made a beeline to Isabella. He hugged her tightly. She hugged him back. "Thank you for being here," he said to her. She laughed.

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world," she told him.

"I'll see you backstage," he told her, pulling back. She nodded. They were both beaming, smiles that lit up their faces. Isabella was fully aware of all the eyes that were suddenly on her, but she didn't care. He went up the ramp, turning once more to pander to the crowd, to send them home happy.

"You know John Cena?" the guy beside her asked. She nodded. It was the man who had been shouting the hurtful things at Randy Orton. He snorted. "He can't wrestle."

"He was doing just fine," Isabella retorted. There was a "dark match" after the main event and then she could go backstage. She was thankful for that; she really disliked the man she was sitting with. The match featured champion Wade Barrett taking on a guy named Daniel Bryan. He was considerably smaller than Wade Barrett but he had given him a good fight. One hard elbow to the face later, though, and Wade Barrett had saved face after being humiliated by John Cena.

As the crowd began to disperse after the show, Isabella made her way towards the area John told her would take her backstage. She flashed her pass to the security guard and he whisked her through.

It was incredibly busy backstage. Isabella spotted Daniel Bryan getting looked at by an on-staff doctor. It looked like he had tweaked his knee doing his flying kick. She wasn't surprised, since it looked like his move had hurt both him and his opponent. She spotted Wade on a trunk. A doctor shone a light in his eye, checking for any sign of a possible concussion. They locked eyes for a moment until Isabella heard John calling her name.

She turned. John rushed over to her. Randy followed closely behind, visibly uncomfortable. John hugged her, noting her stiffness. He pulled back. "Someone has something he wants to say to you." He turned to Randy, who was rubbing the back of his neck and clearing his throat. Isabella and Randy were looking at everything but each other.

"Hey. Look, uh, I'm really sorry about all that shit I said at John's. I was a real dick. No excuse. I was out of line." He extended his hand to her. Isabella examined it warily. She looked into his eyes. "Truce?" he asked.

Isabella mulled it over for a second and slipped her hand into his. "Truce," she echoed. Randy looked relieved.

"John told me what's been happening with you. I'm really sorry about what happened with your brother." She nodded, the familiar hot sting behind her eyes.

"Thank you," she said, her voice threatening to crack. John sensed it, but she changed the subject before he could say anything. "How does it feel to be back?" she asked him.

"Great. It feels absolutely great," John answered, draping an arm over her shoulder and pulling her close to him. "I can't wait to get back on the road last week. It feels like home."

A young woman walked up to them, dressed in a red bustier and little shorts. She had long glossy dark hair and bright red lips. Her makeup was heavy. "Hi, boys," she greeted with a wave. Her brown eyes fell on John. "Hey, you. Welcome back. We've missed you around here." She hugged him. Pulling back she turned to Isabella, her eyes scanning the blonde from head to toe. "Who's this? I noticed you gave her a hug at the end of the show."

"This is my good friend Isabella. Isabella, this is Nikki Bella, one of the Divas here." Isabella and Nikki shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you, Isabella," Nikki said. There was something about Nikki that Isabella couldn't put her finger on. There was a snobby aura that resonated from her. Isabella could tell just from one look at her that Nikki Bella was a high maintenance woman.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Nikki."

Nikki looked between John and Randy. "So what are you three up to tonight?"

"Oh..." Isabella started, but John spoke over her, effectively cutting her off.

"Not much. Might take Bella here out for a night on the town. She's had a rough go of things the past couple weeks, so I thought I'd try and cheer her up," John told Nikki, who looked at Isabella. It was already close to Isabella's bed time and she was becoming tired. Going out after the show had been a fleeting thought, but she hadn't had any intention of going out.

"Well, maybe Brie and I will join you guys. I don't think Bryan's going to be in the mood to do anything. It looks like his knee is hurt," Nikki informed them. John nodded. Isabella noticed that Randy was completely indifferent to Nikki Bella.

"Sounds good. The more, the merrier," he said. With that, Nikki took off down the hall to fetch her twin sister.

"I appreciate what you want to do, John, but I'm getting tired."

"It's fine, Bella. We won't keep you too late, because most of the guys here have to get on the road early tomorrow morning." Isabella nodded, but she wasn't sold on the idea of painting the town red with a man fresh out of rehab. Well, at least I'm dressed for this, she thought to herself. Nikki returned with her twin sister. The aura that radiated from her was much warmer than Nikki's.

"Hi, Bella, I'm Brie," she greeted with a laugh, shaking her hand.

"Hi, Brie. It's nice to meet you."

"I just have to go talk to the agents before we can go. I'll leave you here with Randy for a moment and do that. Let me know if he steps out of line. I'll be right back"

"But..." Isabella started, but John took off, flanked by Brie and Nikki. She sighed, her shoulders slumping. Randy noticed.

"Don't worry about it. I don't want to be around me a good ninety percent of the time," Randy assured her with a smirk. She found herself smiling. They fell silent, staring down the empty hall. She wished she knew how long John was going to be gone for. Randy leaned against a trunk with his massive arms crossed over his chest. There was a long, awkward silence between the two of them. "John said you were on vacation recently."

"Vacation?" she laughed. He nodded. "It was more like running away, but yeah."

"Where did you go?"

"Georgia. I needed some me time." Randy nodded.

"Understandable, considering." There was a pause. "Look, Isabella, I really am sorry about things. I tend to not think before I do things. It's a real problem with me. You could ask anyone back here."

"It's fine, really. Water under the bridge," she assured him. He looked relieved. "I know we both want what's best for John."

He nodded. Several minutes passed before John arrived with Brie, Nikki and the man she identified as Wade Barrett. His eye was darkening. "Isabella, this is Wade Barrett. We're probably going to be running into him at some point tonight."

"Hi, there. Nice to meet you," Isabella greeted with a smile, shaking his hand. It was a firm handshake.

"Likewise. John's been talking about you all day," he said with a laugh. Isabella felt herself blush.

"Did you want to get in touch with your roommate and let her know you're going to run late?" John asked. Randy snorted.

"Why not just invite her out?" Randy suggested. John looked at him, surprised, but nodded.

"Sure...if that's what you want to do." Isabella nodded.

"Yeah, sure, I'll call her. Where are we going?"

"I'm not too sure yet. Maybe we should call her when we figure it out," John stated. Isabella nodded.

"Well, let's figure something out quick, because I'm hungry and places are gonna start shutting down soon," Randy griped. Isabella bit back a smile.

"I know a good place down the road from here. Good food, good drinks and they always play good music," Nikki announced. Isabella had to hide the disapproval from her face.

A nightclub...Isabella wanted to say something, but she decided to just go with the flow. In a short period of time, Ruby would be with her and she would feel a little less out of place.