"Are you kidding me?" Randy asked with a groan, reaching over to steal a french fry from John's plate. "I hate war movies."

"Oh, come on," John said with a grin. "They're not that bad."

"They're so…so depressing," Randy stated after a moment. "Watching people get blown in half and knowing that it's based on something that actually happened is not my idea of entertainment."

"Okay, fine. So…what's your favorite movie then?"

Randy considered the question for a moment. "The Outlaw Josey Wales."

John snorted. "Because westerns are never depressing."

Randy smiled brightly. "Exactly."

John shook his head in amusement. Their conversation was interrupted once again, however when somebody called for Randy and he moved down the bar to make a drink. John glanced around the place. Most of the dinner crowd had left and John had spent the past hour sitting at the bar, talking to Randy.

After a few minutes, an older man made his way from the back out to the bar and went over to Randy. He was several inches shorter than Randy and his light brown hair reached his shoulders and John was sure that that was Shawn Michaels. Randy had mentioned the man in passing during their conversation.

John watched as Randy smiled at whatever it was that Michaels said to him before he ducked under the bar and went over to John.

"Break time?" John asked.

Randy nodded. "Come on. I need to get out of here for a few minutes."

John followed Randy back around the bar and out the backdoor. He sidestepped into an office near the door and grabbed a coat before leading John out. John had been sitting on the stool for too long and as soon as they made it outside, he bent himself backwards, trying to stretch out his still aching back.

"You alright?" Randy asked, watching him as he leaned against the wall of the building.

"Yeah," John answered. "Sometimes it just gets a little bad."

Randy nodded, eyebrows drawing together in a sympathetic frown. They had been talking for an hour but it had all been superficial. Movies, music, what there was to do in town.

"It bothers you a lot?" He asked a little tentatively.

John shrugged. "Some." He smiled wryly. "I am too young to have back problems."

Randy gave a brief smile, reaching a hand out to squeeze John's shoulder on his way past. He stopped, and sat on the small wooden bench close to the building and began searching the pockets of his jacket, finally producing a pack of cigarettes. He shrugged at John's look.

"I know, it's bad for me and I am supposed to be quitting…" He lit one anyway.

John shook his head. He leaned back against the wall near the bench and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Really not my place to judge."

"They're not going to be the thing that kills me anyway," Randy said, like he was stating a fact. His eyes darkened momentarily and he stared off into the night.

"How do you know for sure?" John asked with a frown.

Randy shook himself and then forced a smile, changed the subject. "So, why move here?"

John shrugged. "Here is not so bad."

"You like small towns?"

"I grew up in one."

Randy tilted his head to the side. "I always liked going to the city. Not everyone knows your history in the city. You're not constantly surrounded by people you've known since you were five…" He trailed off wistfully, his eyes still distant.

"Then why wouldn't you move to the city?"

Randy shrugged, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. "Shawn's here, Nat, Trish, Cody…my mom grew up here…"

"The city isn't that far. You'd still see them," John pointed out but Randy only flicked his cigarette away and stood.

"Need to get back inside." He stepped closer to John, almost in his personal space. "Thanks."

John frowned in confusion. "For what?"

Randy smiled at him before turning and starting inside. John was left staring after him. He let out a breath, shaking his head and starting around the building towards his car. The night had definitely been better than the day.

And Randy…It had been a very long time since John had clicked like that with someone so fast. They had fallen easily into the conversation, trading banter and easy smiles like they'd known each other for years.

Except, John got the distinct impression that Randy had been so easy with him because John hadn't known him for years. He chewed his lip as he got into his car and started the engine. He didn't immediately pull away, instead staring at the front entrance of the place for moment.

His thoughts went to Mike and his friend's belief that Randy was bad news. John had known Mike for years. They'd gone to grade school together, then Mike had moved and after he'd graduated, John had gone on to college ball but they'd kept in touch.

As far as John knew, Mike wasn't one to believe every rumor he heard or to write someone off over nothing. After all, Mike had only been fifteen when he'd moved to the town they were both currently staying in and it had been him who had insisted they stay friends, and then made it happen.

John could easily write off what the three assholes from the other night had said but Mike was a different story.

Still, he couldn't imagine the guy he'd been talking to for the past hour being the same guy that the entire town, with a few exceptions, seemed to hate.

Xxxxxxxxx

It was much easier to get through the rest of the night after John had left. He bore twin looks of disdain in the eyes of twins Nikki and Brie Bella with a smile as he served them their drinks. Trish made her way past, tray in hand. Randy saw it coming long before the other two girls did. Trish tripped just as she was about to pass them and the picture of beer 'accidently' toppled off, soaking Nikki's red shirt.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry!" Trish exclaimed, a false apology in her expression and her voice.

"Bitch!" Nikki yelled, standing and staring down at herself.

"I said I was sorry," Trish said. She looked Nikki over. "I'm sure you can afford another one."

"I'm going to kill you!" Nikki's eyes were blazing.

"You're going to pay for that," Brie spoke up with a glare of her own, pulling her sister towards the bathroom.

Trish dropped her tray in front of Randy. "I need another picture."

"What the hell was that?" He asked, unmoving.

"What? It was an accident." Trish widened her eyes in an attempt to look innocent.

"Uh huh." Randy studied her a moment. "Those two come in here all the time and you've never dumped beer on them before."

Trish sighed and pressed her lips together. "Doesn't mean I haven't wanted to."

"Maybe…but you've never done it." Randy rested his elbows on the bar, leaned closer to her. "You're usually a lot better at controlling your temper…what exactly did they say that pushed you to do it?"

"I really need to clean this up." Trish started to turn away but Randy reached for her, closing his hand around hers. He had to blink away the image that automatically formed when his fingers made contact with her bare skin.

"Trish…" He raised an eyebrow and she sighed again.

"They were talking about you, alright? Before you went to take their order, they were talking about you," she admitted reluctantly.

Randy ran a hand over his forehead. "What exactly did they say?" He asked tiredly, unsure if he even wanted to hear the answer.

"It doesn't matter. It's just Justin and the stupid rumors that he started…"

"What did they say?" He pressed because Trish had heard the rumors before and she knew the real story behind them. She was one of the few people who did, one of the few that he had told it too and had actually believed him.

"It doesn't matter," Trish said, sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry." She tilted her head to the side, towards where John had been sitting earlier. "I didn't want to ruin your night."

"Its fine," Randy said with a shrug. "I'm used to it." He squeezed her hand lightly before letting go. "People are gonna talk."

Xxxxxxxxx

Trish watched Randy turn back to make her another picture, the frown still on her face. She wished that she hadn't done it. If she hadn't, he wouldn't have known what Nikki and Brie had been talking about and she felt bad about bringing him down again, especially after she'd seen the genuine smile on his face after he'd spoken to John Cena.

It was rare, seeing him smile like that.

She hadn't been able to help herself, though. She could usually shrug off whatever the twins said about her but she'd walked by them at just the wrong moment, heard the world murderer leave Nikki's mouth and she'd lost control of her temper. She had a very long fuse, had to in this town, but it had burned out completely when she'd heard that.

And she hated Nikki and Brie because they were just being spiteful and they had no idea what they were talking about. She hated Justin for inciting those kinds of rumors about Randy. She hated Mike for not believing Randy when he'd told him the truth.