A/N Sorry for the delay, lots of stuff going on. Hope this makes up for it. Enjoy! ~Dixie
Drew felt like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Stu deserved to hear the truth and he knew it would destroy his friendship with Stephen in the process. He decided that Stephen wasn't the kind of man he thought he was, and he wasn't someone he wanted to be friends with anymore. He grabbed the laptop and called out to Stu "I am coming, mate."
He left Stephen's room and went back down the hallway and joined Stu in the living room. Stu saw the computer and looked confused. "What were you doing?"
"Uh, well let's wait till Ste gets out of the shower." He knew that when he told Stu, he was going to beat the hell out of Stephen, and Drew didn't want him to have to fight naked. Stu wondered what was going on because Drew had been acting strangely all day. When Stephen came out of his room, he saw his friends sitting on the couch and he saw his computer on the coffee table. He felt short of breath and started to panic.
"What's going on, mate?" he asked, looking straight at Drew.
"I thought I would ask you that. Anything you want to say, you know, get off your chest?" Drew sneered.
Stephen's face flushed and his heart raced. He saw the look on Drew's face and knew he had found out. He couldn't believe that Drew would tell Stu. After all, Drew was his best friend, not Stu's. "Well, yeh know so much, fella. Why don't yeh tell me, yeah?"
"Okay, fine." Drew went to flip the lid open and Stephen cleared his throat. "Wait!"
He looked up "yes?"
"Alright. Alright, Drew."
"What the bleeding hell is going on with you two, eh?" Stu wanted to know.
"Stu, mate, yeh have to understand, Ah didn't do it to hurt yeh."
He raised his eyebrows and stared at Stephen. "You didn't do what to hurt me?" he demanded.
"Ah am the one who posted that video. But let me explain." Stu jumped up and walked menacingly around the coffee table.
"You what!?" he yelled, Stephen slowly backing up away from him.
"Ah'm sorry, mate. Ah wasn't thinking."
"You weren't thinking that you wanted to destroy my life?!" Stu screamed. "And you made me think Rhonda did it! What for? Why would you do this to me? To her? To us?"
"Ah know yeh are mad but listen. This won't destroy yer life, yeh will get lots of publicity but it will die down. With yeh off because of yer injury, it will help yeh in the long run. Ah mean, look at Tommy Lee. The sex tape didn't hurt him."
"Are you actually standing there acting like you did me a favor?" Stu said in disbelief.
"Stu, mate, please…"
"Don't call me your mate, Stephen. My mate wouldn't do this to me and make me lose my girlfriend. Rhonda was telling the truth all along wasn't she? You did this because of her. But why?"
Drew stepped between them and put his hands on their chests. Stu was bowed up and looked like he was going to rip Stephen in half. Then it dawned on him "you want Rhonda for yourself."
"Ah don't know what to say."
"I am going to kill you where you stand so say your peace." Stu pushed against Drew and he held him back.
"Wait, just, wait. Ah know you are angry but Ah love her. Ah saw her first and Ah wanted her first. She should have never been with yeh, she belongs with me!"
"Have you gone mental? What am I saying, of course you have. You are insane if you think she wants you. She loves me and I love her. How did you think doing this would make her want to be with you?"
"Oh yeah, then why isn't she here, eh? Right, she loves yeh so much that she is shacking up with another bloke and yeh love her so much that yeh didn't trust her! Ah knew yeh would suspect her and then she would come back to me."
"You have twisted everything! I have heard enough, Drew get the fuck out of my way, mate."
"On yer best day yeh couldn't kick my ass, fella. Even without the bum arm. Yeh aren't better than me at anything. Not in the ring, not in the kitchen, not in the bedroom."
Stu struggled against Drew and he was using all the strength he had to hold him back. "Ste shut the hell up; you are just making it worse! Stu I know you are pissed and you have the right to be but getting arrested right now wouldn't be wise."
"No, go on, let him go, mate. Ah'm not scared of this posh limey. Ah will knock that fecking ugly nose straight."
Stu had heard enough and shoved Drew to the floor. "I will beat you senseless, you fucking pale, pasty, ginger, waste of skin mick!" Stu swung and landed a blow to Stephen's jaw. He stumbled but came back fighting. Stephen raised his hands and connected with a jab to Stu's nose, making it bleed. Drew got out of the floor and tried to break them up but had to dodge a punch himself. Stu faked a hit to the face, but punched Stephen in the gut. Stu was now on the attack, grabbing Stephen and striking him over and over in his abdomen and ribs. Stephen wrapped his arms around and tackled Stu, putting him through the coffee table, his laptop being smashed in the process. Stu grabbed him around the neck and put him in a choke hold. Stephen started gasping and reached up and pulled Stu's hair, ripping out a clump and making him let go.
Drew put his arms around Stu and pulled him away, trying to break them up. Stu kicked Stephen in the side of the head and busted him open. He wrenched away from Drew's grasp and took part of the table, swinging it and hitting Stephen in the face. He fell back and Drew knew he was knocked cold. Stu jumped on his chest and gripped his face in his huge hand. He slammed his head down on the pieces of the table lying in the floor. Drew jerked him back and screamed at him, "Stop before you kill him!"
"I want him dead!" Stu shouted.
"You want to spend the rest of your life in jail? Just stop, mate. He isn't worth it."
Stu heaved a deep breath and stomped down the hall to the bathroom. He washed his face and hands, his face covered in blood from his nose. He looked at his knuckles and saw that he wasn't bleeding so it had to be Stephen's blood. He stared at himself in the mirror and couldn't imagine that one of his best friends had betrayed him. His doubt cost him the woman he loves and he felt he had to go see her and make it right.
He went into the bedroom to change, while Drew was trying to bring Stephen around. He was angry at him, but worried about the damage Stu might have done to him, even though he deserved it. He got Stephen semiconscious but his eyes kept rolling into the back of his head. He got some cold water from the kitchen and thought he might have to take him to the hospital. He didn't want to because there would be a lot of questions and he wasn't sure if Stu would be arrested. Drew wrapped a towel around his head to stop the bleeding. Stu came down the hall in a huff and stared with pure hatred at Stephen still lying in a pool of his own blood on the carpet.
He picked up his wallet and keys and Drew asked him, "where are you going, mate?"
"I have to go see, Rhonda. I have to apologize and beg her forgiveness. I can't lose her, not like this, not to that wanker."
Drew nodded, "good luck."
"I just hope I'm not too late." He headed out the door still fuming. He tried to calm himself down as he drove to the florist. He couldn't show up to try and win her back empty handed. He told the woman behind the counter that he wanted 100 long stemmed red roses in a vase and while she made up the bouquet, he picked out chocolate, a teddy bear and had the other girl blowing up balloons. He picked out a card and wrote inside it while he waited for everything to be perfect. It all came to almost $500 but he didn't care. He had to show how much he loves her, and he had a lot of groveling to do.
He pulled up in the parking lot of the Radisson and nervously walked in. She spotted him coming in the door and her eyes went wide. She couldn't believe he was standing there with all that stuff. She tried to duck into the office, but he yelled for her. "Rhonda, wait!"
Mandy stared at him and realized who he was. She stared at Rhonda and smiled, realizing it really was her on the tape. She decided she would grill her later, right now she wanted to enjoy the floor show. Rhonda walked behind the counter and glared at Stu. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I came to see you, to beg your forgiveness."
"Really now?"
"Drew found out it was Stephen somehow and then he confessed. I am so sorry, love."
"Oh, I see. Now that Stephen confessed, you believe me and you came down here and expected what? That I would fall into your arms and tell you how much I love you and forgive you and we would ride off into the sunset? That ain't happening. So take all this shit and shove it up your fucking ass."
"I didn't think that, Rhonda. I do want you to forgive me and take me back. I should have trusted you and believed you. I am sorry I didn't before. Stephen warped everything and I didn't know what to think."
"You know what, Stuart, this isn't even about Stephen and what he did. It is about you. You didn't have any faith in me at all and really thought I could do that to you. Hell, why would I do that to myself? My little sister called me a fucking porn star for crying out loud! We can't have a relationship like that. So no, it will be the next day after hell freezes over before I forgive you and take you back. You need to get out of here before I go completely ghetto on your ass."
"Baby, if you would just listen…"
"Don't call me baby, and I don't want to listen to you! You said plenty yesterday. Now get the fuck out!" she yelled.
"Please, just take the gifts I got for you. Don't give up on me and what we have."
"I don't want all these trite, phony symbols of love and affection you pompous jackass!" She took the vase from him and took the roses out, and started throwing them at him. He backed up, not expecting this reaction. He had never seen this side of her: the side that only came out when she was furious; the same side that called her ex-boss a 7-11 reject; the side that kicked Stephen in the family jewels.
"Rhonda, please baby, stop."
"Baby? Baby. Really? Really. I will show you baby!" She threw the vase at him and he ducked, but it shattered on the tile floor. Mandy was watching and laughing, very impressed by her new friend.
He jumped and screeched "Rhonda! For God's sakes! That almost hit me!"
"I know, I was aiming for your big fat head but you are too fucking tall! Goddamn Jolly Green Giant freak of nature asshole. Hope you get knocked out by a ceiling fan!" She walked towards him and yanked the bear from his grasp. She stared at it with her head cocked to the side. "Oh, aren't you cute and cuddly? Just like Stu. I hate that." She grabbed the bear's head and tore it off, throwing the head right at his face. "I done told you; get the fuck out of here or your motherfucking head will be the next one I rip off!"
He actually felt a little scared of her so he turned around and walked out, but felt a bear body smack him in the back. She screamed as he left "why did I ever waste my fucking time moving here for a crooked nose, big eared loser like you?! You and Stephen both can skip through hell in gasoline drawers together!"
Rhonda was shaking from head to toe she was so mad. She finally got a hold of herself and looked around, surveying the damage. There was glass, roses, water and bear stuffing all over the floor. Mandy smirked at her and Rhonda flushed. Mandy walked out to where she was and put her arm around her. "You feel better, babe?"
"Much actually. Thanks. Sorry about this. Please don't tell Nina. I need this job."
"I won't but we need to clean this mess up before anyone sees it. Hopefully she won't watch the security footage."
"Thanks."
"No problem. I have went psycho on a few exes myself so I understand. But it my silence comes with a price."
"Oh. I understand. I don't have any money…"
Mandy laughed "no, not that kind of price. I mean, you have to tell me all about fucking Wade Barrett!"
After they cleaned everything up, Rhonda told Mandy all about what transpired between her and Stu and Stephen. She felt better having someone to talk to that wasn't judging her. Mandy swore to keep everything a secret and Rhonda was glad she met her.
When she finally got off work, she stopped at the store, wanting to drown her sorrows in junk food. She picked up a few things and made her way to Jon's apartment. She got a text from Jon saying they were going out for a couple of drinks after the show but he would be home not long after her. She made her a plate and sat down in the floor with her goodies piled on the coffee table around her. She turned on the television and tried not to think about what happened earlier.
Jon wanted to see her and was excited about her staying with him. He told Colby he needed to get home and Colby decided to go with him, wanting to meet Rhonda. When they made it to his flat, Jon warned Colby "don't say anything to upset her, dude. And don't say a word about that damn sex tape, got it?"
"Yeah man, I got it. Don't worry."
They walked in and saw Rhonda in the floor having her picnic. Jon stared at her food and turned up his nose. "Hey babe. What the fuck are you eating?"
"Oh, hey Jon. Just having a snack. You want some?"
"Uh, no. I don't think I do. This is my friend Colby. We work together down at FCW."
"Nice to meet you" Colby said with a smile.
"You too. You want some?"
"Sure." He grabbed a beer and a paper plate and sat in the floor beside her. "What all do we have here?"
Jon glared at him, suddenly feeling a twinge of jealousy. "Okay, so we have dill pickles, green and black olives, sour cream and onion Ruffles, French onion dip, pepperonis, mozzarella cheese sticks, grapes, Hershey's chocolate of course and strawberry shortcake Pinnacle vodka to wash it down."
"Um, wow. Don't think I will have it all together like you are doing though."
"Oh, the French onion dip is good with everything! You have to try it!"
He smirked at her "okay, I will. Just for you."
She giggled and tucked her hair behind her ear. Colby was really laying on the charm and Jon felt like he was going to explode. He took a MGD out of the fridge and grabbed a plate too, not wanting to be left out. He sat down beside her and sighed, "pass the chips, please."
Rhonda grinned at him, "I knew you couldn't resist!" She bumped his arm and he smiled back at her. She knew that Colby was flirting with her and she could see that Jon didn't like it. She reached over and touched his cheek, pulling his face closer to hers. She whispered against his lips "can I have a kiss, Jonathan?"
His eyes lit up and he leaned closer, pressing his lips to hers. When he pulled away, he whispered back, "that was nice to come home to."
They hung out for a while and watched a movie, Rhonda snuggled under Jon's arm. Colby felt a little disappointed but he had to admit he really liked her. She was laid back and liked many of the same things they did. He did wonder about her eating habits though.
When Rhonda went to the bathroom, Colby decided to ask what was on his mind. "Dude, should she really be drinking right now?"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I mean, she has to be pregnant right?"
"Why the hell do you say that?"
"Look at the shit she is eating! She has to be knocked up. Normal people don't eat like this. It has to be that dude Wade's too."
"Naw man, no way. She would have told me, and she wouldn't be drinking."
"Maybe she don't know."