Things were rather quiet the week that followed. Still strange but no bitching around or butting heads between her and Dean. He mostly ignored her but still some things had changed. Sometimes he stared at her, just stared right through her, and that little twisted smirk would often follow. A few times he had even talked to her like the day Alberto came back, always when Seth and Roman wouldn't notice, a short and low conversation that didn't really seem to go anywhere for her but he seemed weirdly satisfied.
"We just gotta run quick for a meeting with Hunter and Stephanie. Are you staying here as usual?" Roman asked.
"Where else would I go?" She gave him a little smile.
She was back to hiding in their locker room as much as usual. Dealing with Randy was hard enough but at least she was aware he would be there when her dad forced her on the road with him. She wasn't ready to deal with Alberto as well.
"Hey!" Randy called as the three Shield guys left the office after the meeting.
"What?" Seth asked, looking at the three men sitting at the table.
"Welcome back," Roman said to the third man.
"Tell Maisie the gang's back together," Randy said with a sideways smirk.
She was playing on her phone as they came back to the locker room. They were looking at her weirdly so she quickly put her phone away.
"What?" She asked.
"Nothing," Roman answered.
"Don't give me that. You're looking at me like I got something smeared all over my face," she said.
"The gang's back together," Dean said casually without even looking at her.
"Dean!" Roman raised his voice.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.
"Nothing," Seth answered.
"Randy told us to tell you that the gang's back together," Dean said.
He finally looked at her, once again that stare that went straight through her. She looked scared as she took a step backwards and tried spinning it around in her head. It couldn't be, could it? She always knew he would return. She just wasn't ready for it to happen so soon after Alberto.
"Sheamus is back from injury?" She asked lowly, hoping it wasn't true.
"Yeah, he's sitting out there with Randy and Alberto," Seth answered and sighed. "We didn't wanna tell you though. Thanks a lot, Dean."
"I was gonna find out eventually," she said.
Seth and Roman looked at her. Was she actually sticking up for Dean? She seemed strangly calm, way too calm actually, as if her mind was trying to block out everything around her and simply shut down in denial.
"I'll be right back," her voice broke as she walked towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Roman asked.
"I left my phone with my dad. Just gonna go get it," she said.
She was quickly out of the door and the three men looked at each other.
"You did see her playing on her phone when we got back, right?" Seth asked.
"Yeah," Roman answered.
"So where is she going?" Seth asked.
"Who cares?" Dean said and stretched his body. "Freedom for one night!"
"Why do you always have to be such a fucking asshole?" Seth sneered.
"It's just my natural charm," Dean chuckled. "Gonna go find a bathroom though."
With those words he left the room as well. He didn't need a bathroom but he wasn't about to tell Roman and Seth where he was heading. He hurried down the hallway until he finally spotted her ahead. He followed from a distance, trying to figure out where she was going. She walked outside, crossing the parking lot, walking away from the arena.
"Hey fangirl!" He shouted.
She stopped but didn't turn around. Even from afar he could see her shoulders hang low as if she had been defeated. He ran towards her and stopped in front of her.
"Tucking your tail between your legs?" He taunted.
"What's it to you?" She sighed.
"Running away like a bad dog? Don't wanna be part of the old gang anymore?" He was still taunting her.
"Can we not do this today?" She looked at him with pleading eyes. "I am asking you, Dean. I am fucking begging you. Will you please just go back to ignoring me today and let me leave?"
When he didn't answer, she hung her head low, just waiting for whatever verbal blows he wanted to deliver. She just wanted him to get it over with and leave her alone. Instead he grabbed her jaw, lifted her head up and stared at her intensely.
"What's with the fucking broken look?" He asked.
"None of your business," she answered.
He tightened his fingers, squeezing her jar a little too tight.
"I'll find out sooner or later, fangirl. One way or another I'll find out. No one gets to break you but me," he said.
"You win," she said defeated.
"Win what?" He asked.
"I can't do this anymore. I'll stay away for good. I promise. You can have Seth and Roman to yourself. If they approach me, I'll shoot them down. I'll tell them to fuck off. Anything you want," she said.
He let out a little giggle and moved his hand from her jar to her cheek, lightly tapping at it.
"And where's the fun in that, fangirl?" He asked.
"Can I go?" She sighed.
"Sure, run along. It's not like you can away anyway," he said.
He stepped out of her way and watched her continue forward. Her shoulders and head still hung low and her feet scraped on the concrete as she walked. Everything about her just screamed of being in a bad place. He watched her for a while until she was out of sight and then he finally walked back to the locker room.
"Where is she?" Roman asked.
"How should I know?" Dean shrugged his shoulders.
"Come on. We know you went after her," Roman chuckled.
"She left. I don't know where she went. Probably back to the hotel. Who the fuck cares?" Dean said.
"You, apparently," Seth chuckled too.
"You know, it would be so much easier if you would just admit to actually liking her," Roman said.
"I wanna fuck her. That doesn't mean I like her. She's hot but I can't stand her," Dean said.
"Do I have to throw in a warning here?" Roman asked and stood up straight.
"Relax. I'm not going down that path again," Dean said. "Besides, there's plenty of other people to fuck and tonight we're going out to find them."