Chapter 17
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"You know this is not going to end well, right?" John said rather than asked.
He was pacing back and forth as Randy sat on the bed with his head down.
"Dude, what the hell are you doing? This is going to put your career down the drain!"
"I know that." Randy said.
"Didn't we talk about this before? You told me, point blank, there was nothing going on with you and Arianne." John said, "And you said you weren't having an affair with her."
"We weren't."
"So what happened then?" John asked, "You just suddenly ended up naked in the same bathroom?"
Randy didn't say anything. How could he explain everything that happened? It just did. He felt what he felt, and did what he did, and he doesn't regret any of it. All the ups and downs, the highs and lows, all of it was worth it.
"That's not what happened."
"Oh, no? What? Did you sent out an invite? Did you get an itch you had to get scratched and she was available?" John said, "Oh, no, wait, did she force you? Did she seduce you?"
"Will you shut up?" Randy's voice went a notch higher this time. It was obvious he was getting angry. "We're here on our own volition. None of your insane theories happened."
"You know you have to end this, right?" John said, "Do the right thing before it gets bad."
"I can't."
"What do you mean you can't?" John said, "Just end it, you both know it's wrong, you both know this isn't going to end good, and you both know this could destroy both of your careers in the company…"
"I can't, okay! I can't leave her!" He snapped, standing up abruptly. "I can't end this, and I'm not going to! Ever!"
"Why the hell not?" John said.
"Because I love her!" He said, "I would go to the depths of hell for her if I have to. And I don't give a damn about what you think—I don't give a rats ass what everyone else thinks, or what the fuck they're all gonna do about it—I'm not giving her up! So you can go and tell whoever you want to tell about it."
When Arianne heard that, from inside the bathroom, she realized how much he really does love her. He was ready to sacrifice everything he had going, and that wasn't a small thing at all. But that's also when she realized that she would sacrifice everything for him—for his benefit. And if that means she had to disappear…
"I don't know what else I gotta say to knock some sense into you." John said. "I hope you know what you're doing."
"I do." Randy said, "I've never been surer of anything."
"Whatever man." John said. And then he went out of there.
He remained seated at the bed for a while, trying to gather his head, after what happened. She peeked inside and saw him in that situation. He looked despondent and uncertain—or at least that's what she thought he looked like. She crept inside the room, but she didn't go to him. She picked up her things, all the candles, and the CD on the player. That's when he looked up and saw her.
"What are you doing?"
"I…I think maybe I should leave now." She said.
As she said that she actually thought about leaving not just the room, but to leave for real—forever. And as if by some sixth sense or some deeper connection, that's what it felt like she said.
He took her stuff and put them on the floor. "No. You're not going." He said. "You're staying here. You're not going anywhere. I'm not gonna let you."
"But Randy…what if John…"
"Forget about him." He put his arms around her, trying to reassure her. "Listen to me. I know you're scared, but trust me."
"But he's right you know…" Ari said. Her voice muffled as she buried her face on his bare chest. "This could destroy everything you've worked hard for…"
He cupped her face in his hands and looked at her right in the eyes, and as she looked at his eyes, she didn't see doubt in them. It kind of made her feel bad or guilty for doubting his resolve about their relationship. She wanted to be as strong as him, and she hated the thought that maybe she wasn't. That maybe she couldn't. She felt her eyes start to burn as tears bid to form in them and had to turn away.
"Listen, Ari, listen to me…" Randy said, making her look at him. "John…he's got his opinions but he's not going to tell anyone. I know him. And even if he does, I'm not giving you up…I'm not going to leave you. You trust me, right?"
"I trust you." She nodded.
That's when the tears came again. She wished she could say the same to him, but she doesn't know if she could. She doesn't know if she could let him sacrifice everything to be with her. She know how much he's worked to achieve everything he has, and she doesn't know if she could bear knowing that he let all of it go down the drain just because of her.
"Don't cry." He said, as he kissed her tears away. "Please, don't cry."
He continued to kiss her, on the lips, and she kissed him back.
"Let's go to bed, okay?" Randy said, brushing his fingers through her hair.
"Shouldn't I go back to my room?"
"No. Just stay here." He said, he just really wanted her to stay there. "Someone might see you come out of here. Just leave in the morning when everyone's gone."
"Right."
"Go on, get on the bed." He ushered her towards it. "I'll just put something on."
So she got on the bed, under the covers and he put on some clothes and joined her there, and just held her through the night in his arms. To him, it was kind of a way to try and erase any doubt she may have. He held her until he fell asleep as well. But she wasn't really asleep. She just kept her eyes closed and held on to him. Wishing in her mind that she was as strong as he is about all of this.
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A several days later…
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Arianne was at home, thinking about what had happened the last several days. She couldn't help but feel disheartened about how things seem to have turned for the worse. They never expected John to find out. Cody knowing about it was one thing; she knows he wasn't going to say anything, primarily because of her. But John knowing was another thing. For some reason, she was more frightened at the thought of it.
She decided to put her focus on something else to take her mind of it, and cleaned her apartment. She even got to some boxes she never got to unpack upon moving there because she was always busy. She found an old photo album, and skimmed through pages and pages of pictures from her childhood, until she found one from Joseph's 11th birthday. That's when she remembered his birthday was coming in two days.
She decided to call him at the nursing home and maybe schedule a visit so they could celebrate it together. She hasn't heard from him since her last visit, and thought maybe she should put in the effort to fix their relationship. But she was the one who got a surprise instead.
"Hi, I'm Arianne Carter, Joseph Carter's sister. I would like to speak to him." She said over the phone.
"Oh, he's not here." The front desk clerk answered.
"What do you mean he's not there?" She asked, suddenly nervous. "Has something happened to him?"
"No ma'am." The lady said, "He's just not here. He left."
"I-I don't understand." She said, "I'm looking for my brother, he's a patient there, he has no legs, how could he go anywhere?"
"That's the point, ma'am." The lady said, "He got himself some legs and he left two weeks ago. Somebody provided him some prosthetic legs…state of the art, really expensive ones…and then he left. Man in a Rover picked him up."
"Do you know who it was? Did he leave a name?"
"No. Is that all?" The lady said, "I'm busy."
"Yes. Thank you." Then she put the phone down.
She couldn't explain it, but she became really fearful about what she learned. How come Joseph didn't even call her to tell her about it? And who was the man who helped him? Maybe it was one of his friends and there was really nothing wrong with that, but somehow, in her gut, she could sense it wasn't as innocent as it all seems from the outside.
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Somewhere in New York
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"These are good." Joseph said, "These are very good. But your plan's not going to work."
He was in a club—one of the three men there, inside the owner's office, looking at some photos of Arianne and Randy in compromising situations at different locations. There were pictures of them at her apartment, at a parking garage, sneaking around backstage, at the WWE Headquarters' rooftop, and more recently, at a hotel's bathroom, in the tub, in a really compromising position—taken from a hidden camera planted inside.
"You want to bring them both down, not just Randy." He said, "You think if you come out with these to the media that it will rip them apart?" He snickered, "From what you've told me about your encounters with them, you know it's not just a simple sexual affair. They're involved and they're involved deeply."
"What are you saying?" Mark said. "That this isn't going to destroy them?"
"Oh, it will destroy their careers…at least for a while." Joseph said, "But if they are as 'in love' with each other as they seem to be, they won't care about that. They'll choose to be together, and if that's the case, we didn't succeed at anything."
"You really hate your sister, don't you?" Mark asked, snickering.
"She's not my sister." Joseph said. "Not anymore. She doesn't even have the same blood I have in my veins. But yes…to answer your question, I do hate her. I think the fact that we all hate the same people is the main reason why we're all here, after all. Right, Mr. Hammond?"
"That's exactly, why we're all here." Richard Hammond said.
He was the one who's financed everything. Arianne has become somewhat his obsession. He had to have her no matter what, no matter how. If he has to break her down and pick her up from pieces after all this, then so be it, but he has to have her. He'd never wanted anything more since she's turned him down. And Randy, well, he's just going to have to be collateral damage.
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March 12, 2010
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Randy and Arianne have been preventing to be seen alone with each other in public ever since John had walked in on them. Randy wanted to just brush it off and stay the way they've been before, but Arianne was less comfortable about it so he agreed just to keep her calm. She didn't tell him the issue about Joseph.
They were on the road then, and decided to stop over at a diner for lunch. Randy and Santino were still at the counter while Arianne and Cody were already at their table. Cody wasn't talking and she was a little uncomfortable about it, so she decided to start a conversation with him.
"So…the big move's coming up, huh?" She said. "Are you excited about moving to Smackdown?"
"I guess." Cody shrugged. He really had no intention to make her feel awkward talking to him, but that's what happened. Cody felt that though, and so he tried to salvage the situation.
"Anyway…Wrestlemania…Hall of Fame…you're attending, right?" Cody asked, "Ted's dad's going to be inducted."
"Yeah…I don't think I'm going to be around for all of that." Arianne said, "I think I'm gonna just skip it this year."
"Why? It's the biggest pay-per-view of the year, the most important." Cody said, "You can't skip Wrestlemania."
That's when Randy came, and heard what he said. "Who's skipping Wrestlemania?"
Cody realized he didn't know about Ari's plan of skipping it, so he didn't say another word. But he looked at her and Randy caught the glance, and knew the answer.
"You're not skipping it." He told her as he sat down.
"But Randy, you don't understand…" She started to explain, but Santino was there already.
"We'll talk about this later." He said.
"Talk about what?" Santino asked, completely unaware of everything.
"Nothing." Randy and Cody said at the same time.
"Fine, don't tell me anything." Santino said, "I'm too hungry to argue anyway."
They didn't talk about it the whole time they were there, or while they went back on the road, until they had to stop for gas. Cody stayed at the car and load up the gas, while Randy followed Arianne to the shop. Santino had to go to the restroom.
"Okay, what's this about you skipping Wrestlemania?" He asked, "When were you going to tell me about this?"
"I was gonna tell you, I was just waiting for the right time to bring it up."
"What right time? It's two weeks away! You couldn't just tell me 'by the way I won't be around for Wrestlemania'?" He said, obviously irritated. "You couldn't just do that?"
"Fine, so I'm telling you now I'm not coming." She said, as she tried to walk away. She didn't want to cause a scene, but a few people were already looking at them. "I'm skipping the whole thing. There, are you happy now?"
He grabbed her arm, "Don't turn your back on me when I'm talking to you." He said, a little aggravated. But he let go as soon as she turned around. "I'm sorry…" He sighed, "And no, I'm not happy about it."
"But Randy, I can't be there." She said.
She didn't want to tell him, but it was for the sole reason that his family would be there. She'd been thinking about it and she could already imagine how hard it would be, how painful it would be, for her to be there and see him but not be able to be with him at all. She doesn't think she could bear all that.
"Why not?" He asked, "Don't you want to see all our efforts come to fruition first hand? You've worked so hard for this face turn to happen. I want you to be there when they applaud for me. I want to share that with you."
She couldn't say anything. She wanted to be there too and see him get the adulation he deserves, but she's more scared of what the situation would be like if she did.
"Ari please…" Randy said, "I need you there. Didn't you say you'd do anything for me? Well, I'm asking you this now. Please come."
She sighed. How could she say no after that? "Fine…" She said, "I'll be there."
"Really?" He asked, his face suddenly lighting up.
"Yes, really." She said, rolling her eyes.
"Yippie." He smiled. "I love you." He said, with a tune, kissing her on the cheek.
"You should." She said. You have no idea how hard what you're asking of me really is. She thought.
He smiled not knowing what she was thinking. "I'll go back to the car." He said, "Hurry up."
She nodded, and he left. She watched him as he went out of the shop. He's done so much more than she'd expected of him, and she thought that sacrifice she was going to have to make come next week would just be her way of repaying him.
She was about to go to the cashier when her phone rang. It was Joseph.
"Joseph? Where are you? I called the home and…"
"Shut up!" Joseph said. "It doesn't matter where I am. Stop acting like you care."
"J-Joseph, what are you talking about?"
"You didn't really think I was going to change my mind about you just like that, did you?" He laughed, "You're as feeble as you've always been."
"Joseph…why…?"
"How's your boyfriend by the way?" He said, "Is he still screwing you? Don't deny, because I have proof he is, you know like pictures and videos and such. You know you really should be careful where the two of you hang out…or fuck for that matter…see, I have a couple of other friends that hates you and him as much as I do…and we're going to bring you down. We're going to destroy you, and we're going to destroy him. Can you imagine what would happen if these evidence get to the wrong hands? Or the right hands actually…"
She had heard enough. She doesn't know if it was the fact that she got played by Joseph, or that she was so angry at him at that moment for what he was threatening to do against Randy, but she just blew up.
"Now, you listen to me you son of a bitch!" She said, "I've had about enough of you, so God help you if I ever see you, because I swear I'm going to kill you." She could feel her whole body shaking in anger. "You're not going to do anything to him. You hate me so much, hurt me, not him, you hear me? I'm not gonna let you…"
"Tough talk, Arianne." He said, cooly. "But I'm sorry to tell you…the motions have already been set for your downfall."
Then he ended the call abruptly. If she'd been worried before, this has definitely added to her burden. She felt like her world was shaking, falling apart and there was nothing she could do. She looked at Randy waiting outside, leaning outside the car, signaling for her to hurry up. She knows she has to do something. There has to be a way. But at that moment, everything seems dim.
She was quiet all the while on the road. Even when Santino started to make jokes, it was like her mind was flying off somewhere. It's like she wasn't there in the car. She was just looking outside the window, even though there was nothing to see because it was already dark.
Randy noticed it of course, and was a little disconcerted. Somehow he felt hesitant to ask her what the matter was, because he was afraid to make it worse. He thought it may be something about him, or her showing up at Wrestlemania. He does know the reason why she didn't want to be there. It was the same reason she didn't show up on SummerSlam months ago. But he just really wants her to be there.
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A/N Thank you so much for reading! I hope you continue to read the next chapters. Feel free to comment, please. Also, I apologize it took me really long to put up this chapter.