"Pride and Prejudice"
An Edge/Ashley fanfic
Thanks to xXRiaOrtonHardyxX, i luv Hardy and MissMikkiMouse for reviewing last chapter!
Hope you'll like the new one as well,
Enjoy!
Chapter 42
"Truth of Revenge?"
Unsurely pushing the door of the women's locker room open, Ashley let herself peer inside the room before she actually set foot in.
"Mind if I get dressed here?" She asked with a weak smile when she was greeted by the sight of only Michelle and Cherry preparing themselves in the middle of the empty room.
"Not at all, why should we?" The all-American girl smiled in her friend's direction "Besides, the bitches are already out. If I'm not mistaken they've given her a different room tonight… kinda like a Smackdown vs. ECW thing. So you'll either find them there or parading around— what for, I have no idea considering they've got nothing really to brag about."
"Their skanky clothes, maybe." Cherry offered with a nonchalant shrug.
Michelle had to literally stop for a moment and slowly nod at the shy girl's words before she kept searching for something inside her gym bag. "You know what? Besides that being definitely true, of course; I fear we had a bad influence on her. We really had."
A giggle echoed in the room as the ex teacher turned to meet Ashley's gaze, who in meanwhile had sat on a wooden bench in a corner; only that wasn't possible, cause the punk's eyes were cast down on an indefinite spot on the floor.
"Ash, you alright?"
A few seconds and a heavy sigh later, the answer was eventually given… even though a definitely enigmatic one at that. "I really don't know."
"Oh, you might be coming down with the flu or something," Cherry sympathetically chimed in "I've heard there's a nasty bug going around."
"No, it's not a bug. Or at least not of that kind for sure." The punk offered a weak smile, "I fear I've just done something incredibly stupid."
"Oh noes!" The diva from-the-other-side-of-tracks immediately gasped at such admission, a hand to cover her mouth "You haven't killed Kelly… have you?"
The other two could only exchange a baffled look at the question, blinking a few times in the process.
"No… not that either." Ashley eventually swallowed down before launching herself in full ramble mood. "I— ugh. I can't believe myself! And not cause I regret it entirely, cause I don't, at least I think I don't; but it may be too soon… or too late from another point of view, actually! And I just can't understand whether—"
"Ash! What on earth did you do?!" Michelle demanded with determination, thus stopping the incoherent train of the punk's voiced-out thoughts.
"Okay, here we go." The latter took a deep breath to brace herself "I— kissed Matt." She scrunched her eyes shut after dropping the bomb as to wait for a yell or a scolding of some sort… something that actually never arrived. Puzzled by the lack of loud, negative reaction, she opened her eyes again to meet the other two blondes staring back at her.
It was Cherry the first to break the silence, her head cocked on a side and a somewhat confused expression on her face. "Why are you looking at us like that?"
"…Umm aren't you going to yell at me?"
"Why should we?"
"Hello? Cause I just told you I kissed Matt! As in Matt Hardy. Jeff's brother. My ex. My ex ex, actually. Because my last ex would now be Ad—"
"Ash!"
"Sorry." She innocently cast her eyes down at the second cry Michelle had to emit in less than 10 minutes to successfully make her stop rambling.
"We grasped the concept, really." The latter earnestly said.
"Then why don't you look shocked… or disgusted, or both, for that matter?"
The athletic diva took a minute to reply to the puzzled question, letting out a chuckle at last. "Because it's Matt, sweetie. Let's face it, it was probably bound to happen sooner or later. He's helping you a lot and well, I guess he always carried a soft spot for you."
"Besides," Cherry joined in "there's nothing to be ashamed of. You're single and— well, if you ask me, that bastard needs a lesson. Oh, I didn't mean Matt with that, of course." She decided to clarify a bit later with a vigorous nod as the other two glanced at her in mild surprise.
"You know, we really had a bad influence on her." Michelle mused.
Absent-mindedly nodding at the last comment, Ashley nervously bit down on her bottom lip. "So what should I do now? Cause I— err kinda ran away after said kiss."
"Oh honey, that's only for you to know, we can't tell you." The tallest of the trio sympathetically smiled down at the dirty diva "You have to ask that to yourself… to your feelings. Do you think you're really over Adam?"
And that, thought Ashley while she laced her boots, would have been really nice to be sure of.
x—x—x—x—x
Dressed in a simple golden top and a pair of black super short hot pants above a pair of common wrestling boots, Brooke Adams was more focused on the correct positions to adopt for her stretching exercises than on the way she looked while she focused on her reflection in the mirror.
Quite the opposite could have been said instead for her friend and tag team partner for the night whilst Layla, torn whether to add another hairpin to keep her straightened fringe in place or leave it like this, attentively studied herself in a pocket mirror.
"Alright," the latter eventually came to a conclusion as she carelessly let the aforementioned hairpin fall back into her beauty case "I think we're ready for the match."
Lightly bouncing on the spot and twisting her arms back and forth just like Kenny had suggested her earlier that day, Brooke came to a sudden alt at such words. Standing a few feet away from the wooden bench where Layla was sat on, she gathered her long chestnut hair in a momentarily ponytail with her hands, her unsure gaze fixed on the diva search winner.
"Are we?"
Brushing her friend's insecurities away with a careless gesture of the hand, Layla let out an amused snort while she proceeded to stand up as well. A quick glance down at her own outfit, which consisted into a similar pair of black shorts and a bright red top tied just below her breasts, was apparently all took to the diva to feel perfectly at ease with the upcoming match as a satisfied smile appeared on her features. "Of course we are. I mean, okay, maybe red and gold… no, wait, I've got a solution for that."
If at first Brooke had cocked her head on a side in perplexity at the words following such assumption, it all came clear when the skilled dancer picked a golden hair rubber and placed it on her forearm as some sort of misplaced bracelet.
"Now, we're definitely ready." She affirmed with a smirk.
"Right…" Brooke halfheartedly agreed with an unconvinced nod, though she opted not to try to voice her opinion once again; something told her it wouldn't have made any difference, and she surely wasn't wrong about that.
"Where's Kelly by the way? Shouldn't have she already got back from the canteen? How much time does it take to only pick a yogurt from a table?"
The long haired diva merely shrugged her shoulders at the question; "Maybe she's with Edge."
"Yeah, very likely to be." Layla allowed a different kind of snort to escape her lips this time, "I mean, don't get me wrong girly, but isn't it a tad bit odd the fact those two are never together? Yeah, yeah, I know what she said when we pointed this out… but… well, I think that's weird."
Not waiting for a reply to that while she decided to fix her hair with more spray, Brooke's mind was thus left to wander on the same subject, inevitably coming to the same conclusion as her friend; yes, something was definitely not crystal clear in that so bragged-about relationship on Kelly's part. Anyway, the brunette had more urgent thoughts to worry on for the time being, and so, feeling nervous all over again at the thought of her first match, she gingerly pointed a forefinger behind herself.
"You know what? I think I'll go taking a bit of fresh air before the match."
"Alright, just avoid coffee or anything else for that matter. We don't need a stain on your top. Now that would be awful."
"Indeed it would be," she sarcastically echoed "don't worry, I'll try to be careful. After all I learned at least 22 years ago not to regularly spill what I drink on myself."
The last sentence was said in a low mutter while she shut the locker room's door closed behind herself, though that didn't stop the diva to jump on the spot just like she had been busted when a finger unsurely tapped her on the shoulder.
Turning around with a startled expression, she was left to relax into a relieved sigh when she came face to face with a sheepishly smiling Kenny.
"Gosh, we must stop meeting like this." The diva commented with an amused sigh, "You're gonna end up giving me a heart attack one of these days, Kenny."
The admonishment had been clearly said in a teasing tone, a playful smile appearing on Brooke's lips, though that didn't stop Kenny to reply with a deep sigh of his own a bit later.
"Trust me, you have no idea of how my heart pounds like crazy every time I meet you, then."
The sentence had been uttered with such a genuine, almost childlike, innocence, that it gave Brooke no other option than briefly casting her eyes down while a blush spread on her cheeks, a shy yet pleased smile completing the pretty picture.
"I'm sorry, did I say something wron—"
"No, no, nothing at all." She eventually glanced back at him once the superstar voiced his confusion at her unexpected silence, brushing her hair aside with her hand "Actually you just made me the nicest compliment I've ever heard."
"Oh." Was all Kenny replied back, evidently surprised as well. "I didn't notice."
The diva couldn't help the giggles escaping her lips at such honest admission, making her like the ex Spirit Squad member's sweet naivety even more. "Never mind me," she added sobering up into a much calmer smile a beat later "I'm not laughing at you; it's just… you seem to always put me in a good mood, you know?"
"Well I'm glad to hear that." Kenny cheerfully smiled back "Likewise, if I must be sincere."
"Aw, thanks." Brooke lightly brushed her hand against his while the two took a couple of steps away from the locker room's door "Was there something you wanted by the way? Or were you just hiding from Kelly again?"
"Kelly? Oh no, not this time," he shook his head seeming unaware of her joking tone "I caught glimpse of her while I came here… wasn't difficult to spot anyway, just look for the less clothed girl around the whole arena."
The Extreme Exposé dancer couldn't refrain from laughing out loud at the comment on her fellow diva, covering her mouth with a hand in much amusement, "God, ain't that right."
"Yeah," Kenny nodded in agreement… until his mind eventually registered how poorly dressed was the girl before his eyes as well and he furiously blushed at least a couple of different shades of red. "I mean… not that there's necessarily something wrong with that," he rambled on "like… yeah, you look great actually. Not skanky at all."
"That's what exactly the effect I was aiming at, thank you very much." She replied with a giggle, fortunately –for him- understanding what he was trying to say. "I'm not sure whether I can trust your eyes or not though… why are you wearing those shades inside?"
"That's… that's a long story. Long and boring story. You don't want to hear that." He offered a nonchalant shrug and immediately lifted the sunglasses on top of his head.
"So what brings you here, Mr. Dykstra?"
"Oh, I just wanted to wish you good luck before your match actually. How are you feeling?"
"A bit nervous." She revealed while biting on her bottom lip, "Actually… make that a bit very much nervous."
"It's okay, don't worry." Kenny confidently nodded, "It's the same for everyone. You should've seen me a few minutes before my first official match… God, that was bad."
"I see… and how did it go then?"
"I puked while my entrance music started."
"Ouch… but actually I meant the match…?
"Oh, that. I lost."
"Oh… that's… comforting, I suppose… someway."
Noticing at last how her previously hopeful expression had fallen once again, the superstar's eyes widened and he quickly shook his head. "But you don't have to worry, cause you'll surely do better! Cause after all you… umm… haven't eaten a hot dog one hour before your debut, right?"
"No, I didn't…"
"See? So puking is out of the question." He smiled in satisfaction and patted her on the shoulder, "And by the way, my second time went much better."
"Did it?"
"Absolutely. I lasted at least 3 whole minutes."
Only this time Brooke didn't even have the time to display any reaction, cause right in that moment someone else decided to pass the duo by, taking in only the last part of their conversation and hence terribly mistaking the sense of Kenny's confession; and, being that someone none other than the Rated R superstar himself, it was only expected for him not to let the occasion slip.
"Way to charm the lady, kiddo. Keep it up." The latter snickered in amusement, patting his friend on the back before proceeding down his way, laughing all along.
The two simply looked at each other in puzzlement for a moment, shaking the comment aside without much consideration a bit later. "Never mind him," Kenny was the first to speak up "he's... a bit moody lately, that's why he doesn't make much sense. You know, heart problems." He conspiratorially revealed in a whisper, leaning closer to the diva for good measure.
"Oh gosh, but that's awful." Brooke's hand instinctively fled on her own chest "Is that going to affect his career? Is he going to… quit?"
Kenny's eyes immediately widened, almost horrified at the suggestion. "Oh my god, no. I mean, I suppose he's not completely focused at the moment because of that… but he could never quit the business, not even for this. Besides, we're working for that. He's my best friend, you know?" He added with unmistakably pride, puffing out his chest.
Though even that didn't seem to put the diva's worries at ease, truth be told. "I don't doubt that, surely your friendship is helping him holding on… but you're not a doctor, Kenny. He needs… I don't know, a surgeon or something!"
"A… surgeon?" He echoed in perplexity, blinking at the panicking girl. "He doesn't need a doctor… wait, maybe a shrink, okay, but surely not a surgeon. He just needs her back, you know. That would put everything back to normal." He concluded with a nonchalant shrug.
"Wait… her back?" The brown haired dancer had to literally take a step back "What are we talking about? I'm… confused. You said he had problems with his heart."
"Yeah, he does. As in love problems, you know. That unfortunately happens sometimes." He solemnly nodded, "He hasn't been the same since Ashley left him."
"Oh." Eventually understanding what he had meant all along, Brooke let a relieved breath escaping her lips as she calmed down her worries. That was only until she realized something else wasn't right in that confidence though, and it showed as a frown appeared on her features. "Wait a minutes, what has it to do with Ashley? I mean, he already moved on with Kelly."
"What? Kelly? Not in a millions year!" Kenny went as far as laughing in her face at such absurdity, "Trust me, I've been witnessing him sulking over Ashley for entire days… he has never even given one single thought to Kelly. I swear, there's just no way those two are together. He despises the girl with all she has done to tear the two apart. Why, what has she said to you?"
"To me? A whole load of bullshit…" Brooke replied in almost a whisper, her gaze lost somewhere in the distance as eventually everything fitted together perfectly in her mind.
x—x—x—x—x
Still amused by the little scene he had just witnessed, Adam decided to stop down the corridor where the vending machine was situated for a coffee pause. Probably, with all the chaos already going on in his life and considering than in less than one hour he was going to team up with the girl responsible of aforementioned mess against his ex girlfriend and his ever present enemy, caffeine was the last thing he needed; though at the moment he didn't give the consideration much importance and inserted the coin in the little opening, proceeding then to press the right button on the lighten up beverages display.
Only he wasn't expecting to be destined to curse such decision a beat later, when steps echoed behind him and an annoying voice spoke up with a forced cheerful tone.
"Have I ever told you I have a thing for men in tights?"
Stopping in mid-action while he was leaning forward to collect his hot drink, the champion closed his eyes in frustration for the split of a second before sharply turning on his heels to face Kelly, who, with one arm casually lent against a wall and another on her hip, was shamelessly lingering over his in-ring gear clad body while she took in his appearance.
"Really?" He unimpressedly cocked his head on a side, "Have I ever told you you're a pain in the ass?"
Not bothered by his remark, at least apparently, the blonde simply giggled. "I love your sense of humor. Seriously though, they give you… I don't know, a certain Je ne sais quoi."
"Great to know. Too bad you don't live back in Robin Hood time. You would have done great things as the official Sherwood whore, trust me." And with that he gave her a sarcastic smile before picking up the plastic cup and starting to walk away; too bad that, as predictable, the diva decided to follow him along like a lost puppy.
"Wait, where do you thing you're going?" She asked joining his side.
"I don't know, what about as far as humanly possible from you?" He glanced sideways down at her for an instant while he walked on "You're already caused enough troubles, kid. And, in case you haven't noticed, this looks too much like a dèja-vu for my own liking, so if you don't mind…"
"Oh, I get it." Kelly replied with a smug smile "You're scared."
At this Edge had to literally stop in mid-step, turning towards the petite diva with a hand on his hip and a clearly not pleased scowl on his face. "What the heck are you talking about?"
"You're taken aback by the undeniable attraction you feel towards me… it's okay, that's understandable. Everyone wants me. It's perfectly normal that you're confused by your own feelings. It's obvious, really." She amiably smiled.
It took the superstar a good minute to swallow down such assertion, his face cocked on a side as first an impressed look and then a coy smile succeeded to the initial confusion, perfectly portraying one of his infamous in-ring expressions.
"Right, of course…" he let out a snort "The only obvious thing here is your insanity, girl. I'm not aware if you're seeing someone at the moment, but I would suggest you start seeing someone good. With a degree in psychiatry, possibly."
Another giggle fit followed as the diva merely shook her head in amusement. "What a pity, I was actually thinking of someone with a Rated R reputation." She flirtatiously said, running a hand up and down his arm. "You know, we could do great things together."
He didn't miss a beat into moving her hand back at her side "No, we couldn't. And we won't. And you know why? Read well my lips, that's cause I don't like you. I DON'T LIKE YOU. Meaning, nothing will ever happen between the two of us. Meaning, you're simply wasting your time here. Meaning, you're only making yourself ridiculous. Meaning, you can get the fuck out of here for all I care. Get it? Got it? GOOD."
Narrowing his eyes at her for good measure while he left his words sink in, Adam offered another glare before he eventually turned away and started to walk again in the opposite direction he had originally come from.
"Fine, be that way…!" She screamed after him, "Where is that taking you, huh? That punk-ass bitch of yours doesn't give a damn about you anyway! She's gonna move on with her precious friend Matt, you know that… don't you? Then why don't you just—"
Only, Kelly didn't have a chance to finish her speech, cause it had actually already done its purpose, and it showed as Adam's hand enclosed around her throat, harshly constricting the diva against the wall behind herself. Scared by such an unexpected change, the latter's eyes kept fluttering back and forth from his ice-cold eyes to the wrist that was tightening its grip on her soft neck, a terrified expression on her face.
"Okay, now you listen to me and you listen good, bitch." He hissed, eventually letting go of her but not moving from that position, and thus not allowing Kelly a chance to distance herself from him either. "First of all, you're far more deluded than what I thought you were if you think that could ever lead to something happening in between us after all what you've done; second, call Ashley that one more time in my presence and I'll make sure you get the ass-beating you deserve… if not from me, I'm sure I won't have trouble into finding whatever SD or Raw diva to do that job considering you're simply a disgrace to their name; third, if you're even imagining tonight we're gonna be a team, you're way wrong kid. Actually, I'll tell you what, I hope Ash will give you what you deserve and I won't even move a muscle if by any sudden inspiration saint Hardy wants to join in. Is that understood?"
Once again, though, Kelly's words were destined to remain caught in her throat; and this time not quite literally since her response was simply anticipated by someone else's.
A sarcastic applause echoed into the desert corridor as Ashley stood at the end of it, a disgusted look on her face while, without being able to hear Adam's words from the distance, she took in the deceiving sight of the proximity of their bodies and their uneven breaths.
"Ash—" He called out by pure instinct.
"Forgive me while I go to puke before our match, would you?" She coldly hissed while she passed the duo by with quick steps.
Suddenly realizing what the scene could have looked like, the Rated R superstar immediately stepped away from Kelly's body, trying to catch the punk's arm before she got too far.
"Ashley, please, it's not what it—"
"Spare me, Adam." She snapped her arm out of his grasp, "You don't owe me any explications, don't trouble yourself." And with that she proceeded down her path, stopping only at the end of the corridor to glance back at him who stood there almost transfixed, a helpless expression on his face as he stared back at her. He looked hurt and sad, it was obvious that he was hurting. And Ashley didn't like that one bit, it wasn't fair. He didn't have a right to be the one hurt. He didn't have a right to make her feel almost guilty as she looked into his eyes. And so she did something she probably wouldn't have done in any different occasion; or better, she actually said something she wouldn't have even considered if she wasn't deeply affected by the recent turn of events.
"Oh, by the way," she announced in a loud enough tone to make him hear distinctly hear from where he stood "I kissed Matt. I think we're getting back together."
And only then, with a slight smirk playing on her lips, the Dirty Diva allowed herself to walk back from the sight of her ex boyfriend.
