The Great Escape

AN: Thank you to Cena-Wilson-Crazy, RKO.I.F, RandomlyAwsomer, justbornawsome, Chain Gang Princess, CrazyWWEFreakJNH, xSomeKindaRush, xTwistedxImperfectionx, TJ Sparkles, Melissa Cristina & rory21 for reviewing the last chapter.

Thanks very muchly :)

Chapter Seventeen – Kiss Me Quick

EVE

Eve grimaced as she tried to settle back into her uncomfortable position against the huge oak tree behind her. She stretched out her legs again, fighting off the return of pins and needles, and gripped onto her laptop in the hope of keeping it balanced on her thighs.

Anyone who passed her must have thought she was uncomfortable but she didn't care; it was better to stay here rather than feel content at her usual table in the library. Or at least that's what she was telling herself. Truth be told, she was just running away from her problems.

"Okay," she said to herself with a decisive sigh, though the breeze swept it into a low hiss, "A two-thousand word essay on the progressive nature of..."

But she wasn't thinking about the paper she had to hand in by the end of the week.

Much to the contrary, she was obsessing over The Miz and the vulnerable expression on his face that had told her the absolute truth about their relationship. It was because of him that she was sat here – on every Tuesday, he would head up to the library for an hour's worth of study time. And usually she would join him, and the routine would end with them grabbing a quick lunch before their afternoon classes.

But not today. Today was different.

Her fingers hovered over the button pad but she eventually gave up on the pretence that she was going to concentrate and sighed again, pushing her laptop aside. She never thought she'd end up in this predicament – stuck between two wonderful guys. Was college just a grown-up version of high school? In that moment she couldn't help but to think that, yes, it was.

"Sup slacker?" Ashley greeted her suddenly, shaking her out of her thoughts. She took a seat on the ground, proudly displaying her white I Killed the Prom Queen shirt and black low riders in the sun. "What are you doing here?"

"Is the same question I could ask you." Eve eyed her suspiciously. "For your information, I'm working on my coursework. This seemed like a nice spot for it."

A smirk followed this brief explanation. "You always were a bad liar. Don't you usually study in the library with that Mizzie guy on a Tuesday?"

"It's The Miz." She snapped, irritated at another thought of him.

"Alright, alright. Don't get your skanky panties in a twist." The older of the two rolled her eyes.

The brunette merely grumbled in response. Following that, there were a couple of minutes of silence, in which the blonde checked her phone for messages and she packed her laptop away safely. She was hardly going to get any work done now – this was a fact.

She closed her eyes for a moment, willing her thoughts to leave her alone for just a while. What is the matter with me? Matt Hardy is all I've ever wanted. I'm in love with him and only him. Surely that means—

"Oh look," Ashley interrupted her with a roll of the eyes, "Here comes Tweedlebitch and Tweedlebitchier."

Eve had a feeling she knew who the subjects were but glanced in the right direction anyway just for confirmation. She forced back a snort at the approaching figures and turned her head to subtlety whisper, "Which is the bitchier one?"

A whisper was returned. "I guess we'll find out after this."

She whipped her head around just in time to gaze upon two pairs of sneaker-clad feet stop before her. Glancing up – taking in all the glitter and sequins that were so eloquently placed on their outfits – she tried to hold in a groan.

"Hey girls." Michelle held a smile as she caught their attention. "What's going on?"

"Not much." Both managed to mumble with fake smiles.

"Okay, well..." She trailed off, glanced to her right to Layla, and then turned back to finish her sentence. "I just wondered if you knew where Maria was – I want to invite her to this party we're having. Of course, you girls are welcome to come too."

"Thanks," the blonde butted in before she could utter a word, "That's so kind of you."

Layla appeared to catch onto her attitude and offered a smirk. "It's Ashley, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Thought so – Adam described you well." There was a raise of the eyebrow. "Very well."

The student held back a glare and looked away, leaving it up to Eve to hold up the conversation. While Ashley was most likely trying to work out what the Canadian had said about her, she certainly wasn't, and took advantage of the moment. "I think Maria might be with Randy. You want me to call her?"

The sneer on Michelle's face was caught, but only barely before her pinched smile returned. "No, it's okay. I'll find her later and invite her myself."

"Sure thing." She nodded. "So..." Holding back a sneer of her own, she turned to the girl's friend. "How are you, Layla?"

"Me?" There was a look of surprise on her face. "I don't know why you would care."

"Oh, I don't. I'm just making conversation." Something had taken a hold of her, and now she felt bold – daring even. "It's obvious that Michelle is feeling put out by the fact Maria spends more time with her boyfriend than she does, and you're just pissed at me because Mike showed an interest in me rather than you."

An awful silence surrounded all four girls after that.

Ashley was the first to turn – though she did it slowly – and stare in astonishment at the 'bitch' she always thought was all talk and no action. She was half-tempted to raise her hand for a worthy high-five. Instead she muttered, "Nice."

"I had no idea you felt that way," said Michelle at last, narrowing her eyes. "I'll see you around."

Layla was left on her own when her taller friend stalked away, visibly disgruntled, but she felt more confident than ever as she pointed a finger at her rival. "You," she hissed in her British accent, "don't know what you've just got yourself into. And FYI, if Mike is into you, then why did he ask me out on a date last night? I'll leave you to think about that."

The sun glared hotly on Eve's face but she was definitely doing a little glaring of her own without its help in the student's direction. She exhaled deeply as she leaned against the tree again, and ignored Ashley's look. "Shit, what did I just do?"

"You just owned their asses is what you did!" A huge grin was her answer. "I have never been prouder of you."

"Really? Because I've never been so disappointed in myself. I was so bitchy to them!"

"And this is exactly why I don't like you," said the blonde as she stood to her feet and rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'm off to find Mickie. She wants me to escort her to the cafeteria – in case Phil's there. And to think, she had a go at me for avoiding Adam. Later."

The Latina barely managed a wave as she walked away and, a beat later, blocked out all her surroundings by burying her head into her hands. This was turning out to be – despite the glorious weather – a horrible day.

"And FYI, if Mike is into you, then why did he ask me out on a date last night? I'll leave you to think about that."

"Oh, God," she muttered to herself.

As much as she hated to admit it, she did feel something for Mike. Even if she didn't know what that something was, she was disappointed to find out that he'd settled for Layla after the weekend fiasco.

I should have seen this coming. She thought as she finally revealed herself and packed her things away. It's such a predictable move.

And what if their date turned into another date? And so on? What if they became the power couple on college grounds? Would she be able to handle that – even though she was in a relationship herself?

There was just too many questions to consider.

Grimacing, she wiped down her clothes and folded her laptop under her arm. She needed some alone time before class this afternoon; her head was coming to all kinds of conclusions, and she didn't like the look of any of them.

It seemed that a twenty-minute shower was all it took for Eve to return to her normal, calm state. In fact she was beginning to wonder, as she stomped around her messy room looking for a particular outfit, why she'd made such a fuss over Mike earlier in the day.

She was, she decided, extremely happy with Matt. The words he'd told her prior to leaving had filled her thoughts and she whole-heartedly agreed: There is nothing to worry about. We'll be just fine. And she knew they would be. His visit over the weekend had proved just that, hadn't it? Nothing had changed between them.

Sure, she had a crush on The Miz but that was all it was; she was sure of it. It was perfectly natural to be in a relationship and have a crush on someone else. The 'feelings' she thought she had were only there because she'd been lonely in her new move to college. Again, this was acceptable behaviour as far as she was concerned.

Now her mind was clear—she was happy in her relationship and Mike was nothing more than a friend. Yes, that's right.

"Hey Maria?" She called out uncertainly from under her bed. She'd now searched the room and still couldn't find the hoodie she was looking for. "Have you seen my hoodie? You know that—"

She raised her head at the sound of footsteps from the bathroom, brushed her wet curls from out of her face and saw her best friend with the item of clothing in her hand. A blush had tickled her cheeks. "Sorry, I was going to wear it."

"Well you can if you want – I just thought that if I could find it, I would wear it. It's no trouble." She grinned. "What do you want to borrow it for?"

"It's just..." The redhead was coy as she pulled the black and pink sweater closer to her slender frame. "You know when I wore it the other day? Well Randy said...he said...that I looked really nice in it. I just thought..."

Oh no, no, no...

"Maria, you like the guy, don't you?" There was almost a groan to her tone. She sighed as she picked up a brush and ran it quickly through her hair. "It seems like your crush is more than a crush."

Timidly, Maria shrugged. "Well maybe. But that doesn't mean—"

"I know what happens when you fall for a guy. You become..." She hesitated, struggling for the right word. "Fascinated by them. And it usually ends in heartbreak."

The younger of the two pursed her lips. "I do know that, Eve – thank you very much. I also know that Michelle is Randy's girlfriend and I don't want to break up their relationship. They're sweet together. It's just...I can't change the way I feel about him, and I'm not going to try to."

A sudden thought of Mike popped into her mind but she quickly shook it away. "I just don't want you to get hurt. I know how vulnerable you are—"

A giggle slipped from Maria's lips as she rushed over and gave her best friend a bone-squeezing hug. "And I love you for taking care of me...but just because I'm the youngest out of all of us, it doesn't mean I can't look after myself. You have to trust me. I like Randy, but I value my relationship with Michelle more. Okay?"

"...Sure." She finally conceded.

"Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to meet her right now. She wants to invite me to a party or something. I'll see you later for dinner."

"Yep." Eve nodded but the girl was already long gone. She rolled her eyes playfully as she reminded herself to leave the mothering role to Mickie. "Okay," she muttered inaudibly, "Clothes, clothes, clothes..."

But she was to be disrupted by a knock to the door. Wondering if Maria had forgotten her key, she fought the urge to roll her eyes for a second time and stalked over. What was wrong with the girl?

"Oh." Mike sounded surprised when he turned and found her at the door. "Sorry," he apologized quickly after that.

"...For?" She questioned, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

"You're..uhm..." He apparently didn't have the nerve to continue and pointed down at her towel-covered wet body. "Is this a bad time?"

"Oh!" Eve caught on quickly. A blush spread across her cheeks as she pulled the fluffy, white item closer to her. "No, I'm sorry about this. It's not a bad time. Come in and I'll just...uh, you know, change."

He did so and she scurried into the bathroom. It took her a minute to shove on a pair of jeans and a plain tank top, but she paused for a moment in her hurry to stare at herself in the mirror.

Maybe if I...

After a quick decision, she applied a little mascara and a new coat of red gloss to her full lips. She didn't even stop to think about why she'd just made herself up for him.

"So what's up?" The brunette smiled brightly as she stepped back into the room.

He attempted to smile back. "You remember those notes I gave you on Saturday? You forgot to give them back."

"Right. Of course. Just give me a sec and I'll get them for you."

A million thoughts racing through her mind, she stumbled over to her folder and opened it, searching through the various stacks of paper until she found what she was looking for.

"Here you go."

They shared a fake smile as he took them from her. "Thanks – I wouldn't have got far tomorrow if I didn't have these. Well...I'll see you then."

"Okay, bye."

But it was as if her body was calling him, and she reached out, placing a hand on his arm tenderly before she could stop herself. "No wait," she uttered as his eyes found hers again, "I don't like this between us. Things are...weird."

Instead of denying this like she expected, Mike nodded. "Yeah, they are; I don't want them to be but I've noticed it too."

"So..."

But what could she possibly say? She didn't know how to start. Oh by the way, I have feelings for you and I think you feel the same way, but we'll just have to ignore it because I have Matt. And now you have Layla. It sounded ridiculous.

"You never told me you had a boyfriend." He spoke through the awkward silence. She bit down on her bottom lip innocently, and he sighed. "Of course it's not something you automatically say but I just thought...never mind."

"I don't blame you, you know. Let's just say I've been thinking about you recently." She boldly admitted. "But Matt, he's—"

"Yeah."

"So I don't know what to say now." A shrug defined the lack of conversation between them. "I don't know what to say or do."

"Look, let's just agree that I misunderstood the situation and we'll both move on. You'll be with Matt like you wanted and I'll be happy with Layla. We can still be friends, can't we?"

It was what she wanted more than anything, but it was hard to say. She swallowed lightly. "Um...yeah, of course. We can be friends. Yes."

"Alright then. So I suppose I'll just go now."

But things between them hadn't seemed to settle and she couldn't allow him to go. Pressing a hand against his cheek softly, she offered a sympathetic smile. "I hope you're not too upset."

He smiled against her touch. "It was a crush, nothing more. It's okay, Eve, really."

She nodded softly. It was a moment later, however, that she realized something significant: she liked being close to The Miz. She couldn't deny it and her talk of him just being a crush earlier seemed fake to her now.

"I'll go now." He began awkwardly as they both realized she was still embracing him.

"Okay..."

But neither made an attempt to move away.

Instead – with her heart taking over her mind – Eve leaned up on her tip-toes and pecked him on the lips. It was a surprise move as far as both were concerned, and she pulled away, stunned by what she'd just done.

"Is this you feeling sorry for me?" Mike raised an eyebrow.

"No." She shook her head fiercely and then whispered, "Not at all, actually."

Leaning in, he rested his forehead against hers for a short tender moment, and then pressed his lips softly against hers again. All sense of control left her as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. The papers were dropped as he greedily pulled her waist closer to his frame. The moment was passionate and intense – a far cry from the sweet and cutesy kisses she shared with Matt.

Mike's breathing was unsteady as a small gap was created between them. "But what about—"

His natural thought went unfinished when she kissed him again, unwilling to let him go. She didn't want to think about Matt or their relationship right now; the guilt would set in later, but she wouldn't let it right now.

She tugged at his shirt. "It doesn't matter," she breathed against him and slammed the door shut with her foot, "It just doesn't."

"Okay." He answered firmly.

And, as if this solved everything, they returned to their passionate embrace. It was only minutes later that he had his shirt off and she was underneath him on the bed, massaging her nails into his back.

She'd clearly wanted to do this for a long time. She'd certainly fantasised about it in a guilty fashion before.

"I really like you, Eve." He whispered into the crook of her shoulder.

Eve didn't say anything – she wouldn't allow herself to. If she did, her thoughts would return to Matt and how bad of a thing this moment was.

So she kissed him again.

So there's the next chapter. Please review :)

Up next is Maria's chapter.

BTW, I have a new poll on my page and I'd appreciate if you took the time out to vote :)