The Great Escape

AN. Thank you to xHalosandwings, Grits0205, VolcomStoneBabe, xTwistedxImperfectionx, Chain Gang Princess, RKO.I.F, Cena-Wilson-Crazy, HappySmiler, jojocheer28, Lacey's Angel, TJ Sparkles & John Cena's Field Hockey Star for reviewing the last chapter.

Thanks very muchly :)

Chapter Twenty-Seven – I'm Not Your Boyfriend, Baby

EVE

Upon stepping back inside her dorm room a mere few hours after leaving it for classes, Eve had to remind herself, yet again, that she wasn't supposed to expect Maria staring back at her, a ready smile on her face while she asked how her day had been. Though a far cry from her best friend in terms of both looks and personality, she knew it was time to recognize Ashley as her new roommate, no matter how long or short her stay.

The sight of the blonde, completely oblivious as she lay in bed listening to her music player loudly and flicking through a magazine idly, didn't surprise her in the slightest. The utterly blank, uninterested look in her eyes was a first, though—even though she often sucked the joy out of everything, she often did it with at least a dangerous glint.

Heading towards her own bed, she looked away from the girl to focus on the untidy state of her duvet covers. She hadn't bothered to clean up before leaving—a habit she'd acquired from the other person in the room—and now most of the things she needed for studying were strewn about in various places. It was with a decisive sigh that she reached out, placing her textbooks down in order to gather everything else together.

With only the faint sound of AFI filling her surroundings, and silence otherwise, she certainly wished she was keeping up with the normal habit of talking to the redhead about what was going on in her life; perhaps after said chat she would be able to at least smile, though she doubted it given the topic, and not resist the urge to cry, as she was now, with all her pent-up emotions.

After eventually clearing away her things, she collapsed on her bed, pushing the curls of her brunette hair out of her face. She risked a glance to her right, a certain thought rising inside of her—would it be so difficult to pretend that Ash was Maria?

As if sensing she was being stared at, the blonde turned her head and removed one white ear bud. "What?"

So perhaps it would be difficult. But what the hell did she have to lose, anyway? The worst that could happen was to end up being ignored, and even that was better than nothing. "So I ran into Mike today..."

"So?"

"He was with Layla. They looked so loved-up that it actually made me feel a bit sick."

"And?"

This clearly wasn't going to work. Ashley was only offering one-word retorts and half-assed looks; she clearly didn't care about her love life issues. Then again, she didn't blame her—she'd overheard Adam telling Mickie the events of the previous night in the cafeteria, and the sorry little story was enough to make anyone, even her, sympathetic towards them both.

"Why are you looking at me like that? It's starting to freak me out."

Tightening up her features, Eve sat a little more upright in her position. "Sorry, got distracted there. And I was only trying to tell you what I would usually tell Maria if we were still living together. If you like, ignore me."

Though Ashley turned away, she didn't put her ear bud back in. Clearly, she couldn't be that bothered to hear a mindless story that meant nothing to her, after all.

"Well..." The Latina began uncertainly. "I've been trying to pretend that seeing Mike with another girl isn't troubling me. In a way, I've even tried to convince myself that they don't have a real relationship together. But of course, that's ridiculous. They look perfectly happy together and—"

"You like him because he's unattainable. And vice-versa until about a week and a half ago."

She'd said it so simply that all Eve could do was blink in response. Eventually, she found it in herself to ask, "Excuse me?"

A weary sigh followed, as if the question needn't have been asked. "Mike chased you because you were a challenge. You were with Matt at the time, and yet it seemed like a dangerous and exciting thought to fool around with him in the meanwhile. Am I right? You basically got off on this affair and thought it was the real deal."

"But—"

"And now you've broken up with Matt and he's with Layla. You're not jealous because you're in love with him—you're jealous because you can't have him all to yourself whenever and wherever you like."

"And how do you," she suddenly felt defensive and indignant in herself, "know this for sure, Miss. Expert?"

"You and your damn questions," said Ashley, rolling her eyes as she flicked over to the next page of her magazine. "You and Matt were supposed to be love's young dream. You were supposed to have this big, strong connection that wouldn't break, even when you arrived here. But that relationship ended all too easily, didn't it? Despite all the promises you made it ended up meaning nothing. So what aren't you seeing?" There was a bitter edge to the blonde's tone as she lifted her ear bud again, preparing to block out the world once more. "Love is just an illusion. There's no such thing, it's not real."

Eve allowed her gaze to linger on her for a moment longer than necessary, just to take in all the information given to her, before she leaned back on her bed to analyze it for herself. She so desperately didn't want to believe her words—only wanted to blame her own experience for her harsh opinions—but she saw a small inkling of truth to them.

Was Ashley right?

Her feelings for Mike were nowhere near as strong as they were for Matt, and while that was expected, she also didn't think it would be easy enough to talk to Mike without bringing up their last conversation; granted he was still bitter towards her in his body language about the rejection, but she, herself, was mostly fixated on how much she missed her ex-boyfriend.

Matt Hardy. She hadn't known whether to call him or not since their last conversation—would it be strange just to ring up and see how he was doing? She cherished their conversations as well as everything about him, and it'd taken a break-up to realize just how much she was missing out on.

Two guys, one girl—never had she thought the classic scenario would apply to her.

And just what was she supposed to do with herself now?

Luckily, the familiar text tone of her phone was able to catch her off-guard, and she all too gratefully lunged for her bag. She definitely needed a distraction to prevent her from thinking about all the complicated questions swirling around in her head.

Hey girly, how's it going with Ash? It's weird living with Mickie, but it's nice too! Just sending you this to check you know about the party at the big frat house tonight. I'm meeting up with Michelle. Will I see you there? M x

She pounced at the first opportunity to reply. Her fingers fumbling over the keypad clumsily, she ignored the first question to say that, yes, she would see her there. This party was the perfect excuse to leave behind all of her depression, and she, being a specialist in having a good time, was certain this was just what she needed.

Smiling softly, she leaned back against the pillow propped up behind her. Bring on tonight, she thought to herself excitedly.

Though she knew perfectly well that it wasn't a good idea to attend another party, especially when she had a morning class the next day, Eve still ambled up to the house with the most enthusiasm she'd felt all day. The chill of the night only served to hurry her inside, to where her friends would be waiting and a drink would be calling her name eagerly.

Her thoughts dangerously swayed over to Mike as she entered, and then to Ashley's words, too; would he be here tonight? Would Layla be with him? Would they, once again, be the picture of a perfect couple?

Thing was, she knew she could handle it—especially with a bottle of drink in her hand, or better yet, system. She saw them as fake, and if Mike was truly into her as he claimed, then he wouldn't have been so childish as to jump to the first girl who showed him interest.

A smile tugged at her lips as she spotted Mickie in the games room. The brunette was leaning against the fruit machine, a half-empty beer bottle in her hand as she watched Randy and Cody take turns to defeat the system.

She left the trio to it, turning into the next room and spotting Christian and Chris. Both were sharing a laugh together, as they often did, and she felt she didn't know them well enough to start up a conversation. So, leaving them to it, she brushed past with a friendly smile and headed to a much less scary party of people.

"Hey!" She greeted over the loud music, and was happy to receive an almost bone-crushing hug from her best friend in return. Jeff simply smiled at her, intent on keeping his cool and not, like his buddy, pretend that she'd just come back from a lengthy holiday. "How long have you been here?"

"About an hour," beamed the redhead, resting her arm on Jeff's shoulder. He didn't seem to mind. "Michelle's just gone to the dance floor with Layla. So how are you, girly? I feel like I haven't seen you in so long!"

"I know," she mocked a pout, "We don't have many classes together, do we? But I'll be free from studying soon and we can go out and catch up like we used to."

"Yeah, I'd love that. So what's it like living with Ash?"

"Nothing like living with you," said the girl, deflating almost immediately with just one thought of the hard-headed blonde. "Not at all. To tell you the truth, it sucks. She's like a black cloud of depression, hovering over me..."

"Things will get better, I'm sure," said Maria in response, rolling her eyes playfully. "Ash is in a difficult place right now."

"Apparently, so is Adam." Jeff butted into the conversation, not entirely interested but wanting to join in too. "I don't talk much with the guy, obviously, but I was talking to Mike earlier and it seems he's really down about her."

Maria pouted sadly at both of her friends. "I don't blame her. Y'know, the way it went down between them is really sad. After all that he said...Mickie told me everything he told Ashley...it was so, so romantic. I can't even begin to describe it. Just to know that she's so insecure as to reject him..."

The redhead took to staring sadly just past her best friend, and both Eve and Jeff knew she was off in her own love-filled world again. Shaking her head softly, she excused herself, thinking it best not to bring up the subject she'd wanted to talk about—Randy Orton, of course—and moved away to talk to a few other people.

Somehow, she ended up hovering around the drinks area. It was a mere fifteen minutes later when Eve decided she needed cheering up. Matt, Miz, Matt, Miz—why couldn't both just disappear from her mind? She didn't want to spend an evening, in which she was supposed to be enjoying herself and releasing the stress of everyday problems, worrying solely about both of them. How was it fair to her?

Placing her drink down, she turned away from the small bar and risked a glance at the crowd surrounding her. There were several college students letting all of their issues go on the dance floor, and a bunch of others burying them in order to flirt with others. Tonight, she felt like doing the same as the latter.

What would be the harm in at least trying to be the social bee she used to be?

Her eyes, now with a saucy glint in them, scanned over the crowd of eligible boys. Now, who would be her pick? She felt she wasn't attractive enough to put just any guy under her spell, but she knew she was confident enough, at least this evening, to take her chances.

And then she spotted him.

It had only taken half a minute for her mind to pick him, and then another to think up a plan. This was completely perfect. He was who she was after, and she was fairly sure he wouldn't have a problem complying with her needs.

A subtle smirk tugged at the side of her lips as she started making her way over, brushing through a group of sweaty people with little care to get to him. She was fairly sure she didn't need to give herself a pep talk, and so, upon reaching, tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

Ted DiBiase turned away from his conversation with Randy to see who the interruption was. Upon seeing the girl, he offered a smile and brought her in for a friendly hug. Clearly, any friend of Mickie's was a friend of his. "Hey, Eve—how are you?"

"Oh yeah, I'm good." She answered, fighting the urge to laugh with glee. This evening was going to be fun, if not wonderfully time-consuming. "And yourself?"

Randy appeared to stray away from the small conversation, glancing over at Jeff and Maria for a while, until he decided to leave altogether. The two didn't seem to notice as Ted answered, "Yeah, I'm good. Hey, have you heard from Mickie? I spoke to her a couple of days ago but that seems like a lifetime ago. Is she alright?"

"Mickie? Yeah, she's fine." She wasn't particularly sure this was true, but she wanted to move away from the topic of the brunette. Close friend or not, tonight wasn't the night to talk about emotions or get upset over another person. "So I wanted to ask you something..."

He acknowledged the smile on her face, one that seemed to grow wider at the end of her sentence, and couldn't help but to offer one of his own. "Yeah? Must be something good?"

"Oh, it is." She nodded. A beat later, she cleared her throat and simply went for it. "Have you seen Cody around? I'd really like to speak to him."

The guy seemed to have trouble comprehending the question for a moment or two. Then, slowly enough, the wheels appeared to turn in his head, and he finally understood the intent of the question. He began shaking his head before he even answered. "No, Eve, do you understand what he's like?"

"I've...heard of his reputation." Another nod, demure. "But that's exactly why I want to find him. And I saw him earlier so—"

"You're not really serious, are you?" A somewhat horrified look was offered her way. "I know he's my best friend...but when it comes to girls, he's an absolute douchebag."

She simply nodded. "I know."

He took a moment to simply stare at her. Was she drunk? The Latina rolled her eyes as he so clearly checked for signs of alcoholic intoxication—couldn't he just go and find Mickie and speak with her like he'd wanted to?

Finally, he answered, "Fine, it's your own doom, I suppose."

"Great. So where is he then?"

"Just through there, in the games room again."

"Thank you." And with a bright smile, she was off.

There was a certain confidence to her walk as she went in search for him, and even though knowing this probably wasn't a good idea at all like Ted had told her, she was determined to see it through. She was feeling fun and flirty; for now, where was the harm in that?

Eventually, she spotted him. A couple of faceless girls—at least two that weren't in her classes, she knew—were surrounding him as he took the time to charm both at once. She felt the urge to smirk. Despite the baby-face, he really had it going on personality-wise—no wonder the girls fell to his feet willingly.

He glanced up a moment later, catching her eye, and she allowed the tiniest of smirks to curve her lips. He caught the gesture and seemed to have trouble believing what it meant, though he clearly wanted to believe she was giving him the come-on. Was it just him or was she smiling at him knowingly?

Bored of the foreplay, she flicked back her curls and headed straight for him. His eyes were captivated on only her as she pressed a hand against his collar, moving in front of the girls, protest or no protest, and then pulled him out of the spotlight.

He seemed to follow her willingly until they reached a quieter section of the house, just under the stairway. Then he backed her into the corner, both hands connecting with the wall behind them to trap her in. She merely stared up with a sort of innocence as he said, "It's Eve Torres, right?"

"Yeah, but don't you think that's enough of the small talk?"

"You just split up with your boyfriend, I think."

She bit down on her bottom lip, frustrated. All she wanted was to feel craved for the evening; was that really so hard to ask?

Evidently not. Cody, sensing her impatience, pressed a finger under her chin and a thumb tenderly against it, tilting her head upwards for an intimate kiss. A raw sexual energy seemed to ripple through her from the moment their lips touched, and she pushed back hard to deepen the moment.

"So," said the dark-haired guy, a little smirk of his own appearing, "What do you want to do for the rest of the night?"

Was there really any need to answer that? Grabbing his hand, she pulled him through the crowd and headed towards the exit. She ignored Ted's disapproving look as she did so, but saw the smirk his best friend offered him, too. Whatever. This would be a one-night stand and nothing more. If he wanted to think she was easy, so be it.

And a hurried five minutes later, both were inside his room and stripping away each other's clothes with a hungry focus...

So there's the next chapter. Sorry it's shorter than the last; I've just got a new job (in a sweet shop, if you please; free sweets anyone? Haha) & it's quite time-consuming. Please review :)

Up next is Maria's chapter.