The Great Escape
AN. Thank you to xHalosandwings, Tiffyxox, Cena-Wilson-Crazy, Anon, John Cena's Field Hockey Star, Grits0205, xTwistedxImperfectionx, justbornawesome, rory21, HappySmiler, RKO.I.F & TJ Sparkles for reviewing the last chapter.
Thanks very muchly :)
Chapter Twenty-Eight – Revelations
MARIA
November eventually gave way to December, bringing with it a fresh round of hope and a new bout of Christmas cheer—hope, especially, for today of all days; the winter break had finally arrived, and each and every college student weren't letting their friends forget it.
While many people were frantically gathering their things together, debating if they'd packed enough for a two-week break, Maria Kanellis appeared to be in a different, much more calm world altogether. The redhead sat on the patchy grass of the football field, her head titled skywards to the musky grey above, with a smile gracing her pretty features. The girl, as always, posed a look of perfect innocence.
Beside her, Jeff was lying on his back contently, as if pretending the clouds were, rather, bursts of sunshine. His hands were tucked to his sides, one idly picking at the grass beneath him and the other dangerously close to his friend's. He was happy to bask in the silence the moment had offered thus far; it was a perfect setting.
Releasing a relaxed sigh through parted lips, the girl glanced over to him, smiling. "Is it just me or does it feel like everybody but us is rushing around, using up all of their energy while we just take it easy?"
"The best way to live." A soft chuckle was given. "Besides, you've already packed. Weren't you done a week ago?"
"Yes, Jeffrey, I was." She poked her tongue out playfully. In response, he settled for a boyish grin. "But it was so exciting to be going home back then."
"Then?"
"Oh, don't get me wrong, it's still exciting! But I suppose you could say I've grown an attachment to this place. A lot of stuff has happened in the past couple of months—"
"It's not like you won't be coming back in two weeks, Maria."
"Yes, that's true...but I've grown close to a lot of people since living here. It's going to be sad not seeing them everyday—well, at least for the next couple of weeks anyway."
Though 'a lot of people' was the phrase given, she only appeared to have one in mind, and fixated on this specifically as she slipped back into her own world again. The assumption of the mystery time-consuming man was clear to make, and made painfully obvious as silence engulfed them both.
She was instantly reminded of Randy's brooding features; those piercing blue eyes and his casual, attractive smile appeared through a shroud of grey musk in her lacking thoughts, or so it seemed, and it was all she could do not to sigh sadly at the thought of him.
He'd never be hers, would he?
"So anyway!" Her enthusiastic tone came a moment later, after she'd turned her head in his direction. Her smile was fixed. "Everything is all sorted out. Tomorrow, Eve is going to drive us home—and no arguments, but you're going to leave your car and come with us. It'll be a fun road trip, just the three of us."
An eyebrow was raised in confusion. "Okay, fine. But what about the others?"
"Ashley's determined to stay here for the holidays—doesn't want to be with her family." A sadder smile curved her glossed lips. "And I don't know why exactly, but Mickie's taking the train home; maybe they both thought the other was going to be taking our ride."
He simply nodded. The four girls certainly appeared to be having serious troubles between them. It was almost hard to believe they'd arrived here as excited students with nothing to worry about other than fitting in; now all were tangled up in complicated spider webs, intertwining with several other strangers on campus.
"But you and I, my friend," she shuffled slightly to pat his thigh, oblivious to his suddenly stiffer state at the gesture, "are going to have to be the life of the party. I feel like we should inject some fun into everything."
"Speaking of the life of the party, how's Eve?" He inquired, clearing his throat to remind himself to move on. "I've been speaking to Matt recently and he's anxious about her coming home. He's not over her at all and since they're going to be seeing each other again..."
The sentence didn't need to be finished, and was replaced with a weary sigh. "I really wouldn't know what to tell you. I haven't seen her much recently—she's always over at Ted and Cody's dorm room. She says it's because she has a project to work on with Cody, but I'm not so sure."
Jeff laughed quietly at her naivety and then shook his head lightly. "Well, it doesn't sound like either is coping to me."
And he would know all about coping—mainly because he was struggling to himself. He never thought it would be so hard to let the person he had feelings for stray from his romantic grip, and that the sacrifice almost wasn't worth it for the sake of a friendship with obvious restrictions.
But Maria seemed to be doing it with Randy and he admired her for it. He didn't hate the guy, either; he knew most guys in his situation would, but he knew him to be a decent person and had hung out with him more recently.
It wasn't hard to see one thing: he and Maria shared an obvious connection.
But for now, this was kept to the back of his mind, and he looked up to the sky again. "Can we put the radio back on? Talking about all of this drama is depressing."
"We sure can." She nodded eagerly, and took out her iPod to adjust it to the right setting.
As if by a strange coincidence, the ever-romantic "Chasing Cars" title by Snow Patrol began to strum through the speakers. Both enjoyed the calm moment and Maria, half a minute later, pressed herself against the ground to close her eyes.
Jeff took in her expression. She looked perfectly relaxed, even in the midst of the thundering clouds ahead. A smile would have pressed his lips tightly if he hadn't caught the sight of Michelle stepping onto the football field, clearly intent on interrupting their little gathering.
Maria was nudged just in time to see Michelle come to a stop above her. The blonde hovered for a moment, a smile on her face, and it took only a few seconds for her to hop up from her content position to pull her into a hug. "Hey, Chelle! What's up?"
He fought the urge to roll his eyes. Recently, he'd found Michelle to be a little more annoying in her actions and mannerisms. He couldn't tell what it was exactly, but something about her just screamed fake.
"Oh, I just wanted to catch you before I left with Layla." A bright grin was offered. "I'm gonna miss you, Ria!"
"Me too!" Eyes widened in obvious agreement. "And erm," her voice lowered not a moment later, "Are you okay...I mean, with the whole Randy thing?"
Michelle understood the implication and gave a sad smile, raising a hand to brush her straightened bangs out of her face. "I've decided I'm going to tell my parents it's over. They need to know the truth and I need to accept it. Maybe this will finally make me move on with my life."
"Well...if that's the case, I wish you all the luck in the world. And girly, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always here."
"Oh, I know. You've proved that recently. Thanks, Maria."
There was a moment of silence as a friendly hug was shared, before the blonde gestured a wave to Jeff and set off on the path she'd appeared from. Both watched her leave, one with a soft smile and the other with indifference.
"Y'know," said Maria as she rested once again, pressing her head lightly against Jeff's stomach as she lay horizontally different to her former position, "I think I'm gonna miss her the most."
He didn't answer, merely stroked his fingers through her hair as he looked up again. He was going to enjoy this moment. Chances were, he felt, a change was about to happen.
A quick, casual glance in the direction of Randy's dorm building proved one thing that Maria already knew to be true: she wasn't going to get a final glimpse of him before she headed on the long road trip back home.
A soft sigh spilled through her lips as she pushed down on the trunk, checking to see if it was properly shut a second later. It was. She almost wished there was a problem in order to stay there a little longer and see if he would come to wish her goodbye.
But that would be a foolish thing, wouldn't it?
She'd said goodbye to Ashley first. The blonde was found in her new room, and had waved her off with little interest before she returned to her laptop. The rare smile that curved her lips simply proved she was happy to have the area to herself for the next fortnight.
Then it was Mickie's turn. She was unsure whether she'd be seeing the brunette over the Christmas period, especially considering that it was family time, but the girls always made time for each other and so a light hug was shared between them knowing they'd see each other on Boxing Day.
Both goodbyes had been exceptionally short, and the redhead felt anxious about what to do next. Well, she knew exactly what she wanted to do—instead she brooded in her bedroom for the next few hours, triple-checking she had everything she wanted packed in her suitcase, to distract herself from her obvious line of thought.
And now here she was, climbing into the back seat while Jeff picked the radio station in the front, and Eve adjusted herself for the journey in the driver's seat. The other two were occupied—she could see this for herself—and she was left with only her sorry thoughts as she stared out of the window.
So it was official: Randy Orton would remain a simple mystery until she returned.
Not that she blamed him for ignoring her. As the car crunched slowly over the gravel towards the campus exit, she couldn't help but to think about their last encounter. Though it'd been on her mind a lot recently, this time she was not only thinking about their breathtaking kiss, but also her reaction.
Who was she to feel discomforted at his lack of communication when she was practically avoiding him too?
Oh, Randy. She twisted her lips in frustration as she raised a hand to massage it softly over her aching temple. I wish I could stop thinking about you. I wish you were easy to forget. I wish we were together right now.
The last thought finalized everything, because it was true. It was all she wanted; just to be with him and not worry about Michelle or anybody else. She wanted a selfish moment with him again, like the one shared back in the library.
"Maria, your cell's ringing." Eve interrupted the moment, having to raise her voice over the radio. "I put it in the glove compartment. Do you want it?"
"Um sure, why not?" She answered. Now, coming back to grips with the real world, she could hear the familiar tone too. But who would be ringing her now? Oh, had she forgotten to say goodbye to someone? "Hello?" She answered when the phone was firmly clamped to her right ear.
"Maria, it's Randy."
All of a sudden, the student found it rather hard to breathe. But she was concentrated alright, and froze in her position, one instant thought coming to mind: Why didn't I check caller ID? Perhaps it was better that she hadn't though, otherwise she wasn't sure she would have the courage to go through with this conversation.
The strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, a mix of butterflies and deep fear, pulsated deeper as she thought of a response to give. In the time being, she realized that he'd sounded out of breath in his greeting, and now sounded like he was trying to get it back. "Is everything alright?" She asked feebly.
"I tried to...to catch you, but you were already gone." She could picture him keeled over, staring at the hard ground as he explained himself. The feeling warmed her more than she knew possible. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to see you off. I...I had to pack and help find something for Miz. Idiot."
"It's okay, don't worry about it. So..." Trailing off for a moment, she closed her eyes and forced herself to stay strong. "Why exactly are you calling?"
"To apologize." Randy stated confidently, his breath seemingly back to its normal rate. "I...I wanted to tell you something before you left and I couldn't."
She didn't know what to say. Part of her was curious, and the other was afraid to know. "Oh?" Her voice was faint.
"Look." A sigh spilled through his own lips. "I had this whole speech planned out for you and now I feel like a complete idiot. I don't want to tell you what I have to down the phone. It takes the romance out of it, you know?"
Her heart fluttered at the talk of the 'R' word and a smile touched her lips before she could stop it. So the topic was to do with them, not just the casual goodbye she'd wanted. But Michelle entered her mind at just the wrong moment and her mood quickly deflated. "Randy, I don't think you should—"
"No, I have to tell you – on the phone or not." His tone was more demanding this time, more forceful. She liked it. Her friend was pushed to the back of her mind in order to hear him out. When he was sure he had her attention, he inhaled a deep breath. "Maria, I don't know what's going on with us. I mean...after the kiss, I thought things were pretty clear and I was happy to be with you. Finally. But then you ran off and—"
"Randy—"
"This is going terribly, I know. I didn't want to say this in the way I am right now. It sounds unorganized." A nervous chuckle spilled through his mouth. "But I need to know how things are with us. I want to be with you, Maria. I'm not going to deny it to you. All I ever seem to think about is you...and...and it hurts to know you're avoiding me. By the way, did I do something wrong? Is there a reason why you're avoiding me?"
She took a moment to reply, her sadness overtaking her state of mind for a moment. "No," she answered softly. "You did nothing wrong at all."
"So what's going on then? Because I'm serious about you, Maria." There was a brief period of silence, in which the statement became a little more truthful to her ears. He was being serious; and she was scared, unsure what to do. He continued. "I mean, I broke up with Michelle because she's not the girl I'm in love with. It's you. You. You're the one I want to be with...and I hope you feel the same way. I wanted to tell you this before, but now it's too late."
Finally, the bigger picture was revealed—at least to her. His words may have come out in a jumbled mess but the key point of it wasn't at all missed by her. At once, her heart sunk.
Michelle McCool.
"I don't know if I can do this. You...you broke up with Michelle."
"Yeah, I did...but what has that got to do with anything?"
"You left her heartbroken, Randy. She's wept on my shoulder almost every day over you." A beat later, she felt more confident in herself. "She's not over you. I don't think she will be for a long time. And now you expect me to be with you so easily? As much as I want to, and I really want to be with you too, Michelle's still my friend. One of the closest I have right now and I can't do it to her."
Silence engulfed them both. Her fears had been pushed out for him to see—or better yet, hear—and now she was left to deal with the aftermath. If this meant they wouldn't be together, so be it; her heart was quite literally breaking at the thought of never being able to call him a boyfriend, or kiss his perfect lips again, but this was about Michelle. Michelle.
What kind of friend would she be if she didn't consider her feelings into this too?
"Maria...what has she told you?" His tone, she realized when he confronted her a minute later, was both wary and confused. "Why would she be heartbroken over me?"
She felt confident enough to answer. "Why wouldn't she be?"
"Because she didn't have a problem with us breaking up." For a moment, her breath stopped completely. And then, as she registered the information, he continued to baffle her. "I told her that things weren't working between us and she totally agreed. It was pretty amicable. So I don't know what she's said to you but it's not true—"
Maria hung up. It seemed to be a natural response to taking in everything all at once. She swallowed lightly as she closed her eyes again, trying to make sense of all she'd just been told.
How could this possibly be true?
How could Michelle...
Was she...
Was he...
The questions were left unsaid and unanswered as she clutched her phone in her hand. The tone rang once more but she ignored it this time, pressing the off button to make sure she wouldn't be distracted a third time.
Eve caught sight of her in the mirror. Instantly, she asked in a soothing tone, "Is everything alright with Randy?"
"Erm yeah, fine." She just about managed to answer her best friend.
But the redhead looked anything but that as she shifted slightly in her seat, pressing her forehead against the cool glass of the window and staring out to the open road. She closed her eyes once more.
Well...what the hell am I supposed to think now?
So there's the next chapter. Please review :)
Up next is Mickie's chapter.