A/N: Thanks for the reviews, hope you're liking the story, chapter's a little heavy, you've been warned! If you wanna, reviews would be welcomed and appreciated. :)
I have to try really hard not to roll my eyes at Sean. It's like my eyeballs go on alert when he's around and the potential for eye-rolling reaches an extremely dangerous level. He's just such a blowhard that I can't help it. I'm not even sure why Paul is friends with him or any of his friends really. I remember the Kliq and how they all used to act like a bunch of frat boys. My father hated it, hated them too and even though it was bad for business, she knew a part of her father was glad when they were gone. It also spelled trouble for Paul because he was punished for all their indiscretions, but her father stopped holding that grudge and now Sean, one of the guys in the Kliq, was back and still thought he was the best in the world.
I want to tell him that he's a nobody, that he rides the coattails of all the guys better than him, but what's the point? He hates me anyways and I don't want Paul to think that he has to choose between his friends and me because he doesn't and I'm not that type of person. That would be like him asking me to choose between him and Chris and he'd lose that bet. I'm not afraid I'd lose if I asked Paul to do that for me, but I just don't care enough. That brings me back to Sean, who is staring at me and I'm staring back and it's uncomfortable at best.
"Where's Paul?" I finally ask.
"Around," Sean shrugs.
"Oh, that's really helpful," Chris says and I can tell that he's rolling his eyes for the both of us. "Let's get out of here, Stephanie. Paul's not here and I don't want you hanging around with this guy."
I know I should listen, but it feels like Sean and I are in some kind of showdown and if I leave, I feel like I'm going to lose or something and I hate that. "Do you know when he'll be back then?"
"I'm not sure, he said he'd be right back," Sean tells me with a shrug.
"Stephanie, come on, let's just go," Chris whines. "We can find Paul later. I'm sure that we'll even be able to feel the boring as soon as we step into the hallway, okay? So let's just go, I don't like you here with this guy."
"I think I'll wait," I say to both Chris and Sean, "as long as he'll be back soon, I might as well stick around a while."
"Sure," Sean says and I push past him and seat myself down on the couch. Chris comes over with me and I can feel him sitting next to me. I glance over at him and he's just staring at Sean and I look at him, but he's not even paying attention to me. I try to get his attention again, but it's still to no avail. He really doesn't like Sean.
I look around the room and I can still feel Chris's presence next to me and it feels more tangible than it usually does. I keep looking over at him, but he just keeps watching Sean. I wish I could touch him so I could at least ask him with my eyes what's wrong. I can't just ask him because Sean already doesn't like me, he doesn't need to think I'm crazy on top of that. I sigh, hoping that Chris will hear me and respond to me instead of looking like a watchdog. The tension feels kind of thick near Chris and I keep trying to make slight noises, but nothing so I turn to the only other person in the room.
"I know you don't like me," I say point blank because we might as well get that out there.
"Stephanie, what are you doing?" Chris asks me, finally acknowledging my presence.
"So you're presumptuous too," Sean says smugly.
"I'm not being presumptuous, I know you can't stand me, I know you think…actually, I don't really know what you think and I don't know why you have to hold some grudge against me just because I'm with Paul. It's not like I'm asking him to choose between the two of us."
"Like he'd choose you anyways, the Kliq sticks together," Sean tells me and this time I can't keep from rolling my eyes.
"God, what are you, twelve? Do you think that you're all just going to be best buds forever? I mean, hello, don't you think that he can have a life if he wants to. I'm not even around that often and you make me feel like I'm some kind of leper whenever I'm around. Get over yourself, Sean."
"Oh, that's rich coming from you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I inquire. He's pissing me off and it's probably better to hash it out. I can hear Chris mumbling something to me, but it becomes background noise as I focus my attention on Sean and ignore Chris.
"It means that you need to get over yourself, you think that you're some high class bitch and you know Paul is only using your skinny ass to get places. He doesn't give a shit about you," Sean laughs cruelly, but I'm ignoring that because he's an idiot and only proving himself to be more so.
"Oh, okay, tell me then how I'm some high class bitch, I bet you can't even come up with anything because you've got nothing and as for Paul using me, if anyone is using anyone, it's you, using all your little Kliq buddies. Believe me, Sean, I know how things work around here and if it wasn't for Paul and Shawn, you wouldn't have a job here," I tell him, "and if it weren't for Kevin and Scott over in WCW, you wouldn't have had a job over there either."
"How dare you, you little bitch," Sean is angry now, but I don't care, I'm glad that he's angry. He's treated me like such crap that it feels good to hit him where it hurts. He can just live with that.
"Everyone knows it too," I poke the embers because I can and I want to and I don't care anymore. I'm sick and tired of the way Sean treats me just because I'm with Paul. I've never had to deal with a guy's friends acting like jerks to me and so I'm not exactly well-versed in how I should handle the situation, but this is the way I'm handling it.
"You don't know shit," he tells me and I just smirk and shrug at him.
"Stephanie, what the hell are you doing?" Chris is hissing in my ear, but I'm ignoring him still. "Don't get into a fight, you're being stupid, there's no point in getting into a fight with him, you know that, would you just quit it already."
"I know more than you do," I challenge.
"Oh yeah, you think that?"
"I know that," I tell him. "I don't even know why the hell Paul bothers to waste his time on you. You're a waste of space around here and the only reason you're employed is because of your friends because your wrestling has gone downhill, believe me, the boos you get aren't because you're a heel, it's because everyone hates you, like genuinely hates you."
"Shut up!" He's seething and speaking through clenched teeth.
"Stephanie, seriously now, okay, let's just go. We can find Paul later and you're being stupid here," Chris tells me and if I bothered to listen harder, I would have been able to tell that his voice is actually worried now, but I'm not paying attention. "Stephanie!"
He's yelling in my ear now and I turn towards him. I don't know how he did that, but it was like his voice was the only thing I could hear in the world, like all the other sound suddenly dimmed to nothing while Chris's voice boomed in my head. It's probably some supernatural angel trick that he has, making sound irrelevant but for his voice. It's effective though because suddenly he's kneeling in front of me and I don't even know how he got there so fast. I blinked and there he was.
"We're getting out of here," Chris tells me and he's not asking me, he is definitely telling me. There's no room for compromise in his voice and the way he's staring at me, it reminds me of hypnotization, the kind you see on bad television. I nod imperceptibly and he seems calmed by this. He seems to take a breath of relief, but I'm not sure he really breathes, so I guess it's just…well, sort of like a breath of relief.
"You know, I can wait to come see Paul, I'm not liking the present company," I stand up and I start to make my way towards the door, but Sean steps to stand in front of it, his arms crossed in front him and he's staring down at me under that greasy piles of curls he calls hair.
"You're not going anywhere, we're finishing this discussion."
"There's nothing to discuss," I let him know. "I think you're an asshole, you think I'm a bitch, so fine, think what you want, but at the end of the day, the only one who's right is me. Paul will see it soon enough."
"You're not going to tell him anything," Sean tells me.
"The hell I am," I scoff. "You can't tell me what to say to my boyfriend, the day that you can tell me that is the day that is…well, never, actually, a whole lot of never. Now get out of my way."
"I said you're not going anywhere."
"I am going somewhere and that way is out of here." I make a move to get by him, but he pushes me back. "Don't touch me!"
"Don't test me, Stephanie."
"Let me out of here," I tell him and my voice is strong, but my resolve is not. Chris is silent next to me and I know that he's here, but my fear is not subsiding in the slightest. There's only one way out of here and I really don't know if Paul is coming back any time soon. All I have to go on is Sean's word and right now, Sean's word isn't exactly the best one to go by.
"Like I said, we're going to hash this out."
"I don't want to talk to you any longer," I keep my voice even or as even as it'll go right now. "I'm not going to deal with you, now get out of my way."
"No," he tells me in no uncertain terms.
"Yes, you are." I try to get by him again and again, he pushes me back. It's not a hard push, but it's a push nonetheless and I'm liking the physical contact less and less. "If you don't let me get by-"
"If I don't let you get by, what, what's going to happen?"
I rear my hand back to slap the spit out of his mouth, but he catches my hand mid-air and then stares at me, gripping my wrist tightly. I keep my mouth pursed closed because I'm afraid if I open it, I'll squeak in pain because his grip is tightening by the second. I try not to show my fear even though it feels like it's coming over me in waves and I'm drowning in it. I try not to gulp audibly, but as he stares down at my face, I can tell that he knows he has the upper-hand.
"Not so tough now, are we?" he says like he's some cliché bad guy and if I wasn't so scared, I would have offered a retort. I can hear Chris near me, but I'm afraid of what Sean will do if I turn my head so I just stay staring at him. "You need to know your place around here and you would be nowhere if it weren't for who your daddy is. When it comes down to it, you're nothing, but an ugly, childish, slutty whore. Who have you spread your legs for, huh? I heard you and Randy Savage when you were a little girl-"
"I never, that's disgusting," I tell him and I hate these rumors that go around about me. None of them are true, not a single one.
"Give it up, Stephanie, everyone knows what a whore you are and how you'll give it up to anyone, so why don't you prove everyone right."
I don't like this now. I really don't like this. I start to back up as my breath hitches, but he's still got his grip on me. I look around and Chris looks absolutely terrified. I've never seen his face like that, I've never seen anyone's face so contorted in horror. He's helpless and he knows it and it's scaring him. It's as if I can feel his emotions as well as my own. I don't recall, at this very moment, if Chris has ever said that he feels fear, but if he hasn't felt it before, he sure as hell feels it now. I can't remember a worse situation I've ever been in.
"What's the matter, Steph? Don't find me attractive?"
"Let me go," I tell him, but my voice is wavering now, quivering and my fear is pounding in my entire body.
"I don't think so," he looks at me smarmily and then starts to back me up. I refuse to beg or plead. I just need to find a way out of here. I kick him in the shin and he barely even reacts to it. He's got his shin guards on so he probably didn't feel it. Instead, I start to thrash and try to break myself free from his grasp, doing anything I can, but this only succeeds in making him grab both my wrists. He's backing me up and suddenly the back of my legs hit the couch and I'm toppling over it and landing on my ass. I'm trying so hard not to be as scared as I know I am, if I show that I'm scared, he wins, I can't let him win.
I can't even look over at Chris because my body feels rigid and not even my own anymore. It's like everything that I am is suddenly gone and I'm this bundle of nerves and energy that makes me stick to this couch as Sean hovers over me. I hate this feeling of helplessness. My father taught me to be strong, to face down challenges, but he never told me what to do when you're facing a man who has such hatred for you that you aren't even sure how far he's willing to go. That's what scares me the most, I'm not entirely sure how far he's willing to go.
"Sean," I whimper and God have I just been broken, is that really my voice because it sounds so weak.
"Let's see what Paul really sees in you."
"NO!" Chris's voice and then suddenly out of nowhere, a chair comes flying at Sean and knocks him over. I look over the couch and Chris is in shock, staring at his hands and then his head lifts and he's looking at me and his face, I see his face and it's shock and awe and horror all mixed together. I glance back at Sean and he's on the ground, bleeding from the side of his head where the chair hit him. He's staring where Chris is, but I know he can't see Chris. His eyes are wide with fear and shock. "Stephanie, get out of here!"
I do the only thing I can, I run.