Chapter 5—A Little Tiff
A/N: SURPRISE! ENJOY THE EARLY UPDATE!
[the next day]
Liz and Randy were both getting dressed for the day. Randy had a few radio interviews so he decided that he was going to take Liz with him.
"Do you ever get nervous before radio interviews?" Liz asked Randy.
He nodded. "I get nervous about what kinds of question they're going to ask. They're supposed to talk about WWE, but they always end up asking me something either has too much to do with WWE backstage drama or they're into my own personal business." Randy explained.
Liz nodded. "I can understand that," she said.
Randy nodded. "Are you nervous about coming with me?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Not really. I've always been very likable." She said.
"So what if the interviewer starts asking you questions?" Randy asked.
"I don't know… I'll answer like a true Viper." She said.
Randy laughed. "That's my girl!" he said.
Liz laughed and continued pinning her hair.
Soon enough, Randy and Liz were ready to go. The car was waiting for them outside the hotel. In the SUV, Liz was constantly fixing her clothes.
"You look fine, Lizard. It's not like there will be cameras," Randy said.
Liz nodded. "Yeah, there will be. Do you have any idea how many of your radio interviews I have watched on YouTube? A lot." She said.
Randy shook his head and looked through the day's agenda on his phone.
Eventually, the SUV pulled up the radio station. Of course the driver stepped out and opened the door for Randy and Liz to get out.
Inside the radio studio, the DJs talked to Randy about what kinds of questions were going to be asked. He agreed to them and the radio show began.
Good morning, Biloxi! We're here with The Viper Randy Orton!
Thanks for having me.
Nah, man. Thanks for being here. So let's talk WWE! What can we expect from The Viper in the future?
Well, you can expect the real vintage Orton that Michael Cole is always screaming about.
Liz laughed at the comment. As an avid WWE fan who watched religiously, she was familiar with the reference. Whenever Randy did anything, Michael Cole, one of the ringside commentators, would call him "Vintage Orton" as if whatever it was Randy was doing was 20 or 30 years old.
Nice, nice. We're all looking forward to that. Is there anything else you can tell us about that?
There's not really much to tell. That's all I've to say about it.
Cool. So have you been keeping up with Total Divas?
Randy sighed. He knew where the question was leading. Total Divas was a reality show that focused on the WWE Divas' personal life and business life. JoJo, the girl everyone assumes is dating Randy, is one of the Divas.
No, not really. I don't watch it.
Really? So what do you have to say about the rumors about you and JoJo?
I don't really even know JoJo. I met her maybe once in passing, but other than that, I haven't had any contact with her.
What about your cute little friend here?
Who? Liz?
Liz? Is that your name?
Oh. Yeah. That's me.
So is there anything going on with you and The Viper?
Liz laughed. No way. He's like a big brother to me. We're just friends.
The DJ hissed. OUCH! Orton is in the friend zone. And with a girl like this, that's the last place I would ever want to be. I wish you listeners could see this girl; she's hot! Maybe we could exchange numbers and hang out later. He winked at Liz.
Randy clenched his jaws repeatedly at the DJ's comments. Liz giggled and blushed.
That looks to be all the time we've got left. It was nice talking to you for a little bit, Randy. You folks can see Randy tonight in Biloxi for Monday Night Raw Live! Tickets are still available. Get yours while you still can. Thanks again, Randy.
Yeah, no problem.
The "on air" sign turned off so Liz and Randy left and went to the arena to get ready for Raw.
In the SUV, Liz smirked at Randy.
He sighed. "What, Lizard?" he asked.
"Is there anything really going on between you and JoJo?" she asked.
Randy chuckled. "No. Nothing at all. I think that show puts ideas in peoples head. Nothing ever happened between us onscreen or offscreen," he said.
"I guess I believe you," Liz said. "So, what else are we doing today?" she asked.
Randy looked over the calendar on his phone. "All I have to do right now it get in a good workout. Other than that, I don't have anything planned. I guess I'll just relax before the show." He said.
Liz nodded. "I'm so excited for Raw! I need to go shopping for a dress or something if you have time." she said.
"Speaking of that, I need to buy your ticket," Randy said as he dialed a number on his phone.
Liz frowned. "I thought you already bought it," She said.
He shook his head. "I have to wait until the day of the show to reserve a ticket. If we could reserve seats beforehand, there would be no seats for other people." He said.
She nodded and waited for Randy to end his phone call.
"Bad news, Liz," he started. "All the seats are sold out," he said.
Liz got sad, but her sadness didn't last for long. "I could just hang out backstage with you," she said excitedly.
He frowned. "I don't want you back there; it's not safe," Randy said.
"What do you mean it isn't safe?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
Randy sighed. "I don't want to get into this right now, Liz. Just forget it."
"No! Tell me why it's not safe!" She demanded even though she knew Randy's answer.
He shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said.
Liz glared at him and crossed her arms. "Why can't you just be like a normal person? You need to be able to trust that I can take care of myself, Randy. I'm not a baby who needs your constant supervision." she said sadly.
"I'm sorry, Liz, but I can't just let you run around with those guys. They aren't good people." Randy said.
She scoffed. "They aren't bad people, either, Randy. Phil, John, and Cody will be around if you aren't. You can hire them as my fucking babysitters since you obviously don't think I can take care of myself." She said.
Randy sighed. He didn't want to start a big fight with Liz, but also wanted to get his point across. She's a beautiful young girl with a great personality who is irresistible to just about every man in her vicinity. Randy just didn't want Liz to get hurt. "You know what? Fine. You can come backstage under one condition," he said.
Liz waited to hear the stipulation.
"You have to stay in my locker room. You cannot leave unless I'm with you." he said.
Liz was shocked. "Are you really putting me on a leash, Randy? Really? You're going to lock me up in your locker room for three hours?" she asked angrily.
Randy groaned. "Forget it," he said through his teeth as he looked out the window.
Minutes later, the SUV pulled up to a gym. Randy opened the door to get out, but he stopped to hand Liz his credit card. "Have fun," he said.
Liz didn't take the card. Randy sighed. "Just take it Liz."
She narrowed her eyes at him. Randy closed the door back and clenched his jaw. "What's so wrong with me wanting to make sure you're safe? Huh? What's the problem?" he asked angrily.
"What's wrong is that you aren't making sure I'm safe! You're guarding me like I'm some sort of… thing!" she said.
He scoffed. "People guard items that are precious to them! They lock up their priceless jewelry, they put their trophies in glass cases with alarms, and they put cash in safes! If you think I'm "guarding an item", that's exactly what I'm doing! I'm protecting what is most important to me and I'm sorry if you have a problem with that!" He said angrily.
Liz was silent. "I never thought of it that way." She said quietly.
Randy nodded. "Now, will you please take this and have a good time?" he asked as he handed Liz the credit card again.
She nodded and took the card. "Thank you," she said.
Randy smiled and kissed her forehead. "You're welcome, Lizard," he said.
Liz smiled. "Love you, too, loser," she said.
Randy chuckled and got out of the car and went into the gym.
The SUV's drive looked at Liz through the rearview mirror. "Where to, Miss?" the driver asked.
"Nearest mall, please?" she asked.
The driver nodded and drove off. Liz started thinking of the type of outfit she wanted to buy. Minutes later, the SUV pulled up to the mall.
"Thank you so much, sir." Liz said. "Take my cell phone number just in case," she said.
The man nodded and they exchanged phone numbers.
"I don't know how long I'm going to be in there, but I'll call when I'm ready," Liz said.
The driver smiled and nodded.
Liz left the SUV and strolled into the mall. Her first stop was the food court; she knew she wouldn't be able to wait until Randy was done at the gym. She had to eat right then. She ordered her own food and ordered something for Randy to-go. She rolled the bag's opening neatly and put the bag into her large tote. Liz sat down with her own food and savored the taste; the breakfast sandwich was so much better than she expected. She sipped on her orange juice as she ate. Once she was satiated, Liz got a refill of her orange juice and went in search of her perfect outfit.
After looking for a few minutes, Liz found the Jessica Simpson section; Liz always loved Jessica Simpson's work: her music, her reality show, and especially her clothing line. Upon browsing, Liz found several dresses: a Long-Sleeve Illusion Lace Sheath, a Sleeveless Lace-Panel Body-Con, a Sleeveless Illusion Lace A-Line, and a Sleeveless Neon Colorblock Scuba Sheath. She carried the dresses in her arms as she looked for some shoes to match.
She found a tall wall full of Jessica Simpson shoes and Liz nearly fainted. She smiled brightly as she looked at each pair. After inspecting every pair, Liz decided on Maldwin Fringe Booties, Carrie Platform Pumps, Jasmint Platform Pumps, and Waleo Platform Pumps.
Just as Liz was trying to figure out how she was going to carry all of her finds as well as her orange juice, Randy showed up out of nowhere and took the dresses and shoes in his arms.
"Shit! You scared me," Liz said.
Randy chuckled. "Sorry. The driver said he tried calling you to tell you that he was leaving to pick me up from the gym," Randy said.
Liz nodded as she checked her phone. She saw that there were several missed calls from the SUV driver.
"So, is this it?" Randy asked Liz as he looked at all the stuff in his arms.
She thought for a moment. "Yeah. That's it; lets head to the check out." She said.
Randy nodded and followed Liz to the check-out counter. When they got there, Randy put all the dresses and shoes on the counter and greeted the middle-aged woman behind the counter.
"Hi. How are y'all?" the cashier asked with a sweet southern accent.
"We're pretty good. How are you?" Randy replied.
"I'm alright. Is this all for you?" the cashier asked.
Liz nodded. "Yes it is." She said.
"Alright the total is $1,038.74." the cashier said.
Randy took out his wallet only to remember that he had given Liz his credit card. When Liz gave him his card back, she took a sip of her orange juice and watched as Randy swiped it and put in his information.
"So, how long have y'all been dating?" the cashier asked.
Liz choked on the orange juice. "We aren't dating. We're just friends; I've known him my entire life, though." She said.
Randy forced out an uncomfortable laugh. "Yeah. We're just friends," he said quietly.
The cashier turned red with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry. But if there was a man who bought me designer clothes, I'd make him my boyfriend in a heartbeat." She said.
It was Liz's turn to force an uncomfortable laugh.
"Would you like your dresses in a hanging dress bag?" the cashier asked Liz.
She nodded. "Yes, please," she said.
The cashier neatly hung the dresses in individual bags as Randy and Liz stood there awkwardly.
"Here you go," the cashier started. "Have a great day." She said. Liz and Randy nodded as they left.
In the SUV, Randy and Liz sat quietly until Liz remembered she had food for Randy in her bag. "I bought you some breakfast from the food court," Liz said as she handed Randy the paper bag.
Randy offered a small smile. "Oh. Um, thanks," he said quietly.
Liz was a bit put off by Randy's suddenly quiet behavior. She could tell that there was something on his mind; probably the same something from the morning of the car show. She decided it would be best to ignore it, but when Randy's eyes started to water, Liz couldn't help but ask.
"You okay, Ran?' she asked sweetly.
He sniffled and quickly wiped his eyes. "Yeah," he said softly. Liz shook her head and moved to sit next to him. It was a weird feeling, but she wrapped her arms around him the best she could.
"No, Liz. I'm fine," Randy said as he squirmed away from her. She frowned in confusion.
"What's going on, Randy?" she asked out of concern.
"Nothing, Liz. Just drop it!" Randy yelled.
Liz shook her head. "I don't understand you! What the fuck could have happened in six months that changed you like this?" She asked.
Randy sighed. "Nothing happened and I haven't changed," he said hardly above a whisper.
"The hell you haven't! Before you left, you weren't like this; you've never been so tight lipped and quiet around me. Then after you got that big push, you suddenly have secrets. We have never kept secrets from each other!" Liz yelled.
Randy shook his head. "I know you're concerned, Liz; but I really don't want to talk about this right now,"
"So there is something bothering you," she said.
He nodded. "Yeah. I'll let you know when I'm ready to talk about it. Just chill out and back off about it until then. Please," he said practically begging.
Liz thought about it for a moment and nodded. "I'm not making any promises, but I'll try," she said.
Randy smiled softly. "Thanks," he said.
"Can I ask you something though?" she asked. He nodded.
"Is it my fault?" she asked quietly.
Randy's head shot up. He looked at her with gentle eyes. "Of course not, Elizabeth. This is all my fault," he said.
Liz nodded. "Can I ask you something else?" she asked. Randy waited to hear the question.
"Is it illegal?" she asked.
Randy looked down and didn't answer. Liz gasped softly and dropped the subject; if it was something that could get Randy into trouble, she didn't want to force him to talk about it. The topic was null and void to her from then on.
PLEASE REVIEW for a sneak peek at chapter 6.