25. Kelly and the Line

Kelly gazed out of her bedroom window and put her book down with a sigh. It was a sunny Saturday afternoon and her neighbourhood was full of laughing and shouting kids riding bikes or tossing balls around, making the most of the rare warm weather. Kelly's friends had chosen to go the mall to get smoothies but she had declined the offer; citing a last minute homework assignment that she really needed to get done. While this was sort of true, it was a well known fact that Kelly was never 'last minute' when it came to her studies; in fact, she had already finished this assignment and was now working on another that wasn't due for a month.

The actual issue today was that Kelly was avoiding the mall at all costs. After her awkward encounter with Dolph Ziggler earlier in the week, the last thing she needed was to bump into him and his friends at their usual hangout. While she had spent years fantasising about him in secret, even back in Junior High when he was good friends with Kaitlyn, now that they were all in high school she knew that there was no chance of him even noticing her. He was the handsome athlete; one of the most popular guys on campus and more importantly the boyfriend of Nikki Bella. Nikki Bella... what exactly could be said about Nikki Bella? Along with her twin sister Brie, Nikki had ruled the roost for years. Even as far back as Kindergarten, she was the well established Queen Bee, the kind of girl all the girls wanted to be and all the guys wanted to be with. But no guy was ever good enough for the Queen. Her standards were high and she stuck by them, and once they were finally met, she refused to be denied. That was why once puberty knocked on Dolph Ziggler's door and turned him into the man he went on to be all throughout high school, it was only a matter of time before Nikki came knocking too.

Whenever Kelly had tried to find out more about Dolph from his childhood friend Kaitlyn, she would simply shrug her off and call him an asshole. This was why when just before third period on Thursday Dolph had out of the blue cornered Kelly by her locker and struck up a conversation with her, all she could do was freeze up and stammer something about being late for class before rushing off; her face bright red.

Just as Kelly left her room and began heading downstairs to grab a drink, the doorbell rang. Frowning, she called out to her parents before realizing she was home alone and with a groan stomped down the stairs to the front door. It was probably their next door neighbour Mrs Simmons, popping by to ask them to buy some of her daughter's Girl Scout cookies. Or one of the neighbourhood kids looking for her younger siblings. Either way, Kelly was just not in the mood for visitors. She grasped the front door handle, taking a deep breath and plastering a smile on her face.

"Hi-"

Her jaw dropped at the sight of Dolph Ziggler stood before her. His blonde hair was tied back into a short ponytail and his sunglasses were pushed on top of his head. He wore a loose tank top with cut off sleeves, drawing attention to his tanned, muscular arms.

"Dolph? What are you doing here?"

"Hey Kelly," he grinned, leaning against the frame. "I was just in the area and I remembered that you lived around here. We didn't really get the chance to talk much when I bumped into your by your locker the other day so I thought I'd just swing by and say hey."

Kelly frowned, peering around and half expecting to see Nikki around the corner sniggering away. She knew full well that Nikki Bella was certainly not above pranks and practical jokes; and more often than not they would be directed towards Kelly and Maria. The Bella Twin had also had it out for Kaitlyn for years, but was far too intimidated by her athletic frame and hard attitude to try anything of the sort

"I promise I'm not playing a trick on you," Dolph laughed in his familiarly charming way. "I've been trying to strike up the courage to talk to you for a long time."

"Why?" Kelly shot back. "Don't you have a girlfriend? One who totally hates me, by the way, and would probably give me hell if she knew you were here?"

Again, Dolph laughed. "Nope. Me and Nikki are over, we have been for a while. She has absolutely no control over what I do or who I see."

Kelly eyed him cautiously, but his smiling face gave no sign of being untrustworthy. She stepped back and let him into the house.

She was only three hours in, but at this point Kelly felt as if this shift was never going to end. Waitressing was the last thing the Communications major wanted to be doing, but as she thought back to the ever-increasing pile of bills back at the apartment, all she could do was sigh and get back to serving table three.

"Welcome to Mange Tout, I'm Kelly and I'll be your server today. Would you like to see today's specials?"

On one side of the table sat a middle-aged man and opposite him was a woman who looked much, much younger. Although he wasn't the most handsome of older men, with his thinning hair and stocky build, his designer suit, designer wristwatch and the pair of designer sunglasses perched on top of his head, Kelly quickly discerned that he was most likely very rich. As he glanced over the menu, she also picked up on a wedding band. The stunning brunette accompanying him wore a black jumpsuit and was adorned in beautiful jewellery; a range of beautiful gems but no wedding ring. As Kelly watched them flirt with each other while they decided on what to order, she was quick to put two and two together to determine that she was serving a rich married dude and his pampered mistress.

"Excuse me, miss?" Kelly cleared her throat and refocused her attention on the man as he raised an eyebrow at her wavering expression.

"Sorry," she said quickly, putting her pen to her pad. "So that's a number two and a number six?"

As she thanked them for their order and hurried back to the kitchen, Kelly could feel a lump forming in her throat. She handed the order to the chef and accepted the glass of Diet Coke being thrust in her direction by Tiffany; a fellow waitress, originally from New Orleans. In their time at Mange Tout the two had come to be known as the 'Blondetourage' due to the many shifts they'd worked together and the waitressing double act their manager encouraged them to put on when groups of men came to dine at the restaurant. It drove the two blondes up the wall, but the amount they'd rack up in tips spoke for itself.

"Maybe you're jumping to conclusions?" Tiffany said as Kelly recounted her interaction with table three. "What if she just doesn't like wearing her ring? Or she might have lost it. Or maybe they're just really good friends... Or co-workers!"

Kelly shook her head. "No way. They are definitely together."

"Since when were you so cynical?" Tiffany giggled, sipping at her own soda. "You always look for the best in people, even when they don't deserve it. So what makes you so sure that there's some sordid affair going on out there?"

"Okay, so maybe I'm not one hundred percent sure." Tiffany gave her a sideways look. "But what if I'm right? All I can think about is his wife sitting at home thinking her husband's at work, and what if they have kids?!"

"Cheating is the worst," Tiffany agreed. "But sometimes you've got to give people the benefit of the doubt. Yeah, maybe she's his mistress, but then again maybe she isn't?"

"Yeah," Kelly sighed. "Maybe."

Tiffany rolled her eyes and grinned, picking a grape from the bowl that had been left out and popping it in her mouth.

"I'd go nuts if I found out Brad was cheating on me," she said casually. "I don't know what's worse though; a couple of random hook-ups or a serious long-term affair."

Kelly's jaw clenched at the flippancy with which Tiffany went on about cheating. She spoke casually, sometimes even joking about some of the stories of infidelity she'd come across. She even confessed to Kelly that she too once had suspicions that Brad – the man she'd been with since college – had been unfaithful.

"But," the Louisiana native conclude, a wise look on her face. "At the end of the day, it's all about trust. Sometimes people project onto their partners because of their own insecurities and past relationships and start seeing problems everywhere. It's just not healthy."

Kelly nodded and mumbled her agreement as she watched Tiffany's eyes brighten at her table's order being served up.

"Finally," she groaned, taking the dishes and heading back into the restaurant; her demeanour just as bouncy as usual.

Kelly stared glumly after her and began picking at the grapes she'd left behind.

"I can't believe we have so much in common," Kelly giggled, picking absentmindedly at the salad on the plate in front of her.

"The classic high school cliché," Dolph grinned. "Whoever would have thought the jock and the quiet, gorgeous brainiac would make such a pair?"

"Don't get too ahead of yourself," she joked, blushing nonetheless. "We're not quite there yet."

"Yeah," Dolph's eyes were burning a hole in his date. "But I've got a pretty good feeling."

"Oh yeah?" Kelly teased, leaning forward towards him. "Even though we're only halfway through our first date?"

He nodded confidently. "I just can't believe it took you so long to even agree to go on a date with me on the first date. You sure were wrong, huh?"

"Oh shut up," she giggled before she flashed him another one of her bright smiles and looked back down at the table, trying her best to conceal her glee.

She just could not believe how great a night she was having. He had picked her up at 6:30, like promised, a bunch of flowers in one hand and a box of chocolates for her family in the other. After he had spent some time meeting the Blank family properly in the living room, sipping on homemade lemonade, Kelly was sure that her parents were well and truly schmoozed. Before they jumped in his convertible to head out to the restaurant, he had promised to have her back by 11pm. As they cruised out of the suburbs – Kelly hardly being able to believe she was sat in a car so fancy – he handed over control of his car's sound system to her; requesting something that would set the mood. Flicking through his iPod, Kelly had found just the artist.

"Ah," Dolph grinned, giving her a quick sideways glance. "So you're a fan of the Man in Black?"

"Duh!" She giggled, turning the volume up several notches. "'Because you're mine...'"

"I walk the line!"

The pair burst into laughter as they attempted to sing along with the deep voice of Johnny Cash. For the rest of the journey they played nothing but his songs. They took great joy in alternating the male and female parts in songs such as 'Jackson' and 'It Ain't Me, Babe', and Kelly had found herself in a fit of giggles as Dolph tried his hand at imitating the singer's southern accent.

"I love how he just knows how to tell a story," Kelly sighed during an instrumental break. "In every single song he just builds this world of characters and drama, and you find yourself just disappearing into his world."

Dolph nodded, taken by the dreamy look that spread across her pretty features as she stared out of the window.

"My dad is a huge Cash fan," he said. "He would always say you could tell so much about someone based on their favourite song of his."

"Really?" Kelly replied thoughtfully. "Well, mine is definitely 'Ring of Fire'. What does that say about me?"

She grinned as she watched Dolph, eagerly awaiting his response. He stared straight ahead, lost in thought.

"Well," he began finally, much to her delight. "It's a song that's just surrounded by conflict and confusion. Did June really write it? Is it a sexual innuendo on Johnny's part? But what I feel like it really comes down to is just that; the conflict and confusion that surrounds love and relationships. I think what it says about you is that just like whoever it was that wrote the song, you're terrified of love because of all the overwhelming feelings that come along with it. Jealousy, desire, temptation, heartbreak... But at the same time, when you fall, you fall hard. You embrace it, full guns blazing. You're passionate and full of love, but also fearful of being burned in this ring of fire we call love."

Kelly stared at Dolph's casual facial expression with a curious expression on her own face. Eventually, he cracked and broke his stoic stance, bursting into laughter and thus making her do the same.

"That was deep," Kelly giggled, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I'm sure you use that one on all the girls."

Dolph laughed with a shrug. "Not once. I try to keep my fanboy love for Cash on the down-low, so you must be something pretty special to make me whip it out on the first date."

Her cheeks flushed pink but she rolled her eyes and gave him a light shove.

"Whatever. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Your favourite Cash song."

Dolph didn't even have to think about his response. "Easy." He replied simply. "'I Walk The Line'. Take what you will from that."

"Well, didn't he write it to convince his wife he was being faithful?"

"Among other things."

"So..." Kelly exhaled, conjuring up a response. "Okay, I think I've got it. You're aware of your position as a big shot, and you may even revel in it, but deep down you deal with a lot of self-consciousness. You're worried that in the midst of all your popularity and success you'll lose sight of the things that matter and the people that matter. And so maybe you don't trust yourself. But deep down you're just a kindred spirit looking for someone to keep you balanced, someone that will really make you walk that line."

"What's the line?" He asked curiously, his eyes still on the road.

"I think it's a lot of things. 'The line' is the straight and narrow. It's everything you know deep down you should be doing. And all you want is to find the girl that will give you a reason to keep walking that line, no matter how difficult it may be at times."

When she finished, instead of looking over at him, she looked straight ahead at the passing roads that led downtown. Suddenly feeling awkward, she picked up his iPod again and picked out a different artist for them to listen to. This seemed to lighten the mood, as Dolph began joking about the song she had chosen. It was almost as if the conversation about Johnny Cash never even happened judging by the way they continued casually chatting and joking as they finally approached the restaurant and were led over by a smiling waiter to their reserved table.

It wasn't until Dolph's convertible had once again pulled up outside of Kelly's house at 10:47pm that the topic returned to the fray. Just as she was thanking him for a great evening and going to leave the car, Dolph softly placed his hand over Kelly's and met her eyes with an earnest yet somewhat nervous expression.

"Can I tell you something?" She nodded, swallowing the lump that was growing in her throat. "Um. I don't know how to say this, but I've had an amazing night with you. And... If you're ready to fall into the ring of fire, I'm ready to walk the line."

Their hands locked together as both leaned in for a kiss.

"So," Tiffany bounced back into the kitchen with an exhale. "Looks like the date currently taking place on table seven is going well. That, or high schoolers are way more romantic than I remember them being."

The smiling waitress frowned at Kelly's lack of response.

"Whoa, earth to blondie," she waved a hand in her face.

"Huh?" Kelly snapped out of her daydream, looking up from the order she was preparing to take to the table she was serving.

"The silver fox and his mistress are probably starving by now," Tiffany winked, gesturing towards the door.

"Oh, yeah, whoops," Kelly giggled nervously as she perched the two dishes on her hand and backed out of the kitchen as Tiffany shook her head and watched her. She weaved carefully through the restaurant and approached the table with her signature grin.

The older man looked up at her, thanking her graciously as she placed the two orders down on the table. "Looks great," he beamed, then looking at his dining partner for a similar response.

"Yeah," she concurred, her eyes not once leaving the man. "It does."

"Fantastic; I hope you enjoy your meal!" Kelly gave one last friendly nod and smile before swiftly stepping away from the table. Her eyes dropped briefly and she caught sight of the woman tapping the man's leg with her foot. Kelly had to resist the urge to gag as she headed back through the restaurant, stopping every now and again to ask different tables if they were happy with their meals, but overall set solely on returning to the kitchen.

On the way back, she and Tiffany returned to each other's side as the latter finished taking yet another order.

"So, any updates on the steamy affair?" Tiffany joked as the kitchen door swung open.

"Well, they're playing footsy already so I can't imagine what they'll be getting up to by the time dessert comes around."

The two blondes laughed as they weaved in and out of the hubbub of the kitchen. Kelly giggled as Tiffany made a mocking gesture behind the back of the serious head chef, and Tiffany had to hold back her giggles as one of the newer waiters failed spectacularly at trying to impress Kelly with his juggling ability. The pair linked arms and headed to the break room, immediately diving onto a couch and letting out the usual mid-shift sigh.

"Hey," Tiffany piped up between bites of her food. "How's Justin getting on in South Africa?"

Kelly chewed her own food and thought to herself. In reality, apart from a quick text to let her know that he'd landed, the couple had barely had any interaction in the past three days he'd been away.

"He's doing okay," Kelly replied with a cool nod. "Obviously he's still grieving, but he's enjoying spending some time back home with his old friends. The funeral is tonight."

Tiffany gave a sombre nod. Through working together at Mange Tout she and Kelly had quickly become good friends; so much so that Tiffany, Kelly, Justin and Brad would often go on double dates. While Tiffany was clued in on the recent tragedy, Kelly had kept her in the dark about the other issues the couple was having; namely the silent treatment Justin had been giving her since Eve's dinner party.

"It's so sad," Tiffany sighed, "losing someone like that, especially when he's so far from home. At least he has you!"

"Yeah," Kelly replied. "I miss him so much."

Tiffany gave her a sympathetic pat on the knee. "It's only a week, right?" Kelly nodded. "You've just got to find some way to distract yourself, y'know, just keep busy."

"Yeah, you're right."

The two shared a small smile as they returned to the meals, their conversation heading towards more light hearted topics.

"Kells, you look great. Now could you just grab your purse so we can go to this freakin' party?"

Kelly bit her lip and continued gazing in the mirror. She was wearing a black skintight mini-dress that Dolph had picked out on a shopping trip he had taken her on during a romantic weekend in New York. It showed off everything, in Dolph's opinion. Her 'gorgeous legs', 'great ass' and 'amazing rack' were all perfectly accentuated by the designer garment he had managed to talk her into letting him buy as a gift.

"I don't know why I'm even going," Kelly sighed, finally leaving the mirror and taking a seat on the edge of her bed next to her boyfriend. "It's just going to be all the cool jocks and hot cheerleaders."

"Hey, you know Mike's gonna be there; it's not all cool jocks."

Kelly laughed at his joke and rested her head on his shoulder. "Nikki is not going to be happy that you're bringing me to one of her parties. She hates me enough as it is."

Dolph rolled his eyes. "We've been dating for three months now. It's time for her to get used to it. Who cares what she thinks anyway?"

"Yeah but your friends-"

"My friends what, Kells? We've been hiding this thing between us for far too long. You wanna talk about my friends; yours don't even try and hide the fact that they hate my guts for no reason!"

"No they don't..."

Dolph raised his eyebrows at her.

"Okay, so maybe Kaitlyn has called you a few names here and there, but the others don't care at all!"

"So why does it still feel like you're ashamed of me?"

"I'm not ashamed! I just don't want them to think that I'm going to abandon them for a guy. Especially not-"

"An asshole jock like me?"

"Dolph," Kelly sighed, linking her arm through his. "It's not like that, it's just complicated."

"Okay, so explain it to me and make it less complicated."

She bit her lip. "I don't know. It just feels like our relationship just appeared out of nowhere, y'know? A few months ago we'd probably never even spoken to each other once, and suddenly I'm dating one of the most popular guys in school. And then of course you used to be really good friends with Kaitlyn so her mind is totally blown, not to mention your ex who just loves making my life a misery..."

Dolph groaned and scooted away from her. "Who cares about that stuff? The only people in this relationship are me and you. We're together, regardless of what anyone else thinks. We should be able to hang out in public, and acknowledge each other at school, and go to parties together. I'm sick of the politics."

Kelly watched him as he sighed and got to his feet, pacing around the room and running his hands through his hair. She couldn't help but feel guilty; after all, she was the one who was adamant on keeping their relationship somewhat of a secret. After the two had decided to become an official couple after their third date, Kelly reluctantly divulged all to the girls who were shocked to hear that their quiet friend had been dating Dolph Ziggler, of all people. She wasn't surprised to hear Kaitlyn's expletive 'holy shit!' response, but while Maria, Eve and Alicia had tried their best to be supportive, Kaitlyn was not at all happy. She did not hesitate to tell Kelly how much she deserved better and how Dolph was only going to hurt her. When she had tearfully recounted this to Dolph, he was adamant in reminding her that Kaitlyn didn't really know him, how none of her friends knew him. That it was the rumours and the politics that were getting in the way of the two of them being happy together. And to her surprise, when she had plucked up the courage to repeat this to Kaitlyn, the sharp-tongued teen had simply shrugged and apologized for her rash judgements.

"Dolph," Kelly said quietly as she got to her feet and approached her boyfriend. "I'm sorry. You're right. I'm just being stupid." She smiled and placed her hand in his. "Let's go to this party."

Before long Kelly was back on the restaurant floor. She weaved effortlessly through tables; ushering people to tables, taking their orders and trying her best to partake in the usual waitress banter. At some point she glanced over at table three, and noticing that their plates were now empty and they sat engaged in conversation, she hesitantly headed over.

"Hi," she grinned as she stood in between the pair. The man looked up and grinned back while the woman sipped at her water. "Are you both done with your meal?"

"Yes," he nodded, sitting back so that Kelly could collect the dishes. "Please give our compliments to the chef. That dessert was incredible."

"No problem; I'm glad you enjoyed your meal."

She began stacking the plates as quickly as she could. Evidently she had interrupted their private conversation as they remained sat in silence as she did so. "I'll be back shortly with the bill."

They nodded and Kelly hurried off back to the kitchen. By the time she had returned to the table with the bill, the woman had disappeared and he sat alone typing away on his phone.

"Here you go sir," Kelly said as she placed the bill in front of him. She waited patiently as he dug into his wallet, fiddling with her ponytail and glancing around the restaurant. Her eyes almost bulged out of her head as he tossed a several 20 dollar bills down on the table; many more that were necessary even for their extravagant meal.

"I know you're supposed to tip ten percent," the man smirked as he caught Kelly's shocked expression. "But I've had a pretty crappy day and having the world's friendliest waitress has definitely been a highlight."

"Thank you very much," she giggled nervously, trying her best not to stare at the money in front of her. She had been taught to never comment on the size of the tip; no matter how big or how small.

"My friend had to pop out to take a call, but I assure you she's just as impressed."

Kelly nodded and gathered up the money, thanking him again. The man leaned forward in his seat, folding his arms on the table.

"What's your name?" He asked suddenly, looking up at her.

"Um," she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and shuffled her weight to the other foot. "Kelly."

"And do you work here full time?" His questions continued.

"Sort of. I just graduated from college so I'm in between things at the moment."

"Did you go to school in Connecticut?"

"No. I studied in Florida."

This seemed to peak his interest. "Oh really? Whereabouts?"

"Miami," she grinned, the good memories flooding back.

"Small world," the man flashed a charming smile back. "That's where I live at the moment. I'm here in Connecticut on business."

"Cool," Kelly nodded, trying her best to remain as friendly and engaged as she was paid to be.

"Forgive me if this seems a little forward," the man lowered his voice slightly. "But you seem like someone who's interested in the entertainment business. Would I be wrong in assuming so?"

Her eyebrows rose. During her few years in Miami she had come across many older men who claimed to be involved in "entertainment". She was smart enough back then to be hesitant of such characters, and she felt the same now.

"Um, I guess so," she answered hesitantly. "I've dreamed of being a broadcast journalist for a long time, but that's one of those things you've got to spend years and years interning and climbing your way up for."

The man nodded along as she spoke, listening intently. "And are you doing all of that?"

Kelly snorted. "I'm trying my best."

"Fair enough." He reached into his wallet again and pulled out a card. "Well, I'm sure a pretty young girl like you hears this kind of thing all the time, but I work as an agent and the woman that was with me is my business partner. Like I said, we're based in Miami, but we're here in Connecticut for the next week and we'd love to meet up with you sometime and talk business."

Kelly eyed the card being held up to her and bit her lip.

"My name is Paul Heyman and my partner's name is Trish. Take the card and have a little think about it, and give us a call if you think you'd be interested."

"Okay," she said quietly, taking the card and giving him one last 'waitress smile' before stepping back to get back to work. Before she could, the woman Paul had referred to as Trish returned.

"Thank you for the fabulous meal," she grinned at Kelly; friendlier than she had been all night. "I hope Paul tipped you accordingly."

"Um, yes, he did," Kelly stammered, looking back and forth between the smiling pair. "Thank you for coming to Mange Tout."

With one last nod she scurried off. In one hand was the stack of dollars and in the other was the single business card; both felt like they were burning into Kelly's sweaty palms.

"Just tell me the truth, Dolph!"

Kelly paced up and down her room, tears pouring down her cheeks. Dolph stood awkwardly by the bed, trying to consol her.

"I've already told you, Kells. It was one stupid kiss! It didn't mean anything!"

"Why were you kissing Nikki in the first place? How could you?!"

"We were drunk!"

"So what?! Is that supposed to make me feel better?!"

"No but-"

"But what, Dolph? You convince me that this stupid celebrity you and all your friends got invited to was just going to be a quiet little thing, and then you come back and tell me you got hammered and made out with your ex?!"

"It was just a kiss! It didn't mean anything. I don't care about her. It won't happen again..."

"And how do I know that?"

"Because I'm your boyfriend and you should trust me!"

"Well, I did trust you. And look what happened. Now tell me the truth; is or is there not something going on between you two?"

"No, Kelly! Yeah, she's been trying to drop hints that she wants us to get back together, but I told her flat out that I don't want any of that. I told her that I love you and only you. And she managed to catch me slipping one time and convince me to hook up, but I came to my senses and realised that I don't want that. I want you!"

Kelly's lip trembled, fighting with herself on what to believe. With homecoming just a few days away she was looking forward to getting dressed up and going to the dance with her boyfriend the star, but now she couldn't bear the thought of seeing Nikki and the cheerleaders or Dolph's friends, knowing that they had all been there to witness Dolph's infidelity. While she wanted to believe that it was just one drunken kiss, something was telling her that once again, Queen Bee Nikki Bella was getting her way. For almost a year now Dolph and Kelly had been together, and the head cheerleader was not at all happy about it. Although she would be sweet to Kelly's face whenever Dolph was around, she wouldn't hesitate to shoot Kelly dirty looks or make snarky comments whenever he wasn't.

Because for her, losing someone like Dolph to someone like Kelly was more than a simple heartbreak. It was a status changer. It was simply embarrassing to watch one of Springfort's star athletes walk around campus with a nobody; especially after it was once the most popular girl in school who would be on his arm. Nikki had heard the jokes, and when Mike and Eve had started seeing each other just a few months after Kelly and Dolph, there was a feeling among Nikki and her girlfriends that they were quickly dropping in status. And of course, Nikki was a perceptive woman. She knew full well that Alex Riley was suddenly into their weird friend Maria, despite Eva Marie's endless hints that she had a thing for the quarterback. With their junior prom just around the corner, the girls all knew that they really did not like where all of this was going.

"Come on Kells," Dolph said softly, trying to take one of Kelly's hands in his. "We've been so good together. We can't ruin this."

She snatched her hand away and turned away. "Maybe we should just take a break. Think about what we want."

"I want you," he muttered.

"I need some time to think."

With one last heavy sigh Dolph turned and left, leaving Kelly sobbing alone in her room.

"Anything interesting happen out there? You seemed to be talking to those two for ages."

Kelly shrugged casually, her mind still on the business card that was burning a hole in her back pocket. "Even if he's cheating on his wife, I can't fault him for his tipping ability."

Tiffany's eyes widened at the size of Kelly's tip.

"I hope the first thing you're doing with that money is marching to Victoria's Secret and getting some sexy lingerie to welcome your man back."

"I'll leave that to you," Kelly giggled, shaking her head and shoving the bills into her tip jar. "The only thing I'm doing with this money is paying my rent."

"You're no fun," Tiffany poked her tongue out. "Ooh," she poked her head around the door. "A huge group just walked in. Do you wanna take them or should I?"

Kelly looked out and groaned at the sight of the group of twenty or so people who looked roughly her age.

"Rock, paper, scissors?"

They turned to each other and got straight to the usual routine of playing this game whenever a difficult looking table came into the restaurant.

"Dammit!" Kelly pouted as Tiffany won on the first attempt. The Louisiana native blew her kiss and waved her out onto the restaurant floor.

"I can't tell you what to do, Kelly." Eve sighed and gave Kelly a sympathetic smile. "You know me and Mike are trying to stay out of this."

Kelly sniffed and fiddled with the bundle in her lap – one of Dolph's old sport jerseys.

"I know he said he just kissed her, but what if he's not telling the truth? What if it's happened more than once?"

"I don't know anything and if Mike knows something, he's doing a pretty good job of keeping it to himself. I know me and the girls were pretty hard on Dolph to begin with, but I honestly think he's been good for you, Kelly."

"You're just saying that because you're with Mike now," Kelly sniffed.

"I'm not!" Eve protested. "I'm saying it because I know how happy he makes you. He looked absolutely devastated at homecoming. No matter how much he was being celebrated, all he wanted was you by his side. Plus, you know what Nikki's like. From everything Mike's told me, she's being trying to sink her teeth back in since she found out you two were together. All she wants is to break you up."

"I guess," Kelly looked at the bold print that read 'Ziggler' with a small smile. "I do miss him a lot."

Eve nodded and gave her a warm pat on the knee. "You do what you need to do, girl. But do it soon, because me and Alicia are so ready to go prom dress shopping, and since Kaitlyn and Maria refuse to get excited, we need you onboard."

Kelly found herself giggling through her tears and rested her head on Eve's shoulder. "Thank you for being there for me, like all the time. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Eve smiled and put her arms around her, pulling her in closer for a hug.

Kelly stood by the big table with a forced grin as the group settled and discussed their orders. She looked around the table, seeing if she recognized any of the faces. It wasn't rare for old faces from Springfort High to pop in to the popular restaurant when they were back in their hometown.

"I can't believe how lucky I am to have you," Dolph sighed as he nuzzled Kelly's soft hair as they moved smoothly around the dance floor. "I don't deserve you."

Kelly wound her arms more snugly around his neck. It was finally their prom night and she couldn't be happier. Just a month into their split, she had given in and invited over to her place on an evening the rest of the family were out of the house. Dressed in brand new lingerie Alicia had taken her to the mall to buy, she had answered the door to a shocked looking Dolph. Silently, she had taken his hand and led him up the stairs to her room which she had expertly covered in rose petals. A box of chocolates sat on the bed and 'Ring of Fire' was playing through her speakers. Dolph seemed just as nervous as she did as she slowly pressed her lips to his and led him over to the bed. This would go on to become the night Kelly and Dolph officially reconciled their relationship, one that would carry on into their senior year. And of course, it quickly became the night Kelly Blank officially lost her virginity to Dolph Ziggler.

"Okay, can we just order already? The waitress looks like she's ready to kick all of our asses."

Kelly gave a shy laugh and assured the group they could take their time.

"Okay, I'll go first!"

Kelly looked down the table and felt her heart sink at the sight of the woman who was quickly scanning through the menu. It was the same woman she had seen getting out of Justin's car that night, and the same face that would often pop up on his phone screen.

"Classic JoJo," the same joker piped up again. "Now that's a woman who knows what she wants and how to get it."

And it was the same name that would often pop up on Justin's phone screen, too.

"How long?!" Kelly screeched and shoved Dolph away as he tried to come closer. "How fucking long?!"

Tears rolled down his handsome face as he scrambled for something to say, something that could calm this situation. This time, he feared not even his most charming lines would work.

"A few months," he mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

"No," she shook her head furiously. "That's not good enough. I want to know the first time you decided to stick your dick in her behind my back."

"Kelly..."

"Tell me the truth for once in your fucking life!"

He shrunk away, taken aback by her uncharacteristic anger and swearing.

"Okay!" He finally shouted back as her demands continued. "It started that weekend you were away with your family, just before junior year started."

Kelly's jaw dropped. "So when you said all you did was kiss her, that it had never happened before and that it would never happen again, you were lying to my face?"

He nodded, his eyes firmly on the ground.

"So even after I found out about what happened at the party you didn't stop?"

He shook his head.

"And I took you back, and gave you my virginity..."

"I didn't mean for it to get that far. It just... She just knows how to get into my head. She knew I was hurting when we went on a break..."

"No, Dolph! Don't you dare turn this on her! This is all you! You were the one with a girlfriend! You could have said no and you never did. I gave you everything and treated you so well and did nothing but love you, so why would you sleep with someone else behind my back? How could you look in my eyes and tell me you love me, and make love to me, and come up with all these future plans for us only to jump into her bed whenever you pleased?"

"It wasn't like that, Kells! You were always busy! If you weren't working at the restaurant you'd be home studying, or hanging with your guys! And sometimes when you weren't there, Nikki was. It didn't mean anything, ever. It was just sex. What we have is something else, it's emotion, it's caring, it's love-"

"You don't love me and you never have. You never will. The only person you love in this world is yourself. I was wrong about those things I said on our first date. You don't want someone who'll give you a reason to walk the line; you want someone who you can walk all over, someone who will be sat at home waiting for you no matter what. And that's not going to be me anymore."

She suddenly dropped her eyes from his ashamed face and began rooting through her cupboards and drawers; throwing in his direction anything that she recognized as his or one of his many gifts. One of the first things to go was the mini dress she had worn to their 'coming out party'.

"Kelly, please," he pleaded as clothes, pieces of jewellery and stuffed animals fell at his feet. He was frozen where he stood as he watched the 'quiet blonde' on her warpath.

"There's your stuff. If there's anything I've forgotten I'll send it in the mail."

"Kelly..."

"I should have known you and Mike were one in the same. I can't believe I was stupid enough to take you back. Kaitlyn was right."

She stormed over to the bedroom door and swung it open. She stared straight ahead as he gathered the pile on the floor and walked past her and out of the room. When she finally heard the front door close behind him, she dropped to the floor and began sobbing hysterically. Grabbing her phone from her pocket, she pressed one of the first numbers on her speed dial.

"Oh Leesh..."