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Chapter 15
Tears blinded her eyes and Scarlett didn't think twice before she bolted from the place. Summer's scream was echoing in her ear and the loud noise had done the damage it needed for several people had turned to look at the source of the commotion, in turn looked at her. Her brain wasn't processing anything except a need to escape and Scarlett ran blindly. Left, right, straight down the hall, she ran with only one purpose: escape. She pushed open the door and let out a wail when the night wind hit her face. The parking lot was deserted and Scarlett wrapped up the scarf again as she began to run once more. She hadn't a clue where she was going, her feet were working on their own accord while the scream was constantly ringing in her ear.
Past the shops that were close, across the street without waiting for the "Walk" signal and narrowly avoiding getting hit by a car, in through the gates of the park, Scarlett ran as if her life depended on it. She stopped only when her muscles screamed in agony, leaning against the trunk of tree and breathing in gulps of air to her oxygen depraved lungs. Scarlett collapsed against the tree, a moan of pain escaping her as a sob choked at the back of her throat. Scarlett slid down the trunk and hugged her knees close to her chest, letting the gates holding back her tears open.
Sobs wracked her body and she cried freely. Summer's scream was still ringing in her ear and she could feel the horrified and disgusted faces of the others on her even when they were so far away. This was what she had wanted to avoid. Getting too close to someone wasn't safe for her. Everyone she was close to ended up leaving her and they would do the same thing now that they had seen what she really looked like.
Seth. Sweet Seth who had been nothing but kind to her, been there for her when she lost herself to her nightmares. What would he think of her now?
Roman. The man who she had turned to for comfort, he must be feeling disgusted for giving her his shoulder to lean on.
Dean.
Scarlett wailed and hugged herself closer as his name rung out in her head. She lost him completely tonight. There was no way he would ever speak to her again after seeing what she really looked like. He would never. She hadn't dared to look at him before she ran, afraid of seeing the disgust in his eyes. Once again, karma had struck her in her soul and reminded her that no matter how much generosity or kindness she could show others, her past will always haunt her. She wasn't destined to be happy. She was made to be broken. Over and over again. Until there was nothing left but sorrow. Sobs wracked her body once more as she remembered that when something is too good to be true, it's all false.
Scarlett lifted herself onto her feet unsteadily before she looked around herself to gather where she was. Her tears didn't stop and she didn't have the heart to wipe them away, instead she hugged herself closer and walked to the bench that Dean and her had occupied earlier in the day. Once she sat down, she pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them, staring at the still water of the pond.
The moon was reflected in the clear water and the night was silent; the wind whistling softly in her ear. Scarlett sniffed and looked down at her hands. Slowly she pulled off the gloves and stared at them. There were patches of discolored skin here and there from her burn scars. More scars similar to these were spread across her body and Scarlett pulled her gloves back on as she sniffed again. She was hideous. Her body reflected what her former self was like and even though the old Scarlett died in the fire, the new Scarlett was left to bear the brunt of all her deeds. She had found people who had liked her, who had stood up for her, but now they would ignore her and leave her. Just like always.
~oOo~
"You bitch!" AJ lashed out, lunging at Renee the moment Scarlett bolted while Paige went straight after Summer.
"How dare you?!" AJ yelled as she kicked and punched every bit of skin she could reach. Both Renee and Summer were yelling and several men shot into action to subdue the fight.
"AJ, no!" Randy yelled grabbing the smaller woman around the waist and pulling her back. She struggled and was still kicking and punching while he held her tightly.
"I am going to kill you both with my bare hands you hear me! They call me crazy for a reason!" AJ continued yelling.
The loud noises broke Dean out of his frozen state and it was then that it dawned on him what really had happened.
"Scar," he whispered.
"Dean!" he heard Roman and Seth call but Dean had already shot after Scarlett. He tried to find her but to no avail. She had run fast and Dean cursed himself for his reflexes being so slow in that one moment.
"Scar!" He called through the empty hallway, just hoping that maybe she hadn't left the building. But it was futile. Everywhere he ran to, she was nowhere to be found.
"Dean!" It was Roman who had come chasing after him and Dean turned to him, a wild look on his face.
"She's gone, Rome. She's gone!" Dean growled before he stalked back to catering and went straight to where AJ and Paige were being held back by Randy and Dolph. Summer and Renee were nowhere in sight and that only added to his frustration.
"Did you find her?" AJ asked, her voice calmer than what he had left her with.
"No. She's gone," he said gruffly.
"Dean, we have to find her. She doesn't know this city and if she ends up in the wrong part of town," Seth said leaving the sentence hanging, a worried look on his face. Dean pushed away the worry and replaced it with determination to find her.
"Nothing is going to happen to her, you hear me?" He said to Seth before he turned to AJ, who was now comfortably leaning back against Randy, her eyes closed and a deep frown on her face. His gaze snapped up to Randy and hardened when he saw the warmth that was reflected in the man's eyes as he looked down at the woman in his arms.
"We should split up," Seth suggested.
"I'll go with AJ," Randy offered but Dean stepped in, knowing where he was going.
"AJ can go with Paige. You don't have to worry about it, besides, don't you have a morning appearance tomorrow at ESPN?" Dean asked, crossing his arms.
"Come on," Paige said to her as they headed out.
"Dean," Randy started.
"She's married. Married and happy. Get it through your head," Dean growled at him before he shoved past Randy, ignoring Seth and Roman's calls. He had to find Scarlett and he had to find her fast. But the question was where to start looking? The way she had ran, it didn't look like she ran with a destination in mind.
~oOo~
Scarlett hugged herself as she walked away from the park, tracing their steps from earlier in the day to get back to the hotel. All she wanted to do was go back to her old life where she was living a life in solitude. The lobby of the hotel was empty and Scarlett scanned the lobby to double check no one but the hotel staff was around and when she was sure she wouldn't run into anyone, Scarlett took the elevator up to her room. Vitani padded to her and Scarlett picked her up as she locked the door to her room, laying down in bed hugging Vitani closer to her.
To say that she was hurt was an understatement. This was the first time in five years where she had felt that she was finally building a friendship, but it all came crashing down on her when Renee had pulled her scarf off of her face. Nobody wanted to be friends with a hideous person like her. Especially Dean. Dean Ambrose, the man that had made her forget about her deformities and had made her laugh freely for the first time in the last five years. More tears poured down her cheeks and Scarlett gently nudged Vitani away as she pulled the blanket over her head to cry silent tears. She felt Vitani try to pull the blanket down and she meowed to get her attention, but soon gave up when she realized her mistress would not budge.
Scarlett succumbed to the pain and the tears willingly, embracing them like old friends and pushing away Dean's face from her mind's eye. Not once thinking why it was his opinion that mattered the most to her.
~oOo~
Dean was at his wit's end. He had been searching for Scarlett for the last hour and there was no sign of her. His instincts had led him to the park that they had been sitting in earlier in the day but when he found no one there, worry began to eat him alive. Dean pulled out his phone and dialed AJ's number.
"Nothing," AJ replied the moment she answered the call. Dean ran a hand through his hair as he looked around himself.
"Where could she have gone?" Dean asked.
"We'll find her, Dean. Don't worry," AJ said before she hung up. He tried Seth next and again he was met with a negative. Dean growled in frustration. His one mistake had made her slip out of his grasp and Dean needed to find her to know that she was safe.
The moment Renee had pulled off her scarf, curiosity had kicked its head in and he had turned his head to look at Scarlett. What he had seen was something that had shocked him but before he could've moved, she had sprinted and now he was left with no sign of her. When he had seen her face, yes he was surprised, but Dean didn't care. She was still the same Scarlett that he had spent time with and when he had seen those tears fill up her eyes, molten rage had bubbled up inside of him. He knew what she must be feeling, he had known the moment Summer had screamed after Renee's little stunt.
"Where are you, Scar?" He whispered to the silent night.
~oOo~
Roman had a hunch where she was and when everyone had left the building in search for Scarlett, he went back to his locker room to grab his things and packed everything properly. He took Dean and Seth's bags and stuffed them in the car along with his things before he got in and drove back to the hotel. Taking the elevator up to his room and dropping their things in there, Roman exited his room and headed over to Scarlett's door.
"Scarlett," he said gently knocking on the door. There was no response but he heard her cat's soft meow.
"Babygirl, open up," he coaxed. There was still no answer and now he could hear Vitani's claws scratching against the door.
"Sweetheart, nobody's here but me. Come on, open up the door," he continued, his voice as gentle as it could be. Roman smiled in triumph as he heard movement on the other side of the door before everything went silent for a few seconds. The locked clicked and the door opened a crack. Roman pushed it open and went inside, making sure to lock the door behind him. She had backed up into the room and was staring at her feet, her hands behind her back, and her scarf firmly in place.
"Hey," he said moving towards her. But she stepped further back away from him and Roman switched tactics.
"You d-don't have t-to kick m-me out. I'll l-leave on m-my own and I'll e-even p-pay you back," she stuttered in between sniffs. Roman's eyes widened in surprise and he frantically shook his head.
"No Babygirl, nobody's kicking you out and you don't need to go anywhere," he said his voice as gentle as a feather. She turned her back to him and Roman took a deep breath.
"Scarlett, what Summer and Renee did was wrong. But just because they believe looks are everything doesn't mean all of us do too," he told her.
"The world thinks I'm hideous and I'm destined to be alone," Scarlett responded.
"No. You think that the world thinks you're hideous. There is a difference. Scarlett, we don't care what you look like. We liked you because you had a heart of gold and were genuine. We didn't judge you based on what you looked like. We didn't even know what you looked like and Lord knows that none of us care," Roman continued firmly. He needed her to know that they did not hate her. That Dean did not hate her.
"What does it matter? You've all seen the way I look and will you ever be able to look past it now? Until tonight I was just a mystery but now, no one can ever care for me," Scarlett replied. Roman strode forward and grasped her shoulder, turning her around to face him.
"And I will say it again, we don't care," he said. His voice was hard and his eyes were both warm and fiery. She looked at him and then he saw the tears that began to pool in her eyes before she sniffed.
"C'mere," he said pulling her into his arms. She tried to resist but his strength was overpowering and she gave up as his arms wrapped around her tightly.
"You don't care, but does he?" Scarlett asked.
"No, Babygirl. Dean doesn't give a damn about what you hide underneath that scarf if his reaction is anything to go by," he told her, rubbing her back soothingly. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she tightened her hold on him.
"I've been alone for so long. You all were the first people that treated me like I wasn't invisible," she said softly.
"And we always will," he told her before he pulled back from her.
"Let us be here for you, Babygirl. Don't push those who want to be with you away from you," he informed her. She looked up at him, her eyes still leaking tears, before she nodded slowly and pulled back.
"Does he know?" She asked.
"I'll let him know," he responded, knowing exactly what she was asking. Scarlett nodded once more and Roman headed out the room, smuggling a spare key with him out the door, to make his call.
"Rom-."
"She's in her hotel room. Go to her, Dean," he said and he hadn't even finished saying what he wanted to say before the line went dead. Roman smiled and he leaned back against the wall, waiting for Dean to show up. Twenty minutes later, the man himself came sprinting down the hallway. Roman didn't say anything but handed him the spare key before he went back to his room, whistling merrily.
I hate exams. My last one's on Saturday and then I promise I will try and update quicker. On the other hand, the cat's out of the bag (anyone want to explain the origin of that expression to me?) so it's time to see how Scarlett will deal with it. Sigh. I do feel like giving Roman a bear hug though. Anyone else?
Don't forget to leave me your thoughts and comments. I looooooove hearing from you lovely people...I do...seriously.
Hugs.
- K.
To Seth Rollins Babe - LOL! I'll let you know that I had not planned it to be a cliffhanger. I had this chapter halfway written out on the document for Chapter 14 but then decided to cut it when it looked to be too long :P. It just seemed like a good place to end it :D. Teehee. Dean and Scarlett's convo in next chapter...speaking of, were we ever able to come up with a ship name for these two? Lolol. xx
To MoxleyGal1 - I hear you. Even I felt angry with them...and I wrote them like this lol. Trust me, this isn't the last that we see of Summer and Renee. There's a lot to happen between all these girls. Let's see what happens! Thanks for love and support! x
To Dawnie-7 - Oooooo, roller coasters! I love roller coasters! Every summer vacation is a time to head to amusement parks and go on roller coasters. I looooove them. Whoops, sorry, sidetracked there for a bit. Hehe, still a kid at heart. Lol, I apologise for the cliffhanger, wasn't planning it to be a cliff hanger. Had this chapter halfway written out when I realized it was getting way too long, so I just cut it off where it made the most sense :P. Hope this wasn't too bad of a chapter. Seth...gosh darn I miss the man so much. Thanks for the love and support! xx
To Marina - Language excused. AJ agrees with your sentiments, lol. We'll see what happens, but for now, let's just enjoy their friendship...or well whatever happens after this chapter that is :D. Eek! So glad you enjoyed it! And apologies for the cliffhanger once more as it was not planned at all. Hope you enjoyed the chapter though. If not, sorry once more! Take care and hugs xoxo