CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

KEITH

It was very early in the morning, but Keith couldn't sleep. He decided to drag his brother out of bed to hit the gym before getting breakfast and catching their flight. He knocked on Nicky's door. Nicky opened it looking out of it, but then again, he'd never been a morning person.

"We're going to the gym," Keith informed him.

Nicky rolled his eyes. "Dude, it's six in the morning!" Nicky protested.

"Crossfit?" Keith joked.

"Ugh! No. You're turning into Colby with that shit."

"I'm kidding. The hotel gym is fine."

"This is cruel and unusual punishment."

"I'll buy you coffee."

Nicky grumbled. "Fine," he said. He was still wearing the t-shirt he'd had on the previous night and had on sweats. "Screw it. I can work out in this."

They headed toward the hotel gym. Keith was surprised to see Claire standing inside and talking on her cell phone. Something made him hesitate to step inside.

"Don't worry, Baby," Claire said. "It's all going great. Triple H looks at Randy like family, so he'll do anything to keep Keith happy. As long as I've got my own personal Orton as a plaything, I'm on my way to becoming a full main roster member..." She giggled. "Jealous? You know I'll always have time for you, and I'm doing this for us... Or should I say doing him?" She paused. "Yeah, I've messed around with a few of the other guys. I mean, I'm here, and if it falls through with my sexy but very naive Orton, I need a backup, right? One way or another, I'll get to the top in this company."

Keith's mind was going a million miles a minute. Claire had just confessed to cheating on him. Worse, she'd just admitted she'd been using him this entire time. Maybe he was misunderstanding her? He was only hearing one side of the conversation, after all.

"It's pathetic," Claire continued. "The poor doof actually thinks I'm in love with him! I mean, he's a great lay, but I could never love someone so easy to manipulate."

There was no misinterpreting that. Keith's heart felt like it was breaking. How could he have been so stupid? He'd told her he loved her! Was he so desperate for love that he'd been blind to her true intentions?

Nicky tensed beside him. "Excuse me," he said. "I need to go kick her ass now."

Keith grabbed his arm. "She's a girl," he pointed out.

"She used you! I won't let her get away with hurting you. You're my brother."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I'll handle her without violence." It was odd seeing Nicky like that. Keith usually beat up the people who hurt his brother, not the other way around.

"I guess we're not working out."

"No..." Keith pulled money out of his wallet and gave it to his brother. "I need to deal with this, but I promised you coffee. Get that and get breakfast. I'll catch up with you later."

Nicky put a comforting hand on Keith's shoulder. "I'm sorry. Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine." He gave Nicky a hug and sent him on his way.

Taking a deep breath, Keith opened the door to the gym just as Claire hung up. "Keith!" She said in surprise. "What are you doing here so early, baby?" She asked.

"Don't call me that," he said coldly.

"I... Keith, what's wrong?" She asked.

"I heard, Claire. I heard everything."

"Keith-"

"This ends. Now. Find another plaything."

"It's... I..."

"You went so crazy accusing me of cheating on you when you were the one screwing everyone else behind my back! I'm not your toy, you bitch!"

She dropped the innocent act. "Ugh! Whatever, Keith! I'll just find someone else. Nicky's single."

"Touch my brother and I'll let Molly rip out your throat." He looked deep into her eyes. "We're done here." He walked away. It wasn't until he ran straight into Randy that he let his emotions hit him.

"Keith? What's wrong?" Randy asked, seeing the broken look in his eyes.

"I'm an idiot," Keith said. "I thought... I thought she loved me..."

Randy paused. "Oh, Keith... You got Diva'd." He put an arm on Keith's shoulder. "It happens to every Orton man eventually... You meet a beautiful female wrestler and fall under her spell only to discover she's out to use you to further her career. I've been down that road... A lot."

"What did you do?" Keith asked.

"I swore off Divas... And then I met your mother." He grinned. "The right girl is out there, Keith. You'll find her eventually. It may hurt getting there, but it will be worth it when you do."

Keith nodded. "Thanks, Dad... I just need..."

"To be alone? I get it. I'm here when you want to talk."

Keith nodded. He was relieved his father understood. He hugged him and headed back to his room. Only when he was inside did he finally cry.

NICKY

Since he was up early, Nicky decided to stop by the shrink's office for a minute. He looked up when Nicky knocked on his open door. "Hello, Nicky. What can I do for you?" He asked pleasantly.

"You know who I am?" Nicky asked.

"It's my job to know." He smiled. "I have an open door policy for you guys. Anyone can stop by any time they need to, and it just so happens I'm free right now. I'm Doctor Cove. You can come on in if you want to."

Awkwardly, Nicky walked in, closing the door behind himself. "Have a seat, Nicky. I don't bite. What can I do for you?" Dr. Cove asked.

"I... I'm not sure, really," Nicky admitted. "Someone suggested I might want to talk to someone... But I have no idea what to say."

"That's okay. Just start talking about whatever's on your mind."

"Well... um... I'm in school, and I'm having trouble focusing. It's just, there's so much to do, and I'm so busy here... I feel like I can't get it all done."

"I can give you Adderall to help you focus and Xanax to help with the anxiety. What else is going on with you?"

Nicky was startled. He'd said very little to this guy and he was already suggesting drugs as a solution. Then again, if nothing else was working, maybe he needed a prescription to help him. If a doctor wanted him to use it, what was the harm?

"I get down sometimes," Nicky admitted. It's not a big deal."

"Depression can be very serious, Nicky. If left untreated, it can destroy a person. Let's start here... You come talk to me at least once a week and we'll figure out what's causing the trouble. If I think you need medication to help manage that, we can revisit it, but for now, we'll treat the anxiety and your attention issues... It could be ADHD."

"I was never that kid," Nicky said. "Are you sure?"

"Not all ADHD cases are the same, but your lack of focus is a strong sign."

Part of Nicky thought he should protest this instant diagnosis, but he was eighteen and this guy was a doctor. Chances were he knew more about the situation than Nicky did. He was so desperate for something to help, he decided to stop overthinking the situation.

"Okay," he said. "When can I make an appointment?"

Dr. Cove gave him his prescriptions and scheduled a real session. Nicky left to fill the prescriptions at the nearest pharmacy. He hoped things would start to get easier now that he was seeking treatment.

CORRI

It was decision time. Corri looked at her boot campers and sighed. "You're all great," she informed them. "Unfortunately, the time has come to make a decision. Triple H and I have discussed this in detail and we are only able to take three of you right now. To the rest of you, I'm sorry you can't stay, but I hope you learned from this experience. I'd love to see you back here in the future." She paused. "Congratulations to Sabrina, Josh, and... Aaron! Welcome to NXT!"

The three who'd made it started cheering. Some of their friends congratulated them. A few others stormed off. It was Jordy who caught Corri's eye. He looked lost as he stared at her.

"Jordy, I'm sorry," Corri said gently, taking him aside. "We only had three slots and we just didn't think you were ready yet. I expect you back here in a few years though."

He said nothing. Cayla joined them. "Remember what I said, Jordy," she said. "Go do amazing things. Make them notice you." She gave him a hug. "Good luck."

Jordy nodded numbly. "Thank you, Cayla," he said. He stared at his feet as he walked away.

"I hope he'll be alright," Cayla said.

"I don't know, Cay," Corri said. "I have a bad feeling I just can't shake... I hope he doesn't hurt himself or anything. He's a great kid."

"He'll find his way."

"Optimist," Corri teased.

"I try to be."

Corri had a feeling Cayla was just as worried as she was. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to worry about Jordy. She had to help the newest NXT roster members take care of paperwork as well as getting set up in housing. This was going to be a long day.

MOLLY

The WWE was moving on and Molly had to go with them. She had said goodbye to Dillon and Randi after telling them if they needed her, they could call, no matter what time it was. Mark and the Usos were staying behind to handle the legal issues, but Gabe and Molly both had to leave with everyone else.

Molly was already packed. She decided to swing by to check on Keith and see if they were on the same flight. She knocked on his door and was stunned when he opened it up . He was trying to hide it, but his eyes were puffy and red from crying.

"Who the fuck am I killing?" Molly demanded, pushing her way into his room. She saw the shattered picture frame Keith must have tossed across the room and flipped it over. Claire's fake smile greeted her. "Oh hell no! I told that bitch I'd kill her if she hurt you!"

Keith said nothing. He simply bent down, took the frame from Molly, and threw it in the trash. He picked up the shattered pieces of glass to throw them away and didn't even seem to notice when one of them cut his hand.

"Keith..." Molly said sympathetically. She'd never seen him like this before. She took his hand in her own and wrapped it in a towel. She put pressure on the wound until it stopped bleeding.

Keith stared at the cut. "I'm an idiot," he finally said.

"Glass could cut anyone," Molly said.

"Not the glass... I trusted her." He shook his head. "I let her in, Molly, and this is how she repaid me!"

"What happened, Keith?"

"She's been using me... This whole time... Cheating on me, too, and laughing about how stupid I am for believing her..." He sighed. "I didn't see it... I didn't want to see it. I'm just... It's hard, being on the road all the time. There's no time to fall in love because you never stay in one place. I guess I just wanted what my parents have... I wanted to be with someone in the business, someone who'd get it, so I let myself fall for her, and... And all the while, she was using me. She referred to me as her plaything, her own personal Orton, like I'm just some trophy... She thought I was pathetic... And she's right."

Molly punched his arm hard. "Ouch! What the fuck, Molly?" Keith asked.

"Don't you ever, ever talk about yourself like that again, Keith Phoenix Orton! I can only handle one emo Orton and Nicky's got that market cornered, so knock it off! You're not some whiny emo boy, so don't let some glorified ring rat turn you into one!"

"I let her use me, Molly."

"You made a bad choice, but it's not pathetic to want someone to love you. And shit, who doesn't want a love like your parents have? They've been through everything and still found their way back to each other. I'm no romantic, but even I see the appeal."

"I just... I feel like I can't trust anyone now. What if every girl who comes into my life is just here to use me? How can I ever trust myself to fall in love with that hanging over my head?"

Molly didn't hesitate. She leaned over and kissed him, a real kiss this time, and she was thrilled when he kissed her back. She'd done it impulsively, but suddenly, she never wanted to stop.

Finally, when they were both breathless, she pulled away and asked, "Do you trust me?"

"With everything I have," Keith replied.

"Then trust this." She kissed him again, and this time, they didn't stop. As they steadily lost more and more clothing, Molly knew they'd both miss their flights. She couldn't bring herself to care. She felt too good with his body pressed against hers. She hadn't realized how badly she wanted... no, needed this until now. As Keith entered her body, Molly forgot about everything else.