Into The Deep End - A Roman Reigns Story

30

"If that bag was a person, it'd be dead by now."

From across the gym, Jon, Colby, Jonny and Trinity looked on wearily as Joe laid waste to a poor defenseless punching bag. He'd been at it for half an hour straight with no breaks, only pausing to take the occasional gulp of water. Ever since he returned from Pensacola, he'd been in a surly mood. They were back on the road pretty quickly and though he was still his solid ass-kicking self in the ring he was a different person once the cameras were turned off. He was moody and broody and talked even less than he usually did. They were shocked to hear he'd broken up with Sasha and when they pressed for more details he'd been very vague. Trinity had received the same reaction from Sasha when she texted her and they all deduced that something had gone down in Pensacola. These days Joe spent all his time moping and staring miserably at his phone, and when he wasn't doing that, he was staring into space. They hadn't seen him act like this since Andrea and it was worrying. "He's so sad," Trinity lamented. "What do we do, guys?"

"We let him be," said Jonny, already seeing his fiancée's Mother Hen feathers sprouting. "Relax, babe. He'll talk to us when he's ready."

"It's been a week!" she contested.

"It was much longer the last time, remember?" said Colby. "We just have to be there for him now like we were then. He'd do the same for any of us."

They continued to watch him like a hawk until he finished, toweling himself before picking up his things and leaving the gym without speaking to anyone. He completely ignored Randy Orton and the Big Show as they walked in. The smaller of the two men slowed down to watch the retreating, slouched form of the Samoan. "What's up his ass?" Randy asked the rookies.

Jon squared his blue eyes at the older man. "What do you care?"

"Come to think of it, your boy has been moping around a lot lately," Randy remarked. "Let me guess, trouble in Paradise?"

"None of your business so get to steppin'," Jon countered.

The Cincinnati native's defensive tone prompted the Viper's blue eyes to light up. He crossed his arms. "So there is trouble."

"Keep walkin', Orton. Trouble or not, you and Sasha ain't gonna happen."

A cold smile touched the corners of Randy's mouth. "You sound so sure, Ambrose."

"Because I am. I heard through the grapevine that she called you out in Jacksonville. You see, not every chick within a twenty mile radius of you is gonna fall for your little charm schtick. Thought you'd have learned that by now." Jon's smile was just as wicked. "Don't you got reps to botch or somethin'?"

With dangerously narrowed eyes, Randy came up to Jon, staring him right down. Of course, the man they called the Lunatic Fringe always itched for a fight. He straightened up, meeting the veteran's hardened gaze squarely. Trinity glanced anxiously between the two men, as did Colby and Jonny, standing nearby just in case.

Randy scowled at him. "Better watch it, Ambrose." Casting a warning glare at the rest of the group, he stalked off to rejoin Show.

Jon scoffed. "Ass wipe." He didn't like Orton and he never would.

Jonny tried not to laugh. "Bro, that big-ass mouth of yours is gonna get you killed, dawg."

"Do you blame him though?" Colby said to Jonny. "Imagine if you and Trin were having problems and some douchebag wanted to swoop in on her, how would you feel? Exactly," he added on seeing the Samoan's features harden.

"Besides, I've had this 'big-ass' mouth for twenty-seven plus years and I'm still standing," Jon added. "I'm helping my boy mark his territory. Sasha belongs to Joe. She'll probably knee me in the balls for saying it like that if she was here, but it's a fact."