Welcome to the Queendom

Chapter Thirteen

We arrived in Brooklyn a little after nine the same night and the weather between here and San Antonio was drastically different. I made a good outfit choice before boarding the plane. Everyone booked their stay at the Sheraton Brooklyn New York Hotel off of Duffield Street about 6 minutes away from Barclays Center where RAW would be held Monday night. The twins and I's rooms were connected by a living room/kitchen so that we could come and go as we please. When I got to my room, I took a nice and well deserved hot shower before changing into some sleeping clothes. It was comforting to know that our-well at least mine-dresses arrived in our rooms safe and sound. I crawled under my covers and went straight to sleep.

I woke up the next day at around 10, feeling a whole lot better. Even though it still feels weird to be ignoring Dean for such a long period of time even though it hasn't even been a full day yet, I felt like nothing was amiss. I dragged myself out of bed and went into the living room area, spotting Brie and Nikki on the couch watching a rerun of their television show Total Divas. I didn't really care for the show, but I would watch if from time to time for the sake of my new best friends.
"Hey guys," I said, running my fingers through my hair.
"Hey." They shot a quick glance over their shoulders as they said it at the same time.
"Are you doing better?" Brie asked.
I had told them about what went down between Dean and I when we boarded on the plane. Nikki was shocked and said that I was being unreasonable, but Brie took my side, agreeing with the fact that if Dean really thought of me as a true friend, he wouldn't have kept secrets. There were times throughout the night where I actually agreed with Nikki about my being unreasonable, but in the end I would always take my own word.
"A lot better actually," I admitted.
"Well that's good to hear," she said, pushing herself up off the couch. "Now we can get started."
"Get started with what?" I asked.
"That's a great idea," Nikki said at the same time. "We're going to get pampered today before the ball," Nikki answered my questioned. "We're getting our nails done, hair done, going to the spa...." As she list each of our activities she got more excited. "It'll be great and at around 4 we're heading to Eden's Palace for a photo shoot. I can't wait."
Even though my nails were already done with no sign of chipping or wear and I could easily do my own hair just as nice as the specialist for free, I didn't protest. Getting pampered would help me relax and help me temporarily forget what's happening between Dean and I. I quickly changed into a semi-dark gray sweater, some pink, white, and gray printed tights, a light pink scarf and matching Uggs. I pierced my earlobes with gray pearl studs. When I went back out into the main area, the girls already had their purses in their hands. Not really wanting to carry the extra load, I slipped my small wallet with my room key in my right boot and carried my phone in my hand.
"I'm ready," I said.

The first item on our list was to go to the spa. I personally thought we should do it last, but whatever. A few minutes before we arrived onto Third Avenue, the girls told me that we would be spending the majority of our pampering at The Green Spa and Wellness Center. We walked into a modernized lobby. The carpet was a cream color with the chocolate leather couches making it stand out and a glass coffee table with the front desk taking up the other side of the room in a light tan marble.
"Can I help you ladies?" a white blond lady behind the desk asked.
"Yes," Nikki said. "We have a reservation for the three of us under the name Garcia-Colace."
The lady typed something into her computer before smiling up at us. "Yes, right on time. Would you like to pay now or afterwards?"
"Now's good," Brie answered before fishing out her credit card from her purse. When Nikki paid as well, another lady came from the back and gestured us to come forward and follow her.
"Wait, I have to pay," I pointed out before whipping out my wallet.
"Oh, you're already paid for Ms. Renee," the lady assured making me frown.
"Oh, okay, thanks." As we were walking down the hall, I leaned in close to Nikki. "Did you guys pay for me?"
Nikki grinned "Sure," she said while I caught Brie rolling her eyes over my shoulder.
We stopped at a wooden door that said Women Sauna on a gold plaque with heat seeping from it. The lady, sporting a white uniform, stopped and turned to face us.
"First we spend 10 minutes in Sauna," she began in a heavy German accent. "We let pores open up. Then we give massage and let you soak in mud bath. Sound good?" We nodded our heads before she pointed to a room next to it that said Women's Locker Room. "There you find towels. Change out and meet me here in 5."

The nail and hair salon were the same as The Green Spa: I didn't have to pay. I now knew that The Bellas didn't pay for my pampering, but someone else that shall remain nameless. I found it insulting that he could buy my friendship back this way and I was far from caving into his antics even if his doings were sweet. Maybe I am being over dramatic and unreasonable. A lot of people have family issues that they don't want to discuss even with their best friends. It's not like he's open with Seth and Roman about it, right? Right? I'll talk to him tonight at the party.

We came back to the hotel feeling refreshed. I told the girls that they could go to the room without me when I spotted Seth and Roman sitting in the lounge area.
"Hey guys," I said as the elevator bank that held the twins closed. I sat down next to my date for tonight. "What's been going on?"
Seth grabbed me by the arm. "You have to forgive Dean!" he said urgently.
"Wait, what?" I asked.
Roman shook his head. "Dean's been a wreck all day. Not once has he come out of his room." I bit my lip guiltily. Poor Dean. "What did you guys fight about anyways?"
I looked down and took a deep breath before jumping into the story. I told them about how his mom found me at Muzzie's back in Houston when the girls and I were dress shopping and how she was the reason he had been acting weird the past week.
"His mom's back?" Seth asked.
I tilted my head to the side a little. "He told you about his relationship with his mom?" I asked, feeling a bit left out.
"Not exactly," Seth admitted. "His mom-or should we say parents came up once last summer. Roman and his family were throwing a little party and they said we could bring our family. The only person Dean showed up with was his older brother. We asked where his parents were and he said he doesn't talk to them. That's the first and last time we talked about that."
"So he never jumped into detail about where he stood with his mom?" I questioned and they shook their heads.
I leaned back into the chair, letting this sink in. "Dean's never been an open guy," Roman said. "And besides you guys just became friends. Why would he tell you something he hasn't even told us and we've known him longer?"
I nodded in understanding. "So let me guess," Seth began, "you got upset with him because he didn't tell you about his mom?"
I scratched the back of my neck, feeling heat creep up my neck. "Maybe," I squeaked out before sighing. "I mean I would've understood if he said that it was family business and it was too personal to talk about, but he lied to me. That's what really got under my skin."
Seth rubbed the back of my hand. "Do you promise to at least talk to him by the end of the night?" he asked. "He really does feel bad."
"Absolutely," I replied sincerely. "Just make sure he shows up at Eden."