52
After seeing the whole roster was upset with them, Slade followed her into the hall, yelling, “Candy! Wait.”
“Fuck off, dickhead.”
He grabbed her hand, softly pulling her back. “Wait. Please. I’m sorry. I went a little too far this time.”
She turned to face him. “You think? Calling me a stripper and a bitch. So, there’s some line you don’t cross, Logan? I’m surprised.”
Slade looked away while taking deep, calming breaths. “I was just joking about the stripper thing. I can’t even joke with you. I don’t know why you can’t take a joke. I… I apologize, all right? I was rude.”
Candy looked down at her hand in his, remembering the first day they met she wanted to believe him. She shook her head, pulling her hand away. “I accept your apology. I’m sorry I threw water in your face.”
Slade chuckled, looking down at her. Candy was short and feisty, and he loved tormenting her, but he didn’t want to see her almost ready to cry. “I was asking for it.”
She half-smiled with a soft giggle. “You always do.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Listen. Good luck with your match tonight,” he said, patting her shoulder.
“Thanks.”
Watching him walk away, she was surprised he apologized. In the three months since they met each other, he never had meant it before. From day one, there was constant turmoil between them, and even she had to admit it was exhausting.
~Flashback~
Candy walked past the Retribution locker room on the first day of work just as Jenna Preston walked out, with Slade following quickly behind. Not watching where he was going, Slade walked into the oncoming Candy with a hard thud. With a shriek, she stumbled backward, trying to catch her balance. Trying to stop the fall, Slade didn’t reach out in time before Candy fell on her bottom. Trying to stop the fall with her free hand, she fell hard with her free hand, catching a nearby metal scaffolding on the way down.
“Ouch! Oh no!” she cried as the big, oversized rainbow lollipop for her stage gimmick flew into the air. Quickly bursting into millions of pieces, it crashed to the floor.
Slade started laughing hysterically, not meaning to laugh at her fall, but he couldn’t help but chuckle. It was just a reaction to the rainbow mess that exploded from her like a candy bomb.
Candy looked up, embarrassed, almost in tears. Grabbing her hand, she winced in pain. “Jerk! Ouch. My hand. Oww,“ she cried while her lip quivered, fighting back tears from the excruciating pain.
Quickly, Jenna rushed over, trying to help her up. “Slade, she’s hurt. Her hand is bleeding. It looks terrible.”
Going to help the new girl from the floor, he said, “Sorry, I wasn’t laughing at you. It’s all this candy mess. I think I ran into the Easter Bunny or something. So, you’re the new candy girl? Davis is trying to get the kid ratings by making you do this crazy gimmick.”
Candy pulled away. “Let me go.”
“Sweetheart, are you okay? Want me to take you to the medic? It looks really bad.” Jenna Preston, the owner’s daughter, looked at her bleeding hand, feeling somehow it was her fault.
“I’m fine. It just hurts a little.”
Her lip quivered, showing the truth; It hurt. She was trying to keep up a brave face, but it hurt like hell and was probably going to need stitches. She would not let it ruin her debut, though. Candy had to soldier through until the show was over and make her mark at IWX.
“Do you bleed rainbows and glitter too?” Slade joked, checking her hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to knock you down.”
Candy looked at him, angered by his remarks. “No, I don’t. I know if you keep insulting me, we can find out what color you bleed.”
“I was just joking. I’m trying to lighten the mood. Calm down. Are you okay? I have a first aid kit in my bag in the Retribution locker room.” He looked over at her cut, feeling guilty for hurting her. “We need to get you fixed up.”
Looking back up into her eyes, his mouth went slack. Candy was pretty. Even though the colorful hair and candy-inspired costume were distracting her true beauty, he could see it. Slade wasn’t usually into girls with colored hair, but with her, it fit. His style was usually girly girls like Jenna, but for this beauty he would make an exception. If he could taste her rainbow-colored lips just once, his life would be complete.
Unfortunately, the woman standing next to him was his girlfriend and he would never cheat on her. Jenna was too good of a person for that, even though their relationship was seeming to end. Part of the reason they had rushed out of the room in the first place was they had been bickering and in the middle of a heated discussion.
Slade caught himself checking Candy out and blushed slightly, trying to focus on her injury. Jenna noticed too and just smiled. She knew Slade too well. He was crushing on this girl. Jenna wasn’t one to be jealous, so she just ignored it.
Candy’s beautiful tear-filled blue eyes took Slade aback, knowing he shouldn’t feel this way while his girlfriend was standing by. He couldn’t help it. Candy made his heart do flips, looking like a sweet anime cartoon character with her big round eyes and colored attire. His heart pounded a little seeing the candy-coated treat in front of him with her luscious, pouty lips. Slade swallowed hard to conceal his instant attraction. He couldn’t look away, even though he was trying his best to do just that.
As he thought he had a sweet tooth and wouldn’t mind a taste of her. Chuckling softly, he laughed to himself at the thought.
“I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me,” she said, wiping her tears away.
“Jenna. Go meet with the guys and send someone to clean up the candy. I’m going to help Princess Lolly with her hand. Come on, sweetheart. Let’s clean you up.”
He quickly pulled her into his locker room while Jenna just shrugged and went to find the janitor.
Inside, Candy felt the throbbing in her hand increase once the adrenaline wore off. She whimpered, holding her hand to her chest, and Slade felt his heart drop. He hated that he hurt this small woman, and knew how hard she was fighting to not show any weakness. It reminded him of his childhood, seeing his younger sisters crying from a scraped knee or broken heart.
“It’s okay to cry. You don’t have to be brave for me. I know it hurts. Sit. I have a first aid kit here somewhere. I’m sorry I hurt you. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“Did you reference Candy Land out there? Princess Lolly?” Candy broke into a half-hearted smile.
“I have twin sisters. It was their favorite game when we were kids.”
“Mine too.”
Candy sat watching as Slade cleaned the wound and patched her up. He kissed her palm with a wink and a heartwarming smile to calm her. Candy blushed and looked down at the work he did on her hand.
Sweetly she looked through her lashes saying, “Thank you.”
For the first time, he could completely take in her big, beautiful eyes, and it felt like he had seen an angel. “You have pretty blue eyes, Sprinkles.”
Candy bit her lip shyly. “Candy… Candace Smith.”
“Huh?” he asked, confused.
“My name. It’s Candace. Everyone calls me Candy.”
“Oh. So that’s why the raver candy outfit. Cute. I think you’re going to be all right,” Slade said, helping her to her feet.
“Yes. Thanks for helping me.”
“No problem. It was my fault anyway. I’m Slade, by the way. Sorry, we had to meet like this,” he said, moving a piece of hair from her face and pushing it behind her ear.
Candy rubbed her sore hand with a sigh. “Me too.”
“All right, let’s head out. We need to get to work. Time to shine, Sprinkles.”
***
Later that night, Candy was heading to meet the tour bus with other wrestlers. Glancing down the parking lot, she witnessed Slade and Retribution getting into their private bus behind the one the staff assigned her. She rolled her suitcase over to the driver to load it in the cargo area, watching as everyone scattered around to leave for the next town.
“Hey, Sprinkles! How’s the hand?” Slade yelled to her from across the lot with a wave.
Candy looked up and gave a thumbs-up, showing she was okay. A man from the group quipped something vulgar about her not being able to give hand jobs for a while, and Slade laughed in response. Saying something about Candy still being able to suck on a big lollipop, he motioned to his crotch.
Candy felt like she was going to die of embarrassment. But more so, she had a short fuse. Very short. In a moment, her calm demeanor flipped like a switch. Candy rushed Slade, spearing him in the gut with her shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Hitting him repeatedly, his friends scrambled to pull her off.
“What the hell!” Slade got up. “It was a joke. What’s your problem?”
“My problem? You guys are assholes! Who talks to a woman like that? I thought you were a nice guy. You’re a jerk, Slade Logan!”
Candy’s compact frame was hard for the guys to hold back her attack. She was like trying to hold on to a rabid chihuahua. Dressed normally in jeans and a hoodie, with her hand still bandaged, made it even easier for her to wiggle from them. She was small but feisty and extremely quick-tempered.
Candy turned her head, seeing the other Retribution guys standing around her in shock. Dustin watched as Trent and Colt held her back. The one who started the comments, Dustin, looked over at her with an arrogant smirk. She snarled her nose and wriggled loose from the men’s grip. Like a flash, she punched Dustin in the face, then walked back to her bus, flipping them off the whole way.
Dustin grabbed his nose, reeling in pain. “I think she broke my nose!”
“Suck on that, bitches! Next time learn some manners.”
Sahara, one of the other female wrestlers, walked up beside her, trying to keep pace. “I would have punched him in the nuts for saying that stuff.”
Candy smiled, looking back at them. “Should I go back and try again?”
“I say cut your losses. Hi, I’m Sahara. Are you new here too?”
“Yep. Candace. You can call me Candy.”
“Well, Candy, it looks like you have made enemy number one with Retribution. I like it. You’re my type of chic; tough and take no shit. We’re going to be best friends. Ebony and Ivory!”
Sahara pulled her arm through Candy’s and led her to the tour bus. Looking back, Candy stuck out her tongue with a laugh at the men.
“Best friends.”
~End Flashback~
