Amy paced back and forth impatiently as she and Matt awaited their cue.  They would be in an inter-gender tag team match against their pal Shane Helms, who was now currently known as "The Hurricane" and dressing up as a superhero in green, and, of all people, Torrie Wilson.

"Ames, will you calm down?" Matt said.

"I can't calm down!" she said in a loud whisper.  "How can I when I have to be in that ring against her?"  Over the last little while since Torrie had joined the WWF, Amy had developed a strong, even physical disliking toward the blonde.

Matt reached out for her arm.  "Come on, Amy...it'll be okay.  Just don't hurt her."

The redhead pulled out of her friend's grip.  "Oh, please!  You don't give me enough credit, Matt!  You know I'm a true professional.  I wouldn't dream of hurting her - not even her precious, pretty little plastic face - unless she hurts me first!"  Amy suddenly realized how catty she sounded, and she didn't like it in the least.

It was as if the man read her mind.  "Jeez - meow!" Matt said with a slight chuckle.  "What's this all about? - really!  I know she's a bit tiring and self-absorbed, but-"

"But isn't that enough?" Amy said, her hands clenched at her sides.  "I really don't look forward to getting in the ring with her.  A wrestler of my ability should only face other wrestlers!"

"Well, you enjoyed working with Trish, even back when she didn't know a single maneuver," the dark-haired man pointed out.

"True - but Trish is a cool person - and has a brain, and is not full of herself to the point that she won't discuss anything but!"

"Okay, okay," Matt said, putting his hands up in an 'I give up' mode.  "You got me there."

They looked up, Amy sharply, a look of disappointment crossing her features, as they heard the Hardy Boyz music.  That was their cue, and there was no more stalling.  Amy ran a hand through her red hair, and, glancing over at Matt, said, "Okay, let's get this over with..."

*

Amy was still plagued by bitterness so intense she could almost taste it as she stared across the ring at Torrie.  She recalled every word Chris had told her about the woman, and, as they locked up, she twisted the blonde's arm behind her back in a hammerlock.  She gave the limb a slightly extra twist, but not nearly enough to hurt her.

Torrie struggled for a moment or two, but then somehow managed to twist her way out of the hold and whipped the redhead into the ropes.  Amy knocked her to the canvas with a dropkick, then went to work on her left arm again.

The match went smoothly, particularly when the men were in the ring together.  Matt and Shane hadn't wrestled each other since the indy days, and Amy actually enjoyed seeing them compete again.  She even had her own opportunity to face Shane, the highlight of which saw her taking him down with a hurricanrana.

She was even actually tolerating being in the ring with Torrie when something happened to completely change her mind.  The blonde landed a swift kick to the back of her neck, jarring her.  Amy briefly saw stars, but when she shook off the cobwebs, she saw red.

For the remainder of the time during the match that she had any physical contact with Torrie Wilson, the redhead tore into the other woman more aggressively than she'd planned.  As she'd told Matt earlier, she would hurt Torrie if the blonde hurt her first - which is exactly what ended up happening.

Lita and Matt were declared the winners after the high-flying diva executed the Twist of Fate followed by a moonsault to the other woman.  Amy felt a measure of satisfaction as she pinned the helpless Torrie and then had her hand raised, along with Matt's, in victory.

*

"Wow," Jay said, shaking his head after witnessing the inter-gender tag match that had just come to an end.  "Looks like Amy isn't too crazy about Torrie Wilson, either..."

Adam nodded.  "Well, that was a pretty painful kick Torrie gave her."  He winced as he noticed the redhead doing the same thing in the ring as referee Mike Chioda raised her arm.  "I better go see how she's doing," he added.  "See you in a few."

The tall Canadian left the locker room and made his way out to the hall.  He walked until he reached the curtain leading out to the arena - just in time to run into Shane Helms and Torrie Wilson.  He noticed the blonde was wincing herself, kneading her left shoulder.  As she caught sight of Adam, she straightened up and applied the smile.

"Why, hello..."  She allowed her blue eyes to scan him up and down, taking in the bare muscular chest and light blue tights he wore in preparation for his later match.

"Oh, hey, Torrie..."  He looked past her and smiled at Shane.  "Hey, Shane."

"Hey, Adam," the other man said.  "Catch our match?"

"Of course I did," Adam said.  He never missed any of Amy's matches.  "Nice work," he added, addressing Shane but not Torrie.  The young woman's ringwork was horrendous.  He knew she had never really wrestled before, but he sensed that even if she underwent formal training, she still wouldn't improve much.

"Hey, how about a drink later on?" Torrie asked, reaching over and touching Adam on the upper arm.  She tilted her head to one side and gazed up at him adoringly.

It was just at that very moment that Amy and Matt stepped through the curtain, and the redhead's expression darkened as she surveyed the scene.  Adam gazed at her, gently shaking free of Torrie's hand.  Would the woman ever get a clue?

"Hey, Ames," he began, "I saw your match."

"Yeah," she replied disinterestedly.  She glanced at Torrie Wilson and then back up at Adam.  "I need to get to my locker room and shower."  She stepped past the others and sauntered down the hallway.

"Hey, wait up!" Shane called after his friend, but the redhead didn't stop or slow down.  He started after her.

"I'll see you later," Torrie said with a small smile.  She too began walking down the hall, glancing once over her shoulder back at Adam, who rolled his eyes when she turned to face forward again.  He ran a quick hand through his blond locks and sighed.

"Matt, what's up with Amy lately?"

The dark-haired man shook his head.  "Oh, she's just a little cranky lately, that's all," he said.  "She doesn't care too much for Torrie Wilson," he added, lowering his voice even though the blonde woman was gone.

"Well, that's understandable, but why is she acting like she's mad at me?" Adam questioned.

"I don't know," Matt said.  "I guess it's just because she just happens to catch you with Torrie a lot lately."

"Hey, that's not my fault," the tall man insisted.  "She always turns up at the wrong time...hell, any time is the wrong time!  She's been driving Jay and me nuts.  It's like she wants to get with me or something."

"And?  Do you have any interest in her?" Matt asked.

"Nah - I'm just too nice to be rude to her," Adam explained.  "But I just wish she'd take a hint and leave me alone."

Matt laughed heartily.  "You know, man, you could make really good use of the situation - if you really wanted to...but since you seem to not want to, just do what the anti-drug slogans always said - just say no."

*

After having spoken briefly with Shane out in the hall, Amy let out a little shriek of anger and frustration as she slammed the door to the locker room she and Trish Stratus were sharing.

"Oh, God!  Amy!" the petite blonde exclaimed, one hand clutching at her chest.  "You scared the life out of me!"  Then, seeing her friend's mood, she frowned.  "What's wrong?"

"Do you really have to ask?" the redhead snapped.  She instantly regretted taking her anger out on the other woman.  "I'm sorry, Trish," she said with a sigh.  "In answer to your question, two words - Torrie Wilson!"

"Oh," Trish said, nodding with understanding.  She didn't particularly like Torrie all that much, either.  The only other diva who seemed to genuinely like her was Stacy Keibler, but then again, with her kind, innocent nature, the tall young woman seemed to take a liking to everyone.

"Did you see my match just now?" Amy asked.

"No, I missed it - I was getting my hair and makeup done, and it took the better part of the last half-hour.  What happened?"

"That dumb twit kicked me really hard in the back of my neck...I wouldn't have expected her to be able to actually hurt me, but she did," the other woman said.  "She has no idea what she's doing in that ring, Trish - she has no business being in this business!"

Trish arched an eyebrow.  "Well, unfortunately, she is...gee, I'm really looking forward to my first match with her," she said sarcastically.

Amy, finally settled down at bit, seated herself on the small couch in the room, crossing her arms under her breasts.

"Hey," the blonde said as she sat down beside her friend, "I was talking with Jay earlier tonight...He said a bunch of wrestlers were going to be hanging out at this cool club.  You know, unwind and stuff...You're welcome to come with us."

"Thanks," Amy said.  "Chris actually mentioned this to me earlier tonight.  It would be nice to just go out again and just have fun."

Trish smiled.  "That's the spirit!"

*

After the last RAW match of the night, Adam and Jay met up with Chris for their visit to a club called The Star Palace.  They were going in Jericho's rental truck, and as they stood outside the vehicle in the parking lot, Adam caught a glimpse of Trish Stratus as she headed their way.  But his attention immediately shifted to the person accompanying her.

Amy, who still looked a bit agitated, as she had earlier that night, was at the blonde's side.  She was wearing a metallic silver tank top and a black miniskirt, a pair of clunky sandals adorning her feet.  Electric blue-colored toenails peeked out from the toes of her shoes, her fingernails painted the same color.  She had styled her hair a bit so that it fell in soft waves that framed her lovely face.  Adam could not take his eyes off her, and he swallowed hard as she neared.

"Hey, ladies," Chris greeted and smiled at the duo.

"Hi," Trish said with a smile.  She exchanged hellos with the other two blond men as well, although Adam didn't focus on her when he muttered his greeting.

"Hey, Ames," the tall Canadian said, reaching out to touch her bare arm.  "How are you?"

"I'm okay."

Adam knew she was lying.  She'd answered too quickly, but on top of that, she looked away from his eyes after speaking.  He knew that, somehow, something had changed in their friendship over the course of the past month and a half, and it caused a sharp pain in his heart.  He only wished he knew what it was, or what he'd done that had caused the redhead to suddenly give him more or less of the cold shoulder.

"Shall we?" Chris was asking the rest of the group.  He had unlocked one of the SUV's doors and gestured toward the its interior.  On his cue, everyone got in and they were off.

Throughout the short ride to the club, it was mostly Trish and Jay who conversed, while the others were silent.  Amy sat in the front seat beside Jericho, who had turned on the radio, which he had tuned to a local hard rock and heavy metal station.  Adam sat in the back with his fellow Toronto natives, whom before long, he realized were holding hands.  He arched an eyebrow upon the realization that Jay and Trish had apparently become an item.

"Well, we're here, people," Chris announced as he put the car in park on the street in front of the small club.  He glanced at Amy, whom he noticed looked a bit depressed.  He wanted to talk to her, but he decided that now was not the time or the place.  Besides, she was here to enjoy herself tonight.

The five wrestlers made their way to the door, Chris leading the pack.  As they stepped through and into the club's interior, they were met by loud, pulsating music, and Amy felt a small measure of regret over having come.  She really wasn't in much of a partying mood.  She'd been avoiding Adam lately, and the crazy part was that she didn't even know why.

Yes, she did...Torrie Wilson - for some reason, seeing the platinum blonde with her tall, Canadian friend drove her to near insanity.  Why would it bother her so much, though?  She'd seen Adam with Nora Greenwald on more than one occasion, and they were pretty friendly.  In fact, she suspected that the small blonde had a bit of a crush on him.  But Nora was her friend, and she liked and respected her - there was nothing about the other blonde that she liked or respected.

Amy instantly sat down at an empty table, running one hand through her red hair.  She decided she would have a couple of drinks before the night was up.  She glanced directly ahead of her as Adam seated himself there.  Chris said something about checking out the "scene," and Jay and Trish trotted off to the dance floor, the petite blonde's laughter trailing as the man said something funny.

The redheaded diva looked down the table at her hands, which she had placed and clasped in front of her.  She knew she was probably being very obvious in her avoidance, but she couldn't help it.

"Penny for your thoughts," she suddenly heard Adam say.

Amy sighed, tucking a lock of hair behind one ear as she looked up at him.  Her eyes were magnetically drawn to his, and she found that she couldn't look away.  He was her friend, and it wasn't fair to him that she distance herself from him just because he chose to hang out with Torrie.

Finally, she said, "I'm just a little tired."  That was a lie.

"How's your neck?" Adam questioned, a look of concern flashing across his handsome face.  "I noticed that Torrie got you pretty good earlier..."

Amy felt a surge of anger at his words.  What was he doing - rubbing her nose in that fact?  How dare he!  "Let me tell you something, pal," she spat, pointing an almost accusatory finger at him.  "Torrie Wilson couldn't hurt me on her best day and on my worst!"

"Jeez...sorry," Adam said, putting his hands up at his sides.  "Why are you so touchy?"

"I don't like having my nose rubbed in the fact that someone like her actually made me feel some pain, that's why!"  The redhead's face grew angrier.

"Ames, calm down...I don't know why you've been acting so weird lately, but I'm not trying to antagonize you."

They engaged in a short, silent staring contest for a moment before Amy finally eased up a bit.  "I'm sorry," she said with a sigh.  "I've just been under a lot of stress lately, and that kick Torrie gave me did hurt."  She reached back with her right hand to rub at her neck.

"Why don't I-"  Adam's words were cut off as a waitress stepped over to their table and asked if they wanted drinks.  They quickly ordered some, and when the woman was gone, he continued.

"Anyway, I was going to ask you if you wanted a neck rub," the blond stated as he looked directly into her hazel eyes.  He was happy to be spending these moments alone with her, even if they were in a noisy, smoky club with at least two-hundred other people.

"Actually, that would be so nice."

Adam rose and came around to stand behind Amy's chair, his large yet soft hands instantly on her neck and the area where shoulder met neck.  His hands were warm as they caressed her skin and muscles, and the redhead felt a series of chills chasing one another up her spine at his touch.  She let out a soft sigh and let her head drop forward so that her chin touched her chest.

Adam momentarily held his breath as he continued to knead the diva's soft skin and supple muscles, his eyes focused on her long red hair.  He leaned over slightly, placing his face closer to her head and inhaled deeply of her scented tresses.  She smelled like honeysuckle and lilac.

He continued to massage her neck for several minutes until the waitress returned with their drinks.  "Ah, nectar of the gods," he joked as he returned to his seat and began to drink his beer.

Amy giggled softly as she held up her Singapore sling.  "I'll drink to that."  They touched glasses.

The redhead turned to watch Jay and Trish bumping and grinding on the dance floor, smiling as she noticed how happy their friends looked.  She spotted Chris over by the bar, chatting with a young brunette.  After a moment, she turned back to Adam, who was gazing intensely at her.  She smiled uncertainly, wondering why she suddenly felt so nervous in front of Adam.  "What?"

"I was just wondering why you were so upset earlier..."

"Oh."  She swallowed a long sip of her drink, as if bolstering the courage to tell him the truth.  Maybe if she was drunk, or at least tipsy, he wouldn't be so angry with her when she told him what she was really feeling.

"Well, if you must know, it's because I had to be in the ring with Torrie Wilson..."  She took another gulp of the beverage and met his green eyes expectantly.

Adam nodded.  "Yeah, even though she was in WCW for three years, she can't wrestle."

"It's not only that," Amy admitted.  "I genuinely dislike her.  I didn't like her from the moment we met."  She downed a bit more of her drink, and Adam's expression darkened.  Uh oh, here it comes, she thought.

To her surprise, Adam didn't say a word about or against what she'd just said about Torrie.  "Take it easy with that stuff, Ames."  He himself had so far only taken a couple of sips of his beer.

"Don't worry about it," Amy said with a smile.  "Trish told me she's the designated driver for tonight - amazing, isn't it?  I mean, Chris is going to let someone else drive his vehicle."

After a brief, comfortable silence, Adam looked over at the dance floor, then back to the diva.  "Want to dance?"

"Sure."  Amy stood up, a little wobbly on her feet, and, giggling, allowed Adam to lead her to the dance floor.  She stumbled a tiny bit as the blond man put his arms around her.

"Ames, I think you've had enough...you can't hold your liquor."

"Hey, I'm a big girl," she protested.  "Maybe I want a second drink..."

"You won't forgive yourself in the morning," Adam warned, which caused the redhead to burst out laughing.  She turned her head slightly and looked over at the couple dancing next to them.

"Hey, look," she said, glancing back at the tall Canadian.  "It's the newest lovebirds."

Trish and Jay smiled and continued dancing beside their friends.  "Wow, Ames, you're tipsy," Jay remarked with amusement.

They continued to dance for awhile, although Amy was still giggling and still a bit tipsy.  Adam was amused and was enjoying this time with her.  She was so darned cute.

Suddenly, he looked up sharply, a feeling of disbelief coming over him as he saw a woman behind Amy and tapping her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," Torrie Wilson said, the plastic smile plastered to her face, "but can I cut in?"

Amy stared at the other woman, a look of disbelief coming to her own face.  In her drunken state, her first impulse was to take a slug at the blonde, but instead, she took a step back, stumbling slightly.

"Oh, Amy," Torrie said condescendingly, "you're in no condition to dance!"  She laughed as if she too had gotten a drink or two in her.  The woman craftily edged her way closer to Adam, smiling up at him as she forced her way to dancing with him.

Chris, seeing what had happened and noticing Amy standing there unsteadily, instantly  came over.  He put one arm around the redhead, gently ushering her back to their table, a beer in his hand.  "Come on, Ames..."

The redhead sat down heavily, resting her head on one hand as she tilted it in the direction of the dance floor.  As she watched Adam dancing with Torrie Wilson, she felt like she might cry at any moment.  However, just as quickly, the sorrow disappeared, only to be replaced by anger.

Chris just looked at his friend and shook his head sympathetically.