[Previously:

"Is Mark mad at me?" "Sure he may be mad but more confused than anything. Why'd you do it? Did you really think that going somewhat against us would help you?" "I just felt bad for AJ, you guys were going to attack him when you already hurt him the week before." She threw a fry a him. He glared at her, playfully while she laughed," Did you just throw a fry at me?" "That was the most fun I had in a while." Dallas knew that she should be seriously not enjoying the time she's spending with him but she couldn't help it. Dallas also knew that she was in trouble for the next four months because this was seriously hard.]

Step Three: He Finds Out Something About You

"I think I'm in trouble." Dallas said, running up to Brooke that week at the show.

"Why? What'd you do?" Brooke asked. Dallas sighed.

"Do you think it's good for me to enjoy spending time with AJ?" Dallas asked, crossing her arms. Broke shook her head, disapproving.

"I told you this would happen but you never listen to me." Brooke said. Dallas sighed. Brooke told her right after Dallas told her about the bet that she may actually start falling for him slowly and what do you know. She was right.

"That's not helping." Dallas mumbled," I'm scared."

Brooke rolled her eyes," You have nothing to be scared of Dallas. As much as I hate to admit it, AJ is a good guy and falling for him isn't bad."

"It's not that. It's just you know that I have had the biggest crush on Ken for a while. If I fall for AJ then what? I know Ken likes me too, he just doesn't want to admit it. If I fall for AJ then it's all going to come crashing down." She explained. Brooke sighed.

"This is why I told you to drop the bet, Dallas. Everything from now on is going to get worse and not any better." Brooke told her.

"You know I can't do that especially when it's a bet with Audrey. I can't let her win, I would never hear the end of it from her." Dallas said.

"I understand completely why you're doing this but from now on everything that happens is on you." Brooke got off the crate and was about to walk away when Dallas spoke.

"You know you're suppose to be my friend." Dallas said, frowning. Brooke looked over her shoulder.

"I am your friend Dallas and that's why I'm telling you to stop all this because in the end you're going to get hurt. I don't want to see you get hurt, Dallas." Brooke said, before walking away. Dallas sighed and turned around which caused her wrist to hit the corner of the crate.

She winced, holding her wrist.

"Son of a-" She cut herself off. People we're staring at her as she cussed under her breath.

"What are you doing?" AJ asked, trying to hold in his laughter. Dallas looked up at him, still holding her wrist.

"Oh I just uhh hit myself on the crate." Dallas blushed. AJ chuckled.

"Here let me see." AJ said, holding out his hand. Dallas stared at his hand. It was nice that he cared about her but she knew if he saw her wrist, he would hate her.

Dallas shook her head," It's fine." AJ stared at her before taking her wrist, gently. He rolled the sleeve up so he could see her wrist.

"Dallas...?" He stared at her wrist in shock. Blood oozing out of the fresh cuts on her wrist.

Dallas looked down. No one has ever since her wrists before or that she started cutting herself. Not even Brooke knew which was saying a whole lot.

"Why, Dallas?" He asked. She didn't know how to answer his question. She just pulled her wrist back from his grasp.

"I..." She trailed off. The look he was giving her, she couldn't take it. Before she knew it, she was sprinting down the hallway. It wasn't like he was going to catch her anyways. He was on his crutches.

"Dallas!" AJ yelled after her. She didn't stop running until she got into the parking lot.

She wanted to breakdown. Scream and cry her eyes out but she wasn't going to. It's been a long time since she cried and she wasn't going to cry now.

Dallas wiped her eyes, furiously as tears threatened to fall. The only reason that no one knew she cut was because of the look that everyone would give her. The same look that AJ gave her right now. The look of pity and shock.

She doesn't like it. When people give her pity especially after getting it for close to a year now. She didn't need peoples pity which is why it annoyed her when people gave it to her.

[]

Dallas laid down on her bed, staring at the ceiling. After sitting in the parking lot for over and hour, the show finally finished and she was able to come back to the hotel.

The rest of the group went out to their usually Thursday night partying while she refused to go. Everyone knew that something was wrong with her but they knew not to ask which she was grateful for.

Ken was even willing to stay back at the hotel with her but she just wanted to be alone. He would be back later though, since they decided to get a room together this week.

The knock on the door made her jump slightly. She got up slowly. It couldn't be Ken, it was only 11:30 and he had his key. She didn't even bother to look through the peephole so she just opened the door.

AJ was standing there with his crutches under his arms.

"AJ..." She said, confused.

"Can I come in?" He asked. She stepped aside, letting him in before closing the door.

"So what's up?" She asked.

"Look I don't want to force you to tell me, Dallas. But I want to help you." He told her. Dallas looked down before sighing.

"AJ...It's nice to know that you care but-" He interrupted her.

"Dallas I know what you're going to say. That you don't need my help because you think you're all badass. Everyone needs help sometimes Dallas, whether they think they're a badass or not." He said. Dallas looked up at him.

"I don't think I'm all badass!" She yelled," I just act it because when I don't it makes me look weak. Before this I was always looked at as a weak girl that would just crack. This is all just an act for me because deep down I'm ready to explode."

AJ stared at her for a few seconds. She had tears in her eyes and when she felt it, she wiped them away, quickly.

"Dallas there's nothing wrong with looking weak. We all have those points in our lives when we feel like we are going to break and crumble under all the pressure." He said, stepping closer to her," You don't need to put on an act."

Dallas wiped her eyes again. He grabbed her hands gently.

"Stop trying to stop yourself from crying because it's okay." He told her. A tear fell down her face and she wasn't able to stop it.

Dallas looked down. It was funny how she just told him all this after only talking to him for like three weeks. The people that she has known for most of her life don't even know about this.

"It's because of Jeff." She told him. She didn't know why she just told him that but she somehow knew that she could trust him.

"What's because of Jeff?" He asked. She looked up at him before dragging him with me to sit on the couch.

"I cut because of Jeff." I said. AJ eyes widened. What did Jeff do that could have possibly led Dallas to cutting herself.

"Why?" He asked, softly.

"He hates me." Dallas said," I always try to do something to make him proud but all he ever does is lecture me like if he's my father. He always has something bad to add to something that I actually did good in-"

She let out a shakey breath, not knowing if she wanted to continue.

AJ put a hand on her knew to comfort her.

"-He's the reason I joined Aces & Eights. I was tired of trying to make him proud and turned to trying to get him so fucking pissed at me. He always says how stupid I am for joining the group when it was his fault to begin with. If he would just tell me once that he was proud to be my brother then none of this would be happening."

The tears that Dallas has been trying to hold in all night just started falling.

"I just wanted him to be proud of me but I never got that from him." She sniffled. AJ wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"You don't need to make him proud Dallas. You don't need someone to tell you how good you are at something. That's what you have yourself for, so you could believe that you are good at it." He told her. She laid her head on his shoulder.

"Every single day of my life since his dad married my mom has been hell. Him treating me like if it's my fault his parents got divorced. Then his mom dying." She sniffled," At first I agreed with him, blaming myself for everything that happened. Matt came and talked to me one day and told me that Jeff just missed his mom and not to listen to what he's been saying."

AJ's arms tightened around her as she started crying more.

"Matt actually treated me like a little sister. Took me to baseball games. He even took me to a Wrestlemania when I was ten. He cared for me unlike Jeff." Dallas smiled, slightly. She hasn't talked to Matt in a while since she's been on the road so much and usually never has free time.

Matt gave up on TNA awhile back because he said that he missed all the Wrestlemanias and the company in general.

"I always knew that your brother had something against you. The way he would talk about you, made it seem like you we're a horrible person." AJ said, shaking his head.

He never knew that Jeff could be such a mean person. He thought that Jeff was actually right about Dallas until he talked to Dallas.

"I'm not like anything he says about me." She mumbled.

"I know you are so different Dallas. In a good way." He smiled at her. Dallas smiled.

"And I thought you were just some goody goody." She said. AJ chuckled.

"Do I seriously come out like that?" He questioned. Dallas nodded, smiling.

She was about to say something when the door to the room opened, letting a whole bunch of light into the room.

Dallas pulled herself away from AJ when she saw the whole group walk in.

"Dallas?" Ken was staring at her in shock. Her appearance made it pretty obvious she was crying and AJ's shirt - that had mascara stains all over it - gave it away.

"Hey you guys..." Dallas trailed off. Mark was the first one to speak up about AJ.

"What is he doing here?" Mark asked, glaring at AJ. AJ stood up, using the couch to help him with his leg.

"Oh umm well you see-" Seeing that Dallas was having trouble, AJ spoke up, interrupting her.

"She wanted someone to talk to Mark. There's nothing wrong with that." AJ told him. Mark chuckled, humorously.

"Yeah Allen but that's only when the person that she needed isn't you." Mark answered, shaking his head.

"Dallas if you wanted to talk to someone, you could have talked to Brooke or one of us. You know you could trust us." Doc said, staring at Dallas.

"You guys wouldn't understand." Dallas said, looking down.

"Oh and he would?" Ken said, crossing his arms. She closed her eyes slowly. Ken was the only person that she didn't want to annoy right now.

"You guys can't tell her who she can't and can talk to. You all act like you control her and she can't have any friends outside of the Aces & Eights." AJ shook his head.

"Are you serious right now?" Devon asked," Dallas doesn't need any friends outside of this group."

Dallas looked up at Devon in shock. She understood the rest of them being mad but Devon? He was always on her side.

"No you see that's what you guys don't understand. You can't control me. So if I want to hang out with AJ then I can and I don't need your permission." Dallas handed AJ his crutches.

"Come on let's just go." She told him. They started walking towards the door. Dallas was not going to stay with Ken tonight. She was just going to go downstairs and rent another room.

"Dallas if you leave this room with him don't you even think about coming back to this group!" Mark yelled after her. Dallas stopped in her tracks.

"This isn't a group Mark. It's just you leading a whole bunch of people that are lined up to kiss your ass. I don't want to be apart of it." Dallas walked away with AJ right next to her.

"So where are you staying?" AJ asked her. Dallas shrugged.

"I was just going to go downstairs and get another room." Dallas said, running a hand through her messy hair. AJ sighed.

"It's late Dallas. Plus I doubt there will be any rooms left." He told her," There's an extra bed in my room."

Dallas smiled at him before hugging him. He stumbled a little due to his crutches.

"Thank you. You have no clue how much you have done for me." She mumbled. He chuckled.

"Your welcome. Now come on." She let go of him so they could go up to his room.

She should be upset with everything that happened tonight but she couldn't stop herself from smiling. Sure she just walked out on Aces & Eights but she got closer to AJ. A lot closer. And she was actually happy that AJ has helped her with so much tonight when the group didn't.

And that's what mattered to her now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It's been snowing here in New Jersey really bad so I haven't been to school since Thursday which is why I was able to write this chapter.

Well this chapter basically explained a part of Dallas' past and why Jeff hates her but there's more. A lot more that will come later

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!

love you guys,

Diana(: