Fear Is Just for Losers

I grabbed the door handle and pulled, trying to get out of the rain as quickly as possible. The hotel was freshly vacuumed, by the look of the carpet under my muddy sneakers. It smelled faintly of lysol and cheap perfume and I couldn't help but wrinkle my nose a little. After running my fingers through the damp tangles of my hair, I sighed, scanning around for the reception desk. A tiny woman was partially hidden behind a tall counter against the farthest wall. I pushed my backpack strap into a more comfortable position on my shoulder before proceeding to the desk. The woman was on the telephone and I watched as her hands scurried across the keys of the computer in front of her. Again, I sighed. This was obviously going to be a while.

"Should I wait?" I glanced down at my black and white sneakers. Maybe if I ran to the video store first, that would give her enough time to finish up her conversation. It would only take me about 10 minutes to hike over there...

I coughed into my fist.

"I'm sorry for the wait. Can I help you?" A voice chirped behind me.

I spun around and smiled. Thank goodness.

"Yeah, hi. I'm looking to book myself a room." I didn't even need to fake the smile on my face.

"Of course."

In under 5 minutes, the pair of us bartered over the price of a room until I was satisfied. Then, after digging a few twenties out of my wallet, I handed them to her. She got up to grab a key from the rack behind the desk.

"Hope you enjoy your stay." She grinned, placing it on the counter in front of me.

"Thanks." I replied and spun back the way I'd come. The video store was just down the street. Not knowing who Mr. McMahon was in the first place was embarrassing enough; I wasn't about to walk in there tomorrow like a complete moron.

I pushed quickly through the door as excitement surged through my veins like lightning. Honestly, how many people stumble upon an opportunity like this?! I unconsciously rubbed the bruise on my arm.

Merging with the crowd, they pushed me further and further down the streets of Raleigh and passed the arena. There was nothing I could do to help the grin that spread across my lips. How could things get any better? Soon, I became lost in fantasies of spending long days on the beaches in Hawaii and drinking hot chocolate in cafe houses across central Paris. I could almost feel the warm sun and the thick, rich moisture on my tongue ... then a shoulder slammed into me.

"Hey!" I called angrily to a man walking swiftly away with a briefcase. Jerk. But, before I turned back around, I spotted the name of the video store I had been aiming for.

"Damn!" I spat, and turned back.

Once I reached the door, I pulled myself in and fixed my hair again. Stupid rain. It was going to be a literal pain to brush once I settled down in my room for the evening.

Soon, the store clerk's voice woke me from inside my spiraling head.

"Hey, how are you? Can I help you find somethin'?"

The place reeked of cleaning supplies, but I didn't care. I wasn't going to be staying for long.

I nodded my head. "Ah, yeah. I'm looking for pro wrestling tapes. You know, the stuff on TV?"

I watched as the teen clerks face contorted in thought. Then, realization settled over his eyes. "Oh that WWF stuff?"

I shook my head. "I dunno... Vince McMahon..."

"Yeah yeah yeah." The boy nodded. "With Undertaker and Triple H and stuff. Yeah, that's WWF... they're called WWE now."

I scratched my head. "Oh yeah?"

The teen shrugged. "Yeah. I heard there was this animal society that went by the same name, so they had to change theirs. It's World Wrestling Entertainment now instead of the World Wrestling Federation."

Wow. You learn something new everyday.

He gestured for me to follow him down one of the narrow passages and stopped in front of a long row of movies. "Are you looking for any particular one?"

"No. I'll take it from here. Thanks for your help."

"No prob."

I tilted my head and ran my finger over a few titles. "Armaggedon"... "Unforgiven"... "No Way Out." These guys sounded serious.

The rack held so many titles, but what to pick? Which ones were going to teach me the most in the shortest amount of time?

My eyes narrowed as I pulled some of the DVD's out to reveal the covers. Various snarling faces stared out at me, but they still meant nothing. I pulled another few out and flipped them over in my hands. Most of the back covers displayed matches between people I didn't know. There were very few, Triple H and Stone Cold for example, that I could actually even recognize the names of.

"What the fu-" I seethed under my breath. Then, I glanced at my watch and gave up. With a quick flick of my wrist, I grabbed the first 4 movies my hand touched. By the look of them, I had a lot of work to do.

"Find everything you need?" The clerk asked as I placed the DVD's on the counter.

"I think so, yeah." I breathed as I dug back into my wallet for cash.

The clerk laughed quietly to himself. "It looks like your doing a report on them!"

I smiled and nodded my head. "Close enough."

The guy raised an eyebrow. "You actually watch this stuff?"

I pushed the cash towards him. "I just kind of started."

He nodded and busied himself with the register. Then, I pushed the movies into my
backpack, thanked him and sprinted back out the door.

About a half an hour later, I was back up in my room, the DVD's sprawled out on the floor in front of me.

"Which one do I start with?" My eyes scanned carefully over each of the covers again. I randomly selected a movie, popped out the disc and placed it into the player. Then, I jumped onto the hotel bed and made myself comfortable. I'd be here for the remainder of the night. With all the flashing lights and heavy metal music, it didn't take long before I was intrigued by the likes of Kane, Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I jumped out of bed like something had bit me and scanned around the room for the clock. How long had I slept?

The digital on the nightstand read 8:43.

I sighed heavily and realized that I had slept through the remainder of the third disc. Characters like The Rock, Stone Cold and Mankind spun around my head and I yawned, butterflies beginning to flutter around my stomach. It was only a matter of hours before I would be working with these guys.

I smiled and pressed play on the remote. At least I had time to finish this one.

I played around with the remote until I found the part I last remembered. A few more matches go by without anything new. I was beginning to recognize some of them. Then, the cameramen focus their attention on JR and the King as they announce the next coming match. It would be a tag team ladder match. Sounded intense.

My eyes widened. I didn't know the tag team, but I quickly made note of the two blonds bouncing to the ring. Edge and Christian. They looked ready for the fight- hyping up the audience with hand gestures and climbing the ropes.

After a minute or so, red lights begin to flash in front of my eyes. The announcer introduces this team as The Brood. I scratched my head, wishing that there weren't so many damn wrestlers to memorize.

Three gloomy looking guys made their way down to the ring; two blondes and a dark haired guy. I thought JR had said a tag team? Was it a three on two match?
I shook my head, not being able to recognize these faces either, but found their entrance theme to be cool. It had a good beat.

The trio looked a little too focused and stopped to strategize before entering the ring. Two of the guys duck under the ropes and I nodded, realizing that the third wheel was for support or something.

The camera focuses in on the new pair in the ring- a dark haired guy and a blond. The dark haired one points at the other tag team and I felt my cheeks flush with warmth. From what I could see, he was pretty hot. A smile crept over my lips and I laughed quietly, shaking my head. Maybe I was beginning to become a fan already. This stuff could get really interesting.

The bell rings three times and the wrestlers are off. It didn't take five minutes before I was on my toes. The Brood- they were the pair of wrestlers I found most interesting so far. Before I knew what I was doing, I began cursing sharply at the television. "Whoa! Look out!"

'Matt from behind!' JR cried and I smiled lightly again. Matt was the dark haired one then. My eyes never strayed from the intense match and by the middle of the fight, I realize that I was cheering for this new tag team's victory. By this time, I was able to put a name to the blond guy as well. Jeff Hardy.

"Come on Brood!!!" I shook my hands out in front of me.

The match comes to a heart stopping end when Jeff crashes hard into the ring under the ladders, the managerial contract in hand.

I began jumping up and down on the bed. "Yeahhh Jeff!"

It's another five minutes or so before I can calm myself enough to sit still. I took a few deep breaths and smile. That was awesome!

The next match is introduced, but my head remained on Matt and Jeff. The Brood. I wanted to spend the rest of the day replaying the victory over and over, but I remembered that I had my first day of work today.

Dread suddenly flooded my veins and my jaw dropped.

Oh my god. Was I going to meet these guys?

I glanced at the clock- my eyes wild with excitement. 10:52. I turned off the movie and jumped toward the shower.

I need to focus, I reminded myself, turning on the warm water. But, my head betrayed me, leaving to thoughts of The Brood.

After shaving thoroughly, I ran out to my bag of clothes and stared hopelessly at the pile. There was nothing in there that resembled anything the diva's wore. Maybe Mr. McMahon would give me something to wear, you know, a uniform, just like any other company. Then I checked the time again. 11:10.

I tore out two garments, a halter top and a pair of jeans, believing that these would probably be the closest thing I owned to a professional diva's outfit. Then, I bolted back into the bathroom to brush my hair and scan myself in the mirror.

There's no way I can look anything like some of the girls, I thought to myself, applying a thick coat of mascara. Oh well. It was the best I could do.

Grabbing a sweater, my wallet, and my key, I locked everything up before heading down the stairs. It would be professional to show up a little early on my first day, right?

The lady at the desk smiled and waved at me as I made my way through the lobby and out onto the street. The sun was shining brightly- a good omen for the rest of the day. Everyone was always in a good mood when the sun was out. It was also relatively warm, and I smiled. No need for the sweater then. It seemed like things were going my way today. Let's hope it stays that way.

I allowed the flow of shoppers and business people to take me straight to the arena. In my head, I tried to picture the faces of some of the new names I had learned last night. Hopefully I would be able to recall at least some of the guys. I didn't want to make myself out to be a complete fool...

As I made my way around the corner and onto the street of the arena, I noticed the neon sign on the pole overhead. I couldn't help but smile as the words "Monday Night Raw! Tonight!" flashed vibrantly across the screen. I couldn’t imagine how many people in the world would have given up their entire lives to have the job I’d just been given.‭ ‬My heart beat weakly in my chest and I suddenly felt the flutter of butterflies in my stomach. Please let today go well... I rubbed the bruise on my arm.

Would I like working for Mr.‭ ‬McMahon‭? ‬What if he didn’t like the job that I did‭? ‬What would I do then‭? ‬Go back home‭?!

Never.

I’d look for another job.‭ ‬There was no other option in my book.‭ ‬It was either find a job or go back and die... unless the cops found me first.

I shook my head.‭ ‬Why am I thinking like that‭? ‬I needed to stay positive.‭ ‬Just because I was new didn’t mean that I couldn’t learn.‭ ‬I could learn‭… ‬and I‭ ‬would learn.‭ ‬Mr.‭ ‬McMahon would be happy with me and I’d travel around the world. I didn't need to worry about my dad anymore.

I tried to divert my thoughts and wondered about who I would meet.‭ ‬Shawn Michaels or The Undertaker,‭ ‬like in the DVD’s‭? My head drifted back to The Brood and I blushed. T‬here would probably be a crap load of people I didn’t recognize.‭

But,‭ ‬I trudged on.‭ Who did Mr. McMahon say I needed to meet? And where was I supposed to go? I tried to calm the butterflies in my stomach. ‬When I finally reached the double doors of the entrance, I pushed one open and looked around. I was going to be fine... I was going to be fine...

Suddenly, a hand curled around my arm. "Hey honey. We've got a lot of work to do."
I blinked. Was this... what did Mr. McMahon say her name was?... Eliza? But, how did she know it was me?

I followed her quickly down 2 long hallways and through a few corridors before she opened up a door with a large vanity inside.

"Sorry hun I'm being so quick," She led me over to a chair and gestured for me to sit. "but we had some cops here earlier..."

My eyes narrowed. Cops? "Why?" Maybe a drug bust...

She patted my shoulder and offered a comforting smile to my reflection in the mirror. It took a minute for the realization to sink in, but when it did, my stomach flipped.

"They were looking for me." It wasn't a question. I felt like I was going to be sick.

She nodded. "They were questioning some of the crew. But, no worries hun. Mr. McMahon is taking good care of you."

I peered down at the bruise on my arm. If the cops found me and brought me back to my dad's, he would probably kill me.

Eliza's voice raised an octave. "So, you won't be doing any acting today- not until I have time to give you a full make over." She smiled and whisked a brush full of powder across my forehead and down the large bruise on my arm.