Fear Is Just for Losers

Leeanna pulled me out of Mr. McMahon's office and closed the door behind us. When we got to the next corridor, she laughed.
"Mr. McMahon likes you already. That's a really good sign."
"You think so?"
She gave me a look. "Did you not see how he looked at you?"
I shrugged.
"Okay, well. He wants you to meet some of the guys. Why don't we start?"
I took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. I'd have to eventually.
"Don't be worried. Some of the guys are really huge, but they're as nice as pie."
That didn't convince me to calm down.
Leeanna must have seen it in my face. "Come on." She put an arm around my shoulder. "We'll deliver some mail. That'll get you to meet the guys without making you feel weird."
I nodded my head. That made sense.
Near the front of the arena was a small room which contained tables piled with fan letters and packages for each of the wrestlers. My eyes widened as I scanned the room. This was going to take years!
"Do you know how many trees these people tore down?" I swallowed.
Leeanna laughed. Luckily for me, the piles of mail were labeled clearly with a particular wrestlers name, and each pile was securely held together with rubber bands. Still, the task kept the pair of us busy for the next few hours. Sometimes, Leeanna even made me deliver things on my own. By the time I found her again around 3 o'clock, I had met a good 10 or so guys I didn't know. You wouldn't believe the amount of fan mail the wrestlers get.
"So, how did you do?" Leeanna smirked at me.
I waved my hand in front of me and smiled back. "So, so. I delivered everything to the right guys, at least."
"Good job! Find any cute ones?"
I tried to think back to the faces I had delivered to. "Not really. I had a pile for Moore- Morrissey?"
"John Morrison?" Leeanna raised an eyebrow.
"Yes! That was it. He wasn't too bad looking." I shrugged my shoulders. "He doesn't sound like the friendliest of sorts, though."
She just laughed. "Yeah. You'll find out for yourself."
What was that supposed to mean?
"So, what do I do next?" I asked. This was actually kind of fun. I was definitely going to like working here.
"Mr. McMahon wanted you to get used to the place, right? You wanna just walk around and I'll show you how we work?"
"Cool." I dragged my fingers through my hair.
We spent the next hour or so walking around the arena. Leeanna introduced me to various important crew and tech members and tried to explain how the shows were put together. So many people were needed to put the whole thing together- it was unbelievable that they recorded 3 or so episodes a week!
By 5 o'clock, we both agreed it was time for food. I hadn't eaten all day, though for some reason, I barely noticed. Maybe it was my nervousness that psyched out my appetite. Either way, we made our way down to the cafeteria to grab something quick to eat. There was so much to choose from... but I ordered the first thing that rolled off my tongue.
"So, what do you think so far?" Leeanna peered up at me from over her plate of salad. "You think it'll be a job you'll like?"
I swallowed a bite of my turkey club wrap and grinned. "This is amazing... the job... it's exciting!"
She nodded and lifted her fork to her mouth. "Are you afraid of flying?"
"I've never actually flown before." I admitted. "But, I think I'll be okay. I've always wanted to travel."
She smiled and continued eating.
"Not only that," I added, "but, Mr. McMahon pays excellent and to top it all off, I get to stare at Punk all day."
Leeanna dropped her fork and giggled wildly. "I can't understand it! He looks so... mangy!"
My jaw dropped. "Mangy?"
She ignored my question. "You know who you're really going to love?"
I shook my head.
A crooked smile crossed her lips. "You haven't seen the Hardy Boyz yet. I have a feeling that if you liked Punk, you're going to love these guys."
I almost choked on the bite I'd taken. "Matt and Jeff?"
She straightened up in her chair. "Yeah! You know more than I think you do."
My cheeks flushed again. "Yeah. I was watching a pay per view last night and they were in it..." My voice trailed off.
"Aren't they hot?!" Leeanna slapped her hands against the table.
I nodded swiftly.
She smiled. "I'd like to think I'm an excellent judge of character, Alexa."
"What am I going to do when I have to meet them?"
She laughed loudly. "Wow Alexa. I don't know. Try not to pass out I guess."
"I think I'm really going to like it here."
"You definitely will."
We laughed and finished our meals, discussing wrestlers Leeanna found exceptionally good looking. "Oh my god, and then there's Randy Orton... the guy is soo fine..."
After we cleaned up, she tugged at my arm. "Okay. Let's get back. They're going to start letting in the fans soon. We'll sit and watch the show today."
As if the day couldn't get anymore exciting, it sounded like it was going to get even better.
Leeanna pulled me along as she made her way back up to where the tech crew were running around, making sure everything was all set for the event.
"We have to try and keep out of the way." She looked at me, her eyes becoming wild with excitement. "Everyone is making last minute adjustments and all the wrestlers are gearing up."
"Cool." I smiled. "How are we going to watch?"
"Alexa, you're so funny. We are employees of the WWE. We get the best seats in the house!"
I gave her a look and she giggled. "Come here. But we have to do this fast!"
Then, she grabbed my arm and began sprinting down the halls. We made sure to watch out for any crew around and continued on until I could begin hearing the quick chattering of still more crew members and the whistling of walkie- talkies.
"I think we've got the go here, guys. Lets start letting them in." One man spoke into his.
She looked back at me and smiled brightly. My heart pounded in my chest. "Come on, come on!"
The corridor opened up into a large backstage area and in front of us were huge black curtains that I automatically knew blocked the view of the thousands of seats in the crowd. At the far center of the room stood another set of curtains.
"What's that for?" I asked Leeanna, pointing toward the small area.
"What? That? It's where the stairs and stuff are." She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "When a wrestler is cued to go out, they have to go up the stairs to get onto the ramp. That's also where they have control over the entrance themes and pyros and stuff. You know?"
I smiled, nodding.
"Come here! Hurry!" She waved to me to follow and then squatted on the ground in front of the curtain.
"What are you doing?"
"Shh!" She pulled at me to crouch down. Then, she smiled and pulled the curtain open just enough to get a view of the seats and ring.
My eyes widened. No one was in the audience yet, but I couldn't wait to see what it looked like when it became packed.
"Wow!" I whispered, giggling. This was something really incredible. I always thought it would be cool to be a part of the crew at a concert, and now, traveling around with pro wrestlers was close enough.
Leeanna closed the curtain and pulled me back out of the room. "Amazing, isn't it?"
For what seemed like the hundredth time that day, I was speechless.
At 7 o'clock, the arena was packed. The backstage arena became so loud, crew had to scream to each other to hear. Thousands of people were standing around shouting, holding up signs and generally being excited about the night's event.
"Alexa!" I heard someone call from behind me. I wheeled around and came face to face with Mr. McMahon. I flinched.
"Mr. McMahon!" I held my heart. "You scared me."
He smiled wide and gestured for me to follow him. He turned on his heel and headed down the corridor Leeanna and I had just come from. He waved and smiled at each of his employees as he passed and stopped in front of the first door on the right. Then, he pushed it open and gestured for me to enter. Once the three of us were inside, he closed it behind him.
A grin appeared across his lips. "Well now, this is a little quieter."
I smiled and nodded back, eyeing Leeanna out of my peripheral vision.
"Alexa," he sighed, fixing his tie. "I wanted to ask you something. How would you feel about announcing the first match?"
My jaw dropped. I wasn't expecting that.
"But... my first..."
He interrupted me. "-I know it's only your first day, but I've just been informed that Lillian Garcia has only just arrived at the arena. She will not be ready to announce our first match and I need a replacement until she's prepared."
I swallowed hard and gave Leeanna a look. She smiled encouragingly at me. I automatically rubbed the bruise on my arm. "What about the police?"
Mr. McMahon smiled and pulled an envelope from his jacket. "This is an informal contract. If you will just sign it..." He pulled out a pen and handed them to me. "... this gives me every right to dismiss them if they find you."
My heart pounded lightly in my chest. Eliza had been right.
"Does that sound reasonable?"
I nodded. "Thank you so much, Vince." I remembered how he wanted me to refer to him. I quickly signed my name and handed it back.
"I'll do it, but I don't know how."
He grinned, pleased with himself. "Don't worry, beautiful. My guys will show you everything you need to know. It's very simple. Go into the ring when they tell you, introduce the wrestlers and announce the match."
I nodded my head. That didn't sound too difficult. But, in front of all those fans?!
"I'd really like you to do it." He pushed me.
My heart raced. "Of course I'll do it."
He rested a hand on my shoulder and asked for me to follow him. Soon, he handed me off to a new woman with long brown hair. "Here Penny. Alexa will be Lillian's replacement for now."
She nodded her head and smiled at me. "Our new girl, huh?"
I laughed. "I've got a big first day."
She wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulled me into a new room and handed me a piece of paper. "The whole thing is really easy. You'll be fine."
"How will I know what to do?" My voice cracked.
"I will guide you every step of the way. There's nothing to worry about."
I gave her a look. "I'm not the luckiest of sorts. I'll mess up."
She smiled at me. "It doesn't matter. We all make mistakes. But, I'm telling you, you won't."
Nodding, I inhaled.
"Look," Penny gestured to a chair. "I'm going to get you situated out there before anything starts. I'll cue you when you need to get into the ring and I'll cue you when to leave." She pointed at the piece of paper. "This is what you need to say. That's it. You sit back down."
I nodded and read the words over twice. I can do this, I whispered to myself.
Penny smiled. "You're going to do fine. The audience will love you. You're beautiful."
"Thank you."
"You ready?"
My eyes widened and my stomach flipped. "We're going right now?!"
She laughed. "Well, we have to get you set up down there. JR and Lawler will be down there if you get nervous. So will I."
I inhaled deeply and tried to calm my nerves. "Okay. Let's do this."