The Rivals

||Anita||
As I stood backstage with Paul I watched the highlights from our match with great interest. Most of her moves were more powerhouse while I was all about speed and air time. That was a damn dangerous combination; we would make a great team, and maybe even have a shot at the titles. I smiled. I had gotten dressed up, just in case I was supposed to go ringside with Quinn. But as I watched Quinn’s knees hit me in the back and Michel Cole explaining to the WWE Universe that I’d be out for a month Paul tensed up. I turned to see Cody strutting over. He usually kept his distance if Paul was around, but since he’d retained his title last night against Big Show his ego was swelled up like a hot air balloon.
And Paul wanted nothing more than to pop it.
“Well Ani, don’t you look lovely, did you come to watch my match?” He asked. Paul looked like he’d claw his eyes out at any moment.
“If you mean watching Quinn kick your sorry ass into next week, then yes, I came to watch your match.” I quipped. Cody just smirked.
“Oh come on, what do you want with an old fart like Paul when you can have me?”
“That is fucking IT!” Paul declared as he grabbed Cody by the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the wall. “Listen you little son of a bitch, I will beat you so badly you’ll need actual facial reconstruction.” I just stood there, shocked. I had never seen Justin this angry in my entire life. He was the peacekeeper, not the guy who starts fights. I gingerly walked over.
“Justin, stop it.” I asked, placing my hand on his shoulder.
“Ani, I am sick and tired of this little prick doing whatever he wants!” He spat as he slammed Cody back into the wall.
“You’re just mad that a guy five years younger than you has a title and people actually know him.” Cody said, loving getting Paul this worked up.
“You little low life-” Paul tensed up even more as I grabbed his arm.
“Paul, he’s not worth it.” He looked at Cody for a long time before he finally dropped him and he walked away.
“See you tonight Ani.” Cody cooed. “And let me know when you drop that loser and want to spend the night with a champion.” I wanted nothing more than to kick Cody in the face, but I would have to bide my time. I ran after Paul, which just aggravated my back, and finally caught up to him in an abandoned hallway.
“Paul, what’s going on?” He turned around and just grabbed me, slamming me into the wall and pressing his lips to mine. I let out a small whimper of pain from my back colliding with the wall and Paul pulled away.
“Sorry, I forgot about your back.” He muttered. He backed away from me and looked like he was going to leave.
“Paul! What the Hell is wrong with you?!”
“He’s right!” He said, pressing his hands into the wall. I blinked a few times, trying to get my thoughts together.
“Paul, if you think I’d ever leave you for that idiot-”
“That’s not what I’m talking about. He’s a champion, no one even knows who I am. You deserve better.” I just shook my head.
“Paul, everyone loves you. You were the only one who even talked to me back when I was a heel. You stood by me and didn’t care what anyone said. You could have had Barbie, who is a face and a champion.”
“But she’s an idiot.” He started.
“And so is Cody. And as a very smart, wise man one said to me, ‘I don’t care what creative or the world thinks, because I love you’. I wouldn’t care if you were some bum off the street. I love you because you’re a great person.”
“But Cody’s a-”
“An asshole. That’s what Cody is. Now come back with me to watch Quinn knock him out, okay Paul?” Paul sighed and then smiled, lighting up his beautiful eyes.
“I love you Ani.”
“I love you too Paul.” I said as I gave him a soft hug. But I knew that Paul telling me about this meant that he’d been feeling insecure about it for a while now, which worried me. This wasn’t the end of this problem.
As Quinn was turning around to attack Cody near the end of her match as I watched on a monitor I knew there was no way I’d let that idiot win. I pulled away from Paul and stormed down the ramp and set a lock on Cody. He was going for a pin and I slipped my hand under the ring and grabbed a steel chair. I gingerly slid into the ring and whistled. Cody looked up and hopped to his feet as I made huge eyes at him. The second he was close enough I took everything I had and put it behind that chair as I laid him out on the mat.
As I painfully slid outside the ring before the ref saw me I saw Quinn give me a questioning look. Which I knew she was just doing for the camera. I smiled wickedly at her and walked backstage to a very pissed off Paul who saw me holding my back. But before he could chew me out Phil and Quinn walked backstage. “Anita…Thank you so much. I think I should took the week off like was suggested.” She said, I just laughed.
“Hey it worked out great for everyone. Cemented my stance as a tweener. Severed my ties with Rhodes and I really enjoyed hitting him with that chair.” I smirked as I was really starting to like getting to hit people and still be liked.
“I could tell, how’s your back? I mean surely that wasn’t the wisest thing to do.” I waved my hand brushing the question aside.
“I ache, but I’ll live. And besides its showing we are at least trying to make this work.” I smiled and stuck out my hand for a hand shake. “I look forward to working with you.” She smiled and shook my hand.
“Same here, now hurry up and get better so we can kick ass.”
The next night I sat backstage watching a monitor as Paul beat JTG like a punching bag. But while I was trying to enjoy my man looking fine I heard a voice that was getting a little too familiar.
“What are you doing watching my boyfriends match?” I turned to see Barbra, but felt my heart drop when I saw the camera man behind her. What was she up to? I slipped into Bobbie-bitch mode.
“Am I not allowed to admire a beautiful human body in action Kelly? Besides, we both know he wants me, so get lost.”
“Well, why don’t we settle this in the ring then?” She cooed. “I happen to have a match voucher right here?”
“What the Hell is a ‘match voucher’ Kelly? Because if you didn’t hear, I’m out on injury.”
“It’s signed by Teddy and Ace and it says I get one match whenever I want, any stipulation I want, against whoever I want! I choose tonight, no disqualification, against you!” I didn’t even flinch.
“So who’d you sleep with to get that?” She seethed.
“We’ll see if you’re still laughing when I take a steel chair to your back and win Justin for good!” She screamed and stormed off. The camera was still on me, so I just chuckled.
“Dumb little blonde.” The camera cut and my smile dropped. There was no way I could compete tonight. I started for Teddy’s office, but he met me halfway there.
“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!” I demanded.
“Anita, I had no idea she was going to pull that, but we can’t just cancel the match, the fans want to see you win.”
“I can’t win if I’m beaten half to Hell Teddy!” I fought back tears as I continued. “I can’t lose Paul to her again Teddy, please, do something!” I begged.
“I’m sorry, the board of directors and the fans want this match. Just do what you do best.” He said.
“And what is that Teddy?” He smirked.
“Kick her ass.” I smiled despite everything. Teddy was like a father to me, and I knew if he said he couldn’t help he really couldn’t. I gave him a small hug, which caught him off guard.
“Thanks Teddy.”
As I went into the locker room to change I saw Quinn. “What are you doing here?” I asked, changing.
“I came to make sure Barbie gets taught a lesson, I want to be in the match in your place.” I felt a wave of emotion hit me as I teared up again. How had I never realized what a selfless, great person Quinn was before, she was just as badly hurt as I was and she was willing to take the bullet for me? No one had been that nice to me, ever. But I shook my head.
“The board of directors wants to see me fight her. But, thank you Quinn.”
“Anita, please. You’re in no shape to be in a no disqualification match-”
“Neither are you. I’m sorry, but I have to do this myself. Just watch Paul for me. I don’t trust her, she’s plotting something.” Quinn looked at me for a while, but then a smile spread over her face.
“Okay, but watch yourself out there.”
“I will.”
I quickly finished changing and went to find Paul. He was smiling, I assumed he’d won his match, but when he saw me in my ring gear his smile dropped. I explained everything and he bit his lip.
“Quinn should be watching you, not me Ani.”
“No. She’s watching you and that is final.” He looked at me for a long time before kissing my forehead.
“I love you, no matter who wins.”
“I love you too.”
I walked out to my music and was overwhelmed by the cheering. I gingerly slid into the ring, I’d had to get my bruise covered by pounds of stage makeup and as I slid off my shirt and weakly threw it to a screaming teenage boy I hoped none of it had come off. I grabbed the ropes for support and waited for Barbra.
Needless to say when the music changed to Eve’s I panicked. She walked down to overwhelming boos and grabbed a mike. “Sorry Bobbie, Kelly’s a little busy with Paul if you catch my drift, so I’ll be kicking your sorry butt and claim him for her!” I tried to slide out of the ring to go find Paul and was halfway up the ramp when Eve clotheslined me onto the cement floor. I screamed out in pain as she stepped on my back and jumped off onto the floor. She grabbed me by my hair and drug me into the ring. The second the bell rung she targeted my back with every move. The worst was when she got me halfway out of the ring, locked my legs in hers, grabbed my arms, and pulled my arms and legs towards her, bending my back in half and putting me in so much pain I thought I’d pass out. The worst was that I was too weak from my match Sunday to power out of anything.
Then she got the chair.
She hit me square along the spine as hard as she could. I screamed in agony. Then Eve got me in a submission, stretching my back until I couldn’t breathe. Then the titantron came on and I saw Kelly with Paul. “Hey Bobbie, maybe you should just tap, Justin will never love you anyway, so just give up now." Then she giggled and shoved her tounge halfway down Paul's throat and the screen went off. That little snake! I felt anger numb all the pain in my body as I maneuvered my leg to kick Eve square in the face. I slowly stood using the ropes and signaled for her to come at me. She ran at me and I dropped, pulling the rope down so she went flying out of the ring. The crowd screamed their approval as I went to the top rope. I was planning for a straight drop, but the crowd kept screaming “Goodnight from New Orleans!” I knew Paul would kill me, but this was for him. I hit it perfectly and knocked Eve out cold. I tried to get her in the ring, but I couldn’t. The ref had gotten to nine in counting me out, so I slipped back in the ring as he counted to ten for Eve. The bell rung, signaling I’d won by count out. The ref helped me to my feet, but the moment the adrenaline was gone the pain hit me like a freight train and I blacked out.