A/N: A few small notes before you start the story. All 3 Shield guys are in this story (Colby, Joe, Jon) as friends at first in a CZW setting leading into the WWE Shield story line. I don't follow a timeline of events, or any particular 'wrestling world' I just kind of write how I want with whatever character i want regardless of if they're retired, dead, or whatever in real life.
"Johnny, we're getting close to being out of Jack!" I call to him from behind the bar. "Them wrestling boys around going to come in tonight, you know how much they love their JD." I add.
"I'll run and get some here in a few minutes." He responds, emerging from the back with a few bottles of Captain Morgan. "Those CZW guys are going to drink me dry." He mutters, unimpressed. I chuckle, organizing the bottles on the bar shelves.
"They're helping keep this place alive, you should be thankful." I tell him with a smirk. I'd been working at Johnny's Pub for a couple years now. It was my part time thing, mostly I worked at a horse racing stable just outside Philly training horses and mucking stalls. I was somewhere around 5'5, chunkier at 160lbs but curvy like an hour glass, shoulder length auburn hair and bright 'you can see them from across the room' green eyes.
"They're loud and reckless." He states, glowering at me. "This place is a mess every night after they leave."
"They're fun." I chuckle. "And it's a bar Johnny, you'd think after running it for as long as you have you'd realize that by now." I tease him.
"Fun for this old man is sitting in a lazy boy with my paper watching reruns on TV." He states. Johnny wasn't a spring chicken anymore. He'd been running this bar for going on 35 years, and at the age of 66 now, who knows how much longer he'll be doing it.
"Just go get me my Jack Daniels, complainin' old man." I tease him.
"How come you don't go to any of them wrestling shows down the street?" He questions curiously. Yeah, I liked the guys that came in, they were pretty regular. We knew each other by first name, but we weren't exactly friends and I didn't like any of them enough to go to a CZW show.
"I don't know, I'm just not interested I guess." I shrug, cashing out the till. "This register is ready for tonight." I tell him. Tonight was my night off, I'd came in to open for him and I'd be clocked out here in an hour or so but I decided to stick around anyway and have a beer or two.
"Alright, hold the fort down I'll be back in an hour or so. Boomer should be in soon." He tells me. Boomer was one of the other bar tenders, there were only three of us, myself, Boomer and Brock. Boomer was a big black guy, to me he looked like a dark skinned Brad Pitt but not quite as popular with the ladies. Brock on the other hand was a different breed. He was totally gay, and a total video game nerd, not the typical bar tender type if you ask me. Especially in down town Philly.
"Alright." I murmur, grabbing my laptop and hoisting myself up onto the bar. It was only 6pm, and the bar was totally empty except for me. I'm on Facebook and drinking a beer when a couple of the regular guys come in, accompanied by a new guy I'd never seen before.
"Annabelle." Colby smiles, pulling himself into a stool at the bar.
"Hey girl." Joe greets me.
"What's goin' on guys?" I ask them, taking a sip of my beer and glancing at the new guy. He was gorgeous, no doubt about that. He had to have been somewhere around 6'4, lean, his muscles were screaming to get out of the simple white tshirt he was wearing and he had amazing eyes hiding under a few strands of his hair. I reach behind the bar and grab three beers by the necks, setting them on the bar.
"Thanks." Joe smiles. "Annabelle, this is Jon. Just stared at CZW." He says, introducing us. "Jon, Annabelle. She works the bar some nights." He adds.
"Hey." He says, giving me a half smile.
"Nice to meet ya." I tell him.
"Did you get see that picture I tagged you in?" Colby grins, taking back a gulp of his beer. Colby was the only one I'd call friend, possibly Joe too. Anyway, Colby was dating my best friend Kelly who worked at the stable with me and we were also roommates.
"Yeah, that was fucking nasty." I laugh, "What the fuck is wrong with you?" I add, giving his pony tail a playful tug.
"I thought it was hilarious." He informs me. "Boomer! My man, how's it goin?" He greets the black guy as he walks in the doors.
"Boys." Boomer says formally. He never was much for friendly, but he could put together any drink you'd ever think of and than some.
"Hey Boom." I smile.
"Banana." He replies, "My wife said to give this to you." He says, handing me a small booklet. It had some recipes that I'd asked for a couple nights ago. Boomer's wife made some of the best Southern dishes I'd ever eaten in my life.
"Awesome. She's the best." I tell him, catching the stare of Jon when I look back at the guys. He quickly looked back down at his phone and I could only shake my head.
"You been here all day?" Joe asks, looking at me expectantly.
"Yeah, got here at open. I'm done in 20 minutes." I tell him. I polish off what was left of my beer and toss it into the trash can behind the bar.
"You coming to the show tonight?" Jon asks, looking up from his phone seemingly interested. There was something about him that I couldn't quite figure out. I could definitely see that there was a playful side to him, but there was something else, something deeper and probably darker.
"Oh, no I don't think so." I say back, shaking my head.
"Why not?" He questions.
"I don't have a reason to." I shrug. "I mean I know y'all because you come in here but I'm not friends with anyone and I'm not a hardcore wrestling fan." I add.
"What do you mean we're not friends?" Colby asks, pouting his lip out at me.
"Put that away." I chuckle. "That was the wrong thing to say. Of course we're friends." I grin at him, giving his shoulder a light punch.
"Got my first match tonight. You should come watch it." He tells me. I noticed out of my peripheral vision Joe raise his eyebrows, questioning Jon.
"Nah I can't. I've got stuff I have to do tonight." I tell him politely.
"You mean, better things to do." He shoots at me, clearly irritated.
"Ok... If that's how you want to see it." I shrug, sliding off the bar.
"Whatever." He mutters, glaring at me.
"Listen buddy." I say to him, leaning my arms on the bar. "I don't know you. I don't know what you're about. I don't know how you act. Honestly you seem a little off to me, so forgive me if I'm not throwing myself at your feet begging you to take me to this show." I snap at him. He smirks, obviously amused and watches as I clock out of work. "Boomer I'm out!" I call to him, grabbing my keys and heading for the door. "See y'all next time." I tell them before the glass door shut behind me.
**Back in the bar**
"She's a fuckin' peach." Jon mutters to no one in particular, taking a long pull from his beer. Joe only scoffs and shakes his head, he should have known better than to bring Jon around here. "What are you shakin' your head at?" He asks, glowering at Joe.
"You." He replies, "Why do you have to act like a douche like that?" He asks. "She's a nice girl, she didn't say anything to you to justify your fucking attitude."
"She basically just fucking yelled at me." He snarls at his friend.
"After you were a jerk." Colby pipes up.
"She's not like the CZW whores, she's not going to sit here and take your shit." Joe tells him, "Boomer, how about another beer before we gotta go to this show?" He asks the big man.
"Stuck up bitch if you ask me." Jon mutters, rolling his eyes.
"Man, you're such an asshole." Colby states.