Chapter One
Warning: Lots of country references. xD Justin's are boots, and Browning is a type of apparel, hunting gear, and several other different things.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Cassie. She comes strictly from my imagination. And as much as I'd love to own The Shield boys, I can't. Sadly.
She'd been told that she was eccentric. Ever since she was little. She didn't really understand why. She was pretty normal. At least, she thought she was.
But looking back on it, Cassie Marie Rivers was anything but normal. First off, she was raised in Upstate New York and you could swear she was a southern kid. She acted more boy than girl, and lived in anything denim or camouflage. She never played with dolls, instead wanting to watch baseball with her grandfather or run outside with her male cousins. Also, she was a gigantic wrestling fan, from the time she turned twelve, and was the only one in her house that even watched it. She stayed up all night to watch her favorite, Jake the Snake Roberts wrestle.
So, when she finally got into the WWE Developmental system after years of working for the Indy companies, it didn't bother her when she got all sorts of weird stares.
She was dressed in her usual attire. She wore a pair of worn denim shorts, her Justin's on her feet, and a t-shirt with the Browning buck mark symbol on it.
Not odd at all, right?
Well, it was, because it was 55 degrees outside, and everyone else was dressed in pants and sweaters.
She was backstage at the live taping for Monday Night Raw. Michael Hayes had told her that she needed to get 'better acquainted' with the way things backstage worked. He was probably right. The Indies and the big leagues are a lot different in several respects.
So there she was. Being gawked at for her choice of attire for the divas all decked out in designer clothing. She could tell no one had a clue who she was.
Well, almost no one.
From down the long corridor, she heard a voice scream her nickname. "Riv!"
She spun around and a grin nearly broke her face. "Lopez!" She yelled, seeing her goofy, gangly best friend running for her. She was almost tackled to the floor in a huge hug. He pulled back and his bright eyes were even brighter, lit up. His two-toned hair was pulled back in a bun and he had his ring attire on, completely different from his usual band t-shirts, straight legged jeans and assortment of hats.
She laughed loudly and patted his cheek, giving him a crooked grin.
"I fucking missed you, girl!" Colby Lopez, otherwise known as Seth Rollins, remarked brightly.
The two had been good friends since the Indie days, when he wrestled as Tyler Black. They were in FCW together, and had been travelling buddies. They were completely different in every way, but they flowed so well as best friends. They had seen the best and worst from each other, and they still stuck around.
Cassie flashed a bright smile back. "I missed you too, Lopez." She heard a throat clear and raised an eyebrow, standing on her tiptoes to glance over her best friend's shoulder. She saw his team members behind him, looking at her curiously.
Getting the hint, Colby moved to the side, turning so that he could face all three. Still with his ever so bright, optimistic smile, he motioned to Cassie. "Guys, this is Cassie. I've known her for a really, really long time. She's the best friend you can ask for." Then, he motioned to the biggest man, the one known as Roman Reigns. "This is Joe."
The man, Joe, gave a polite, crooked smile and stepped forward, extending his hand out her. "Nice to meet you." He rumbled as they shook hands. Cassie gave a smile back as she nodded.
"Likewise."
He took a step back, and Colby motioned to the other man. "And this, is Jon."
Instead of stepping forward and shaking her hand, Jon gave her a nod and a cocky smirk. He raised an eyebrow and looked her over, licking his lips. It made Cassie simply raise an eyebrow. "Nice to meet you, doll. I gotta say, never knew any a' Colby's friends were as hot as you."
As hot as the dude was, Cassie wasn't one to be one over by one liners and pretty eyes, even if they were ice blue and attached to one of the sexiest men in the wrestling business.
"Thanks, I guess." Cassie pushed off the "compliment" and instead turned to Colby, flashing a huge smile. "Hey, good luck out there tonight." She gave a mock punch to his shoulder. Colby chuckled.
"Hey," He smirked a little and glanced at Joe. Lowering his voice a few octaves, he said, "Believe in the Shield."
The impression made Cassie and Joe laugh, quite hard. Jon even gave a few chuckles, rolling his eyes. With a hug, a goodbye, and a wink, the three men were off to go make their entrance.
