So, here's chapter two. For the record, from now on I'll be referring to Juliette as Jet 95% of the time. Anyway, read it, review it, yell at me, give me pointers, whatever you want. Enjoy!
Jet stayed in Stamford until Saturday afternoon, then caught her flight out to Laredo. Thankfully her ride out of Connecticut was much more peaceful than the ride in. The stifling Texas heat almost choked her but she had the rest of Saturday and all of Sunday to relax inside the air conditioned hotel. She made a point to find her way to the Laredo Energy Arena on Sunday so she wouldn't have another Titan Tower incident on Monday. Once she had settled into the hotel and showered, Jet finally pulled her phone out to call her friends in Florida.
The phone only rang twice before it was answered. "Juliette! You told me that you'd call after your meeting. That was three days ago!" Corey exclaimed.
"I know, I know, I'm sorry. I've been so tired and trying to figure out my way around Texas. But I'm calling now."
"Too right. Has everything been going okay?"
"Yeah, I guess. The guy I met in Stamford was nice enough. I had a bit of a run in with your friend Punk though."
"A run in? What happened?"
"I don't even know, to be honest. I saw him in the airport with a face like thunder. Then I saw him again just before my meeting. He's a bit… hostile."
Corey laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like him. He was probably just having a bad day. Give him a chance, he's not a bad guy once you get to know him."
"He seems like a douchebag," Jet muttered.
"Yep, he is. But he's an alright douchebag. Want me to give him a call and tell him to be nice?"
The thought of Punk knowing that Jet had called Corey to speak about him made her cringe. She didn't doubt it would only make him more insufferable.
"No. Absolutely not," she replied forcefully.
"Alright, alright, it was just a suggestion. So, what are you up to?"
"Nothing. Sitting in my hotel room trying not to bake to death. I'm so bored."
"Go find something to do then."
"I can't, it's about a million degrees outside. I need you guys here to keep me company," Jet whined.
Over 1000 miles away, Corey frowned. He wouldn't say it aloud for fear of setting her on edge but he was worried about her. The two of them had arrived at FCW within a month of each other and Corey had immediately recognised Jet as someone he'd get along with. She was skittish with him initially but then, when he'd broken through the protective shell she'd built up over the two years before that, she was one of the warmest people he'd ever met. He all but forced his friendship on her, then pushed her into friendship with the rest of their makeshift gang as soon as they stepped in the door. Jet had appreciated his forwardness but now she didn't have anyone to be her emotional crutch for the first few weeks.
"We'll be in Cali for Summerslam," Corey reminded her. "You gonna survive without us until then?" He used a teasing tone but Jet could hear the unspoken concern.
"I'll live. You all better be ready to paint LA red, though."
"You bet we are." There was noise over the line, the sounds of more people in the room. "Sorry Jet, I've gotta go. We've got work to do. See ya in a couple of weeks, kiddo."
Jet sighed. A couple of weeks seemed like a long time to spend without her friends. "Bye. I love ya, butthead. Have a good one."
"You too. Buck up or I'll have to call a certain someone to keep an eye on you."
Jet's mouth dropped open. "You wouldn't!"
"You know I would." With no other words, Corey hung up, ending their phone call abruptly like he always did.
With a frustrated sigh, Jet dropped herself back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Just two weeks, Jet."
As it happened, Jet didn't need to wait two weeks for friends to be in her life. She woke up early on Monday morning, the heat making it too hard to stay asleep even in an air conditioned room. Eric had told her to make it to the arena at about one in the afternoon, so she still had six hours to waste. She realised, with some disappointment, that it was probably time for a workout. She hadn't hit the gym in almost a week with all the running around and trying to get settled, but the hotel had a gym so she had no excuse not to use her time wisely.
After getting her blood pumping and working herself until she was panting and her heart was trying to beat its way out of her ribcage, Jet showered then headed down to the hotel restaurant to grab some breakfast. A few other wrestlers were there when she arrived, sitting in groups. Jet spotted a free table and claimed it, pulling her phone out while she ate absentmindedly.
It was close to 11 when Jet was finished eating. She remained sitting, taking a bit of time to text her friends and her mother, letting them all know she was doing okay. Sami was the only one to text her back, likely because he was the only one awake in the morning on a day off.
Hey chick! What are you up to?
Just eaten, about to head out for Raw. Yay?
Chin up, knock 'em dead!
With that word of encouragement from the Canadian, Jet headed back up to her room, throwing a few essentials into a bag and heading back out to the car. After her trip on Sunday to find the Laredo Energy Arena the drive on Monday was easy sailing. She found a parking spot without much difficulty and, after proving she worked for the company and wasn't just a crazy fan, got shown the entrance by a security officer.
Inside the doorway, looking enthralled by something on her phone, sat a small brunette. When she heard Jet's footsteps she looked up and immediately jumped to her feet.
"The new girl!" AJ Lee exclaimed, bouncing up and down on her heels, a huge grin across her face.
"Er, yep. That's me," Jet replied a little cautiously.
"Hi! Oh, this is so exciting, we don't get new girls often enough!" AJ declared as she all but pounced on Jet, hugging her happily around the neck.
Jet felt the wind almost get knocked out of her. "Hi," she greeted, a little less enthusiastically than the shorter woman. "Juliette, Jet, whichever," she introduced, extending her hand politely when AJ let go of her neck.
"You can call me April if you really want but I prefer AJ now," she said, her eyes crinkling from her face splitting smile.
"Awesome. Nice to meet you AJ."
"Come on, let me show you around. I'll introduce you to everyone!"
Juliette had very little choice in the matter as AJ gripped her hand firmly and pulled her down the corridor. Jet laughed as she was dragged. It never hurt to have a friendly face in a new place and AJ was definitely providing that. She had already made a plan to handcuff herself to Paige as soon as the NXT contingent arrived in California for Axxess so her fellow Brit couldn't go back to Florida, but it was starting to seem like it wouldn't be necessary.
"You're adorable on TV but you're even cuter in person," AJ stated at they walked, her arm now linked with Jet's.
"Oh. Er, thanks?"
"Your hair is so lovely," she continued, letting her fingers sift through the silky blonde locks. "And your voice! Gosh, I love your voice. Ooh look, here's Show. Show!"
Juliette couldn't deny she was a little intimidated by the 7 foot giant in front of her. He paused his steps at hearing AJ's voice and turned with a smile. AJ skipped up to him, pulling Jet with her.
"Hey Show, this is Juliette, the new girl. I'm showing her around."
The big man crouched a little as he shook Jet's hand. "Pleasure to meet you. If you ever need a hand, give me a shout. Or if you ever need something off the top shelf," he added, taking in Jet's short stature.
"Thanks, I'll remember that," she laughed.
Show offered another smile before AJ tugged her off again, heading for three men lounging around as they conversed.
"Guys, pay attention," she snapped when they were close enough. "This is Juliette and you all better be super nice," AJ ordered. "Jet, this is Jay, Nick and Cody."
Nick immediately threw his arm around Jet's shoulders, sending her a charming smile. Jet lifted an eyebrow.
"Hi?"
"Hey. Nick," he introduced, extending his hand. The other men rolled their eyes while AJ smirked.
"I know."
"So, shall I call you Juliette or Jet?"
"Either's fine."
"You'll have to excuse him. He has a chronic woman problem," Cody told Jet apologetically, lifting Nick's arm from her shoulders and shaking his head. "It's her first day man, save the flirting for another time."
"Flirt all you want after I've introduced her to the rest of the company," AJ ordered, then began tugging on Jet's hand again. The Brit laughed at her exaggeration.
As it turned out, it wasn't an exaggeration. Jet's newfound friend dragged her around what seemed like the entire arena, running into wrestlers, management, and backstage staff all over the place. She'd stop for a few moments at each person to make quick introductions then force Jet to set off again on their mission to find every single person under the employ of the WWE. Jet was having a bit of trouble catching her breath with the way AJ was moving her along.
"Can we take a breather?"
"In a minute, just come to the locker room first!"
AJ took a few turns around the labyrinth of backstage before stopping in front of a door that had 'Divas' written on the wall beside it. She pushed the door open and grinned.
"Pretty much everyone is here, come say hi and you can drop your stuff off."
Jet had to steady herself for a moment before walking into the locker room; the thought of being presented to the women she was hoping to rise above was a worrying one. When she stepped over the threshold at AJ's insistence, Jet's eyes first fell on a dozen faces staring at her. Jet scanned the room, pausing when she saw two nearly identical faces looking at her with undisguised disdain. Jet realised with resignation that perhaps her time in the main roster wasn't going to be a trouble free as she'd like. Thankfully however, the majority of the women in the locker room were quick to surround Jet, offering their enthusiastic welcome, complete with hugs and overzealous cheek kisses.
"They said someone new was coming, we've been waiting on you for ages!" someone in the melee declared.
AJ made quick introductions with the women before dragging Jet across to where the two-toned Celeste Bonin sat. The Texan seemed almost as excitable as AJ, throwing her arms around Jet and squeezing tightly.
"Hi, I'm Celeste! We're your new best friends!"
Jet had gotten that impression from AJ already. It reminded her starkly of her first days at FCW, when Corey had attached himself to her and refused to let his efforts at friendship be rebuffed. Jet had learned not to even argue with people that determined to be friendly.
"That's great!" Jet replied, putting on her biggest smile. She sat down beside Celeste, AJ taking up the other side, and put her bag down. She glanced to the other side of the room, seeing the Bellas murmuring to each other while pointedly glancing at Jet. "Er, have I done something?" Jet asked AJ and Celeste, nodding her head towards the twins.
AJ looked around her, pulling a face when she saw what Jet meant. "Ignore them. They have a problem with everyone. They pretty much hate me."
Jet found it difficult to believe that anyone could hate someone as bubbly as AJ. She tried to put the twins to the back of her mind, ignoring the glares that she could still see from the corner of her eye. She stayed in the locker room for a while with AJ and Celeste, chatting happily to the two friendliest people she'd probably ever met. Jet was content to just stay there until it was time for everyone to get organised for the show, but AJ jumped up and pulled Jet with her.
"Have you eaten yet?"
"I only had breakfast a couple of hours ago."
"Oh well, let's go for lunch! Coming Cel?"
"Ate already when you were stalking the door waiting for Jet to get here."
"Stalking is such an ugly word. I'm the welcoming committee!"
Celeste laughed, waving the two of them away to catering. AJ navigated the maze of corridors easily while she continued talking to Jet.
"You're riding with me and Celeste," AJ decided, no room in her voice for argument. Not that Jet wanted to argue – she wasn't keen on having to drive alone on routes she didn't know.
"Er, okay."
"Great! Here we go, the hub of the WWE." AJ pushed open a door to show what looked like most of the roster sitting around with food. The Divas Champion was making a beeline for a table occupied by seven men. The one facing the door caught Jet's attention immediately and she pulled a face. She seemed to be running into CM Punk everywhere.
"Er, I'm really not hungry. I might just go hang out in the locker room with Celeste," Jet hurriedly forced out, trying to backtrack out of catering.
"No, come on! You haven't met the gang yet!"
With a groan Jet let AJ tug her towards the table. The smaller woman dropped down lazily into the spare chair beside Punk while Jet stood awkwardly next to her.
"Juliette!"
With her eyes on Punk since walking into the room Jet hadn't noticed that Claudio Castagnoli was sitting opposite him. The Swiss was smiling brightly, immediately jumping up to offer her his seat. Jet took it thankfully, trying not to make eye contact with the man right in front of her. She didn't want another experience like she had in the Titan Tower offices, especially not in front of their co-workers. Claudio grabbed a chair from another table and pulled it up besides Jet, turning all his attention to her.
"You guys know each other?" AJ asked.
"Yeah, we met a few years ago. This guy helped me perfect my European uppercut."
Claudio smiled proudly. "I'll teach you the swing sometime," he winked as he leaned back in his chair to let AJ to do another round of introductions.
"Guys, this is Juliette; Jet, this is Matt, Mike, John, Kofi, Bryan and Punk."
"We've met," Punk spoke up, his eyes on Jet and his smirk back in place. Jet groaned inwardly.
"Sort of," she added.
"Sounds ominous," John Cena grinned. "Do tell."
"She's been stalking me," Punk shrugged.
Jet, who had been avoiding eye contact, snapped around to face Punk. "I have not! I was in the airport before you!"
"Yeah, then you followed me to HQ."
"I had a meeting! I would have been there before you if I didn't get lost in Stamford."
"Suuuure, that's what happened."
Jet was almost seething at him and his stupid grin. Her mouth dropped open and she tried to find some furious words to shoot at him, only to sit there gaping like a fish.
"Stop picking on the new kid, Punk," Bryan laughed, "Look at her face! Sweetheart, a quick tip for surviving around here: Punk's a jerk. Ignore everything he says."
Jet scowled. "Yeah, I'm starting to get that…"
As soon as Raw started, Jet set up shop in the monitor bay with Celeste and AJ until they had to get ready for their match. Mike arrived soon after, taking AJ's vacant chair and keeping Jet company.
"Punk doesn't mean any harm," he said out of the blue.
"So people keep telling me. I get a distinct douchebag vibe from him though."
Mike laughed at the scowl on the kid's face. "Well, yeah, there's no denying that."
"I'd rather he just leave me alone to be honest."
"Y'know, that's hurtful," an amused tone stated from behind them.
Jet didn't even look over her shoulder, just groaned and dropped her head to her chest. She probably would have turned around and given Punk a piece of her mind if not for the ringing of her phone.
"I don't have time for you," she stated, answering her call. Punk watched her face light up immediately. "Corey! Nope, not busy, just watching the show. Yes, I know you're doing the same, doofus, I've seen your tweets."
Punk and Mike exchanged a glance. Punk rolled his eyes and lost his half-smile, crossing his arms over his chest. The two men waited while Jet wrapped up her conversation.
"Yeah, I'll let you go. See you in a few weeks. Love you, butthead."
When Jet hung up the phone, she could tell the looks she was getting from Mike and Punk were inquisitive.
"What?"
Mike was the one to speak up, "So, you and Graves?"
Jet lifted an eyebrow. "Me and Graves what?"
"You are Graves are an item?"
Jet snorted in the most unladylike manner possible. Her eyebrows shot halfway up her forehead and her grin stretched all the way across her face. "Me and Corey? He's my best friend, we're not together. I can't think of anything more awkward, actually."
Mike curved an eyebrow but said nothing else. Punk remained silent. Before Jet could ask what that look was for and why Punk had finally quit with his snarky remarks, Nick had slid up to her, throwing his arm over her shoulder again.
"Jet! My homegirl, what's happening?"
"Nick, Cody's already told you to quit harassing her!" AJ yelled, heading towards them with sweat glistening on her and the title belt over her shoulder.
"It's not harassment if she likes it!"
AJ began protesting that Jet clearly didn't like it if the look on her face was anything to go by, while Mike made his claim that Jet obviously liked him much better because he wasn't remotely as creepy as Nick. Celeste laughed at all of them and headed off for a shower, leaving AJ to wrestle Nick's arm off Jet in a valiant attempt to protect her new friend from unwanted advancements. Punk leaned against the wall, his arms still crossed over his chest, watching the scene unfold with a small smile reappearing on his face.
Jet caught his eye for one moment when she searched around for a way out of the hubbub, offering him an awkward half shrug. Punk's smile grew a little and Jet realised that maybe it wouldn't be so bad around here after all.
There we have it, chapter two. So, let me know what you think.
Next chapter: The NXT gang arrive for Summerslam Axxess and Jet gets her first experience with an injured Punk.