That night at home at the Anoa'i house we wined, we dined and we caught up with every member of the family. Even Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, who I sarcastically but lovingly referred to as 'The Dwayne' was there for the family barbecue. It was actually great. Josh and Jon were there with their families and their other siblings, Joe's fiancé and his little daughter Joelle were there and basically everyone that had ever been at a family gathering was there.
"Cleo come down to the pool with us!" I looked up from my large glass of wine to see Dean and Seth in their swimming trunks with towels thrown over their shoulders. Dean was a little more than smashed and he was leaning on Seth shoulder. Seth on the other hand was completely sober and looking a little annoyed at his drunk friend. "Please!" Dean pouts at me and I laugh. At one point in my life, when I was twenty two I actually had a giant crush on Dean, nothing ever happened but I still can't deny that Dean is undeniably sexy and I couldn't say no to that pout.
"Alright. Don't drown, I'll meet you down there." I tell him and stand up from the wicker chair I was sitting on on the deck out the back. The Anoa'i house, which I had dubbed the Anoa'i mansion when I was eleven, was on a huge block with a fields out the back and a running track which led to a lake if you were game enough to run that far. The lawn was perfectly cut and green and had a tree house towards the back of the house where I broke my wrist when I was nine because Josh pushed me out of it. The view was spectacular and you would never guess that we were in Florida.
I head upstairs to my old room and smile brightly at Joe when I pass him in the hallway, Joelle had just gone to sleep and I'm pretty sure that my best friend had forgotten that Jojo had put a princess crown on his head. "Joe check your head." I giggled as I passed and walked in to my room.
My room was still as it was when I left twelve months ago. My double bed in the middle of the room, my bright blue covers with big block patterns on them. My walls were white and my closet doors were open with my suitcases shoved inside. My old laptop was on my desk on the other side of my room, my TV was still on the bracket on the wall above my desk and the basin in the bathroom was still littered with make-up containers from months ago. I sighed happily, this room had been my room since I was six years old, this place was my home.
After picking a bright yellow bikini I grabbed a towel and went back down stairs to see that all the young adults had started to gather down by the pool. Sika, Patti and my dad had gathering in the living room for a cup of tea. "Cleo!" Dean jumped off of his chair by the fence and stumbled over to me and wrapped his strong arms around my neck.
"Hey Deano." I giggled and hugged him back and threw my towel at Seth.
"I didn't know you had a tattoo." He shouted loudly and I groaned. I had got in after I left NXT to join the main roster. It wasn't big, it was actually quite tiny but it was big enough for Dean to spot on my lower back.
I glance around the pool and spot Joe with a curious look on his face and sitting right next to him is Seth who is cocking an eyebrow. "What is it? Is it a tramp stamp?" Seth asks loudly and I frown. I hadn't said a word to him since we stepped off the plane and he was still be rude to me.
"It says," Dean turns me around and shoves his face in to my back. "Carpe Diem." I'm not liking all this attention so I turn around and shove Dean in to the pool.
"When did you get that Cleo?" Joe asks me.
"A couple of months after I started touring." I tell him and walk over to him and Seth and snatch my towel off of Seth and put it on the ground and take in the last of the days sun.
….
In the morning we head to the training centre to start our four week training. The first few things on our list include me fine tuning my moves in the ring with the men, so after warming up we hop in the ring. "How long ago did you take a hit from a male?" Joe asks as we jump in to the ring.
Before I could even answer Seth starts jumping up and down with his hand in the air and a stupid grin on his face. "I know, I know." I snap my head around to give him a death glare, knowing that there's another insult coming my way. Before Joe and Dean can tell him to shut the fuck up he says loudly so that pretty much everyone in developmental can hear. "Last night in Dean's bed!" My jaw drops.
Why is he so rude to me? We got along when we first met, to my knowledge I hadn't done anything to him to make him hate, so what the hell was his problem? "You're such an ass. How about I show you a thing or two?" With any luck I'll get to sock him one by accident…
"I'm keen." He laughs loudly and pulls off his shirt. I take off my hoodie and throw it at Joe as he climbs out of the ring with Dean who is looking a little sick from all the alcohol the night before. We lock up and I use all my might to try and push him in to the corner, but as it turns out I need to start lifting bigger weights. "That's so cute you think you're strong!" He chuckles and pushes me in to the corner and lets go. He backs up a bit and instead of taking my time to plan something I push myself up so I'm sitting on the top rope and when he comes back I flick up my leg and get him in the face.
I jump off the turnbuckle and fling myself off the ropes as he gets back to his feet. I attempt a shoulder bump but he just stands there and plants his feet on the ground. "Seth you can't do dead weight while we're training! That's not fair" I look up at him angrily, what have I done to him?
"Life is not fair sweetheart. Like the fact that we unfortunately have to team with you for the next couple of years." He shrugs his shoulders with a smirk.
I've let the cheap shots go for too long, it was exactly the same when I was at NXT hanging with Dean and Joe. I had had enough and balled my fist as tight as it would go and punched him in the jaw. "Whoa!" Joe and Dean were in the ring straight away. Dean stood in front of Seth and Joe dragged me out of the ring.
"That's what I like to see, a girl that can pack a punch." Seth laughed and rubbed his jaw. I would have happily gone for another hit but Joe wouldn't let me and I was ninety percent sure I just broke my wrist!
"Go cool off." He orders and then turns around and heads back to the ring.
I take a deep breath, the first twenty minutes of attempting to be the shield and I've already punched him in the face. Great start! I wash my face with cold water and then decide to get back out there. I spot Joe and Seth in the ring practicing some moves and I laugh loudly when Joe spears him out of nowhere. I clap my hands as I stand beside Dean near the edge of the ring "Like that baby girl?" Joe sends me that stunning smile and I nod my head enthusiastically.
"Do it again." I grin at him as I watch Seth get back to his feet slowly holding his ribs.
Joe looks over his shoulder at his struggling friend. "I've warmed him up, you wanna have another go?" He offers and I nod my head, hoping that Seth is done with being an ass for today, maybe I actually get in some practice before the end of the day.
We lock up again and after using all my energy quickly last time I let him push me in to the corner. I duck his first blow and run out from behind him springing off the ropes and drop kick him in the chest. I land an elbow, a leg drop and consider going to the top rope, but I didn't feel like injuring myself for the likes of him. So while I waiting for him to recover I just leaned against the ropes. When he was almost to his feet I started to run the ropes again and was going to leap frog to get another rope run in when he lifted me up and power bombed the absolute shit out of me. My head bounced off the mat multiple times and the wind was knocked out of me. "Fuck, I'm sorry." I heard him mutter as he pushed me away from him and crawled over to me to see if I was responsive.
"Dude what the fuck?!" Dean was beside me in a second. I opened my eyes and blinked a few times as I tried to catch my breath.
"I didn't mean to!" Seth whined.
I slowly moved my head to the side and realised that there was a rather large crowd of NXT talent standing around the ring. "Go away crowd! I'm fine!" I tell them loudly as I gripped Dean's hand and slowly pull myself up so I'm sitting upright, I wasn't quite ready to stand up at that point. My head was spinning and I felt like I was going to be sick.
"C'mon babe, let's get you to the medic." Dean murmured as he moved me slowly across the floor of the ring to the rope. After he and Joe rolled out first and they help each other to carry me gently to the medics room.
After getting checked out for a concussion and neck problems the medic gives me an icepack and instructs me to take it easy and to not get back in the ring until he checks me out again tomorrow morning. "I didn't do it on purpose Bill!" As I walk back over to the ring I see Bill DeMott in the ring with Seth grilling him about what just happened.
I frowned, how would this faction work out if he wasn't in it. I didn't like him that much but I knew that he hadn't meant to almost give me a concussion. I got in to the ring and jumped on Seth's back and put him in a sleeper hold. "Tap!" I ordered.
"What? Never!" He seemed confused.
"Tap or I won't forgive you for trying to concuss me!" I tell him stubbornly.
He sighs loudly and taps. "Fine, you happy?" He asks as I loosen the grip around his neck but stay clingy to his back.
"Very happy." I tell him and then look up to Bill who looks surprised. It was common knowledge that Seth and I didn't get along. Back in NXT he was the exact same as he had been to me these past few days, nothing but an arrogant son of a bitch who had no reason what so ever to dislike me at all. "Hi Bill! Long time no see." I smile brightly at Bill, I'd feel bad if Seth got in trouble for an accident.
"Cleo." Bill nods his head at me as Joe and Dean climb in to the ring and look at me weirdly because I'm just chilling out on Seth's back. "How are you feeling?" He asks and glances angrily at Seth.
"I'm fine, it was an accident." I tell him honestly.
"Be careful!" Bill slaps Seth on the shoulder and heads off back to where he was training and we or rather the guys get back to work while I direct traffic and give advice.
….
When we're done with training we head back home and the guys decide without even asking that we're all going out. So I head upstairs to get ready and when I walk down stairs I see my dad and Seth sitting at the kitchen table having a good old chat. I stop in my tracks and watch them cautiously for a moment. "Good chat, Colby!" Dad says when he spots me watching them and then gets up from the table and walks over to me and smiles brightly and pulls me in to a hug. "You look beautiful, my Cleopatra!" He tells me and softly kisses my cheek.
When dad leaves Seth looks at me with a stupid grin on his face and opens his mouth to tease me but I speak before he does. "Don't say a fucking word Colbert. I will punch you again and this time it'll be in the balls!"
Hope the mix of names aren't confusing you! It'll be a little clearer in the next few chapters!