CHAPTER FOUR
ROSA
When April invites me to go to an indy show with her, I jump at the chance. Finally, some real wrestling! It's not that I don't love WWE, but they hardly use me. I dance Fandango out to the ring, cheer for him, dance backstage, and repeat. I mean, this is not what I signed up for, but I'm still trying to get back on par with the other girls, so for now, dancing and being a Total Diva is my life.
After we fulfill our work duties, we drive to the show in my rental. I have attempted to hide our identities because going to indy shows is a big no-no for WWE employees. We each wear a pair of very cute sunglasses. I've got on a red wig and April's is blonde. Scotty reserved great seats for us. We're having a great time and I start thinking I'm missing out in WWE. The indies are where the party's at.
My heart skips a beat when Drew Galloway comes out. Mr. Three Man Band McIntyre is a walking gimmick no more. Instead, it's like Vince McMahon's Chosen One has been resurrected and is even more awesome this time around. I'm pretty sure I'm drooling at the sight of all that sexiness wrapped in a long brown duster and little else. That hair of his begs me to play with it. I want to run my nails over every inch of that muscular chest. I am having some seriously naughty thoughts over here.
Drew and I were actually pretty friendly when he was still at WWE, but it never went beyond friendship. In the ring, he is a monster, a wild, untamed, sexy beast, but out of character, he's the sweetest guy in the world. He genuinely cares about people. He put up with my neurotic ass when I was at my worst. He opens doors for women and would never hit one. He's freakishly perfect. I realize now how much I've missed him since his release. I watch his match closely, amazed at the transformation he's made.
DREW
This indy crowd fuels my soul. They go wild as soon as my entrance music starts. I get to the ring and make a big show of removing my duster.
"Woo-hoo, yeah!" A familiar voice shouts from somewhere in the front. "Take it off!"
If I didn't know better, I'd swear that was Rosa Mendes, who used to tease me like that all the time when I was in WWE, but this is an indy show. Rosa can't be here. I smirk in the direction of the voice, staying in character.
I'm fighting Roderick Strong. I genuinely dislike that guy. He can be a real dick, which I don't say lightly. I'm not looking to get injured tonight, so I am glad we have a short amount of time for the match. It's bad enough I have to put up with him at EVOLVE, but now he's finding his way to me at other indy shows.
I'm not here to put him over, but I try to make him look good anyway. That's what professionals do, and even if he won't be professional to me, I refuse to sink to his level. Instead of sticking to our planned move set, Roderick goes for a cheap shot and punches me in my manhood.
Really? I think in annoyance. Are ya gonna change yer name to El Torito next?
He roughs me up slightly as I recover. When I'm ready to fight back, I decide not to hold back anymore. I hit him with everything I've got, refusing to let him get any moves in. Finally, with a Futureshock DDT, I put the bastard down.
The crowd is loving it. "Promo! Promo! Promo!" They chant for me.
How can I deny that? I accept a microphone and start talking, rambling about whatever comes to mind. Ever since I left WWE, the crowds have demanded to hear me speak my mind. It's how I came up with the Stand Up campaign I started at TNA. I ran it by Dixie Carter and she loved the idea of giving the fans a voice through me.
"That's what ya get, Roderick," I tell him. "Maybe ya best stop challenging me now. To anyone else who would like a challenge, I welcome it!" I start going into Storytime with Drew mode and begin talking directly to the fans, straight from my heart. My best promos are the improvised ones. "I want ta thank all of ye for yer passion and for supporting all of us here. You are what this business is all about! Everything I do is for all of ya!"
I keep talking for a bit before the fans finally let me walk away.
ROSA
"I think I'm in love," I inform April. I'm very serious. I'd nearly forgotten how awesome Drew actually is. The indies have been good to him.
We watch the rest of the show. When I hear the first boom-boom of Colt Cabana's music, I start to bop along. April is laughing and is more relaxed than I've seen her in ages.
The match is hilarious. Tommy Dreamer and Scotty have amazing comedic timing. I can't remember the last time WWE had an event like this.
After the match, Scotty comes straight for us. "Join us for dinner," he says hopefully.
"Who's us?" April asks nervously.
Tommy and Drew smile at us. "Absolutely!" I answer for both of us. I hope April doesn't mind, but this sounds like fun.
Drew immediately pulls both of us into the tightest, warmest hug ever. Let me tell you, Drew Galloway is an amazing hugger. Even April, traumatized as she is, seems instantly comforted by his embrace. His arms are just so strong and warm, and it doesn't hurt that the man let a psychotic blonde thing beat him up because his daddy taught him not to hit girls. He's not a threat to us, but I suspect he'd slay any dragon who tried to harm either me or April.
"I missed ya, girls," Drew tells us.
"Damn, Galloway, you're a sight for sore eyes," I say. I kiss his cheek.
"Did ya tire of being Fandimwit's valet and decide to try yer luck on the indies?" He asks me.
"It's tempting," I admit. I really am sick of WWE's crap. I made a really big mistake, or ten, but I'm sober now and they are still trying to keep me down. It gets frustrating.
Drew seems to sense April's discomfort. "Ya look like ya need a pint, lass," he says. "I'm buying."
After a moment, April says, "Rosa doesn't drink."
"I'll order the venue's finest bottled water for our sober friend," Drew promises.
"Such a gentleman," I say flirtatiously. Drew takes my hand in his. Goddamn, I think. It should be illegal to be this sexy.
We make our way to the restaurant. I hate to leave April's side but she seems okay with Tommy and Drew and I are having so much fun catching up. I flirt, he flirts, it's just like when he was in WWE. We were both low-carded for life and that bonded us. Now it's like no time has passed.
Scotty rushes us inside and we sit down and spend a while just chatting away. The conversation is amazing. Tommy and Scotty keep making everyone laugh. April is so relaxed it's like she's a different person. I really think this is good for her. Sometimes, you have to get away from all the crap and just laugh.
Way too soon, we need to call it a night. "Split a cab with me?" Scotty asks Tommy. They're both way too buzzed to drive.
"Sure," Tommy says. "Galloway?"
"I'm not staying with ya," Drew reminds them.
I see an opportunity and pounce. "I can give you a lift," I say quickly. "I've got my rental, and I'm the only sober one here, so..."
"I don't want ya ta have ta go out of yer way, lass," Drew says.
"It's no problem. Come on."
Drew smiles at me. "Thank ya, lass."
We wait until Tommy and Scotty catch a cab. After hugging them goodbye, we make our way to my rental. Drew opens my door for me. He then opens April's. She immediately tries to lay down and curl up in a ball behind me. She's exhausted and drunk, poor girl.
Drew sits next to me, but turns to April. "Ya best buckle up, April. Better safe than sorry and all that."
I can see April sit up and roll her eyes in the rearview mirror. "Yes, Dad," she replies, but she does buckle her seatbelt.
As Drew and I talk quietly, April seems to drift off. I figure it's better to let her rest or at least space out. She's finally calm and I'm so relieved.
Everything is going well. Drew and I are talking about anything and everything there is to talk about. I haven't had this much fun in ages, and I'm sober! Who knew it was possible?
Suddenly, Drew's eyes go wide and I can see the car is bathed in light, but before I can register what the cause of that is, I feel something slam into me with more force than I thought possible. I realize I hear the impact more than anything else, and then I feel absolutely nothing at all as I black out.
DREW
The impact is so sudden, it doesn't seem real. I hit my head hard on something and it takes me a minute to realize what's happening. There is blood falling down my cheek. I can't register the pain because I look up and panic takes over.
"Rosa!" I cry out. Her door has been smashed in completely. She's not moving. "God, Rosa, can ya hear me?" Her head is bleeding badly. Her body is at an odd angle. I see her chest rise and realize she's breathing. There's still hope...
"Are ya alright back there, April?" I ask.
"I'm okay," April says in a shaky voice. "My leg's pinned, but I'm alright. Are you?"
"My head's banged up, but I've been worse. Rosa's out cold. Her head's bleeding. Do ya have yer cell phone? My battery's dead."
She busies herself calling 911. I try to figure out what to do next. I realize pretty quickly how bad this is. "We have to get out of the car. It's too damaged. It could explode."
I act calm even though I'm anything but. Now is not the time to panic. I get out of the car and climb into the backseat from my side. April is pinned, but she's moving. If she shifts...
"April, yer small. Ya can get out of this, but ya have ta be careful. Can ya move yer leg?"
"Yes," she says. She's squirming as proof.
"Try to wiggle it free. It's going ta hurt, but I think I can pull ya out if ya shift."
She shifts a bit, bravely facing her pain. Finally, she says, "Pull me out."
"Are ya sure?"
"Yeah. This is as good as I'm going to get on my own."
I nod. In one swift motion, I pull her into my arms and out of the car. I set her down gently. "Can ya stand?" I ask.
April nods. "Get Rosa," she tells me. "Please get her out of there."
I'm nervous now. "She's going to be harder ta move... She's really hurt, April. It's dangerous ta move her, but I can't leave her either." I move toward the car. I carefully unbuckled Rosa's seatbelt. She slumps over into my arms. I find a way to pull her out, holding her neck to try to keep it straight. One wrong move and she'll be paralyzed. Shift the wrong way and she can die. You can do this, I tell myself. She's going to be alright.
Rosa lets out a soft moan. She's still unconscious, but that moan means she's alive. I have to save her. The car is starting to smoke.
I lay Rosa down on the sidewalk gently, rolling up my jacket and sticking it under her head so she has support under her neck. The smoke gets worse and flames start to appear. I turn around just in time to see April collapse. I barely catch her before she hits the ground. I can barely stand, so I sit down and lay April across my lap.
I watch in complete shock as the car burns. We were in that thing just minutes ago! I hear sirens getting closer. I'm coughing as the smoke gathers in the air. It's so damn hot. Is this really happening right now?
As the emergency workers arrive and start asking questions, I numbly explain what happened. My head is fuzzy. I think I see a camera flash going off over and over nearby. I can hardly think straight as they load the three of us into an ambulance. The siren blares as we speed away.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I apologize for the delay! I have a lot of fics going at once right now. I'll try to do better! Thanks for your patience!