A/N: Thank's guys for all your awesome reviews! I'm glad you all are enjoying the slow build of Punk and April and please stay tuned because I have so much more planned!
Chapter 6: Tryout
It was finally Thursday the big day- April was so nervous she was sure she was going to throw up before she even made it inside.
"You ok?" Jason asked getting out of the car with April
"I think I'm in way over my head" April admitted "I'm going to embarrass myself and Punk"
"Well I'm not going to argue with you there" Jason chuckled "But the guy went out of his way to get this set up for you so the least you could do is show up"
"Yea" April said nodding firmly "Thank you for coming with me" she said to him
"You think I'd miss the chance of getting an inside glimpse of WWE's training facility?" Jason mocked heading towards the door way ahead of her. "And how would you get here without a ride?"
"Yea well thanks again" April mumbled as Jason opened the door for himself and headed inside. April took a deep breath before walking in.
"This place is insane" Jason noted looking behind the main desk "They have like five rings set up back there!"
"Yea it's pretty cool" April agreed
"Oh it's Punk's friend!" a voice boomed. April instantly smiled upon seeing Paul Heyman making his way over to her. "April right?" he asked with a smile
"Yes" April said again blushing
"You do my ego wonders" Paul grinned happily then noticed Jason standing behind April "This your boyfriend?" he asked gesturing to him
"No" April said quickly
"I'm her personal trainer" Jason said shaking his hand
"Really?" Paul asked amused
"Yea I'm Jason Parker" Jason said to him
"Never heard of you" Paul said honestly causing April to smile but she tried to hide it with her hand casually
"I kind of work off the grid" Jason shrugged simply
"How so?" Paul asked interested.
"I work in a small gym and train some of the girls in the back" Jason said to him
"You only train women?" Paul questioned
"For the most part yea" Jason said starting to feel nervous
"That's odd" Paul noted "And when you say train them in the back you have facility like this?"
"No of course not" Jason said quickly "Just some machines and mat"
"Interesting" Paul smiled politely "Punk is here already" he said to April and noticed her eyes light up slightly "He's just doing an interview over the phone I know he wants to be here to wish you luck"
"Great" April smiled
"And I want to personal wish you luck" Paul said sincerely "And Jason it was nice meeting you" he said shaking his hand then walking off
"Paul friggin Heyman just shook my hand!" Jason cheered "This is insane!"
"Isn't he nice?" April asked
"Yea but I can't help but feel as if he was judging me" Jason admitted
"Don't be ridiculous" April whispered
"You're early" Punk grinned walking over to her not even acknowledging Jason
"I didn't want to be late" April said with a smile
"Also I drove you" Jason chimed in and Punk looked over to him
"So are you ready?" Punk asked and she nodded
"As ready as I'll ever be" April informed him
"Bill will be out in a minute" Punk said to her "You remember what went over, right?"
"Yes" April said seriously "I also ran for a mile and a half this morning to build up stamina"
"Good" Punk said fondly but he noticed Jason rolled his eyes "What?"
"Nothing its just there's other ways she can build up her stamina" Jason suggested. April simply rolled her eyes and ignored the comment.
"April" Bill said walking over to them right as Punk was about to respond "We're ready for you"
"Great" April said walking towards him
"Are you with her?" Bill asked Jason who nodded "You can wait out here"
"I'm her trainer" Jason offered but he was pretty intimidated by Bill
"Well I'm here trainer today so you can sit over there" Bill said pointing to the chairs. "You too Punk"
"Yea I know the drill" Punk said to him "Have fun" he whispered to April who looked over her shoulder to shoot him a quick smile then walked off with Bill.
"I'm not waiting around for this" Jason mumbled reaching for his cars and walking towards the door
"You're leaving?" Punk asked
"I thought I'd get to hang around and see how it works" Jason said to him
"You thought the WWE would let some wannabe trainer watch how they work so you could steal their routines?" Punk asked bluntly
"I'm a real trainer" Jason said to him "Look I don't know what April has said about me-"
"She doesn't say much" Punk said cutting him off "Except that you're a nice guy who really helps her out she even considers you a friend"
"That's right" Jason said to him
"But we both know you don't consider her a friend" Punk said slyly "I know your shtick I've seen it a thousand times"
"And what's my shtick?" Jason asked "I cut April a lot of slack. In case she's kept this from you she's broke. She can't afford new sneakers but I always give her a discount"
"You train with her for two hours and charge her fifty bucks- you make her beg for help" Punk pointed out "You pry on women like April"
"She's just a kid" Jason scoffed
"She's not a kid" Punk shot at him and narrowed his eyes at the man. He knew when he called April a kid how upset she was and he wasn't going to let anyone else make the same mistake. "She's a hard working woman- she works for everything she has you on the other hand are lazy and want to just skirt by and hopefully get laid in the process. That's what this is right? Your 'business'?"
"It is my business" Jason agreed coldly "I don't care who you are or how famous you are I don't owe you an explanation for how I conduct my business"
"You're right you don't" Punk said to him "Weren't you leaving?" he asked
"Yea" Jason said slowly "Tell April thanks for the fun trip" he said to Punk then walked out
"What an asshole" Paul said walking over to Punk
"Asshole is to good of a name for him" Punk said bitterly watching as Jason walked out the door
"He's scamming April huh?" Paul asked
"How did you know that?" Punk asked him
"I read people, it's what I do" Paul smirked
"Hey can you get me in the conference room?" Punk asked him "I want to watch April I know they film them"
"Yea come on" Paul said nodding for Punk to follow him
It's was an almost three hour tryout but it was finally over. April was sure Bill hated her because everything she did wasn't good enough and he just yelled the entire time but she never stopped and kept going. After he abruptly informed her the tryout was over she practically collapsed in the ring. She was drenched in sweat and trying to control her heartbeat.
"Here" Bill said passing her a bottle of water "You need to see a medic?"
"No" April said catching her breath unscrewing the bottle of water and gulping it down "Thank you for taking the time out to do this" she said standing up "I hope I didn't waste too much of your time"
"April tryouts are usually forty-five minutes" Bill informed her "Usually because the person I'm with passes out" he chuckled lightly "You could hang I like you"
"You like me?" April asked stunned
"I don't usually do these tryouts but Punk bragged about you so much I just had to see you for myself and I wasn't disappointed" Bill said to her honestly "You did good"
"Really?" she asked trying to hold back her smile
"It doesn't mean they're going to sign you" Bill warned "I may like you but I'm also not in charge of hiring" he reminded her and she nodded "I will recommend you though"
"Thank you so much!" April said throwing her arms around the large man and he reluctantly hugged her back
"Right" Bill said pulling away "You've got the passion for this and that's rare. This was taped and will be reviewed it could take anywhere from a week to a year to hear anything back"
"I'm just thankful I got to work with you" April admitted "I'll take this with me everywhere I go"
"Well hopefully where you go is here" Bill said to her seriously "Because I'd love to see how far I could push you"
"I push back" April smirked and Bill nodded with a half smile
"I'm looking forward to it" Bill smirked
"Hey!" Punk shouted causing her to turn and look towards him. She jumped out of the ring and threw her arms around him.
"Hi!" she said happily holding him tight but then pulled away "I'm sorry I'm sweating all over you"
"It's ok" Punk said to her "You did great"
"You think so?" April asked hopefully
"Yea you were great" Punk assured her "I'm proud of you and I want to thank you for not making me look bad"
"I think that would be impossible" April teased lightly
"I know a lot of the guys watching upstairs were just as impressed as I was" Punk said to her
"This is a dream come true" April said still trying absorb it all in "I wish there was something I could do to repay you for this"
"You did this" Punk reminded her "I just set it up"
"Right well if there is anything I could ever do for you please let me know" April insisted
"Sure" Punk smiled looking down at her "Look I've got to get to the airport I have a live event tomorrow but I'll drop you off at work first"
"Oh don't worry about that Jason drove me" April said to him
"He left" Punk said to her
"Really?" April asked he could hear the hint of sadness in her voice
"Yea he had something to take care of something" Punk shrugged "He said he knew you'd do great"
"See? He's not that bad" April said to him
Later that night April was at work and was on cloud nine. She was so happy that her tryout went well. She really wanted to get a call back but if she didn't she still got further than most people would have ever thought she would.
"April as much as I appreciate your happy vibe I need you to come back down to earth and bring this tray to table twelve, preferably in one piece this time?" Hector smirked passing her the tray
"You got it!" April replied happily
"And after that go home" Hector said to her and she quickly frowned "You need some sleep sweetheart take the rest of the night"
"No I promised you I'd make for missing the morning shift" April argued
"And you have" Hector said to her "You're no good to me if you pass out due to exhaustion"
"Ok thanks" April said
"And I mean home to sleep not around the corner to the gym" Hector warned her
"Oh speaking of that have you seen Jason today?" April asked him
"Nope" Hector said coolly as he wiped down the counter "Home April" he warned
"Gotchya" April said to him and bought the tray over to the able.
A few days later Punk had finally arrived back home in Chicago. He was off for SmackDown so he was back home by Tuesday night. He missed being home it had been weeks now and he was looking forward to just unwinding.
"Holy shit" Colt laughed as Punk walked into house "You still live here?"
"More so than you do" Punk shot at his friend as he collapsed on his couch
"Really because I've been house sitting for you for three weeks now" Colt said to him "Seriously where the fuck have you been?"
"I told you I was doing stuff for the company" Punk shrugged "I worked NXT and stuff"
"Yea did you do anything else?" Colt asked him casually
"Nope that's about it" Punk said to him
"You eat out in Tampa?" Colt asked him
"Yea why?" Punk asked
"Any place you'd recommend?" Colt asked curiously and Punk rolled his eyes "Any good diners?" he laughed
"Who told you?" Punk asked
"Paul" Colt laughed "He said you were chasing around a wrestling waitress for the last few weeks"
"I wasn't chasing anyone around" Punk defended "I met a waitress at a diner and she's friends with some of the guys from NXT"
"Heard you got her a tryout" Colt said to him
"I did and she killed it" Punk replied smugly "I was right"
"Cool" Colt said to him "It has nothing to do with the fact that she's hot and good in bed?"
"What?" Punk asked him "I didn't sleep with her"
"You're kidding right?" Colt asked "How far did you get"
"I got nowhere" Punk said to him "Because April is a very passionate wrester that's why I'm helping her. I don't even look at her like that"
"Oh really?" Colt laughed "According to Paul-"
"Paul doesn't know what he's talking about" Punk said to her "She's a friend"
"A friend huh" Colt said fondly "When do I get to meet your friend?"
"I don't know" Punk shrugged "She's seriously a great girl and I'm not going to taint anything with trying to sleep with her"
"Wow either Paul was lying and she's ugly as sin or you like her a lot more than you're letting on" Colt said to him
"She's not ugly" Punk said to her "But she's also a kid"
"I heard she was twenty-four" Colt said to him
"Did you get her entire bio?" Punk asked annoyed
"Yea everything but a picture" Colt teased "So when are you going to see her again?"
"I don't know" Punk said to him "Next time I'm working a show in Tampa I guess"
"You spent three straight weeks with her and that's it?" Colt asked him
"What do you want from me?" Punk demanded
"I want you to talk to me here, I'm your best friend!" Colt laughed
"I have nothing much to say I just like her ok" Punk defended "We met we hit it off we're pretty similar she has a shitty life and I just wanted to help but I can't do anything else for her"
"Shitty life huh?" Colt asked him quietly
"No family, lives paycheck to paycheck, live in an apartment building that even terrifies me" Punk mumbled
"Sounds familiar" Colt said to him
"I may not have had my blood family but I taken in by an amazing family" Punk said seriously "I always had a roof over my head and a hot dinner at night"
"So give her some money or something" Colt suggested with a shrug
"She wouldn't take it even if I offered" Punk mumbled "Besides what she really needs is good people in her life"
"Well she's got you and I'm not just saying this because you let me crash here but you're as good as people get" Colt said to her
"That was actually nice of you" Punk smirked "But I'm not what she needs"
"You do know what it's like to be on your own sometimes I still think you think you are" Colt said to him seriously "Just give her a call or something be her friend" he suggested
"Maybe in a few days" Punk said to him "I'll give her a little space from me" he smirked
"Ok so just send her a text" Colt said to him
"Would you let this go" Punk groaned
"Paul likes her" Colt informed him
"Yea I noticed" Punk said to him "And I have been texting her"
"Ask her to send you a picture so I can put a face to this girl" Colt said seriously and Punk shot him a look "I'm curious" he defended
Later that night Punk was lying in bed trying to get some much-needed sleep but he kept thinking about April. Was she at the gym with her sleazy trainer? Was she roasting in her apartment? Was she dropping dishes all over the place at work? He couldn't get her out of his head and he was hoping by this time he would have at least heard news about how her tryout went. He reached over to his phone and was considering sending her a text but he wasn't even sure what to say. As soon as he decided to text her his phone lit up from a call and it was April.
"Hey" Punk said into the phone
"Hi Punk" April said to him
"I was just thinking about you" Punk admitted
"Interesting" April laughed "What were you thinking?"
"I was trying to guess the number of dishes you broke tonight" Punk joked and again smiled at the sound of her infectious giggle
"Three" April said proudly "That's down from my usual six"
"Good girl" Punk said proudly "So what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?"
"Can't I just call my friend?" April asked
"Yea you can" Punk said softly "Something on your mind?"
"I just missed you" April admitted "I had gotten used to having you around" Punk wasn't sure how to respond that but thankfully April spoke up again "I also got a call from the performance center"
"Really?" Punk asked surprised
"Yes. They want me to come in again" April said to him "I'm not sure what I'll be doing but Bill called me personally and said it was like a 'second interview'"
"You're one step closer" Punk assured her "You'll be meeting with bigger names this time around probably Paul"
"I've already met Paul" April reminded him
"I meant Tripe H" Punk chuckled
"Oh my god" April mumbled "I can't meet him! I used to have his poster in my room!"
"Seriously?" Punk asked almost disgusted
"He was so cool" April said to him "And you know it's true"
"Yea real cool" Punk teased "So when is your next interview?"
"Friday" April said to him "I'm so nervous they told me this would be more of questions than actual wrestling"
"Yea you'll do fine" Punk said to her "You've got a great personality"
"Well Jason is going to go over some things with me and I'll be at the gym every night this week just in case" April said to him "Plus I have a show Thursday night too"
"Do you ever stop to smell the roses?" Punk teased
"I don't really like flowers" April shot back "I have to keep going I can't stop now"
"Good for you April" Punk said to her
"So are you happy to be home finally?" April asked
"Yea it's great" Punk admitted "Quiet- just the way I like it"
"Did you ever pick up a gift for Chaleen?" April asked
"Oh crap" Punk muttered "I forgot about that" during one of their many conversations Punk had mentioned that Chaleen's birthday was coming up and had no idea what to get her, she even helped him decide on something. "Thank you for reminding me"
"No sweat that's what friends are for" April said to him "Look I've got to get back to work I just wanted to check in with you"
"Ok" Punk said to her "Don't be a stranger call me anytime"
"I could say the same for you Punk" April said to him "Have a good night"
"Night" Punk said then waited for her to hang up first.