CHAPTER SIX

I have to say goodbye to Phil the next day so I can catch a plane to North Carolina for our next set of shows. We have house shows on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, then RAW on Monday, and Main Event and Smackdown on Tuesday. This is a normal schedule for us, and I feel bad because I'm relieved to get away from Phil for a bit.

I run into Colby, Dean, Taylor, and Bray at the airport. We're all catching the same flight. Unfortunately, so are Justin, Nattie, and TJ.

I have been avoiding Nattie since RAW. She's oblivious to this and waves me over. I don't think I can face her with TJ right there, but she wraps me in a tight hug. I don't give TJ a chance to do the same, so he just greets me cheerfully. Justin also says hello, but his eyes say he's not sure what to think of me. He thinks I'm sleeping with TJ and here I am, talking to his wife.

"AJ, I'm so glad I caught you," Nattie says. "I wanted to tell you your match with Alicia was great last night. You both brought out the best in each other."

"Thanks," I say. It's a true honor when Nattie respects a match. She's the Queen.

"They need to showcase her more. She's good, and you know I think you're great."

I didn't know that. I'm almost floored by the compliment. I have gotten so used to just being Mrs. CM Punk that I nearly forgot I'm damn good on my own.

"That means a lot to me," I tell her.

"I think you're great, too," TJ says. His eyes say other things.

"I should get back," I say. I look toward the guys I plan on traveling with. Bray is posing for photos with a fan. Dean is in character, shooting nasty looks at Colby. Taylor looks back at me and gives me a big thumbs up. I am grateful as I hurry back toward him.

"You okay?" He asks.

"Yeah... I'm just not a fan of TJ's," I say. That's definitely the truth.

"Our seats are close to each other. We can hang out on the flight."

"That sounds great."

It does sound great. Dean and Colby got seats on either side of me and Taylor will be close by. Even though TJ is going to be on the plane, he won't be able to mess with me. I'm safe. And hell, if I'm desperate, I can always ask Bray to try to recruit TJ to the Wyatt family to distract him. I smile at the the thought.

The flight is uneventful. I fall asleep with my head on Colby's shoulder. It's the first time since everything happened with TJ that I don't have a nightmare. The forty minute nap is exactly what I needed. I feel much better when I wake up.

Colby's hotel room is across from mine. Dean is staying on the same floor as Taylor and Bray. They leave Colby and me alone. "Do you want me to help you get settled in?" He asks me.

I kind of want him to check under my bed for monsters, but I smile bravely. "I'll be fine," I say.

He watches me until I close the door. I lock it and put my suitcase down. I check the closet and under the bed and find no monsters. I'm finally alone. I text Phil so he knows I made it safely. Then I curl up under the blankets and try to relax.

I don't remember falling asleep, but I wake up in a panic. TJ is haunting my nightmares. This really needs to stop.

There's a knock on my door. Colby stands on the other side smiling. "There's a party upstairs in Jericho's suite. Want to go?" He asks.

The idea of being in a crowded room bothers me right now. "No thanks," I say. "I'm not really in the mood."

"Do you want company?"

"I'll be okay, Colby. Go to the party." I flash him a reassuring smile. I don't want to ruin his night.

He hesitates, then nods. "If you need anything, call me."

"I will."

He leaves and I plop down on my bed with a comic book. I need the escape.

Maybe twenty minutes later, there's a knock on my door. I figure Colby got paranoid and came back to check on me. I open the door, but it's not Colby.

TJ pushes his way into my room before I can even process that he's really there. He smirks at me. "Everyone's up at that stupid party," he says, "but here you are, waiting for me."

"I'm not waiting for you," I say. "Why aren't you at the party?"

"NXT guys aren't invited. Nattie said she'd get me in, but fuck that! I don't need my fucking wife to get me in on pity. Screw them. They're just jealous because NXT has better talent and we intimidate them. Shit, I'm lucky they sent me back to development! At least I'm surrounded by real talent, not a bunch of washed-up sell-outs."

He's actually not wrong about that. With the Network giving NXT more exposure, they are making us main roster Superstars nervous. They're hungrier than we are. They fight with more heart. And they're getting better storylines than we are. I don't have an issue with the NXT people, but some of the more seasoned wrestlers definitely do. It doesn't surprise me that TJ was excluded from the party. I suddenly really wish I'd told Colby I would go.

I look at my options. TJ has the doorway blocked. We're too high up for me to go out the window without a serious risk of paralyzing or killing myself. Those two options still appeal to me more than letting this son of a bitch touch me again.

He comes closer. I automatically back up toward the window. I'm frantically trying to come up with a plan. Can I outsmart him? If I make him work for it, maybe he'll pass out again... But I realize with a sickening sense of clarity that TJ isn't drunk this time. I stand little to no chance of an easy escape.

Hell, my life has never been easy. I grew up living in my car. My parents were good people, but we were poor. I had to learn to defend myself early on. I can do this. I can fight with every ounce of strength in my soul.

TJ shrugs. "Whatever. This is more fun anyway."

He tries to grab me. I duck and deliver a swift kick to his knee, the exact knee he injured a couple years back. He howls in pain and starts cursing, "Bitch!" I'm tempted to call him the same thing. Instead, I run toward the door.

My hand is on the doorknob when he grabs me. He literally throws me across the room at my bed. My body slams against the nightstand. The wind is knocked out of me. I think I hit my head on something. I struggle to get back up. He's too quick. He lifts me up and throws me down on my bed.

I scream as loud as I can, but he quickly covers my mouth. I bite his hand. He hits my head against the wall. I'm dizzy. I can't think straight. I want to scream again, but only a pathetic whimper comes out.

"We're gonna have our own party," TJ taunts me. "You know you want it. You're nothing but a whore. No one would believe you if you called me a rapist, so don't go trying to spread lies. Just spread your legs, Bitch."

He forces them apart and he's even rougher this time. He's so angry. I hurt so bad. "Please stop... Please..." I whisper over and over again. He gets rougher instead. After that, I shut down. I don't even register when he leaves. I just open my eyes and he's gone.

I try to get up, but my legs are too weak. I fall. I literally drag myself to the shower. I scrub my flesh until I see blood and realize I have to stop. I pack up the few things I have unpacked. I open the door and stick my head outside. I stumble as I try to examine the hallway.

Taylor is the only person I see. He sees me stumble and rushes to my side. "April, are you okay?" He asks. He reaches for me. I jump away from him.

His soft tone goes even softer. "April, who hurt you?" I shake my head. It's deja vu. "You need help. Your head is bleeding." I hadn't even noticed that. "Let me help. I promise I won't hurt you."

I know he won't. Taylor wouldn't hurt anyone unless it's scripted. I let him take my arm, but when he tries to help me into my room, I start shaking and sobbing. I can't go back in there now. "Please," I beg him, "anywhere else."

"April... God, April, we need to call the police."

"No. No cops. No. No, no, no..." I can't stop saying it. Taylor holds me as I destroy his silk shirt with my tears.

"Holy shit, what happened?" It's a woman speaking. I look up to see Rosa. I remember she's in recovery and figure she skipped the party. She looks from me to Taylor and seems to be debating what to think.

"She's hurt," Taylor says. Softer, he adds, "She won't let me call the police."

Rosa looks determined. "Go," she tells Taylor. "I've got her. She needs a woman right now."

Taylor looks at me. I nod. "Please don't tell anyone about this," I beg him.

He looks hesitant, but he says, "I won't do anything you don't want me to do." With a final hug, he walks away.

Rosa shakes her head. "Girl, someone did a real number on you, and if you don't want the world to know, you need to get out of the hallway," she says. She helps me stand.

"No... Not my room," I beg.

Rosa understands. "Come on then. My room it is." She leads me around the corner. Once we're in her room, she examines my head. "It's not deep. Should heal on its own. You might have a concussion, though. You need to get that much checked before you try to get in the ring."

"Right... My head..."

"Girl, do you know who did this to you?"

I start shaking again. "I can't... No one will believe me..."

Rosa looks furious, but not at me. "It's one of us?" She puts together. "One of the guys here did this to you?" She goes off on a rant in Spanish I can barely follow. There are definitely a lot of curse words.

"Please... I can't tell anyone."

"I can keep a secret, April." She sighs. "I've been through this, too. And because I partied so much and was so wild, I didn't think I could tell anyone, either. You can trust me."

I think I'm starting to, but I can't say his name. "I'm sorry it happened to you," I say instead.

"Same here. Look, girl, you've gotta stay safe. The guy who raped me, he doesn't work here anymore. They released him. I never told anyone what he did. He got away with it, and that kills me." She's so casual as she says this, so matter-of-fact. I can't even say I was raped, but here she is, telling me her story so freely.

"I can't tell anyone, Rosa. He's untouchable. He's kind of a Legacy."

"Was it Orton? I swear I'll rip his nuts off if he-"

"No, God no. Randy's never hurt me. He's not as big of a dick as he lets everyone think. This guy isn't technically an actual Legacy. He just gets treated like one."

"God complex. Got it. I'd say Cena, but he's not that type of guy." She pauses. "You need better advice than I can give. You could talk to Nattie-"

"No!"

Rosa studies me in confusion. "Nattie won't judge you, girl. She knows about me and she never told anyone. You can trust her. She's great."

"Not Nattie... Please... I can't."

Realization appears on her face. "That son of a bitch!" She shouts. "I'm going to kill him myself!"

I can't help it now. I'm crying. "You can't tell her. You can't tell anyone. Swear, Rosa... Please..."

"April, he can't get away with this."

"He's a Hart!"

"By marriage."

"He's still wrestling royalty. He's acting like it's consensual. He was bragging to Justin Gabriel. You have no idea how hard it was to calm Phil down after Justin saw fit to call him."

"Bragging... Phil... April, tonight wasn't the only time, was it?" She sighs. "That's why you freaked out at RAW. Oh God, girl... We can't let this keep happening to you. How many times?"

I silently curse. I hadn't meant to tell her any of this. "Just the two times. He... He was drunk last time. I thought... I didn't think he'd do it again."

"Well, there won't be a third. If you're not ready to tell people, then you're not to be alone. You need a roommate. You can stay with me if you want to."

I look at Rosa in a new light. She's a lot braver than I thought, and she cares, but the truth is that TJ could hurt her. She's got ring rust a mile high and is retraining while playing Fandango's valet. She can't protect herself from TJ's wrath if she protects me.

"Thank you. Really. But I can't put you in the line of fire. He'll try to hurt you. He will only stay away if I'm with a guy. He ran when Taylor and Bray showed up."

"Okay, girl, then who?"

I barely hesitate before I say, "Colby. I trust him."

"You know someone might get the wrong idea is you stay in his room."

"I know. I'll be careful about it. He just makes me feel safe."

She nods. "I'll walk you over to his room. The party should be over by now."

We go to Colby's room and I knock. He opens the door. Dean's with him. "Fuck," Dean says as he looks at me. I must still look awful.

"April, my God, what happened?" Colby asks. He guides me inside.

"I'm okay," I tell Rosa. "I'll see you later."

She nods. "Call if you need me," she says before leaving.

Colby wraps me in his arms. I start sobbing. "Can I stay with you? Please?" I beg.

"Of course you can. I'll take the couch." He literally carries me to his bed and lays me down. He covers me. "Who did this?" He asks gently. I shake my head.

As I pretend to drift off, I hear him and Dean speaking in whispers. "Dude, it's a wrestler. It has to be. That's why she won't talk," Dean says.

"We can't let this keep happening. She has to tell us who it is," Colby says.

"She won't until she's ready. All we can do is watch her and make sure she's not alone."

"I left her alone... I shouldn't have gone to that stupid party."

"This isn't your fault, man. You couldn't have known."

"I should have been with her."

"Be with her now, man. She came to you for help. Twice. She obviously trusts you and doesn't blame you."

After a while, Dean leaves. I fall asleep because exhaustion wins out, but the nightmares have me waking up screaming. I come around to Colby holding me.

"It's okay," he promises. "You're safe now."

"Hold me. Please. I can't sleep alone," I tell him.

Colby climbs into the bed and pulls me into his arms. I finally fall into a dreamless sleep.