~ What Lies Beneath ~
Author's Note - Here's the next chapter guys. Hope you like it. Let me know if you do, or even if you don't. I'm all ears :) Happy holidays!
Warnings - Strong language throughout and possible scenes of a sexual nature ;)
Disclaimer - I own no-one but Abbie in this story. This is merely a work of fiction; it all came from my brain. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. Any other songs, cars or brands mentioned also belong to their respective owners.
~ What Lies Beneath ~
~ Chapter Ten: ~
"I don't understand" Phil told her, turning the engine off.
"Well then you're dumber than you look" Abbie replied, head in her hands.
"What's this about?" he asked, confused. "It can't just be some guy running his mouth…you don't seem like the quitting type…" he said gently.
She shook her head frustratedly. "I'm not" she answered firmly.
"Will you just tell me what's going on?" he asked, tired of saying the same thing over and over.
"Phil…please stop it…" she said quietly, eyes on the floor.
"Abbie, I'm only trying to help" he reasoned.
"You can't help…and I don't just go telling anyone and everyone what's going on in my life…" she sighed.
"I didn't think I was just anyone or everyone" he said pushing at his lip ring with his tongue.
"I've known you a few weeks, if that Phil" she said softly.
"And in that short time I've told you more about me than the people I've worked with for years" he said, raising his eyebrows. The car fell silent again. "Look Abbie, I totally understand that you won't open up to people, believe me, I've been there and I'm not trying to be the messiah…I'm just saying that life here is hard if you don't have anyone in the business to talk to…" he told her.
"Who did you have?" she asked gently.
"At first I didn't have anyone here, but I had Colt back home…and Maria…but then I found Paul Heyman who I'm sure you've heard of…and Mickie James was a friend…it just makes it so much easier…to find someone like you who understands all the bullshit that comes with this place" he told her.
"I'm just struggling to find reasons to be here…you're the only one who I've had a full conversation with so far that wasn't threatening" she sighed, running a hand through her hair and folding her arms over her chest.
"Is Randy still bothering you?" he asked.
"Not really" she replied.
"Melina?" he asked.
Abbie merely shrugged.
"Is she? Has she sent any more texts?" he asked.
"So you read the first one then" she rolled her eyes.
"You threw your phone across the room, you can't blame me for that one" he reasoned. "But you didn't answer my question" he added.
Abbie's face told him she was considering it for a moment before choosing her answer. "No" she told him.
"Really?" he probed.
"Check" she said, tossing her phone to him, knowing she deleted the message.
He eyed it suspiciously before opening it up and checking the texts. Sure enough, there wasn't any more. However, seeing that she deleted the first, he checked her deleted messages. Feeling a little guilty, he almost stopped himself. But she did say check, so he did. He sighed as he saw a message dated today and opened it up. He started reading, eyes widening at the threatening tone and language.
Abbie saw and realising that he found it, snatched the phone from his grasp.
"Melina fucking sent that?" he asked.
"I dunno, I assume so" she whispered. "Can we go now?" she asked impatiently.
"Not until you promise me you won't quit" he insisted.
"And you'd trust that I'd keep a promise to you?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Yep" he said simply.
"Why?" she asked softly.
"Because you're a nice girl, and I see a lot of myself in you. But there's no way in hell I'm gonna let you fucking quit. No matter what shit was thrown at me…and believe me there was a lot…I never once thought I wasn't good enough or that I couldn't do it. Fuck everyone else, you do what you want to do and if I can be to you what Paul or Mickie or anyone else was to me, then I will" he said, taking a breath after finishing his rant.
Abbie looked a little taken aback, seemingly unsure of how to handle someone being sincerely nice to her.
"Thank you" she whispered. "But just so you know, nothing they could say would make me question that I'm good enough, I just question whether I want to be here" she told him.
"Well you haven't been here long enough to decide that yet. Don't let people ruin it for you" he reasoned.
"Thanks for putting up with my shit" she said, looking at him for the first time since she got in the car. "Oh shit, did I do that?" she asked, hand over her mouth.
Phil pulled back his sleeve a little and inspected the deep scratch down his arm. "I believe so" he chuckled.
"I'm sorry" she said genuinely.
"Its okay" he smiled. "In all seriousness though, you can't freak out like that again…you will get fired…and possibly arrested" he warned.
Phil watched as she shifted in her seat, folding her arms tighter around herself.
"I'm not trying to lecture…so don't take it the wrong way. But you have to know when to keep your cool and when you're crossing the line…you'll get worse than that…I'm sure you've had worse than that…" he trailed off.
"I don't really want to talk about it…but I know that I shouldn't have done that…you know as well as I do, on the indies they don't hold back, hell, you get spat on most nights but that word…there's not a lot worse than that to me…" she inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.
Not wanting to probe any further, he started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. "Just ignore them, I know it's hard but they're just trying to get a reaction…" he said quietly, turning on the radio to break the uneasy silence. He stole a glance at her a few minutes later, seeing her sleeping softly against the window. He was left to his own thoughts for the rest of the journey.
It didn't take long for news to spread and within a few hours, Vince McMahon was on the phone. Abbie listened to his tirade as he lectured her about fan interaction and the WWE policy; she wasn't fazed by his anger in the least. She even apologised politely at the end. That seemed to pacify him. As soon as he hung up, she rolled her eyes and chucked her phone onto the dashboard.
"That sounded bad" Phil commented as they drove to the arena.
"Nah, he's just trying to be scary for the new girl" she pulled a face.
"And you're not scared of him at all" Phil asked curiously.
"Nope" she shrugged.
"God, he scared the shit out of me when I first started" he laughed.
"Yeah but not anymore, now you realise he's just a crazy old businessman" she yawned, stretching her arms over her head in an attempt to wake herself up.
"You probably won't want to be saying that to his face…but you speak truth" he chuckled.
There was silence for a few minutes before Abbie decided to voice something that was on her mind.
"Phil…?" she said quietly.
"Yeah?" he answered, eyes on the road.
"You're not gonna say anything are you?" she asked.
"I don't understand" he furrowed his brow.
"To Melina…" she said, biting gently on her thumb.
Phil sighed as if choosing his words carefully. "If you don't want me to…I'll leave it for now" he shook his head.
"Thanks" she whispered.
"But I'm serious, if she pulls anything like last time I'm not just gonna stand there. You can change in my dressing room again, it's only Mike I'm sharing with. But just so you know, I've never stood by and watched someone get bullied, whether they're my best friend or a stranger so I'm not gonna make an exception for you" he insisted. She chose not to object and returned to silence. A part of her felt better knowing that she had some back-up, even though she didn't ask for it.
As they arrived outside the back door of the arena, Phil passed Abbie her bag from the trunk and they made their way into the building. It was already buzzing, five or so hours until live show time. Tech guys and event organisers with clipboards and walkie talkies hurried around making sure things were as they were supposed to be. The two large security men on the door checked their passes and waved them through, signing them off on the list. They handed Phil his semi-private locker room key and gave Abbie the one to the divas locker room. She looked up at Phil who gestured for her to follow him.
"You don't have to do this Phil, I don't want to be a pain" she told him.
"Shh" he said, leading the way. He stopped outside and put his bag down. "Wait here a sec, I'm just gonna check it's clear" he said.
He knocked twice before using his key to open the door. He winked at her before disappearing inside for a second. Mike was sitting in the corner listening to music as he usually did before a show. He looked up when Phil entered, taking a headphone out.
"Hey, how's it going?" he asked cheerfully.
"I'm good man, you?" Phil replied.
"Yeah, not bad" he shrugged, reaching for a bottle of water in his bag.
"Would you mind if Abbie changed in here tonight?" Phil asked.
"Oooh, I see what's going on" Mike winked before wolf-whistling.
"Shut the fuck up Mike. That's bullshit. She's having some issues with the divas. I'm sure you can understand seeing as you weren't allowed in the guy's locker room for six months when you first started" Phil raised his eyebrows.
"Alright, no need to get pissy. She can change here if she wants" he rolled his eyes.
"Thank you" Phil sighed, opening the door and calling Abbie in. She peered around the door, smiling at Mike gingerly before setting her bag and grabbing her ring gear. She headed off into the privacy of the bathroom to change.
"What's that about?" Mike asked when she was out of earshot.
"What's what about?" Phil asked absent-mindedly, taking his shirt off and tossing it into his bag.
"Her…why is she changing in there?" he asked.
"Maybe she doesn't want you perving over her with your rapey eyes" Phil shrugged, taking a seat on the bench to the long process of taping up his elbow again. He knew why Abbie wasn't changing in front of them. Chances are it was partly because taking her top off in a room with two guys was awkward, but mostly it was because she was embarrassed about the scars down her sides and didn't want to answer questions from Mike. But he wasn't going to tell Mike that.
"Rapey eyes?" Mike asked, offended.
"That's what I said isn't it?" Phil asked rhetorically, taking out his piercings and noticing the way Mike always flinched when he took out his nipple rings.
"I have beautiful eyes actually, so fuck you" he quipped.
Abbie emerged, fighting a little grin at Phil's naked torso. Considering he performed on TV every week in little more than his underwear, Phil had no issue with showing a lot of skin. It surprised him that Abbie even paid any attention considering how long she'd been in the business.
"Your ring gear's pretty cool" Mike nodded in Abbie's direction. She smiled a little.
"Did you both have a good weekend?" she asked, making conversation.
Phil sighed and zoned out as Mike launched into a rant about the parking ticket he was unfairly lumbered with and the state his house was in when he returned. He finished taping up and gelled his hair back before hearing his phone vibrate in his bag.
Still want those 2 guests I promised on the phone? They need numbers. It starts at 7pm but arrive early if you can. Don't forget to prep them on what not to say to the paps.
Steve
Phil glanced up from his phone and cleared his throat, making a split second decision.
"Hey, Stone Cold invited me to his movie premier. I get two guests, wanna come?" he asked them.
"Oh fuck yes" Mike grinned, never missing out on the opportunity to be on camera. Abbie merely carried on brushing her hair.
"Abs?" Phil repeated.
She looked up, before looking taken aback.
Do you wanna go?" he asked again.
"Me? Wow…erm, I'm not sure" she bit her lip.
"Why not?" Mike asked her.
"I dunno, the whole red carpet thing…I don't really do dressing up" she laughed awkwardly.
"Oh come on, Phil always looks like he fell out of a bush, you can't possibly look scruffier than him. It'll be fun" Mike coaxed.
Abbie laughed, giggling even more when she saw the look on Phil's face.
"Seriously Mike, fuck you Mr 'I wear a suit to work every fucking day'. You really need to get your head out of McMahon's ass" Phil sighed, unbuttoning his jeans and pushing them down his legs.
He watched as Abbie averted her gaze.
Mike continued his tirade. "Come on Abbie, you have to come…if Phil takes me, imagine how bad his reputation will be then. Bringing a guy as your date to a premier is worse than going alone" he laughed.
"Okay okay" she sighed, clearly just wanting to get Mike off her back.
"Yeah, it's gonna be awesome!" Mike grinned.
"Yeah, so super awesome!" Phil mocked in a high-pitched voice. Abbie laughed, checking it was safe to look again as Phil adjusted his wrestling trunks. Noticing how uncomfortable she looked, he did what any man with a funny streak would do. He grasped his crotch and gave it a squeeze.
"Cor these trunks are tight" he said, pulling at the material. Mike gave him a look before glancing at the horror on Abbie's face. They burst into fits of laughter as Abbie's jaw dropped.
"You two are fucking assholes" she chuckled. "That's gross" she shook her head.
As they regained their composure, Eve strolled past the now open locker room door. As she spotted Phil standing against the locker, she peered inside and waved. Her face broke into a smile.
"Have a great show" she grinned, flipping her hair as she left.
"She totally has the hots for you man" Mike laughed, amused.
"Bullshit" Phil shook his head.
"You must be blind if you can't see that, she was raping you with her eyes" Mike laughed.
Abbie returned to looking uncomfortable, pushing her clothes into her bag.
Thanks for reading guys :) Please review, more reviews = faster updates :) Merry Christmas and a happy new year! xx