Ric came downstairs, to see Charlotte in the living room.
"Good morning, Charlotte."
"Good morning."
"You look like you haven't slept." Ric said, eyeing her.
"I was applying to colleges last night."
Ric looked in shock.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Duke, Georgetown, Syracuse, UMass, UConn, and Maryland. I also have representatives from a few of the colleges coming to interview me. NC State tomorrow, Syracuse and Duke next week." Charlotte said, putting her legs on the couch and laying down.
"Wow, way to take the initiative. I'm proud of you."
"That's all I wanted to hear."
Ric sat down in the chair, near the couch.
"What's wrong with you?"
"...I just... the music thing didn't work out, and I wish I just listened to you in the first place."
"Wanna talk about it?"
"No. I actually have to call someone." Charlotte said, pulling out her phone.
Ric got up, and sighed, leaving the room as Charlotte began dialing.
"Hello?... look, I'm gonna be 110% honest with you, I've been such a jerk to you for the past week because of this stupid band, and I'm sorry. I'm not in it anymore, and I'm under a lot of stress with this college stuff, and I'm really hungry, and I would love to go to lunch with you in a few hours... yeah... no, it's my fault... thank you...yeah that'd be great...really? Thanks, that's really nice of you... Okay see you then... bye."
Becky and Bayley looked around the barbershop.
"Anything else?" Becky asked.
"Nah, the glue on the arm of that chair has to sit untouched for another hour, though."
Just then, Sasha walked through the front door of the barbershop.
"Boss? What are you doing here?" Becky asked, almost excitedly.
"Where's Trust Fund?"
Bayley sighed, taking out her phone and pulling up Charlotte's long winded text from last night. She cleared her throat.
"'Everything is falling apart. I started the Horsewomen in hopes of following my dream, but the past week has showed me that it's just that, a dream. It can all be over at the drop of a dime, and there's a one in a million shot of almost anything going right. I thought following in my father's footsteps would make him proud, but all it's done is made him concerned for my safety and my future, and I've realized both had been jeopardized by all of this. What if we died at the party? What if we keep living off of money from gig to gig with no reliable source of income? A lot of good came out of this. Just 8 days ago, I wasn't friends with you, or your sister, and now, you're practically the most important people in my life. Even though I've decided to leave the band, you guys will always hold a special place in my heart, and if you ever need me, I'm only a phone call away.'" Bayley read.
"That didn't answer my question." Sasha said, emotionlessly.
"She's a phone call away." Bayley said.
Becky smirked a bit.
"You think this is a joke?" Sasha asked.
"I was just trying to lighten the mood."
"Didn't work."
Becky and Bayley awkwardly looked at each other in silence.
"Why do you want Charlotte?" Becky asked.
"She got me into this mess, she's getting me out of it."
"What mess?"
"AJ wants nothing to do with me. If I don't find the other CDs, she's gonna hate me forever. So Charlotte is coming with me."
"We'll come with you!" Becky exclaimed.
"What!?" Bayley yelled, glaring at Becky.
"Thanks but no thanks, you guys aren't street smart enough to go where I'm going."
Bayley looked at Sasha in confusion.
"And Charlotte is?"
"No, but she's the one who bought the CD without telling me."
"Telling you? How was she supposed to tell you? You bailed on us, we couldn't even find you!"
"I bailed on you guys were stupid enough to walk right into ECM's trap!" Sasha said, beginning to get angry.
"Well if you knew all along, why didn't you speak up? You have no problem speaking your mind any other time."
"Guys, relax." Becky said.
"I DID SPEAK UP! AND YOU ALL JUST SHRUGGED AT ME LIKE THE FUCKING IDIOTS YOU ARE! AND NOW EVERYTHING I OWN HAS BEEN FUCKING BURNED TO THE GROUND, AND I HAVE TO PIMP MYSELF OUT TO A CREEPY OLD MAN SO I WON'T BE FUCKING HOMELESS!"
Becky and Bayley looked at Sasha in shock and confusion.
"...Boss, I-"
"Do me a favor." Sasha said, cutting Becky off.
"What?"
"I'm gonna go find her, and get those CDs. You guys stay here, and clean this shit up."
Sasha immediately grabbed the chair and threw it into the wall.
"BOSS!" Bayley yelled, looking at the re-broken arm on the chair, and the dent in the wall.
Sasha kicked over a box of clippers, combs, and hairsprays, knocking them all over the ground.
"BOSS, STOP!"
Sasha walked out of the barbershop, as Becky and Bayley looked around sadly, knowing they would have to clean again.
Seth pulled out Charlotte's chair, and she sat down at their table. Seth sat across from her.
"So what schools are you looking at?"
"Well, I really want to go to NC State, but Maryland and Duke are both offering me volleyball scholarships, and Maryland is also offering a basketball scholarship. But the thing is, NC State hasn't sent any scholarships out yet, so I still might get one fro-"
Sasha knocked on the outside of the window next to their table.
Charlotte looked confused. Sasha made a "come here" motion, and Charlotte simply closed the blinds in front of the window.
"Like I was saying, I might still get an NC State scholarship."
"That's... that's great. What did she want?" Seth asked, pointing at the window.
"Don't know, don't care."
Seth simply nodded, as their waitress arrived.
"I'm Ember, I'll be your server, can I start you off with any drinks?"
"Uh... just a root beer." Seth said.
"I'll take a Sprite." Charlotte shrugged.
The waitress walked away as Sasha approached the table.
"Let's go." she said, snapping her fingers.
"Excuse me?" Charlotte asked.
"Yeah, you, come on."
"I'm kinda in the middle of something."
"No, you're kinda at the end of something, let's go."
"Hey, you can't just barge in on our lunch like that!" Seth said.
Sasha leaned in close to Seth, putting her head on his shoulder.
"If you don't end this date right now, I'll tell blondie how you're paying for this lunch." She whispered in his ear.
"What are you talking ab-"
Seth stopped, immediately realizing what she meant.
Charlotte looked confused.
"Go ahead, Charlotte." Seth sighed, sadly.
"What?"
"Go with her."
"No! I wanna stay here with you."
"Well, I... I gotta go." He said, getting up.
"Seth! Wait!" Charlotte called after him, as he walked out of the restaurant.
"Looks like you're not busy anymore." Sasha said.
"What the hell did you say to him!?"
"I told him you're coming with me to Manhattan to find these CDs."
"Look, I'm not a part of the Four Horsewomen anymore."
"Neither am I." Sasha said, scoffing.
"Then why do you care about the CDs?"
"Because AJ Lee hates me, thanks to you. So you're gonna fix it."
Charlotte sighed.
"...I guess that's fair."
"You're damn right it's fair, now come on!" Sasha said, leading her out of the restaurant.
"Mr. and Mrs. Ambrose, your son is being processed, and he'll be released on house arrest in a few days." Otunga said, into the phone.
He nodded.
"Yes, that's correct... Yes, officer Helmsley will be overseeing him... well... he's innocent until proven guilty, but the plea deals they're offering are pretty damn good, you might want to consider advising him to take one... no... I'm not saying he's guilty, I'm just saying why risk a trial when you can... yes... yes I understand Mrs. Ambrose... I... okay... alright... alright, talk to you later... bye."
Becky and Bayley sat on the train, counting the money the New Day members gave them.
"We don't have enough to get back home, but hopefully we'll run into The Boss." Becky shrugged.
"If she'll even take us home."
"Of course she will, she's not evil. She's just upset right now."
"How are we even supposed to find her?" Bayley asked.
"Obviously she's going for a reason, there must be something musical going on. We'll just ask around."
"We can't just wander around Manhattan."
"Why?" Becky asked, confused.
"We're from the BX."
"Who's gonna stop two teenage white girls on the street and ask what borough they're from?"
"East Coast Movement!"
"Oh... you're right."
"Plus, if there's a music thing going on, they're gonna be there."
"I couldn't help but overhear you girls talking about music in Manhattan." An older man said. He was short, bald, had glasses, and brown skin.
"Yeah, is there anything going on?" Becky asked.
"Trish Stratus is hosting this big event in Harlem. Something for young artists to perform. You girls artists?"
"Uh..." Bayley began.
"Semi-retired." Becky smiled.
"I'm fully retired. Teddy Long." he said, extending his hand. Becky shook it.
"Becky Lynch."
"Bayley Martinez."
"You girls look a little young to be retired."
"Yeah, well, it's a temporary arrangement. Our band kinda lost a couple key members, but we'll be fine." Becky said.
"Not without a singer and a lead guitarist." Bayley sighed.
"Well what do you girls do?" Teddy asked.
"I play keyboard, and my... my sister plays the drums."
Becky smiled at Bayley using the word 'sister'.
"You can play a lot of genres with a keyboard and some drums. I have a little club in Queens. Here's my card." He said, handing them each one.
"So why do you think the CDs are in Manhattan?" Charlotte asked.
Sasha rolled her eyes. Her hands were at "2" and "10" on the steering wheel.
"Because Kaitlyn has them."
"How do you know?"
"Because who else would want AJ's CDs!?" Sasha exclaimed, making a sharp turn.
"Anyone who wants a quick buck?"
Sasha drove into a parking garage, and up to the second level.
"Why pay for parking?" Charlotte asked.
"Can't just leave my 2017 Mustang anywhere, Jesus, did you leave your brain in the BX or something?"
Charlotte rolled her eyes and got out of the car, following Sasha out of the parking garage and down the street.
"Where are we going?" Charlotte asked.
"Looking for any sign of Kaitlyn."
"What's a sign of Kaitlyn?"
"I don't fucking know, okay?"
"...then maybe this is a bad idea and we need to go home."
"Or maybe you need to follow me and shut up."
Charlotte sighed, silently continuing to follow Sasha.
They continued to walk for about 15 more minutes.
Charlotte slowly began to get uncomfortable with her surroundings.
"We're just going deeper and deeper into an area we're unfamiliar with."
"Path of greater resistance, blah, blah, blah, you never read that in one of your textbooks, College Fund?"
"College Fund?"
Sasha didn't say anything.
"Funny. Make fun of me for actually having a future, that's a real knee slapper." Charlotte said, unamused.
"Not everyone has the same opportunities as you."
"Your situation doesn't give you a right to be an irritable jerk to everyone."
"When you ever have to earn anything on your own, then talk to me."
"I worked my ass off to earn that money from the party!"
"And look where it got you." Sasha said, stopping. Charlotte stopped walking too, becoming even more angry.
Both girls said nothing.
Sasha smirked.
"Speechless, huh?
"No, I'm just trying to figure out how you juggle being Vince's bitch and AJ's bitch at the same time."
"I'm gonna fucking KILL YOU!" Sasha yelled, grabbing Charlotte by the collar of her shirt.
"HEY! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TWO DOING OUT HERE!?" They heard Tamina yell.
Charlotte and Sasha turned to see the East Coast Movement girls walking towards them. Alicia was holding a bat. They looked at each other in shock, before running. ECM began chasing them.
"Hit this left." Sasha shouted.
Before Charlotte could process what Sasha said, she turned left, into traffic, narrowly avoiding getting it by a car. She kept going, making it to the sidewalk, then turned around to see Sasha right behind her, and ECM standing on the other side of the rode, as cars continued to fly down the busy street.
The two girls kept running off into the unfamiliar neighborhood.
Eventually they stopped, hearing loud music coming from a busy looking building.
"Wanna start here?" Charlotte asked.
"Shhhh." Sasha said.
"What?"
"Listen."
"...yeah, I'm getting the second one now."
Charlotte and Sasha turned, seeing a tan skinned girl with short blonde hair, walking towards the side of the building. The girls sneakily followed her as she continued to walk towards the back.
"Yeah, no idea where 3/4 and 4/4 are but I have a really reliable source meeting me at Trish's youth music event to give me the second one... Yeah, I'm going in now. Alright bye." She hung up, still unaware of Charlotte and Sasha following her into the back door of the building.
"My name is John Cena, I'm from Harlem."
The crowd erupted in applause, as the girls kept following the mysterious woman.
"And I'm doing a song for you tonight, called 'My Time Is Now'."
"Melina!" a taller, bald man called, as the beat dropped. The blonde haired girl walked over to him, as Charlotte and Sasha continued to follow.
"In case you forgot, or fell off, I'm still hot, knock ya shell off. I money stack that, plus I can't turn the swell off."
The girls couldn't hear Melina's conversation over the song. They watched as she handed the man an envelope. Sasha overheard the name "Gallows". The man handed Melina a CD case, and disappeared into the crowd.
"You think that's the one!?" Charlotte asked, over the music.
"Only one way to find out."
Sasha ran over to Melina, trying to grab the CD. She didn't get it, but she managed to knock it out of her hands. Melina and Sasha both dived for it on the ground, as the music stopped.
"Woah, woah, what is going on!?" Trish yelled, grabbing the mic.
"She's trying to steal my CD!"
"That's not your CD!" Sasha shouted back.
The two girls pulled it back and forth, before Melina snatched it from Sasha.
"Looks like it's MY CD after all." Melina said, waving it around.
Just then, Becky came from behind, grabbed it, and started running out of the building, with Bayley running after her.
Charlotte and Sasha looked at each other in shock, before following them. Melina ran after all four girls.
"HEY! I NEED THAT!"
"YEAH, SO DO WE!" Sasha yelled, running to the front of the group, and leading them back to the parking garage.
Eventually, Melina ran out of breath, and stopped chasing them.
"¿¡QUE DEMONIOS!? WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'SOME GIRLS TOOK IT'!?" Del Rio yelled into the phone.
"I... they... I don't know... there was 2 of them, and then 2 more appeared, and they just took it and took off, I-"
"YOUR JOB WAS TO SHOW UP TO THE SHOW, HAND THE MAN AN ENVELOPE, TAKE THE CD, AND COME BACK HERE. HOW FUCKING HARD IS THAT!?"
"Alberto, I-"
Del Rio hung up on her.
"Hunico, ¿cuándo fue la última vez que habló con Dean?"
"No hace mucho tiempo. Dijo que todo va de acuerdo al plan. Mencionó a algunos tipos llamados... En realidad, no recuerdo sus nombres. Creo que uno de ellos era Roman o algo."
"Mandé a Melina a buscar el segundo CD de AJ Lee y alguien se lo robó."
Hunico gasped.
"What the fuck?"
"Hay tres CDs más por ahí. There's three more CDs out there."
"Deberíamos ir a buscar a quien robó el segundo de Melina." Hunico said, standing up.
"No... whichever perro stole the CD from Melina is looking to complete the collection as well. We don't have to look for them. THEY, have to look for us." Del Rio said, holding up a CD that had 'AJ Lee 1/4' written on it in black sharpie.
Charlotte took the CD out of the case. The words 'AJ Lee 2/4' were written on it. She put it in the CD player of Sasha's car.
"I'M the one who grabbed the CD, why does Charlotte get to sit up front?" Becky complained, from the backseat.
"I need the leg room."
"The way you ran in and grabbed that CD was pretty badass though... or should I say Badlass?" Sasha said, not even looking at Becky.
Becky's eyes got huge.
"Oh! I get it. Cause you're from Ireland." Bayley said, laugh.
"Haha, yeah... good one, Boss." Becky said, nervously.
"So what now?" Charlotte asked.
Sasha lowered her eyebrows.
"What do you mean 'what now'?"
"We got the CD, right?"
"There's still 2 more CDs left. We gotta find those, then you can go on to your successful life with your emo looking boyfriend and your wack ass college classes, and I'll continue to chase my dream instead of pussying out on it like you did."
"So you're back in the Horsewomen now!?" Becky asked, excitedly.
"My dream is not to be in a local cover band, my dream is to be AJ Lee's protegee. I can do that with or without a band, and honestly, I prefer the latter."
They girls rode quietly, listening to AJ's solo, all the way back to The Bronx. Sasha pulled in front of Charlotte's house.
"Bye Becky, bye Bayley." Charlotte said, getting out of the car.
Sasha drove off.
Both Bayley and Becky wanted to say something about the tension between Charlotte and Sasha, but neither spoke up. Sasha stopped outside of Becky and Bayley's house.
"Thank you guys for showing up, I really appreciate it." Sasha said, still not looking back at them.
"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." Bayley laughed, getting out of the car. Becky stayed seated as Bayley closed the car door.
"What do you know about Badlass?"
"I went to the train station last night for the first time in like 8 months. Caught up with some people. Looked at some cool stuff. You must be really special to work with Storm on something. I don't think anyone has even met Storm except Finn and Dustin."
"I... I didn't work with Storm, and I'm not 100% sure I met her to be honest, it's a long story actually-"
"Becky, are you coming?" Bayley asked, opening her door.
"Yeah. See ya boss."
"Later, Carrot Top." Sasha said, as Becky exited the car.