[Three weeks later]
Olivia was sitting opposite Sara and Bill, still not feeling any more comfortable in the office than she had previously. She began to count the chews of Bill's gum while she waited for one of them to speak. They had called the meeting, so she didn't have anything to say. Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen… "You're not on the show," Bill said, straight up. Well, let's not waste words or anything, Olivia thought. She marvelled his ability to cut through bullshit. I need some of that myself. "Okay, I wasn't expecting to be," she said, calmly. "No one had said anything to make me think otherwise." There was a pause, and Olivia wondered if that was her cue to leave. Twenty six, twenty seven, twenty eight… "We wanted to let you know, though" Sara began, "that we've seen the hard work you've been putting in. You've improved and we see that. So don't get disheartened." Why would I get disheartened? I don't want to be on the show…. She nodded to show she appreciated the compliment. At least I think it was a compliment. "So, is there any movement on when I can start officiating?" she asked. Bill and Sara looked at each other quickly. "We've not had any direction on that, actually, but I'll be sure to ask Hunter when he's here tonight," Bill replied. Olivia smirked. She hadn't thought anyone was actually be working on a plan for her, and this just confirmed it. "Well, maybe I could ask him myself?" she posited. "Will I have the chance to sit in with him tonight?" Bill shrugged. "I'm not sure, I've not heard anything either way about that." Well, that's convenient, isn't it? When Olivia left the room, she was more confused than when she entered.
In the gym, she took herself off to the ring furthest away from where the rest of the group had gathered. Soon, Bill and Sara, along with the production team and trainers would start walking through the three tapings for tonight. With no purpose, she decided to hang back as far as she could while still able to hear what was going on. She recognised Shawn and Drake, two of the referees, chatting to some of the talent. She rolled under the rope and propped herself up in a corner. It must be great for them, knowing they'll be in the ring tonight; working with their allocated guys and girls, getting to play a part in what they've all been working towards. For an hour, while the group walked through the order of matches, Olivia closed her eyes and tried to think of a plan to make sure that in three weeks' time, she would be involved too.
Rami looked across at Olivia. She had been called away by Bill and Sara and was now sitting in a ring across the other side of the room by herself. If he didn't know her better, he would think she was sulking. He wondered what they could've said to her to make her feel that way. She'd been so positive for the last few weeks. They'd been working extras almost every day, and if he said so himself, she seemed to be improving. A few of the group seemed to open up a bit more to her now that they knew why she was here. She was earning respect; not only did they realise how hard it must've been for her to get to this point, but they seemed to appreciate the effort she was putting in to make it work. He'd noticed that Sasha and Bayley, in particular, had warmed to her, and he'd watched them work with her in the ring. They were patient and willing to work to her strengths, and would give her a few pointers along the way. He was pleased with that. Olivia's confidence had grown over the last fortnight. It's weird, he thought to himself, now the pressure is off her in the ring, she's only getting better and better.
He wandered across to her, leaning his forearms on the ropes. "What's with this, huh? Over here on your own?" he asked, breaking her train of thought. She turned her head to him. "Just thinking about stuff," she replied. It was unlike her to be so short with her words. He asked her what Bill and Sara had to say. "That I'm not on the show," she answered. But everyone knew that anyway, he thought to himself, with no malice intended. Everyone had known their feuds for the tapings for days, and Olivia hadn't been expecting one. Surely that's not upset her? "Is that all they had to say?" he posed tentatively. She shook her head. "They acknowledged the work I've been putting in, that they've seen an improvement," she said. Rami leaned further on to the ropes, closing the distance between them. "That's great news!" he said softly, reaching out and tapping her on the arm. "That's what you need, right, them to think you're getting better. That's the first step." To his surprise, she shook her head. "Not really. I know what you mean, but I don't need them to think I'm good at wrestling. I need them to think I'm good at refereeing. And right now, I don't see how that's going to happen."
The deflated tone in her voice struck Rami by surprise. I thought this Olivia was gone. Where's the confident, happy Olivia? She was frowning, looking down into her hands. He pushed himself up on the apron and scooted under the bottom rope, bringing himself in beside her. "Well, let's think of something," he said. "Let's start with the main goal, and work backwards, and how we can make that work." We? He didn't intend to make it sound like he wanted to take over. He hoped she saw it like he meant; that he just wanted to help, not tell her what she should be doing. "I've got a first step figured out," she said, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. Rami raised an eyebrow in interest, encouraging her to go on. "I'm going to ask Bayley if she wouldn't mind me getting in the ring next time she has a run through with someone," Olivia said. "I think she'd like the idea; she seems to have been pretty supportive so far." Rami nodded. Bayley had been encouraging of her in the last few weeks, in a wrestling sense. He thought she was a good selection. I would trust her to look after Olivia.
He couldn't argue that he'd become quite protective of her and her quest. He'd defended her in the locker room against some of the guys who wondered why they'd throw a referee in with professional athletes. He would try and catch as much of her in-ring action as he could, and had noticed a growing competence in her acting and mic skills. She had been working hard on her fitness, and he was looking forward to seeing her results in the testing next week. In their extra sessions, she was becoming more creative and bold, willing to try things without him first demonstrating fifty times. He'd heard his own coaches in his early years say there was nothing better than watching one of their students 'get it', and succeed. She may not have succeeded just yet, but he still felt proud of how she was progressing. "Well, you know, if you need anything from me to make that happen, I'm here to help," he said, grinning at her. He extended his fist, and was happy to see Olivia bump it with her own. It brought a smile back to her face.
"Actually, there is one thing I wanted to ask you," she said after a moment. "And you know, honesty and all that, Rami. I want you to be frank with me." She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Of course," he replied, unsure where she was going. He watched as a new expression crossed her face, a sheepish, shy look. "Wrestlemania is the dream for everyone here, and I'm no different," she began. He wasn't surprised to hear that. She spoke the truth; no one would be here if they weren't hungry for that big stage. Everyone wants to be at the top of the game, including referees. "But I want you to tell me honestly – do you think I'll ever have the chance to referee a men's match here?" She looked at him, hopeful. He was without an answer, initially. He hadn't been expecting that. He lifted his eyes and looked across the ring, trying to picture what he'd be thinking and feeling with a woman in control of his match. With Olivia in control of his match. He couldn't be sure how he would feel, although he knew what he'd want to say; that it wouldn't matter. But I wouldn't want her to get hurt. He winced at the thought of her being hurt by a man in the ring, but then also at the thought itself. Is that just chauvinism wrapped in a bow? An excuse; saying that I don't think she'd be good enough to keep up, to avoid getting hurt? He had been silent too long, and he saw Olivia's face drop. She must think I doubt her. "So long as you're good enough, there's no reason why it shouldn't happen. Like anything around here, Vince would have to be on board, but small steps, right? Make waves with the women, then do the occasional men's match, and one day, maybe you can do a title match on pay-per-view."
Olivia scoffed. "There's no way they'd let me do a championship match, ever, pay-per-view or not. My sights aren't that high," she said, delivering it matter-of-factly. Rami gently elbowed her. "Hey, there's more than one title in this business," he reminded her. "Tag titles, IC title, US title… You could do those, if they wanted to save the championship for the males." He watched as that realisation spread across her face, and wondered what she was picturing in her mind. Her raising the hand of the new Intercontential champion, or maybe in between the defending tag team champions. He smiled at the thought, but wouldn't let on that he believed it would be tough for her. She needs empowerment now, not realism. "I'll tell you what," he said, moving his head around, looking at her until she returned his gaze. "Once you've had your chance to prove yourself to them with the ladies, and you feel ready to push that glass ceiling, you let me know, and I'll be the first to let you referee one of my matches." He heard a small breath escape her lips. She was looking at him in disbelief, before a wide smile spread on her face. "You're not bullshitting me, are you?" she asked, a slight quiver in her voice. Rami placed his hand over his heart, and tried to portray how genuine he was in his face. "You have my word," he said.
As Olivia's grin grew wider, he could feel it reflected on his own face. He did mean it; if anyone was going to give her her first shot refereeing a men's match in the WWE, he wanted it to be him. It would be fitting, and he believed it would make her comfortable to know at least one of the guys in the ring was on her side. But as he rolled out of the ring, he couldn't completely shake that lingering thought from his head. What if she got hurt?