Disclaimer: own nothing as per usual (I need the money dammit!)
That bitch Stephanie is really beginning to annoy me. Not only has she used every opportunity to trash me publicly and privately, she's now given me no matches on Velocity or Smackdown this week. Talk about jealousy, I mean admittedly she has a lot to be jealous; we're both voluptuous brunettes with me being the sexier. Oh and I don't have breasts that looks like I've stuck a couple of basketballs to my chest. Geez, you'd think the woman would learn having seen what happened to Chyna but oh yeah Steph made that happen didn't she?
I have nothing to do tonight; I mean I've already hit the ring with Tazz and worked on some new stuff. Submissions this time which could come in use apparently. He was in a better mood tonight anyway at least; I think he worked some of his usual aggression out in the gym. I know I did, the gym is a great stress reliever. Tazz told me I'm improving little but little but I've gotta learn to crawl before I can walk. Whatever that means, I think he's saying go slow.
I would be relaxing in the hotel. A nice deep bubble bath, lots of scented candles and something healthy from room service. A perfect in-doors evening. I was hoping I'd get a match against Torrie so that I can even the score. I didn't thanks to Steph. She needs to get her priorities right.
Besides, Dia wanted me to be here. She says she missed me a lot when I went to Raw as it left her alone. The divas sure don't like me and her and make that known whenever they can. That's why Dia and I have each other, it's a true case of 'us against them' and we're happy to fight together. Dia is a lot more than trailer park trash; she can kick ass like no other and has a beautiful personality as well as a hot body. Me? I'm more than a body if people would let me be. Hey I know I'm hot so why hide it but why should I be stuck in stupid T&A matches because I'm beautiful?
I open our locker room door and finds Dia sat on Jamie's lap, laughing about something and Nunzio sat on the opposite bench, reading a car magazine. Looks like they've set up camp here but I'm used to it, one of them is usually in our locker room when I come in.
Dia looks up when I come in and waves through her laughter. Jamie grins and thrusts a packet out at me.
"Pork rind?" he asks, through a mouthful
"Yeah, thanks" I say, taking a couple and sitting down next to Nunzio
He was so engrossed in his magazine that he didn't even notice me come in. Dawn Marie does not like being ignored, especially by someone she knows. I tapped on the back of the magazine that shielded his face like it was a door and waited until it was slowly lowered and a pair of dark brown eyes looked questioningly at me.
"Hey there Guido" I say with a laugh, using his old name
In fact, I think it's his real name. Nunzio is his surname which is what everyone pretty much calls him. It suits him better but to me, he'll always be Little Guido. He looked at me, a grin splitting his face before he put the magazine down on the bench beside him.
"Dawn! I ain't seen you for so long, where you been hiding?" he demands, his smile colouring his words
"No where Guido, I've been right here sharing a locker room with Nidia, I'm surprised I haven't seen you around"
"Oh I've been helping Jamie you know, getting him over his losing streak"
I nod. He looks the same as ever, slick black hair, little goatee. He hasn't changed at all from ECW. Funny, he often talked about his 'cousin Jamie' who he'd grown up with side-by-side so that they were like brothers. When I met Jamie here in WWE, I guess I should have made the connection. He's wearing a white wife beater and some baggy denim shorts to his knees, they're both smeared with engine oil and he smells like a garage.
"Geez Guido, been working on your car again?" I ask, gesturing to the oil,
"Oh yeah, my baby is running fine now, had a few problems on the way up but that's all gone now" he enthuses
"Thanks to me helping your ass out" points out Jamie
"Yeah but I did most of the work" argues Nunzio "I was the one who got out and pulled up the bonnet to take a look and got the tools out and started working on it"
"He had his mind on other things" pipes up Dia with a wicked grin
"On the side of the road? That's uncomfortable" I say, I speak from experience. Believe me; cars motoring past you at God knows what speed is not the most romantic setting I've experienced having sex.
"Yeah but very satisfying" replied Dia, rolling her hips seductively
I roll my eyes but grin at Dia. She grins back. We both know that when the feeling comes then well, you gotta do it. Nunzio's picked up the magazine again while Jamie has pulled Dia into a liplock that'll take emergency services to pull them apart from. I want to take a walk anyway, see if I can find Red Dogg and Cena to talk to, I have some plans to manage them.
"See you guys later" I call "good luck tonight"
"Oh we don't need luck" Jamie tears himself from Dia to answer
"That's right, tonight my baby is facing Rey Mysterio" Dia says proudly "he's gonna beat that hot little high flyer and make his mark tonight"
"I've got Rikishi" announces Nunzio a little gloomily "I'm on a roll ya know, beat Funaki on Velocity earlier tonight and then I'll take out the big man"
"How'd you get stuck facing him?" I ask, images of the various ways Nunzio will probably get squashed by that no-talented waste of space, hey he gave me a Stink Face, I am allowed to be bitter
"I don't know but I know this, he does not know the people I know and if he disrespects me then they're not gonna like it" Nunzio says darkly before returning to behind his magazine.
I forgot how strange Nunzio could be sometimes. He was always hiding in dark corners and making phone calls at weird hours. Kinda quiet. But I didn't know him that well so who knows why he was like that.
"Well Smackdown's gonna start any minute" I say softly, trying to draw Dia and Jamie out of their resumed liplock "and you guys are up first"
"Holy shit! We are too" Jamie says hurriedly getting up and dropping Dia onto the floor unceremoniously "oh I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean to do that, I wasn't thinking, are you ok?"
"I'm fine baby" she reassures him, brushing herself off as she gets to her feet "see you later Dawn, we're off to start this show off with a bang"
They exit, Jamie's arm around her waist and her's around his shoulders, talking loudly about the match. The perfect couple. I grin and shake my head, feeling a pang in my stomach. I miss that comfortable companionship with someone where you can apologise and know it'll be accepted, I miss the love I see in their movements and eyes when they look at each other.
"Good luck later Guido" I say as I leave the room
He doesn't reply, too engrossed in his magazine to answer. I step out into the corridor and head to the catering table. I felt kinda lost in our locker room. Those three are like my family but sometimes, I'm an outsider. That's because they're all connected in a way that I can't be to them. It's a feeling I've got quite a lot since Al's death. When he was around, I was with him you know. He was the person I kinda belonged to but now there's nothing here to connect me, except some ECW network friends who already have their own partnerships or groups. Sure the network is still all really connected but right now, I feel isolated like nothing else.
I think it's because I've always found someway to belong. Sure when I travelled the indies for three years I didn't have a secure group of friends but I performed for a different crowd every night so I had them to connect to. Besides I met Dia doing that so I soon found a partner. In ECW, I had the Impact Players; Justin who was so kind always looking to help his friends and needed help himself, Jazz who just tore through the women and became a really good friend and of course Lance who was my partner for so long. God I miss him. It hits me right in the gut as I realise how much I do miss him. I'm so proud of him, a tag team champion with someone of his own calibre, high shelf tag team work on Raw. I wish I was there, I want to share all of that with him but I can't. Not until I get to Raw. I doubt Steph will exchange or sell me seeing as she'd see it like letting Eric win again. She wouldn't have second thoughts about dumping me somewhere but she knows that I bring in ratings.
I must have been standing here stirring this coffee for ages, my minds just been on auto-pilot. I sigh, putting the spoon down on the catering table and lifting the polystyrene cup to my lips. Then this blur streaks past me and screeches to a halt. I look up and recognise the small pale blonde as Shannon Moore, the unfortunate protégé of Matt Hardy. Poor kid. He's looking terrified, scanning the corridor for possible places to hide no doubt.
"Hey Shannon, hiding from Version 1?" I call softly to him
His head snaps around and he locks eyes on me. There's no one else in the corridor so there's no danger of any one overhearing. He takes some shaky steps towards me, the tension radiating off him. Man, what has Matt done to him? Shannon's a great wrestler, sure he's been stuck with some awful gimmicks, the most famous being 3 Count the WCW boyband. I know Matt's a friend of his but surely he could extract himself from that idiot to forge his own career?
"Um...yeah, Dawn right?" he asks quietly
"That's right, I'm Dawn Marie" I say shaking his hand "I don't see anywhere to hide around here Shannon"
He sighs, tiredness and worry so clear on his face. His posture relaxes, one hand running through his shoulder length dark blonde hair. He is cute, as Dia pointed out. If she does decide to sleep with him, then maybe she'll leave Matt and he and Lita can perhaps have some semblance of a normal relationship. Somehow I doubt it. If the sex is that good then Dia will keep him as long as possible.
"I know, Matt's got this crazy idea to lose weight so that he can beat Billy for the Cruiserweight title" Shannon says "he's blaming me for his loss to Billy tonight so he's got me a punishment match"
"Against who?"
"A Train"
Urgh, a huge guy with piercings and a hideous hairy back. He's strong though and can withstand a lot of pain. The perfect opponent if you want to punish someone.
"Sucks for you" I say with a laugh "why don't you hide in a dumpster like last week?"
"Oh Matt'll figure that out, I was thinking of trying the canteen"
"Shannon, why are you even with Matt? He doesn't care about helping you, only furthering himself"
"He's my friend" Shannon says defensively "I've known him like forever and he and Jeff helped me into the business, I gotta repay him somehow and this is it"
"Sure, he's always beating on you and humiliating you, yeah that's a real friend"
"He has Mattitude" replies Shannon "how else do you think he's got so far ahead while being on Smackdown, ah hell here he comes!"
Saying that, Shannon takes off down the corridor like a rocket's after him. I sigh; he needs to get away from Matt fast. As though he's heard me, Matt appears beside me, out of breath with a scowl on his face. He grins when he sees me. Oh no, I really hope he isn't gonna preach to me again
"Dawn! I heard about your match last week on Velocity" he says cheerfully "you know you've got some Mattitude but you just need to increase it a little and you'll have the right Mattributes to succeed here on Smackdown"
"Thanks Matt" I say through gritted teeth, the urge to slap him is getting hard to resist
"Anyway, have you seen my number one MFer, Shannon Moore? I wanted to prepare him for his match agains A-Train, it'll help him get more Mattitude"
"No, not round here anyway"
"If you see him then send him my way" Matt says, taking off down the hall
Man he makes me wanna scream sometimes. I shake my head and turn around, immediately smacking into someone. I groan inwardly when I see who it is; Stephanie Mcmahon-Helmsley.
"Dawn Marie" she says it like it's a disease that's catching "you'd better watch where you're going"
"Sorry Steph, guess I didn't see you there" I reply as casually as possible
"I see you still haven't taken my advice about buttoning up your blouse and looking more professional" she sneers, with a pointed look at my blouse
I look down and resist the urge to grin and instead look as innocent as possible. My blouse is a gorgeous leopard print one, unbuttoned down low enough to reveal a good amount of turquoise bra. It's actually a blouse Lance bought me a while ago. He always knows what to buy me. I know I look gorgeous. She may be the General Manager but she can not tell me what to wear.
"Neither have you" I say, looking at her top
She's wearing one of those business suits which reveals a lot of oversized cleavage. She really needs to get that sorted. She narrows her eyes, giving me that famous Mcmahon stare. I smile innocently back. She does not intimidate me.
"You aren't worth anything to me" she hisses "you're expendable, I can rid of you just like that" she snaps her fingers "you haven't even got any friends here! I gave Torrie the week off because she needs to get over her father's death and you, his widow are still here, clogging up my hallways! well let me tell you Dawn Marie, I am glad that Torrie has beaten you in the ring as many times as she has at so many different matches because you deserve it and I know she's gonna beat you again and again and again, now get the hell out of my way"
I sidestep neatly so that she can sweep past, a smug smile on her face. I scowl at her disappearing back, trying to will her words not to affect me. I have friends; I have Dia, Jamie, Nunzio, John, Red Dogg. It's just that she doesn't know it. I hate that she's hit a nerve; I'm feeling so lost at the moment it isn't fair that she should get one over verbally on me like that. So she's glad that Torrie's beaten me? Well next week, I am gonna make sure I get myself a match and show our unbiased General Manager and my friends on the Raw roster how valuable I am when I put on a hell of a show. Maybe it'll get me a move to Raw. I'll show Stephanie I'm worth something and beat Torrie in the process. They have no idea who they're dealing with.
That bitch Stephanie is really beginning to annoy me. Not only has she used every opportunity to trash me publicly and privately, she's now given me no matches on Velocity or Smackdown this week. Talk about jealousy, I mean admittedly she has a lot to be jealous; we're both voluptuous brunettes with me being the sexier. Oh and I don't have breasts that looks like I've stuck a couple of basketballs to my chest. Geez, you'd think the woman would learn having seen what happened to Chyna but oh yeah Steph made that happen didn't she?
I have nothing to do tonight; I mean I've already hit the ring with Tazz and worked on some new stuff. Submissions this time which could come in use apparently. He was in a better mood tonight anyway at least; I think he worked some of his usual aggression out in the gym. I know I did, the gym is a great stress reliever. Tazz told me I'm improving little but little but I've gotta learn to crawl before I can walk. Whatever that means, I think he's saying go slow.
I would be relaxing in the hotel. A nice deep bubble bath, lots of scented candles and something healthy from room service. A perfect in-doors evening. I was hoping I'd get a match against Torrie so that I can even the score. I didn't thanks to Steph. She needs to get her priorities right.
Besides, Dia wanted me to be here. She says she missed me a lot when I went to Raw as it left her alone. The divas sure don't like me and her and make that known whenever they can. That's why Dia and I have each other, it's a true case of 'us against them' and we're happy to fight together. Dia is a lot more than trailer park trash; she can kick ass like no other and has a beautiful personality as well as a hot body. Me? I'm more than a body if people would let me be. Hey I know I'm hot so why hide it but why should I be stuck in stupid T&A matches because I'm beautiful?
I open our locker room door and finds Dia sat on Jamie's lap, laughing about something and Nunzio sat on the opposite bench, reading a car magazine. Looks like they've set up camp here but I'm used to it, one of them is usually in our locker room when I come in.
Dia looks up when I come in and waves through her laughter. Jamie grins and thrusts a packet out at me.
"Pork rind?" he asks, through a mouthful
"Yeah, thanks" I say, taking a couple and sitting down next to Nunzio
He was so engrossed in his magazine that he didn't even notice me come in. Dawn Marie does not like being ignored, especially by someone she knows. I tapped on the back of the magazine that shielded his face like it was a door and waited until it was slowly lowered and a pair of dark brown eyes looked questioningly at me.
"Hey there Guido" I say with a laugh, using his old name
In fact, I think it's his real name. Nunzio is his surname which is what everyone pretty much calls him. It suits him better but to me, he'll always be Little Guido. He looked at me, a grin splitting his face before he put the magazine down on the bench beside him.
"Dawn! I ain't seen you for so long, where you been hiding?" he demands, his smile colouring his words
"No where Guido, I've been right here sharing a locker room with Nidia, I'm surprised I haven't seen you around"
"Oh I've been helping Jamie you know, getting him over his losing streak"
I nod. He looks the same as ever, slick black hair, little goatee. He hasn't changed at all from ECW. Funny, he often talked about his 'cousin Jamie' who he'd grown up with side-by-side so that they were like brothers. When I met Jamie here in WWE, I guess I should have made the connection. He's wearing a white wife beater and some baggy denim shorts to his knees, they're both smeared with engine oil and he smells like a garage.
"Geez Guido, been working on your car again?" I ask, gesturing to the oil,
"Oh yeah, my baby is running fine now, had a few problems on the way up but that's all gone now" he enthuses
"Thanks to me helping your ass out" points out Jamie
"Yeah but I did most of the work" argues Nunzio "I was the one who got out and pulled up the bonnet to take a look and got the tools out and started working on it"
"He had his mind on other things" pipes up Dia with a wicked grin
"On the side of the road? That's uncomfortable" I say, I speak from experience. Believe me; cars motoring past you at God knows what speed is not the most romantic setting I've experienced having sex.
"Yeah but very satisfying" replied Dia, rolling her hips seductively
I roll my eyes but grin at Dia. She grins back. We both know that when the feeling comes then well, you gotta do it. Nunzio's picked up the magazine again while Jamie has pulled Dia into a liplock that'll take emergency services to pull them apart from. I want to take a walk anyway, see if I can find Red Dogg and Cena to talk to, I have some plans to manage them.
"See you guys later" I call "good luck tonight"
"Oh we don't need luck" Jamie tears himself from Dia to answer
"That's right, tonight my baby is facing Rey Mysterio" Dia says proudly "he's gonna beat that hot little high flyer and make his mark tonight"
"I've got Rikishi" announces Nunzio a little gloomily "I'm on a roll ya know, beat Funaki on Velocity earlier tonight and then I'll take out the big man"
"How'd you get stuck facing him?" I ask, images of the various ways Nunzio will probably get squashed by that no-talented waste of space, hey he gave me a Stink Face, I am allowed to be bitter
"I don't know but I know this, he does not know the people I know and if he disrespects me then they're not gonna like it" Nunzio says darkly before returning to behind his magazine.
I forgot how strange Nunzio could be sometimes. He was always hiding in dark corners and making phone calls at weird hours. Kinda quiet. But I didn't know him that well so who knows why he was like that.
"Well Smackdown's gonna start any minute" I say softly, trying to draw Dia and Jamie out of their resumed liplock "and you guys are up first"
"Holy shit! We are too" Jamie says hurriedly getting up and dropping Dia onto the floor unceremoniously "oh I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean to do that, I wasn't thinking, are you ok?"
"I'm fine baby" she reassures him, brushing herself off as she gets to her feet "see you later Dawn, we're off to start this show off with a bang"
They exit, Jamie's arm around her waist and her's around his shoulders, talking loudly about the match. The perfect couple. I grin and shake my head, feeling a pang in my stomach. I miss that comfortable companionship with someone where you can apologise and know it'll be accepted, I miss the love I see in their movements and eyes when they look at each other.
"Good luck later Guido" I say as I leave the room
He doesn't reply, too engrossed in his magazine to answer. I step out into the corridor and head to the catering table. I felt kinda lost in our locker room. Those three are like my family but sometimes, I'm an outsider. That's because they're all connected in a way that I can't be to them. It's a feeling I've got quite a lot since Al's death. When he was around, I was with him you know. He was the person I kinda belonged to but now there's nothing here to connect me, except some ECW network friends who already have their own partnerships or groups. Sure the network is still all really connected but right now, I feel isolated like nothing else.
I think it's because I've always found someway to belong. Sure when I travelled the indies for three years I didn't have a secure group of friends but I performed for a different crowd every night so I had them to connect to. Besides I met Dia doing that so I soon found a partner. In ECW, I had the Impact Players; Justin who was so kind always looking to help his friends and needed help himself, Jazz who just tore through the women and became a really good friend and of course Lance who was my partner for so long. God I miss him. It hits me right in the gut as I realise how much I do miss him. I'm so proud of him, a tag team champion with someone of his own calibre, high shelf tag team work on Raw. I wish I was there, I want to share all of that with him but I can't. Not until I get to Raw. I doubt Steph will exchange or sell me seeing as she'd see it like letting Eric win again. She wouldn't have second thoughts about dumping me somewhere but she knows that I bring in ratings.
I must have been standing here stirring this coffee for ages, my minds just been on auto-pilot. I sigh, putting the spoon down on the catering table and lifting the polystyrene cup to my lips. Then this blur streaks past me and screeches to a halt. I look up and recognise the small pale blonde as Shannon Moore, the unfortunate protégé of Matt Hardy. Poor kid. He's looking terrified, scanning the corridor for possible places to hide no doubt.
"Hey Shannon, hiding from Version 1?" I call softly to him
His head snaps around and he locks eyes on me. There's no one else in the corridor so there's no danger of any one overhearing. He takes some shaky steps towards me, the tension radiating off him. Man, what has Matt done to him? Shannon's a great wrestler, sure he's been stuck with some awful gimmicks, the most famous being 3 Count the WCW boyband. I know Matt's a friend of his but surely he could extract himself from that idiot to forge his own career?
"Um...yeah, Dawn right?" he asks quietly
"That's right, I'm Dawn Marie" I say shaking his hand "I don't see anywhere to hide around here Shannon"
He sighs, tiredness and worry so clear on his face. His posture relaxes, one hand running through his shoulder length dark blonde hair. He is cute, as Dia pointed out. If she does decide to sleep with him, then maybe she'll leave Matt and he and Lita can perhaps have some semblance of a normal relationship. Somehow I doubt it. If the sex is that good then Dia will keep him as long as possible.
"I know, Matt's got this crazy idea to lose weight so that he can beat Billy for the Cruiserweight title" Shannon says "he's blaming me for his loss to Billy tonight so he's got me a punishment match"
"Against who?"
"A Train"
Urgh, a huge guy with piercings and a hideous hairy back. He's strong though and can withstand a lot of pain. The perfect opponent if you want to punish someone.
"Sucks for you" I say with a laugh "why don't you hide in a dumpster like last week?"
"Oh Matt'll figure that out, I was thinking of trying the canteen"
"Shannon, why are you even with Matt? He doesn't care about helping you, only furthering himself"
"He's my friend" Shannon says defensively "I've known him like forever and he and Jeff helped me into the business, I gotta repay him somehow and this is it"
"Sure, he's always beating on you and humiliating you, yeah that's a real friend"
"He has Mattitude" replies Shannon "how else do you think he's got so far ahead while being on Smackdown, ah hell here he comes!"
Saying that, Shannon takes off down the corridor like a rocket's after him. I sigh; he needs to get away from Matt fast. As though he's heard me, Matt appears beside me, out of breath with a scowl on his face. He grins when he sees me. Oh no, I really hope he isn't gonna preach to me again
"Dawn! I heard about your match last week on Velocity" he says cheerfully "you know you've got some Mattitude but you just need to increase it a little and you'll have the right Mattributes to succeed here on Smackdown"
"Thanks Matt" I say through gritted teeth, the urge to slap him is getting hard to resist
"Anyway, have you seen my number one MFer, Shannon Moore? I wanted to prepare him for his match agains A-Train, it'll help him get more Mattitude"
"No, not round here anyway"
"If you see him then send him my way" Matt says, taking off down the hall
Man he makes me wanna scream sometimes. I shake my head and turn around, immediately smacking into someone. I groan inwardly when I see who it is; Stephanie Mcmahon-Helmsley.
"Dawn Marie" she says it like it's a disease that's catching "you'd better watch where you're going"
"Sorry Steph, guess I didn't see you there" I reply as casually as possible
"I see you still haven't taken my advice about buttoning up your blouse and looking more professional" she sneers, with a pointed look at my blouse
I look down and resist the urge to grin and instead look as innocent as possible. My blouse is a gorgeous leopard print one, unbuttoned down low enough to reveal a good amount of turquoise bra. It's actually a blouse Lance bought me a while ago. He always knows what to buy me. I know I look gorgeous. She may be the General Manager but she can not tell me what to wear.
"Neither have you" I say, looking at her top
She's wearing one of those business suits which reveals a lot of oversized cleavage. She really needs to get that sorted. She narrows her eyes, giving me that famous Mcmahon stare. I smile innocently back. She does not intimidate me.
"You aren't worth anything to me" she hisses "you're expendable, I can rid of you just like that" she snaps her fingers "you haven't even got any friends here! I gave Torrie the week off because she needs to get over her father's death and you, his widow are still here, clogging up my hallways! well let me tell you Dawn Marie, I am glad that Torrie has beaten you in the ring as many times as she has at so many different matches because you deserve it and I know she's gonna beat you again and again and again, now get the hell out of my way"
I sidestep neatly so that she can sweep past, a smug smile on her face. I scowl at her disappearing back, trying to will her words not to affect me. I have friends; I have Dia, Jamie, Nunzio, John, Red Dogg. It's just that she doesn't know it. I hate that she's hit a nerve; I'm feeling so lost at the moment it isn't fair that she should get one over verbally on me like that. So she's glad that Torrie's beaten me? Well next week, I am gonna make sure I get myself a match and show our unbiased General Manager and my friends on the Raw roster how valuable I am when I put on a hell of a show. Maybe it'll get me a move to Raw. I'll show Stephanie I'm worth something and beat Torrie in the process. They have no idea who they're dealing with.