Amberlea Brennan
"Please rethink your stance, Lea. You can't do this."
"I've been thinking this through long and hard for a few weeks now, Vince. I'm dealing with way too many personal issues right now and it's affecting my job. I have to quit." Vince wasn't happy, I could tell, but he knew better than to refuse me this. He looked like he was really seeing me for the first time, even though I had been under contract to him for some time.
"Do you want more money, Lea? Do you want to be Women's Champion? We could always send you down to FCW and become a trainer there." I shook my head. There wasn't any amount of money in the world that was going to make me stay. That's how adamant I was about my decision.
"It's not about money, Vince. I need to go away and get my head in order."
"Is this about going to TNA?"
"What? No, Vince, you've missed the point entirely," I said, exasperated. "Vince, I need to go away and work on me for a little while. This has nothing to do with wrestling, it has to do with me. Please don't make this difficult."
Vince studied me for what felt like forever. I found myself fidgeting under his glance. Christian took off for TNA a month ago, and Vince is in a panic that a bunch of his talent is going to defect. WWE is my home. I have no intention of going anywhere else. But I have to take this sabbatical and go away. Getting away from John is the only thing that's going to make me feel better. I can't stop thinking about things. I'm drinking more. I don't want to be inside my own skin, or inside my own head anymore. I just don't want to be here.
Vince nodded. "All right, Lea. If that's the way you feel, then I'm going to allow this. But I'm trusting you. I understand that there has been something going on with you, and I am concerned. Don't think that I'm not. Does it have anything to do with the rumors I'm hearing about John Cena?"
"Vince, please. I just need to go for a while." I'm sure that gave Vince some kind of confirmation, but I don't even care anymore. "I hate to do this, Vince. I worked my entire life to get here. You have no idea how hard this is for me, but I have to get myself sorted out."
"I understand, Lea," he told me. "But I refuse to release you. Consider it a sabbatical. The door is still open, and we'll revisit your contract when you come back. Okay?"
"I appreciate that," I said, standing and shaking his hand. "Thank you. I will never, ever forget this."
"I wish you all the best, Lea. Get yourself taken care of." I gathered the bags I left at the door and left his office, making my way down the hallway towards the exit. I'm going home. Goodbye to the WWE.
I found Randy talking to Trish. His face darkened when he saw me. I walked towards him, wrapping my free arm around his neck and kissing his cheek. "Goodbye," I whispered. I pulled away from him and continued walking, leaving him standing with Trish, confused as I made a beeline for the door that would take me down to the parking lot.
Once I was in my rental car, I took a few moments to cry. It felt like I was giving up my dream. It felt like I was falling apart. Saying goodbye to the dream was the only option that I had for the foreseeable future. Wiping the tears away from my eyes with the back of my hand, I started the car and peeled out of the parking lot, driving away into the night.
Randy Orton
I turned to Trish. "Um, what the fuck just happened?" I asked. She shrugged, her face darkened in confusion, just like mine. Her hands were on her hips, our eyes on the door that led to the parking lot.
"I have no idea what that was, but it was weird," she conceded. "I know she just came from Vince's office. She said she was going to take an important meeting with him tonight. Maybe you should ask him about it." I nodded, grabbing Trish by the wrist and leading her towards Vince's office with me. I didn't bother knocking, I just walked in. Vince was sitting behind his desk, flanked by Johnny Ace and Jim Ross. Their gazes fell on us.
"What the hell is going on with Amberlea?" I demanded. Vince glared at me.
"Don't you knock, Orton?"
"Did you fire her, Vince?" I raged. It was the only logical conclusion that was coming to me, since she left early with her bags in tow. I know it's been clear to everybody that Amberlea is falling apart. He must have decided to cut the liability. "Hasn't she been through enough?" Vince raised his hand to silence me. Trish put a hand on my arm to calm me down, but I was ready to run amok.
"I didn't fire her, Randy. She wanted to quit."
"What?"
"She wanted to quit. I offered her more money. I offered her a trainer's job. I even offered her the Women's title. She didn't want any of it. She just wanted to leave." I could see Vince looked frazzled about the exchange. It was impossible for me not to feel the same way. "I didn't fire her, Randy. I didn't let her quit, either. I put her on sabbatical. It's completely up to her when she decides to come back, if she ever decides to. I told her we'd figure it out when she gets herself back together."
I sank into the nearest chair and put my head in my hands. "Honest to God, Vince, I don't know how to save her," I confessed. I felt lost, helpless. She was drifting from me. I've never felt so bereft and defeated in my entire life.
Trish put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. I wish I knew what was going on in that head of hers. I looked up at Vince, who surprised me by stating what we were all thinking.
"I'm worried about her."
"You and me both," I said, letting my head fall back into my hands.
John Cena
I'm hearing that Lea quit, but I can't get anyone to give me a straight story.
I've been wondering what's been going on in that head of hers. She hasn't been the same since Randy dropped the nuclear bomb on our friendship. Christy's been whispering lately that Lea is drinking more, afraid that she's becoming a full-blown alcoholic. I'm wondering if she quit because Christy couldn't keep her mouth shut.
Losing Lea is a huge blow to me, and a huge blow to this company. She is one of the best Divas here, one of those girls that spends all of her time honing her craft. Apparently that makes her less marketable than some of the other Divas that's been coming into this company. She was a reliable, technical hand.
I have a sneaking suspicion that Randy talked her into quitting, as a way to keep her away from me. I don't understand how she could let Randy talk her into quitting. This was all she ever wanted, and she was getting to the top of the game. Vince letting her do this is the biggest head-scratcher of them all, though. I know he's been paranoid about people leaving for TNA for quite some time now, and here he is letting one of his best Divas slip through his fingertips.
Is Lea Brennan going to TNA? I don't know.
I just wish someone would give me the straight story.
Amberlea Brennan
I checked my messages when I touched back down in St. Louis to find a voice-mail message from Randy. It was late, very late, and all I wanted to do was get home and sleep. I didn't listen to the message, but I was pretty sure that I knew what he wanted to say. Daddy left me a message, too. I didn't listen to it, but I knew he had spoken to Randy, who had probably figured out what was going on at this point.
I know Daddy's worried about me. Him and half of the world. I gathered my bags from baggage claim and called a cab to take me home. Every few moments I thought about calling Randy back, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I just want to be left alone. Instead of calling him back, I just shut off my phone. Everyone wants answers from me, everyone wants me to act like everything is okay, like I wasn't drugged and raped like some kind of animal. Nothing is okay. I don't think anything will ever be okay again.
The cab arrived and I slid in, resting my duffel bag beside me on the seat. I gave him my home address and we took off. With a deep, all-consuming sigh, I rested my head against the cold glass of the backseat window, glad to be going home. There was a bottle of red wine with my name on it on the kitchen counter, and a few bottles of flavored vodka in the freezer. I planned to drink until I couldn't remember the last few months.
There's nothing I can do now but move on and piece together my life. I know it's supposed to be a sabbatical, but I've got no intention of going back.
The dream is dead to me now.