Chapter 2

Mercedes sighed as she stood outside the entrance leading into the arena for the Raw houseshow that night. She nodded her head. If she could tell her mom about what happened she could go into this arena and deal with her coworkers.

Mercedes walked inside. She said hello to everyone as she passed them. A bright smile came across her lips when she saw Colby Lopez aka Seth Rollins talking with Kevin Steen (Kevin Owens) and Rami Sebi (Sami Zayn).

"Hey guys," Mercedes said.

"Oh, hey, Mercedes," Rami said.

"Hey," Kevin said.

"Hey," Colby said with his own bright smile.

Mercedes blushed a little as he looked at her.

"Is Ashley here then, Rami?" Mercedes asked.

"Yeah, she's in the women's locker room," Rami replied. "Or maybe elsewhere. But she can do her own thing obviously. I'm not a controlling man in a relationship."

"Oh, no. If you were controlling or treating my girl like crap, she would kick your ass herself. Especially after her ex-husband."

"Definitely."

"Or Ric would have kicked his ass by now too," Colby added.

Everyone laughed.

"Okay, I'm going to go to the women's locker room," Mercedes said. "I'll catch up with you all later."

"All right, see you later, Mer," Kevin said.

"Yes," Rami said.

Mercedes smiled. She started to walk away, but looked at Colby. She gave a small smile to him. He smiled back.

Mercedes walked a good distance until she heard, "Hey Mercedes," Colby calling to her.

She turned back around to him. He was quickly hurrying over to her.

"Are you all right?" He asked stopping in front of her. "You didn't answer any of my texts."

"Yeah," Mercedes lied. "I was just…dealing with…some stuff."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I can't," She quickly answered biting her lips and trying to not let the tears fall. "At least not now."

"Well, I'm here for you when you want to," He replied. He touched her arm.

Mercedes quickly backed away.

"I'm sorry," She said. She then quickly walked away.

Colby sighed as she did. He knew something was really wrong. He could tell by the way she was trying to fight back tears.

Mercedes tried to not the let tears fall. She wanted to cry. She wanted to go back to Colby and tell me what happened. But she couldn't.

The two had been getting really close in the last few months. They had since he returned in May from his knee injury. He had broken up with his girlfriend, Zahra a few months prior. Mercedes wanted to get even closer to him.

She stopped outside the women's locker room when she reached it. She sighed. She thought about her attack. She thought about telling Pam and Becky, and then her mom.

Mercedes opened the door to the women's locker room then. She could tell the rest of some of her girls.

As she walked into the locker room, Mercedes took a look around. She spotted Pam.

"Hey Mercedes," Lina Fanene (Nia Jax) said.

Mercedes looked at her with a bright smile. "Hey, hun," She replied. She looked over toward Pam.

Pam stood there with a small smile on her face. Mercedes returned it. She walked over to her best friend.

"How are you?" Pam whispered.

"I'm okay," Mercedes said.

Pam nodded.

Mercedes quickly embraced her friend. She needed a hug from her so much. Pam happily returned the hug.

"Hey, where's my hug?" Ashley Fliehr asked.

Mercedes pulled out of Pam's embrace and looked at Ashley. Ashley smiled. But it quickly went away looking at Mercedes. She knew something was wrong by the look on her face. She knew Mercedes very well since their days together in NXT.

"What's wrong?" Ashley whispered.

"Not now," Mercedes said.

Ashley nodded her head.

Mercedes set herself up in a cubby next to Pam like she always did since Pam came to Team Raw.

Mercedes was very quiet. Normally she was very talkative. All the women of the locker room knew something was wrong. Mercedes always asked everyone how their days off were and they would all talk about it. Mercedes would also talk about hers.

Mercedes could tell everyone knew something was wrong. She couldn't take it. She grabbed her phone and quickly left the locker room. She started crying as she left.

"Mercedes!" Ashley said as she came out of the locker room.

Mercedes turned around to her friend. She was crying hard. She saw Pam come out of the locker room too.

"What's wrong, Mercedes?" Ashley asked as she stopped in front of her friend.

"I was raped," Mercedes said softly with a sob.

Ashley looked at her friend. She covered her mouth. She slowly began to cry.

Mercedes nodded her head.

"Are you okay?" Ashley asked.

"Physically but no mentally."

Ashley nodded her head. She hugged her friend as tears streamed down her cheeks after knowing what had happened to her friend.

"Did you know, Pam?" Ashley asked, quickly looking over her shoulder.

"I did," Pam said. "Mercedes told me."

Ashley nodded her head again. She hugged Mercedes tightly again. Mercedes was able to calm down a minute later. She pulled out of Ashley's embrace and looked at her.

"What happened?" Ashley asked.

Mercedes whispered to Ashley what had happened. Ashley couldn't believe. But she quickly defended Mercedes when she said it was her own fault again.

"I told my mom after I talked to Becky," Mercedes said after she finished telling Ashley what happened.

"What happened with that?" Pam asked.

"She cried. I started crying. I told her how it happened too. She passed no judgment on me."

"Of course, she wouldn't. Your mom is not a raving bitch like some are."

"Thank you, Pammy," Mercedes said.

"Who else knows other than us, Becky, and your mom?" Ashley asked.

"No one. I don't want to tell Stephanie or Mick. But I know I have to. I saw Rami, Kevin, and Colby as soon as I came in too."

"What did you say to them?"

"Nothing about it. Colby came after me alone after I walked away. Um…I didn't answer any of his texts…"

Ashley nodded her head. She looked at Pam. Pam nodded her head too.

"He wanted to know what was wrong. But I couldn't tell him. I couldn't even let him touch my arm."

"We understand," Pam said.

"Do you want us to go with you when you tell Steph and Mick?" Ashley asked.

"Please," Mercedes replied. "Where do you think they are right now?"

"Maybe their office."

Mercedes nodded her head. "Let's get this over with."

Mercedes headed off to find Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley's office. Ashley and Pam were behind her.

"Please walk beside," Mercedes said.

"Of course," Ashley said. She and Pam moved along next to their friend.

Mercedes grabbed onto both their hands. That was what she was able to do. She had also been able to hug Pam and Ashley. She only really trusted women right now. And she knew the women that mattered most to her would give her comfort, help her, and take care of her when she would need it. Pam and Ashley were definitely two of those women.

"Do you want us to go inside with you?" Pam asked when they were standing outside the Raw Commissioner's and Raw General Manager's office.

"Yes," Mercedes said.

Pam and Ashley nodded their heads.

Mercedes knocked on the door.

"Come in," Stephanie McMahon shouted.

Mercedes sighed as she opened the door. Pam and Ashley behind.

"Hi Mercedes," Stephanie said.

"Hi," Mercedes said. She walked into the room. Pam and Ashley behind her still.

"Hello as well, Pam and Ashley."

"Hi Stephanie," Pam said.

"Yes, hi," Ashley smiled.

Mercedes took a look around. She gave a sigh when she saw not only was Mick Foley in there, but also Paul "Triple H" Levesque.

"Hello girls," Mick said.

"Hi," Pam said. "Hey Paul."

"Hi Pam, Mercedes and Ashley," Paul replied with a bright smile. "We got three fourths of the Horsewomen."

"I tried for Becky Lynch in the draft," Mick said.

"Oh, don't worry about that, Mick," Stephanie smiled. She looked to all three women. "How can we help you lovely ladies today."

Mercedes looked at her friends. Pam and Ashley looked back at her. Mercedes looked back to Stephanie, Mick, and Paul. She bit her lip.

"What's wrong, Mercedes?" Paul asked, stepping forward. He knew Mercedes very well just like he did with many of his NXT kids. He knew when something was wrong.

Mercedes looked up at the ceiling and then looked back down at the floor as she began to cry. "I was raped," She admitted.

Stephanie gasped. Mick and Paul both stood there with looks of shocks on their faces.

Mercedes looked at them, crying.

"Oh, my God, sweetheart," Stephanie said. "Come here." She pointed to the sofa.

Mercedes walked over to the sofa. Stephanie sat down with her. "What happened?"

Mercedes looked at Stephanie. She sat there not as a boss, but as someone who cares.

"I was out with my friends a few days ago. We were at a bar and I met a guy…"

Paul closed his eyes and shook his head. He knew where this was going.

"…I said to my friends they could leave. The guy said he would make sure I would get home okay. As we were walking, I stumbled a little. I had been drinking and he pushed me into a nearby alley," Mercedes told. She began to cry hard. "I tried to fight but he was too strong for me."

"Oh, Mercedes," Stephanie said. She wrapped her arms around her and held her. She cried into her shoulder.

"Did you go to the hospital?" Paul asked, curiously.

Mercedes looked at him. There was a look on his face. She knew that look. It was of great concern.

"No," Mercedes said.

Paul nodded his head.

"Are you all right, though?" Mick asked.

"Physically I am," Mercedes admitted. "I went to a walk-in clinic. I was checked out there."

"That's good," Stephanie said. "I'm glad you did."

"It was Pam's idea," Mercedes said looking over at her friend.

"That was smart," Stephanie said.

"Well, I was very concerned for my friend. My best friend," Pam said. "I wanted to make sure nothing was seriously wrong"

"I can't wrestle right now," Mercedes said. "I want to. But I just can't. Not with what happened."

"Of course not," Paul said.

"Yes," Stephanie said. "The biggest concern is the welfare of our employees. Especially with something like that."

"Can we keep it under wraps to please," Mercedes said. "These two and Becky were the ones of work I have told what happened. I don't want everyone to know and have judgment passed on me. I was stupid."

"You were not stupid!" Paul said. He got down and kneeled in front of her. She looked at him. "A lot of women have been where you are. They met a guy and think he is a nice one. Then they are attacked. Do not blame yourself!"

Mercedes her head. "Thank you."

Paul nodded his head. "We'll do what we need to do for work. You do what you need to do right now."

"Thank you again," Mercedes replied as tears streamed down her cheeks. She wiped them away.

"Can I do anything you, sweetheart?" Stephanie asked.

Mercedes shook her head.

"Well, if you need anything do not hesitate to ask."

"Definitely," Mick said.

"Yes," Paul said. "I'd even track down the asshole and give him a pedigree."

Everyone laughed. Mercedes had a huge smile on her face from it. Paul smiled. That was what he wanted.

"Thank you, Paul," Mercedes said. "You always know what to say."

"That's what a father does," Paul replied. "He always does what he can to say to make his daughter laugh."

Mercedes nodded her head. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, hun."

Mercedes smiled.

"Do you want to sit here a little bit?" Stephanie asked. "Just to feel okay to go back out and deal with some people."

"No," Mercedes replied. "I have Pam and Ashley. I'll be okay with them."

"All right," Stephanie said. She gave Mercedes a hug.

Mercedes smiled and stood up. Paul stood up right as he had still been kneeling. He saw Mercedes be hesitant with him near. He smiled and back away a little.

"Thank you again," Mercedes said. She walked toward the door.

Ashley and Pam were right there. Ashley opened the door and held it open. She told Pam to step out. Pam did. She turned around once she was in the hallway. Mercedes walked out. Ashley followed, letting the door close behind her.

Mercedes sighed.

"You have told some of the most important people about what happened. Stephanie, Mick, Paul, and your mom," Pam said.

"Are you hungry?" Ashley asked.

"Yes," Mercedes said.

"Do you want to go to catering? Do you think you'll be okay in there?"

Mercedes nodded her head.

"Okay, come on," Pam said.

Mercedes nodded her head. She and her two friends headed to catering.

Colby sat in catering. It was bugging the hell out of him that something was wrong with Mercedes. He knew it was not good the way she was about to cry. Over the last four months, the two had been able to tell each other anything and everything.

Colby saw Mercedes come into catering with Pam and Ashley. He focused on her. He saw her look around and then stop. He saw her bite her lip and look to both Pam and Ashley. Pam said something to her. Mercedes nodded her head.

There was definitely something wrong with the way she was acting with Pam and Ashley. He knew there was.

Mercedes slowly walked over to the food table.

"Hey Mercedes," Ettore Ewen (Big E Langston) said, quickly coming behind her and lifting her off her feet.

Mercedes screamed when it happened. She dropped the plate she had in her hand. And quickly back away looking to see who it was. She saw Ettore.

"I'm sorry if I scared you, hun," He said.

Mercedes just looked at him. She looked around seeing all eyes on her. She quickly ran out of the room.

"Mercedes," Ashley called after her.

Pam went to follow.

"What was that?" Ettore asked grabbing Pam by the arm.

"Not now, Ettore," Pam said. She pulled her arm away and quickly ran from the room.

Mercedes ran all the way to the women's locker room. Every time she stopped she was near places that seemed to her as alleys.

Mercedes crashed through the women's locker room door. She quickly dropped to the floor crying as she had as soon as she got into her apartment.