Two weeks later I was walking down the hall in the arena in search
for Vince McMahon. I carried my pictures in my left hand and crossed my
fingers on my right hand. I had completely run out of money and needed to
desperately get a job. I just hoped he thought I was good enough. I was
dressed in blue flare jeans with a black two-row grommet belt (Like the
Hardyz wear) and a light blue sweater tank top. Trish had French braided
my hair for me. I was dressed casually, comfortably for me, but at the
same time I looked professional. I knocked on the door that was labeled
'Vince McMahon' and heard him tell me to enter. I took a deep breath and
walked in.
"You must be Casey. Matt, Jeff, and Trish have told me so much about you. I know about your predicament. And I hope I can help you. Please, have a seat." I sat in a seat in front of a desk that was set up. On it was a laptop and his cell phone. He must have been working on something. "So, I hear you want to fill the position of a photographer."
"Yes, Mr. McMahon. That's what I would like to do, but I'll take anything you can give me."
"Please call me Vince. Well, what kind of a worker are you?"
"I'm dedicated, hard working, and can take orders very well. Please Vince, I know you know that I ran away from home. I have no money left. I really need this job."
"I understand. Jeff tells me you're very creative. He told me write?"
"Yes. I do. That's how I get my aggression out."
"Do you have some proof of your photography skills?" I nodded and handed him the pictures.
"Those were all taken with an auto-focus, 10-dollar camera. If I had had a better camera the pictures would have come out much better."
"These are very good for amateur pictures. I think I may have a job for you. I will give you the photographer position, but I'll have to put you on a trial basis for a week. Starting tonight. I'll pay you 20- dollars a night for the trial week. You'll be given a camera and plenty of film. Take as many pictures you want or feel the need to. The camera will not be an auto-focus. It's a professional camera. I'll have someone teach you to run it. The more pictures you take the better chance that'll you'll have good ones. I have a lot of faith in you. I'll need these pictures sent to me Friday nite by express mail. So I can have them Saturday. Is that alright?"
"That's great. Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. I wont let you down!" I shook his hand and stood.
"I'm sure you wont. I look forward to seeing the work you can produce with a professional camera. Go down to the ring and there will be someone there to teach you how to use the camera." I left the room smiling and full of excitement. I walked towards the ring and saw a man sitting on steel steps. I walked up to him and he looked up at me. He looked to be in his 30's with straight brown hair. He was skinny and rather short. Only a few inches taller than me. He handed me a camera and I looked at it strangely. It was big and had a long lens on it.
"I'm Mark. Have you ever worked a camera like this before?"
"I'm Casey and no I haven't. But I'm a fast learner." He smiled and began to show me how to work it. It wasn't as complicated at I thought it would be.
After two hours of learning how to use it, I was sure I would be able to produce some good pictures. He handed me a press pass and bag of film. He shook my hand and wished me good luck. I put the camera strap around my neck and walked towards the Diva locker room. Trish and Nora were in there with Marc Lomonica and Matt Hyson playing cards. They looked at me and smiled.
"You got the job?!" Nora asked excitedly.
"Yes and no. I'm on a trial basis. If I produce good enough pictures this week then I get the job. Right now I'm getting paid 20 bucks a nite because it's only a trial period. I never discussed how much I would get if I got the job." I took the camera off and placed it on the bench with the film and sat next to it.
"I'm sure you'll do fine. You'll definitely get that job," Marc said reaching for a card off the deck. They seemed to be playing crazy eights. There was a knock on the door and I answered it.
"I have a delivery for Casey Piniarski from Vince McMahon."
"That would be me." He handed me a black t-shirt that said 'Get the F out' on the back and had WWE on the front. He also handed me a fanny pack with an envelope in it. I closed the door and sat back down. I opened the envelope and read the note that was in there.
'Casey, I wanted to wish you luck again tonight. Here is a fanny pack to put all the film in for easy access. The shirt you can keep whether you get the job or not. You will only be working RAW shows this week. That means you'll only have tonite and Wednesday nite. I hope that gives you enough time. Just remember to have fun no matter what! Sincerely, Vince McMahon
"Well that was nice of him. The worst part is I only have two nites to get good pictures." "You can do it. We have faith in you," Matt said. I smiled and him and slipped the shirt over my head. I pulled my other shirt off underneath it and looked at myself in the mirror. "See, that shirt fits perfectly. You were meant to wear it. It's fate!"
"Thanks. I just hope you're right. Are Jeff and Matt here yet? I wanted to tell them my news," I said walking towards the door.
"Matt, probably, but you've known Jeff long enough to know your answer," Trish smiled.
"Very true. That boy will never be on time for anything."
"Oh, like you're much better. Who was late to dinner the other nite?" Trish asked.
"I had a damn good reason to be late."
"And what was that reason?" Trish asked.
"I stopped to talk to the cute bell hop." Matt and Marc laughed at me as Nora chuckled a bit.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Trish said.
"I don't have to take this. I'm gonna go find the Hardyz!" I walked out the door and could still hear the snickering from the others. Can I help it if I saw a cute guy? No, I can't! I walked down the hall in search for any sign that the guys were there. I heard Pearl Jam coming from one room and knew immediately that was theirs. I knocked on the door and Matt answered.
"Case, hey! How'd it go?" He moved to let me in and I saw Rob and Booker sitting on a bench.
"Good. I'm on a trial period, but it sounds promising. I get to keep the shirt no matter what. Cool, huh?" He chuckled as I sat on a bench.
"Well, congratulations. I know you'll do an awesome job." He hugged me and sat down next to me.
"Thanks. I hope you're right. I really do wanna get this job."
"If ya don't, maybe Jeff and I can make you our valet." His smiled turned into a sly one as Jeff walked through the door.
"Late again, I see," I said as he threw his bags down. He snapped his head at me and smiled.
"And who was the one that just had to be late to dinner so she could talk to some guy? It certainly wasn't me!"
"Can I help it if cute bell hops work at certain hotels?!" I laughed and Jeff gave me a hug.
"I see congratulations are in order!" He examined my shirt.
"Not yet. I'm on a trial period." He nodded and walked over to Rob and Booker.
"I was just telling Case that we were thinking of using her as our valet until Amy comes back," Matt said trying to get Jeff's attention. He just seemed to ignore his older brother. Matt shook his head. "Would you ever want to be a valet?"
"Yeah, that would be cool. But wouldn't I need some training first?"
"Yeah, but we already know you can kick ass. You kick Jeff's anytime he makes a wise crack. I know you could beat just about everyone," he said smiling to himself.
"Just about everyone?" I questioned.
"Yeah, everyone, but me."
"Oh, no ego there!" I laughed as he playfully punched my arm.
"I'm serious though. I think you could be good as our valet. We were thinking of maybe teaching you some moves anyways. You did say you were thinking of a career in wrestling."
"Really? You both would want to train me?" Jeff turned towards me and smiled.
"Yeah, we'd love to. I mean, you would get hurt of course and would have to sign some sort of waiver. Trish and Nora offered to help too," Jeff explained.
"We'll help too. Or at least I will. I could teach you the frog splash," Rob said in a triumphant tone.
"That would be great. Thanks guys. I would love to do that. So does that mean I have to go back to Vince to get the waiver?" Jeff pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and waved it in my face.
"I knew you would say yes and already got it arranged. Just sign on the dotted line and we can start right away." Jeff smiled handing me the paper and a pen.
"How'd you know I would say yes?" I asked. "I know you too well."
"Jeff, you only think you know me well. You've only known me for a couple weeks."
"Yes, but who have you spent everyday with those couple of weeks?"
"You, Matt, and Trish."
"Right, and who have you spent the most time with? Going to movies and dinner and things like that?"
"You, Jeff, you." I had been defeated. He was completely right. He really did know me. He was my best friend.
"Thank you. Now that I have proved my point, sign the paper." I signed it and handed it back to him. "I'll go take this to Vince. We should start tomorrow."
Jeff walked out the door smiling. I went back to the Diva's locker room to prepare myself for the night. I loaded the camera with film and packed the rest of the film in the fanny pack. I had played a round of crazy eights with Trish, Nora, Matt, and Marc before I went back to the guy's locker room. Jeff was in there psyching himself up for his match with the Dudleys against Eddie Gerrero, Chris Benoit, and William Regal by listening to Marilyn Manson on his walk man. Matt was reading a magazine as Pearl Jam blared from the small speakers of a boom box.
"Matt, I think I want to call Jessy." He looked up at me shocked as Jeff removed his headphones.
"Are you sure? I mean I think it's a great idea, but you've never talked about calling her before," he said as Jeff started listening to the conversation.
"Yeah, I know, but I miss her. I need to talk to her. I want to know how she and her boyfriend are doing. Can I use your cell phone?" He smiled at me and handed me his phone Jeff stood and grabbed Matt's arm pulling him towards the door.
"We're gonna see what Trish is doing. We'll be back in about a half hour." Jeff led Matt out the door, leaving me with the privacy I would need. I dialed her number and she answered after a couple rings.
"Hello?" she said. I sat in silence. "Hello?"
"Hi Jessy," I finally managed to say.
"Case!!!? Oh my God! Are you alright? Where are? Why'd you leave?!" She began spilling out questions so fast it made me laugh. That was Jessy, the motor mouth. Whenever she got excited she would always speed up her speech and I would always tease her. It was comforting to hear that she hadn't changed. Finally she stopped and I could hear a male voice in the background. It was her wonderful boyfriend Jesse. It was good to hear his voice as well. I missed having in depth conversations with him. He was a really good guy and the only boyfriend of hers that I really liked. "Casey, we miss you."
"I miss you guys too. But I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'm safe, healthy, and very happy. In fact, I don't think I could be happier."
"You're parents are really worried about you. They called me right away. I don't understand why you left."
"The main reason WAS my parents. I really do miss you guys. All of you!" I paused to hear her sniffling. She must have started to cry. "Jessy, don't cry. You'll make me cry!"
"I'm sorry. It's just so weird without you. There's no more smart- ass remarks to make me laugh, no more talking about me and Jesse, no more conversations that only we understand. I miss our conversations that we use to have in the middle of the night about nothing. Whenever I get upset, who's gonna be there to pick up the pieces and help me put them together again? You use to do that for me. Now there's nobody."
"Jessy, I'll always be there for you. Even if I'm not really there."
"Case, how is that goin to work? Where are you? When are you coming back?"
"I can't tell you where I am. And I don't think I'm ever coming back. God, I wish I could make this better."
"You can Case, come home!" I heard Jesse say on the other phone. I laughed. I didn't know anyone would miss me this much.
"Hey Jesse. I can't come home. I'm too happy here. I've made so many friends where I am."
"So, your just gonna leave all of us behind?" he asked. He sounded rather upset. It was a tone that I had heard many times before. He always came to me when he was upset about him and Jessy. I was the problem solver. Kind of like their psychiatrist. I did miss that job.
"NO!!! I would never leave you guys behind. You're always on my mind! That's why I had to call you, Jess. I had to talk to you."
"Yeah, but after you get off the phone with me this time, I'll probably never hear from you again." Jessy's sobs became harder and louder. I had never heard her cry like this before. It hurt to know that I hurt her like this. I was just glad that Jesse was there to comfort her.
"I promise this will not be the last time I talk to you! In fact, why don't I give you this phone number? It's a cell phone and it doesn't belong to me. I just know he won't mind me giving you the number. Call me whenever you need me. Either one of you! I'll definitely call you again, you can count on that." I gave them Matt cell number hoping that I'd be right and he wouldn't mind me giving it out. "Like I said, this isn't my phone, so if some guy answers, don't worry, he's a close friend. I'm in safe hands here. I really am."
"Casey, I'm really glad you called. I was really worried about you. I've had bad dreams about you and everything."
"Well, I'd better go. I have some things to do. I'll call you soon, or you can call me, whatever! Oh, watch TNN tonight at 9:00. I think you'll be surprised. And please don't tell my parents. Promise me you won't tell them?"
"Yeah, we promise. Bye Case!"
"Lata Jess and Jesse!" We hung up and I sighed. It had gone better than I thought. I just hoped they wouldn't go telling everyone that I was working for the WWE. I was bound to be caught on tv at some point. Hopefully, they would recognize me. I mean, it wasn't like I had changed since they had last seen me. I had started to put the phone on the bench when it rang. It jumped and I wasn't sure what to do. Then I thought that it might be Amy so I answered it. "Hello?"
"Okay, I know this isn't Amy. And I sure as hell hope this isn't Matt!" a man with strong southern accent said. It was a sweet sound, sweeter than Jeff's or Matt's.
"Nope, not Amy and it's not Matt. At least it wasn't the last time I checked!" I heard him laugh and I continued. "I'm guessing you were trying for Matt."
"Good guess. What are you, some kind of rocket scientist?"
"If I was, I wouldn't be here answering his phone like some sort of secretary. I'd have my own secretary do it!" He laughed again.
"I'm Shane. You must be Casey. Matt's told me a lot about you. Right down to the wise remarks."
"Shane? As in Shane Helms!?" I began to get excited. He was one of my favorite wrestlers. I was completely in love with him. He was right up there with Jeff.
"The very one. Why? Is that a bad thing?"
"Hell no! I'm a big fan! Been one since November. It's nice to meet you. Well, kind of."
"Yeah, you too. Is Matt around?"
"Ummmm...he's in the Diva's locker room the last I knew. He should be back any minute now. Do you want me to give him a message?"
"No, actually, I'll just keep talking to you until he comes back. If you want to talk to a loser like me."
"Well, I did have other plans...but I suppose I could push them to the side for you." I was, of course, being sarcastic and again he seemed to find it funny.
"Well, I'm glad you could spare some time to talk to poor little old me," he retorted.
That began my friendship with Shane. He was very funny and our personalities seemed to just mesh together. I had read his journal entries on his website and had fallen in love with him. Well, as much in love as I could be since I didn't really know him. He was exactly who I thought he would be. About 10 minutes into our conversation, Matt and Jeff had walked in on me laughing hysterically.
"Oh my God! Shane, you're friend is here! I had an awesome time talking to you," I said trying to compose myself.
"It was good talking to you too. We should get together some time. I think we could have a blast."
"Yeah, or you could kill me. You don't even understand how bad my stomach hurts from laughing."
"I think I have a pretty good idea since mines hurting pretty damn bad!" Matt grabbed the phone out of my hand before I had the chance to reply and walked out the door.
"Well that was a little rude!" I yelled after him.
"I thought you were gonna talk to Jessy," Jeff said sitting where he had last sat.
"I did. Good conversation. I have to talk to Matt about it. I gave her and Jesse his cell number to call me whenever they wanted. I just need to make him aware of that."
"You gave out Matt's number? They're not some psycho people are they?
"They're friends of mine!" "I repeat, they're not psycho are they?" he smiled.
"What are you trying to say?" His smile grew into a mischievous one.
"I'm saying, that if your psycho, your friends must be too." I glared at him. I lunged at him playfully and we started wrestling around on the locker room floor. He had me pinned to the floor and began tickling me. When he couldn't find my ticklish spot he looked at me strangely. "Alright, where is it? You have to have a ticklish spot. Everyone does."
"I'm not telling," I said in a snobbish tone. He tried looking for it again. He looked at my feet and began taking off my shoes. I looked at him pleadingly and he smiled devilishly. I crunched up my feet as best I could as he laughed. "Okay, I give. You win!!"
"What was that?! Hmmm..I didn't quite hear you! Could your feet be your ticklish spot?! Why I do believe they are!" He went right for my feet I tried to move but he was too heavy and I couldn't budge. It was horrible. I couldn't stop laughing. My stomach was hurting so bad and tears had started to roll down my cheek. I was screaming for him to stop, but he just kept going ignoring my pleas. Matt opened the door and stared at us. We didn't notice he was there until he spoke.
"If I knew you guys would go at it while I was gone I wouldn't have left. Okay, this is disgusting! Would you guys cut this out? I'm going to have to burn my eyes out of my head!" Matt teased. Jeff stopped and looked at him. He quickly stood up and helped me to my, now bare, feet. I continued to laugh and grabbed my stomach with each laugh.
"We weren't doing anything. I swear, bro. We were just horsing around. Completely innocent!" Jeff pleaded his case. Matt laughed at him.
"I know what you were doing. Gees, I can see. I just wished I hadn't seen that! Man, I'm gonna have nightmares!" Matt continued to tease us. I took it as it was meant to be taken, as a joke. Jeff seemed to take it seriously and stepped as far away from me as he could get. "Bro, I was just joking. If I didn't know any better I'd say you had a crush on Case."
Jeff gave Matt a sideways glance that I didn't see. Matt's jaw dropped to the floor. He grabbed Jeff's arm and pulled him towards him.
"You do have a crush on her, don't you?" Matt whispered. Jeff nodded his head and looked towards me to make sure I wasn't listening.
"Bro, don't tell her. I don't want her or anyone else to know. I don't want to ruin our friendship. You understand don't you?" Jeff whispered so quietly, Matt could barely hear him. Matt nodded and slapped Jeff's shoulder understandingly. "How did your conversation with Shane go?" I asked still clutching my side.
"Fine. I heard you two were getting alone pretty well," Matt answered sitting on a bench.
"Yeah. He seems like so much fun. I can't wait to meet him."
"We'll be in North Carolina in two weeks, so you'll get to meet him then. He's really anxious to meet you too," Matt said
"He just better not try anything," Jeff muttered.
"What'd you say?" I asked.
"Nothing. Just thinking about my match."
"Oh, I see. Oh Matt, I gave Jessy your cell number. I hope that's okay. It's just so she can call me when she needs to," I explained.
"That's fine. I don't mind one bit. I'm glad you called her."
Matt and Jeff began to get ready for the nite as did the other guys sharing the room. I, of course, got moved to the Diva's locker room, which I really didn't mind. Trish, Nora, and I talked girl talk while they go ready. I was starting to get excited for my first nite as a photographer. I looked over the camera, making sure that I remembered all the things I had learned. I walked out to the ring and stood with the other photographers and cameramen. By the end of the nite I had used up half of the rolls of film I was given. I thought I had taken some really good pictures of the matches and of the new GM, Eric Bischoff. Trish, Matt, Jeff, and I did our normal thing after the show, which consisted of us going out to Dennys.
The week past and Friday finally came. It was time for me to send Vince the rolls of film I used and I used all 10. I wanted to make sure I had taken enough. I sent them out hoping for good news on Saturday. When Saturday came I waited by the phone in the hotel room I shared with Trish while everyone else went out shopping. I didn't want to miss the phone call and possibly miss my chance at this job. Every time the phone rang I jumped on it instantly and each time I had been let down. It was always Jeff or Matt calling to check up on me. They were becoming more and more like brothers each day and I loved it. Finally, around 3:00 I got the call that would change my life.
"Hello!?" I answered.
"Hello Casey, this is Vince. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing good. And you?"
"I'm doing well," he said. "Your trainers have told me you're progressing really well. You're a fast learner and should be able to go out there with them very soon."
"I really have been working hard. I'm really enjoying it too. It's a lot of fun."
"I'm sure it is. But before I give you a job as a valet for the Hardyz, I'm offering you another. I received your pictures a little while ago and after looking through them I have come to a decision. I would be very happy if you would be our new photographer."
"REALLY!!?? I would love to!"
"That's great. I'm offering you a job with RAW for the time being. You will be paid $100 for the televised shows and $50 for untelevised. That will be $200 on Monday nites. I hope that'll be good? You could be earning anywhere's up to $300 or more a week. Depending on the number of shows done," Vince explained.
"That's perfectly fine! Thank you so much!"
"You're very welcome. I want you to continue your training and work towards being a valet. I have faith you in you. I see you holding a belt someday."
"Thank you and I will certainly continue working for the valet position."
"I'm glad to hear that. I'm off to a meeting. I will talk to you soon. Goodbye Casey." We hung up and I immediately called Jeff's cell.
"I got the job!!!" I yelled as he answered.
"You did?! That's great! We'll have to go out and celebrate tonite!! I knew you could do it!" he exclaimed.
"Correction, WE knew you could do it!" Matt yelled.
"You got the job?!" Trish asked ripping the phone out of Jeff's hands.
"Yeah, I did!"
"That's so awesome!" she exclaimed.
"Hey, that's MY phone!" I heard Jeff say. I laughed at him.
"Fine, be a baby," I heard Trish say in the background.
"Now that the phone is back in the hands of its rightful owner. How does it feel to officially be an employee of the WWE?" he asked.
"It feels great. I'm so excited."
"Well, like I said, we're going to celebrate tonite. How about we sneak you into a club?" he asked. They had done it before so I knew they could do it again.
"That would be great. You know me, I'm always up for some dancing."
That nite, they got me into a local dance club. We had an awesome time, just dancing and celebrating. I was the happiest person in the world. Little did I know that my life was goin to change again and in the next couple of weeks.
"You must be Casey. Matt, Jeff, and Trish have told me so much about you. I know about your predicament. And I hope I can help you. Please, have a seat." I sat in a seat in front of a desk that was set up. On it was a laptop and his cell phone. He must have been working on something. "So, I hear you want to fill the position of a photographer."
"Yes, Mr. McMahon. That's what I would like to do, but I'll take anything you can give me."
"Please call me Vince. Well, what kind of a worker are you?"
"I'm dedicated, hard working, and can take orders very well. Please Vince, I know you know that I ran away from home. I have no money left. I really need this job."
"I understand. Jeff tells me you're very creative. He told me write?"
"Yes. I do. That's how I get my aggression out."
"Do you have some proof of your photography skills?" I nodded and handed him the pictures.
"Those were all taken with an auto-focus, 10-dollar camera. If I had had a better camera the pictures would have come out much better."
"These are very good for amateur pictures. I think I may have a job for you. I will give you the photographer position, but I'll have to put you on a trial basis for a week. Starting tonight. I'll pay you 20- dollars a night for the trial week. You'll be given a camera and plenty of film. Take as many pictures you want or feel the need to. The camera will not be an auto-focus. It's a professional camera. I'll have someone teach you to run it. The more pictures you take the better chance that'll you'll have good ones. I have a lot of faith in you. I'll need these pictures sent to me Friday nite by express mail. So I can have them Saturday. Is that alright?"
"That's great. Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. I wont let you down!" I shook his hand and stood.
"I'm sure you wont. I look forward to seeing the work you can produce with a professional camera. Go down to the ring and there will be someone there to teach you how to use the camera." I left the room smiling and full of excitement. I walked towards the ring and saw a man sitting on steel steps. I walked up to him and he looked up at me. He looked to be in his 30's with straight brown hair. He was skinny and rather short. Only a few inches taller than me. He handed me a camera and I looked at it strangely. It was big and had a long lens on it.
"I'm Mark. Have you ever worked a camera like this before?"
"I'm Casey and no I haven't. But I'm a fast learner." He smiled and began to show me how to work it. It wasn't as complicated at I thought it would be.
After two hours of learning how to use it, I was sure I would be able to produce some good pictures. He handed me a press pass and bag of film. He shook my hand and wished me good luck. I put the camera strap around my neck and walked towards the Diva locker room. Trish and Nora were in there with Marc Lomonica and Matt Hyson playing cards. They looked at me and smiled.
"You got the job?!" Nora asked excitedly.
"Yes and no. I'm on a trial basis. If I produce good enough pictures this week then I get the job. Right now I'm getting paid 20 bucks a nite because it's only a trial period. I never discussed how much I would get if I got the job." I took the camera off and placed it on the bench with the film and sat next to it.
"I'm sure you'll do fine. You'll definitely get that job," Marc said reaching for a card off the deck. They seemed to be playing crazy eights. There was a knock on the door and I answered it.
"I have a delivery for Casey Piniarski from Vince McMahon."
"That would be me." He handed me a black t-shirt that said 'Get the F out' on the back and had WWE on the front. He also handed me a fanny pack with an envelope in it. I closed the door and sat back down. I opened the envelope and read the note that was in there.
'Casey, I wanted to wish you luck again tonight. Here is a fanny pack to put all the film in for easy access. The shirt you can keep whether you get the job or not. You will only be working RAW shows this week. That means you'll only have tonite and Wednesday nite. I hope that gives you enough time. Just remember to have fun no matter what! Sincerely, Vince McMahon
"Well that was nice of him. The worst part is I only have two nites to get good pictures." "You can do it. We have faith in you," Matt said. I smiled and him and slipped the shirt over my head. I pulled my other shirt off underneath it and looked at myself in the mirror. "See, that shirt fits perfectly. You were meant to wear it. It's fate!"
"Thanks. I just hope you're right. Are Jeff and Matt here yet? I wanted to tell them my news," I said walking towards the door.
"Matt, probably, but you've known Jeff long enough to know your answer," Trish smiled.
"Very true. That boy will never be on time for anything."
"Oh, like you're much better. Who was late to dinner the other nite?" Trish asked.
"I had a damn good reason to be late."
"And what was that reason?" Trish asked.
"I stopped to talk to the cute bell hop." Matt and Marc laughed at me as Nora chuckled a bit.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Trish said.
"I don't have to take this. I'm gonna go find the Hardyz!" I walked out the door and could still hear the snickering from the others. Can I help it if I saw a cute guy? No, I can't! I walked down the hall in search for any sign that the guys were there. I heard Pearl Jam coming from one room and knew immediately that was theirs. I knocked on the door and Matt answered.
"Case, hey! How'd it go?" He moved to let me in and I saw Rob and Booker sitting on a bench.
"Good. I'm on a trial period, but it sounds promising. I get to keep the shirt no matter what. Cool, huh?" He chuckled as I sat on a bench.
"Well, congratulations. I know you'll do an awesome job." He hugged me and sat down next to me.
"Thanks. I hope you're right. I really do wanna get this job."
"If ya don't, maybe Jeff and I can make you our valet." His smiled turned into a sly one as Jeff walked through the door.
"Late again, I see," I said as he threw his bags down. He snapped his head at me and smiled.
"And who was the one that just had to be late to dinner so she could talk to some guy? It certainly wasn't me!"
"Can I help it if cute bell hops work at certain hotels?!" I laughed and Jeff gave me a hug.
"I see congratulations are in order!" He examined my shirt.
"Not yet. I'm on a trial period." He nodded and walked over to Rob and Booker.
"I was just telling Case that we were thinking of using her as our valet until Amy comes back," Matt said trying to get Jeff's attention. He just seemed to ignore his older brother. Matt shook his head. "Would you ever want to be a valet?"
"Yeah, that would be cool. But wouldn't I need some training first?"
"Yeah, but we already know you can kick ass. You kick Jeff's anytime he makes a wise crack. I know you could beat just about everyone," he said smiling to himself.
"Just about everyone?" I questioned.
"Yeah, everyone, but me."
"Oh, no ego there!" I laughed as he playfully punched my arm.
"I'm serious though. I think you could be good as our valet. We were thinking of maybe teaching you some moves anyways. You did say you were thinking of a career in wrestling."
"Really? You both would want to train me?" Jeff turned towards me and smiled.
"Yeah, we'd love to. I mean, you would get hurt of course and would have to sign some sort of waiver. Trish and Nora offered to help too," Jeff explained.
"We'll help too. Or at least I will. I could teach you the frog splash," Rob said in a triumphant tone.
"That would be great. Thanks guys. I would love to do that. So does that mean I have to go back to Vince to get the waiver?" Jeff pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and waved it in my face.
"I knew you would say yes and already got it arranged. Just sign on the dotted line and we can start right away." Jeff smiled handing me the paper and a pen.
"How'd you know I would say yes?" I asked. "I know you too well."
"Jeff, you only think you know me well. You've only known me for a couple weeks."
"Yes, but who have you spent everyday with those couple of weeks?"
"You, Matt, and Trish."
"Right, and who have you spent the most time with? Going to movies and dinner and things like that?"
"You, Jeff, you." I had been defeated. He was completely right. He really did know me. He was my best friend.
"Thank you. Now that I have proved my point, sign the paper." I signed it and handed it back to him. "I'll go take this to Vince. We should start tomorrow."
Jeff walked out the door smiling. I went back to the Diva's locker room to prepare myself for the night. I loaded the camera with film and packed the rest of the film in the fanny pack. I had played a round of crazy eights with Trish, Nora, Matt, and Marc before I went back to the guy's locker room. Jeff was in there psyching himself up for his match with the Dudleys against Eddie Gerrero, Chris Benoit, and William Regal by listening to Marilyn Manson on his walk man. Matt was reading a magazine as Pearl Jam blared from the small speakers of a boom box.
"Matt, I think I want to call Jessy." He looked up at me shocked as Jeff removed his headphones.
"Are you sure? I mean I think it's a great idea, but you've never talked about calling her before," he said as Jeff started listening to the conversation.
"Yeah, I know, but I miss her. I need to talk to her. I want to know how she and her boyfriend are doing. Can I use your cell phone?" He smiled at me and handed me his phone Jeff stood and grabbed Matt's arm pulling him towards the door.
"We're gonna see what Trish is doing. We'll be back in about a half hour." Jeff led Matt out the door, leaving me with the privacy I would need. I dialed her number and she answered after a couple rings.
"Hello?" she said. I sat in silence. "Hello?"
"Hi Jessy," I finally managed to say.
"Case!!!? Oh my God! Are you alright? Where are? Why'd you leave?!" She began spilling out questions so fast it made me laugh. That was Jessy, the motor mouth. Whenever she got excited she would always speed up her speech and I would always tease her. It was comforting to hear that she hadn't changed. Finally she stopped and I could hear a male voice in the background. It was her wonderful boyfriend Jesse. It was good to hear his voice as well. I missed having in depth conversations with him. He was a really good guy and the only boyfriend of hers that I really liked. "Casey, we miss you."
"I miss you guys too. But I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'm safe, healthy, and very happy. In fact, I don't think I could be happier."
"You're parents are really worried about you. They called me right away. I don't understand why you left."
"The main reason WAS my parents. I really do miss you guys. All of you!" I paused to hear her sniffling. She must have started to cry. "Jessy, don't cry. You'll make me cry!"
"I'm sorry. It's just so weird without you. There's no more smart- ass remarks to make me laugh, no more talking about me and Jesse, no more conversations that only we understand. I miss our conversations that we use to have in the middle of the night about nothing. Whenever I get upset, who's gonna be there to pick up the pieces and help me put them together again? You use to do that for me. Now there's nobody."
"Jessy, I'll always be there for you. Even if I'm not really there."
"Case, how is that goin to work? Where are you? When are you coming back?"
"I can't tell you where I am. And I don't think I'm ever coming back. God, I wish I could make this better."
"You can Case, come home!" I heard Jesse say on the other phone. I laughed. I didn't know anyone would miss me this much.
"Hey Jesse. I can't come home. I'm too happy here. I've made so many friends where I am."
"So, your just gonna leave all of us behind?" he asked. He sounded rather upset. It was a tone that I had heard many times before. He always came to me when he was upset about him and Jessy. I was the problem solver. Kind of like their psychiatrist. I did miss that job.
"NO!!! I would never leave you guys behind. You're always on my mind! That's why I had to call you, Jess. I had to talk to you."
"Yeah, but after you get off the phone with me this time, I'll probably never hear from you again." Jessy's sobs became harder and louder. I had never heard her cry like this before. It hurt to know that I hurt her like this. I was just glad that Jesse was there to comfort her.
"I promise this will not be the last time I talk to you! In fact, why don't I give you this phone number? It's a cell phone and it doesn't belong to me. I just know he won't mind me giving you the number. Call me whenever you need me. Either one of you! I'll definitely call you again, you can count on that." I gave them Matt cell number hoping that I'd be right and he wouldn't mind me giving it out. "Like I said, this isn't my phone, so if some guy answers, don't worry, he's a close friend. I'm in safe hands here. I really am."
"Casey, I'm really glad you called. I was really worried about you. I've had bad dreams about you and everything."
"Well, I'd better go. I have some things to do. I'll call you soon, or you can call me, whatever! Oh, watch TNN tonight at 9:00. I think you'll be surprised. And please don't tell my parents. Promise me you won't tell them?"
"Yeah, we promise. Bye Case!"
"Lata Jess and Jesse!" We hung up and I sighed. It had gone better than I thought. I just hoped they wouldn't go telling everyone that I was working for the WWE. I was bound to be caught on tv at some point. Hopefully, they would recognize me. I mean, it wasn't like I had changed since they had last seen me. I had started to put the phone on the bench when it rang. It jumped and I wasn't sure what to do. Then I thought that it might be Amy so I answered it. "Hello?"
"Okay, I know this isn't Amy. And I sure as hell hope this isn't Matt!" a man with strong southern accent said. It was a sweet sound, sweeter than Jeff's or Matt's.
"Nope, not Amy and it's not Matt. At least it wasn't the last time I checked!" I heard him laugh and I continued. "I'm guessing you were trying for Matt."
"Good guess. What are you, some kind of rocket scientist?"
"If I was, I wouldn't be here answering his phone like some sort of secretary. I'd have my own secretary do it!" He laughed again.
"I'm Shane. You must be Casey. Matt's told me a lot about you. Right down to the wise remarks."
"Shane? As in Shane Helms!?" I began to get excited. He was one of my favorite wrestlers. I was completely in love with him. He was right up there with Jeff.
"The very one. Why? Is that a bad thing?"
"Hell no! I'm a big fan! Been one since November. It's nice to meet you. Well, kind of."
"Yeah, you too. Is Matt around?"
"Ummmm...he's in the Diva's locker room the last I knew. He should be back any minute now. Do you want me to give him a message?"
"No, actually, I'll just keep talking to you until he comes back. If you want to talk to a loser like me."
"Well, I did have other plans...but I suppose I could push them to the side for you." I was, of course, being sarcastic and again he seemed to find it funny.
"Well, I'm glad you could spare some time to talk to poor little old me," he retorted.
That began my friendship with Shane. He was very funny and our personalities seemed to just mesh together. I had read his journal entries on his website and had fallen in love with him. Well, as much in love as I could be since I didn't really know him. He was exactly who I thought he would be. About 10 minutes into our conversation, Matt and Jeff had walked in on me laughing hysterically.
"Oh my God! Shane, you're friend is here! I had an awesome time talking to you," I said trying to compose myself.
"It was good talking to you too. We should get together some time. I think we could have a blast."
"Yeah, or you could kill me. You don't even understand how bad my stomach hurts from laughing."
"I think I have a pretty good idea since mines hurting pretty damn bad!" Matt grabbed the phone out of my hand before I had the chance to reply and walked out the door.
"Well that was a little rude!" I yelled after him.
"I thought you were gonna talk to Jessy," Jeff said sitting where he had last sat.
"I did. Good conversation. I have to talk to Matt about it. I gave her and Jesse his cell number to call me whenever they wanted. I just need to make him aware of that."
"You gave out Matt's number? They're not some psycho people are they?
"They're friends of mine!" "I repeat, they're not psycho are they?" he smiled.
"What are you trying to say?" His smile grew into a mischievous one.
"I'm saying, that if your psycho, your friends must be too." I glared at him. I lunged at him playfully and we started wrestling around on the locker room floor. He had me pinned to the floor and began tickling me. When he couldn't find my ticklish spot he looked at me strangely. "Alright, where is it? You have to have a ticklish spot. Everyone does."
"I'm not telling," I said in a snobbish tone. He tried looking for it again. He looked at my feet and began taking off my shoes. I looked at him pleadingly and he smiled devilishly. I crunched up my feet as best I could as he laughed. "Okay, I give. You win!!"
"What was that?! Hmmm..I didn't quite hear you! Could your feet be your ticklish spot?! Why I do believe they are!" He went right for my feet I tried to move but he was too heavy and I couldn't budge. It was horrible. I couldn't stop laughing. My stomach was hurting so bad and tears had started to roll down my cheek. I was screaming for him to stop, but he just kept going ignoring my pleas. Matt opened the door and stared at us. We didn't notice he was there until he spoke.
"If I knew you guys would go at it while I was gone I wouldn't have left. Okay, this is disgusting! Would you guys cut this out? I'm going to have to burn my eyes out of my head!" Matt teased. Jeff stopped and looked at him. He quickly stood up and helped me to my, now bare, feet. I continued to laugh and grabbed my stomach with each laugh.
"We weren't doing anything. I swear, bro. We were just horsing around. Completely innocent!" Jeff pleaded his case. Matt laughed at him.
"I know what you were doing. Gees, I can see. I just wished I hadn't seen that! Man, I'm gonna have nightmares!" Matt continued to tease us. I took it as it was meant to be taken, as a joke. Jeff seemed to take it seriously and stepped as far away from me as he could get. "Bro, I was just joking. If I didn't know any better I'd say you had a crush on Case."
Jeff gave Matt a sideways glance that I didn't see. Matt's jaw dropped to the floor. He grabbed Jeff's arm and pulled him towards him.
"You do have a crush on her, don't you?" Matt whispered. Jeff nodded his head and looked towards me to make sure I wasn't listening.
"Bro, don't tell her. I don't want her or anyone else to know. I don't want to ruin our friendship. You understand don't you?" Jeff whispered so quietly, Matt could barely hear him. Matt nodded and slapped Jeff's shoulder understandingly. "How did your conversation with Shane go?" I asked still clutching my side.
"Fine. I heard you two were getting alone pretty well," Matt answered sitting on a bench.
"Yeah. He seems like so much fun. I can't wait to meet him."
"We'll be in North Carolina in two weeks, so you'll get to meet him then. He's really anxious to meet you too," Matt said
"He just better not try anything," Jeff muttered.
"What'd you say?" I asked.
"Nothing. Just thinking about my match."
"Oh, I see. Oh Matt, I gave Jessy your cell number. I hope that's okay. It's just so she can call me when she needs to," I explained.
"That's fine. I don't mind one bit. I'm glad you called her."
Matt and Jeff began to get ready for the nite as did the other guys sharing the room. I, of course, got moved to the Diva's locker room, which I really didn't mind. Trish, Nora, and I talked girl talk while they go ready. I was starting to get excited for my first nite as a photographer. I looked over the camera, making sure that I remembered all the things I had learned. I walked out to the ring and stood with the other photographers and cameramen. By the end of the nite I had used up half of the rolls of film I was given. I thought I had taken some really good pictures of the matches and of the new GM, Eric Bischoff. Trish, Matt, Jeff, and I did our normal thing after the show, which consisted of us going out to Dennys.
The week past and Friday finally came. It was time for me to send Vince the rolls of film I used and I used all 10. I wanted to make sure I had taken enough. I sent them out hoping for good news on Saturday. When Saturday came I waited by the phone in the hotel room I shared with Trish while everyone else went out shopping. I didn't want to miss the phone call and possibly miss my chance at this job. Every time the phone rang I jumped on it instantly and each time I had been let down. It was always Jeff or Matt calling to check up on me. They were becoming more and more like brothers each day and I loved it. Finally, around 3:00 I got the call that would change my life.
"Hello!?" I answered.
"Hello Casey, this is Vince. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing good. And you?"
"I'm doing well," he said. "Your trainers have told me you're progressing really well. You're a fast learner and should be able to go out there with them very soon."
"I really have been working hard. I'm really enjoying it too. It's a lot of fun."
"I'm sure it is. But before I give you a job as a valet for the Hardyz, I'm offering you another. I received your pictures a little while ago and after looking through them I have come to a decision. I would be very happy if you would be our new photographer."
"REALLY!!?? I would love to!"
"That's great. I'm offering you a job with RAW for the time being. You will be paid $100 for the televised shows and $50 for untelevised. That will be $200 on Monday nites. I hope that'll be good? You could be earning anywhere's up to $300 or more a week. Depending on the number of shows done," Vince explained.
"That's perfectly fine! Thank you so much!"
"You're very welcome. I want you to continue your training and work towards being a valet. I have faith you in you. I see you holding a belt someday."
"Thank you and I will certainly continue working for the valet position."
"I'm glad to hear that. I'm off to a meeting. I will talk to you soon. Goodbye Casey." We hung up and I immediately called Jeff's cell.
"I got the job!!!" I yelled as he answered.
"You did?! That's great! We'll have to go out and celebrate tonite!! I knew you could do it!" he exclaimed.
"Correction, WE knew you could do it!" Matt yelled.
"You got the job?!" Trish asked ripping the phone out of Jeff's hands.
"Yeah, I did!"
"That's so awesome!" she exclaimed.
"Hey, that's MY phone!" I heard Jeff say. I laughed at him.
"Fine, be a baby," I heard Trish say in the background.
"Now that the phone is back in the hands of its rightful owner. How does it feel to officially be an employee of the WWE?" he asked.
"It feels great. I'm so excited."
"Well, like I said, we're going to celebrate tonite. How about we sneak you into a club?" he asked. They had done it before so I knew they could do it again.
"That would be great. You know me, I'm always up for some dancing."
That nite, they got me into a local dance club. We had an awesome time, just dancing and celebrating. I was the happiest person in the world. Little did I know that my life was goin to change again and in the next couple of weeks.