"Andrew, it's not that I don't think you're a good wrestler, because
I do. In fact I was a fan of yours in the past. It's just that I don't
like the whole un-americans gimmick," I said sitting next to him in the
arena watching some of the other wrestlers practice and go over lines.
"So, you don't like my character, Test, because you don't like the un- americans."
"Right...well, I mean, if you happen to be up against someone I don't like I'm gonna cheer for you. But other than that, I'd rather see you lose." I smiled as he took a sip of soda.
"Do you think the un-americans are hated by most people?"
"Oh hell yeah! But that's what's supposed to happen. You guys aren't meant to be liked. I guess in all that's been happening, it's a good gimmick in a way. I don't know, I'd rather not see it but I can't do anything about it." I stood up and walked down the isle to the ring when I saw Mark Callaway walking beside the ramp. "Mark!!"
"Hey darlin," he said as I jumped into his large arms. He kissed my cheek and looked at me. "How are you doing?"
"I'm excellent! I can't wait for tonite. I actually get to hit someone!" I smiled as he started to laugh.
"I understand that." We walked to the ring and leaned against the apron. "I heard you went on a date with Shane Helms."
"Yes, I did. And I had a wonderful time!" He shook his head in a disapproving way.
"You have to be careful dating some of these young men. You're a young girl and I don't want to see you getting hurt. Some of these guys will do anything and everything to get near a girl," he said in a fatherly tone. I rolled my eyes and started walking towards the ramp.
"Thanks, DAD! I'll keep that in mind," I said walking towards the back stage area.
"I'm serious Casey!" he yelled after me. I sighed and walked into the Diva's locker room.
"I just got a lecture from Mark about who I date," I said a bit annoyed.
"He does love you! You're like his daughter. I think it's very sweet," Trish said from behind a changing screen.
"I'm glad someone thinks it's so sweet!" I sat on the bench and pulled out my black jeans, black sneakers, and a black ripped tank top.
"You should be glad you've got someone like Mark looking out for you. No one's gonna wanna screw around with you if the Undertaker is there to back you up!" she said.
"I have to agree with Trish, Case. It is really sweet. Who's gonna break your heart if you've got him sticking up for you? They'd all be too damn scared!" Nora said. I rolled my eyes as I looked for my knee-high armbands.
"Ya know, I'm really getting sick of Jeff stealing my stuff. He took one of my bandanas yesterday and now he's taken my newly made blue armbands. He's gonna get his ass kicked by me one of these days," I yelled as I threw my stuff on the bench. I stood up and walked out the door. I walked across the hall to Jeff's locker room and walked right in to find Jeff and Jay stretching on the floor.
"You know, you've got in to the bad habit of not knocking before you wake into our locker room," Jeff said looking up at me.
"Hey, you do the same thing to me! Anyways, I want my armbands back." I held my hand out as he stood.
"Why? You're just gonna wear a long sleeved shirt anyways!"
"Jeff, give them back to me. I decided to wear my ripped black tank top." I put my hands on my hips and stood there waiting for him to get them for me.
"Fine! I'll give them to you," he said digging through his bag. He threw them at me and I smiled sweetly before leaving.
"Dude, ya know, she's gonna kick your ass one of these days!" Jay said sitting on one of the metal chairs. He nodded in agreement and continued his stretching.
I stood behind the curtain with Matt and Jeff waiting for their music to go off. I tightened my ponytail and sighed deeply. Their music went off and we walked out there. Matt and Jeff bounced along to the music as I stood back with a straight face just barely bobbing along to the beat. They grabbed my hands and we walked down to the ring. I stood to the side as the match started. I cheered on Matt and Jeff as I watched one of the best tag teams, in my mind, do their thing. I watched as we were getting the win and Christian grabbed the tag team championship belt and used it for a weapon. Then, Test ran down the ramp. I jumped in front of him before he could get to the ring. He tightly grabbed my arms and pulled me into him. Before I knew it, his lips were pulling away from mine and the Undertaker was running down the ramp with a chain in his hands. I stood at the bottom of the ramp confused and shocked as Taker pulled his arm back and swung at Test, hitting me in the head. I stumbled backwards into the apron and slid down to the floor. Taker chased Test, Lance, and Christian out while Jeff and Matt slid out of the ring. Jeff crouched down next to me as I blinked and shook my head, trying to get the pain to go away. I grabbed my head and cringed as Jeff picked me up in his arms. He carried me up the ramp and through the curtain. He set me down on the floor as Trish, Marc Lomonica, Matt Hyson, Matt, and Rob huddled around me.
"Casey, are you okay?" Jeff asked softly. I looked up at him as he crouched in front of me. He took my hands and looked into my eyes.
"Jeff, my head hurts so bad," I answered as Mark, Andrew, Jay, and Lance ran up to us.
"I'm so sorry darlin! Andrew wasn't in the right spot and I didn't realize you were still standing there," Mark said kneeling next to me. He put his arm around me and I put my head on his shoulder.
"Case, how's your vision?" Matt asked.
"It was blurry at first, but it's fine now. I just have a massive headache."
"Are you alright to stand?" Trish asked. "We should take you to first aid."
"I'm fine..I really don't need to see first aid," I said as they gave me room to stand. Once on my feet I stumbled forward into Jeff's arms.
"No, you're definitely going to get checked out," Mark said. Jeff wrapped his arms around me supportingly. We walked down to first aid and a man checked me. I was completely fine; it was just a bumped to the head, nothing serious. I went to the hotel with Jeff, Matt, and Trish and went right sleep.
I opened my eyes to the bright sunlight shining in the hotel window. I sat up and took in a deep breath. Trish was sitting on her bed talking on the phone and looked over at me.
"Oh, mom. I'll call you back later!" She hung up and walked over to my bed. "How are you doing?"
"Fine. I still have a headache, but hey, I woke up didn't I?" I smiled and she patted my shoulder. "Do you know Andrew's room number?"
"Yeah, it's 315. Why?"
"Do you think he's still here?"
She nodded and looked at me confused. "What's goin on?"
"I have some things I need to discuss with Mr. Marin!" I stood up and walked to the bathroom carrying a pair of cargos and an Angel muscle tank. I grabbed my room key and headed off to Andrew's room. I knocked on his door and waited for him to answer.
"Casey! How are you doing?" He asked opening the door. I pulled my hand back and slapped his face. He quickly reached up to his cheek and looked at me. "What the hell was that for?!"
"What the hell did you think you were doing last nite?! There was NO reason for you to kiss me!" I screamed as he pulled me inside.
"I just thought I'd like ad-lib. What's the problem with that? It goes along with my personality anyways. I mean I am God's gift to women, you should have enjoyed it!" he said with that smirk of his on his face. My eyes bugged out of my head as my jaw dropped.
"EXCUSE ME?! That's a load of shit! You are such an asshole!" I yelled as I stormed off towards the door.
"I was joking! You know I don't really think that way!" He grabbed my arm tightly as I stopped in my tracks.
"There was no reason for that kiss!!! If you hadn't kissed me, I wouldn't have gotten hit on the head! Now because of you I have a huge bump on the side of my head!" I ripped my arm out of his grip and continued to the door.
"Look, I'm sorry about that! I didn't think you would continue to stand there! I thought you would see Mark and move out of the way, but you didn't so you can't blame it all on me!" he yelled. I stopped abruptly and turned to face him. You would think someone like me who is about 5'5" and weighs about 140 lbs would be scared to death to confront someone who not only out weighs me by more than 100 lbs, but who also towers over me at 6'6". Well, he just pissed me off too much to be afraid.
"Well, if you hadn't of planted that kiss on me, I wouldn't have been so shocked and surprised and I would have moved!" I yelled back and slammed the door behind me. I stormed off back to my room passing Rob, Scott, and Jay on my way there.
"I truly hate that man!!" I yelled as I flopped down on my bed. Trish looked at me and smiled.
"Andrew?"
"Yeah! Dude, is so totally egotistical! He just pisses me off. He had the nerve to tell me that he's God's gift to women!" I sat up and looked at her as she laughed.
"He's not really like that! You know he's not. Okay, so sometimes the Test comes out in full force, but usually he's the sweet, kind, huggable Andrew."
"God! I still can't believe he kissed me!" I laid back as my cell rang. Trish threw it at me and I answered it. "Hello."
"Hi Casey. This is Mindy, Vince's secretary. I wanted to tell you that everything is set for Seattle."
"Great! I'm so glad to hear that."
"And Vince has arranged for you to have a try-out match with Trish tomorrow. I've already spoken to Trish about all this, so you don't have to worry about anything. If all goes well you'll be having matches this weekend in Canada and maybe even have a dark match on Monday nite in Indiana. We'll be giving you more parts and everything!"
"Are you serious?! Oh my God!! That's awesome! Thank you so much!" I said smiling.
"Don't thank me, you'll have to thank Vince tomorrow nite. Oh there's one more thing, there has been this women calling here for you. We're not able to give out any information about you so she keeps calling hoping things will change. She says she's your sister."
"My sister? Did you get her name?" My smile faded.
"Yeah, it's Melanie Piskun."
"Um..did...did you happen to get her phone number?" I asked reaching for a piece of hotel stationary and a pen.
"Yeah, is everything okay?"
"Yeah, can you give me the number please?" I wrote down the number and sighed. I hung up and looked over at Trish who had a look of worry on her face.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
"Um...I don't know..I'll tell you in a few minutes." I dialed the number and waited for an answer.
"Hello?" a male voice said. I took in a deep breath.
"Hi. Is Mel there?" I asked.
"Yes she is. Hold on a minute please." I heard him set the phone down. "Whoa, Casey?"
"Yeah. It's me," I said. "Can I speak to Mel please, Matt?"
"Yeah, of course!" he said as the phone was set down again. A few minutes later I heard it picked up again.
"Hello?" This time it was my sister's soft quiet voice.
"Hi, Mel," I said calmly.
"CASEY!!!" she yelled. "I'm so glad to hear from you! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me."
"Where are you?"
"Right now I'm in Maryland. Why did you call the WWE about me?"
"I thought I saw you a couple weeks ago standing beside the ring taking pictures. Then I saw you come out with Jeff Hardy as Mystic Angel and I wasn't quite sure if it was you, so I called asking who Mystic Angel was. Unfortunately they wouldn't tell me. So I told them I was you sister. Obviously they didn't believe that. Why didn't you tell me how miserable you were at home? You know I would have told you to come live with me."
"I didn't tell anyone. No one knew. I just left. I had to."
"Well, why don't you come live with me?"
"I can't, Mel. I'm so happy here. I'm in excellent hands. I don't want to be anyplace else right now. Plus it that would mean having to see Mom again and I can't do that!"
"I guess I understand. But why the WWE?" I chuckled as I explained to her what happened and how I'm getting a try-out match. "Shane Helms? The Hurricane?"
"Yeah, the Hurricane."
"I'm glad you're happy. Well since you'll be here tomorrow nite, why don't you come stay with us?"
"Yeah, I guess I could do that. I'll be there sometime tonite. Can you give me directions?" She had Matt give me the directions to their apartment that was only a little bit away from where the WWE headquarters is located. I got off the phone with her and sighed. I looked over at Trish who still had that worried look on her face. "How would you like to stay at an apartment instead of going to another hotel for the nite?"
"That would be good, but what's goin on?" she asked as the look started to fade into one of confusion. I explained to her what the phone call was all about, but the confused look stayed. I guess it was just something that only I could truly understand.
"So, I guess being in the WWE isn't doing me any good when it comes to trying to hide out!" I laughed. She let out a small laugh.
"Oh my God! I almost forgot to tell you! I'm going home on Wednesday nite after the try-out match and I want you to come with me. My parents really want to meet you. So, what ya say?" she asked excitedly.
"Yeah! I'd love to. Thanks a lot Trish!" I gave her a hug and she smiled excitedly. I stood and walked to the door. I grabbed my room key and left for Jeff and Matt's room. I knocked on the door and after a few minutes of just standing there, Matt finally answered.
"Case! How ya doin babe?" he asked wrapping his arms around me in a hug.
"I'm fine, except for this headache, but it'll go away." He took my hand and pulled me into the room that was cluttered with dirty clothes. "Did a tornado go through here?"
"Yeah, and it's called Jeff." Matt nodded his head towards Jeff as he came out of the bathroom. He walked over to me and rung out his wet hair on me then hugged me.
"Yeah, I really appreciate the shower," I said sarcastically.
"I thought you would. So, what's up?" Jeff asked brushing his hair.
"Well, first, I'm getting a try-match against Trish tomorrow. Second, I'm going home with her. Third, I just talked to my sister." Matt raised his eyebrows as Jeff dropped his brush. "Don't worry about me. Everything is perfectly fine. Trish and I are staying at her apartment tonite."
"So, you're not coming home with us?" Jeff asked upset.
"Nope, not this time."
"A try-out match? That's great! We'll come with you two," Matt said.
"You don't have to. I'm sure I'll be fine."
"We know we don't have to. We want to! We want to be there when you get that wrestling contract. I'll be cheering for you!" Matt said.
"Thanks guys. I owe you big time!"
"Getting that wrestling contract is enough payment for us!" Jeff said smiling. I returned the smile and left for my room. Trish and I packed and climbed into the rental car for our trip to Connecticut.
I gave Matt the directions to Mel's apartment as he drove. After a couple wrong turns we found the place. We grabbed our gear and went up to her apartment. I took a deep breath as I knocked on the door. I looked around me at the others as the door started to open. In front of me stood Melanie with open arms. When we finally broke apart I looked over her shoulder and saw Matt standing there. I walked past her and hugged him as well. I sighed and looked back at the door as they smiled at me.
"Mel, Matt, this is Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, and Trish Stratigais. My family," I smiled as I grabbed Trish and Jeff's hands. Matty (A/N: for the sake of my confusion I have decided to refer to Matt Hardy as Matty whenever there's another Matt present. I just can't handle that confusion!!) held his out and shook Matt's.
"It's nice to meet you all. Come on in," Mel said as they walked through the door. We followed Mel and Matt to the living room and sat on the couch. "Case, I'm so happy to see you."
"Me too. How are you doing?" I asked nodding to her stomach. She was now almost 8 months along in her pregnancy.
"Great! We're doing fine. Not much longer," she answered with a smile. "You look great. I can't believe you have blue streaks."
"I know. It took me a while to get used to it. Of course it took longer for me to talk Jeff into dyeing it for me," I laughed.
"This is all amazing to me that you're in the WWE," Matt said. "Ritchie was the one to notice you. He called me and told me to turn on RAW because he thought he recognized you as a photographer."
"Really? Huh. Well, I am a photographer right now. Hopefully a wrestler soon."
"You will be," Jeff said. I smiled at him as he put his hand on my leg.
"Where are you staying?" Matt asked.
"Well, Jeff and I have a hotel room and the girls are staying here from what I understand," Matt replied. "We have enough room if you all want to stay here," Mel said.
"We don't want to be a burden," Matty said.
"You want be. Well just set up the air mattress and get some extra blankets and pillows. The mattress can sleep two, then someone on the couch, and someone on the floor," Mel said.
"Great. Thanks," Jeff said.
"Thanks for letting them stay. I don't go many places without my entourage," I said. They all nodded and laughed.
"I'm glad you're with such good people. I, we, were really worried about you. Kristi calls me almost everyday asking if I've heard from you. You should really call her," Mel said softly.
"Mel, to tell you the truth, I didn't even really wanna talk to you. But, I miss you too much and had to find out if you were all right. You have to promise me that you wont tell mom."
"Yeah, I promise. But you know she'll find out eventually. Word always gets around."
"I know, but for now, I don't want her to know. I'm not going home. Especially to her!"
"Can I at least tell Kristi?"
"As long as she doesn't tell mom, I don't care. I'll give you my cell number before we leave and you can give it to her."
"Alright. I'll do that. You have to promise me that you'll keep in touch with me."
"I promise. I mean, if I can come here like this now than there is no reason for me not to keep in touch," I said. Matt rose from the chair he was sitting in and grabbed the air mattress from the closet. Jeff helped him pump it up as Mel got blankets and pillows. I yawned and looked at Jeff who did the same.
"I guess we'll leave you guys to go to sleep. Goodnite," Matt said walking into his room. Mel soon followed. Trish laid on the couch as Matty slowly started to fall asleep on the bed he had made on the floor.
"I guess we get the bed," Jeff said pulling the blankets up to his head. I nodded as he wrapped his arms around me.
"I'm glad you guys were here with me for this," I whispered.
"I wouldn't dream of being anyplace else," Jeff whispered as he kissed my forehead. We shortly fell asleep.
We said goodbye to Mel and Matt and left for the gym. Once there I met up with Vince and went into the locker room. On one of the benches was a package wrapped in gift paper. On top were a blue bow and a card. "Trish, is this yours?" I yelled, but there was no response. "I guess I'm the only one in here. Hmm..I guess it wouldn't hurt for me to see what the card says."
I opened the card and began to read it out loud to myself. "Dear Case. We couldn't be happier about you being in our lives. You're part of the family, always will be. We're very proud of how far you have come in your training and know you'll go all the way today! Just remember that we're always there for you, no matter what. You don't have to runaway ever again! This is your home, with us. Please don't leave us ever! Love always, Jeff, Matt, Amy, and Trish."
A tear rolled down my cheek as I unwrapped the package. I took the lid off of the box and threw out the tissue paper. Inside were a pair of wrestling boots. They were the same pattern as the ones the Hardyz wear, but instead of white and black, they were a light blue and dark blue. I wiped the tears off my cheeks and pulled them on. I walked out of the locker room feeling more confident about myself than I had ever felt.
"I see you found the boots," Jeff said with open arms. He pulled me into them and squeezed me gently.
"They're great. Thank you! You don't know how much they mean to me." I pulled away and he combed his hand through my hair. He smiled sweetly as Matt run up behind me and threw his arms around my waist, picking me up into the air. "Thank you Matt!"
"Anytime!" He put me back on the floor and they walked out with me on either side. Trish was already in the ring while Vince sat in a metal chair. Jeff and Matt joined him and I slide into the ring.
The match started. It wasn't about winning; it was about showing your skills. Fortunately for me, I learned all the moves Jeff and Matt knew so I fought like a guy. Trish unfortunately wrestled like the typical WWE Diva. Maybe she wasn't trying her best. Maybe she was letting me win. Whatever it was, was working for me. Because 5 minutes later, I did my version of a phoenix splash called Halo's Twist and got the three count. I jumped up to hear Jeff and Matt whistling and yelling. I smiled and helped Trish to her feet. She hugged me as the guys jumped in the ring to congratulate me. Vince walked over to the apron clapping as I leaned over the ropes.
"Excellent job. You have some very good skills. And the phoenix splash was one of the best I've seen in a long time. Is that your finisher?" Vince asked shaking my hand.
"Yeah, I call it the Halo's Twist."
"Well, it definitely fits. I'm going to take this tape of the match and discuss it with some of my associates. But I have a very good feeling about this. Oh and by the way, nice boots," Vince said as he grabbed a tape out of a video camera. I laughed as he walked out the door.
"Well, I'm in the mood to work out!! Anyone want to join me?" I said excitedly. Trish moaned and shook her head.
"Girl, you've got too much energy. You killed me in here. I knew you were getting good, I just didn't realize how good!!" She climbed out of the ring and walked back to the locker rooms.
"Well, how about you two?" I asked jumping up and down.
"Go get changed and we'll meet you in the gym," Matt said. I jumped up and yelled out YES before I flipped over the ropes and skipped down the hall. I changed into a pair of button up pants and a short tank top. I took off my boots and carefully placed them into the box. I met Jeff and Matt in the hall and we walked down to the gym.
"When are you gonna get your belly button pierced?" Jeff asked patting my stomach.
"Um...probably never!" I said as I lifted a weight.
"You would look really awesome with one. I bet Shane would like it." He smiled and I rolled my eyes.
"And when did I start doing things because Shane liked it?"
"Fine, be difficult, but I'm telling ya that you'd look really good!"
"Whatever!"
We continued working out in the gym for another hour than changed. As I was brushing out my hair Trish ran in jumping with excitement.
"And what is your deal?" I asked.
"Vince is here and he looks very happy. He was asking for you too." She grabbed my arm and my stuff and pulled me out the door. I walked up to Vince and he shook my hand.
"I think I have some very good news." He smiled that cocky smile of his and handed me some papers. "I think we could use someone like you on the roster. I hope you'll join the WWE wrestling family."
"I would love to!! Thank you so much!" We walked over to a table and I started signing away my life on those papers. When the papers were all signed and checked over the celebration began.
Trish, Jeff, Matt and I went out to dinner and to a couple clubs. By 3:00 in the morning we were all partied out and crashed in a hotel room. Trish and I left the guys early in the morning and flew to Canada. When we landed Trish's parents were there waiting for us. They instantly accepted me into their home. The visit was short, but a good one. On Saturday, I met Jeff and Matt in the airport in Seattle as we waited for Jessy and Jesse to come in. I was still on my high from getting a WWE contract.
"So, you don't like my character, Test, because you don't like the un- americans."
"Right...well, I mean, if you happen to be up against someone I don't like I'm gonna cheer for you. But other than that, I'd rather see you lose." I smiled as he took a sip of soda.
"Do you think the un-americans are hated by most people?"
"Oh hell yeah! But that's what's supposed to happen. You guys aren't meant to be liked. I guess in all that's been happening, it's a good gimmick in a way. I don't know, I'd rather not see it but I can't do anything about it." I stood up and walked down the isle to the ring when I saw Mark Callaway walking beside the ramp. "Mark!!"
"Hey darlin," he said as I jumped into his large arms. He kissed my cheek and looked at me. "How are you doing?"
"I'm excellent! I can't wait for tonite. I actually get to hit someone!" I smiled as he started to laugh.
"I understand that." We walked to the ring and leaned against the apron. "I heard you went on a date with Shane Helms."
"Yes, I did. And I had a wonderful time!" He shook his head in a disapproving way.
"You have to be careful dating some of these young men. You're a young girl and I don't want to see you getting hurt. Some of these guys will do anything and everything to get near a girl," he said in a fatherly tone. I rolled my eyes and started walking towards the ramp.
"Thanks, DAD! I'll keep that in mind," I said walking towards the back stage area.
"I'm serious Casey!" he yelled after me. I sighed and walked into the Diva's locker room.
"I just got a lecture from Mark about who I date," I said a bit annoyed.
"He does love you! You're like his daughter. I think it's very sweet," Trish said from behind a changing screen.
"I'm glad someone thinks it's so sweet!" I sat on the bench and pulled out my black jeans, black sneakers, and a black ripped tank top.
"You should be glad you've got someone like Mark looking out for you. No one's gonna wanna screw around with you if the Undertaker is there to back you up!" she said.
"I have to agree with Trish, Case. It is really sweet. Who's gonna break your heart if you've got him sticking up for you? They'd all be too damn scared!" Nora said. I rolled my eyes as I looked for my knee-high armbands.
"Ya know, I'm really getting sick of Jeff stealing my stuff. He took one of my bandanas yesterday and now he's taken my newly made blue armbands. He's gonna get his ass kicked by me one of these days," I yelled as I threw my stuff on the bench. I stood up and walked out the door. I walked across the hall to Jeff's locker room and walked right in to find Jeff and Jay stretching on the floor.
"You know, you've got in to the bad habit of not knocking before you wake into our locker room," Jeff said looking up at me.
"Hey, you do the same thing to me! Anyways, I want my armbands back." I held my hand out as he stood.
"Why? You're just gonna wear a long sleeved shirt anyways!"
"Jeff, give them back to me. I decided to wear my ripped black tank top." I put my hands on my hips and stood there waiting for him to get them for me.
"Fine! I'll give them to you," he said digging through his bag. He threw them at me and I smiled sweetly before leaving.
"Dude, ya know, she's gonna kick your ass one of these days!" Jay said sitting on one of the metal chairs. He nodded in agreement and continued his stretching.
I stood behind the curtain with Matt and Jeff waiting for their music to go off. I tightened my ponytail and sighed deeply. Their music went off and we walked out there. Matt and Jeff bounced along to the music as I stood back with a straight face just barely bobbing along to the beat. They grabbed my hands and we walked down to the ring. I stood to the side as the match started. I cheered on Matt and Jeff as I watched one of the best tag teams, in my mind, do their thing. I watched as we were getting the win and Christian grabbed the tag team championship belt and used it for a weapon. Then, Test ran down the ramp. I jumped in front of him before he could get to the ring. He tightly grabbed my arms and pulled me into him. Before I knew it, his lips were pulling away from mine and the Undertaker was running down the ramp with a chain in his hands. I stood at the bottom of the ramp confused and shocked as Taker pulled his arm back and swung at Test, hitting me in the head. I stumbled backwards into the apron and slid down to the floor. Taker chased Test, Lance, and Christian out while Jeff and Matt slid out of the ring. Jeff crouched down next to me as I blinked and shook my head, trying to get the pain to go away. I grabbed my head and cringed as Jeff picked me up in his arms. He carried me up the ramp and through the curtain. He set me down on the floor as Trish, Marc Lomonica, Matt Hyson, Matt, and Rob huddled around me.
"Casey, are you okay?" Jeff asked softly. I looked up at him as he crouched in front of me. He took my hands and looked into my eyes.
"Jeff, my head hurts so bad," I answered as Mark, Andrew, Jay, and Lance ran up to us.
"I'm so sorry darlin! Andrew wasn't in the right spot and I didn't realize you were still standing there," Mark said kneeling next to me. He put his arm around me and I put my head on his shoulder.
"Case, how's your vision?" Matt asked.
"It was blurry at first, but it's fine now. I just have a massive headache."
"Are you alright to stand?" Trish asked. "We should take you to first aid."
"I'm fine..I really don't need to see first aid," I said as they gave me room to stand. Once on my feet I stumbled forward into Jeff's arms.
"No, you're definitely going to get checked out," Mark said. Jeff wrapped his arms around me supportingly. We walked down to first aid and a man checked me. I was completely fine; it was just a bumped to the head, nothing serious. I went to the hotel with Jeff, Matt, and Trish and went right sleep.
I opened my eyes to the bright sunlight shining in the hotel window. I sat up and took in a deep breath. Trish was sitting on her bed talking on the phone and looked over at me.
"Oh, mom. I'll call you back later!" She hung up and walked over to my bed. "How are you doing?"
"Fine. I still have a headache, but hey, I woke up didn't I?" I smiled and she patted my shoulder. "Do you know Andrew's room number?"
"Yeah, it's 315. Why?"
"Do you think he's still here?"
She nodded and looked at me confused. "What's goin on?"
"I have some things I need to discuss with Mr. Marin!" I stood up and walked to the bathroom carrying a pair of cargos and an Angel muscle tank. I grabbed my room key and headed off to Andrew's room. I knocked on his door and waited for him to answer.
"Casey! How are you doing?" He asked opening the door. I pulled my hand back and slapped his face. He quickly reached up to his cheek and looked at me. "What the hell was that for?!"
"What the hell did you think you were doing last nite?! There was NO reason for you to kiss me!" I screamed as he pulled me inside.
"I just thought I'd like ad-lib. What's the problem with that? It goes along with my personality anyways. I mean I am God's gift to women, you should have enjoyed it!" he said with that smirk of his on his face. My eyes bugged out of my head as my jaw dropped.
"EXCUSE ME?! That's a load of shit! You are such an asshole!" I yelled as I stormed off towards the door.
"I was joking! You know I don't really think that way!" He grabbed my arm tightly as I stopped in my tracks.
"There was no reason for that kiss!!! If you hadn't kissed me, I wouldn't have gotten hit on the head! Now because of you I have a huge bump on the side of my head!" I ripped my arm out of his grip and continued to the door.
"Look, I'm sorry about that! I didn't think you would continue to stand there! I thought you would see Mark and move out of the way, but you didn't so you can't blame it all on me!" he yelled. I stopped abruptly and turned to face him. You would think someone like me who is about 5'5" and weighs about 140 lbs would be scared to death to confront someone who not only out weighs me by more than 100 lbs, but who also towers over me at 6'6". Well, he just pissed me off too much to be afraid.
"Well, if you hadn't of planted that kiss on me, I wouldn't have been so shocked and surprised and I would have moved!" I yelled back and slammed the door behind me. I stormed off back to my room passing Rob, Scott, and Jay on my way there.
"I truly hate that man!!" I yelled as I flopped down on my bed. Trish looked at me and smiled.
"Andrew?"
"Yeah! Dude, is so totally egotistical! He just pisses me off. He had the nerve to tell me that he's God's gift to women!" I sat up and looked at her as she laughed.
"He's not really like that! You know he's not. Okay, so sometimes the Test comes out in full force, but usually he's the sweet, kind, huggable Andrew."
"God! I still can't believe he kissed me!" I laid back as my cell rang. Trish threw it at me and I answered it. "Hello."
"Hi Casey. This is Mindy, Vince's secretary. I wanted to tell you that everything is set for Seattle."
"Great! I'm so glad to hear that."
"And Vince has arranged for you to have a try-out match with Trish tomorrow. I've already spoken to Trish about all this, so you don't have to worry about anything. If all goes well you'll be having matches this weekend in Canada and maybe even have a dark match on Monday nite in Indiana. We'll be giving you more parts and everything!"
"Are you serious?! Oh my God!! That's awesome! Thank you so much!" I said smiling.
"Don't thank me, you'll have to thank Vince tomorrow nite. Oh there's one more thing, there has been this women calling here for you. We're not able to give out any information about you so she keeps calling hoping things will change. She says she's your sister."
"My sister? Did you get her name?" My smile faded.
"Yeah, it's Melanie Piskun."
"Um..did...did you happen to get her phone number?" I asked reaching for a piece of hotel stationary and a pen.
"Yeah, is everything okay?"
"Yeah, can you give me the number please?" I wrote down the number and sighed. I hung up and looked over at Trish who had a look of worry on her face.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
"Um...I don't know..I'll tell you in a few minutes." I dialed the number and waited for an answer.
"Hello?" a male voice said. I took in a deep breath.
"Hi. Is Mel there?" I asked.
"Yes she is. Hold on a minute please." I heard him set the phone down. "Whoa, Casey?"
"Yeah. It's me," I said. "Can I speak to Mel please, Matt?"
"Yeah, of course!" he said as the phone was set down again. A few minutes later I heard it picked up again.
"Hello?" This time it was my sister's soft quiet voice.
"Hi, Mel," I said calmly.
"CASEY!!!" she yelled. "I'm so glad to hear from you! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me."
"Where are you?"
"Right now I'm in Maryland. Why did you call the WWE about me?"
"I thought I saw you a couple weeks ago standing beside the ring taking pictures. Then I saw you come out with Jeff Hardy as Mystic Angel and I wasn't quite sure if it was you, so I called asking who Mystic Angel was. Unfortunately they wouldn't tell me. So I told them I was you sister. Obviously they didn't believe that. Why didn't you tell me how miserable you were at home? You know I would have told you to come live with me."
"I didn't tell anyone. No one knew. I just left. I had to."
"Well, why don't you come live with me?"
"I can't, Mel. I'm so happy here. I'm in excellent hands. I don't want to be anyplace else right now. Plus it that would mean having to see Mom again and I can't do that!"
"I guess I understand. But why the WWE?" I chuckled as I explained to her what happened and how I'm getting a try-out match. "Shane Helms? The Hurricane?"
"Yeah, the Hurricane."
"I'm glad you're happy. Well since you'll be here tomorrow nite, why don't you come stay with us?"
"Yeah, I guess I could do that. I'll be there sometime tonite. Can you give me directions?" She had Matt give me the directions to their apartment that was only a little bit away from where the WWE headquarters is located. I got off the phone with her and sighed. I looked over at Trish who still had that worried look on her face. "How would you like to stay at an apartment instead of going to another hotel for the nite?"
"That would be good, but what's goin on?" she asked as the look started to fade into one of confusion. I explained to her what the phone call was all about, but the confused look stayed. I guess it was just something that only I could truly understand.
"So, I guess being in the WWE isn't doing me any good when it comes to trying to hide out!" I laughed. She let out a small laugh.
"Oh my God! I almost forgot to tell you! I'm going home on Wednesday nite after the try-out match and I want you to come with me. My parents really want to meet you. So, what ya say?" she asked excitedly.
"Yeah! I'd love to. Thanks a lot Trish!" I gave her a hug and she smiled excitedly. I stood and walked to the door. I grabbed my room key and left for Jeff and Matt's room. I knocked on the door and after a few minutes of just standing there, Matt finally answered.
"Case! How ya doin babe?" he asked wrapping his arms around me in a hug.
"I'm fine, except for this headache, but it'll go away." He took my hand and pulled me into the room that was cluttered with dirty clothes. "Did a tornado go through here?"
"Yeah, and it's called Jeff." Matt nodded his head towards Jeff as he came out of the bathroom. He walked over to me and rung out his wet hair on me then hugged me.
"Yeah, I really appreciate the shower," I said sarcastically.
"I thought you would. So, what's up?" Jeff asked brushing his hair.
"Well, first, I'm getting a try-match against Trish tomorrow. Second, I'm going home with her. Third, I just talked to my sister." Matt raised his eyebrows as Jeff dropped his brush. "Don't worry about me. Everything is perfectly fine. Trish and I are staying at her apartment tonite."
"So, you're not coming home with us?" Jeff asked upset.
"Nope, not this time."
"A try-out match? That's great! We'll come with you two," Matt said.
"You don't have to. I'm sure I'll be fine."
"We know we don't have to. We want to! We want to be there when you get that wrestling contract. I'll be cheering for you!" Matt said.
"Thanks guys. I owe you big time!"
"Getting that wrestling contract is enough payment for us!" Jeff said smiling. I returned the smile and left for my room. Trish and I packed and climbed into the rental car for our trip to Connecticut.
I gave Matt the directions to Mel's apartment as he drove. After a couple wrong turns we found the place. We grabbed our gear and went up to her apartment. I took a deep breath as I knocked on the door. I looked around me at the others as the door started to open. In front of me stood Melanie with open arms. When we finally broke apart I looked over her shoulder and saw Matt standing there. I walked past her and hugged him as well. I sighed and looked back at the door as they smiled at me.
"Mel, Matt, this is Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, and Trish Stratigais. My family," I smiled as I grabbed Trish and Jeff's hands. Matty (A/N: for the sake of my confusion I have decided to refer to Matt Hardy as Matty whenever there's another Matt present. I just can't handle that confusion!!) held his out and shook Matt's.
"It's nice to meet you all. Come on in," Mel said as they walked through the door. We followed Mel and Matt to the living room and sat on the couch. "Case, I'm so happy to see you."
"Me too. How are you doing?" I asked nodding to her stomach. She was now almost 8 months along in her pregnancy.
"Great! We're doing fine. Not much longer," she answered with a smile. "You look great. I can't believe you have blue streaks."
"I know. It took me a while to get used to it. Of course it took longer for me to talk Jeff into dyeing it for me," I laughed.
"This is all amazing to me that you're in the WWE," Matt said. "Ritchie was the one to notice you. He called me and told me to turn on RAW because he thought he recognized you as a photographer."
"Really? Huh. Well, I am a photographer right now. Hopefully a wrestler soon."
"You will be," Jeff said. I smiled at him as he put his hand on my leg.
"Where are you staying?" Matt asked.
"Well, Jeff and I have a hotel room and the girls are staying here from what I understand," Matt replied. "We have enough room if you all want to stay here," Mel said.
"We don't want to be a burden," Matty said.
"You want be. Well just set up the air mattress and get some extra blankets and pillows. The mattress can sleep two, then someone on the couch, and someone on the floor," Mel said.
"Great. Thanks," Jeff said.
"Thanks for letting them stay. I don't go many places without my entourage," I said. They all nodded and laughed.
"I'm glad you're with such good people. I, we, were really worried about you. Kristi calls me almost everyday asking if I've heard from you. You should really call her," Mel said softly.
"Mel, to tell you the truth, I didn't even really wanna talk to you. But, I miss you too much and had to find out if you were all right. You have to promise me that you wont tell mom."
"Yeah, I promise. But you know she'll find out eventually. Word always gets around."
"I know, but for now, I don't want her to know. I'm not going home. Especially to her!"
"Can I at least tell Kristi?"
"As long as she doesn't tell mom, I don't care. I'll give you my cell number before we leave and you can give it to her."
"Alright. I'll do that. You have to promise me that you'll keep in touch with me."
"I promise. I mean, if I can come here like this now than there is no reason for me not to keep in touch," I said. Matt rose from the chair he was sitting in and grabbed the air mattress from the closet. Jeff helped him pump it up as Mel got blankets and pillows. I yawned and looked at Jeff who did the same.
"I guess we'll leave you guys to go to sleep. Goodnite," Matt said walking into his room. Mel soon followed. Trish laid on the couch as Matty slowly started to fall asleep on the bed he had made on the floor.
"I guess we get the bed," Jeff said pulling the blankets up to his head. I nodded as he wrapped his arms around me.
"I'm glad you guys were here with me for this," I whispered.
"I wouldn't dream of being anyplace else," Jeff whispered as he kissed my forehead. We shortly fell asleep.
We said goodbye to Mel and Matt and left for the gym. Once there I met up with Vince and went into the locker room. On one of the benches was a package wrapped in gift paper. On top were a blue bow and a card. "Trish, is this yours?" I yelled, but there was no response. "I guess I'm the only one in here. Hmm..I guess it wouldn't hurt for me to see what the card says."
I opened the card and began to read it out loud to myself. "Dear Case. We couldn't be happier about you being in our lives. You're part of the family, always will be. We're very proud of how far you have come in your training and know you'll go all the way today! Just remember that we're always there for you, no matter what. You don't have to runaway ever again! This is your home, with us. Please don't leave us ever! Love always, Jeff, Matt, Amy, and Trish."
A tear rolled down my cheek as I unwrapped the package. I took the lid off of the box and threw out the tissue paper. Inside were a pair of wrestling boots. They were the same pattern as the ones the Hardyz wear, but instead of white and black, they were a light blue and dark blue. I wiped the tears off my cheeks and pulled them on. I walked out of the locker room feeling more confident about myself than I had ever felt.
"I see you found the boots," Jeff said with open arms. He pulled me into them and squeezed me gently.
"They're great. Thank you! You don't know how much they mean to me." I pulled away and he combed his hand through my hair. He smiled sweetly as Matt run up behind me and threw his arms around my waist, picking me up into the air. "Thank you Matt!"
"Anytime!" He put me back on the floor and they walked out with me on either side. Trish was already in the ring while Vince sat in a metal chair. Jeff and Matt joined him and I slide into the ring.
The match started. It wasn't about winning; it was about showing your skills. Fortunately for me, I learned all the moves Jeff and Matt knew so I fought like a guy. Trish unfortunately wrestled like the typical WWE Diva. Maybe she wasn't trying her best. Maybe she was letting me win. Whatever it was, was working for me. Because 5 minutes later, I did my version of a phoenix splash called Halo's Twist and got the three count. I jumped up to hear Jeff and Matt whistling and yelling. I smiled and helped Trish to her feet. She hugged me as the guys jumped in the ring to congratulate me. Vince walked over to the apron clapping as I leaned over the ropes.
"Excellent job. You have some very good skills. And the phoenix splash was one of the best I've seen in a long time. Is that your finisher?" Vince asked shaking my hand.
"Yeah, I call it the Halo's Twist."
"Well, it definitely fits. I'm going to take this tape of the match and discuss it with some of my associates. But I have a very good feeling about this. Oh and by the way, nice boots," Vince said as he grabbed a tape out of a video camera. I laughed as he walked out the door.
"Well, I'm in the mood to work out!! Anyone want to join me?" I said excitedly. Trish moaned and shook her head.
"Girl, you've got too much energy. You killed me in here. I knew you were getting good, I just didn't realize how good!!" She climbed out of the ring and walked back to the locker rooms.
"Well, how about you two?" I asked jumping up and down.
"Go get changed and we'll meet you in the gym," Matt said. I jumped up and yelled out YES before I flipped over the ropes and skipped down the hall. I changed into a pair of button up pants and a short tank top. I took off my boots and carefully placed them into the box. I met Jeff and Matt in the hall and we walked down to the gym.
"When are you gonna get your belly button pierced?" Jeff asked patting my stomach.
"Um...probably never!" I said as I lifted a weight.
"You would look really awesome with one. I bet Shane would like it." He smiled and I rolled my eyes.
"And when did I start doing things because Shane liked it?"
"Fine, be difficult, but I'm telling ya that you'd look really good!"
"Whatever!"
We continued working out in the gym for another hour than changed. As I was brushing out my hair Trish ran in jumping with excitement.
"And what is your deal?" I asked.
"Vince is here and he looks very happy. He was asking for you too." She grabbed my arm and my stuff and pulled me out the door. I walked up to Vince and he shook my hand.
"I think I have some very good news." He smiled that cocky smile of his and handed me some papers. "I think we could use someone like you on the roster. I hope you'll join the WWE wrestling family."
"I would love to!! Thank you so much!" We walked over to a table and I started signing away my life on those papers. When the papers were all signed and checked over the celebration began.
Trish, Jeff, Matt and I went out to dinner and to a couple clubs. By 3:00 in the morning we were all partied out and crashed in a hotel room. Trish and I left the guys early in the morning and flew to Canada. When we landed Trish's parents were there waiting for us. They instantly accepted me into their home. The visit was short, but a good one. On Saturday, I met Jeff and Matt in the airport in Seattle as we waited for Jessy and Jesse to come in. I was still on my high from getting a WWE contract.