*Author's Note: To look at my disclaimer and all of that, go to the first chapter.*
4/10/03: I will be introducing more characters as the chapters go along…but some won't show up until the "next semester."
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*Chapter Nineteen – Election Day*
(It is now September 9th, the day of student body elections…had to move it up in time a bit!)
"Today is our day, Hunter." Shawn Michaels announced at the kitchen table with a hint of certainty in his voice. He then ate some Cheerios. It was only 11 in the morning and Shawn and his roommates were already wide awake.
Triple H rolled his brown eyes at his best friend. "Shawn, I don't even know if we're gonna win this thing. I mean, we're up against some pretty tough competition."
Edge, who was hurrying up and eating his strawberry Pop Tart, said, "Hunter, don't think that way! The other teams might end up…sucking ass….uh, yeah!"
Triple H shrugged and said, "You know, Shawn, he's right. I mean, they're probably gonna end up voting for Batista and Tajiri again. We should pull out now."
Shawn got up from the table and shook his head. "Hunter, Hunter. Where's the egomaniac that I know and love? It's like it's disappeared lately."
Triple H groaned and finished his cereal. Shawn, just because I'm stressed out doesn't mean that my ego is gone, he thought. It's alive and well! "Well, I've been stressing about my writing class, Shawn. I can't write for shit, and you know that." Jeff, who was getting some milk from the fridge, tried to stifle a laugh. That's hilarious, he thought. "What's so funny, Jeff?" This kid is a trip, Triple H thought to himself as he ate some more Cheerios. I don't know why, but I picture my kids turning out like him. Whoa, wait a minute, that's a scary thought. Ahhhh!
Jeff grinned mischievously. "You just said you can't write. I think anyone can write, no matter how much they think they suck."
Triple H rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the words of encouragement, Hardy boy."
Shawn smiled at Jeff, and then nodded to Triple H. "Leave him alone, Hunter. We gotta concentrate on the election!" Edge shook his head. Man does Shawn have a one-track mind or what?, he thought as he picked up his black bookbag from the couch.
"I'm outta here, everyone. Good luck with the election." Edge said as he made his way to the door. Jeff giggled, and Triple H gave him an annoyed look.
Shawn yelled to Edge, "You better vote for us, man!"
Edge nodded. "I will, don't worry, dude. Later!" Besides, I wouldn't want to vote for anyone else, he thought as he shut the door.
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Meanwhile, Bubba Ray Dudley was in the library, trying to study for his test later on in the day. I wish I could've dragged my ass outta that house while I could, he thought as he flipped a page in his Economics book. I'm so sick and tired of hearing about the Undertaker and what a prick he is. He growled softly. Well, he is a prick. Bubba Ray couldn't believe that Undertaker had brought his ex-girlfriend, Chyna, to WWE U so he could get "respect," which he claimed to be lacking. He had heard about it first-hand, and laughed at the Undertaker's orders to not tell anyone. Yeah, and that damn plan of his…I can't believe he's into that voodoo witchcraft shit again. And Brock, Kane, Rocky, Stone Cold, and I are supposed to help him find the "ultimate sacrifice." Right. Then we'll be involved in someone's murder. Not good. Undertaker needs to get sent to the looney bin where he belongs. I thought that Kane and I set him straight a while ago. Bubba Ray made a face. But that was when he was actually friends with all of us. Now, he just wants to make all of our lives a living hell and he doesn't care one way or another how it happens.
Bubba Ray was deep in thought when his brother D-Von showed up. He wasn't really his brother, though – D-Von was the same age as Bubba Ray. He was Bubba Ray's half-brother since he was a different race and was adopted from an orphanage. Still, to Bubba Ray and his biological younger brother, Spike, D-Von was still their brother.
"D-Von!" Bubba Ray whispered.
D-Von nodded slowly, pushing his black-rimmed glasses up on his nose. "Hey bro, what's up with that look on your face? Why so pissy?"
Bubba Ray smiled wryly. "Well, I'm doomed to fail this damn Economics test of mine later, and the fact that Undertaker is up to his old fucking tricks again."
D-Von groaned in annoyance as he pulled up a dark wooden chair next to his brother. "Oh, hell."
Bubba Ray nodded. Fuck the Undertaker and his rules, he thought with defiance. This is what I think of his rules – I'm telling someone outside of the circle! "Exactly. I can't really divulge the plan here, since the walls all echo around, but if you're willing to come with me to a study room, I can tell you then."
D-Von glanced around the slightly crowded library and whispered, "Go for it."
About ten minutes later, Bubba Ray Dudley was busy divulging "the plan" that the Undertaker and Chyna had up their sleeves. "I know, I'm under strict orders not to tell anyone about this." Bubba Ray rolled his eyes, "But I'm gonna tell you anyway since you're my bro. Screw the Undertaker, man. I've had it with him."
"You're taking a big risk here, Bubba." D-Von began, his eyes going wide. "Does Spike know about this?"
Bubba Ray shook his head as he leaned back in his hard wooden chair. "No way. I'm not about to tell him anything, either. He gets scared too easily. I mean, hell, if I was his size, I would, too. Spike'd get his ass beat by those two in a second, no contest."
D-Von shook his head. "You have no faith in our little brother, do you? Spike's a tough little guy for 150 pounds. He can take a beating as well as give one."
Bubba Ray smiled proudly. "Yeah, because he's a Dudley!"
D-Von tapped his fingers on the hard wooden table. "Okay, so what is up with this Undertaker bullshit?"
Bubba Ray rolled his eyes as he glared at his brother. "Basically, he and Chyna stormed into the house a few days ago demanding that Kane, Brock, Stone Cold, Rocky, and I adhere to their demands, or else we'd really pay for it….though I don't know what we would be paying for."
D-Von scoffed. Nothing fazes me with Undertaker anymore, he thought, scratching his arm. Nothing. "And then?"
Bubba Ray sighed and said matter-of-factly, "Well, they warned the five of us not to tell anyone, but I'm telling you, to protect us…if that makes sense." He then practically yelled in disgust, "Can you believe that Undertaker is back to sacrificing people?! After all me and Kane did to try to set him straight, he goes back to the dark side!"
D-Von had a shocked look on his face. "Shit, man, what the hell is up with that boy? He needs a serious attitude adjustment. And a good shrink, too. Christ, man."
Bubba Ray agreed silently. "Yeah, he sure does. We all have to help Undertaker find five sacrifices. If we are able to find those five, then he will leave all of us alone."
D-Von had a cautious look on his face. "Wait a minute, did he say who the sacrifices are?"
Bubba Ray shook his head. "Nope. All I know is that whenever they find one sacrifice, they will tell us the next one, and so forth. I know they won't get away with this…not if I can help it."
D-Von nodded. "You never know with the Undertaker, man. And since Chyna is on his side, who knows what will happen." Bubba Ray sighed. That's what I'm afraid of, he thought.
(It's now 1:00, in the gym of the Student Center, and the candidates are doing their campaign speeches.)
Chris Benoit was pacing nervously on the stage in the gym, trying to remember exactly what he was going to say for his speech. His running partner, Eddie Guerrero, was just as nervous, jumping up and down to calm his nerves. The speeches were to be under 5 minutes, so he knew that he could do it. Benoit smirked. Yeah, Eddie and I go way back, though, he thought. I'm glad he accepted to run as vice-president, since he has a few good ideas running around in that head of his. Benoit looked around at the other competitors – Triple H and Shawn Michaels were huddled in a corner; and Dave Batista and Yoshi Tajiri, who were the current president and vice-president, respectively, were busy reading their index cards.
At the podium, William Regal and the Big Valbowski (who preferred to be called Val Venis now) were reading their speeches. A whole bunch of kids were gathered in front of the stage, and there were quite a few in the back of the gym.
"And as WWE U student body president, I will make sure that there is something done about the bloody cafeteria food." Regal continued, drawing shouts of appreciation from the "audience."
Val, who was his reluctant running mate, added, "And we will also make sure that there are 'real' dances being held near the end of every semester. Not the big get-togethers at hotels that the Student Activity Board calls a 'dance.'" There were a few chuckles at that comment.
Ric Flair, the head of the Student Activity Board said in a fake way, "Woooo! Alright, thanks to William and Val for their enlightening speech. Give them a round of applause, everyone!" The crowd of kids applauded. Regal and Flair gave each other stares that rivaled daggers since they both couldn't stand each other, and Val dragged Regal away.
"I still can't believe he failed you in that one class." Val muttered as Regal grabbed his water bottle nearby.
Regal growled, "Don't remind me." Benoit shook his head. He, along with Val Venis and Eddie Guerrero, were pretty much the only people on campus who could deal with William Regal.
Benoit smirked at Regal and said, "Not bad for being first up."
Regal shrugged and took a sip out of his water bottle. "Thanks. Good luck, though…I gotta get away from Flair before I hit him with my brass knuckles."
Benoit laughed. "I understand that." The way the speeches were set up, the candidates could go back to class, and voting would be soon afterward.
"Thanks, man. Take care." Val said as he and Regal walked away.
Benoit nodded to them and then looked to his running partner, Eddie Guerrero. "You ready?"
Guerrero waved his hand. "Aw, man, I'm more ready than ever, holmes. Let's do it."
A few minutes later, Ric Flair was introducing Benoit and Eddie Guerrero to the crowd of kids below the stage amid cheers and applause. "Woooo!" Flair laughed as Benoit and Guerrero took to the podium.
"Hi, um, I'm Chris Benoit, as Flair over here told you, and I'm running for president. Eddie over here is running for vice president." He sifted through his index cards. "The first thing I'd like to change is the fact that the cafeteria is open only certain hours. I know that a lot of us have crazy schedules, so why can't the university accommodate us?"
"Hell yeah!" yelled Stone Cold from the back. Benoit tried to stifle a laugh. Damnit Steve, you kill me, he thought.
"And holmes, would it be so hard to fix the soda machines too? Every time I get a Pepsi essa, I never get my change for a dollar!" Eddie Guerrero added, making many people giggle.
"He has a point there, Flair!" yelled the Rock from the back. Benoit looked back and saw the two leaning against the wall, along with Shane McMahon and Booker T.
He shook his head at his running partner, and continued, "I'd also like to get rid of the fact that we have to pay 10 cents a piece for paper in the computer lab and library. We'd like to know…where does that money really go?"
Hurricane, who was up front, piped up, "Yeah, whassupwitdat?"
Raven, who was next to him, said, "Shhhhh."
Eddie Guerrero added, "And we will also make sure the printers are fixed too, essa, so whenever we need them, we can use them, holmes!" This also brought cheers.
Ric Flair looked at his watch and said, "Alright, thanks to Eddie and Chris for their speech. Woooo!" Everyone applauded and waited for Shawn Michaels and Triple H to take the podium.
Shawn glared at Triple H, who moved over. "Hi, I'm Shawn Michaels, if you did not know, and this is my running partner, Hunter Helmsley. We have a few issues that we would like to deal with to make this a better campus."
Triple H grinned and continued, "First of all, we will make sure that there is a place for smokers to gather so it doesn't offend the nonsmokers."
Raven, who was near the stage, nodded. "Good idea…I'm getting sick of everyone second-handing off of me." Billy Kidman rolled his eyes at his roommate.
"Secondly, we'll still collect the 10 cents from every paper used in the library and computer lab, and put it towards something worthwhile, like our spring concert." Shawn added.
"Or a strip club!" yelled Shane McMahon from the back. This brought a lot of cheers.
Triple H grinned cockily at his best friend, for he knew that his cockiness was back. "And even better, for those that do not have transportation, we will start a carpool of sorts to get people off of campus."
Hurricane shook his head. "I still don't drive."
Billy Kidman, who was on the other side of him, said, "Maybe if they get elected, they can help you get off campus for once."
Raven shook his head. "Shane, don't worry about it. A lot of people here don't drive." Hurricane still had a sad look on his face.
"And the last thing we want to do in our administration is have better food served at the Turnbuckle. I mean, we want pizza that is freshly made, not store bought, ya know?" Shawn added, to much applause.
Ric Flair walked over to the two of them and said, "Woooo! Everyone applaud Shawn and Hunter!" Everyone applauded and then Ric Flair said, "Now, the last team running. They've been in office for the past year or so – they are Dave Batista and Yoshi Tajiri!"
Shawn, who was grabbing his backpack off of the floor, smirked, "We got 'em beat, Hunter. Trust me."
Triple H shook his head as he grabbed his and Shawn's water bottles off of the stage. "I hope you're right."
Batista shuffled his index cards and looked to his running mate, Tajiri. "Hey all, you all know us by now." Everyone cheered. "Right, well, if you re-elect us as president and vice president, we will be able to schedule a nationally-known band for the spring concert." This brought cheers.
Tajiri added, with a tinge of his Japanese accent, "We also be able to build coffeehouse."
Batista smiled and said, "And we know how you all are quite the artistic community, so what better thing to do than build a coffeehouse?"
Shawn nudged Triple H and said, "We should've done that! The coffeehouse idea!"
Triple H groaned and said, "Come on, Shawn, it's up to everyone else to vote."
Shawn raised his eyebrow and asked, "Are we allowed to vote?"
Triple H slapped Shawn on the forehead. "No, you idiot, didn't you read the rules? Anyone who is taking part in the election is not allowed to vote, because that'd be wrong and it's unethical. Or something." He furrowed his brow as Shawn rubbed his forehead.
"You up for going to the bar later?"
Triple H shrugged. "Yeah, I'm up for it. But listen, I gotta get to class. I'll talk to you about it later, bro."
Shawn shrugged. "So do I. How ironic." The two of them left the gym as Tajiri and Batista finished their speech.
"And as our last action in our administration, we will able to have a live band at the spring dance instead of a DJ." Batista continued, watching the smiles on all the observers below him.
Ric Flair then walked over, and said, "Thank you, Batista and Tajiri, for your speech. Woooo! Now, as all of you know, voting will be open from today from 1:30-5 pm. Results will be posted in front of the Turnbuckle at 2 pm tomorrow. Make sure your voice is heard! Woooo!" Everyone applauded and then left the gym in a mad rush.
Soon afterwards, people were jamming the table in front of the Turnbuckle, trying to get their votes in. The unlucky people in charge of running the table, Jamie Noble and Crash Holly, were getting annoyed.
"Damnit, y'all better calm down or your vote will not be counted!" Jamie growled, making everyone at the table slow down. He smiled with satisfaction. "There, that's better."
Crash looked at his friend and shook his head. "Must you be so aggressive?"
Jamie sighed and watched another person write down his vote. "Yeah, you have to be in this world. No one listens to you if you're passive, ya know." Just then, Edge and his brother Christian bumped into each other at the table.
"Hey Crash, Jamie. How'd you two get stuck with this job?" Edge asked, grabbing a pencil, writing down his vote, and hardly taking notice of his brother. Christian pouted. Damnit, I knew that Jeff Hardy would take my place, he thought. Damnit!! I'm your brother, not him! Why can't you see that?!
Crash shrugged. "Well since we're both on the Student Activities Board, and since a lot of people are still in class or at work, we figured that we'd do it."
Christian, who also didn't take notice of his brother, nodded to Jamie and said, "Who's winning so far?"
Jamie shook his head. "Nope, I can't say that…it's against the rules." Christian and Edge pouted at the same time, which made Crash laugh quietly.
"What's so funny?" Christian asked.
Crash shrugged and remarked, "You and your brother act a lot alike, that's all."
Christian narrowed his eyes and growled, "My brother? I act like my brother-" Edge's sudden poke into his chest shut him up fast.
He growled with anger, "Listen, little bro, I'm not ignoring you like you think I am, so get over it! You were always so damn insecure." Christian gulped. Shit, he read my mind, he thought as he tried to ignore Edge's mean glare.
"Well, uh, word travels fast here, doesn't it? Uhhh, yeah, I'm sorry if I was feeling a little left out of your group. You know, since you're so much cooler than I will ever be."
Edge rolled his eyes. God, I hate it how he makes himself to be such a reekazoid, he thought. "I'm not in the mood to argue with you right now, Christian. We'll talk about this later." Christian gulped again. Oh hell, he thought. Edge is gonna lecture me on how to not be such a whiner. Damnit, damnit.
"Okay." Christian muttered as he folded his paper and put it in the large silver box and slowly walked away. Edge just shook his head. He definitely needs me to get through to him, he thought.
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End of Chapter Nineteen…