Chapter 25
"It's one thing when we pre-record something over and over again until
it's perfect. It's quite another when I just go out there and hope to
god that I don't get booed" Corinne said.
"Corinne calm down, look at you...you're a nervous wreck," Amy said as
she performed the finishing touches on her won make up before fixing
Corinne's hair into a subdued low ponytail, worn with cropped black
pants and a white buttoned down shirt. "You look like such a prep
right now..." Amy began.
"I know, but Steph wants me to be more comfortable in the role.
And...I guess I am a prep...these are my clothes."
"Yeah I know...the day you catch me in black and white with my hair in
my natural color..."
"Is the day you go incognito?"
"Hell no...even if I was to go incognito, I still wouldn't wear
anything that bland."
"It'll be the day that she says, she doesn't want sex anymore," Matt
interrupted.
"You better watch out Matt, that couch gets awfully lonely at night."
"Umm, I'm just kidding...so are y'all ready?"
"Almost, so anyways, Cori, you should be used to this by now, I mean
you've been on RAW for the past two weeks." Amy said.
"Yeah, but backstage, not in the ring."
"Oh relax. You help Jeff win tonight right?"
"The story's evolving." Matt said eerily, at which Amy threw the brush
at him which he ducked at with a hurt expression on his face.
"Did you and Jeff practice your lines for the backstage part of the
script?"
"Yea, on the phone last night." Corinne said, as she stood up and
fiddled with her shirt.
"Are you wearing anything under that?" Amy asked.
"Um, a bra? Why?"
"You didn't get the new script?"
"New Script?" Corinne asked confusedly.
"Well new scenario....Stephanie's gonna try to take off your shirt.
Just put on a tank top underneath and it'll be fine."
"Whoa...but I read her contract...she specifically stated that she
wasn't taking off anything..." Matt began.
"Yeah I did say that maybe I should go talk to Steph."
"Don't bother Cori...it says that she'll be stripped to a tank top.
Technically...that's nothing...at least to the writers it isn't." Amy
said sympathetically.
"I better go call my mother," She sighed and then walked to the
bathroom of the locker room with her cell phone.
"Yikes...that was unexpected." Matt said, sitting down on the locker
room bench.
"Matt, I'm getting worried. I know Corinne is ready physically, I mean
she picked up all the moves we taught her faster than I ever
expected...and as far the speaking parts, she's better than I ever was
on the mic....but do you think she's ready for the ring, the whole
wrestling thing, I mean it starts off with the tank top but god knows
what's gonna happen out there. To me it's just clothes, to her, it's
family." Amy said, sitting down next to him.
"What do you mean it's family?" Matt asked confusedly.
"Her dad isn't talking to her right now because of this whole thing,"
Amy whispered. "It's really affecting her I think and it's hindering
how much she wants to do. I mean deep down I really feel like maybe
she's wanted this, this wrestling thing since she was a kid, but at
the same time there is this voice in the back of her head telling her
it's wrong, which is also a good thing because it's forcing to her to
keep trying and not be held back by wrestling and to use her education
out there in the corporate side of the business."
"I can't believe her father isn't talking to her. I mean I'd be proud
if I had a daughter that is as determined as Corinne to get where she
wants to be."
"I know, but you're not her father and apparently he's really
conservative and is extremely disappointed that Corinne, still hasn't
"gotten over" wrestling. He thinks it's a joke."
Jeff entered the locker room to find Matt and Amy in deep
conversation. They didn't even notice him.
"Hey guys, where's Corinne?"
"She's in the bathroom."
"Has she seen the script? She's gonna be pissed. Steph rips her shirt
off."
"Yeah, she knows. After she "accidentally" hits HHH with the chair
instead of you, Stephanie runs in and starts hitting her and tries to
take off her clothes to embarrass her and then you come to the
rescue." "
Yep...man....you'd think they'd give her at least another week to get
used to being on TV..." Jeff was interrupted when Corinne came out of
the bathroom, slamming the door in her wake. She walked quickly
outside of the locker room refusing to look up to meet anyone's eye.
"Oh no..." Amy began standing up from her seat.
"No, let me go to her Ames," Jeff said standing up and walking out to
follow Corinne.
He found about five minutes later sitting in between the curtains
backstage. He crawled down next to her, and sat down.
"What's wrong?" He said, pulling her hands away from her face and
wiping the tears that he saw with his hands.
"My father told me to stop punishing my mother and him and to do
whatever the hell I wanted because he knows that no matter what he
says, I'll do it anyways. No matter how wrong it was."
"I'm sorry Corinne." Although he really didn't know what to say. His
father had always been there for Matt and him, no matter what they
wanted to do. He was the center of their family.
"You know, when I was in high school, I was really depressed. I was
bulimic and I was a chain smoker and I was cutting myself. I was so
unhappy about everything in my life that I was actually trying to end
it but I wasn't brave enough." Jeff was silent feeling as if she just
needed to get her feelings out of her. "But throughout all of that, I
guess it was just a plea for help. I didn't think that anyone in my
family knew. Especially my parents. And then right before college, I
found out that they had known everything that I was going through,
that one of my sisters had gotten scared and told them. And they
didn't do anything. Since then, I haven't been really able to connect
with them. So I went to a far away school to get away and hopefully
miss them. Do you think I'm punishing them for doing this?"
"Corinne...don't ever think that. I don't know why your parents are so
unsupportive of you but you're doing what is right for you career and
you're having fun doing it."
Meanwhile everyone was having a heart attack backstage. "Shit Amy,
where are Jeff and Corinne?" Stephanie said as she looked at her watch
worriedly.
"I don't know. She just ran out of the locker room and he went after
her.
"We're on in 3 minutes Steph," Paul Levesque said.
"Umm...okay, I know they've got to be somewhere in this arena..."
"Two minutes!" Someone yelled.
"What's going on guys...aren't you up for a match?" Asked a referee.
"Have you seen Jeff Hardy and Corinne?" Stephanie asked worriedly.
"I thought I saw purple hair over there by the curtains..."
"Okay great it's gotta be them.. Um...shit" Stephanie said as someone
yelled that they only a minute left.
"Come on, we'll just wing it," Paul said pulling her and yanking a
camera guy with him to the curtains. Amidst all the chaos Corinne and
Jeff were in their own little world and totally unaware of the length
of time they had been away.
"So what are you going to do?"
"What can I do? I'm not losing this Jeff. You know what I mean I don't
even care anymore. I mean I'm finally happy. I'm doing what I've
always wanted to do but wasn't able to allow myself to even dwell on
it just because my parents didn't agree with me. And then there's Amy
and Matt and you...you guys have been amazing and even just...just
you..." She looked up and saw Jeff staring at her intently.
"Jeff..." she whispered.
"Corinne...I want to kiss you." Jeff said quietly.
"Um...so kiss me." She said so quietly that Jeff wasn't really sure he
heard her. And then she turned and touched his face. They both
looked up at the same time and as their eyes met they both leaned
towards each other.
"It's one thing when we pre-record something over and over again until
it's perfect. It's quite another when I just go out there and hope to
god that I don't get booed" Corinne said.
"Corinne calm down, look at you...you're a nervous wreck," Amy said as
she performed the finishing touches on her won make up before fixing
Corinne's hair into a subdued low ponytail, worn with cropped black
pants and a white buttoned down shirt. "You look like such a prep
right now..." Amy began.
"I know, but Steph wants me to be more comfortable in the role.
And...I guess I am a prep...these are my clothes."
"Yeah I know...the day you catch me in black and white with my hair in
my natural color..."
"Is the day you go incognito?"
"Hell no...even if I was to go incognito, I still wouldn't wear
anything that bland."
"It'll be the day that she says, she doesn't want sex anymore," Matt
interrupted.
"You better watch out Matt, that couch gets awfully lonely at night."
"Umm, I'm just kidding...so are y'all ready?"
"Almost, so anyways, Cori, you should be used to this by now, I mean
you've been on RAW for the past two weeks." Amy said.
"Yeah, but backstage, not in the ring."
"Oh relax. You help Jeff win tonight right?"
"The story's evolving." Matt said eerily, at which Amy threw the brush
at him which he ducked at with a hurt expression on his face.
"Did you and Jeff practice your lines for the backstage part of the
script?"
"Yea, on the phone last night." Corinne said, as she stood up and
fiddled with her shirt.
"Are you wearing anything under that?" Amy asked.
"Um, a bra? Why?"
"You didn't get the new script?"
"New Script?" Corinne asked confusedly.
"Well new scenario....Stephanie's gonna try to take off your shirt.
Just put on a tank top underneath and it'll be fine."
"Whoa...but I read her contract...she specifically stated that she
wasn't taking off anything..." Matt began.
"Yeah I did say that maybe I should go talk to Steph."
"Don't bother Cori...it says that she'll be stripped to a tank top.
Technically...that's nothing...at least to the writers it isn't." Amy
said sympathetically.
"I better go call my mother," She sighed and then walked to the
bathroom of the locker room with her cell phone.
"Yikes...that was unexpected." Matt said, sitting down on the locker
room bench.
"Matt, I'm getting worried. I know Corinne is ready physically, I mean
she picked up all the moves we taught her faster than I ever
expected...and as far the speaking parts, she's better than I ever was
on the mic....but do you think she's ready for the ring, the whole
wrestling thing, I mean it starts off with the tank top but god knows
what's gonna happen out there. To me it's just clothes, to her, it's
family." Amy said, sitting down next to him.
"What do you mean it's family?" Matt asked confusedly.
"Her dad isn't talking to her right now because of this whole thing,"
Amy whispered. "It's really affecting her I think and it's hindering
how much she wants to do. I mean deep down I really feel like maybe
she's wanted this, this wrestling thing since she was a kid, but at
the same time there is this voice in the back of her head telling her
it's wrong, which is also a good thing because it's forcing to her to
keep trying and not be held back by wrestling and to use her education
out there in the corporate side of the business."
"I can't believe her father isn't talking to her. I mean I'd be proud
if I had a daughter that is as determined as Corinne to get where she
wants to be."
"I know, but you're not her father and apparently he's really
conservative and is extremely disappointed that Corinne, still hasn't
"gotten over" wrestling. He thinks it's a joke."
Jeff entered the locker room to find Matt and Amy in deep
conversation. They didn't even notice him.
"Hey guys, where's Corinne?"
"She's in the bathroom."
"Has she seen the script? She's gonna be pissed. Steph rips her shirt
off."
"Yeah, she knows. After she "accidentally" hits HHH with the chair
instead of you, Stephanie runs in and starts hitting her and tries to
take off her clothes to embarrass her and then you come to the
rescue." "
Yep...man....you'd think they'd give her at least another week to get
used to being on TV..." Jeff was interrupted when Corinne came out of
the bathroom, slamming the door in her wake. She walked quickly
outside of the locker room refusing to look up to meet anyone's eye.
"Oh no..." Amy began standing up from her seat.
"No, let me go to her Ames," Jeff said standing up and walking out to
follow Corinne.
He found about five minutes later sitting in between the curtains
backstage. He crawled down next to her, and sat down.
"What's wrong?" He said, pulling her hands away from her face and
wiping the tears that he saw with his hands.
"My father told me to stop punishing my mother and him and to do
whatever the hell I wanted because he knows that no matter what he
says, I'll do it anyways. No matter how wrong it was."
"I'm sorry Corinne." Although he really didn't know what to say. His
father had always been there for Matt and him, no matter what they
wanted to do. He was the center of their family.
"You know, when I was in high school, I was really depressed. I was
bulimic and I was a chain smoker and I was cutting myself. I was so
unhappy about everything in my life that I was actually trying to end
it but I wasn't brave enough." Jeff was silent feeling as if she just
needed to get her feelings out of her. "But throughout all of that, I
guess it was just a plea for help. I didn't think that anyone in my
family knew. Especially my parents. And then right before college, I
found out that they had known everything that I was going through,
that one of my sisters had gotten scared and told them. And they
didn't do anything. Since then, I haven't been really able to connect
with them. So I went to a far away school to get away and hopefully
miss them. Do you think I'm punishing them for doing this?"
"Corinne...don't ever think that. I don't know why your parents are so
unsupportive of you but you're doing what is right for you career and
you're having fun doing it."
Meanwhile everyone was having a heart attack backstage. "Shit Amy,
where are Jeff and Corinne?" Stephanie said as she looked at her watch
worriedly.
"I don't know. She just ran out of the locker room and he went after
her.
"We're on in 3 minutes Steph," Paul Levesque said.
"Umm...okay, I know they've got to be somewhere in this arena..."
"Two minutes!" Someone yelled.
"What's going on guys...aren't you up for a match?" Asked a referee.
"Have you seen Jeff Hardy and Corinne?" Stephanie asked worriedly.
"I thought I saw purple hair over there by the curtains..."
"Okay great it's gotta be them.. Um...shit" Stephanie said as someone
yelled that they only a minute left.
"Come on, we'll just wing it," Paul said pulling her and yanking a
camera guy with him to the curtains. Amidst all the chaos Corinne and
Jeff were in their own little world and totally unaware of the length
of time they had been away.
"So what are you going to do?"
"What can I do? I'm not losing this Jeff. You know what I mean I don't
even care anymore. I mean I'm finally happy. I'm doing what I've
always wanted to do but wasn't able to allow myself to even dwell on
it just because my parents didn't agree with me. And then there's Amy
and Matt and you...you guys have been amazing and even just...just
you..." She looked up and saw Jeff staring at her intently.
"Jeff..." she whispered.
"Corinne...I want to kiss you." Jeff said quietly.
"Um...so kiss me." She said so quietly that Jeff wasn't really sure he
heard her. And then she turned and touched his face. They both
looked up at the same time and as their eyes met they both leaned
towards each other.
