Disclaimer: own nothing as per usual. Thanks for the reviews; I aim to make
these chapters as different as I can. I don't know if they'll all end
happily or angsty. Mostly they'll be a mixture coz wherever there's angst,
there's hope :- )
I MISS YOU
Hot anger coursed through him as he stormed back to his dressing room. Rey Mysterio, usually smiling as he bounded his way to and from the Gorilla position, was looking decidedly angry. In fact, he was scowling. Right in the heart of Guerrero country, he'd lost his precious Cruiserweight Championship to that slime Chavo Guerrero Jnr. Talk about the last straw, everything else seemed to be hitting rock bottom as well in his life. To cap it all off, he was alone and apart from him, the love of his life. At least Guerrero hadn't ripped off his mask though he had tried to during the match. Rey fondly the touched the piece of headgear that brushed his jaw line. He'd had enough of wrestling mask-less in WCW after losing to Kevin Nash. It was part of who he was; his identity.
Sighing, he pushed open his locker room door. Jorge had headed for the medics for some ice packs for the pair of them and would be returning soon. Rey just wanted a few minutes to gather himself and come to terms with the fact that he'd lost his title. It took him a few moments to realise that someone else was sat in his locker room, with an ice pack pressed to the back of her neck.
"What do I owe this honour Nidia?" he asked, formally as he turned to greet the petite toned diva who sat relaxed in a steel chair
Nidia shrugged, wincing and readjusting the ice-pack
"Felt like coming where I knew there'd be a friendly face but it looks like I wasted my time" she replied, her eyes sparkling
It was Rey's turn to shrug now. He didn't really want to talk even though he liked the Tough Enough champion well enough, she was a little extreme for his taste but her heart was usually in the right place. He just wanted to be alone so he could be miserable without him. No one knew how he felt.
"Just annoyed at losing, and to that scum Chavo" he muttered, grabbing a towel "he's been taking things too far lately"
"I know how that feels"
Rey paused and turned back to look at Nidia properly. The expression on her face was of pure disappointment, misery and sadness. He'd forgotten how much she'd been through lately. Blinded by Tajiri's mysterious mist and then taken advantage of by her so-called boyfriend Jamie Noble. Then she'd revealed that her blindness had gone before challenged Jamie to a match for No Way Out in which he'd be blindfolded. Everyone but the referee had seen Jamie cheat and then win the match. Nidia had been duped out of her deserved victory for the weeks of humiliation and misery Jamie had put her through. Put his own problems in perspective though it also made him think of them more.
"Not doing so good then" Rey asked gently, forgetting most of his anger
Nidia pressed her lips together and shook her head. Things had been very hard for her. She'd loved Jamie with all her heart but now? She didn't know what to do. There was nowhere for her to turn and she'd known for a while that Rey had been helping her as best he could. Sighing she dropped the ice pack onto the floor and ran a hand through her wild curly mass of hair.
"Just don't know where to go" she sighed "I mean I came here with Jamie and without him, I feel like I'm back to being that kid who won Tough Enough, just a green again"
"You're so much more and you know that chica, you can fight in the ring and the fans love you"
"But will they love me if I'm alone? I mean Torrie had to do Playboy to get properly noticed"
"You think you'll have to do that?"
"I don't want to but if that's what it takes to stay in the business then I will"
She looked so determined. Rey smiled. It was tough since she'd come into the business as green as can be with only a TV show's worth of training behind her but she'd made the best of what she had. She'd established herself as a tough in-ring opponent and had almost certainly erased the fact from people's minds that she'd been part of Tough Enough in the first place.
"Thanks for helping me Rey" she said quietly, lifting her head to look him in the eyes "you didn't have to and I appreciate it, I don't know what Jamie would have done if you hadn't been there"
Rey shrugged again, embarrassed under his mask. It had definitely been the right thing to do.
"Hate to see a lady in trouble" he muttered
"Lady? No one else thinks I'm a lady Rey" giggled Nidia "I'm just trailor park trash to all of them, but who cares? Who cares if I'm this way? This is me, this is me with no faking like Torrie doing her little innocent girl act, this is me"
"I see what others don't"
"Oh through your little bird contact lenses?"
"Something like that"
There was a silence as they smiled at each other, the atmosphere decidedly calm and friendly despite the fact that both had lost their matches that night at the PPV. Rey sat down opposite Nidia and offered her a bottled drink.
"Thanks, geez where am I gonna go now? I could go back to developmentals and maybe find a new guy there"
"You think that's the answer to your problems?"
"It worked for me last time"
Rey smiled. Ever since he'd arrived on Smackdown, he'd known Nidia. She was loud and sweet, obviously adoring Jamie and doing what he thought best while showing she could fight alone as well. Even without Jamie, she was just Nidia. She thought she needed a man to define herself by? In his eyes, she was Nidia plain and simple.
"You are who you are chica; you've never been anything different to me"
Nidia blinked some glassy tears away as she smiled at her friend.
"I'm glad it was you who saved me out there before" she blurted out
"Why?"
"The guys....well they know how I am.....how much I like men and they'd only come out to save me if they thought they could get something from me but you did it because you wanted to"
Rey nodded, leaning back as he did. It was true that Nidia did have a reputation for being pretty loose when it came to guys. Jamie had allowed it because she always came back to him in the end and that was what mattered to her. Now she had nothing.
"So anyway, how are you feeling?" Nidia asked, trying to appear more cheerful "are you gonna go after Chavo?"
"I hope so" Rey replied, eyes narrowing "have you seen the way he's been treating Eddie? That man is a legend in Mexico; you should treat your elders with respect"
"But how do you feel about the match and everything?" Nidia persisted "I mean you have lost your belt and all"
"Honestly? Pretty down, I love being a champion and I think I do it pretty well but then you have someone like Chavo who likes to lie, cheat and steal and I end up losing"
"It's tough huh?"
"Oh hell yeah, all that time working to earn this name, my uncle's name and I get blocked everywhere because of my size and I finally get here, the WWE, the big time and I lose my belt to that idiot"
"You've got to learn to roll with the punches" Nidia replied earnestly "I mean you may be down one week, but then next week, top of the world if you're lucky"
Rey nodded, silently. He was very quiet and in Nidia's eyes was keeping something back. She could see it in the way he twisted the towel round his fingers.
"Rey-Rey are you hiding something from me?" she asked in a purposely playful tone
"Maybe"
"Then spill, it'll make you feel better I promise"
Rey sighed. He didn't tell people what he felt inside often because it meant spilling his guts which always made him feel bad. But Nidia deserved to know, she was being so patient with him while she was going through her own hell
"I guess I just miss Edge" his words like smoky breaths escaping his lips, his emotions squeezing out painfully
"Oh Rey, why didn't you tell me? I understand that....."
"I just don't get to see him so much since he's at home and I'm travelling so much, I only get to see him when we're in Canada" Rey continued
"Hey, he's your boyfriend, you are allowed to miss him" Nidia said firmly "I mean, I'd worry if you didn't miss him you know?"
"I know"
"Doesn't make it any easier me saying that but think about it, he's started working off ring rust right? So it's only a matter of time"
"You'd think that but something's wrong with his foot, he's got it in a soft cast so it's another set-back keeping me from him"
Nidia got up and wrapped comforting arms around him. Rey didn't move; talking about it had brought it completely home to home. In a way it freed him from the whole inner-monologue trap but now the pain was more real, he could feel it sharply
"You listen to me Rey, lets head out tonight, have some fun" Nidia said as she sat down again "It couldn't hurt, I think we both need the company"
"Guess we do don't we?"
"And then tomorrow when we've arrived at Louisiana, I'm taking you into the city for some shopping, we can buy something for Edge and send it off for him to let him know you're thinking of him" Nidia smiled at him "I bet you don't tell him on the phone that you miss him"
"No, makes it all seem worse since he can't be here to make it better"
"That's settled then"
Nidia got to her feet and Rey noticed for the first time her tee shirt. It was pastel pink with a large glitter heart on and LOVE painted on in the middle of it. It made him smile.
"I'll come by the girls locker room in say half an hour?" he suggested, already feeling more energised
"Sure thing"
Nidia bent down and gently kissed him on the cheek before walking out of the room, the ice pack still to her neck. Rey grinned; she thought she was nothing without Jamie? She was something alright. That reminded him. He pulled his cell-phone out of his bag and speed dialled a number. Maybe it was time to be honest
"Edge? Hey it's me......"
I MISS YOU
Hot anger coursed through him as he stormed back to his dressing room. Rey Mysterio, usually smiling as he bounded his way to and from the Gorilla position, was looking decidedly angry. In fact, he was scowling. Right in the heart of Guerrero country, he'd lost his precious Cruiserweight Championship to that slime Chavo Guerrero Jnr. Talk about the last straw, everything else seemed to be hitting rock bottom as well in his life. To cap it all off, he was alone and apart from him, the love of his life. At least Guerrero hadn't ripped off his mask though he had tried to during the match. Rey fondly the touched the piece of headgear that brushed his jaw line. He'd had enough of wrestling mask-less in WCW after losing to Kevin Nash. It was part of who he was; his identity.
Sighing, he pushed open his locker room door. Jorge had headed for the medics for some ice packs for the pair of them and would be returning soon. Rey just wanted a few minutes to gather himself and come to terms with the fact that he'd lost his title. It took him a few moments to realise that someone else was sat in his locker room, with an ice pack pressed to the back of her neck.
"What do I owe this honour Nidia?" he asked, formally as he turned to greet the petite toned diva who sat relaxed in a steel chair
Nidia shrugged, wincing and readjusting the ice-pack
"Felt like coming where I knew there'd be a friendly face but it looks like I wasted my time" she replied, her eyes sparkling
It was Rey's turn to shrug now. He didn't really want to talk even though he liked the Tough Enough champion well enough, she was a little extreme for his taste but her heart was usually in the right place. He just wanted to be alone so he could be miserable without him. No one knew how he felt.
"Just annoyed at losing, and to that scum Chavo" he muttered, grabbing a towel "he's been taking things too far lately"
"I know how that feels"
Rey paused and turned back to look at Nidia properly. The expression on her face was of pure disappointment, misery and sadness. He'd forgotten how much she'd been through lately. Blinded by Tajiri's mysterious mist and then taken advantage of by her so-called boyfriend Jamie Noble. Then she'd revealed that her blindness had gone before challenged Jamie to a match for No Way Out in which he'd be blindfolded. Everyone but the referee had seen Jamie cheat and then win the match. Nidia had been duped out of her deserved victory for the weeks of humiliation and misery Jamie had put her through. Put his own problems in perspective though it also made him think of them more.
"Not doing so good then" Rey asked gently, forgetting most of his anger
Nidia pressed her lips together and shook her head. Things had been very hard for her. She'd loved Jamie with all her heart but now? She didn't know what to do. There was nowhere for her to turn and she'd known for a while that Rey had been helping her as best he could. Sighing she dropped the ice pack onto the floor and ran a hand through her wild curly mass of hair.
"Just don't know where to go" she sighed "I mean I came here with Jamie and without him, I feel like I'm back to being that kid who won Tough Enough, just a green again"
"You're so much more and you know that chica, you can fight in the ring and the fans love you"
"But will they love me if I'm alone? I mean Torrie had to do Playboy to get properly noticed"
"You think you'll have to do that?"
"I don't want to but if that's what it takes to stay in the business then I will"
She looked so determined. Rey smiled. It was tough since she'd come into the business as green as can be with only a TV show's worth of training behind her but she'd made the best of what she had. She'd established herself as a tough in-ring opponent and had almost certainly erased the fact from people's minds that she'd been part of Tough Enough in the first place.
"Thanks for helping me Rey" she said quietly, lifting her head to look him in the eyes "you didn't have to and I appreciate it, I don't know what Jamie would have done if you hadn't been there"
Rey shrugged again, embarrassed under his mask. It had definitely been the right thing to do.
"Hate to see a lady in trouble" he muttered
"Lady? No one else thinks I'm a lady Rey" giggled Nidia "I'm just trailor park trash to all of them, but who cares? Who cares if I'm this way? This is me, this is me with no faking like Torrie doing her little innocent girl act, this is me"
"I see what others don't"
"Oh through your little bird contact lenses?"
"Something like that"
There was a silence as they smiled at each other, the atmosphere decidedly calm and friendly despite the fact that both had lost their matches that night at the PPV. Rey sat down opposite Nidia and offered her a bottled drink.
"Thanks, geez where am I gonna go now? I could go back to developmentals and maybe find a new guy there"
"You think that's the answer to your problems?"
"It worked for me last time"
Rey smiled. Ever since he'd arrived on Smackdown, he'd known Nidia. She was loud and sweet, obviously adoring Jamie and doing what he thought best while showing she could fight alone as well. Even without Jamie, she was just Nidia. She thought she needed a man to define herself by? In his eyes, she was Nidia plain and simple.
"You are who you are chica; you've never been anything different to me"
Nidia blinked some glassy tears away as she smiled at her friend.
"I'm glad it was you who saved me out there before" she blurted out
"Why?"
"The guys....well they know how I am.....how much I like men and they'd only come out to save me if they thought they could get something from me but you did it because you wanted to"
Rey nodded, leaning back as he did. It was true that Nidia did have a reputation for being pretty loose when it came to guys. Jamie had allowed it because she always came back to him in the end and that was what mattered to her. Now she had nothing.
"So anyway, how are you feeling?" Nidia asked, trying to appear more cheerful "are you gonna go after Chavo?"
"I hope so" Rey replied, eyes narrowing "have you seen the way he's been treating Eddie? That man is a legend in Mexico; you should treat your elders with respect"
"But how do you feel about the match and everything?" Nidia persisted "I mean you have lost your belt and all"
"Honestly? Pretty down, I love being a champion and I think I do it pretty well but then you have someone like Chavo who likes to lie, cheat and steal and I end up losing"
"It's tough huh?"
"Oh hell yeah, all that time working to earn this name, my uncle's name and I get blocked everywhere because of my size and I finally get here, the WWE, the big time and I lose my belt to that idiot"
"You've got to learn to roll with the punches" Nidia replied earnestly "I mean you may be down one week, but then next week, top of the world if you're lucky"
Rey nodded, silently. He was very quiet and in Nidia's eyes was keeping something back. She could see it in the way he twisted the towel round his fingers.
"Rey-Rey are you hiding something from me?" she asked in a purposely playful tone
"Maybe"
"Then spill, it'll make you feel better I promise"
Rey sighed. He didn't tell people what he felt inside often because it meant spilling his guts which always made him feel bad. But Nidia deserved to know, she was being so patient with him while she was going through her own hell
"I guess I just miss Edge" his words like smoky breaths escaping his lips, his emotions squeezing out painfully
"Oh Rey, why didn't you tell me? I understand that....."
"I just don't get to see him so much since he's at home and I'm travelling so much, I only get to see him when we're in Canada" Rey continued
"Hey, he's your boyfriend, you are allowed to miss him" Nidia said firmly "I mean, I'd worry if you didn't miss him you know?"
"I know"
"Doesn't make it any easier me saying that but think about it, he's started working off ring rust right? So it's only a matter of time"
"You'd think that but something's wrong with his foot, he's got it in a soft cast so it's another set-back keeping me from him"
Nidia got up and wrapped comforting arms around him. Rey didn't move; talking about it had brought it completely home to home. In a way it freed him from the whole inner-monologue trap but now the pain was more real, he could feel it sharply
"You listen to me Rey, lets head out tonight, have some fun" Nidia said as she sat down again "It couldn't hurt, I think we both need the company"
"Guess we do don't we?"
"And then tomorrow when we've arrived at Louisiana, I'm taking you into the city for some shopping, we can buy something for Edge and send it off for him to let him know you're thinking of him" Nidia smiled at him "I bet you don't tell him on the phone that you miss him"
"No, makes it all seem worse since he can't be here to make it better"
"That's settled then"
Nidia got to her feet and Rey noticed for the first time her tee shirt. It was pastel pink with a large glitter heart on and LOVE painted on in the middle of it. It made him smile.
"I'll come by the girls locker room in say half an hour?" he suggested, already feeling more energised
"Sure thing"
Nidia bent down and gently kissed him on the cheek before walking out of the room, the ice pack still to her neck. Rey grinned; she thought she was nothing without Jamie? She was something alright. That reminded him. He pulled his cell-phone out of his bag and speed dialled a number. Maybe it was time to be honest
"Edge? Hey it's me......"