Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews, it made me happy that you all like this story so far. I really enjoy writing it--I think this is a fun story.
Also, just a note to the reviewer Cute, who wrote "Nah Torrie and Stacy's firings wouldn't be anywhere near what Matt's was so don't even try that. Matt's got so many fans Us vs them! Seriously no don't even make Torrie sound as popular as Matt. " I never meant that Torrie would be as popular as Matt or the backlash would be as great. I just read an article online stating that they were reluctant to outright fire Torrie because a lot of the fans would be upset. Sorry if it came across as Stacy and Torrie being on the same level as Matt!
The backstage at RAW was as loud and energized as Smackdown was quiet. The hallways were buzzing with energy and excitement of a RAW taping ahead of them. Their roster was trimmed, but not as significantly as Smackdown's and with Vince's announcement that there would be no further releases, the mood was elevated—for most people.
Victoria leaned back against the wall and sighed loudly and irritably, pushing up the hat that threatened to impair her vision. She dropped her bags which grew heavier the longer she waited and sighed again. She saw Lita walking down the hall towards her and waved half-heartedly.
"What's going on?" Lita asked, looking from the closed locker room back to her friend. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for your match?"
"That's what I thought," she replied and then made a face. "The DS girls need to get ready for their talent competition and I don't want to be anywhere near that."
Lita laughed. "Can't say I blame you," she looked down at her watch. "What time should they be done?" Victoria shrugged lifelessly and the irritable look on her face made the diva almost unrecognizable to Lita. Lita grabbed her hand and then pulled her to her feet. "Let's go walk. I don't think sitting here and listening to them be stupid is doing anything to improve your mood."
"I don't think being here is doing anything to improve my mood," Victoria responded, but nonetheless followed her friend down the hallway and away from the locker room. A red head at the end of the hallway caught her eye and she scowled.
"Calm down there killer," Lita said when she saw who was responsible for making Victoria tense up. "She's not even worth wasting your time on," Victoria didn't respond and kept her narrowed eyes glued to last year's over-eager Diva Search winner. "Did you hear Torrie knocked that Candice girl flat on her ass last Tuesday?" She asked, hoping to get Victoria's mind off of a repeat attack on Christy Hemme.
That broke her concentration and she looked at Lita. "For real?" Lita nodded and Victoria smiled. "I didn't think Torrie had a single mean bone in her body."
Lita shrugged. "I think all people have a point where they're just prone to snap. Torrie must have reached hers after Dawn and Jackie were let go."
"Probably," she opened her mouth and was about to say something when a loud, Canadian-accent-tinged voice rang out throughout the backstage area and cut her off.
"Who are you all and what in the hell do you think you're doing in the locker room!"
"Trish," the two divas said at the same time. Christy looked up with wide eyes from down the hall and began walking in the opposite direction.
When Victoria and Lita got to the locker room, they weren't surprised to see Trish Stratus standing in the middle of the locker room, hands on her hips and a scowl on her face with the Diva Search contestants standing around her looking paralyzed. It was a well-known fact backstage that the Diva of the Decade didn't like surprises—especially ones that went on when she was away from the WWE, injured or otherwise.
"Well is somebody going to answer me?" She demanded.
A girl with brown hair and thick blonde highlights looked up at her. "My name is Leyla and let me just tell you that is a pleasure to be meeting you Trish. You're like my idol." The other girls began nodding and Trish rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, because that really means a lot to me," she replied sarcastically. "Where are the real divas"
"Over here," Lita called from the doorway where she and Victoria were enjoying the mild-confrontation. Trish saw them and waved happily and they waved back.
"Lisa, how much longer are you all going to be in here?" Trish asked.
"Actually, my name's Ley—"
Trish gave her a look of utter indifference only second to The Rock. "How much longer?"
"I'm done now," one of the blondes piped up. She crammed her stuff into her bag and quickly walked out of the room with only one-half of her hair curled. The rest of the girls followed her until only Trish and Leyla were left in the room.
"I think you're done now Liza," Trish said simply.
The girl looked like she really wanted to correct her but stopped when she saw the look on the blonde's face. "Yeah, I'll see ya around."
Trish snorted as Leyla walked out of the room. "Don't count on it," she said to the retreating girl.
"You handled that so well Trish," Lita commented when she walked into the room. She dropped her bag to the floor and began rummaging for her show-clothes.
"Well I thought I'd come back and pay you guys a little visit," Trish said. "And then I come in here and the room is overrun with all of these wannabes."
"Diva Search 2," Victoria supplied and then rolled her eyes. "You're so lucky you got to meet them."
"How are the guys handling it?" Trish asked.
"Well you know they love this time of the year," Lita answered. She pulled a black, fishnet shirt over her red one and stood up to look at her reflection in the mirror. "And I don't think it helps much that these girls are all hitting on the married men. Dave is getting really fed up with it but some of these girls just won't take no for an answer.
A loud, knock came at the door. "Trish, Mr. McMahon would like a word with you."
The girls immediately recognized the voice of Vince's newest assistant, a nervous guy straight out of college who didn't quite have a grasp on the whole WWE experience.
"I guess I'll see you in a few minutes then," Trish said, breezing out of the room. From past experience, talks with Vince never amounted to more then discussions on her future title—
She was broken out of her thoughts when she left her room and came face to face with the chairman of the WWE, who didn't look in the least bit happy to see her.
"How terrific that you've decided to pay us a visit," Vince said coolly and Trish noticed that Lisa girl standing behind him with a smug smile on her face.
"It's always nice to see you again Vince," she replied. "You wanted to see me?"
"Cut the formalities Trish," he snapped and she jumped. "I told those girls to be in there for a reason. They have a segment to perform in a little less than twenty minutes and they need space to get ready, away from the rest of the talent to prevent fraternizing. There is no other diva matches tonight so I figured the locker room would be a good place to put them. Those were my orders. How dare you think you're above me and think you have the right to just kick them out," he turned to look at Leyla, who smiled at him gratefully. "And if this young lady here hadn't told me what you were doing, the segment would have been ruined."
Trish resisted the urge to roll her eyes and tell him it would be no big loss but saw the serious look on his face and decided not to. "Was there anything else?"
"I don't want you back here until the medics have cleared you," Vince added and then turned and walked away.
Leyla was about to turn around and follow him when Trish grabbed her arm and pushed her up against the wall, hard.
"If you think for one minute you're getting away with something," Trish hissed. "Think again. I don't bow down to anybody and least of all to somebody like you that thinks she can just whore her way into the company. I've wound that man around my little finger once and don't think I won't do it again if it means getting rid of you and your little wannabe friends."
"Get your hands off of me," Leyla snapped, pushing back against Trish.
Trish ground her teeth together and narrowed her eyes. "Little girl, I'd watch my back if I were you because an attitude like that is not going to make you any friends back here. I dare you to make one more wrong move like that. Because if you do, your career will be over before it started," she snapped her fingers and Leyla flinched. "Just like that." She pushed past the girl and stalked towards the parking lot, determined to come up with her next plan of attack.
Read and review like you were so apt to do last chapter. I'd really appreciate it and also if you have any ideas, those are always appreciated!