"Nope" I say, staring at him. "No, nein, non, na, um, fuck, I've run out of ways to say no. Oh, wait a minute...not fucking happening." Jon laughs as Colby opens and closes his mouth. "Don't know what you're laughing for Ambrose" he says. "The turn is happening tonight. No wrestling so you're good to go too. You need to get changed. Now. Both of you." "I have nothing to wear" I say, looking down at myself. "You're good like that Lora" Vince says, appearing out of nowhere. "Here's what we're gonna do..."
"Ready for this Lora?" Carrano asks as I pace behind the curtain. "Does it look like I'm ready?" I hiss. He laughs. "Sorry" he says, holding his hands up. I shake my head, groaning as I look at the screen. Nikki is in the ring, teasing the audience about who is going to face her for the title. "I mean" she says, looking at Brie. "I've already fought off most of the locker room. Nobody back there is a challenge anymore. What we need, is some fresh meat." AJ winks at me as her music starts. I smile and watch as she skips down the ramp to Nikki, grabbing a microphone before getting into the ring. "Uh AJ" Nikki sneers. "Did you not hear me? I said fresh meat. No offence, but I think the crowd is bored of you trying to get this back. Just accept it's not going to happen." AJ nods, but before she can say anything Paige's music starts. "That's my belt Nikki" she says,walking down the ramp. "If anyone deserves a chance to take it from you, it's me." Nikki shakes her head. "I'll give you credit, Paige" she says. "I mean, you're fresher competition than AJ, but still, not fresh enough." The debate continues, with Summer, Layla, Alicia, Rosa, Nattie and Emma all staking their claim on the belt. "Now Lora" Carrano says, handing me a microphone and pushing me through the curtain.
"Fresh meat huh Nikki" I say, walking slowly down the ramp. I feel, rather than see, everyone's eyes on me. "How about NXT fresh?" Nikki winks at me and nods slightly. "Oooooh a newbie" she says, watching me get in the ring. "I may be a newbie" I say, looking at her. "But I know my way round a ring..." "Then you know how to get out of it" AJ says harshly. "What makes you think you're any better than us huh? Why should you get a shot at that title over us? We've worked our asses off to get to it." I nod thoughtfully. "AJ" I say. "I never said I was better than you. I never staked a claim on the title. Heck, I never said I want the title, I'm not gold hungry like you lot. I mean, look at you, all out here demanding a title shot. All I said was I'm fresh meat, just what Nikki wanted." Nikki nods. "She did" she agrees. They all look at me, whispering amongst themselves. Finally AJ speaks again. "So she knows her way around a ring" she smirks. "Maybe she should prove it..." Straight away they all come for me, I don't stand a chance. I manage to fight Emma and Alicia off, throwing Rosa out of the ring for good measure. The music I've been waiting for finally hits and the crowd goes wild. Joe, Colby and Jon all run down the stairs, jumping the barrier and getting straight in the ring. The remaining divas get out quickly, watching as the guys stare at me. I sit up, sliding backwards until my back is against the turnbuckle. AJ smirks at me, obviously thinking something bad is going to happen, especially when Joe takes a step towards me. I watch him warily, cramming myself as far into the corner as I can. Finally he shakes his head and holds his hand out to me. I look at Jon and Colby, watching as they stare at Joe in mock shock. Joe nods at me and I nod, reaching out and holding his hand. He helps me up, holds the rope down for me to get out of the ring, helps me over the barrier and runs up the steps with me in his arms.
We wait for Jon and Colby to join us before walking backstage. None of us talk until we're safely in the locker room. As soon as the door is closed Jon grabs me and pulls me onto his lap. "Well?" he asks. Colby groans, running his hands through his hair. "I don't know man" he says. "I still don't get how this is gonna work." "Me either" I admit. "I guess we're gonna have to trust Vince and see how it goes." Colby finally nods. "If it's going to work" he says. "You need to put some effort in too. We've worked our asses off to get this far Lora." "Hey!" Joe yells. "You saw that footage, right? The stuff for the DVD and her NXT stuff? She's worked her ass off to get here too Colby. Give her some credit too. Now, end of discussion. Lora is part of The Shield now. Deal with it." Colby groans, opens the door and walks out, slamming it behind him. "I'm sorry Lor" Joe says quietly. "Trouble with Colby is he can never see the bigger picture, only the here and now. He'll come around, it's just gonna take some getting used to. I'll go find him, we've got a match soon. Don't worry about him, ok? Just concentrate on your stuff and you'll be fine." I smile and nod as he heads out to find Colby.
"He's right" Jon whispers. "Colby only ever sees as far as the end of his nose, not what's beyond it. Prove him wrong babe, I know you can." I nod, sliding off his lap onto the sofa. "I wasn't expecting this Jon" I say. "Ok, maybe in time I hoped to work a bit with you guys, but not straight away." He nods. "Blame creative" he says. "As soon as Dolph got injured they came up with this segment to fill time. Guess we'll find out on Thursday how successful it was." I nod, watching him. "Can we forget it now?" I ask. "Pretend it never happened, until it airs anyway." He smiles. "What did you have in mind?" he asks wickedly. I pull him towards me and whisper in his ear. "Um" he groans. "Where's Vince? Suddenly I don't feel too good, I think my wife needs to drive me home."