Chapter Seventeen: Sweet Sixteen Slammiversary
Jeff's POV:
We got through the rest of the school year without major incidents. Taylor's birthday was in June, not long before Slammiversary. As part of her birthday gift, I had made surprise arrangements for her for Slammiversary in addition to the party and gifts she would get before we left for the event.
"Taylor, come on! Your party starts in half an hour and you should be at Matt's house before your guests!" I called up to her.
We were doing a traditional Sweet Sixteen party for Taylor with the girls in dresses and guys in suits because Amy and Taylor told me it was something that you just didn't not do. I didn't get the big deal. It was a party. When I told them that, they told me I would think that because I was a guy, but for a girl, a sixteenth birthday was always special.
"I'll be down in a minute, Dad! I'm fixing my hair!" she called back down.
It was weird for me to hear my daughter say that to me. She had asked me to help her dye her hair multiple shades of pink the week before and typically wore her hair in either braids or ponytails like me at this point. Still, I was distracted by the sight of Amy coming out of what was now our room, wearing a red kimono-style dress, similar to the one she'd worn when she'd been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
"Wow," was all I could get out.
"You don't look so bad yourself, Handsome," she said as she came over and kissed me.
I was wearing a light grey suit. My hair was pulled back, purple this week, which matched my tie. I pulled Amy to me and held her. My mind still couldn't believe that we were together. I just held her in my arms, savoring every moment, knowing how lucky I was to have her and Taylor with me. Suddenly Taylor cleared her throat and I looked up. My breath caught.
I hadn't seen her dress. Amy and Taylor had gone shopping in Raleigh for her dress. It was a beautiful white dress with soft pink flowers. Taylor's hair was done in spirals. Taylor was never little around me, but she'd always be my little girl, and right now she didn't seem like my little girl anymore.
"What's wrong, Dad?" she asked me.
I started breathing and found my voice.
"Nothing, Darling. You look beautiful."
"Then why were you just staring at me?" she asked me self-consciously.
"Because you look so grown up. It's not a bad thing. You look beautiful."
"Come on you two. I want a picture of you before we go," Amy said as she grabbed the camera off the table.
I walked over to Taylor and hugged her. I couldn't believe how fast time was flying, how quickly she was growing up in front of me. Amy snapped the picture and the three of us left, getting to Matt's house fifteen minutes before the party was supposed to start.
Dad and Matt had similar reactions to Taylor. Amy took pictures of Taylor with Dad, then Matt, then all of us, the whole Hardy clan. It was surreal. When she was done, I got some pictures of Taylor and Amy, loving the way the two of them got along. I was so lucky that Taylor loved Amy as much as I did.
Not long after, the guests started to arrive, some of them were my co-workers from TNA and others were Taylor's few friends from school. The girl at the party seemed like a completely different person than the one who had first come to Cameron six months before. She almost seemed happy. I could see it in her from time to time that she missed Tammy dearly, and I did too, but I think she was happy with me.
Taylor's POV
The party started and it was fun having the TNA wrestlers there with my friends from school. I hadn't told my friends from school and since only Mika and Collin had met any of them, they all freaked out that they not only got to hang out at the BCR, but they got to meet a bunch of TNA wrestlers for my birthday. It was a lot of fun, which I felt a little guilty for.
Mama would never have let me have a party like this. If I had still been with her my Sweet Sixteen probably would have been a bunch of her uptight co-workers at some overpriced dining hall with me miserable for the night. Still, I couldn't help but miss my mother. I sat down at one of the tables away from everyone and it was Rich, aka Davey Richards, who came over to talk to me.
"What's the matter, Taylor?" he asked me.
"Just feeling guilty right now, Rich."
"Why?"
"I'm having such a good time, here with all of you, living with Dad. It makes me feel guilty."
"But why, Taylor?"
"Because the only reason I get to do this is because my mother is dead. If she was alive, my birthday party would probably be about her co-workers. Mama didn't actually know any of my real friends in San Antonio. She wouldn't have approved of any of them. So I kinda feel guilty because I'm having such a good time and it's at the expense of her life," I said struggling not to cry, afraid of what Jamie, aka Velvet Sky, would do if she saw my make-up smear.
"You can't look at it like that. What happened to your mother was a tragic accident Taylor. It wasn't your fault. And yes, your life is different now, but that's okay. It's okay to enjoy it."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. Come on, dance with me."
I took his hand and he led me out to dance. He made me feel better. Maybe he was right. It's not like I was the one who was driving the car that smashed into us and killed my mother. Maybe it was okay to be happy with Dad. Mama's problems with him weren't mine. Mark, aka Bully Ray, came and cut in not long before the song ended.
"So, Monkey, you look beautiful tonight. Not gonna climb a tree if I try to hug you, are you?"
I laughed. Mark and Devon had called me Monkey ever since the first night I'd met them. I shook my head no and he hugged me. He made me feel like a dwarf, but his hugs were safe to me. As crazy as his character and even he was, I knew that Mark would do anything for me.
"You stayed on the ground!" he exclaimed, before pulling up the hem of my dress. "No fair! You're in heels! You couldn't climb a tree if you wanted to!"
"You're a dufus, you know that, don't you?"
"But it made you laugh," he said as he hugged me again, laughing. "Happy Birthday, Monkey."
Mark gave me a kiss on the cheek and walked away because Collin had come over.
"What was that all about?" Collin asked.
"Mark thinking the only reason I'm not climbing trees to get away from him being the heels I'm wearing."
"Climbing trees to get away from him?"
"Remember what I told you the first night you met all of these guys?" I asked Collin as I led him to the tables where the drinks were to get a soda. "When he picked me up and I climbed the tree to get away?"
"Right. Now I know what you're talking about," he replied. "You really have made some weird friends at your Dad's job."
"Yeah. Some of the guys are great. I don't mind them."
"Why didn't you tell me they'd be here?"
"Why didn't you think they would be? Did you really think Dad, Amy, Uncle Matt, Shannon, and Greg would be cool just hanging out with a bunch of teenagers all night? Besides, I don't really have that many friends if you don't count the friends I've made because of Dad's job. They're part of a new weird family to me, I guess, but they're my friends, too, Collin."
He looked at me for a minute, before changing the subject.
"You look great tonight, Tay."
"Thanks. So do you."
"Not like you. Besides, tonight is about you."
"I think Dad is in shock about that."
"Why?"
"When I came out of my room earlier after getting ready he just stared at me. It took him a minute to say anything."
"Well, this is shocking, Taylor. You don't dress like this. Ever."
"I guess."
"Have you eaten?"
"Not yet. Too nervous. It's making my stomach knot. I'm hoping to have my stomach settle down and then I'm gonna try to eat."
"Okay."
We got up and went to some of our friends. Collin didn't push eating. He wasn't like that. An hour later, Dad came and grabbed me with Uncle Matt, Grandpa, Amy, and Shannon.
Jeff's POV
"Taylor, can we see you for a minute?" I asked her.
"Sure, Dad," she said, before turning to her friends. "Guys, I'll be back. Go eat or dance or something."
She followed me, Dad, Amy, Matt, and Shannon to the house. We walked around to the front of the house.
"What's up, guys?" she asked.
"We wanted to give you one of your presents," Amy said.
"And you didn't want anyone else to see?" Taylor asked.
"It's complicated. We couldn't bring it to the back," Matt said.
"Why not?"
I handed her a small gift box. She looked at me weird.
"Open it," I said, as Shannon nodded at me and slipped away.
Taylor opened the box and saw what was inside, keys.
"What are these for?" she asked, confused.
"This!" Shannon exclaimed as he drove up in a brand new Edge.
"Wait. What?"
"Happy Birthday, Sweetheart," Dad said as he hugged her.
Shannon got out of the car and came back over to us, giving me the second set of keys.
"Happy Birthday, Kid!" he said as he gave her a hug and picked her up. "Now we can teach you how to drive yourself around."
"Thank you, everyone," Taylor said, but I wasn't sure if she was happy or not.
She gave everyone a hug and a kiss. I asked everyone to give me and her a minute alone so I could talk to her.
"Taylor, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, Dad," she said, but wouldn't stop looking at the car.
"Taylor, please don't lie to me."
"Nothing's wrong. Really. The car is beautiful," she said, finally looking at me. "I'm just scared of it."
"Why, Baby?" I asked as I pulled her to me.
"What if what happened to Mama happens to me, Dad?"
We hadn't thought about it. When we had talked about getting Taylor a big birthday gift, we all agreed that a sixteen year old, especially in a town like Cameron, would want their own car. It was a symbol of freedom. None of us had thought about the accident that put her in Cameron affecting her wanting to drive.
"Taylor, I'm sorry. I didn't think about that. You don't have to keep it if you don't want to," I said. "I just thought that you'd like to have your own car to get around now that you can start driving. I'm really sorry."
"Don't be," she said, snuggling into me. "I didn't think about it until I saw the car and Shannon said it was mine. I've been in cars and I was fine."
"Do you want me to get rid of it?"
"No. It might take me time, but fear is a four letter word that doesn't belong in my vocabulary. I need to get over this. I just need to take it slow. Is it okay if I don't use it much for a while?"
"That's fine. We'll teach you at your pace, Tay," I said as I kissed the top of her head.
"Hold on to these for me? I don't have pockets in my dress and having them in my hand make me nervous anyway," she said, handing me the keys.
"Sure, Baby," I said as I took them. "We should get back to the party."
Taylor nodded at me and we went back to the party. When we got to the back, Amy told me that she had talked to Michael, aka DJ Z, about putting on a slow song for me and Taylor to dance. I glared at her and she laughed at me as she pushed us towards the dance floor.
"Listen up, everyone! Here we have our gracious host, Jeffrey! Nero! Hardy!" Michael exclaimed into the mic from his DJ station. "And with him, give it up for our birthday girl, the beautiful Taylor Hardy!"
I looked in shock at Michael and he nodded to Taylor. I looked down at my daughter.
"I forged your signature to correct my birth certificate and name documents," she said to me. "I'll always be my mother's daughter, but I'm also a Hardy, and those seem to be the dominant genes in my life, Dad. It seemed to fit."
I didn't know whether to be angry or ecstatic. Instead, I hugged her close to me.
"Give it up for the father and daughter's first dance together ever!" Michael exclaimed as a slow song started blaring from the speakers.
I took her hands in mine and we slowly danced around the dance floor.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted to surprise you," she replied. "Uncle Matt and Grandpa knew. They helped me get hold of your license and other things you've signed to do the paperwork. We didn't have to go to court because it was an error on the birth certificate, not a name change, so we got it done without you knowing."
"You still forged my signature."
"I know. But I just wanted to surprise you. I wanted to see the look on your face when I could tell you it was already done. Now, even my name shows that I'm your daughter."
I pulled her closer to me as we danced. I felt tears at the corners of my eyes. I kissed the top of her head.
"I love you. But if you do that, I'll lock you in your room and throw away the key," I said to her.
We both started laughing.
"I won't. I promise, Dad."
We finished our dance and Taylor went back to her friends. I went back to Matt and Dad. Dad put his hands up in surrender.
"Talk to your brother. It was his idea to help her," he said as he walked away.
"Matthew Moore Hardy," I said as I went over to Matt. "Why in hell would you think it's okay to encourage my daughter to forge legal documents?"
He shrugged.
"She wanted to surprise you. It seemed like a good idea at the time," he said. "Besides, look at how happy you were when she told you she took your name, Jeff. It's worth whatever hell you wanna give me. She's part of the family and she's got a right to the name."
I shook my head. There was no point arguing with him. Amy came over and hugged me.
"Don't be so upset. We were careful to make sure the signatures looked authentic. She really wanted to surprise you, Jeff," she said to me before kissing me.
My head started to get light from happiness. My daughter took my name. Amy was still mine and we were all happy together. I couldn't help but be happy in the moment.
Taylor's POV
The phone rang in the hotel room. Slammiversary was tomorrow and we'd been in Fort Worth for a few days getting ready. It was early and the phone ringing actually woke me up. Knowing I wouldn't get back to bed, I went to start getting ready for the day. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the hotel room door.
"Taylor, can you get the door? I'm trying to brush your father's hair!" Amy called to me from their room in the suite.
"Sure, Amy," I called back, pulling one of Dad's hoodies over my tank top as I walked to the door.
I opened the door and nearly screamed. Standing on the other side of the door were Nick and Grace. I jumped into Nick's arms, nearly knocking him over.
"What are you doing here?!" I exclaimed, as I pulled them into the hotel room.
"Your dad and Amy brought us for Slammiversary as his guests," Grace said.
"He's really cool, Taylor. He tried to get us to North Carolina for your birthday party, but I couldn't do it. I was sick. I'm sorry," Nick said.
I nearly cried.
"Don't be sorry, Nick. Seeing you now is so much better than anything I could ever imagine," I said to him.
"Happy Birthday, Taylor," Nick said, handing me a large box.
"Come sit down with me, guys," I said leading them into the living room area.
I sat down and opened the box. Inside the box I found a brand new skateboard, and a hoodie designed for me. I looked at the signature of the designer. It was Dad.
"How?" I asked Nick.
"I knew you love boarding and that you've changed a lot since moving, so your board should reflect that. I've been talking to your dad since he's been trying to get us to North Carolina and he helped me come up with the perfect design for your new board and for the hoodie. I bought the board and everything, and he took care of the rest," Nick explained.
I looked at the skateboard again. It had a viper on it, just like the tattoo I had, which I had sent Nick a picture of. I hugged him.
"I love it. Thank you, Nick."
At this point, Dad and Amy came out of their room. I got up and hugged them and gave Dad a kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you, Dad. For everything."
"We're not done," Amy said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"What she means, is that I'm not the only one here in Fort Worth, Taylor," Nick said.
"What?"
"Jeff called me and asked me for a list of your friends. Sara, Melanie, Dean, Kevin, Joshua, Sammy, Tristan, Caleb, Ashlynn, and Lisbeth are all here, too," Grace said.
I just turned and stared at Dad. Asides from Nick, those ten were my closest friends in the world when I was growing up in Texas. A few of them were at Mama's funeral.
"I couldn't get them to Cameron for your party, but that doesn't mean I couldn't make arrangements with their parents to bring them to Fort Worth for the weekend to celebrate with you. They're all coming to Slammiversary, too. But Nick and Grace have backstage passes. They all have VIP tickets, so they get a special meet and greet before the show, but I can't have that many people backstage at an event. Sorry," Dad said as I jumped into his arms.
"Thank you, Dad!"
"Go get dressed. We leave in an hour for breakfast with all of them," he said to me before looking at Nick and Grace. "Come on, I checked in your room last night. It's ready for you, so you can rest while she gets ready."
Dad took Nick and Grace, leading them out of the room. I looked back at the skateboard which was now on the couch. I went back to it, picking it back up.
"Do you like it?" Amy asked me.
"It's amazing. I can't believe you guys are doing all of this."
"Why not? Jeff wants to know your friends, in Cameron and San Antonio. They're all a part of you, Taylor. He loves you," she said, holding out her hand for me. "Come on, let's get you ready."
I took her hand and she led me to my room.
Jeff's POV
Holding a second Sweet Sixteen without Taylor knowing about it was hard work. It was easier for my friends from work to be here, because we all had to be in Fort Worth for Slammiversary anyway. So, the night before Slammiversary, we had a second party, with Michael as DJ so Taylor's friends could meet Taylor's wrestling family and she could see her friends from San Antonio.
The second party was very lively, and we surprised her by flying in Dad, Uncle Matt, and Shannon from home and Michael Hickenbottom from San Antonio. The hall was packed with TNA wrestlers and a dozen of Taylor's closest friends and their families. She was even livelier than she was at her party in Cameron, which made the whole thing worth it to me.
"You did good with her," Michael said coming to sit with me. "She seems really happy, Jeff."
"We've had some rough patches, Michael. She's had some issues we've had to work through. When I had to ground her, it was tough. I thought I was gonna cave and let her off."
"Did you?"
"No. She was grounded because she ran off in the middle of the night, blew off school, and came home with a tattoo from Shannon. She got off easy, but I grounded her because of the school part. The rest is all stuff I would have done and she wasn't off where I didn't know, she was with Shannon and he told us early that morning. My problem was she had no right to skip school."
"No, she didn't."
"She's going through a hard time. Dealing with her mom's death, then she found out one of the kids here is dying. It's why she did what she did, but I wasn't going to let her schoolwork slip. I told her to express herself, be honest with me and we could work through things, but when I did, I hadn't thought about her skipping school."
"How did she find out about her friend?"
"He was a Make-A-Wish kid my first night back at TNA. It set her back so badly, Michael. She stopped eating and everything. Went two days without food. Amy and me had already decided if we couldn't get her to eat by the time Shannon brought her home we'd take her to the hospital, but he told her he'd gotten her to eat three times that day. The two of them got really close that day. When she was grounded he was the only friend she was allowed to see outside of school. He'd come over to the house."
"At least she had that."
"I feel lost with her."
"You're doing a good job, Jeff. Don't doubt yourself. Six months ago you came to me a broken man, worried your little girl would die. Now here she is, healthy, beautiful, and she looks happy. I think you're doing something right, even if you're not sure."
"I don't know what I'd do without Amy. Taylor loves her so much."
"Things are serious between the two of you?"
"We've been together for three months. Taylor pushed the two of us together. Called us on stolen looks. But we're happy. And Taylor is happy for us. Life is good. I'm just scared I'm gonna mess it up like I've messed so many things up before. I already messed something major up with Taylor."
"What do you mean?"
I explained the situation with the car. Michael just looked at me with sympathy.
"You were excited to give her what you thought ever sixteen year old would want. Don't beat yourself up so badly. She seems okay."
"Thanks, Michael."
Michael patted my shoulder and got up. I saw him cross the room to Taylor. After speaking to her briefly, I saw him lead her to the dance floor. She danced with him, laughing at whatever conversation he had with her.
Taylor's POV
Michael Hickenbottom is a spaz on the dance floor, but he's funny. My friends were jealous that I was hanging out with the wrestlers because so many of them had been huge wrestling fans when we were growing up and here I was, the only one of the group who had never been allowed to watch, dancing with Shawn Michaels. My second party was just as fun as my first, just in a different way than the party in Cameron.
Ashlynn and Sara were flirting with The BroMans. Melanie and Lisbeth were asking EY for pointers on different moves. Tristan and Caleb were asking Bully and Devon about TLC matches. Dean and Sammy were following The Beautiful People around, flirting with them. Josh and Kevin were asking The Wolves about breaking into wrestling. Nick and Grace were just hanging out with Magnus and Mickie James, who was pregnant, talking.
"So, Madam," James, aka Rockstar Spud said sitting next to me, "how are you enjoying your second Sweet Sixteen?"
"I'm still in shock, Spud."
"Good or bad?"
"Good. I didn't think I'd see my San Antonio friends again and here they are. My old life and my new life blending perfectly."
"Jeff will be very happy to hear this."
"I can't thank Dad enough."
"I don't think he wants you to thank him, Taylor. I just think he wants you to be happy and healthy. If this will make you happy, he'll do it for you."
"He didn't have to throw me a second party, but I appreciate it. He's already done so much for me."
"He loves you. You know that, don't you, Luv?"
"I'm understanding how much more every day."
"Come now, let's go see Master Carter and Madam Dixie. They were looking for you earlier."
I paled a little. EC3, Michael (another one in TNA, I know), and I had a cordial relationship, but he was loud and crazy in a weird way. I still didn't know what to make of him, even after three months of travelling with Dad. Spud noticed.
"No worries, Luv. They wanted to see you since they missed your last party. You'll be fine."
Michael and Dixie weren't actually related and I knew it, but even out of character, they acted as if they were. Spud led me over to them and held a seat out for me at their table before sitting next to me. Dixie and Michael looked at me.
"Are you enjoying your party, Darlin'?" Dixie asked.
"Yes, Ma'am. I'm in shock that Dad did this. I wasn't expecting it."
"He loves you, Darlin', and would do anything for you, even walk away from wrestling if you wanted him to."
"I wouldn't want him to. He's so happy wrestling. It's part of him."
"That's good to know. So how was your other party?"
"A lot of fun, Ma'am. Dad was shocked when he found out that I legally took the Hardy name, dropping Mama's name. Technically, legally anyway," I said smiling at Spud.
"What do you mean?" Michael said speaking up.
"I kinda forged his signature on the paperwork so I could surprise him."
"You're a lot like the New Yorkers," he said laughing.
"No, she's not, Master Carter. She's not quite as vulgar and disturbed," Spud said sticking up for me and we all started laughing, making me relax around Michael for the first time.
"So, Spud said the two of you wanted to speak to me?"
"Yeah, we did," Michael said.
"How would you like a summer job, Darlin'?" Dixie asked me.
"What do you mean, Ma'am?"
"Well, Christy is taking on new responsibilities in the company, plus, with her storyline with Samuel Shaw, she can't always be at ringside. So, how would you like to be our part time ring announcer?" Dixie replied.
"Seriously?"
"Why not? You're on the road with your father when you're not in school anyway. You're part of the TNA family. Why not make it official?" Dixie said. "We can start you tomorrow at Slammiversary. You can announce the Anderson/Storm match if you're okay with it."
"It's an amazing offer, Ms. Carter, but my dad…"
"I've talked to him, Darlin'. I'd be a fool to drop this on a sixteen year old girl without talking to her Daddy. He said if you want to do it, he'd support you. Besides, I've been watching you. We all have. We've noticed you've been showing an interest in the business, Darlin'."
I hadn't told Dad that yet. But she was right. I had talked to Gail, Mark, Devon, James, Rich, Eddie, Jeremy, Ken, and Jamie about it. They had all shown me small things, but said if I wanted to know more, Dad had to know first.
"I'd love to," I said at last.
"Fantastic, Darlin'. We'll work out all the details after Slammiversary, but he'll bring you in to Christy early enough in the morning to prep you to announce the match."
"Thank you so much, Ms. Carter," I said.
"Welcome to the family, Darlin'," she said as she got up and hugged me. "Oh, I nearly forgot, here you go. Happy Birthday, Taylor."
She handed me a box and a card. The box held a beautiful dress with matching shoes and jewelry, things that I wouldn't have many chances to wear.
"Thank you. They're beautiful, Ms. Carter, but…"
"For your first night on the job, Taylor. You have to look fabulous," she said as she hugged me again and walked away.
I turned and looked back at Michael. He had a box in front of him, too. Spud moved the box from Dixie and Michael slid his box over to me. I opened it and found a gym bag and everything I would need to start working out again. I looked at him.
"Tell your father already, Taylor. And gain another fifteen pounds. A bunch of us talked about you wanting to get involved. If you can get your weight up to at least 110 and your father's support, we'll start slowly teaching you while you travel with us. This is everything you'll need if you do it. The clothes won't fit you until you hit 110, so you have to get your weight up, but remember, muscle weighs more than fat, so you don't have to worry about becoming fat to meet the weight goal we want from you."
"I had no idea you knew so much about me, Michael."
"Master Carter may have kept his distance, but he likes to know what's going on around here," Spud said.
"Thank you. I'll try with the weight, but…" I took a deep breath, trying to find the words to tell him. "I'm a recovering anorexic. Putting on weight is hard for me."
"I figured. That's why I pointed out that muscle weighs more than fat, Taylor," he replied and I just stared at him with my jaw dropped. "I've been a wrestler for a while. It's not uncommon for girls to want to keep their weight down. You were really underweight even three months after you moved in with Jeff. But just so you know, you look a lot better with the weight you've gained. You look more alive. It suits you."
I still didn't know what to say so I just nodded. Michael started laughing before he got up and kissed my cheek and left.
Jeff's POV
"Taylor, wake up," I said shaking her.
She groaned at me. I shook her again and she swatted me.
"Hey! You agreed to this job!" I exclaimed.
She stirred and glared at me. I laughed at her. I wasn't always nice in the morning either when I didn't sleep much. She got up and in the shower. I called room service for breakfast. When she got out we ate together before I got in the shower. By the time I got out, Amy was up, helping her pack what she would need for the arena. I knew she'd go right back to bed when we left, she was meeting us at the arena with the others later.
"Will I always have to be up this early?" Taylor asked me.
"No. But since this is a last minute change of plans, you need to get used to the role you're gonna play. You'll be meeting with Christy and Jeremy while I get in a workout."
"Okay," she said, yawning. "Can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"If I wanted to start training to wrestle, would you let your friends train me?"
"Why are you asking?"
"I think I want to. I've talked to some of them. They've shown me small things, holds mostly, but they won't do anything else unless you know and you're okay with it. That and EC3 told me last night they want me to get my weight up to 110 before they do it."
"Is it something you're really interested in?"
"I think so. It looks like so much fun."
"Then I have no problem with it."
"Even if when I graduate next year I decide not to go to college full-time?"
"Wait. What?"
"I was thinking that after graduation I could go to college part-time and maybe train or even start wrestling the rest of the time if you were okay with it."
"I need to think about that. We have a few months before you apply, so we'll talk about that another day. To start, if you gain the weight, I have no problem with them training you as long as all of you are careful. You're a natural athlete."
"Thanks, Dad."
She yawned again and fell asleep. I let her sleep until we reached the arena.
Taylor's POV
Slammiversary was so surreal. It was so much bigger than the normal shows. Christy and Jeremy Borash showed me around to hair and make-up early in the day so I could find it on my own later in the day. They spent two hours with me going over what I needed to say and do when I came out in the arena that night, making sure I could walk in the heels both in the ring and out of it, and testing my reflexes in case the match went a little off-script and the wrestlers wound up coming towards me. When they were satisfied, we sat down with Dixie and discussed what she would expect from me. I would be an announcer, and do occasional backstage segments.
Finally, the event was getting ready to start. Dad was dressed in his Willow gimmick for his match against Magnus. I was still in sweats because I didn't have to be ready until almost the last match, so I stayed comfortable for when my friends came to see us. When the event started, I got dressed and ready early so I could go ringside with Christy for Dad's match. It was a double perk for me. I got to be even closer to Dad during his match and I got to be closer to Christy to see her mannerisms and everything so I knew what to do later.
Dad's match was awesome to watch, but it was rough. Bram and Magnus are brutal in-ring competitors and as Willow went after Bram, Magnus attacked, gaining the upper hand. Abyss was out with Willow and kept Bram occupied, ultimately getting him out, but Magnus was still dominating. When Willow did start to turn things around, Magnus knocked him off-balance from the top rope, where he then hit him with his finisher, beating him.
When Dad left the ring, I followed him closely. He ultimately leaned on me and squeezed my shoulder.
"Are you okay, Tay?" he asked me.
"Are you shitting me? You just got a beatin' and you're asking if I'm okay?"
"You were on the outside with Bram and Abyss. You didn't get hit or anything, did you?" he asked as he limped up the ramp with me.
"No, Dad. I'm fine. Really. Are you?"
"Nothing I haven't been through before. I'll be fine. Don't worry."
I laughed. Earl Hebner caught up to us and helped me help Dad to the back. As Dad was being checked out, I had to go get my hair and make-up touched up. When I got back to his dressing room, he was there with Amy, Nick, Grace, and Uncle Matt.
"You good, Dad?"
"I'm fine. All clear. You excited?"
"Nervous, but yeah."
Just then, Ken came to the door.
"Taylor! I've just been told that the lovely Christy isn't going to be announcing our match tonight, but you are. Remember…"
"You announce yourself?"
"Well, yeah, there's that. But, remember that you're a knockout on your own, Kid. You're a special girl, coming from where you did to get where you are. Don't let anyone make you think any less of yourself. Knock 'em dead!" he said as he turned and walked away.
My nerves settled after that.
As everything was being cleaned up from the Texas Death match between EC3 and Bully Ray, Jeremy Borash announced me to the crowd. I made my way back down to the ring, where he helped me up the steps, handing me a mic. I plastered on a smile like Christy told me to.
"What's up Arlington?! Are you ready for more excitement?!"
The crowd went nuts.
"I can't hear you! Are you ready for more excitement?!"
The crowd got even louder. Jeremy gave me the signal that it was time to start the match.
"The following contest is set for one fall. Introducing first, weighing 230 lbs, from Leiper's Fork, Tennessee, The Cowboy, James Storm!"
James Storm's music started, but he had them cut it off, as he entered with a mic. He started insulting the Dallas Cowboys, who were sitting front row, as he walked down the ramp. Anderson, without announcing himself, came rushing out, stole someone's drink, and spit it in Storm's face. The two of them got into a brawl at ringside before the bell. I rushed out of the ring and over to JB.
Anderson dominated the match from the beginning. After a bit, Storm gained breathing room. Instead of ending the match by pinning Anderson, he went to taunt the Dallas Cowboys some more. The Cowboys started trying to break through the barriers to get to Storm. Security had to come in to stop them. George Selvie distracted James Storm and Anderson hit him with the Mic Check for the win. The bell rang, signaling the end of the match.
"And your winner, Mr. Anderson!" I exclaimed, drawing out his name.
The Cowboys broke through the barrier and entered the ring to celebrate with Anderson. He winked at me. I gave JB the mic back and started making my way backstage. Dad was waiting just out of sight at the top of the ramp.
"Are you okay? They didn't say this would be such a crazy match," he said.
"I'm fine. I have quick reflexes, Dad. I got outta the way before I got caught in anything. Besides, JB and Christy told me that I should always pay attention because sometimes the matches get outta hand and end up outside anyway. I was ready just in case."
He hugged me to him.
"You did great tonight, Taylor. Welcome to TNA," he said as he held me.
"Thanks, Dad. I can't wait to learn more," I said excitedly.