The first week was full of surprises for Corey. The night he signed the contract the guys , and girls, took him to a local club, celebrating and welcoming him to the 'family'. Because of his age Corey would only have coke, but he didn't need alcohol to enjoy himself. He learned a lot of the backstage politics, and he got to know his fellow workers better, even Joelle. Corey had finally admitted to Chris that he had a little crush on her, and Chris had patted him on the back, telling him 'I told you so'.
And Joelle had been the one that had dragged Corey out of the club at 1 a.m , telling him he would see in the morning why.
And she was right.
Corey got up around 9, showered, dressed and checked out of his hotel room to wait in the parking lot for the bus that would take them to the airport.
When he arrived at the parking lot Corey saw what Joelle had been talking about.
Chris, Bobby and Ruby stood together in a small group, clinging to each other for support, with dark circles under their eyes.
" Good morning sunshine " Corey greeted sarcastically.
" Oooh shut it Johnson " Bobby groaned.
Laughing Corey dropped his bag and stood with Chris to wait for the others.
" You look..uhm.. horrible. When did you get back to the hotel?" Corey asked chuckling.
" Don't ask!" was all he got for an answer.
The next person to arrive was Joelle. Snickering she elbowed Corey and said " I told you so."
" Yeah..thanks for saving me." Corey answered nervously.
" No problem. Means for me that I have at least one person sober enough to talk to during the flight." She smiled.
Corey blushed. She wanted to talk to him? He almost grabbed Chris for support, but decided against it. One look at the black haired man told Corey that they would end up on the floor.
" Where is that damn bus? I can't stand on my own legs any longer." Bobby complained.
Corey chuckled at him. Robert Orton, or Bobby as he was called, was one of the rising top stars in the business. He was a 4th generation superstar with his father being none other than The Legend Killer himself, Randy Orton. Bobby was the spitting image of his father, and therefore very popular among the divas and the female fanbase.
Speaking of divas, Corey thought and stole a glance at Joelle who had her back to him.
But lucky Corey, Joelle turned and caught him staring.
" See something you like?" she teased. Corey blushed again and quickly looked away.
Joelle's chuckle was drowned out by the arriving bus, and Corey silenly thanked the driver for his timing. After loading their luggage in the bus the wrestlers quickly found their seats and made themselves comfortable.
Bobby sprawled out in the back and fell asleep almost instantly. Chris quickly joined his buddy , using Bobby's legs as a pillow. Ruby curled up, occupying two seats in the process, and followed her two companions into dreamland.
Corey settled in his seat and leaned his head against the window, lost in thoughts.
The rest of the group arrived and the bus took off to the airport. After 30 minutes they finally reached their destination and exited the bus.
The 3 sleepy heads, who had received a rude awakening by the bus driver, barely made it on the plane on time because they had fallen asleep in the waiting area.
Corey found his seat and searched through his bag for his portable cd player. After finding it and putting in his favorite cd, he made himself comfortable, leaning his head against the window again and prepared for the long flight to Macon/Georgia.
He was startled by a tap on his shoulder. Looking up he saw Joelle and removed his earphones.
" Mind if I sit here?" she asked.
" Uh..uhm..no..not at all." Corey replied, blushing again.
" Thanks. You know, I was supposed to sit with Ruby, but my seat is pretty much occupied..uh..see for yourself."
Corey turned his head in the direction Joelle was pointing and laughed. Chris had claimed the two seats for himself, snoring loudly, Ruby had fallen asleep across his stomach, and Bobby had found his pillow in Ruby's legs.
Shoving her purse under the seat Joelle sat next to Corey and smiled.
" So, CJ, tell me about yourself."
" Uhm..uh..what do you want to know?" Corey asked, unsure of what to say.
" You could start by answering a question."
" Oh. Okay."
" What stands the J. for?"
" Huh?"
" Yeah. The J. in CJ. C is obviously for Corey. What's with the J ?"
" Oh. Jerome, that's my second name."
" Cool. I have a second name, too." Joelle said.
" Really? Will you tell me?"
" It's Selina. I don't like it."
Joelle Selina, Corey thought. What a beautiful name.
" It fits you." He said after a while.
" You really think that? Thank you." She said when he nodded.
" What made you want to become a wrestler?" Joelle asked.
" I grew up with it. Well, with watching it. Mom has always been a huge fan, and so I ended up watching with her. When I was 11 she took me to my first live show and man, that was so cool. We even got backstage and I met some of the guys. I can't believe I'm working with them now. Thanks to Hunter I am where I am."
" Hunter? Like Triple H Hunter?" Joelle asked curiously.
" Yeah, I met him that day at the show. I think it took off from there. Hanging out with a wrestler made me want to become one. I love this business so much and I'm so proud to be a part of it."
" Wow, that's cool." Joelle exclaimed.
" It is. Hunter is a great guy. He shared his experience with me to improve my skills, he talked Shane into giving me the opportunity to train at OVW, so thanks to him I got the contract."
" Yeah, but don't you think you also got the contract because of your performance?"
" Sure, but Hunter made my 'performance' possible. If it hadn't been for him I wouldn't be where I am." Corey said.
" If he did all that stuff for you he must be really proud that you made it."
" Yeah..I guess.."
" What about your parents? What did they say when you told them you got that job?" Joelle asked.
Corey fell silent.
" Corey?"
" Oh..uhm sorry.. I must have zoomed out. What did you ask?"
" What about your parents?"
" Uh..I called Mom and I had to remove the receiver, she was screaming so loud I was afraid I'd become deaf." Joelle chuckled.
" Mothers" she said. " And your Dad? I'm sure he was very proud."
Corey winced at the mention of his father.
" I…uh..you see… I've… I've never known my father." Corey finally admitted in a quiet voice.
" Oh…I'm sorry..I shouldn't have asked.." Joelle said.
" It's…it's ok..you didn't know."
" You think he will recognise you when he sees you on TV? Maybe that will teach him a lesson." Joelle tried to lighten up the mood.
Corey lowered his head as a single tear made its way down his cheek, but Joelle saw it.
" Corey? What's wrong? Are you okay."
Corey nodded slowly and wiped the tear away. " No. He wont." He whispered.
" You think so?"
" No. No I don't think so, I know it."
" What makes you say that?"
" Joelle…my father will never see me, and I will never see him. I wish he could watch my matches, I wish he was proud of me, but I will never know. My father is dead. He died in an accident when I was 2 years old." Corey trailed off, not wanting to talk about it anymore.
" Oh Corey, I'm so sorry." Joelle said softly and took his hand in hers.
Corey nodded, silently enjoying her soft touch.
The rest of the flight was spent in silence.
After arriving in Macon, the five wrestler exited the airport and strolled over to the rental car they would be using.
" How in the hell are the five of us gonna fit in this?" Bobby said, examining the dark blue Ford Escort.
" No clue, but we have to try. And it's better than to call a cab." Chris said and settled himself in the drivers seat, Ruby taking the seat beside her boyfriend.
" Ok. Ladies first." Bobby said and motioned to the backseat.
" Uh-uh. No way, I'll take the middle." She said shaking her head.
" Whatever." Bobby mumbled and entered the car head first. Joelle was next, and after she was seated Corey followed his friends.
The ride to the hotel was a little nightmare. When Bobby had stopped complaining about the lack of space Joelle started, mumbling something about fatasses and typical men. Shifting uncomfortable she accidently pushed Corey's head against the window, causing him to push back, causing her to push Bobby, causing him to start complaining again. And so it went on for the next 20 minutes.
All five breathed a sigh of relief when Chris pulled in the parking lot of the hotel.
As soon as the car was parked they jumped out of their unloved vehicle and stretched.
" Ooooh my legs " Bobby complained.
" Your legs. Hah. I was the one stuck between two gorillas." Joelle exclaimed annoyed.
" Gorillas, huh? Miss Piggy.." Bobby mumbled.
" Guys, I'm dead tired, let's just check in and get some sleep." Ruby yawned.
" Sounds like a plan." Chris nodded his approval.
And so it happened. Chris, Ruby and Corey entered the lobby with Bobby and Joelle behind them, still argueing.
After getting the key cards the five friends stood together to check their room numbers.
" Hey what floor are you staying at?" Bobby asked.
" 4" came everybody's answer.
" I got number 325. I'm rooming with… Brandon." Bobby said, his face falling.
Corey silently thanked whoever, but felt bad for his friend.
" We have a four bed room with Felicity and Selma." The girls said.
" Hey Corey, what number did you get?"
" 334."
" Cool you're rooming with me." Chris said and Corey sighed with relief.
The group rode to the 4th floor together, then went their separate ways.
After entering their room Chris threw himself on his bed, not even bothering to take his shoes off.
" Hey Kid, where are you going?"
" Checking the place out. Wanna join me?"
" Naw, I think I'll stay right were I am" Chris exclaimed happily.
" Kay, man. See you later."
"Later, Kid."
Corey stuffed his cd player in the pocket of his jeans and left the room he was sharing with Chris.
Taking the steps Corey made his way to the lobby where half the roster was gathered around, checking in or just hanging out.
Waving to a group of wrestler as he passed them Corey entered the cafeteria to grab something to eat.
Watching over the buffet he decided on a sandwich and a cup of coffee. Finding an empty table Corey sat down and took a sip of his coffee when he saw a little girl approach him slowly.
She came to a halt a few feet away from him and watched him with a shy look.
Corey smiled at her
" Hey there."
" Hello." She said quietly.
" Can I help you?"
" You are CJ. CJ from Raw." The girl said, still keeping her distance.
" Yeah right. Wow, you recognised me. You're very smart."
The girl smiled shyly.
" Can I have your autograph please?"
" Of course. Come here."
The girl approached him slowly and handed him a piece of paper and a pen.
" And what's your name, little one?" Corey asked smiling.
" I'm Vicky. Vicky Leland."
" Vicky. What a beautiful name for a beautiful little lady."
Vicky blushed, but smiled.
" To Vicky from CJ. All your dreams can come true if you just believe." Corey read out loud for her what he had witten, then handed her the paper.
" Thank you so much Mr. CJ " The girl exclaimed happily and ran back to where she came from. Corey followed her with his gaze and saw her take a seat beside a woman who was sitting at a table across the room with a man.
Must be her parents, Corey thought. The woman waved and mouthed 'thank you' as Vicky showed the autograph to her father.
Corey waved back and smiled, then continued his 'breakfast'.
" Care for some company?"
Corey looked up to see Joelle standing there with a plate in her hand.
" No, have a seat."
Joelle smiled and took the seat across from him.
" That was really nice to give that girl your autograph."
" Anything for the fans, right?"
Joelle smiled and nodded. " Right."
" Listen Corey, I came here to tell you something. You know I'm rooming with Selma, right?!" Corey nodded.
" I don't know if you knew it but Selma is Declan McMahon's girlfriend."
" No, huh, still learning about stuff like that." Corey said.
" And Declan happens to be Shane's son. He also happens to be one of the head writers, you know, storylines, backstage angles, stuff like that." When Corey nodded, she continued.
" Appearently he talked to Selma about new storylines, including you."
Corey stopped eating and looked at her. " You're trying to tell me that you know what storyline I'll be involved in?"
" I don't know for sure, Selma gave me a little hint.."
" And why are you telling me that? Shane will tell me when the time has come, or am I wrong there?"
" No, of course not, but I know you have a little..let's say problem with a certain someone, and I thought I'd warn you so you're prepared for it."
" Prepared for what? What are you talking about?" Corey asked curiously.
" Well, it seems they are putting you…with..Brandon.."
The coffee Corey was just sipping came flying back out of his mouth.
" WHAT?"
" That's what I heard." Joelle said.
'No', Corey thought. 'This can't be true. Everybody knows we don't get along. Even Shane knows. Why would he do that?'
"Are you sure?" he asked Joelle.
" Pretty much, yes." She answered.
' Oh crap. Why me? Why can't they let me feud with someone else? Hell, I'd even feud with Chris, why Brandon of all people?' Corey thought.
" Penny for your thoughts." Joelle said, watching him closely.
" Ugh..why can't they let me feud with someone else?" Corey answered, shaking his head.
" Feud? Corey I think you got me wrong. You're not going to have a feud with Brandon, you two will be the new tag team."
" WHAT?" Corey yelled, causing the people in the cafeteria to stare at him.
Lowering his voice Corey continued
" A Tag Team? Me and..and..him? Why would they do that? Everybody knows about our..'differences'..I don't understand.."
" I know, me neither. But you can't do anything. Imagine, you're the 'new guy', and then you go to Shane and say that you don't like the storyline? What impression would that make?"
'She's right, Corey thought. But a tag team? With Brandon? Hell, he'll tear me in half.'
" Corey, please don't tell anyone that I told you ok? I'll be in some deep shit when Shane finds out, and so will Declan and Selma.."
" No, I wont tell a soul, I promise." Corey reassured her.
" Thank you. Well, I'm finished. What are you doing now?"
" Uhm.. I don't know.. I lost my appetite." Corey mumbled, shoving his plate across the table.
" You wanna hang out a little bit?"
Corey blushed again. Joelle wanted to hang out, with HIM.
" You don't have to if you don't want to." She said.
" I'd love to." He said quietly and blushed harder.
" Cool. What are we going to do first?"
" Uhm..I don't know. Whatever you want."
" Have you met all the divas already?"
Corey head shot up. ALL of the divas?
" Uh..oh..uhm..no.. just a few.."
" Good. Come on, I'll introduce you, but I have to warn you, there are some crazy girls among them." Joelle laughed.
Oh, how right she was.
As soon as Corey entered Joelle's hotel room he was surrounded by half of the female employees of the Raw roster.
" Girls, for those who don't know him yet, this is Corey Johnson." Joelle announced.
Corey waved, a little overstrained with the situation.
The divas gathered around him, obviously very attired in their new co worker.
"My, you're a cute one."
" Cute? He's a bomb!"
" The women must be after him."
" Do you have a girlfriend?"
And so it went on and on, and with every question and statement about his private life Corey turned a deeper shade of red. He wasn't used to that kind of attention, and to be honest, it scared him a little.
" Ok girls that's enough. His private life is none of your business." Joelle came to Corey's rescue.
" Aaaaaw c'mon Elle.."
But Joelle dragged Corey away from them and out of the door.
" Sorry 'bout that, I tried to warn you." She giggled.
" It's..uhm..fine..they were just being nice.."
" If you think so." She chuckled. " Listen, it was cool being with you, but I wanted to get ready for tonights show, and so should you. We have to be at the arena at 5 p.m and it's ," she glanced at her watch, " 3:30 . "
" Already? Oh..okay.. well meet with us in the parking lot in an hour, ok." Corey said as he turned and made his way to the room he was sharing with Chris. Unlocking the door he stepped in and opened the bedromm door. And what he saw there made him burn with embarassment.
Chris lay shirtless on the bed with Ruby on top of him, also shirtless, and they were making out furiously. Hearing the door open Ruby turned and squeeled when she saw Corey standing there, she jumped off Chris and covered herself with the sheets.
" I..I…uh..sor..ry..I.." Corey stuttered, looking down on the floor.
" Uh..it's okay..what time is it?" Chris asked, obviously not embarassed in the slightest.
" Uh..oh..uhm..3:30.." Corey answered, still focusing his gaze on the floor.
" Already? We should get ready." And turning to Ruby he added grinning " We're finishing this later." Ruby giggled and hopped off the bed. She put her shirt back on and rushed past Corey and out of their room.
When she was gone Corey dared to look up again, but when he met Chris' eyes he blushed again.
" I..I'm..sorry I..didn't want to..interrupt.."
" It's ok man, I solved the problem." Chris smiled wickedly.
" Besides, it's nothing you've not seen or done before, so it's no big deal, y'know what I mean."
Corey felt more and more uncomfortable. He didn't have much experience when it came to women.
" I mean, you're a good looking young man, Kid,… but what am I doing, I don't have to tell that, you know." Chris grinned and poked Corey in the ribs.
Corey turned beet red when it dawned to him what Chris was getting at.
" Corey, one could think that cherry red is your usual face colour. Are you alright?"
" Yeah I..I just…it's just that I.. don't..you know.."
" What?" Chris stopped playing around.
" With..girls..I..I..don't…know..how.."
Chris looked at him with big eyes.
" Corey are you trying to tell me what I think you're trying to tell me?"
" I..don't know.."
" You have never been with a woman, is that what you're saying?" Chris asked curiously.
Corey looked down on his hands and nodded, feeling very uncomfortable.
Chris, sensing the emotional state of his friend, put an arm around his shoulder and pulled him down on the edge of the bed, sitting beside him.
" And where's the problem? Corey, it's not a bad thing to wait, in fact that's probably pretty smart. But you've had a girlfriend already, right?"
Corey nodded, relieved Chris wasn't making fun of him.
" In high school. Her name was Carly. She was cool, but a total girly girl. We..I.. never..went further than..kissing." Corey blushed again.
" You know Corey, Joelle is no girly girl."
" I know. That's probably why Carly and me broke up. You know, I think I'm more into the tomboy kind of girls, I don't want to go out with someone who's running to the bathroom every few minutes to check on her make up – I just don't care about looks that much, I want my girlfriend to share the love for what I do, I just want someone who..understands me…" Corey said quietly.
Chris nodded in understanding and patted Corey on the back.
" You will find the one, Kid, and… oh shit. It's already 4:15. We better hurry." Chris jumped up and gathered around the room to pack his stuff with Corey following close behind.
The two men met up with Ruby, Joelle and Bobby in the parking lot and squeezed themselves in their Ford again.
After another 20 minute journey of argueing and pushing each other they finally arrived at the arena, to everyones relief.
The guys said their 'laters' to the two women and went to the mens locker.
" Hey Chris, Corey." Cameron Hickenbottom greeted them. Cameron was the son of Shawn Michaels and also a friend to the two men. " Shane told me to tell you two to come to his office when you arrive."
Chris and Corey nodded 'thanks' and made their way to Shanes office.
They knocked and waited. The door was opened by Shane who ushered them inside.
" Now that you two are here we can finally start." Shane rubbed his hands and motioned for them to sit down. Stepping fully inside Corey froze at the sight of Brandon Levesque.
After taking their seats in front of Shane's desk Shane started.
" Gentlemen, you probably wonder why you're here. To reveal the secret, it's about the new storyline which will be involving you Corey, starting tonight."
Corey took a deep breath, and although he knew what was about to come, he was still curious about the whole thing.
"Corey, you know Brandon. Brandon has been with the company for almost 10 years, so he's one of the 'veterans' on Raw." Corey nodded, glancing at Brandon who smirked at him.
" I want you two to become a tag team." Corey saw the colour drain from Brandon's face and smirked himself.
" Shane, I.." Brandon started, but was cut off.
" I know that you two have some, let's say differences, and that's one of the reasons why I decided to put you with each other, to sort out these differences. Is that a problem to you?" Shane asked, looking at both men.
Corey shook his head, he would thank Joelle later for preparing him for this.
Brandon also shook his head under Shane's warning glare.
" That's what I thought. Okay, here's what's gonna happen. We all know that Brandon is currently feuding with Morgan Porter." Shane pointed to the man sitting next to Brandon, and the four men nodded. " Corey, I want you and him in a match tonight. And I want it to be an intense match, you think you can handle that?" When Corey nodded Shane continued." Okay, sometime during your match Brandon will come out and 'save' you, showing his support for you. You two will join forces against Morgan who will team up with you, Chris, because a newcomer 'embarassed' you on his debut match. That's the base of the story. Is that clear so far?"
A chorus of 'clear Shane' was heard and the owner of the WWE smiled.
" Good. Now go get ready for your matches, and good luck."
The men left Shane's office and stepped in the hallway. Morgan and Chris walked together talking about their new alliance, leaving Corey and Brandon to themselves.
Corey shifted uncomfortable on his feet, he felt Brandon's piercing gaze on him.
" Look.." Brandon said suddenly, startling Corey.
" I don't like you, and I know you don't like me. But you heard it, the boss wants us to work together. And I have been here long enough to know that personal issues shouldn't react to work. So being the older, and wiser, one, I tell you something. We can work together, on a professionel base, and not let our problems get to us, they don't belong in a wrestling ring.
But as soon as the curtain closes we go our separate ways like before."
Corey just nodded in approval and turned to catch up with Chris but Brandon grabbed his arm and got in his face,
" Just don't get in my way." He hissed in a menacing voice and Corey shivered as Brandon's cold hazel eyes met his own.
The older man turned on his heel and stomped down the hallway.
Corey sighed with relief when his tag team partner-to-be got out of sight and slowly made his way to the mens locker room.
Brandon's proposal sounded like a plan, but Corey was unsure of what his intentions were.
Now he was stuck with a man he despised and who despised himself.
'Let the fun begin', Corey thought, shaking his head.