Chapter 32
The first part of the next day went by quietly. Lily was still a little down about losing and everyone tried their best to cheer her up. During the morning workout, Lily proved her determination by giving it everything she had. John had to insist that she stop after working out and training for three hours. Everyone else had stopped working out after an hour or two, but not Lily. For the last hour, everyone worked on moves with Lily.
Soon it was time to shower, go get lunch, and then head to another signing. After showering, they all agreed on Subway. Lily was happy to have her favorite, a cold cut combo with provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a little bit of ranch. She also opted to get water instead of soda for the drink.
"I need to treat my body properly if I want to be prepared for my match." Lily said calmly.
John smiled. He was proud of his daughter for not giving up and striving to be better. He could tell that she really wanted to win that battle royal and go on to win the title. John was committed to helping his little girl make it happen.
Everyone enjoyed their lunch and headed to the signing. This time Lily was sitting by her dad and Jessica was sitting with Brock. The girls exchange some glares from time to time but otherwise left each other alone. It seemed that a lot of the younger members of the WWE Universe already loved Lily. The line in front of her was almost as long as her dad's. Jessica's wasn't as long which, of course, made Lily very happy.
One boy about Lily's age stepped up to the table and smiled. Lily smiled back and made small talk with him. He handed her a photo to sign. It was one of her and her dad together. She signed it and then tapped her dad.
"What's up Princess?" John asked.
"Could you sign this for this boy so he has both of our signatures on it? Thanks Dad." Lily said smiling at him.
While John took the photo and signed it, the boy started asking Lily questions. One of those questions was about the match the night before.
"How do you feel about the results of last night's battle royal?" the boy asked.
"Well, Jessica is a tough opponent. Whoever she faces for that title had better be ready to give their all." Lily replied.
The boy seemed impressed with her answer and decided to ask her another one.
"So are you preparing for the next battle royal so you can win it and go on to face her for the title?" he asked.
"I always strive to better myself and be the best I can in and out of the ring. I have stepped up my game, and let's just say that the other girls better be ready. I refuse to just lie down and give up! As for Jessica, she better get ready because I'm coming for her." Lily said confidently.
After that she handed the boy the photo with both signatures on it. He smiled and thanked her, then was on his way. The rest of the signing went great and by the time it was over, Lilyana had more confidence and determination. It seemed that the fans were cheering for her and she didn't want to let them down.
Lily was so busy interacting with her fans, that she didn't notice the others smiling at her. They were happy to see how the fans boosted her confidence. She was born for this business just like her dad.
Soon they headed back to Randy's or where ever they had been staying and packed. Some of them were leaving later that night and the rest would leave in the morning to head to the next town. Next week's Raw would be in Phil's hometown, Chicago.
Since it was only about a five hour drive from Randy's to Chicago, Randy was going to drive his hummer. John and Lilyana were riding with him. They planned on leaving around 9 the next morning, after breakfast and their morning workout.
The rest of the day went by uneventfully. They enjoyed a nice dinner and then said by Glen, Phil, AJ, Natalya, Ted, Cody, and Anna. The only ones left were Zack, Mike, John, Lilyana, and Randy. Mike and Zack would be flying out in the morning. It was a quiet evening. Randy and Sam spent some time together before he had to head out the next morning.
Lily made use of the exercise room Randy had in his house to stretch and do some yoga. It helped her to clear her mind and focus on her goals. After a while, she headed to shower and then off to bed.
The next morning, they had breakfast and got in their workout before packing up the hummer. Randy had offered to take Mike and Zack to the airport so they headed their before getting on the road. Lily wanted to see them off so John and Randy agreed to wait.
It was a good thing they had. There was a big storm that morning and the flight had been cancelled. Mike and Zack had to figure out another way to get to Chicago or wait for another flight.
"Why don't you two just ride with us. There's plenty of room as long as you don't mind sharing the back seat with our favorite Lil Diva." Randy offered.
"Thanks Broski! I don't mind riding with the Lil Broski." Zack said.
Lily just shook her head. She just couldn't get this guy to quit calling her that. She smiled and then gave Mike a pleading look. It would be fun to have these two with them. Mike accepted the offer and thanked Randy. Soon they were all in the hummer and headed to Chicago.
Lilyana sat between Zack and Mike. During the trip, the two wrestlers were giving her tips to help her with her next battle royal. She, of course, was soaking up everything they said. She wanted to go out there and show the world what she was made of.
Around noon, they stopped and had lunch. Lily ordered a chef salad with grilled chicken on it and a bowl of fresh fruit. She also had water and milk to drink. The guys were impressed with her determination to eat healthy in preparation for her next match.
It didn't take them long to eat and soon they were on the road again. Lily couldn't believe the view as they got near to Chicago. She had never been there before. The buildings were tall and looked so fascinating to her. Mike smiled when he saw her reaction and Zack kind of laughed.
"Pretty cool, huh Lil Broski?" Zack said.
"Yeah, I've never been here before now. It's really cool that we get to travel and see all these places." Lily told him.
It wasn't long after that, that Randy pulled the hummer into the parking lot for the hotel. Once he was parked they all got out and grabbed their bags. John went to grab Lily's for her but she grabbed it.
"Thanks Dad but I've got it. It'll be good for my muscles to be used." She told him.
So John let his daughter carry her own bag into the hotel. Once inside, they headed to the registration desk and got their room numbers and keys. Then they were off to their rooms. As John was unlocking their door, Ayden stepped out of the room next door. She smiled shyly at John when he smiled and greeted her. Lily said hi as well. Before Ayden walked away, John invited her to dinner with him and Lilyana. After she accepted his invitation, she went about what she needed to do. John and Lily entered their room and took care of their things. They had a few hours before dinner time so they decided to just relax in the room. John found an interesting movie for them to watch.
They were on the couch and Lily was curled up next to her dad. She ended up falling asleep like that and John just let her be. He figured he would just wake her when it was time to get ready for dinner.
A few hours later, John was knocking on Ayden's door while Lily stood beside him smiling. The look on John's face, when Ayden opened the door, was priceless. To say she looked stunning would be an understatement. John felt that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Lily seemed impressed as well.
Ayden had the sides of her red hair pulled up in a pretty clip that matched her clothing. The rest of her hair was cascading down in long curls. She wore a pair of dark denim jeans, an ocean blue t-shirt, and her favorite pair of Nike sneakers.
"I hope that I'm dressed ok. I wasn't sure if I should dress up." Ayden said as she stepped out into the hall.
"What you are wearing is perfect. You look beautiful." John replied.
Ayden blushed at the compliment and smiled.
"Thank you." She replied meekly.
John smiled and held out his hand to Ayden. She took it and together the three headed out of the hotel. John had already arranged a rental car for them and he led them out to it. They loaded into it and headed to a restaurant.
They enjoyed their meal and then headed back to the hotel. John invited Ayden to watch movies with Lily and him.
"I'd like that. Thank you for inviting me." She replied.
So the three of them went into John and Lily's room and sat on the couch watching movies. They all had a great time and laughed a lot. Lily ended up falling asleep with her head on Ayden. John couldn't help but smile at the sight.
By the time Ayden went back to her own room for the night, it was past midnight. She and John had talked and watched movies long after Lily had dozed off. Both adults had enjoyed the evening they spent together. In fact, John was hoping they would be able to do it again soon.