Well, I'm back. I'm telling you, I have big plans for this story and I wanna thank you all for sticking with me. Wow, it's been a long time since any story that I've written got an enormous amount of feedback from you all. Thank you again and I love you.
Now, for this chapter, yes, Jalen will finally tell John everything that's been going on in her life. Plus, there's a family reunion also taking place. Furthermore, Wade does make a shocking suggestion to his Nexus cohorts. The question is, will they go through with it or will they finally have the balls to stand up to him? Read this chapter to find out.
One more thing, I don't know about Wade's background story other than he was a bare knuckles fighter back in his native country. So I'm taking some creative liberty here. Bare with me on this.
Enjoy and happy reading!
Lots of love, hugs and kisses from your resident writer and friend, Nina!
X
SummerSlam
Staples Center
Los Angeles, California
August 16, 2010
"I live in Houston, Texas. Ten years ago, I ran away from home. My father was abusive and a mean drunk, so I was the brunt of his anger pretty much all the time. My mother upped and disappeared around that time, so I was the object of my father's fury. I'd go to school wearing oversized shirts, sweat pants, sunglasses and enough makeup to cover up the entire town. I never had a good childhood, which is why I've been depressed all my life," Jalen started explaining.
John nodded his head and rubbed her back gently with his hand. He couldn't even imagine what she's been going through.
"My father went into my room one night, drunk off his ass and started beating me as usual. But, that night, he almost went too far. He started ripping my clothes off and pinning me down on the bed, then he stared kissing me; plunging his tongue in my mouth. I quickly realized that he was about to rape me. However, I was able to fend him off by fighting back; kicking, scratching and biting all over his body. What I did only pissed him off even more because he started slapping me across my face with his bare hands. I pushed him off of me and ran out of the house. I never looked back since then," she told him.
Anger boiled in his veins. What kind of man would try and rape his own flesh and blood? Fathers were supposed to protect their children, not try to bring harm to them.
"I was living on the streets for a little while, but I quickly found a place in a shelter for people who's been abused. With their help, I was able to find a part time job at a local restaurant, which enabled me to get a small apartment on the other side of town. I didn't care, though; I was far away from my father. I was free of him. But, the nightmares raged on. I couldn't sleep at night because all I kept thinking about was the hell he put me through. I ended up being diagnosed with depression as a result, so that's why I've been taking anti-depressants to numb the pain."
"Oh, Jalen. I had no idea. But, let me ask you this: how did you and Wade meet?" John asked, looking solemn.
She closed her green eyes and sighed. "We were overseas for a European tour back in January. Me and some of the girls went out to a pub downtown to unwind after an incredible show one night. I was drinking a glass of wine when I saw him sitting on the other side of the room. He never stopped staring at me, so I thought something was wrong with me. Finally, he went over to where I was sitting and introduced himself...
"Good day, milady. My name's Stuart Bennet," he said, sticking his hand out to shake.
Jalen smiled and took his hand into hers. "Jalen Jubilee Harrington. It's nice to meet you."
"So, what's a beautiful young woman like you doing here?" he asked as he took a seat next to her at the bar.
"I work for a wrestling company. We're for a tour for much of eastern Europe but after three more shows, we're gonna be going back home. I live in Houston," she told him as she was sipping her wine.
"Really? Well, it just so happens that I'm gonna be in the USA soon. Do you know about a show called NXT?" he asked, looking curious.
"Yeah. It's a new concept where the company is looking for the next superstar," she replied, smiling at him.
"Well, I'm one of the eight contestants who's gonna be competing on the show. So, maybe I'll see more of you," Wade said with his classic smile on his face.
Jalen leaned over and pecked him on his cheek. She pulled back and looked at him with a huge grin on her face. She knew she liked this fella already and they had just met.
"Maybe you will, Stu. Maybe you will..."
"...and when he finally arrived at the next show we were at, he looked me up. We went out to dinner that night and everything was great. For the first time in my life, something good has come my way. I truly believed Wade was my knight and shining armor. I felt safe and happy with him. The first few months of our relationship was wonderful, to say the least. I even saw myself being married to him at one point. But, then, tragedy struck," she snorted, looking scared and angry.
"What happened, J?" John asked softly. He never stopped rubbing her back gently, which suited her just fine. It actually felt good for her to talk to someone about her problems and not be judged. John was the kind of person who would bend over backwards to ensure she was okay.
And that's one of the things Jalen loves about him.
"For reasons unknown, Wade developed a mean streak. I don't know if being away from home took its toll on him or the fact that he got more and more cocky after winning the first season of NXT, but he developed a vicious mean streak. Whenever I'd call him out on it, he'd yell at me, get in my face or even ignore me. However, when I finally had enough of him being all angry and got all defensive, that's when he hit me," Jalen grimaced.
"He hit you?" he asked, getting angry. He knew there were problems between Jalen and Wade, but he never thought the Brit would hit her.
"Yeah, he hit me. I didn't see it coming, either. It was like I was looking at him and he had a cold expression on his face. To make matters worse, he never even apologized for what he did. In his mind, I had it coming," she broke down.
"How come did you stay with him, then?" he whispered.
"Honestly, I tried breaking up with him. I really tried. But he threatened me. Said I wouldn't live to see my children graduate from high school if I even think about leaving him. And from then on, things only got worse and worse," Jalen choked.
"I can't believe he would do this to you. And he had no right threatening you! Did you tell anyone about this?" he boomed. He was more angry at himself for not seeing this much sooner, for not stepping up and putting a stop to this nonsense before it got too far.
"John, everyone in the company is afraid of him. Ever since this whole Nexus ordeal, everyone's been trying to avoid them as much as possible; which is why I've been getting the cold shoulder because Wade's my boyfriend, plus, let's not forget, Nexus attacked the divas. And it doesn't help matters when I'm still getting tormented by him; only now, his friends are in on it as well," she revealed.
"What the fuck is this, Jalen? It's bad enough that son of a bitch's hurting you, but now his friends are doing it, too? And he's standing by and letting it happen, too, huh? What the fuck is that all about?" John seethed. He was beyond pissed at this point. He couldn't wait to get his hands on Wade and break his neck in two different places for what he has done to her.
"I have nowhere else to turn. And with me being pregnant..."
"Wait, you're pregnant? Wade's the father, isn't he?" John interrupted.
Jalen put her hands on her belly and lowered her head. "Yeah, he is. I told him after he attacked me again last week. I walked in on him with another woman. He was about to have sex with her, but that never happened because I told her I'm his girlfriend. When she left, he went ballistic on me; slamming me again the wall and smashing my face with a vase. You wanna know what he said after I told him the very next morning? He said it's too bad I'm not gonna have it."
"That bastard!" he snapped.
"Yeah, I was shocked when he said it. He said his career was taking off and the last thing he wants is to be saddled by a baby. When I told him I wasn't getting an abortion nor giving my baby up for adoption, he advanced at me, saying, as I quote 'I guess I'm gonna have to take care of the problem, then'. I got the hell out of there and never looked back. I haven't seen or heard from him since that night," she admitted to him.
He calmed down at this point, but he was still pissed off. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This girl, this beautiful, wonderful girl was hurting so bad and nobody has been able to step up to help her. Well, not anymore. With new determination boiling in his veins, he will help her no matter what it takes, how long it takes or whatever it takes, he's gonna help her. He's gonna prove that she's no longer alone; that there are people out there who will bend over backwards to make sure she's safe.
"I'm gonna have this baby, John. And I'm keeping it. I'm scared as hell, but at least my baby will know that he/she will have at least one parent who loves it. It's gonna be hard being a single parent, but I'm determined to do it. I love my child already. I can't imagine my life with it," she declared with a little bit of dignity left in her.
John finally looked at her with his searing blue eyes. "Jalen, you're not alone. I'm gonna be here for you, if you let me."
"What? Really?" she squeaked, her voice pitching high. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was such a thing called miracle possible?
"Listen, you're an amazing girl. You deserve so much better than that asshole's giving you. Now you have a chance for a fresh start and your baby's giving you a good head start. And you don't have to worry about being alone. I'll be there for you, Jalen Jubilee. This I promise you," he told her, placing her hand over his heart.
Jalen felt more tears falling from her green eyes. She closed her eyes and felt his heart beating against her hand. With everything that's been happening; all of the heartache, the fact that she almost took her own life, the abuse she suffered at the hands of Wade and his cronies and realizing she's gonna be a mother, she still couldn't fathom someone like John actually caring about her. Sometimes, she can't wrap her mind around the thought of being loved. Before she had time to react, John reached over and wrapped his strong arms around her. She buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed hysterically. Another thing she found comforting is being held. All her life, she was never held. Her mother wasn't around long enough to hold her. Her father didn't hold her; hell, he held his liquor more times than she can count.
John just continued holding her; soothing her with his gentle hands and kissing her forehead to assure her he's not going anywhere. He silently made a vow that he's gonna make Wade Barret pay for hurting this fragile creature if it's the last thing he does.
He's finally getting the opportunity to show Jalen that John Felix Anthony Cena can and will be trusted. He will show her that she's worthy of being loved and held for the rest of her life.
He'd give her the world. Or he'll die trying.
X
SummerSlam
Nexus' locker room
Staples Center
Los Angeles, California
August 16, 2010
"You want us to do what?"Justin asked, looking completely shocked.
Wade looked at his cohorts with fury dancing in his eyes. "That's right, I don't want this baby in my life and I'm not gonna let Jalen have it, either. Which is why I want you all to make sure she doesn't have the baby!" Wade snapped.
David shook his head. "Come on, man, don't you think you're taking things a little bit too far? I mean, I have a son and he's the best thing that ever happened to me. I would never bring harm to him or any other child."
"I'm with Dave, man. The baby's innocent of any wrongdoing. Teaching Jalen a lesson with our physicality and keeping her under our control is one thing, but you're barking up the wrong tree here when you want to hurt the baby," Heath jumped in.
"I don't fucking care! I don't want this baby in my life and if she thinks she's gonna take my money, that bitch has another thing coming! Now, this baby won't exist if I have to do it by myself, but we're a group and we're here to demoralize the company for our personal gain! So, if you know what's good for you by wanting to keep your fucking jobs, you will do what I want and what I say! Do I make myself clear?" Wade warned, screaming at the top of his lungs.
It was clear that what the leader wants, the leader gets. David, Heath, Skip and Justin looked at each other with skeptical and worried looks on their faces. Sure, beating up on Jalen and keeping her under their control was fun, but when you bring an innocent unborn child into the mix, things can take a turn for the worst. However, they wanna keep working here and they want to keep this faction alive. Their lives pretty much depend on it.
"We hear you, man. We don't like it, but we hear you," David said, breaking the silence.
"Gentlemen, I'm glad we've come to an understanding. Now, I want you to find Jalen and make sure the problem is taken care of or there'll be some serious consequences," Wade warned before he turned on his heel and stormed out of the locker room, slamming the door behind him.
Things just went from zero to sixty in just two seconds.
X
SummerSlam
Staples Center
Los Angeles, California
August 16, 2010
Jalen felt completely better as she was heading down towards catering to get something to eat. Still reeling from her conversation with John earlier, the Houston native felt as thought the weight on her shoulders have finally been lifted. For the first time in her life, she felt more liberated because she finally told someone about her ordeal. Truly believing that she was gonna be miserable for the rest of her life, she didn't realize someone was hearing her cries for help. Someone was hearing her screaming to come and rescue her.
That someone was John Cena.
As she was heading inside, a stage hand came up behind her and tapped her on her shoulder. Startled, she put her hand on her heart and turned around to see what the stage hand wanted.
"Ms. Harrington, Mr. McMahon sent me to come get you. He needs to see you in his office right away," the stage hand said.
Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, Jalen just shrugged her shoulders as she followed him all the way to Vince's office. She wondered who was visiting her? She rarely have any friends back home nor did she keep in contact with her family. The last time she heard anything about her father was he went to jail for an attempted murder plot. That was seven years ago.
When the door finally opened and Jalen walked inside, she came face to face with a woman who could easily pass off as her older sister.
"Are you my visitor?" she asked, her voice cracking.
"Oh, my God. Jalen Jubilee. Look at you," the woman sobbed at the sight of her daughter.
"Uh, I don't mean to be rude, but how do you know my name?" Jalen asked, looking at the woman strangely.
"It's been a long time since I've seen you, honey. This is all your father's fault," the woman scolded.
Jalen looked at the older woman a little bit more closely, wondering if she's seen her before. Then, she gasped. Her green were wide open like saucers as she kept looking at the woman. Once again, tears were forming in her eyes. Talk about an emotional roller coaster.
"Mom? Is that really you?" Jalen asked, looking at her mother through her tear-stained green eyes.
The woman, who has now been identified as Kylie Harrington, reached over and wrapped her arms around her daughter. Jalen buried her face against her mother's shoulder and found herself crying once again. All these years of wondering where her mother ran off to and why did she disappeared when she did were finally gonna be answered. And, once again, it felt good be held by someone who loves her. Her mother was holding her.
Jalen was slowly starting to heal.
Needless to say, this has truly been an interesting night.
Coming up in the next chapter: Jalen and Kylie finally talk. Why did the matriarch of the Harrington family leave? Plus, Nexus begins planning on making sure Jalen doesn't have the baby. Will their plan succeed? And, John finally admits his feelings to Jalen, making her think long and hard about where she stands in her relationship with Wade. Is it finally over between them? Stay tuned!
Please review!