Chapter 5 – Heidi's Shining Moment
Heidi Orton closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. Her heart was pounding in her chest and every breath she took sounded so amplified in her ears. It was so hard to concentrate on calming herself down when she couldn't stop the voices in her head from playing like a broken record. She could hear her mom and her dad over and over and over again. Then there was Lillian and all her advice on how to kill her nerves before she opened her mouth. How to warm her voice up before she sang. How she needed to listen so carefully to herself so she stayed perfectly on pitch because there was going to be no music to back her up and no music to cover her mistakes. Then there was Maria's voice in her head and all the words of encouragement she'd given Heidi as she was getting her ready. Words to believe in herself and know how good she was and how amazing she looked. Have the confidence in herself to know she could do this.
Heidi finally opened her eyes and stared at the hard wooden door right infront of her. She then looked down at herself and ran her eyes over her outfit one more time. Initially she'd thought that she should dress really nice. Like she would for any other job interview. She had thought something smart and sophisticated. Something that said she was serious about this and that she was professional and mature. Lillian had thought different and Maria agreed. Vince McMahon didn't want to see her all dressed up and professional looking if that wasn't her, and it definitely wasn't her. She had to be herself and that meant dressing like herself. Being herself was going to be such a vital part of this job interview. Showing Vince McMahon the real Heidi Maree Orton and selling it. Heidi's eyes scanned over the black boots and the black skinny leg jeans she had tucked into those boots. Then there was the teal coloured singlet that was slightly fitting but still a little loose. The silhouette of a corded old school microphone sitting around the neck of the shirt and fitting the job description. Maria had added her little touch, claiming that Heidi needed to accessorise more and the white/bronze chandelier earrings she was still wearing were simply not enough. Maria had added a diamonte studded white belt looped through her jeans and a selection of gold bangles around her left arm. Maria had done her hair up in an awesome looking ponytail and her make-up was flawless. Pretty much outfit and appearance wise Heidi had nothing to worry about. It was her voice, the real goods, that she was worried about and being late for her interview if she didn't knock on the door right now.
Heidi closed her fist and knocked firmly on the door. Taking a deep breath, Heidi listened intently to any movement or voices she could hear from the otherside.
"Come in," a deep voice, Heidi instantly recognised as Vince McMahon's, called from the otherside of the door.
Heidi didn't dare hesitate a moment before she took the doorknob in her hand and immediately opened the door before her. Heidi eyes immediately fell upon Vince McMahon sitting behind a long deep brown desk.
"Afternoon Miss Orton," Vince suddenly spoke without looking up from the paperwork he was currently attending to "If you'll just take a seat and let me finish up a little paperwork here we will get onto your interview shortly."
"Sure Mr McMahon," Heidi simply replied, finding herself a little uneasy at the fact that Vince was motioning her towards a black leather couch in the room to take a seat, still without looking up from his paperwork.
Obidently and silently Heidi walked herself over the couch she'd been motioned towards and took a seat. She placed a stray strand of her brown hair behind her ear and crossed her legs before Vince's head suddenly shot up and his eyes locked with Heidi's.
"So, following in the parents footsteps are we Miss Orton?" Vince said with a wide smile as he removed the glasses from his face and folded them neatly to place down on his desk.
"I would love to Mr McMahon," Heid replied with a smile.
"It is the dream isn't it," Vince replied "There are girls all around the world that would kill for such an opportunity."
"And I greatly appreciate you taking the time to see me and consider me for this opportunity," Heidi replied.
"Well then let's get started on your interview," Vince said as he stood up from his desk.
Heidi followed suite yet remained in her spot as Vince retrieved his suit jacket from the back of his chair. He then headed around his desk and towards the door, Heidi following close behind him.
"So hypothetically if you get this job would you want to be introduced to the public as Heidi Orton?" Vince spoke again as he closed the door to his office behind himself and Heidi.
"Not really," Heidi replied honestly "I think I'd rather just be introduced to them as Heidi."
"So you wouldn't want them to know the family relations immediately then?" Vince questioned as he started to walk.
"It's not something that I'm ashamed of at all," Heidi replied, knowing straight away that Vince was trying to box her in with this question "I would rather not ride on the success of my parents or the family name. I want to make a name for myself."
"Good answer," Vince replied with a nod "I'm glad that you have that type of work ethic."
"Thank you," Heidi replied, smiling to herself that the truth happened to be the correct answer.
Good start, but don't get ahead of yourself. I'm sure he has plenty more of those questions where that one came from.
"So, how long have you been singing for Heidi?" Vince asked, leading Heidi past the Diva's locker room and further into the backstage area of the arena.
"Since I can remember," Heidi replied, making sure to continuous keep looking into Vince's eyes as confidently as she could muster "I've been singing in choirs since elementary school and vocal ensembles, but mainly I just sing for my own personal enjoyment."
"So would you say you're very confident with your singing?" Vince asked.
"Yes I would say so," Heidi replied.
"Confident enough to sing infront of tens of thousands of people at a time?" Vince asked.
"It's not something that I've had experience with, especially not as a soloist," Heidi replied honestly "But it's definitely something I am willing to work on once I get the opportunity and the experience."
"You know the national anthem well?" Vince suddenly diverted.
"As well as the next American," Heidi replied with a smile.
"You never mess up the words?" Vince questioned, an eyebrow raised in her direction.
He's starting that weird 'I'm-looking-for-the-exact-right-answer' question business again.
"It's hard to mess up the words to a song you've known your entire life MrMcMahon," Heidi replied.
"Good," Vince replied with a nod of his head "Being able to sing the national anthem well and without any glitches in the words is such a vital part of being a ring announcer you know."
"Absolutely," Heidi replied with a nod.
"Tens of thousands of people in arenas all over the country, hypothetically speaking if you get this job, will be hearing you sing the national anthem multiple times per week," Vince explained "Not to mention how many viewers all over the world. There is absolutely no room for error especially with something as patriotic as the national anthem. It's a necessity."
Heidi simply shook her head. She knew that Vince was just trying to explain the magnitude of the situation to her and maybe he was trying to scare her a little. It was definitely working.
"Are you ready for that kind of pressure and that kind of responsibility?" Vince suddenly directly asked Heidi, stopping in his footsteps and just standing there looking her straight in the eyes.
Heidi's head want to hesitate and think about what was actually being asked of her. It wanted to tell her to run and never come back. She didn't have to do this. Nobody was forcing her to do this. Nobody was going to hate her if she didn't do this. Her head was telling her to bale. This kind of pressure and responsibility was crazy and too much for her to handle right now. Unnecessary pressure and responsibility wasn't what anyone wanted, especially not Heidi. But her gut instinct was telling her what her heart was telling her and they didn't hesitate. They beat her head to it.
"I have to admit it does sound daunting and it does sound a little scary," Heidi immediately replied, taking a deep breath as she looked Vince McMahon in the eyes "But it's an opportunity that is too amazing to let my nerves get in the way of it. I'm up for the challenge MrMcMahon. I'm ready for it."
Vince didn't make his replied instantly, which worried Heidi a little. She would have killed to know exactly what he was thinking at that exact moment. What was running through his head as he narrowed his eyes at her. What emotion was playing in his mind as he stood there infront of her completely silently. She had never felt for awkward and uncomfortable in her life, and then suddenly a random smile broke out across the chairman's face as he slowly nodded to himself.
"I like the fact that you're giving me honest answers instead of telling me exactly what I want to hear," Vince replied, his smile staying on his face "You're a brave girl."
"I don't claim to be fearless about anything in life MrMcMahon," Heidi added, her mouth opening before she could even control what was coming out of her mouth "But I do consider myself brave enough to give everything a try at least once."
"Good," Vince replied, not seeming surprised by Heidi's sudden verbal addition "That's the kind of people I like to have here in the WWE."
Heidi simply replied with a smile, still following Vince as he lead her around in the arena. She wasn't sure exactly where they would eventually end up but she didn't want to ask. She thought it best if she just didn't ask any questions right now. After all, she was the one being interviewed here and despite feeling a little more comfortable around Vince McMahon right now, he was still the chairman of the board, her dad's boss and her potential boss.
"So tell me a little about yourself Heidi," Vince spoke again "You're graduating this year?"
"Yes sir," Heidi nodded with a smile "Graduating early in March actually."
"Top of your class?" Vince inquired.
"Also a yes," Heidi replied with a smile as she thought back to her father's reaction earlier that night to the big news she had just found out "I just found out yesterday that I am valedictorian of our graduating class."
"Congratulations," Vince said calmly with a smile "Your father must be very proud."
"He is," Heidi replied as the image of her dad literally jumping up and down around the Orton locker room continued to invade her head and she had to try her best not to laugh "I think he was way more excited than I was."
"I can imagine," Vince replied "He said that you worked hard though and you deserved it."
"I do work hard," Heidi agreed "And no doubt Mr McMahon if you give me this job I will work so incredibly hard.
Vince simply nodded and he continued to lead Heidi. The pair soon found themselves walking around close to the guerilla area where the superstars wait to go on stage.
"What about extra curricular activities at school other than your studies?" Vince asked.
Heidi wasn't really sure that these kind of questions were really relevant to her interview for a job, but she supposed that Vince was just trying to get a grasp of who she was as a person.
"Gymnastics has been a huge part of my life since I was like 3 years old," Heidi replied "Mom got me into it so early that I can't imagine my life without a little gymnastics in it. I guess it's also the athlete in me and my blood that makes me love it so much too."
"Maybe a foundation for a little work in the ring maybe?" Vince suggested with a smile.
Heidi smiled back.
"Well actually," Heidi replied "Mom's always been a second coach for me at Apex, the gym where she's been coaching since retiring from wrestling, and she's added in a couple of wrestling moves here and there on request."
"So I'm assuming you'd be open to a little ring work?" Vince questioned, a little surprised by Heidi's sudden confession.
"Oh absolutely!" Heidi replied without a second thought "Mom's wrestling style was so gymnastically based and I would definitely be open to even just gaining some skills in the ring. Mom probably wouldn't let me do it though unless she was the one training me."
A small laugh escaped the chairman's lips, which startled Heidi. She couldn't help the witty comments. They were part of here and always seemed to pop up everywhere.
"I do know your mother Heidi and I definitely agree with that statement," Vince commented "Your mother, however, happens to be the best this business has ever since in terms of technical female wrestlers so there would be no doubt that she would be the best person to train you."
Heidi smiled in reply. I was so strange to her to think about her mother being the best especially when it was Vince McMahon making that statement. Maybe it was just because Heidi knew Lita as her mother rather than the high flying extreme diva that the world knew her mother as. It was the same with her father. Her father was a future WWE Hall of Famer, both of her parents were actually, and he was the best there was today. It was such a hard concept to grasp that her parents were famous and so incredibly talented in this business. She looked up to them both and their success but at the end of the day they were still her parents so it was just weird to think of them in that light.
"So, tell me Heidi," Vince started speaking again, breaking Heidi out of her thoughts "Why exactly should I hire you?"
Heidi looked at him to read his expression. She wanted to know whether he was smiling at her and wanted a cheeky cute answer to the question or whether his face was completely serious and he wanted a completely serious answer. His face was serious. Completely and utterly serious. Heidi took a deep breath. She didn't want her answer to come out corny and predictable, but at the same time she wanted to be honest and let him know exactly how she felt about his.
"A lot of girls my age would want this job because they think it's all about the glamour," Heidi started "They all want the glamorous job of being on national TV every week, earning the cash to buy expensive clothes, getting to meet the hot shirtless superstars backstage, getting to live the glamorous life of a superstar."
"And that's not what you want?" Vince inquired, raising an eyebrow at the young girl before him.
"That's not why I want this job MrMcMahon," Heidi replied, her face sincere "I've been here every summer vacation since I can remember. I've grown up around the WWE superstars and I've grown up around this business. This, to me, is my family. This is where I live and where I feel at home. These superstars are my closest friends and my family. The WWE is one of my favourite places in the world, and that is why I want this job."
Taking a deep breath Heidi kept going, not wanting Vince to break her chain of thought.
"Whether it's something in my blood or whether it's something else," Heidi continued "I have a passion for this business and every since I can remember I've known it. Watching my dad on TV everyweek at home and being around all of this during my time on the road, I knew that this is where I wanted to be. I could think of no other place in the world that I would want to work. I can think of no other place in the world where I feel I belong more than the WWE. And then there's singing. I love it. It's something that comes straight from my heart. When I sing, I completely lose myself in the music and lose myself in the moment. It's not something I do for anyone else but myself and whether or not I get this job, the WWE will always be my home. I've been singing long before this opportunity Mr McMahon and I'll continue singing long after it."
Heidi finished her long answer and eagerly awaited any kind of response out of the chairman. She was hoping for a verbal response from him immediately after she finished but instead a silence enveloped them and their conversation. Heidi's eyes studied the chairman's face carefully as she held her breath. His eyes were looking up in the stars by the look of it and his mouth was moving in circles in contemplation of what the young girl before him had just said. He suddenly started humming a little before he looked Heidi dead in the eyes.
"Follow me Miss Orton," Vince suddenly said as he ushered Heidi to follow him as he started scaling the steps in the guerilla area that lead the superstars up to the stage and the ramp that would lead them into the WWE ring.
Heidi obediently and silently followed close behind Vince, not sure exactly what was going on and where he was leading her.
"Do you think you can live up to the big expectations that everyone will expect from you following a legend in this business like Lillian Garcia?" Vince asked as he continued to scale the steps with Heidi following.
"I honestly can't make any promises that I will be as great as Lillian because I'm not sure anyone that follows her would be able to do such a thing," Heidi replied honestly "Lil is such a legend today and always will be. She will always be the greatest ring announcer of all time. I don't know if I can be as great as Lillian is but I know that I am willing to try and work hard to be just as good if I can't be better."
"Good honest answer," Vince commented as he reached the top of the stairs and turned around to face Heidi once more "I'm glad that you have confidence in yourself but you're not overzealous about your abilities. You're confident but not cocky. You have the magnitude of the situation in reality. Good girl."
Heidi simply nodded in response before Vince McMahon ushered her towards the curtain that would lead her onto the stage. Heidi looked at the curtain infront of her before she looked back at Vince. Vince simply nodded his head and motioned for her to follow through. Heidi did as told and brushed her way through the curtain.
Her big blue eyes couldn't help themselves lighting up as she stood there on the stage infront of an empty arena. Even with the arena empty it was still exciting to stand where she was currently standing. She couldn't imagine the adrenalin rush when the arena was full. It sent chills down her spine to even think about it. The arena's magnitude and size hit her as she looked around and saw the tens of thousands of empty chairs. Then suddenly Heidi's eyes squinted and she noticed that all the chairs in the arena were not empty. She tried to adjust her vision to make out who was sitting in the seats directly opposite her on the otherside of the ring but was suddenly interrupted by Vince McMahon's voice as he suddenly appeared next to her and starting walking. Heidi immediately started to follow as she listened to his voice.
"Has Lillian been giving you plenty of pointers about what her job requires?" Vince asked.
"Yes sir," Heidi replied, her ears inadvertently concentrating on the sound of her boots against the steel ramp beneath her feet "She's been helping me with my vocal training as well as performing techniques in the ring."
"Good good," Vince replied "Have you been practising the national anthem accapella?"
"Everyday in the shower," Heidi replied with a smile as she and Vince finally reached the bottom of the ramp.
Vince immediately lead Heidi to the closest ring steps and before Heidi knew it she was standing in the middle of a WWE ring. If the adrenalin hadn't been pumping when she stepped out of the curtain onto the stage, the adrenalin in her body was definitely pumping now. Her heart was racing as her eyes scanned the arena from her place in the ring. Suddenly Heidi's eyes fell upon the not so empty seats in the arena that she had been trying to look at earlier but didn't have the chance, nor the impeccable eyesight.
Heidi couldn't help but smile as her eyes fell upon Ash who was sitting next to Penny and Brooke, the twin divas in the back that happened to be extremely good friends with the young Orton. Sitting behind, a row back, were a handful of young guys that she didn't recognise. Although she didn't recognise them by name and face, she definitely did recognise the fact they were all extremely easy on the eyes. They all appeared to be tall, dark and handsome, except for the one on the far left who was very fair with blonde hair and what appeared to be bright green eyes. Heidi's smile widened as her eyes scanned the 5 of them, a couple of times actually. Heidi's eyes then continued to scan the crowd and landed on Lillian Garcia and Maria Kanellis who were of course sitting next to the gorgeous WWE rookies. Maria couldn't help herself from waving excitedly in Heidi's direction as they eyes connected. A row forward sat Chris Jericho, Ash's dad and pretty much Heidi's second father whilst she was on the road, who was sitting next to Dave Batista and then John Cena. No matter what she said, Cena would always be her favourite guy. He was like the goofy, ridiculous older brother that she never had. She loved that guy but she loved teasing him even more. Heidi's eyes finished on her parents who were sitting in the row right behind the barricade. They were sitting there smiling at her and she couldn't help but smile back. She knew that they were both so proud of her, no matter what happened next.
"So Heidi," Vince's voice suddenly boomed, breaking Heidi completely out of her thoughts and causing Heidi's head to whip around and stare at the chairman.
Heidi suddenly became very aware that she had an audience infront of her and that Vince McMahon's voice sounded so booming because he was speaking into a WWE microphone. Heidi's heart started racing again. She didn't like where this was going.
"So how you been practising the national anthem accapella infront of an audience?" Vince asked into the microphone before holding the microphone out towards Heidi.
Heidi leaned forward to speak her answer into the microphone.
"Just Lillian," Heidi replied honestly.
"And where do you guys tend to rehearse?" Vince asked.
"In an empty locker room usually," Heidi replied "Or the carpark sometimes when there isn't an empty locker room."
Heidi heard laughter erupt from her audience and her head turned in that direction just in time to see Jericho, Batista, Cena and her father all turned around and glaring at the now super embarrassed group of WWE rookies.
"So now Miss Orton," Vince said, drawing Heidi's attention back to him "This is your chance to practise infront of an audience, in an arena, into a microphone and completely accapella."
Heidi gulped down hard as she looked with big blue eyes at Vince McMahon who was now standing before her offering her the microphone.
The young girl would be lying if she didn't say she was absolutely scared out of her mind right now, but she tried not to show it and bravely took the microphone from Vince McMahon without a single shake in her hands. Heidi looked at Vince one more time and he simply smile at her as he folded his hands infront of him. Heidi turned to stand and face her audience. She adjusted her stance and comfortably parted her legs slightly to balance herself. She looked at the audience one more time as she placed the microphone close to her lips. She looked deep into her father's eyes and he simply nodded at her as he smiled. She nodded back as she took a deep breath.
This was her moment and this was her chance to shine.
A/N: Hello people! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. There was a lot of getting to know Heidi's character a little more in this chapter and establishing it, so I hope you enjoyed that. Next chapter is where everything starts to get really exciting and interesting - what do you think happens in the next chapter? Does Heidi get the job? Does she get the job that she actually was interviewed for or does Vince McMahon offer her a job that's a little different to what she expected? Do you guys wants to hear a little more about the gorgeous young WWE rookies? Haha. Please READ AND REVIEW! Thanks to the two reviewers for the last chapter - if you read it please review it! I love to hear what you guys think and I like to know that there is interest in this story and everything. Thanks guys, god bless, Mrs Bridget Orton xoxo Until next time.