Michelle woke up to a pounding headache.. At first when she opened her eyes, everything was a blur. As she laid there and tried to focus she realized she was in a room that was not all too familiar. She sat up quickly, but laid back down just as quick. The whole room began to swim as she closed her eyes again.
"How are you feeling?" Rachel asked, as she noticed the woman had stirred.
"Where am I?" Michelle asked in a quiet voice. "My head is killing me." She said, as she squeezed her eyes shut tightly.
"You're safe for now. Those guys were trying to rough you up, but they are gone now. If it had not been for Chris and Perry, they probably would have done more damage to you than they did." Rachel tells her as she sits next to the girl.
Michelle trys to sit up and look around. "Where am I?" She asks as she notices bags of clothes and wrestling garb around the room.
"Right now, in a dressing room for the WWF. Adam and the Hardyz room as a matter of fact." Rachel says as she shows her one of Jeffs wierd shirts.
Michelle looks at it and makes a strange face, making Rachel laugh.
"Oh, here is your camera. I tried to fix it, but it's way beyond repair.I guess you are going to have to get a new one." Rachel says handing her the camera that was in three pieces.
"Huh? A new boyfriend?" Michelle asks as she shakes her head.."Ow." She says as she puts a hand to her temple.
"If that was your boyfriend..i'd say get rid of him. I was talking about the camera really." Rachel said as she handed Michelle an ice pack.
Michelle felt the back of her head and felt a lump. This was the last time Shawn would ever touch her like that again, she vowed. "How long was i out?" She asked.
"Almost an hour. I heard the guys yelling, and ran outside to see you hit the wall. I had Chris bring you in here, and I kicked everyone out." Rachel said, as she went to the door. " I think he might be wrestling right now, I haven't been paying attention to that tonight. I am sure he would like to see how you are now."
"Thanks... and my name is Michelle." Michelle said and smiled at Rachel..
"You can call me Rach if you want to..." Rachel started laughing. "My other name is the Hardyz Sister.."
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"MOSH did that move completely wrong!! He could have killed me!" Jeff yelled as he made his way behind the curtain..
"Sorry man, shit happens." Mosh said pushing past him.
"Man are you ok, you took an awful bump." Matt said as Mosh pushed past him also. "Dude just because its your last day doesn't mean you can kill people.
Mosh walked out with his bag, not even bothering to shower.
"I thought Rach was going to watch us fight tonight, where is she?" Adam said as he looked around.
"She's back in your dressing room. You heard about the chick that Chris brought in there right?" Matt asks Adam.
"No? Do tell." Adam says to Matt.
"Well, Chris and Perry caught some guys beating up on some chick, and Rach had them bring her into our room. The guys ran off before they could do anything about it though. Last I heard she hadn't woken up yet." Matt said.
"Ohhh, Chris was talking about her a few minutes ago.. I was only half paying attention. I have other things on my mind." Adam says with a smile.
"Yeah, I know brother." Matt says and pats him on the back.
"Guess I will go check on how she is, and see Rachel while i am at it." Adam says with a wink, and walks away.
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Rachel and Adam sit and talk as Michelle doses in and out of sleep. A knock on the door brings Chris into the room. He enters quietly, hoping not to disturb the woman laying on the other couch.
"Hey!" Rachel says as she swings her legs off the couch so he could sit next to her.
"How is she?" He asks, and nods in Michelle's direction.
"I'm ok, I just have a headache." Michelle says to him, and smiles. The smile doesn't quite reach her blue eyes.
"Did you know those guys??" He asked her.
Michelle sighs, and is almost embarrased to tell the truth. "Yes, the one that pushed me into the wall is my boyfriend... the other is his cousin." Tears start to form in her eyes.
Chris sits next to her and puts an arm around her. "Please don't cry."
She puts her hands in her lap and her eyes glaze over with tears. "I have to go home after this, and he is going to be there. I know he will be waiting for me." She said, looking at the three other people in the room.
"There's no other place to go??" Rachel asks, as Adam holds her hand and pulls her closer to him.
"No, I am not from here. I could move back in with my friend Beth in Seattle, but we sort of lost touch.. Shawn made sure of that. " She stops talking when there is a knock at the door.
"Hey, she's awake...how is she feeling?" Matt asked as he stood in the door.
"She, is doing fine." Michelle said, as she looked anywhere but at him.
"She needs a place to stay tonight. She can't stay at her house." Chris said, looking at Michelle.
Michelle opened her mouth to protest, but shut it. She had no idea what to say.
"I will go with you to get some of your things. Then you can stay with me for the night, since i am in the room alone. Then you can make some arrangements tomorrow, call Beth...whatever you want to do." Chris said, as he pulled Michelle's face to look at him.
"But..."Michelle started, but Chris enterupted.
"No buts." Chris said as he stood up.
"Thats really sweet of you Chris." Rachel said, as he smiled at her his sweetest smile.
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Michelle enters her house with a few of the wrestlers in tow. She entered knowing thankfully that Shawn had not made it home yet. He was probably in a drunken stooper at his cousins house, she thought.
She remembered Beth's phone number, and hoped that she would answer her phone this late at night. The phone rang a few times, and an answering machine picked up. "Beth....if you are there pick up. ok, guess I deserve this if you are." Michelle sighed. "I'll call back, i hate machines." She hang up the phone, and went into her bedroom to pack some clothes.
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Beth lay in her bed reading as she heard Michelle's voice over ther machine. "What brings her out of the woods? I haven't heard from her in months." She said and then continued reading her book. It must not be all that important if she didn't leave a message, she thought.
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A car drives into the driveway, and Shawn enters the house a few minutes later obnoxiously drunk. He swaggers in to see Chris, Andrew and Matt standing guard.
"Wasssup guyysss??" Shawn asks drunkenly.
Michelle walks back into the room oblivious to his arrival. "I really would like to thank you for ....." She stops and drops her suitcases. Be strong, she thinks. "Oh, i didn't think you would be home tonight."
"Whatss this?" Shawn asks, pointing at the suitcases.
"I'm leaving you." Michelle says sarcastically. She stands her ground with her hands on her hips.
"Oh fuck.. you can't leave me. You've tried that before, you need me. YOU couldn't survive without me." He says, and walks over and picks up a suitcase.
"Michelle, go outside and wait for us." Matt orders her as he grabs the suitcase away from Shawn.
Shawn stands and stares at the man dumbfounded and then turns to Michelle as she runs out the door. "You know I'll find you wherever you go baby." Shawn yells.
"Not if I can help it." Michelle yells back and throws his promise ring at him.
Michelle makes her way to the car and stands with her arms folded as if cold. The lights in the house go out, and the three men exit the house.
"You won't have to worry about him anymore." Andrew said as he put her stuff in the car.
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Shawn lay on the couch, having passed out from the drink.. In the morning he would have one huge hangover.
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Adam, Jason, Jeff and Rachel made their way back to the motel room after a night of club hopping after the show.
"I'm so full of energy!!" Rachel said as she ran ahead of the guys.
"Rachel, is that the girl from the dressing room earlier??" Jeff said as she points up to a window.."isn't that Chris' room?" he says pointing up to a third floor window.
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Michelle looked out the window into the cold January night. She stood there lost in though about she was going to do now that she had left Shawn.. There were so many things that could go her way now.
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Chris lay in his bed watching Michelle stand at the window. He lay there wondering why someone like her was ever with someone like Shawn.. Why would anyone let someone beat them and not want to get away from them.. He couldn't sleep..