TITLE: Gossip (#5 in The Road Back Series)
AUTHOR: Kelly Rowe
DISCLAIMER: The WWE and all characters (except those I create) belong to the almighty Vince McMahon and the WWE.
RATING: PG-13 (swearing).
SUMMARY: Stephanie tries to avoid everyone.
TIMELINE: Raw and Smackdown - week of 7th May 2002.
SPOILERS: Survivor Series 2001 - Smackdown 5/10.
DISTRIBUTION: You want you can have it; just tell me where you put it.
I have spent the last three days with my home phone unplugged and my cell phone off. It's not that I'm avoiding Kurt's barrage of calls, okay I am. The truth is I have a bad feeling that our little trip down memory lane may have given him the wrong impression, like I wanted to say be his girlfriend. I do care about him, but I don't want to be with him. Plus I know that when he can't reach me Kurt is gonna run straight to daddy and then he's gonna be asking all sorts of questions that I don't need right now. Like... you and Kurt really did have an affair when he was in the Alliance, didn't you? I don't want to have to answer that and disillusion my father, to make him think I am not the perfect little princess he imagines me to be. Because I know as much as daddy hates Hunter right now, he'll still be upset with me over my indiscretion.
By the time Monday had rolled around I had a visit from my brother. Like I didn't know that mom and daddy had sent him to check up on me. He didn't judge, after all he already knew about Kurt and I. Shane for once actually listened to me, even offered me a suggestion... a big brother type one. He told me to wait until my divorce comes through before making another stupid mistake. I hope he was taking about Kurt and that he hasn't found out about me and Chris. I agree with him, from now on Kurt is no where near me. I hope that will be enough to discourage him, if it's not... I don't know what to do, I don't wanna hurt him.
When Raw began I put Kurt and this mess from my mind and prepared to watch Hogan. I still believe that he is my chance to return and that my opportunity is coming soon. So when I saw what Hogan did... stealing Taker's bike, I had a premonition of my career staying way dead. Then when he destroyed it, I could foresee Hogan becoming another victim of Deadman Inc. I know now that some how I have to get Hogan onside by Judgement Day, or I'm going to drift in forgettability. I *will not* lose my birthright because Hogan steals someone's cycle.
I tried from Tuesday morning through to Thursday night to get a hold of Hogan, but there was no answer. Either he wasn't speaking to me or he was paranoid about the Undertaker calling him with death threats. I really hoped it was the latter and not the former. If it was the former it would be because he heard about Kurt and myself and for some reason, a totally illogical reason I don't want him to know.
I settled down to watch Smackdown and found myself worrying that Taker had actually managed to get Hogan before the show. So it was a giant relief when he interrupted Kurt's baldness tirade. One it proved that he was fine and two, well... the bald Edge picture make me want to throw up. When Hogan proclaimed all the best champions were bald and revealed his own baldness... I was suddenly thinking that bald might not be a bad thing. A bad toupee was worse... just look at my daddy. I was sort of proud of Hulk for standing up to Kurt, but also I felt bad for Kurt. I know it's rotten, but I hope he'd the loser at Judgement Day, he makes the much better bald guy. But then I got pissed off when he whined for match and then my daddy partnered him with Chris. It was sort of like a really bad nightmare, in one corner my perspective business partner and in the other two guys who knew everything about me... intimately. So when Chris slapped the walls of Jericho on Hogan, I was actually once again glad to spot my soon to be ex coming to his aid. Of course the only reason I was relieved was because he was my chance and no other reason. I will never again get involved in any sort of personal relationship with my business partner.
The End.
