Post by Serena Storm on Nov 7, 2021 13:42:36 GMT -5
10/31/21
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Serena and her friends had just witnessed another “Minneapolis” miracle, this one in the form of their favorite team upsetting the Minnesota Vikings at home, and with a back-up quarterback at the helm no less. The game had been ugly and scary to watch most of the time, fitting for a Halloween night. But they ended up with the “W”, which made their trip up north worth it.
“So should I book us seats for the Broncos game?” Liam asked.
“Hell yeah!” Emma chimed in.
“Unfortunately I can’t make it,” Serena said.
“What!? Why not!? We never miss these games!” Liam argued.
“I got another match in Revo…” Serena began.
“Wait, are you cleared to compete again?” Emma asked.
“Yeah, I thought you were on IR or something…” Liam added.
“Trainers cleared me,” Serena clarified. “Some minor tissue damage, nothing torn, so I should be all set to get back into the ring.”
“I don’t get why you just don’t ask for your job back,” Liam complained.
Her friend stormed off as Emma placed a hand on Serena’s shoulder.
“He’ll be okay,” Emma reassured her. “He’s just not used to this side of you.”
“What side is that?” Serena asked.
“You’ve always been a competitor, don’t get me wrong,” Emma explained. “But look at what happened after your first match Serena!”
“It was only one match Em,” Serena defended herself. “I knew this wasn’t going to be easy and that it’d be a bit of an adjustment. I’ll admit that I wasn’t expecting Amber to go off the way that she did. But lesson learned, I guess?”
“Yeah, that girl got a few screws loose if you ask me,” Emma grumbled.
Serena laughed with her friend as they continued after Liam. As they were walking, they saw the Dallas Cowboy football players getting onto their team bus. A few that recognized her stopped to say “hi” as she realized, in that moment, how much she missed traveling with the team.
“Hey! ’Stormy’!? That you!?” Charlotte called out.
One of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders came running up to Serena, giving her a big hug.
“Hey Charlotte!” Serena answered. “How are you?”
“I’m good! What are you doing here?” Charlotte asked.
“We NEVER miss a game,” Liam insinuated.
Serena rolled her eyes as Emma slapped Liam on the arm.
“You should’ve told me you were coming,” Charlotte insisted. “I could’ve gotten you premier seats…”
“That’s okay,” Serena interrupted. “I didn’t want to impose.”
“Nonsense girl!” Charlotte responded. “You’re one of us!”
Serena half-smiled, realizing that statement was more a formality at this point. Though she knew that losing her position was a reflection of the global pandemic and not of her own devices didn’t make the sting hurt any less. She would always be a Dallas Cowboys fan; her family had raised her as such. And though being a cheerleader for her favorite team was, in a way, a dream come true – she couldn’t quite shake the notion that she wished she could be out there competing.
“Are you guys traveling back to Dallas?” Charlotte offered. “Do you want to travel with us? I’m sure we can bum a few extra seats.”
“Really!?” Emma asked.
“That would be awesome!” Liam exclaimed.
“But what about our Halloween party?” Serena inquired.
“If you guys already had other plans…” Charlotte began.
“Come on Serena!” Liam groaned. “We can do a costume party anytime we want. This is traveling with THE Dallas Cowboys!”
Regardless of if he had been cordially invited or not, Liam instantly took this opportunity to hop onto the bus.
“Sorry…” Emma mouthed.
“It was… uh… good seeing you ‘Stormy’,” Charlotte cringed. “Give me a call sometime; we’ll get together soon, okay?”
“Yeah, sure… ” Serena sniffled.
Serena watched her friends get onto the bus without her as she stood there, watching them pull away. She hadn’t realized until that moment just how alone she was beginning to feel.
11/3/21
Indiana, Indianapolis
Rather than fly back and forth from city to city, she decided to rent a car to make it to her next event. Since Legacy was in Charlotte, North Carolina, she drove through the states, doing a bit of sightseeing and soul-searching. She stopped in Indianapolis, impulsively purchasing tickets for the Thursday night game. Though she missed her friends, it was nice to get out and do things she wouldn’t have normally done. As she left the gym following her workout, she noticed she had a missed call from “Cassandra Starr”. Serena fixed her hair the best she could and found a quiet place on the boulevard as she video-chatted her boss.
“Hey, sorry I missed your call!” Serena smiled. “Just trying to work the ring rust out.”
“No problem,” Cassandra responded. “Just wanted to make sure you saw the new card for Legacy.”
“I did,” Serena answered. “But I’m not quite sure what you want me to do as the special guest referee. In fact, I never really trained in that.”
“It’s not that difficult,” Cassandra reassured her. “Just make sure they follow the rules and you count the pin falls if and when they happen.”
“Okay, yeah, I guess I can do that,” Serena responded. “I won’t let you down boss!”
“One last thing,” Cassandra stated. “I know you’re probably not Amber Payne’s biggest fan, given what she did to you a few weeks ago, but you need to go into this match with a clear head. You need to be impartial, understand?”
“Don’t worry Cassandra,” Serena promised. “I won’t let my personal feelings get in the way of this match. I know this is a big opportunity for both of the participants involved. Though I am a little confused, what do I need to do for the ‘Beat the Clock’ challenge?”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Cassandra clarified. “We’ll have someone at the timekeepers table keeping track of how long the match goes for. Also, this only applies if Amber Payne beats Darius Alexander. Again, this match is very important Serena. We know you opted in a bit late for the show but this was the best we could do to ensure that you were still apart of the production.”
“Yeah, I get it,” Serena responded. “Sorry about that, by the way. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be medically cleared or not.”
“It’s fine,” Cassandra comforted. “I remember how crazy it was to be on the road all the time, traveling from place to place, fitting in time to train and prepare for your matches. I don’t envy you that. But this match is as much an opportunity for you as it is for them.”
“How do you mean?” Serena questioned.
“Any chance you’re in front of the cameras is just one more chance that you have to captivate the crowd,” Cassandra declared. “The reaction from your debut was that you are, clearly, a fan favorite in this industry. You have the look for it, Serena. Now you just need to work on your technical skills.”
“Thanks, Cassandra!” Serena beamed. “That means a lot, especially coming from someone like you! I promise I won’t let you down!”
The two concluded their conversation as Serena went back to her hotel to shower and get ready for bed.
11/6/21
Charlotte, North Carolina
Serena woke up late in the afternoon on Saturday, having driven all night the night before following the Indianapolis Colts victory over the New York Jets. Though the game had been a shootout – the type of game her Father always loved – she wasn’t quite feeling any sort of “high” following the contest. Maybe it was because she had gone all by herself. Or because she knew that tomorrow, her friends would be going to a Dallas Cowboys game without her. This would be the first one that she had missed in a very long time. But Serena was trying to be optimistic and focus on her new career as a wrestler. Coming off her injury, she had to work twice as hard just to get back into “ring condition”. Realizing how late it was in the day, Serena quickly scampered over to the bathroom and washed her face and got her hair pulled up into a bun and donned her makeup. As an alarm on her phone sounded, she was able to get to it and click on the link, which took her to a live video chat with the Revolution1 audience.
“Hello everyone! I’m so happy that you all had a time slot left open for me!” Serena cheered. “I’m very excited to get back inside that ring and show all my fans in Charlotte, North Carolina what I’m capable of! I know my first time out didn’t go so well but Amber Payne is a very fierce competitor and I learned the hard way just how dangerous she can be. But after a few weeks of rehab, I’m back and better than ever! I wish I was competing in this match instead of refereeing but it’s probably best that I ease myself back into things and not try and overdo it. Anyway, I’m sure the ‘hot take’ is that I’m going to be out for revenge against Amber. I mean, it says so much on the card. If she has to worry about me ‘screwing her over’, then she’s going to lose the match all on her own. Because it looks like Darius had some very strong opinions on who deserves to win this match. I’ve already spoken with Cassandra Starr and I know what needs to be done and that is to ensure that this match is as clean and fair as possible. I did my homework on steel cage matches and now know that a person can win via pin fall, submission, knock out, or escaping the cage. Now I plan on being as impartial as I have to be but if either Amber or Darius decide to get out of line, I have no problem putting them back in their place. In fact, if I see Amber try to pull the same stunt on Darius that she did me, I’ll dish out some southern hospitality of my own. I don’t have any horse in this race so I could care less who wins. All I care about is that I do what the Diamond’s expected of me and make sure this match goes off without a hitch. So good luck to the both of you! May the best person win!”
