Learning Curves

five.

ANONYMITY was something Audrey had taken for granted most of her life. She stayed in her small town until college, where she was just another face in the crowd. When she worked at the paper, she was just another journalist trying to make their deadline. But that was Audrey Collins, and the life she left behind in Texas. Her name may not have as much importance as a Charlotte Flair, or Adrian Neville, but she was still getting noticed. It stunned her the first time someone stopped her in the middle of the grocery store, excited to meet someone he'd seen on TV, and lately, those kinds of moments were happening more often.

Pulling into Full Sail's parking lot that afternoon, she walked towards the crowd of people just inside the doors. There was usually a group of superstars doing meet and greets before the shows, and that evening just happened to showcase her friends. Baron stood tall between Bayley and Alexa. If Audrey remembered correctly, Hideo Itami was supposed to round out the group, but had fallen ill over the weekend. Corey looked content with filling in, standing right next to Alexa.

Audrey slipped inside, no one really noticing her, dressed in denim shortalls and a white v-neck. Making her way towards the back, she watched her friends interact with the fans, snapping a few pictures to post later. She was about to put her phone away when it buzzed from an incoming text.

[baron] don't think you're hiding back there.

She didn't even look up to see if he was looking, she already figured he was. Her cheeks turned rosy as she replied.

[Audrey] what are you talking about?

She waited for his response, trying to keep from being noticed herself, listening to some girls in front of her fangirl over Corey Graves, wondering if he would notice them. Audrey didn't have the heart to break it to them that he only had eyes for the Sparkle Princess at his side. Another buzz, this one making her laugh a little out loud.

[baron] you look cute in overalls. bayley says get up here.

Looking up, she found him staring squarely back at her, raising an eyebrow in question. Trudging her way through the crowd, she heard a few gasps and cheers, people finally realizing who was standing beside them for those few minutes. Bayley tugged her into a hug as Baron took her bag, sliding her a marker. A little girl stepped up, grinning a toothless grin as Audrey signed the corner of her sign. She reached up for a high five, which Audrey returned. Maybe saying goodbye to anonymity wouldn't be so bad.

XxX

Devin had the week off, visiting family, which meant the dressing room, and the interview list was Audrey's alone. Sitting in her makeup chair, she took a moment to glance over the list before she got ready. Emma was up first, back on NXT, and ready for a rematch with Carmella. Sami Zayn loved to make her laugh, but there was nothing funny about his quest to be seen as a serious contender for the NXT title. The rest of the list wasn't so bad, until she got to the final name on the list. A name she wished she could blink away. A name that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up with a little bit of fear mixed with a lot of anxiety. Bull Dempsey was not someone she was so eager to talk to.

The thought of the interview weighed heavily on her mind, keeping her from concentrating on the show itself. She barely kept up with Alexa and Bayley's match against Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch, startled by Bayley's shout when she landed the Hug-Plex on Becky, and the ref counting to three. Unable to concentrate, Audrey began wandering the halls, trying to walk out all her concern. She met up with Emma, who was a little cold to her, and got through their interview well enough. As the production crew left, Audrey hopped up on one of the tall boxes that held a lot of the stage equipment.