Rhea Ripley- Masterpiece

Chapter 11

I texted Jake to let them know I would be late coming home. I went to the airport with Demi and stayed with her until she had to leave. Once it was time, we traded sweatshirts and said our temporary goodbyes. "I'm going to miss you, love."

"I'll miss you too. Win that gold for me, you hear? I wanna see my girl as champion." We had a very long hug. Before she left, she kissed me too. It wasn't enough, and I felt like my heart was trying to go with Demi. "I love you."

"I love you too. Text me when you get home safely. I'll text you when I get there." With one last kiss. She boarded her plane, and I was left trying not to cry.

****

"Hey, bestie! I watched Raw tonight. Rhea did pre-," I practically collapsed into Jake's arms. "Bestie, are you ok?"

"Her plane just took off. I can feel her getting further away. I don't know if I can walk." I held back sobs as I had Jake help me to my bed. "I knew Demi leaving was gonna be hard, but this is worse than I thought it would be," I grunted as I kicked off my shoes and got under the covers.

"It'll be ok, Ryder. Try to get some sleep. Maybe that will help?" Bestie Jake is trying their best, but they don't know how this feels. I already feel like I'm getting sick and weak. If this is how the rest of the week is going to be, then I don't know how I'm going to survive the distance.

"Get....get the...my suitcase," I said, feeling like I was going to pass out.

"What? What's in your suitcase?" They opened up both bags, hurrying to find whatever I was trying to say. "Is this hoodie new?"

"Demi's hoodie, bestie. Give it to me." They handed it to me. I put it on and let Demi's scent fill my senses. I took a deep breath and tried to relax. "Bestie, can you hold me?"

"Uh yeah, sure." They crawled into bed with me and kicked my suitcases off. "I'll clean that up in the morning." I snuggled up to Jake and closed my eyes. "Goodnight, bestie."

****

"Ryder," The next thing I knew, somebody was shaking me. "Come on, pumpkin, wake up." That doesn't sound like Bestie Jake. Their voice is lower pitched. "Ryder, wake up, sweetheart."

I coughed and then opened my eyes. My parents were sitting on my bed. Dad was right beside me. He must have been the one to wake me up. Jake was standing in the doorway, looking worried. "Daddy? When did you get here?"

"Just now, sweetheart. Jake called me. They were worried about you. You've been sleeping for twenty-four hours. You never woke up yesterday." I sat up, confused. I looked at Jake, then my parents. "From the way your friend described it, the shock of Rhea leaving affected you pretty badly. Jake told us you passed out and have been sleeping since."

After hearing that, my stomach grumbled as I realized I hadn't eaten in over a day. "Since this is your first time dealing with Rhea leaving the country, we thought being here with you until she returns would be best," Mom told me.

"Don't worry, they already asked me. I'm cool with it. Just as long as we can ensure you don't die on us." I softly laughed at my bestie's statement. "I'm just saying. You never know." I laughed again, then went into a coughing fit.

"Food and water are a must. After I shower. I feel gross." I removed the covers and moved so I was sitting at the edge of the bed. "Mom....c-can you.." I'm so embarrassed for asking for help because I feel like I should be able to shower on my own.

"You want help?" I nodded, which earned a smile from Mom. "Come on, baby."

For the rest of the week, my parents stayed to help Jake care for me. I talked to Demi daily and found out she was having a rough time, too.

All of us watched Elimination Chamber together and cheered for Demi. Well, all of us except for Bestie Jake. They cheered for Liv Morgan. "Come on, Demi. You can do it."

Demi was doing good, but she seemed distracted. Hopefully, it's not because of me. In the end, Bianca won. I was disappointed but proud of my friend.

Soon after, I had Dad help me to my room. Demi messaged me when she got back to her room. I gave her time to shower and get into bed before video-calling her. "Hey, babe! I watched the show."

She smiled at me. "Oh, you did? Did you watch me?"

I smiled back, happy to see her face. "Yeah, I did. I'm sorry you didn't win, but I'm proud of you for how well you did."

Demi sighed and nodded. I can tell she's disappointed about the results. "Yeah, thanks. I wanted to win, but it's Bianca's time to shine. She deserves it. She'll do great things if she wins against Becky at Wrestlemania. I just....." she trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"You wish it was you instead." I finished the sentence for her since I knew what she was thinking. "Trust me, babe. I, of all people, understand. I feel like there's more pressure on me since I'm the kid of a Hall of Famer. I wanna win a title so I can make my parents proud."

"I'm sure they're proud of you, love. Keep your chin up. Good things might happen to you this year." Just hearing Demi say that brings a smile to my face. Just knowing she has faith in me.

"Of course, they will. I have you." Oh Gods, that sounds like it came from a Disney movie.

Demi went into a giggle fit, which was super adorable. "That's the cheesiest line I've ever heard, mate."

"Yeah, that was pretty bad." After that, we spent the next ten minutes staring at each other. We had stupid-looking smiles on our faces. We kept giggling. "Hey, wanna spend the week at my place after Raw?"

"I'd love that."