The Man (A Seth Rollins Story) (Reupload)

Chapter 24- Money in the Banks

~ June 12, 2017 ~

I walked into the arena for RAW the week before Money in the Bank. I had been dating Colby for almost 2 weeks now and things were going amazing! We had gone on several dates and hung out a lot since then. The more I got to know him, the more I realized how great of a guy he was. I walked in and saw Mercedes sitting with the guys and I looked at my little group. I could have never known how quickly my life could have changed and I was happy for it.

"Marci! Do I have some news for you!"

Mercedes grabbed my arm and pulled me towards our group table. Colby smiled at me as I sat down.

"What's up?"

"So, Pamela said she doesn't want to take the title anymore."

Pamela told us about a month ago that she would be taking the title belt off of Rebecca (Becky Lynch) at Money in the Bank and we were all excited for her. She was a bit unsure if she should take the title yet as she just arrived on the main roster a short while ago. We urged her to go for it but I guess she decided it was too much.

"Aw, poor Pamela."

"Yeah, I know. I told her that she should go for it and shouldn't stop because she is afraid of what the fans might think but she has decided to not go for it. But, she did tell me who WWE has now decided to go with to win the title."

"Who?"

"Me."

"What? Congratulations!"

I gave her a hug and I could tell she was very excited. But in the back of my mind, I felt bad for Pamela. I knew Mercedes was concerned about Pamela too but was also very happy as well, which was ok. I decided that maybe I should go and talk to Pamela. Maybe I could help.

"Pamela?"

I walked into the locker room and saw Pamela sitting on a chair watching RAW. She looked up at me and I could tell she had been crying. She wiped away her tears as quickly as she could as I sat down next to her.

"Hi."

"Hey."

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for RAW?"

"Nah, I got some time to kill."

She nodded and went back to RAW. You can do this. Pamela is your friend. Just have a normal conversation. As I was about to speak, Pamela started talking.

"I'm fine, you know?"

"Did I say you weren't?"

"I guess not. It is just that, everyone is so concerned about 'poor little Pamela'. And I love that people care that much but really, I'm fine."

"Good. I didn't think you weren't. I just came in here to talk about RAW."

She looked confused. It seemed that people had been constantly asking her about her current state of mind. I hoped my comment about not being concerned would help her a bit. I remembered being asked a lot about whether I was ok and it annoyed me to no end. I loved that people were concerned and cared but it got to the point where 'I'm fine' would get them to stop asking, even if I wasn't. I wanted people to let me be ready to speak when I wanted to but it always seemed like people were trying to force an answer out of me.

"So, what have I missed?"

"Sheamus just beat Rusev."

"Really? Hm, that's interesting."

Moments of silence passed before Pamela said anything.

"You heard about the Women's Title?"

"No, what about it?"

"I decided to not go for it."

"Oh, really? Why is that?"

"I just...don't know if the fans will like it."

"Well, it's your decision."

More moments of silence.

"It's not that I don't want it."

"I didn't say you didn't."

"It's just that, I know how these fans get. I just moved up and if I just get the title handed to me, they will resent me for it. And I'm not saying that there are not other women who deserve it more than me. There are. There are tons of women that deserve more than me."

"True."

"But what if, what if I never get this opportunity again? What if I get injured and I am never able to wrestle again? What if the fans decide to hate me one day and WWE decides I shouldn't be champion ever?"

I finally turned to her. She needed an answer from me and I wasn't sure what I should say. So, I decided to tell her what I thought instead of giving her some cheap lie.

"You want to know what I think?"

She nodded.

"Who cares."

"What?"

"Who cares. You have had an amazing career. You have fought in matches some women only dream about. You have been given opportunities people can only dream about. Tell me, if you career ended right here and right now, could you live with that? Could you live with the career you have had and appreciate what you have done?"

She thought about it. "Yeah."

"Then there is your answer. No matter what happens with you and that title, you can still say you're proud of what you have accomplished. And as for you worrying about what the fans and other wrestlers might think, don't worry about it. Don't worry about what might happen, live in the moment. You can keep worrying about what could happen or if people will hate you but what is the point? I know where you're coming from. I used to be the same way."

"And how did you overcome that feeling?"

"Still working on that part. But I have been thinking, if I keep worrying about the future and what people think, it gets me nowhere. Live in the now. Worry about the present. Take risks and live for you."

She smiled. "Thank you."

And then she hugged me before walking out of the room. I felt happy that I could help her.

"What did you do?"

I looked to see Mercedes walk in. She looked angry. I had been sitting with the guys in the locker room after RAW and I thought this was just going to be an easy day. Guess not. I stood up as she walked over.

"Mercedes, what are you..."

And then I was smacked in the face. I heard chairs move backwards and I knew the guys were standing up, most likely in shock about what just transpired.

"W-what?"

"Pamela has decided to fight for the championship now."

"What?"

"I just got told that she has made the decision to fight for the championship. They have kicked me out of the match completely."

"Mercedes, I'm so sorry."

"You should be. I was told that you were the last person to speak to her. So, did you just tell her to get me kicked out of the match?"

"No, I would never. She seemed really upset so I was comforting her. I told her that she should live in the moment and stop worrying about what people think of her."

"Well, she is sure doing it now. I thought you were my friend."

"I am."

"Really? Because it sure doesn't seem like it to me."

Mercedes walked out of the locker room. I understood why she was so upset. I knew she had worked so hard for this opportunity. I never thought my conversation would hurt Mercedes. I felt awful. I felt Colby's arms come around me but I pushed them away. I need some time alone. I had just lost my best friend.