before he cheats | a.cole

fourteen

The second that bell rings, Britt runs at me. She's quick. I try to dodge a dropkick but she hits it, sending me into my corner again against the turnbuckles. She strikes me several times and I slowly fall down as the referee counts. She backs away from me at four. I stare up at her.

"Get up!" she screams at me.

When I don't, she grabs me by my hair and stands me up, pushing me back against the corner. The ref warns her to let go of my hair. She chops me across the chest. Hard. It knocks some breath out of me.

I shove her backward to get off of me. "Let's go, Angelina," I hear Adam yell at me. "You got this."

This angers Britt. She comes running at me but I slip between the ropes and she runs into the corner. I do an enzuigiri, kicking her face. I use the ropes a bit to help so I don't fall and she stumbles back. I climb to the top rope. I dropkick her from the back and she falls forward onto her stomach. The crowd cheers for me.

Britt lays on her stomach and I try to think of something I could do. I crawl to her and put her in a crossface hold. I put my everything into the hold. The crowd cheers and I yell, "Tap out! It'll only get worse from here!"

She begins to slide toward the bottom rope. She grabs it, forcing me to break the hold after a good fifteen seconds. I groan and let her go, standing up. "Get up," I say, using my foot to roll her onto her back. "Get up!"

I stand over her and the crowd starts to chant "NXT". I take a second to look around. The crowd chanting NXT gives me the confidence that I can end this match.

Britt has worked her way to her knees. I run, bouncing off the ropes and delivering a shining wizard to her face. She falls and the crowd cheers. The NXT chant starts again, getting louder. I go in for the pin but Britt kicks out at two. The crowd has a negative response.

I sit on the ground next to Britt who has curled into a half ball on the mat. I breathe heavy and groan, frustrated.

I get up and back into the nearest corner to Adam. I lean against the turnbuckles. Adam hops onto the apron. He asks, "Do you know how to do the Panama Sunrise? My finisher?" I look over at Adam and nod. "Do it."

"When?" I ask, trying to catch my breath.

Both of us look at Britt and he says, "When the time is right. When you think you should do it."

Britt is in the corner opposite to me and she's looking at us as she works her way back to her feet. I look back at Adam and he kisses my cheek. "Go get her, princess," he says in my ear.

I smile and Adam hops off the apron. Britt starts to walk toward me. I meet her in the middle of the ring. She says, "Stop letting him kiss you."

I pretend to think for a second and I say, "No. I don't think I will. It's his choice if he wants to kiss me."

Britt pushes me back and I stumble back before I find my footing. I do the same to her then we begin to exchange blows. The crowd gets into it before Britt knees me in the side, making me double over. Then she knees my jaw and I fall onto my back. She double stomps my stomach and I cry out.

She walks around the ring and yells, "She doesn't belong on AEW. She doesn't get to come onto my show and push me around." The crowd barely cheers for that.

Britt's back is turned and I'm near the turnbuckles. I glance at Adam and I climb to the second rope, sitting on the top rope. The crowd begins to cheer as soon as I point at Britt like Adam does. She turns around and I jump. I successfully pull off the Panama Sunrise. I go in for the pin.

One.

Two.

Three.

The bell rings and the crowd erupts in cheers. "And still the NXT Wonmen's Champion, Angelina," the announcer says.