Lass Ride: Changing Gears

Chapter 12

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" Cesaro was sitting on his bike, looking up at the hotel. As soon as Randy Orton had noticed them leaving, he asked for details, but Cesaro had made up a smooth lie about having Stephanie's permission. Since Stephanie wanted Becky to woo The Shield and the Four Horsewomen on her behalf, it was vaguely true in a way. All the envelopes with the offers were in Becky's bag, but she kept looking at her motorcycle like it was a book in a language she couldn't read. "We don't have to. You can call Seth or Charlotte or whichever one you want and just tell them things changed and you can't go. Tell them Orton's being an asshole—that's pretty much always true—or that I wouldn't let you go."

Most of the bitterness that had shadowed Becky the night before was gone now, so she wasn't sure why she was hesitating. Cesaro was scheduled for the signing, so they had to be back by a certain time. But it was more than the limited time frame and lingering annoyance at Seth's reaction. What if some of them aren't interested? she thought, the dread sitting heavy in her stomach. What if none of them want to come back? She couldn't begrudge them their freedom, but Becky still knew it would sting if everyone declined the offers and left her to do her penance in WWE alone. "No, I'm good. They deserve to know their options."

"Do they?" Lowering his sunglasses over his eyes, Cesaro leaned on the handlebars of his bike and watched her; she could feel his gaze even if she couldn't see it. "Has even one of them suggested trying to come back so you wouldn't be on your own? They're your friends, Becky. I know that. I'm not trying to insult them. But from what I can see, you seem to be putting forth most of the effort into the friendship."

Becky's first instinct was to defend them. Of course they cared. Of course they worried about her and wanted them to all be together, however that might play out—but Cesaro had a point. And Cesaro is also in Hunter's pocket, she reminded herself. It was her first instinct to ignore that too, to paint him as an ally if not an outright friend. She missed the pack-like structure of touring with The Shield and the Four Horsewomen, the way it felt more like a family. Naomi and the Usos were great, and Becky was getting closer to some of the other women on the roster, but it wasn't the same. "I know," she admitted softly, taking a deep breath and straddling her bike at last. "I'll give them the envelopes and that's it. I won't try to sway them one way or the other."

"That's not what I meant." Cesaro paused before putting on his helmet. "I just think you deserve better, that's all. I saw some of your indie matches, and you and Bayley were always the hardest workers—and the least appreciated. A tag team works together, right? When they needed help, you tagged yourself in. When have they done the same?" He lowered his helmet and revved his motor, effectively ending the conversation.

Putting on her own helmet and feeling its comforting weight was almost a relief; it saved her from replying. His words weighed on her for the entire ride, though. On one hand, Cesaro didn't know the entire story. She hadn't ever come right out and told her friends I can't do this alone. It's too hard. I need help. But should she need to? If Charlotte had brokered the deal for the group, Becky would have been constantly checking in with her, trying to reunite as soon as she could. She would have done that for any of them, or at least she liked to think so. On the other hand, maybe they realized how difficult it was for her to be so far away and they didn't want to rub it in. She could see so many angles, understand so many points of view, and it just made trying to find her way through it all even harder.

When they arrived at the park Cesaro had found the night before, it was empty. It appeared to be part of a new subdivision, but the funding must have fallen through, because most of the houses in the area looked unfinished. Despite that, the park was pristine; Becky wondered how many locals even knew it was there. "How many are you expecting to come?" Cesaro asked after they had parked and went over to the swings. Since there was no one else around, they left their helmets and bags on a nearby bench.