Nerdy Girl Nation (Nerdy Girl #1)

by Lindsey Gray

  “Is he still coaching the wrestling team?”

  “Sure is. All those boys are top notch. Some of them would be naturals in the IWA.” Mick took a bite of his pizza before clearing his throat to speak. “He’s single, too.”

  “Dad. Derek and I were over a long time ago.”

  “Right.” Mick wiped his face with his napkin. “I still don’t quite understand why you gave up on him. He was good to you.”

  “We weren’t meant to be, Dad.”

  Her father stared at her long and hard. He always seemed to know what she was feeling or thinking with the exception of her relationship with Derek.

  Mick gathered their plates and set them in the sink. He came over and kissed Emma on the forehead. “No one deserved what they did to you, but pushing everybody away didn’t do you any favors, Princess. You’re going to need to stop pushing one of these days.” After a light caress on the cheek, Mick left Emma to her thoughts.

  That time in her life was one of the most difficult she’d ever experienced. High school had not been easy for Emma by any means. She was tall and rail thin until her junior year when she seemed to grow curves overnight. Her shy nature and nerdy pursuits made her easy pickings for the popular crowd. Especially queen bee, Maria DeFazio.

  She felt a common thread form when she and Derek were paired on a chemistry project together their junior year. They became more as wrestling season came around and Harry helped out with the squad. Derek had always been friendly towards Emma, but never showed any romantic interest until one day after practice. She was caught off guard when he kissed her while she was waiting for Harry outside the wrestling room. He asked her out as soon as he broke the kiss and she nodded through the fog he created.

  Emma and Derek had plenty of trouble from outside forces during high school, but they didn’t let any of it separate them. The end of their senior year, everything went to hell when both Emma and Derek were nominated for Prom King and Queen. Emma was called names, bullied, and even had her locker destroyed. When Derek won King and Maria won Queen, Derek refused to dance with Maria. A few days later, Emma was kidnapped, beaten, and violated with hardly a memory of the entire ordeal. Derek stood by her every step of the way, but with her fragile state, she didn’t think they would last.

  When he returned home on break during her college years, they would hook up until he met Sarah Beth the fall of his senior year. Letting Derek go was one of the hardest things she ever had to do, but she eventually did. One thing her relationship with Derek taught her was to keep her private life private. Until the disaster with Patrick, she had succeeded with a few men. She wondered if she and Rob could be … something more.

  Rob glanced at the clock every few minutes for over an hour, waiting for the moment to call. He felt as if he had walked across every square inch of his apartment at least a hundred times.

  Finally, his phone displayed five after eight and he pushed the button to dial Emma’s number.

  “Hello, Rob.”

  He smiled and released the majority of his anxiety with her greeting. “Hey, Emma. How are you?”

  “Good. I had dinner with my dad before the cameras left.”

  “I can’t even imagine having the cameras on you twenty-four seven.” He sat in his favorite chair hoping the soft confines would help relax him a bit more.

  “There are only a few more weeks left of filming. I want to be me again.”

  “You mean it’s not really you on the show?” he teased.

  “It is but not if that makes sense. I flip a switch every time I step in front of the cameras. I’m sure there are differences between Bobby and Rob.”

  He agreed with her there. “Several. I would love to fill you in on them.”

  “Fill me in?” she giggled and he realized how suggestive he sounded.

  “I mean I’d like to get to know you.” Time to bite the bullet and tell her what he wanted. “You said things are crazy and I understand the craziness. But, would you even consider, after filming is over and things are calmer, going out with me?”

  He heard her blow out a long breath, which in turn had him holding his own.

  “I would love to say yes.”

  His chest began to burn from the lack of oxygen and impending rejection.

  “Tell you what, if after Monday you still would like to have dinner, I would love to.”

  He froze for a few seconds while dissecting what she had actually said.

  “What happens on Monday?”

  “Um, well … I’ve started a new job. The announcement is going to be made on Monday. I’m sure the media is going to go insane.”

  A new job he could handle. “You’ll be based in Boston?”

  “Yes, there will be some, ah … travel involved, but my home office will be in Boston. My dad and I packed up my apartment in LA earlier this week and I’m likely staying with him until filming is finished. I don’t want my new place featured on the show.”

  “I get that.” He remembered the shy, beautiful girl with a laugh he couldn’t get out of his head. He understood craving privacy. Lack of had been the main reason he left Baltimore and moved to Boston permanently.

  “I can’t wait to leave my clothes all over the place and spend all day in my pajamas.”

  “I’d love to see those pajamas. Are we talking flannel or silk, because I think there is something so incredibly sexy about a girl in some plaid flannel.”

  She laughed the same uplifting laugh he remembered, making his heart soar. The sweet sound cemented his intentions. He didn’t care what Monday brought; he would not let her get away again.

  “You might enjoy my vast collection.”

  “I’m sure I will. I need to be honest with you, I’ve thought about you a lot over the years.”

  “I’ve thought about you, too,” she admitted in a whisper.

  “Back then, I saw how you and Derek were. But, there was something there between us, a connection.”

  “Yes, I believe there was. Maybe now is our time to explore our connection.”

  “Nothing would make me happier.”

  And Rob was happy, probably happier than he’d been in years. Every night at five after eight, Emma would answer and they would talk for hours.

  Rob soaked up every ounce of information she put forth. He learned her favorites and offered his in return. They liked a lot of the same music and movies but differed when the subject turned to their favorite comics. She worshiped at the altar of Stan Lee and the Marvel universe where he was more of a DC kind of guy. Except when it came to Captain America. Rob considered you un-American if you disliked the Captain.

  Not only did they talk in depth about their likes, but they also shared a few hardships as well. He confessed how life was not as picture perfect being Big Bobby’s son. She had been vague at first but ended up going into a little detail about how she was bullied up until she left home for college. He hated that she still seemed to carry all the pain of the past with her.

  When he hung up with her on Sunday night, he vowed to do whatever he could to keep away the pain. He had been half in love with her for years. In one more day, he would be all the way there.

  “Listen up,” Aaron called out to the group of IWA staff gathered backstage. “This is the last night you will have to deal with my ugly mug for a while. Seeing me at every event over the last couple of weeks has been eventful for all of us. I lost my focus and allowed Curtis Sharp to take advantage of the situation. Not anymore. After tonight, your new GM will be working with me to make this organization the best we can possibly be. They will also take over these pre-show sessions, so no more of my rambling.”

  Rob gave Aaron his props. The man stepped up and took the reins when Curtis Sharp screwed things all to hell.

  “I’ve heard grumblings about holding back our new GM’s identity for too long. The truth is this person signed on the dotted line within the last week. This person will be an asset to this organization and their leadership will bring us to the
greatness it deserves.”

  Chance clapped Rob on the shoulder. “What the hell is he talking about?” he whispered.

  “Things are about to change, my friend.” Rob grimaced and turned his attention back to Aaron.

  “This is a little unorthodox to run the show like I am tonight, but I swear the secrecy will be worth it. I will astound all the fans and critics by the end of this night. Join me in making IWA history!”

  The wrestlers all let out loud cheers and grunts in agreement.

  “This has got to be important. Why would they have us in a tag team match?” Chance asked as he and Rob walked to the backstage entrance.

  “This is a new direction. I met with Aaron the other day about where he’s going with this.” Rob heard the crowd’s excitement from where they stood.

  “Whatever Russell’s got up his sleeve, I hope he knows what he’s doing. I don’t want to feel the wrath of Big Bobby.” Chance shook his head and wiggled the rest of his body.

  “You and me both.” Big Bobby’s reaction to Rob’s transition back into a tag team faction wouldn’t be pleasant. His father’s dream for him had always been to be a singles competitor. The goal for Rob to become the heavyweight champion again seemed to be everything his father lived for. Rob wanted to enjoy his career and keep healthy enough to wrestle for the foreseeable future.

  The Baltimore Bruiser’s entrance music began to play. Time to turn on the charm and get the night started.

  The crowd screamed and hollered when Rob entered with Chance at his side. The pair entered the ring and Rob took a microphone to begin his speech.

  “Welcome to Monday Night Mayhem!” The crowd went wild, but Rob got back on task within a moment. “Thank you all for coming to celebrate this momentous occasion in IWA history with us.” The screams of excitement from the crowd were almost deafening. “Tonight, all the rumors will be put to rest. Curtis Sharp’s tyrannical reign of the IWA is over and the new regime will begin. First, we wanted to hear from your IWA favorites about the change taking place tonight.” Rob and Chance turned their attention to the jumbo screen where a series of clips began to play.

  Several members of the IWA came on screen speculating on all the changes they were hoping for. Most believed Rob would be the force behind the changes.

  The clips came to an end and Rob began to speak once again. “I want to thank all you for your support these last few weeks as we all make this transition. The future of the IWA will be safe in our new leader’s hands and I am personally going to guarantee you will be happy with their direction.”

  The crowd’s celebration halted when Aaron’s theme music began to play.

  Aaron began to speak into his microphone before he even entered the ring. “Thanks for warming them up for me.” The crowd laughed and cheered. Aaron entered the ring with his microphone by his side. “You ready for this?”

  Rob shook his head with a laugh. “Probably not.”

  Aaron placed his hand on Rob’s shoulder and squeezed. “Before the end of the night, you will be a happy man.” With a wink, Aaron began his introduction of the new GM, who the hell ever she was.

  “I think I’m going to be sick.” Emma put her head between her knees to hold off the nausea.

  “You’re nervous,” Harry said while he rubbed her back. “A few more minutes and the security team will be here to escort you to the staging area.”

  “A few more minutes,” she repeated as she brought her head back up and turned her attention to the monitor with a live feed of the event.

  The broadcast showed a montage of several IWA wrestlers voicing their opinions on the next GM’s identity. Some came up with ridiculous suggestions. Most thought Bobby Breyer was a sure thing. Not one suspected the former Huntress.

  At that moment, Rob and Chance were in the ring, preparing to celebrate the announcement of what the crowd thought would be Bobby being made GM. Rob controlled his bravado, but she worried about the crowd’s reaction. The new twist in the show’s story would pit Emma against Bobby for taking a job the fans believed was perfect for him. Rob knew this, but not who his new nemesis would be.

  Rob and Chance continued gearing up the crowd when Aaron’s entrance music flowed through the arena.

  Six security guards surrounded Emma to conceal her identity from anyone in the area.

  “You can do this,” Emma chanted to herself. She waited with her eyes closed while she listened to Aaron make his announcement.

  “Gentlemen. I know you are all anxious to meet our new GM and you will. Let’s get a few things straight.” Aaron cleared his throat before he continued. “The old regime is finished. We are changing the way we run things around here. With the new direction comes new leadership. I’ve had the privilege of experiencing many in-depth discussions about the future of the IWA with the person I have chosen to help lead us. Over the last few days, this person has shown me what I already believed with absolute certainty: I had picked the perfect person for the job. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to not only the new General Manager of Televised Events but also the Executive Vice-President of Talent and Creative for the International Wrestling Association.”

  One elongated guitar note later, the crowd hushed. She listened while her own video montage began to play on the huge video screen.

  The security guards stepped away from Emma to allow her to enter the staging area. “Good luck, Miss MacLean.”

  “Thanks,” she whispered to a security guard before climbing the last few stairs. She flipped her internal switch. “You can do this,” she muttered to herself.

  Her entrance music blared with a Joan Jett type vibe. The kick-ass, chick power anthem was exactly what she needed to calm her nerves and give her the confidence to make her way down the ramp.

  The crowd erupted in cheers as they realized the woman walking toward the ring was Emma MacLean. Before she was even halfway there, she heard her name chanted loudly throughout the arena. She was the picture of confidence as she high-fived several fans and waved to the crowd.

  Once she climbed the ring’s steel steps, Aaron held out his hand to help her into the ring. It was an odd action to fit through the ropes with her three-inch heels, stretchy black skirt, and curve-hugging sleeveless purple blouse. After she was all the way in and standing upright, Aaron pulled her into a hug and told her she would be brilliant. He handed her his microphone and gave her the go-ahead to introduce herself to the IWA fans.

  “You surprised?” she asked the crowd who responded with cheers. “A good surprise, I guess.” They got even louder and chanted her name again.

  “First, I want to say thank you to Aaron Russell for the chance to join the IWA. As some of you might remember, I’ve been a hardcore wrestling fan for years. When the opportunity arose to be part of an organization I spent most of my life following, I couldn’t let it pass.”

  Emma quickly glanced at Rob in full Bobby mode with complete shock on his face. His black suit, crisp white shirt, and loose blood red tie sent a different sort of shock straight to her core.

  She returned her focus to the crowd. “Now, for my first official act with the IWA, I want to announce tonight’s lineup.” Aaron gave her a nod of encouragement before she continued. “These times are changing. I’m going to shake things up a bit. There will be matches tonight and on Tuesday, a tournament for each of the IWA Championship belts. The winners in each category will go on to the semi-finals next Monday in Chicago. The finals will be held the week after in Kansas City. We will all see what these men and women are made of when the winner of each tournament faces a champion in Los Angeles at the Breaking Rules event.” She went on to announce matches for those competing for each belt. “And finally, since these two gentlemen seem to work so well together, they will be our second match in the tournament for the tag team title. Bobby Breyer and Chance Robicheaux against the Vertolli Brothers.” Chance slapped Rob on the shoulder after Rob made a slight choking sound.

  Emma’s theme song played agai
n while Aaron took her hand and helped her out of the ring. She chatted with him as they walked back up the ramp and into the backstage area.

  “You were amazing!” Harry scooped her up and twirled her around before he set her back on her feet.

  “I thought I might lose my nerve there for a minute, but once the adrenalin started pumping, it was like ruling the boardroom.” Emma took a few more deep breaths as she came down from her high.

  “Break time is over,” Aaron said as he placed his hand on the small of Emma’s back. “I need to talk with you and Bobby off camera for a moment.”

  Just when she thought she had calmed down, her nerves shot back up.

  Emma turned her head to see Rob and Chance approach them. Aaron stepped aside and took a minute to talk to Troy about how he needed a few minutes alone with Emma and Rob.

  “Smokin’ hot intro, Miss MacLean. Shocked the hell out of this one.” Chance hit Rob hard on the back.

  “Thanks, Chance.” She caught Rob staring at her with a slight upward curve of his lips. “I think Aaron needs to steal the two of us away for a minute.”

  Emma’s usual cameraman had his camera pointed downward and was not recording. Rob leaned in to whisper in Emma’s ear. “You owe me dinner.”

  She nodded with her own small smile when Aaron came up behind her.

  “I’ve got the two of you for ten minutes off camera, then back to business.” Aaron led the two of them into a lounge area they used to film backstage interviews throughout the broadcast.

  “Emma, we’ve discussed how this is going to go this evening, but this is all a surprise to Rob.”

  “You can say that again.” Rob plopped down on the leather couch behind him.

  “Sorry,” Aaron told Rob. “Keeping Emma’s new position a secret was a necessity for her as much as for the organization.” He motioned for Emma to take a seat next to Rob. “When I realized the two of you already knew each other, I thought this would work to our advantage.”

  Emma smoothed her skirt out beneath her and sat next to Rob.

  “While the reaction Emma received here by the crowd in Boston was positive, many of Bobby’s fans might not be as happy.” Aaron paced back and forth in front of them.