The Ballad of Mona Lisa ► CM Punk

O N E

M O N A :

I walked down the hall, toward the Divas locker room. I heard fast-paced footsteps behind me, and before I could process what was happening, tattooed arms had managed to make their way around my waist.

"Phil..." I warned, but he didn't listen. He picked me up, spinning me around. "Phil! Put me down!"

By the time he put me down, I was laughing. He was also chuckling.

"You all right there, Lisa?" He asked, smirking.

I rolled my eyes. "What the hell do you want, Phil?"

"I just finished talking to your dad," He explained. "He was going to send someone to come get you, but I figured I could do it."

"I don't think that involves spinning me around!"  I exclaimed.

He just laughed. "Go talk to your dad, Lisa." And with that, he walked away.

I turned around, since my dad's office is on the opposite side of the arena as the locker rooms. I got there surprisingly quick, especially considering I kept sneaking glances over my shoulder to make sure Phil wasn't going to surprise me again.

I stood in front of the door labeled John Laurinaitis, Interim General Manager. I brought my fist up and knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

I opened the door. Besides my dad, Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix were also in the room. Beth had her Divas Championship resting on her legs, while Kelly looked a little annoyed.

"Have a seat, Mona," My dad said, gesturing to the seat between the other two Divas.

As I sat down, I said, "What's going on?"

"I've called you ladies in here to discuss the match for tonight," He began. He paused, waiting to see if we were going to say anything. We didn't, so he continued. "As you know, the Royal Rumble is coming up, at the end of the month. There will be a match for Beth's title at the pay-per-view. Tonight, we will have a number one contender's match." He looked from Beth to me and Kelly. "Mona Lisa vs. Kelly Kelly. The winner will face Beth Phoenix at the Royal Rumble."

Kelly glanced at me, frowning. "Why do I have to face her?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, do you really  deserve the title?" She asked.

I gritted my teeth. Since my first day in the WWE – hell, since my first day in developmental – people have accused me of only having a job because my dad works in corporate. I've been on the WWE main roster for a few years, and I've never held the Divas Championship. The only titles I've held were on the independent circuit – back when no one knew who my dad was because he wasn't on TV, and it wasn't anyone's business who my dad was – and when I was in OVW.

I can proudly say that I made it to the WWE based on my wrestling ability, which is more than I can say about Kelly.

"Girls," My dad intervened. We both looked at him, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Beth smirking. "We all think you both deserve a shot at the title. That's why you're both in a number one contender's match, and whoever wins will face Beth. You'll both get more chances at the title in the future, win or lose."

I bit my lip, holding back what I wanted to say to Kelly.

"Can we leave now?" Kelly asked.

"You and Beth can leave," He said. "I need to talk to Mona."