Part Playlist:
• SUGAR - BrockHampton
• Claudia - Finneas
• Pacify Her - Melanie Martinez
• Leave a Light On - Tom Walker
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"Tell me about your dancing. I noticed you placed 2nd, that's amazing." Rhea said, running her hands over the barre. Feeling the wood and squeezing a little, her silver rings clanking against it.
I watched her hands. "First place would have been better."
Rhea looked at me softly. "I don't know much about ballet, but in most things, placing first, second and even third is amazing. Are you happy with how you went." Rhea lent on the bar, listening to me.
I shrugged a little awkwardly. "I did... There was a few mistakes, so I'm not real glad with how I went."
Rhea stood up straighter and crossed her arms. Her biceps flexed and forearms defined as she did it. I couldn't look away from those tattoos. "Well, even with a few mistakes you still placed second. That's pretty incredible."
"Thanks." I smiled softly.
Rheas eyes strayed to my bag on the floor, where a few of my things were peppered out onto the floor. Ointments and band aids were scattered. She slowly walked towards them. "Sore feet?" She asked, looking back to down my legs. "That's about the only thing I really know about dancing. You get sore feet."
I followed her, not getting too close. "Very sore feet. They're not pretty."
Rhea nodded, bending down to pick up...
"Oh, that-"
"This is gorgeous." Rhea held a paper of mine in her hand, admiring what I drew. "Did you draw this?" Rhea looked to me with so much warmth on her face, I had to stop myself from smiling.
I nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I did."
"These are incredible. Have you made them?" Rhea asked, looking between me and the paper.
I shook my head and smiled. Looking away from her deep eyes. "No, I could never make something like those in the house." Rheas smile fell. "I have a sewing machine and a few fabrics, but, I don't have the things to make those."
"Why not?" Rhea shuffled a little closer, seeming annoyed at me. Or at why I couldn't make the designs I drew.
I shrug. "I don't get given things very often."
Rheas has twitched as she put the paper down and carefully back into my bag. "You should try and explore that. They're really incredible."
"Thank you." I gave her a gentle smile, feeling guilty because I know I could never explore that. I used my thumb to fiddle with the ring on my finger. It was a little silence between us, and I didn't know how to fill it. Until I saw those bruises on her arms. "Can you..." I didn't know how to ask it. Would she take offence to me not knowing. "What do you do? Do you fight?"
Rhea raised her eyebrows like she was surprised. Then she smiled and slowly sat down, crossing her legs. She nodded to in front of her, for me to sit down too. "You know nothing about WWE and wrestling?" She asked, leaning back on her hands.
I sat down in front of her. Not too close, and crossed my legs too. I shook my head.
"Woah, alright. Well, yes I do fight. But... it's not real. It's fake."
I tilted my head. "You fake fight?"
Rhea shrugged. "Basically." She looked down to her arms and showed me the bruises on her skin. I didn't like seeing them. "We have fighting matches and they can still be very brutal. We take some hits and falls, but a lot of it is fake."
I still didn't really understand and I think Rhea saw that on my face. She continued trying to explain it to me. "It's more or so entertainment, than brutal fighting. It's staged and rehearsed."
I scratched my chin, still not completely understanding the sport. Was it a sport?
Rhea pulled her phone out of her pocket and started tapping on it. "Come watch this with me. This is my favourite match of all time." Rhea patted the floor beside her, and looked up at me. She smiled softly. "You'll find it fun." She assured me. So I shuffled close beside her, looking at her phone in her hands. "This was in April at Wrestlemania, the biggest WWE event of all time. I wrestled Charlotte Flair for-"
"For the women's world championship?" I looked at her, smiling a little because I remembered the name of it.
Rhea grinned. "Someone's been online."
I looked back at her phone, avoiding her playful eyes and watching as loud music began playing through it, a huge stage erupting in purple. "This is my entrance." Rhea whispered. I watched as Rhea walked onto the stage, stomping her foot on the ground as fire erupted on the stage. There was thousands of people in the crowd, surrounding a ring. "Every wrestler has their own entrance. You'll see Charlottes soon." Rhea added.
I fiddled with my ring as I watched Rhea jump on the apron, and the camera zoomed really close to her face as she licked over her front tooth.
Watching intently, I was focused as a blonde woman did her entrance. It was very queen like and upbeat. I liked it. "So you two are friends? Or are you enemies?" I asked.
Rhea replied quickly. "Within WWE, and the storyline. We're enemies. But outside of work, Charlotte and I are great friends. It's all like a tv show, we act."
I nodded, watching as Rhea and Charlotte stood in the ring together.
"Does everyone wear such cool outfits?" I smiled, finding myself admiring their clothing too much.
Rhea laughed a little. "Yes. Everyone usually dresses to impress. I think you could design some ring gear for me one day." Rhea looked at me and I didn't look at her, I kept my eyes on the screen. But I really took her compliment to heart.
"That's the referee." Rhea pointed out a woman in black and white stripes. A bell signalled and I assumed it was the start of the match.
"How do you win?" I asked.
"You win by making your opponent tap out in a submission." I looked at her with creased eyebrows. Rhea found my eyes and widened them. "A submission is like a painful hold, like a head lock or something. It gets too much, they tap out. Or, by pin-fall, which is making sure your opponent is down for a 3 count. You'll see." Rhea looked back down to the screen and so did I.
I watched for 5 minutes at the back and forth. Cringing when someone took a blow. At one point, Charlotte kicked Rhea in the face and she collapsed. "So that doesn't hurt?" I asked her.
Rhea shook her head. "Hardly. We barely made contact. If anything, my back hurt from falling."
I nodded and wiggled a bit closer beside Rhea to watch better.
Very quickly, I realised this is something my father would bruise me for watching. I could never watch this under the roof of his house.
A few more minutes in, Rhea was climbing up the ropes. "You can climb up there? That seems unsafe." I pointed out.
Rhea chuckled. "It's only unsafe if you aren't a trained professional."
It was after she said that, I realised she also had an accent I didn't recognise. "Where are you from?" I asked her.
Rhea paused the video. "Australia."
I nodded. "Australia." I repeated. "I don't know much about Australia."
Rhea smiled. "I don't know much about Russia."
I looked back down to her phone and she turned the video back on.
I got really into the fighting. Rhea pointed out little things to me, how they slap their leg to make it sound like they hit them. How they protect themselves when they land. I was really invested in it. She told me about a near fall, and I got really excited when one happened.
Rhea was currently on the top rope and had Charlotte in her arms. Setting her up for a move.
"You saw the riptide from earlier, this is an avalanche riptide." Rhea explained as Rhea picked Charlotte up, sending her down onto the floor. She picked her legs up and the referee counted to 3.
I smiled and watched Rhea celebrate the win. The audience was going crazy for her.
Rhea clicked her phone off. "So that's WWE."
I shuffled a little bit away from her, realising I had gotten probably a bit close. "It's- It was fun. You have a show like that tonight?"
Rhea shook her head. "Not like that. That was a special event. They're on every month or so, like last night was an event. But wrestling is still on every week."
I nodded because I think I understood. Then I remembered something I read last night. "What is The Judgment Day." I looked at her, dropping my legs straight in front of me.
"Someone has definitively been online. What else did you find out about me huh?" Rhea had this twinkle in her eye.
I shrugged. "You're 27, I know that. Um... you have a boyfriend."
Rhea broke out in a cackle, and I wasn't sure why. "I definitely don't have a boyfriend. You're talking about Dom?"
"Dominik Mysterio." I clarified.
Rhea still found it funny I thought he was her boyfriend. "It's part of the storyline. He is in The Judgment Day. So is Finn and Priest. But we're all mates outside of work."
"Ok." I replied. "It seems I have a lot to learn."
"There is a lot. But you're picking it up great. I should probably tell you my real name isn't Rhea." She told me.
My mouth opened. "What's your name?"
"Demi Bennett."
"Why do you use Rhea?"
Rhea, or, Demi shrugged. "I just came up with it one day, and it stuck. It suits me really well."
"So what should I call you, Demi or Rhea." I asked her, curious.
"I don't mind either. I probably respond better to Rhea at this point. People call me that a lot more." Rhea said.
"I'll call you Rhea, then." I told her.
Rhea uncrossed her legs, like me, leaning back on her hands comfortably. "How do you say The Judgment Day in Russian?"
I smiled to myself. "Sudnyy den."
Rhea looked a bit worried, but she cleared her throat and copied what I said. "Sudnyy den." She looked at me for confirmation.
I nodded. "That was great." I realised I'd talked to her in the last half an hour more than I have talked the entire week at home. My throat was actually a little dry from talking to her so much. I genuinely, really found comfort with her. "Can we watch another wrestling match?" I asked her, big and hopeful eyes.
Rheas teeth were perfect when she smiled. "Of course. Do you want to see one of mine or-"
"One of yours." I replied before she could finish, and scooted beside her. But I bent the wrong way, and hissed at the pain in my side. I cleared my throat, trying to hide it but it was no use. Rhea noticed.
"What is it? Are you alright?" She looked down my body, as if she would fight anything that hurt me. She looked so worried.
I nodded. "I'm fine, just, I took a fall the other day. My side is a bit sore, still."
"I can have a look at it. I know exactly how it feels." Rhea started, and she put her phone down like she was going to.
I put my arm out to stop her. "I'm really fine." And Rhea stopped. "Really fine." I assured her, and she slowly picked her phone back up.
She scrolled a while, sorting through to find a match she must have in mind. She settled on one, and pressed play. "This is a tag team match-"
And I was completely engrossed the entire match.
When it finished, I actually missed the intensity of it all. It felt electrifying. I couldn't imagine actually being there and being in the crowd.
"We lost, but, we aren't the ones who get to choose that." Rhea told me, clicking her phone. "I've got to go, Kat." She said and my face fell.
I shuffled away, and stood up on my feet. So did Rhea. "Do you have your phone?" She said.
I shook my head.
"Do you have a phone?"
"Yes, but, it's at home." I said, feeling embarrassed again.
Rheas has twitched. "Can you actually do anything on the phone?" She asked like she knew exactly what went on in my house this morning.
"Some things." I replied softly and nervously, tucking some hair behind my ear.
"You can search the interest, obviously. You can watch WWE, then." Rhea told me, but she said it like she was waiting for a confession from me. She seemed to know a lot.
I looked at the wall. "I can't do that."
"Why?" Rhea crossed her arms. "How old are you?"
"22." I replied quickly.
Rhea spoke with some annoyance in her voice. "And as a grown 22 year old, why can't you watch whatever you want on your personal phone?"
I swallowed. "My father tracks it. He sees everything and it's not- He would not approve of that."
"Of me?" Rhea added, seeming offended.
I looked at her. What did she want me to say to that. "He doesn't like many people." I tell her.
Rhea pressed her tongue against her lip in anger. She was really bothered by all of this, more than I was. Then she cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I just... I don't understand at all, Kat. Is it a religion thing?"
I shrugged. "Some of it. I have to listen to him."
Rhea squinted almost in disbelief. I thought she was going to ask further about it, but then she looked at her phone again, and huffed. "I've really got to go now, Kat. I'll... I don't know when I'll see you."
I nodded. "Thank you." I whispered, but very quietly because I wasn't sure exactly where we stood. She seemed upset.
"No, Spasibo, Kat. I needed to relax a bit." Rhea replied. She gave me a small and soft smile, before turning away and leaving me in here all alone again.
Time Jump
Based by the clock on the wall, which was an hour behind, and how sore my feet were. Nikolai would be here any minute to pick me up.
I was sat by my bag, things packed and ready to leave. But all afternoon, I'd been thinking about her. About those matches she showed me.
I prayed so hard that my father didn't have camera installed in here, or I would be in really really big trouble when I got home.
Keys rattled in the door and then Nikolai popped his head in, seeing me and coming in completely. "You're done?" He asked, walking over towards me.
I stood up. "Yeah." And he picked my bag up for me.
I was glad he was walking straight to the door, not like last time where he was angry about his day at work. He took it out on me. He was calm today.
He made sure I was buckled in before driving off. It was silent between us the whole ride, and eventually we got back home.
Father was waiting for us at the dinner table like usual. I quickly put my bag upstairs and came back down to take my spot. In front of me was just under half of what they both got.
I wasn't insecure about my weight. My father was. I knew I wasn't a big person, nor even overweight. I was healthy, I knew that, he knew that. But ballerinas we're usually thin. Stick thin, which wasn't something I wanted to be.
But I ate it anyway.
Afterwards, my father spoke up. "You'll keep the door open tonight, Katarina. You'll be asleep by 10pm, got it?"
I nodded. "Yes."
"Good." He looked to Nikolai. "Nik here is managing a new department for me tomorrow, so he won't pick you up until 10pm tomorrow."
10pm...?
I nodded, and eventually dismissed myself from the room, heading upstairs for the night.
I sat by my desk, pulled out some paper and began sketching. I spent nearly an hour, working on the outline. Then another hour, on the colour. It was a new style, and I was really impressed with how easy I found it. I was really inspired.
Everytime I heard footsteps near my door, I flipped my page over to a sketch of a waterfall I did a while ago. I couldn't let them see this.
When I was done, I signed it. Immediately wishing I could show Rhea. But, I realised I might not ever see her again.
I put the page in my bag for tomorrow, along with pencils and more paper so I could do some more. Then I went to sleep.
Time Jump
It was too early.
My brother woke me up early, too early, and brought me to the studio.
I decided to do dancing early today, and get it over and done with. So I dressed in the leotard, tights and wrapped my upper half in a thin white jacket. I was about to put my slippers on when the door to the studio knocked. Only twice and very quickly.
Deja vu engrossed me. It couldn't be her again, could it?
I crossed the studio and slowly opened the door.
And there she was, staring at me with a small smile on her lips as she saw me. She had this small bag in her hand. "Let me in." She whispered.
I opened the door further for Rhea to walk in, then shut it. "What are you doing here?" I asked, admiring her black ripped jeans and the baggy top she had on.
Rhea cleared her throat, examine the studio just in case someone was here. Then her gaze settled on me. "My flight back home is in 2 hours, but, I have something for you."
I took a few tentative steps her direction. "Where do you live?"
"Florida." Rhea replied, then she reached into the small bag she brought in with her. And pulled out...
A phone.
A new, modern and I know expensive phone. "Rhea... What is-"
"It's yours." Rhea held it out to me. "I set it up with everything you'll need." She moved close to me and turned the phone on. She pointed out this app and clicked on it. "You can watch WWE on here. Every Monday, Tuesday and Friday night at 7pm."
I looked at her, surprised she even thought about buying this. For me.
She smiled and looked back to the phone. "I downloaded YouTube and few silly games for you too, in case you get bored all day here and want to past time." I was still looking at her and not the phone. "Kat." She said, grinning. "The phone." She wiggled it in her hand and I looked down at it. "It's yours." She gave it to me.
I shook my head. "No, Rhea. I can't-"
"Take it. My number is in there, you can text me whenever." She told me.
I slowly took the phone and looked at it. Then back to her. "What do I text you?"
Rhea laughed a little. "Honestly whatever you want. I'll always reply. Just- just tell me how your day went, or if you have a question about anything WWE related. I'll do the same if I have anything, fashion or dancing related."
"And it was Monday, Tuesday and Friday?" I repeated, looking curiously at her.
Rhea nodded. "At 7pm. I am always on Monday night, but sometimes Tuesday and Friday. It depends, but I have your number, so I'll text you." Rhea was proud of herself.
I still can't believe she just gave me this. I shook my head. "I really don't know what to say."
"Say, spasibo." She whispered.
I laughed a little. "Spasibo." Then I remembered something. I rushed over to my bag and filtered through papers and pulled it out. I passed it to Rhea who had followed me over.
She took it and her face lit up. "I think we need you in the design team." She complimented.
My cheeks blushed watching her admire my work. I was really proud of it, and I felt really appreciated by the way she looked at it. "Can I keep this?" She asked.
"Yes. I did it for you." I told her.
"Spasibo." Rhea whispered, still admiring my drawing. Then she checked her phone. "I really have to get to the airport now." She made sure she had her things before heading towards the door.
I really wished she stayed.
"Text me when you're home tonight, Kat. I'm on the show tonight, I want to know if you're watching it." She said happily.
I cleared my throat. "I am here until 10pm, so, I can watch it here."
"10? Where's your brother or father? Aren't they picking you up?" Rhea asked concerned.
I nodded. "My brother is. He is just working late tonight."
Rheas lip twitched but she nodded. "Text me at 6pm, Kat." She told me. I nodded, and she gave me a smile before leaving me inside again.