The Biggest Fan

Allie was pissed. She should have been happy. Thrilled. Ecstatic. Taylor had been murdered in the ring. She'd had her dreams crushed by Angel and, better yet, some stupid blonde bitch came out like a jackal to pick at what was left of her. It should have been the most thrilling day of her life but none of that could cut through her anger.

When she saw that shirt. The one with her father's name and the years of his life on it, there was nothing else in this world she could focus on. How DARE Taylor. Audacity didn't even begin to describe Taylor's actions. Allie had felt like she had been right there with Taylor getting kicked around. Allie was a princess and that lowly commoner of a girl had besmirched the great name of the King of her kingdom.

She had wanted to bide her time and pick a good moment to introduce herself to Taylor. That bitch had forced her hand but Allie knew she couldn't just make a run at the blonde. She had to have another plan and she had to force down her feelings. She could do it. She hoped.

Once Taylor had been carted off, Allie made a trip to the gift shop in the lobby. A quick purchase later and she was back in the locker rooms. She took a seat on the bench in front of Taylor's locker and waited. She could be patient when she wanted to and while she waited, she pulled out her phone and began to flip through it. The time would pass before she knew it and she'd finally get to meet Taylor Parker face to face.

White latex gloved hands firmly prodded Taylor's spine and positioned her head. She felt the weight of heavy, leaded aprons being placed over her. There was the brief buzz of an x-ray machine, and then the aprons were gone.

Taylor had compliantly sat through several minutes of being gently and professionally manhandled by people in ugly green scrubs. They shined a light in her eyes, asked her questions. She did her best to answer them, which only made them pause and look between themselves with quiet concern on their faces. Junko was probably on hand. Taylor was only dimly aware of the commotion, and she tried to shut her mother-in-law out of her mind. Dwelling on the panic she had caused Junko would only make her feel worse.

All in all, Taylor felt numb, like something had broken inside her and she had lost all feeling. Her eyes were open, and periodically she demonstrated as much when the medical staff made sure she didn't fall asleep. They told her she would have to be awake for 36 hours, and she had no idea what she would do with that time.

Her memory of the match was spotty. Maybe mercifully so, but the lacking itself was enough to remind her of the agony of her defeat. She had given everything, she was sure of it. She had made mistakes, admittedly, but she had put everything she had into the match and come up short. She had never in her life felt so...

Disappointed, dejected, inadequate... Heartbroken. Foolish for talking herself up so much, for bragging so much, for calling out Angel as if she was surely going to make short work of her. For leaving New York to pursue such a ridiculous career. For all of her friends and family crowded around her while it happened.

"I just wanna be alone for a minute," she said, as she finally was able to stand up. She had to change out of her ring gear. The glossy red leotard fit like a second skin and firmly held her body, and she felt as if it was crushing her. She didn't wait for any argument from the medical staff or from Junko. She got up and made her way slowly to the lockers, her head swimming in a sea of blunt force trauma and medication.

She deliberately took no notice of the redhead by her locker. The last thing she wanted was to attract attention. She just needed to get her stuff so she could go home and... not sleep. She couldn't even sleep. It was all she wanted to do, but instead she'd be awake like a zombie to relive the night over and over and over and over...

"'Scuse me..." She said, her mouth dry, her voice hardly above a whisper.

Allie saw the haggard blonde appear in her peripheral and when she head the quiet tone, she looked up. Her vibrant blue eyes sparkled with delight, overcoming the instant wave of nauseating fury. In person she looked like quite the mess and Allie just HAD to relish in it. However, once the moment was past, it was on to business!

She stood up and cleared her throat. "Ah, excuse me!" She said with a dainty and chipper tone. "I saw the match. What happened out there was a terrible shame. I'm sure I'm the last person you want to see." Allie giggled effervescently. "Well, you don't even know me but maybe I can bring a little ray of sunshine into such a grim, grim day." Her features fell and for a moment, she shared in Taylor's moroseness.

"You see, I'm your absolute biggest fan! I've studied your whole career. As much as I could, at least. I know how much this match meant to you but I just wanted you to know that you did your best out there. You haven't shaken my resolve one bit! I'm going to keep following you no matter what!" Oh, this was fun. Now, for the coup de grace!

Allie shoved a book forward with a pen laying int he spine. "I just want one thing and then I'll leave you along. W-Would you mind? Just a little autograph?" She said, titling her head and flashing the cheeriest smile she could muster.

Taylor paused with her hand on her locker. As much as she wanted to just get changed and get out, she couldn't ignore this girl. With a small, but genuine, smile, Taylor turned to face Allie.

"Hey, thanks, man," she said. Her voice was tired, but she was sincere. "That really means a lot to me. Sorry I couldn't, uh..."

She trailed off while she the book and the pen and got to work with a well practiced hand. Thank you so much! You rock <3

"So did you see the match?" She asked off-handedly as she applied her sprawling, flashy signature to the bottom. At the top, she added the word 'to'. "Who do I make this out to? What's your name?"

"Allie." She said, looking at the scribble on her book. "I did see it. I certainly wasn't gonna miss it." She said with a beaming grin. "It's a shame, what happened." She said, frowning.

Allie took the moment to look over Taylor's ragged form. She could see what the girl would look like even without the battle scars. She wasn't impressed. No tits. Nappy hair. She was slim, sure but she looked like a cheese grater. Gross. It was hard to keep her composure. It was like Taylor was trying as hard as possible to be an ugly skank. At least Allie HAD things to show off. Her own huge titties barely contained in her low cut blouse.

"So... what was that shirt you wore into the ring?" She asked almost offhandedly. She knew exactly what it was.

"Is that A-L-L..." Shit, was it Y or I-E or... "Or A-L-I?" Her pen hovered over the paper. Maybe other people were better with spelling and somehow knew these things, but there were like a thousand ways to spell "Allie".

"Oh, heh..." Taylor shook her head. "That's my dad. He died a couple years ago. So I... I wanna... er, I wanted to..." She looked down, embarrassed for not being able to form sentences. "He woulda been proud if I came out with that title, ya know? I dunno. But we'll get 'em next time, though, man, don't worry."

She gave Allie a winning smile, as well as her tired and battered face could manage, as if she was reassuring her. If it weren't for Allie, her biggest fan, she would've fallen to pieces already, but with the girl there, with a fan to prop her up, Taylor could still find her never-say-die attitude, at least for a moment.

"I-E."

Allie answered seamlessly. Her eyebrow twitched as Taylor spoke about their dad. She bit her lip and forced a smile. "Everyone wants to make their daddy proud." She said in the nicest tone she could muster.

"Well, like, not everything works out in the most perfect way. I mean," Allie's smile grew into a genuine grin, "we aren't all princesses in a fairy tale, you know?" Allie gave Taylor a comforting pat on the shoulder. Well, comforting to Taylor, perhaps. For Allie it was one of extreme patronizing.

Taylor's brave, accommodating smile grew into a broad grin along with Allie's. "Haaaaa! That's right," she laughed. "It's so true."

She finished Allie's autograph and handed back her book, and then took a moment to put in the combination to her locker. She was feeling dizzy again, and wanted to sit down, but she had to get her stuff. She felt weird about changing in front of a fan, so maybe she'd just take her gym bag and go.

"I guess I'm glad he wasn't here tonight..." She mused quietly. Her reasons were obvious. "So I'm kinda feeling shitty. I should get back to... stuff. It was cool to meet you, though. What did you say your name is?"

"Yeah, me too..." Allie muttered under her breath once Taylor gave her the book back. She took a peek at the autograph and then smiled sweetly at Taylor as she opened her locker. She'd have to track down Syd after this and have her buy her drinks until she was shitfaced.

Allie nodded along with Taylor when she said she had to go. She giggled at Taylor when she was asked her name. "It's Allie!" She exclaimed. "You just wrote it down, silly! I hope you didn't get a concussion from the match!" Allie furrowed her brow.

"I've got to get going too. I didn't mean to take up your time. I just had to meet you."

"Right, Allie. Sorry." Taylor's cheeks reddened slightly. She didn't tell the girl that she had to get back to the medical personnel because she was currently under observation due to the concussion she had sustained in the ring. Who knows if it was Angel or Kelly that really did it to her. Probably both.

"Well, like, I'm just as happy to meet you. Thanks a ton, man. It really means a lot to me." Her voice slurred slightly.

Taylor shouldered her gym bag, still in her red suit and boots and knee pads and fingerless gloves, and began to head for the door. She stopped in place halfway there, and looked around, confused. She was beginning to regret making everyone leave her alone. She had a terrible nagging feeling that she was forgetting something important, she just couldn't think of what that could be.

Then she had to remind herself where she was, in the locker room, and she repeated the directions to the infirmary in her head over and over until they became jumbled.

"Fuck, this headache..." She put a hand to her forehead and shook her head, and then kept walking out the door.