“I kind of got blood in them. When I can,
I’ll pay you back I promise.”
“Oh my god, don’t even think about it,” the Starlet told her. “And call
me Sharon, Sapphire’s my ring name.”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” a blonde woman with toned arms said. “Jay
told us what happened, we’re happy to help.”
“Oh,” Mandy blushed. She didn’t really like a bunch of people knowing
about her meth addicted boyfriend, or probably ex-boyfriend now, beating her in
the parking lot.
“Honey,” Sharon said as she gave Mandy a hug. “We understand. A few of
us have been there ourselves. We take care of our own here.”
“Definitely,” the blonde said before she introduced herself as
Caroline. “What are you doing after the show? I mean, rumor is you’re coming
with us.”
“I’m not sure,” Mandy shrugged. “Jay mentioned something about me
working for the company somehow.”
“Like as a Starlet?” Caroline wrinkled her slightly crooked nose.
“No,” Mandy laughed. “I don’t think I’m tough enough. Probably like an
assistant or something.”
“Hmm,” Sharon thought about it. “The only person who is actually
looking for an assistant right now is Iva, but you’d need to know how to sew.”
“I can sew!” Mandy jumped on that. “I mean, I don’t have a machine
anymore, but I know how to sew. I even made my own prom dress in high school.”
“Okay,” Caroline laughed. “I’ll tell Iva. She can never keep an
assistant long. Mostly because of the traveling, but the woman has high
standards too.”
Before she knew what was happening, Mandy was meeting with the
company’s seamstress. She was an older Russian woman with stern eyes and thin
lips, but she was at least willing to talk to Mandy and see if the young woman
was up to working with her.
“Yes,” Iva said in a thick accent. “You have good fingers. I give you a
chance. You start tomorrow, there will be many ripped pants, I am sure. If you are no good, I fire you. Yes?”
“Sure,” Mandy nodded. At least she was getting a chance.
“Hey,” Jay walked in on the four women talking. He had changed into
wrestling trunks with high boots, but he was wearing a black t-shirt with a
viper on it to cover his chest. His long hair was tied back, but somehow he
still looked so sexy. “Colin, he’s our lighting guy, thinks he might have
something for you. No guarantees, but at least it’s a maybe.”
“No,” Iva snapped at Jay. She was a tiny woman, but even a big guy like
Jay took a step back from her. “She is my new assistant. For now at least. If
she is rubbish, then Colin can have her.”
“All right,” Jay laughed. “I’ve got to go do a meet and greet before
the show. You still okay up here?”
“Yeah,” Mandy nodded. “I am a little hungry though,” she said. She
hated to intrude, but she hadn’t eaten since the day before and she finally had
an appetite.
“We have to do the meet and greet thing to,” Sharon told her. “But I’ll
get a P.A. to bring you some snacks and keep you company until the show starts.
Cool?”
“Sure,” Mandy nodded. She’d never been doted before on and she could
sense their pity, but she wanted nothing less than to be left alone.
True to their word, a production assistant showed up with a sandwich in
a styrofoam container. It wasn’t the tastiest thing
she’d ever eaten, but Mandy happily munched on it while the assistant, a man
about her age, sat with her on the couch. He didn’t say much, but she was happy
to have the company while she sat in the greenroom.
Sharon and Caroline returned to the greenroom just as people were
starting to come in to the stadium seats. The production assistant left almost
as soon as the women entered the room, and before long other Starlets and
managers were filling the space to watch the show.
“Jay’s the opening match tonight,” Sharon informed her as Mandy hobbled
over to the window. “He’s up against Dave again. Should be