Author's Note: I'm not sure if this is how WWE works but I know some has to train at the Performance Center before they debut at NXT. Nevertheless, please know this is all based on my own imagination.

Performance Center, Orlando Florida.

Colby wants to be part of them all.

From NXT to RAW or SmackDown, to even the house shows, to main event Wrestlemania or just have a five minutes match on the kickoff show. Nothing excites him as much as the live audience in the arenas and at the house shows he had visited a handful of times, clamoring and cheering for their favorite wrestlers.

Even the boos and signs of rejection adds its own appeal. For in his mind, that is what makes wrestling wrestling. Not the flashy moves or the championships, but the reaction of the fans. They're the ones that makes the difference in everything. Without them, wrestling will be nothing.

When he stops before the door which will eventually decide his fate in a few minutes, he rubs his sweaty palms on his jeans and takes a deep breath in before knocking on the lacquered door once. A response comes seconds later followed by the sound of papers ruffling.

He turns the doorknob and pushes the door back gently, moving so slow into the office it feels like his entire body is being controlled by someone else. He has waited for this moment for months and now that everything he has worked so hard for is practically at the tip of his fingers, he's both nervous and exhilarated.

"One of the trainers say you want to see me?" He's a bit surprised Stephanie isn't there in the spacious office but then again he reason this will be a quick procedure and Hunter will hand the paperwork to the lawyers afterwards.

Hunter doesn't look up at him from the stack of papers on the desk, just motions for him to have a seat in the armchair. Colby sits down opposite Hunter, his eyes glancing around the office. He has been here at least twice or thrice over the course of months as he train at the Performance Center but even then he can't help but compliment inwardly how imposing and authoritative Hunter makes every place he is seem, despite his generosity and kindness.

"Has anyone," Hunter begins abruptly, making a vague motion with his hand, "told you anything?"

"No," Colby replies, shifting a little in his seat. Hunter's face is unreadable as always but he has come to know the veteran a bit more over the past couple of months to know something is amiss. "Why do you ask? Have I done something wrong?"

"You have done nothing wrong Colby," he grabs a couple of papers from his desk and shuffles them into a drawer before looking up at him, elbows resting on the desk, fingers threaded together. "Vince disagrees when I tell him it'll be our loss, not yours. I wanted to be the one to tell you and not some random person around here. Especially not Vince."

"I'm confused. I don't get what you are saying, Hunter. I thought you called me here to sign a contract. Concerning my debut at NXT?" He inquires, glancing around again. The unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach is becoming unbearable with the regrettable look on Hunter's face.

"You're a gifted wrestler Colby, full of potential and talent. But Vince and I sees things quite differently. We don't agree on most cases when it comes to the company and signing new stars. I'm afraid your case is one we don't agree upon." His face turns somber, matching his voice as he continues. "Vince doesn't think you should be moved up to NXT or even have you still train at the Performance Center."

His heart drops. "But I thought you ran things at NXT," he counters desperately. "Hunter, I assumed you're in charge there, you and Stephanie. A week ago, you were saying something about moving some of the wrestlers at the Performance Center up to NXT and boosting the women's division. I thought both of you had power in these two sectors at least."

"I can do nothing more than call stars from the indies and offer them a contract in WWE," Hunter says. "Once they accept and start to train at the Performance Center, Vince takes charge. He oversees their training sessions and later decide those he wants to hire and move up to NXT. That's where unfortunately my power ends. I try to talk some sense into him from time to time and yes, at times he listens especially when Shane and Stephanie backs me up. But now, Shane isn't home and he is on non-speaking terms with his father and because Stephanie supports his brother, she has kind of made it on Vince's enemies list. Without both of them, there's little I can do to sway Vince."

"But what did I do wrong," Colby asks a bit heatedly, running his fingers through his long hair. "I've worked and trained hard for months. I've given it my all so I can't understand why Vince is choosing to do this to me."

Hunter nods softly, with a hint of bitterness Colby feels ten times more. "You'll make a great wrestler one day but Vince doesn't see it. He saw you training at one of your worst sessions and he believes you aren't good enough to be here."

Colby can't believe what he's hearing. He has had some fantastic matches with the guys at the Performance Center, on many which Hunter himself and Stephanie had praised him for. Vince sees one of his matches on what was arguably the most hectic day in his life and he judges him based on that alone?

"That shouldn't count. I was having a bad day, you know it. I even explained the reasons for my lack of focus in the ring that day to you. Hell, you put me against John Cena and Vince for some reason decided to take a seat to watch it. I wasn't expecting it so obviously things were bound to get a little rough."

"More than a little rough. You broke John Cena's nose, the biggest babyface of our company and Vince's darling boy. When I tried to explain you were having family issues, Vince added he doesn't want someone who can't handle his family problems and gets distracted in the ring because of it." Hunter's brows arches sharply, "And you're also aware of his absurd preferences in," he makes a vague motion with his hand again, "looks and build, right?"

Colby doesn't answer. Hunter swears, "I'm so sorry Colby. I wish there's something I can do. Stephanie is as disappointed in her father's decision as we are. I'll gain more power in NXT if I can show Vince I can run things on my own and make it into a bigger show, even a third brand in the near future. It's still a developmental brand. . . ."

"I understand." He truly did. It isn't his fault Vince prefers much taller and bigger wrestlers. Hunter and Stephanie are trying in every possible way to change things, slowly but something nevertheless. They had given him a chance and groomed him, making it obvious they considered him as a 'next big thing'. In spite of all that, he can't shake off the feeling he has just wasted his time with WWE and the steady rise of bitterness is warranted. "Thank you for everything Hunter."

Hunter gets up from his chair to engulf him in a fatherly hug. "Thank you too Colby. I'm sorry things didn't turn out the way it should. You and Cena had such great chemistry in the ring and to think Stephanie was pestering me over doing a feud between you two in the future."

Colby chokes back a blunder of tears and smiles weakly. "Thank her for me. For everything she taught me." He gesture to the yellow streak in his dark hair.

Hunter smiles, grip tightening on his shoulders. "I will let her know. You can always come back Colby when things are much better and stable at NXT or you can move on to another promotion. I'll support you in whatever you do. You know you can count on me, right?" Colby nods. "Good. I'll be taking some of the guys to NXT Takeover in Los Angeles and since that's where you stay, you can ride with us tomorrow morning . It's the least I can do for you."

"Thank you Hunter." After hugs and words of encouragement, Colby finally steps out of the office. His composure begins to wane with each step he takes. He doesn't bother going back to the main area and swerves to the locker room instead where he splashes water on his face repeatedly, trying to cool off but to no avail.

Anger is much stronger than grief but he holds it back. It isn't like he can pretend someone is Vince and beat the living shit out of him until all his pain and resentment fades away. Punching the wall will be too painful and stupid so he just slides to the floor, draws his legs up and cry.

His phone suddenly beeps. He wipes the tears from his face hastily and takes the phone out to answer the call. He hesitates when he sees Mercedes written on the caller ID. "Hello."

"Hello love." Mercedes greets cheerfully, seemingly oblivious to the saddened tone in his voice. "How did it go, love? Did you sign the contract? When will you debut on NXT?"

"There's no contract to be signed."

"What did you say," her voice turns flat. "What do you mean by 'there's no contract to be signed'?"

Colby sighs. He begins to regret telling Mercedes beforehand Hunter had called him to his office and suggesting he might have his contract signed today. "Vince doesn't want me here. He thinks I'm not good enough to be in WWE because of the match I had with John Cena two weeks ago. The one where I accidentally broke his nose. There's nothing Hunter can say or do to persuade the old man. I neither have a contract nor a future here Mercedes. I'll be on my way back to Los Angeles tomorrow. I've nothing here, not anymore."

At the other end of the line, Mercedes curses bitterly. "I had a feeling that incident with John Cena was going to cost us Colby and I was right. You should've been more focused in that match."

"It was an accident." He says through clenched teeth. He's starting to get irritated with having to say it to everyone who ask him about the incident. "It wasn't my intention to hurt him. They chose a wrong day for me to have a tryout match with John Cena. A lot of things were running through my head at the time. It was hard to concentrate."

He imagines her rolling her eyes, "Of course. All because of that irresponsible brother of yours, you slacked in the match against John Cena. Can you imagine the path your career would've taken if you managed to have a decent, safe match with John Cena, the biggest babyface of this era? You could've gone from an ordinary wrestler training at the Performance Center to Vince's golden boy in a sec. But no. Like always, you prioritize your family above everything else. Now look where we are!!!"

"I can't believe you're saying this, Mercedes. You of all people know how hard I've worked for this. A bad match shouldn't ruin the amount of hard work I've put into this from day one. You may have forgotten but my father almost died that day. Don't be insensitive."

"So I'm being insensitive here? Well guess what? You are being inconsiderate and stupid to throw away our dreams and future so carelessly," she yells, making his ears ring. He hears Pamela's voice asking Mercedes to calm down but her friend's soothing voice doesn't do the trick this time. "No. Let me speak Pam. You don't care about me, Colby. You've been away for months and I've been patient and understanding because I love you. Because I thought you were there trying to make life better for the two of us. Your father had a heart attack. So? It isn't like he had two hours left to live and you were far away, unable to bid him farewell. I promised you I'll take care of your father but no. Your brother gets arrested for his own stupidity and instead of you to focus on us and your career, you were worrying about him and due to your lack of concentration, you broke John Cena's nose. You see? Everything is your fault. If only you had paid more attention, none of this would be happening!!!"

Groaning, he rubs his temple tiredly. "I'm so exhausted Mercedes. I don't have the the time for this kind of argument. Please. Let's just talk tomorrow."

"There will be no tomorrow, Colby."

"Mercedes. . . ."

"Do you think I have nothing better to do other than complain? Colby, I have a life. I've things I want to accomplish in life but I compromise everyday for you, because I love you but it seems you can't do the same for me. Last year you turned down a big offer from a promotion in Japan all because of your family and your brother. You prioritize them over us. All the damn time. I'm sorry Colby but I can't. I. . . ." He hears her swallow thickly, "I can't do this anymore, Colby. I'm sorry but I can't."

His whole world is crumbling right before his very eyes and there's nothing he can think of to stop things from getting out of hand. He loves Mercedes with all his heart. Imagining a world without her is impossible. "Are you breaking up with me? Again?"

"Yes," she says, voice straining with a firm resolve that makes Colby's heart ache. "I can't do this, Colby. It's always about your family, family, family. It's never about us. It's obvious you don't think of me, of our future together, of the life we can have if only you make the right choices. I think we should end things. Perhaps, I'm expecting too much from you."

"No no Mercedes!!! You can't do this to me. Let's talk about it, please." She hangs up before he can get another word in, leaving nothing but a crushing, hollow silence behind. He calls her again and again but she doesn't pick up his calls. Can this day get any worse?

He lets out a furious cry and hauls the phone away. The phone hits the wall with a loud crashing sound, meeting its demise as the screen smashes into pieces. He leans his head on the wall, letting the tears rush down his face unchecked. He has no idea how long he sat on the floor crying but he manage to calm himself down and make it to his feet.

Cesaro walks in with Sheamus just as he's rummaging through his bag, making sure everything is still there. He wants to get out of the Performance Center as quickly as possible. He has nothing here anymore and just the mere thought of it threatens to suffocate him.

Cesaro is the first to hug him before Sheamus does, the latter's hug lasting longer than he needs. "Hunter just informed us. We're really sorry, dude."

"I've grown to love WWE but hell, Vince's way sucks sometimes," Sheamus laments, "How is he going to build stars if he won't even hire new wrestlers?"

Cesaro shakes his bald head, "He just wants to preserve the veterans for as long as he can before they all leave. If the fans gets invested in the upcoming stars more than the veterans, he sees that as a problem. Vince does 'what is best for business' but it doesn't make his decision any less stupid."

"That old man," Sheamus bemoans in his thick Irish accent. He then looks at Colby, "We're going out for drinks. You should come along. It'll do you good."

"Nah, man. You both go ahead. I don't think I am in the mood for that at this point," Colby says as he slings his bag over his shoulder.

Cesaro snakes an arm around his shoulders, leading him out of the locker room. "Come on man. At this point you aren't in the mood for anything and that isn't healthy. Come with us and have a few drinks with your friends. We'll let you vent out and cry and that will make you feel a whole lot better. Promise."

"Besides Kofi and Big E are going to be there too," Sheamus adds with a wink. "What better way to lighten up your mood than through 'The Powers of Positivity'?"

"Wait a moment, I thought it's going to be the other way round. Like the 'The Powers of Negativity'?" Colby tease as they walk out of the Performance Center, "Last time I heard, they're going to debut as a heel trio with Xavier."

Cesaro and Sheamus share a hearty, laugh that makes Colby's face twitch in a small smile. "Positivity or negativity, whatever it'll be man, but they'll be great in the future if Vince doesn't screw them up for that matter. Nowadays that old man has developed the habit of screwing many things up."

Colby can't help but grunt in agreement as he throws his bag to the backseat of the car. He usually does the driving but now Cesaro is the one behind the steering wheel while Sheamus makes himself comfortable at the back. He allows himself a brief moment of respite from his troubles and enjoy the cool breeze of the evening. Although he misses Los Angeles and every loved one he has back there, Orlando is too beautiful, especially at evenings to make the place feel any less special.

"Kofi and Big E are already at the bar," Sheamus says, showing Colby the text message on his phone. "We can play table pool after the drinks?"

"I will pass that one, thank you." Big E's bike, a sleek red thing of beauty which makes Colby miss his own bike whenever he sees it, is parked in front of the bar when they arrive. He grabs his wallet from his bag and tucks it into his back pocket. The bar isn't crowded; something he's actually grateful for. They recognize Kofi and Big E easily enough, sitting around a table at the corner of the bar. They both hug him before he even sits down. "Seriously guys, it sucks but I'll be fine. It's not the end of the world, that I know."

"Dude, it's alright to cry sometimes especially in these situations." Coming from a big guy like Big E, the crying part is every bit humbling.

"I've cried enough as it is at the locker room. I think I'll drown myself in alcohol instead." He signals for the waitress who saunters her way to them with a smile. "A bottle of beer, please." While the others make their orders, Colby shrugs off his jacket and drapes it around the chair. "So you guys travelling to Los Angeles for NXT Takeover?"

Kofi nods, grinning from ear to ear. "Yep, we have a match there. Our debut match at NXT Takeover. It can't get any better man. Xavier is super excited. Just wished you could be there, dude."

Colby waves it off with his hand. No matter how bad his situation has turned out, he's happy for his friends. Without them at the Performance Center, these past few months in Orlando would've felt lonely. They all worked hard for this so they deserve nothing less than a debut match at NXT Takeover. "I'll love to be there in person to watch your match but I've to head home and make sure everything is fine," he leans back in his chair for the waitress to place his drink before him. "In a way, it's all for the best. Now I can focus on my family and make sure they're better taken care of, especially my father. You guys deserve everything you're having now and I'm happy for all of you but that doesn't mean, I'm not a little jealous."

Sheamus clinks his bottle of beer with his, grinning widely. "Always honest. That's why I like you so much dude. We'll miss you."

Big E's booming voice rings through before Colby can reply, "Enough talk of wrestling, NXT, Vince and all of that. We won't even talk about Hunter who we can all agree is easily the most nicest among the McMahons. So a toast to our man Colby Lopez, Seth Rollins in his future endeavours. A man who makes me wish I was gay with that sexy hair."

Colby laughs so hard he almost chokes on his beer while the others hoots excitedly. "We're already toasting huh? Eager to send me off so soon," he jokes amid chuckles. "Come on, the night is still young."

Cesaro gulps down the last remains of his beer. "You're so right man. Another round of drinks." he calls out to the waitress.

"Being on the road is fun but it can be very exhausting at times. Think of this as a chance to see your girlfriend again. Cuddling and watching a movie," Big E says dreamily, "how romantic."

"She broke up with me."

"What!!!" Kofi and Cesaro exclaim in unison, while Big E and Sheamus just stare at him with wide eyes. Colby force himself not to burst at how ridiculous all of them look at the moment. Their reaction is a bit jarring. It makes his breakup with Mercedes all the more real. It nearly steals his breath away.

He had talked with Mercedes once via video call when they were all training so they know Mercedes quite well and tiny bits about their relationship. "About," he makes a show of glancing at a watch which isn't even around his wrist, "ten to fifteen minutes ago, I think."

"But what happened," Kofi asks. "You two looked so in love."

Colby rolls his eyes, taking a swing of his bottle of beer. "Come on Kingston, don't mock me. Our relationship has been strained lately," Sheamus and Cesaro nod their acknowledgement, "but I honestly thought it's nothing we can't solve. Couples argue all the time and Mercedes and I are no different. It seems that's not the case though because as soon as I told her I was no longer signing a contract, she said it's my fault, that she can't handle it anymore, that I always put my family above everything else, that I don't prioritize her, that I should have been more focused in my match with John Cena." He takes another sip of his drink to stop himself from blabbering. "The bottom line is, she broke up with me. So right now, Vince's rejection pales mightily in comparison to hers. It hurts. So fucking much."

"Wow," Cesaro whistles, "Life sucks."

Sheamus raises his bottle in another toast to which they all clink their bottles together. Colby doesn't join in but instead drinks his cold beer in a frenzy. The alcohol seems to lessen the pain somewhat. "Cheers to that. Life really sucks sometimes. Note, sometimes." He gives Colby a gentle pat on the shoulder, "Things will get better, you'll see. As for that girlfriend of yours, forget about her. She complains too much."

Colby cocks his head to look at Sheamus's direction, eyes glazed over. "How can I forget her? I love her so much. I have loved her since high school. Since I was seventeen."

Cesaro pokes Sheamus in the ribs, "Don't mind this Ginger. Love isn't a closet of clothes you can change into any time you like. You can't forget a person you love that easily. It takes time and a lot of distraction."

"The latter part is completely true, the distraction part. What better distraction is there for a brokenhearted person—a man precisely—than a woman? Someone completely different from the person you were once with?"

Kofi shakes a finger at Sheamus's face, "A person that fits all your needs and wants is very hard to come by and love is like a tangled web of emotions and longing. The more the person pushes you away, the more you want them. I've been there bro, so I know what I'm talking about."

"There's so much more to love," Sheamus counters, leaning back comfortably into his chair as he continues, "Take a restaurant you like as an example. You love this restaurant because it's where you've been dinning for the most part of your life. In your mind, there's no other place like this restaurant until you are forced to try a new one due to some circumstances. You realize then that this new restaurant, is much better than the one you were obsessed with. You'll come to love the latter much more than you loved the former. Love is basically the same thing." He looks pointedly at Colby, "A person who's been in love with the same person all his life, hasn't experienced another side of love before."

"He has a point," Big E concedes.

"Of course I do," Sheamus says proudly. Colby can't agree with his friend though. He had dated some random girls before Mercedes had accepted to go out with him and none of them had felt as special as Mercedes is to him. "You'll most definitely find someone else you can love other than your girlfriend, Colby. Someone who will understand you and love you the way you want to be loved."

Colby shakes his head, half listening to the country music being played at the bar and Cesaro and Kofi's bickering. "I don't think I can love anyone who isn't Mercedes. I can't even imagine it. Nobody can make me feel the way she makes me feel."

Sheamus laughs as if he knows all his secrets, "She makes everything feel special but you'll find the one who won't make you feel just special, but right even at times when you know it is wrong."