Weekend Wrestling

Friday

As the cameraman swooped in front of her field of vision for the third time, Chloe started a countdown in her head. One. Two. Three.

"So let's talk about your second album White Fire," Michael was saying, while the band sat opposite him were still grinning from their last scripted joke. Just in front of Chloe, the producer wordlessly directed the cameraman to move in closer.

Nine. Ten. Eleven.

Chloe wasn't listening to the guitarist's reply. She could have read the band's pre-prepared answers if she really wanted to know. She gazed around the set, eyeing each of the production crew in turn - so many people all focused on one idle conversation, between Michael Zander and a band no one had heard of - she only knew their name from the clipboard she was holding.

Twenty-Four. Twenty-Five.

One of them, probably the drummer, was doing some strange joke where he would beat the lead singer's head like maracas, while Michael chuckled. It was always like this with the lesser known guests - anything to make a spectacle, anything to get people to watch and pay attention to them.

Thirty-Seven. Thirty-Eight. Thirty-Ni-

"Chloe - coffees," the producer hissed in her ear. Chloe left without a word.

Thirty-nine seconds - a bit longer than usual. Usually they didn't make it thirty seconds from the opening close-up shot without sending her on the coffee run.

She checked her phone once outside the set without really paying attention to what she was seeing. On mornings like these it was always difficult to get out of auto-pilot mode. She'd made the trip to the Starbucks opposite the studio enough times now not to really have to think about it.

All the same, she did try to hurry on the way back. The producers might look right through her ninety per cent of the time, but they were more than capable of being very focused when annoyed, and nothing annoyed them quite like lukewarm coffee.

Someone was coming the other way. They were still quite a way off when, with a small jolt, she recognised them as the guitarist Michael had just been interviewing, and suddenly Chloe felt almost nervous. She was used to seeing famous people of course - she was a runner on a popular chat show after all - but she never got to actually interact with them.

She smiled brightly at the guy as they passed each other, even pushing out her chest a little without realising it (not that it made much difference - her small chest was a source of perpetual annoyance), but she needn't have bothered. The guitarist walked right past her, ignoring her completely.

Why was she surprised?

With the coffees delivered, Chloe could get back to the oh-so vital work that running entailed. That was, seeing to the various needs of the actually important members of the crew.

Lunchtime could not come quick enough.

The cafeteria was pretty busy by the time Chloe got there, which didn't help her worsening mood. It took her a while to find her friends, and when she did the three of them were deep in conversation with two people she didn't recognise. She took her seat next to Paul.

"Nine o' clock then? Is there a dress code or anything?" Paul was saying to the newcomers. He looked excited about something, but then he was easily excitable. Paul had worked there as long as Chloe had, and managed to make the dreary job much more bearable for her.

Kirsty was shaking her head meaningfully, from her seat opposite Paul. He seemed to take some meaning, and fell silent.

"Are you guys going out tonight?" asked Chloe. She could do with a night out - it had been far too long. And if Paul was going...

"No no, we were just talking about... something else," Kirsty reassured her with an unconvincing smile. Chloe did like Kirsty - at least, she was alright to be around - but she could be very patronising. Maybe it came of being so aware of how attractive she was; tall, with long blonde hair and a model's physique, she could sometimes come across as a bit superior. Chloe was by no means unattractive herself. People usually called her 'petite' but she never knew if that was meant as a compliment or not. Either way, Chloe was short, thin, and next to Kirsty, usually unnoticed.

"Come on, don't be silly, I heard you," Chloe pressed. She turned to Diana, sat opposite her. She could trust Diana. "Where are you going?"

Diana looked around at the others. The two newcomers were both smiling by now. They were both guys, and only now did Chloe recognise them as support crew for the band.

"Well..." Diana began.

"C'mon, let the blonde chick come along!" one of them chipped in.

"It's really not your kind of thing Chloe, don't worry about it," said Kirsty. Chloe opened her mouth to protest, but Kirsty was too fast. "Paul how are your Italian classes coming along?" she asked Paul, a mischievous warmth returning to her eyes that was only for Paul. Chloe wasn't sure if that annoyed her more than the forcible change of conversation.

"Ah man, you speak Italian?" asked the other band supporter. "My Dad's half Italian!"

And with that, the conversation had moved on.

Chloe sulked silently throughout lunch, speaking when spoken to but otherwise ignoring her friends. Why didn't they want her to come out with them? Clearly she was going to get nowhere with them all together like this, but individually maybe she could get to the bottom of this.

The afternoon beckoned, and with it three and a half more hours of work. Luckily for her new mission, most of Chloe's work for what remained of Friday involved ferrying documents to and from the set. If she could only track down Diana and Paul, she knew she could wheedle the truth from them. That might be trickier than it sounded though - Paul worked in a completely different building on some news show and Diana, still pretty new, was usually kept confined to the set she was working on.

Luckily for her, the newbies also got more breaks. It was barely three o' clock when Chloe saw Diana smoking outside.

"Hey Di!" Chloe beamed. Diana at least looked pleased to see her. Say what you wanted about Diana, but she was at least genuine about everything she did. It was a shame she didn't do better when it came to dating but, well, she could stand to lose a little weight.

Chloe listened patiently to her story about her afternoon from hell, and as soon as an opening came up launched straight into it with no pretence.

"So where are you guys going tonight?" she asked, feigning playful indifference as though she couldn't really care less if she found out or not.

Diana's face fell. "Oh, it's nothing really," she said quietly. "I mean like Kirsty said, it isn't really your thing. Probably, I mean."

"Tell me! How will I know unless you tell me what it is?"

"Kirsty... Kirsty kind of said we shouldn't tell you. She said you'd only freak out. I'm sorry!" she added, seeing her obvious look of annoyance.

"Fine. If I'd 'only freak out' after all..." And with that she swept back inside, happy to note Diana was looking slightly guilty.

She was more than a little suspicious now. What event could be so bad that she'd be appalled to even hear about it? And why were her supposed friends being so cagey?

To make matters worse she didn't see Paul for the rest of the shift - her last hope at finding out. She even started looking out for Kirsty by the end, though she knew she had no chance there.

All things considered, Chloe was feeling pretty miserable by the time she was ready to walk out. Her friends were essentially abandoning her to go have fun without her and she had absolutely no idea why. Maybe they really did just find her boring.

"Hey Chloe," came Paul's voice. She hadn't even noticed that she was about to walk right past him and Kirsty, who looked to have been deep in conversation by the door when Chloe arrived.

"Hello," she replied. There was a silence. Evidently whatever they had been talking about wasn't for Chloe's ears. "I don't suppose," she began for one last time, "that there's any chance of you telling me where you're going tonight is there?"

Kirsty looked pained, as though Chloe was wounding her simply by not letting this drop. Paul on the other hand, was smiling.

"Oh go on, she might enjoy it you know!" he said.

"Paul..."

"And you won't tell anyone, will you Chlo?" he said to her.

"What? No, I guess not. Just tell me!"

Kirsty sighed. But since Paul had turned, Chloe knew she would give in.

"Ok, we're going to... well I guess it's sort of like a wrestling match. An underground wrestling match."

"A wrestling match?" replied Chloe incredulously. She didn't know what it was she had expected but it was most certainly not that.

"Oh come on it's not as serious as that! It's, well OK it is sort of wrestling, but it's girl vs girl. Apparently they hold the matches underneath Rogues - you know, the old nightclub? Kyle said he could get us in..."

"Kyle, from the band?" asked Chloe, at a loss for anything else to say.

"Yes but it's really off the grid and so you can't tell anyone!" Kirsty insisted.

"You mean it's illegal?"

"No! It's just, well it's meant to be a bit raunchy, and it's just easier if not many people know about it. It's meant to be pretty wild," she said, her eyes lighting up just talking about it. Classic Kirsty - anything to appear exotic and extreme.

Chloe bit her lip. Privately she completely agreed with Kirsty, that it wasn't her sort of thing at all. 'Raunchy' girl on girl wrestling matches in a seedy underground bar? But she'd spent so much time harassing them to find out what it was...

"So, you coming?" asked Paul. Chloe hesitated. Paul was smiling while Kirsty was watching her apprehensively, as though afraid she was about to run off in horror and start telling everyone.

"Sure!"

***

It was 8pm. If she didn't leave soon she was going to be late - the six of them were supposed to be meeting downtown in half an hour.

Chloe looked at herself in the mirror. She hadn't been sure what the dress code for underground quasi-legal drunken sports was, if there was one, but she wanted to look as good as possible. She'd gone for her standard black, tight-fitting dress - it accentuated her slim figure well, but no dress in the world could make her cleavage be anything other than just about noticeable. She'd stopped caring about that mostly. Her short blonde hair framed her pale, heart-shaped face nicely - though the lipstick could do with touching up.

She didn't know why she was so nervous. Well, there was the obvious strangeness of the event she was going to, but it wasn't that. Every so often the image of Paul smiling and asking her to come along came into her head. With Kirsty on his arm...

Now she really had to go.

She called a taxi with barely any time to spare, and it was twenty to nine by the time she spotted her friends sitting outside a bar. Looks she would be skipping pre-drinks then.

"Sorry I'm late!" she said, to announce her arrival. Kirsty had been deep in conversation with the two guys from the band - she had almost expected them to be dressed in some outrageous attire, but they had both gone for fairly standard, smart looking shirts. Kirsty on the other hand seemed to have wanted to look as slutty as possible - her dress was very short, very revealing, and showed off her substantial cleavage.

"That's alright, we've still got a few minutes," said Diana, smiling. She and Paul had been talking when Chloe arrived, and Diana moved along to make room. Diana at least had dressed sensibly.

"Looking forward to tonight Chlo?" asked Paul mischievously. She forced a laugh.

"I guess? I'm still not really sure what it is we're going to see. 'Sort-of-wrestling' doesn't really explain much."

"It's supposed to be a kind of tournament isn't it?" said Diana. One of the other guys, Chloe supposed he must be 'Kyle,' looked around at this.

"Well, it's time to see for yourself," he said, getting to his feet. He looked very pleased with himself, and led the way down the road, with his friend. Kirsty stayed by their side along the way, and Chloe, Paul and Diana followed behind.

"You look really nice tonight!" Diana told her as they followed along. Chloe was sure she was only feeling guilty about hiding the truth from her that afternoon, but she appreciated the compliment nonetheless. Kirsty meanwhile, was giggling loudly ahead of them.

"Oh come on! What's wrong with being roadies? That's what you are isn't it?" she was saying. Kyle and his friend laughed along, protesting amiably. Kirsty brushed her hand along Kyle's arm. Did Chloe imagine it, or did she shoot the briefest glance back at the three of them behind her? Paul was certainly staring at Kirsty now, with a slight frown on his face.

If only Chloe could make people jealous that easily, she thought with a sigh.

Rogue's nightclub was ahead of them now. It had been a big deal ten years ago, but time had not been kind to it. A string of disinterested owners, combined with the surrounding area going downhill, had meant that it had become increasingly derelict. While still technically open, it rarely did much business. In fact Chloe barely even knew about it, having only been once when she was nineteen, five years ago.

It certainly looked like a dump now. And yet, there was a steady stream of people heading for it - not to the old main entrance, but down the side alley. Even surrounded by five people, Chloe felt uneasy going down here. But, Kyle seemed to know what he was doing, and none of her friends showed any apprehension.

There was a bouncer waiting by the side door, barely visible from the main street but impossible to ignore now they were here.

"Hey Mike, there's six of us tonight," said Kyle's friend. The bouncer looked over us, frowning slightly. He was not a small man, and even this slight scrutiny made Chloe feel uncomfortable. This had never seemed like less of a good idea.

"They new?" asked the bouncer.

"Yeah, but they're cool," answered Kyle. The bouncer looked at them all individually, still frowning. Chloe winced when he got to her - she was sure he spent longer with her than the others - but eventually he stood aside to let them in.

The smell of stale alcohol hit them straight away, and as soon as they were inside they could hear the muffled sounds of a crowd from somewhere within. Kyle took them down the stairs that greeted them in the entrance, and into a dimly lit bar.

"Drinks?" he asked with a sly grin. He seemed unconcerned at the grotty state of the bar, or the shady appearance of the few people occupying said bar. They were mostly men.

"Definitely," said Kirsty, and made her own way over. Five minutes later, they were all clutching cold bottles of something or other. No one else seemed to be as confused as Chloe felt - what was so special about this place? She could still hear the murmur of a crowd from somewhere, but this dingy bar was not what she had had in mind.

"It's through there," said Kyle, noticing her look of bewilderment and pointing to another door beside the bar. "But it's a nightmare getting booze once inside so we may as well fill up now!"

Chloe smiled back politely in response, and took another sip of her vodka and lemonade. She had a feeling she was going to need a lot more by night's end. Was it too late to just make some excuse and leave? She knew this would confirm everything her friends probably thought about her - plain, boring Chloe, who couldn't handle anything outside of her comfort zone. A particularly loud but muffled cheer from the distant crowd interrupted her thoughts.

"Ooh what does that mean?" asked Kirsty, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"It means, that a match is just starting I think," said Kyle. He downed the remainder of his drink. "Which is excellent timing! This way."

Chloe followed the rest of them, through the door, and along yet another corridor. The crowd was much louder now, and as soon as Kyle opened a last set of doors, the full din of what must have been hundreds of people washed over her.

The room looked like an actual, low-budget stadium. There were seats and benches all around it, in a circular pattern around a central stage - the back ones were even raised. The room itself was much bigger than Chloe had imagined. It looked like several walls had been knocked through to make it. But after registering all this, what drew the eye immediately was the central stage itself. Fenced off from the spectators was a brightly lit pit, occupied by two women, each wearing a tiny T-shirt and small lycra shorts. As the group tried to find seats, the two women were circling each other, while the crowd occasionally shouted encouragements at them.

"Sit down," hissed Kirsty. Chloe jumped - she had been staring dumbly at the spectacle without moving, and hastily took a seat next to Diana. The room felt quite claustrophobic, despite its size, but when the action started it was easy to forget that.

One of the girls suddenly lunged at the other - small, athletic, and with jet black hair, she moved very fast, but her opponent, a somewhat thicker girl with tied back brown hair, did not fold as her attacker seemed to expect, but instead spun her around until she landed flat on her back. It was at this point that Chloe noticed that the surface they were fighting on was wobbly and fluid, which apparently made it difficult to maintain balance, and it also seemed to glisten with some oily substance. The black-haired girl scrambled to her feet with her scantily clad body shimmering and glistening.

"See? It's just wrestling," said Diana beside her, apparently unfazed by the debauchery. Chloe said nothing, but carried on staring. She had not expected this.

The black-haired girl continued to pace around her rival, who looked thoroughly amused. She seemed to be taunting the girl, but her words were lost in the drunken shouting of the onlookers. Another bold charge, and this time the brown-haired girl side-stepped with surprising agility, causing the attacker to topple and land face first in the oily liquid. The crowd roared with laughter. The bigger girl even placed a foot on her opponent's back, as if in mock triumph.

This seemed to genuinely incense the black-haired girl, who spun around and grabbed the leg. Her opponent seemed briefly off-balance, but managed to turn her fall into a controlled dive onto the smaller girl. The two briefly struggled, but the black-haired girl could not catch a break at all, and soon her arms were pinned behind her back. Her hair was ruffled playfully, and she looked very frustrated.

"Give up?" shouted the brown-haired girl, loud enough even for Chloe to hear at the back. The girl shook her head, to the intense delight of the crowd. As soon as she heard this, her attacker gripped the black-haired girl's T-shirt and pulled it hard. The flimsy material tore easily.

Chloe's mouth fell open. The girl's naked breasts were on show to everyone, and while she didn't exactly seem happy about this, no one seemed to be freaking out in the slightest. Indeed, the whole crowd was going wild, cheering and whistling. The brown-haired girl released her, and the half-naked girl got scrappily to her feet, discarding the ragged and useless T-shirt to yet more cheers.

What exactly was this? Chloe looked at her friends in horror, a horror they didn't seem to share. Diana was looking on with a pleasant smile, as though this were some exotic curiosity on a tourist trail. Kirsty was grinning and clapping - anything to show she could be 'one of the guys.' And Paul was grinning stupidly at the spectacle. Diana seemed to notice her staring.