Page 13 of Between the Ropes

This is why I do this. This is everything.

Backstage, Stephen is waiting with an ice pack. “Still stiff?” he asks, watching me closely.

I press the ice to my back, exhaling slowly. “Just a little.”

“Ryan, you need to see Natalie,” he says, exasperated. “She could help—”

“Isaidnot today,” I snap, cutting him off. His eyes narrow, and for a second, it looks like he’s going to argue.

But he doesn’t.

Instead, he shakes his head, muttering, “Stubborn bastard,” before walking away.

I sigh, dragging the ice pack down my spine, ignoring the way my muscles ache. It’s better this way.

Better for everyone.

At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

9

The night goes smoother than I expected. A few of the wrestlers drop by with tight muscles or minor aches, but nothing too serious. No major injuries. Just the typical wear and tear of people who throw their bodies into the ring for a living. Honestly, I'm surprised there weren't more injuries. By the time I’m packing up my things, I feel a quiet sense of accomplishment. I survived my first night, and it wasn’t half bad. In fact, it was pretty freaking amazing. I feel this sense of confidence I haven’t felt in a really long time. And man does it feel good.

Back at the hotel, I settle into the stiff but oddly comforting chair by the desk. I boot up my laptop and start organizing my notes from the day. Each wrestler who came to see me gets a profile—a few details about what we worked on, what I need to keep an eye on. Things I noticed, as well as personality quirks.It helps me keep things straight in my mind and build a history. Soon enough I should have a profile for all of them.

Jason Bell had some quad tightness, but nothing major.

Kyle"The Killer"Jenkins... I try not to think about that encounter, though my mind keeps drifting back to it. More specifically, it drifts back to when Ryan walked in. I can still see the way his eyes darkened when he spotted Kyle—the tension in his jaw, the way he practically stormed out after asking for Stephen. He seemed... upset.

Maybe it was just the rivalry between him and Kyle. I’ve heard they’ve got history, but there was something else—something about the way he looked at me. It was like he didn’t want me there, like my presence in that room, in that building, was bothering him.

I shake my head, pushing the thought aside. “Stop overanalyzing, Natalie,” I mutter to myself, typing a few more notes into my computer. There’s no use dwelling on something that probably means nothing. Besides, I’ve got work to do. I do my best to focus on my notes, filling in the profiles for the wrestlers I met with today. I even Google photos of them and add them to my notes; it will help me get familiar with everyone.

But then... I pause.

My fingers hover over the keys as my thoughts drift back to Kyle and Ryan. There was something personal in that tension, something that went beyond the typical in-ring rivalry. And I can’t ignore the curiosity itching at the back of my mind.

Before I know it, my fingers are typing into the search bar:

“Ryan Pierce vs. Kyle Jenkins feud UXW”

Instantly, pages of results flood the screen. Articles, videos, interviews—years of history laid out in front of me.

The first video catches my attention:

“Ryan Pierce calls out Kyle Jenkins – Indie Circuit, 2017”

I click, and the grainy footage fills my screen. The crowd is small but rowdy, the kind of intimate chaos you only get in the indie scene. The ring is old, the ropes frayed, and the lights are dim, but there’s no mistaking Ryan’s presence as he paces the mat, mic in hand.

His voice is raw, filled with venom.“Kyle Jenkins, you spineless son of a bitch. You can sneak attack me from behind, but you’ll never outrun me. You’re a coward, and the next time we share this ring, I’m breaking you in half.”

The crowd explodes, but what sends a shiver down my spine is the look in Ryan’s eyes—dark, intense, and filled with something far deeper than professional rivalry.

I click another video, a promo from Kyle, his signature smirk front and center:

“Ryan Pierce likes to act like the tough guy, but when the stakes get real, he always folds. You’ll never be me, Ryan. You’ll always be chasing my shadow.”

The arrogance in Kyle’s voice makes my skin crawl.

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