"Hey... come on."
Jillian thought she could make out a voice calling to her, but she wasn't quite sure. She remained in her position, on her right side, one of her hands up by her forehead, as though shielding her eyes.
"C'mon, Jill... It's getting late!"
This time, there was no mistaking it as a hand also shook her at the shoulder. The blonde roused and stretched a little as she opened her eyes with great reluctance. The first thing she saw was her best friend, Melina Perez, standing over her with arms crossed.
"It's about time, sleepyhead... Rise and shine!" the brunette sang as she reached out and snatched the blanket away.
Jillian recoiled and made a misery-filled sound. The truth was, she just wanted to sleep the entire day away. She could have actually gotten away with that if she were home, since the RAW roster was off that day - but they were at a hotel, and check-out time was at noon. Plus, they had a flight to catch by one-fifteen.
"What time is it?" she asked, still shielding her eyes.
Melina took a quick glance at her watch.
"Quarter to eleven. You know, you were doing a lot of talking in your sleep, Jill."
The blonde sat up slowly, yawning. She stared at her best friend.
"I was?"
"Yeah," the Latina answered. "A lot of mumbling, so it really didn't make much sense." She studied the other diva for a beat. "Is something the matter? Is there anything you need to talk about?"
Jillian cast her gaze down and ran a hand through her mussed blonde curls. She sighed heavily, the memory of her segment on RAW the previous night coming back to her in an instant. The way she'd felt last night, talking to Melina about it would have been the first thing she would have done. However, she'd felt so low that she'd merely buried it - or at least tried to. Besides, her best friend was currently in a storyline with Beth Phoenix, where she was actually receiving a push. And while she was super happy for Melina, she couldn't help but feel reminded that she herself was still in a terrible slump. And who was she kidding? It couldn't be called a "slump" when the outcome of the matches was predetermined. She was the RAW roster's regular jobber diva - and it seemed that "honor" was hers, and hers alone.
"It - it's nothing, Mel," she lied. She could barely bring herself to look at her friend as she spoke.
"Bull. I know you, Jill, too well. And I know when something's bothering you," Melina continued. "Spill it." She sat beside her, waiting.
Jillian sighed again, knowing she now had no choice but to admit the truth.
"Fine, you win," she said. "I really didn't want to bother you with this... but I'm so fed up with having to lose my matches all the time! It's so frustrating that they're not giving me a real chance to shine, especially after Shane's promises last year." She shook her head, a sardonic huff emerging. "And now, they're putting me in a program with Ashley. It's... It's just wrong."
The brunette winced at the monologue. She knew exactly how Jillian was feeling. After all, it hadn't been that long ago that she'd been treated as a jobber as well. She knew her best friend was extremely talented in the wrestling ring as well as on the mic. It saddened her that her talent was being wasted each and every week. And she'd known that Jillian couldn't possibly be happy with her upcoming storyline. She should have talked to her prior to this point. She felt guilty for not having done that - very guilty."
"Oh, Jill..." She put an arm around the blonde, hugging her against her side. "I haven't been a very good friend. I'm sorry."
Jillian stared at the dark-haired diva as though not comprehending her.
"What do you mean? You didn't do anything."
"Exactly," the brunette said sadly. "I knew you couldn't be happy, and yet, I did nothing. Some best friend I am."
"Oh, stop it, Melina," the blonde chastised her. "You're the best friend I ever had." Jillian managed a smile, one that was genuine, as she meant what she'd just said. "This whole job situation is my problem, anyway. I think..." She trailed off, chewing on her lower lip as she mulled over what to do. "... I think I'm going to take matters into my own hands." She stood up and began to gather a few of her things for a shower. If she didn't move soon, there would be no time to take one before their flight.
Melina continued to sit on the edge of the bed and watch the blonde.
"Jill? What are you going to do?"
Jillian turned to fully face the brunette diva.
"I'm going to have a little talk with Mr. McMahon," she declared.