As we greeted the crowd and made our way out of the ring, the anticipation in the air was palpable. Our theme music echoed through the old PA system as we headed backstage, a chorus of cheers following us.

We expressed our gratitude to Madman and Scarecrow, whose real names we didn't know, for being fantastic to work with and letting us plan the match, including the finish-the final sequence of moves that determines the winner-. We then met with Barry, the local promoter who has been booking us for the last year.

Barry, the local promoter who had been booking us for the past year, was beaming as he handed us our share of the ticket sales, a significant 10% of the total house. We were humbled by the audience's unwavering support, their cheers still echoing in our ears even ten minutes after we had left the ring. This was a testament to the hard work of my dear younger brother, Raulin, who was the pride of the Hagen family.

After thanking Barry, we changed out of our wrestling gear and took a quick shower. Then we headed towards the back door of The Barn, a local BBQ joint with a small venue that could seat around 100 people. During weekends, it also served as a watering hole. It occasionally hosted live events, such as local folk bands, for people to dance to.

Barry ran an indy wrestling promotion that presented wrestling shows in four small towns within our county. Although he only had six or seven mainstay acts, his business has gained momentum since we joined. Barry was even planning a big show in Grand Rapids or another bigger city, which was exciting news for us as we loved the wrestling hustle-the constant travel, the late nights, the physical toll, and the thrill of performing for a live audience.

Raulin and I didn't speak during all of this. We knew this day would come sooner rather than later and were just taking it all in.

We grew up watching wrestling since we were little kids. Our dad liked it, but we were mainly excited because people were already waiting for us outside the Barn. I couldn't wait to see their smiling faces, listen to all their comments and nitpicks, and let them hold the titles and take selfies wearing them.

We were going to have a blast tonight. However, Raulin stopped me midway through the dimly lit corridor towards the exit.

"Hey man, could you take Joe and the guys out for a bit? I'm planning on officially asking Maeve to be my girlfriend."

"Of course, Raulin, just give me the sign, and I will spirit them away," I nervously giggled, feeling a mix of excitement for Raulin and a tinge of sadness for the potential change in our group dynamics.

It was the first time my brother had asked me for something like this. He was a wanton womanizer, and I had attested to his dating skills plenty of times. He had no shame or regard for when, how, or where to ask any girl, and they always said yes.

He was playing in easy mode while the rest of us mortals were just that - mortals. Even Matt, our childhood friend, who was himself considered more than handsome, had it more challenging than my little brother.

As for me, I had never had a girlfriend in my 20 years of life, not for lack of trying either. I am moderately handsome, or at least a bit above average since the minimal resemblance to my brother could pass for a win in anyone's book. But no, the real reason was waiting outside the EXIT sign at the end of the corridor.

Maeve was not just a friend, she was a part of our shared history. Maeve was part of our clique. We had grown up together, and I couldn't recall a single childhood memory that didn't include her.

Matt, Joe, and Zoey were also part of our group since we all lived together on the same farm. So, when Raulin asked Maeve out, it was a momentous occasion that would forever disrupt our group dynamics.

It wouldn't be the only couple in our group, though, as Matt and Zoey had been together since kindergarten. One day, when we were all six years old, Zoey took Matt's hand, and he decided that he would never let it go.

Maeve was going to say yes to a potential game-changer. We all went to Prom together, not as couples, but as friends. We decided long ago to forego the teenage angst of asking and being asked out to Prom. Zoey and Matt were already a couple; Raulin, Maeve, Joe, and I completed the group.

Joe almost skipped the whole thing since the dress she ordered was too small and had to be reworked by Zoey, our group's cosplay designer, for DnD night. The result was that instead of resembling Joe's favorite Sleeping Beauty dress, it looked like a Roman toga with sandals. Not that I minded, though, as Joe looked like a gorgeous Greek goddess to me.

I digress. My brother sounded uncharacteristically serious. He never teased the girls - Maeve and Joe - because Zoey was like our mom away from home. Calling her a "girl" never felt right. So, for him to suddenly ask me to take the gang away and give them some space was surprising.

Maeve has never had a boyfriend, not because she couldn't attract attention but because she hadn't found a meaningful relationship. She was built like a brick house, had a funny and bubbly personality, and was stunningly beautiful, with her red hair, green-blue eyes, delicate complexion, and exquisite face. Despite going out for movies, coffee, or dinner a few times, she never had a relationship worth mentioning. But things were about to change; our lives were about to change big time.

As we moved towards the exit, we opened the door and were met with cheers of congratulations. Zoey was overjoyed and immediately jumped to hug both of us. Her big dark brown eyes were filled with happy tears.

"I can't believe you guys didn't tell us in advance! I hate that I love you guys, or I would be mad about it. Being the Tag Team Champions is crazy, you idiots!" she exclaimed while giving me a fierce bear hug.

"Come on, Zoey, cut them some slack. I bet Barry didn't even know himself until he saw those new outfits you made for them," said Matt as he hugged Raulin and fist-bumped me at the same time.

"Did you get a concussion after that suplex, bro?" he asked me with a severe face.

He had a thing for concussions ever since Raulin gave him one a couple of years ago during a football drill. He was our school's halfback, and Raulin was, well, Raulin was our offensive and defensive line all onto himself, with his 6'7" height and almost 350 pounds of muscle. My baby bro won the genetic lottery, that's for sure. While I was no pushover, my physical "stats" were more on the human side of the scale. Even Matt was taller than me and better built.

"Okay, dude. Firstly, you seriously need to get over your concussion obsession one of these days. Secondly, I think I had one because my entire world was spinning. I still don't know how I delivered that drop-kick or if it even looked up to snuff," I said half-jokingly. However, Josephine Sa was right up my face as soon as I spoke.

"What do you mean by concussion? What do you mean your head was spinning? How many fingers am I showing you right now? Does it hurt? Reduced field of vision? Sit down and give me your bag. You are not driving tonight! Oh, gods! You should stop doing this to yourself. How often do I have to tell you that you are not your brother?" While talking, she was going from zero to sixty on the friend/mom scale.

"Come on, Matt," Zoey said exasperatedly. "You know how Joe gets when something happens to Will. Remember our last camping trip? She went all mama bear on his ass and wouldn't let him swim with us in the lake because she thought she saw a barracuda. A freaking saltwater fish in a lake! Now you've broken her." Zoey playfully lashed out at Matthew, who was likely intentionally triggering Joe, as it was his preferred sport and national pastime.

"Hey! Zoey, that's not what happened, and you know it! I treat everyone the same, and I swear I saw something resembling a barracuda. What if something dangerous comes out of the water? You know how fragile William is; you would be the one crying the most, along with Maeve. I'm not trying to defend myself here." said Joe.

When we were children, we used to jump dive into the river that ran through our farm. There is an elevated spot at a bend in the river that is perfect for jumping, but it has a rocky riverbed, so we were forbidden from going there. However, we were bored one summer, and Raulin and Matt were daring each other to do crazy stunts. Eventually, we all went to the river, and I jumped right onto the rocky riverbed, hitting my head and losing consciousness in the process.

The water turned red, and my head never broke water. Eventually, my brother dove down and pulled me out, carrying me back to the farm, where our parents took me to the hospital.

I was diagnosed with a skull fracture and epidural hematoma and spent some time in the hospital. Joe spent all the time she could next to my hospital bed and even slept in my room back home.

She didn't say anything or cry; she just waited there.

She looked at me the day I got out, nodded, and never mentioned it again. Whenever our parents or anyone talked about it, she would go quiet and pensive, sometimes even leaving the room altogether.

That incident triggered her overprotective streak with all of us, especially me. It was endearing but also very frustrating. I felt like she saw me as a death row inmate, just waiting for me to leave my mortal coil at the slightest thing. However, it also made me decide to do many things that I never actually liked, like football, hunting, and climbing. I became a more outdoorsy kind of guy than I would have been otherwise. But I loved wrestling; that was the one thing I was passionate about.

Raulin, who had always been supportive, exclaimed, "I can actually see it! Something like a Leviathan emerging from Cedar Lake, like a Kaiju, heading straight towards William instead of the five people in the water." His tone was full of sarcasm.

Joe said again, "Well, you never know. Like you and your billboard thing."

Yes, my brother was a professional model. What can I say? He had it all. This angered her because she believed he would leave us behind on the farm and go to the big city when Raulin informed us about his part-time modeling job.

As I looked around, Maeve caught my attention. She seemed happy for us but more reserved than usual. Maeve was never the type to hold back from teasing us, especially Joe, but today, she was fidgeting with her hair and looking down at her feet. I realized this was my chance, and I had to act quickly.

"Hey Joe, could you please assist me in getting into the car and checking my head for bumps? Perhaps Matt and Zoey could accompany us so that Joe doesn't go overboard?" I inquired as Joe began to help me towards the car, with Matt and Zoey following closely. However, I was glad that Joe didn't opt to carry me like a fireman, which she could have done, given that we were the same height. She was probably more muscular than I was - even though I was in perfect "wrestler" shape.

It was not good for our image when a teenage girl carried away the newly crowned local tag team champion, who weighed 240 pounds at six feet tall. It didn't matter how strong, graceful, and Amazonian the young woman looked while carrying me.

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