life isn't fair. in fact, it's rarely the opposite.
Leila figured this out at an early age. (tw: abuse, death, prison below the cut)
Born to a couple of high school sweethearts who weren't nearly ready to be parents, Leila's memory of childhood comes and goes. She remembers not having the best clothes to go to school in, not having the newest toys to play with -- or even further, not having a consistent father figure in her life, unlike the other kids that she went to school with.
But let's start at the beginning.
Her mother made ends meet giving pedicures to rich people and being at their mercy of whatever tip they wanted to leave her that day. While she never went without a meal, at a young age, Leila could see how this turned her mother into a helpless, desperate mess. It was disgusting how the generosity of better off strangers dictated how well she lived from week-to-week.
It didn't help things when her father, a raging alcoholic in his own right, attempted to rob a bank to soothe their family's raging financial woes when she was 4. On the speedy chase from the scene, he ran a red light and crashed into an elderly couple. Prison, much like death, had a funny way of making sure that you never seen someone again. And she didn't.
Leila knew she never wanted to be that hapless. She wanted to be solely dependent on herself, no matter what it took. To some, Leila may come off as aggressive or callous - but she just considers it necessary. After all, the beauty of confidence is that no one knows if it's real or not.
High school wasn't much kinder -- but puberty and the perks that came with it allowed her to control her own narrative. For the 8 hours she was within these 4 walls, she was queen. She was highest on the pecking order and she liked being there. It felt natural to her.
On the outside for the first couple of years, it seemed like she was living a dream. She was popular, dating someone equally as popular on the varsity team, with all the adoration she could ask for. Except behind closed doors? It was anything but. Her boyfriend was incredibly unkind at his best, abusive and damaging at his worst. She never bore bruises on her skin -- but it didn't make her wounds any better. She inherited a deep sense of distrust and skepticism, not even knowing if the idea of love existed...
Until she met Danny.
Unlike her prior boyfriend, he was considerate. He was kind. He was the type of person to hold doors open for people, even if they didn't say thank you. He seemed almost too good to be true.
And like clockwork, she became addicted. After 2 years, she was finally able to break her abusive cycle and find respite in his arms, hooked on simply the feeling of safety. He would walk her to class, drive her home, hold her hand when they were out, every chivalry tope that she was nearly sure didn't actually exist.
Things were great, even after they had managed to escape the hellscape of high school. Quickly, they were able to save up and get an apartment together, one all on their own, while they both chased their respective dreams.
Danny wanted to be a wrestler. And while Leila didn't get it, she supported him, as best she could. She wanted to be a cosmotologist herself, knowing that her passion came from making people look and feel like their best selves.
His success came first. And with that, naturally came the fans. Namely, the girls that would come to his shows. She didn't like that part. With the baggage she still very much carried on her sleeve from wounds before, there was always a jealousy there. An sense of untruthfulness.
Here was her now perfect life, and these random girls were threatening to ruin all of it. It was enough to create such a jealous monster, that their fights were now becoming more and more frequent. Fight, make up, get angry again, lather rinse repeat. Yet, she would say that she only did it because she cared. She always cared. Sometimes, she'd say too much.
At 20 years old, her life began to mirror her mother's own. Now, she was pregnant with their daughter, Sienna. With her intense Catholic upbringing, it wouldn't allow her to do anything less than keep it. And keep it, she did. Maybe this would be the glue that would keep their family together. The connection that was already beginning to crack at the very foundation.
Spoiler: It didn't. And to this day, Leila holds a lot of resentment towards Danny for that. It could have worked out if things were different. If he was different.
She wouldn't argue if you used the word "bitter" to describe her -- but she'd follow it up with the fact that it was necessary. In fact, it was this bitterness and chip on her shoulder that got her a job with All Elite Wrestling as one of their new MUAs.
Not one to shy away from conflict or sharing her opinion, she's planning to leave waves in her wake. As long as the needs of her and her daughter were taken care of. End of.
