“My, my…has it been a while since I saw you two.”
A year and a half ago, Royce, Zerotine, and I parted ways for the first time in 10 years. We had always been the best of friends and ran amuck in whatever city we were in for that day. Those days were beautiful. I was truly young, wild, and free. But I had to move, I had to begin a new life; hopefully for the better, here in Vegas. Royce and Zerotine understood; they were veterans in the ring, known worldwide, hated and loved. Though they possessed the same attitude I did; truly not giving a fuck about what the fans think…or the management, for that matter. We wrestled because we wanted to. Because we, in all honesty, needed the money…and our therapists said it would be the best way to channel our anger into something more positive; entertainment for the billions. So why not? We all trained together too. If we’d ever get a match against each other…it’d go down in the history books. We’re playful with each other outside of the ring…though if we ever got a chance to get inside the ring with each other…we’d become the monsters we truthfully are.
Smirking, I threw out my arms, bear hugging both Zerotine and Royce as we all shared a laugh.
“It has. Glad to see you’re still alive. You like to keep us in the dark on your status on whether or not your heart is still beating…”
“You should already know it stopped beating a long time ago, Z. Anyways, I don’t text or even call, really. The most I use my phone for is to get bitched at by Marik. ‘Where are you, Vista? Why are you there, Vista? Are you meeting another guy there, Vista?’ Oi…”
“Who are you? You sure have changed when it comes to your love life. You went from not giving a rat’s ass to letting a guy bother you. Shame. Just means you’ll need to spend more time with us. Well getcha’ back to your old ways in no time.”
“Please, Royce, he’s good for one thing and one thing only; sex. He sticks around whether I lie to him or tell him the truth. I could tell him I’m out with another guy and all he would say is…’Be careful..’ Not my fault he lets his heart and emotions get strung about the dirt. I’m enjoying it, nonetheless, so in all honesty I don’t give a rat’s ass. My ways haven’t changed, either, babe. Just the way I play the game and deal my cards. There are some smart individuals in SCW, believe it or not, and they’d catch on to anyone trying to mind fuck them easily. If anything, I’ll be the one teaching you two something new.”
Zero and Royce looked at each other, rolling their eyes as my confidence spewing out from every word.
“Anyways, I’m not worried about Marik, especially not this week since I'm debuting. I really shouldn’t even be out with you two right now and sit my ass back down in that hotel room of mine and re-up on some of their old matches.”
“Studying is always a good thing…but too much and you’ll get caught up and feel like you need to win this match to prove something. As far as I’m concerned, you have nothing to prove. You’ve had what, ten years worth of matches? What about your new best friend? What’s her name?”
“Who? Chanelle?”
“Ah yes…irrelevant. She talks a lot of game and has yet to prove a thing. You talk little and have proven a lot. So as I said, you don’t have to prove a thing. Enjoy some time out on the town with us and tonight you can study. It’ll be your best bet, believe me.”
“You’re talking to me as if I’m new to this or something. I know not to overdo the studying, though I feel like I haven’t really given this match any preparation. It is, after all, a debut. I’d let any other match go with no sign of preparation but this one? Nah. I mean, I would like to win the damn match and gain some type of ground.”
“Well of course…”
“Soon, I'll be wearing some gold around my waist. Gold is my favorite color after all and it suits my skin tone perfectly.”
I winked as we headed into a small café. Zero went to the front counter to order some lattes as Royce and I sat down.
“So this Chanelle girl. Why is she even your friend?”
“I’m not sure how the whole friendship came about. She’s pretty cool. But I don’t think it’s getting anywhere. We’ve hung out a few times, though all she wants to whomp about is fuck ass Brooklyn and how she's going to give these people a beat down. She's just as new as I am...in this company, at least. She's forever trying to get at this dude that's with the company, too, via twitter...”
“Hmph, dating inside the company? Ha, she’ll learn her lesson soon enough.”
“That she will and she’ll be surprised when she has no one there to lean on. I wasn’t really all that interested in hearing about it anyways. She kept going on and on about where she was from...as if it was some big accomplishment. The more I think about it, the less I want to associate with her. She’s obviously thrown off her game, if she even has any to begin with, and it’s all because she decided that as soon as she got here that she’d put her feelings out there for a male. Ugh, you know what that sounds like?”
“A ring rat, for sure.”
I nodded and laughed a bit. I really didn’t know what was going on between Chanelle and I but I slowly started to not care. It’s been days since we last spoke and about a week since we last hung out. So for her to continue to call me her best friend is pathetic. My phone rang; a text message. I figured it would be Marik, wondering where the hell I was as always so I was hesitant to check it. Zero made her way to our booth with some delicious lattes; sitting down next to Royce as she passed the plastic cups around. In true Zerotine style, she took a swipe out of each of our lattes, licking the delectable treat off of her finger in a slow and seductive manner. She always made love to her food; what a strange, strange woman. My phone went off again. Another text message. Royce raised her eyebrow and pointed at my shorts…
“You gonna answer that or…?”
“Probably not, it’s Marik.”
I threw a gentle smile at the two as I reached down into my butt pocket on my shorts and grabbed my phone. Unlocking the screen, I was surprised to see that it wasn’t Marik. My smile transformed into a small grin.
“I’d like you ladies to meet someone. Someone I’ve known just as long as you two.”
“You have a twin?”
Royce looked at Zerotine with a disgusted look, while Zero shot one back. The things Zerotine does and says always cease to amaze us. She took one too many bumps in her days…or smoked one too many blunts…
“…Hola…”
I looked up, smiling; that voice so familiar yet so distant in my memory. It’s been years. Standing up, I held my hand out in introduction.
“Ladies, this is my old friend Dawmi Banks.”
In true lady like fashion, both Royce and Zero stood up from the booth, giving Dawmi a warm welcome with small hugs. Dawmi shoved me back down into the booth; obviously wanting to get some girl talk in before she had to head out and handle some real business.
“Nice to meet you both. Since Vista and I met back up a week ago, she’s been telling me nothing but stories about your adventures with each other.”
Royce nodded; a blank expression upon her face. That’s Royce, though, always meeting someone new and quickly throwing them into a test of how well they do under pressure.
“So…are you here just to meet up with Vista for old time’s sake?”
“Actually no. I’ll be her new manager in SCW as well as other businesses she partakes in. We both feel like her name will blow up very soon; with a belt and other promotions going on she’ll be a very busy woman. No shame in asking for a bit of help; especially if I’m doing this for a small amount of pay. I owe Vista a lot and since I’ve gotten my masters in business management, why not put it to use?”
“So you have faith that she’ll become someone big, then?”
“Well, yes. Don’t you?”
Royce sat back, her arms crossed against her chest as she nodded slowly; looking from Dawmi to me. Yeah, she wasn’t used to anyone new in the circle…let alone someone new who wasn’t moved by her blunt actions.
“I wouldn’t waste my time nor her time if I didn’t believe she could really become someone to fear in the wrestling business. She has the motives and the right cards to be played in order to reach the top…”
“What are you gaining from this, though? Fame?”
“Of course fame would come along with it; but that’s not what I’m concentrated on nor do I care for it. I’d rather be the person in the background, moving things along at the pace Vista wants them to. She’ll be taking this federation by the reigns and whoever believes they have them now will be sadly mistaken when they believe they can face Vista in the ring for said title.”
“…I like this girl, V. She’s got some smarts, unlike your other managers in the past…”
“Please, Royce, don’t act like you haven’t had managers who did nothing for you but spin your around and fill your head up with bullshit. Matter fact, weren’t you the one with a whole posse? Let’s see…Arrington, Caprice, Xlohie, and Fariah…”
“I get it! Alright? I just want to make sure she’s not pushing you into the wrong direction; that you’re not making the same dumb mistake as you have in the past. You saw what it did to my career; no one wants to hire me now all because of my so called manager stabbing me in the back and making false accusations.”
“And I understand that, fully. Though Dawmi’s contract states that if she decides to play any mind games or come around and try to sue me for something, that nothing in my personal life can be used. It would all have to steam from a business angle. Seems fair enough to me.”
“Speaking of my duties; V, you have a photo-shoot here in like…an hour, an hour and a half. It’s across town, too, so we probably should get going.”
“It’s only about ten am, so…if you want to meet us later for dinner or something?”
“Of course, just shoot me a text where and what time and I’ll be there. It’ll be on me.”
“No, no, I insist that you let us pay. After all, what champion pays for her own things? That’s just filthy…”
Royce winked at me as we all shared a laugh. Yeah, this break from business truly did help clear my mind; let me escape the worries and the stress of the world and just chill. We stood from the booth, giving each other small hugs of goodbye before Dawmi and I headed out.
“For those two to be twins, they surely don’t look alike…”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inhale.
A sea of waves,
We hug the same plank
Just as I had rehearsed it over in my brain
(I saw your end)
Cream hues of silk swayed softly in the gentle wind; the enigmatic beauty of the moon peeking through. A woman stands outside on the balcony holding a shining glass of red wine. Her supple, sugary russet skin glistened in the moon’s light; nothing but a towel wrapped around her waist. Behind her, we hear forgiving shuffles upon the dark marbled flooring; echoing throughout the large, high ceiling, temple-like room. A silhouette appears at the doorway as the scene pans outward. A female dressed in a see through gown, her piercing green eyes glowing like a pursuing tigress in the night. Her sinuous skin radiating as she walked closer to the woman on the balcony.
She haunts the roads
She waits for a new face
Her arms slipped gracefully over the woman’s shoulders, her hands sliding upward around her neck before creeping down her chest. She leaned into her; almost making two bodies one, and whispered gently words into her ear.
“Why am I here? Again, I must make sure you stay upon the path chosen for you. After all I have done for you. I don't understand. You’re so defiant, young one, of those who only wish you well. Why?”
The woman sipped her wine, a grin slowly painting itself across her façade. Her wrists relaxed upon the railing, shifting her weight forward as if she was shrugging off the woman behind her. A small chuckle rung out between her plump lips…
“You ask so many questions. Aren’t you supposed to be some deity? A being who knows all? After all, you’re here to remind me of my destiny, right? And yet you continue to come back and ask these half ass questions…”
She looked over her shoulder; her smirk a chilling view as the glint from the moon shadowed her face.
Her arms red and injured
She wants to rise
She can’t wait til’ we face
“Let me tell YOU something, Fate. You have no control over me anymore. Years ago, sure, but now…I’ve evolved. Evolved into a beast, a demon, stuck inside a human form. You have run out of ideas on what I need to do next. Your time is up. Step down. I control you now. Have faith in me, elder, for I am your new leader. Your deity. Finally an all-powerful, all mighty ruler has come about to save us all. You are no longer; for I will choose destinies.”
She turned, facing the deity, letting her grin lash the Goddess across the face…
I’ll cut your armies down
And turn your heart
“Bow down, pray to me, worship me now.”
Exhale…
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Um, we’re on in like…ten seconds.”
Pressing my lips together, I nodded slowly; my arms folded against my chest as Miss Willow adjusted her attire with a large, annoying smile. The camera man gave his cue…
“Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to Sunday Night Climax Control! My name’s Pussy Willow and here with me tonight is one of our newest members to SCW, Visa Kill!”
I snatched the microphone from him, shooting him a small snarl…
“Vista, Vista Kills. Since that’s too hard for you to comprehend, you may call me V…like the letter.”
Miss Willow simply stared at me, seemingly not comprehending my mockery, either. She gradually took the microphone back into her possession.
“…I’d like to start this interview out by asking you how you came about signing with SCW?”
With, once again, that annoying smile, she shifted the microphone over my way.
“Well, you see Pussy, I walked into Mr. Underwood’s office and signed this gorgeous piece of paper that had all these bullshit statements saying how SCW is pleased to have me with them and stating some half ass rules. Signed my signature and I’m here.”
Willow pressed her lips together in irritation as I simply shot the same senseless smile back at her. She nodded her head, seemingly shaking my mockery off once again and continued on.
“What are your personal thoughts about SCW?”
“It’s boring. Hence why I was signed; to spice shit up. No female here has taken this company by the balls and really juggled them, you know? Sure you have that one chick…Brooklyn, I believe and some other chick whose last name is a Johnny Cash song; they’re doing something with themselves. Great. But they’re still pretty fucking lack luster.”
“Odette Ryder is our Bombshell Champion, Vista…”
“And that means what? Absolutely nothing. It’s not the top title here, so why would I care about her ass and what gold she has slung up on her shoulder? Look, I’m not the one to trash talk people I’m not even facing, I simply mentioned her because she’s doing something with herself that’s productive in some way. Next question. And make it quick…I have chocolate dipped strawberries and a rello to get back to…”
“…Of course you do. What are your feelings coming into tonight’s match?”
“You know, I love not knowing who I’m facing; how they perform as competitors in the ring. It gives me a chance to focus solely on myself and how I’m going to kick said opponent’s skulls in. Shall I do it gently? Or with aggression? Either way, their asses are getting tossed out the ring in shame. Tonight should be simple. I’m not promising a win; though one hell of a performance will be given and shown to those backstage of lesser abilities. Take note, dolls. Most of you need to, anyway…”
That infamous grin spread itself across my face again as I winked towards the camera. Before exiting the scene, however, I had to give Miss Willow a decent farewell. Grabbing her by her chin hostilely, my lips locked with hers, engaging in a steamy kiss before shoving her away; making her stumble a bit as one of the crew members caught her. Her eyebrows came together in a puzzled manner, licking her lips to savoring what sweet success tasted like.
