Chapter 19: The art bof trying not to snap
My eyes fluttered open, I didn’t want to get up. My entire body hurt. It had been two days after the triple threat match, two days after losing a championship I put so much time and effort into, losing a title I tried to make matter. And even though the woman who now held it deserved a chance to make it mean something and deserved respect…
The fact I lost without losing had made me angry in a way I wasn’t expecting.
The usual aches and pains from the match seemed amplified by the anger and frustration.
The night before I had laid in an ice bath, staring at the ceiling as I waited for the pain and inflammation to fade away, pulling myself out of the elevated porcelain tub I looked at myself in the mirror, studying my body in detail. Looking over every single red patch, light yellow and purple bruises dotted parts of me. I couldn’t help but laugh. I was in the best physical shape of my life, just entering what they call “wrestlers prime”. An age where your body was mature enough to match up with all the experience you had been able to gather.
I should be at the top of the card. Dominating everyone. But instead I was standing naked in my bathroom, studying my body like it was a roadmap of failure.
I was spiralling.
Laying in bed and watching the sunlight creep in. I didn’t want to get up, I didn’t want to face the day. I didn’t want to exist. But, I pulled myself up, sliding to the floor and standing up. I needed coffee, I needed food. I threw a shirt on and opened the door, moving down the hallway to the kitchen. It was quiet. I don’t think anyone else was home. Although, in this giant apartment we were largely able to stay out of each others way.
I flicked on the coffee machine, putting a capsule in and placing my cup under the spout. It was strange, not seeing Dikcie and Aiden being idiots, seeing Kallie trying so hard to be loving and supportive while resisting the urge to slap Aiden. Or seeing Miles sitting in the corner, texting Carter. It was good not seeing Finn, not because I had a problem with him, but because wherever he was she would follow.
And I was happy to not see Emi-
”Oh Hi you’re up!”
Fuck
It was like a stone dropped from my heart to the pit of my stomach, I was at home, alone, with the bubblehead. Finn had asked me to be nice to her, to tolerate her. And I had been trying. Trying so hard to just grin through all the anger I had. I turned to face her and gave a small nod before pouring the milk in to my coffee. I leaned against the kitchen counter, trying to put it across that I clearly wasn’t in the mood to talk or play nice. Even Tasmin had tried to give me the same advice, just to kill her with kindness.
However, all I wanted to do was the first part of that little saying. She moved around and gave a little hum tossing one of her teabags into a cup. It was tea, or so it said. But it smelled like a fruit candy, strawberry mixed with sugar or high fructose corn syrup. My stomach turned. My mother would have tossed those things out and scolded Emily for thinking this was, in any way, shape or form tea.
Emily smiled faintly and cleared her throat. ”How are you feeling Kayla?”
”Fine”
I was blunt. Sharp. As straight as I could be. I’d like to thinki she would get the hint. Everyone else would. Everyone else would feel the icy glare or feel the sharpness of my tongue and know it was time to simply back away. But not her. Not this twit who had invaded my life. ”Are you sure? Finny said you might be cranky…you know…since you lost and didn’t have a title anymore.”
I took a deep breath, I closed my eyes and took a sip of my coffee. It was ok, she doesn’t understand the stupidity of the things that come out of her mouth. I can forgive stupidity. Or so I told myself.”I’m sore, I’m tired…but I’ll be fine.” I took another sip and cracked my neck. Emily gave another nod and for a split second, for a fleeting, glorious, happy moment. I thought she got it.
I was wrong.
”Ahh, ok, good I guess. Finny was wrong then, he said it meant so much to you and he said you’d probably be down. But if it’s fine I guess I was right and it didn’t matter…” She gave a small hum and sipped her fruit flavored abomination.
I ground my teeth together and that seemed to be the last straw. That one little comment at the end. That it didn’t matter. ”Well, it did matter. It does matter. But I don’t feel the need or want to talk to you about it, since you don’t know what it’s like. To be a champion, to know you’re better and to prove it, then to have it taken away. Finn..he knows…so if I wanted to talk to anyone about it. Well.” I moved forward, a small smiled coming across my lips. ”It would be with him…in private..”
She seemed shocked, I finished my coffee and breezed past her, I could feel it, her eyes burning through my back. She was angry, she was offended. And I didn’t care. I was done playing nice with her. With this whole situation. And now, she was going to see that there is one rule above all you have to follow.
Don’t fuck with Kayla Richards
Rematch.
”Sweet dreams are made of these…”
She chuckles. Whether or not she was referencing the original or, more than likely the cover by Marilyn Manson is not known. What is known is that there seems to be something different about Kayla. Maybe it was some confidence missing. Maybe it was an anger or frustration inside her.
”So, here I am, Titleless. A fact that I am sure so many of you are happy with. A fact that Ariana Angelos has been so happy about, despite the fact she was the one who lost. Not me. She was the one who let herself get beaten by Melissa. She was the one who didn’t fight hard enough, who didn’t want it bad ernough. But, I am not completely blameless. See, I failed too, I failed to stop the madness. I failed to stop Melissa from beating Ariana. I failed to keep the match going and I failed to win.”
“But, I still watched my title reign end because of someone else. Six months of blood, msweat and tears. Six months of being the Internet champion and showing the world what mattered. Six months of dragging that title up to prestige after the muck it was left in.”
“I did that. Me. And it was ended all because someone was in the match who did not deserve to be. And I get it. Some of you, usually friends of Ariana, are probably tired of hearing it. But it’s just facts. She shouldn’t have been in the match. I beat her, I amended her. And in the end what happened? I told the world she was a liability. That she would cost me and then the company and she did…”
“And now we all have to pay for it.”
“The saddest part about all this, is if I was beaten one on one, by Melissa, well I would be fine with it. But we were robbed of that big moment. Robbed of me going into a match as the champion and her as the challenger to settle it. We had a third wheel, a squeaky wheel who ended up falling over because she simply couldn’t hold the weight.”
Kayla growls and folds her arms over her chest. She wears a black biker jacket, tight black skinny jeans, converse and a black and red band shirt featuring a logo that is close to impossible to read.
”And now, here we are. I was ready to move on. As a two time Internet champion and someone who restored the title to the prestige it needed after the dark times of “she who shall not be named lest she whine on twitter and threaten a comeback”, I wanted to step up. Not to the roulette title mind you, as that would be a step down, not up. So, I wanted to start off strong, maybe go for the Bombshells title…”
“But, instead, because of people doubting Melissa could beat me one on onje and only won because of Ariana, we have to run it back.”
“Now, I know what you’re all thinking.
“You all think I’m going to agree right? Say that Melissa can’t beat me. That she got lucky? No, no I’m noit. See, she already proved she was better than a lot of people gave her credit for. Shit, I showed her respect. And trust me on this, that rarely happens. So the whole reason this match hasd to happen, the whole reason why Melissa has to defend that title against me and the whole reason why I am going to get a chance is because of Ariana…”
“Admittedly I should of had a shot anyway..”
She chuckles and rolls her eyes.
”I held the title over a hundred days, I showed you all what a champion should be. I should of had that rematch in my pocket, but I was prepared to walk away. To let Melissa have her time in the sun and to be Internet champion. See, she could beat me, she has it in her. She could be the champion for a long time. But, now I feel the need to prove a point. I feel the need to stand up and say that Ariana was the reason I lost, Ariana was the reason Melissa won and to take that title back. As much as I respect what Melissa is capable of I think maybe some of you have had the wrong idea…”
“I can beat Melissa…”
“I can beat anybody.”
“And this week…I prove it..”
