SCW Boards
Roleplay Boards => Character Building Roleplays => Topic started by: Natalie McKinley on August 26, 2015, 05:33:22 PM
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Shortly after the cameras have stopped rolling, and Summer XXXTreme III has gone off the air, Simon Jones staggers through the curtains, into the backstage area, clearly still feeling the effects of what he went through in the main event. He is quickly approached by his friend Jason O'Neil.
Jason: 'Simon!'
Simon puts his right hand on Jason's left shoulder, to steady himself.
Simon: 'Jase, what happened out there? I had Kain in position to finish him off, but then someone, or something, hit me from behind, and next thing I know, the match is over, and I'm looking up at the lights.'
Jason: 'It was Natalie!'
Simon frowns.
Simon: 'What was Natalie?'
Jason: 'She was the one that struck you, just as you were about to put Kain away; she hit you with a chair - she was the one that cost you your chance to regain the title.'
Simon shakes his head, not wanting to believe what Jason is telling him.
Simon: 'No, she w...she...why would she do that?'
Simon grimaces, but not because of any physical pain - it as a facial expression brought on by a sense of betrayal.
Jason: 'I don't know, but I would certainly like to have a few words with her.'
Simon nods his head.
Simon: 'Okay.'
He then takes his hand off Jason's shoulder.
Simon: 'I know which cabin she's staying in.'
Jason: 'Well then, let's go and see if we can find her.'
Simon leads the way, as he and Jason head off towards Natalie's cabin.
Simon and Jason are now on a lower deck of the Sun Princess, as they search for Natalie McKinley; not waiting to waste time changing out of his ring attire, Simon has instead just put on a t-shirt. As the pair near Natalie's cabin, Simon points towards a door.
Simon: 'That's the one, there.'
Simon knocks on the door.
Simon: 'Natalie?'
A couple of seconds pass by, without a response; Simon knocks on the cabin door again.
Simon: 'Natalie, I just want to talk to you.'
Jason is bemused at the softly-softly approach that Simon is taking.
Jason: 'Stand aside.'
Simon does as he is told; Jason does not so much knock on the door, as he does bang on it.
Jason: 'We know you're in there, Natalie! Open this door! After the stunt that you just pulled, you've got some explaining to do!'
Simon: 'Alright, Jase - calm down; we don't want someone to call security.'
There is still no response from inside the cabin; Jason turns to Simon.
Jason: 'What if she's not in there?'
Simon: 'Well, even if she isn't in there now, she'll have to come back here at some point, to collect her belongings before she leaves the ship.'
Simon quickly glances at the cabin door, before looking back to Jason.
Simon: 'Of the two of us, Natalie's more likely to talk to me; you go and have a drink - I'll stay here and wait it out.'
Jason: 'Okay, Simon; I'll see you later.'
While Jason walks off, Simon turns back towards the cabin; he then sits down on the floor, with this back against the door, as the wait begins.
The following morning, Simon is still sat outside Natalie's cabin, although he is now slumped forward, after having dozed off; Simon is woken from his slumber, when the door behind him opens. Upon seeing that Simon is sat outside her cabin, Natalie goes to close the door - however, Simon is alert enough to stick a foot out, to prevent her from doing so; keeping his foot in the door, Simon then pushes himself up.
Simon: 'Come on, Natalie - let me in. Jason isn't here, it's just me.'
After a few seconds, Natalie relents, and allows Simon enter her cabin. Simon closes the door behind him, and then turns to face Natalie, who has now taken a seat on her bed; Simon remains stood.
Simon: 'Why did you do it, Natalie?'
Saying nothing, Natalie buries her head in her hands.
Simon: 'After everything that I've done for you, I think the least you can do is give me an explanation.'
Natalie then raises her head, to look at Simon.
Natalie: 'You're going to play that card now? You've always played down what you did for me.'
Simon: 'I want an explanation from you, for what you did last night, so yeah, I'm choosing to play that card now.'
Simon sighs, before repeating his question.
Simon: 'Why did you do it, Natalie?'
Natalie looks down at the floor, again not giving Simon an answer.
Simon: 'Why, Natalie?'
Simon takes a step towards Natalie, and raises the tone of his voice slightly.
Simon: 'Why did you do it?'
Natalie looks back up at Simon, with tears in her eyes.
Natalie: 'Because I have a gambling addiction.'
Simon is dumbfounded.
Simon: 'You what?'
Natalie: 'I have a gambling addiction.'
Simon: 'Wha...'
Simon's sentence trails off, unsure of how to react to this revelation; he exhales, before speaking again.
Simon: 'How long has this been going on for?'
Natalie: 'For several months.'
Simon pulls up a chair, and sits down opposite Natalie.
Simon: 'And how did it start?'
Natalie wipes the tears from her eyes.
Natalie: 'It started as a way for me to occupy my time, while I was away from home, in whatever city I happened to be wrestling in that weekend. I would go back to the hotel, after having finished my workout, and then I would need something to do to kill time - something to entertain myself.'
Simon: 'And so you turned to gambling?'
Natalie nods her head.
Natalie: 'At first, I was gambling in online casinos. And I did okay - or at least, I won more than I lost. After a while, though, I started betting on sports, and...'
Simon interrupts Natalie, as he recalls an incident from May.
Simon: 'I've just thought of something: a few months ago, I saw you leaving the William Hill on St Mary Street - I think you told me that Jack had bet on Chelsea to win the Premier League, and that you had been in there to collect his winnings for him; it wasn't Jack that had placed a bet, was it? It was you.'
Natalie nods again.
Natalie: 'I can't tell you what the bet was - it could have been one of any number of bets, although it definitely wasn't on Chelsea winning the Premier League.'
Natalie sighs, before continuing.
Natalie: 'Again, I was winning more than I was losing, and so things were alright. But then I came into contact with an illegal bookie, who could offer better odds, and would take bigger stakes. And that was when my problems began.'
There is another sigh from Natalie.
Natalie: 'I started losing bets more often, and so I started betting even more, chasing my losses.'
Ashamed, Natalie looks down at the floor.
Natalie: 'I thought I could handle it, but before I knew it, I owed a lot of money to men nasty enough that they would even put the wind up Jason. And so they gave me two choices: a wheelchair for life, or I had to fix a championship match.'
Simon: 'They knew you were a wrestler, then?'
Natalie nods once more.
Natalie: 'It seemed they knew everything about me - including that I was friends with a former SCW Heavyweight Champion, who was still entitled to a return match for the title.'
Natalie lifts her head, to look Simon in the eye.
Natalie: 'They told me that I had to convince you to return to SCW, and get you to exercise your right to a return match for the title. But it wasn't until last night, just prior to the main event, that they told me what result they wanted: most people were betting on either you or Sean Jackson, so I had to fix it so that Kain won.'
Natalie becomes tearful again.
Natalie: 'So when you had Kain in position for your finisher, I had to do something to prevent you from winning. And fortunately for me, with Sean Jackson still down, Kain was able to fully capitalise on what I did to you, there and then.'
Natalie begins to sob.
Natalie: 'I'm sorry, Simon - I'm so, so sorry. I never meant for things to end up like this.'
Simon responds in a gentle tone of voice.
Simon: I know, Natalie - I know.'
Simon gets up from his chair, and steps closer to Natalie.
Simon: 'And when we get off this ship, and get back to Cardiff, I'm going to see to it that you get help.'
Simon places a comforting hand on Natalie's shoulder, and as Natalie smiles meekly at Simon, the scene fades to black.