Family Ties
The Sand Dollar
Las Vegas, Nevada
The rain was coming down hard enough to make the pavement hiss. Sixty-seven degrees, damp and dark, the kind of night Las Vegas rarely bothered with. Mika walked with her hands shoved into her jacket pockets, hair damp and clinging to her jaw as she crossed the cracked parking lot toward The Sand Dollar, a small, half-forgotten dive bar tucked between a tattoo parlor and a shuttered pawn shop.
The neon sign buzzed overhead, flickering blue through the rain. The door creaked when she pushed it open, and a wave of sound rolled out — low laughter, the clatter of pool balls, a jukebox whispering some old Tom Petty song about running down a dream. The air smelled like beer and damp wood, cigarette smoke caught in the rafters. It was familiar in the way only bad lighting and cheap whiskey could be.
She spotted Ally near the back, hunched over a high-top table, a beer sweating onto a napkin beside her.
Ally looked up when she saw her, the faintest grin cutting through the dim. “Hey, look who decided to crawl out of her cave.”
“Couldn’t sleep,” Mika said, shrugging out of her damp jacket. “Figured I’d come haunt you.”
“It’s good to see you.” She offered a seat. “Congrats on your match last week. And welcome to Sin City Wrestling.” She held her drink. “Sorry it took me so long to bring it up. I was back here in Vegas.”
Mika shrugged and sat down, ordering herself a whiskey. “Thanks.” She swallowed it down in one gulp before ordering another. “Never thought I would see you living in the desert.”
She took a moment to think about it. She had moved to Vegas, a place she had never thought of moving to herself. “If you had told me a year ago that I’d be moving out here, I would have called you crazy. But I don’t know how to explain it. He made room in his life for us and it feels right.”
Mika glanced over, “Made room?” She asked, “That doesn’t sound right.” She grumbled into her drink. “So…you catching the red eye to Cali?”
“That’s not how I meant..” She sighed. “He made room in his place for us to move in.. you know.” Rolling her eyes. “I forgot I gotta be literal with you.” She laughed. “Yeah I am. I had to have a conversation with Ash. But there’s also something else I need to ask you. And feel free to say no. You’ve always had my back and you know I appreciate it.” Taking a drink of the beer in front of her she looked over at her best friend for as long as she could remember, her sister in law. “There’s a bounty on my head from Vincent Lyons JR. And I need you to have my back if shit goes down. LJ and Miles, they can’t get involved if another Bombshell chooses to take that offer. There’s rules against that in SCW.”
Mika smirked and her eyes flashed dangerously. “They will never find her…or him if it really comes to it.” She looked over at Ally, “You never needed to ask.”
“Hey, I know my best friend, it’s better to ask.” She gave her a laugh. “The next round is on me.” She motioned for the bartender. “So tell me, what’s it like having the estate now?”
Mika groaned, “Too damn big. But I can avoid Damien for days if he really pisses me off so — silver lining.”
Alexandra laughed softly. “It was a big house with just Ash and I honestly. So I get it.” She took a large drink of her beer. “Hey at least there’s a massive library and you could always get some cows and horses out there. But I’m glad you all are settling in.”
The two friends spend time together drinking and catching up.
Flash of Glitter
Anaheim Convention Center
Anaheim, California
Anaheim, California, a place with some of the best memories for people. Disneyland being one of them, however, she wasn’t here for a trip to Disneyland with LJ and Ashlynn. No, this time she was here to fight against someone she had seen working her ass off in the industry. Candy. The camera fades in on Alexandra who is standing in front of a colorful fountain. Her eyes are solemn and fixed on the camera.
“Dear sweet little Princess in Pink Candy, our fun loving, glittery fairy. It seems that we must cross paths finally. I knew this day would come and we would find ourselves standing across the ring from each other. It’s a shock that it’s taken this long to happen, considering how we’ve gravitated in the same companies for years. It’s about time a company took you and showed you off, the way you deserve to be.”
She sits by one of the fountains and smiles brightly. Candy was a breath of fresh air, considering the looming bounty on her head. It was only a matter of time before one of the lovely ladies of Sin City Wrestling's Bombshell division, took Vincent up on that little offer. Cash for the head of Alexandra Calaway, what is this the Wild Wild West?
“Now this match comes at a dark time for me. At least I know you aren’t the type of woman to take a bribe from a mad man. You are far too good for that. Far too honest. Far too fair. But that’s the price you pay sometimes for doing the right thing. What can I say, I was protecting my man and Lyons took offense to it. I’d do it a thousand times over. If it comes down to it, I’ve taken out my own insurance policy. But enough about that, let’s get back to matters at hand, like us.”
She paused, looking into the shimmering water, the lights changing colors, dancing across her features. It was clear that she was lost in thought of the impending doom.
“I’m actually looking forward to this match. I’ve always wanted to be in that ring against you, since the first moment I saw you wrestle. I knew that it would get here eventually. In this business it’s only a matter of time. I’m excited to face you Candy, honestly, just glad that it's the opening round of the tournament. Which means we both have a golden opportunity ahead of us, all one of us needs to do, is win. And while I’d love to step back and go ahead, congratulate you. I simply cannot do that. I want you to know that no matter what goes on out there, be it the mysterious attacker that is lurking in the wings, just waiting for the right moment to strike, or the glitter I know you love to carry in your pockets, I plan on walking out the winner.”
Another quick moment of silence passes as Alexandra takes another breath. Everything seemed to be crashing out, but she had her resilience. Even after a string of losses, she had managed to pull one out with LJ by her side. Now it was time for her to prove that win wasn’t just a fluke. She was ready to get back on the pathway to the gold.
“It’s better this way, because now I get to see what you can do first hand. And you get to spend time fighting against someone you say you look up to. It’s a win/win for both of us, even if we lose, we got a memory to carry with us in the end. See you on Sunday Candy. Afterwards, we’ll get some cotton candy and hang out.”
She gives the camera a two finger salute before walking away into the crisp Anaheim night, into the waiting arms of LJ Kasey.
