“Rock bottom conclusion”
Three days later he sits on the edge of his bed, with nothing but the flickering TV and faltering air con unit for company. He’s had the phone cradled in his hand for near on twenty minutes now, staring down at it like he"s waiting for it to ring.
He knows it won’t.
She isn't going to call.
Why would she?
How could she know?
He clenches his fist around it for five more seconds, the plastic creaking under his grip – five, four, three - last chance – two, c’mon, please -- one -- and lets it drop to the carpet. The plane ticket sits on the bedside table, promising so much its almost impossible to believe. He fishes his wallet out of his pocket and counts the money he has left, cursing his temper and suddenly missing that thirty dollars. He doesn't have enough to pay for his room another night.
Pretending that’s what did it, and not that he’d known from the second Michael offered, Ryan starts to pack his things. Stuffs a toothbrush, a few spare clothes and his gym gear into a black duffel bag and realises that’s all he owns. Feeling like something out of a cheap novel, he swings the bag over his shoulder and snatches the plane ticket up into his hand. Folds it in his wallet. He leaves the room, closes the door quietly behind him and doesn’t look back.
A cab to McCarran International Airport takes the last of his real money.
And a phone call to Michael takes the rest.
“Hello?" His voice is so low it’s like the phone shakes with it. Ryan thinks maybe he"s woken him up.
"I’m at the airport."
A few seconds of silence.
"I’m very glad to hear that."
"Really, you sound like you don’t give a shit," He looks around, in the warm dusk, at the lights and the people and knows he won't miss it.
Michael laughs softly. "I had faith in you. What time d’you land?"
"6am."
"Okay. I can pick you up from the airport, I’ll be outside." Ryan hears him yawn and the rustle of sheets. Sees him stretching in the dark or rubbing his eyes and feels bad for keeping him awake.
"Just sight-seeing, right?" I’m putting all my faith in you and I don’t know why -
"Right," He hears the smile in Michael"s voice.
"I gotta go. Check in time."
"Sure. Anyone you wanna call, let them know where you"re going? Better do it now."
Ryan reads between the lines and sees because you might not get another chance.
"I got no one to call."
The saddest words he’s ever said come out of his mouth and it's like the world opens up on him and he falls. He feels sick. Michael starts to say something back but the phone runs out of quarters and the line goes dead.
Ryan hangs up and rubs his face, trying to clear his head. Something about this feels so final, and he hasn’t had time to say goodbye. Not to Vegas. Not the heat. But to this life. Maybe to himself.New beginnings are around the corner, and this time Ryan was going to take a chance to make something of himself. To prove that he can do more than just fight for his next meal.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Everything happens for a reason. And the events that happened in the past year had lead to this very moment in time. For a future wrestling star 2016 had been rough. Since joining the roster of SCW he’s been through the wringer a few more times that he would have liked. From suffering his first lost in his debut to winning back his credibility has a wrestler in a spotty way through numerous matches, Ryan Keys has fought all year to get a chance to be recognized as a true competitor. And his hunt to get gold has risen yet again.
"Hot Stuff" Mark Ward has believed in Ryan, probably one of few that do. He’s given him enough chances to go for the gold and yet none have been successful. It doesn’t matter if his failures come from outside interference or from his own wrong doings Keys takes the losses and moves on. Within him his fighter side begs to be released, and on the first Climax control of 2017 he might actually unleash it. On this coming main event these two men will kick off the year right, and at the end changes may happen.
Las Vegas Nevada, outside Cox Pavilion.
New Years eve 11:45pm
Ryan Keys was stood outside in the arena. He had been enjoying his time off for the holiday back home in Vegas, and so far things kept getting better. Since before the celebrations began Ryan had been training for this moment. He was prepared to step up and deliver on what he started back in Reno Nevada when he pinned Stave Ramone for his shot at the title. Keys was aware that the odds were stacked against him but he'd never back down from a fight. He never had so he wasn't going to start now. He smiled but only slightly as he looked at the camera in front of him.
Ryan Keys: “A few weeks ago i faced off against Steve Ramone and won. It sounds pretty simple for me to understand, I mean I am a wrestler. But the win came as a surprise to many people. Thankfully that worked in my advantage and I fed off my buzz by training for half my holiday. Because the higher ups noticed that I was ready to take on Steve for his title and it brings us to where we are now. I am facing the very beatable Steve Ramone for the Roulette championship. Steve being the man known to screw things around here has managed to screw himself for letting me get this chance. And in this new year some changes are in order. Because what is a main event without something shocking happening in the end?”
He questioned before shaking his head a few seconds later.
Ryan Keys:” A bore, and SCW is not about to kick off the year with a snooze fest. “
“I refuse to have that happen. I’ve rarely been part of the main event and I am not gonna screw this up for myself. Because I am ready, I can do this. Nobody can really say that I can’t at this point. Steve can't just claim that I am not ready because nobody knows that. This is a fresh start, a new beginning for things to come. Though I can say that this year is not ready for the type of match Ryan Keys and Steve Ramone will bring…. Maybe a few other will appear I don’t know, but we can’t all say that I don’t have a chance. “
“I don't know what the new year holds for me. Maybe if I don’t win this match, which I doubt, but if I do I might be setting my sights on say the SCW Heavyweight champion ship, or if I do win I need to show something new as a champion. Either way, I'm putting all negativity aside for this and I'm going to step up and deliver this week whether that ends in my biggest victory to date or my biggest failure. Still, I'm not holding back. You'll see the best of me, whether that means me sacrificing myself to get ahead or just generally getting my ass kicked. Maybe a bit of both but either way, I am expecting a fight, I also expect to get screwed over and ambushed but I’d like to think of the fighting better.”
Ryan squared himself up to the camera a little.
Ryan Keys: “Now my thoughts on Steve… crazy. And I am not talking about his mental state he’s just crazy in general. Which ticks me off a little bit when we get compared. But I know that he can give you a full list of reasons why we are different. Expect words like ‘screw’, ‘sex’ and ‘porn’ to be repeated over and over though. Because that’s how he seems to be rolling right now. Ever heard of midlife crisis? Yeah that’s Steve Ramone for you. “
“Sure, Steve is a champion right now. I am not. That’s a huge difference between us. But I do have a few wins over him so that counts for something. He is beatable. I just need to do it again. Can’t be that hard. “
“And okay, Steve does also have more overall victories to my name but that has only been through other methods, if we can call it that. And Like a seasoned wrestler he has fought to where he is now, forgetting his underhanded ways. I admire that. “
He shook that off and spoke up after just a few seconds of silence.
Ryan Keys: “But besides all that I can still beat Steve. And here is why. Steve is a phenomenal wrestler, and I use that term loosely like kaylee. Ramone can actually vouch for that. But Ramone is very old school. Sure he can do nice flips but so can half the roster. Thankfully for me I’ve gotten to see right through that, and by wrestling some of the new guys around I can do some stuff in the ring that he would have no idea of what to do. Also keeping him grounded has worked in the past and I don’t see an old dog learning new tricks.”
“Now as for me, putting aside my passion, determination, technical prowess and that weird thing that I do where I can be bent in any way possible and not submit, I am still a guy that can learn. And I am putting everything I have learned into this match. Because there is a reason why I am in this main event. I got talent. And it’s taken me a hell of a shorter time to get this high in my career that Steven…. Just saying.”
Ryan shrugged his shoulders.
Ryan Keys: “So Steve, I'm ready to go! I'll show you what I can and prove that I can finally make something of myself and not just almost get there. I’ve been given this chance for a reason and I am not going to waste it. This new year is where Ryan Keys shines more than ever. So wrap up that Roulette championship nicely for me. Because it’s time for someone to hold it with respect. And that might as well be me.”
He chose to leave things there as he walked away from the camera and the scene. He knew he's beaten Steve before, but the outside interference still dwelled deep in his mind. Skill alone will win him the match, h knows that. But he’s battling more than one person in this match, and that takes more strategy than Ryan has ever had to think of for a match. It was a strange feeling, but if all this planning pays off he might have to start doing it more often.Though he’ll still find a way to win this match… somehow.
