[Mikah]

"TIME TO TALK."
LOCATION: SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
DAYS UNTIL CLIMAX CONTROL: 4
EXCITEMENT LEVEL: MEDIUM
SCENE i
REC•

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19, 2020
1:05 A.M.

She had left the kitchen light on after grabbing herself a bottle of water and a blueberry bagel. She knew that she wasn’t going to be eating most of the bagel if any at all but it was nice for her to have the option. She sits down on the couch and sets the toasted bagel with butter on it on the coffee table before pulling her legs up into a criss-cross position underneath of her. She grabs the bottle of water and takes a drink as she just stares at the television in front of her that was turned off. She lets out a breath that she hadn’t realized that she had been holding.

It had been almost three weeks since she had been in California and it appeared that Kris hadn’t even realized that she had been gone. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, really. She had thought that maybe he would have realized she and the kids were gone but apparently she wasn’t important enough. She sighs and takes another drink of her water before slouching down into the couch.

She had been back in the Chicago area to finalize her divorce with Drake and to let him spend some time with Myles. She hadn’t been the best at that lately and she wasn’t looking forward to the shared custody, even though she was sure she’d have Myles more than Drake as he was always off doing whatever he wanted without any repercussions. It bothered her that he could just shake off his responsibility as Myles’ father and she took a deep breath, hoping to stop any tears that were going to fall down her face. It made her sad to think that at this moment in time, she was more of a single parent than she had been when Leighton was an infant. And Leighton hadn’t known her biological father for several years. They hadn’t even touched the custody part of the divorce, Mikah had only assumed that she’d get the primary custody of him and what not. She wasn’t worried about the child support, because she had enough money to support herself and probably six other kids. She just wanted Myles to have his father. She sighs and lets her eyes drift shut and lets her mind slip back to the summer of 2018

FLASHBACK TO JUNE 2018


The ride from the arena to the airport in the back of Alphonso’s limousine was tense and quiet. They managed to get along when they ate Panda Express with Despy but they went radio silent the moment the limousine doors closed. And now they were at the airport getting ready to board the jet.

;;MIKAH  “Thanks Alphonso. See you in Georgia.”

Alphonso smiles and nods his head as Mikah gathers her things and gets out of the limousine. She lets Kris lead but still keeps the radio silence thing going.  She follows him up the steps and into the jet, letting the airplane people take care of her luggage and stuff. 

She looks around the jet before sitting down in a chair and looking out the window. She hated take off and wasn't looking forward to it. They both seem to be okay with the silence or maybe he knew if he pushed she'd walk off the plane and get a ticket on a commercial jet.

In roughly ten minutes, they were in the air and at a pretty high altitude where it was safe for them to move about.

Mikah looks over at Kris before looking back out the window. 

;;MIKAH “Happy birthday.”

She says it quietly but loud enough for him to hear. He drops his phone into his lap and looks up at the clock on the wall. With a light shake of his head, he replies.

±±KRIS RYANS “Nah, a couple more hours until it is today in San Diego. I don't celebrate until it is my birthday there. Today is just Sunday.”

He pushes up from his seat and moves across the cabin to the full size bar set up near the wings. He walks around it and pulls the top off of the blender on the counter before going through the cabinets below.

±±KRIS RYANS “I am going to make a drink though, and there's definitely enough alcohol here for you if you want something.”

Each time he comes up from the cabinets, it is to drop a handful of something into the blender. The first few are ice, but fruit was soon to follow. Everything from oranges, to pineapples, and mangoes got tossed in, pre-sliced by the crew that got the plane ready. It was the best of of taking it for Kris.

±±KRIS RYANS “Not saying you have to..”

She looks over at him and shrugs her shoulders as she runs her fingers through her still damp hair. She then pulls it back to a messy bun before pulling her knees up to her chest.

;;MIKAH  “I'm good.”

She bites her bottom lip, thinking about the night’s events. She rubs her cheeks a bit before glancing at him.

;;MIKAH  “I wouldn't want to go overboard and have it…”

She stops though and doesn't finish her sentence before checking her phone and then putting it away, not wanting to deal with any more tweets.

±±KRIS RYANS “Suit yourself…”

He puts the lid back on top of the blender with a shrug, and turns it on. The blades shred everything inside, creating a bright orange colored smoothie. Kris pulls one of the glasses from the bar and pours half of the contents into the cup before returning the blender to its stand.

±±KRIS RYANS “Congrats on winning your title back. Apparently I get to interview you next week.”

He says the words as he passes by her, but continues to the back of the cabin. There is a small doorway in the back wall, and he gives the door a light push. The space inside was small, but contained a bed, small bathroom, and what he was looking for. He pulls a chair away from the desk in the corner of the room, and sits down at it. Kris digs through his pockets, tossing things into the drawer of the desk before trying some of his drink. He makes a spectacle of it, making sure Mikah could hear him smack his lips and let out a sigh of relief after drinking someone.

±±KRIS RYANS “That is delicious…”

She glances in his direction and rolls her eyes.  She drums her fingers against the arm of the chair, trying her best to ignore him. She looks out the window again, watching the night sky underneath them.

;;MIKAH  “I am sure that it is delicious.”

She simply shrugs her shoulders as she stands up and adjusts her Nike leggings before walking back to the area he was in and leans against the doorframe, looking at him.

;;MIKAH  “I thought you didn't drink? Should I be telling…”

But her voice fades off because most of her friends were friends with him as well.  Except her husband but she still hadn't decided how to approach that subject.

;;MIKAH  “And yes you do. I am sure you already have a lot of questions that you want to ask.”

She looks at him then at his drink. He point at the drink while shooting a condescending look her direction.

±±KRIS RYANS “No alcohol in this one. It is just fruit and ice. That stuff out there is Jay's thing, not mine. You drink. It's rude not to offer.”

He did not really seem interested in the same pleasantries they had shown each other while others were around. There was no need to pretend when it was just the two of them.

±±KRIS RYANS “I am sure they could find someone better to interview you though. I'm not Pussy Willow or that other one with the even dumber name.”

She rolls her eyes.

;;MIKAH  “But that's not what the bosses want so.”

She just shrugs her shoulders before tugging off her hoodie and tossing it aside to reveal her turquoise tank top that shows the straps to her pink bra.

;;MIKAH  “I do drink.”

She moves over and sits on the bed, crossing her ankles and watching him. 

;;MIKAH  “But I'm trying not to as much. The experience of May 27th is enough for a while.”

She takes a deep breath before laying back on the bed. She stares up at the ceiling of the plane.

;;MIKAH  “You know...I probably upset a pregnant woman today.”

She lifts her head to look at him.

;;MIKAH  “I blame you.”

He takes a small book out of the desk and thumbs through it to an empty page.

±±KRIS RYANS “Well I apologized for eating teddy bear shaped cookies and wore a dumb shirt, so we are even.”

It takes a few moments of searching through the drawers but he finds a pen and starts writing on the first blank page. The first few lines come easy, but he has to put more thought into it as he goes.

±±KRIS RYANS “...but I guess that means Chelsea's test was positive.”

Mikah nods her head.

;;MIKAH  “Yep.”

She doesn't say anything else for a minute or so before she can hear the pen scratching on the paper.  She gets up and walks over to him and peers over his shoulder.

;;MIKAH  “What are you writing?”

He makes no move to hide the book, and she finds the answer to her own question when she looks down at it. At the top was the date, and what followed looked like a list of notes about conversations he had, and things to remember. Her name is mentioned more than a few times, as well as both Chelsea's and Despayre’s.

±±KRIS RYANS “I have trouble remembering things sometimes. It's been something I have been doing since I came back with Jay. It helps me keep everything straight when it gets fuzzy.”

He laughs as he finishes out the last few important details of the day and closes the book before she can finish reading.

±±KRIS RYANS “It's not something I like to advertise.”

Mikah just looks at him before shrugging her shoulders, not judging him.

;;MIKAH  “It's not like I have anybody to tell anyways.”

She looks down at him before taking a deep breath and moving back over to the bed.

;;MIKAH  “Besides you. And maybe Leighton. Despy probably wouldn't understand.”

He shrugs and tosses the book into the desk.

±±KRIS RYANS “Anyone that gets punched in the face for a living should understand. You think Mercedes is getting her ass beaten and remembering all those stats off hand?”

He rolls his eyes at the thought. It made him feel better to think that everyone had the same problems that he did. Isolating himself only ever made things worse.

±±KRIS RYANS “You apparently have a whole horde of students and a husband to add to that list. Also probably Simon.”

Mikah smirks.

;;MIKAH  “Jealous that Simon was on my Twitter bio as my best friend before you were?”

She tosses a pillow at him.

;;MIKAH  “The husband doesn't give a shit.”

He picks up his drink, and drinks almost until the point of brain freeze just to put off having to answer her. Once he lowers the glass, he focuses more on it than trying to answer her question.

±±KRIS RYANS “It doesn't really matter. I should have really paid attention to how I made this though because it might be the best I have ever done.”

She rolls her eyes at him before standing up and wiggling a bit to adjust her leggings.

;;MIKAH  “What do you pay attention to? Other than the championship title picture. And Coby.”

She walks out of the bedroom area of the plane and over to the mini fridge and pulls the door open to grab herself a bottle of water. He spins around in the chair, looking out the doorway.

±±KRIS RYANS “Oh, so you are pissed off that Chelsea knew about your nearly permanent vacation. I get it now.”

She rolls her eyes as she takes a drink of the water. She closes her eyes for a moment before sitting down in one of the chairs. She screws the cap back on her bottle of water and deliberately chooses not to answer him about that.

;;MIKAH  “Disney World was great. Just wonderful. Magical things do happen there.”

She once again pulls her knees up, putting her feet on the bottom of the chair. He gets up out of his chair, bringing his drink with him.

±±KRIS RYANS “No, you don't get to be shitty and then change the subject. If you have something to say, then say it. It's gonna be a long plane ride otherwise.”

He crosses the cabin but does not take the seat across from her, opting to stay on his feet.

±±KRIS RYANS “I guess that's what your little salty pounding on my door thing was.”

She moves just enough to reach for her phone.

;;MIKAH  “My favorite part about Disney World was when I made Crystal tap out. Such a glorious feeling.”

She avoids his eyes before taking another drink of her water. He rolls his eyes in response.

±±KRIS RYANS “Every detail of my life gets dragged out in the public eye and thrown at me in promos. You keep quiet, and have to have a hard conversation with a close friend, and that is too much. Good to know.”

He takes another drink from his glass and then turns to set it on the bar. When he comes back he leans down to her, and lowers his voice.

±±KRIS RYANS “Coby screamed at me on that rooftop thinking it was me that did it. When he realized it wasn't me, there wasn't really a list of others if could have been if I cared about it. I didn't even have to say anything. He knew because I was pissed off.”

He shrugs his shoulders and lets out an irritated sigh before moving past her and back towards the room.

±±KRIS RYANS “Clearly it was a bad idea to give a shit. It's not doing me any favors.”

She rubs her hands over her face before getting up and following him.

;;MIKAH  “Then don't ask me to share my feelings! It's that simple, really.”

She moves in front of him pretty easily. She looks up at him.

;;MIKAH  “I didn't need that shit tonight. I didn't need Chelsea asking me if I was okay indirectly or bringing it up on air! And it is not my fault that your life gets displayed out in public. It is not my fault more people pay attention to you than they do me.”

She looks up at him again.

;;MIKAH  “I am sorry that I don't have many friends that actually give a crap. Because well, the only other one I had is dead. And buried in some cemetery who the fuck knows where.”

She stops to rub her eyes.

;;MIKAH  “I'm also sorry that I seem to have emotions. I'll go back to not having them.”

She goes to move past him to go back to the cabin. He does not hesitate before firing back at her with his own pointed words.

±±KRIS RYANS “Maybe if you could just have them consistently instead of taking little jabs at me and then changing the subject. If you want to talk about it, then fucking talk about it.”

He makes no move to follow her.

±±KRIS RYANS “I didn't tell her to say anything. I didn't talk to her. I had nothing to do with it. But I get blamed? Why? For being a friend that you sometimes hook up with and can use as a verbal punching bag? No thanks.”

She turns to look at him, her eyes narrowing at him.

;;MIKAH  “But you are the common denominator. And I get that he's your best friend. And you need to tell him things. But fuck.”

She throws the water bottle down.

;;MIKAH  “Are you going to tell him we've been fucking too?”

Her eyes move to his. He does not back down from her either.

±±KRIS RYANS “I don't think I need to.”

His voice was not raised, but that did not mean he sounded happy about it.

±±KRIS RYANS “It was obviously a bad decision. Everything has only gotten worse since we crossed that line. You don't even want to have a conversation with me, you would rather just be pissed off. How can we make that work as friends? Or even as partners on our show?”

She looks away from him.

;;MIKAH  “Do you think I was only pissed tonight?  You think that was the only thing I was feeling?”

She raises her eyebrows at him. 

;;MIKAH  “Because if it is, then well.”

She just holds her arms out before letting them drop down to her sides.

;;MIKAH  “Then whatever.”

She turns to go back and sit back down in her chair. He points to her without following.

±±KRIS RYANS “...and that is what you do. You say you want to be able to have feelings, and share them, but when it comes to actually sharing them, you don't want to. You just want to sit and sulk.”

His voice starts to raise, and she was one of the few people that could even make that happen.

±±KRIS RYANS “If you want to talk, then you have to talk. You don't get to complain about it, and then shut down. You can't have it both ways.”

She looks at him but doesn't move from the chair right away.

;;MIKAH  “Because when I do share them, it doesn't seem to matter any!”

She didn't care if her voice was loud or not. She stands back up and walks over to him, getting in his bubble.

;;MIKAH  “You want me to talk about my feelings but every time I do, it blows up in my face. So excuse me if I don't think that it is a very good idea.”

She looks up at him her breathing slightly heavy. He does not back away, but his demeanor changes once she is right in front of him. Most of the frustration is gone and he has trouble focusing on their argument.

±±KRIS RYANS “Because you half ass it. You start to say something and then stop.”

He meant the words, but as he went they became less angry.

±±KRIS RYANS “Just spit it out.”

She looks up at him, seemingly thinking as they stand in the slightly narrow hallway.

;;MIKAH  “I…..”

She closes her eyes trying to shake off the vulnerable feeling.

;;MIKAH  “I...felt…”

She chews on her bottom lip.

;;MIKAH  “I was upset, okay? It's not like I tell people a lot of things and when Chelsea mentioned it, I just thought you…”

Her voice stops.

;;MIKAH  “I felt betrayed. And if you had told that, what else would you tell?”

He reached out and puts his hand on her cheek, raising her face up so his eyes can meet hers.

±±KRIS RYANS “I would not have told him, and he didn't actually have any details. I wouldn't do that, and you should know that. He pushed buttons until he got what he wanted,and he can do that because he has been around for a lot.”

He shrugs, letting his hand drop.

±±KRIS RYANS “I thought that you would trust me enough to know that. Or maybe just enough to talk to me before jumping to the wrong conclusion.”

She shrugs her shoulders a bit.

;;MIKAH  “I wanted to...I just…”

She chews on her bottom lip.

;;MIKAH  “I know you're different but there are not many I trust before. And this…”

She motions between them through the small space she can.

;;MIKAH  “Would be a big secret exposed.”

END OF FLASHBACK

She opens her eyes and sighs. She didn’t want them to go back to that type of relationship where they didn’t tell each other things. She wanted to be able to communicate freely with him without being worried or scared of the repercussions. She sighs and gets up and walks down the hallway to his room and knocks before opening the door and looking into his room. Once she spots him, she makes sure that her eyes lock with his. She seems a little hesitant as she looks at him, the silence lingering between them this time. She swallows hard before leaning against the frame of the door as he waits for what she was going to say. It would maybe be the first time she felt as if she could say it.

;;MIKAH “We need to talk.”

"THE WHOLE PACKAGE."
LOCATION: SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA.
DAYS UNTIL SUMMER XXXTREME: 2
EXCITEMENT LEVEL: MEDIUM
SCENE ii
REC•

FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2020
7:45 P.M.

The scene opens up to Mikah sitting on a stool in a room that appeared to be bare. The walls were white according to the camera and she sat in the middle of the room on a stool with one leg crossed over the other. As soon as the camera begins filming, the walls begin to come to life. They begin playing some of Mikah’s greatest matches and clips of her backstage. It was now evident that the once white walls were actually green screens so she could have her memories flashing on the walls around her.

;;MIKAH “If you have done your research, Bella, these are the some of the things you might see…”

She looks around her, letting herself see the images on the wall. She smiles to herself as she watches herself dominate in a match before she turns her attention back to the camera and cracks a smile at it.

;;MIKAH “But if you haven’t done your research, I am not sure what you’re going to have to say about me.”

She shrugs her shoulders.

;;MIKAH “And I can say that I won’t be bothered by it because I can assure you that I’ve been called everything there is to be called. You don’t get an impressive resume like mine by making friends and having pleasant things be said about you.”

In the background something can be heard and after a while it is praises of Tommy Knocks being played on repeat. It was rare that the host of the Hotwire ever had anything bad to say about her and he had named her the number one Bombshell of all time, so she had his compliments playing softly.

;;MIKAH “Do you even know who you’re stepping into the ring against, Bella?”

She tilts her head to the side, a small smirk spreading across her face.

;;MIKAH “I’m a three time Bombshell Champion, a former Internet Bombshell Champion, and a former Roulette Bombshell champion. I have a resume that will make your accomplishments look weak. And yes, you and Malachi are the current Mixed Tag Team Champs but let’s be real…”

She smirks as she looks at the camera.

;;MIKAH “You won’t be holding them for much longer. Because Kristopher and I? We know how to win and get shit done. Nobody has taken us seriously as a team because we ‘bicker’ too much or can’t seem to get along. But I’m the person that can push personal differences aside to work with my partner in a match and if that’s what I have to do to ensure that my team gets the win? I will.”

She flicks her hair over her shoulders before she looks at the camera again.

;;MIKAH “Clearly there’s no doubt that you and Malachi are a team that knows how to work together. You’ve been doing it for a while, right? You had a shot at the previous Mixed Tag Champions at Into the Void but fell short. And at Summer XXXtreme, you and Malachi won the championships, securing the goal that you’d set for yourselves as a team. But how do you feel knowing that you’re transitional champions?”

She knew that it was a bold statement to be making but she simply didn’t care. She rarely cared if the things she said were bold and maybe crossing over the line.

;;MIKAH “Because I’m sure you’ve heard rumblings in the backstage area. When I want something and I’m focused on that goal? I don’t fail, Bella. And right now? You and your partner have what Kristopher and I have our eyes on. There isn’t going to be much failure when it comes to this. I won’t allow it. I’ve never been one to step away from a challenge. I’ve beat Chrystal or Christina, whichever crazy persona she’s going by right now so many times it has become boring and repetitive.”

She shrugs her shoulders.

;;MIKAH “I’ve also beat Mercedes Vargas so many times that I could beat her in my sleep. You, are going to be new and fresh and full of surprises, I’m sure. But even though you’re not going to be one of those boring, repetitive opponents, I’m still going to kick your ass as if you were. It will be a new challenge to me and I actually do look forward to stepping into the ring with you.”

She smirks.

;;MIKAH “It’s always fun to say that you beat the current champions in a non-title match up.”

She smirks at the camera once more.

;;MIKAH “What you and Malachi have is. . .”

She frowns and scrunches up her nose a little at the thought of what she was going to say.

;;MIKAH “Gross.”

She smirks again, wiping the frown easily from her face.

;;MIKAH “Oh, did you think I was going to say sweet? Because ew. I don’t do sweet shit for anybody. I was married to Drake Green for almost four years and while I was in love with him when we were married, I can honestly say that he and I didn’t have that sickeningly sweet relationship that people gush over. But let’s not go down that road.”

She chuckles.

;;MIKAH “What you and Malachi need to focus on is the fact that Kristopher and I? We work well together. Despite all the bickering we have done since I’ve returned as a competitor, we do work well together. And nobody believed that he and I would ever become successful as a Mixed Tag team here in SCW. But we’ve had a handful of matches together since and we’ve won them. But what I want you and Malachi to do is…or more like, not to do..is..”

She hesitates as a match of her own catches her eye on the walls. And for a moment she is drawn into her own self. She shakes her head and turns her focus back on the camera.

;;MIKAH “Don’t focus on the fact that Kristopher and I bicker on Twitter back and forth. It’s just Twitter. Nothing that happens on there should be taken seriously. Ever.”

She wasn’t the type to promote her match on Twitter or even say when she’s working out. People don’t need to know that.

;;MIKAH “What you should do is go back to the summer of 2018 and look at who was dominating the Bombshell roster and the Superstars roster. Pre-July for the Superstars roster, however. It was me and Kristopher.”

She puts her hands together to clasp them together as she looks at the camera, a smirk donning her pretty face.

;;MIKAH “And you would think that people would come to the conclusion that you put two people of that caliber together in a tag team that it would work, right?”

Again, she tilts her head to the side as her eyes are locked on the camera.

;;MIKAH “But no, people don’t think that. They think Kristopher and I are laughable. And replaceable. They think that we’re going to be a flash in the pan and not be worth anything after a few months. But newsflash, I didn’t hold the Bombshell Championship for as long as I did to just be flash in the pan or another transitional champion like Mercedes Vargas or Crystal-Christina.”

She shakes her head as she looks at the camera.

;;MIKAH “Oh no, I came back for Kristopher and I to break records. And set the bar for what a mixed tag team should be and should look like. Because let’s be honest…”

She smirks again, that arrogance reaching her eyes this time.

;;MIKAH “Kristopher and I together? We look fucking amazing. I’m fucking beautiful and he’s fucking beautiful, so together we’re a good looking team. There’s a reason people like Christian Underwood and Fenris go bat shit crazy over him.”

She winks at the camera.

;;MIKAH “Looks might not be everything but when you have them, flaunt them. And so with looks and our talent in the ring, we’re the whole package. And you and Malachi?”

She smirks at the camra as she stands up.

;;MIKAH “Have everything to be worried about.”