[Mark Ward]

Post all roleplays for this match here.
Limits: 1 roleplay per week, per character, 5,000 limit.

Good luck!

[Jet City]

Big Moves
Jet City South - San Diego
23 December 2020
OFF-Camera


Coby wasn’t expecting anyone. Kris had already left to head back to Seattle for the holidays. Coby said that he would stay behind to take care of the gym. It wasn’t something that had been easy to sell to Chelsea, but she understood that it was the right thing to do. That is why the knock on the door took him by surprise. The gym was closed. The staff had cleared out. Anyone that would have reasonably had access to the offices should be with their family by now. The handle on the door jiggles back and forth, the person on the other side clearly not content to sit and wait for it to be opened.

Coby: Yo, it’s locked. One second.

He jogged the rest of the way across the room, and popped the lock on the door before swinging it open. Coby is greeted by the beautiful smiling face of his wife.

Chelsea: Hiya Handsome!

Chelsea Quickens nee Pina stands there, looking like she belonged on a runway. She looked the same as she did the first day they met. You wouldn't even guess that had already been three years since she had birthed their first child. Coby stood motionless in front of her, dumbfounded. He looks around, not believing his eyes.

Coby: You can’t be here...

The words didn’t come out like he was asking her to leave, but more just not understanding how it was possible to have her standing in front of him. He had been stuck in San Diego for nearly a year now. They had only really gotten to see each other through a screen for the duration of his time in the Sin City bubble.

Coby: Am I asleep?

It wasn’t too hard to believe. He was spending a lot of time in the Jet City office. He could have dosed off. This would be exactly the kind of trick that his mind would be playing on him this close to the holidays.

Chelsea: No. I am definitely here. Had to pull some strings but definitely here, in the flesh.

She raises an eyebrow at him. She had expected some sort of surprise, but not this.

Chelsea: You are working too hard, baby.

Coby raises his hands up to his cheeks and taps them forcefully, trying to wake himself up. When it doesn’t work, he reaches out and brushes the pads of his fingers across her cheekbone.

Coby: ...I thought…

He discards the rest of the thought without letting it come out. He didn’t need it. He was convinced. The reason didn’t matter. The only thing that did was that she was standing in front of him. Seeing her now was almost like seeing her for the first time all over again.

Coby: This is a much better Christmas present than the one Kris got me...

Chelsea: Was it coal? I bet it was coal. He has a sense of humour I never really got.

She offers a shrug before opening her arms, expecting him to finally embrace her. He pulls her through the doorway and into his arms, pushing the door closed behind her. His arms tighten around her back, holding her as close as possible. His head rests against hers, content just to be this close to her for the first time in nearly a year.

Coby: It doesn’t matter. It wasn’t you.

Chelsea wasn't usually someone that got caught up on sentimental things but his words catch her up, her response was only to hug him tighter, if anything to give her an extra couple seconds to regain her composure and not blubber and ruin her perfectly applied makeup.

Chelsea: I'm sorry I couldn't bring Milo, I had to basically ambush Kris on his way off the jet to get them to turn it around and come back here. I know it would have been better if it were both of us.

August Emilio Quickens. The three year old that had changed both of their lives. Coby would have been on a plane to Seattle to see her by now if not for their son. SCW put them inside a bubble to stop the pandemic from spreading through the roster, but Coby had cut himself off from all travel to ensure that his dream wasn’t going to get anyone sick. Had their son ended up sick because Coby followed Kris back to the business, he couldn’t have forgiven himself. Luckily, Chelsea had been supportive. It wasn’t easy for either of them, but they had gotten through it. The fact that she had left him with the family was almost a relief as much as it pained him to admit.

Coby: Probably for the best. So many people come through the gym now. I get tested everyday too. We can plan for it next time. Try to make it as safe as possible.

He pulls away from her, hoping that she knew that the only thing he was thinking about was their health and safety. It was ironic, considering that everything that he was doing was risking his own.

Chelsea: Well... that's part of the reason I'm here.

She reaches into her prada bag and pulls out a brown envelope. She smiles as she hands it to him.

Chelsea: Go on. Open it.

He carefully folds up the aluminum tabs holding the top of the envelope closed and slides out the stack of papers inside. He searches the words on the page, having gotten better at skimming through pages upon pages of Jet City paperwork. It isn’t long before he starts to put together what she has handed him.

Coby: An apartment…? Here?

She nods, her smile getting wider.

Chelsea: We need you. Don't get me wrong, having our own little neighborhood with the family is amazing and you know how much I love all of them, but Milo needs his dad and I need my husband. It's a year lease and our house will always be there for us in Seattle.  And I can still do my courses online here just as well as in Seattle.

She watches his face carefully, searching for a reaction.

Chelsea: If you really hate the idea, I can tell them no. It's not official until you sign too.

He continues to flip through the pages, moving away from her and back towards his desk as he reads through them.

Coby: It’s close… and it would be nice to be able to get away from Court, Kris, Mikah, her kids, and all of that madness upstairs. It’s getting awfully crowded, and it’s not like Kris is ever really there anyways.

Of course, none of those reasons really mattered. He wanted them here more than anything else, and this was the simplest way to make it happen. It couldn’t have been a better time either, because now that Kris had beaten Jack Washington for the SCW World Heavyweight Championship, he had asked a favor of Coby. A favor that was going to force him to stick around for at least a little while longer no matter what he wanted. He grabs a pen from the desk and signs his name in the necessary places before turning back to his wife.

Coby: ...and I have some news that I’m not sure how you’ll feel about. I know that when I came down here I was just supposed to keep it to Underground. I wasn’t going to get involved in all of Kris’ business.

He pauses, but she doesn’t make it easier for him by cutting into whatever he was saying. Clearly it was something that had already been on his mind.

Coby: He gave me the Mixed Tag Championship. Mark and Christian are going to let him. The Black Sheep can pass the title between themselves, and since Kris has the top championship now, he can’t hold the tag. So they signed me to SCW. Come the next Climax Control, I’m going to be Mikah’s new partner….

She doesn't say anything at first, just moves to the empty couch in the office and carefully crosses her legs in her tight skirt. It's hard to get a read on what she's thinking about, but that was Chelsea's poker face and one of her greatest assets.

Chelsea: I think the real question is, are you doing it out of obligation to Kris or because you want to defend this title. I mean, next to me...

She finally gives a smirk, the arrogant one she has never lost when speaking of her own talent inside a ring.

Chelsea: ...Mikah really is the best partner in a mixed tag match. I can't see you guys being easily defeated but, I just want you to be sure it's something you want to do. You have a big heart and it's gotten you into many situations where people have taken advantage of you being a nice guy. I just want you to be happy, living your dream.

He crosses the room, leaving the signed papers on the desk. Relief washes over him when he sits down next to her.

Coby: I know that it is the place that you got hurt…. And I’m literally taking a championship and joining a group that you used to be a part of. I am slotting in exactly where you would be if you were still there. I thought you might feel like I was trying to take your place. Steal your career.

She shakes her head, placing a hand on the side of his face.

Chelsea: ... you know that although I still love wrestling and it's in my blood, I wouldn't change anything because getting hurt made me stop and truly evaluate my life and what I wanted. Getting hurt led me to finally saying yes to you. It led to us having Milo. It led to me going back to school, to becoming a bonafide designer. Every decision we make, every time we falter it is just another step towards the thing we are meant to be. Wrestling wasn't my calling, but it led me to you, so I could never be spiteful of that. If continuing in Kris' place is something you really want to do then you know I have your back. One hundred percent. But you know, there is one person that probably will be terribly disappointed at not being considered to take that spot... Killian. He's never going to stop whining about it."

She rolls her eyes at the thought of the more eccentric Sweete twin becoming a problem in the gym.

Coby: Porter has been down a few times. I haven’t seen Killian in a while. I’m sure once he hears about it he will be down to try and take it away from me. It’s his fault for choosing JCSL over South. He could have been here with us the whole time. Instead, this Jason versus Kris thing kind of split us. Maybe with you coming back, others will follow.

The group of them had grown throughout the last ten years or so. What started as four separate wrestling families ended up combined through all of their friends. It was strange to think of them as anything other than one big group anymore. When Kris split away Coby was the first to join him. Court came once she was cleared to compete. Others had briefly followed. Although none had dared to actually show their faces lately. Coby considered that his second most pressing issue.

Coby: Oh, and you know how I have been getting chased around by those GRIME masks for months...? I think I figured something out, but I’m not 100%.

Chelsea once again rolls her eyes.

Chelsea: Guys that wear masks and do shitty things bring shame to the true respect of being a masked wrestler.  My Grandfather and father were both luchas. Just makes me twice as mad. What did you figure out?"

It bothered him to even entertain the thought, but ever since his last run in with the masks he couldn’t shake a familiar feeling.

Coby: I think at least one of them is one of ours. Jet City, I mean.

[color=grayHer eyes go wide in surprise at the accusation. Could one of their adopted family members really be behind it all?[/color]

Chelsea: How? Why? I mean sure we have had some upheaval among us sometimes but we always manage to figure it out, not resort to this kind of petty shit.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on why, but it just fit.

Coby: It’s like every time I have to fight them off, they know exactly what I am going to do. They know every move I am going to make before I make it. When we fight it almost feels like I am moving in slow motion because they’re just a step ahead. Like we have been fighting for a lot longer than a few months. The only thing that makes sense is that at least one of them came through the school up there, or the old one down here. It has to be someone that we know. Someone that knows me. It’s the only thing that makes sense.

He sighs, knowing that his two problems were related.

Coby: Honestly, half the reason I took Kris up on his offer is because I don’t want to have to fight any of ours. It doesn’t feel right. This gives me an out from that situation. Maybe I can use it to jump out of the way before things get too out of control.

There is a long pause before she finally shakes her head, not wanting to believe that it could be true.

Chelsea: I really hope you're wrong.

She desperately wants to change the subject.

Chelsea: Okay, no more work! Milo and I will be moving out here after Christmas and we can spend New Year's together. We haven't had one apart since we started dating, I don't want to start now.

Coby: You’re right. New Year’s was where it all started for us. You should be here. We should all be here. I am supposed to be taking my mind off of all of this during the break anyways. There will be plenty of time for all of that once we get you two down here for good.

He nudges her with a smile.

Coby: How about you show me that apartment? We can get out of here and just forget that all of it exists for a few days.

She nods, happy to be able to spend some time with her husband without having to tackle all of the world’s problems. They had been deprived of that for too long. They deserved some time to themselves for a change.



==========================================================


>Let me go first, because this needs to be said straight away.  I think this is unfair for Miles and Maki.

The scene opens up on the new Mixed Tag Team Champion, Coby Quik walking through Jet City South. His voice is muffled by both the mask on his face and the gym in full swing all around him. Several individuals attempt to walk up to him as he makes his way through the busy gym, but he doesn’t break stride for any of them. His attention is on the camera as they push through a door leading to the alley behind the gym. The noise from inside falls away as soon as the door slams shut allowing Coby to pull his mask down around his neck to speak clearly.

I mean, Mark and Christian created this Lethal Lottery team in response to the fact that Mikah and I haven’t ever teamed together before. It’s supposed to put us on an even playing field. And yeah, Mikah and I may never have shared an SCW ring together, but I doubt that Maki and Miles have even crossed paths before. They don’t seem like two people that would have a lot of reason to associate with one another. Mikah and I have been trainers for Jet City for years, working alongside each other to help train the next group of up and comers. She’s been one of my wife’s best friends for years. The two of us have found a way to co-exist inside a close knit family and workplace for as long as I have been in this business. Does anyone really believe that it matters that we haven’t actually been in a match together before? I could be wrong, but the playing field doesn’t seem all that level to me.

He shrugs, and the Mixed Tag Team Championship belt over his shoulder sparkles in the sunlight overhead.

Maybe it’s still that people aren’t all that familiar with me. I get it. That’s reasonable. I haven’t actually gotten a chance to compete in Sin City before now even though I have been around for a while. I have been competing in SCU for almost a year now. My wife Chelsea Payne was a Bombshell Roulette Champion here, and Kris Ryans is one of my closest friends not only in this business, but in life. When I first became a trainer at Jet City Sports Lab, Jet City the tag team was making their mark on this company. I would have had to be blind to see the things that were happening in SCW, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that SCW has had their eyes on me. Mark said that he was excited about the prospect of me stepping up from Underground, but that’s just one guy. The fans may know my name, but there is no guarantee they have seen what I can do inside the ring. There is no telling if anyone in the locker room knows even that little about me. So maybe that explains why they think that this match is fair to these two, but that is just a semi-educated guess.

Despite not having actually competed in the SCW ring, the idea of defending his championship in his first match didn’t seem to have the fastest member of Jet City on edge. He was calm and collected; basically the polar opposite of Kris. More importantly, the taunting and spitefulness that Kris and Mikah brought to The Black Sheep was nowhere to be seen in Coby’s demeanor.

It could also just be how talented these two are individually. Maki just made her return, and even though it pains me to say it, she wiped the floor with Courtney Pierce. You know I’m not lying either, because Court is not only a friend, but was the one that recruited me into The Black Sheep in the first place. I don’t like seeing her lose, but I also don’t make excuses for what I see in the ring. Maki was dominant. It was that fire that likely earned her this opportunity. It adds up at least. Mikah is the one that trained Court. Since Maki was able to take apart the student so easily, why not slide up the ladder to take on the master, right?

Mikah wouldn’t like the fact that Coby was comparing her to Court, but that was a problem that he would have to deal with if she ever actually watched his promo. It wasn’t like the comparison was unfair. Court was the sum of all of Mikah and Kris’ influence, but was struggling to find her stride. Coby, the outlier, had been enjoying a fair amount of success without having to share their attitude. Maybe it was time for him to bring them around to his side. Kris was already on the right path, so Court might not be such a stretch. Mikah was probably a lost cause though, but he would get to that later.

...and her partner isn’t anyone to just blow off either. The guy’s journey to this business happened all the way across the world, but is just like mine in so many ways. We both want the same things. We both have a passion for this business, and always wanted to be in a ring competing. It’s hard to find fault in a guy like that. He isn’t just here to collect a paycheck like some. He’s not trying to make a name for himself so that he can make the leap to another business once he has the name recognition. This isn’t just some stepping stone for him, this is life, and I can respect that. Even better, I understand it because I feel the same way. I have been told over and over again that I don’t need to be out in the ring competing anymore. My life outside the ring is better than it has ever been, but the pull to be out in front of the fans giving it everything I have makes me keep showing up. This is everything that I have ever wanted to do, and even though it hasn’t always gone great, I can’t imagine ever giving it up. I have noticed that people like me are hard to come by in this business these days.

He sighs, knowing that he wasn’t going to be able to skirt around what everyone was thinking. Coby and Mikah were polar opposites, and there is no way that their styles were going to mesh well. Coby played by the rules. Mikah liked to take shortcuts if and when she could. He briefly considered letting it slide, but it was going to be best to get everything out in the open before his opponents had the chance to call them out for it.

Most people in the business are like my partner. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think anyone does it better than Mikah, but she doesn’t seem to be in it for the same reasons that Miles and I are. She just likes the attention. She doesn’t care if the people in the arena are having a good time. It doesn’t bother her if she is cheered or booed as long as she is not ignored. She does it whether it is social media, inside the ring, or irritating anyone she comes across backstage. Mikah demands attention. The problem for a lot of people is that she has made a very successful career out of holding onto the spotlight at all costs. It’s not always pretty, and I’m not going to pretend like I agree with even half of the things she pulls, but she is still a Hall of Famer. She is still the most dominant bombshell in company history. It’s stupid for anyone to try and deny that is the most formidable female ever to come through Sin City’s doors. She has beaten everyone worth beating, and is the measuring stick for every single female in the company. Most of the records worth breaking are already hers. She’s a Grand Slam Champion, already in the Hall of Fame, and has been demanding that I turn over my half of the Mixed Tag Team Championships. Does any of that sound like a description of a person that I want to let down?

At the very least, it was honest. Mikah was as relentless outside the ring as she was inside of it. It also didn’t help that there was no way that he could avoid her like the majority of the roster. The Black Sheep shared a locker room at the shows. They worked together at Jet City South. They traveled together, and usually found themselves staying with one another in the days leading up to the shows. If he went out and cost Mikah her championship, he would literally never hear the end of it. Failure wasn’t an option, so everything else needed to be put on the back burner.

So I’ve been totally focused on doing what I need to get done against Miles Kasey. I may have other obligations, but Inception is my priority. Making sure that I am able to come through for The Black Sheep is the most important thing that I can do right now. I mean, I am not only defending our team’s championships, but this is my personal debut in this company. This is my first shot to make a good impression on the people watching at home, and those that will be in the arena.

The flashbacks of all of his other debuts ran through his mind. They had never really gone as planned. In several he had ended up on the receiving end of a mob style beating. He wasn’t going to let history hold him back any longer though. He didn’t have time to be having second thoughts. He was going to succeed this time. There was no other option.

Rest assured that I’mma do all of it. There are going to be people lining up backstage to tell me that I don’t deserve to be on the main show of this supercard. There’s going to be those that tell me to go back to Underground where I belong. Already people like O’Malley have been talking about the fact that I was handed this championship by Kris. I have been a member of The Black Sheep for months. I have been trying to break out onto Climax Control for longer than that. This was just an opportunity to prove that I have been right all along, and an opportunity to show everyone what I can do. If I really didn’t deserve to carry this championship, then Miles will have no trouble taking it from me.

Coby takes it off of his shoulder and holds it out to the camera. For a moment, the championship alone fills the entire frame.

...and that goes for everybody.

He pulls the championship back, and places it on the opposite shoulder.

Anyone that wants to challenge my claim to this championship can step up and attempt to take it from me. I’ve seen more than a couple complaints, and yet Mark and Christian had to set up a Lethal Lottery team for Inception. It feels like people want to have an opinion, but are afraid to stake their own claim. That doesn’t work for me. I’ve always been the type to speak my mind without hesitation, but I don’t run away or make excuses to not back it up in the ring. Anybody that has anything to say about The Black Sheep should find a partner and try to dethrone us. Otherwise Mark and Christian are just going to have to keep picking two of you at random for us to pick off….

A smile spreads across the new champion’s face. It was almost like he was just now realizing that he was planning to hold onto the championship long past this match. Any anxiety he was feeling was only skin deep. Deep down there were no doubts.

....that starts with Miles and Maki.

He laughs confidently.

...but they’re just the beginning.

He turns away from the camera and goes to re-enter the gym. As he pulls open the door he stops, and shoots a look back at the camera.

THAT’S WHAT’S UP!

He steps through the door, and as he closes behind him the feed hard cuts to black.

[Maki]

Mixed Messages

Melissa had been home for just a day coming off of another long trip. Upon her arrival back she had entered a deserted place. She had forgotten her wife was off making her own legacy in their shared wrestling world. This was not the homecoming she had hoped for but sadly by now she was used to being alone for periods of time as must her Yukiko. Still, she felt ashamed to be alone. It was something that always affected her innermost agonising self-confidence issues. Who could she come home and say, ‘hey honey. I won my first match back in SCW!’ and then expand and how she felt the words of her doctor get to her and wanting reassurance that she could still hit the Makihouse kick even if the Land of Hope and Glory submission did give her the win. How can she celebrate on her own?

There was a slam of noise in the kitchen. She dropped her bags, her thigh high black boots clacked on the tiled floor as she entered the kitchen and saw the pans circling in the air with plates being thrown by a mysterious hand and smashing off the air fryer. She sighed, turned her back to the craziness and checked her phone.

This little demonstration by Daniela was just poor. She must be desperate for her attention for some reason. She had spent eight years dealing with the demoness and some little dog and pony show wasn’t going to bother her. Hell, she had actually been there and been tortured so some little magical show was beneath her. Her phone screen was showing a voicemail. She got ridiculously excited that it was her wife. So she dialled the voicemail, they could both talk about their victories in broken Japanese, Korean and English.

Instead she heard the voice of some uppity and haughty woman who explained her appointment with Dr.Kuntz was today and not to keep him waiting. That was three hours away in Los Angeles and damn it. She would need to have a quick shower, change and drive up to the city of cars. She would need to stop somewhere and grab a coffee. Bloody office wanting her to see this shrink. God damn them!

We cut to the office of Dr.Kuntz. Melissa was sitting on the couch which she had made him change before because it was leather and no vegan would sit on it and he agreed so he got a new one and it was much comfier.

 He was across from her in a nice looking teal coloured chair with a notepad and pen in his hands. He was a middle aged man with deeply receding hairline, crows feet growing around his face but he wasn’t bad looking if you were a woman in her 40’s. He stared at Maki, he was appraising her. She had her hair in pigtails, wasn’t wearing makeup but she had a very revealing black dress on, she was also wearing an off the shoulder sweater and he tried not to stare at certain appendages. She seemed a little nervous so he cleared his throat.

“So Melissa, how has your week been since our last session? He tapped his pen on the pad as he waited for her to break the silence.

She sighed, “It was weeks ago we had a session. Now you ask me a question like we are buddies? Why do you care? Do you even know I wrestled my first match back on Sunday?”

He dropped the pen into his lap and affably clapped his hands which gave her a start. He smiled at her, “Ah that is a momentous occasion after your issues with your ankles. How did the match go, may I ask?"

She stared diggers into this very feminine acting male of the species. “Fine. You really should do your homework. It was a decent match. I was never going to lose against such an inferior opponent. My issue is...Well I saw that doctor from the rehab centre and he told me not to put too much weight on my left ankle so he got in my head and I am annoyed about the makihouse kick. I just couldn’t hit it. I made that bitch submit though so it isn’t all bad to show off other moves but it's my signature for crying out loud and I cannot even attempt it!”

He wrote on the pad and then clicked the nib back into the socket. He looked down at the word ‘bitch’ “Okay Melissa, can you tell me why you call your opponent a bitch? That is not a very affirming name for a feminist like yourself to use."

Her anger was rising. She was healed now as far as she could tell so why did she need to go through this song and dance with his motherjammer!

“Well if you must know you flubbing douchehead it’s a term of empowerment for women to call each other bitches. It empowers women. If a man said it then that would be detrimental. Plus that bitch really got on my tits that she won blast from the past and just ran off.”

She noticed that he had only written down two words. Bitch and tits. She got an idea that would embarrass this incredible moron. “So, I happened to notice you wrote down the word tits. So that’s two words so far. Bitch and tits. He started to squirm in his seat and was about to respond but she cut him off. “Obvs, love, you are into bitch tits. I get it. Bitch tits rule and happenstance has it that I am known on the street as having the best bitch tits in the yard. Let me show you. Good thing I am not wearing a bra today.”

Before he could say a word she was lifting her sweater up, showing her stomach and then to the bottom of her boobs and he jumped up, “Melissa STOP! What are you doing? This is unethical!”

She brushed the sweater down. “It was a joke and also to show you how pointless this all is. You will say I passed the psyche test or I will claim sexual harassment you flubbing perv.. I don’t care that you’re gay.”

He tried to say something but he was mumbling about not being gay. He stood stock still and just shook his head at her. “I am flabbergasted. This is so…”

She walked closer to him, spun on her heels and Makihouse kicked him, his head slamming into the wall behind and he slid down to the floor. She limped as her ankle was still sore. Maybe that doctor was right after all. She needed to build strength in it. She definitely had had her fill of stupid doctors!

Lamentable Champions

We open up outside of a rather nice gated house on the edges of the valley in Santa Barbara. Outside of it was a little black mini cooper with the union jack on the roof. Suddenly the gates opened and a distressed looking best ever signing to the SCW bombshells division kicks the gates as they open and stares at us deeply and with that pissed off look we all know so well.

Her face was scrunched up, wearing just black tank top and black yoga pants, with black sneakers, her hair in a ponytail and wearing no makeup she strode towards the car. Stopped and then once again turned to our sight.

“What the absolute flub is? I am guessing those arseholes want me to cut some stinging promo or whatever. I ain't in the mood but who the flub cares what Melissa wants, right? Fine.

She paused to tie her ponytail tighter but then the scrunchie broke. She cursed and started kicking the door of her car over and over. Finally she stopped and regained composure.

“So, yeah I destroyed Courtney Pierce last week and as you can see my ankle is all tickety boo now. Do I get to any special match at Inception? Do I face someone on a much higher echelon than poor Courtney? Do I flub! I get to be in some piss poor mixed tag team. Like, HELLO, is anyone in there? I am the best signing bombshells ever made, a true star across the world and yet here I am like some motherjamming afterthought. I have never even met Milo let alone tag with this no good son of a bitch. Then, oh joy some mixed tag team champions, where they just hire and fire guys. I mean sure, the world heavyweight champ did it and put his rat boy in his place but still even that little skank Mikah wasn’t happy about it. This is the sort of crap I have to deal with. Yes, I am on the goddamn comeback trail but for flub sake that moron Honey or Candy or whatever gets an internet championship title shot and I get a mixed tag one with this doofus. True, like, he seems an alright guy and down to win some gold and probably will blind tag my nether regions as all guys are pervs but is what it is. Do I sound unhappy, you idiots? Of course I do and on top of that I just had a row with the missus. Flubbing hell life is complicated!”

She started to mumble to herself, she realised she had just said about a million words a minute and none of it probably made sense. Like, isn’t life horrible enough with the pandemic not going away and now she had a pissed off wife and now she had to deal with this insult of a match. Bloody morons the lot of them. She needed to calm down. She thought of her sister emotionally abusing her and she softened ever so slightly.

“Okay lookie here, I may have been a bit judgemental of Milo but dude is a manc and he is called Milo. I never met anyone called Milo in all my years living in England. Oh yeah let’s put Maki with him because, like, they’re both English. PISS POOR! That’s the name of our team. It’s just not a name anyone would be called. I get Miles if you’re some upper lip jutting out posh twat. This cocky duck thinks he hang and even win with me then he better make sure I do most of the work and I am used to carrying whole federations so one jumped up little schoolboy aint gonna phase me. If we lose, and its a big if, it will be because of him. Do not fail me, Miles. Even though I am dead set against having this match in the first place, it does give me a chance to win some gold. If you have followed my career, and of course you have, I am all about stacking up those golden trinkets. I play to win Miles. You better as well because with me failure is not an option and if you lose you better be rushed to the hospital and if you’re not I am going to jack hammer your arsehole like the world had exploded!”

Her eyes twitched. Maybe that was a bit much. She cannot change the past and anyway the boys in production will probably edit that out and if they don't then who cares. She meant what she said!

“Now I did some homework and guess who is in this stable of rejects? Courtney flubbing Pierce. The bitch I made cry for her mummy because she got little boo boo’s courtesy of yours truly and the Land of Hope and Glory. You’re lucky you stupid ingrate. Yes, lucky I didn’t Makihouse Kick you and break your stupid elongated jaw! This led to a rather ominous and also amazing find. Flubbing motherjamming Mikah. Still don’t get why she wanted to name herself after a man but hey that’s her business. Now this was one crazy slut I wanted to get down and dirty with. One one one is always my preference but anytime I get to knock out or make her go tippity tap to one of the so called legends in SCW I am all for it. Even though I am super happy now about this little detail that has sprung from my wonderful research I do have to invoke some home truths. Like, Mikah, isn’t the whole conceited little tramp routine a bit passe now. I mean this is not some nineties trash kids weekly television experience. I faced so many people like you back in the day and now here you are six years after your debut still playing the same old daft routine. It’s been killed honeylove. Yet, you still cling on, grasping at this dead gimmick much like you’re grasping at your waste of a career. Mixed tag team champions. What happened to you babygirl? It’s so sad to think that I am going to take your title away from you and hell even Krissy boy didn’t let you know he was going to put Coby Quick In The Sack in his place. Your life is one awful sitcom. Poor you. Least you get to fight me which, of course, is such a blessing as I am the greatest signing they ever made! Just don’t push me too far, dollface, because when you face me you face all of your fears and phobias are not extinguished so easily.”

Again she mused on the last line. Wasn’t so easy to put fear into the heart of opponents without Daniela. Even if she was starting to be haunted by her. Bloody shenanigans. She knew though that she was super excited to fight Mikah and send her to the same putting hole as the Court of Pierce.

“ Coby Quik. I guess that is play on words. Bravo sunshine! In most matches you would be getting the hell beaten out of you and no wonder when I am your height and I weigh more. Could be all the makeup but still least I get to fight you on an even playing field. I must confess to not knowing much about you. I know you replaced Krissy wissy in this team and you are the weak link so to speak. I don’t see much in you that is worth my time and effort but I will still enjoy maiming you and breaking your little face. You know Samuel speed is all well and good against someone like Miles but when you are running around I will rest on the ropes and then kick your head off. Your speed is nothing compared to my striking ability so good luck with that as your game plan and I know you will focus on me as I am comparable in stature in the ring. Haha obviously not outside of it. I am loved wherever I go so my stature is infinitely higher and I got a roster space for life so there is that. Usually I do not like to go into any gameplan I have but that knee, matey, it is ripe for a kicking and ripe for my moveset. I might not even use that ploy but hell it’s a good one, don’t you think? I think you need to go back from drooling over Mikah and trying to bang Court of Pierce and focus on the world’s best female striker. I am going to enjoy breaking that speed of yours, I am going to enjoy spitting blood over your little face and I am going to  be thrilled to knock you the hell out. Your first defence together is going to be your first loss together. Why so easy? Well, I want gold and I get what I want in the end. This is also a warm up for Blast from The Past. I need to make sure I am on my A game. One thing both you wimps need to remember is that I maybe on my comeback trail and this is only my second match back from injury but this pussy is coming to grind her way back to the top and you are but the flubbing enhancement talent. You are a sparring partner and I will win for Miles because he won’t be good enough and my eventual moves up the echelons to my dream matches. They will happen if they don’t keep ducking me. I have a revenge mission too in mind against Salco but that is besides the point. Bring me your best both of you nincompoops. I do not want to beat you when you are not at your best. I will beat you though because there is no other option.”

She huffed, pushed the camera man away, got in her car and sped off to close.

[Mikah]

“WHO’S TO BLAME?”
LOCATION:LAS VEGAS, NEVADA.
DAYS UNTIL THE MATCH: 10
SCENE: i
REC

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021
TIME:8:30 A.M.

She was already unhappy with having to be up and out of her house at this hour and that she had to call in somebody to watch Myles since Leighton had to focus on her remote learning stuff. And she was going to give the Boss a piece of her mind when she saw him next. She adjusts the seatbelt as she sits at a red light on the strip of Las Vegas, NV. She was already in a bad mood that she had to do some stupid promotional shit for SCW and that she was basically threatened with her life if she didn’t show up. Okay, maybe that was a little extreme but she was told that she needed to show up or face a consequence for not showing up. She had Kris on the phone via Bluetooth.

;;MIKAH “I swear to God, that if any of these morons touch me, I’m going to fine Mark Ward and Christian Underwood so much money.”

She was trying her best to be patient but she definitely wasn’t a patient person; especially when it came to doing something that she didn’t want to do.

::KR “Or you could try being nice to them. That is an option; act like you like having fans for once.”

Mikah makes a face at him even though she knew that he couldn’t see her. She did appreciate her fans but she did not like to be touched by them. There were very few people that she actually liked to be touched by. And people she didn’t know wasn’t one of them.

;;MIKAH “I will be. Unless they try to touch me, then all bets will be off.”

She sighs as she looks at the red light, that was taking a long time to turn green. She didn’t have much farther to go as the event was set up at the TAO nightclub in the Venetian since they weren’t allowed to use it during this pandemic as Nightclubs were still not a thing currently in Vegas. Mikah did, however, request that there be a bartender and there be limitless drinks for herself. There was no way that she could handle dealing with people sober.

::KR “Why do I get a feeling that you’re going to make this be as difficult as possible?”

She could hear the groan to his voice but she just rolls her eyes at him. She wasn’t sure if she enjoyed his new attitude. She was still struggling not to slip back into that dark place where she pulls away from everybody in her life. And it would be easy to do; she could avoid San Diego and the rest of the Black Sheep if she wanted to. All she had to do was show up for her match and hang out elsewhere in the arena. Sometimes, the thought was tempting and she was close to doing it. A part of her wanted to do it just to see if any of those people she’s aligned with would even notice. She doubted it.

::MIKAH “Why do I get the feeling that it doesn’t affect you?”

She didn’t care if she was snapping at him and that it wasn’t going to help matters at all. Bickering wasn’t going to matter now and they could do it all they wanted. The more she thought about trying out her little experiment, the better it sounded.

::KR “Why did you even call me if you’re just going to be difficult?”

She rolls her eyes as she pulls her car off of the strip and into the area of the Venetian that would valet park her car.

;;MIKAH “I really don’t know. It’s not like you give a shit anyways.”

She doesn’t let him say anything else before she hangs up on him. She grabs her phone and puts it in her purse before she gets out of the car. She walks into the Venetian and hands her keys to the Valet before she walks off in the direction of the TAO nightclub. She tugs at the short skirt of her skin tight, ribbed black dress that had three parts on her left side cut out to move to the back where it was strappy and it was strapless. On her feet were her brand new peep toed stiletto Louboutin pumps that were a black to red gradient. She doesn’t bother asking anybody where to go as she knows exactly where the TAO nightclub was. She’d been there plenty of times pre-COVID and enjoyed the environment that it only made sense to request that this little thing be held there. After all, if she was going to be the main event and the guest of honor, they might as well cater to her wants and needs.

::WORKER “Where would you like the table set up, Ms. Green?”

She gives him a look as she folds her arms over her chest.

;;MIKAH “My name is Mikah, use it.”

The worker seems a little bit taken back by her request and the lack of manners. Mikah looks around before pointing to a spot that wasn’t too far from the bar. The event that was going to be taking place later and there was going to be a photoshoot first. She’d already arranged for the valet to bring up her half of the mixed tag team championship belt up so that she didn’t have to carry it.

;;MIKAH “Over there, please. As close to the bar as you can get me without having me be on top of it.”

The worker nods his head before walking over and helping people rearrange the nightclub as Mikah watches. She soon grows bored before walking out of the nightclub and into the area of the Venetian that would take her down the escalators and into the Grand Canal Shoppes. She’d walked around there many of times and it didn’t ever get boring to her. She really didn’t have anything she needed to buy but she enjoyed looking. Plus, it beat standing around watching as people organized the room how she wanted it.

;;MIKAH “This is when it’s best…”

She knew that a lot of the stores didn’t open until 11 A.M. now due to COVID as it was some sort of weird policy. She thought that it was weird but it wasn’t her choice to have things operate like that. She however didn’t mind looking through the windows of the shoppes as she wandered through it, hoping that when she got back to the TAO nightclub, the photographer was there so she could get the photoshoot part of the event over with.

-TWO HOURS LATER-

Mikah had finished wandering through the Venetian and the Palazzo and finally wound up back at the TAO nightclub, this time with people waiting on her return. She just smirks at them, proud of her own behavior as she liked to be the one to make an entrance or be the one who was being waited on. She sets her purse down on the bar before the photographer walks over to her.

 ::PHOTOGRAPHER “Ms. Mikah, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Antonio Riley. And I will be the one photographing you today for SCW.”

She just smirks a little at him before nodding her head in understanding. There wasn’t much that she had to say to him but just wanted to get the photoshoot over with so she could move onto the next part of the day. She stands around waiting for him to give her instructions and then give him a look when he motions for her to move on to where he had the background set up. She rolled her eyes as he grabs her championship belt and hand it to her making her hold it over her right shoulder.

;;MIKAH “How long is this going to take? And why the hell didn’t Coby have to be here?”

She frowns at the photographer as some of the make up artists that were on as insurance just in case that Mikah would need help with fixing it. But of course, she didn’t. She frowns as the hair stylists fixes one of the curls that had fallen flat in her hair. But she doesn’t say anything else to protest what was going on. She wanted to make this quick and easy, even though it more than likely wasn’t going to be quick or easy.

::AR “That’s perfect. Right there.”

He kept giving her words of encouragement, telling her that he liked the way she was standing. Or that the look on her face was perfect. She didn’t show any emotion, however that his words were helping the way that she felt. She was not really that big of a fan of photoshoots but she knew that she didn’t have much of a choice for this one.

::AR “You’re so good at this; you’re a natural.”

She rolls her eyes as she looks at him.

[color=#40ED0];;MIKAH “It probably helps that I’m not ugly, you know. I’m not sure who else you’ve photographed in SCW but there isn’t very many beautiful people options. Or competent options for that matter either.”[/color]

She would never think she was anything but the best. However, she was not prepared for what came next with the photoshoot as people were starting to line up. She looks at the photographer before her eyes shift back to the people who were in line.

;;MIKAH “Please do not tell me that I have to take pictures with them…”

The look in her eyes was anything but pleasant. She didn’t want to stand and take pictures with people she didn’t know nor like and that’s what it looked like she was going to have to do. She sighs in irritation before one of the people in the background hands her her turquoise mask with the quote: “You say villain like it’s a bad thing” on it. She puts it on and then adjusts the championship on her shoulder. If there was one good thing about masks, the person she had to stand next to wouldn’t realize that she wasn’t actually smiling underneath it.

::PERSON FROM THE PR TEAM “Yes, you do have to take pictures with them. That is and was part of the arrangement that Mr. Ward set up for you today.”

Mikah scowls just a little bit at the thought of being put through such torture. She wasn’t a people person and it still amazed her just a little bit that she even had fans. But the smart wrestling fans, the ones that were in it for the wrestling and not just the storylines or looks of the competitors, knew that she was one of the best in the ring despite her attitude.

;;MIKAH “Fine, let’s get this shit over with.”

The guy from the PR team gives her a look but chooses not to get into a war of words with her, which was probably a good thing because he’d lose. She takes a deep breath as a person steps up that had just a simple SCW shirt on and they looked to be just barley eighteen years old. Mikah just offers a smile as the person steps into the shot with Mikah.

::FAN 1 “Nice to meet you, my name is Quin.”

Mikah just smiles at him as she moves in just a little and places an arm loosely around the fan’s shoulders. She tries to disguise the grimace that is in her eyes as she poses with him for a picture.

::FAN 1 “Thank you so much! I am a big, big fan!”

Mikah just takes a deep breath before watching as the fan runs off, happy to have been able to get a photo with the blonde bombshell. She takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out as a woman with a young girl walks up to her. Mikah looks them over before noticing the little girl had a Despayre shirt on and that brings a smile to her face. But the mother was wearing a Sam Marlowe shirt

::FAN 2 “Hi my name is--.”

Mikah cuts her off by holding a hand up.

;;MIKAH “No, I don’t want to talk to you. I want to talk to your daughter. She clearly has the right kind of taste in stars.”

Mikah purposely gives the mom a dirty look before carefully squatting down, keeping her knees together to get on the little girl’s level.

;;MIKAH “Hi, what’s your name?”

FAN 3 “My name is Nessa. I’m free.”

The little girl holds up three fingers to elaborate and the mispronunciation of the number three. Mikah did better talking to little kids as they hadn’t yet gotten to the point where most adults were in their intelligence; their brains could still be sculpted.

;;MIKAH “That’s a great age, Nessa. I see that you have Despy on your t-shirt. Did you know that he’s one of my bestest friends?!”

She watches at the little girl’s eyes get big in surprise.

FAN 3 “Really!?”

Mikah chuckles but nods her head, marveling at the little girl’s innocence. It was the best thing about children and they brought out a side in her that most people didn’t see. She was a lot more patient with children than she was with adults and it showed when she had her own children around.

;;MIKAH “Really. We’re like this…”

She holds her hand up to show her index finger and middle finger crossed. She watches the excitement appear in the little girl’s eyes before the excitement reaches the little girl’s feet. She starts to jump excitedly, unable to contain all the energy she was holding now.

FAN 3 “That is so cool!”

Mikah smiles before moving just a little closer to her and then looks at Antonio. She pulls the girl in closer until they’re cheek to cheek and this time, the smile reaches Mikah’s eyes as Antonio snaps the picture. Mikah stands back up as the little girl grabs her mother’s hand, who gives Mikah a dirty look as she didn’t seem to like being snubbed by the blonde bombshell. Mikah just shrugs it off before tugging at the short skirt of her dress. She looks at the next fan and shakes her head no.

;;MIKAH “No. I’m not taking a picture with you.”

The fan looks appalled and confused all at the same time as Mikah refuses to take a picture with him.

FAN 4 “What? Can you do that?! Why?!”

Mikah points at his shirt and then shakes her head.

;;MIKAH “If you wanted a picture with me, you shouldn’t wore a shirt that very clearly supports SCW’s resident nutjob. And one of my biggest rivals. And possibly the one person that I cannot stand the most.”

Mikah gives him a look before flipping her hair with her hand over her shoulder. The fan looks at her in shock but Mikah doesn’t seem to be budging from her stance.

FAN 4 “All of yours were sold out..”

Mikah lets out a laugh before shaking her head.

;;MIKAH “And you’re acting like that’s my problem. That I can control how much of my merchandise sells. Move on, go somewhere else. Before I vomit.”

The fan seems like he wants to protest but decides against it and walks off with a dejected look on his face. Mikah doesn’t seem bothered by the fact that she had upset a fan but the PR guy did not look very happy with the fact that she turned down a fan. She looks at the next fan and raises an eyebrow as she sees the Black Sheep shirt on him instead of a shirt she didn’t like.

;;MIKAH “That looks a lot better than that hideous thing I just saw.”

The fan doesn’t say anything for a moment before stepping into the shot with Mikah. She stands next to him as Antonio snaps a picture.

FAN 5 “I really hope that you and Coby can get along enough to win at Inception.”

;;MIKAH “You and me both, buddy.”

It was no secret that her and Coby’s personalities were polar opposites. She wished he’d be a little more like her and less like himself but of course, nobody saw a problem with him. It was always her. Everybody was always wanting her to change but why change when what she was doing was working? She always felt as if she was the one that nobody really respected, no matter how much they said they did. So why should she be nice to people who didn’t really give a flying fuck about her? It didn’t help that currently she was avoiding Kristopher like the plague and wasn’t planning on going to San Diego at all. She was sure that he hadn’t even noticed and was even more sure that he didn’t care either and she was stubborn enough to stay away. She wanted to see how long it took any of them to notice. So far, it was taking a lot longer than she thought. She hadn’t been in San Diego since before Christmas and she spent less and less time in the locker room with them, choosing either to go harass the boss in his office or leave. Unless of course, her match was toward the end of the show, then she hung out in spaces where she wouldn’t be bothered or found. Or she was out on a run, there were other places she could be that didn’t have to be in that locker room.

FAN 3 “Um…hello?”

Mikah is snapped out of her mind to see another fan standing there, a confused look on their face.

;;MIKAH “Oh fuck this. You smell like COVID and I’m not standing anywhere close to me. Where the fuck have you been? Get out of here.”

She grabs a bottle of hand sanitizer, unscrews the lid off of it, and then dumps it over the fan’s head before the PR guy could step in and stop it. It was safe to say that Mikah is a PR nightmare.

“NOT ME.”
LOCATION:LAS VEGAS, NEVADA.
DAYS UNTIL THE MATCH: 7
SCENE: iI
REC

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2021
TIME: 10:30 A.M.

Mikah stands outside of a closed hotel room door, a smirk on her face as she looks at the closed door before looking at the envelope in her hand. She looks down both ends of the hallway before shrugging her shoulders. It was probably the boldest thing that she’s ever done and she wasn’t about to back down from it. She adjusts the short skirt of her turquoise dress before raising her hand and knocking on the door with three small raps of her hand.

::MAN’S VOICE “Just a minute…”

Mikah chuckles to herself before waiting as patiently as she can before the door opens and she hands the envelope to the person.

;;MIKAH “I’d say sorry, but we both know that I’m not sorry. But I can make it up to you in other ways.”

She looks at him and smirks at him before watching him step aside and she walks into his hotel room and the door closes behind her.

“SIT STILL, LOOK PRETTY.”
LOCATION: LAS VEGAS, NEVADA.
DAYS UNTIL THE MATCH: 8
SCENE: iii
REC

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021
TIME: 4:45 PM

The scene opens up to the Chandelier bar that is the main bar that is the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. It is known for being a bar that looks like it is in a chandelier. The camera moves in to see the Blonde Bombshell sitting on the bar with one leg crossed over the other and dressed in a skin tight, short silver glittered show with a low v-cut neck line. In one hand shew as holding a mixed drink while the other was holding onto the edge of the bar. To her right was her half of the Mixed Tag Team championships sitting on the bar, looking all pretty and shiny.

“This lethal lottery thing that the boss men seem to enjoy doing is not something that ever seems to work out in their favor. You would think that they would learn and stop pairing people together who don’t work well together or even really know if they will work together. But what doesn’t work well for them, is slated to work well for me.”

She raises her glass up to her lips and takes a drink of it before looking at the camera, a smirk on her face.

“And everybody knows, what works best for me, is what’s best for the company. I mean, sure going from Kristopher to Coby as a partner might be a little. . .different but it’s not a bad choice or even the worst choice that could have happened. I mean, I could have had to forfeit my championship belt and then where would I be?”

She raises an eyebrow before uncrossing her legs and recrossing them the opposite way.

“Nowhere. Stuck in some random match that would make absolutely no sense for a talent of my caliber. And I’m not about to be stuck in a match against the likes of Jessie Salco or Sam Marlowe. No thanks.”

She makes a face of disgust before taking another drink of her mixed drink.

“Maybe if it was against a person of better caliber. A talent like Evie Jordan or even Alicia Lukas, maybe. But still, what is the point to those matches anyways? I don’t have anything else to prove when it comes to singles competition. Other than prove to all those morons that don’t seem to think that I can handle a singles career again. But I think I’ve proved that well enough in the past month and a half. I’m sure there are idiots out there that think I’m hiding out in the Mixed Tag division because I don’t have the strength or the stomach to compete in those high caliber matches anymore. And that’s not true But how many times can I beat the resident nutjob before you all get tired of seeing it?”

She raises an eyebrow at her own hypothetical question.

“But there’s also the argument that I don’t have anything left to prove in the mixed tag division either. Kristopher and I are undefeated in this division. Oh, wait.”

She pauses and frowns before making a face.

“Coby and I are undefeated as a team. Granted, Coby was literally just handed the championship. That’s definitely not something that I can even lie about or try to cover up or sweep under the rug, because it’s true. Kristopher won the big belt and then handed this one to Coby to keep it in the Black Sheep.”

She pauses for a moment, trying to keep a straight face without any emotion on it.

“But Coby’s skills as a competitor shouldn’t be doubted or looked over. Because whether I want to admit it or not, he’s…”

Again, she pauses as she goes through some words in her head. She wanted to find the exact one that she wanted to use to describe Coby’s in-ring talent.

“Capable. Maybe even talented.”

She sits there for a moment, letting the word sit on her tongue to see if she liked the way it sounded and felt.

“But I don’t have to worry about Coby in the ring. Maki and Milo Kasey do…well, really just Milo has to worry about what Coby does in the ring. I, on the other hand, am tasked with taking on Maki. But is it really going to be that hard?”

She raises her eyebrows at the camera as she looks at it. She grabs her glass and finishes off the rest of the drink before snapping her fingers at the bartender, who is quick to make her another drink.

“She lost to Jessie Salco. And that is saying something. And if you’ve lost to Jessie Salco, how good in the ring can you be? I mean, I’ve never lost to Jessie Salco. Not once in my career.”

She smirks to herself as she takes a drink of the mixed drink.

“But you have been on a little bit of a winning streak, haven’t you Maki? I mean, your accomplishments on Climax Control of beating the likes of Candy, Bea Barnhart, Sierra Williams, and Sam Marlowe are there, right? Oh and let’s not forget that last Sunday on Climax Control you beat Courtney Pierce, my protégé or whatever you want to call her.”

She just shrugs her shoulders. She couldn’t really say that she’s been a good mentor to anybody as of lately. Especially when she’s been avoiding San Diego worse than she avoided her own problems.

“I’m sure that somebody could make the argument that if you can beat Court, that you have a chance in beating me. But let me set you straight, Maki. You have no fucking chance in beating me next Sunday. There’s no chance in fucking hell that I’m going to let you and your partner take my championship away from me.”

She was very adamant in holding onto her current undefeated streak and that included holding the championship.

“Let me remind you, Maki, I’m currently undefeated in SCW since my glorious return this past Summer. And I’m not looking to let the likes of you be the one to end this streak. Because I came back to save this fucking division from the likes of Bea and Bill Barnhart and Bella and whatever his name is. And Kristopher and I did just that. Sure, he ditched me for the Heavyweight Championship but whatever.”

She rolls her eyes at the thought before taking another drink from her glass before setting it back down to her left.

“So I suppose it is now up to Coby and myself to continue to save the division from the likes of people like you. I’m not a nice person, Maki. Coby? He’s probably the nicest person you’ll ever step into the ring with. Not that you will get that chance but still. He will be the nicest opponent you’ve ever had. There’s no doubt about that but me? I’m not like him. I’m a whole hell of a lot harder to intimidate and I’m going to be whole of a hell lot harder for you to beat. But guess what? You’re not going to beat me. I’m also a whole hell of a lot harder to impress, so there’s that.”

She smirks at the camera, a look toying with her eyes.

“We can talk about what I’ve done in this company but everybody knows what I’ve done. And how I am the best Bombshell in this company and will always be the best there is. So if you think that I’m going to let some trashy little woman like you walk into Inception and think she’s going to take a championship away from me? You’ve got another thing coming, Mak.”

She laughs before shaking her head.

“What a pathetic waste of talent, really. I mean, they could have booked Coby and I in a better match that was further down the card. But no, they decided to give us you and Milo Kasey instead.”

She chuckles to herself, an amused look playing on her pretty face.

“It’s ironic though, really it is. Because 2021 is already starting off in a poor way for you and Milo, Mak. But I mean, a loss to the Black Sheep is not as bad as a loss to the Barnharts would be. So you should be thanking me and Coby for giving you this opportunity to lose to us.”

She winks at the camera with a confident look on her face.

“Inception isn’t going to be your night and neither of you should be looking forward to a win because it’s not going to happen. The way things work between the Black Sheep…”

She hesitates for a moment, remembering that her and Coby haven’t really every worked together in the ring. She wasn’t sure how it was going to go down but she was almost sure that she could see herself walking out of the match and leaving him to fend for himself if he got too nice or scolded her for being mean.

“Well, let’s not worry about how things work between Coby and I. That’s something that you’re going to be surprised to see. Because it really doesn’t matter if my partner is Kristopher or Coby, because we’re still going to win. But at least Coby’s got consistency going for him.”

She smirks at the small, innocent jab she took at Kris.

“But in all seriousness, you and Milo should really work on getting to know one another better in the ring. Because you’re going to need all the help you can get because Coby and I? We’ve got it figured out.”

She wasn’t sure if that was true but she was going to act like it was.

“Hope you spend all of next week training to be able to be even a quarter amount of good as I am in the ring. It won’t help but you can try.”

She winks at the camera again before finishing her drink in a few swallows.

“Remember, being a villain isn’t the worst thing you could be. You could be you.”

She hops down from the counter and pulls at her dress a little bit.

“Ciao.”

[MiloKasey]

“Ours is Not to Reason Why, Ours but to do or die”
-Alfred Lord Tennyson

Thank you A-L-T. I should have that quote tattooed on my arse in big bold letters. And I would, if I didn’t hate needles so damn much.

Ok, I crashed and burned hard in my last match. At least I wasn’t pulling splinters from my back but I went down in a blaze of glory in that match. My terms, my way and I managed not to kill myself. So that’s a win there for me.

That was until I got to the back and opened up my phone to a text message from a number I didn’t recognize but knew who it was from.

“Sadist”

...that was all it said. I wish that was the end of the story but alas I am indeed a sadist, with a pinch of masochism and a big dash of raging arrogant asshole arranged in this body and I’m going to play this bitch’s silly little game until she gets bored of me.

Bringing the phone up I decide to not text her back but send her a nice clear voice message instead so she can hear exactly what I mean, “So the ghost assumes, but how would it know since they were too damn cowardly to find out. But I’ll tell you what sweetheart, I hope you enjoy the show, cause I’m not done yet. Either fuck around and find out or keep hiding.”

And with that I sent it, turned my phone off, tossed it into my bag and left to get a shower. I’m not in the mood to play these mind games right now by just another bitch in my life.

“And that’s ALL you fucking are....just another bitch.” deep breath and sigh,  “I need a drink.”

Week Later
New York

I thought that was it for me for a little while. I fucked up, I went home, I was not expecting the news I got last week.

Lethal Lottery, Mixed Tag Title Match, Mikah and Coby Quick vs. You...and Maki.

‘CUSEMEFUCKINWHA?!?

Sitting out on the fire escape, drinking a beer in the 40 degree temps of the city and it’s getting dark. Looking up to the sky, “So uhh, we gonna talk about how you are giving me these chances? How many times are you gonna let me fuck up before you stop this shit?”

And the thunder rolls across the sky. Ah yeah, there’s that ‘Don’t push it Milo’ vibe that the universe loves to kick me in the balls with over and over and over.

“Ok, I get it.” holding up my hands and following that up with a quick swig of my drink, “But one of these days, you’re gonna realize you put your bet on the wrong steed here. I’m only good for getting my ass kicked and hacking my way through a briar patch of psycho bitches. Occasionally allowing a beautiful woman a night here and there. But I am not cut out for these matches!”

“I’m a royal fuck up and I know it. BUT don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the chances I get. There is that interesting fine line with getting these opportunities and going ‘Wow, someone up there really likes me’ to ‘Who’s got it bad enough for me to keep giving me these chances and expecting a pay off’ when by some strange miracle it eventually happens?” laughing, “This whole Lethal Lottery team up with Maki is completely mind blowing and completely confusing but I LOVE it because I KNOW she’s going to hold my dumbass accountable for my fuck ups. We’re both British! IT’S A THING! SHE’LL CALL MY ASS OUT BEFORE WE EVEN GO THROUGH THE CURTAIN!”

“I think I fear her more than I fear our opponents! I actually feel for Coby having to put up with Mikah, considering that until this moment she had Kris and he beat feet for greener pastures. And don’t try and tell me that’s not what happened because I know damn fucking well, you keep putting up with a bitch long enough, you try and find any way out.”

Rumble Rumble.

“Oh fuck off, she’s gorgeous but Mikah is a BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH! I don’t know if Coby truly knows what he’s getting himself into. This Black Sheep 1.5 variant, maybe not as deadly but still can trick you into thinking it’s just as bad. This isn’t the same Black Sheep that took the titles from Bella and Malachi. I watched that happen, they were UNSTOPPABLE, Mikah and Kris were it...this is not the same. Coby has been given a gift from the Gods above, the question is can he handle something so pressurized.”

I just shrug, “It’s a question I honestly have. Because I wanna make things clear, I am confused as to WHY I’m here, I am confused why it was me that was picked, I’m confused as to why Maki is my partner and I’m confused as to why we made this a title match. DO NOT MISTAKE THIS AS TO ME COMPLAINING! I’m just....confused. It’s a thing, I’ve been hit in the head so many times, I’m lucky I remember how to tie my damn shoes or put on pants. I’m not sure WHY I have been given this opportunity but I will be a DEAD MOTHER FUCKER if I’m just gonna sit here with my finger up my ass and not go....” standing tall, “I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE TO FUCK YOUR WHOLE WORLD UP!”

“My name is Miles Kasey, my asshole friends call me Milo because well they know it gets on my nerves. Miles and Milo are the same idiot, wrapped in a package of sadomasochist asshole that just does not give a FUCK anymore. I have loved and lost more than I care to admit and honestly if I keep losing, it’s just another notch. Maki, I will give you FULL PERMISSION TO KICK ME IN THE NADS if it’s my fault that we lose this match at Inception IV. BUT ONLY IF IT’S MY FAULT!”

A glance, a wink and a smirk, “We good?”

“And by some grace of the Gods, God, BUDHA...whatever...”

RUMBLE

“AH PISS OFF!”

Deep breath

“Get a helmet boys and girls cause from here on out, I just do not even remotely fucking care. Let come what may. DO OR DIE! FUCK OR BE FUCKED! Because the Lethal Lottery team is gonna make shit just WEIRD!”

[Jet City]

>Coby Quik looks a lot more annoyed than he had during his previous recording. The new Mixed Tag Team Champion had his title hanging over his shoulder, and was pacing back and forth down the alley behind Jet City South. The street lights gave the whole area around him an orange glow.

Well, I can honestly say that I got exactly what I was expecting out of Miles and Maki.

He had chosen his words carefully. Even though he had been right about them, there was no way that he got any joy out of it. His body language told the audience that before he had even opened his mouth. He sounded disappointed to be right, like his opponents had let him down.

On one hand, it’s kind of nice. I put a lot of thought into what I thought these two were going to say all week. I kind of braced for impact, you know? I wasn’t going to let them get in my head before such an important debut for me. I mean, the first time I am getting into a Sin City ring, I’m defending a championship. Has that ever even happened before? This is history in the making, so I didn’t want to let myself get blindsided by my opponents before I even got to the ring. The fact that they hit all the talking points that I thought they would was kind of a relief. It’s easy to shrug off something that you’ve prepared yourself for.

There was something else though. Normal people probably would have been thrilled about their opponents selling them short. That just meant that come time for the match to start, Coby already had an advantage. If they viewed him as a weak link, it would only work in his favor. It’s hard to win a match when you underestimate your opponent. Still he couldn’t help but feel insulted by the letdown more than the specifics.

On the other hand, it is kind of disappointing. I mean, as both of my opponents were fast to point out, I’m new here. The fact that I saw what they had to say coming means that the two of them should have tried a lot harder. Maybe I was over-prepared for them to blow me away, but I feel like they could have done better. These are the Mixed Tag Team Championships that we are fighting over here. This is an opportunity to stand atop of an entire division in this company. A little bit of effort goes a long way. Trust me.

He tries to walk back some of his criticism; willing to take some part of the blame himself.

...but maybe it’s my own fault. I mean, these two don’t even know each other, but both came to the same conclusion about me. They hit the high notes. I didn’t win the championship that I carry, Kris handed it to me. I haven’t paid any dues in this company, I was given the opportunity because Kris won the World Heavyweight Championship. It’s not a secret. We did it on Climax Control in front of the world. It’s not exactly a fact that I was trying to hide. If I wasn’t prepared to deal with the criticism that came from taking this championship from Kris, I wouldn’t have taken it. It wasn’t something that I stepped into thoughtlessly. It wasn’t some snap decision. I had to weigh my options, and in the end, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

He shrugs. There was no shame in admitting it. It is not like they knew that this was going to happen when he joined The Black Sheep months ago. It was a right place, right time type of situation that just made too much sense to ignore. The strangest and rarity of the situation wasn’t lost on Coby though.

Like I said, we’re probably making history in this match. There isn’t anyone on the roster that would have turned down this opportunity. There were always going to be people just waiting to tell me that I don’t deserve to be champion, and I invite them to come and take it from me if they want it. If anyone thinks that they can do better, they are welcome to find a partner and step up. I don’t know how many times I am going to have to defend this championship before people recognize me as the rightful champion, but I DO know that we’re all gonna find out together. This championship reign isn’t going to be short. Mikah and I aren’t going to be beaten easily.

He stops pacing, and shakes his head. He couldn’t really blame people for thinking that he and Mikah weren’t going to work as a team. All of the members of The Black Sheep put on a good show for those only paying casual attention.

People think social media tells the whole story. They think Mikah and I are at each other’s throats over having to team together. Maki and Miles see Mikah being her usual difficult self on Twitter and see some kind of cause for concern. I thought I was supposed to be the new guy around here. Shouldn’t they understand how she is by now? She and Kris appeared to be at each other’s throats on a daily basis, and went undefeated as a team. If any of you think that I would be in this match right now if Kris had the option of holding both championships, you’re crazy. He didn’t abandon this team for a better option. He was forced out, and if that’s how it’s gotta be, why not hand the championship to your best friend and let him run with it?

Another shrug, but this time he doesn’t cut himself off there. It was about time that someone set the roster right. If this was going to be the kind of thing that gets repeated week after week, he had to at least try to set the story straight for everyone. Then he could say that he gave them a fair chance.

I mean, Mikah and I have been training the students of Jet City Sports Lab, and now Jet City South, side-by-side for years. Courtney Pierce’s run through the Blast from the Past tournament a couple of years ago? That was all of us that helped her do that. The Go Gym might get all the acclaim around here, but we aren’t so terrible ourselves. As trainers we have put people in a situation to succeed in this company. As friends, we have traveled together, and lived under the same roof. We may look at the world in entirely different ways, but there is no question that we have each other’s backs 100%. There’s no dissension in the ranks of The Black Sheep. There is no animosity between the four of us. We’re always going to do what’s best for the team, because the four of us are what is important. I owe Kris and Mikah a lot. Kris helped bring me to Sin City, and introduced me to my wife. Mikah was the maid of honor at my wedding to a former Bombshell Roulette Champion. We may have been thrown together by circumstances out of our hands, but The Black Sheep are just as good today as they were when Kris and Mikah won the titles. Nothing has changed. Not really.

Again, it seems as if Coby is willing to accept partial responsibility for any miscommunication.

...and that’s why I think maybe it’s my fault that my opponents were mistaken. Maybe I haven’t done enough to make sure that people understand the current state of The Black Sheep. We haven’t gotten weaker. If anything, this team has only become more dangerous. Kris is uncontrolled chaos in the ring. I’m more of a technician with a plan. This version of The Black Sheep actually has focus, and we were dominant back when we were just winging it. It shouldn’t be a hard concept to comprehend. Then again, how could I expect them to get all of that when Maki doesn’t even seem to understand how all of this works. I’m not surprised. Someone that speaks in insults and threats can’t really be expected to pay attention to all the details. She’s sitting around wasting her time thinking about what she’s going to do to me in the ring without realizing that we won’t be in the ring together. She’s trying to get in my head when I’m not even really her opponent. When she’s in the ring, I get ejected in exchange for Mikah, and vice-versa. You’d expect the people in this company to at least understand the way that things work. Especially since Blast from the Past has the same rules.This is my first match in the company, let alone the division, and at least I knew that much.

Of course, it was possible that this would just be the first time that Coby and Maki would cross paths in this style of match. They had both entered Blast from the Past, and depending on how the bracket shaped up, might end up back in the ring with one another sooner rather than later. That was a thought for a later time though.

Maki should be looking at this as a singles match against Mikah with a championship on the line. Better yet, a championship match where if she makes a mistake, or loses the advantage, she can tag out and try again once she catches her breath. She gets to take on the best Bombshell ever to grace an SCW ring and walk away with a championship if she gets the job done. Yet, she says she is absolutely dead set against taking part in this match. It doesn’t make any sense. Then again, not much about her does.

Coby didn’t suffer under the delusion that any of it really mattered though.

Not that it has an effect on her in-ring ability. She can be as confused as she wants, and still dissect people in the ring. Nobody said you had to be smart or quick-witted to get ahead in this business. I know that when the bell rings, Maki is dangerous. I also have all the faith in the world that Mikah can, and will, take her down. Why? Because that is just what Mikah does. It’s what she has done since she first arrived in this company. It is the reason why nobody has come close to holding the Bombshell championship for as many total days as she has. It is the reason that every rookie bombshell that wants to be anything in this company calls her out. Mikah is the gold standard. It doesn’t matter how she acts. It doesn’t matter how scary Maki thinks she is. Mikah has proven that she is better than every bombshell that has stepped up to her. What makes anyone think that after all these years, Maki is about to change that? What makes anyone think that a random team of strangers that don’t understand the rules to this match have a chance to win this?

He sighs, knowing how his opponents would probably take his words. It was his fault for not taking more time to let his annoyance pass before doing more promotional work. Maybe he would have cooled off in a day or two. It was too late to find out now though.

...and I don’t mean to sound hateful, because that’s absolutely not who I am. It is just frustrating to see two people get an opportunity like this and spend more time complaining about it then celebrating the chance that they are being given. These two are quick to point out that I am in a spot that I shouldn’t, but they didn’t exactly earn their way into this either. The only one of us that really earned their place in this match is Mikah. Yet they want to point the finger at me, and call me the weakest link. At the very least they’re misguided, but it feels like disrespect. That’s not something that I’m just willing to sit back and take in stride.

He was hoping that the fans would understand where he was coming from, because that is what really mattered to him. This match had the opportunity to be a surprise high point of the show, and his opponents were taking it for granted. You hate to see it.

These two should be happy that someone thinks highly enough of their abilities to put them in a match like this instead of leaving them off the card all together. We sign contracts to compete in this company expecting to at least be on the biggest stages when the time comes. It’s like neither of these two realize that they could be sitting at home like Courtney Pierce is right now. Miles wants to talk about being a career screw up that has thrown away every chance he was given, like he doesn’t know anything about the guy that gave me this championship in the first place. To me, it felt like he was describing Kris’ career here. Dammit, he actually said that it would be a ‘miracle’ if it happened without noticing the irony of that statement. Maybe that is just because I actually got to watch it take place as a fan. He was another guy that Mark and Christian just kept giving opportunities to in the hopes that one day he would put it together and take his game to some whole other level. Look at the guy now. He’s where all of us aspire to be.

Depending on how Blast from the Past shakes out, Coby could theoretically end up giving Kris his Mixed Tag Team Championship back to him after taking the World Heavyweight Championship for himself. He wasn’t going to dwell on possibilities that were months away from being a reality though. What was more important, was how Kris got to where he is in the company.

...but instead of seeing the path that Kris cut and realizing that he could do the same, Miles just wants to question it to death. He wants all of the answers before he is willing to put in any of the effort. That’s why he is going to walk into this match confused, while Mikah and I walk in knowing exactly what it is that we are there to do. At the end of the day, we signed to this company to get into the ring and beat whoever is put across from us. That’s the extent of it. We don’t always get to pick who is standing across from us. We don’t always get to pick who is standing next to us. Our job never changes though. That’s why someone like me doesn’t waste time with all of the questions that Miles wants answered. It’s not my job to ask those questions. It’s my job to defend the Mixed Tag Team Championship to the best of my ability. When Kris handed it to me he said not to let anyone take it from me. That’s what I promised to do.

He takes a deep breath, still wanting to choose his words carefully.

I keep my promises.

He nods, and reaches for the door leading back into the gym. He gives one final look back to the camera.

...and that’s what’s up!

Coby enters the building, and when the door closes shut behind him, the camera cuts to black.



==========================================================


Homecoming
JET CITY SOUTH - San Diego
24 January 2021
OFF-Camera


As she shuts off the recording, Court follows Coby inside Jet City South. She didn’t particularly enjoy helping Coby with his promotional work, and it didn’t help when he threw her under the bus for good measure.

Court: Look… I already locked up everything up front. Last people left about an hour ago….

He was just inside the door, placing the Mixed Tag Championship into his gym bag.

Court: ....and you know, you didn’t have to say anything about me. Could have just left me out of it.

He nods, and takes a deep breath.

Coby: Yeah… I thought about it after it came out. I’m sorry. I know that you wanted to be on the show. We’re going to figure this out and get things turned around for you. You know that right?

Court didn’t want to talk about it though. She had lost to Maki. It was becoming a recurring theme in her career. She had started her career 5-1, and somehow flipped it to be 1-5 since. She was lost, but Coby wasn’t the person that she wanted to talk to about it. Then again, Mikah was supposed to be her lifeline for problems like these and she was nowhere to be found. Kris had promised to be more active as a coach, and promptly run away to Seattle. Jet City South wasn’t something she was putting any faith into, and she wasn’t above taking out her frustration on Coby. What would he do about it if she did? He was too perfect to let it get under his skin.

Court: ...and why do you even need help doing this? Why not just use the drones? Or do you just like being able to order me around while we’re in the building?

Coby knew there was no way that she was this upset with him about having to hold a camera for a few minutes. It couldn’t even just be mentioning her name. There was a lot more to it, and she was just as difficult as Kris was to talk to about her problems. The only thing he could do was apologize and change the subject.

Coby: I don’t know how to use those things. That’s something you and Kris get into. I am a lot more low tech.

Court shrugs.

Court: You can reprogram a path. Then you just have to keep yourself in front of the camera. It takes a little practice. I’ll show you next time I do one of mine… if you want… That way you won’t have to waste my time.

He thought he was out of the woods for a brief moment, but she was just determined to stay angry.

Coby: I’ll do that. If you don’t mind.

She rolls her eyes and tosses the camera to him.

Court: Well, assuming they book me again. I’m out though.

She turns away from him and heads out the door they had both entered through. He is too focused on settling the camera safely in his bag to look back to her before the door is closing behind her.

Coby: ...bye… I guess...

He looks back at the empty gym, and then moves towards the door, pushing the latch up on the lock before flipping a switch that activates a magnet that holds it closed. He grabs his bag and makes his way through the gym, flipping off multiple different sets of lights as he goes. As he makes his way past the front desk, he notices that one of the automatic doors at the front of the gym was stuck open. He looks around,

Voice: Oh no, the door’s open….

The voice wasn’t coming from any specific place, but from all around Coby. Somehow the sound was being pumped through the PA system for the gym that usually only used to play music while the gym was open. The distortion of the voice was familiar to Coby though. He had heard it several times in the last months.

Coby: You know, this isn’t GRIME. There’s not any cameras here. This isn’t part of the show.

Coby could have run. Coby SHOULD have run. He knew it was a bad idea, but he dropped the gym bag off of his shoulder and placed it down on the front desk. As he did, he heard footsteps scrambling through equipment to his left. He turned to face that direction, only for more footsteps to echo through the gym behind him. He raised his fists to defend himself from whichever direction they eventually came from, but each time he shifted towards the sounds, they came from another location.

Cyan: The problem is, you think that this is about the show for me. It’s not. It’s so much more than that. I think you know that though, don’t you Sam.

Coby shakes his head. It was all an obvious trap, but he was too deep into it to avoid what he knew was going to happen. His fears had been right. He had told Chelsea that he thought one of the masks was one of their own. He knew someone under the mask was family. It wasn’t until losing his Television Championship match that he had narrowed down the list. Now he knew for sure.

Coby: We trusted you, and you’re going to bring these GRIME people into our house? This is Jet City. Jet City made you. It made all of us… and you’re just going to come in here an----

The footsteps stop, and the gym falls as silent as it is dark. Coby recognizes the calm before the storm, but one-by-one masks light up in the darkness around him. Instead of the assortment of colors he was usually attacked by, each mask lit up cyan. He was surrounded by the man that had plagued him for the last few months. The Jet City traitor.

Cyan: You were saying something, Sam… Something about we were all going to come in here and do something… Please, do go on. We weren’t trying to cut you off. We just wanted to make sure that you could see your audience.

The voice was still coming from overhead. Whichever one of them was the real Cyan was a total mystery to Coby. They were all roughly the same size, and any of them could be the booming voice from the PA system. There was no way that he was going to win this. The new Mixed Tag Team Champion bounces on his heels slightly, trying to make sure that he had momentum going for whenever they finally made their move.

Coby: It doesn’t matter.

Coby wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of showing just how livid he was to have a friend turn on him like this.

Cyan: You were asking what we were here to do. I would hope that seems obvious by now. It certainly looks like you already know. There is more than that though. I mean aside from what we want as a group, there’s what I want personally.

Coby shrugs, but doesn’t lower his guard.

Coby: ...and what’s that?

All of the Cyan’s raise their right hand and shake and index finger at Coby. The coordination of the group was actually impressive.

Cyan: The group comes first, and what the group wants is to send a message. Nobody gets leave to greener pastures and just leave us behind. If you’re on our radar, we can get to you anywhere, anytime. Your ass belonged to GRIME. You were supposed to stay in SCU. Who said you could just leave? We had plans for you.

The lights on the masks all go off. Footsteps echo all around him, and Coby closes his eyes to try and focus on them. His eyes couldn’t help him right now anyways. Whichever one of Cyan’s squared up with Coby got dropped with a straight right hand as soon as Coby heard him get within distance. That was the only clean shot that he got off before one from his left swept his legs out from under him. After that it was a hard smack on a cold concrete floor and countless stomps to every inch of his body below his neck. It was like they wanted to make sure that he was conscious to suffer through the whole beating. Coby did his best to cover up, but it was useless. After a few moments, he didn’t even have it in him to do that. His whole body was screaming at him. It felt like he had been set on fire. As suddenly as the beating started, it ended. Coby tried to roll onto his side, but no part of his body wanted to be responsive to his demands. He could hear a fleet of footsteps head quickly for the front door. The job of all of the decoys was over. It didn’t take long for a single cyan mask to flick back on just a few inches from Coby’s face. It didn’t matter. Coby couldn’t convince his arms to raise and defend himself. He was at his attacker’s mercy at his point. The mob and made sure of it.

Cyan: ...but me… what do I want? Isn’t that what you really want to know?

Struggling just to get his lungs to fill with air, Coby wasn’t going to waste any effort on a strained attempt to answer a rhetorical question. The real Cyan had stayed for a reason. No matter what he said in front of the group, this was the real reason for the attack and Coby knew it.

Cyan: What I want is to tear it all down. You. Kris. Jet City Sports Lab. Jet City South. All of the students, and all of its legacy. I want to watch it all crumble, because it’s all bullshit. That’s what I want. Can you blame me?

Coby tries to respond, but Cyan doesn’t give him the chance. One solid forearm strike to Coby’s cheekbone bounced the Mixed Tag Team Champion’s head off of the concrete floor and knocked him unconscious.

Cyan: Because we’re friends, Sam… I’ll let you sleep on it….

Cyan leaves him there on the floor of the gym. Either he would wake up in the darkness, or they would find him in the morning. Neither scenario bothered the GRIME Television Champion. His messages were sent and received.

[Maki]

Have you ever wondered what it is like to be haunted? Do you believe in ghosts? How about Angels and demons? Melissa did not. She never believed in either. She abhorred religion and if you dislike and have no faith in it then you cannot believe in demons. Not once did she belittle anyone else’s faith except in her mind but then came the day of Daniela. Before that her mother, the exalted Mrs.Aki, had spent many hours trying to convince her daughter about Korean spirits but she had never gotten through to her errant daughter. Melissa had been brought up as a buddhist but even that seemed debased with monks setting themselves on fire just to spite the sovereign state of China. It made no sense to her.

Dreams were so strange. She dreamed a lot as a child but as she grew up she didn’t remember anything when she woke from one of her many naps per day. You might think that strange, you might repel at such a notion but all wrestlers need to conserve energy. If you are in a restaurant, maybe a hotel lobby, a train station, a petrol station, airport or underground there is a chance there is a wrestler napping and building those energy levels.

Maki had been driving from California to Vegas, she pulled off at this deserted area with some nice grass beside it almost as if you could place something there. She had thought a nice stroll could be just the tonic for her perpetual bad mood recently but then her body had told her she needed to recharge herself so she plugged herself into the car and slept.

She awoke to this loud terrible music playing, as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, neon lights struck her vision hard so she scrabbled for her eyewear. Where the hell were they? Bloody sunglasses always go missing but now her spectacles were gone too and her unruly hair was coming out of the pony tail. For motherjamming sake! Flub this, she thought as she exited her Kia cee’d rental car. Why was life so jamming difficult? Through her distorted vision she could make out...a fun fair? Yes, a travelling fun fair! Her inner arsehole indicator rang bells inside her stomach. Carnies. Always so messed up. Yet, as she thought this her feet decided it was time to exercise and she started walking, feeling like it was against her will but she couldn’t control her legs and feet anymore.

She found herself staring at multiple versions of herself, she freaked out and screamed at the top of her lungs for the images in front of her to disappear. She knew many wrestlers who loved themselves, lived with their own vanity to such a degree this would be heaven for them. She was not like that and always hated her own face and body but others seemed to think it was okay.

She stopped screaming and slowly started to realise a fact. She was in a house of mirrors in this messed up fun fair. She calmed her breathing down then the mirror behind her smashed, this followed in an anti-clockwise wave like a stack of dominoes tumbling until the mirror in front of her was the only one left standing. The face in front of her was her own but the reflection was slamming inside the glass like Zod in superman two. It slowly morphed into the vision of Daniela who started to cackle so loudly the whole place shook as if an earthquake was hitting and the final mirror exploded into a shroud of glass.

She escaped the blasted house of mirrors with only slight abrasions. She shook herself down and stumbled past various stalls, men on stilts and so many random and weird looking people. She finally made it past the donut stall and away from the madness but something stopped her feet from moving as if she was in her own mafia inspired concrete boots. She didn’t understand what was going on but heard the faintest of whispers, “Stop playing with these simpletons. It is time for the real vessel to come out.”

She woke up on the hood of her car, her ankle felt completely healed as if she had never had surgery on it. Her face was covered in the Korean warrior makeup she noticed as she looked in the wing mirror.  Her hair was a dishevelled mess. She looked like a drag queen from one of the seedy back streets off of Bourbon Street or from Soho in London. Daniela made her face real return and now emboldened by this she decided to take her phone out of the car, sit back on the hood, light a cigarette and pointed the camera on the phone at herself and pressed record.

“Look, I hadn’t planned this and I have jotted down key words and phrases like I normally do but you are welcome to my usual ramblings around subjects I have in mind. This is off the cuff and you will have to realise that Maki is not here for your pleasure. I get it, you think you pay for your subscriptions, you pay to see me perform to my best ability. You cheer or jeer and frankly I don’t give a flub which one it is. Yes, I want you to buy my merch and I want more money in my account but whether you care about me or not it does not matter to me.” She tried to stop her bangs from sliding all over her cheeks but it was a thankless task. She could feel Daniela inside her and it gave her a tingle of excitement. “The same goes for that roster and locker room in SCW and wherever I am in the world. They say catchy soundbites like ‘we are family’ or ‘we should watch each other's backs’ but it's all pointless platitudes. No one in that locker room is my friend. Not one of them wouldn’t throw me in a fire to escape being burnt. They all treat me like a has-been and want to ride my coattails to success but oh that was the old me that let you get one up on me, that made you all believe you could ride off the back of my stardom but no more. I am in this game for me and I will make sure by the end of this miserable year I will wear gold in sin city wrestling and that’s a motherjamming fact!”

Her face wrinkled as she took a drag from the cigarette and flicked the ash, her mind wandering for a second, her head turning from side to side and her eyes started to turn black “ Speaking of which my first shot at a mixed tag team title. Now, my little kiddies, did you think I didn’t see what you said about me? I knew you had to retort and even little Miles too. I know I was a meanie, right? Stupid mood swings. Most people will slam what was said about them, try to shame me for what I said and guess what these narcissistic bozos did? Exactly that! Like lemmings. It’s always got to be about them but when you look at it they are right and going by their training but maybe I am right not to have a comeback for them? You see, I do not care what they say about me, I do not care if they want to slag me off, I do not care if they think they can beat me because we all know that it's about time Maki proved herself. Yes, I have not needed to prove myself in a long time but in my time off for the injury that whore Salco did to me, I realised a home truth. I realised I was going into matches expecting to win but not giving it my all. I am the hundred percent girl and I let my ego take over. Now, when I break that pretty little face of Mikah and bust open her implants, when I snap the legs off Colby and if Miles does not do me a sold, when I break his face as well, I will be doing it because I am back to who i am and back to being the flubbing badass I always was. Now make sure you have disinfected those titles bah bah black sheep and hand them over to me or I will rip them from your cold, dead arms.”

She pressed end, got in her car and sped away as we fade.

[Mikah]

“WAKE UP CALL.”
LOCATION:LAS VEGAS, NEVADA.
DAYS UNTIL THE MATCH: 6
SCENE: i
REC

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021
TIME:10:30 A.M.

Mikah sighs as she walks down the hallway of the hotel, nearing the elevator when her phone goes off. She frowns before looking at it to see Coby’s face on it as he was trying to video call it. She’d been fielding calls from both him and Kris since Thursday and had ignored them. She’d even gone to the lengths to ignore their text messages as well, making her pretty much unreachable, which probably wasn’t the best thing as they were supposed to be partners and work together in any fashion that they could.

She presses the down button and waits for the elevator to get to the floor she was on as she taps her foot on the ground. She steps into the elevator once the doors open and she presses the lobby button before she leans against the back of the elevator as it starts to take her down to the lobby. She was as patient as she could be as she rides down to the lobby and then steps out of the lobby. She sees a few of the other SCW stars lingering around in the lobby and she waves before walking out of the hotel. She didn’t bother with sharing the same space as her co-workers and instead got a suite at the Cosmopolitan on the strip.

She’d thought about buying property in Las Vegas before as she knew that it was going to be a while before SCW could really travel again; it would save her money in the long run. But she also wasn’t sure if she wanted to have a permanent address in Las Vegas either. That would make the idea of booking her for more promotional events easier for both Christian Underwood and Mark Ward a lot more tempting than it already was for them. She couldn’t say that she didn’t understand where they were coming from, because she did. She knew that her name was a big draw for a lot of fans because of her own decorated career that she’d built in SCW. But even then, she had fans from her days in PWT when she was running rampant with a bunch of guys who knew she was the best talent in that roster. That didn’t seem to change; that same mentality seemed to follow her wherever she went and that’s what she liked.

She rolls her eyes as her phone goes off with a text message before she ignores that too, swiping it off of her phone. She knew that she was being stubborn and more than likely difficult but she didn’t care. She wanted to see how far she could push Coby before he snapped. She wanted to see just how different he was from Kris. Kris had only called her a handful of times before giving up after he realized that she was blatantly ignoring him. And it didn’t seem to bother her as much as she thought it might.

She walks out of the hotel and to the parking garage, where her rental car was parked. She sighs in irritation as her phone rings again and she sees Coby’s face on it again, signaling he was once again trying to facetime her. She rejects the call again before driving. The drive from the hotel to the Cosmopolitan didn’t take her too long and before she knew it, she was back in the Bungalow suite she’d booked for the week at the Cosmopolitan.

She sets her bag on the counter in the room before walking out onto patio that overlooked the Bellagio fountains. She sits down on the patio furniture and sighs as her phone rings again. She looks at it and sees again that Coby was trying to FaceTime her again. She finally slides the green button to answer it and holds the phone out so that he could see her.

;;MIKAH “You’re starting to act like a stalker with as much as you’ve called me in the past several days. I’m not sure whether I should be flattered or alert the police of your stalkerish tendencies.”

Coby just gives her a look, not looking to encourage her behavior. He knew her well enough not to play into her antics.

::CQ “If you answered your phone the first time, maybe I wouldn’t have had to call you as many times as I have.”

Mikah gives him a look before rolling her eyes, one of her signature moves as she gets comfortable on the couch. The weather in Vegas was slightly chilly but it wasn’t that bad.

;;MIKAH “Or maybe you could be a little more like Kristopher; he realized that I wasn’t going to answer his calls and he stopped calling. He clearly got the hint.”

Coby shakes his head at his current tag team partner. He wasn’t new to her antics, so her words didn’t seem to bother him that much.

::CQ “Did you ever think that’s maybe why there’s always a constant turmoil between you and him? Because you seem to enjoy playing his little game? And he’s not into the games anymore?”

She raises an eyebrow at him as she looks at him.

;;MIKAH “Game? I didn’t realize that this was what I was doing. I do have a life. That doesn’t revolve around Kristopher and his many emotions.”

Coby shakes his head at her again, clearly getting off the subject. Mikah was very good at leading conversations from what they were supposed to be focused on.

::CQ “That’s rich coming from you.”

Mikah just shrugs her shoulders at him.

;;MIKAH “Maybe. Maybe not. Doesn’t change the fact that it’s true, though.”

Coby takes a deep breath as he tries to get back to the reason that he called her.

::CQ “At least he’s learned to deal with his emotions.”

Mikah raises an eyebrow at the camera. She pushes her hair out of her face before looking at Coby and just smirks at him.

;;MIKAH “I mean, if you only called me to rub it in my face that I suck at dealing with my emotions, then I’m really regretting answering the phone.”

Coby gives her a look.

::CQ “This is not what I called for and you know that. Don’t play dumb, Mikah. You and I both know that you’re not stupid. In fact, you and I both know that you’re intelligent.”

Mikah sighs before standing up and walking over to the railing and leans against it before looking down at the Bellagio fountains, all while focusing on him.

;;MIKAH “At least there’s two of us that don’t think I’m stupid. That’s a start.”

She cracks a smirk at him and he just takes a deep breath before once again trying to focus the conversation back on the topic.

::CQ “So, now that you’ve officially steered the conversation away from what I was actually calling you about, can we please get back to the topic on hand?”

She shrugs her shoulders.

;;MIKAH “If you must, I thought talking about my intelligence was fun. But if you’d rather talk about something else, we can.”

She looks around the view of the strip from her location before looking at her phone. Coby was trying his best to not grow impatient with the blonde bombshell but it wasn’t easy.

::CQ “When are you going to come to San Diego so we can try to work together as a team?”

Mikah chuckles before moving and going inside of her suite and she goes down the two flights of stairs to get to the main level of her suite. She loved that she had all the extra space, even though it was kind of ridiculous for one person to have it.

;;MIKAH “Did we discuss that? I don’t remember ever agreeing to come back to San Diego.”

Mikah could see the irritation slowly slipping through on his face as she continued to poke at him. She wondered if he’d snap. She knew how to press Kristopher’s buttons but he’d learned to deal with it before she caused him to snap. It was one of her many talents.

::CQ “It’s where the gym is, Mikah. I was sure you’d want to prepare for our match at Inception against-”

She didn’t give him a chance to continue as she cuts him off.

;;MIKAH “Two people that have no interest in teaming together? Or against two people that have no chance in winning? I mean seriously, this is going to be a walk in the park Coby, you literally don’t have to worry about it.”

He sighs as he looks at her.

::CQ “It is better to be prepared for the worst, isn’t it?”

She rolls her eyes at him.

;;MIKAH “Or maybe you should trust me and the faith that I have in our talent, Coby.”

She wrinkles her nose at him.

::CQ “So…you’re staying in Vegas then?”

It was clear that he wasn’t going to encourage the conversation for much longer if she was going to continue to avoid the city that he was in and the fact that they should always be prepared. They definitely had different mindsets going into the match on Sunday; it was a good thing the match was six days away and they had time to figure it out.

;;MIKAH “Yes. There’s only six days until our match, Coby. You want me to come to San Diego and then basically turn back around and come back to Vegas. Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?”

She raises an eyebrow at him. She wasn’t trying to be difficult, she was just trying to cut down on her traveling time. She didn’t mind traveling that much, but she definitely didn’t like the turning around and leaving every few days. It was probably her least favorite thing about wrestling.

::CQ “Maybe you should have came to San Diego last week. Like maybe perhaps on Friday?”

She rolls her eyes at his logic, even though he did have pretty decent logic. But she didn’t fuck with logic and liked to do things her own way.

;;MIKAH “And why would I have done that? To be alone all the time? No thanks, I can be alone here.”

She smirks at him.

;;MIKAH “And be better off mentally.”

She didn’t hate California as much, she would give the state that but she still never was in the best place mentally when she was there.

::CQ “It’s a good thing that I’ve been friends with Kris as long as I have; he was the perfect person to prepare me for teaming with you.”

She laughs a little but shrugs her shoulders at Coby.

;;MIKAH “You definitely are different from Kristopher. It’s kind of fun trying to see what buttons I can push to get you agitated.”

She laughs a little to herself as she walks back up the stairs to go to the master bedroom to change. She looks at Coby as she sets the phone down and digs through her suitcase.

::CQ “Good thing I’m not Kris, so that’s not likely to happen.”

She glances over at the phone before grabbing it and smirking at him.

;;MIKAH “Dang. But that just means it will be a lot more fun for me to keep trying to find what irritates you the most. Aren’t you looking forward to it, Cobes?”

She giggles as she walks out of the bedroom and into the master bathroom and starts the lounging style bathtub before grabbing her lavender and eucalyptus bubble bath she’d purchased from the gift shop. She pours some in before she props the phone up and pins her hair up into a messy bun so it wouldn’t get wet from the water.

::CQ “Sure. If that answer makes you happy, then sure. Look, I gotta go. I’m sure that we’ll catch up when the group gets to Vegas.”

Mikah just smirks before waving at the camera.

;;MIKAH “Maybe. Maybe not. Bye.”

She doesn’t give him the chance to respond as she ends the call. She finishes preparing herself for the bubble bath and sets her phone down on the counter to ignore for a while.

“HELL OF A VIEW.”
LOCATION: LAS VEGAS, NEVADA.
DAYS UNTIL THE MATCH: 2
SCENE: ii
REC

FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2021
TIME: 4:45 PM

The scene opens up to a hot tub that the jets were going and the Cosmopolitan was in the background but just slightly. Mikah walks into the frame sporting a purplish-blue bikini and she smirks before slowly stepping into the hot tub before sitting down and relaxing back against the wall of the hot tub.

;;MIKAH “This is exactly what mine and Coby’s opponents are going to need come Sunday night. A relaxing, and soothing hot tub with a great view as they lick their wounds from their loss to me and Coby. And it’s to be expected, really. I am sure that when Christian and Mark made this match, they made it with the thought in mind to give Coby and I a semi-easy win to get our footing as tag team partners. And while that’s great, I’m not sure if it’s a compliment or an insult to me and Coby as a team. I get it, I’m used to tagging with Kristopher but he’s clearly got bigger, and better things to worry about rather than the tag team division. And do I blame him? No, because it’s great. It’s wonderful. But to put Coby and myself in a match like this, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel about it.”

She is hesitant for a moment as she tries to think where she wants to go next.

;;MIKAH “Coby and I are not strangers to one another, not in the slightest. Sure, I’ve not been in the ring with him as a partner before but that doesn’t mean that he and I are strangers in the ring. We’ve both been trainers at JCSL and I was his beautiful wife’s maid of honor in their wedding. And while he and I have complete opposite personalities, I think that he and I will work together wonderfully. I mean, somebody’s gotta be the nice one. And it’s not going to be me.”

She just relaxes back against the wall of the hot tub as she stares at the camera.

;;MIKAH “And I’ll be honest Coby? He’s definitely the better person out of the two of us. He’ll always be the better person and let’s be even more honest, why don’t we? In the Black Sheep, he’s probably the better person in the entire group. And while I…”

She hesitates for a moment and takes a deep breath before slowly letting it out.

;;MIKAH “Still like Kristopher, Coby is definitely the best one in the group. He’s got morals and standards and is all around a nice guy. And just because he’s nice, that doesn’t mean that he’s not good in the ring. Because that would be insane to think and irrational thinking. Coby is one of the better wrestlers that I’ve seen in the ring for a long time. He’s also one of the most underrated stars in the company. Not a lot of people would know because they don’t want to pay attention to him but they should. He’s genuinely nice guy and some people just can’t fathom that. Or recognize it when they see it. And I’m sure that our opponents are overlooking him as well.”

She winks at the camera.

;;MIKAH “Coby’s also very brilliant as a person. He’s smart and witty and if he can put up with the way that Kristopher and I act, then the whole company’s fucked. Let’s be honest, I’m not an easy person to get along with or work with. I know my worth and I know exactly what I can do in that ring. I understand that my talent outshines more than half of those interchangeable, disposable bombshells in that locker room and I’m not afraid to stand up for myself. Not to mention that my own ego is hard to tackle but Coby puts up with it. He’s a lot more patient than he probably should be but yet, not one person seems to think that he’s a threat. And I think that’s the biggest threat that he brings to the company. And to this tag team, actually. Nobody expects him to be the one in this tag team to be as good as he is. He’s not as much of a wild card as Kristopher was—is. But he’s still somebody that Miles or Milo, whatever the fuck his name is, should be worried about. Coby’s speed is what makes him the scariest component in this match and I’m low-key excited to see how the match on Sunday is going to play out. I’d even be okay with hanging out on the side of the ring and watching it go down.”

She hold an arrogant smirk on her face as she relaxes even more back against the wall of the hot tub. She was definitely enjoying having the hot tub to herself and not having to deal with the other people that liked to be a part of Vegas.

;;MIKAH “And Coby, you might want to record that because that might the only nice thing I say about you for a while. Take notes. But let’s move on, off and away from Coby. Because I don’t have to worry about him but you, Miles-Milo, you do have to worry about him. Or…”

She can’t help the smirk that crosses her face as she looks at the camera. The look on her face made it look as if what she was about to say wasn’t going to be the best thing. Or the nicest.

;;MIKAH “But according to Maki, she’s going to have to worry about Coby. Apparently, she can’t wait to prove how better she is in the ring against him. She thinks that she’s going to actually get the opportunity to step into the ring with Coby. Apparently, she’s stupid and doesn’t understand what a mixed tag match is. Which also leads me to believe that she doesn’t even understand wrestling in that sense.”

A disgusted sort of chuckle escapes her lips.

;;MIKAH “I hate people that don’t seem to understand the simple concept of what mixed tag wrestling is. If you need a definition of it, here it is according to Wikipedia: Only wrestlers in the same category may be in the ring at the same time. For example, if a woman tags her male partner, both women leave the ring and both men enter. If a midget tags his normal-size partner, both midgets leave the ring and both normal-size wrestlers enter.”

She stops to look at the camera, a serious look in her eyes as she stares at the camera. She still found it odd that her opponent couldn’t understand that simple concept.

;;MIKAH “That to me sounds pretty easy to understand, Melissa. Ope, I mean Maki. But apparently, you don’t care to understand the simple concept that is mixed tag team wrestling. And that’s coming from a person who doesn’t necessarily enjoy tag team wrestling.”

She shrugs her shoulders at the thought.

;;MIKAH “If you don’t want to do the research, that’s fine. Don’t do it but don’t act like you’re somebody that I should be scared of. And then there’s the fact that you clearly don’t understand who the fuck you’re stepping in the ring with at all. You think you’re stepping into the ring with Courtney again. And no disrespect to Courtney because she’s in the same group as myself, but she’s not me. You shouldn’t be comparing her to me. Sure, I may have been one of her trainers but when it comes to getting in to the ring with me and with her, you’re going to be quick to realize that we’re absolutely different in the ring. I’m not one that you want to fuck with, Maki. I’m not a push over and I’m not just going to let you win. Court’s good in the ring, don’t get me wrong but she’s not me. You’re not going to have an easy time in the ring this Sunday.”

She shakes her head.

;;MIKAH “You’re getting to step into the ring with a current SCW Hall of famer. Do you know how much of a fucking honor that is? Or even an accomplishment that is? You should be fucking flattered that I’m even letting you step into that ring against me but yet, you’re bitching about it. Acting as if it’s not that big of a deal and as if it’s something you’ve done before. Or something that you’ll get to do everyday in the future. News flash, I’m the best fucking Bombshell that SCW has seen. There’s a reason that Tommy Knocks listed me as the number one Bombshell in SCW. And it’s not just because I’m nice to look at. You go back through the tapes of Climax Control or any of those big shows and you’ll see exactly who you’re facing. It’s not going to be an easy match for you to be a part of. I’m not just some walk in the park that you get to try to run through. You’re stepping in the ring with me, the best fucking Bombshell in the company. Am I the Bombshell Champion? No, but that doesn’t mean shit.”

She smirks as she pauses to take a deep breath.

;;MIKAH “There’s a reason that I’m allowed to do basically whatever the fuck I want. And say whatever the fuck I want in this company. It’s because of the fact that when I am booked for a match, I show up for it and give it everything I’ve got. My record since returning? It’s mother fucking flawless and you should be fucking worried about it. You should want to work well with your partner to take on the entity that is the Black Sheep. But no….”

She shakes her head and rolls her eyes.

;;MIKAH “You’re too busy trying to act like a badass bitch and complaining that you got booked in this match with a man who you know nothing about. But yet, you signed up for the Blast from the Past Tournament. Which is essentially the same thing as this lethal law thing that Christian and Mark like to play in the tag team division. And I didn’t and haven’t seen you bitch about that yet. Is there something else that I’m not seeing, Maki?”

She raises an eyebrow at the camera.

;;MIKAH “Because Miles-Milo, whatever the fuck his name is is your partner on Sunday. There’s not a fucking thing that you can do about it right now. You can’t change how they booked the match and you definitely can’t change your partner. So maybe, just maybe you should stop being such a fucking whiny ass cunt and reach out to Miles-Milo and work on working together as a unit.”

She smirks at the camera before looking around. She was enjoying her time in Vegas, more than she though she would.


;;MIKAH “Because…Coby and I?”

She laughs a little bit.

;;MIKAH “We’re good as a team. And while you think I wasn’t happy with him replacing Kristopher as my partner, you’re wrong. It was all an act and it’s amusing to see how easily imbeciles like you fall for it. Every. Single. Fucking. Time. And I personally find it hilarious. And I would have thought that by now, everybody would have figured it out. That it was all just an act and now, I find it amusing that nobody fucking realizes it.”

She laughs again as she looks up at the camera.

;;MIKAH “Coby is a member of the Black Sheep. Why would I be so disappointed with him stepping up to take Kristopher’s place so that Kristopher can be the best that he is. It only made sense for Coby to take Kris’ place. I knew it was an option back with Kristopher had the shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. It really wasn’t that surprising to me but apparently everybody wanted to act like it was.”

She shrugs her shoulders.

;;MIKAH “The point is this…the match is in two days. And there’s really only one outcome that’s going to happen. And I’m not sorry but it’s definitely going to be with me and Coby retaining our championships. And that’s all there is it to it.”

She stands up, the water splashing around her thighs as she does so.

;;MIKAH “It’s fun being the villain all the time.”

[MiloKasey]

LA LA LA LA I CAN’T HEAR YOU!!!!

I’m not gonna look at these things where no matter what I do, how hard I actually try, I am and will forever be the preverbal loser.

After my railing at God, I was amazed I didn’t get struck by lightning. Chalk that W up for me I guess. Shocked it didn’t happen but who am I to question it?

Maybe it would stop me from letting people down like I have done over and over again. The way I’m fairly certain I’m gonna be letting Maki down. Lethal Lottery is going to be lethal only for one person.

Me.

And ok, FINE! FINE! If I’m going to die then I’m going out on my terms.

Pugsley Addams had it right, “I’m a turkey, please KILL ME!”

Too bad it’s not Thanksgiving.


5 years ago

“MILES AUGUSTUS KASEY!” coming from the outside of our flat.

My mother is the ONLY person allowed to use that and I’m saying that for future reference to anyone that wants to try and use it. When she sounds like this, you know I am in deep fucking shit.

“Someone is in trouble” my twin sister sing-songs without even looking up from her book as we both sit at the table in the morning getting a quick breakfast in. My mum worked the graveyard shift when Bea and I were old enough to take care of ourselves.

Looking up, “Shit...”

“What did you do?”

Just sighing heavily, I start trying to grab something without looking at her, “....went over to Murphy’s last night.”

She tries to get in my way and just gives me that look....that one that mothers have and sisters try to use against you but isn’t as powerful, “Oh Milo...you didn’t.”

“I didn’t think his mom saw us! We thought we had til 2am, so we tried to just get in his makeshift in the back yard to screw around. Next thing we know, every light in the house goes on. She in her drunken stupor starts screaming and we go scattering. She must have recognized me...” I push her out of my way, finally finding the generic poptart box in the back, grabbing it and shoving it in my bag.

“You are a bloody idiot.”

Well that was frank but...

“You’re just now figuring it out?” I wave to her and make my way to the front door and open it to see...

“And just where the hell do you think you’re goin’?”

“MUM! Uhhh, morning! Work good? Good! Look I hate to run, but I promised Mack that I-”

“YOU SIT YER ARSE DOWN RIGHT NOW! Mrs. Kersley called me first thing this morning at work to tell me what happened last night.”

“Murphy having those ravers again? Bastard never called me...”

“Watch your mouth before I wash it out with soap.”

“We’re out. I’ll make sure to pick some up from Tesco before I come home tonight.”

“Miles...”

“Mum, seriously.”

“You gotta stop with these backyard antics sweetie. One of these times you are going to fling yourself off of something and break your neck.”

“I won’t, I haven’t and I am old enough to make my choices. Besides, Murphy is the only idiot to break anything yet..”

“MILES!”

“MOM! Look, I know, you are worried, I get it. You think I’m going to be like dad, piss away my life but considering that my life isn’t going anywhere as is and I work at a shit shoppe, making shit wages to help support you and Bea, going out now and again to blow off steam and do a little bit of wrestling with my mates isn’t going to hurt anything. It’s not like I’m going to find myself going to somewhere reputable anyway. I put out feelers to a bunch of places, hell I even put one out to an American wrestling school and I haven’t heard anything back. I’m going to live and die here being a pathetic piece of shit because my father couldn’t keep himself out of the bottle long enough to actually give a fuck about us. You deserve better, Bea deserves better. So let me have this one moment, alright?”

And with that I didn’t even let her retort....I know I made her cry that day but I just....I couldn’t.


Now

Back out on my fire escape.

“I am not shy about being the family disappointment. I know that this is a thing and I’m the laughing stock of this match. But I’ll be damned if I’m not going to throw everything I got into it.”

Looking up, it’s cold in New York now...a far cry difference from what it was a week ago but honestly, maybe a little chill may freeze my soul.

“I’ve been lucky a few times. Everyone once in a while, the big man looks at me and goes ‘I’ll throw the dog a bone’. But it comes crashing down nonetheless. I rather not get my hopes up for it but I can’t help but wonder if maybe...just maybe he’ll give me another chance.”