Independance
It was a very typical day, a friday, nothing remarkable. The cold winter air whistled through the trees, kids moved along the footpath as parents waited for them. Standing just outside the main gate were two blonde women, one taller than the rest, towering over everyone, the other a little shorter. Alicia and Zoey Lukas. Alicia hummed as she twirled her car kets in her hand, dressed in gresy sweatpants and a black hoodie, looking every bit like a mom who just had enough today, her long blonde hair tied back and up in a bun as Zoey has her large arms folded over her chest.
Zoey on the other hand wore a black leather jacket, a t-shirt from the british metal band Bury t underneath and black torn jeans.Her hair was done with product, swept back and her make up impeccably done.
Alicia smiled looking up to see her boys, Rory and Ryan run out, they smiled and Rory gave Alicia a hug as Ryan shook his head and gave his aunt Zoey a quick nod. ”Hey calm down you two, how was your day?” Before she could get an answer a voice rang out from just inside the gate, Alicia looking up and over to see where it came from.
”Excuse me…Mrs Maxwell.”
She looked over as a well dressed gentlemen walked out, his sandy brown hair combed to the side, his face was clean shaved showing off his stong jawline and cheekbones. He gave Alicia and the boys a small smile. ”Hello? Can I help you?” She looked at him with a puzzled look, she had never seen him before.
He took a deep breath, he had obviously moved fast running over here to talk to here. ”I’m Rorys new teacher, unfortunately Mrs Wilks had to unexpectedly transfer to California to look after a family issue. I have been trying to get around and introduce myself to all m,y students parents…”
Zoey grabbed Rory and Ryans hands leading them away toward the car, Alicia gave a small nod and a smile. ”Well it’s a pleasure to meet you Mister…”
”Oh, sorry…Reso, Adam Reso…”
He held out his hand, Alicia took it and gave a hard shake before cleasring her throat. ”Violet…”
”I have to say, Rory is a really amazing young man Mrs Maxwell”
”Thank you…and it’s Miss…I got divorced some time ago…Rory took it hard…he grey really attached to his step father…but, it never seemed to show in his school work…” She smiled, remembering how it had been rough, but beaming with pride at how her boys had taken it all and come through the other side.
Mr Reso smiled warmly and folded his arms over his chest. ”I’ve been here a week and on my first day Rory was the first one there to welcome me. He’s doing very well and Ryan has come every day after class to get his brother and walk him down to you, they’re both great kids….”
”Thank you.” She gave a small nod and turned to Zoey and the boys before turning back to Mr Reso. ”It’s been nice to meet you, but I have to get those boys home, and knowing them, fed.” She chuckled as he smiled back.
”Oh, of course, it’s been great talking to you and I’m sure we’ll get bto know each other more, I like to know all my kids parents, it just works better that way…good evening…Miss Maxwell…”
Alicia gave him a small smile and a nod moving back toward Zoey as she unlocked the car, the boys getting in and right away getting out their nintendo switches from the center console and playing, Zoey leaned against the car, her arms folded as she looked Alicia up and down, Alicia shook her head and sighed. ”What?...”
”He’s cute.”
”No…”
”He’s not?”
”I’m not having this conversation with you Zo…”
She laughed at Alicia, shaking her head and pushing off the car before putting her hand on her older sisters shoulder. ”It’s been a year and a half, don’t you think it’s time you put yourself out there. I mean shit look at you…” Zoey stepped back you moved her hand up and down in front of her. ”Grey sweatpants? An oversized hoodie that hides…everything, hair just thrown up in a bun, no makeup….”
”I’m comfortable…”
”Bitch you frumpy…”
Alicia shook her head and mumbled under her breath, Zoey stepped forward again and reached out, Alicia put her hand up. ”You’re right, I do dress a little…frumpy as you put it. But, I’m not looking Zo, I don’t care if I ever find anyone again, I really don’t.” She swallowed hard, Zoey raised an eyebrow. ”You and Aron are happy and that’s great, he’s really into you and you keep smiling when you’re around him. I’m reaslly happy for you. But you had to be ready when he asked you out right?....I’m not ready to even entertain the idea and probably never will be…”
Zoey swallowed hard and cleared her throat. ”Yeah I…guess I get it…” Zoey smiled faintly and moved over to the passenger side of the car getting in to see what the boys were doing. Alicia shook her head as a voice from inside popped up.
”Coward…”
”Shut the fuck up you old crone…”
Zoey popped her head up. ”Hey you say something?” Alicia shook her head popping the driver side open.
”Nope…”
A game of chance.
”I don’t deserve this…”
Alicias voice rings out, she sits forward, her bright blue eyes muted in colour and emotion. She stares off, her hands clasped together.
”The last few months I haven’t been around much, I mean sure, SCW took it’s usual holiday break and that added extra time to me not really being around but before and after that I just, haven’t been here. That is the good thing about having a roster full of new names and people ready to carry the torch for the division. You can afford to take time off, kick back and relax. And for the most part, that is what I’ve done.”
She gives a small shrug and sits back again, clearing her throat as she continues.
”SCW and the bombshells division is fine, it doesn’t need me anymore, and I know that. It’s in good hands with all the amazing talents here. So when I say I don’t deserve this, I mean it. See, I have sat at home only appearing every now and then, thankfully my history as champion and the hard work I have put in over the last ten years as well as wise investments and my work at wolfdlair as a trainer has allowed me to be able to have…well..no worried when it comes to money.”
“I have a great life, I know that. And I still have an amazing amount of love for this business. But the last time you all saw me I was beating Bella Madison. And I love Bella, I do. But a win over her back in december should not be a gateway for me to get into a contendership match for the richest prize in our world. It just shouldn’t. Yet here I am. And it puts me in a weird position, because feeling like this, feeling like a I don’t deserve something that was handed to me is new to me..”
“In the past I have always justified it, reconciled the opportunities with the fact I was, and still am, Alicia Lukas. The women who swept awards, the three time bombshells champion, a woman who has beaten the best of the best and one of the longest reigning champions of all time.”
“But, that mewans nothing now…”
“That is long in the past, even longer when you realise how fast the wrestling world moves and if you do happen to sit back and breathe you are in danger of being forgotten and moved on from.”
She reaches out, grabbing a small glass in her hand, drinking the amber liquid down as ice cubes clink together and against the sides of the glass.
”So, where does this leave me? Hmmm? What kind of position am I in now? Undeserving of this great opportunity? Well, I suppose I should go about earning it. And that is where this week comes in. See, earning it in a match like this won’t be easy. Roxi Johnson and Mercedes Vargas have just as much, if not more experience than me. Womeno have been here for years and have built up just as much equity as I have.”
“But if I am being honest with myself here I feel like I should be honest with others to, and if I don’t derserve this opportunity, Mercedes Vargas sure as shit doesn’t either.”
“Oh newsflash, I still don’t like Mercedes Vargas.”
“So, Mercy, my biggest question is, are you going to admit you don’t deserve this shot either? Are you going to be honest with yourself and admit that youl, just like me, need to justify your position in this match? I mean, shit, you finally, FINALLY got a win over me, after so many matches and you trying desperately for years it finally happened. After you failed in WWH, failed in Honor wrestling and for the first four years of my career here failed here to….you finally did it.”
“But, what did you do with it? Did we see a new golden age of Vargas? A new and rejuvenated Mercedes ready to gtake the goddamn wrestling world by storm again?”
Alicia stands up and moves around the small table, her fingertips touching the wood.
”Or did you end up getting a few more title shots and failing there to? Cause I think we know the answer don’t we? Internet title shots, handed to you and you failed every time. So, if I can admit I don’t deserve this then maybe you should to. Honesty is the best policy Mercedes, maybe you should try it, cause lying to yourself every single week in promos and acting like you’re still at the top oif you game hasn’t been doing much for you has it?”
She pauses again and shakes her head.
”The fact is, out of the three of us, Rozi is the one who deserves this. She deserrves to be in this match and deserrves the opportunity. She’s been active in SCW, she’s been winning, she’s been the usual guiding light of the division and all that jazz. Evemn as her wife decided to retire and dragged her into “one last team hero” ride and a match against her Roxi handled it with the usual grace and poise she always does.”
“Now, don’t get this twisted Roxi, I’m not going to just lay down for you here. I ain’t that type of ga;. See, while you might be the one who deserrves this the most and, the entire wrestling world is probably chomping at the bit to see you and Amber go at it again, the truth is that I really, really want to play spoiler here.”
“And not out of any malice.”
“See, you deserve to have an opportunity at Amber. You two deserve to main event again for that title and fight it out. But I have never and will never be the type of person to lie to myself or to give up something like this. If I’m going to be given something then I will do all I can to earn it. And what better way than to beat you and Mercedes? What better way to remind everyone how good Alicia Lukas really is than by punching my ticket to go fact Amber?”
“This isn’t a situation where I’m angry or egotistical…this is me just wanting to be relevant again…and you can laugh and you can give mer shit for it…but the truth is…it has happened to us all at some point…”
