[Eiley]

OFF CAMERA
Location: CALIFORNIA
Date: --
 

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FLASHBACK TO EILEY’S EARLY YEARS

A nine year old Eiley walks up the steps to another foster home after being kicked out of the previous one. Her social worker had done their best in explaining why she had to leave the previous house but Eiley had tuned her out because she simply didn’t care to hear it again. She was used to it because it happened so frequently that the reasons why she got removed from the homes didn’t seem to matter to her. She looks down at the black trash bag that held her belongings before looking up at her social worker, Lauren Palmer. She was nice enough and Eiley was probably more comfortable with her than she was most of the foster homes that she had been in.

LAUREN “Eiley, I know that this is never easy for you, but I promise Mr. and Mrs. Alberts are nice people and they have twin girls your age! You’ll get to play with kids your age this time. I believe their names are…Riley and Rachel.”

Eiley noticed the hopeful smile that Lauren had on her face and she wanted to smile back at her, but she never trusted foster homes that the parents had children of their own. Or at least in her experience, it had never been a good thing.

•EILEY• “Okay.”

Her voice was small and her answer had been short and she watches as Lauren presses the doorbell to the house. Eiley takes a deep breath, trying her best to settle the anxiety that she was feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was used to the many different homes that she had to move to and she was sure that this home would be no different than any of the other homes she’d lived in, temporarily.

She watches as the door opens and a couple stands there with smiles on their face that Eiley was sure were meant to be welcoming, but instead they were kind of terrifying in their own way. Eiley just gives them a small, shy smile of her own as Lauren clears her throat to do the introductions.

LAUREN “Hi David and Georgie Alberts, I’m Lauren and this is Eiley Finch.”

Eiley wants to shrink away and disappear as they look at her, sizing her up. But she knew that she didn’t have much of a choice because living in group homes were worse than foster homes.

•EILEY• “Hi…”

Her voice came out almost as a squeak and she tries her best to plaster a smile on her face.

GEORGA “Oh my gosh! She’s just darling, Lauren! You didn’t tell me how adorable she was. Isn’t she just adorable David?!”

Eiley grimaces a little bit, hoping that it was not as noticeable as Georgia gushes over her a little bit. She couldn’t help but think that her words were only for show in front of Lauren.

DAVID “Of course she is, please, please. Come in.”

Eiley watches as they step aside and she looks up at Lauren, an unsure look on her face before Lauren smiles before nodding her head and leading the two of them in. David takes it upon himself to grab the trash bag of Eiley’s things as Georgia ushers Eiley and Lauren into the living room.

LAUREN “Thank you for taking Eiley in on such short notice, Georgia.”

Eiley could tell that Lauren and Georgia have interacted before due to them being on first name basis with one another. She also had the feeling that Lauren’s placed children with them before on a last minute’s notice.

GEORGIA “Oh nonsense! You do not have to thank me at all, Lauren! We’re happy to do it, I just can’t stand to think about all of those poor children that need a place to live.”

Eiley just watches as Georgia clutches at her heart and has one of those empathetic looks on her face. However, she keeps quiet, not sure what she was supposed to say to either of them. She was never very vocal when it came to new foster parents as she only knew about the abusive types of foster parents, never those who actually wanted to help children thrive in a world where they weren’t wanted.

LAUREN “I promise she’s a good kid, she’s just had a rough few years.”

Eiley was used to being described as a good kid by Lauren but the sentiment usually never transferred to the foster parents once Lauren left. Eiley expected both David and Georgia to turn into monsters once Lauren’s car drove away.

DAVID “I am sure she’s a wonderful kid, Lauren. She seems quiet, everything okay?”

Eiley didn’t like the way that David’s eyes moved over her young body but she just forces a smile and nods her head. She knew that they expected her to speak, but she didn’t know what to say to them.

•EILEY• “I’m okay.”

Eiley tries her best to put a convincing smile on her face as she didn’t want to send red flags to the parents so early. She had always been told in previous home that she was a bad girl and an even worse kid and she didn’t want that to be what these two saw in her.

GEORGIA “The girls are upstairs playing…let me go grab them.”

Eiley just watches as Georgia goes upstairs to find the girls and the introductions soon don’t take long. Eiley already was sure that the twins didn’t like her but the act they were putting on for their parents and Lauren was convincing enough. The first few minutes were never hard but Eiley could tell that Lauren was getting ready to go and that she would be left in the care of the Alberts and she’d have nowhere to turn to.

LAUREN “Well, thank you again. I am sorry that it was so last minute but things were not working out for Eiley at her previous home. And just a reminder, I will pick her up on Thursday afternoons for her therapy appointments. Eiley, please be good and if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask, okay? I’m just a call away.”

Eiley already felt the anxiety settling in and while she knew she had to stay with them, she still didn’t want Lauren to go. She had asked Lauren before to adopt her but Lauren said that she couldn’t and that since she was a young, twenty something female, she wouldn’t be approved. Eiley just nods her head and lets Lauren give her a hug before she watches her leave. She glances at Georgia and David and the happy looks on their face don’t fade once Lauren’s gone. She feels a little bit of hope in the pit of her stomach but tries her best not to let it linger.

GEORGIA “Girls, why don’t you go show Eiley the playroom? Your Daddy and I are going to wash Eiley’s things. And please, behave yourselves.”

Eiley listened as the girls agreed with what their mother said but she wasn’t sure that they were compliant and she didn’t like the look that Georgia had given them, either. But nonetheless, Georgia walks away with David and Rachel and Riley turn to look at Eiley, sneers already on their faces once their mother is out of earshot and sight.

RILEY “You know, our parents are never going to be your parents, right?”

Eiley watches as Riley folds her arms over her chest in a slightly defiant way before glancing at Rachel.

RACHEL “Yeah, they never keep strays very long.”

The girls snicker before motioning for Eiley to follow them to the playroom. Eiley drags her feet but eventually follows the girls upstairs to the playroom, that was filled with toys and things to play with. Eiley glances at the girls before chewing on the inside of her lip. It was all a little too much for her to take in and she wasn’t sure what Rachel and Riley were planning but she already was acutely aware that they didn’t want her there.

•EILEY• “This is a nice room.”

It was a simple sentence and an olive branch that Eiley was trying to extend to the girls. She didn’t want to be in their way and she didn’t want to make trouble. She didn’t want to be enemies with them, but there was something about their attitudes that made her feel like an outcast.

RILEY “Probably nicer than anything you own. And you shouldn’t touch anything, we wouldn’t want your disgusting germs to be on any of our things.”

Riley lets out a laugh that only makes Eiley shrink back into herself even more. She wasn’t sure what the two girls were playing at but she already wanted out.

RACHEL “Yeah, you look filthy. When’s the last time you took a shower?”

Eiley looks down at her feet, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she tries to ignore the words that came from the girls’ mouths. She knew that she needed to take a shower but she hadn’t been given that opportunity very often at the previous home she had been in.

•EILEY• “I…um…yesterday.”

She knew that it was a lie, but she didn’t want to admit the truth to the mean twins. She already knew that they knew she was lying but she wasn’t going to admit that out loud.

RILEY “Yeah right. You probably don’t even know how to shower. You’re worthless, just like all of the other kids that have been here.”

Eiley doesn’t say anything, not even trying to defend herself as Riley gives that holier-than-thou look that Eiley’s seen on so many kids before.

RACHEL “Yeah, we only like the money our parents get for having you here. It lets us have all the nice things in this room.”

It was honestly nothing that Eiley hadn’t heard before. She was used to kids being mean, especially if the parents took in foster kids while having their own biological children. She knew that it was just the way things were and that she’d have to suck it up because she had nowhere else that she could go.

•EILEY• “Money that is supposed to be going towards things I need, not you two brats.”

The two of them looked appalled that Eiley would even dare speak out against them. But Eiley didn’t care as she tries her best to hold her ground. She hated feeling like she was worthless and she hated letting other kids speak to her the way that these two were speaking to her. It was not her fault that she didn’t have parents that wanted her and it wasn’t her fault that she had gotten placed at their house because the previous foster parent couldn’t keep his hands to himself.

•EILEY• “I bet nobody wants to really stay with you two, anyways.”

Eiley doesn’t give them the opportunity to respond as she turns around and walks out of the playroom. She didn’t really know the layout of the house or where anything else was, so she walks back downstairs to the living room and sits back down on the couch, waiting for David or Georgia to ask her if she needed anything.

END OF FLASHBACK

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ON CAMERA
Location:Denver, Colorado.
Date: January 5, 2024.
 

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The scene opens up to Eiley sitting in the seats in the Denver Coliseum dressed in a pair of black leggings and a cream colored sweater. Her blonde hair is down in waves and she has a burgundy stocking hat on her head. In her hands is a cup of hot chocolate and she’s placed her UGG covered feet on the seat in front of her. She looks at the camera before taking a small sip from her hot chocolate and then giving a smirk at the camera.

“I thought about finding some off the beaten path type of location to do this in, a place where nobody else would have even dreamed of filming their promo at.”

She leans back, stretching her back out a little bit.

“But then I remembered who I was booked to face this weekend…”

An arrogant smirk crosses her face as she gets comfortable in the slightly uncomfortable seats.

“And thought why the fuck should I even bother?”

She raises her eyebrows at the camera before shrugging her shoulders.

“Because Ms. Irrelevant isn’t going to do anything spectacular for her promo; it’s always some sort of the same thing. Over and over again, and nothing she says is ever anything close to being special or even truthful, for that matter. And if I’m being honest, she always puts me to sleep with her monotonous voice and her annoying face.”

Eiley takes another drink of her hot chocolate before setting it on the ground down beside her. She looks back at the camera and simply shrugs her shoulders.

“I might not have the best voice or the prettiest face, but at least I try to make what I am saying interesting and something that people should want to listen to.”

The emotion she was trying to convey showed through her voice but it did not seem to reach her face. Rather, she seemed uninterested in the whole idea of doing what she was doing.

“And if I’m being honest, this is getting a little repetitive and boring.”

She fakes a yawn and pats her hand over her mouth a few times as she crosses her feet at her ankles.

“But before we get into that, let’s talk about what I know to be true. Things that have happened since October.”

She doesn’t move from her position in her stretched out, comfortable position as she stretches her legs out straight, leaving them crossed at her ankles.

“Ms. Irrelevant and her partner beat Olly and I for our Mixed Tag Team Championships at High Stakes. Fact. Olly and I struggled for the next several weeks after that. Fact.”

If she had been interested in what she was doing, she might have ticked each item off with her hand but she couldn’t be bothered to do so.

“And Olly and I didn’t beat Ms. Irrelevant and her partner back at December to Dismember. Fact. And I’m sure she’ll bring all those valid points up and it will be the only things that she says that will be truthful because she can’t come up with anything interesting to say otherwise. Because even though she is half of the Mixed Tag Team Champions, she’s still so fucking boring. And still nobody gives a flying fuck about her presence in this company and I’m not even sure her partner gives a flying fuck about her if I’m being honest, again. And why should he? She’s nothing special.”

Another shrug of her shoulders and another look of indifference crosses her face.

“In matter of fact, this match is so uninteresting that when Olly told me I was booked in a match and I looked who it was against, I went back to doing absolutely nothing. It’s not an important match and it doesn’t matter who wins or loses this match other than the fact that it will improve one person’s win streak and give the other a tally in the loss column. That’s all this match is.”

Another indifferent look passes over her face and another shrug from her shoulders.

“I know that I am supposed to care about every match that I’m booked in. And I know that I am supposed to put forward some sort of effort to show that I am trying my best to do what is expected of me. But what am I supposed to do when I’m booked against the same person that I’ve been in matches with over and over again since High Stakes? It’s boring and repetitive and I guarantee the fans will use this match as their designated bathroom break and snack break.”

Again, another look of indifference passes over her face.

“AND to make things worse, we’re in fucking Colorado. It’s fucking cold here and it’s not California or Hawaii and I already fucking hate it here. I can’t wait for this match to be over so that I can get on an airplane and getting the fuck out of here.”

The girl spent most of her time in the states that rarely got cold and she had spent the last few weeks with Olly in his place in Barcelona, hidden from the world. It was barely cold anywhere that she frequented and she was not a person that was fond of wearing layers or pants, for that matter.

“There are always going to be comparisons made when it comes to me and my trainer, Mikah. There’s always going to be somebody saying that I will not ever measure up to the type of Bombshell that she was. There are always going to be those that doubt what I am capable of in the ring and that’s fine. I’ve never been the person that people root for or the type of person anybody has ever expected to make something out of themselves.”

No emotion reaches her eyes as if she has been disconnected from that part of her life.

“In fact, I’ve had several foster parents tell me that I was worth nothing more than the money the state gave them for fostering me. I was always told that I would end up on the streets as some sort of trash, working the streets to make money. There was not one person in my life from when I was younger that believed that I was worth anything.”

Again, no emotion reaches her eyes but the look of disconnect is still there.

“And you know what? Maybe I’m not. Maybe I’m not worth anything more than a paycheck. But you know who’s decision that is to make? Mine, not some whore that looks like she needs her face rearranged by slamming it into a table.”

It might not have been something that was recommended for her to say and if she had an agent of sorts, they would have been disappointed in what she was saying. But she didn’t and she didn’t care.

“Ms. Irrelevant doesn’t get to say that I’m nothing and that I am not going to amount to anything in this company.”

It’s the first time that a flicker of emotion reaches her voice but there is no fiery look to match her tone.

“She doesn’t get to make claims that I will not amount to much or that I will not ever be on the same level that Mikah was. And maybe I won’t because honestly? That’s a task that’s hard for anybody to reach and I’m pretty sure that Amber Ryan is the only bombshell that has ever reached that status.”

She smirks a little bit.

“And honestly? I can see it. I also know that Mikah respects Amber Ryan as a person and as a competitor. But this? This isn’t about Mikah or who she respects. It’s about me being the best that I can be and whether that is something that is similar or close to Mikah and what she used to be in SCW.”

She smirks again.

“And while people still seem to have some sort of problem with the fact that Mikah’s the one who’s trained me, it’s not going to change the fact that she is the one who trained me. And the fact that she is considered to be the best and the literal measuring stick for what a Bombshell should be.”

She glances over to her right, frowning just a little bit as she hears a noise. It takes her a moment to regain her focus before she looks back at the camera once more.

“There’s always going to be criticism when it comes to me because of my affiliation with Jet City and Mikah’s gym. But yet, Ms. Irrelevant comes from a gym that is so irrelevant that they should change their name to Irrelevants Lair. Because when have they done anything interesting? It’s been a long time since any of them have done anything worth talking about. But yet, their gym isn’t as harshly judged or criticized when it comes to the talent that pours out of their doors, if you could even call it talent.”

She fires off a half smirk before reaching down and grabbing her hot chocolate and finishing it off.

“Maybe this is sour grapes, maybe it’s not. But what I do know is that people want me to care. They want me to care that Olly and I lost to Team Irrelevant at December to Dismember. They want the two of us to be all mopey and sad. But do you know what?”

She makes a face before shrugging her shoulders again. She grabs her phone and scrolls through something and is clearly reading something on her phone.

“We’re not. I’m not and I don’t fucking care about somebody like Ms. Irrelevant or her partner. I don’t give a fuck that management thinks that I should be booked against Ms. Irrelevant again and try to prove something that I don’t care to fucking prove. And the card that was released on Sunday claims that there’s heat between Ms. Irrelevant and I but I’m not sure where the fuck that heat is. Because I don’t fucking care about her or this match. In fact, I do not even care that she exists in this world.”

She rolls her eyes, the irritation showing through.

“This is just something that the management wants to push and wants to pretend that is there, when it’s really not. They want to write the narrative that Ms. Irrelevant and I are at some sort of war with one another when I really do not even care that she exists in this world. I do not even care that we’re employed by the same people and I don’t fucking care that her and her partner are the Mixed Tag Team Champions. Because other than Olly and I? Nobody wants those belts. Nobody gives a fuck about that division. And here’s a little insight for those who don’t really pay attention…”

She moves a little bit, placing her feet on the ground and leans forward, looking directly into the lens of the camera.

“It is obvious that we are working under a dictatorship.”

She pauses for literally sixty seconds, letting her words sink in and the silence surrounds her as she just stares into the lens of the camera. She just cracks a smirk after the sixty seconds and leans back in her seat.

“I’m sure you’re all wondering what I mean by that, and don’t worry. I’m going to tell you. Just give me a moment to relish in the fact that we work under a dictatorship.”

She lets out a chuckle before adjusting the stocking hat on her head.

“I’m going to let everybody in on a little secret as to why Olly and I partly lost the match at December to Dismember. And it might shock you but management? They don’t want Olly and I together. And no, I’m not talking about as a team and while that’s part of it, they don’t want us together in our personal lives.”

She raises an eyebrow at the camera, the smirk still plastered on her face as she lets the silence surround her once more.

“But I wasn’t aware that they had the right to tell anybody who they can and can’t be with outside of the ring. I’m sure that they haven’t told Court and Ruby that they can’t be married, even though they’ve expressed their distaste for Ruby. And I’m sure that they haven’t told HBC and Miles that they can’t be together. But yet, they don’t seem to want Olly and I together.”

She shrugs her shoulders.

“But I’m going to make one thing clear, what I choose to do in my personal life and in my time away from this company is nobody’s concern. I can choose to see whoever I want and that just happens to be Olly. And management doesn’t get to dictate who I can or can’t date; SCW isn’t a dating service. I’ve known Olly since I was a teenager, way longer than I’ve known anything about SCW. And I’m not about to jeopardize my personal life to make management happen. So, they’re just going to have to accept the fact that I want Olly in my life in every form that he can be. And there’s nothing they can fucking do about it.”

She smirks at the camera again, that arrogance and confidence showing through.

“But Ms. Irrelevant and I do not have to worry about Olly or Finn being at ringside because apparently they’re banned from ringside.”

She makes a face and shakes her head.

“I am not even sure how that is relevant to a singles match, anyways. I’ve never had Olly accompany me to the ring for a match of mine before and I am not sure why I would ask him to do so now. Or why he would, in a match that isn’t about him but is more about me. And the “heat” that Ms. Irrelevant and I have between one another. Something that management wants to be there but isn’t because nobody cares about this match. However, I had to look at the card again and maybe we won’t be the designated bathroom break match or the designated snack break match because after our match is Bill Barnhart’s match, and that’s another snoozefest as well.”

She lets out a chuckle at the thought before shrugging her shoulders once more.

“To be honest, the match that Ms. Irrelevant and I have will probably be the bathroom break match and the next match will be the snack break match because nobody’s going to care about the two matches before Court’s match against the whiny Ariana Angelos. And to be honest? They shouldn’t care.”

She smirks a little again.

“Oh? Is that surprising that I would say something like that? I’ve only been saying it the entire time I’ve been talking tonight. This match is not important, and it lacks everything that a match should be. A match should inspire me to want to win, but instead? It’s only making me want to get the night over with so I can escape back to my corner of the world and out of the fucking cold. It is just something that I have to do so that I don’t get fined money from the dictators of this company. And I will show up, even if I don’t care about how this match goes because I haven’t been given a reason to care.”

She knows that it sounds childish to want a reason to care but she doesn’t care.

“There is nothing important that is going to come out of this match. Nothing of any importance, anyways. It isn’t going to matter if I win, or if I lose because it’s just another match that I’m booked in because the dictators couldn’t find anything else to put there on the card. Essentially? I’m just a fucking pawn in their game of chess. They don’t have a plan, they’re just drawing up matches for their own gain. And more power to them.”

She gives the camera a thumbs up with her right hand before rolling her eyes once more.

“I’ll do what I’m supposed to do on Sunday. I’ll show up and get dressed in my gear and I’ll go out to that ring….”

She points to the ring and the camera pans over to the ring that was already set up for Sunday’s event before it moves back to Eiley.

“And I’ll try my best to give Ms. Irrelevant a match that she deserves and I’ll try to come out with the win. But I’m very aware that I’m not the favorite to win because of my personal life choices. And probably because of some of the things that I’ve already said tonight, and that’s fine. I’ve never been anybody’s favorite and I’m probably not going to be anybody’s favorite. That’s fine, I’ve gotten through the majority of my life surviving just fine and I’m sure that I could survive this match on Sunday too without my ego being bruised…”

She smirks a little bit again, the emotion this time reaching her golden-brown eyes.

“Afer all, it’s just a match against Ms. Irrelevant and she’s nobody important.”

She adjusts her hat once more, feeling it having slouched down on her forehead just a little bit.

“Do I want to win? Obviously but it’s not something that I’m going to hang my hat on. I’ve become hyper aware of the fact that I’m not favored to win anything anymore. And that I’m nobody’s favorite. It’s a lot more fun being the un-favorite anyways, that way when I do win matches, nobody will see it coming and it will hurt those who lose that much more.”

She smirks before standing up and fixing her leggings once more. She glances around before focusing on the camera.

“See you all on Sunday.”

She starts to walk away before stopping and looking back at the camera, a smirk on her face once more.

“If you’re lucky.”

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