Chapter 35: More Questions Than Answers
One of the biggest problems having people who care about you is that they want to know everything about what is going on in your life. There are very few people who feel that way towards me. I’m not really what you would call a likable person, and I accept that. I have a handful of friends, And while I’m grateful to have them, I’m not entirely certain the feelings that we have are mutual. I would be more than happy to be left alone to just enjoy my life. Without them. But for some odd reason, there are a few certain individuals who can look past all of my anger, issues, and narcissism and see someone worth knowing.
Among these people are members of my family. I have an interesting relationship with my brother Jax. He and I never really got along. Not until he came back into our lives after he disappeared, and I saw what he went through. For years, I blamed him for leaving, but now there is quiet respect. Then there’s my oldest sister, Amber. A woman who I was constantly trying to follow in her footsteps, and live up to the reputation that she had earned as a professional wrestler. A woman who shadow that I had felt for the longest time.
But out of my siblings, the one who was closest to Me was Tasman. The baby of the family. The youngest, and in some ways, the black sheep. Out of the four of us, she was the one who had the nicest upbringing. Coming into her own, and having memories after our father had passed away. She had been raised without that dark cloud hanging over her head. As such she only heard stories of what myself, Amber, and Jax had to go through.
However, Jax and Amber knew that there would be certain things in our lives and the amount of patience and quiet we needed. To respect each other’s privacy. If something was going on in Amber‘s life, I was not going to press and prod. I was going to let her come to me with any problems that she had if she wanted to talk. And she had that same respect for Me. Tasmin, however, didn’t have that same respect.
She wanted to know what was going on, she wanted to know what everyone’s deep and dark secrets were. And she knew that I was hiding something. She knew I was hiding some kind of pain deep down inside, an anger that wasn’t there before, she could see a plane as day. And what made it worse was that I knew she could. I felt it, her eyes moving across the room and coming to a stop on Me. Studying Me, looking for any subtle movements that would clue her into what exactly was going through my mind
My upper right lip twitched, and my nostrils flared as I tried to keep myself from exploding at her and asking her just what it was. She was looking at. I took a deep breath and cracked my neck. Tasman moved closer, placing her hands on the black marble of my kitchen countertop, and leaning forward with a tilt of her head. I swallowed, closing my eyes to calm myself, so I would not yell right in her face, Tasman chuckled and shook her head, stepping back and folding her arms over her chest
”So, did you talk to Finn? Get all this nonsense sorted out?” I stayed silent, ignoring her. I really should have known better, she was never going to take that as an answer, and she was not going to let Me get away with it. ”Hmmm? Did you ask about that Kei guy? What was going on? Did you find out what you wanted to know?”
My eye twitched. Tasmin leaned in and got even closer. Her way to let me know she wasn’t going to let this go. ”No. I got nothing out of him. It is probably nothing anyway.”
Tasmin put her finger to her lips and made a small “tut” sound. She sneered and shook her head. She was having none of it. ”Do I look stupid to you Kay?” Before I could answer in my usual bitchy way she conti her. Ruining my fun. ”I can tell by the look on your face there was more than that. Spill the tea!” She folded her arms. Clearly, she was determined and that just annoyed me even more.
I huffed and rolled my eyes. ”Let's just say we had a difference in philosophy.” Tasmin blinked a few times. That answer didn’t satisfy her. She just continued to stare at me. Pushing further and deeper. I growled and threw my arms in the air unable to hold back the anger and frustration that was bubbling up about this entire situation. ”That man just refuses to listen to reason or my fucking opinion.”
Tasmins ears perked up. ”Oh? Opinion about what?
She was baiting me. She knew it. I knew it. But fuck it. In for a penny in for a pound. ”I know he’s hiding something Tas. That Kei is bad news and he gives me this sick messed up feeling I haven’t felt since I was with the Romani.” Tasmin raised an eyebrow. She had heard about it all third hand. In fact, the closest she came was one time that Jace saw her. The only time that he did. ”He’s playing a dangerous game here. I basically told him I was sorry for fucking caring.”
Her eyes widened she raised her hands to her mouth with a sharp inhale of surprise. ”Awwww you care about him!!!” She missed the point. Completely missed it. I blinked a few times and closed my eyes. She zeroed in on the one point I didn’t want her to or need her to. ”About time you admitted it…”
”I care because we’re tag team champions Tasmin, I need him to stay on top of his game..”
”Ya huh…bullshit.” She scoffed and shook her head, fluttering her hand with a dismissive arrogance. ”You don’t have that kind of tone in your voice if it’s professional care. It’s personal…” My nostrils flared, I closed my eyes again and took a deep breath before backing up and turning to Tasmin.
”Fuck off.”
Tasmin squealed and spun around with laughter. ”Ha! See!. You care about him, you keep trying to hide it but here you are…you see him in trouble, you’re worried, it’s cute…” My annoyance was palpable. My hands clasped into fists and I stayed staring ahead. I was angry, furious, frustrated. And it was for one simple reason…
She was right….
I did care about him. Very much so. Seeing him in pain, angry, or in trouble or hurt. I hated it. I growled under my breath and folded my arms over my chest closing myself off. ”So, what do I do?” I waited for an answer, stepping forward and throwing my hands in the air. ”Exactly. You don’t have an answer. I don’t know what he’s going through, he won’t tell me and if I care then I’m going to go fucking insane…”
I knew what was about to happen, I felt it, I folded my arms over my chest and I pouted. Yes, me, I pouted. But pfft, it’s only me and Tasmin, no one else knows.
”So…..you’re not going to admit it?”
” ….I hate you…”
Misdirection
”Last time you all saw me in a match I had my hand held high, the next time after that was standing toe to toe on the mic with Julianna DiMaria. Another victor as I verbally beat her down. But the last time you guys saw me in a non-in-ring role was the contract signing. And I hate that she got the better of me…”
Kayla growls, narrowing her eyes and trying to breathe
”But with a match of that magnitude looming on the horizon I’m sure most of you inbred, incel, incompetent idiots think I’ll lose focus on the mixed tag team titles. But you could not be further from the truth. But don’t get me wrong, I’m looking forward to that match, a chance to be the SCW bombshells champion…..”
“There is still so much work to be done with these tag titles I am not prepared to give them up. Even if I do have a huge match on the horizon I have never been someone to give in to pressure or crack. See Finn and I want to be the best mixed tag team champions ever. We want to overtake and be better than Wolfslair, Team Eggplant, Austin and Tempest, and of course London Underground.”
“You notice how I didn’t include Limitless in that little list?”
“You know why?”
“Cause they aren’t in the conversation for the best ever. But Finn and I are. From winning the titles to defending them against Miles and Alexandra, Ben and Samantha, and of course a rematch against Eiley and Oz, we have set the standard and will continue to do so.”
Kayla folds her arms over her chest, showing off her tattoos as she sneers and shakes her head.
”I am not going to let my aspirations to return to singles glory stop me from keeping my promises. My promise to make sure these tag team championships mean something. To return them to the glory that they have only had small sporadic moments in the past. We have had some great mixed tag team champions, but none of them have ever been able to get to the heights that they deserve.”
“But why is that? One of the big reasons was the rule that if you were a mixed tag team champion, you could not go for singles gold. Now that that rule is dead buried where it should always have been, you will see a lot more people willing to come after these championships. which has made it all the more impressive that we have been able to hold onto them as long as we have. Turning back challenges of champions and former world champions who have been put together in teams..”
“So yes I will be going for that bombshell championship. And yes it will take some of my focus away from the mixed tag team championships. But not on days like today. Not on weeks like this week. Not when I have a defense looming.”
“So, now we get to a new defense. A few weeks after it should have happened. And all jokes aside about Miles Kasey and Carter I’m glad to see Carter has recovered and he is ready for this. It’s just too bad a talent like him is being weighed down by Ariana.”
Cute the classic eye-roll from Kayla as she remembered her matches against Ariana
”Now don’t get it twisted here. I’m not saying that Carter would be able to beat Finn and take that world championship. I’m not even saying that Carter is on the same level as Finn but what I am saying is that he would at least put up a fight, and he is at least someone who can have glory in SE as long as he actually tries. As long as he takes things seriously and steps up to the plate, the sky is the limit for a man like Carter. He is amazingly popular, flamboyant, charismatic, and so much more athletic than anyone gives him credit.”
“As well as being tough as nails. He took that beating from Austin like a champ.”
“I wish Carter had a halfway decent partner. Cause it isn’t fair that he’s being dragged down by Ariana. However, I don’t think Carter is ready for this. I don’t think he realizes just how sadistic Finn can be and how tough he is. Finn is our world champion. For a reason, he has had a sporadic time in this company that has always come out on top at is now two-time world champion. He’s one of the most dangerous men on the roster and one of the most dangerous human beings in this business. and he and I team together almost unstoppable, and Carter would’ve needed a partner with a damn”
“Too bad he has a partner that is worthless as the gum on my boot.”
She moves around and paces back and forth. An angry and annoyed look was etched on her face.
”The reason I can say that is simple. Ariana and I know each other very well. Don’t we Ariana? You and I have gone too many times in this company. And what has happened every single time? Tell me Ariana what has happened? Because I can tell you exactly what’s happened. I have beaten you. I beat you for my Internet championship time and time again, any time they put you against me. I have stood tall with my hand raised while you have laid on the mat crying like a little bitch because you couldn’t get the job done.”
“And now it’s even worse. Because now instead of you just letting yourself down or members of your family down you are going to let Carter down. This isn’t just about you anymore. It’s about him. The worst part about all of this is that you’ve been letting him down for a long time now. When you pick up your phone and put out a tweet or an ex or whatever they want to call it, you embarrass yourself and you embarrass your partner. The stupid things that you say in the stupid claims that you make always end up, coming back and biting in the ass”
“You don’t care though.”
“Cause you don’t care about anyone. You are selfish. You don’t care about Carter and you don’t care about how all of these things make him look. You don’t care that every single time you step in the ring with him, he has to drag you to victories while you drag him to losses. and this time you are going to lose the mixed tag team championships for him. Because that is all you know how to do. You drag everyone around you down because that’s the kind of person you are. Even now you want to be selfish when it comes to these championships.”
Kayla’s voice raises up into almost a yell
”These titles need champions that are going to push themselves further. These championships need champions who are going to be able to have one foot in the mixed tag team division at one foot in any singles division that they choose to be in. They need people who are good enough to shoulder that load and handle that pressure and sweetheart you are nowhere near that level. In fact, you aren’t even close.”
“You couldn’t handle playing second fiddle to me in the Internet division. You saw me rising up to become a champion that everyone looked up to and wanted to beat, and you decided to continuously throw, tantrums over and over again. And I couldn’t let you hold that championship. I couldn’t let you have it and say that you were the champion because all that would do Is devalue it.”
“So now, here we are. Another championship another division and another chance for you to make a complete asshole of yourself. But as I said this time, it’s not just yourself you’re dragging down it’s Carter as well.”
“So I can’t let someone like you hold these titles.”
“I will do everything in my power to keep them away from you. Anything that I have to do. Any trick that I need to pull, no matter how unbelievably brutal I need to be. I am going to do everything I can to stay one-half of the mixed tag champions. And then I will go on to do something that you can never dream of doing. I will become a double champion. But it all starts with beating you and Carter and you better believe that that’s what I’m going to do.”
