Chapter 42: Repeated Mistakes.
It had been over two months since Kayla had sold her apartment and moved back in with Finn. Over two months since she made the decision based on a moment of honesty they both had. A moment where they finally admitted to each other, and themselves, that they loved each other. It was a moment of clarity. A moment of honesty. And a moment filled with love that both of them would cherish forever. However, since that moment things had stalled.
Kayla had moved back in, she saw Finn every day. They spent time together and laughed and smiled. They ate together, they would fall asleep on the couch in each other‘s arms, but it still wasn’t the same. There was something holding them both back. Something that was stopping Kayla and Finn from, being in a fully-fledged relationship
Yes, they both made jokes about it. Kayla even referred to him as her boyfriend.
And this was something that everyone around them noticed. Something that their friends had taken note of. Finn‘s brother Dickie, he had been vocal about it. Aidan Reynolds, a resident of Finn‘s Home for wayward wrestlers, and dickies‘s best friend had noticed. And he’s a complete idiot.
None of them said anything out of respect for Kayla and Finn and in some cases fear of them both. There was one woman however, that didn’t have fear. One that did have respect but also wanted to know exactly what was going on between the two. Tasmin Richards. Kayla‘s younger sister and someone who would identify as one of Kallie’s best friends. A former wrestler in her own right who had become a champion and even beaten Julianna DiMaria in her time. Tasmin was tougher than she looked and was ready to get answers.
It was early in the morning. Finn had left to go to Wolfslair and open the doors, grumbling about Alex needing the day off. Kayla walked down the hallway, a black baseball cap over her head with her long black hair tied up in a tight bun popping through the back above the snaps on the cap. She had running shoes on, black leggings and a black Adidas too. Her keys in one hand, a coffee in the other. ”So that’s where you’ve been…a run….”
Kayla looked up and smirked, it was the voice of Tasmin. Her younger sister was standing next to the door, her arms folded over her chest wearing a pair of camouflage pants, a black tank top, and a leather jacket over the top. Her hair, also black, but dyed instead of her natural blonde, flowed down her shoulders and back. ”Yeah, cardio today, then I have to film a few things for SCW…..what’s up?” Kayla shot her a small smile, they didn’t have any plans today. Kaleb would’ve remembered.
She unlocked the door and moved in, going to the side and letting her sister follow. As the door closed behind them, Kayla threw her empty coffee cup out before taking her hat off and flicking the small switch on the coffee machine upward. ”I wanted to catch you without Finn here….” Kayla tilted her head and her shoulders dropped. ”Look, Kay, you’ve been back for a while now. You told me that you didn’t think you deserved him. But things haven’t changed, and everyone else is sitting here with their mouth shut and walking on eggshells with you. But I’m sick of it. I’m not gonna sit by and watch you sabotage your Love life again.”
Kayla took a deep breathe and turned ”Tas, I told you…to bu-“
”To butt out, yeah I heard you.” She stepped forward, interrupting her sister before shaking her head and leaning forward. ”But I can’t sit here and not ask why. Why aren’t you and Finn fully into this? All in? You clearly love each other. Shit, you SAID it” She was frustrated. And why wouldn’t she be? Everyone had known that these two were crazy about each other and were just too stubborn to admit it. And now it finally happened, and they were only going halfway.
”….Why…..you want to know…why?” Kayla shook her head looking over at Tasmin who folded her arms over her chest and gave her a nod. [color]”Fine…. I’ve been in relationships. Everyone has. And yeah, through most of my relationships, I’ve been the one who has been the week one. Jace, Matt, even Billy… but, just after I left home, and before I went to go find Amber in the US. There was a boy. You might remember him, Cameron.”[/color]
Tasmins eyes widened, she remembered him alright. Kayla shook her head, she could remember it now, the smell of the cigarette smoking inside the London bars. The smell of the alcohol on all of their breaths. And she could remember what she felt like, standing in a pub at 17 years of age. Younger than she should’ve been. A deep-cut white top over her skin that had to be tattooed. Her hair was tied away from her face and her face was covered with too much makeup. A black mini skirt, and high heels.
And sitting across the room, in one of the booths with some of his friends, who was Cameron. Young, average-looking, just over 18, he smiled at her. They went to school together. They had known each other for years and Cameron had always had Kayla back. She moved over to him and passed a table of older men. One of them reached out slapping her on the arse. Kayla stopped, Cameron got up and she shook her head as her friends also grabbed hold of him and pulled him back down. The men laughed, Kayla turned around and tilted her head.
”Oi, if you are gonna do that you can at least pay for the fuckin pleasure and buy me a drink….if not? Fuck off….” She turned, her body language full of attitude and arrogance. She made her way over to the booth and slid across the seat next to Cameron. The other two boys got up, going to get some drinks and getting ready to leave.
”I was just about to fuck that rude old boy up….why wouldn’t ya let me?” Kayla gave a small bit simple shrug, one of the bar maids walked over, she had a tray in her hand full of shots sliding it across the table. Kayla raised an eyebrow. The barmaid turned and motioned toward the table of old men. They all looked over at her with a wink lifting their beers. Kayla chuckled, reaching down and grabbing one of the shock glasses before throwing it back, she closed her eyes and then smiled before giving them an appreciative wave.
Cameron shook his head and Kayla stretched ”You have to show that you are afraid of them. Besides they probably think if I get drunk enough, I’ll go home with one of them. And if this was the good stuff they might even be able to fondle my tits. Unfortunately, this is cheap garbage. So no one is touching me tonight.” She laughed. Cameron wasn’t amused. He got up, shaking his head, and moving out towards the door and out into the street. The smile faded from Kayla's face as she got up and followed. The tray of drinks sitting on the table as Cameron‘s friends returned. Happy at the bounty that was being left for them. Kayla moved out onto the street, throwing her leather jacket over the top and shaking her head ”Hey….what the fuck Cam?”
He stopped midstep, turning and shaking his head as a few tears came from his eyes. Kayla stepped back shocked at The fact he was upset. ”Ya let them treat you like a fuckin slag….ya treat ya self like one too….”
Kayla shook her head, unsure of how to take all of this. ”So? What has you all hot n bothered? Is it because you can’t grab a handful? Is that what you want?” Cameron took a deep breath. Kayla stepped forward, biting her bottom lip as she did. Her hands came to either side of her jacket as she pushed her chest together and leaned forward. ”Come on…take what ya want Cam…”
Cameron took a labored breath in and then pushed Kayla back ”No! Stop it. Stop treating yourself like this. Stop thinking that every guy just wants to put his fucking dick in you…..”
Kayla chuckled dismissively, tilting her head and stepping back ”That is what every guy wants…”
”Not me!” he erased his voice, throwing his arms in the air in a frustrated fashion before blurting something else out. ”I love ya!”
Kayla swallowed, unable to process what he was saying or what he was trying to do. She didn’t love him, but she did feel for him. They were close and she had always been there for him and he had always been there for her. But this was different. After a few seconds, Kayla snapped out of it, laughing it off and rolling her eyes ”Jesus Cam, you didn’t have to work that hard to try and get Me in bed. All you had to do was put a move on Me and make sure that I was drunk.” Kayla laughed again, Cameron shook his head, moving back away from her and throwing his hands in the air again. He turned and walked away from her, and Kayla, being the stubborn teenager she was, just let him walk away.
Her voice cuts through the vision of the past. And now we are back in the present. ”I never….wanted to hurt him…”
Tasmin was quiet, she stepped forward and reached out grabbing Kayla’s hand. ”What he did… it’s not your fault. You and Cameron gravitate toward each other because you had both had horrible things happen.”
Kayla pulled her hand away, trying to fight back tears as she let out a deep breath. ”He killed himself a week later Tas…”
”That wasn’t your fault. That was his decision. Not yours. And besides, you were 17 years old. You were a kid. That was almost a lifetime ago even though it doesn’t feel that way.” Kayla swallowed hard. Tasmin shook her head and continued. ”You are not the same person that you were back then. And punishing yourself for isn’t right. You deserve to be happy okay? Stop thinking that you’re not good enough because of something that happened when you were a fucking teenager.”
Kayla swallowed hard. She knew her sister was right. She knew that it was time to move on. But how could she forgive herself? This was a pain that she’d been carrying around for over 10 years. This was going to take a lot of work.
And a lot of time.
A conspiracy of Wolves.
”It feels good to be vindicated.”
Kayla lets out a deep breath, a smile on her face as she folds her arms over her chest. She shifts her weight sitting in Washington Park in Denver Colorado. Cause Pueblo is a shithole….
”The Bombshells championship has been held by some of the best of the best that this company and the wrestling world has ever seen. And I presented Julianna with a challenge. It was a challenge that she could pass in multiple ways. She could’ve passed it by beating me. But that wasn’t the only way. My criticisms of her as a champion and as a person could be easily changed by her coming at me as hard as she could and showing me what kind of person she was”
“She showed me that she has the heart of a champion. She has the school of a champion. The only problem is that she is the right person at the right place at the wrong time. Because this Ira right now is mine.”
“My time.”
“My title.”
“And as much as Julianna wishes it wasn’t, well, facts don’t care about your feelings. The fact is the wall. She is a very talented wrestler, and while she was able to win that championship, she was only keeping it warm for me. She isn’t quite on the same level as the others who held the championship. And I prove that. Prove that by going into two consecutive supercars, and beating her. But now where does that leave me? Hmm?”
She can’t help but laugh, for the first time in a long time, there is a clear line between champion and challenger. A woman who earned her place through one of the most scrolling tournaments this company has ever devised. One way you are forced to team with someone that you have never teed with before and most cases and in all cases not even knowing who your partner is going to be until the tournament begins.
”Well, I know who I’ll be defending this championship next and I know when it will happen. But the path to getting there? That is a big question. See, the bombshell championship isn’t the only one I have to worry about. I also am still one-half of the mixed tag team champions and in a cruel twist of fate it would seem that Finn and I have to defend these championships against my future challenger and her husband.”
“What a world. What a great twist of fate huh?”
“And the truth is I can’t blame SCW for putting the conspiracy against us. They have been one of the most consistent teams in this company and Finn and I need to defend these championships. I’ve been asking to. And the inactivity of these championships has been jumped on by a whole bunch of bullshit, ego-mongering douchebags.”
“A certain cowardly blonde.”
“One that shall remain nameless because all she wants is attention. Because when she doesn’t get it from her husband, she tries to get it from everyone else. Eventually, he’s going to stop giving her all that attention and she’s going to find it at the end of a dick instead of just the end of her keyboard. But, the truth is that with these championships comes a certain responsibility. When this company changed its mind on being able to hold singles championships at the same time as holding these tag team championships, it was always going to be something that had to be sacrificed.”
She pauses again and shrugs.
”A sad fact but a true one. And since Finn and I have had to defend our world titles then we have put the mixed tag titles on the back burner. And some have used that fact to call us bad champions. Despite defending the titles and holding them longer than anyone else. Despite the fact that these titles are now going to be defended in the main event of Climax control, and are beating fought over by the world champion, the bombshells world champion, the roulette champion, and the winner of the blast from the past, and number one contender.”
“When did that happen last? Go ahead and tell me when these titles have meant more. Go on, I’ll wait.”
Kayla looks at her phone and waits. After a few moments, she sighs and puts it back.
”Who would have thought it? Two world champions would make the mixed tag team championships mean more than a couple of rookies who spent most of their time talking about how great they were while not having the chops to back it up. Finn and I have made these championships bigger than they have ever been. And we are one defense away from having the most amount of defenses to go along with the longest reign…”
“And look at our challenges. The conspiracy. As I said one of them is the brand-new roulette champion, and the other is the number one contender Famai championship and someone who won the blast from the past. And of course, Alexander despite being the roulette champion is also the blast from the past runner-up”
“Amazing right?”
“Well at least on paper. But things aren’t always what they say. Are they? You two have turned around and made it very clear that you wanted a shot at these titles. And curious that you want them right now as I am about to go into a match with Luna. you are trying to set Luna up to succeed when in reality you’re just setting her up to fail.”
Kayla scoffs, she shakes her head and continues.
”Alexander, you are a step above so many of the others in this company. You are. Despite your repeated attempts to win the world championship and your repeated failures, you are still one of the better professional wrestlers here. And congratulations on becoming the roulette champion. Again. Now, I need to convey just how happy I am that you were able to beat the snot out of your fellow Australian. See while I am friends with that foolish Australian wife, I really don’t like him very much. Aidan Reynolds is a complete buffoon and a meat sack filled with a low IQ and a stupid accent. No offense.”
“And you beat him. You were able to shake off your choke artist tag and become the roulette champion. Or were you? See, you have been the roulette champion before and you’ve been able to get to that level. It’s not that level that has continually invaded you, it is the level above. It is getting into the main event level the world title level. And you are still failing that. You failed and you choked in the blast from the past, you could’ve been next up to face Finn. But instead, you won yourself a consolation prize.”
“You crawled right back up to the same level that you were at two years ago. Congratulations.”
“Then, well, then you presented with an opportunity. An opportunity to beat someone with the last name of Harris. And you failed at that too. It seems that anyone with that last name just happens to be better than you. And it wasn’t even Michael or Calvin, it wasn’t even either of the ones that people would consider to be legends. It was Jayden, the child, you couldn’t beat a child….. and do you think you’re going to come and take these mixed tag team championships off of us? You’re here trying to make sure that your wife gets one up over me before she faces me for the bigger title. Before she realizes a dream that you can never touch. You are living vicariously through your wife and that Alexander, is pathetic.”
She tits and rolls her eyes.
”Now, as for you Luna. I have made no question about the fact I respect you. I do. I respect how you go about things, I respect the attitude that you have toward your fellow competitors. You get in the ring and you leave everything in there and do everything you can to win. It is something that I admire. And the fact that you actually have the balls to respect me and to show the world that even though I am, subjectively, a horrible person when it comes to professional wrestling, I am also worthy of respect.”
“I was so happy when I saw that you won the blast from the past. I didn’t want to face Alexandra Calaway. And it wasn’t because I thought that she would be the harder match. The truth is that she would’ve been too easy. I would’ve steamrolled over that bitch faster than you could say “overrated hack”. I wanted you. I wanted you because I knew that I needed good opponents to legitimize my reign as champion.”
“So I needed you.”
“With that being said. You earned your shot against me by winning that tournament. You have now been given a shot at the mixed tag team champions based off of your record as a tag team with Alexander. Now, if we look at your record and my record it does be the question why I was so excited about you winning the blaster in the past. See, there is a huge discrepancy between you and Me Luna. There is a huge discrepancy in not only my accomplishments in this company and your accomplishments in this company but also what I have been able to do just on climax control.”
“I’m undefeated.”
“I have never been beaten on that show. I have never been pinned or been made to submit on climax control since I signed with this company. I have a massive winning record and a massive winning percentage. I have five separate championship runs to my name. I have beaten the best this company has to offer. And now you and your husband get to come at me Finn for our mixed tag team championships right before you are coming at me for my bombshells world championship. and for some reason, you think this is a good idea. Really? Do you really think it’s a good idea to go into a match with me where I could destroy you before you get a shot at my bombshells world championship?”
Kaleb looks around, laughing out loud. But not in a real laugh which she finds something amusing. This is the kind of laugh that you let out when you can’t believe the bullshit that you just heard or thought.
”You are in a lose-lose situation. Say you and Alexander win. You, through some Fuckery, take the mixed tag team championships off of me and Finn. Then all you have done is piss me off. And you look back at my history in this company. Any time someone has beaten me I have come back stronger and destroyed them and taken back that win and in some cases championships. You take those mixed tag team championships from Me and all I’m going to do is want to rip your head clean off your fucking shoulders.”
“Now, say you lose.”
“Well, then you are going into summer xxxtreme with a loss to me. A big failure. Right in front of the world. So you getting this championship match might be a good idea on paper much like your record but in practice it’s just not a good idea.”
“Congratulations, you played yourself.”
“Cause, before this mixed tag match there was this aura about a fight between you and me. The blast from the past winner and someone who is on the rise going against someone who is honestly one of the most dominant females this company has ever seen. People like you Luna, they might not like your attitude but they respect you as a professional wrestler. But you are not in my league. But there was an illusion that you were close to it. I should be held in the same regard as Alicia Lukas, Amber Ryan, and yes, even that blonde bitch who I’m not even going to glorify by saying her name. That is the level that I’m at.
“And now, that illusion that we had where people thought maybe you were on that level? It’s going to be shattered. Shattered and destroyed all because you and your husband decided you wanted to come for the mixed tag team championships, just because you both thought it would be a good idea and somehow give you a leg up against me if you were able to win them.”
“In the end Luna, you are just going to be another story, of arrogance and hubris end of someone whose potential ended up being outweighed by their ego. Someone who thought more of themselves than they really were. And this is the first step.”
