I hope you’re happy.
Did I do a good job for you? Did you enjoy what you made me do to Candy?
That is all your fault. I just want you to know that’s on your head, not mine.
And before we get into this next part of the story…
Kayla?
Captain?
Enjoy your victory lap. I know you need all the aura you can get after last time.
But I miss you.
Please come play with me again. You had me masturbating the last time we got together. I’d love to do it again. I’ll have some sticky fingers waiting just for you.
Anyway, let’s keep going. Because we’re starting to get good. So get used to being comfortable in the uncomfortable.
It’s where I thrive.
Trust me.
My goal was simple.
I was going to go to Glen’s house. I needed revenge. I needed to take him down a peg for trying to kill me. I knew where he lived now, and I knew when and where I could strike. All I had to do was go there.
But a sudden spell on conscience came over me. I mean, I hadn’t really had a problem stabbing people. But, I was always aware of the wounds I inflicted being non-fatal. I was trying to hurt people, not… not kill them. So, what was I going to actually do when I was there. I break in, I attack him, and then? Then I end his life? What if he has security? What if he has bodyguards and what if I get caught? What if I die? Was it really worth it? At worst, I would die, but the more likely outcome was I’d get caught, and possibly arrested.
I was weighing my options. There were a lot of hurdles. Having to get there, and then find some way in, and hope to God there weren't any other obstacles. That was if everything went smoothly. But when the hell does every plan go smoothly? In almost every scenario I played out in my head, the negatives far outweighed the positives. It really was not worth it to try and attack this man, all things considered.
But he was the reason I was out here. He was the reason I was now stranded. So clearly, he had to pay for that.
But was stabbing him enough? No? What would be enough? That was the real question.
I spent several days in Los Angeles and found myself on the infamous Skid Row.
A homeless shanty town. Filled with drug dealers, prostitutes, failed actors, actresses, addicts, and other forms of degenerate people. People might think it’s the worst place on earth. Many there are simply homeless because they have no job, and can’t afford the high rent. Which, I perhaps could have, but it’s just not sustainable.
People lined up for food, which after a little investigation, turned out to be expired food that was about 3 months old. I could afford to eat properly so that really wasn’t an issue for me, but it was for many. But it wasn’t like I truly cared about these people. I felt that sense I hadn’t felt in a long time. I was better than these people. I wasn’t here because I was hooked on a drug, or starving. I was here simply because I didn’t have a place to stay, and a hotel, motel or an apartment was out of the question. So I was better off.
But still, I was in this spot and couldn’t really figure a way out of it.
Until I saw him.
I saw him a few times off and on on Skid Row. He was covered in tattoos, and looked dangerous even at a glance. He was every stereotype a mother would warn her children about. He looked dirty. He looked unclean.
Fuck he was hot.
I ended up buying a tent and staying in it for a while, still trying to figure out my next move. I would leave the fold open most of the time so that I could see what was going on, if anything, but.. I also wanted to see if the guy would come back. And sure enough, he did. We made eye contact. Then it became the two of us staring at each other. It was long, it was uncomfortable almost. But it was magic.
I was falling right back into the Eddie situation after all this time.
And I was perfectly fine with it.
I pretended to be focused on other things, but the whole time I kept my eye on him. He was smoking a cigarette, which I wasn’t sure if it made him more attractive or not. It was something though. I was fixated. I was hooked. Yes, this was what I needed.
I was playing with my knife when I could sense him walking towards me. I kept my head down, but my eyes were watching those boots walk towards me. He stopped a few feet away and I looked up. We both exchanged knowing looks.
“Hi.” He said with a gruff, gravely voice.
Fuck. That was hot too.
“Hey.” I replied back.
“That’s a nice knife. You uh… plan on using it?”
“ Yeah. Just haven’t found the right time.” I said coyly. We were both well aware of what the other was doing.
“My name’s Levi.”
“Frankie.”
“Frankie? Must be short for something. Francine? Franchesca? Maybe just Fran?”
“Franchesca.”
“Nice.”
“What is Levi short for?”
“It’s not. It’s short enough. It’s just Levi.”
“Your parents named you after pants?” I said with a sly grin.
“Maybe.” He said with a soft chuckle.
“So what brought you out here?” He asked, sitting himself down next to me. I felt the butterflies in my stomach as he did so. He smelled like smoke and… probably garbage, but then again, so did I. It wasn’t like there were showers around anywhere. But everything still felt so right.
“A missed opportunity. But, I don’t know anymore. I don’t know where my life is going.”
“Do you want to stay here?”
“I can leave anytime I want to. But, I don’t have a place to go. That’s a lot of people’s problem here. In a place like this, where there’s so many places to go, and yet, no where to go.”
“Yeah. What was the opportunity you missed?”
“Thought I might have had a job opportunity. Turns out, I was nearly killed.”
“Rough. So, what happened?”
“Tried to take me out of town, probably dump me somewhere and then bury me. Took my car and everything.”
“Damn.”
He sat there a moment, and then put his hand on my shoulder. My heart was aflutter.
“So, you want to go get this guy?” He asked, almost non-chalantly.
I perked up. But then sighed again.
“I wish.”
“I take it that’s what the knife is for?”
“Yeah, but… I dunno, I already stabbed him a couple of times. I just don’t feel like I completed the job.”
He shrugged.
“You can’t leave a job unfinished.”
“But at the end, like… what do I do?”
“So… this guy, he wronged you, right?”
“Yeah.”
“He offered you a job, so he must be rich right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then, he must have some good shit, right?”
“I assume.”
“Do you know where he is?
“I know where he lives. I put one of those tracking things in his car.”
Levi smiled wide.
“So, let’s go rob his ass.”
I stopped for a moment and took in what Levi had suggested.
“You’d do that with me?”
“Absolutely. Mother fucker wronged you, tried to kill you. I say, we go there, we break in, and we have some fun.”
“What if he has bodyguards and stuff?”
“Living out here? You gotta be mega rich for that shit. You’re not from around here, are you?”
“Nope.”
“Neither am I, but I’ve been here long enough to know, he ain’t got that many guards, if any. I say we pay him a visit. That could be our ticket out of the Row.”
Levi then put his arm around my shoulders. It was like he knew what I needed right then and there. Re-assurance that this was the correct action.
“Fuck it. Let’s go.”
Levi and I stood up together, and walked down the street.
“Do you know where he is?”
“Yeah.”
I pulled out my phone, and although the battery was dying, I showed him the app and the location of the tracker. Sure enough, it was stationary right where it was last time.
“Cool, wait here, I’ll get us a car.”
“Wait what?”
Levi only winked at me and disappeared around a corner. It felt like an hour, but it was only like 10 minutes, and then, he just pulled around in a black Honda Civic. He beeped the horn for me to get in.
“Where did you get this?”
“Borrowed it.” He replied with a wink.
That was good enough for me.
“Nice.”
I looked around the car, and clearly none of the things in the car were Levi’s. This was some girl’s car. Fruity smelling air-freshener. Blankets, some pop station playing, and it was somewhat clean. I didn’t know how Levi got this car, but I wasn’t about to argue.
In fact, that made it a lot hotter than he could do this.
“Let’s pay this dude a little visit.”
I see what you're doing here.
If this is the way you want it. I'm going to make this very uncomfortable.
Listen, Bea…
I understand why we’re both here. You’ve been here and I’ve had to fight my way up from the bottom. Like I said, it’s what I deserve, and where I’m happy to fight up from. You practically fucking live here. You’re just a permanent resident in the bottom of the barrel. But I must commend you for trotting yourself out there each and every week, only to get beat and be on that hamster wheel style of career. So much effort to go absolutely nowhere.
I don’t know if I could do that half as well as you. That is the role you play and look, I hate to break it to you, but they want you gone too. They want you eliminated. Why do you think this is all of a sudden a hardcore match? Why do you think they want us to bruise and batter each other with weapons? They obviously don’t think you have much of a chance and have added you simply for decoration. Do you get that? You really don’t matter in this match. You will get you ass kicked, and be right back in the same place you always are.
And that’s what they’re happy with. They are happy with you, all the way down here.
If you happen to catch a lucky break or something, and win here and there, they don’t mind. But they want you controlled. They want you where they can keep an eye on you. I wouldn’t be doing that if I was in charge. Just so you know. If people had listened to me, you would have been better off. Those restraints would be much, much looser. Just some food for thought. I’m still going to beat you up, but this is a learning experience for you. This is what you should strive for. Not handout, but taking the opportunity and making it work for you. Take this shit by the throat, seize the moment after this one is over, Bea. You have my blessing.
I understand this will be difficult for you, but at the end of the day, this is going to make you better. You understand? Better. So that way, some day you can stop being the bottom of the ladder, and work your way up to the top of the bottom of the ladder.
You know, baby steps.
Just think about this Bea. I’m only trying to help.
But the real star of this show is you, Bella.
Look, I wanted much more for you. But I get it. People keep getting in your way. I mean, if it was up to me, you’d be first in line to have a championship opportunity against Crystal Whoever. I was pounding the table for Bella Madison. I was hoping you’d come out on top in the tournament and then we could really open people’s eyes.
But, you failed.
But, that’s okay. I still was clamoring for you, to step forward, challenge Crystal and get what you deserve. Get what you are after. What you’ve worked so hard for. You should have had that moment.
And then you didn’t take it.
Now, I get it. I get it, more people are in your way. Namely fucking Seleana for some reason. And you’re stuck down here with me. Because they only want you to go so far, Bella. They want you to stay in this little world where you’re the star. Hardcore warrior! You beat people with weapons. Yeah, that’ll satisfy your bloodlust. It will make you feel like you’re gaining ground when it comes to this little game.
But in reality, you’re going nowhere either.
You’re down here, with Bea, and me. I fell off the top, Bea lives here. But you? You should be a lot further than you are. You should be in a better spot. Did you ever stop to ask why this is going on, Bella? Why aren’t you challenging for the Bombshell’s title right now? Why are they skipping over you?
I told you all from the start that they are just set in their ways, and I was trying to hard to change this place for the better. Think about it. I win the title and instantly, you become a contender, you make it to the finals of the tournament. And now that you know who is champion… look where we are.
We’re better than this Bella.
Well, now that I think about it, I am better than this, and you can be.
That’s right, you can be, but each time you were given something, you threw it away. It is only just now that you have seen this. I hope you are truly listening to me. I hope that you listen and don’t think I’m trying to bullshit you. I mean, maybe I’m gassing you up a little, but at the end, it wasn’t because of me that you made it to the finals. You can do that just fine.
So I figure that if maybe, just maybe I can give you that little push over the edge, you can become more.
Look, a kendo stick, a chair, a chair, a table, something sharp? Something metal, something that hurts. All of that, that I can beat you with, is to help you. I’m trying to help you, Bella. Look, I’m getting jerked around to and now all of sudden I was hit with the news that I have to wrestle Aiden Reynolds.
But you? What are they giving you?
Some random hardcore match that will mean zero in a couple of weeks? You beat up Bea? Do you see what that’s going to get you? Nothing. It’s not impressive, it’s just made to make it FEEL impressive. I say you need to take this beating, and then take charge of your career. Bust some heads and make your own opportunity.
You can do it. You can do much better than your mother.
I beat her, and I will beat you too.
But don’t let that stop you.
This is for your own good.
Trust me.
