Post by Envi on Nov 10, 2013 22:57:41 GMT -5
oct.31.thirteen2:00pm
”What do you mean it’s over?”
It was a fucking blur.
I was standing in my doorway, and-- first of all, Tyler Harrison was the motherfucker standing on my porch, which I thought was a goddamned joke. After everything he’d put me through before my Undisputed Championship reign, he had the nerve to show his face on my property? And then-- and then the bullshit he was spewing at me.
”It’s over. APW shut its doors. Jeff pulled the plug, Aubs.”
Even after he’d left, I sat on my doorstep and I bawled. I’d told him that he was a prick for coming to me with… with that, but I’d known him for years, and I knew when he was being serious. This was one of those times. I shouted liar, but I knew the truth. Everything I’d worked for… gone. Out the window, as if it had never mattered. For years I’d worked to hone my craft and be the absolute best… and it was ripped away after two weeks.
They killed me.
nov.4.thirteen1:06am
Nausea. Nerves. I’d experienced it before.
My heart was still beating at a million miles per minute. My palms were still sweating. My throat was just… dry… and it was like I was just sitting in that office, looking across the table at Callahan, who at that point in time, didn’t appear to be Michael Callahan to me. Instead, this was one of the two men burdened with the responsibility of signing what I imagine will eventually become very impressive paychecks.
I’d signed paper after paper. Then, like professionals, we shook hands… And here, twelve hours later, leaning on the island in the kitchen with half of my face buried in my hand, the realization had finally set in; I’d taken the step down from an international company in Action Packed Wrestling, to a single-city-based startup in PURE. My entire lifestyle could change within months.
From the lights of the kitchen, I could squint and look through the shadows into the living room. The only thing that seemed to be alive in the room was the APW Undisputed Championship, gold, shined, pristine-- as if it still served a purpose. It sat in the lone rocking chair, staring back at me.
What if I don’t live up to you?
Anybody that had seen me walk into that building in Washington would’ve been able to see that I didn’t look like the composed, confident Aubrey J. Parker they’d been used to seeing just a few short weeks ago. They saw someone that looked utterly and completely lost. Maybe seconds away from being a blubbering mess for whatever fucking reason. Talon had seen it when I walked back into the house that evening-- I know he had, but he didn’t dare bring it up. Over a year of experience had taught him better.
Bzzzzz…
Bzzzzzz…
My phone lit up, dancing softly across the island. With narrowed eyes, I pulled it closer to my face, pleasantly surprised to see the name that flashed across the screen, simply displayed as: Cass (:
”Hey.”
”Heyyy, I wasn’t sure if you’d be awake… I just got your message, and Aubs, I am so proud of you. I mean… I know Talon’s probably bummed that you’re getting back into the ring so quickly--”
”It’s fine. I think he understands. It’s one of those things that I just need to do.”
”Yeah… um… look, I know working for Mike is one thing, but you’re not gonna do anything stupid working for Rebel are you?”
”Ha, no. I’m a big girl. I’m not gonna fuck this up just because I happen to hate everything about his entire miserable existence--”
I was interrupted by a coughing fit. It wasn’t the first time it’d occurred… probably the third or fourth time throughout the day. Cassandra laughed lightly on the other end.
”Nice smoker’s cough. Did you weasel your way into Trey’s stash?”
”You’re funny… no, I think the universe is just conspiring against me, as per usual, and I’m about to come down with an epic flu a week before my debut match.”
”Hmmmm, who are we facing anyway?”
I grinned a little, suppressing a giggle at her declaration that “we” would be fighting. I felt like it’d been months since Cassandra had been a figure in my life, much less invested in what I was doing inside that ring. It was refreshing to hear.
”Hopkins and Madison. They’re booking it as a showcase of, like… three of APW’s last champions. It’s a struggle for supremacy out there and PURE needs a star. Fast.”
”Haha, I thought Ash was their star. Miss ‘Asses in Seats, Bodies in Graves’, yeah?”
”...Like I said. PURE quickly needs a star. I’m gonna be that. I’m picking up where I left off.”
She was silent for a few seconds, before speaking in a milder, tired voice.
”You left off on the top of the world. I can think of a couple of people that’ll have a problem with that… a couple of people that want that spot.”
”They’ll come at me, I’m sure. Once I establish that I’m the one that needs to be stopped, then they’ll come. They’ll flock, as they have before, but I’ll turn them away, as I always have done in the past.”
”As always, huh?”
”That’s right.”
”So you’ve always managed to turn Jair away?”
I paused, partially in annoyance, partially in consideration.
”Sometimes… sometimes there have been certain roadblocks, and technicalities, and-- and inexplicable circumstances that for WHATEVER reason were simply beyond my control, but that’s not the case when we head to Seattle; I’m promising that. Jair’s gotten the better of me before in situations where we stripped everything ‘pure’ away from this sport. He’s defeated me in barbaric matches where there were no rules, and where he and his partner, Anthony Bailey, could throw their weight around and rely on methods that would’ve gotten them disqualified in an actual wrestling match-- but things are going to be different here. There is not a better wrestler in this company than Aubrey J. Parker. Chris Madison? Jair? They might come closer than the rest of the people on this roster, but Cass… it doesn’t mean they’re close. It doesn’t mean they can touch me.”
”Ha! I suppose it wouldn’t be in your best interest to think otherwise.”
”No need to talk myself down. It’s totally time to slip into… say it with me…”
”Beast mode.”
”Eeeeee, you know me so well…”
”Yeah, well, I know that I need to get some sleep. And you should too.”
”Yeah… it’s weird. I’ve been having some trouble with that lately… sleeping…”
”Like you said-- nerves, right?”
”I guess so. Maybe.”
We ignored the hesitation in my words. I don’t think she even noticed it, to be honest, and I was thankful for it. I ushered the conversation along, clearing my throat and uttering a weak response, groaning under my breath as I tried to dispel yet, another coughing fit.
”Goodnight, Cass.”
”Hmmmmm, nighty-night, bitch. Call me in the A.M.”
And she was gone. I’d mumbled some sort of farewell before hanging up the phone, and bringing a hand to my heart, waiting for the coughing to cease. It felt like minutes, but it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds. Moving my hand up to my forehead, I squinted, watching as silver and black dots swam around in an invisible realm before my eyes, blinking in and out of my vision… I was lightheaded, and even though only for one brief moment in time, I was frightened. But it stopped. The swimming, the beating… it came to an abrupt stop.
I heard Talon from the bedroom, turning over in the bed with the springs creaking beneath his shifting. I peered into the darkness, hoping that he wouldn’t emerge from the shadows with questions… and he didn’t. I finally lowered my hand from my head and turned, raising a finger to the lightswitch in the kitchen to turn off the lights, but the gold in the distance caught my eye once more. I set my gaze on the APW Undisputed Championship, and as usual, a medley of emotions washed over me.
What do I have to do?
I already knew the answer, but I thought at that time that by looking at that belt, something new would come to me. Some miraculous answer to… to everything. Every problem.
My heart was pounding faster than usual. With a sigh, running a hand through my hair again, I flicked the lights off, throwing the kitchen into darkness.
i put numbers on the boards
unspecified.unspecified
”You know my name. You know what I can do. You know that every time I say I’m gonna do something in that ring, I get in there and I back it up, but what you don’t know is that Aubrey J. Parker is the face of PURE Wrestling. The reason you don’t know that is… well… because Mr. Rebel and Mr. Callahan made the rookie mistake of failing to put the main event in the main event.
That’s fine, however. These things happen. Mistakes are made, but mistakes are corrected, and with the help of my supporting cast, ‘Madman’ Chris Madison and ‘The Decent’ Jair Hopkins, the main event’s gonna happen right in the middle of the show. As we’re all aware, I’ll emerge victorious at the end of the triple threat match… but it’s not gonna come easy. I know from experience that Jair’s a fighter by definition. I know that over the past year, I’ve conditioned him to fucking despise me and THAT makes for a veerrrry formidable opponent, and I’m glad. I wanna fight the best. He calls himself ‘great’, but I know that’s not true. Because I’m great, and for as good as Jair Hopkins is, he does not compare to AJP. He can’t.
He and Chris-- they can give it the good ol’ college try, but even the great Terry Marvin and Sally Talfourd couldn’t get it done when the chips were all on the table! That’s just the way things are meant to be around here. Some of us are winners, but SOME… some are just performers. And you two perform so well, but I refuse to stop there. I won’t settle. I am not comfortable with JUST stealing the show. I’m winning this fucking match, and I’m going to be a frontrunner for that PURE Heavyweight Championship. Me.
You’ve both got some impressive victories under your belt, and we could trade accolades all day, but this is a clean slate. What happened in APW essentially means nothing here, and trust me; that doesn’t mess with anybody’s emotions the way it does mine, ha. But it’s the truth. It’s reality. That’s what we’re facing. So a win here, on the very first show in the young history of this company means more than I think either of you can imagine! This means MORE than any match we participated in fourteen nights ago.
This is the beginning.
I’m gonna be on top from the very fucking beginning.
You’ll do everything in your being to stop that, especially you, Jair, but I know how hurt you’ve gotta be after what you went through… Speared… smashing through a guardrail… flying fifteen feet through the air, crashing through equipment, and tables, and… and I’ve been there, boo. I know what it feels like to have your mind screaming at you to do things that your body just isn’t up to task for. I mean, do you think for a second that there’s a single injury that I won’t exploit on Monday night? From the smallest bruise, to the tiniest scrape-- I’ll use it to hurt you, and beat you, and I know Chris is gonna do the same thing. Chris might not do it as welllll as I do it, but he’s a whole lot fresher than you, and maybe even more than me.
I’ll tell you now that I wake up every day thankful for pain medication because my ribs are killing me. I’m counting the days that I can get the stitches removed from my arms. The highlight of my day is my third glass of wine because that’s when the pain goes away. I know pain, but I know that you’re in a whole lot more of it than I am.
And Chris? You got your first taste of high-profile action two weeks ago, and you capitalized. So bravo! Good for you. Now we all know you can hang, and we know that every now and again, you’re capable of winning the big one-- but are you consistent? I mean, for as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been successful as a part of a group. Nobody has any doubt that you can survive on your own, but can you thrive?
Like… the good part is, now you don’t have to share the limelight with four or five other people, but nooowww when you fuck up, you don’t have anybody else to point the blame at. EXCEPT Monday, when you can point that stubby little finger at me. You can blame me for your shortcomings here in PURE Wrestling. Blame Aubrey J. Parker for ripping away your vision of the Heavyweight Title. And I think it’ll sting a lot more for you because you have sooo much to prove. You have to show EVERYONE that Chris Madison is still a threat without his cronies!
And you will.
But first, that pressure’s gonna get to you and you will crack like better men and women have done before you. These people-- they don’t know how to take Chris Madison. They reviled you just a few weeks ago, and now they’re looking for a hero. I don’t need to bill myself as a ‘madman’ or ‘The Great’ to be that person. Chris, I’m the hero that wrestling needs! I am the be-all, end-all of this industry! I’m ready to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders all the way to fucking gold. YOU’RE NOT! You can’t look me in the eye and tell me otherwise! You can’t conceivably believe that you could take this company to an international level!
I’ll be everything PURE has ever needed. I’m an inspiration, damnit. There’s not a fight that I’ve turned down in my life. There’s not a person that I’ve faced that I wasn’t somehow, somewhere able to beat. And on Monday, Madison’s the devil I don’t know, but I know how to beat you, Jair. No matter how difficult it may be, and no matter what kind of HELL the three of us put each other through out there, never forget that I know EXACTLY what it takes to put you down. I’m just watching, waiting to pull the trigger, and Chris, when I figure you out-- and I will-- then maybe it’ll be you I put down.
But let’s talk about the idea of this match, shall we? A triple threat match-- it’s something I questioned at first, but it makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it? We’re three of the most gifted athletes in this entire business, but what’s the fun in a one-on-one match? We’ve been there, done that. What GOOD are you if you’re not fucking enthralled at the idea of having to look over your shoulder while you’re wearing down your opponent? Ha… maybe it’s exciting to know that when you’re closing in on victory, somebody could come in and snatch it away from you. You could get robbed right in the middle of that ring. You’re competing with two bodies… two brains… and the only way to win is decisively.
I have to overcome two of the best that this company could possibly throw at me. I've come to terms with that. There's no way that it could possibly be easy, but easy isn't the hero's way! Easy doesn't make great.
...But hell, I’ve defeated five people decisively before. Six, even! This match is right up my alley. Monday nights belong to Aubrey J. Parker, and this time it starts from the beginning.
I’ll slam your head into that canvas, or come crashing down on you, or twist your leg until it’s about to break-- until you’re begging for me to stop… I’m not leaving without the victory, aaaand, my friends, THAT’S exactly what I’ll get by any means necessary.
My name is Aubrey J. Parker.
I’ll be your heroine.”
how can you relate when you ain’t never been great?
nov.10.thirteen7:03pm
Things had changed over the past six days. I’d gotten used to the idea of wrestling for the startup Seattle promotion. I’d fallen in love with the idea of spending the rest of my life with Talon Wilkinson… Every time I stared at that ring, a calmness rushed over me. A warmth.
But every time I looked at that Undisputed Championship, it was like something was taken from me. Sucked right out. Stolen.
We were on the jet, en route to Seattle, and Talon had dozed off, just a few minutes removed from an empty conversation seated across from me. I smiled softly watching him, and it was almost morbidly funny that he was seated right next to that belt that just seemed to reflect pure evil right at me.
My heartbeat increased again… steadily at first, before growing more rapid. That dizzy feeling returned, and at the time, I remember that I dismissed it as… nerves. Again, I pushed it off and I told myself that it was the fear and the realization that I had to abandon everything I knew tomorrow and start over. I had to rebuild that star that I spent fourteen months making burn so bright.
And my heart pounded faster… faster…
fin.
