The following is from the private journal of Wendy Briese
27 July AD 2011
What the heck is with everyone?
Everybody just seems to be so overreactive the past few weeks. I mean, Cody Kincaid makes ONE unpopular decision, and suddenly he’s placing himself on administrative leave! Scarlett Kincaid gets criticized about her role as FFW Champion, and she actually volunteers to start the Elimination Chamber, greatly decreasing any chance she had of walking out of Unstoppable with the title.
And now my nanny has threatened to quit because I told her that I don’t want her bringing that womanizing slimebag Christian Kincaid around my family. I mean, really, can’t anyone just take a step back and analyze a situation anymore? Must we all rush ourselves, to our inevitable detriment?
Maybe it’s this summertime heat that’s making everybody so cranky and impatient. Maybe it’s the growing pressure we’re all feeling as the biggest show of the year approaches. Maybe it’s just a byproduct of our society, where so much is available and can be accomplished with just a click of a mouse, or a tap of a touchscreen. I don’t know.
But what I do know is that, on a grander scale, things just don’t seem to be working out for the better, at least as far as I feel. Cody Kincaid is one of the few truly good promoters in the world, both in mind, and in heart. His loss hurts us all. And more and more I’m beginning to realize that the best thing that FFW needs for it is for Scarlett to retain at Unstoppable. Scarlett cares about this company, she cares about that title, and she cares about doing things the right way. There isn’t another woman in that cage with the same sort of dedication. But the odds...
Well, Scarlett’s never lived her life according to the odds before. Why should she now? I just hope she can pull through.
As far as Cassie goes... I don’t want to lose her. She’s been so great to have around the past couple years. Theresa loves her, and respects her as well, almost to the point of regarding her as something akin to an aunt. And heck, I’ve come to consider Cassie a friend as well. The other two adults I travel with are my husband and my manager- and I have to admit it’s nice to have another woman to talk to while Terrence and Daniel are trying to figure out how to blow something up.
But the judgement she’s displayed in the past couple of weeks... it’s unsettling. I know love makes you do crazy things, but that isn’t love. I don’t think Christian Kincaid is capable of loving- the only thing the man desires are the carnal pleasures of life. And even if Cassie claims to love him, without anything being returned, it’s little more than an obsession. An unhealthy obsession.
If Cassie thinks that this silly schoolgirl infatuation is worth losing her job over, there’s little I can do, but hope she changes her mind until it’s too late. Otherwise...
...I guess the only place left for her would be in Club CK with all of his other trophies.
-WCBT
====================
Wednesday July 27, 2011
Thompson Auto- Reception Area
Indianapolis, Indiana
4:58 PM Local Time
Self-proclaimed as ‘Northwestern Indianapolis’ finest, and most honest, repair center’, Thompson Auto had been around for nearly thirty-five years. Terrence’s uncle Steve had opened the garage when he was in his early thirties, and throughout the years, the repair shop had grown into one of the most reputable facilities in all of the city. In a way, I loved the shop- if anything in the world proved that fair play, grit, hard work, and determination was a winning formula, it was Thompson Auto.
I also had another reason for loving the repair shop- it was here, thirteen years ago, that I would first lay eyes on the man that would one day become my husband.
Ironically, Terrence was working in the exact same station that he had been that February day back when I was seventeen, although the similarites stopped there. The mid nineties Buick he was working on was a far cry from my mother’s Porsche, and the problem (a busted transmission, if I could guess) was significantly worse than a busted tire that the owner was too prissy to change. Even the surrounding equipment was different- soon after Steve had given his godson half of the shop as a wedding present, Terrence had convinced his uncle to embark on a massive renovation to modernize the garage. I had to admit the current layout- a brightly lit, freshly painted garage with the most modern equipment, was a lot more attractive than the hot, dreary, dusty workshop it had been years prior.
I cleared my throat, and Terrence turned around, breaking into a grin as he saw me. Wiping his hands on a nearby rag, he shut the hood of the Buick and sauntered up to me . “Well, afternoon, ma’am. What can I do for you?”
I brushed a loose strand of hair out of my face, and did my best to be flirtatious, even batting my eyes a couple times. “Well sir, I have this Dodge Charger, and well, I’m not sure what’s wrong with it. Maybe you could take it for a test drive for me?”
Terrence chuckled slowly, and pulled me in, kissing me on the forehead. I hugged him back gingerly- as he normally did after helping out in the garage, Terrence’s mechanics jumpsuit was covered with sweat, oil, and grease, and I didn’t really want to have any of it rub off on my new blouse. Terrence seemed to sense my hesitation, and he released me, grinning. “Let me go to the office and change, and tell Steve I’m leaving.”
I nodded, and Terrence kissed me one more time on the cheek, then walked away. I blushed as I realized a couple of the other mechanics had stopped to watch us, and were just now returning to work. I was hardly a stranger to them. Even though Terrence was part-owner of the the garage, he and his uncle had decided that Steve would continue to run the day-to-day operations of the business. That left Terrence free to embark on his other ventures- namely his current ARCA career, and his former pro-wrestling one. Still, Terrence felt obligated to come in and help out with the place whenever he was able to.
It wasn’t long before Terrence had returned, now clad in a fresh plain black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Even though the dirt, oil, and grease no longer covered his clothes, he still reeked of it. Considering we were heading to LucasOil Speedway for a team meeting, it was really a moot point. “So, to the track, then?”
“Not, yet,” Terrence said, putting his arm around me, and steering me towards the exit. “Gotta make a pit stop first.”
“Oh?” I asked, surprised by the change in plans. “Where to?”
“The Omni Severin Hotel,” Terrence replied, with the aura of announcing that we had to stop at the grocery store to pick up some milk.
“WHAT?!” I snapped my head around so quickly, my neck nearly cricked, and Terrence had to roughly jerk me to the side to keep me from walking into the doorjamb. I knew there was sudden panic in my voice. “Dressed like this?!”
“Well, we could go naked if you want,” Terrence grinned at me mischeviously.
I narrowed my eyes and shot him a glare. “Terrence, the Omni Severin is the nicest hotel in the city! You can’t just walk in there dressed-”
“Oh, *relax*, Wendy,” Terrence muttered, rolling his eyes. “We’re not going there for dinner or cocktails. I just have to drop something off.”
“What?” I asked, suddenly curious, although I was still dreading the stares we’d no doubt receive walking into such an establishment at the dinner hour in such casual clothes.
For an answer, Terrence reached into his pocket, and tossed me something, then walked around to the driver’s side of the Charger. I caught it, and looked down at it. It was a lanyard necklace, the strap embroidered with repeating images of the ARCA logo. It was the exact same type of security clearance lanyard I always wore.
Oh, no. I could see *exactly* where this was going.
I slowly turned the card over in my hand, and sure enough, was neither suprised nor pleased to see a small, blurry picture of Christian Kincaid smiling back at me, his name and “Special Guest- Diamond Motorsports” printed on the card. “Oh, you have got to be *kidding* me!” I snarled, flinging the door open, and plopping into the passenger seat.
“Easy!” Terrence barked as I slammed the door. “What’s got your panti-” he stopped as I wheeled towards him, shooting a glare that would kill most mortals. “Um, what’s up, doc?” he meekly rephrased.
“She went behind my back!” I huffed, tossing the lanyard onto the dashboard, and crossing my arms over my chest. “I told her I didn’t want Christian Kincaid at the race, and she went to you!”
“Oh,” Terrence responded, starting the car, and pulling out of the parking spot. “That. Well, you know what they say. If mom says ‘no’ ask dad, right?”
“‘They’ do not say that,” I responded sourly. “And we’re not her parents. We’re her employers. There’s a *big* difference.”
“Yeah, well, she was under the impression that you were thinking along the lines that you were her mother,” Terrence said lightly as he turned off 71st onto Michigan Road. “Said you were being pretty unreasonable.”
“Unreasonable,” I huffed. “She’s the one who actually thinks this stupid fling is going to bring her happiness, and she calls *me* unreasonable? Really?”
“For the most part, yeah,” Terrence agreed.
“For the most part?” I asked, looking over at Terrence curiously.
“Well, I think her exact words were ‘acting like a bitch’. Terrence revealed casually, with a shrug.
“Really?” I deadpanned, my eyes narrowing. “We’ll see how much a... THAT she thinks I am when she’s unemployed. And *you*,” I snapped, pointing a finger at Terrence. “Why did you let her bring him? You should have known better!”
“Here’s a better question,” Terrence remarked with a shrug. “What the hell do you have against Christian Kincaid?”
“Because he regards women as little more than pieces of meat!” I responded hotly. “Because I’ve spent my whole career trying to prove that women wrestlers AREN’T sex objects! And Christian and his harem set that whole ideology back a good twenty years. If it were up to him, we’d all be wrestling in Jell-O and bikinis!”
“I dunno.” Terrence responded with a shrug. “I don’t think anyone respects you any less as a wrestler because Christian Kincaid’s practically got himself a sex jukebox. What’s it to you, really?”
I snorted. “I just don’t want him around Theresa. We don’t need to be surrounding her with negative influences.”
“Ah,” Terrence said. “So you’re thinking, that if Cassie brings Christian Kincaid to the race, Theresa’s going to grow up to be a bikini Jell-O wrestler.”
“That’s a really obtuse way of looking at it,” I responded. “But, yes. Who knows what kind of message it would send to her.”
Terrence bit his lower lip, and looked around at the traffic as we neared downtown. Finally he looked over at me, and shrugged. “Yeah, I think I’m gonna side with Cassie on this one. You’re being unreasonable.”
I glared at Terrence, and again folded my arms over my chest. “I’m done talking to you.”
“Okay, but just think- if your logic held, you wouldn’t be here, sitting next to me, one of the most successful wrestlers in the world. You’d be in New York, acting in some Broadway play, then going out and getting drunk every night, and sleeping with-”
“I said we’re done!” I snapped, cutting my husband off. With a shrug, Terrence let the matter drop.
We drove the rest of the way to the Omni in silence, and Terrrence pulled into the parking lot, stopping the car not far from the main entrance. For a second, I considered staying in the car, and getting rid of my insufferable husband for a few minutes. But I grudgingly climbed out of the car, and stalked towards the entrance.
Terrence wasn’t too far behind, and soon, we were walking across the posh lobby of the Omni Severin, Indianapolis’ only ‘four-diamond hotel’. As I had feared, several people turned their heads, staring at us in an unflatteringly way. Quickly, I jammed my finger into the elevator button, pushing it several times. A few excruciatingly long seconds later, the doors opened.
“I assume you know what room he’s in,” I said shortly to Terrence.
“Yeah, Cassie told me,” he replied, then shot me a grin. “Does this mean we’re on speaking terms again?”
“No.”
“Ah, that’s a shame,” Terrence said lightly, then put his hands in his pocket, and whistled off-key along with the elevator muzak, which, oddly, seemed to be “Invisible Touch” by Genesis. Still, the overall effect was even more irritating, and I found myself clenching my hands into fists.
Fortunately, the door soon opened, and we stepped out. The floor we were on was obviously a suite floor, being in a slightly wider, ornately lit hallway with dark red carpet. The doors on either side were much further apart than normal hotel rooms would be. Obviously a Suite at the Omni was quite large- and probably very pricey.
“Nice place,” Terrence muttered, as he looked around as we walked down the hall. Let’s see... 1202... 1204... here we are! You want the honors, or should I?”
I shot another glare at Terrence, then stepped forward, knocking on the room door, stepping back and waiting patiently for it to open. I didn’t have to wait long as the door pulled open, and there stood the last man I wanted to see, Christian Kincaid with a pair of blue jean shorts on and no shirt. He smiled to me, and gave a bigger one to Terrence before extending his hand.
“Terrence! We meet again!” If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought Christian liked my husband.
Even worse, I was getting the impression that Terrence liked Christian. As he eagerly clasped it, and shook vigorously. “Hey man. Welcome to Indianapolis. Again. Cassie said you were comin’ in to see my race tomorrow?”
“Of course, I am! Wouldn’t miss it for anything! I got to tell you, man. I didn’t use to really follow the sport, but after seeing a couple races and following your progress, I am starting to see the allure.” Christian glanced behind the door for a moment at something before pulling it back and letting us in. “Come on in, everyone’s decent. Well...now.”
“Thanks, though we can’t stay too long,” Terrence replied, beckoning me in first. “They want me down at the track for a meeting tonight.
I entered the suite, and looked around. It was one of the nicest hotel rooms I had ever been in, a far step above the Embassy Suites we generally stayed in when we couldn’t have the RV. The suite was as big as an apartment, and the reception room was huge, with two modern-style couches, a couple reclining chairs, all facing a gigantic screen television. Off to the side was a small hall, where assumably the bedroom and bathroom sat. It was amazing.
“Nice place,” I heard my husband remark, then he cleared his throat, realizing he was staring. He turned back to Christian. “So, I hear business is going well for you too, man. Sounds like you’ve got three horses in the race at Unstoppable, yourself.”
“You got it! Not only that, but two more I’ve kept under wraps for the time being. The Club is definitely taking off, has been since we began. But that does remind me.” Christian paused, handing Terrence a flyer which promoted the opening of his club in Fort Lauderdale, apparently set to open in late August. “I was wondering if you wanted to be a celebrity guest at the grand opening of Club CK next month. You could sign a few autographs, have a few drinks, enjoy the sights and sounds, and make a few extra bucks. And if that doesn’t suit, I’ll give what I would have paid you to a charity of your choosing.”
Terrence looked at the flier, ignoring my scowl. “Give it away anyways, whether I go or not! I don’t do these things for the money. Tell ya what, I got two races at the end of the month, one in Illinois, and one in Wisconsin. But if it works out, we’ll try and-”
“Theresa will be in kindergarten then,” I interrupted pointedly. “We probably shouldn’t make her travel during the school year.”
Terrence grimaced, and glanced at me. I could tell he was slightly annoyed, but he didn’t press it further. He turned back to Christian. “We’ll try and make it.”
“Awesome! I’ll tell you what. For every autograph you sign for our visitors, I’ll donate $100 to the Miami Childrens Hospital. How does that sound? Sweeten the pot any?” Christian seemed determined to get Terrence.
For his part, Terrence held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Unless I got an ARCA obligation, I’ll try my best to be there. And maybe Wendy will come too, and we can leave Theresa for a couple days with-”
“CASSIE?”
Terrence looked at me, surprised I was finishing his sentence for him. Then he realized that I wasn’t- a fourth person had entered the room, a person Terrence and I were quite familiar with. Cassie had obviously come out to see who was visiting Christian, but by the expression on her face, she had evidently not expected to be us.
“Um... hi?” my blonde-haired soon-to-be-former nanny said, tugging nervously at the sash of the pink satin bathrobe she was wearing.
As annoyed as I was, Terrence was equally nonplussed. He glanced nervously from Christian to Cassie. “Um... I’m sorry. Were we interrupting anything?”
Christian moved towards Cassie, putting an arm around her waist and hugging her to his side before pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Nah, if you were interrupting, I wouldn’t have answered.”
Terrence shrugged, as if to say ‘fair enough,’ but I was glaring daggers at Cassie. “Aren’t you supposed to be watching my DAUGHTER?” I hissed.
Cassie rolled her eyes. “Pollaski took her, and I cleared it with Terrence. Jesus Wendy, regardless of what you might think, I haven’t just magically become incompetent.”
I shot a glance at Terrence for confirmation, which Terrence gave, although I didn’t miss that he had taken a step to the side, to get out of arm’s reach from me. “Yeah, well, anyways,” he started, nervously clearing his throat. “We, uh, just stopped by to drop this off,” and he held out the lanyard to Christian.
“Thanks a lot!” Christian responded, heading towards Terrence and taking the lanyard, inspecting it for a moment before looking back up to us with that same smile on his face. “I’m looking forward to it already.”
“Well, we’re glad to have ya. And if you have any questions about what’s going on, ask Wendy. She’s been to enough of these, she’s practically an expert. Hell, we should try putting HER in the car!” he finished with a laugh.
“Will do!” He gave me a wink as though we had some inside joke, only one of us wasn’t smiling. At all.
Cassie seemed to notice my displeasure, and she slithered up closer to Christian, putting her arms even tighter around him. “Isn’t he awesome?”
“Yeah, quite the catch,” Terrence replied, hopefully without thinking. Again, he ignored the glare I was shooting him, and again reached out to shake Christian’s hand. “Anyways, we should be going, and letting you two kids get back to, erm.. ‘having fun.’ Don’t keep her up too late tonight, dude. We’ll need her tomorrow!”
“Oh, don’t worry! I’ll have her there with a bigger smile on her face than you’ve ever known.” Christian gave Terrence’s hand a shake, maintaining that sickening smile as he looked to me.
I smiled coldly at Christian, and looked over at Cassie. “We’ll discuss THIS later,” I hissed, before stalking after my husband towards the door. Terrence had opened it, and held it open for me as I marched past him.
“See you tomorrow, guys!” I heard Cassie’s sing-song mocking voice calling behind me before Terrrence shut the door.
“Well, that takes care of that, off to LucasOil, then!” Terrence remarked, brushing his hands together as if he had just completed an arduous bit of yardwork. He glanced at me, and for the first time, seemed to have noticed that my face was burning with indignation and humiliation. “What?”
My elbow flashed out, quicker than I had intended, catching my husband in the gut. He doubled over slightly, wincing from the blow, as I marched past him, towards the elevator.
Stinking traitor.
Thursday July 28, 2011
The Nest- Living Room
Indianapolis, Indiana
9:12 AM Local Time
“No, Robbyn. I haven’t forgotten about you.”
[Same scene as last time, right on down to the banner hanging behind Wendy. The only major change is that Wendy is now wearing a feminine-cut, bright white Taco Bell racing polo t-shirt. Oh, and behind her soft smile, she looks a little anxious. Probably because her husband (who she’s back on speaking terms with) is about to race at his home track in a few hours. She’s got a right to be a bit jittery today.]
“It’s hard to forget you, Robbyn. After all, you might be the other challenger in this match, but you’ve once already gotten to experience the feeling of being the FFW Evolution Champion. This is your rematch your chance to prove that you can finally beat Colleen, after the times you’ve come up short against her. To win your title back after she took it from you at Full Frontal.”
“You’ve come a long way since then, Robbyn. At Full Frontal, you were practically hellbent on being the most annoying, ear-grating brat you could be. In fact, for the first two months *I* knew you, you were about as insufferable as any other wrestler I’d ever met.”
“But you have transformed over the past few weeks, haven’t you. You came up short in a valiant effort against Valerie Belmont, and suddenly everyone is talking. It made you realize that your way wasn’t the right way, and you turned over a new leaf. You went into Conviction with a new, better attitude, and you came out even more highly regarded.”
[Wendy flashes a small smile]
“I applaud you Robbyn. It takes a lot of bravery to make the self-discoveries you obviously made. It takes even more bravery to try and change what you don’t like about yourself. It really is admirable.”
“I saw that Colleen called you a phony, an actress. I suppose I should say ‘join the club’, because just like she is so many other things, Colleen is wrong about you. I don’t think you’re a phony, Robbyn. I think... actually, I don’t even know what you are. I don’t think YOU even know what you are. You’re almost like a soft piece of clay. Malleable. Easily molded into one thing or another. The problem is, I don’t think you’re the one who’s doing the sculpting, Robbyn.”
[A short pause, and Wendy looks directly into the camera, her eyes serious.]
“Why are you a professional wrestler,Robbyn? What is it that you compete for, whenever you walk into that ring?”
[Small pause]
“I’m not doubting your ability, Robbyn. Only a fool would do that. I’m not even doubting your dedication. You showed enough of that in your match against Valerie and War Games. But I am doubting your purpose, Robbyn. Because I think the one thing you need to be wrestling for is the one thing you’re NOT wrestling for.”
[Wendy takes a deep breath, and grimaces]
“Yourself.”
[A small shake of her head]
“I know it sounds selfish, but its true. The only reason anyone should ever step in that ring, and risk their body, future, and even life, is for themselves. Not out of loyalty to fans. Not because we want to please someone else. But because we want to prove to ourselves what we can do.”
“Robbyn, until you wake up and realize that you need to be doing this for yourself, you will never, *ever* live up to your full potential.”
“I’ve seen you on Twitter, I’ve seen you at the shows. You’re not your own woman. You cling to people, and idolize them. You’ve done it with Mr. Kincaid. You’ve done it with Ms. Star. You’ve done it with Belladonna, and Amy. I’m sure if I could go back in time, I’d probably see the same thing with Isabella.”
“The sadder thing is when you come to realize that the person you have idolized isn’t worth it. You completely turn on them, with such a vicious wall of hatred that it makes me shudder. Two months ago, you couldn’t stop singing Belladonna’s praises, as if she were a goddess. Now, there isn’t a kind word you have about Trixie. The same can go for Amy- you fawned over her upon her arrival, now you attack her with venom every chance you get. And when Mr. Kincaid picked Katherine over you for the Elimination Chamber, the anger-filled lash out...”
[Wendy breaks off, and sighs deeply, looking away. When she turns back to the camera, she looks saddened, and even a bit worried]
“... I’m afraid we’re going to feel the consequences of that night for a long time to come.”
[Wendy closes her eyes, and breathes deeply]
“Isabella and Amy never cared for you, Robbyn. I don’t know what Isabella wanted you for, but Amy simply saw you as just someone else who hated her. She didn’t want you as a friend. I don’t even think she wanted you as an ally. She wanted you as a cheerleader. Is that what you want your role to be, Robbyn? A cheerleader?”
“And I hope you realize this before it’s too late, but I don’t think Samantha cares about you either. You’re little more than a pawn for her, Robbyn. A plaything. If she cared for you, she wouldn’t have threatened to completely wreck you financially because you tried to do her a favor.”
“Robbyn, ‘friend’ and ‘doormat’ aren’t synonyms. A friend isn’t someone who stands there, and nods their head in agreement at every word that comes out of your mouth. That’s a lackey... a sycophant. A friend is assertive. A friend is honest. A friend will respectfully look you in the eye and tell you when you’re wrong. A friend will...”
[Wendy’s voice trails off, and she looks blankly at the camera for several seconds. She mutters, almost to herself]
“Assertive, and honest, and tells you when you’re wrong...”
[Something suddenly jolts Wendy, and she bolts completely upright, blinking, still in shock, almost oblivious that the camera is still rolling]
“Oh my God...”
[Another long pause. Wendy’s completely forgotten she’s in the midst of a promo, and she looks to the side. Her mouth seems to silently form one word... ‘Cassie’, as she stares off into space.]
[Suddenly, she leans back into the sofa, and covers her face in her hands...]
“Oh my God, I’m such a fool!”
[Wendy sits still, her head in her hands for just a few seconds longer, before the feed suddenly cuts out]
27 July AD 2011
What the heck is with everyone?
Everybody just seems to be so overreactive the past few weeks. I mean, Cody Kincaid makes ONE unpopular decision, and suddenly he’s placing himself on administrative leave! Scarlett Kincaid gets criticized about her role as FFW Champion, and she actually volunteers to start the Elimination Chamber, greatly decreasing any chance she had of walking out of Unstoppable with the title.
And now my nanny has threatened to quit because I told her that I don’t want her bringing that womanizing slimebag Christian Kincaid around my family. I mean, really, can’t anyone just take a step back and analyze a situation anymore? Must we all rush ourselves, to our inevitable detriment?
Maybe it’s this summertime heat that’s making everybody so cranky and impatient. Maybe it’s the growing pressure we’re all feeling as the biggest show of the year approaches. Maybe it’s just a byproduct of our society, where so much is available and can be accomplished with just a click of a mouse, or a tap of a touchscreen. I don’t know.
But what I do know is that, on a grander scale, things just don’t seem to be working out for the better, at least as far as I feel. Cody Kincaid is one of the few truly good promoters in the world, both in mind, and in heart. His loss hurts us all. And more and more I’m beginning to realize that the best thing that FFW needs for it is for Scarlett to retain at Unstoppable. Scarlett cares about this company, she cares about that title, and she cares about doing things the right way. There isn’t another woman in that cage with the same sort of dedication. But the odds...
Well, Scarlett’s never lived her life according to the odds before. Why should she now? I just hope she can pull through.
As far as Cassie goes... I don’t want to lose her. She’s been so great to have around the past couple years. Theresa loves her, and respects her as well, almost to the point of regarding her as something akin to an aunt. And heck, I’ve come to consider Cassie a friend as well. The other two adults I travel with are my husband and my manager- and I have to admit it’s nice to have another woman to talk to while Terrence and Daniel are trying to figure out how to blow something up.
But the judgement she’s displayed in the past couple of weeks... it’s unsettling. I know love makes you do crazy things, but that isn’t love. I don’t think Christian Kincaid is capable of loving- the only thing the man desires are the carnal pleasures of life. And even if Cassie claims to love him, without anything being returned, it’s little more than an obsession. An unhealthy obsession.
If Cassie thinks that this silly schoolgirl infatuation is worth losing her job over, there’s little I can do, but hope she changes her mind until it’s too late. Otherwise...
...I guess the only place left for her would be in Club CK with all of his other trophies.
-WCBT
====================
Wednesday July 27, 2011
Thompson Auto- Reception Area
Indianapolis, Indiana
4:58 PM Local Time
Self-proclaimed as ‘Northwestern Indianapolis’ finest, and most honest, repair center’, Thompson Auto had been around for nearly thirty-five years. Terrence’s uncle Steve had opened the garage when he was in his early thirties, and throughout the years, the repair shop had grown into one of the most reputable facilities in all of the city. In a way, I loved the shop- if anything in the world proved that fair play, grit, hard work, and determination was a winning formula, it was Thompson Auto.
I also had another reason for loving the repair shop- it was here, thirteen years ago, that I would first lay eyes on the man that would one day become my husband.
Ironically, Terrence was working in the exact same station that he had been that February day back when I was seventeen, although the similarites stopped there. The mid nineties Buick he was working on was a far cry from my mother’s Porsche, and the problem (a busted transmission, if I could guess) was significantly worse than a busted tire that the owner was too prissy to change. Even the surrounding equipment was different- soon after Steve had given his godson half of the shop as a wedding present, Terrence had convinced his uncle to embark on a massive renovation to modernize the garage. I had to admit the current layout- a brightly lit, freshly painted garage with the most modern equipment, was a lot more attractive than the hot, dreary, dusty workshop it had been years prior.
I cleared my throat, and Terrence turned around, breaking into a grin as he saw me. Wiping his hands on a nearby rag, he shut the hood of the Buick and sauntered up to me . “Well, afternoon, ma’am. What can I do for you?”
I brushed a loose strand of hair out of my face, and did my best to be flirtatious, even batting my eyes a couple times. “Well sir, I have this Dodge Charger, and well, I’m not sure what’s wrong with it. Maybe you could take it for a test drive for me?”
Terrence chuckled slowly, and pulled me in, kissing me on the forehead. I hugged him back gingerly- as he normally did after helping out in the garage, Terrence’s mechanics jumpsuit was covered with sweat, oil, and grease, and I didn’t really want to have any of it rub off on my new blouse. Terrence seemed to sense my hesitation, and he released me, grinning. “Let me go to the office and change, and tell Steve I’m leaving.”
I nodded, and Terrence kissed me one more time on the cheek, then walked away. I blushed as I realized a couple of the other mechanics had stopped to watch us, and were just now returning to work. I was hardly a stranger to them. Even though Terrence was part-owner of the the garage, he and his uncle had decided that Steve would continue to run the day-to-day operations of the business. That left Terrence free to embark on his other ventures- namely his current ARCA career, and his former pro-wrestling one. Still, Terrence felt obligated to come in and help out with the place whenever he was able to.
It wasn’t long before Terrence had returned, now clad in a fresh plain black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Even though the dirt, oil, and grease no longer covered his clothes, he still reeked of it. Considering we were heading to LucasOil Speedway for a team meeting, it was really a moot point. “So, to the track, then?”
“Not, yet,” Terrence said, putting his arm around me, and steering me towards the exit. “Gotta make a pit stop first.”
“Oh?” I asked, surprised by the change in plans. “Where to?”
“The Omni Severin Hotel,” Terrence replied, with the aura of announcing that we had to stop at the grocery store to pick up some milk.
“WHAT?!” I snapped my head around so quickly, my neck nearly cricked, and Terrence had to roughly jerk me to the side to keep me from walking into the doorjamb. I knew there was sudden panic in my voice. “Dressed like this?!”
“Well, we could go naked if you want,” Terrence grinned at me mischeviously.
I narrowed my eyes and shot him a glare. “Terrence, the Omni Severin is the nicest hotel in the city! You can’t just walk in there dressed-”
“Oh, *relax*, Wendy,” Terrence muttered, rolling his eyes. “We’re not going there for dinner or cocktails. I just have to drop something off.”
“What?” I asked, suddenly curious, although I was still dreading the stares we’d no doubt receive walking into such an establishment at the dinner hour in such casual clothes.
For an answer, Terrence reached into his pocket, and tossed me something, then walked around to the driver’s side of the Charger. I caught it, and looked down at it. It was a lanyard necklace, the strap embroidered with repeating images of the ARCA logo. It was the exact same type of security clearance lanyard I always wore.
Oh, no. I could see *exactly* where this was going.
I slowly turned the card over in my hand, and sure enough, was neither suprised nor pleased to see a small, blurry picture of Christian Kincaid smiling back at me, his name and “Special Guest- Diamond Motorsports” printed on the card. “Oh, you have got to be *kidding* me!” I snarled, flinging the door open, and plopping into the passenger seat.
“Easy!” Terrence barked as I slammed the door. “What’s got your panti-” he stopped as I wheeled towards him, shooting a glare that would kill most mortals. “Um, what’s up, doc?” he meekly rephrased.
“She went behind my back!” I huffed, tossing the lanyard onto the dashboard, and crossing my arms over my chest. “I told her I didn’t want Christian Kincaid at the race, and she went to you!”
“Oh,” Terrence responded, starting the car, and pulling out of the parking spot. “That. Well, you know what they say. If mom says ‘no’ ask dad, right?”
“‘They’ do not say that,” I responded sourly. “And we’re not her parents. We’re her employers. There’s a *big* difference.”
“Yeah, well, she was under the impression that you were thinking along the lines that you were her mother,” Terrence said lightly as he turned off 71st onto Michigan Road. “Said you were being pretty unreasonable.”
“Unreasonable,” I huffed. “She’s the one who actually thinks this stupid fling is going to bring her happiness, and she calls *me* unreasonable? Really?”
“For the most part, yeah,” Terrence agreed.
“For the most part?” I asked, looking over at Terrence curiously.
“Well, I think her exact words were ‘acting like a bitch’. Terrence revealed casually, with a shrug.
“Really?” I deadpanned, my eyes narrowing. “We’ll see how much a... THAT she thinks I am when she’s unemployed. And *you*,” I snapped, pointing a finger at Terrence. “Why did you let her bring him? You should have known better!”
“Here’s a better question,” Terrence remarked with a shrug. “What the hell do you have against Christian Kincaid?”
“Because he regards women as little more than pieces of meat!” I responded hotly. “Because I’ve spent my whole career trying to prove that women wrestlers AREN’T sex objects! And Christian and his harem set that whole ideology back a good twenty years. If it were up to him, we’d all be wrestling in Jell-O and bikinis!”
“I dunno.” Terrence responded with a shrug. “I don’t think anyone respects you any less as a wrestler because Christian Kincaid’s practically got himself a sex jukebox. What’s it to you, really?”
I snorted. “I just don’t want him around Theresa. We don’t need to be surrounding her with negative influences.”
“Ah,” Terrence said. “So you’re thinking, that if Cassie brings Christian Kincaid to the race, Theresa’s going to grow up to be a bikini Jell-O wrestler.”
“That’s a really obtuse way of looking at it,” I responded. “But, yes. Who knows what kind of message it would send to her.”
Terrence bit his lower lip, and looked around at the traffic as we neared downtown. Finally he looked over at me, and shrugged. “Yeah, I think I’m gonna side with Cassie on this one. You’re being unreasonable.”
I glared at Terrence, and again folded my arms over my chest. “I’m done talking to you.”
“Okay, but just think- if your logic held, you wouldn’t be here, sitting next to me, one of the most successful wrestlers in the world. You’d be in New York, acting in some Broadway play, then going out and getting drunk every night, and sleeping with-”
“I said we’re done!” I snapped, cutting my husband off. With a shrug, Terrence let the matter drop.
We drove the rest of the way to the Omni in silence, and Terrrence pulled into the parking lot, stopping the car not far from the main entrance. For a second, I considered staying in the car, and getting rid of my insufferable husband for a few minutes. But I grudgingly climbed out of the car, and stalked towards the entrance.
Terrence wasn’t too far behind, and soon, we were walking across the posh lobby of the Omni Severin, Indianapolis’ only ‘four-diamond hotel’. As I had feared, several people turned their heads, staring at us in an unflatteringly way. Quickly, I jammed my finger into the elevator button, pushing it several times. A few excruciatingly long seconds later, the doors opened.
“I assume you know what room he’s in,” I said shortly to Terrence.
“Yeah, Cassie told me,” he replied, then shot me a grin. “Does this mean we’re on speaking terms again?”
“No.”
“Ah, that’s a shame,” Terrence said lightly, then put his hands in his pocket, and whistled off-key along with the elevator muzak, which, oddly, seemed to be “Invisible Touch” by Genesis. Still, the overall effect was even more irritating, and I found myself clenching my hands into fists.
Fortunately, the door soon opened, and we stepped out. The floor we were on was obviously a suite floor, being in a slightly wider, ornately lit hallway with dark red carpet. The doors on either side were much further apart than normal hotel rooms would be. Obviously a Suite at the Omni was quite large- and probably very pricey.
“Nice place,” Terrence muttered, as he looked around as we walked down the hall. Let’s see... 1202... 1204... here we are! You want the honors, or should I?”
I shot another glare at Terrence, then stepped forward, knocking on the room door, stepping back and waiting patiently for it to open. I didn’t have to wait long as the door pulled open, and there stood the last man I wanted to see, Christian Kincaid with a pair of blue jean shorts on and no shirt. He smiled to me, and gave a bigger one to Terrence before extending his hand.
“Terrence! We meet again!” If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought Christian liked my husband.
Even worse, I was getting the impression that Terrence liked Christian. As he eagerly clasped it, and shook vigorously. “Hey man. Welcome to Indianapolis. Again. Cassie said you were comin’ in to see my race tomorrow?”
“Of course, I am! Wouldn’t miss it for anything! I got to tell you, man. I didn’t use to really follow the sport, but after seeing a couple races and following your progress, I am starting to see the allure.” Christian glanced behind the door for a moment at something before pulling it back and letting us in. “Come on in, everyone’s decent. Well...now.”
“Thanks, though we can’t stay too long,” Terrence replied, beckoning me in first. “They want me down at the track for a meeting tonight.
I entered the suite, and looked around. It was one of the nicest hotel rooms I had ever been in, a far step above the Embassy Suites we generally stayed in when we couldn’t have the RV. The suite was as big as an apartment, and the reception room was huge, with two modern-style couches, a couple reclining chairs, all facing a gigantic screen television. Off to the side was a small hall, where assumably the bedroom and bathroom sat. It was amazing.
“Nice place,” I heard my husband remark, then he cleared his throat, realizing he was staring. He turned back to Christian. “So, I hear business is going well for you too, man. Sounds like you’ve got three horses in the race at Unstoppable, yourself.”
“You got it! Not only that, but two more I’ve kept under wraps for the time being. The Club is definitely taking off, has been since we began. But that does remind me.” Christian paused, handing Terrence a flyer which promoted the opening of his club in Fort Lauderdale, apparently set to open in late August. “I was wondering if you wanted to be a celebrity guest at the grand opening of Club CK next month. You could sign a few autographs, have a few drinks, enjoy the sights and sounds, and make a few extra bucks. And if that doesn’t suit, I’ll give what I would have paid you to a charity of your choosing.”
Terrence looked at the flier, ignoring my scowl. “Give it away anyways, whether I go or not! I don’t do these things for the money. Tell ya what, I got two races at the end of the month, one in Illinois, and one in Wisconsin. But if it works out, we’ll try and-”
“Theresa will be in kindergarten then,” I interrupted pointedly. “We probably shouldn’t make her travel during the school year.”
Terrence grimaced, and glanced at me. I could tell he was slightly annoyed, but he didn’t press it further. He turned back to Christian. “We’ll try and make it.”
“Awesome! I’ll tell you what. For every autograph you sign for our visitors, I’ll donate $100 to the Miami Childrens Hospital. How does that sound? Sweeten the pot any?” Christian seemed determined to get Terrence.
For his part, Terrence held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Unless I got an ARCA obligation, I’ll try my best to be there. And maybe Wendy will come too, and we can leave Theresa for a couple days with-”
“CASSIE?”
Terrence looked at me, surprised I was finishing his sentence for him. Then he realized that I wasn’t- a fourth person had entered the room, a person Terrence and I were quite familiar with. Cassie had obviously come out to see who was visiting Christian, but by the expression on her face, she had evidently not expected to be us.
“Um... hi?” my blonde-haired soon-to-be-former nanny said, tugging nervously at the sash of the pink satin bathrobe she was wearing.
As annoyed as I was, Terrence was equally nonplussed. He glanced nervously from Christian to Cassie. “Um... I’m sorry. Were we interrupting anything?”
Christian moved towards Cassie, putting an arm around her waist and hugging her to his side before pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Nah, if you were interrupting, I wouldn’t have answered.”
Terrence shrugged, as if to say ‘fair enough,’ but I was glaring daggers at Cassie. “Aren’t you supposed to be watching my DAUGHTER?” I hissed.
Cassie rolled her eyes. “Pollaski took her, and I cleared it with Terrence. Jesus Wendy, regardless of what you might think, I haven’t just magically become incompetent.”
I shot a glance at Terrence for confirmation, which Terrence gave, although I didn’t miss that he had taken a step to the side, to get out of arm’s reach from me. “Yeah, well, anyways,” he started, nervously clearing his throat. “We, uh, just stopped by to drop this off,” and he held out the lanyard to Christian.
“Thanks a lot!” Christian responded, heading towards Terrence and taking the lanyard, inspecting it for a moment before looking back up to us with that same smile on his face. “I’m looking forward to it already.”
“Well, we’re glad to have ya. And if you have any questions about what’s going on, ask Wendy. She’s been to enough of these, she’s practically an expert. Hell, we should try putting HER in the car!” he finished with a laugh.
“Will do!” He gave me a wink as though we had some inside joke, only one of us wasn’t smiling. At all.
Cassie seemed to notice my displeasure, and she slithered up closer to Christian, putting her arms even tighter around him. “Isn’t he awesome?”
“Yeah, quite the catch,” Terrence replied, hopefully without thinking. Again, he ignored the glare I was shooting him, and again reached out to shake Christian’s hand. “Anyways, we should be going, and letting you two kids get back to, erm.. ‘having fun.’ Don’t keep her up too late tonight, dude. We’ll need her tomorrow!”
“Oh, don’t worry! I’ll have her there with a bigger smile on her face than you’ve ever known.” Christian gave Terrence’s hand a shake, maintaining that sickening smile as he looked to me.
I smiled coldly at Christian, and looked over at Cassie. “We’ll discuss THIS later,” I hissed, before stalking after my husband towards the door. Terrence had opened it, and held it open for me as I marched past him.
“See you tomorrow, guys!” I heard Cassie’s sing-song mocking voice calling behind me before Terrrence shut the door.
“Well, that takes care of that, off to LucasOil, then!” Terrence remarked, brushing his hands together as if he had just completed an arduous bit of yardwork. He glanced at me, and for the first time, seemed to have noticed that my face was burning with indignation and humiliation. “What?”
My elbow flashed out, quicker than I had intended, catching my husband in the gut. He doubled over slightly, wincing from the blow, as I marched past him, towards the elevator.
Stinking traitor.
Thursday July 28, 2011
The Nest- Living Room
Indianapolis, Indiana
9:12 AM Local Time
“No, Robbyn. I haven’t forgotten about you.”
[Same scene as last time, right on down to the banner hanging behind Wendy. The only major change is that Wendy is now wearing a feminine-cut, bright white Taco Bell racing polo t-shirt. Oh, and behind her soft smile, she looks a little anxious. Probably because her husband (who she’s back on speaking terms with) is about to race at his home track in a few hours. She’s got a right to be a bit jittery today.]
“It’s hard to forget you, Robbyn. After all, you might be the other challenger in this match, but you’ve once already gotten to experience the feeling of being the FFW Evolution Champion. This is your rematch your chance to prove that you can finally beat Colleen, after the times you’ve come up short against her. To win your title back after she took it from you at Full Frontal.”
“You’ve come a long way since then, Robbyn. At Full Frontal, you were practically hellbent on being the most annoying, ear-grating brat you could be. In fact, for the first two months *I* knew you, you were about as insufferable as any other wrestler I’d ever met.”
“But you have transformed over the past few weeks, haven’t you. You came up short in a valiant effort against Valerie Belmont, and suddenly everyone is talking. It made you realize that your way wasn’t the right way, and you turned over a new leaf. You went into Conviction with a new, better attitude, and you came out even more highly regarded.”
[Wendy flashes a small smile]
“I applaud you Robbyn. It takes a lot of bravery to make the self-discoveries you obviously made. It takes even more bravery to try and change what you don’t like about yourself. It really is admirable.”
“I saw that Colleen called you a phony, an actress. I suppose I should say ‘join the club’, because just like she is so many other things, Colleen is wrong about you. I don’t think you’re a phony, Robbyn. I think... actually, I don’t even know what you are. I don’t think YOU even know what you are. You’re almost like a soft piece of clay. Malleable. Easily molded into one thing or another. The problem is, I don’t think you’re the one who’s doing the sculpting, Robbyn.”
[A short pause, and Wendy looks directly into the camera, her eyes serious.]
“Why are you a professional wrestler,Robbyn? What is it that you compete for, whenever you walk into that ring?”
[Small pause]
“I’m not doubting your ability, Robbyn. Only a fool would do that. I’m not even doubting your dedication. You showed enough of that in your match against Valerie and War Games. But I am doubting your purpose, Robbyn. Because I think the one thing you need to be wrestling for is the one thing you’re NOT wrestling for.”
[Wendy takes a deep breath, and grimaces]
“Yourself.”
[A small shake of her head]
“I know it sounds selfish, but its true. The only reason anyone should ever step in that ring, and risk their body, future, and even life, is for themselves. Not out of loyalty to fans. Not because we want to please someone else. But because we want to prove to ourselves what we can do.”
“Robbyn, until you wake up and realize that you need to be doing this for yourself, you will never, *ever* live up to your full potential.”
“I’ve seen you on Twitter, I’ve seen you at the shows. You’re not your own woman. You cling to people, and idolize them. You’ve done it with Mr. Kincaid. You’ve done it with Ms. Star. You’ve done it with Belladonna, and Amy. I’m sure if I could go back in time, I’d probably see the same thing with Isabella.”
“The sadder thing is when you come to realize that the person you have idolized isn’t worth it. You completely turn on them, with such a vicious wall of hatred that it makes me shudder. Two months ago, you couldn’t stop singing Belladonna’s praises, as if she were a goddess. Now, there isn’t a kind word you have about Trixie. The same can go for Amy- you fawned over her upon her arrival, now you attack her with venom every chance you get. And when Mr. Kincaid picked Katherine over you for the Elimination Chamber, the anger-filled lash out...”
[Wendy breaks off, and sighs deeply, looking away. When she turns back to the camera, she looks saddened, and even a bit worried]
“... I’m afraid we’re going to feel the consequences of that night for a long time to come.”
[Wendy closes her eyes, and breathes deeply]
“Isabella and Amy never cared for you, Robbyn. I don’t know what Isabella wanted you for, but Amy simply saw you as just someone else who hated her. She didn’t want you as a friend. I don’t even think she wanted you as an ally. She wanted you as a cheerleader. Is that what you want your role to be, Robbyn? A cheerleader?”
“And I hope you realize this before it’s too late, but I don’t think Samantha cares about you either. You’re little more than a pawn for her, Robbyn. A plaything. If she cared for you, she wouldn’t have threatened to completely wreck you financially because you tried to do her a favor.”
“Robbyn, ‘friend’ and ‘doormat’ aren’t synonyms. A friend isn’t someone who stands there, and nods their head in agreement at every word that comes out of your mouth. That’s a lackey... a sycophant. A friend is assertive. A friend is honest. A friend will respectfully look you in the eye and tell you when you’re wrong. A friend will...”
[Wendy’s voice trails off, and she looks blankly at the camera for several seconds. She mutters, almost to herself]
“Assertive, and honest, and tells you when you’re wrong...”
[Something suddenly jolts Wendy, and she bolts completely upright, blinking, still in shock, almost oblivious that the camera is still rolling]
“Oh my God...”
[Another long pause. Wendy’s completely forgotten she’s in the midst of a promo, and she looks to the side. Her mouth seems to silently form one word... ‘Cassie’, as she stares off into space.]
[Suddenly, she leans back into the sofa, and covers her face in her hands...]
“Oh my God, I’m such a fool!”
[Wendy sits still, her head in her hands for just a few seconds longer, before the feed suddenly cuts out]
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