Saturday August 13, 2011
Castleton Square Mall- JC Penny's
Indianapolis, Indiana
11:31 AM Local time
[Just the first thing when you want to see when you click the play button... CLEAVAGE!]
[No, not Wendy’s. Pervert.]
[Even Wendy’s fair skin isn’t as white as the coloring on this woman, which is probably because said woman is obviously a mannequin, the frilly pink attire suggesting the lingerie section of some mid-range department store. The camera zooms in closer and closer to the mannequin’s bust area, then zooms out, then back in again. The view zooms out one more time, and suddenly, the scene goes black and white. Then sepia.]
Daniel Pollaski: Whoah! Bitchin!
[Yeah, Pollaski’s behind the camera. Hence the voice. And the ubiquitous cleavage shot on an inanimate object.]
[In hindsight, maybe someone shoulda edited this part out. The scene suddenly goes back into full color, and the zoom adjusts one more time, to more reasonable zoom that, at this distance, covers the mannequin’s head and upper torso.]
Pollaski: There we go!
[The camera finally set up, Pollaski spins a near 180, and begins to venture through the store, slowly, the camera lowering and bobbing back and forth, as if the bearer was trying to be stealthy and evasive. As he exits the lingerie section, Pollaski begins humming a tune, which a good observer would recognize as the Crystal Man theme from Mega Man 5. Apparently Pollaski thinks this is good sneaking music.]
[Fortunately, it’s not far to the destination, which seems to be the Young Ladies’ department of the store. While normally the thought of twenty-nine year old single males heading over to the little girls’ clothing section of the store with a video camera would be a major cause for alarm, the reason for this trip is apparent- Wendy Briese obviously out shopping for her daughter]
[Wendy doesn’t seem to notice the camera, although little Theresa, accompanying her mother, does, and gives Pollaski a quick wave. Wendy, on the other hand seems more concerned with the rack of clothing in front of her. Finally, she seems to sense her manager’s presence, and looks up at the camera. She does a double take, and frowns.]
Wendy Briese: What are you doing here?
Pollaski: I figured it was time to get a good promo out of ya, so I came to The Nest, but you weren’t there. Terrence said you were here. So I came here. Now here we are!
[Wendy nods, the expression on her face mostly blank]
Wendy: Uh-hunh. Well, I’m shopping for Theresa’s school clothes, so maybe after-
Pollaski: Nah, right now! All people have seen of you recently is stuffy Wendy Briese sitting on a couch... I figured why not show the world the real Wendy Briese. The Wendy Briese who’s more than an ultra-conservative Indiana housewife.
[Wendy’s eyes narrrow just slightly at that]
Wendy: So let me get this straight... you want to depict me as someone who’s not just a housewife, and to do it, you’re going to video tape me buying clothes for my daughter.
[Brief pause]
Pollaski: Well, that and the mall has a Sbarro, and I was planning on hitting the food court after we were done, so...
[Wendy nods, her smile strained]
Wendy: It’s good to see you’ve gotten this all figured out, Dan.
[Wendy quickly turns back to the rack of clothes that she’s been looking at, and grabs one- a small white polo shirt. She hands it to her daughter.]
Wendy: Here, Terr-Bear, go try this on. We need to see what your size is.
[Theresa nods, and heads off for the nearest fitting room, and Wendy turns back to Pollaski.]
Wendy: Okay, what did you have in mind?
Pollaski: Well, for starters, why don’t you tell us about your opinion on the Evolution Championship match at Unstoppable? There’s a lot of people out there who think you dropped the ball, or blew it, or-
[Wendy suddenly lookes slightly annoyed, and she rolls her eyes]
Wendy: I don’t think I have anything to be ashamed about from that match. What was it... thirty-four women competed at Unstoppable? And exactly ELEVEN of them got to walk out of there with a victory. Was I disappointed? Absolutely. But if people want to say I choked, or whatever, that’s their deal. Personally, it sounds like agenda-driven hyperbole to me, because while it might be a couple months, I’ll be back, and I’ll be challenging for that title. And hopefully next time I’ll get it one-on-one.
Pollaski: After what happened after the match, I’m sure you’d love another chance at Colleen, regardless.
[Wendy snorts]
Wendy: What Colleen did was pointless and infantile. I’ve watched the tape of what happened several times, and what gets me is that Colleen was halfway to the locker room, when she noticed that the fans were cheering Robbyn and I, and then she came back down. Is she that petty, to where she has a problem with us being cheered for a good effort? The only thing she proved with that attack was that she has just as much a penchant for the ‘high school drama’ she accuses the rest of the locker room on. But Colleen hasn’t seen the last of me. We’ll be in that ring again, and she’s going to find out that I’m hardly as forgiving a person as some might think.
[Wendy puffs a loose strand of her red hair out of her face, then turns and grabs a couple pairs of pants, and puts them in the front of her cart. She looks over her shoulder, presumably for her daughter, but not seeing her returning, she turns back to the camera.]
Wendy: I don’t appreciate having a microphone rammed into my head by some miserable wretch of a woman who can’t take the victory she got and be satisfied. Just as I certainly don’t appreciate the snivelling whining and crying that’s been coming from my other opponent from that night.
Pollaski: You mean Robbyn Helmsley?
Wendy: I do. Robbyn said several times that I didn’t belong in that match, that it was between her and Colleen. Right. I get that Colleen’s her nemesis, and I can appreciate Robbyn being desperate to beat her. Lord knows there’s been opponents I struggled with as well, and every loss made me want that win more and more. But if she has an issue with the way that contest was booked, she needs to take it up with the executives that she spends half her life idolizing. Not me.
[Pollaski chuckles]
Pollaski: I guess you can say it’s just ‘Robbyn being Robbyn’
Wendy: Right, well, to me it’s ‘Robbyn being excrutiatingly tiresome and annoying.’ I’m sure she’s a nice person and all... at least when she wants to be. But maybe she’d be better served by taking half an hour from complaining about me, or tweeting about her amazing mystery girlfriend, and going to work on her submission resistance.
[Wendy looks over, just as her daughter arrives, dressed now in the white polo shirt. Wendy looks at Theresa appraisingly, tapping her chin as she looks her over.]
Wendy: I dunno... maybe a size bigger? How do you feel? Are you comfortable?
[The little girl nods]
Theresa: I’m okay!
Wendy: Yeah, but you’re going to grow throughout the year. Here, this is the next biggest size... try that on, and this skirt as well. Okay?
[Obviously, clothes shopping isn’t very high on the list of things Theresa wants to do, and she looks slightly put-off by having to try on more. But she obediently takes the clothes and runs off to change.]
Pollaski: So, well, after the events of Unstoppable, you’re hoping to rebound next week on Velocity when you face Whitley Mercer in the carpe diem match. How you feel about that?
[Wendy smiles a little]
Wendy: I’m actually honored. Ever since I arrived in FFW, my goal’s been to establish myself, and work my way up the rankings and the card as quickly as possible. It’s great that after just four months here, management thinks that I’m high enough to where beating me is considered a career launcher. And it’s also an interesting change for me. Since I came in, every match I’ve been in the focus has been working my way up. Now, for the first time, I have to protect my spot. But it’s also got me feeling just a little uneasy.
[Wendy pauses expectantly, waiting for the obvious question. But it never comes, so she merely shrugs and continues]
Wendy: People love underdogs. The idea that someone who’s overlooked or less highly regarded can rise up and overcome one of the ‘big shots’ is a heavily romanticized element of our society. How many books and movies revolve around that very concept? And in sports especially. You think of events, like the Playoffs, or the NCAA Basketball tournament, or the FA Cup across the ocean. The moment the brackets are drawn up, the first thing people look for are where the big upsets are going to lie. Everyone likes a good Cinderella story. Heck, that’s one of the reasons this Carpe Diem concept was created in the first place. To give people like Whitley Mercer a chance to step up. I’ve been an underdog much of my career, and I’ve thrived as a result. So when the glass slipper is placed on another’s foot, yeah, it definitely puts me on alert.
[A rueful smile]
Wendy: Upsets are one of those things where they’re awesome... until they happen to you. Because for every great Cinderella story that’s worthy of a Hollywood movie, the fact is, there’s someone on the other side who has been let down, who saw the prize that they were seeking get ripped away by someone who wasn’t supposed to do it. I’ve been on that end a couple of times as well, and there’s really no worse feeling. I’m not about to let that happen here.
Pollaski: Well, it’s good that you see this match for what it is, and won’t come in overlooking Whitley.
[Wendy smiles slightly, and chuckles quietly]
Wendy: I can’t afford to. The billing of this match puts the focus on my opponent. Is this the match where Whitley finally turns the corner, and begins establishing herself as a major threat in this company? It puts some pressure on her. But I’ve got a lot riding on this match as well. I think I’m personally in a tenacious position here. I won the Chase for the Crown, and I sure don’t think I’ve disappointed in that ring. But the fact is, I’ve lost two out of my last three matches. Now granted, those two matches were against the top two champions in this company, but it still leaves me in no position to afford another one. Not if I want to be considered a top contender for the Evolution Championship... or for other things.
Pollaski: I’m assuming you’re talking about the Femme For All tournament that Samantha announced a couple days ago.
[Wendy nods, her smile brightening a bit. And she nods. Behind her, Theresa has returned, dressed in the dark blue polo shirt and skirt that Wendy had given her. She patiently decides to wait, although she does make a couple faces at the camera while Wendy talks.]
Wendy: I don’t need to tell you how excited I was when I heard about that! I don’t think I’ve been shy about saying how ambitious I am. I want to take advantage of every opportunity I can, and there’s no bigger opportunity than that tournament! Samantha says she’s choosing nine women, and we have until Sin and Sacrifice to impress her. Well, I intend to do just that, and hear my name called when those brackets are released. And that all starts next Thursday, when I beat Whitley- oh, you look beautiful!
[Wendy says the last as she notices her daughter (who wisely had managed to stop with the faces before she turned). She looks down, smiling, but Theresa returns with a pout.]
Theresa: I hate it!
Wendy: Why? Is it uncomfortable? Do you need a different size?
Theresa: No, I look stupid!
[Wendy rolls her eyes, and shakes her head]
Wendy: No you don’t! This is what your uniform is, honey. All the kids at school will be wearing stuff like this.
Theresa: But I look like a dork.
[Wendy folds her arms over her chest, her patience obviously starting to run thin.]
Wendy: Theresa Serena Thompson, I don’t want to hear another word about it! You look like a beautiful young lady about to start kindergarten, and I expect you to act-
Pollaski: Dude... she looks like a Wimbledon ball girl!
[Wendy, cut off in mid-scentence, glares at her manager. She glances back to her daughter, and sighs.]
Wendy: Would you rather wear pants instead of a skirt, hon?
[Theresa thinks for a few seconds, then nods. Wendy grabs a pair of black slacks from the rack, and hands them to Theresa.]
Wendy: Okay, go try these on.
[Theresa takes the pants, and runs off. Wendy shakes her head, and glares back at her manager.]
Wendy: Thanks, Dan.
Pollaski: What? Seriously, I thought Serena Williams was going to show up and start screaming at her.
Wendy: Says the person who wears Hawaiian shirts and shorts all-year round. It’s probably because of people like you that schools now have a uniform policy.
[Pollaski is heard chuckling, seemingly taking the comment in stride]
Pollaski: Well, back to the subject at hand... if you hope to impress your way into the Femme For All, beating Whitley is sure as hell a good start. But what do you think about Miss Mercer?
[Wendy grimaces]
Wendy: Honestly, I don’t know what to think of Whitley. The general consensus around here is that she’s a metaphorical ‘sleeping giant’. She just needs the right spark to wake her up, and unleash her potential. I’m guessing that some people are wondering if I might be the spark.
Pollaski: Why not? It worked for Rori- she hasn’t lost since you beat the crap out of her.
[Wendy looks cross at the bare mention of Rori Snyder]
Wendy: She’s only lost any bit of credibility and respect she ever had. Ugh, don’t even mention something like that. The last thing we need is Whitely Mercer turning into another rabid little hellion. Anyways, in Whitley’s defense, she’s had about as tough a schedule over the past few months as anyone here. Kaitlynn Stryfe, that three-way with Hayley and Mindy, the ladder match, and now me. That’s a tough run to have, and even if she hasn’t scraped up any victories there, she hasn’t exactly been dominated either.
Pollaski: Heck, she even gave Kitty a bit of a challenge. That’s tough.
[Wendy snorts]
Wendy: Believe me, I know. And I’ve been in Whitley’s situation before, too. You know, it’s tough to go out there, week after week, and keep coming up short. And I think we all saw the frustration that Whitley had, both before and after that ladder match. That frustration’s been building up more and more. And I know that’s going to make her hungier, and more dangerous in that ring. But it’s also likely going to make her desperate... and more apt to do something... stupid.
Pollaski: And cost her the match.
Wendy: Or a lot more...
[Theresa’s returned, again, still in the blue polo shirt, but now a pair of matching navy pants as well. She looks a lot happier than she did in the skirt, but it’s obvious that the trying on clothes thing isn’t sitting well with her.]
Wendy: Oh, you do look nice! Do you like it better?
[Theresa nods]
Wendy: Okay, we’ll get you a couple more pairs and a couple more shirts as well. You can go ahead and change back, Terr. Hurry, though, please!
[Theresa nods, and bolts off one more time]
Pollaski: Told you she’d look better. What did you mean ‘or a lot more,’ though?
[Wendy rolls her eyes at the first remark, then pauses, obviously trying to think of a... delicate answer to the question.]
Wendy: Well, everyone saw her right before Unstoppable. Her attitude’s definitely taken a turn for the worse- and I’m sure a lot of it’s due to the pressure’s on her. But you know, the way she dismissed her tag partner and cousin like that. Wanting to be rid of her? The best showing she’s had in the past few months was when she and and Gretchen last teamed as Pawned!
[...]
Pollaski: Teamedaswhatnow?
[Wendy looks a little sheepish, as if she’s not sure what she’s doing here]
Wendy: Isn’t that what it’s called? Pawned? Pohned? Pween-threed? I don’t know...
Pollaski: PWN3D!
[Wendy’s jaw drops]
Wendy: How did you even manage to say...
Pollaski: I’m awesome like that. Speaking of awesome, they were facing the Lovehearts in that match, the combined might of whom would pretty much make anyone look awesome. So...
[Wendy waves a dismissive hand]
Wendy: I know that. But still. They worked well together, and I think they’re coming around as a team. It’d be a shame for them to break it up now. And Whitley mentioned something about her ‘friends’... friends who apparently encouraging her to ‘break the barrier’. I’ve heard talk like that before.. and what comes of it is rarely good. So whatever Whitley’s thinking of doing, I hope she truly thinks it out first.
Pollaski: Ah, preachy Wendy is preachy!
[This seems to fray the last bit of Wendy’s patience, and she snarls in a stage whisper.]
Wendy: Okay, fine! I’ll shut up about it, because God forbid I actually state my opinion about anything unless it’s to tell someone how much they suck or what a whore they are! But I’ll certainly say that seven tag team championships later, I’m certainly GLAD I didn’t give up on Terrence after a rough start! So maybe for once, someone might actually want to CONSIDER that I’m speaking from experience here, and may actually have a CLUE what I’m talking about!
[A brief pause, and Wendy takes a deep breath, nervously looking around to see if any of the other customers in the store heard her. Another deep breath.]
Wendy: I’m sorry, that was...
Pollaski: That was awesome! You should do that more. Anyways, your opinion about Whitley’s attitude aside, do you think that Whitley’s got a chance against you, the way things are now?
Wendy: Absolutely Not!
Pollaski: Buh...
[There’s an awkward pause, only for Pollaski to realize that Wendy isn’t even talking to him. She’s looking at something off camera, and shaking her head. We soon see that it’s Theresa walking into the frame]
[Holding a Justin Beiber t-shirt and looking hopeful]
Wendy: No! I’m not getting you that, and you wouldn’t even be allowed to wear it in school anyways. Now put it back, Theresa.
[Theresa decides to whine like a Deas. Not a good idea at the moment.]
Theresa: But mooom... all my friends have one!
[Pollaski to the rescue]
Pollaski: Theresa, if all your friends stabbed themselves in the ear with a screwdriver, would you do that?
[Wendy suddenly looks horrified]
Wendy: DAN!
Pollaski: What? It amounts to basically the same thing!
[Theresa’s mopey, but again, she leaves. Wendy takes another deep breath, and looks up, as if asking for a bit of divine patience. Finally, she turns back to the camera.]
Wendy: Of course Whitley has a chance against me. She’s a talented wrestler, and she’s going to get where she wants to go, provided she manages to keep her head on straight. But she better learn patience, because this big career boosting win she’s looking for, it’s not coming against me. Not this week. Not when I have as much riding on this for myself as I do. Because while the match might be about Whitley seizing the day, it’s me who’s going to grab it instead. Just as I’m going to seize another shot at the Evolution championship, and one of those nine spots in the Femme For All.
[Theresa’s returned one last time, sans Beiber, and dressed in her normal clothes, the clothes she was trying on in her hands. Wendy takes them, and plops them into her cart, exhaling]
Wendy: Okay! That’s all done! Time to go.
Theresa: Home?
[Wendy grins, and shakes her head.]
Wendy: Nope, we need to get you a new pair of shoes!
[Wendy turns to walk off, pushing the cart in front of her. Theresa groans, and trudges after her, dragging her feet.]
Theresa: This is taking FOREVER!
Pollaski: Psh... trust me, in ten years, we won’t be able to drag you out of here.
[Theresa looks up at Pollaski skeptically]
Pollaski: Oh, and your mom and I were talking, and she says that after this, we’re going to Sbarro for pizza, her treat. AND that she’ll let us have the garlic bread. And big sodas.
[This seems to brighten Theresa up, and she starts skipping away. The camera raises- right into a very, very irritated face of Wendy Briese. Evidently she heard the whole thing.]
Wendy: I should tell her no, take her home and give her brussel sprouts, just to teach YOU a lesson about making promises you have no control over!
Pollaski: But you won’t. I’m gonna hit up Gamestop. Meet you at Sbarro in fifteen?
[For a second, Wendy looks after her kid, then sighs]
Wendy: Better make it twenty.
[Now it’s Wendy who drags her feet after her daughter, and the scene fades][/i]
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