Monday June 3, 2013
Westin Hotel- Room 1211
New York City, New York
9:12 PM Local Time
“Look what I caught, Mom!”
Wendy Briese’s eyes widened as her daughter held up a largemouth bass in front of the camera, nearly as long as her arm. How on Earth did Theresa even have the strength to reel in such a big fish?
“Oh, my! That’s huge Theresa! Did you get it all by yourself?”
Theresa nodded, which earned an amused smile from her father, sitting next to her. “I helped bring it up with the net, but yeah, she reeled it up to the boat all by herself. Took her, what? Ten minutes to fight the thing?”
Theresa nodded excitedly, and Wendy couldn’t help but chuckle at the six year olds enthusiasm. “I wish you were here, Mom,” the recently graduated first grader said.
“I wish I was there, too, Terr-Bear.” Wendy replied, sighing. In truth, she hated fishing, but it would have been worth it to see the excitement on her daughter’s face as she reeled in the massive bass.
“You’re coming back tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah. I’m catching an early flight to Minneapolis, and I’ll be there in the morning. Then we’re going to go up to Lake Itasca. That sound fun?”
“To do more fishing?” Theresa asked, her eyes brightening.
Wendy couldn’t help but laugh. “No, not fishing. But you know the Mississippi River?” When her daughter nodded, she continued “It’s where it begins, and you can walk across it. And there’s all kinds of trees... much bigger than what we have in Indianapolis, and you might even be able to see some deer too. Does that sound fun?”
She could tell from her daughter’s face that it wasn’t nearly as fun as the thought of fishing, but the little girl smiled anyways, nodding. “Alright!” Wendy said, grinning. “My flight lands at ten tomorrow, Terrence. PLEASE try and be on time...”
Terrence rolled his eyes. “ONE time I was late picking you up from the airport.”
“By SIX HOURS,” Wendy retorted, keeping her smile on. “Honestly, I don’t even know how you could even get AM and PM mixed up...”
“It’s just one letter,” Terrence said, exchanging a mischievous grin with Theresa,. “We’ll see you tomorrow hon. Ten *AM* on the dot.”
“Alright, goodnight,” Wendy said, smiling into her computer monitor. “Don’t stay up too late, Theresa. We have a busy day tomorrow.”
“I won’t!” the six-year-old promised. “Goodnight, Mom!”
And just like that, the window holding her husband and daughter went black.
Wendy sighed again as she closed the window and quit Skype, then closing her laptop’s screen down. It was good that her daughter had fun, and that she had a daddy-daughter bonding day with Terrence during their week long excursion to Minnesota. But she still missed them.
Especially more because today had turned out to be nothing more than a huge waste of time. She had thought that Paige would have leapt at the opportunity to get out of WillCorp, and take a less time consuming, more challenging job that would likely have paid better. It had been disappointing to be turned down like that, and to have to deal with the smirking, arrogant buffoon that was Todd Williams made it all the worse.
And for what?
Paige was right, of course. This was something FAR over her head. Her primary job at Willcorp was filling out paperwork, not managing assets. And she was the only one on the planet foolish enough to think the poor girl could have made the transition seamlessly. Even Terrence had been completely skeptical of her plan, and had almost sounded relieved tonight when she had told him of its spectacular failure.
So here she was, in New York, wasting time she could have spent with her family in Minnesota, or training in a gym, on some wild goose chase that had no chance whatsoever of succeeding. And why?
Because you’d rather spend the next year dealing with Paige’s crashes on the learning curve than watching her suffer under Todd, a small voice told her.
She had made the one classic mistake of business- making decisions with her heart instead of her brain. Like it or not, they needed this race track to work- Terrence had already spent far too much money for it to be a waste, and bringing on an employee strictly out of charity would have been a disaster. There were other ways to save Paige.
If she even needed saving in the first place. And besides, who the heck was she to this? Paige’s situation was far from her business, no matter how irritated she got watching Todd and Jenny’s dismissive attitude towards her overworked conditions, no matter how disgusted she was by what she had seen in SVW, and no matter how certain she was that Todd was doing FAR worse to Paige when no one else was looking.
“You can’t save everyone.”
How many times had she been told that? By her parents. By Pollaski. By Terrence. Heck, even her daughter had told her so on an occasion. Whatever Dr. Epstein said her complex was, she certainly wasn’t a Messiah. She couldn’t save everyone.
But at least it’d be nice if she could save SOMEONE once in a while.
Instead she felt more and more like Cassandra, the ancient oracle of old who always spoke the truth, but couldn’t get anyone to listen to her. Maybe she wasn’t right about everything... but she was right on a lot more than most people ever gave her credit for. She knew that.
“Fudge,” Wendy sighed, leaning back on her bed and looking at the ceiling. Now she was just feeling sorry for herself. She just needed to get to bed, sleep, and get the heck out of New York and back to Minnesota where she could spend a few more days with her family on vacation, and prepare for her match on Thursday.
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
Wendy sat up at the sharp rap on her door, confused. She hadn’t ordered any room service, or anything from the front desk, and it was awfully late for someone to be just stopping by. Was there a problem of some sort?
“I’m coming!” Wendy called out, smoothing out the sweatpants and old Notre Dame T-shirt she had put on to sleep in. Briskly, she walked to the door, hoping that Terrence hadn’t maxxed out the credit card without telling her...
But no hotel employee stood on the other side. Instead it was Jennifer Williams. And as angry as Todd had looked this evening, her upcoming tag partner was about ten times as much.
“Jenny? What are-”
Jennifer Williams did say a word. The minute the door was open the Television just lost control as she speared Wendy to the ground. She started to wail on her face as she delivered lefts and rights on the red head’s face. She mounted on top of her as she stared daggers right into her eyes.
Wendy’s head was swimming, and not just from the punches she had taken, although she had somehow managed to block most of them. She honestly had NO idea what in the heck had just happened, one minute she was standing there, looking at Jenny, the next this woman was sitting on her, pounding away like it was a live match. “What...the...f-” her words were cut off as a fist broke through her guard and caught her on the cheek.
Jenny didn’t say anything as she just answered back with more punching. She grabbed Wendy by the hair as she cocked her fist back and delivered yet another punch for her troubles. Wendy yelped as the fist caught her in the ear, but the momentum swayed Jenny enough to the side that she was able to throw her off, and roll away. Wendy staggered to her feet, using the hotel room’s couch to help her, but barely had time before a charging Jenny was on her again.
Jenny was on top of her and she grabbed her head as she began to smash it against the floor. She raised her fist in the air and tried to drive it into Wendy’s face. She cocked her fist back again, driving it against her face as she split her lip and blood starting to pour from it. Jenny cracked an evil grin as she looked into Wendy’s eyes.
The moment’s hesitation was enough Wendy needed, and she punched upwards, and while she didn’t connect, Jenny’s flinch was enough for her to throw her off again, and roll to her feet. As she did, she grabbed a vase from the nearby table, and wheeled around, ready to use it. It wasn’t exactly the most legal of techniques, but then again, this was hardly a sanctioned match. Luckily, Jenny wasn’t charging this time, and Wendy took a couple breaths, needing more wind before she could finally ask the question that had been on her lips for the past three minutes.
“What. The. HELL. Is. WRONG. With. You?”
Jenny stood her distance as she looked at her hand glancing at the blood on it before slowly looking back at Wendy. “Well let’s see you flew all the way to New York to try to steal Paige from my company... Did you ever consider that is what is wrong with me?!” Jenny scoffed as her eyes never left Wendy.
“Are you kidding me?” Wendy asked, and for a brief second, she weighed the pros and cons of winging the vase at terminal velocity in the general direction of Jenny’s head. “Is this how you deal with EVERY problem you encounter in business?”
Jenny wasn’t backing down as she crossed her arms. “Who cares HOW I handle my business?! The only thing that matters is that you tried to take Paige away and I am not going to deal with that. Not from you, not from Todd, not from anyone! Nobody is going to take PAige anywhere...” Jenny breathed heavily as she contemplated her possible options in dealing with Wendy.
“Well, apparently not, because she turned me down,” Wendy was growing angry herself. “Which is a shame, because she certainly deserves to be saddled with a boss who’s NOT abusive, and a co-owner who doesn’t ENABLE him!”
Jenny angrily stormed in front of Wendy as she cocked her fist back as her eyes stared at Wendy. “OH so you are blaming all of this on me now?! You don’t even know what’s going on so if I was you I would keep my white Knight mouth shut and just be quiet and stuff. It makes you look like less of an idiot.” Jenny said with a growl as she was invading Wendy’s personal space.
Wendy didn’t back down. “Oh, I got a VERY nice idea of what’s going on tonight. I got a FULL view of it, when your brother INTERRUPTED us in the middle of DINNER, caused a scene, threatened to beat me up, and all the while Paige sat there COWERING in fear like a puppy facing a rolled up newspaper. What does he DO to her, Jenny? What have you LET him do?”
Jenny pouts as she places her hands not backing down either. “For your information I stood up to my brother... THANK YOU very much... I don’t let him do anything... I...”
Jenny’s voice cracked as her eyes kept on Wendy.
“It’s none of your business what I do... The only thing you need to do is mind your own business and don’t you dare try to get involved with Paige again.”
“My BUSINESS was trying to get someone to run my husband’s race track.” Wendy said, feeling the last of her nerves fraying. “I thought Paige would be a good choice. She declined, so be it. But how DARE you come into MY hotel room and THREATEN me because I interviewed one of your employees for a job. Deal with it like an ADULT, Jennifer Williams.” She pointed at the door. “Now, if you’ll kindly LEAVE...”
Jenny offered an evil grin as her eyes locked on Wendy and on that vase she was holding. “Why don’t you MAKE ME!” Jenny smirked as she didn’t move an inch staring back at the redhead.
Wendy sighed, and looked at Jenny, and down to the vase in her hands, then at Jenny again. She shouldn’t... even though it wasn’t a match, it was still bad form to...
Screw it. She was NOT going to be assaulted in her own hotel room by this psychotic child!
Slowly, she began to raise the vase. If Jenny didn’t notice, she’d have her unconscious body in the hallway in no time, and then she could get some SLEEP.
Jenny and Wendy were locked in a staredown. It wasn’t long before Crystal emerged into the room. She stopped to catch her breath as she looked at both women. “Everyone just stop.... Please stop...There is no reason for anyone to fight tonight. I believe we all have a misunderstanding.” Crystal spoke out as she drew closer to the women and grabbed the vase from Wendy’s hand. “Let’s just stop the fighting...”
Now Crystal Hilton was in her room? Wendy gritted her teeth, fighting down the urge to scream. Next thing she knew, Chernobyl and the entire Power Trip would be arriving with snacks.
Crystal let out a long deep breath as she glanced at both women. “Why don’t we all have a seat and talk things out. In a couple of days we are all going to be a team. We can’t expect to work together if we are tearing each other a part right?” Crystal said as she dragged Jennifer to a chair and sat her down.
For a second, Wendy wanted to scream at the both of them, again repeating her wish that they get out of her room, and let her sleep. But she found herself plopping down on the sofa, reaching for a nearby Kleenix to dab at the dried blood on her lower lip. She glanced at Crystal, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. “So please tell me why Jenny ATTACKING me is some HUGE misunderstanding. Please.”
Crystal let out a long sigh as she crossed her arms. She kept her back rested against the door as she looked down at Wendy. “Well you see Wendy... Paige and Jenny the two of them well... You know...” Crystal scratched her head as Jenny crossed her arms still staring daggers into Wendy.
Wendy rubbed her eyes, sighing. “I really don’t care, Crystal. There is absolutely nothing in the WORLD that justifies her being here like this.”
Crystal shook her head but she kept on talking. “And well Paige and Jenny they are both being um blackmailed by my former husband. I don’t know how I can explain this...”
Jenny finally takes a long sigh as she keeps her arms crossed. “Paige and I are dating ok!!! There you happy Wendy?! That’s why you can’t take her...You trying to pull her out of New York is like slapping me in the face and I am not going to take that from you...”
“Dating. Uh hunh.” Wendy said, nonplussed. Even though they were quite common in women’s wrestling, lesbian relationships always seemed to catch her off guard. She rubbed her eyes again, as if she had a massive headache. At least it explained why Jenny had taken the job offer so... personally. But still... “And how exactly was I supposed to know about this secret little love... thing?”
Jenny growled as she wanted to get up and punch Wendy again but Crystal quickly walked over to where Jenny was sitting and held a hand up pushing her back. Jenny looked back at Wendy. “What is that supposed to mean?! Little love thing?! It’s not a fucking thing!!! It’s called a RELATIONSHIP!” Jenny started to raise her voice and Crystal kept the peace as she spoke some more.
“There was no way you could have known. The fact is like I said before Todd is blackmailing them. He has pictures of Jennifer and Paige in some compromising positions and if they don’t do what he says he plans to send those pictures to Wolf Ramsey and embarrass Jenny. She doesn’t mean to put Paige through everything, and Paige want’s to leave but they are both just locked into a bad situation and are looking for a way out. I am sorry that you didn’t know about any of it but it’s something that really cannot be exposed to the public.”
“Well, then you can’t BLAME the public for not knowing, and acting accordingly, can you?” Wendy asked sourly. She paused, as the realization hit her. “And you’re doing this all BEHIND Wolf’s back?!”
Despite how tough Jenny was she slid in her seat as she looked back at Wendy. “Look don’t be so judgemental...I am going to talk with him next week...Let’s not jump to conclusions ok... It’s a very long story and I don’t feel comfortable sharing it all unless you really want me too...” Jenny sighed as she glanced at Wendy shrugging her shoulders at her.
Wendy slumped forward, suppressing a dramatic sigh. What the HELL had she just become embroiled in? “I don’t,” she finally said. “I really, really don’t. I just want someone to help us with this mess of a property we suddenly have on our hands, and I wanted to see that poor girl no longer being tortured and humiliated on a weekly basis. I thought killing two birds with one stone would be the way to go.” She sighed. “Evidently not.”
Jenny growled as she looked back at Wendy. “Look...I.appreciate you looking out for her Wendy. I really do it’s just that there’s too much going on. I told Paige I would be the one to save her. So when people try to cut in on that it really makes me upset...”
Crystal rolled her eyes as she looked at both women. “So do we have everything out on the table? Or do we still need to work on some things because if neither of you can work together I really am going to lose it...”
“Don’t worry about me,” Wendy said. “I do my job, no matter who I’m teamed with, and I’ve been saddled with far worse than her in the past. All I want now is an apology for busting into my hotel room and creating havoc, a good nights sleep, and to go back to Minnesota and spend time with my family.”
“Jenny apologize to Wendy.” Jenny looked at Crystal as she rolled her eyes at her before she turned her attention over to Wendy. “I am sorry for bursting into your room and putting my hands on you. I hope you can forgive me.”
Crystal nodded her head as she looked at the redhead. “And Wendy I do believe you have something to say to Jenny in return.”
Wendy shrugged, her voice softening. “It’s fine, Jenny. I understand you were upset, and I’m sure most would be in your situation. And you can be sure that Paige isn’t going to be leaving for Indianapolis anytime soon. We’ll have to find our track manager elsewhere.”
“Umm Wendy don’t you think you should apologize to Jenny in return?” Crystal crossed her arms as she shook her head at Wendy. “You did try to take her employee without consulting with her.”
Wendy didn’t exactly understand what was wrong with that, considering businesses did it all the time, but for the sake of unity, she merely sighed and said “I’m sorry, Jenny. I should have told you I was interested in Paige.”
Jenny smiled as she stood up and sat beside Wendy. “Good...That’s all I wanted. Now are you girls ready to beat stupid redheads and a title stealing bitch?!” Crystal offered a giggle as she looked back at Wendy.
“That’s her way of saying thank you and your welcome. You will get used to it I am sure.”
THe barest flicker of a smile crossed Wendy’s face, and she stood up. “I’m sure I will. But right now, I need to get to bed. I have an early flight tomorrow back to Minnesota, and a full day after that I’m sure we’ll get together again before Thursday night.”
Crystal grabbed Jenny by the arm as she dragged her towards the door. “You have a good night Wendy and I truly am sorry for everything. Have a safe flight.” Crystal offered a smirk before the Clan were outside of the hotel room.
After the door closed, Wendy sighed, looking around at the now messy room. Luckily, nothing had been broken. Either way though, it was time for bed.
Her thoughts were on Jenny as she brushed her teeth and poured herself a glass of water. She couldn’t help but realize what a powder keg the girl was sitting on at the moment.
She only hoped it didn’t blow up under her.
=================================================
If you have ever wanted to watch a video with Crystal Hilton and Jennifer Williams in bed together, then this is the promo for you!
Oh, and Wendy Briese is in the bed too, although she’s looking for the life of her like she has no idea how she EVER agreed to this.
The bed itself is fairly oversized, even moreso than a King Size, almost cartoonishly so, with an overelaborate wooden headboard with giant brassy knobs. And unfortunately for any fanservice-craving perverts out there, all three women are quite dressed. Wendy sits atop the blankets, cross-leged, wearing a full body cotton set of pajamas with puffy clouds on them (and bunny slippers!), while Crystal is sitting on top of blankets in a silky matching full body pajamas with rose designs on them, she even wore matching rose design socks. Jenny sat on the side of the bed opposite of Wendy and she was clad in a Legend of Zelda Pajama set. Wearing a Zelda top with matching Link shorts. She sported a pair of mario socks as she smles staring deeply into the camera.
Wendy: “Hey everyone! We, uh... might be taking this ‘strange bedfellows’ thing a bit TOO literally here... but that’s what they’re calling the match, when Crystal and Jenny team up with me to take on Starla McCloud and Flight or Flight tonight! Definitely one of the more... odd matches we’ve seen in FFW, that’s for sure!”
Crystal offered a smirk as she turns her attention over to Wendy.
Crystal: “You got that right, and no offense to you Wendy but you are the absolute last person that I would ever want to get in bed with!”
Jennifer giggled in return as she sat up grabbing her legs.
Jenny: “It may be an odd match but I do well with odd. On one side you have Crystal and I teaming up with Wendy and on the other side you have Scarlett and Kelly teaming up with Starla. The big question that I know that is on everyone’s minds is how exactly are these teams going to co-exist inside the same ring. I mean look at it we are talking about Crystal and Wendy on the same exact team!!! You girls don’t want to kill each other do you?”
Crystal smiled as she glances back at Wendy.
Crystal: “It brings back memories from the first chase doesn’t it Wendy?”
Wendy: “Well, we were on the same team, twice, just a couple years ago, along with Kassandra. The first time was when we won the first round of the Chase at Conviction, and then again, at the FIRST FFW Anniversary show, when we overcame the ‘Evolution All-Stars’ team of Colleen, Undine, and Ro*BLEEEEEEEEEP*ley. So here we are at the THIRD Anniversary show, teaming again. Certainly is an odd coincidence.”
Crystal giggles as she stares at Wendy.
Crystal: “And funny thing about Wendy and I teaming up with one another is despite our differences in personality. Despite her being a modest individual and me being well a tad what’s the word?”
Jenny: “Cocky? Delusional? Arrogant?”
Crystal: “Ok enough enough! Boastful is the world... boastful. Despite being a tad boastful the facts show that Wendy and I have been able to do what is necessary to pull out the win. In our first match in the Chase together it was our side that won, and against a team of well established thriving women within the Evolution division including the champion. We managed to rise to the occasion and go out there and bring a win home. Wendy and I may not see eye to eye with one another but if there is something that we both like to do it’s put our best effort into bringing a win home. I noticed this not only in those tag matches together but in the chase finale when we gave one another everything we had for the thrill of competition and to make the crowd happy. That is Wendy and I in a nutshell. Wouldn’t you agree Wendy?”
Wendy nods, although she still looks pretty uneasy.
Wendy: I think the same thing could be applied to Jenny, too. She’s certainly not without her eccentricities, but when it matters the most, Jenny can get the job done. That’s one thing all three of us certainly have in common.”
Jenny nods her head as she leans over at Wendy rolling her eyes at her.
Jenny: “Anyway enough about our team. Let’s look at the team that is on the opposite side of the spectrum we have Starla McCloud, Scarlett Kincaid, and we have... Err..... I HATE KELLY MCGUFFIN!”
Jenny begins to growl as Crystal quickly cuts in motioning to Jenny with her hand to calm down.
Crystal: “Before Jenny get’s a little carried away let’s start with Starla McCloud. Now to be honest I don’t believe to my recollection that I have been in the ring with Starla before. However on paper she is a woman who is one championship away from being the second ever FFW Grandslam Champion. This woman is more up in Wendy’s alley. As I remember the battle that the two of them went through for the glory of the No Surrender Championship. I believe it can be said that Starla cheated her way into taking the title away from you Wendy. In a match in which you didn’t even quit.”
Wendy: “She actually cheated TWICE. It’s just that the second time, Pollaski and I managed to put a very loud, definite stop to it. But that’s pretty much Starla’s modus operandi. I can’t think of a major match she’s won in which she HASN’T done something to screw with the rules.”
Jenny: “So everything about Starla has been nothing but a bunch of bullcrap. Kind of like Kelly McGuffin...What would you expect from Power Trip scum that isn’t named Tara Thunder? That’s all people like Starla could do. You would think that having the last name of someone cool from Starfox or the Highlander that you would expect much more from her but nope. She may be a grand slam champion in the making but it is all because she had to cheat to get there whereas Crystal, myself, and Wendy had to work our asses into getting to where we are. Wendy and I both won chases, Wendy won a NS tourney and well Crystal...”
Crystal quickly butts in as she smirks at Wendy.
Crystal: “Well I worked hard too... Let’s just not count the way I won that first Evolution Championship... But other than that we have earned everything that we accomplished in this business. With our own hands and no one helping us.”
Wendy shakes her head, her voice slightly quiet.
Wendy: “Even then, you didn’t do anything illegal in that match. Just... slightly underhanded, and that third fall was still clean. But with Starla... she’s a very good wrestler. I know- I’ve been in the ring three times with her now. But sadly, she has NO confidence in herself, which is turning out to be a startling contrast with her now-former tag team partner. But Starla has so little faith in herself that she’d rather muddle things up with her shenanigans and foul play instead of just gutting it out and trying to do it herself. We’re starting to see that we’re coming to a point where doing that’s just not going to cut it anymore.”
Jenny: “If you spent more time doing things the right way Starla who knows you might have been an FFW Champion by now. I know from experience that cheating isn’t going to cut it. When I was still green back in Future Shock I made a huge mistake. I cheated in a game of Black Jack. The person that I cheated against became my best friend but in the very next challenge of that season. She went ape against me and truly made me feel what’s it like to deal with a hurricane. It just didn’t stop there though because when Cara and I faced off against each other one on one. She made me pay for the way that I cheated in the past and it wasn’t pleasant. The fact is cheating and foul play may help you but eventually you will be found out. As the old saying goes, cheaters never win. I think you yourself know this to be true when Wendy’s manager had to put Adonis in his place and you lost the No Surrender Championship because of it. As long as you believe in your own ability the sky is truly the lmit. So just pay attention to what we have to say Starla. You might actually learn something.”
Wendy grimaces.
Wendy: “Well, cheating’s still gotten her an FFW Championship slot at Unstoppable Four, unfortunately. Doubly unfortunate, because the shot SHOULD be going to none other than her own tag partner tonight, Scarlett Kincaid, now that Isabella’s no longer holding the belt and the clause has evaporated. But who wouldn’t want to see Val against Scarlett... or even Desi against Scarlett?”
Crystal is the one to roll her eyes as she shakes her head.
Crystal: “Scarlett Kincaid. Tonight is just going to be an appetizer for what’s to come because as it was announced at the biggest show of the year Unstoppable it will be the Clam taking on the team of Fight or Flight. The last time the two of us were in the ring with one another we were celebrating a win together as you, myself, Emma, and Eileen defeated the likes of Shane, Alyssa, Tara, and Katherine Stryfe. We were so happy to have won that match but if we fast forward to just three months ago. Before I was going to step in my first Pay Per View Main Event at Chaos Theory. I clearly remember you leaving your partners to dry after you won a match, and it was the same night in which Wendy made her return to the delight of the roaring fans. What kind of person would just leave their teammates like that? I been in that situation once before and it isn’t pleasant. Despite how you might be feeling that doesn’t give you any excuse to just walk away.”
Wendy looks deeply disturbed, and takes a deep breath.
Wendy: “Scarlett... what she did at Chaos Theory was wrong. Very, very wrong, and I know she’s going to end up paying for it one way or another. But Scar... despite her attitude taking a definite turn for the worse... doesn’t seem all that far gone. She doesn’t cheat in matches. She’s still willing to do anything for Mr. Kincaid. I believe sooner or later, she’s going to wake up, realize she’s not doing herself any favors, and come back around.”
Jenny just glances at Wendy again rolling her eyes.
Jenny: “But if she is happy staying asleep that’s fine with me because she is in the dream world and it’s a place in which I excel in. I don’t really know how I should feel about Scarlett Wendy. Last year after I won my second chance season of Future Shock. Scarlett and I went to battle inside of that ring. We gave it everything we had and she emerged as the winner but I can remember her promo clearly. She told me that I had potential and to keep on going. Yet here we are in 2013 and right after her Chaos Theory match she had the nerve to tell everyone that she was just done fighting the Power Trip. She did what she had to do. The referee didn’t cheat her and she was happy with walking away. I find this to be nothing but a bunch of garbage.”
Jenny takes a breath as she continues to vent.
Jenny: “I find this to be garbage because I had to watch my best friend Cara Stone being humiliated on national television. In my eyes the fight is never over and by her walking away means she has turned her back on all of those who led the charge against them. So screw Scarlett Kincaid. She is very well a legend in the making. A woman who is a fomrer Evolution Champion as well as two time FFW Champion but that doesn’t matter anymore. The only thing that I see in my head is the way that she tuck her tail between her legs and walked away. People like that don’t get respect in my book.”
Wendy smiles softly.
Wendy: “Well, if that’s where her head has gone, then maybe its our job to pull it out.”
Crystal: “I have no problem pulling Scarlett’s head from out of her ass. I know you have this respect thing going on with her Wendy, and it must be a redhead thing but come on. All the facts are leading to the fact that she has flipped her lid. Cheating or not. Someone needs to deliver a dosage of reality to Scarlett and it’s going to be me. I know how you feel Scarlett. Truly I do but you shouldn’t second guess yourself. Everything is all worth it. Just trust me on it. I been through some bad times myself. Hell the last two years have been hell but there’s no need to complain just suck it up and fight through it. That is what I have been doing.”
Wendy: “I still don’t think she’s a lost cause like Starla is. Neither is her sister... for that matter.”
Jenny: “I hate Kelly...Kelly McGuffin IS a lost cause Wendy. You may want to cover your ears but she is nothing but a whiny little bitch. She is a woman who doesn’t take losing well. Even in losing after I defeated her fair and square at Relentless how did she react to all of that? She had to beat me down. She had to make me bleed, and she had to TAKE MY BELT! IF that doesn’t scream lost cause I don’t know what does. Ever since the Chase for the Crown series Kelly has been nothing but a sore loser. She loses Christian immediately steps in wanting to trade my hard fought title shot opportunity for a crown. When I defeat her this last time she claims that she in fact did beat me since the referee counted three and she has the right to steal my title. It’s a bunch of bullcrap. She keeps feeding the world that she is so great but when push comes to shove she simply doesn’t get the job done. Why should I respect someone like that?”
Wendy grimaces again
Wendy: “Kelly’s turning into one of the great tragedies of Femme Fatale Wrestling. She has made SUCH high expectations for herself... and that’s fine. But she hasn’t met them, and it’s clear that’s messed with her mind. She snapped on you, Jenny, plain and simple, because she fell short of a belt she’s spent the better part of a year chasing. But she’s hardly unique- every single one of us has had setbacks thanks to officiating that we didn’t agree with. But Kelly... she only made it worse by what she did. Instead of everyone acknowledging how close she came, and how it could very well be different next time, you have so many people saying how she’s a fraud, and a thief, and now she’s essentially worthless.”
Wendy bites her lip, and sighs.
Wendy: “None of it is true. Kelly’s a great wrestler, and is certainly neither a fraud nor worthless. But when you stoop that low, you’re going to get criticism leveled at you, and some of it might even be harsher than you deserve. Kelly erred in taking that belt, and she’s been paying for it dearly in the eyes of the fans and her colleagues the last twelve days.”
Crystal just shakes her head as she speaks her heart.
Crystal: “The truth is when I look at Kelly I see a woman that I used to be. Kelly has all the potential in the world. She prides herself into trying to be the best wrestler and high flyer that the world has ever seen. Is it all true? Well it’s really hard to say but as long as Kelly believes in it then that is all that matters. However what Kelly needs to understand is that there is a major difference between being confident and being cocky, and I think it was her cockiness that ended up getting the best of her. To be honest that’s how I felt when I lost to Wendy but that doesn’t give you the right to react the way you did Kelly. You just need to take a chill pill and relax a bit. You have all the makings to be a great force in this business but being delusional isn’t the way to go about it. Just listen to me for a moment. After I beat Isabella at Cold Blooded in 2012 I truly thought I was amazing. I thought I couldn’t be touched. However you want to know the reality of everything?”
Crystal just sighs as she shakes her head and speaks some more.
Crystal: “The truth is I wasn’t as good as I thought I was. I wouldn’t have another singles win until Sin & Sacrifice of last year. So instead of walking around thinking you are the best thing on God’s Green Earth why don’t you take ina dosage of humility that way when things don’t go your way you won’t react in which the way that you? You are going down a dark path and it’s one that you don’t want to walk upon. I been that route it has nothing for you Kelly...”
Jenny:”Whatever if Kelly want’s to act that way fine but she is going to deal with me. I am tired of being nice to her. She started a war when she unleashed her hell upon me and I am going to do whatever it takes to get back what belongs with me. If Kelly doesn’t want to hand it over willingly I am just going to take it by force. I am sick and tired of dealing with this immature brat! At Relentless she thought she was going to take advantage of me. She thought she was going to pick me apart because of the hell that I endured in my Hardcore War match. Yet I proved to her that I could still fight. Yet has she shown me any respect? Not in the slightest. She would rather just steal my title away. So screw her. I hate Kelly and nothing can change my view on the matter.”
Wendy shrugs.
Wendy: “Well,that’s unfortunate. As for me... I doubt the past year has made Starla anymore bearable, but I’m not so quick to condemn the two sisters yet. But that’s not going to change how I’m taking on tonight. I don’t hold back, whether its my best friend in that ring, or my worst enemy. After all, not everything in life has to be personal. Sometimes, it’s just BUSINESS.”
She gives Jenny a VERY pointed look as she says that.
Jenny growls as she slowly sits up in the bed.
Jenny: “Sometimes when PEOPLE meddle with things that doesn’t concern them it has to become personal because if it doesn’t they won’t get it in their head how important things are...”
Crystal slowly turns her attention to both women as she let out a grin.
Crystal: “Whether it’s a business matter, or a personal matter. It truly doesn’t matter. What is important is that this week the team of HilWenLliams or whatever you want to call us PERSONALLY would like to step inside that ring and take of BUSINESS together isn’t that right ladies? After all nothing can stop Our roses from blossoming...”
Crystal smirks and Jenny just forces out a smile as she leans over glancing at Wendy.
Jenny: :And I guess nothing will stop this dream from coming true...”
Wendy doesn’t have a catch phrase. Besides, her mind is stuck on something else entirely.
Wendy: “...HilWenLiams?”
And on that, the scene fades.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
EPISODE 214: The Headhunter, Part II
Monday June 3, 2013
Delmonico’s Restaurant
New York City, New York
8:44 PM Local Time
“Thank you for meeting with me,” Wendy said as she took a sip of her water, smiling across the table at her guest. “I hope the short notice wasn’t inconvenient.”
Across from Wendy sat the timid young blond Personal Assistant of Todd Williams, Paige Davenport. She was dressed in a button up blouse and knee length skirt, sipping her water as well. “It’s alright, Mrs. Thompson. My day is open conveniently, aside from picking up Mr. Williams’ dry cleaning, and Brittany's new video games.” replied Paige with a shrug, these pointless errands were quite the break from her usual hours of mindless paperwork.
Wendy smiled graciously, looking around the restaurant. Delmonico’s was as upscale a place she knew, extremely pricey, yet with as delicious as fine dining as she remembered. It was certainly a nice change of pace from the hamburgers cooked on the RV’s grill the nice before. She relished the rare opportunities she got to eat at a place so nice, but forced herself to keep her mind on her task.
After all, she was here for business, not pleasure.
“Ms. Davenport,” Wendy said lowly, leaning across the table, pausing just for a second to tug nervously at the bottle green dress she had brought for the occasion. “How happy are you at Williams Enterprises?”
The look Paige gave was a sudden look of shock, though she calmed quickly. Paige looked around as if expecting T-Will to appear out of nowhere, he seemed to do that at times. “I am...content.” she replied calmly, sipping at her water again. “Why do you ask?”
Wendy tried to give a reassuring smile, although she could tell the woman was quite nervous. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry.” she apologized. “It’s just... I was talking to Terrence, and we thought that maybe... from what we’ve heard... maybe a change of scenery would be nice for you.”
Paige’s fingers unconsciously played with her napkin, she couldn’t even keep eye contact. “I’m fine, Mrs. Thompson. I know Mr. Williams can be a little difficult at times, but I’m perfectly happy with my position at Willcorp.” Paige’s words clearly a rehearsed speech. No doubt she’s had to repeat it numerous times as of late.
Wendy bit her lip, accepting the words, although a spark of determination remained in her eyes. “Okay, but would you at least be willing to hear me out?”
Paige just shrugged. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt.” Replied Paige quietly. “Alright. Go ahead.” Added the young blonde, nervously stirring the ice in her water.
“I suppose you and I have one thing in common,” Wendy said, reaching into her purse. “We both seem to be working with men who are quite hard headed and stubborn, and so prone to make decisions regardless of common sense.” She pulled out a photograph, and set it on the table in front of page. “This is North Marion Speedway,” she said. Paige looked down. The picture was of two columns of cars, twenty rows deep, rolling down the front stretch, in front of brilliantly white walls, a full grandstand, with crisply manicured grass in the infield. “Terrence just purchased the thing, and he has absolutely no idea what to do with it. From everything I’ve heard, it sounds like you’re VERY adept at property management, and we thought that perhaps...” her voice trailed off, and she nodded to the photograph.
Paige blushed at the proposal. “You thought of ME for this?” She replied in a bit of shock. “I’m...a bit in shock to be honest. I was in advertising before Jenny hired me and T-Will promoted me. I don’t know the first thing about property management, I’m sure I learn but...” she stopped, sipping her water again. The blonde was excited, but still quite nervous.
Wendy smiled slightly. “Well, we’ll certainly need your promotional abilities once we get it... um, fixed up,” she said. “The problem is, well, that photo’s from back in 2007,” Wendy said, reaching into her purse again. “This is a more... current print.” She said putting a much more recent photograph of the now dilapidated track on top of the older picture.
Paige’s eyes went wide. “Didn't he get the track inspected before purchasing?” asked the blonde as if it was the simplest of concepts. “That’s like property management 101.”
“Well, you’re already one step ahead of him, aren’t you, then?” Wendy replied with an exasperated sigh. “In truth, I don’t think it’d have mattered, although he might have gotten the track for less money had he done it. He’s gotten it in his head that he wants to own this thing, and have his own toy. But the amount of work... it’s just too much, Paige. Especially with me in wrestling, and Terrence still driving. We need someone to look after it, and make sure what needs to be done gets done. Do you think you could be that someone?”
Paige took a moment to think as she eyed the photo again, letting out a sigh. “I’m sorry Mrs. Thompson, I’d like to help you but I’m not the person for the job.” she said softly. Paige’s words said no, but her eyes screamed something else entirely.
Wendy grimaced, chewing on her lip. She could see the uneasiness, even fear in her guest’s eyes, but she didn’t want to poke too hard, less she force Paige to completely curl up into herself. “I’m sorry to hear you say that, Ms. Davenport,” she said, sounding disappointed. “I know there would be challenges, especially considering the state the track is in... but I also know you’d be working far less hours than you are now, and I think you’d be making quite a bit more than you were with Willcorp.”
She reached into her purse for a third time, and pulled out a card. “Here’s my number, Paige. If you change your mind, or have any questions, or just need to talk, please give me a call, okay?”
Paige nodded and took the card, chewing her bottom lip briefly as she eyed the number again. The young Personal Assistant slipped the card into her purse, hands shaking a little. Oh how she wanted to say yes, to SCREAM yes...but she just couldn’t. The risk was too great. “I’ll hang onto it. And I appreciate you coming to me about this, I know you don’t exactly get along with my employer at the best of times.”
“Well, that’s why I wondered if you could use a change. You shouldn’t have to have gone through what you have in the last few months. I have SEVERE problems with people who drag unwilling participants into this business, that’s how people get hurt.” She smiled amiably. “Anyways, you should look at the menu. There’s a lot of great stuff on here- I’ve heard the risotto is to DIE for.”
The two sat in silence for several minutes, with Wendy staring at her menu, trying to decide between the Crisped Red Snapper or the Chicken A La Keene. A shadow fell over the table, and Wendy looked up. “I’m sorry, I think we’re going to need another minute or so to de....” her voice trailed off. It wasn’t the waiter that was standing over them.
It was Todd Williams. And he did not look happy in the slightest.
Todd offered a smirk as he sat down at the table. “Care if I join you two? Don’t answer that I know you all love me. Seems like a nice restaurant I personally could have gone for Carmine’s or Virgil’s BBQ but I guess this will do...” Todd took Paige’s glass and took a sip from it as he looked directly into Wendy’s eyes. “So tell me Wendy. What brings you to New York? There a reason you have my Personal ASSistant in a restaurant alone?”
Wendy glanced over, and saw the absolute terror in Paige’s eyes, and felt her own anger and dread rising, although she fought hard to remain polite. “I was just having a nice dinner with Ms. Davenport. We were discussing some... matters.”
“Oh matters...” Todd smirked as he stared over at Paige. “What kind of matters are we talking? You know Gwendolyn I can call you that right? If there are matters to be discussed you should take them up with me and NOT my personal assistant. Now that I am here feel free to talk. Unless you rather share what she discussed Paige.” The blonde PA looked as if someone had a gun to the back of her head, she was sweating, her hands trembling and her eyes as wide as saucers.
“S-she...Mrs. T-Thompson was j-just talking to me about a j-job offer, b-but I h-have declined it. So w-we were about t-to enjoy dinner.” Paige replied, just barely as she was stuttering almost constantly, absolutely terrified.
Todd quickly slammed the glass on the table, shattering it into pieces. He looked at Paige and quickly pushed away from the table, grabbing her violently by the arm. “Come on Paige, I think we are done here! She can’t offer you anything. LET’S GO NOW!!” Todd grabbed Paige, forcing her to get up and leading her away from the table.
And found himself face to face with Wendy, who had interposed herself between the angry man and the door.
Her face was flushed in anger and embarrassment, and her arms were folded over her chest. She was well aware the entire restaurant was staring at them, but she kept her voice deathly quiet. “She’s not going anywhere. Not with you, Todd.”
Todd just scoffed as he confronted Wendy looking down into her eyes. “And what exactly ARE YOU GONNA DO?! Do you know who the hell i am Wendy? I make it a habit super kicking bitches in the face. Do you want to join that club Wendy? Because I have no problem doing so right in this restaurant just to prove a point.” Todd smirked before he slowly backed away instead staring at Paige. “As a matter of fact Ms Davenport take care of my light work please.” He smirked with an evil grin. Paige stared at him like a deer in headlights yet again. “Mr. Williams, do you not think it would be bad to do something so rash in a public place? This isn’t a wrestling ring, laying a finger on Mrs. Thompson would easily end up with multiple criminal charges.” The blonde points to the three visible cameras. “Not to mention if she wished to charge you, or I, or Willcorp as a whole for the assualt.” Paige reasoned, her voice quiet and warm.
“There’s not going to be any fighting in here, Todd,” Wendy said quietly, pointing to the door. “Just go, and let Ms. Davenport and I finish our meal in peace.”
Paige sighed and stood by Todd’s side, regret practically screaming from her eyes. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Thompson. But I believe our evening is done. Thank you for the offer and inviting me out, but I think I...” she swallows and takes in a deep breath. “I think I should be going now.”
“Paige...” Wendy’s voice trailed off, and for the first time, fear had crept into her voice. She had no idea what Todd was going to do to the frightened woman once they were out of public view. “Are you sure, Paige? I can get you a cab, or some other way home. I just don’t think you should-”
Todd smirked at Wendy, waving his finger at her. “Sorry Wendy... You do know what they say about dogs right? They shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds them. Come on Paige I think we are done here.” Todd blew a kiss to Wendy, winking at her as he grabbed Paige and walked towards the door.
Wendy watched them go helplessly, and sighed, as one by one, the other tables in the dining room turned their attention away from her back to their own business. She glanced back at the table, sighing at the spilled water and shattered glass.
The maitre’d was at her shoulder. “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but you have been a great disturbance to the other guests, and...” his voice trailed off as the redhead turned towards him, an absolutely murderous glare on her face. He gulped and took a step back.
But Wendy’s expression softened, and she only sighed, looking forlornly at the door, then back at the ruined table. She grimaced bitterly. “Yeah... I’ll go.”
Delmonico’s Restaurant
New York City, New York
8:44 PM Local Time
“Thank you for meeting with me,” Wendy said as she took a sip of her water, smiling across the table at her guest. “I hope the short notice wasn’t inconvenient.”
Across from Wendy sat the timid young blond Personal Assistant of Todd Williams, Paige Davenport. She was dressed in a button up blouse and knee length skirt, sipping her water as well. “It’s alright, Mrs. Thompson. My day is open conveniently, aside from picking up Mr. Williams’ dry cleaning, and Brittany's new video games.” replied Paige with a shrug, these pointless errands were quite the break from her usual hours of mindless paperwork.
Wendy smiled graciously, looking around the restaurant. Delmonico’s was as upscale a place she knew, extremely pricey, yet with as delicious as fine dining as she remembered. It was certainly a nice change of pace from the hamburgers cooked on the RV’s grill the nice before. She relished the rare opportunities she got to eat at a place so nice, but forced herself to keep her mind on her task.
After all, she was here for business, not pleasure.
“Ms. Davenport,” Wendy said lowly, leaning across the table, pausing just for a second to tug nervously at the bottle green dress she had brought for the occasion. “How happy are you at Williams Enterprises?”
The look Paige gave was a sudden look of shock, though she calmed quickly. Paige looked around as if expecting T-Will to appear out of nowhere, he seemed to do that at times. “I am...content.” she replied calmly, sipping at her water again. “Why do you ask?”
Wendy tried to give a reassuring smile, although she could tell the woman was quite nervous. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry.” she apologized. “It’s just... I was talking to Terrence, and we thought that maybe... from what we’ve heard... maybe a change of scenery would be nice for you.”
Paige’s fingers unconsciously played with her napkin, she couldn’t even keep eye contact. “I’m fine, Mrs. Thompson. I know Mr. Williams can be a little difficult at times, but I’m perfectly happy with my position at Willcorp.” Paige’s words clearly a rehearsed speech. No doubt she’s had to repeat it numerous times as of late.
Wendy bit her lip, accepting the words, although a spark of determination remained in her eyes. “Okay, but would you at least be willing to hear me out?”
Paige just shrugged. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt.” Replied Paige quietly. “Alright. Go ahead.” Added the young blonde, nervously stirring the ice in her water.
“I suppose you and I have one thing in common,” Wendy said, reaching into her purse. “We both seem to be working with men who are quite hard headed and stubborn, and so prone to make decisions regardless of common sense.” She pulled out a photograph, and set it on the table in front of page. “This is North Marion Speedway,” she said. Paige looked down. The picture was of two columns of cars, twenty rows deep, rolling down the front stretch, in front of brilliantly white walls, a full grandstand, with crisply manicured grass in the infield. “Terrence just purchased the thing, and he has absolutely no idea what to do with it. From everything I’ve heard, it sounds like you’re VERY adept at property management, and we thought that perhaps...” her voice trailed off, and she nodded to the photograph.
Paige blushed at the proposal. “You thought of ME for this?” She replied in a bit of shock. “I’m...a bit in shock to be honest. I was in advertising before Jenny hired me and T-Will promoted me. I don’t know the first thing about property management, I’m sure I learn but...” she stopped, sipping her water again. The blonde was excited, but still quite nervous.
Wendy smiled slightly. “Well, we’ll certainly need your promotional abilities once we get it... um, fixed up,” she said. “The problem is, well, that photo’s from back in 2007,” Wendy said, reaching into her purse again. “This is a more... current print.” She said putting a much more recent photograph of the now dilapidated track on top of the older picture.
Paige’s eyes went wide. “Didn't he get the track inspected before purchasing?” asked the blonde as if it was the simplest of concepts. “That’s like property management 101.”
“Well, you’re already one step ahead of him, aren’t you, then?” Wendy replied with an exasperated sigh. “In truth, I don’t think it’d have mattered, although he might have gotten the track for less money had he done it. He’s gotten it in his head that he wants to own this thing, and have his own toy. But the amount of work... it’s just too much, Paige. Especially with me in wrestling, and Terrence still driving. We need someone to look after it, and make sure what needs to be done gets done. Do you think you could be that someone?”
Paige took a moment to think as she eyed the photo again, letting out a sigh. “I’m sorry Mrs. Thompson, I’d like to help you but I’m not the person for the job.” she said softly. Paige’s words said no, but her eyes screamed something else entirely.
Wendy grimaced, chewing on her lip. She could see the uneasiness, even fear in her guest’s eyes, but she didn’t want to poke too hard, less she force Paige to completely curl up into herself. “I’m sorry to hear you say that, Ms. Davenport,” she said, sounding disappointed. “I know there would be challenges, especially considering the state the track is in... but I also know you’d be working far less hours than you are now, and I think you’d be making quite a bit more than you were with Willcorp.”
She reached into her purse for a third time, and pulled out a card. “Here’s my number, Paige. If you change your mind, or have any questions, or just need to talk, please give me a call, okay?”
Paige nodded and took the card, chewing her bottom lip briefly as she eyed the number again. The young Personal Assistant slipped the card into her purse, hands shaking a little. Oh how she wanted to say yes, to SCREAM yes...but she just couldn’t. The risk was too great. “I’ll hang onto it. And I appreciate you coming to me about this, I know you don’t exactly get along with my employer at the best of times.”
“Well, that’s why I wondered if you could use a change. You shouldn’t have to have gone through what you have in the last few months. I have SEVERE problems with people who drag unwilling participants into this business, that’s how people get hurt.” She smiled amiably. “Anyways, you should look at the menu. There’s a lot of great stuff on here- I’ve heard the risotto is to DIE for.”
The two sat in silence for several minutes, with Wendy staring at her menu, trying to decide between the Crisped Red Snapper or the Chicken A La Keene. A shadow fell over the table, and Wendy looked up. “I’m sorry, I think we’re going to need another minute or so to de....” her voice trailed off. It wasn’t the waiter that was standing over them.
It was Todd Williams. And he did not look happy in the slightest.
Todd offered a smirk as he sat down at the table. “Care if I join you two? Don’t answer that I know you all love me. Seems like a nice restaurant I personally could have gone for Carmine’s or Virgil’s BBQ but I guess this will do...” Todd took Paige’s glass and took a sip from it as he looked directly into Wendy’s eyes. “So tell me Wendy. What brings you to New York? There a reason you have my Personal ASSistant in a restaurant alone?”
Wendy glanced over, and saw the absolute terror in Paige’s eyes, and felt her own anger and dread rising, although she fought hard to remain polite. “I was just having a nice dinner with Ms. Davenport. We were discussing some... matters.”
“Oh matters...” Todd smirked as he stared over at Paige. “What kind of matters are we talking? You know Gwendolyn I can call you that right? If there are matters to be discussed you should take them up with me and NOT my personal assistant. Now that I am here feel free to talk. Unless you rather share what she discussed Paige.” The blonde PA looked as if someone had a gun to the back of her head, she was sweating, her hands trembling and her eyes as wide as saucers.
“S-she...Mrs. T-Thompson was j-just talking to me about a j-job offer, b-but I h-have declined it. So w-we were about t-to enjoy dinner.” Paige replied, just barely as she was stuttering almost constantly, absolutely terrified.
Todd quickly slammed the glass on the table, shattering it into pieces. He looked at Paige and quickly pushed away from the table, grabbing her violently by the arm. “Come on Paige, I think we are done here! She can’t offer you anything. LET’S GO NOW!!” Todd grabbed Paige, forcing her to get up and leading her away from the table.
And found himself face to face with Wendy, who had interposed herself between the angry man and the door.
Her face was flushed in anger and embarrassment, and her arms were folded over her chest. She was well aware the entire restaurant was staring at them, but she kept her voice deathly quiet. “She’s not going anywhere. Not with you, Todd.”
Todd just scoffed as he confronted Wendy looking down into her eyes. “And what exactly ARE YOU GONNA DO?! Do you know who the hell i am Wendy? I make it a habit super kicking bitches in the face. Do you want to join that club Wendy? Because I have no problem doing so right in this restaurant just to prove a point.” Todd smirked before he slowly backed away instead staring at Paige. “As a matter of fact Ms Davenport take care of my light work please.” He smirked with an evil grin. Paige stared at him like a deer in headlights yet again. “Mr. Williams, do you not think it would be bad to do something so rash in a public place? This isn’t a wrestling ring, laying a finger on Mrs. Thompson would easily end up with multiple criminal charges.” The blonde points to the three visible cameras. “Not to mention if she wished to charge you, or I, or Willcorp as a whole for the assualt.” Paige reasoned, her voice quiet and warm.
“There’s not going to be any fighting in here, Todd,” Wendy said quietly, pointing to the door. “Just go, and let Ms. Davenport and I finish our meal in peace.”
Paige sighed and stood by Todd’s side, regret practically screaming from her eyes. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Thompson. But I believe our evening is done. Thank you for the offer and inviting me out, but I think I...” she swallows and takes in a deep breath. “I think I should be going now.”
“Paige...” Wendy’s voice trailed off, and for the first time, fear had crept into her voice. She had no idea what Todd was going to do to the frightened woman once they were out of public view. “Are you sure, Paige? I can get you a cab, or some other way home. I just don’t think you should-”
Todd smirked at Wendy, waving his finger at her. “Sorry Wendy... You do know what they say about dogs right? They shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds them. Come on Paige I think we are done here.” Todd blew a kiss to Wendy, winking at her as he grabbed Paige and walked towards the door.
Wendy watched them go helplessly, and sighed, as one by one, the other tables in the dining room turned their attention away from her back to their own business. She glanced back at the table, sighing at the spilled water and shattered glass.
The maitre’d was at her shoulder. “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but you have been a great disturbance to the other guests, and...” his voice trailed off as the redhead turned towards him, an absolutely murderous glare on her face. He gulped and took a step back.
But Wendy’s expression softened, and she only sighed, looking forlornly at the door, then back at the ruined table. She grimaced bitterly. “Yeah... I’ll go.”
EPISODE 213: The Headhunter, Part I
From the private journal of Wendy Briese
5-26-13
So here I am, about twenty hours since Relentless went off the air, and I’m still trying to make sense of what had happened.
I had just gotten backstage after beating Jodie, was going through my normal cooldown stretches, when a stagehand knocked on the door and asked me if I was interested in providing color for the FFW Championship match. I accepted, after being assured I’d have some time to freshen myself up so I didn’t look like a sweaty mess on camera.
Boy, was I glad I did!
I can’t help but think back to Terrence’s favorite movie, Speed. I remember a scene early in the film, where the two main characters, Jack and Harry, are inspecting an elevator that has been rigged with a bomb. While waiting for their orders to come down, Harry gives Jack a ‘pop quiz’- a gunman is using a hostage for cover, and is almost to a plane, what does he do? Jack’s response is simple... “shoot the hostage”. Wound them, and they’re out of the picture, leaving the real bad guy completely exposed. At the bare basics- it’s doing something inherently wrong, even unthinkable, to keep something even worse from happening.
Saturday night, I shot the hostage. In the most figurative sense.
Even though I never touched Isabella, I interfered in that match. Even though I had no intention of demeaning Val’s victory, I tainted it, even if only slightly. And even though I know both of those go against my very principles, I know I did the right thing.
I couldn’t let another good woman and deserving wrestler get screwed. It should never have happened to Scarlett, or Camilla, or Colleen. It had to stop somewhere, and I was in a position to do something about it, and I know I’ll sleep far better at night now than if I had sat there and allowed injustice to be done.
But I also known that every action has its consequences, I will have to face mine. Wherever I stood on Isabella’s list before the show, I’m near the top of it now, and that tends to be bad for people’s health. So be it.
In Speed, Harry’s pop quiz plays out in time, when the villian captures him, and is using him for a shield, and Jack is forced to shoot his own partner. It works- with Harry wounded, he’s no longer effective, and the bad guy is forced to abandon him, and make a break for it. But he survives, and not long after, Jack receives a phone call from the bad guy, who’s peeved about being thwarted, and the main storyline of the movie is set up, as he’s forced to play the villain’s game on his terms.
Sooner or later, I know my own phone call will be coming from a very peeved Isabella Pazzini.
Very well. Let the games begin.
=====================
Tuesday May 28, 2013
The Nest- Living Room
Indianapolis, Indiana
1:45 PM Local Time
“Please don’t... no... stop... don’t go... WHY ARE YOU GOING UP THE GODDAMN TURNBUCKLE!!”
Even though the tape of the match was two and a half days old, Daniel Pollaski was acting like he was watching it live, howling at the television as if he had seen pro-wrestling’s equivalent to invading Russia in the winter. From beside him, Wendy couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She pretty much realized her mistake in the matter immediately, and she didn’t really feel like salt getting rubbed in the wound.
But Pollaski had paused the video, and was looking at her. “So why the hell did you go up the damn turnbuckle?”
“I was trying to end the match.” Wendy said simply, sighing.
“Well, good job! You damn near did!”
Wendy acknowledged the blow with a chagrined nod. “I thought I might have a chance for the Emerald Cyclone... and then...”
To finish her sentence Pollaski pressed play again, and the two watched as Jodie got to her feet, freezing with her back to Wendy. Pollaski paused it again. “And then, look! Jodie’s got the telegraph so fucking on, she’s picking up messages from the Carpathia. So you decide to...”
“I thought I could still hit the Vortexinator, if I could time it right.”
“So you forced a finisher in a completely high risk situation. Wendy, what happens when a quarterback forces a pass?”
Wendy didn’t even bother to answer, just watched sheepishly as her manager pressed play on the DVR again.
“BOOM! INTERCEPTED!” Pollaski cried, impersonating John Madden. “You’re lucky this one wasn’t returned for a touchdown.” he finished as Jodie came off the ropes and dropkicked Wendy in the face.
Wendy grimaced again, shaking her head. It was easy enough to pick it apart NOW, sitting on a couch looking with the benefit of hindsight, but at the time, she had wanted to end the match with a big explanation point, given that she was hoping to use it to send a message to the Power Trip. Instead, she had almost let a careless mistake do her in, just like it had with Serafina...
“Well,” Pollaski sighed, resigned. “At least you were able to stop THAT from happening.” He pointed at the screen, where Wendy was shoving Jodie away after her attempt at a claw.
“What can I say?” Wendy replied with a small smile. “I’m quite adverse to the idea of other people sticking their appendages down my throat.”
“Ain’t THAT the truth” came a voice behind them, and both Pollaski and Wendy turned to watch Terrence striding into the room, chuckling as if he had just made an epic joke.
The subtext wasn’t exactly lost on Wendy, who began to blush. “Thank you, Terrence,” she snapped, her voice dripping with acidic sarcasm.
Terrence chuckled again, and sat down next to his irritated wife, putting his arm around her. “Ah, but you sure do look cute when you’re breaking another girl in half,” he said, looking at the television, where Wendy had Jodie firmly in the Banshee.
Wendy’s blush deepened, and again she said, “Thank you, Terrence,” although now considerably more warm and less sarcastic.
The three watched in silence for several seconds as Jodie continued to fruitlessly fight in the hold, finally succombing and tapping out to end the match. Pollaski shut the television off, and turned to look over at Terrence.
“So, how’d it go at the track?”
Almost immediately, Wendy could tell that the answer was ‘not well’ by the helpless shrug and chuckle her husband gave. She reached out and grabbed her husband’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“I sure wish I’d known you could have a property inspected BEFORE you bought it..” Terrence griped glumly.
Wendy released her hand, and stared at her husband incredulously. “You DIDN’T know that?”
Pollaski chuckled. “Yeah, dude. That’s like Real Estate 101.”
“Well, how the hell am I supposed to know these things!” Terrence protested defensively, holding his hands out. “I’ve never done real estate before..”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have then bought real estate if you didn’t know what you were doing...” Wendy said quietly. “Besides, we bought this house together. You don’t remember that we had it inspected first?”
“How the hell am I supposed to remember something that happened seven and a half years ago?” Terrence said, shaking his head. “At least your stupid shed got a glowing review.”
Wendy felt a little mollified by that. All the shed held now was her newly purchased ring, along with crashmats surrounding it, but Wendy had already spent several hours trying to plan out what she wanted her own gym to end up looking like. Heck, she was finding that even just speculating about it was pretty fun.
But she still felt a little bad for her husband, who obviously wasn’t having ANY fun with the situation. He was chewing on his lip, staring at the now-off television. “What we need,” he began slowly, “is someone who knows what they’re doing. Someone who can figure out what these damn inspection reports even MEAN, and how to go about fixing them, and making this place SERVICEABLE.”
“You mean like a property manager,” Wendy put in.
“Yeah!” Terrence said, catching onto the word. “A property man...a....ger.” His voice trailed off, and he was staring directly at Pollaski.
“What, dude?”
“You’re a manager.” Beside her husband, Wendy facepalmed.
“A WRESTLING manager,” Pollaski retorted. “And don’t you DARE even say that-”
“Well, they can’t be THAT different.” Terrence said. “I mean, you made people actually give a shit about DEAS, for crying out loud. How hard could THIS be?”
“Very, considering I knew all along how I could make Bryan Deas relevant. I have ZERO idea on how to restore a race track. That’s because the two things are VERY different.”
“Well, maybe if you..”
“Dude, no.”
“Well, dammit,” Terrence growled, giving his former manager an annoyed look. “I’m going to have to FIND someone.”
Wendy smiled reassuringly. “I’m sure we’ll be able to come up with something. There’s plenty of people out there who specialize in taking uninhabitable properties, and fixing them up to their owner’s desires.”
“Yeah, I know.” Terrence said with a sigh. “But they’re all going to be so damn EXPENSIVE. Besides, we’ll need someone for the long term, I think. Someone who can not only get the place FIXED up, but then also know what needs to be done to maintain it. I mean, they dont have to do the work themselves, just COORDINATE the damn thing so I can have this baby up and running by next year.”
“I can help with the search if you want,” Pollaski volunteered with a shrug. “I might not know fixer-upping too good, but I know people, and I can sense bullshit”
Remarkable, considering how much time he spent smelling his own, Wendy thought, but remained silent. A thought was forming in her mind, one of those fluttery types that seems to dart around the brain, yet can never be fully grasped and comprehended.
Terrence was much more satisfied with Pollaski’s offer. “Fine by me, dude. I could use your help, if you’ve got the time. Know where we can get a list of people who have had experience in managing race tracks?”
“I’d expand beyond that, dude,” Pollaski said, rubbing his chin. “Any kind of property management experience would probably be good, but especially things like stadiums, or parks, or even apartments, or hotels, or skyscrap-”
“I got it!”
Both Terrence and Pollaski started, surprised by Wendy’s sudden outburst. When both men looked over to her, she was grinning widely. “You have an idea, Wendy?” Terrence asked mildly.
“I do! Pollaski, book me a flight to New York on Monday, and an overnight stay, okay? I’ll fly back early Tuesday morning.”
“But... aren’t you guys going to be up in Minnesota that week?” Pollaski asked, skeptical.
“So book my flight to and from the Twin Cities,” Wendy said. When she noticed her husband looking slightly annoyed, she sighed. “It’ll only be for a day, Terry. You can take Theresa fishing on Monday. You know I’m not a big fan of fishing...”
“But... WHY?” Terrence asked. “Why New York all of a sudden.”
Wendy’s grin broadened, almost to the point of mischevious. “Because I think I know the perfect person for the job.”
5-26-13
So here I am, about twenty hours since Relentless went off the air, and I’m still trying to make sense of what had happened.
I had just gotten backstage after beating Jodie, was going through my normal cooldown stretches, when a stagehand knocked on the door and asked me if I was interested in providing color for the FFW Championship match. I accepted, after being assured I’d have some time to freshen myself up so I didn’t look like a sweaty mess on camera.
Boy, was I glad I did!
I can’t help but think back to Terrence’s favorite movie, Speed. I remember a scene early in the film, where the two main characters, Jack and Harry, are inspecting an elevator that has been rigged with a bomb. While waiting for their orders to come down, Harry gives Jack a ‘pop quiz’- a gunman is using a hostage for cover, and is almost to a plane, what does he do? Jack’s response is simple... “shoot the hostage”. Wound them, and they’re out of the picture, leaving the real bad guy completely exposed. At the bare basics- it’s doing something inherently wrong, even unthinkable, to keep something even worse from happening.
Saturday night, I shot the hostage. In the most figurative sense.
Even though I never touched Isabella, I interfered in that match. Even though I had no intention of demeaning Val’s victory, I tainted it, even if only slightly. And even though I know both of those go against my very principles, I know I did the right thing.
I couldn’t let another good woman and deserving wrestler get screwed. It should never have happened to Scarlett, or Camilla, or Colleen. It had to stop somewhere, and I was in a position to do something about it, and I know I’ll sleep far better at night now than if I had sat there and allowed injustice to be done.
But I also known that every action has its consequences, I will have to face mine. Wherever I stood on Isabella’s list before the show, I’m near the top of it now, and that tends to be bad for people’s health. So be it.
In Speed, Harry’s pop quiz plays out in time, when the villian captures him, and is using him for a shield, and Jack is forced to shoot his own partner. It works- with Harry wounded, he’s no longer effective, and the bad guy is forced to abandon him, and make a break for it. But he survives, and not long after, Jack receives a phone call from the bad guy, who’s peeved about being thwarted, and the main storyline of the movie is set up, as he’s forced to play the villain’s game on his terms.
Sooner or later, I know my own phone call will be coming from a very peeved Isabella Pazzini.
Very well. Let the games begin.
=====================
Tuesday May 28, 2013
The Nest- Living Room
Indianapolis, Indiana
1:45 PM Local Time
“Please don’t... no... stop... don’t go... WHY ARE YOU GOING UP THE GODDAMN TURNBUCKLE!!”
Even though the tape of the match was two and a half days old, Daniel Pollaski was acting like he was watching it live, howling at the television as if he had seen pro-wrestling’s equivalent to invading Russia in the winter. From beside him, Wendy couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She pretty much realized her mistake in the matter immediately, and she didn’t really feel like salt getting rubbed in the wound.
But Pollaski had paused the video, and was looking at her. “So why the hell did you go up the damn turnbuckle?”
“I was trying to end the match.” Wendy said simply, sighing.
“Well, good job! You damn near did!”
Wendy acknowledged the blow with a chagrined nod. “I thought I might have a chance for the Emerald Cyclone... and then...”
To finish her sentence Pollaski pressed play again, and the two watched as Jodie got to her feet, freezing with her back to Wendy. Pollaski paused it again. “And then, look! Jodie’s got the telegraph so fucking on, she’s picking up messages from the Carpathia. So you decide to...”
“I thought I could still hit the Vortexinator, if I could time it right.”
“So you forced a finisher in a completely high risk situation. Wendy, what happens when a quarterback forces a pass?”
Wendy didn’t even bother to answer, just watched sheepishly as her manager pressed play on the DVR again.
“BOOM! INTERCEPTED!” Pollaski cried, impersonating John Madden. “You’re lucky this one wasn’t returned for a touchdown.” he finished as Jodie came off the ropes and dropkicked Wendy in the face.
Wendy grimaced again, shaking her head. It was easy enough to pick it apart NOW, sitting on a couch looking with the benefit of hindsight, but at the time, she had wanted to end the match with a big explanation point, given that she was hoping to use it to send a message to the Power Trip. Instead, she had almost let a careless mistake do her in, just like it had with Serafina...
“Well,” Pollaski sighed, resigned. “At least you were able to stop THAT from happening.” He pointed at the screen, where Wendy was shoving Jodie away after her attempt at a claw.
“What can I say?” Wendy replied with a small smile. “I’m quite adverse to the idea of other people sticking their appendages down my throat.”
“Ain’t THAT the truth” came a voice behind them, and both Pollaski and Wendy turned to watch Terrence striding into the room, chuckling as if he had just made an epic joke.
The subtext wasn’t exactly lost on Wendy, who began to blush. “Thank you, Terrence,” she snapped, her voice dripping with acidic sarcasm.
Terrence chuckled again, and sat down next to his irritated wife, putting his arm around her. “Ah, but you sure do look cute when you’re breaking another girl in half,” he said, looking at the television, where Wendy had Jodie firmly in the Banshee.
Wendy’s blush deepened, and again she said, “Thank you, Terrence,” although now considerably more warm and less sarcastic.
The three watched in silence for several seconds as Jodie continued to fruitlessly fight in the hold, finally succombing and tapping out to end the match. Pollaski shut the television off, and turned to look over at Terrence.
“So, how’d it go at the track?”
Almost immediately, Wendy could tell that the answer was ‘not well’ by the helpless shrug and chuckle her husband gave. She reached out and grabbed her husband’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“I sure wish I’d known you could have a property inspected BEFORE you bought it..” Terrence griped glumly.
Wendy released her hand, and stared at her husband incredulously. “You DIDN’T know that?”
Pollaski chuckled. “Yeah, dude. That’s like Real Estate 101.”
“Well, how the hell am I supposed to know these things!” Terrence protested defensively, holding his hands out. “I’ve never done real estate before..”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have then bought real estate if you didn’t know what you were doing...” Wendy said quietly. “Besides, we bought this house together. You don’t remember that we had it inspected first?”
“How the hell am I supposed to remember something that happened seven and a half years ago?” Terrence said, shaking his head. “At least your stupid shed got a glowing review.”
Wendy felt a little mollified by that. All the shed held now was her newly purchased ring, along with crashmats surrounding it, but Wendy had already spent several hours trying to plan out what she wanted her own gym to end up looking like. Heck, she was finding that even just speculating about it was pretty fun.
But she still felt a little bad for her husband, who obviously wasn’t having ANY fun with the situation. He was chewing on his lip, staring at the now-off television. “What we need,” he began slowly, “is someone who knows what they’re doing. Someone who can figure out what these damn inspection reports even MEAN, and how to go about fixing them, and making this place SERVICEABLE.”
“You mean like a property manager,” Wendy put in.
“Yeah!” Terrence said, catching onto the word. “A property man...a....ger.” His voice trailed off, and he was staring directly at Pollaski.
“What, dude?”
“You’re a manager.” Beside her husband, Wendy facepalmed.
“A WRESTLING manager,” Pollaski retorted. “And don’t you DARE even say that-”
“Well, they can’t be THAT different.” Terrence said. “I mean, you made people actually give a shit about DEAS, for crying out loud. How hard could THIS be?”
“Very, considering I knew all along how I could make Bryan Deas relevant. I have ZERO idea on how to restore a race track. That’s because the two things are VERY different.”
“Well, maybe if you..”
“Dude, no.”
“Well, dammit,” Terrence growled, giving his former manager an annoyed look. “I’m going to have to FIND someone.”
Wendy smiled reassuringly. “I’m sure we’ll be able to come up with something. There’s plenty of people out there who specialize in taking uninhabitable properties, and fixing them up to their owner’s desires.”
“Yeah, I know.” Terrence said with a sigh. “But they’re all going to be so damn EXPENSIVE. Besides, we’ll need someone for the long term, I think. Someone who can not only get the place FIXED up, but then also know what needs to be done to maintain it. I mean, they dont have to do the work themselves, just COORDINATE the damn thing so I can have this baby up and running by next year.”
“I can help with the search if you want,” Pollaski volunteered with a shrug. “I might not know fixer-upping too good, but I know people, and I can sense bullshit”
Remarkable, considering how much time he spent smelling his own, Wendy thought, but remained silent. A thought was forming in her mind, one of those fluttery types that seems to dart around the brain, yet can never be fully grasped and comprehended.
Terrence was much more satisfied with Pollaski’s offer. “Fine by me, dude. I could use your help, if you’ve got the time. Know where we can get a list of people who have had experience in managing race tracks?”
“I’d expand beyond that, dude,” Pollaski said, rubbing his chin. “Any kind of property management experience would probably be good, but especially things like stadiums, or parks, or even apartments, or hotels, or skyscrap-”
“I got it!”
Both Terrence and Pollaski started, surprised by Wendy’s sudden outburst. When both men looked over to her, she was grinning widely. “You have an idea, Wendy?” Terrence asked mildly.
“I do! Pollaski, book me a flight to New York on Monday, and an overnight stay, okay? I’ll fly back early Tuesday morning.”
“But... aren’t you guys going to be up in Minnesota that week?” Pollaski asked, skeptical.
“So book my flight to and from the Twin Cities,” Wendy said. When she noticed her husband looking slightly annoyed, she sighed. “It’ll only be for a day, Terry. You can take Theresa fishing on Monday. You know I’m not a big fan of fishing...”
“But... WHY?” Terrence asked. “Why New York all of a sudden.”
Wendy’s grin broadened, almost to the point of mischevious. “Because I think I know the perfect person for the job.”
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Episode 212: The Ball Drop, Part III
Monday May 20, 2013
Complete Darkness (Cause she’s blindfolded, remember?)
Indinapolis, Indiana (Oh dear God, she hopes)
6:34 PM Local Time
“Alright... on three Wendy. Okay? One... two.... THREE!”
The blindfold came off.
Her face fell.
And she looked at Terrence.
“Really?”
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Terrence said, grinning as wide as his bandadged, broken nose would allow him to, as if he were standing in a national park and not an abandoned race track. “North Marion Speedway, where I started my career!”
Now that he mentioned it, the place did look familiar- Wendy had gone to North Marion enough times to where she should have recognized it. But the track had closed back in 2008, she recalled, and it certainly looked the part. The entire facility was overgrown with weeds, including the track itself, which had the indiduous plants shooting through the numerous cracks in its surface. The grandstands themselves were stripped of all paint and dilapidated, and several windows in the announcers booth had been shattered. And thanks to the recent rain, the entire field was a pit of mud. She couldn’t even begin to fathom why her husband would drag her to such a dreary place.
“Thats... nice, Terrence” Wendy said, trying to subdue the throbbing thought that she was missing valuable training time for this. “Why are we here?” she continued, hoping to god that this wasn’t her husband’s idea of a spot for a nice family picnic. Even with the weather having cleared up from the afternoon’s thunderstorms, the speedway was a fairly depressing place. She hoped any of them didn’t get ticks... or tetanus... or the plague.
“I thought you might want to see it.” Terrence said, matter-of-factly. “I was thinking we should increase the banking... maybe widen the turns a bit. Heck, we might even get this thing open by 2014!”
Her husband was obviously getting ahead of himself, but Wendy realized what he was talking about almost instantly, and she whirled around, disbelief all over her face. “You cannot honestly be thinking about buying this dump.”
Terrence laughed. “Oh, don’t be silly, Wendy. I already BOUGHT it!”
For the first time all evening, Wendy was suddenly glad she had driven her elbow into her husband’s nose earlier, and was seriously contemplating doing it again. She tried to smile her sweetest fake smile, but could only manage a grimace, and stammer. “Wh...wh... WHY?!”
Terrence shrugged. “Well, I was thinking the other day. I’m getting older. You’re getting older. (For the second time, Wendy fought down the urge to slug him) We can’t do what we’re doing forever, you know. So I saw that this lot was up for sale, and, well, why not? There’s a serious lack of good stock car tracks in Indianapolis right now, most guys have to run up to Anderson. So why not bring back the NMS? It’d be fun!”
Wendy rubbed the bridge of her nose, unable to believe what she was hearing. “Terry, do you even know what it TAKES to operate a stock car track? Much less RESTORE one?”
Terrence shrugged. “Can’t be that hard. I’ve already talked to the local drivers, and they said they’d love to come back here if we fix it up. And how hard could THAT be? I figure, y’know, fix up the grandstands and repaint them. Clear out the weeds, repave the track...”
“Bury my husband...” Wendy muttered under her breath, glancing sidelong at her daughter. To her credit, Theresa had an expression on his face that clearly showed she too thought this was a bad idea. Great... so her seven year old daughter had more common sense. “How much did it cost?”
“Oh, about a hundred thousand. More or less.”
Terrence’s cavalier attitude about dropping a hundred grand on a dilapidated unusual racing stadium grated on Wendy’s nerves. She was still kicking herself for signing with that stupid Beautiful Health Club, and her husband had just spent TWENTY TIMES that money for something even MORE useless. And he didn’t even bat an eye!
“So this is my birthday present?” Wendy said, trying to keep her voice level. She didn’t want to sound ungracious, but even she had her limits as to how much she was willing to put up with. This was even dumber than the time he had given her a (homemade) coupon for one free oil change lesson.
“Oh, God no.” Terrence said, bursting out laughing. “This baby’s for me. And of course the wonderful stock car racing fans of central Indiana.”
Wendy snorted, a small smile forming on her face. “Oh, good. Because I thought you said you were surprising me with an early birthday present.”
“Oh yeah.” Terrence said, pointing across the track. “There it is.”
Wendy followed his gaze, and her smile promptly disappeared. “A... shed. How thoughtful of you, Terrence.”
“Yeah, it came with the property,” Terrence said. “Come on, let’s go check it out.”
Terrence turned around, and walked back to the car, humming a jaunty tune, while Wendy sulked behind him, nearly tripping on her daughter as she did. She got into the car, and slammed the door as Terrence started the Charger’s engine. She bit her lip to keep from screaming, at her husband and everything else. How much time was she wasting with this? When she could be training, or watching match tape, or at least trying to find a stupid ring she could train in for her big match in five days?
Instead, she was at an abandoned racetrack her husband had clearly bought without thinking things through, and on her way to look at her very own abandoned storage shed!
Yippie ki frickin yay.
It was only a couple minutes drive at least, around the gravel service road that surrounded the track (and was in surprisingly good condition too, all things considered). And to her surprise, the shed was actually bigger than she had thought- not quite a full-size warehouse, but definitely not the tiny building she had assumed it was. There were two huge doors, assumedly for a truck to enter, but it was a smaller side door that Terrence opened, inviting her in.
She had expected a cobweb infested nightmare, but the building was actually quite clean, if not a little dusty. A row of large halogen lamps hung from the peak of the roof, and Wendy almost had to shield her eyes at how bright it became inside. Still, despite it not being the spectacular health-hazard dump she had expected... it was just a storage shed, and she sighed.
And then it hit her.
“I could train here...” she whispered, looking around. There was more than enough room for plenty of workout equipment, even a ring. It was almost exciting to think about... even though she almost shuddered at the thought of how much work that could take to make this a proper training facility.
“Well, that’s what I was thinking,” Terrence said, grinning that his wife had caught on. “I mean, it wouldn’t exactly be Adonis & Appletini, or whatever, but you could probably at least make it as nice as that Speed City dump.
And no more having to rely on Crossroads wrestling, and at the mercy of a stupid sumo ladder match. In fact...
Wendy was suddenly so excited she could barely keep her hands steady as she reached into her pocket, nearly fumbling her phone as she grabbed for it. She dialed her manager, and paced back and forth as she listened to the ring on the other side.
Pollaskis tone when he answered was one of exasperation. "I'm still looking, dammit! And the goddman CIRCUS cancelled for Wednesday, and I’m trying to find a replacement!”
“Yeah, well... wait. A CIRCUS?” Wendy was flabbergasted.
“Yeah, for the musical. Just trust me... it’ll be awesome.”
“I... what... no. We don’t need a circus, Pollaski.” Wendy sighed. This conversation hadn’t exactly taken the direction she was hoping. Then again, they rarely did,where Pollaski was concerned.
“But I was gonna pay Jodie’s actress to lie down so that an elephant could take a big-”
"NEVER MIND THAT!," Wendy nearly screamed. She took a deep breath, calming herself. "Dan, what if I were to *buy* a ring? How much would that cost?"
"I dunno." Pollaski was clearly caught off guard. "Maybe four... five thousand for a nice one. Why?"
"Because I want you to get one." Wendys said, in an obvious tone. "I dont care if its new or used or state of the art. But I want it sturdy, and I want it SAFE. And Pollaski?"
"Yeah?"
"I want it delivered TOMORROW. I want to be running the ropes in here by tomorrow evening."
Pollaski sounded as if he didnt know whether to laugh or cry. "Delivered WHERE? You don't even have a space to stick a goddamn wrestling ring!"
"I do now!" Wendy responded fervently. "I’ll text you the address."
She heard a thud on the other end of the line, which she guessed wads her manager's skull colliding with his desk. His voice was as weary as Wendy had ever heard it. "I'll see what I can do."
"I believe it's 'Do or do not, there is no try,' Daniel"
"Don't go Master Yoda on me," Pollaski snapped. "All Yoda wanted was to get a goddamn spaceship out of the mud with the Force. I have to get an ENTIRE goddamn ring to Indianapolis in less than twenty-four hours."
"Using your cell phone, the power of persuasion, and my credit card," Wendy smiled. "This will be WAY more productive than a stupid circus. I have faith in you."
"Of course you do" Pollaski sighed. "Oh, and if you see Terrence, would you telk him to GET HIS FUCKING ASS OVER HERE AND FIX MY-"
Wendy pressed the 'end call' button, sliding her phone back in her pocket. She noticed both Terrence and Theresa staring at her.
"So, is he gonna do it?" Her husband asked. When Wendy nodded he continued. "He all bent out of shape that I havent fixed his car yet?"
Wendy raised her eyebrows, slightly surprised. "I figured you’d forgotten."
Terrence snorted. "I was busy finalizing the deal here. He can wait. You come first."
Even though she knew that was a partial lie- Terrence had cared far more about buying his race track than he had about this warehouse, Wendy still smiled graciously. "Thats sweet of you, Terry," she said.
"Yeah, well, happy birthday, Wendy," Terrence said, putting his arms around her. Wendy smiled as she felt her daughter hug her waist was well.
"Yeah, happy birthday, Mom."
"Thank you both"
They pulled apart, and stood next to each other, arms around each others shoulders, looking at the empty building,
"Well, I guess we're both going to have a lot of work to do." Wendy said.
"Yup. A track to refurbish, and a gym to build. And once youre done, you wont have to deal with Muffy ever again."
"Thatd be the best present anyone could EVER give me," Wendy grinned.
"And when you're done here, you could even open up your own gym! Or, even better, a wrestling school!"
The glare that she turned on him was one that could have melted through the shed's metal walls, and Terrence quickly backpedaled, waving his arms as if to ward her off.
"Sheesh. I was KIDDING!"
===============
Saturday May 25, 2013
Barclay’s Center- Exterior
New York City, New York
4:17 PM Local Time
Less than a year in operation, the Barclay’s Center is a shining beacon of modernism nestled in with the much older brick buildings of Brooklyn, New York. We’re just outside the arena, in the Oculus, a rather unique structure on the side of the arena with LED screens. Wendy is sitting underneath the Oculus, on a bench that has been positioned so that she is in the shade. She’s dressed casually, in a buttoned blouse and jeans, not quite ready to slip into her ring gear yet.
“Finally here at the Barclays Center. I have to say... it’s been a heck of a week to get here. Heck it’s been a heck of a two months. I came back at Chaos Theory. Got back in the ring right here in this beautiful city, in Central Park no less. Then I got to main event in my own hometown and beat a former FFW Champion. And then, just this Monday, I found out that the ring I normally was out, and was in a bit of a bind until...”
Wendy smiles, and shakes her head, chuckling.
“Well, I’ll say this. You can say what you will about my manager, and I know he’s certainly gotten on the bad side of more than a few of my colleagues. But when you’re in a pinch, not too many people can come through like he does. I had a ring by Tuesday, and I’ve been working hard all the way up to when I caught my flight to La Guardia. It’s been a bumpy ride this week, doing that musical and all, but I’m here, and I’m ready. “
“Am I nervous? Yeah, a little. Not so much as I was before Byte This or Breaking Point, though. I think once you get back in the swing of things, nab a couple wins under your belt, it gets a bit easier. Of course, that doesn’t change the fact that TONIGHT, the pressure is entirely on me. I was the one who called out the Power Trip. I was the one who demanded a match. I was the one who said ‘pick anybody and send them down, and I’ll beat them’. And, like the billing for this match says... it’s time for me to put up or shut up.”
Wendy bites her lip, grimacing.
“I normally don’t like guaranteeing victories. There’s just too much that can go wrong in this sport for you to do that, and one misstep, and you end up with egg on your face. But you know what? Sometimes you have to cut the safety net. Sometimes you have to put your reputation and credibility on the line to make a point. And this is one of those times I have to do it. Because after watching what those people did to this company in the past few months, I have to fight and beat one of them.”
“And I’ll be honest... I was a bit disappointed when first Isabella told me that I was facing Jodie. It’s got nothing to do with her talent, or where she is on the card, or anything regarding ability. She’s shown time and again she’s a good wrestler. There’s no question about that. It’s just... maybe it’s just me... but it’s kind of easy to forget that Jodie IS a member of the Power Trip sometimes.”
A small shrug.
“Unless there’s something to be directly gained from it, like, y’know, being in a pay-per-view main event, you don’t see Jodie flying the flag too much. She’d clearly rather spend her time with her wrestling school buddies than she does with the rest of the Power Trip, to the point that you get members of the Power Trip questioning her loyalties publicly on Twitter. Lord knows what they’re thinking behind closed doors. Heck, maybe that’s why Isabella ‘fed’ her to me... either as some kind of test, or cannon fodder. Although we’ll get to all that in a second.”
“The more I think about it though... the more I realize it doesn’t matter. Wherever her loyalties ultimately lie, Jodie’s officially Power Trip. The billing says she’s Power Trip. The fans think she’s Power Trip. So if I want to fight someone from the Power Trip, and she’s the one available, then let’s get it on. Wherever her loyalties play out afterwards is no concern of mine.”
Wendy looks up at the Oculus screen above, her, and lets out a small sigh.
“So here we are, Wendy versus Jodie. THe 2011 Breakout star of the Year against the 2012. Once I found out this match was going to happen, my family and friends have actually been betting each other on which gaming reference Jodie was going to throw out. Apparently, there aren’t that many ‘Wendys’ in video games, and Theresa was thinking Wendy O’Koopa from the Mario series, while Terrence got his money on Wendy Ryan from Psychic Force, while Pollaski bet that whatever it is, it’ll be from either Batman or Pokemon, because that’s all Jodie ever references.”
Wendy snorts in amusement.
“Looks like Pollaski won there. But ultimately... heh, I’d rather be compared to some ugly psychotic shrill female turtle than what I ultimately ended up seeing from these ‘v-logs’, or whatever they’re called.”
Wendy shakes her head and rubs the bridge of her nose, almost chuckling in her bemusment.
“I mean... I don’t even know where to BEGIN here.”
“When I saw ‘Road to Relentless’, my musical mind immediately thought that we might see something along the lines of the old, great, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope travel buddy musicals. Or at least scenes of her preparing herself, both physically and mentally for our match. Instead, we get her at various locations around New York, WHINING about how horrible she gets treated.”
“I guess I can start by saying this ALL looks a little bit TOO much familiar here. I could have SWORN not too long ago I had another match against another member of one of Samantha Star’s little power cliques. Come to think of it, she ALSO was a Future Shock graduate who came into FFW as a somewhat likeable fan favorite, but within months had completely changed her tune, joined up with Samantha, and became a snotty little brat. And then and then both of them get a match with me, and call me out for being a big fat phony who only PRETENDS to be nice.”
Wendy rolls her eyes, clearly annoyed.
“Yes, ladies and gentlemen. Jodie Gray IS the Power Trip’s spiritual successor of Jo McFarlane from the A-List. Heck, they even both dug up a tag match that happened years ago in another company that MAYBE 5% of FFW fans ever saw in some desperate attempt to claim I cheat. So here’s an idea, since Jodie is suddenly so interested in history- she should go as Jo how that all ended up working out.”
“Of course, I have the added bonus here of being the one BLAMED for Jodie’s sudden turn to the dark side. All because I apparently didn’t hold her hand and save her from all the evil critics in the world... but we’re going to get to that later.”
“Because before we get ANY further, let me just point out that JUST like it was with Jo, all this is a bunch of bunk. The only difference is that I actually believe Jo really, truly believed what she was saying at the time, while with Jodie...”
Wendy can’t help but laugh, and shake her head at the incredulity of it all.
“At the risk of being graphic here, Jodie Gray is more full of dung than a compost heap in August. The woman is either a habitual liar, or has absolutely zero grasp on reality.”
“She likes video game references, so let me throw one out here. I know this, because Terrence and Pollaski play Dynasty Warriors AD NAUSEUM, and I’m honestly dreading July when the next one comes out. Anyways... there’s this character in the game.. Zhuge Liang. Every time you beat him, he spouts off a line about how this was ALL a part of his plan, and retreats. The boys even joke about it while they’re playing. I’ll admit, it’s kind of funny to think about.”
“But with Jodie... its not really that funny. It’s more sad and pathetic, but we’re seeing it. She wants to pretend that EVERYTHING is going according to her plan, when the truth is... I don’t think she even HAS a plan. The woman seems to change her tune so much she’s like a human MP3 player. And we just saw it so blatantly with Kinsey. Jodie spent weeks spreading LIES about her, to the point that Kinsey... think about that... KINSEY ROBINSON, who seems like one of the sweetest girls in the company, wanted to rip her head off. And honestly, she nearly did just that. And after the dust settled?”
“Jodie claimed that she was just trying to motivate Kinsey. Even though Kinsey clearly didn’t need much motivation. Because she was the Queen of Games, and that’s what she did. You know, it’s one thing to lie, but when you insult everyone’s intelligence by expecting us to swallow such unmitigated BULL, well... there’s something seriously wrong with you.”
Wendy takes a deep breath, and exhales, coupling it with another eyeroll.
“So no, I don’t believe for a second this whole ‘broken idol’ story that Jodie has concocted. Just like she did with Kinsey, she’s simply making up stuff as she goes along to make her look better. But what she fails to realize, everything she says is so farfetched. For instance, if I was her idol... how come she never ONCE did anything to initiate a relationship with me? I don’t think I’m unapproachable, and yet, before I was set against her for Conviction we’ve barely ever talked. And if she wanted my, ahem, ‘help’, why wouldn’t she, y’know... ASK for it?”
“Because, like I said, she’s lying. She’s basically throwing deus ex machina’s into her own version of continuity, simply for the sake of looking better. I also don’t believe for a second that she’s spent the last month being told by the entire human race that I’m going to steamroll her, either. I’ve actually NEVER seen a wrestler to go so far out of her way to play the victim. It’s almost amusing, if it weren’t so pathetic.”
“I don’t even believe Jodie actually asked for this match. If Jodie wanted to, what was it... ‘rip the mask off me’... she had that chance at Chaos Theory. She could have nipped the ‘Wendy problem’ in the bud right then and there, and she didn’t. Obviously, I can’t prove this... I’m not exactly on speaking terms with Isabella, and I doubt she’s going to publicly gainsay a member of the Power Trip. But again, everything Jodie let’s out seems just a bit TOO convenient, especially considering the “IM BEING FED TO WENDY” meltdown we all got earlier. Now suddenly, it’s her idea, because Jodie found out the hard way what trying to play the pathetic victim gets you in terms of respect around here. She’s played so fast and loose with the truth every time she talks, you just have to assume she’s doing it now. You keep crying wolf over and over, the villagers stop listening to your wails, right?”
A slight nod.
“It’s easy to see WHY she keeps doing it too. She’s created this whole ‘Queen of Games’ persona, trying to present herself as a chessmaster who manipulates people, either for advantage or amusement. Of course, the whole thing unravelled MONTHS ago. Jodie’s proven time and again that she’s a pawn in this game, not the player she so wants to desperately say she is. She was a tagalong at Chaos Theory, and she REFUSED to take any sense of leadership at any point in the match that night. She was just... there. What kind of Chessmaster allows themselves to become such a non-entity, especially when its her biggest opportunity ever to stand out?”
“She’s a pawn here, too. I made a move, made an open challenge to the Power Trip. And Isabella picked her right up, and put her into my way. Of COURSE Jodie doesn’t want us to believe that. That this was all her idea. It wasn’t. It’s all just an attempt to make her look like she’s got some semblance of control here, when she doesn’t.”
Wendy pauses, and shakes her head, laughing.
“Of course, I suppose now Jodie’s just going to say that she intended ALL ALONG that no one would believe her, because she’s a psychological master like that.”
“So since Jodie’s lied so much that you don’t know what’s going on... what is the truth, exactly?”
“Well, for starters. While I don’t believe for a second that Jodie has spent the last month listening to everyone tell her it... she IS being fed to me.”
Wendy slightly raises her eyebrows, as if to say ‘you’re really surprised’
“At least in Isabella’s mind. I was almost taken aback at how... dismissive Isabella was about the entire situation when I ran into her at Breaking Point. I helped put her entire faction on the run at Chaos Theory, you know she’s not about to let something like this stand. I’ve been in the Power Trip’s crosshairs for the better part of a year now. And all I get is a shrug and a ‘Oh, by the way, you’re facing Jodie’?”
“Then I realized it for what it truly was. Isabella Pazzini is not a stupid woman, and what she did... it’s actually brilliant, because, at least where I’m concerned, she put herself in a no-lose situation. Wendy wants to fight a member of the Power Trip? Alright, give her Jodie. Wendy still gets to fight a Power Trip member, so she’s happy, and doesn’t bother the rest of them for a while. And when she beats Jodie, it’s not like the rest of the group will lose much face, because Jodie’s almost universally considered the weakest member by the fans, and not exactly considered to be part of the inner circle. And if, by some miracle, Jodie DOES win, then Wendy’s publicly humiliated and out of their hair for a good while.”
“I hope Jodie’s taking notes here, because THAT is how a true Chessmaster works. I’ll give the devil her due, Isabella’s one of the most adept there is at moving pieces on the board, perhaps second in this company only to Samantha Star herself. Unlike Jodie, she is actually capable of fooling people beyond a simple craven cheating tactic mid match.”
“But unfortunately for Jodie... just because I’m savvy enough to understand the TRUE games that are being played around here, it doesn’t mean I take them at face value. She might be the sacrificial lamb in Isabella’s eyes, but I know she’s one dangerous little lamb, with teeth, claws... and a ‘Hand of God’. So even if she IS being fed to me by her Power Trip sisters... I’m still going to have to sing for my supper, so to speak. There are no gimme matches in FFW. This one is no exception. So she should stop insulting my intelligence by acting like I’m going to assume it is one.”
“Then again... insulting people’s intelligence seems to be her modus operandi around here. I’m not all that into video games and comic books, but I’m pretty sure there’s more to the mediums than Pokemon and Batman, but oddly... like Pollaski mentioned to me, those tend to be the only two things Jodie... who’s supposedly this great ‘nerd queen’... ever references. It’d probably explain why most of our... pardon me... ‘nerd fans’ seem to reject her and are far more into supporting Jennifer Williams or Eileen Amaro, both of whom can throw out reference from pretty much anywhere and seem far more... legitimate.”
Wendy finishes, looking almost guilty, although there is a sheepish smile on her face.
“Sorry, I suppose that’s nitpicking a bit there. But it just always made me wonder why Jodie seems to have such a... limited scope of the culture compared to her more likeable counterparts. But I suppose it’s not my place to be checking people’s ‘nerd cred’.”
“But it all factors into the second basic truth here, and that is Jodie is little more than a chameleon, just like Crystal Hilton tends to be. Jodie almost takes it to an insidious level, but the name of the game remains the same, ultimately. Jodie simply changes her colors to what she thinks will be best for her. This week, she’s pitiful and vengeful. Against Kinsey, she was jaded and bitter. Against Gigante, she was arrogant. In the Ten Femme Chaos match, she played the Golden Apple of Discord. And it goes ALL the way back.”
“Jodie likes to go on and on and on about how she became who she is because people were ‘mean’ to her. She tried to be nice but people like Mel and Leo were just so mean to her, that she abandoned the facade!”
“Except, two things... first... Jodie’s NEVER abandoned her facade. She simply changed it. There hasn’t been a moment in that girl’s career when she wasn’t surrounded by at least multiple levels of pretense. Her next opponent, it will all change again, and she’ll have something else. I suppose you could say it’s that psychological manipulation she’s apparently so great at... but looking at things it hasn’t done her a whole lot of good in the long run.”
Wendy snorts, and shakes her head.
“Second... does anyone here remember WHY Mel and Leo kept dogging on her, and calling her out? It’s because... they thought she was a FAKE. Heck, when Future Shock started, she went so far as to pretend she didn’t know what she was doing... until the match started and she suddenly looked VERY competent. And Jodie even ADMITS it HERSELF, because she says she was “acting like the good girl”. She was playing a role. And now she’s bitter because people SAW THROUGH IT?”
“Well, golly GEE, Jodie Gray. There’s your PROBLEM!”
“Maybe, just MAYBE, if Jodie actually stopped to think for six seconds, figured out who she was, and ACTED LIKE HERSELF, and NOT like ANYONE else... she wouldn’t have had these difficulties. But ultimately, the great psychological mistress who thinks she toys with everyone else’s emotions can’t even FIGURE OUT HER OWN.”
“Instead we get this snivelling, ‘I tried to be good and all, and I acted really nice, and I thought people would like me, but they didn’t, and Wendy wouldn’t hold my hand, and people were really mean, my skin’s so thin I couldn’t handle it, and now I’m mean and’... oh for God sakes, I’m starting to nauseate MYSELF.
Wendy scoffs in derision, shaking her head. She takes a deep breath, and shakes her head.
“And that ultimately brings us to the third, and most fatal truth about Jodie Gray. She’s all about image over substance.”
“If you have a moment, go to femmefatalewrestling.com, and check out my roster page. Then look at hers. Notice the difference?”
“Mine just says ‘Wendy Briese’. Because that’s simply who I am. But Jodie’s says ‘Queen of Games’. Because that’s who she wants us to think she is. Neverminding that her gaming knowledge seems awfully limited outside of Pokemon, or her machinations are ineffective at best, and completely counterproductive at worst, like what we saw in Kinsey’s case. We keep hearing about it... but we never actually see it. But nevermind that, she IS the Queen, and she will fool us all with her mind games, because she SAID so! In the literary world, they call that an ‘informed ability’.”
“I think Jodie believes that since she puts a huge steaming pile of horsepucky on a plate, and serves it to us expecting everyone to lap it up, that the rest of us all do the same thing. That Femme Fatale Wrestling, or even the entires world, is all one giant dung buffet, with each of us feeding each other, and everyone’s just expected to eat what’s served, and like it.”
Wendy scrunches up her nose, looking fairly disgusted at the analogy.
“Reality proves that in essence, Jodie has absolutely no clue what she’s talking about. For better or for worse, the vast majority of the FFW roster is TRUE to themselves. I know Eileen is. I know Valerie is. I know Hayley and Ignis are. Even some of the people in the Power Trip are, including Tara, and, dare I say it, Isabella. What you see from them is ultimately what you get.”
“And its the same with me as well. I might hold my tongue once in a while, and maybe I’ll even tell a white lie now and then, but by and large, what you see from me here is what you see from me at home.”
“I think of myself as a generally likeable person, and I think I get along with most people. If that means I’m ‘The Nice Girl’, okay. But I don’t think I’m being very nice right NOW. I don’t think I’ve been all that nice to Katherine Stryfe, or Crystal Hilton, and for good reason, in my opinion. But Jodie’s got it in her mind that since 90% of the time I fit into her mentality of a ‘Nice Girl’ persona, whenever I break from it, I’m suddenly a hypocrite.”
“Well, surprise. I’m opinionated, and if I think something is wrong, I’m not going to keep quiet. Speaking up about stuff is JUDGEMENTAL, and we can’t be THAT this day and age, because we might hurt someone’s FEELINGS. I also have a temper, as my friends and family can attest to. I have limits to my patience, and they can be snapped, like say, when I have to listen to uninformed diatribes by insane little girls who don’t know much about anything. And there’s some people in this world that I just don’t like, and I don’t think any of them would call me very friendly towards them.”
“And I certainly don’t think anyone I’ve ever been in the ring with would ever say I’m much of a nice person there...”
Wendy quickly flashes a grin.
“And I know I make a lot of mistakes, but ultimately I try to do what’s best for my family, my friends, my company, my sport, and myself, and some people get in their minds that me doing that somehow makes me a ‘White Knight’. But its just another persona that people like Jodie try to shoebox me into when I do fit, and then scream and cry HYPOCRITE when I don’t, because their minds can’t comprehend anything outside the precut templates they make for themselves.”
Wendy spreads her arms wide, gesturing to herself, and smiles crookedly.
“This is me, its who I am, and I don’t need to hide any of it. My triumphs and sorrows, my virtues and vices, my assets and liabilities, and my accomplishments and shortfalls. For better or for worse, and believe me, there is a HEALTHY mix of those in here. But it’s who I am, and I have no need to say otherwise.”
“Jodie of course doesn’t understand that. Everything has to be pre-packaged up for her in a nice little box, so she can tie a cute little quote to it and drop it as a soundbite.”
“Actually, there’s a lot Jodie doesn’t understand. For thinking she’s so manipulative... she sure lacks any understanding of basic human psychology.”
Wendy nods. It’s true, it’s true.
“She doesn’t understand that most people can tell when you’re trying to manufacture an emotion. When you’re on screen in the middle of the night wearing masks talking about how horrible you’ve had it and then start trying to cry, people will reject it as camp drama, especially if they’ve been following along and know how much of it you’ve brought upon yourself. But in her mind, all she has to do is conjure up some wild theatrics and a contrived story to make me look like a horrible person, and here come the water works. It’s hammy, and gag inducing. Which is fine, because Jodie is sure to mention that can’t keep solid food down, because being on the verge of vomiting makes EVERYONE know she’s taking things seriously!”
“She also doesn’t understand basic the nature of human competition, or why people are so fascinated by it. Competition, especially physical ones like wrestling, football, and basketball, breed interest simply because people, can follow along and choose sides. You don’t NEED over the top violence. You don’t NEED a whole bunch of gimmicks and contrived backstories. You just need two competing sides, a good reason for them to even have conflict, and a playing medium that people can understand.”
“I mean, look at the Super Bowl, or the UEFA Champions League Final, the two most watched events of the annual sporting calendar. I don’t see much blatant cheating going on. I don’t see much over the top villiany. And yet, people still watch, because the enjoy watching the game, and they legitimately care about at least some of the factors involved.”
Wendy gives a slightly sarcastic smile, as if she’s genuinely astonished that no one can comprehend this.
“Why can’t professional wrestling be any different? Well, actually, it IS no different. All you need are two women, a ring, and a compelling reason for them to face, whether it’s a grudge, a title, or just straight up pride on the line. It’s great television, and our ratings show it. And if the only way Jodie can make herself compelling is by acting like a complete delusional idiot who’s best at kicking other women in the crotch, that’s a shame, because there are MANY women in this company who certainly don’t need to do that.”
“Right, and now I’m sure we’ll get another caps-lock laden rant about how I’m insulting her by saying she’s a delusional idiot who doesn’t understand anything about this business. Facts are facts, and despite her considerable talent, accomplishments, and longevity, she doesn’t”
Wendy crosses her legs. She’s been sitting there so long, she’s gotta fidget a little.
“I’m actually amazed how long she’s lasted in this company, considering how fragile her psyche is. You need thick skin in this business, both literally and figuratively, and Jodie certainly doesn’t have it in the latter. I’ve taken FAR worse flak in my life than Jodie’s ever received, or given, for that matter, and yeah, it’s dang tough sometimes, but you have to learn how to cope with it. Throwing shrill tantrums on Twitter... over the TAMEST of insults, to boot... just wow. In reality, that’s just inviting to make it worse, because your critics then know they’re getting to you.”
“The kicker though, is got to be the rant we just heard. Kinsey mentions that Jodie was unable to beat Misty within the time-limit, and all of a sudden we’re treated with A Comprehensive and Complete History of Draws and No Contests in Professional Wrestling. Because being reminded you wrestled to a DRAW is the absolute end-all be-all can’t recover from INSULT in Pro Wrestling! The cherry on top is that this is then somehow applied to me, because apparently whatever Kinsey says, I must also think.”
“If Jodie is using logic as a weapon, she might want to check her ammo. I think she ran out a while ago.”
Wendy actually facepalms here, but she tries to pass it off as rubbing her eyes.
“So I guess, bravo, Isabella. I wanted a fight against one of the Power Trip, and I end up with one against a crackpot emotional headcase trainwreck who you’re using as a throwaway to keep me busy. Well played, I suppose. Certainly a case of ‘be careful what you ask for,’ isn’t it?”
Wendy leans forward, her eyes narrowing.
“As far as you go, Jodie, Don’t think that because I don’t buy any of your act for a second doesn’t mean I’m taking you lightly. Does it LOOK like I’ve been taking you lightly? But that’s the hope you’re going for, isn’t it? Because you’ve already seen from Starla and Tara what happens when I’m going full throttle, and you know what’s going to happen if I do the same to you. Heck, you’d have experienced it yourself two months ago, had you not bailed out of the ring. And let’s just be honest, Jodie, the only card you seem to be able to play in your big ‘mind-master’ deck is the one that inspires people to want to beat the snot out of you. Not put them into blind rage so that they make mistakes, but inspire them to wrestle the best match of their lives, and put you down, because no one can STAND your neurotic, whiny self.”
“And either way, I MADE this open challenge, and I fully plan on seeing it through to the end, no matter who got put forth, and why. Because while this might have gotten personal for you sometime around 1:00 yesterday afternoon, this deal has been personal for me since the Power Trip formed, and even before that with the A-List.”
“And whatever else you are Jodie, YOU ARE Power Trip. And YOU ARE facing me tonight. YOU ARE a target. And YOU ARE first.”
“And ultimately, when it’s all said and done... YOUR GAME will be UP!”
Wendy gets out of her chair, smooths her clothes out, and starts walking into the arena. The scene fades.
Complete Darkness (Cause she’s blindfolded, remember?)
Indinapolis, Indiana (Oh dear God, she hopes)
6:34 PM Local Time
“Alright... on three Wendy. Okay? One... two.... THREE!”
The blindfold came off.
Her face fell.
And she looked at Terrence.
“Really?”
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Terrence said, grinning as wide as his bandadged, broken nose would allow him to, as if he were standing in a national park and not an abandoned race track. “North Marion Speedway, where I started my career!”
Now that he mentioned it, the place did look familiar- Wendy had gone to North Marion enough times to where she should have recognized it. But the track had closed back in 2008, she recalled, and it certainly looked the part. The entire facility was overgrown with weeds, including the track itself, which had the indiduous plants shooting through the numerous cracks in its surface. The grandstands themselves were stripped of all paint and dilapidated, and several windows in the announcers booth had been shattered. And thanks to the recent rain, the entire field was a pit of mud. She couldn’t even begin to fathom why her husband would drag her to such a dreary place.
“Thats... nice, Terrence” Wendy said, trying to subdue the throbbing thought that she was missing valuable training time for this. “Why are we here?” she continued, hoping to god that this wasn’t her husband’s idea of a spot for a nice family picnic. Even with the weather having cleared up from the afternoon’s thunderstorms, the speedway was a fairly depressing place. She hoped any of them didn’t get ticks... or tetanus... or the plague.
“I thought you might want to see it.” Terrence said, matter-of-factly. “I was thinking we should increase the banking... maybe widen the turns a bit. Heck, we might even get this thing open by 2014!”
Her husband was obviously getting ahead of himself, but Wendy realized what he was talking about almost instantly, and she whirled around, disbelief all over her face. “You cannot honestly be thinking about buying this dump.”
Terrence laughed. “Oh, don’t be silly, Wendy. I already BOUGHT it!”
For the first time all evening, Wendy was suddenly glad she had driven her elbow into her husband’s nose earlier, and was seriously contemplating doing it again. She tried to smile her sweetest fake smile, but could only manage a grimace, and stammer. “Wh...wh... WHY?!”
Terrence shrugged. “Well, I was thinking the other day. I’m getting older. You’re getting older. (For the second time, Wendy fought down the urge to slug him) We can’t do what we’re doing forever, you know. So I saw that this lot was up for sale, and, well, why not? There’s a serious lack of good stock car tracks in Indianapolis right now, most guys have to run up to Anderson. So why not bring back the NMS? It’d be fun!”
Wendy rubbed the bridge of her nose, unable to believe what she was hearing. “Terry, do you even know what it TAKES to operate a stock car track? Much less RESTORE one?”
Terrence shrugged. “Can’t be that hard. I’ve already talked to the local drivers, and they said they’d love to come back here if we fix it up. And how hard could THAT be? I figure, y’know, fix up the grandstands and repaint them. Clear out the weeds, repave the track...”
“Bury my husband...” Wendy muttered under her breath, glancing sidelong at her daughter. To her credit, Theresa had an expression on his face that clearly showed she too thought this was a bad idea. Great... so her seven year old daughter had more common sense. “How much did it cost?”
“Oh, about a hundred thousand. More or less.”
Terrence’s cavalier attitude about dropping a hundred grand on a dilapidated unusual racing stadium grated on Wendy’s nerves. She was still kicking herself for signing with that stupid Beautiful Health Club, and her husband had just spent TWENTY TIMES that money for something even MORE useless. And he didn’t even bat an eye!
“So this is my birthday present?” Wendy said, trying to keep her voice level. She didn’t want to sound ungracious, but even she had her limits as to how much she was willing to put up with. This was even dumber than the time he had given her a (homemade) coupon for one free oil change lesson.
“Oh, God no.” Terrence said, bursting out laughing. “This baby’s for me. And of course the wonderful stock car racing fans of central Indiana.”
Wendy snorted, a small smile forming on her face. “Oh, good. Because I thought you said you were surprising me with an early birthday present.”
“Oh yeah.” Terrence said, pointing across the track. “There it is.”
Wendy followed his gaze, and her smile promptly disappeared. “A... shed. How thoughtful of you, Terrence.”
“Yeah, it came with the property,” Terrence said. “Come on, let’s go check it out.”
Terrence turned around, and walked back to the car, humming a jaunty tune, while Wendy sulked behind him, nearly tripping on her daughter as she did. She got into the car, and slammed the door as Terrence started the Charger’s engine. She bit her lip to keep from screaming, at her husband and everything else. How much time was she wasting with this? When she could be training, or watching match tape, or at least trying to find a stupid ring she could train in for her big match in five days?
Instead, she was at an abandoned racetrack her husband had clearly bought without thinking things through, and on her way to look at her very own abandoned storage shed!
Yippie ki frickin yay.
It was only a couple minutes drive at least, around the gravel service road that surrounded the track (and was in surprisingly good condition too, all things considered). And to her surprise, the shed was actually bigger than she had thought- not quite a full-size warehouse, but definitely not the tiny building she had assumed it was. There were two huge doors, assumedly for a truck to enter, but it was a smaller side door that Terrence opened, inviting her in.
She had expected a cobweb infested nightmare, but the building was actually quite clean, if not a little dusty. A row of large halogen lamps hung from the peak of the roof, and Wendy almost had to shield her eyes at how bright it became inside. Still, despite it not being the spectacular health-hazard dump she had expected... it was just a storage shed, and she sighed.
And then it hit her.
“I could train here...” she whispered, looking around. There was more than enough room for plenty of workout equipment, even a ring. It was almost exciting to think about... even though she almost shuddered at the thought of how much work that could take to make this a proper training facility.
“Well, that’s what I was thinking,” Terrence said, grinning that his wife had caught on. “I mean, it wouldn’t exactly be Adonis & Appletini, or whatever, but you could probably at least make it as nice as that Speed City dump.
And no more having to rely on Crossroads wrestling, and at the mercy of a stupid sumo ladder match. In fact...
Wendy was suddenly so excited she could barely keep her hands steady as she reached into her pocket, nearly fumbling her phone as she grabbed for it. She dialed her manager, and paced back and forth as she listened to the ring on the other side.
Pollaskis tone when he answered was one of exasperation. "I'm still looking, dammit! And the goddman CIRCUS cancelled for Wednesday, and I’m trying to find a replacement!”
“Yeah, well... wait. A CIRCUS?” Wendy was flabbergasted.
“Yeah, for the musical. Just trust me... it’ll be awesome.”
“I... what... no. We don’t need a circus, Pollaski.” Wendy sighed. This conversation hadn’t exactly taken the direction she was hoping. Then again, they rarely did,where Pollaski was concerned.
“But I was gonna pay Jodie’s actress to lie down so that an elephant could take a big-”
"NEVER MIND THAT!," Wendy nearly screamed. She took a deep breath, calming herself. "Dan, what if I were to *buy* a ring? How much would that cost?"
"I dunno." Pollaski was clearly caught off guard. "Maybe four... five thousand for a nice one. Why?"
"Because I want you to get one." Wendys said, in an obvious tone. "I dont care if its new or used or state of the art. But I want it sturdy, and I want it SAFE. And Pollaski?"
"Yeah?"
"I want it delivered TOMORROW. I want to be running the ropes in here by tomorrow evening."
Pollaski sounded as if he didnt know whether to laugh or cry. "Delivered WHERE? You don't even have a space to stick a goddamn wrestling ring!"
"I do now!" Wendy responded fervently. "I’ll text you the address."
She heard a thud on the other end of the line, which she guessed wads her manager's skull colliding with his desk. His voice was as weary as Wendy had ever heard it. "I'll see what I can do."
"I believe it's 'Do or do not, there is no try,' Daniel"
"Don't go Master Yoda on me," Pollaski snapped. "All Yoda wanted was to get a goddamn spaceship out of the mud with the Force. I have to get an ENTIRE goddamn ring to Indianapolis in less than twenty-four hours."
"Using your cell phone, the power of persuasion, and my credit card," Wendy smiled. "This will be WAY more productive than a stupid circus. I have faith in you."
"Of course you do" Pollaski sighed. "Oh, and if you see Terrence, would you telk him to GET HIS FUCKING ASS OVER HERE AND FIX MY-"
Wendy pressed the 'end call' button, sliding her phone back in her pocket. She noticed both Terrence and Theresa staring at her.
"So, is he gonna do it?" Her husband asked. When Wendy nodded he continued. "He all bent out of shape that I havent fixed his car yet?"
Wendy raised her eyebrows, slightly surprised. "I figured you’d forgotten."
Terrence snorted. "I was busy finalizing the deal here. He can wait. You come first."
Even though she knew that was a partial lie- Terrence had cared far more about buying his race track than he had about this warehouse, Wendy still smiled graciously. "Thats sweet of you, Terry," she said.
"Yeah, well, happy birthday, Wendy," Terrence said, putting his arms around her. Wendy smiled as she felt her daughter hug her waist was well.
"Yeah, happy birthday, Mom."
"Thank you both"
They pulled apart, and stood next to each other, arms around each others shoulders, looking at the empty building,
"Well, I guess we're both going to have a lot of work to do." Wendy said.
"Yup. A track to refurbish, and a gym to build. And once youre done, you wont have to deal with Muffy ever again."
"Thatd be the best present anyone could EVER give me," Wendy grinned.
"And when you're done here, you could even open up your own gym! Or, even better, a wrestling school!"
The glare that she turned on him was one that could have melted through the shed's metal walls, and Terrence quickly backpedaled, waving his arms as if to ward her off.
"Sheesh. I was KIDDING!"
===============
Saturday May 25, 2013
Barclay’s Center- Exterior
New York City, New York
4:17 PM Local Time
Less than a year in operation, the Barclay’s Center is a shining beacon of modernism nestled in with the much older brick buildings of Brooklyn, New York. We’re just outside the arena, in the Oculus, a rather unique structure on the side of the arena with LED screens. Wendy is sitting underneath the Oculus, on a bench that has been positioned so that she is in the shade. She’s dressed casually, in a buttoned blouse and jeans, not quite ready to slip into her ring gear yet.
“Finally here at the Barclays Center. I have to say... it’s been a heck of a week to get here. Heck it’s been a heck of a two months. I came back at Chaos Theory. Got back in the ring right here in this beautiful city, in Central Park no less. Then I got to main event in my own hometown and beat a former FFW Champion. And then, just this Monday, I found out that the ring I normally was out, and was in a bit of a bind until...”
Wendy smiles, and shakes her head, chuckling.
“Well, I’ll say this. You can say what you will about my manager, and I know he’s certainly gotten on the bad side of more than a few of my colleagues. But when you’re in a pinch, not too many people can come through like he does. I had a ring by Tuesday, and I’ve been working hard all the way up to when I caught my flight to La Guardia. It’s been a bumpy ride this week, doing that musical and all, but I’m here, and I’m ready. “
“Am I nervous? Yeah, a little. Not so much as I was before Byte This or Breaking Point, though. I think once you get back in the swing of things, nab a couple wins under your belt, it gets a bit easier. Of course, that doesn’t change the fact that TONIGHT, the pressure is entirely on me. I was the one who called out the Power Trip. I was the one who demanded a match. I was the one who said ‘pick anybody and send them down, and I’ll beat them’. And, like the billing for this match says... it’s time for me to put up or shut up.”
Wendy bites her lip, grimacing.
“I normally don’t like guaranteeing victories. There’s just too much that can go wrong in this sport for you to do that, and one misstep, and you end up with egg on your face. But you know what? Sometimes you have to cut the safety net. Sometimes you have to put your reputation and credibility on the line to make a point. And this is one of those times I have to do it. Because after watching what those people did to this company in the past few months, I have to fight and beat one of them.”
“And I’ll be honest... I was a bit disappointed when first Isabella told me that I was facing Jodie. It’s got nothing to do with her talent, or where she is on the card, or anything regarding ability. She’s shown time and again she’s a good wrestler. There’s no question about that. It’s just... maybe it’s just me... but it’s kind of easy to forget that Jodie IS a member of the Power Trip sometimes.”
A small shrug.
“Unless there’s something to be directly gained from it, like, y’know, being in a pay-per-view main event, you don’t see Jodie flying the flag too much. She’d clearly rather spend her time with her wrestling school buddies than she does with the rest of the Power Trip, to the point that you get members of the Power Trip questioning her loyalties publicly on Twitter. Lord knows what they’re thinking behind closed doors. Heck, maybe that’s why Isabella ‘fed’ her to me... either as some kind of test, or cannon fodder. Although we’ll get to all that in a second.”
“The more I think about it though... the more I realize it doesn’t matter. Wherever her loyalties ultimately lie, Jodie’s officially Power Trip. The billing says she’s Power Trip. The fans think she’s Power Trip. So if I want to fight someone from the Power Trip, and she’s the one available, then let’s get it on. Wherever her loyalties play out afterwards is no concern of mine.”
Wendy looks up at the Oculus screen above, her, and lets out a small sigh.
“So here we are, Wendy versus Jodie. THe 2011 Breakout star of the Year against the 2012. Once I found out this match was going to happen, my family and friends have actually been betting each other on which gaming reference Jodie was going to throw out. Apparently, there aren’t that many ‘Wendys’ in video games, and Theresa was thinking Wendy O’Koopa from the Mario series, while Terrence got his money on Wendy Ryan from Psychic Force, while Pollaski bet that whatever it is, it’ll be from either Batman or Pokemon, because that’s all Jodie ever references.”
Wendy snorts in amusement.
“Looks like Pollaski won there. But ultimately... heh, I’d rather be compared to some ugly psychotic shrill female turtle than what I ultimately ended up seeing from these ‘v-logs’, or whatever they’re called.”
Wendy shakes her head and rubs the bridge of her nose, almost chuckling in her bemusment.
“I mean... I don’t even know where to BEGIN here.”
“When I saw ‘Road to Relentless’, my musical mind immediately thought that we might see something along the lines of the old, great, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope travel buddy musicals. Or at least scenes of her preparing herself, both physically and mentally for our match. Instead, we get her at various locations around New York, WHINING about how horrible she gets treated.”
“I guess I can start by saying this ALL looks a little bit TOO much familiar here. I could have SWORN not too long ago I had another match against another member of one of Samantha Star’s little power cliques. Come to think of it, she ALSO was a Future Shock graduate who came into FFW as a somewhat likeable fan favorite, but within months had completely changed her tune, joined up with Samantha, and became a snotty little brat. And then and then both of them get a match with me, and call me out for being a big fat phony who only PRETENDS to be nice.”
Wendy rolls her eyes, clearly annoyed.
“Yes, ladies and gentlemen. Jodie Gray IS the Power Trip’s spiritual successor of Jo McFarlane from the A-List. Heck, they even both dug up a tag match that happened years ago in another company that MAYBE 5% of FFW fans ever saw in some desperate attempt to claim I cheat. So here’s an idea, since Jodie is suddenly so interested in history- she should go as Jo how that all ended up working out.”
“Of course, I have the added bonus here of being the one BLAMED for Jodie’s sudden turn to the dark side. All because I apparently didn’t hold her hand and save her from all the evil critics in the world... but we’re going to get to that later.”
“Because before we get ANY further, let me just point out that JUST like it was with Jo, all this is a bunch of bunk. The only difference is that I actually believe Jo really, truly believed what she was saying at the time, while with Jodie...”
Wendy can’t help but laugh, and shake her head at the incredulity of it all.
“At the risk of being graphic here, Jodie Gray is more full of dung than a compost heap in August. The woman is either a habitual liar, or has absolutely zero grasp on reality.”
“She likes video game references, so let me throw one out here. I know this, because Terrence and Pollaski play Dynasty Warriors AD NAUSEUM, and I’m honestly dreading July when the next one comes out. Anyways... there’s this character in the game.. Zhuge Liang. Every time you beat him, he spouts off a line about how this was ALL a part of his plan, and retreats. The boys even joke about it while they’re playing. I’ll admit, it’s kind of funny to think about.”
“But with Jodie... its not really that funny. It’s more sad and pathetic, but we’re seeing it. She wants to pretend that EVERYTHING is going according to her plan, when the truth is... I don’t think she even HAS a plan. The woman seems to change her tune so much she’s like a human MP3 player. And we just saw it so blatantly with Kinsey. Jodie spent weeks spreading LIES about her, to the point that Kinsey... think about that... KINSEY ROBINSON, who seems like one of the sweetest girls in the company, wanted to rip her head off. And honestly, she nearly did just that. And after the dust settled?”
“Jodie claimed that she was just trying to motivate Kinsey. Even though Kinsey clearly didn’t need much motivation. Because she was the Queen of Games, and that’s what she did. You know, it’s one thing to lie, but when you insult everyone’s intelligence by expecting us to swallow such unmitigated BULL, well... there’s something seriously wrong with you.”
Wendy takes a deep breath, and exhales, coupling it with another eyeroll.
“So no, I don’t believe for a second this whole ‘broken idol’ story that Jodie has concocted. Just like she did with Kinsey, she’s simply making up stuff as she goes along to make her look better. But what she fails to realize, everything she says is so farfetched. For instance, if I was her idol... how come she never ONCE did anything to initiate a relationship with me? I don’t think I’m unapproachable, and yet, before I was set against her for Conviction we’ve barely ever talked. And if she wanted my, ahem, ‘help’, why wouldn’t she, y’know... ASK for it?”
“Because, like I said, she’s lying. She’s basically throwing deus ex machina’s into her own version of continuity, simply for the sake of looking better. I also don’t believe for a second that she’s spent the last month being told by the entire human race that I’m going to steamroll her, either. I’ve actually NEVER seen a wrestler to go so far out of her way to play the victim. It’s almost amusing, if it weren’t so pathetic.”
“I don’t even believe Jodie actually asked for this match. If Jodie wanted to, what was it... ‘rip the mask off me’... she had that chance at Chaos Theory. She could have nipped the ‘Wendy problem’ in the bud right then and there, and she didn’t. Obviously, I can’t prove this... I’m not exactly on speaking terms with Isabella, and I doubt she’s going to publicly gainsay a member of the Power Trip. But again, everything Jodie let’s out seems just a bit TOO convenient, especially considering the “IM BEING FED TO WENDY” meltdown we all got earlier. Now suddenly, it’s her idea, because Jodie found out the hard way what trying to play the pathetic victim gets you in terms of respect around here. She’s played so fast and loose with the truth every time she talks, you just have to assume she’s doing it now. You keep crying wolf over and over, the villagers stop listening to your wails, right?”
A slight nod.
“It’s easy to see WHY she keeps doing it too. She’s created this whole ‘Queen of Games’ persona, trying to present herself as a chessmaster who manipulates people, either for advantage or amusement. Of course, the whole thing unravelled MONTHS ago. Jodie’s proven time and again that she’s a pawn in this game, not the player she so wants to desperately say she is. She was a tagalong at Chaos Theory, and she REFUSED to take any sense of leadership at any point in the match that night. She was just... there. What kind of Chessmaster allows themselves to become such a non-entity, especially when its her biggest opportunity ever to stand out?”
“She’s a pawn here, too. I made a move, made an open challenge to the Power Trip. And Isabella picked her right up, and put her into my way. Of COURSE Jodie doesn’t want us to believe that. That this was all her idea. It wasn’t. It’s all just an attempt to make her look like she’s got some semblance of control here, when she doesn’t.”
Wendy pauses, and shakes her head, laughing.
“Of course, I suppose now Jodie’s just going to say that she intended ALL ALONG that no one would believe her, because she’s a psychological master like that.”
“So since Jodie’s lied so much that you don’t know what’s going on... what is the truth, exactly?”
“Well, for starters. While I don’t believe for a second that Jodie has spent the last month listening to everyone tell her it... she IS being fed to me.”
Wendy slightly raises her eyebrows, as if to say ‘you’re really surprised’
“At least in Isabella’s mind. I was almost taken aback at how... dismissive Isabella was about the entire situation when I ran into her at Breaking Point. I helped put her entire faction on the run at Chaos Theory, you know she’s not about to let something like this stand. I’ve been in the Power Trip’s crosshairs for the better part of a year now. And all I get is a shrug and a ‘Oh, by the way, you’re facing Jodie’?”
“Then I realized it for what it truly was. Isabella Pazzini is not a stupid woman, and what she did... it’s actually brilliant, because, at least where I’m concerned, she put herself in a no-lose situation. Wendy wants to fight a member of the Power Trip? Alright, give her Jodie. Wendy still gets to fight a Power Trip member, so she’s happy, and doesn’t bother the rest of them for a while. And when she beats Jodie, it’s not like the rest of the group will lose much face, because Jodie’s almost universally considered the weakest member by the fans, and not exactly considered to be part of the inner circle. And if, by some miracle, Jodie DOES win, then Wendy’s publicly humiliated and out of their hair for a good while.”
“I hope Jodie’s taking notes here, because THAT is how a true Chessmaster works. I’ll give the devil her due, Isabella’s one of the most adept there is at moving pieces on the board, perhaps second in this company only to Samantha Star herself. Unlike Jodie, she is actually capable of fooling people beyond a simple craven cheating tactic mid match.”
“But unfortunately for Jodie... just because I’m savvy enough to understand the TRUE games that are being played around here, it doesn’t mean I take them at face value. She might be the sacrificial lamb in Isabella’s eyes, but I know she’s one dangerous little lamb, with teeth, claws... and a ‘Hand of God’. So even if she IS being fed to me by her Power Trip sisters... I’m still going to have to sing for my supper, so to speak. There are no gimme matches in FFW. This one is no exception. So she should stop insulting my intelligence by acting like I’m going to assume it is one.”
“Then again... insulting people’s intelligence seems to be her modus operandi around here. I’m not all that into video games and comic books, but I’m pretty sure there’s more to the mediums than Pokemon and Batman, but oddly... like Pollaski mentioned to me, those tend to be the only two things Jodie... who’s supposedly this great ‘nerd queen’... ever references. It’d probably explain why most of our... pardon me... ‘nerd fans’ seem to reject her and are far more into supporting Jennifer Williams or Eileen Amaro, both of whom can throw out reference from pretty much anywhere and seem far more... legitimate.”
Wendy finishes, looking almost guilty, although there is a sheepish smile on her face.
“Sorry, I suppose that’s nitpicking a bit there. But it just always made me wonder why Jodie seems to have such a... limited scope of the culture compared to her more likeable counterparts. But I suppose it’s not my place to be checking people’s ‘nerd cred’.”
“But it all factors into the second basic truth here, and that is Jodie is little more than a chameleon, just like Crystal Hilton tends to be. Jodie almost takes it to an insidious level, but the name of the game remains the same, ultimately. Jodie simply changes her colors to what she thinks will be best for her. This week, she’s pitiful and vengeful. Against Kinsey, she was jaded and bitter. Against Gigante, she was arrogant. In the Ten Femme Chaos match, she played the Golden Apple of Discord. And it goes ALL the way back.”
“Jodie likes to go on and on and on about how she became who she is because people were ‘mean’ to her. She tried to be nice but people like Mel and Leo were just so mean to her, that she abandoned the facade!”
“Except, two things... first... Jodie’s NEVER abandoned her facade. She simply changed it. There hasn’t been a moment in that girl’s career when she wasn’t surrounded by at least multiple levels of pretense. Her next opponent, it will all change again, and she’ll have something else. I suppose you could say it’s that psychological manipulation she’s apparently so great at... but looking at things it hasn’t done her a whole lot of good in the long run.”
Wendy snorts, and shakes her head.
“Second... does anyone here remember WHY Mel and Leo kept dogging on her, and calling her out? It’s because... they thought she was a FAKE. Heck, when Future Shock started, she went so far as to pretend she didn’t know what she was doing... until the match started and she suddenly looked VERY competent. And Jodie even ADMITS it HERSELF, because she says she was “acting like the good girl”. She was playing a role. And now she’s bitter because people SAW THROUGH IT?”
“Well, golly GEE, Jodie Gray. There’s your PROBLEM!”
“Maybe, just MAYBE, if Jodie actually stopped to think for six seconds, figured out who she was, and ACTED LIKE HERSELF, and NOT like ANYONE else... she wouldn’t have had these difficulties. But ultimately, the great psychological mistress who thinks she toys with everyone else’s emotions can’t even FIGURE OUT HER OWN.”
“Instead we get this snivelling, ‘I tried to be good and all, and I acted really nice, and I thought people would like me, but they didn’t, and Wendy wouldn’t hold my hand, and people were really mean, my skin’s so thin I couldn’t handle it, and now I’m mean and’... oh for God sakes, I’m starting to nauseate MYSELF.
Wendy scoffs in derision, shaking her head. She takes a deep breath, and shakes her head.
“And that ultimately brings us to the third, and most fatal truth about Jodie Gray. She’s all about image over substance.”
“If you have a moment, go to femmefatalewrestling.com, and check out my roster page. Then look at hers. Notice the difference?”
“Mine just says ‘Wendy Briese’. Because that’s simply who I am. But Jodie’s says ‘Queen of Games’. Because that’s who she wants us to think she is. Neverminding that her gaming knowledge seems awfully limited outside of Pokemon, or her machinations are ineffective at best, and completely counterproductive at worst, like what we saw in Kinsey’s case. We keep hearing about it... but we never actually see it. But nevermind that, she IS the Queen, and she will fool us all with her mind games, because she SAID so! In the literary world, they call that an ‘informed ability’.”
“I think Jodie believes that since she puts a huge steaming pile of horsepucky on a plate, and serves it to us expecting everyone to lap it up, that the rest of us all do the same thing. That Femme Fatale Wrestling, or even the entires world, is all one giant dung buffet, with each of us feeding each other, and everyone’s just expected to eat what’s served, and like it.”
Wendy scrunches up her nose, looking fairly disgusted at the analogy.
“Reality proves that in essence, Jodie has absolutely no clue what she’s talking about. For better or for worse, the vast majority of the FFW roster is TRUE to themselves. I know Eileen is. I know Valerie is. I know Hayley and Ignis are. Even some of the people in the Power Trip are, including Tara, and, dare I say it, Isabella. What you see from them is ultimately what you get.”
“And its the same with me as well. I might hold my tongue once in a while, and maybe I’ll even tell a white lie now and then, but by and large, what you see from me here is what you see from me at home.”
“I think of myself as a generally likeable person, and I think I get along with most people. If that means I’m ‘The Nice Girl’, okay. But I don’t think I’m being very nice right NOW. I don’t think I’ve been all that nice to Katherine Stryfe, or Crystal Hilton, and for good reason, in my opinion. But Jodie’s got it in her mind that since 90% of the time I fit into her mentality of a ‘Nice Girl’ persona, whenever I break from it, I’m suddenly a hypocrite.”
“Well, surprise. I’m opinionated, and if I think something is wrong, I’m not going to keep quiet. Speaking up about stuff is JUDGEMENTAL, and we can’t be THAT this day and age, because we might hurt someone’s FEELINGS. I also have a temper, as my friends and family can attest to. I have limits to my patience, and they can be snapped, like say, when I have to listen to uninformed diatribes by insane little girls who don’t know much about anything. And there’s some people in this world that I just don’t like, and I don’t think any of them would call me very friendly towards them.”
“And I certainly don’t think anyone I’ve ever been in the ring with would ever say I’m much of a nice person there...”
Wendy quickly flashes a grin.
“And I know I make a lot of mistakes, but ultimately I try to do what’s best for my family, my friends, my company, my sport, and myself, and some people get in their minds that me doing that somehow makes me a ‘White Knight’. But its just another persona that people like Jodie try to shoebox me into when I do fit, and then scream and cry HYPOCRITE when I don’t, because their minds can’t comprehend anything outside the precut templates they make for themselves.”
Wendy spreads her arms wide, gesturing to herself, and smiles crookedly.
“This is me, its who I am, and I don’t need to hide any of it. My triumphs and sorrows, my virtues and vices, my assets and liabilities, and my accomplishments and shortfalls. For better or for worse, and believe me, there is a HEALTHY mix of those in here. But it’s who I am, and I have no need to say otherwise.”
“Jodie of course doesn’t understand that. Everything has to be pre-packaged up for her in a nice little box, so she can tie a cute little quote to it and drop it as a soundbite.”
“Actually, there’s a lot Jodie doesn’t understand. For thinking she’s so manipulative... she sure lacks any understanding of basic human psychology.”
Wendy nods. It’s true, it’s true.
“She doesn’t understand that most people can tell when you’re trying to manufacture an emotion. When you’re on screen in the middle of the night wearing masks talking about how horrible you’ve had it and then start trying to cry, people will reject it as camp drama, especially if they’ve been following along and know how much of it you’ve brought upon yourself. But in her mind, all she has to do is conjure up some wild theatrics and a contrived story to make me look like a horrible person, and here come the water works. It’s hammy, and gag inducing. Which is fine, because Jodie is sure to mention that can’t keep solid food down, because being on the verge of vomiting makes EVERYONE know she’s taking things seriously!”
“She also doesn’t understand basic the nature of human competition, or why people are so fascinated by it. Competition, especially physical ones like wrestling, football, and basketball, breed interest simply because people, can follow along and choose sides. You don’t NEED over the top violence. You don’t NEED a whole bunch of gimmicks and contrived backstories. You just need two competing sides, a good reason for them to even have conflict, and a playing medium that people can understand.”
“I mean, look at the Super Bowl, or the UEFA Champions League Final, the two most watched events of the annual sporting calendar. I don’t see much blatant cheating going on. I don’t see much over the top villiany. And yet, people still watch, because the enjoy watching the game, and they legitimately care about at least some of the factors involved.”
Wendy gives a slightly sarcastic smile, as if she’s genuinely astonished that no one can comprehend this.
“Why can’t professional wrestling be any different? Well, actually, it IS no different. All you need are two women, a ring, and a compelling reason for them to face, whether it’s a grudge, a title, or just straight up pride on the line. It’s great television, and our ratings show it. And if the only way Jodie can make herself compelling is by acting like a complete delusional idiot who’s best at kicking other women in the crotch, that’s a shame, because there are MANY women in this company who certainly don’t need to do that.”
“Right, and now I’m sure we’ll get another caps-lock laden rant about how I’m insulting her by saying she’s a delusional idiot who doesn’t understand anything about this business. Facts are facts, and despite her considerable talent, accomplishments, and longevity, she doesn’t”
Wendy crosses her legs. She’s been sitting there so long, she’s gotta fidget a little.
“I’m actually amazed how long she’s lasted in this company, considering how fragile her psyche is. You need thick skin in this business, both literally and figuratively, and Jodie certainly doesn’t have it in the latter. I’ve taken FAR worse flak in my life than Jodie’s ever received, or given, for that matter, and yeah, it’s dang tough sometimes, but you have to learn how to cope with it. Throwing shrill tantrums on Twitter... over the TAMEST of insults, to boot... just wow. In reality, that’s just inviting to make it worse, because your critics then know they’re getting to you.”
“The kicker though, is got to be the rant we just heard. Kinsey mentions that Jodie was unable to beat Misty within the time-limit, and all of a sudden we’re treated with A Comprehensive and Complete History of Draws and No Contests in Professional Wrestling. Because being reminded you wrestled to a DRAW is the absolute end-all be-all can’t recover from INSULT in Pro Wrestling! The cherry on top is that this is then somehow applied to me, because apparently whatever Kinsey says, I must also think.”
“If Jodie is using logic as a weapon, she might want to check her ammo. I think she ran out a while ago.”
Wendy actually facepalms here, but she tries to pass it off as rubbing her eyes.
“So I guess, bravo, Isabella. I wanted a fight against one of the Power Trip, and I end up with one against a crackpot emotional headcase trainwreck who you’re using as a throwaway to keep me busy. Well played, I suppose. Certainly a case of ‘be careful what you ask for,’ isn’t it?”
Wendy leans forward, her eyes narrowing.
“As far as you go, Jodie, Don’t think that because I don’t buy any of your act for a second doesn’t mean I’m taking you lightly. Does it LOOK like I’ve been taking you lightly? But that’s the hope you’re going for, isn’t it? Because you’ve already seen from Starla and Tara what happens when I’m going full throttle, and you know what’s going to happen if I do the same to you. Heck, you’d have experienced it yourself two months ago, had you not bailed out of the ring. And let’s just be honest, Jodie, the only card you seem to be able to play in your big ‘mind-master’ deck is the one that inspires people to want to beat the snot out of you. Not put them into blind rage so that they make mistakes, but inspire them to wrestle the best match of their lives, and put you down, because no one can STAND your neurotic, whiny self.”
“And either way, I MADE this open challenge, and I fully plan on seeing it through to the end, no matter who got put forth, and why. Because while this might have gotten personal for you sometime around 1:00 yesterday afternoon, this deal has been personal for me since the Power Trip formed, and even before that with the A-List.”
“And whatever else you are Jodie, YOU ARE Power Trip. And YOU ARE facing me tonight. YOU ARE a target. And YOU ARE first.”
“And ultimately, when it’s all said and done... YOUR GAME will be UP!”
Wendy gets out of her chair, smooths her clothes out, and starts walking into the arena. The scene fades.
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