Post by chaos lite on Nov 11, 2012 20:59:14 GMT -4
"after the storm"
nov.11.twelve
When our scene blinks in, we aren’t immediately given the story through the eyes of Cassandra McPherson as per usual, but instead the camera is situated a few feet away from the recently crowned APW North American Champion, Aubrey J. Parker.
Our location isn’t entirely clear, but wherever we are allows for Parker to get quite comfortable sitting on the hardwood floor of the room, which we’ll assume is a living room. She wears a purple “Abercrombie & Fitch” inspired tank top, and dark charcoal-colored yoga pants, both covertly designed to hug and dramatize each and every bump, curve, and feature that Parker possessed.
”Going up against Storm Front is a scary, scary change of pace.
Up until this point, we’ve had at least a relatively decent bit of information against every single opponent we’ve come across. When we debuted and went against Yarmouth and Stefan Raab, we had the advantage of being able to focus on the flaws of two very publicized and exploited wrestlers here in APW. When we debuted against ComiKaze, we knew that they’d never wrestled a match in their professional careers. We had that info at our hands...”
Aubrey smiles faintly but just as her words describe, the worry in her voice is hard to hide.
”But who knows anything about these girls? They came out of nowhere and got a better deal than a lot of the wrestlers on Meltdown end up getting... They don’t get a match against the notorious Mr. Dangerous, or a dark match, but they get to wrestle M&M; a team consisting of the North American Champion and the number-one contender to the same championship. What did they do to earn that?
Sophie. Amber. What in the hell could you two have possibly done to earn a match like that? The implications of winning go much, MUCH further than a spot in the semi-finals of the Tag Team Title tournament and I think you both know that.”
The weak smile remains on Parker’s face but despite her accusing questions and statements, she doesn’t break composure.
”It means that everybody is forced to stop and take notice of you guys because you come in here with a lot of hype, and a lot of expectation, and a lot of uncertainty and you score a victory over the designated number one and number two on this show.
As much as I love the idea of two more girls skyrocketing to the top of the Meltdown brand, I can’t let that happen because I’m not done up there yet.
I haven’t even taken this title or my career to the next level. Logan and I haven’t rejuvenated or revolutionized the tag team division so there’s no way in Hell we’re going to go down in the first round of the Tag Team Title tournament. I didn’t come all this way-- and he didn’t come out of retirement to finally get a shot at the titles, and then have a couple of little girls take it from us.
And don’t get me wrong. Logan and I have done our research and we know about as much about you guys as you’re willing to allow us to find out. By that logic, there’s not too much information available to put you guys at a severe disadvantage, is there?”
Parker brings her knees up to her chest, hugging her legs to herself.
”Your dad... He was a wrestler, right? This is in your blood, and you’ve been telling yourselves for the past week that this is your time. Just like your father, you were going to get your foot in the door of some wrestling promotion and become the next big things... Amber and Sophie Storm. Storm Front. A second-generation twin tag team.
And let me tell you... On paper, that sounds really good.”
Aubrey folds her hands together and looks off into the distance to the point where her gaze appears unfocused at a quick glance, but she sighs and continues after a few silent seconds.
”Then of course, things stop being so black-and-white and we have to take a look at the more realistic issues here. Like for example... Your father was an indy wrestler. Your father may have taught you a lot about wrestling in the indies but who’s to say he would have lasted five minutes in the mainstream wrestling world?
There’s a certain pressure that comes along with wrestling in front of the entire world on live television once or sometimes twice a week, and it’s a pressure that you just don’t GET from wrestling in the independent circuit, traveling from high school gymnasium to gymnasium.
It’s the kind of pressure you can only get used to by becoming a former multi-time World Champion like Logan Alexander. The kind of pressure you’re FORCED to get used to when you’re the North American Champion, the sole champion of your entire brand.
I don’t expect either of you to understand it right away, especially you, Amber. You’re the party girl of the two and I’m actually happy that there are some girls still coming here that aren’t stuck-up, hardnosed, prude bitches. Girls like you aren’t afraid to take risks in the ring and maybe-- maybe a girl like you is willing to give it a hundred and ten percent and put on a good wrestling match out there; one that the fans, even grown men will talk about for years as a classic.
Or maybe you’re going to fall short of expectations and get crushed with a Makeunder or a Stryke Force this week. Really, I can tell you which is more likely but I don’t want to play the part of a precog.
Then there’s you, Sophie, and you’re harder to read because you’re the one that keeps to yourself. You’re the kind of girl that comes into this wrestling business that I usually don’t get along with... You’re the kind of bitch that I butted heads with in high school. You might not bring any sort of problem or threat to me when I see you in the hallways or the locker rooms, Sophie, but you’re going to remind me of everything I hate once we step into that ring, before you even get the chance to open your mouth.
And I’m glad. I’d rather it be that way. I’d rather have an unjustifiable resentment toward you when we head to Harrisburg for Storm Front vs M&M tomorrow night so there’s nothing stopping me, and nothing holding me back from annihilating you just like you were my...”
Parker pauses, leaving us in another few moments of silence as she ponders and carefully chooses her next words. To pay attention to detail is to take note of the troubled expression that crosses the girl’s face but she carries on a few seconds later.
”...Like you were my next opponent for the North American Title. When we wrestle this Monday, girls, I’m going to be wrestling under the pretense that you’re trying to hurt my chances and hurt my career by taking away the Tag Team Title opportunity that Logan and I have spent the better part of three months working so hard for.
I’ll wrestle like you’re taking something from me... But I’ll beat you like you already took it.
And if you’re counting on there to be friction between my tag team partner and I, don’t bet on it. Logan and I knew that if we were counting on never facing each other in the ring sooner or later, we were living in a fantasy world. Eventually, I’ll have to defend my championship against him... But there’s no guarantee that I can hold this title forever. We’ll wrestle soon, and we’ll probably have to wrestle again down the road, and we don’t have a whole lot of choice in that matter.
But we are a tag team because we choose to be. We knew the risks when we made this agreement, and we decided that it was worth it. We decided that we, as individuals, were strong enough to be a tag team.
Some people just aren’t.
If we were weaker, maybe the allure of the North American Title would rip us apart, but that’s not us. We’re not weak. We lay claim to those Tag Team Titles, and there’s not a soul in APW that can stop us from getting them.
And believe me. Johnny Diamond certainly tried...”
It takes summoning upon quite a few facial muscles for AJP to refrain from grimacing at the name.
”All I can ask is that you bring your best tomorrow night. We don’t know what you’re capable of, but we know what we’re able to do. We know that it’s enough to secure the Tag Team Titles, and beating a brand new team might be the most decisive way to prove it.
If you can’t beat the unknown, you can’t call yourself a champion.”
I walked into the house maybe a minute after Aubrey had finished addressing her opponents. Kind of a shame, really, since I liked being a fly on the wall for those one-sided conversations but I always just seemed to be just out of earshot, or just a few seconds behind schedule.
I had just made a trip to the liquor store at Aubrey’s urging, picking up a six-pack of Bud Light with Lime... Delicious, so it didn’t take as much convincing as usual, but now I’m convinced that it was a ploy to get me out of the house for the recording of the trash-talk!
Again, it was just us in Chris and Dana Fields’ Pittsburgh home but some of the awkwardness had escaped. It was no longer strange being there without them. Friends of Aubrey’s were friends of mine... However as I walked into the living room and saw her, just sitting and staring at the camera which was powered off, I sighed a little.
”You don’t look happy.”
”Don’t start with that.”
I searched my brain for reasons. It really wasn’t something that took too much effort. When you know somebody for nearly two decades, you eventually learn to make a mental list of reasons as to why they might not be pleased.
”No word from Logan this week?”
That got her to acknowledge me. She looked up at me and spoke quickly.
”I need him right now. I get that he’s in a weird position being the number one contender to my title, but doesn’t he get how big this is?!”
”Yes... Yes, I’m sure he does... But maybe he’s doing what you should be doing. Ya know?”
I turned and put the brown bag containing the beer on the table. I pulled one out and turned to Aubrey.
”Maybe he’s living his life, and isn’t spending every waking moment thinking about the politics of that ring, and the repercussion of every win. Every loss.”
I handed her a beer, smiling as she accepted it. She seldom turned down a drink.
”You’ve got to learn how to have a life outside of it. Something has to come before wrestling. Something.”
”Nothing comes to mind.”
”...You know, eventually you’re going to have to get over Ev-”
”Cass. Please.”
”I just think that you’d be better off for the future if you had something to focus on that didn’t entirely stress you out. You’ve seen what this business can do to people. You and Logan both. And I’m going to guess that... He isn’t letting it consume him. I don’t want to see it consume my best friend.”
She didn’t say much else to me for the next few hours. We sat there. We had a beer, and sometime after that I left her to herself... To her thoughts. I was sure that she was ready to brave the storm ahead of her, but what about the one after that? And after that?
And after that?
fin.
