Post by chaos lite on Jan 20, 2013 23:27:55 GMT -4
let me show you what i see when my eyes close...
dec.25.ninetythree
Five year old Aubrey J. Parker screams lightheartedly and pulls her plastic firefighter’s hat on top of her messy and tangled hair, which was a darker blonde color at that young age. She was rapidly discarding shredded Christmas wrapping paper and boxes, excited for each of her presents. The handler of the camera giggles as she zooms in on Aubrey and displays her unique wardrobe.
”Aubrey, you have a fireman’s hat, cowboy boots... what is that, a Power Rangers shirt? What is this?”
Aubrey looked up at the camera and grinned at the person behind it.
”Yes, mom! It’s not just the Power Rangers though. It’s the Pink Ranger. She’s the best.”
”Why’s she the best?”
”She’s pretty. And smart. And strong. And still kicks everybody’s butt.”
”Haha, so is that who you want to be when you grow up? The Pink Ranger?”
”Maybe.”
”What do you want to be?”
”Ummmmm...”
Aubrey looked around but her attitude soon devolved into a fit of laughter, leaving Mrs. Parker without an answer.
may.20.ohthree
”Mom’s right, AJ. It’s never too early to start thinking about this shit.”
Austin Parker, fourteen, looks up at his fifteen year old sister who sits on the edge of the kitchen counter, swinging her legs, tossing an apple from hand to hand.
”I’m fifteen. I don’t want to start thinking about college. I don’t know what I’m going to do for the rest of my life. Fuck, I don’t even know what classes to take in eleventh grade.”
”Figure it out. I know what I’m doing.”
”Yeah?”
”Yeah.”
”What’s that?”
”I’m going to be a professional wrestler.”
”...oh, ah, ha, AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OHMYGAHAHAHAHAHAH-!”
oct.2.ten
”So you’re serious about this? You’re... actually gonna go through with it this time?”
Cassandra McPherson looked at a twenty two year old Aubrey J. Parker with her hands on her hips and a discouraged look on her face. Aubrey was dressed in her wrestling attire, preparing for her quickly-approaching wrestling debut.
”Everyone always gave me shit, wondering what I was going to do... well, this-”
”Stupid. This is really stupid. You’re going to get hurt. And then you’re gonna come crying back to me or Austin and you’re going to say you want to do something else. You’ll become a firefighter or you’ll become the Pink Ranger like you always wanted, but not this. Just because Austin’s doing it doesn’t mean-”
”This isn’t about Austin. It's about me. This is what I want to do. I’ve known it for years, but now I’m doing something about it.”
Cassandra groaned and rubbed her temples, shaking her head. She threw her hands down and walked to Aubrey, taking both of her hands into her own, glaring at her.
”And you’re trying to prove something. Right?”
Aubrey looked at her best friend with interest, but didn’t answer. She never answered.
jan.20.thirteen
”I remember you laughed at me...”
Aubrey sat in the corner of the old fashioned wooden chair inside of her hotel room with the phone pressed to her ear. It was always a delight to hear her brother’s voice on the other line, because it was a rarity... and because he always knew exactly what to say to keep Aubrey on track.
”And now look at you... Suicidal Champion. Survive and Conquer entrant. Future Tag Team Champion...I think I’m jealous.”
”Ha, should be.”
She said it sarcastically, but Austin scoffed and responded with a retort of his own.
”Too bad you couldn’t pin Sally, huh?”
”ALLLLRIGHT that’s enough.”
”Haha, you have to get past Bailey and Hopkins tomorrow though, Aubs. This is no joke. You know who they are. You know what they do!”
”I know. Bailey’s one of the best wrestlers that’s ever stepped foot in an Asylum ring, and Hopkins isn’t far behind. Bailey’s inconsistent inside the ring and out... Hopkins is only focused half of the time... and when Logan and I capitalize on that, we’ll take the titles.”
”What if tomorrow’s the night they bring their A-game though?”
”I’m expecting that. Tomorrow’s the night that counts. It’s when they have something to lose.”
”Can I just say... I love this mentality you’ve developed? I never thought I’d see the day!”
”Have you been living under a rock for the past two years?”
”She’s cocky too!”
Aubrey laughed and rolled her eyes, shifting the phone to her other ear.
”I don’t want to fuck up what could be the only shot Logan and I get at these titles. As long as Sienna and Duvall are running the show... there’s no way we’re gonna get another fair shake. So tomorrow night has to count. Bailey’s going to give it everything he’s got to prove that he deserves to be one half of the Tag Team Champions and Hopkins...”
She smiled slightly.
”Hopkins will have to make lightning strike twice.”
”If you beat them, you know they’re coming back for it.”
”And we’ll fight them off at every turn, Austin. Logan and I have been preparing for this since August. I don’t care how many championships Bailey has won, or who helped train Jair Hopkins. We need the Tag Team Championships.”
”Haha, need? Why w-”
”How many people take M&M seriously?”
”Pardon?”
”Constantly, people are telling me that Logan is too good for me, or that he carries my weight on this team, or maybe they don’t even know that M&M is still together.
I don’t know what we’re doing wrong that’s making people think we aren’t a solid unit, but I think winning the Tag Team titles will fix a lot of it. The only things standing in our way are the Dying Breed. And if they lose to us, then they face the same problems we face.
People start to ask why they should care. People ask why you’re relevant. People wonder how solid you really are when you don’t have those titles because it seems like HISTORICALLY in this sport, if you’re in a tag team and you’re not on the top of the mountain, you’re a ticking timebomb. Historically, there can only be so many failures and so many shortcomings before your team implodes and systematically destroys itself...
To say that Logan and I’ve failed is a stretch, but even at our worst, he and I are always... always going to be a team.”
”A single entity?”
Aubrey went silent and Austin continued on the other line.
”There are a lot of great tag teams that have two great individuals. I’ve been a part of a couple. But... the best tag teams operate as one single entity in that ring. Can you say that you and Logan do that?”
She stopped, and she really gave that some thought. Again, she shifted the phone from one ear to the other and sighed very lightly.
”I don’t know.”
”Do you think Hopkins and Bailey do?”
There was another pause, but not nearly as long as before.
”No.
Hopkins is a great performer, and Bailey’s great too. To say that they’re as... fluid or crisp in the ring as Logan and I... I’d have to disagree. I don’t think they’ve proven that they can guess what the other is going to do or compensate for each others’ weaknesses. Not the way Logan and I can.”
Austin was silent for a few seconds but then his voice came blaring through the other end, partially due to what was otherwise dead silence on both lines.
”If you can be strong where he isn’t, and he can do the same for you, you guys have half the battle won. You guys do that. I’ve seen you guys do that.”
”There’s nothing we haven’t been able to overcome as a tag team. Except-”
”Except them.”
”That’s right. Listen, I know how important respect is in this business. And I do respect what Anthony and Jair have done, but this whole Dying Breed faction... this whole tag team title run... it’s all another well orchestrated Anthony Bailey-approved publicity stunt.
His books. His speeches. He’s a walking public service announcement and all the Tag Team Titles do are give him some more credibility when he speaks down to the people around him like he’s...”
She stopped herself and laughed a little.
”And my opinion really doesn’t matter, does it?”
”Ha, no. Beating Bailey for real this time is what matters. Overcoming Hopkins’ wits... their finesse... working together. That’s what matters.”
Aubrey ran a hand through her hair and sighed.
”Is it bad that I want revenge?”
Austin chuckled nervously, caught off guard.
”What?”
”Because of what Jair did, I was in pain every day for... god knows how long. Is it bad that I want him to feel what I felt after the Falls Count Anywhere match?”
”...I don’t think so.”
After a pause, Austin spoke again.
”Let it motivate you. Don’t let it consume you though. This isn’t about revenge, this is about-”
”The Tag Team Championships.”
”...It's about you and Logan working together and overcoming the odds. This is about M&M.”
Aubrey started to nod, but stopped, realizing that Austin couldn’t see her.
”Gotta run. It was nice talking to you, sis. Call me before your flight leaves.”
”Yeah...I will. Love you, Austin.”
”Love ya.”
She hung up shortly after her brother did, pulling her knees up to her chest and glancing at the clock. The cab would arrive to take her to the arena in a few minutes.
She jumped a little as the hotel room’s door opened and Logan Alexander stepped inside with Cassandra McPherson at his side, already in the process of removing their coats. Cassandra playfully tossed hers at Aubrey as she stepped past her, making her way toward the bedroom.
”Didn’t mean to startle you! But we have to get ready. The cab will be here in ten.”
”Alright.”
Cassandra disappeared into the room and Aubrey looked up at Logan sighing. He was hovering over his gym bag, but paused when Aubrey addressed him.
”Are we ready?”
It quickly became obvious to him that she wasn’t referring to the cab ride. Logan nodded to Aubrey.
"Yeah. I'd say we are unless you've got anything else you need to do. I know something's been on your mind."
"...I'm tired of wrestling on Meltdown and having this scared, sick feeling in my gut, wondering if something bad is going to happen to us. I want these Tag Team Titles more than anything, but it means more uncertainty. More fighting. More Sienna and Duvall."
Logan sighed.
"I know. It's a lot of hardship. But that's usually the price of success."
She looked ahead for a while and frowned.
"I want to hurt Jair for what he did at Christmas Chaos. I want to prove to everyone that we're better than them... and I want... to hurt them."
Logan gazed at Aubrey uncertainly.
"We can do the first without... needing to do the second. I don't think Bailey holds a grudge."
Aubrey looked at him for a moment and then laughed.
"It's just something I say to psych myself up. I know our limits. I know what we're going out there to do. We're not letting it slip away this time."
"Not if we can help it."
He continued to look at her for a moment, not entirely convinced by her words and her sudden disregard for what was previously a desire to maim the Tag Team Champions.
"We'll push their limits, tie them in knots, and break them down. If you want your revenge, we'll do it that way...
We'll outclass them."
Aubrey smiled at his statement. For the rest of the night, she didn't utter another word about the Dying Breed or the Tag Team Titles. She let his words register, and likewise, he did the same with hers... though, the phrase "single entity" rolled around in Aubrey's mind. She knew how good they were, but sometimes she still wondered if they were on the same page.
Maybe not.
Maybe that was for the best.
fin.
