Post by Evan De Parker on Mar 7, 2013 19:57:14 GMT -4
UNFORGET.
Color.
Evan Envi lies across his London, Ontario hotel suite bed with his fingers aimlessly wandering through his girlfriend, Michelle Weaver’s long, tangled, blonde hair. His eyes briefly glance over toward the bed-stand where the clock reads 2:40 PM.
The lights are dimmed and the hotel’s flat-screen television drones softly, boasting facts about some new movie in a commercial. He’d lost the ability to pay close attention ages ago, drifting in and out of consciousness. His eyes raise toward the doorway where we can see colorful flashes of light splashing against the wall-- likely the television from the living room, where eleven-year-old Chastity Weaver sleeps. He sits up slightly in the bed and looks down at Michelle, giving her a gentle nudge.
”Michelle...”
She simply shifts her head from his shoulder to the pillow, failing to respond. Cautiously, and quietly, he pulls himself out the of the bed from beneath the blankets and tip-toes across the carpet until he reaches the doorway, gazing out into the living room.
There, Chastity lies on the sofa, evidently too exhausted to go the extra step and expand it into a sofa bed, wrapped in a plaid blanket. The lamp on table-side is still powered on, and some unidentifiable modern sitcom is playing quietly on the TV. Evan glances at it only for a moment before he makes his way into the suite’s small kitchen, reaching for one of the wine glasses he’d used earlier--
”Little late for wine by yourself, isn’t it?”
Evan spins around, fumbling, and nearly dropping the glass in the process, but salvages it. Chastity is sitting upright, gazing at him from the couch.
”Kid, what are you still doing up?”
Thinking better of the volume of the conversation, Evan makes his way from the kitchen back to the doorway separating the bedroom from the living room, pulling the door shut.
”I dunno. I wake up sometimes. What are you doing up?”
Evan shrugs and goes back to the kitchen, pouring the wine smoothly into the glass.
”I’m a grown man. I can be up at whatever hour I feel like, can’t I?”
”I guess.”
”You guess. Of course I can! Scoot over.”
Evan takes a seat next to Chastity and swiftly swipes the remote from between them, searching through the channels.
”I was watching that...”
”You were pretending to be asleep. You weren’t watching shit.”
Chastity rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, leaning back on the couch as Evan settles on one of the hotel’s movie channels. For a few seconds, the two sit in silence before she finally clears her throat and turns to him.
”Michelle’s pissed at you.”
Evan winces at the statement. He takes a long gulp from his glass, noticeably inappropriate for the glass or type of drink.
”Yeah, I figured. Let me guess... The Rosa stuff?”
”Well, hell yeah, the Rosa stuff. You’re using Jenny and Jeremy to-- to stalk Mark Mania’s assistant? Like, how deranged are you? She’s starting to question your sanity. I would, but I always knew you were crazy, so I’m just... Y’know. Amused.”
”It’s not for the--”
Evan sighs, closing his eyes to consider his words.
”Michelle barely understands what I’m doing, so I know you wouldn’t get it.”
”Try me.”
Evan turns and gives an incredulous look to the eleven-year-old, who looks back at him with the same seriousness he’s come to expect. Evan laughs and brushes his hand through his hair a few times; perhaps a nervous tick, silently persuading himself to avoid a controversial subject.
”Do you know what it’s like to have millions of people hate you for their own fucked up reasons? Er... Sorry... Excuse my language.”
Chastity laughs and teasingly reaches for Evan’s wine glass, but he pulls it just out of reach, giving her a sharp glare.
”Well, I don’t do the fucked up things that you do on a regular basis, so-- no. I don’t. Give me a sip.”
”No! You’re like, ten.”
”I’m like, thirty, in an eleven-year-old’s body. Give me a sip.”
”Damnit, no.”
”Whatever. You’ll go to sleep eventually.”
Evan wanted to laugh at the girl’s audacity, but he chooses not to. Instead, he stifles it and cast a weary gaze upon her, staring in silence for a bit before his eyes drift back toward the bedroom door. He nods toward it, as if nodding toward Michelle Weaver-- a vague action, but one that’s picked up by the intelligent young lady in Chastity.
”Is she really upset?”
”You couldn’t tell?”
”You know she hides that kind of stuff from me... Until the last minute, anyway. She’s spiteful, like you.”
”She thinks you’ve gone off the deep end. How cliche is that?”
”Horribly. Inaccurate, too.”
”I said cliche. Not inaccurate.”
This time he does give a short, dry chuckle. Chastity watches with glimmering eyes as he takes another sip of wine and casts his gaze back toward the TV.
”I think she’s just... mad. Because you do all this stuff for an Overdrive Title shot and a match against Mark Mania, but you don’t ever show that kind of effort with Michelle. You just assume that she’s always gonna be there, y’know?”
Evan’s face falls a bit as he considers what the young girl is saying. He doesn’t look away from the television, but sighs and addresses the young lady again.
”What has she said to you?”
”Like I said, I think--!”
”No, don’t tell me what you think. Tell me what she said to you. Is that what she said?”
For a few seconds, there’s silence. Evan calmly repeats himself.
”Is that what she said?”
Chastity slowly nods.
”That... Ahem, yeah.”
Evan groans and reaches over to the end-table, placing the glass down. He buries his head in his forearm on the arm of the sofa. Chastity crosses her legs and smirks over at him.
”Why is it that you love APW so much more than Michelle? I mean-- you alway complain about how they don’t show you the respect that you deserve, and you’re denied opportunities, and they-- they apparently treat you like dirt. These are all your words, but you’re still infinitely more loyal to them than you’ve ever been to Michelle.”
”I know.”
”Why though?”
”Because I want what I can’t have.”
For a moment, the little one is silent, seemingly satisfied by the response.
”Like the Overdrive Title?”
”Hm.”
”Like adulation? Praise?”
”Hm.”
”Maybe you’d settle for a win over CJ Gates. “
Evan raises his head and rubs his eyes as they readjust to the lights in the room. He chuckles and turns to look over at her, perking an eyebrow.
”This is my last chance to beat him before Rasslemania, Chastity.”
”I get that. But why is that so important?”
”Because every single fucking time I get this close--” To emphasize, Evan holds his thumb and index finger mere millimeters apart. ”--I fuck up. In the tag match, I got cocky. Gates hit me like a fucking coward. Like a chump. I deserved it. I really did, but I don’t like it one bit.”
”You’re not supposed to like it.”
Evan digests it for a moment, but continues.
”The second time, I... Just got ahead of myself and-- I dunno. I dunno what happened.”
”He outsmarted you. Got you counted out. Made you look like an idiot. Like a--”
”I get it. Thank you.”
”Ahh, just makin’ sure...”
She breaks the next few seconds of silence by acknowledging the obvious; Evan’s most recent fault.
”And last week? What was that about?”
Evan slowly nods and brings his wine glass up to his lips once more, but groans just at the smell of it. He puts it down on the endtable once more and shrugs.
”Last week was about a lot.”
”Last week was supposed to be about beating Terry Marvin and CJ Gates at the same time. And you fucked it up, right? You did it because you’re spiteful, and you weren’t thinking, and you thought that... What? That it was going to get you what you wanted? You thought that by choking your partner and throwing him to the wolves, that you looked stronger. Braver.”
Soon, her words sounded more like matter-of-fact statements, rather than inquiries.
Evan’s eyes drift up toward the bedroom door, once again. Part of him was wondering if Michelle was on the other side of the door, listening, and waiting for Evan to draw his own conclusions and parallels. He taps his foot, non-rhythmically; oddly in anticipation. Chastity, entertained by Evan’s inability to hide his frustration, tosses her blanket at him to break his gaze. Evan mutters something as he pulls the blanket off of his head and turns to look at her.
”You really have an odd way about trying to get what you want, Evan.”
”I know.”
”Do you want to beat CJ Gates?”
”I want Mark Mania to understand--”
”Evan.”
”I...”
”Evan.”
”...Yes. I want to beat CJ Gates. I want to beat the hell out of CJ Gates. I need that. Every step-- every turn, over the past month, has led me back to Gates. Every time I fail, he’s there to remind me. He’s there to look at me with that-- that ugly shit-eating grin, and remind me that I’m not good enough.
“I’ve been battling CJ Gates my entire life. He is the embodiment of everyone that doubted me, and hated me, and took a proverbial shit all over me when I was trying to become somebody in this business. And now that I have, because I don’t have my name attached to the main event of Rasslemania, and because I haven’t even received a shot at the Undisputed Championship, I’m not good enough.”
Chastity looks at him, unable to say much. She waits as Evan finishes the last bit of wine in the glass and wipes his lips with the back of his wrist. His face mildly contorts into a unique sadness that Chastity is certain she’s never seen on Evan before.
”Maybe instead of taking all these shortcuts to get to where you want to be, you should just go there. Enjoy the ride.”
Evan laughs as she says this, and he pushes himself up, making his way over to the sink to deposit the wine glass.
”Enjoy the ride? What, did you eat a fortune cookie or something?”
”My teacher always told me that it wasn’t about being there. It’s all about getting there. I never really understood what it meant... But I thought it was something to hold onto.”
Evan rubs his eyes and yawns, lowering his hands to smile at Chastity from the kitchen.
”Your parents ever tell you that you’re brilliant?”
Chastity looks at Evan uneasily. Compliments were a rarity-- at least ones that weren’t drenched in sarcasm. She gazes at him for a moment, clearly unsure of what to say.
”Um... Nah, they don’t really... No... I mean...”
Evan raises a hand, which Chastity gratefully views as a gesture to stop.
”You are.”
She continues to stare at him before her lips curl into a small, almost fragile smirk.
”I know. You don’t need to say it twice.”
”Hm. And that, kid, is why you’re never going to end up married.”
This sparks a laugh from the two of them-- but only seconds later, their eyes dart toward the bedroom door where Michelle Weaver stands, her hair tangled and a tired, groggy look in her eyes. She makes her way over to Evan and grabs his left arm, looking at his watch.
”It’s three o’clock in the morning. What are you two doing up?”
”Getting shitfaced with your niece. Want some wine?”
”You-- what?!”
”I’m just kidding.”
Though Chastity and Evan see the humor in it, Michelle hardly finds it funny. She releases her grip on Evan’s arm and yawns.
”Come back to bed. And Chastity-- you go to sleep too. You’re going to throw your sleep schedule way off.”
”Pffft. And the fun has successfully been killed.”
”Yeah, yeah, fun police is here. Besides...”
Michelle moves her arms around Evan’s waist and kisses the back of his neck as she rests her head on his shoulder.
”You have a big day tomorrow. We don’t want you to hide behind the excuse of ‘I was too tired’, do you?”
She gives him a gentle squeeze as she says it, indicating her sarcasm. Evan reaches back, guiding his arm around her shoulders.
”You’re the boss.”
”Night, guys.”
Chastity wraps her blanket around herself and makes her way back over to the sofa bed. Michelle begins to guide Evan toward the bedroom, but he raises one finger.
”I’m gonna pull out the sofa bed for her. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Michelle half-yawns, half-groans some sort of response and glides back into the bedroom. Evan moves over toward the sofa, removing the cushions to pull out the bed while Chastity watches on. Evan looks down at her once he’s finished and gives her a small nod.
”Thanks for talking to me, kid. You’re not a complete little failure. Not yet.”
”What can I say? I love telling douchebags all their faults.”
”Normally, that’d be... Incredibly offensive. But I’ll let it go this time. Just once.”
”Yeah, yeah.”
Evan starts to turn and walk away, but Chastity calls out one more time.
”Yo. Evan.”
”Yo. What?”
”Remember...”
Evan turns back to face her. Chastity taps her temple.
”Talk to her. Think about what I said. Overcome it.”
”And what if she decides to--”
”Don’t finish that sentence. Don’t blame her. It’s you with the problem. And if you can overcome a scornful woman in a relationship, then I see no reason for you to not be able to overcome CJ Gates, Buckson Gooch-- whoever they throw at you.”
She pauses for a moment and continues.
”Think you’d be better off if you weren’t so full of yourself?”
Evan ponders this. With a thoughtful look, he legitimately gives the question some thought... And then snickers and shakes his head.
”Bahaha! Hell no.”
He moves forward, pulling Chastity into a loose hug.
”Night, kid.”
”Night.”
He pivots and makes his way back into the bedroom. He lingers at the doorway for a moment, looking at Michelle. She lies in the bed, her hair already tangled upon the pillow. Behind tired eyes she gives him a smile.
”Welcome back.”
Evan nods and steps into the room, his head angled toward the living room still. He leaves his hand on the knob for a moment, looking ahead in silence before he turns his head toward Michelle.
”Wanna talk?”
She looks at him, and for a long time, Evan is convinced that she’ll say “no”, or say nothing at all.
”Yeah.”
Evan smiles, mildly, and closes the door behind him.
Dark.
*****
”I’m not exactly sure what I’m supposed to do, here, to convince you people that I’m ready.
“I pinned Mark Mania. I beat the former Overdrive Champion and former Undisputed Champion, Biggs, on multiple occasions. For the love of God, I’m the first man to beat Terry Marvin in months! And it’s to the point where I sound like a broken record. Accomplishment after accomplishment, and it’s become nothing but a LIST to you people. It is not a fucking LIST.
“These accomplishments are my life. I work, I breathe, and I live for the glory and the exposure, and the limelight. I do not settle for anything less, and damnit, it’s because I am the most entertaining WRESTLER to step foot inside an Action Packed Wrestling ring.
“This week, I face CJ Gates and my good ol’ friend, Buckson Gooch in a triple threat match just weeks before Rasslemania. And-- GOOCH. Buddy. Pal. How are you doin’?”
Color.
Evan Envi is sitting before us. It’s daytime, and our location is familiar, but unusual for an Evan Envi production. We are entering the Budweiser Gardens center, moving past a legion of screaming, jumping fans in London, Ontario. Security holds them back as Evan Envi makes his way from his limousine toward the double-doors that lead to the entrance of the arena, speaking into his camcorder.
”Gooch, I wanted to let you know that I was pulling for you at Survive & Conquer, man. I really wa-- GET THE FUCK OFF ME!”
Evan swats at an overzealous fan that reaches out to grab his shirt collar. He screams for Evan to deck him, but security quickly wrangles the man, ripping him away from the aluminum barricades. Evan adjusts his collar and angrily turns back to the lens in his hands.
”I wanted to see someone topple and dismantle Ego-Mania. I thought you might be that guy, and I thought-- maybe Mark Mania met his match. Maybe the Possumtown Powerhouse himself has it in him to knock Marky off his high-horse and claim the Overdrive Championship.
“That wasn’t to be, though. And the moment, I saw you fail.... The moment I saw the gold slip from your fingertips, it became apparent that my destiny was to go onto Rasslemania and do what people like you, and Azrael Goeren, and even Delikado couldn’t-- eliminate Mark Mania and become the APW Overdrive Champion.”
Evan shoulders past the hands of another few fans before he finally makes his way to the double doors. He thrusts them open and steps inside, sighing in relief to see that there are no rambunctious fans in sight.
”The think about you, Gooch, is that I know you’re one of the best-- even if you don’t. I know for a fact that a year or so from now, you’ll be headlining Pay-Per-Views. You’ll be fighting for the Undisputed Championship. You’ll be a household name. You’ll be one of the best... But not the best.
“Because I’M going to be the best. When you’re headlining Pay-Per-Views, they’ll be against me. When you’re challenging for that Undisputed Title, it’ll be AGAINST... ME. When you become a household name, understand, that we will be living in an era where there is NO ONE above me.
“And I understand... That it’s not a reality right now. It’s hard for you to picture because you’ve never seen Evan Envi do anything great. I’ve been good. I’ve been damned good. And at times, I think I’ve been the best in the locker-room. I do. But I know I’m not the guy. Not yet. I know that right now, it isn’t about being at the top...
“It’s about getting to the top.
“You know that all too well, Gooch. While your partner Mac Bane tucked his tail between his legs and abandoned ship when the competition got too heavy, you...”
Evan pauses as he reaches his locker-room. He pushes it open, cautiously stepping inside and viewing his surroundings before turning back to the camera.
”You stuck around. You made something of yourself. Gooch, you became the man that I, sometimes, wish I could be. In the face of adversity, you never once have backed down. You never had to bully anyone to get to the top. Never had to manipulate anyone... You’re the gold standard for the good guy.
“I wish things were that simple. But... Sometimes, you get caught up in this certain world, and you’re about this certain life, and you just can’t change. Sometimes it feels good to hurt people, because people hurt you. Sometimes it feels good to rob people of their opportunities and their dreams... Because that’s what they did to you.
“It’s something that you guys don’t understand, clearly.”
Evan places the camcorder down on a tabletop in the locker-room and sits down, resting his chin on his folded hands as he looks into the lens.
”Gates, I know you don’t respect me. I know you feel that you’re better than me and that I haven’t earned my keep, and you know what-- that’s the way I prefer it. Keeps me young. Keeps my guard up.
“CJ, I’ve reached a point where beating you isn’t an option, but a necessity. And despite what you may like to think-- it has nothing to do with you. It has everything to do with me.
“For weeks, I’ve been given opportunity after opportunity. And every week, I’ve done something to squander all of that. I’ve let my guard down, or I’ve thought too highly of myself, or I got lost in the moment and I gave it away. None of those are excuses. None of those change the fact that you beat me, CJ. Three times in a row.
“You want a golf-clap?”
Evan silently claps for his opponent, smirking slightly into the camera.
”I haven’t changed my mind.
“I still think you only show up when you deem the situation important enough. And of course, I am an important situation. And that’s the way I like it. I like the fact that I can bring out the CJ Gates that APW was deprived of for the better half of a year. I like the fact that when you see me, you know that you can’t afford to lose, because you’ll get stepped on. Trampled. Passed over. You know that the moment CJ Gates succumbs to Evan Envi, the balance of power in those locker-rooms will shift.
“It’s not of a matter of IF I will inherit the ring, CJ, but when.
“You’ll go onto Rasslemania and you and Terry will have a five-star contest. You’ll know, deep-down, that you shouldn’t be there, though. You’ll know it.”
Evan sighs and takes a deep breath before going on.
”You know how to win a match, and you know you’re good. We all know how good you are.
“But you know that you won’t have the same passion for this company and for these fans if you walk away from Rasslemania empty-handed. There’s always a catch... And I don’t think that this is a fall that CJ Gates can rebound from. Once Rasslemania is over and you lose your one shot at the Undisputed Championship, you’ll move to the back of the line-- and it’s not because you want to, but because you know it’s where you belong.
“And I dare you to doubt me. Look at the entire calendar year of 2012 if you think otherwise. CJ, you have no desire to be anywhere but at the top. The unfortunate thing is that if you aren’t there... Neither is your desire. You waited for nearly an entire year to get this opportunity-- and what’ve you done to capitalize it? Blindside Terry Marvin? Score a fake three count over his unconscious body?
“The worst thing about you, CJ, is that fucking Code Red Wrestling has done more to promote the Undisputed Championship than you ever will.
“I don’t WANT to see CJ Gates as the Undisputed Champions. I’ve already read that story, and it’s fucking boring.
“I don’t WANT to see Buckson Gooch become the next big thing, because I want to be. There can only be one-- and no one will come before me if I can helpit.
“I don’t WANT... I...”
Evan lifts his chin up and smiles into the camera behind half-lidded eyes.
”I don’t want.
“I will.
“Gates. Gooch. I’ll see you tonight. And it’ll... It’ll be unforgettable.”
Dark.
