Greatness.

[J-Hop]

OOC: Sorry for the lateness for this one. Busy week with limited time. I'll try to get a 2nd one up, maybe. Good luck Knux'!

"SECOND CHANCES"
Finalizing The Dream


MAY 22ND 2013 -- NEW YORK, NY | HAZELDEN REHAB CENTER | 12:50 PM

~ Day 5 of 30 ~


Just days after having one of the best, yet bittersweet weekends, I instilled the “c” word into my system. The “c” word, commitment, committing to this rehab session, putting on my best behavior for what would be twenty-five more days of ‘running around the roses’. Doing interviews, interacting with the other patients, and repeating again and again to why I am in this place. It was bad enough with all the press that came each day trying to fill me with questions of what was going on. At least this center did a good job of keeping me out of the press during my stay. Lord knows they are desperate for entertainment and recordings to send to the thousands and thousands of other outlets.

It was Wednesday, which would have been my sixth day of treatment but as to giving me Friday off to travel and be in time for both events, Monday into Tuesday was my travel back to the states and back home. Wednesday, here I was. Tired, wrecked, sore. Going through that TLC Match at Meltdown was the most brutal match since last year’s event where I crashed through those tables. It’s so far back that even I can’t remember. However, pain was pain and as bad as I felt, I wanted painkillers but reminding myself where I was, there was no way in hell I was jeopardizing myself further.

“Hey Hopkins...” One of the working staff people came up to me as someone who was behind him looked familiar. White girl with curves and those eyes that make you drop what you’re doing immediately. “Someone’s here for you!” He said as he directed her to the seat that was on the opposite end of the table where I sat at.

Sitting her purse on the table, she looked at me with that somewhat disappointed glare in her eyes as she took a sigh. “Jair....”

“Karin....What are you doing here and how did you find me?” I asked as the last time we said anything to each other was when she made an appearance at my apartment complex, aiming high with rocks to my window, frustrated and seemingly crazed.

She looked around, not saying anything.

“Karin?” I called her name again, waiting for an answer.

“The television told me. You were on television, they told the story and the location on the news channel here in New York. Why Jair? Why did you try to put yourself down? Was it because of me?” She asked as she talked low, trying not to be overheard.

Shaking my head, “No, it’s not you or you leaving.” I replied as some relief showed in her expression. “It’s the lesson that I learned about being under pressure, being overly criticized in negative fashion and letting it get to me.” I said as she looked at me shaking her head continually.

“Jair, you know for as long as I’ve known you, you never let the haters see you sweat. You strived to change their negative minds one way or another. You can’t please every soul. You can only please yours. You stand in a career that has numerous opportunities for you. You’ve waited patiently, but now it’s time you take yours.”

I nodded my head as Karin always spoke her mind. She never held much back.

“Fans are always going to love you and Haters are always going to hate. That’s just how it is. Fans are their as your support, Haters are what motivate you to succeed. Not to succumb and suffer under pressure. Your enemies, the same, use their hate for you as motivation, Jair.”

She held her hands on the side of her face, as she looked into my face and eyes.

“I just don’t know what could push you that far to damn near kill yourself. I have no fucking clue what it could be?” She said, still in disbelief.

“Maybe if you were there by my side, I wouldn’t even be in this damn place.” I said as her eyes beamed straight at me.

“What?” She said, sounding surprised. “Me not being there by your side isn’t a valid excuse. I told you after I almost got ‘annihilated’ by that punk ass white boy and that morning in the hospital beside you. We can be friends but I can’t deal with the worry. I hated those nights, alone, praying you would be alright only to see you scarred up, bloodied and limping like an elderly person.”

Letting a sigh out as I listened to her, I couldn’t help but to smirk.

“The profession you’re in isn’t fit for me. Always on the road, away and gone for weeks, months and when you come home, you have to spend most of your days recuperating. I can’t ... I tried, I did, but I can’t.”

“You think I was going to let Kash take you out? He wanted me, not you. He used you as bait to get me to come to him. I’ve learned his game, his craft, his underhand tactics. I wouldn’t have let him harm you!”

Sucking her teeth she then held up her hand, using her index and thumb to indicate just a small space between the two fingers.

“That’s how close it was, that tire iron to my head. How were you going to protect me if you were out of it yourself, huh?”

She stared at me with narrow eyes as she waited for my reply, ready to block it with her hand.

“I would’ve protected you, Karin!”

“Errrr---woulda’, shoulda’, coulda’ ... blanco, blanco, blaco!!” She said, as predicted, blocked my shot. “It’s fine though. You’re a good man with a good soul. Try to keep it like that. You’ll find someone else. I’m not the only thick white girl who speaks her mind around these parts. I’m just not a fit for your lifestyle, Jair.”

Looking around the room, the other patients who were males, all looked in one direction. Karin’s rear end as I could read all of their deepest thoughts. Listening to her words, it just made her reason for leaving even worse.

“I may be in this building but I’m not crazy. I remember those days, fourteen years old, the both of us sitting on the front of the apartment steps, talking about us following our dreams and supporting each other’s path. I guess the game rules have changed, huh?” I said as I pretty much ‘crossed’ her in our little game of ‘Mind Chess’.

Her eyes again, staring a red beam through me as she reached for her purse. Looking to run away from the ‘real truth’. It seemed like my mind remembered more than hers. Those days, those memories of little talks we had in achieving our dream. Her wanting to work for a modeling firm. Me wanting to pursue a dream in the industry of wrestling. Sure it wasn’t like basketball or football but it was my ‘true love’ at first sight. She scooted back and reached to pivot left out of her chair.

“I understand though Karin. I appreciated all we did when we were an item. I’ll still support you in achieving your lifelong goal as I hope you will do me the same. Don’t turn your back on me, that’s all I ask of you.” I said, hoping for some answer, a head nod or anything representing an agreement.

As she sat for everything I just said, she motioned and got up out of her chair as the male eyes in the background followed her every motion. She leaned over towards me. “I will and I won’t.” She said, not specifying what she will and won’t do. She slid in a kiss on the cheek. “Goodbye, Jair!” was her last words as she walked off, garnering the attention of every man in the room.

Answering the question, she left it with holes for me to figure out where each went. Classic Karin. From experience, I knew she will do the right thing, hopefully, maybe.

“Ugh.” slapping my hands hard on the table, I let out one deep breath.

“You alright, kid?” The man at the nearest table who seemed like he had used his ‘satellite’ ears to hear every word said in me and Karin’s convo. I didn’t retaliate. I just nodded.

“Yeah, I’m just fine. Thanks for asking!” Answering in a well-mannered tone, I rested back into the seat as I looked up at the ceiling with a cold stare.


-----------------------------------

I ’ M G O N N A G E T Y O U S U C K A ! ! ! !

“For everything you do, there’s consequences that follow.”

That quote is what is stored within my brain, thanks to my Mother. Telling me that repeatedly at a young age kept me on both sides of the street, evenly. It comes into play with everything I do. Whether good or bad, the consequences of that action will follow you to the core. It’s something I wish a lot of folks in the world would keep in their mind when they look to harm innocent people. Bombings, the random-ass killing sprees, school shootings. I wish those folks would read that quote to themselves to think wisely before they act.

Obviously not a lot of folks like to read or even listen.

That goes for a guy named Reaver, aka Johnny Knuckles, aka the ‘side piece’ in Foul Play.

Who’s Foul Play you ask?

Three men, both in their own right ‘greats’ in this company and known around the industry as a whole. They get the idea of wanting to be a three-man band with goals of being recognized as the best ever, wanting to be the likes of the ‘Beastie Boys’ and run the nation. That is what they are aiming to be but they will found out in the long run they are only capable of producing what ‘New Kids On The Block’ achieved. Nothing but hype. Hype that quickly worn off within a couple of months. They came together to take APW by it’s horns. They want to make everyone know that they are the new ‘force field’ in the company. They have everyone on guard, except for the other three-man band that stands in front of them.

Who’s that you ask?

The Dying Breed. You can call us the Temptations without the Eddie Ruffin. We don’t have egos. We share everything together. The microphone, the success, the fame, the glory and all that comes with the name. We are long-standing and will never look to fall. Foul Play, they are getting some shine right now but when the sun goes in, they will grow dull.

But this isn’t about Jason Kash or Michael Lively. This is all about their dog that is running without it’s leash. Reaver, you scrappy-looking, psycho puppet. Taking orders like the Chinese man from Kash in what to do. Taking orders to sneak attack me to weaken the strength of Dying Breed. Kash is mad as hell because of him losing to Bailey yet again. He knows who is the most vulnerable in his group. Reaver is the ‘lost dog’ with temper tantrums. Feeling it’s cool to cost me a match in a Fatal Four-way by pulling on the ring ropes was STRIKE ONE.

STRIKE TWO, Reaver attacking me in the locker room with a ring rope.

STRIKE THREE, looking to attack me from behind again at Meltdown at which I gained the upper hand only to see you go the cheap route with Ether.

Like baseball, three strikes and you are out. Reaver, you are fucking done. Well-done!

You like taking commands from Kash, getting used and attacking from behind. Let’s see how well you can attack when staring me in the face in that ring. “Test For The Best” is here this week and it’s me and you, mano e mano. I got my eyes out for your homies because I know ... I know you can’t fight on your own without supervision. You’re a damn kid under a mask. It’s alright though. For everything you do, there’s consequences that follow. You did your best to down me. Your best wasn’t enough as I still helped out to keep our titles and rid of Aubrey J. Parker and her sidekick Logan Alexander.

Although they did all they could to take us down, shot after shot, after shot. They fought hard just twenty-four hours after going through their own personal hell. They came together and went through hell once more. Heart, desire, passion. Foul Play has neither. All they carry is their big heads and their egos. Ego is Satan to any group.

Reaver is going to feel this pain I’ve been holding in since Mayhem and Meltdown. He wants to “HEHEHEHEHEH!” and urge a war, he’s got one. He wants to test me intellectually, he’ll get outsmarted. He wants to be physical, I’m going to just elbow the fuck out of his head until all he hears is Chinese Gongs going off.

Reaver, Knuckles, whatever the hell you want to call yourself, deep down inside, you know you’re better than this. No need for the simple attacks, stupid laugh and ironic mask. What are you trying to hide from? The embarrassment? You get in a bar brawl and got a mean right hook to the eye? What’s with the mask? You think it makes you look cool? You think your appearance scares off people? Naw ... Naw Reaver, you scare no one except for the mirror in which it shakes and cracks to your appearance in front of it.

You want to be popular, you want to feel loved and accepted although knowing you never will. Aligned with Kash, you think you’re going to ride the lane to the promise land. No. Your journey stops here. Your journey ends with a quick, yet painful blow. Kash will falter to Bailey once more. Williams will finally prove ‘Wanna-Be Jesus’ Lively that he is not God and I, Jair Hopkins will put their puppet down. Euthanizing him to let him not suffer anymore.

Foul Play will fall back in the line again as they won’t achieve destiny as they had planned. I hated myself last year for not showing the world what I was made of. I got caught up, I failed to make it past. It has stuck in my mind as one of the goals I needed to make up for.

Time flies by pretty damn fast, doesn’t it?

Come Sunday Night Asy-- I mean, Sunday Night “Raab-a-Mania”, I will follow through with the gameplan. I won’t let anything take my focus away. Reaver will learn the hard way.

You may think I’m fragile in the mind from this rehab shit but I haven’t lost a beat. I may be battered and bruised, but I’m not dead. I was given a second chance at life to achieve my list of goals. You can’t kill me Reaver, even with a pointed gun at my heart.

You can’t defeat me.