Hero I: 42 Days
Jan 11, 2020 4:11:06 GMT -5
Psycho Vulcan Sentai (Kaz), Derrick Vayden, and 2 more like this
Post by Lissie Hope on Jan 11, 2020 4:11:06 GMT -5
What do you see when the sun rises?
I know what I see.
I wish I didn’t.
I feel like happiness is a foreign concept. It isn’t meant for everyone. I’ve tried to find a reason to wake up every morning uplifted, and optimistic, wondering if my cup-of-coffee is half-empty or half-full. I’ve wondered why I’ve always felt different, like it was just never in the cards for me. And this isn’t some uniquely fresh circumstance: this traces back to the days of my upbringing. Why whenever I’d see myself turning the corner, I’d instinctively take the wrong turn and be lost.
Again.
You know what I see when the sun rises?
I see a cloud-less spring day.
The kind of day you don’t even notice the weather at all.
I don’t hear the birds chirping.
I don’t see the roses blooming.
I see darkness.
I see the walls closing in around me.
For 42 days, they did.
I wish I could embrace my talent.
I wish I could see what everyone else sees.
But I wish I hadn’t lost the World Championship.
Maybe I shouldn’ve even won it in the first place.
Why is my phone buzzing?
Goddammit, Estrella.
Look Lissie! She’s cute!
dayum!
she young, tho
don cha think im a little too… much for her?
I think you need to stop judging yourself sis!
She likes you!
she don even know me
nothin bout me
Well give it a chance!
why you doin this?
hookin me up with someone?
I just want to see you happy.
You and me both.
The short flight to Des Moines International was relatively uneventful, but having been cooped up at home for what seemed like an eternity *It was 42 days* this was something that Lissie knew she needed. To remove herself from her isolation, from her stagnant bubble of complacency, to finally be healed mentally and physically; she was ready to forge on a path of regeneration. To attack the new decade with a sense of pride, of resolve, of tenaciousness. She wanted to place Action Wrestling on her shoulders *But I’m scared…* and to stand on top of the mountain again, to be the hero Action Wrestling deserved! She wanted to be only the second two-time World Champion in AW lore *...and I don’t want to fail again* even if she knew that the road would only get tougher from here.
Winning the championship to begin with was almost an accident. She always envisioned the All-In briefcase being the impetus, but she landed on the right side of the bracket in Wrestler of the Year. *Had the luck of the draw* But now, after a month-long hiatus, she knew she was back to square one, back to competing against up-and-comers, being the litmus test to prove who belonged. While Dandy DiVito and FPV were granted opportunities to compete for contendership, here she was, preparing herself to face... Thomas Snow.
But before the battle…
Hi, Sierra.
Lissie could smell the scent of freshly grounded coffee beans as she walked into the Mars Cafe, a local hole-in-the-wall neighboring Drake University near downtown Des Moines. She noticed Sierra Silver’s caramel-colored curls dropping below her neckline. Her modest top revealed her slender collarbone, and a gold necklace draped around her neck popped against her smooth, tan skin. She was gorgeous; the pictures didn’t do her justice.
Thanks for meeting me on short notice! Hope I’m not keeping you from anything important.
Lissie pulled out the stool across from Sierra and slid in, catching her smile when their knees grazed. There was immediate, superficial attraction for sure, but everything that Lissie knew about Sierra *which ain’t fuckin’ much* seemed to suggest that the two were worlds apart. Sierra was young, sheltered, naive. Lissie was reckless, cultured, experienced. Then again…
I’m glad you came. Do you fly out first thing for every date?
This is a date?
Oh…
Fuck.
That’s not what I meant, I’m sorry.
I’m a fuckin’ idiot.
Did I freak you out? Goddammit.
Girl, chill! If I didn’t want to be here, if I didn’t want to meet you, I wouldn’t’ve come.
Well…
Nice save, loser.
I’m glad you did.
She was so goddamn nervous; I could see the hairs sticking out of her bubbling pores. It was nice getting to know a stranger, how natural our conversation was becoming with every second. Our chemistry was like a tender dance, slow and deliberate, with me leading Sierra until her anxiousness dissipated. She was beginning to relax; giggling at my jokes, the spark shooting out of her eyes.
Every time Lissie’s glass would appear half-empty *story of my life* the young waiter would arrive with a fresh pitcher of ice-water with precise timing. Lissie could see out of the corner of her eye that the staff had taken a keen interest in this burgeoning romance, and when the patrons left the cafe one-by-one, leaving the two sitting in the corner booth with the place to themselves, the lights dimmed and the soundtrack shifted to romantic jazz music reminiscent of Lissie’s home in New Orleans. She felt comfortable and safe, for the first time in a long time.
Would you dance with me?
I’m not much of a dancer.
I care.
Lissie gently grabbed Sierra’s hand and led her to her feet, placing her fingers on the small of her back. They didn’t move much, but their motion was in-sync and resulted in Sierra feeling comfortable enough to burrow her cheek in Lissie’s neck. Lissie closed her eyes and let the rest of her senses do the work.
Are you always this confident?
It’s precious that she thinks I’m confident.
When I want something, I go for it.
You’re very interesting, Lissie Hope.
And you... are intoxicating.
I wanted a drink.
Or, at least, I thought I wanted a drink.
Not too long ago, I would've needed a drink.
They continued their evening sharing a small cheese and olive appetizer, continuing to get to know one another. Their comfortability with each other was slow and methodical, like watching an old polaroid picture develop. At one point in the night, Sierra’s phone buzzed - she glanced at the caller and immediately silenced it. Nobody could interrupt their night together.
Except me.
So what can you tell me about Thomas?
Did’ya miss me?
I’ve missed all’a you!
It’d been six weeks. Forty-two days since I stepped foot in an Action Wrestling ring, after giving my body’nd damn near my career for a shot at redemption. And I made my return last week for revenge against an evil who set me in’is sights, attempted to torment me, to haunt me. And I stepped on his dick and set that fat fuck straight, ‘ay?
But that was just a cameo.
This week? S’the real thing.
I’m not lurkin’ in the shadows, Thomas.
The sun has risen.
The air s’clear.
Can y’feel the heat?
You excelled when the heat was burnin’ hot behin’ ‘ya ass. When Daddy was runnin’ the show, pullin’ the strings, a vice grip on that leash wrapped tight ‘round your pussy. He led you to victory, established your name in Trinity Wrestling, helped you achieve the impossible!
World Champion.
But’cha couldn’t handle those expectations, ‘ay?
You proved you could enter last and win a battle royal with Daddy by your side.
And the following week, you showed your ass against the poor man’s Dandy DiVito… Duncan Aries.
But it didn’t stop there.
You deserted your father.
The one who got you there, no matter how badly you resented him, and you tried to make’t on your own. You tried to get those fans behin’ya, You wanted to be a hero in Trinity Wrestling.
And you failed.
That championship belt…
Your only accolade...
...it left you behind.
And you’ve been flailing e’er since.
Tryin’a keep your head above water.
Swallowing the sea.
Going under.
Gasping for breath.
I won’t throw you a life-jacket, Thomas.
People might see a little'a ya' in me, but I don’t. Because I climbed the ladder, step-by-step, the way it’s s’posed to be climbed. I didn’t step into an easy situation with a cheatin’ bastard guidin’ every move. I created my legend by beatin’ damn-near everyone they put in front of me.
But you?
When they put the company on your undeserving shoulders?
You floundered.
Don’t you think it’s interesting that even when you’s the face of Trinity Wrestling, even while you were topping the card at The Big Time with the belt around your waist… they were still callin' me? Ever wonder'd why they threw money at me to face Claire Hawkins?
They needed a headliner.
You don’t sell out the show, Thomas.
They realized, after all this time, that they made a mistake.
I’m sorry to break this to you, Ice Prince.
But you?
You were a mistake.
Even when I was on the shelf, tryin’a heal and rehabilitate, I was still getting calls. AlphaPro wanted me in their battle royal. At seventy-five-percent, OutlawPro wanted me to bring some star-power to their opening.
But you?
In the prime of your career?
The apex of your health?
In the forty-two days when you didn’t have to live in my shadow, you’ve had two matches. Two forgettable matches.
What does that say about you, Thomas?
How’d ‘ya feel learnin’ you’re merely my rehab match?
Aren’t you a former champion?
Your mistake-of-a-legacy trumped by the title reigns of aging, perpetual journeymen like Lex Collins and grandstanding choke-artists like Madwoman?
It must suck, man, knowin’ that no matter how proud you may be of winnin’ that strap, that now when your steppin’ in a lion’s den, you ain’t nothin’ but the fuckin’ prey.
Why are you tryin’a step into my league, Thomas?
The Action Wrestling ring is my sanctuary.
You made a mistake.
You should’a joined the Cruiserweights when you had a chance.
You shoulda’ been down there in the minor leagues, handlin’ my lightweights like Quixote.
That’s where you’d thrive, my man.
That’s your story.
Your legacy.
‘Cause up here?
Up ‘ere with the stars?
You’re outta your depth.
Like your story goes.
You'll sink to the bottom.
Like your story goes.
You'll sink to the bottom.
And I know she’s your best friend, Thomas.
But don’t you worry.
I made her a promise.
I ain't gon' hurt you too badly.
You’re not using me, are you?
What do you mean?
Did’ya take me out just to get the scoop on Thomas?
I’m pretty offended you would even suggest that.
Halfway through the conversation about Thomas and Sierra’s friendship, Sierra felt a sharp pain in her gut, getting the inkling that the universe was warning her that she was being played for a fool. And Sierra knew of Lissie’s reputation, one who uses sex as a vehicle. A player. Hell, Lissie didn’t even try to hide it, as Sierra was privy to Lissie antagonizing Karlie Nash on Twitter a few days before about their own encounter. But she wanted to be optimistic; she wanted to see the glass half-full.
Are you going to use what I told you against him?
That's the game we play, Sierra. I’d be foolish not to.
I want to believe that you’re different.
I am.
I want to believe that you’re sincere.
I am.
Then show me.
Sierra hoped not to let this blossoming romance get in the middle of her friendship with Thomas. She really liked Lissie, and felt that their chemistry was real, but she felt guarded. The wall was erected. She was going to have to make Lissie work extremely hard to penetrate it.
And then, the door to the Mars Cafe opened and she saw a familiar face.
We’ve got to get out’f here.
How do I let someone in when I've always kept everyone out?
Is she right to question my motives?
Do I even want to find out?
I want to believe that the glass is half-full.
I want to believe in something again.
Please, Lissie.
Don't fuck this up.