Sean rose from his slumber quite early today. His bones and muscles were tingling with excitement. Soon, he would finally be standing in true opposition to his principle rival; Armando Paradyse. The two had been tag team partners, almost like brothers at one point in time. But a single twist of fate had ruined their friendship and turned them into bitter enemies. For a time Armando’s villainous change of heart had wounded Sean, coupled with the even more shocking rampage of Alex Bowen, it was almost too much for Sean to bear. But now he stood firm, his resolve strengthened by the adversity. However, the monotony of his morning routine was broken. The other side of his bed played host to an empty space where Nikki usually lay. He began to worry and nearly tore the house down looking for a note, or anything that would suggest where she had gone. After searching the house for an hour and a half, he returned to the bedroom to check his phone for any messages. He walked through the door and saw her lying peacefully beneath the covers.
Sean: Hey! Where’ve you been?
Nikki replies in a poorly acted groggy voice.
Nikki: Hmm? I’ve been here, thanks for waking me up.
Sean: No way, don’t play that game with me. Where were you last night?
Nikki: I don’t know what you’re talking about, just come back to bed.
Sean: No way! I want to know where you were!
Nikki finally breaks character and reveals her secret.
Nikki: Fine. You want to know where I was last night? I was stopping a jewel thief from picking the museum clean.
Sean tosses her a look of irritation and she continues in her story.
Nikki: I was out with my girlfriends. We left kind of late and you were already asleep. I didn’t mean to worry you, I’m sorry.
Sean: Couldn’t you have left a note or text or something?
Nikki: I thought about it, but then I assumed I would be home before you woke up and already had a plan for getting in without you noticing.
Sean: I don’t know… Sounds fishy.
Nikki: It just seems that way because you’re all antsy about your big match against Armando. It’s finally time to take him down, huh?
Sean: Yeah. Once I’ve beaten him, I’ll go right after Alex. That’ll be the end of everything. I’ll finally be able to settle my mind and move on peacefully.
Nikki: It’s pretty unnerving that two people so close can go down a road like this. I mean, the stories you used to tell me made it seem like you guys were attached at the hip. And now it’s come to this? It’s sure to be a dirty fight.
Sean: Considering Armando’s recent track record, I want to be prepared for anything. But I won’t go down that road with him. I’m going to keep it clean and beat him fair and square. That way there’ll be no debate concerning which of the two of us is the better performer.
Nikki: This I have to see. I'll be down at ringside cheering you on.
Sean: Hopefully it won't last too long. If the match goes too far, he'll resort to dirty tricks to win. I want to see everything he has in his arsenal before he gets lazy. I can still recall a few of his moves, so a steady stream of counters would work in my favor. I'm not pulling any punches either. A night in the hospital will give him ample time to slow down and think about all the wrong he's commited.
Nikki: You seem pretty excited about this, Seanie.
Sean: You know me. I just love these do or die situations.
Sean flashes a huge grin the would inspire confidence in anyone. On the surface Sean is calm, cool, and collected. But deep in his heart, he's afraid of what will happen if he loses this match. If he doesn't make it past Armando, there's no way he can make back to Alex and clear his name of the substance abuse scandal. So much more is riding on this than just a little slice of vengeance.
