AS 116 - Eve Taylor versus Gabi Clark
- Thread starter Dave
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There was always doubt.
There was always doubt in me that I could be anything special in this world. Today, you need to stand out to have a chance. When I was growing up, I felt like every other girl when I shouldn’t have. I had all the necessary tools to be something great but it just didn’t happen. Or well, it didn’t happen until much later on.
Growing up, Callie and I couldn’t have been more opposite. We were all on the same sports teams but was always the best due to my size and Callie, well, she was alright. I'm sure she didn't mind because my victory was her victory. But you bet your ass, had it been someone else who was the best, Callie would do everything in her power to try and get me motivated to be better. I still remember that one high school basketball game. It was us (the Eagles) versus our rivals, the Knights. For some reason, Callie always played really well against our rivals while I didn't really play my best. There had been some bad blood between the two schools for as long as each school was established. It even went further than just sports. But when Callie and I were in school, we kept it strictly professional and stuck to sports because we didn’t want to do anything that caused us to lose our scholarship. But anyway, there was this one game that determined who would take the last playoff spot.
To both teams, this was their championship game, their Super Bowl, if you will. Nothing seemed sweeter than sending your rivals home while you make into the playoffs vying for a championship. Well anyway, it was towards the final minutes of third quarter and we were down eight points. Coach Lewis drew up a play for Callie to take the ball down the court and get a pick by me before deciding whether she wants to shoot or drive it to the basket. The plan was pretty basic, no worries. Callie ran down the court. I set a pick for her and she decides to attack the basket against three defenders. She gets fouled and she makes the basket anyway! However, she came down on a rival players’ foot and turned her ankle the wrong way. Ouch.
I immediately pushed around any rival player that was near Callie so I could see how she was doing. After a few moments, she had to get helped up. We all know how Callie was and how much bigger I am than her so I carried her to the bench because of her inability to walk. But someone still needed to shoot the free throw. If Callie couldn’t go shoot her free throw, then she’d be out of the game and the rival team’s coach could choose anyone to make the free throw. However, Callie told me to carry her to the free throw line. The crowd went nuts at the sight of this. With our fans cheering as loud as they can and with the rival team’s crowd booing as loud as they can, Callie stepped up. On one leg, she easily sank the free throw. We proceeded to take a foul in the next possession so we could get her out.
Before Callie left the game, she brought me close to her and looked me in the eye to tell me, “Go be the best.” I simply nodded but I know what that meant. It killed Callie not to be the best, especially since she was surprisingly only ever good against our rivals, that that she wasn’t out on the court. So when she told me that, it was like a Clark was still the best on the court, but with a different sister. I went on to score 28 points which helped us secure the six point victory over the Knights, 64-58. After the buzzer sounded, I immediately ran to Callie and picked her up and squeezed her tight. “I knew you could do it.” she says. And on that day, I knew that I was going to be special.
--
Fast-forward to present day and a lot has changed. Now, the Clark sisters are the best at a lot of things. But this journey in WZCW has been a rocky one but we don’t intend for it to stay that way.
We were staying at the Gregory since the shows would be in Madison Square Garden tonight. Callie just did the most sisterly thing ever and tried to embarrass me while she was doing a live Q & A with our fans, she’s such a dork. But a few hours later, we were both just chilling in the hotel room while doing our makeup since we don’t trust the WZCW makeup team to get our looks right.
“You know you’re such a dork after that stunt you pulled earlier right?”
“Hahaha. Well, you really should’ve seen that coming, dummy.”
“You’re right. I should’ve. You’re so predictable, dufus.”
“Heyyyyy, who you calling dufus, Ms. Farts-a-lot?”
“Oh em gee. Did you just say that out loud? I’m gonna kill you. I don’t fart a lot. Girls don’t fart FYI.”
“Whatever. With Sid as my witness, you’re totally Ms. Farts-a-lot.”
Just then, the doorbell rings. Callie and I put down our makeup brushes and walk towards the door. But before we could open it, it swung open! In the door way was a man. In his late 50s, his white beard showing his age, but wow, could this man dress. With two luggages in hand, he stood a few inches taller than me. Upon seeing him, we screamed!!! It’s Bates!
“Batesy! Mwah mwah mwah!”
It was Bates. He has been our butler for as long as I could remember. He was always there for us. Even moreso than our biological parents. We were thrilled he was here. We both squeezed him hard enough that he had to ask us to ease up on the squeeze. He closed the door behind him and entered the room.
“Bates! I’m so glad you’re here. We’ve missed you a whole lot.”
“Ah yes. The ole’ Clark Manor is not the same without you guys.”
“Awww. That’s sweet Batesy. But what brings you to Philly?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
A look of concern is painted on our faces after hearing things may get serious.
“It has always been my duty to protect and serve you girls. I couldn’t do it from the manor. So I’m telling you both, no matter what you say, I am now going to be traveling with you guys wherever you may go. No exceptions.”
Callie and I look at each other – AHHHHH! We scream in excitement and joy.
“Awww Batesy! That’s some of the best news we’ve heard in a while.”
“Really? You don’t oppose the idea?”
“No, of course not. Why would we? It’d be nice to have some family around. I know Callie’s been with me all this time but to have you around, that just changes everything.”
“Yeah! You can be my witness to because Gabi doesn’t believe she lives up to her monikor, Ms. Farts-a-lot.”
Callie laughs and a small grin creeps up on Bates’s face.
"Who's taking care of the manor though?"
"Oh don't worry about that. I left everything to Cynthia (head maid). And you know how state of the art our security system is and how large the security team is."
"You've really thought this through huh, Bates? It's totes great to have you here. Yayyyy!"
“Yes I have but enough about me. I just watched your live Q&A Callie, good stuff. But what about you Gabi? You’re up against Eve Taylor this week. Definitely a tall task.”
“You know, as soon as I heard that Eve Taylor was going to be my opponent, I got excited. I got excited because she’s definitely the top female in WZCW right now and it can be argued that she’s the top female in WZCW history. However, it just excited me that I’ll be in the same ring with someone who is thought of as one of the best. Not only that, but because I know what MY best is. And when MY best goes up against her best, I will win.”
“That’s the spirit!”
“Don’t you think that you may be a little over confident, Gabi?
“No. In fact, I think I should be even more confident, Bates. Look, Eve has been on top of the women’s division for a while now. There’s bound to be someone who’s going to knock her off. And don’t worry, Cal. I won’t beat her too bad so that when you go up against her, Eve can’t say she wasn’t 100%.”
“You got it, Gab!”
“Good to see that confidence in you, Gabi. That sure wasn’t like you when you were younger.”
“That was in the past, Bates. I’m not gonna lie, the old Gabi wouldn’t be able to beat Eve Taylor even on her worst day. But the present Gabi can hang with just about anyone. If you go into a match doubting yourself, then you’ve already lost. I’m not doubting myself one bit. I know what I’m capable of. Eve doesn’t. I honestly feel really bad right now though. First, I’ll beat her in our match then I’ll crush her confidence. Nothing worst than crushing someone’s confidence. Especially against someone like Eve who’s confidence can determine a lot about herself.”
I walk towards my mirror. On the side table, there is some purple dye. Oooh the costumes I can already think of. Alas, this one will be Overwatch-related. I'm sure you Overwatch fans can already tell what character I'm coming to the ring as. And if you do, you know that the bad guys always win. One shot - one kill
There was always doubt in me that I could be anything special in this world. Today, you need to stand out to have a chance. When I was growing up, I felt like every other girl when I shouldn’t have. I had all the necessary tools to be something great but it just didn’t happen. Or well, it didn’t happen until much later on.
Growing up, Callie and I couldn’t have been more opposite. We were all on the same sports teams but was always the best due to my size and Callie, well, she was alright. I'm sure she didn't mind because my victory was her victory. But you bet your ass, had it been someone else who was the best, Callie would do everything in her power to try and get me motivated to be better. I still remember that one high school basketball game. It was us (the Eagles) versus our rivals, the Knights. For some reason, Callie always played really well against our rivals while I didn't really play my best. There had been some bad blood between the two schools for as long as each school was established. It even went further than just sports. But when Callie and I were in school, we kept it strictly professional and stuck to sports because we didn’t want to do anything that caused us to lose our scholarship. But anyway, there was this one game that determined who would take the last playoff spot.
To both teams, this was their championship game, their Super Bowl, if you will. Nothing seemed sweeter than sending your rivals home while you make into the playoffs vying for a championship. Well anyway, it was towards the final minutes of third quarter and we were down eight points. Coach Lewis drew up a play for Callie to take the ball down the court and get a pick by me before deciding whether she wants to shoot or drive it to the basket. The plan was pretty basic, no worries. Callie ran down the court. I set a pick for her and she decides to attack the basket against three defenders. She gets fouled and she makes the basket anyway! However, she came down on a rival players’ foot and turned her ankle the wrong way. Ouch.
I immediately pushed around any rival player that was near Callie so I could see how she was doing. After a few moments, she had to get helped up. We all know how Callie was and how much bigger I am than her so I carried her to the bench because of her inability to walk. But someone still needed to shoot the free throw. If Callie couldn’t go shoot her free throw, then she’d be out of the game and the rival team’s coach could choose anyone to make the free throw. However, Callie told me to carry her to the free throw line. The crowd went nuts at the sight of this. With our fans cheering as loud as they can and with the rival team’s crowd booing as loud as they can, Callie stepped up. On one leg, she easily sank the free throw. We proceeded to take a foul in the next possession so we could get her out.
Before Callie left the game, she brought me close to her and looked me in the eye to tell me, “Go be the best.” I simply nodded but I know what that meant. It killed Callie not to be the best, especially since she was surprisingly only ever good against our rivals, that that she wasn’t out on the court. So when she told me that, it was like a Clark was still the best on the court, but with a different sister. I went on to score 28 points which helped us secure the six point victory over the Knights, 64-58. After the buzzer sounded, I immediately ran to Callie and picked her up and squeezed her tight. “I knew you could do it.” she says. And on that day, I knew that I was going to be special.
--
Fast-forward to present day and a lot has changed. Now, the Clark sisters are the best at a lot of things. But this journey in WZCW has been a rocky one but we don’t intend for it to stay that way.
We were staying at the Gregory since the shows would be in Madison Square Garden tonight. Callie just did the most sisterly thing ever and tried to embarrass me while she was doing a live Q & A with our fans, she’s such a dork. But a few hours later, we were both just chilling in the hotel room while doing our makeup since we don’t trust the WZCW makeup team to get our looks right.
“You know you’re such a dork after that stunt you pulled earlier right?”
“Hahaha. Well, you really should’ve seen that coming, dummy.”
“You’re right. I should’ve. You’re so predictable, dufus.”
“Heyyyyy, who you calling dufus, Ms. Farts-a-lot?”
“Oh em gee. Did you just say that out loud? I’m gonna kill you. I don’t fart a lot. Girls don’t fart FYI.”
“Whatever. With Sid as my witness, you’re totally Ms. Farts-a-lot.”
Just then, the doorbell rings. Callie and I put down our makeup brushes and walk towards the door. But before we could open it, it swung open! In the door way was a man. In his late 50s, his white beard showing his age, but wow, could this man dress. With two luggages in hand, he stood a few inches taller than me. Upon seeing him, we screamed!!! It’s Bates!
“Batesy! Mwah mwah mwah!”
It was Bates. He has been our butler for as long as I could remember. He was always there for us. Even moreso than our biological parents. We were thrilled he was here. We both squeezed him hard enough that he had to ask us to ease up on the squeeze. He closed the door behind him and entered the room.
“Bates! I’m so glad you’re here. We’ve missed you a whole lot.”
“Ah yes. The ole’ Clark Manor is not the same without you guys.”
“Awww. That’s sweet Batesy. But what brings you to Philly?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
A look of concern is painted on our faces after hearing things may get serious.
“It has always been my duty to protect and serve you girls. I couldn’t do it from the manor. So I’m telling you both, no matter what you say, I am now going to be traveling with you guys wherever you may go. No exceptions.”
Callie and I look at each other – AHHHHH! We scream in excitement and joy.
“Awww Batesy! That’s some of the best news we’ve heard in a while.”
“Really? You don’t oppose the idea?”
“No, of course not. Why would we? It’d be nice to have some family around. I know Callie’s been with me all this time but to have you around, that just changes everything.”
“Yeah! You can be my witness to because Gabi doesn’t believe she lives up to her monikor, Ms. Farts-a-lot.”
Callie laughs and a small grin creeps up on Bates’s face.
"Who's taking care of the manor though?"
"Oh don't worry about that. I left everything to Cynthia (head maid). And you know how state of the art our security system is and how large the security team is."
"You've really thought this through huh, Bates? It's totes great to have you here. Yayyyy!"
“Yes I have but enough about me. I just watched your live Q&A Callie, good stuff. But what about you Gabi? You’re up against Eve Taylor this week. Definitely a tall task.”
“You know, as soon as I heard that Eve Taylor was going to be my opponent, I got excited. I got excited because she’s definitely the top female in WZCW right now and it can be argued that she’s the top female in WZCW history. However, it just excited me that I’ll be in the same ring with someone who is thought of as one of the best. Not only that, but because I know what MY best is. And when MY best goes up against her best, I will win.”
“That’s the spirit!”
“Don’t you think that you may be a little over confident, Gabi?
“No. In fact, I think I should be even more confident, Bates. Look, Eve has been on top of the women’s division for a while now. There’s bound to be someone who’s going to knock her off. And don’t worry, Cal. I won’t beat her too bad so that when you go up against her, Eve can’t say she wasn’t 100%.”
“You got it, Gab!”
“Good to see that confidence in you, Gabi. That sure wasn’t like you when you were younger.”
“That was in the past, Bates. I’m not gonna lie, the old Gabi wouldn’t be able to beat Eve Taylor even on her worst day. But the present Gabi can hang with just about anyone. If you go into a match doubting yourself, then you’ve already lost. I’m not doubting myself one bit. I know what I’m capable of. Eve doesn’t. I honestly feel really bad right now though. First, I’ll beat her in our match then I’ll crush her confidence. Nothing worst than crushing someone’s confidence. Especially against someone like Eve who’s confidence can determine a lot about herself.”
I walk towards my mirror. On the side table, there is some purple dye. Oooh the costumes I can already think of. Alas, this one will be Overwatch-related. I'm sure you Overwatch fans can already tell what character I'm coming to the ring as. And if you do, you know that the bad guys always win. One shot - one kill
Viola Moonlight
I'm Literally Just Here for WZCW
This whole place is in a complete mess.
Vis Imperium, on the brink of implosion at Kingdom Come, has revitalised itself by aligning themselves with the owner of the company, brainwashing people to join the cause, and manipulated the championship landscape. They then proceeded to beat down on Mikey Stormrage whilst I, the incomparable Eve Taylor, was distracted by Batti Otaku asking me to attend a sleep-over. So, already pissed off at Constantine, I went out there and did my best to defend Mikey's honour, but I get beaten up, too... and the only thing that seems to be on my mind is being in awe of the number of female competitors currently wrestling in WZCW, and Flex Mussel being a dick to Becky Serra, so I decided to ask her out for some drinks to take her mind off work. Yeah, I get distracted easily, apparently.
Ah well, let's stay distracted for the moment. Mikey's still not returning my calls, and I don't know which local medical facility he got sent to, and really, what the hell does the term "local medical facility" entail, anyway? Did they take him to a vet? A dentist? Plastic surgeon? So, instead of wasting my mobile minutes calling Mikey, I called up Selena Anderson to bring the old drinking band back together, and meet up with Becky at a "local drinking facility". I didn't think Selena would answer my call, considering the last time I went out with her, I said some nasty things, but she's a borderline alcoholic, so any excuse to drink is good enough for her. I couldn't blame her, honestly. After losing to Constantine yet again, I needed something to calm my nerves.
[Mental Note: Constantine is still a massive dickwaffle.]
As my brain scribbles down that really important message, I call the bartender for a round of drinks as I head over to the table where the two girls were already sitting. Anderson looks like she's already been here for a while, and Becky looks a little surprised by Selena. I apologise for being late.
"I only not long got here myself." Becky responds.
Selena slams her drink on the table. "Yeah, you're alright, Evie."
Anderson calls for another round of drinks. I interrupt her, informing her that I've already made an order. Anderson tells me she knows, and proceeds to order another round of drinks. Becky can't believe it.
"You need help."
"She actually functions better when she's drunk." I retorted.
"I tell you who really needs help. Stacey Madison. Like, what the hell is she doing with Tyrone? I don't even see her any more for our drinking sessions any more. He's completely consumed her. I mean, he's got that whole bad boy look going on, but I've been around enough to know what Ty is really like."
"With the amount of alcohol you drink, I wouldn't be surprised you've been around."
"Says the girl who slept her way to the top. Tell me, how's Ricky Runn doing these days, Bex?"
Before Becky could retaliate with anything, the bartender delivered the two orders of rounds. Becky remained professional in front of the bartender, and I suspect Anderson didn't want to spill any of the drinks. As soon as he left, I piped up.
"I now understand what some of the old veterans say about WZCW: this place will turn you against everybody, and make you go insane."
"Why you think I drink?" Anderson says, as she begins to chug down a beer.
"Yeah, I'm so glad I don't do many interviews any more. I don't think I could stand Titus Avison every single week."
We stopped for a moment, and all of us had a drink at the same time to let the thought settle.
"Why are we even here?"
"Because you invited us?"
"WZCW. Why are we all even in WZCW? I know I haven't been here as long as the two of you, but it just boggles my mind as to why we stay. Lord knows I've had multiple opportunities to go back to the modelling world, or go live somewhere with my love interest at the time. Selena, you have an amazing voice, you can sing extremely well, and you're still so damn cute. Why aren't you releasing albums, or at the very least, doing voice-over work?"
"I am very cute."
"And Becky, you were an excellent journalist turned into a great General Manager. You do the investigative work, and you do the paperwork. Go do some study, girl, and become a lawyer, or hit up the political life. An analyst. Or something. We've all got something we could do elsewhere, yet why do we keep coming back?"
Nobody had an answer for me, except to take a drink.
"It's the question I keep asking myself: why am I here? I feel like I haven't any purpose here, and the last few weeks, I've been running around doing whatever I felt was appropriate. The amount of profanities I've used on Constantine in the promos leading up to the fight cost me so many fines, but I didn't care. Partly because Constantine deserves every insult under the sun, but mostly due to not knowing where I'm going. I've got places I can be, and people I can see, but I cast them all away to continue wrestling for WZCW? Why? Because I'm a hot commodity as a female competitor, and I'm the best chance that any female has to get to the top of the industry? Whilst flattering, and I might be flavour for the month for beating Celeste Crimson at Kingdom Come, and Titus Avison shortly thereafter, there are so many girls here on the roster who could easily step up to the plate. Kagura has dropped all the bullshit, and she's going after Titus. Batti is a big ball of crazy, yet she's got a huge amount of heart and determination to make it. Wren's coming up. Raqonic just made her debut, and the Clark Sisters are beginning to make same waves. What am I doing?"
I took a drink. The girls continued to listen.
"I feel like I've got to do something, because I feel like I'm the female every girl looks up to now. Both fan and wrestler. I feel like I am in this powerful position to make a difference, and all I'm doing is squandering this opportunity by going out drinking my life down the toilet. It feels like I should just step aside, and let the other girls on the roster have a chance to shine. I mean, one third of the entire roster is female. There are 7 females to 15 males. That's insane! When was the last time there were that many active female competitors? And I'm considered the best... but what am I doing to prove that point right now?"
"You've had two major victories, and despite your loss to Constantine, you've still got some momentum. You have the chance to continue staying on a roll."
"Against who? Gabi Clark? The girl you booked against me for Ascension? As much as I welcome the opportunity for any competitor to take me to my limits, especially a female competitor who is looking to prove her worth - y'know, since I did beat Celeste, and now I'm the new top female - what good will it do for me to win? I beat Gabi, and she's back down the peaking order of female wrestlers, and even with our numbers, there aren't many of us who are taken seriously by the men. Just take Titus and Xander's treatment of Kagura and Batti. If Gabi beats me, that's excellent for her, but what happens then? She's in a damn tag team, and those belts just got retired, thanks to Constantine. He's really coming in clutch with the whole being a dick thing, isn't he? I just... I don't know why I'm still doing here."
Another pause.
"To be honest, heading into my match with Celeste where I said bye to everyone I cared about, and put my career on the line, there was a part of me that wished she would kick my ass, beat me in the middle of the ring, and I'd be free from this place. For a while during that match, I wanted that to happen so badly, because I was feeling tired of finding that spotlight. It's cost me so much of my life and I just wanted to save it before my life was stripped of everything. I couldn't take the grind any more... but for some reason, I stayed in the fight. Was it my own will, or survival instinct? This much, I cannot tell. Either way, I managed to come back, and I took down the almighty Celeste Crimson. But what now? I've faced my dream opponent. What else is there?"
Selena slammed down her final drink.
"Then fucking leave." Anderson said, staring at me. "If there is nothing else for you, leave. Becky is sitting right here. Tell her right now you're going to quit WZCW. If you can't tell her, I'll inform her myself. Do you want that?"
I was shocked, and I couldn't speak. Neither could Becky.
"Every single damn time we've gone out to share a drink, you've always told Stacey and I how much you wanted to prove yourself in the ring, and how much you loved being the spotlight. You wanted nothing more than to be a great champion, to represent the Elite Openweight title well. You did that. You wanted to be taken seriously as a competitor. You did that. And your ambitions on becoming the World champion by winning the Lethal Lottery... I couldn't describe the face you had when you talked about it. You lit up. It's all you were ever about. Being the best, and becoming World champion. Granted, you lost the Lottery, but you had the dream match at Kingdom Come, and you won. You've just beaten the longest reigning Eurasian champion. And you're winging and bitching about leaving because a few other girls have signed up to the roster, maybe because you're their inspiration, and because you lost to Constantine? Fuck Constantine. Everybody is using him. Nobody cares about him, so why should you? The only thing you should care about is getting back in that headstrong mindset, and find that ambition to become World champion again, because this version of Eve Taylor sucks, and I want the old one back."
Anderson finished the last drink, and got up.
"Call me when the old Eve Taylor is back. Otherwise, Becky's waiting for an answer."
With that, Selena walked out of the bar. A sight I had never seen before, but it wasn't the time to really make jokes. What she said was true. I was being selfish, and self-loathing again. My model tendencies coming back to haunt me.
"I sounded like an asshole, didn't I?"
Becky nodded. "I am still waiting for answer, though."
I chuckled, then proceeded to finish off my drink. I put the glass down nicely, and played with it a little bit, drawing out my answer.
"I guess I owe Selena a call."
Becky let out a small grin. She pulled out her purse, and left some money on the table to pay for her drinks. She got up, adjusted herself, and looked to leave.
"I'll see you at Ascension. I hope to see the determined Eve Taylor in that ring again. There could be something in store for that version of Eve."
She left with that little teaser, following Selena out the door. I looked down at my empty glass, and thought about leaving the bar, but I wanted to stew in that conversation, and my thoughts for a while. I needed to get my priorities straight, and refocus myself. Plus, I was really craving another drink, and there were a few cute people hanging around the bar tonight. Before I walked out that door to become the determined Eve Taylor, I wanted to live a little, and be among the people. When was the last time I had little fun for myself?
"Screw it, I'll have some fun with Gabi, too. She seems like a nice girl... or is Callie the nice one?"
Vis Imperium, on the brink of implosion at Kingdom Come, has revitalised itself by aligning themselves with the owner of the company, brainwashing people to join the cause, and manipulated the championship landscape. They then proceeded to beat down on Mikey Stormrage whilst I, the incomparable Eve Taylor, was distracted by Batti Otaku asking me to attend a sleep-over. So, already pissed off at Constantine, I went out there and did my best to defend Mikey's honour, but I get beaten up, too... and the only thing that seems to be on my mind is being in awe of the number of female competitors currently wrestling in WZCW, and Flex Mussel being a dick to Becky Serra, so I decided to ask her out for some drinks to take her mind off work. Yeah, I get distracted easily, apparently.
Ah well, let's stay distracted for the moment. Mikey's still not returning my calls, and I don't know which local medical facility he got sent to, and really, what the hell does the term "local medical facility" entail, anyway? Did they take him to a vet? A dentist? Plastic surgeon? So, instead of wasting my mobile minutes calling Mikey, I called up Selena Anderson to bring the old drinking band back together, and meet up with Becky at a "local drinking facility". I didn't think Selena would answer my call, considering the last time I went out with her, I said some nasty things, but she's a borderline alcoholic, so any excuse to drink is good enough for her. I couldn't blame her, honestly. After losing to Constantine yet again, I needed something to calm my nerves.
[Mental Note: Constantine is still a massive dickwaffle.]
As my brain scribbles down that really important message, I call the bartender for a round of drinks as I head over to the table where the two girls were already sitting. Anderson looks like she's already been here for a while, and Becky looks a little surprised by Selena. I apologise for being late.
"I only not long got here myself." Becky responds.
Selena slams her drink on the table. "Yeah, you're alright, Evie."
Anderson calls for another round of drinks. I interrupt her, informing her that I've already made an order. Anderson tells me she knows, and proceeds to order another round of drinks. Becky can't believe it.
"You need help."
"She actually functions better when she's drunk." I retorted.
"I tell you who really needs help. Stacey Madison. Like, what the hell is she doing with Tyrone? I don't even see her any more for our drinking sessions any more. He's completely consumed her. I mean, he's got that whole bad boy look going on, but I've been around enough to know what Ty is really like."
"With the amount of alcohol you drink, I wouldn't be surprised you've been around."
"Says the girl who slept her way to the top. Tell me, how's Ricky Runn doing these days, Bex?"
Before Becky could retaliate with anything, the bartender delivered the two orders of rounds. Becky remained professional in front of the bartender, and I suspect Anderson didn't want to spill any of the drinks. As soon as he left, I piped up.
"I now understand what some of the old veterans say about WZCW: this place will turn you against everybody, and make you go insane."
"Why you think I drink?" Anderson says, as she begins to chug down a beer.
"Yeah, I'm so glad I don't do many interviews any more. I don't think I could stand Titus Avison every single week."
We stopped for a moment, and all of us had a drink at the same time to let the thought settle.
"Why are we even here?"
"Because you invited us?"
"WZCW. Why are we all even in WZCW? I know I haven't been here as long as the two of you, but it just boggles my mind as to why we stay. Lord knows I've had multiple opportunities to go back to the modelling world, or go live somewhere with my love interest at the time. Selena, you have an amazing voice, you can sing extremely well, and you're still so damn cute. Why aren't you releasing albums, or at the very least, doing voice-over work?"
"I am very cute."
"And Becky, you were an excellent journalist turned into a great General Manager. You do the investigative work, and you do the paperwork. Go do some study, girl, and become a lawyer, or hit up the political life. An analyst. Or something. We've all got something we could do elsewhere, yet why do we keep coming back?"
Nobody had an answer for me, except to take a drink.
"It's the question I keep asking myself: why am I here? I feel like I haven't any purpose here, and the last few weeks, I've been running around doing whatever I felt was appropriate. The amount of profanities I've used on Constantine in the promos leading up to the fight cost me so many fines, but I didn't care. Partly because Constantine deserves every insult under the sun, but mostly due to not knowing where I'm going. I've got places I can be, and people I can see, but I cast them all away to continue wrestling for WZCW? Why? Because I'm a hot commodity as a female competitor, and I'm the best chance that any female has to get to the top of the industry? Whilst flattering, and I might be flavour for the month for beating Celeste Crimson at Kingdom Come, and Titus Avison shortly thereafter, there are so many girls here on the roster who could easily step up to the plate. Kagura has dropped all the bullshit, and she's going after Titus. Batti is a big ball of crazy, yet she's got a huge amount of heart and determination to make it. Wren's coming up. Raqonic just made her debut, and the Clark Sisters are beginning to make same waves. What am I doing?"
I took a drink. The girls continued to listen.
"I feel like I've got to do something, because I feel like I'm the female every girl looks up to now. Both fan and wrestler. I feel like I am in this powerful position to make a difference, and all I'm doing is squandering this opportunity by going out drinking my life down the toilet. It feels like I should just step aside, and let the other girls on the roster have a chance to shine. I mean, one third of the entire roster is female. There are 7 females to 15 males. That's insane! When was the last time there were that many active female competitors? And I'm considered the best... but what am I doing to prove that point right now?"
"You've had two major victories, and despite your loss to Constantine, you've still got some momentum. You have the chance to continue staying on a roll."
"Against who? Gabi Clark? The girl you booked against me for Ascension? As much as I welcome the opportunity for any competitor to take me to my limits, especially a female competitor who is looking to prove her worth - y'know, since I did beat Celeste, and now I'm the new top female - what good will it do for me to win? I beat Gabi, and she's back down the peaking order of female wrestlers, and even with our numbers, there aren't many of us who are taken seriously by the men. Just take Titus and Xander's treatment of Kagura and Batti. If Gabi beats me, that's excellent for her, but what happens then? She's in a damn tag team, and those belts just got retired, thanks to Constantine. He's really coming in clutch with the whole being a dick thing, isn't he? I just... I don't know why I'm still doing here."
Another pause.
"To be honest, heading into my match with Celeste where I said bye to everyone I cared about, and put my career on the line, there was a part of me that wished she would kick my ass, beat me in the middle of the ring, and I'd be free from this place. For a while during that match, I wanted that to happen so badly, because I was feeling tired of finding that spotlight. It's cost me so much of my life and I just wanted to save it before my life was stripped of everything. I couldn't take the grind any more... but for some reason, I stayed in the fight. Was it my own will, or survival instinct? This much, I cannot tell. Either way, I managed to come back, and I took down the almighty Celeste Crimson. But what now? I've faced my dream opponent. What else is there?"
Selena slammed down her final drink.
"Then fucking leave." Anderson said, staring at me. "If there is nothing else for you, leave. Becky is sitting right here. Tell her right now you're going to quit WZCW. If you can't tell her, I'll inform her myself. Do you want that?"
I was shocked, and I couldn't speak. Neither could Becky.
"Every single damn time we've gone out to share a drink, you've always told Stacey and I how much you wanted to prove yourself in the ring, and how much you loved being the spotlight. You wanted nothing more than to be a great champion, to represent the Elite Openweight title well. You did that. You wanted to be taken seriously as a competitor. You did that. And your ambitions on becoming the World champion by winning the Lethal Lottery... I couldn't describe the face you had when you talked about it. You lit up. It's all you were ever about. Being the best, and becoming World champion. Granted, you lost the Lottery, but you had the dream match at Kingdom Come, and you won. You've just beaten the longest reigning Eurasian champion. And you're winging and bitching about leaving because a few other girls have signed up to the roster, maybe because you're their inspiration, and because you lost to Constantine? Fuck Constantine. Everybody is using him. Nobody cares about him, so why should you? The only thing you should care about is getting back in that headstrong mindset, and find that ambition to become World champion again, because this version of Eve Taylor sucks, and I want the old one back."
Anderson finished the last drink, and got up.
"Call me when the old Eve Taylor is back. Otherwise, Becky's waiting for an answer."
With that, Selena walked out of the bar. A sight I had never seen before, but it wasn't the time to really make jokes. What she said was true. I was being selfish, and self-loathing again. My model tendencies coming back to haunt me.
"I sounded like an asshole, didn't I?"
Becky nodded. "I am still waiting for answer, though."
I chuckled, then proceeded to finish off my drink. I put the glass down nicely, and played with it a little bit, drawing out my answer.
"I guess I owe Selena a call."
Becky let out a small grin. She pulled out her purse, and left some money on the table to pay for her drinks. She got up, adjusted herself, and looked to leave.
"I'll see you at Ascension. I hope to see the determined Eve Taylor in that ring again. There could be something in store for that version of Eve."
She left with that little teaser, following Selena out the door. I looked down at my empty glass, and thought about leaving the bar, but I wanted to stew in that conversation, and my thoughts for a while. I needed to get my priorities straight, and refocus myself. Plus, I was really craving another drink, and there were a few cute people hanging around the bar tonight. Before I walked out that door to become the determined Eve Taylor, I wanted to live a little, and be among the people. When was the last time I had little fun for myself?
"Screw it, I'll have some fun with Gabi, too. She seems like a nice girl... or is Callie the nice one?"
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