I walked down the fifth-floor hallway of the apartment building with a hint of a smile across my face. I didn't think I'd see the day when she would grow up and be mature and be responsible, but it was here. As I stepped to the door leading into Apartment 5C, I felt proud of her for the first time in my life. I knocked on the door and took a step back as I waited for her to answer.
Twenty or thirty seconds may have passed without an answer, and I looked down at my watch. Maybe I forgot about the time zone change and gave her the wrong time that I was going to show up. Maybe she's in the bathroom. Maybe...she's hurt?
I knocked again, a little bit louder and called for her through the door.
"Megan! Open up! It's me."
A few seconds later, to my relief, my younger sister opened the door and I greeted her with a smile. However, the smile was short-lived, and I don't remember if it was due to the sight of the burning scented candle on the kitchen table or the powerful smell of marijuana hitting my nostrils.
"I thought you were going to stop."
She put her hands on her hips and glared at me.
"I thought you were going to stop telling me what to do with my life."
I shook my head and sighed before walking into her apartment. I was disappointed that she hadn't given up smoking weed, but I couldn't stay mad at her. She was doing well for herself, for sure; her apartment was neatly decorated and the appliances looked brand new. There were even granite countertops!
"I guess dealing with drugs does have its benefits after all, huh?"
I chuckled and she smiled.
"Damn right it does."
She gave me a quick tour of the place, and my smile returned when she showed me her spare room-turned-office and I saw her pharmacy degrees neatly hung on the wall.
"I'm proud of you."
"At least someone in the family achieved something, right?"
She gave me a playful punch in the arm. I couldn't tell if it was just a joke or a dig at me after all of the tongue-lashings I gave her over the years for underachieving through high school, but either way, it stung. I took a deep breath and let the pain subside.
We made our way over to the living area, and I sat down in her recliner, which was near a sliding glass door that led out to a balcony. I turned my head to look out the door.
"Have you seen the mountains up close yet?"
"Yeah, it's pretty cool. Brian and I have done a little exploring around here. It's such a beautiful city."
"Yeah, I bet."
We sat there in silence for a moment or two, and then the inevitable came.
"So why are you going back?"
I sighed and stared down at the floor, clasping my hands together between my knees.
"Because I have to."
"No, you don't." The tone of her voice got a little sterner. "You're so smart and capable of so much, and you're wasting your time and your life doing that shit. Go back to school like I did.
"Be someone."
I felt the anger build as I lifted my head so I could look her in the face.
"I am someone."
"You were someone."
I noticed the hurt in her eyes; she didn't want to say it, but she did. I tried to put on a blank face to disguise my feelings, for I was just as hurt. I don't know if I succeeded, and I probably won't ever find out. Maybe she thought it'd help me change my mind. Unfortunately for her, my mind was already made up.
"You know, you're right. I was someone."
The volume in my voice rose with nearly each sentence and my words started to blend together as I hurried to speak them.
"I was looked upon as the next great thing in that company. Then I left and I lost everything, including the respect people had for me. People forgot what I had done; I became an afterthought. And I'll be damned if I'm going to go out that way."
I stopped and took a deep breath.
"I'm going back to WZCW to get my name back. I'm going to become one of the best ever, and I don't care if I have to go through the Pope or Satan himself to do it."
"Who cares if you get your name back, Mick? Wrestling is stupid...go do something productive with your life."
I stood up from the recliner and scowled at her.
"I am doing something productive with my life, Megan!"
I felt my face turn red before her and pointed to her front door.
"You want to stand at that door and tell me not to tell you what to do with your life? Then you better damn well not try to do the same to me!"
She stood up as well and screamed back.
"I see the time off hasn't changed you one bit! You were an asshole when we were younger, and wrestling made you even more of one!"
"I'm done with this." I stormed toward the front door, grabbing the doorknob and turning it, then pulling the door open harshly. I then glanced at the candle burning on the kitchen table, then into her face. "Clean your act up."
I stepped out the door and slammed it behind me, the echoes of the door violently hitting the frame resonating down the hall.
---
I walked through the bowels of the arena, remembering how I managed to piss off so many people in so little time; how I stole the thunder and took the Elite X Title from one of the fastest-rising babyfaces in the business; how I --
"Mick Overlast."
"Leon Kensworth."
The smile on Leon's face seemed genuine; he was probably the only guy who would be happy to see me back. I've been known to give a good interview from time to time.
"Welcome back."
"I see you still wear bad suits."
Leon's smile quickly became a frown. I had quickly dictated how this exchange was going to go.
"I see you're still an asshole."
"Nothing's changed, Leon."
"You know you gotta do an interview with me about coming back and everything."
"Do I have to do it now?"
Leon smirked, as if he had gained the upper hand in our exchange.
"You don't have a choice in the matter, unfortunately."
I set my bag down and waited for him to call a camera crew over. The seconds felt like minutes as the anticipation started to set in. I wanted that microphone back in my hands. I wanted to speak my mind to the world. I wanted to be Mick Overlast again.
The crew set up and Leon and I got into our positions. We got the signal to go, and Leon raised his microphone to his lips.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm Leon Kensworth, and with me is former Elite X Champion and returning WZCW superstar Mick Overlast!"
I heard him emphasize the word "former." It was a well-played maneuver, since he knew I wasn't allowed to beat his ass right then and there.
"Mick, what brought you back to WZCW?"
I grabbed the microphone and brought it toward my face.
"You know, Leon, I'm glad you introduced me to the people watching since they seem to have forgotten just who I am.
"The past few months, I kept up with WZCW and watched as Triple X was lauded for the work he had done over the past year. But did those people bring up the fact that I derailed the Triple X Express? That I brought his meteoric rise to a screeching halt? That I took the Elite X Title from him?"
I paused for a couple seconds and glared at Leon, then shook my head.
"No. And now they're going to learn that you just don't forget someone like me that easily."
I released my grip on Leon's wrist, and he went on to further his questioning.
"So why did you come out and seemingly make a challenge to Sam Smith on Aftershock Insanity instead of going after X?"
I decided to give Leon a break and leaned toward him to speak.
"Is Triple X the Elite X Champion? No, he's not. I want my title back, and I have to go through Sam Smith to get it. And I know deep down inside, Sam Smith absolutely fears me. But as much as he fears me, he won't be able to run from me for very long."
Leon nodded and changed the topic of conversation.
"Well, let's talk about your return match on Ascension against Mister Alhazred."
Before he could go any further, I pulled the microphone from Leon's grip and looked down at him.
"Yes, let's talk about it."
I turned my head and stared into the camera.
"Last time I was here, Alhazred was part of the most menacing group in WZCW history in the Apostles of Chaos. You know, scratch that -- saying he was a 'part' of the Apostles is being generous. He was the anchor that sunk that ship, and since then, his career has simply stagnated. He has become the kind of man that I refuse to be -- an irrelevant one.
"Alhazred is much more intelligent than a lot of people I've come across, yet he has wasted his gifts. The guy could've been a huge name in this business, but instead, he will simply be remembered as a pawn in Ty Burna's wicked game of chess or a pervert who would make Manti Te'o jealous with the number of invisible women he's thrusted into over the past couple of months.
"At Ascension, I will re-establish myself as one of the most feared competitors in this company, because while Alhazred has his Power Glove..."
I balled my free hand into a fist and lifted it up so that it would be seen on camera.
"...this is the hand of God."