High School - Sophomore Year
11:00AM
The bell had rung for biology to finally be over. For some reason, I fell asleep in class probably due to over-studying for these impossible tests we’ve been having. However, I felt a nudge on my shoulder, waking me up from my slumber.
Oliver: Hey. Hey Amber, wake up. Biology is over. Want to go grab some lunch?
Amber looks up and see Oliver Higgins, her childhood crush waking her up from her nap. She looks around and sees that no one from class is around, not even the teacher. She scratches the muck from her eyes. When she sees that it’s Oliver, she jumps to her feet, and lands on Oliver’s foot.
Amber: Oh my god, I am so sorry.
Oliver: No, it’s fine. I didn’t feel a thing. Like I said though, want to go grab some lunch?
Amber has a quizzical look on her face contemplating if she heard Oliver right.
Oliver: Well?
Amber: Oh yeah, lunch. Sure.
Oliver nods and leads the way as the two exit biology class. Amber follows behind as she still can’t believe Oliver has asked her to lunch. Oliver slows down a bit so that they are walking side by side.
Oliver: So hey, you alright? I saw you napping back there. Seems like you’ve been tired.
Amber stands stoic for a moment as Oliver almost leaves her behind before Amber catches up to him.
Amber: Yeah, these last few tests have been killer.
Oliver: I hear ya.
The two finally reach the cafeteria. The double doors are opened by Oliver as the scene shows a myriad of groups seated at their respective tables.
Oliver: Hey, why don’t you grab us a seat and I’ll get lunch for both of us?
Amber tries to shy away as she tries to cover her smiling mouth with the back of her hand. She giggles before Oliver who in return, gives her the biggest smile he can do.
Amber: Okay.
Oliver heads towards the food line getting food for him and Amber. He turns back before reaching the line and smiles at Amber once again who does nothing but giggle.
After a few moments, Oliver spots Amber in the crowd and takes a seat next to her. He places the tray of food in front of her. Her tray consists of pizza along with some fruit along with it.
Amber: Thank you.
Oliver: No biggie. Oh and I remembered not to get you the strawberries because I know you're allegic to them. You still are right?
Amber's eyes widen not believeing that Oliver would remember something like that about her. Nonetheless, she gives him a simple nod as she tries to hide her smile from getting any bigger.
The pair eat through almost their entire meals without saying a word. Amber can sense the awkwardness and regrets having lunch with Oliver. However.....
Oliver: Do you still watch basketball? I remember we used to watch a lot of games together when we were kids. Nate was there too.
Amber’s eyebrows furrow before she lets out a small smile. Shocked that Oliver still remembers those times, she takes another bite of her fruit before responding.
Amber: Of course I do. It’s the best sport in the world. I’m surprised you still remember that.
Oliver: How could I forget that? Those were some of the best memories I had of my childhood. You know what, we need to go to a game sooner or later.
Amber flashes Oliver another smile and nods.
Amber: Yeah, I’d like that.
Oliver: How about next week then? You know our schedule right? We’re playing against our toughest opponents next week. And well, the more fans the merrier. Maybe we can have an early dinner before my game?
Amber simply looks down playing with her fruit now.
Amber: I don’t know.....
Oliver: Oh c’mon Amber, it’ll be fun. We can catch up and all that. I guess you could say it’s a date?
Amber tries to contain her squeal and she does so successfully only letting out a tiny bit of it which is barely heard because of all the noise in the cafeteria.
Oliver: So yeah, next week alright? I’ll meet you over at BreadStix at 4 and we can just talk and stuff. That sound good with you?
Finally feeling a sense of want from another person, Amber eagerly nods her head.
Amber: I’d like that very much.
--
It’s next week. Wednesday to be exact. Amber sits in a booth at BreadStix and orders her and Oliver some fries. Amber looks at her watch as it reads 4:10PM.
Amber: He’s a little late, that’s fine. He probably had to pack a few things before his basketball game.
Thirty minutes later, there’s still no sign of Oliver. A waitress comes by and fills up Amber’s cup with water.
Waitress: Waiting for someone?
Amber: Uhh yeah, he’s just running a little late.
The waitress nods at Amber as she leaves going to another table to refill more cups of water. It’s now 5:15PM and still no sign of Oliver. Amber has tried calling Oliver over 10 times already and has left quite a few voicemails.
At 5:30PM, Amber begins to pack it all in. Her hands balls into a fist as she slams it onto the table which causes Oliver’s cup of water to tip over and spill on the floor. A waitress quickly comes over with some napkins and Amber helps out as well, apologizing for spilling it. Amber goes over to the cashier and pays for the meal she ate ALONE. The cashier rings her up and thanks her for eating there. The bells on the door jingle as Amber exits the food joint.
Amber: I knew it was too good to be true.
On the set of Meltdown 106, we see a bunch of the production crew getting everything ready before the big show. We see numerous people setting up lights, getting the ring ready, and all that jazz.
Crew Chief: Almost done guys. Just a few more lights and we’ll be done for the night. I know it’s late but we had to get this done, owner’s orders. You know the drill.
One crew member heads to the back for a drink of water, clearly exhausted from setting everything up. The man walks passed a few crates containing a myriad of wires that only God knows connects to what. He finally reaches the food area where he rehydrates himself. He parts his long, silk-like hair apart to avoid getting any hotter. The thud his black boots make grow louder with each step he takes. When he reaches there, he notices that there isn’t any more cups. Disappointed, the crew member walks passed a few other crates since he knows where the extra cups are.
As he journeys his way to the extra cups, the lights dim the farther he goes but this doesn’t faze him at all as he really needs to hydrate himself. Finally, the silk-like haired crew member spots the extra cups and picks it up. However, he’s bashed from behind by an unknown figure.
--
The lights are dimmer than last time. You can almost feel the hot air coming from every area of the room. The crew member sits there tied to a chair with tape attached on his mouth. He struggles to free himself but to no avail. Suddenly, a door opens and a dark figure appears. The dark figure gets closer and finally comes into the light. The dark figure is revealed to be Amber Warren. Another figure comes from the shadows and it’s revealed to be Fallout. She quickly removes the tape from the crew member’s mouth who screams in pain.
Crew Member: What’s going on? Why am I here?
Amber: You will not speak.
Crew Member: Look, I’m just a crew member here for WZCW. My name’s Charles. I just went to go get myself a cup of water. I didn’t mean any harm to you or anyone else.
Amber stands there stoic not moving a single muscle as she analyzes Charles who is creeped out.
Amber: Oh Charles. It's cute how you think you could possibly cause any harm to an ant, or me for that matter. I mean, just look at yourself. You're pale as hell, you need some sunlight. The bags under your eyes tell me you are either unhappy or suicidal. Stop struggling too much though, it’s not like I’m going to hurt you......much.
She plays with Charles’s hair, twirling them in buns as she circles him. She pulls something out from her pocket, mascara to be exact.
Amber: Don’t move Charles. If you move, my friend over here will take actions into his own hands and I'm not responsible for any of his actions. He acts on his own.
Amber motions over to Fallout who stands stoic as well, looking ready to strike at any time. Amber then begins putting mascara on Charles, darkening his already tired eyes. When she’s satisfied with her work, she tosses the mascara and forces Charles to look at her.
Amber: Well look who we have here.....Ty Burna. Nice for you to join us Ty.
Amber simply nods and circles around Charles as she speaks.
Amber: I must say, you’re quite impressive Ty Burna. Probably the most accomplished superstar here in WZCW. But see, I have a teeny little problem with that.
Amber allows Charles to look down this time while still talking.
Amber: You paint yourself as someone who’s so dark, so intriguing. But when in reality, it’s all a hoax. You claim to be the personification of evil but even you don’t know why you do these things. You see, your evil is all a hoax. An act you put on. The people you have conquered are weak to have fallen to someone so.....false. Talk about a false idol huh?
She stands right in front of Charles this time and has a forearm across his throat.
Amber: Why don't you tell me how you're going to beat me in our upcoming Mayhem match on Ascension Ty? Tell me!
Amber begins pressing her forearm tighter against Charles's throat rendering him to almost pass out.
Amber: Tell me right now!
She's damn near choking him before she lets up causing Charles to gasp for air as he coughs his lungs out.
Amber: So you couldn't tell me how you'll beat me huh? Do you want to know why that's so Ty Burna?
Amber holds his face to look straight at her almost squeezing his face as if she wants to pop it like a balloon.
Amber: Because you won't beat me. Sure, you lucky that one time in our tag team match but that won't happen again, I guaran-damn-tee it.
She continues holding his face to address as Charles turns a bright red looking like he's going to explode pretty soon.
Amber: Do you know how I know? Because Zeus told me. Even if he didn't tell me personally, I knew what was going to happen Ty. You see, they say lightning never strikes twice but I don't necessarily believe that. I'm going to be your lightning this time around Ty Burna. Not just this time, but the next time, and the next time, and the next time. And each time, I'll come at you even stronger, even more aggressive than ever!
She finally lets go of Charles who gasps for air once more.
Amber: If you ask me about Ty Burna I’ll tell you that Ty Burna believes in his own hype too much. A poser who performs tricks that people are too stupid to see. Your evil is nothing compared to mine Ty Burna.
Amber then lowers herself to get into eye level with Charles.
Amber: You want to see evil? Let me show you true evil.
WHAM! Amber slaps Charles so hard that the chair he sits on falls to the side. She puts her boot across the throat of Charles just to see him suffer. However, a few moments later, a phone begins to ring. Amber looks around before realizing the ringing is coming from Charles pocket. She pulls the phone out and sees that a text has come from a contact named ‘Honey.’ Amber sees that there are more than 20 texts from the contact ‘Honey’ with almost all the same message. The crazed dragon reads a few texts but has seen enough conclude what’s going on.
Amber: Hey Charles, honey wants to know when you’re going home. She wants to know if she should leave some food out for you.
Amber now calls the crew member Charles as the mascara has almost completely faded from the face of Charles who must’ve sweated it out.
Amber: What is wrong with men huh? A girl who texts you that many times obviously wants a response!
The rage inside of Amber builds as she knows the feeling of anticipation and more importantly, rejection. She’s so mad that she throws Charles’s phone across the wall as it break into to pieces. She goes over to it and stomps it to pieces.
Amber: What, is she not good enough for you huh Charles?! Do you think you’re good enough for her?! From where I’m standing, it looks like you don’t deserve someone who cares that much for you. At this rate, it looks like no one will mind that you're missing.
With Charles still laying on his side from the chair, Amber gets in his face to continue addressing him.
Amber: Typical. You’re just like all the WZCW fans out there who don’t think I’m good enough to face someone of Ty Burna’s caliber. That isn’t the right question though. People should be asking themselves if Ty Burna is good enough to face someone of Amber Warren’s caliber. Someone who’s much younger, much quicker, and much smarter than he is. El Califa proved to me that he didn’t think I was good enough for him when he failed me as a mentor so what did I do? I ditched him of course. El Califa was leeching on my success. Success that I worked too damn hard for for anyone just to bring me down. But you know something Charles? Zeus has shown me that I’m good enough.
Amber now sits with her legs crossed to make sure Charles hears what she’s saying.
Amber: Zeus has shown me that I’m more than good enough. He has shown me that I’m the best talent that WZCW has to offer. And Ty Burna, that’s exactly what you’re getting from me at Ascension. You’re getting my absolute best. And do you know why? Because I want to show everyone that my best will easily outclass your best. Your best will never be as good as mine nor has it ever been as good.
She gets up from her seating position before motioning for Fallout to make Charles sit right up from the chair. The young dragon clasps her hands on Charles’s face.
Amber: Amber Warren will save the truly good. Amber Warren will damn the wicked souls that live in WZCW. But more importantly, Amber Warren will annihilate Ty Burna.
Amber shoves Charles’s face away as the chair breaks as soon as it connects with the floor. Charles’s face is finally shown with a clear swollen area on his cheek from the slaps Amber gave him. He coughs out blood before his eyes look up. He shouldn’t have done that because what comes up, must come down. And what came down was Fallout’s boot across his face.