Breakdown
Thomas & Mack Center
Las Vegas, Nevada
April 1st, 2020
“Alright, no cameras around, so is someone gonna tell me what the fuck that was?!” David demanded to know as we walked into our shared locker room at Breakdown. It was a fair question I guess; for a second show in a row, a match had ended with his disqualification, though this time it was only a blight on his singles record rather than another tag match like at Retribution, but it’s his record either way and I guess I can see why he’d be so hacked off. Okay, so I’m getting carried away, right? Scene setting time. This shit with The Wonderland had really picked up in no time at all, hadn’t it? And there was Dave, going up against a guy way fucking bigger than him, me and Lucas both at ringside, and instead of him winning or losing on his own merits, it was… well, actually it was Lucas that got his dq’d this time, so maybe I shouldn’t be taking all of the plaudits for how things went down, but for the second time, in this war with The Wonderland, Dave picked up a loss that will look like he cheated… and as much as Dave likes to ignore some of the things Gio said to him in his promo, Dave did care about his reputation, his record. Like I told Giovanni on twitter after Retribution, I never claimed to be a good guy, but Dave isn’t me, is he? In fact, when you take everything into consideration, Dave really is the polar opposite of me, he tries his hardest all the time to be the best person he can be. He called himself the Last Shadow Of Hope for the longest time, fighting for the fans each and every week, going up against the assholes with what he coined as righteous fury, trying to stop the d-bag’s from running the roost so to speak… me? I turned up dressed as a fucking bear and attacked a guy in his fifties because why not, more or less… I attacked Konrad because I thought it’d be fun and then it continued from there, didn’t it?
I’ve not been the kind of guy to do his best, sworn to uphold the moral code of the company, shoulder the burden of the entire business, in fact it was only when I started running with Gio - oh the fucking irony - that people started cheering for me, and even then I think most of it was because I can make people laugh rather than people believing in who I am as a person and as a wrestler. And I’m fine with that. No really, I’m fucking fine with that bro, I couldn’t give a rats ass what people think of me if truth be told; if anything, I’ve had to spend more effort on not being an asshole than I ever had to spend just being me… if that doesn’t say it all, I dunno what does. But Dave… he’s not like I am. He cares. He actually, legitimately cares about people, not just to serve his own ends or to give people a certain impression of him, he legitimately cares about other people on a very real, very human level, and losing by disqualification again? It was actually painful for him.
I can see it. I can see why; he was the moral guardian of SCW for years before retiring, and now he’s back and after what, seven matches since returning, including the match we unmasked in and trio’s which was three matches in one night, he’s lost twice thanks to D.Q. The first time was my doing, can’t deny that one. I took a chair to Adams at Retribution - although in my defence, he attacked my chair if we’re going to describe it accurately - and then just a few minutes before we walk into the locker room in order for David to let out his demand for information on ‘what the fuck that was’, my brother is so eloquant, it was Lucas who decided to bring the chair back in to play again, introducing Adams’ back to it in a truly personal way, and in the process costing David another match… yeah, can’t say I fault his reaction. And it wasn’t as if it was his doing, the result was taken from him by me and then Lucas in back to back matches… basically, big bro had every right to be pissed off and our only saving grace was that both me and Lucas clearly saw things the same way if our behaviour was anything to go by.
“Look bro, you need to--” I started to say before Dave cut me off.
“Don’t tell me to calm down, because as far as I’m aware Jase, I haven’t lost it yet,” He told me, before walking over to his locker to grab his water bottle. “But this is the second match in a row where we’ve lost in the same god damn way and both times, the match was salvageable until we forgot chairs were for fucking sitting on first and foremost!” he added as he threw himself down onto a chair, in the most amusing show of irony I’ve seen in a while.
“Sorry mate, I’ll own up to this one,” Lucas told him as he followed suit, making his way over to an empty chair before taking a seat. In Lucas’ defence, he wasn’t there for the match at Retribution, he couldn’t go to ringside because of his match later in the evening against Xander so it was a new experience for him, having to deal with the bullshit that is Gio and his batshit crazy followers. “Saw that big ugly cunt grab a hold of you and got a little swing-happy… to be honest I’m not exactly used to the idea of being the good guy either, know what I mean? In the past, if some twat needed a kicking, I just gave him one, rightly or wrongly…”
“Can definitely sympathise with that,” I told him, reminded how difficult it had been to adjust mentalities when the fans first started to jump on the Jason Helms bandwagon and get behind me instead of booing me at every turn. “But we’re a bit different to this guy, dude; he might have had eighteen months of playing at being a douchebag back in the day, but it’s not his default state of existence like it is for us…” I told him, smirking. Dave didn’t laugh, didn’t even crack a smirk; this is why I’m the fun brother!
Instead he shook his head and sighed. “You think this is funny?”
“Oh lighten up, Dave!” I told him, deciding it was best to cut the shit off before it started to smell. “Alright fine, Lucas fucked up out there and I fucked up at Retribution, but they deserved those chair shots! And unless I’m very much mistaken, you were the one who hit Adams in his fucking face with a chair after the referee called for the bell back at the pay per view! Or did I imagine that Nightmare On Helms Street?!”
He actually flipped me the bird before sighing. I was impressed. “Okay, so sometimes situations call for desperate measures, but I’ve lost twice now because other people can’t keep their cool, and when it’s your brother and your friend that are causing those losses, it’s not fucking cool!”
“We get it mate, we really do,” Lucas stressed, sitting forward to lay his arms across his knees as he knotted his fingers together. “Nobody likes to lose, can’t argue with that… but sometimes you’ve gotta crack a few eggs in order to make a cake, don’t ya? And if these crackmonkeys don’t understand logic and reasoning then maybe we get 'em to understand a kick to the bollocks! Or a chair to the back I guess…”
“And next week, everything is legal,” I reminded him, finally taking a seat on the final empty chair, straddling it backwards so I could lay my arms across the backrest. “They took the bate, hook line and sinker, Dave. Tonight, Retribution, those three ass clowns tried breaking the rules at every turn, tried playing the numbers game at the pay per view, and it was them who broke the rules first tonight too, but our officials don’t have eyes in the back of their heads, so they didn’t see it... “ I told him, and he looked at me as if he thought I was full of shit. That or he just had no idea where I was going, but in truth I was kind of winging it anyway, so who could really blame him there if that was the case. “Are the record books going to show you got disqualified twice in a row? Sure. In black and white, it’ll say you lost because you got disqualified… but do you know who bothers with record books? Assholes like Gio! Dickbag’s like him rely on those official records, because next week, just like this did this week after Retribution, because it gives them something to spin, something to twist against us. He’s gonna milk it for all its worth, tell the whole world that we’re the assholes… but do you know who doesn’t care? Those people out there!” I told him, pointing off in the rough direction of where the ring was. “The fans don’t care, because every single one of them cheered when Lucas took that chair to Adams’ back, they cheered when we cleared house and sent the Branch Douchidians running with their tails between their legs! That’s what matters to you, not your fucking record and we all know that!”
I hoped I’d judged the situation right, because I was pretty sure that it wasn’t just that he had a couple losses on his record that bothered Dave, but the fact that people may judge him for losing by dq when he was Mr. Nice Guy for the majority of his career… but as he took a long breath in through his mouth and out through his mouth, I saw the tension disappear from his shoulders with it as he let the breath go. We’d got him. Fuck, that was easier than I thought it would be, ha. “So… I have a question…” Lucas finally said, breaking the silence, and we both turned to look at him. “What the fuck’s a Jersey Street Fight?!”
I couldn’t help but laugh, even David cracked a smile of sorts as Lucas gave us both a goofy grin. “It’s my brother’s way of adding a little home town flair to a regular street fight bro, nothing more,” David told him, sitting back in his chair and taking another deep breath. He was still worked up I guess, but was slowly coming back down to planet earth again.
“So no special rules or anything?” Lucas asked, but I shook my head.
“Just a name. Used before, will be used again. Just so happens that me and big bro here are from New Jersey that’s all,” I confirmed, backing up Dave’s statement.
“That makes things easier,” Lucas said, cracking his knuckles as he sat back too. “Wondered if it had some convoluted rules or other bullshit I had to follow along with, like we have to lather up in baby oil and fist bump every thirty seconds or some bollocks…" he said with a smirk on his face that got a nice eye roll from Dave, but I found it at least kinda funny. “But a drag out knock down fight I can handle I reckon.” he confirmed, satisfeid.
“Might wanna lay off the forward rolls this time out though,” I told him, grinning.
“I’ll bear it in mind,” Lucas told me, though he returned the grin with one of his own. “You guys actually ready for this though? No offence, but it’s been a while since either of me and you were in the Underground division, Dave. And I don’t really know about your history Jase,” he said, motioning to me, “but I know what that crackpot is willing to do, and I get the feeling his minions are just as mental as he is…”
David leaned forward and started to unlace his sneakers. Once the second red converse hit the floor he straightened up and looked at Lucas. “I’ve been hardcore champion of every company I’ve been in,” he told the Brit. “Half these tattoos are there to cover up scars I picked up in those divisions… and that was through choice without someone attempting to force my hand. Now I have reason to go there, so you can imagine how sure I am about the decision…”
“If you don’t want to be involved Lucas, you don’t have to be,” I told him, though I knew it would annoy him rather than comfort him. There was no way his pride would let him back out of this when he’d told the world in front of cameras that he was in. But I wasn’t trying to poke him either; if he wanted to sit it out, he was welcome to. In truth, it was me and Dave that Gio wanted to hurt anyway, not him. “I’m not saying that because I think you’re a pussy or anything either, before you start getting defensive… what I mean is, this isn’t your fight. It’s me and Dave that Gio wants to hurt, not you. If you want to get out now, I wouldn’t blame you…”
“You don’t know me well enough bruv, clearly…” Lucas said, smirking. “Them crack monkeys might not wanna hurt me as much as they wanna hurt you two, but that don’t mean I don’t wanna hurt them does it? Besides, for better or worse, I’m stuck with you two knobheads, so may as well cover your arses next week. Can’t have people saying I’m not up for the fight can I?”
“Cover them like you covered mine tonight, and we should be okay,” Dave said and as we both looked at him, he mimed swinging a chair; for a minute, I was worried he was about to go off about the disqualifications again, but he shot us a grin that told me he’d let it go now. Thank fuck for that; he can be a mopey douche at times, so it was a blessing to see that he’d got past it, no dwelling on things dragging the whole room down. “Besides, I remember a flaming cricket bat bro, I know what lengths you’re willing to go to as well, and while I know we’re a little older and I’d like to think a little wiser, I don’t think either of us has changed that much dude…” he added, motioning towards himself and Lucas with one hand.
“Way to leave a brother out, man…” I said, smirking. “But to put your concerns at ease, I’m still young compared to you fucks, and I haven’t even started learning how to know better yet, so i’m planning on bringing everything and anything to this one… might even hit up the local hardware shop and buy a kitchen sink for the irony of it,” I told them, and I’m pretty sure they both thought I was joking… but how many people make some sort of reference to ‘anything upto and including the kitchen sink’ in this kind of situation? A lot of people. Pretty sure I’ve even heard Dave use that reference in the past… but how many people actually do that, huh?! “Maybe we take a trip to Lowe’s or Home Depot before the show, have some fun…”
“If you’re gonna buy something daft like that, you should buy a toilet instead,” Lucas suggested. “Really put Gio where he belongs; in the shitter!”
“Oh, I like that,” Dave told him, laughing. “Fuck, let’s buy toilet seats! Nice hardwood toilet seat would make a great substitute for a chair in a Nightmare On Helms Street, don’t you think?”
“Sounds like a fitting metaphor for a piece of shit like Aries, not gonna lie,” Lucas admitted, chuckling to himself. “We can’t underestimate these arseholes though; for two shows running, they’ve been able to get the jump on us when the ref wasn’t looking… next week, everything’s legal, sure, but that just means they don’t have to hide what they’ve already been doing. They can do it in the open. We need to be careful.”
“Oh I see how it is,” I joked. “You get all pissy when I suggest you can sit this one out and then the next minute you’re telling us we should be wary and be worried? Jesus dude, make your mind up…”
“I said we need to keep an eye on them, not that we should be shitting ourselves at the idea of facing ‘em,” Lucas told me, getting a little defensive despite the fact I was only pokin fun. “What I’m saying is that we know they’re fucking mental, don’t we? And they’ve taken every opportunity to try and cheat that they can so far, despite the disqualification wins and shit… so in a match where everything’s legal and above board, we may wanna watch out for each other where we can… have either of you thought about maybe skewing the odds in our favour, by any chance?” he asked and I turned to look at Dave to see that he was as confused as I was before turning back to look at Lucas.
“Skewed in our favour?” Dave asked, taking the words from my mouth before I could ask the exact same question.
“Yeah, ya know, play them at their own game,” Lucas told us, like we were meant to just intrinsicly know what the fuck he was talking about. “At Retribution, it was basically three against two, wasn’t it? I see them use the numbers to their advantage but I were powerless to do anything about it because I was competing later in the night so had to sit back and watch it happen. Tonight, it was technically one on one sure, but it was also three on three… only we weren’t willing to cheat until I got a bit slap happy with that chair. But Gio fell right into the trap of agreeing to your terms,” he told us, pointing at me. Okay, so I was kind of following, but how does that equate to skewing the numbers. “Jesus, you two ain’t doing New Jersey’s rep any favours at the minute, let me tell ya. Look, you dangled the bait for Gio and he went for it, didn’t he? We poked and prodded and then gave him a choice between facing us under our terms of just scuttling off like a fucking cackling crab. He took the bait and now he faces us in a match that we picked… but under the circumstances, we can also stack the deck a little, can’t we?”
“Stack it how?” I asked, still not following. “I mean, we’ve got them in a street fight, we have them in a match that suits us, where we don’t have to worry about cheating, so--” I went on before the cockney pointed at me.
“Exactly,” Lucas said, like I’d hit the nail on the head despite having no idea what the fuck he was talking about. “We don’t have to worry about cheating… from either side…” he said, and suddenly I got an idea of where he was actually going. “And I don’t think I need to explain that, say, six is a bigger number than three, do I? So how about you make some calls? Matty loves a good scrap from what I hear, I’m sure he’d fancy managerial duties for one night? And I know for a fact that BlackOut have produced one or two decent wrestlers that you could call Jase, give ‘em some hands-on experience… I wouldn’t have to look too far either for the same… and just like that, the odds favour us pretty bloody considerably, don’t they?”
“Not happening bro,” Dave said before I could react; I won’t lie, I was actually with Lucas on this, at least I saw where he was coming from and didn’t hate the idea anyway. But turning to Dave, he seemed dead against the idea. Lucas seemed quite surprised by that too, though in fairness we should have expected that to begin with. “Look, I get it, it’s not that I don’t see the logic,” David said, cutting Lucas off before he could try and convince him otherwise. “But I’m not dragging anyone else into this and I don’t think either of you should, either… it’s bad enough that those assholes already have bragging rights over us with their two dq victories, do you really want to give them more excuses? Besides, much as I know Matty would love a chance to tear off a piece for himself next week, I don’t want anyone else getting in on our gig, you know?”
“At the end of the day mate, they can make all the excuses they want,” Lucas told Dave with a shrug. “Not really bothered what they say when it’s all over and done with to be honest, just looking forward to smacking them around a bit. Long as we get the win, I don’t care if it’s done ugly or not.”
“I kind of see Lucas’ point bro,” I had to admit, and Dave shot me a look that told me he didn’t appreciate my honesty but I was gonna lie to him. “I mean, it’s not like they thought about doing right from wrong is it? They beat the shit out of me at Retribution, all while the ref was busy watching what you and Adams were doing in the ring. And then tonight, it was Ames that attacked first while the ref wasn’t looking… twice now they should have been disqualified, but instead it was us that were, you who was… should we really give a crap about honour when they don’t have any?”
“If we stoop to their level, we’re as bad as they are,” Dave said, standing up. “They’ve not even accepted the challenge anyway, and Sasha may not even rubber stamp it if they do, so we may be wasting our time… I’m gonna go grab a shower; I’ll leave two to bitch about my ‘poor attitude’ while I clean the Wonderland stink off of my body…”
We both watched him head for the showers that adjoined our locker room before I turned back to look at Lucas. “Like I said bro, he’s too nice for his own good…” I said with a sigh. “He’s way more pissed off about the dq losses than he’s letting on, too. It’s like he cares more about not looking like he cheated than the fact that those bastards were cheating to try and hurt us…” I told Lucas as I heard my cell phone buzz in my bag.
“He’s a good guy,” Lucas said with a shrug. “But sometimes he’s infuriatingly so, ya know? It is what it is. Guess we won’t be using my plan after all. Shame. Reckon I can think of a few people that would fancy being my manager for the night just to slap Gio around… I’m gonna go grab a coffee. Want one?” he asked and I nodded my head before we both stood up, Lucas heading towards the door as I went for my phone in my bag, barely noticing the sound of the shower starting up in the adjoining room. Looking at the screen, it was a text message from Niamh.
Just been watching the show. A jersey street fight sounds like it’s gonna be dangerous? Don’t get too hurt, I don’t wanna lose my mentor to another injury because his ego wants to make a statement! ;-)
Niamh Riley, 8:47pm - 04/01/2020
Well wasn’t that just charming, huh? Nice to see my own protege had faith in me, I mean who else could I count on in times like these? It’s really nice to know that people have faith in you, it really helps with the confidence…
Me? Hurt? Haven’t you heard, kiddo? I’m invincible. Only person that can hurt me is me. See previous injury as proof; fucked myself up! ;-)
Jason Helms, 8:47pm - 04/01/2020I know, I remember watching Under Attack. What kind of dumbass blows out their knee getting off the apron? Maybe I should look for a new mentor, because I’m starting to question my sanity in accepting your offer. The bad hair I can handle, but the questionable decisions, the weak knees? Maybe I should just ask Big Jeff for help instead?
Niamh Riley, 8:48pm - 04/01/2020
What is it with me and women who had a mouth on them, huh? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those assholes that believes a woman’s place is at home or some other chauvinistic bullshit like that, I’m not even complaining really… but damn, I have a habit of picking them, huh? Even in something as innocent as taking on a student, I have to find the one that doesn’t have a single problem in giving me shit despite the nature of the relationship. And the mention of maybe transfering to big Jeff, Mr. Yeah Boiiiii… yeah, that was just adding insult to injury. Well played kid, you’re learning well.
You wanna transfer to Jeff? I’m sure I can arrange that if it’s what you want. One less headache for me, angelface.
Jason Helms, 8:48pm - 04/01/2020
The little dots appeared right away. Typing back quickly. Her next move was gonna make all the difference…
Did I touch a nerve? ;-) lol. No coach, I don’t want to switch to Jeff. Why go for a burger when you can have steak, right?
Niamh Riley, 8:48pm - 04/01/20202Smart decision. Just remember who it is that sets your training, huh? Don’t want to have to go hard on you, but you might force my hand.
Jason Helms, 8:48pm - 04/01/2020You can be hard on me any time, coach! ;-)
Niamh Riley, 8:48pm - 04/01/2020
I actually laughed out loud at that and was about to start rattling off another reply but a knock from the door stopped me just as my thumb hovered about the keyboard; I could hear the shower running still, so there was no way Dave was gonna see who it was and as Lucas was on a coffee run that left the job to me so I tossed my phone back into my bag with my reply left untyped and headed for the door. “Hey,” Amy said as I opened the door to find her standing there. “Got a minute?” she asked and I shrugged before stepping back to let her into the locker room, closing the door after her. “Just you?”
“Lucas went on a coffee run and Dave’s in the shower,” I told her, nodding my head towards the shower room and I guess that’s when she heard the shower running because she made an ‘ah’ kind of face before turning back to me. “Something on your mind Lancaster?” I asked. She grinned at first but it quickly slipped from her face again. She’d changed her name on twitter a while ago. Not sure many even noticed, but it wasn’t lost on me. Another sign that she was actually done as a professional wrestler. Chastaine has been a brand name for her despite legally being a Lancaster for years; publically letting that go was a big deal.
“I dunno. I guess? But…” she started before sighing. “Look, I don’t want to sound like I’m criticising you, so hear me out first okay?” she asked and I gave her a nod. Whatever it was, she was evidently worried about upsetting me, but she wanted me to hear her out first so it was the least I could do. “Are you sure that you want to do this? The street fight I mean? I’m not saying that I don’t believe in you babe, because you know I have you as my pick for every match you’re in… but you know how I feel about Gio too. Everything Dave and Lucas have done, my belief in you… I get why you want to do this, but Aries is a psychopath and those two minions of his, their devotion is matched only by their own insanity… I don’t want to see you get hurt because you have a grudge that you can’t let go…”
Well, that explained the hesitancy. “You think I have a grudge?” I asked her; for whatever reason, that was the part that stood out from everything Amy said and it was the part I found most aggravating from her speech.
“I think you want to even the score and you’ll do whatever it takes to do so, yeah,” Amy told me with brutal honesty. “I know you probably don’t want to hear that, but hasn’t this gone too far already? Retribution, again tonight, twice in a row you guys have dealt with their crap and got disqualified for it. And now you want to throw the rules out of the window in a street fight? They bust you open at Retribution, babe… and got away with doing it too. What will they do when everything is legal?”
I could see her point, but she didn’t get it. She couldn’t, because it wasn’t her in my shoes. And despite everything she had ever experienced in her own career, there’s no such thing as two sets of circumstances exactly the same. “This isn’t about a grudge with Gio, babe…” I told her as I re-took the seat I’d been sat in before Amy knocked. She walked over to sit in the one vacated by Dave when he went for his shower. “It’s more than being pissed because they beat me at Retribution. Everything that bastard says is twisting the truth to further his own agenda or drive sympathy to him, and it pisses me off! I don’t want to kick their asses next week because I have a grudge, I want to kick their asses because I want to prove that he’s full of shit about everything he’s been saying!”
“And I get that Jase, I really do,” Amy told me, giving me a sympathetic smile. “That bastard tried offering Jaina drugs, don’t you think I want to see him get his ass kicked? I just don’t want to see you getting hurt in order to do it, that’s all…”
Don’t get me wrong, I did understand where she was coming from, she was looking out for my health and well being, couldn’t fault her on that… but this was more important than worrying that I may get a few booboo’s or maybe worse I guess, depending how things went, and I wanted to find the right words to explain that. “And I understand the hesitation you may have for this Ames, I do,” I started, kind of pulling an explanation out of my ass as I went along. “But that bastard has said so much shit, he’s labelled me so many things and doesn’t even realise how fucking hypocritical he’s been! I abandoned him? He quit! He left the company, disappeared! Then I got hurt and nothing… but I abandoned The Wonderland! Fuck that…”
“You know how I felt about you working with him anyway,” Amy told me, frowning heavily. She’d never liked Gio and made no bones about making it painfully obvious. Gio obviously hadn’t missed it if his recent comments were anything to go by either. “I tried talking you out of working with him in the first place, and that was when his antics were supposedly ‘funny’,” she added with the air quotes and everything. I guess SCW’s own David Koresh was an acquired taste, even before he went all high and mighty with his judgemental bullshit since returning…
“Yeah, and maybe you were right,” I had to admit. It wasn’t like I couldn’t see the potential for batshit insanity in him, even back then… but back then it wasn’t like he was running a dangerous as fuck cult either! We had fun, we did good, pissed off the right people and in general, I saw him as a good guy that had his issues. Guess I was wrong about that one. “But a bad judgement call back then doesn’t change the reality of this situation now, does it? If anything, it only supports how I feel about this match next week if Sasha books it. I know he won’t turn it down, he’s desperate for more opportunities to try and show how awful we are. This is his way in, it’s an opportunity he just can’t turn down and he’ll want Sasha or whoever the fuck sanctions things to book it as much as we do!”
“And doesn’t that give you reason to maybe think it’s not a good idea?” Amy asked, a hint of pleading in her voice; she wanted me to reconsider that much?! “If a maniac like Giovanni wants this match as much as he does, shouldn’t that be an indicator that maybe it’s not the smartest decision for it to go ahead?!”
“Maybe,” I admitted, but her being right and me actually paying attention were two different things entirely, and as much as I felt bad that Amy didn’t want me to go through with this, I wasn’t going to change my mind. “But we need to do this, babe. Gio and his assclowns started this, but we’re gonna end it on our terms, regardless of consequences. If we crash and burn and The Wonderland win, c’est la vie. We didn’t go after them originally, we weren’t stalking them or jumping them backstage. But there’s no fucking way we’re backing down until this is done now… we’re too far down the rabbit hole to give up. Either we fuck them up next week or they fuck us up, and the fallout is whatever it is…”
We sat in silence for several seconds, Amy giving me the saddest look I’ve ever seen on her face; it’s like she saw that there wasn’t anything she could say to talk me out of it and was having to accept that. But there was anger mixed in there too; did she blame herself for not being able to talk me out of it, or blame me for being so pig headed? I’m not sure I wanted to know. “Then I guess the only thing I can do is wait backstage to help you when it’s over,” Amy told me, defeated. “I know David and Lucas will look out for you, or that you’ll look out for each other I guess… but just try and get through in one piece, okay? I do think you can beat them. I just worry about the cost,” she said as the sound of running water from the shower suddenly stopped. “I should head back to Kelsai anyway; she has her title defence to prepare for and I don’t want Dave walking in here thinking it’s just the guys only to find me here... “
“Worried you’ll see a little too much Dave, huh?” I asked and at least that drew a half smile as we stood up.
“Something like that,” she said, returning the smile as we walked to the door and I opened it for her. “I’ll see you back at the hotel, okay?”
“Sure thing,” I agreed before leaning in to give her a quick kiss. “And wish Kelsai good luck for me, okay?” I asked and she nodded before heading back to wherever Kelsai was waiting for her. Facing Tommy was gonna be a tough match for her but I believe in the kid. Long as she gave her best I thought she had a great chance.
“Did I hear voices?” David asked as he walked back into the locker room, a towel wrapped around his waist. Guess Amy had nothing to be concerned about after all.
“Just Amy,” I told him, walking back over to my seat. “Lucas went to grab coffee, no idea where he’s got to with it. She wanted to check on me after, you know, our challenge and the fun at ringside…”
“She think we made a mistake?” He asked as he sat down on his empty chair and grabbed a smaller towel from his bag to dry his hair with.
“Something like that,” I said with a shrug as I reached over to grab my phone again. I closed the text screen though, I didn’t feel like texting Niamh back after that.
“We probably did,” David admitted, saying basically the same as what I did. “Doesn’t mean I don’t stand by the decision though... “
“Yeah, me too bro. Me to,” I agreed as I tossed the phone back down again. I was thinking about phone Aniya, see what she thought, but something told me her view would be similar to Amy’s and I wasn’t sure I wanted the same conversation twice. Not right away anyway. It was something I knew I’d have to do eventually, maybe back at the hotel or the following day, but it could wait. The situation didn’t really clear up later in the night either, when we learned that the match had indeed been sanctioned for the next show, though I know one thing it did do. It doubled down on my resolve to actually want to do this. If we were gonna go all guns blazing, I wasn’t doing it without being all in on the idea. Maybe we were rash to challenge them to a street fight while tempers were high… but I stood behind our decision one hundred percent. And the gloves were off now. Time to show the Wonderland that we weren’t fucking around. Regardless of the end result!
