==========
Off Camera
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Happiness,
joy, and sheer comfort are the emotions that I feel right now. Perhaps I shouldn’t be feeling this way. After all, Supreme Championship Wrestling has
been a mixed bag for my family lately.
My daughter did become United States Champion, and immediately after
that she was attacked by Regan Street, not to mention the craziness she has to
deal with regarding her twin, my other child Kimberly Williams.
Then there’s
my sister, Kayla Jones. Together we are
The Sisterhood and we are two time SCW World Tag Team Champions. I wanted to make that three time champions
but then Fatal Fortunes drew Ravyn Taylor as Kayla’s tag team partner, not
me. And then, on this most recent
edition of Breakdown, Kayla and Ravyn failed to become SCW World Tag Team
Champions. That should bother me, but it
brings a small sense of satisfaction.
And that’s
not all. While my family may not be
doing so great right about now, I have been riding a wave of momentum. At Fatal Fortunes I defeated the reigning
Television Champion Jake Starr and a former World Champion Rachel Foxx. Then later on another edition of Breakdown I
defeated Samantha Raine, an old rival of mine from my days in GDW where she reigned
as GDW World Champion.
Many people
think that I have my groove back. Many
suggest that the dominant Angelica Jones of old has returned to form and that I
could take SCW by storm. Who knows? They may be correct. I must have opened someone’s eyes, because I
now find myself scheduled to face Christy Matthews, a former Adrenaline
Champion, in the next SCW Television Title eliminator.
Yes, if I
just keep my winning streak alive, I could be well on my way to becoming SCW
Television Champion. And that is quite
the reason to be pleased with myself.
But if I were to say that my professional wrestling success is the only
reason that I’m happy and content with myself and my life right now, well, I’d
be lying.
Brilliant
gold and orange hues bled like fire in the east over the rivers and beyond the
city of Boston, Massachusetts. The first slither of the sun peeked over the
skyline in a radiant, white form. Gradually it raised, a defined circle in a
vibrant backdrop. The rivers were liquid gold and silver. As the sun fully revealed itself it seemed to
swell, loosing its focus and spreading in contrast to my contracting
pupils. I exhaled with relief as I sat
up in bed. I turned my head to look out
the window, the source of the beautiful rays of sunlight. This morning’s sunrise was a breathtaking display
of radiant colors. Bright streaks of red, pink, and orange slowly overcame the
dark blue and purple of the twilight sky. The sky resembled a prism; all the
colors blended perfectly into each other. The sun itself was just peeking out
of the horizon, and its brilliant rays already shined brightly and began to
warm the air.
Eventually I
manage to pull myself out of bed. I walk
over to the full length mirror and take appraisal of myself. I like what I see; a beautiful redhead decked
out in a green ruffled steel boned lace corset.
The suspenders of the garter are attached to sheer black stockings.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
I turn
around and spot the other reason why I’ve been so happy these days; my
girlfriend, Aphrodite Noel, still lying on the bed.
This
beautiful woman has also been the cause of a great deal of tension within the
family. Kayla may claim she’s giving her
a chance but she doesn’t trust her one bit.
My daughters have all remained silent on the issue, but if they did
agree with their aunt Kayla, then who can really blame them? Aphrodite was once a vicious rival of mine
inside of the squared circle.
I admit,
they have just cause for concern. I just
don’t care. Aphrodite was there for me
when I needed someone to talk to, to cry to, to unleash my emotions to. She listened to me and comforted me in my
time of need after my wife, Lindsey Carter, went missing.
Kayla wasn’t
there for me. My daughters weren’t there
for me. Aphrodite was there for me.
Aphrodite
slowly rises up off of the bed and walks over to me. It is then that we embrace in a tight
hug. Quickly our lips lock and we kiss
passionately. After breaking the kiss
she winks at me.
“How long have you been awake?”
“Not long.
I literally just got up.”
“We could go back,” she motions to the
bed “if you want.”
I admit, it
is tempting. Quite honestly, it’s hard
to resist. Finally, I nod my head.
“Yes, let’s.”
I take her
by her hand and we go together back towards the bed. I lie back down first and Aphrodite follows
suit.
“What’s on your mind, Angel?”
“hmmm?” I ask, absentmindedly.
“Don’t play innocent with me, Angel.”
She says with a mocking note of sternness in her voice. “I know you all too well. You
have something on your mind.”
She reaches
over and runs a hand through my long red hair. “So please, share.”
I roll over
and gaze deep into her eyes. “Just
thinking about you, that’s all. I’m
thinking about how lucky I am to have you.”
“If only that were true.” Aphrodite says
with a sigh. “But how can you be thinking
just about me when I know your family situation is in a bit of turmoil right
now?”
Not this
again. I sigh out of frustration and
roll over so that I’m no longer facing Aphrodite. “It isn’t a big deal, Aphrodite.
Honestly, it isn’t. Don’t worry
about it.”
“Don’t worry about it?” Aphrodite sits straight up in bed, I
catch a glimpse of this out of the corner of my eye but I remain lying down. “Angelica, I told you from the start that I
never intended to come between you and your family. Now if I am the cause the cause of any
problems between you and your sister, then I want to know.”
“It isn’t that simple.”
“Then make it simple.”
I realize
now that there is no avoiding this subject.
I sit up in bed and turn my head to face Aphrodite’s, gazing deep into
her eyes.
“If Kayla has any problems with you, well
that’s on her. Whatever problems she may
have with you will not affect the way I feel about you. But you are right…” I pause to collect my
thoughts and Aphrodite uses that time to place a comforting hand on my shoulder
“…you are right, Kayla and I have been
growing further and further apart recently.”
“I don’t want to be the cause of that,
Angelica.”
I shake my
head. “You’re not the reason why we’ve
been growing apart. It’s just life.”
I chuckle
lightly. “I guess it just hit us later
than others, but really, it’s just life.
I thought my life had ended when our mother died and then our father
separated us and abandoned us. I spent
my teenage years thinking I would never see my sister again.”
Aphrodite
nods her head as if a light bulb went off. “I
can see that the reunion of you two much later in life was a treat.”
A smile
finally cross my lips even as tears form in my eyes. “Yeah, it was great. I was
thrilled to see her but I secretly blamed myself for losing her the first time.”
“Nonsense,” Aphrodite scoffs “your father did that to you.”
“My mind knew that but my heart told me
otherwise and I listened to my heart.
Point is, I had lost her once and I refuse to lose her again.”
“How did your sister feel about this?”
I shrug my
shoulders. “I never asked her. But I believe she probably felt the same way
I did, because we were inseparable after that.
It’s why we always stuck together in the wrestling business. It’s why any of our singles endeavors in
Supreme Championship Wrestling never lasted long. We wanted to stick together.”
I get up off
of the bed and walk over to the window.
The sunlight creates a beautiful scenery as I look out at the Boston
skyline.
“I can’t pinpoint a time when it started but
we began to grow more distant. Even when
we won the SCW World Tag Team Championships for a second time, as great as that
was, as wonderful an accomplishment as that was, I somehow felt that it would
be the last time The Sisterhood would ever be SCW World Tag Team Champions.”
By this time
Aphrodite has joined me by the window.
She wraps her arms around me from behind in an embrace.
“Again, it’s nonsense. You and Kayla deserve another title
shot. I could understand your concerns
if Kayla and Ravyn had been successful but they were not. This opens the door for you and Kayla to go
for the gold again.”
“Maybe, but would we just be delaying the
inevitable? Besides, would we really get
a tag title shot? I mean, Kayla isn’t
the only one with more pressing matters to deal with.”
“What do you,” Aphrodite pauses as she
suddenly realizes what I’m talking about “oh
right, your Television Title Eliminator against Christy Matthews.”
I nod my
head. “That’s right, and what’s more is
that I want this win. I want it badly.”
“Of course you do, you are a professional
athlete and a competitor.”
“It goes beyond that,” I respond,
shaking my head, “because I haven’t felt
this good about myself, this confident in my abilities, in a very long
time. I beat Jake Starr, Rachel Foxx,
and Samantha Raine. I’ve been on a roll
lately and I know that I can defeat Christy Matthews. And even better than that, I know I can
become SCW Television Champion. And I
don’t need Kayla’s help. I can do this
on my own.”
“And does Kayla feel the same way?”
“Honestly…I don’t know. I mean, I know she wanted to become SCW World
Tag Team Champions with Ravyn, and yet she still offered to give up her title
shot if it would make me happy.”
“She was willing to give up her title shot
for you?” Aphrodite arches her brow. “Surprising. It definitely shows that she cares about you.”
“Yes, but I think she was just trying to
appease me.” I sigh deeply. “I think
she is having similar thoughts and feelings that I’m having, but she was just
trying to make me feel better. The
Sisterhood has been growing apart for quite some time now. Kayla has had a shot at the tag titles with a
different partner and now I very well could become the SCW Television Champion,
if I can first get through Christy Matthews.”
Aphrodite
gently turns me around so that I’m facing her.
“Angelica, listen to me…just
because you and your sister are no longer tag team partners, doesn’t mean you
are growing apart.”
“You’re right,” I respond, nodding my
head “and if it were just Kayla, then I
wouldn’t be this concerned, but it isn’t just her. My children…”
The tears
that have been welling up flow freely now.
Aphrodite embraces me as I cry on her shoulder. I have four daughters, the oldest two are the
twins, Marie and Kimberly. My middle
child is Jessica. And my youngest, just
entering her teenage years, little Kelly, who was named after my mother. Aphrodite gently pats me on the back in an
attempt to comfort me.
“What is it, what’s wrong?”
I look up
into her eyes as I struggle to find the words. “…my children, they…they’re growing apart from me. And it’s my fault…”
“I refuse to believe that.” Aphrodite
remarks, shaking her head. “You and Marie
seem to have an excellent relationship.”
I nod my
head. “Yes, right now we do, but how long
will that last? I can already see the
disappointment in Marie’s eyes. She’s
disappointed in me because I haven’t given her twin sister Kimberly a fair
chance to redeem herself and rejoin the family.
I’ve practically blacklisted Kimberly and soon, Marie’s loyalty to her
sister will lead her to blacklisting me.
I just know it. And Jessica…”
I wipe some
tears from my eyes “…Jessica has long
since been disappointed in me, both me and her father. She rarely maintains any communication with anyone
now outside of her sisters or her husband.
All I have left is little Kelly…I hope don’t screw that one up…”
“I’ve watched you deal with your children,
Angelica,” a warm smile spreads across Aphrodite’s face “and I can honestly say that you are a wonderful mother.”
I sigh. “I don’t feel like one.”
“But you are,” Aphrodite insists, “and I get it, we all make mistakes
sometimes. Perhaps you’ve made a mistake
with Kimberly…”
“I’m just not sure I can trust her.” I
remark, interrupting Aphrodite. “She’s
mentally unhinged and has tried to harm me before.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you
spend time in a mental institution?”
Guilt swarms
over me. She’s right. I spent time in a mental institution after
killing Marie’s father. I nod my head.
“Yeah, I did.”
“And didn’t the Jones family welcome you
back with open arms?”
“Yes, yes they did.”
“So…” her voice trails off, a smile
forms on her face “…what’s wrong with
giving Kimberly a chance?”
A thousand
thoughts are swirling through my head.
She’s right, of course. It would
be hypocritical of me not to give her a chance.
But it’d be…
“Difficult.”
“Hmmm?” Aphrodite asks with an arched
brow.
“It’ll be difficult, but you’re right, I
need to give her a fair chance.”
“It will be difficult, but the right thing
never is easy.” Aphrodite takes me by the hand and squeezes it tightly. “But I’ll be here to help you.”
I smile
warmly. Then I kiss her on the cheek. “Thanks, Aphrodite. Your support means everything to me.”
“Not a problem, that’s what I’m here
for. But now that we have dealt with
this,” she motions back to the bed, “why
don’t we go back to finishing what we started?”
I grin
knowingly. “My pleasure.”
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On Camera
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Fatal
Fortunes didn’t turn out to be all that fatal after all. As a matter of fact, Fatal Fortune turned out
to be the night that I got my career back on the right path. That night I overcame the challenge of two
individuals, one of which was a reigning champion and the other was a former
SCW World Champion. But the Fatal Fortunes edition of Breakdown
wouldn’t be the end of my winning streak.
I went on to defeat Samantha Raine, a woman I’ve known all too well
during our days competing for GDW.
What Fatal
Fortunes ultimately did was serve as a reminder to the SCW universe that I was
The Golden Goddess, the dominant Angelica Jones, long before I ever tag teamed
with my sister Kayla as The Sisterhood.
Before Kayla and I won two tag team championships in this great company,
I was a legend in my own right, and while I have yet to win singles gold in
Supreme Championship Wrestling, my record as a performer here is
unquestioningly good. In back to back
years I made the semi-finals of the SCW Shot of Adrenaline Tournament. You don’t get that far for two straight years
by being a slouch in the singles division.
Yet I
allowed others to pass me by because I was content with just teaming with my
sister. I was content with being a
member of The Sisterhood and going after the SCW World Tag Team Championship.
Now don’t
get me wrong, I still have those tag team titles in sight, as I’m sure Kayla
does as well, but what Fatal Fortunes as
well as my matches thereafter proved is that I don’t just still have what it
takes to get the job done as a singles competitor but I’ve improved.
That’s what
you need to understand, Christy. We’ve
tangled before and you beat me. So you definitely have my respect and I know
based upon how you operate inside of that squared circle not to put anything
past you. You will do anything to win.
You will break any rule and take any shortcut.
Good,
because I not only know every dirty trick in the book, but I wrote a good chunk
of that book myself. I’m prepared for
anything you can throw at me. But more
importantly than knowing what you’re capable of and knowing what to expect from
you, I know that you are the only person right now standing between me and
another shot at the SCW Television Championship.
I had my
first opportunity back when Ace Marshall held the belt and I was so close to
winning it. I would argue that had it
not been a triple threat match, had it just been one on one, I would’ve beaten him for the title.
But that’s
in the past and I’ve learned from my mistakes.
I’ve used what I learned then as well as what I learned from losing to
you, Christy, I used those lessons to grow as a competitor and as an athlete,
and now I am better prepared to take you down.
I’ve been
here for three damn years and all I have to say for myself is two reigns as an
SCW World Tag Team Champion. Now most
would be happy with that…
…but I’m NOT
most people! I am used to being feared,
I am used to people being intimidated by me!
I am used to success. Thirteen
times across multiple companies I’ve held world championships. I thought my career was over but I was
convinced to come out of retirement and join the ranks of SCW and what have I
done since?
Absolutely
nothing!
It eats away
at my heart and my soul that I have been unable to take that next step and win
singles gold. It’s been boiling up
inside for a damn long time. I’ve been able
to contain it by teaming with Kayla, winning tag team gold, but now that The
Sisterhood has been temporarily sidelined…
…I have no
reason to hold back!
I am angry,
Christy, but I’m not going to let that anger distract me. I’m going to let it fuel me and I’m going to
let it keep me focused on the task at hand, and that task is defeating you on
Breakdown and moving on to challenge for the SCW Television Championship.
You’re not
going to get in my way.
