Mmm, vanilla.

[Deleted]

Thursday, December 29th, 2011
You will want a break from the predictability of your usual routine and methods. You're in the mood to experiment and to learn something new. Offbeat or original ideas excite you and you will seek people who can offer you a different way of looking at things. Discovery, inventiveness, and spontaneity are major themes now.

Blaine Harrison
Damn it, Scott, you got me figured me out.

I say with a shake of my head; a wry smile on my face indicates I may be employing sarcasm to mock my opponent. My tone of voice doesn't always relay my intentions.

Blaine Harrison
It's like you've met a thousand people like me before...

I'm in the Starbucks car park on State Street in Santa Barbara, sitting on the hood of an '89 Civic. It's not mine but I don't think I can do any more damage to this car, judging by the looks of it. Jenny, who has come to visit for Christmas because Santa Barbara is so much nicer than Syracuse at this time of year and her Dad is spending it with his new wife. It gets very confusing when the new wife is younger than the daughter from a previous relationship, but for some reason she loves Jack. I'm happy for them. Anyway, she's standing in front of the car to my right, a strawberry smoothie in her hands. The sun shines brightly in the cloudless afternoon sky; I take a sip from my caffè vanilla frappuccino as I look around me.

Blaine Harrison
Ignoring the fact that I went out on the inaugural edition of Combat and I believe used the phrase "step one on my plan to become the best pro wrestler I can be; to try and climb to the top of FGA just like I try to do everywhere I go" to describe my upcoming debut match the following week. That's what I said wasn't it?

Jenny
Word for word.

Blaine Harrison
But thank God you found me out, Scott. Your brilliant detective work. Thank God you saw me as the unabashed hypocrite you think I am. How could I have been so blind as to think I could hide my intention of being the best I could be. My dreams of becoming the FGA Heavyweight Champion needn't remain secret anymore. Not since you saw right through my veiled disguise as a "fun-loving good guy the crowd can get behind".

Jenny
I think he has you confused you with someone else.

Blaine Harrison
The fans don't cheer for me because I'm a fun-loving guy, Scott. Perhaps you've taken one too many chair shots to the head. Did that match against Weck knock a screw loose up there or something? No, no, no. They cheer for me for two reasons. Reason the first. Because I fight with honour and respect. Maybe that's lost on you like it appears to be with most of the competitors on FRONTIER's roster. You see, I put my heart and soul into every match I wrestle. It's the reason FGA signed me. It's the reason I was able to overcome Evan Bodom last week. It's the reason someone up high thought it'd be a good idea to make me face you this week. So you're able to see what it means to be an honourable wrestler. Ignore the likes of James Weck and his sneak attacks. Ignore The Harvard Connection and their cheating ... It's people like me and Jared James that the fans cheer for because we're not taking the easy way out. The second reason is because people like you always write me off, Scott.

The teenage kid I paid to hold the handicam looks uncomfortable as I glare at the camera. I assume he's not an FGA fan; why should he be out here in California? But it's not his job to like what's going on, that bottle of hooch was for him to hold the camcorder and record what I say. Possibly compliment me on my new cargo shorts or at least the white Jack & Jones printed tee I'm wearing; it hugs my arms tidily and should be the envy of most any man.

Blaine Harrison
Because the creeps and the jerks and the low lifes in this industry; the people, men and women, who want to pollute the sport with dirty tricks and underhanded tactics. The ones who feel a swift kick to the crown jewels is equal to ability. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. By all means, look down on me, write me off as the "good guy" or whatever words managed to slur out of your mouth for that "promo" you recorded. I'm impressed you managed to get my name right, for what it's worth.

I take another sip from my frappuccino, the taste of which is simply quite exquisite, as I look around the car park a little bit. Give Scott Reave time to stew in rage, shout at the screen he's watching this on or just bust a gut laughing. I have no intention of labouring on every point he tried to make in his promo, if I can get some fresh points into this promo and convey my point of view then this'll be totally worth it. Finally I look back at the camera and continue.

Blaine Harrison
I ask this with genuine concern, Reave. What exactly were you under the influence of when you recorded this travesty? Vicodin, oxycontin, weed or was it just straight up alcohol? I don't know your history; where you've been and what you've done are of no concern to me, Scott. I'm like you, not living in the past, I'm in the now with one eye on the future. So when I have an opponent who may or may not have a history of drug-abuse. When I have an opponent who is willing to appear on camera whilst clearly under the influence, I have to wonder what he'll turn up to the show like!

Jenny
As long as he doesn't appear on his Youtube channel talking about grapes or tasing his friends...

Blaine Harrison
I don't know, that might be a laugh...

I look at Jenny as if to say 'can Scott Reave slip any further than he has done in the last five or six years?'. I've read his bio, he seems to have been a big deal when I was starting to wrestle. I'm almost shocked that I had never heard of him before he signed for FGA. Then again he's a damn dirty junkie and I'm notorious for keeping a small social circle.

Blaine Harrison
Where was I? Oh yeah ... I'm the stain on pro wrestling, right, Scott? Lord knows hard work and a commitment to try and win matches fairly, that makes me a chump. The fact you didn't know I aspire to be the best, that makes me a liar. That I go out there and take on all comers, whether they're bigger than I am, smaller than I am, faster, slower, more agile or stiffer than I am, that's why the fans cheer for me, Reave. You turn up with your goddamn attitude, cast aside those who aren't you and think that your strength is going to carry you through and when it doesn't you'll, what, low-blow me, rake the eyes, knock the referee down 'accidentally' and then brain me with a chair? Or am I doing what you're guilty of and confusing you with the thousand other guys who've looked at me and thought the same damn thing you're thinking.

Another sip of my frappuccino; Jenny finished her milkshake a few minutes ago, she just hasn't learnt to savour the flavour yet. Saying that, my frap is almost gone. I shake my head, thinking about Scott Rave is getting me too riled up for my own good. There's something about him; he reminds me of someone from my past but I can't quite put my finger on who it is or what they did to me. But I see Scott's smug little grin, that way he has his hair and I just want to throttle him.

Blaine Harrison
One last thing. I'm gonna need you to sober up before Wednesday, Scott. I mean these FRONTIER fans are paying to see a show and that's what I intend on giving them. And I can't do that--I can't prove myself to be the next big thing here in FGA if you can't carry your ass to that ring. So until then, just say no, buddy.

The smile spreads across my face; I laugh even as the kid holding the handicam finally stops recording. He hands the camcorder back to me and grabs the brown bag off the floor and runs as far and as fast away from me as he could. Ah, the promise of illicit booze on a sunny Thursday afternoon. I remember that thrill from my youth. I climb down off the hood of the Civic, camcorder in one hand, empty frappuccino cup in the other as Jenny and I start to walk away.

Blaine Harrison
I wasn't too harsh on him was I?

Jenny
I don't think you can be too harsh about him, Blaine. The man gives me the creeps.

I laugh; Jenny shoots me an odd glance. Damn she was serious.

Blaine Harrison
I'll do what I can to wipe that smirk off his face.

Now we need to head our separate ways. She'll head back to my house and I need to go and see if Dianna is back from spending Christmas with her family.

---

Saturday, December 24th, 2011
You can expect to have a calm, efficient day. Whatever projects you've initiated in your public or private life should start taking on an interesting shape. Little by little, uncertainties will vanish. Have confidence in time, because it's currently working in your favor.

~*~ OFF CAMERA ~*~

I awoke this morning in a bed that does not belong to me. For the first in our six month on-off relationship, Dianna had allowed me to spend the night at her house. Her mother was at her work's Christmas do and she thought the responsible thing to do would be to crash at her friend's house until her hangover has cleared and she can drive home some time this afternoon. Which, seeing as it's about 9:47am gives me at least two hours to spend with Dianna before I get kicked out of the house so Mary doesn't find me here with her darling daughter. So they can drive up to Cupertino to spend time with family for the holidays. I'll return home, where I'm letting Jenny bunk for a few days so she has someone to spend Christmas day with. I'm perfectly fine being alone tomorrow, but it's socially unacceptable when I have 'friends that care about me' or some excuse so Jenny can get out of Syracuse and the snow.

My eyes open to see Dianna is still asleep; she looks so peaceful when she's sleeping with her long auburn hair resting gracefully against her porcelain skin. She has the most beautiful emerald eyes. I almost wish she was awake so I could look into them and lose myself, rid myself of these nagging doubts and concerns that rip at my very being. I sigh softly under my breath as I remember what I've done and wish I could take it back. I can pretend it never happened. I can tell myself it'll never happen again but it hasn't helped these past two weeks, it's not going to help now. You see, one of the main reasons that my relationship with Dianna can be classed as on-off is the fact that Mary, her mother, is an interfering cow who has taken a dislike to me based one some flimsy reasoning. Apparently being a twenty-five year old male dating a girl fresh out of high school is frowned upon by some people. She doesn't like that I'm a wrestler and am out on the road "too much", which must remind her from someone from her youth because to her it means I'm out screwing every hot young thing who shows an interest. It was a month ago today that Dianna found various naked photos of another young lady on my tablet and decided to break up with me because I'm 'untrustworthy' to use a nicer term than what she and her mother used to describe me. My only problem with the situation is I don't know a) the girl in the photos or b) how those degrading photos found their way onto my tablet. It wasn't until last week that Dianna had agreed to, or initiated I can't remember, us getting back together.

She's stirring.

Blaine Harrison
Hey there care bear.

I say playfully before kissing her on the forehead; she giggles as I call her "care bear", blissfully unaware of the significance of that particular nick name to me. Her eyes open and sure enough, even first thing in the morning and after a night of the pinot grigio, her emerald eyes are enough to assuage my doubts for the time being.

Dianna
What time is it?

Blaine Harrison
Ten to ten, don't worry your mother won't be home for a couple of hours yet.

Hopefully. Dianna sidles over in the bed to be closer to me. I wrap one arm around her shoulders and hold her firmly as she sighs contentedly.

Dianna
I'm so glad she went out last night, like, finally gave us some time alone here ... I need a coffee though, you want one?

Blaine Harrison
Ooh yes please.

Dianna
Okies, you just get comfortable and be here when I get back...

She says as she stands up and heads towards the door, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she side steps the pile of clothes I left at the bottom of the bed. I watch her pyjama clad backside exit the room, leaving me alone in this two-tone pink bedroom with only posters of Twilight and Justin Bieber for company. The sun is streaming in through the window, casting it's beam of light across the bed. I smile to myself, content with my current situation. And I vow to myself, Dianna will never know that I strayed. I won't hurt her any more than I already have.

Dianna
Mom!

I hear Dianna shout from downstairs. Looks like I won't be getting that coffee. I slide out of bed and pull on my pants and t-shirt and do what I've only seen done in the movies, exit out through the window.