"The Yearlong Party" | Frontier Grappling Arts

"The Yearlong Party" Oct 24, 2013 19:10:26 GMT -5

Post by Chris Q on Oct 24, 2013 19:10:26 GMT -5

"The Yearlong Party"

[One year ago]

“Baby…that was incredible…”

A blonde woman in her mid-twenties exhales as Chris Q rolls off of her. They are both breathing heavy. Chris rests his head on the pillow next to the girl. He stares up at the ceiling, thinking about what they have just done. He’s relaxed. Chris smiles to himself as he reaches over to the nightstand and wraps his fingers around a beer bottle.

“I have to go to work in few hours, but you can stay here while I’m gone if you want.”

Chris finishes sipping his beer and pulls the bottle away from his mouth.

“You’re working at the restaurant again? Jesus fucking Christ, don’t you ever get a night off?”

“I make shitty money there, Chris. I need to pick up as many shifts as I can. Not all of us can make money standing at the bar all night.”

Chris slams the bottle back down on the table.

“Hey! I work my ass off for every cent I earn.”

“Yeah, that’s right. And what is it you do exactly?”

“Whatever I’m asked to do. I’m not going to talk about it with you, Laura.”

“Of course you’re not. You can fuck me every night, but you can’t tell me a goddamn thing about your life.”

“What the hell is this? Aren’t you supposed to go to work?”

“Fuck you, Chris.”

“Fine, I’ll take off.”

Chris starts to sit up from the bed as Laura puts her hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

“Wait, I don’t want you to go.”

“Well then why are you bringing up all this stupid shit?”

“Because I want to know you better. We’ve been sleeping together for two months and I hardly know anything about you.”

Chris sighs, irritated by this conversation.

“I didn’t think this was anything more than that…”

Laura puts her hand on his chin and turns his head to face her.

“What if it turns out to be?”

“What are you talking about?”

She suddenly becomes very nervous as he looks at Chris.

“I didn’t want to say anything until I was absolutely sure. Now I am.”

“Sure about what?”

“I went to the doctor. I’m pregnant, Chris.”

“No. That’s impossible.”

“It’s not. I am telling you the truth.”

“Really, this is the truth? What about the birth control? You told me you’ve been on it for years…”

Laura looks down, obviously embarrassed that it has come to this.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you that.”

Chris is shocked. He shakes his head for a second as the gravity of the situation starts to sink in.

“This is fucking bullshit, Laura. What the hell is wrong with you? Are you insane? What kind of person would do that?”

Laura starts to cry as Chris berates her.

“I didn’t think it through. Once I found out the news, I started thinking that maybe we could do this together.”

Chris looks at her again with anger in his eyes.

“This is unbelievable. How is this supposed to work? You’re a goddamn waitress and I don’t even have a real job. How are we supposed to take care of a kid?”

“Well, I was talking to my parents and I thought you could talk to your parents about helping us wit-”

“You told your parents already? Fuck. I’m not telling my parents. Look, I gotta get out of here. I need to clear my head.”

Chris springs out of the bed and quickly puts on his clothes. He leaves the apartment, sparking a cigarette as soon as he steps outside. Chris takes a large drag and slowly exhales the smoke. He pulls his iPhone out of his pocket and rifles through his contacts until he finds his long-time friend, Will. He puts the phone up to his ear as he waits for an answer on the other end.

“Hey, Chris, what’s going on?”

“Will, are you at the bar right now?”

“Yeah, I’m just about to open…”

“I need you to look for the contract that I tossed in the trash. The one from that wrestling promotion…”

“Why? I thought you said you weren’t going to sign it…”

“I wasn’t. But things have changed and I think I need to get out of Texas for a while.”

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Life is starting to make sense to me.

When I first walked into this company, this sport, I had no fucking clue what I was doing. One year ago, Frontier Grappling Arts offered me a contract that I wasn’t even sure I would sign. I didn’t know anything except leaning up against my favorite bar in Texas. That was going to be my life. I was settled in the fact that I would spend the rest of my existence in that goddamn state, working and drinking myself to death. But instead, I decided to sign that contract. Now I find myself at the top of this organization and a dominant champion. Sometimes everything falls into place and amazing things happen.

I’m just starting to understand life. I never said I had it completely figured out.

This back and forth with Sean Sands has made me think about a lot of these things. Like my path to the top of the mountain and all the people I had to step over to get here. Nobody had a clue who I was when I competed in my first match. I will admit, I loved being the unknown. Every opponent I faced early in my career had no idea where I came from or what I could bring to a fight. I could feel my reputation growing with each and every victory. I was something new, a phenom running through competition like nothing ever seen before in Frontier Grappling Arts. My look, my style of trash talk, and my intensity inside the ring was exactly what this company was looking for. Even though I played by my own rules, there was no denying my success. Eventually I was given my opportunity and I made the absolute most of it.

Regardless of what anyone says, I’ve elevated the FGA Championship to new heights. Ever since I took the title from A.J. Fairchild, this championship has been held at a much higher standard. The road to a FGA title match has gotten much longer since I paved the way. And since I was knocking off contenders even before I won the belt, they’ve had to create challengers out of thin air. The Gold Rush Rumble and the Frontier Lions Cup are nothing but tools trying to instantly create credibility for otherwise mediocre talent. Anyone can have a good night. Repeating excellence is the true mark of a champion. If you look at history, nobody has repeated excellence like I have.

Certainly not Sean Sands, who was able to parlay his tournament victory into a couple more wins, until eventually running out of luck. I knew this was going to happen. I’ll admit, I was slightly impressed that Sean was able to survive Malcolm Drake, but I knew it couldn’t last forever. Sooner or later, reality would catch up with him and he’d be exposed for the overrated piece of trash he really is. Jimmy Page caught Sean and stopped his momentum courtesy of an exposed turnbuckle. Is it really that easy, Sands? I know these little exchanges between you and I have really thrown you off. How have you been sleeping lately? Are your friends and family starting to notice that something isn’t right? I can understand the nerves, Sean. This is a big moment for you. Probably the biggest of your entire career, but what you’re feeling is completely normal. Many before you have experienced a similar feeling before stepping into the ring with the Big Bad. At this point, nobody can blame you.

If I could offer you one bit of advice before stepping into the ring with me at Respect is Earned, it would be to stop talking so much. You make such little sense when you open your mouth that I think it’s almost counterproductive when you actually speak. Stop trying so hard to be clever, deep, and introspective, because none of it is working for you. I would put you on the same level as A.J. Fairchild when it comes to maturity. So instead of trying to amaze anyone with intelligent thoughts or ideas, just stick to your athletic ability inside the ring. That’s what brought you to this dance anyway. Intelligence and cleverness are not words that come to mind when thinking about Sean Sands. Listening to you trying to explain a thought is tedious, annoying, and a waste of everyone’s time.

Then maybe we wouldn’t have to hear you trying to justify the loss to Jimmy Page. Come on, Sean. Give it a rest. You were thinking too far ahead, so Page was able to capitalize and pick up the victory? What’s the point of making excuses? You were outsmarted and outclassed, just like I expected you to be against Drake and Karma. Did you ever think, Sean, maybe you aren’t as good as you think you are? I don’t care how many days you’ve gone without being pinned. That doesn’t mean a goddamn thing. Were you competing in matches every single one of those days? Shut the fuck up about not getting pinned for three hundred days, idiot. Start listing your accomplishments once you’ve actually done something worth talking about. Pretender.

Just because you realize who you’re getting into the ring with at Respect is Earned, doesn’t make the task any less difficult. You can suck my dick all you want, listing my significant victories and talking about my dominance. Until you’ve been in the ring with Chris Q, you have no idea what it is like. “As long as I fight like the fighter that I am, I will forever be proud of myself.” Puke. Seriously, Sean, you sound like someone giving a pep talk at the Special Olympics. Every time I hear this disgusting shit come out of your mouth, I want to shut you up. That is some of the weakest shit I’ve heard during my time as a professional wrestler. This feel good, G-rated garbage just embarrasses the company and the championship. Start talking and acting like a man instead of a fucking child, Sean, maybe I’ll start giving you some credit.

That means no more shit like the “Ladder of FGA” because it’s just stupid. All the lame props and symbolism is just more kid shit, Sean. Don’t you understand that? Are you really that delusional to think you’re being clever or making some kind of profound point? You’re not. You come across as an immature loser. That’s it. I know where I stand in this company and I know where everyone else is relative to me. Nobody needs to listen to you run your mouth about fate or climbing the ladder in Frontier Grappling Arts. Stop telling me things I already know and have experienced long before you came around. I won’t even comment on the doll you had made with my likeness, because it’s beyond sad. I’ll just shake my head and let you regret that horrible bit once you finally grow up.

So after all the repetition, the terrible props, and pretentious babble, I will finally get my hands on you. You can make all the excuses you want afterwards, but ultimately it will come down to talent. You’re a hard worker, Sean Sands, but you’re nowhere near my league when it comes to talent. That’s why our stories will never be the same. There is too much of a difference in our level of ability. I’m a machine, Sean. Efficient, calculated, methodical, and deadly accurate. You rely too much on luck and the support of a crowd. We will never be the same because of this. There is a quality to my work that you will never be able to match. Not only can I effectively express my thoughts, but I can transfer that to the ring and consistently deliver flawless performances.

That’s been the standard ever since I won the FGA Heavyweight Championship. People expect a razor sharp tongue and top-notch performances on the regular. That’s what I offer. Sean, you don’t have what it takes to be that guy. You’ve done okay for yourself with this little bit of attention, but this is when the fun part of the ride comes to an end. You are about to realize that none of the other matches you’ve had in your career could prepare you for Chris Q. That’s why I’m at the top, Sean. I’m not Johnny Karma and I’m not Malcolm Drake. I’m a completely different animal. There’s no amount of experience or training that can prepare you for a night with the Big Bad. And then when you add the gold to the mix, everything gets amped up. Ask Chris Bond or Dom Harter what it's like to be in a title match with me, because neither man walked away unscathed. It’s an obsession for me, Sean. Just like any drug or alcohol addiction I might suffer from, it’s the same way with the title.

You can’t understand this level of success. The Chris Q Party has been rolling, non-stop, for almost one whole year. There have been incredible highs and a few bumps along the way, but the party has never stopped. I can’t let it. If I dial down the volume or intensity for even one second, it might vanish. Nobody wants the Chris Q Party to end. I don’t even want to imagine the dull, colorless world that would exist if the party ever stopped. Everything just feels right. Sean Sands will try to do everything in his power to take the title from me and I expect him to come prepared. But in the end, my game will be too much for him. Just like the others, I will exhaust him and make him fight my style of fight. Honestly, I think he’s already there. He’s played right into my hand and now he wants a brawl. He won’t survive that kind of match with me.

Maybe down the road, when the Chris Q Party finally ends, you can get another chance to be FGA Heavyweight Champion. Right now, you’re just living in my world, Sean. You might not like it, but there isn’t anything you can do to stop it. I know that at this moment you believe that you can beat me, but after Respect is Earned, you will be forced to face reality. Once that happens, I don’t know where you’ll be, Sean. In case we don't meet again, here’s one last piece of advice: take the stupid ladder back to the hardware store, no more playing with dolls, and stop acting like a fucking joke. From what I’ve seen, you have what it takes physically. It’s just that once you open your mouth or try to express a thought, you expose your biggest disadvantage. Until you can improve your mental game, Sean, you’ll always be looking up at the Chris Q Party. Don’t wait too long to make these changes, because you’ll want to be here someday. Believe me, it’s beautiful at the top.