Annie's Story 046
May 8, 2016 17:54:28 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on May 8, 2016 17:54:28 GMT -5
“And my mom’s tryna set me up with her friend’s daughters again,” Felicity sighs as Annie sits back down on the sofa next to her, handing Fel a cup of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows on the top. “So weird. Did your mom ever do that for you?”
“Not really,” Annie replies, “but she knows I’m not a lesbian…”
“You know what I mean,” Fel shakes her head at the corny joke, but Annie is already giggling to herself. The pair of them get settled in on the sofa in the hotel room, watching a late night episode of Law & Order: SVU while they talk. There’s a blanket pulled up high to protect them from this unseasonably cold Scottish weather they’re experiencing. “Did she ever try to set you up with her friend’s sons?”
“Not really.” Annie shrugs, “But she wasn’t really that involved in my life, let alone my dating life. Like, she hasn’t even met Chase yet.”
“Might be a bit late, but at least she’ll meet him at the wedding.” Fel jokes.
“Umm--” Annie murmurs, “--no, I haven’t invited her.” Fel’s jaw drops as she looks at her friend; Annie just shrugs as she offers up her explanation. “Don’t look at me like that! I have a good reason not to invite her - ‘cause that’d involve talking to her.” And she doesn’t want to break the two year silence they have going.
“I can’t imagine life not talking to my mom,” Fel muses out loud, “Maybe it’s not too bad how she sticks her nose in my business every and now and then.”
“And you can always tell her you’re not looking to date at the moment,” Annie says before taking a sip of her cocoa, gobbling up a couple of the marshmallows as she does so. “I’m sure she’d understand.”
“She’s going through one of those spells again, where she thinks I need to be in a relationship to be happy,” Fel replies, “she’d probably be ecstatic if I were you, in a long term relationship and about to get married. Two years together? I bet you can’t even remember the last guy you were with that wasn’t Chase…”
“Nuh uh!” Annie laughs nervously; the kind that's reminiscent of a hyena cackling as her shoulders bounce around. And unfortunately for Annie, it’s the kind of laugh that Fel remembers from that time when Annie said she was looking forward to going on the rollercoaster in Tokyo.
“Annie…” Fel says, sternly.
“What?” she replies more than a little defensively.
“I know that laugh. There’s something you’re not telling me and you have exactly ten seconds to start blabbing or --” Fel lunges forward, pulling the bag of marshmallows away from Annie’s reach. “-- no more marshmallows for you.”
“But Fel!” Annie exclaims, reaching out for the marshmallows, but Fel’s holding them out of reach. Annie pouts as she slams her hands against her thighs in frustration. “Ok, I’ll tell, but you’ve gotta promise not to tell anyone…”
“Your secrets safe with me,” Fel assures her before scoffing down a marshmallow.
“And–” Annie starts, pausing only to sigh, “–you’ve gotta promise not to get mad or hate me.”
“Why would I--” Fel stares at her friend with her mouth agape, “--what did you do?! Five seconds left, Annie, start blabbing. Now.”
“Promise me you won’t get mad first. Or hate me, please promise me you won’t hate me.” Annie pleads.
“Fine, I promise I won’t get mad or hate you.” Fel says. “Now will you please tell me what’s bothering you?”
Annie pauses again; that night has weighed heavily on her shoulders these last two weeks, but it’s just been Annie and Dom’s little secret up until now. Something between the two of them. Not even Chase knows what happened in that hotel room and Annie had hoped to keep it that way. With a pathetic sigh Annie starts, “Um, I did something stupid. Like, really stupid.”
Fel can almost guess what’s coming, but she errs on the side of caution. “What did you do?”
“Well,” Annie shuffles around uncomfortably, “I can remember the last guy I was with who wasn’t Chase…” she trails off towards the end, her teary eyes meeting Fel’s gaze for what feels like an eternity.
“... oh God. Did you cheat on Chase?!” Felicity yells, flipping the blanket off of her body and down to the floor. “Please don’t tell me you did that! Well, tell me anyway, but please say that’s not what it is!”
Despite being battered and bruised all over, a surge of adrenaline comes over Felicity, making her immune to the pain she was feeling as she turns her entire body toward Annie and sits Indian style.
“Okay, I’ve braced myself. Go…”
“I’m sorry. Really sorry, I am.” Annie starts. “But I did; I feel terrible about it, but I cheated on Chase--” that's the first time the words have come out of her mouth, and it’s enough to cause Annie to whimper. She wipes a tear from her eye as she speaks again, “--after my birthday party I was on my way back to my hotel room and I just wanted to say thanks for all the help, so I go into his room. And he’s there in his boxers and I dunno what came over me, but I said thanks and I hugged him. And then he leaned down to kiss me on the cheek and I just kinda turned my head and I kissed him--” Annie whimpers again, “--and the next thing I knew…”
“What?!” Fel barks. “What happened? Who’s he?”
“I don’t wanna say…” Annie tries to get out of this.
“Annie, I’ve promised I won’t get mad. Just…” Fel gets interrupted.
“It was Dom,” Annie states, bravely.
Felicity’s jaw drops all the way down, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head. “Oh my god. Whoaaa…” Fel stops, looking away from Annie for a split second. “Holy hell. Totally not the name I expected to here! I mean, um… well…” She continues, trying to think up anything to say to make Annie feel better about the messy situation. “It could’ve been worse? I mean, it could’ve been like Tony or some random Joe. You were pretty drunk that night, Banannie.”
There’s a brief silence, Felicity clearly trying to think up words to say while Annie stares blankly toward the television. “Okay, this is bad, but it’s not bad to the point where it’s not fixable. You just --” Fel sighs, “You need to tell Chase like now because this is gonna drive you crazy. This needs to be situated before the wedding! Holy crap!” Fel yells out. “Is there still even gonna be a wedding? Like, you like… what am I trying to say here?”
“What if Chase breaks up with me, though?” Annie asks the selfish question. “I don’t wanna hurt him.”
“That’s one thing all in itself, but did you like… enjoy it? Because these things don’t just happen, Annie. There’s always some sort of connection there or something that leads to that moment. Chase loves you to death from what I’ve seen so I think he’d be willing to forgive you for this in due time… but is there anything there between you and Dom that he should know about it?”
Annie’s cheeks take a crimson hue as she looks away for a split second. “Kinda--” she buries her face in her hands, muffling the next few words before she finally looks back towards her friend, “--it was like, we were talking about my Playboy shoot and Dom was saying I should do it ‘cause I’m beautiful and I’ve got a hot little body and I guess I was, like, flattered. Maybe. I dunno! But we kissed and it was--” she pauses, “--it was amazing. It was, I can’t even lie about it, Fel. But then we got naked and he threw me onto the bed, and we were kissing and I couldn’t go any further than that. I--” she’s flustered, the tears welling in her eyes as she recounts the events of that night, “--I just grabbed my dress and put it on, and I went back to my room to Chase and we, you know. But I was kinda thinking about Dom, like, during…” Annie buries her face in her hands again, “...I’m a terrible person, aren’t I?”
“Terrible?” Fel shakes her head with a laugh. “Nah. Confused? I think so. Maybe… maybe you’re rushing into this marriage thing a little too fast, Annie. I mean, you’re still young. We’re still young! Marriage is a lifelong commitment, and I know that I’m not ready for that.” Fel reaches her hand out, tapping Annie on the leg to get her attention. “And maybe you’re not either. This? This is gonna hurt Chase without a doubt. But it’s only his girlfriend doing it to him. Having his wife do this?” She shakes her head in a mind blowing fashion. “That would be so much worse. Besides, I don’t think you wanna be like my brother and have three ex-husbands by the time you’re thirty, do you?” Fel finishes with a joke, attempting to lighten up the mood at least a little bit.
“I still wanna marry Chase though,” Annie admits, “it’s all I’ve ever wanted since he gave me that promise ring. I wanna be Mrs Dupree for the rest of my life, I really do. It’s just--” she grumbles under her breath, “--I thought the engagement night was messy it might be nothing compared to the wedding.” Annie scoots over closer to Fel, resting her head on her shoulder as she sighs. “But before the wedding I’ll tell Chase what happened that night. I can’t keep this from him, I don’t wanna start our marriage with secrets between us…” And she knows that means risking losing him, but that’s a burden Annie will have to bear.
Fel wraps her arm around Annie’s shoulder, tapping her on the head for an ‘everything will be okay’ gesture. “That’s a good start. You should probably cut out any alcohol intake from now on too. It’s bad for you and leads to messes.”
“Already done. I decided that morning I was gonna be sober like you are,” Annie states, realizing Felicity may now understand exactly why Annie reached that decision after her birthday. “Drinking never ends well for me…”
“Heyyy guys,” Annie chirps, waving at the camera from her position perched atop her bed. Her hair is tied back in a ponytail this time, but there’s a wide smile on her face, and the FGA Mid-Atlantic Legacy title is taking pride of place on her lap. “First off, I just wanna say a huuuge thanks to everybody who has congratulated me on becoming the new Legacy champion. All you guys and your messages just mean the world to me; like, I can’t even begin to tell you what it’s like knowing all my Anniemaniacs care so much.”
“And that win was for all of you as much as it was for me. And so people like Savannah and Izzy know that I mean business, and I can back it up in the ring.” Annie winks at the camera before giggling behind a raised hand. “Ever since Final Frontier those two have been as much a thorn in my side as I’ve been in theirs–” she pauses, “–maybe. But that night in Boston, that match at Canadian Stampede, the tag match a few weeks ago; it’s all been made right in the end. And as you all know this is my first singles title since I held the No Limits title in HKW so, just, thank you all so much for your support over these last three years.”
Annie smiles down at the belt in her lap before raising her sight back to the camera. “And I’ve got my first challenger set for All Star Showdown! On June 25th I’ll be facing one of my best friends in the whole wide world, Molly Reid, and we’re gonna make sure nobody leaves disappointed–” Annie pauses again, pulling a brief #grrface at the camera before she continues, “–except Molly after she loses! But seriously, we’re gonna make sure it’s amazing, and it’s not gonna be ‘the worst match on the card’”
Annie sighs and rolls her eyes. “‘Cause that’s what some people are saying about Molly’s match at Gold Rush Rumble, isn’t it, Zero? Or were you just tryna get a reaction? ‘Cause picking the worst match that night is kinda like picking the worst tasting SweeTarts – they’re all amazing! Every match that night was awesome and I bet each and every fan that watched the show would agree with me.”
“Then again, with two of my clones in the match it was bound to be terrible to some people, wasn’t it?” There might be a hint of sarcasm in her voice as she asks that. “That’s what you call Molly and Nero isn’t it, Zero? And I’m not gonna start telling you about how insulting that is; to me, to Molly, to Nero. To any wrestler out there who likes to smile and have a good time, to put on a show for the fans, to be dismissed as clones of me.”
“‘Cause it’s not like Molly was a Rising Phoenix champion in Insurgency Wrestling before I even made my pro debut. It’s not like she was a World champion before I signed to HKW. It’s not like Nero was in HKW before me, even if she was Brandon’s assistant and not a wrestler; she’s still the same bubbly, fun person she was back then.” Annie pauses, taking a moment to compose herself. “But nah, they’re just clones. Accuse them of copying me, accuse them of being just like me. We know how much originality means to you, Zero…”
“It’s why you stole that clone line from Luke and Tony.”
“What, do you want me feel bad ‘cause there’s more wrestlers like me around now? ‘Cause I’m not gonna. Maybe you can answer me this, Zero; who were the top women wrestlers when you started eight years ago?” Annie asks. “Who was the best female wrestler back in NIWF when you were there? Who was winning the big multi-promotion tournaments, ‘cause the name that sticks out for me from that time is Georgie Nickles! What about six years ago? I remember people like Hannah Rickman or Lauri Verne headlining those kinda shows. Four years ago? When you had women like Arkia Fisk, Star Deveraux, Heather Lasiewicz as some of the big names.”
“Now I’ve not got anything against them; the people on that list that I’ve met in person? I adore them. I do. But when they were in that ring, when they were in front of those cameras, they were cold and they were calculating. And for the longest time that’s what people wanted to see. But then three years ago HKW gave me a chance. And I thank them every day for signing me when I was wide-eyed and full of hope. ‘Cause then people like me managed to open the door for the other young wrestlers. We showed them that people like us can succeed. That fans want to see us. And more than that, we showed them that we belong in wrestling too.”
“And when people like Josh Mitchell, or Abi Verna, or Mariza Diaz tell me that they used to watch my matches before they became wrestlers. When they tell me I helped inspire them, it makes everything worth it. The training, the hard work, having to put up with people like you telling me I don’t belong in wrestling.”
“You're just wrong.”
“I belong in that ring as much as you do. 'Cause whether it’s here in FGA, for NKP in Japan, for SSWA in the UK, I give my all, every time. And it got me this! It’s one of the reasons they can advertise this match as champion versus champion! The difference between us is that I, like, embody what it means to be a champion; I’ll say the same thing to you that I did to Izzy, Zero. You’ve changed since you first came here – and not for the better. The man I looked up to, the man I respected, that I called a friend? I don’t see him when I look at you now.”
“Now you’re just, like, a man who’s standing on the shoulders of giants and claiming to be tall. Thinking you’re better than people like Chandler, Dom, Chris Q, ‘cause one of their titles reigns was before it became the World title? Seriously?” Annie shakes her head. “They’re all better champions than you’ll ever be, Zero. ‘Cause each time a challenger stepped into the ring with them, they inspired greatness. They made their opponents earn it. And I already know what you're gonna say!"
"You’re gonna tell me that I’ve never been a World champion..."
"That I’m only holding a third tier title..."
"That this belt lost all meaning when Izzy lost it..."
"That I’m only ever a tag champ ‘cause my partners win it for me..."
"I’ve heard them all before. But I defend every title I hold with pride and honour, Zero. Kinda like the people I mentioned before. Maybe not quite, but with you we don’t even know if you’re gonna throw the match again.”
“Wait–” she exclaims, holding up hand to the camera, “–my bad, now all you do is win!”
“Who’d you steal that line from by the way, Jimmy Page? Dom Harter? DJ Khaled?” Annie shrugs. “Oh well. Do you know the worst thing though, Zero? This is my first main event in ages and, yeah, I know that’s probably ‘cause I’m facing you. And I’d want nothing more than a main event match against someone I like. Someone I respect. Not someone who threw everything away for a title belt. Not someone who screwed over a former friend to get ahead. Not someone who doesn’t care what the fans think anymore.”
“But if you had your way that’d probably be all that wrestling was made up of…”
“So this Saturday night I’ll face you in Johnson City, Zero. And for what you did to Cindy, for the man you’ve become, for all the booze you drink to try and make yourself interesting, and for all the crap you spew afterwards–” Annie pauses, “–I’m gonna pop you POW! Right in the kisser!” Annie pulls another #grrface for the camera as the scene ends.
Sunday May 1st
“Hello ladies,” he says, approaching the ‘newly married’ couple. Dom slaps both Mia and Lacey on the asses, winking slyly as he does so. And, as expected, Mia Scott-Cohen responds by slapping him across the face. Albeit softly. “Love you too.” Dom jokes.
“Yeh, that ain’t love, Harter,” Mia replies, giving Dom the side eye. “Wanna ‘nother drink, Lace?”
“Sure thing, luv,” Lacey agrees before Mia leaves without even asking Dom what he wants.
“Something I said?” Dom asks before chuckling; the tension between him and Mia has always been there since their rivalry last year. They just co-exist for Lacey’s sake, and all three of them know that.
“Well you’re getting a bit handsy there, Dommers,” Lacey says, glancing down at the hand that’s still on her ass. Dom quickly removes it and shrugs his shoulders. “Two drinks in already, huh?”
“Three,” he jokes, causing Lacey to laugh.
“Well just ease up, yeah? Not all of them are used to you like I am–” Lacey pauses, “–’cause you take a lot of getting used to, Dommers!”
“I know, And tomorrow I’ll apologize to Colette, Sophie, Alexi, Molly, and whoever that woman is…” Dom looks confused.
“Don’t forget Annie,” Lacey adds, “although by the looks of it she may not be expecting an apology. Something going on there I should know about?”
“No!” he says, rather defensively.
“‘Cause as I saw it, she practically moved your hands to her boobs while you were dancing, Dommers,” Lacey glances over at Annie who’s now dancing with ECWF referee, Buster Cherow. There’s enough room for the Holy Spirit between them, a far cry from the dancing she had engaged in with Dom a few minutes prior. “I’m just saying.”
Dom hesitates. “I might be four drinks in,” he jokes and shrugs dismissively, looking across the room towards Annie. Their eyes meet for a few seconds as Annie smiles sweetly, before turning her attention back to her current dance partner. “Look, I’ll keep my roaming hands for your sisters from now on, that ok?”
“Shut up Dom,” Lacey snarks as Mia returns from the bar with three drinks in her hands. She and Lacey have champagne, but she hands Dom a glass of coke. “Thought ya might wanna start sobering up, Harter. ‘Fore you do something you regret.” Mia snipes as the scene comes to an end.