The RubyWay Chronicles Part 11: Introspection
Sept 1, 2016 19:52:18 GMT -5
Post by Ruby Tyler on Sept 1, 2016 19:52:18 GMT -5
At five after six in the morning, the gym at the University of Maryland was more or less deserted. It was the first week of classes, so most of the student body was still adjusting to the new semester and schedule. But Ruby, who had been working throughout the summer, wasn’t about to start taking it easy – not in her classes or in her side career as a wrestler. Her professors found it an odd choice of occupation, since most of the graduate students supplemented their meager stipends by tutoring or working in retail or food service. Professional wrestling was, to them, still the comic spectacle of the 1980s, with over-the-top characters, neon spandex, and entirely too many sequins. But for Ruby, professional wrestling was more than just a job. It was a childhood dream come true, a passion she had wanted to pursue since she was five years old. Her parents had persuaded her to wait until after college to truly begin her career and now, after four years in the business, Ruby was beginning to wonder if in fact this had been the right choice for her after all.
As she worked a heavy bag in one corner of the gym, Ruby imagined the faces of Dan Herrera and Cordy Stevenson. She and Hardaway had come within seconds of winning the tag titles in FGA, only for them to be stolen away at the last possible moment. After all the time they had spent arguing their way into the match and dealing with the flack that came from every other member of the roster, to walk away the losers was absolutely humiliating. Ruby had never liked the taste of crow, particularly not when it was being force-fed to her by what seemed like everyone else in the company. She’d had her moments of self-pity on social media, but with every punch and kick she threw, Ruby reminded herself that she was good at this and that she could absolutely overcome the odds that were stacked against her and Hardaway when it came to those tag belts.
Still, that feeling of weakness and humiliation was not one that she was likely to forget anytime soon. She had always taken failures hard, as she put an immense amount of pressure on herself to always be at the very top of her game, but this one particularly stung. It was the biggest letdown of her career thus far and what she hated most was that in the days following the loss, Ruby began to understand why her brother Tsurugi had done what he did. Like him, she didn’t want to feel weak and powerless any longer. When she had a weapon in her hand and a clear enemy to fight, those were the moments in which she felt the most confident and in control.
As for the violence that she had claimed to detest all of last year, well… the impulse to take her anger out on someone was still there. She hadn’t wanted to admit it then, but beating people to a bloody pulp made her heart sing in a way unlike anything else.
By the time she finished her workout, the gym was beginning to fill up, so Ruby made her way to the locker room to shower and change before her seminar.
Ruby was sitting in the library of her cabin in the woods, attempting to finish some work for her statistics class while Kevin watched baseball or fell asleep on the sofa or something. What had happened in Anaheim had relieved some of the tension between them, but Ruby couldn’t bring herself to talk to him about it. What was the point, when she wasn’t even sure how she felt about him from hour to hour? But the fact was that they were still tag partners and she was still training him, so she did her best to focus on that instead of the way it felt when she’d thrown her arms around him and kissed him for the first time in over a year.
She was in a groove, getting through her statistics homework as quickly as she could, when odd noises from the living room caught her attention. Figuring it was just Kevin getting up in arms about the Orioles losing to the Yankees (again), Ruby balled up a piece of paper and was prepared to throw it at him when she noticed that he was tossing and turning on the sofa, clearly disturbed by something in his sleep. She approached him cautiously and shook him awake, her eyes going wide when he said that he’d seen her die.
Ruby Tyler: Well, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I’m like a cat, I got nine lives. Probably just a bad dream. After all, thirty-six is too late in the game to start developing psychic abilities.
Settling next to him on the couch, Ruby reached for the remote and turned on Netflix, selecting Back to the Future.
Ruby Tyler: Would you believe I’ve never seen this movie?
Kevin Hardaway: Are you kidding me right now?
Ruby Tyler: Nope. I’ve never seen Home Alone, either.
Kevin Hardaway: ...We’ve got a lot of work to do, sug. I’ll order us a pizza. We could be here awhile.
Ruby Tyler: Fine. But this doesn’t count as Netflix and chill, just so you know.
Kevin Hardaway: Yeah, I know. Pepperoni or sausage?
Ruby Tyler: Sausage, peppers, mushrooms, and onions.
Kevin Hardaway: ...That’s your half then.
Ruby rolled her eyes as he took his phone out and dialed the pizza place. Maybe they weren’t normal, but for the first time in a long time, Ruby felt close to happiness.
As she worked a heavy bag in one corner of the gym, Ruby imagined the faces of Dan Herrera and Cordy Stevenson. She and Hardaway had come within seconds of winning the tag titles in FGA, only for them to be stolen away at the last possible moment. After all the time they had spent arguing their way into the match and dealing with the flack that came from every other member of the roster, to walk away the losers was absolutely humiliating. Ruby had never liked the taste of crow, particularly not when it was being force-fed to her by what seemed like everyone else in the company. She’d had her moments of self-pity on social media, but with every punch and kick she threw, Ruby reminded herself that she was good at this and that she could absolutely overcome the odds that were stacked against her and Hardaway when it came to those tag belts.
Still, that feeling of weakness and humiliation was not one that she was likely to forget anytime soon. She had always taken failures hard, as she put an immense amount of pressure on herself to always be at the very top of her game, but this one particularly stung. It was the biggest letdown of her career thus far and what she hated most was that in the days following the loss, Ruby began to understand why her brother Tsurugi had done what he did. Like him, she didn’t want to feel weak and powerless any longer. When she had a weapon in her hand and a clear enemy to fight, those were the moments in which she felt the most confident and in control.
As for the violence that she had claimed to detest all of last year, well… the impulse to take her anger out on someone was still there. She hadn’t wanted to admit it then, but beating people to a bloody pulp made her heart sing in a way unlike anything else.
By the time she finished her workout, the gym was beginning to fill up, so Ruby made her way to the locker room to shower and change before her seminar.
So, this week the Powers That Be have decided that, for some reason, I belong in a singles match against someone who has nothing to do with the tag team title picture, unless of course Danny Diamond is going to suddenly announce his contendership with Johnny Cannon and Tony Carmine for the New Kings’ shot at the tag titles. Since they failed to hold onto the World Championship, maybe this is going to be their way at getting back on top. Because isn’t that what you people do around here? Can’t hack it in singles, so you grab a partner and go for one last shot at glory.
Although, given his failure to even come close to a title, is Danny Diamond still a New King? Or did our top ass-kissers in this company decide to ditch him for Zero “Can’t Defend A Title To Save My Life” McHannon?
Not that it matters. It’s not like this match is going to affect mine and Hardaway’s chances at making it to the top of the tag division again – although, with only three teams in it, even if you’re at the bottom of the totem pole you’re still in a pretty good position. Not so much with the singles division, so I guess that’s why people decide to come over here. Not as many people are willing to work with a partner, to share the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat with someone else, and to put in the time it takes to develop trust and rapport with your tag team partner, which means there’s naturally less competition than there is if you’re competing on your own. And to a certain extent, I get it. Wrestling is a very selfish business, particularly if you’re a singles competitor. You always have to be looking out for number one, and God help anyone who stands in the way of that.
Make no mistake, Danny. I may have been a tag team competitor for the better part of this last year but don’t think for a second that I’ve forgotten how to kick ass on my own. And you want to know the best thing about this situation?
I’ve got nothing to lose. People are still gonna trash me anyway, regardless of whether I win or lose this thing. But that just means I can have my fun with you in that ring on Saturday night and not give a damn about what I do to you. It’s really refreshing. Nothing’s on the line, my reputation’s already shot to hell, so why not just… give in? Why not unleash all that anger and frustration and humiliation onto you, my opponent?
No good reason not to, if you ask me.
So Danny, don’t get too attached to your face looking the way it does right now because I will do everything in my power to rearrange it. I’m tired of being fucked with and fucked around with and while I’m sorry that it’s come down to this, I’m not sorry that I’m being given the opportunity to beat the crap out of a member of a stable that I’ve been wanting to get my hands on since Gold Rush. I’m not sorry that you get to be the punching bag for everything that’s gone wrong since I got to this company. Instead of being treated like an equal, I’ve been looked down on and pissed on like a second class citizen and I’m done. I’m absolutely, one hundred percent, fucking done.
This is what it’s come to, folks. This is what happens when you can’t escape the reputation of the place you worked in before, and you get told time and again that you need to sit down and wait your turn at the bottom while the same people get opportunities and everyone else is expected to just shut up and take it like some submissive bitch with a gag in their mouth.
Not me. Not anymore.
Time to show the world that Ruby Tyler ain’t no one to fuck with.
Time to unleash the fire within.
Ruby was sitting in the library of her cabin in the woods, attempting to finish some work for her statistics class while Kevin watched baseball or fell asleep on the sofa or something. What had happened in Anaheim had relieved some of the tension between them, but Ruby couldn’t bring herself to talk to him about it. What was the point, when she wasn’t even sure how she felt about him from hour to hour? But the fact was that they were still tag partners and she was still training him, so she did her best to focus on that instead of the way it felt when she’d thrown her arms around him and kissed him for the first time in over a year.
She was in a groove, getting through her statistics homework as quickly as she could, when odd noises from the living room caught her attention. Figuring it was just Kevin getting up in arms about the Orioles losing to the Yankees (again), Ruby balled up a piece of paper and was prepared to throw it at him when she noticed that he was tossing and turning on the sofa, clearly disturbed by something in his sleep. She approached him cautiously and shook him awake, her eyes going wide when he said that he’d seen her die.
Ruby Tyler: Well, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I’m like a cat, I got nine lives. Probably just a bad dream. After all, thirty-six is too late in the game to start developing psychic abilities.
Settling next to him on the couch, Ruby reached for the remote and turned on Netflix, selecting Back to the Future.
Ruby Tyler: Would you believe I’ve never seen this movie?
Kevin Hardaway: Are you kidding me right now?
Ruby Tyler: Nope. I’ve never seen Home Alone, either.
Kevin Hardaway: ...We’ve got a lot of work to do, sug. I’ll order us a pizza. We could be here awhile.
Ruby Tyler: Fine. But this doesn’t count as Netflix and chill, just so you know.
Kevin Hardaway: Yeah, I know. Pepperoni or sausage?
Ruby Tyler: Sausage, peppers, mushrooms, and onions.
Kevin Hardaway: ...That’s your half then.
Ruby rolled her eyes as he took his phone out and dialed the pizza place. Maybe they weren’t normal, but for the first time in a long time, Ruby felt close to happiness.