Post by Holden Orson on Mar 20, 2015 20:45:30 GMT -5
Is this what I am now?
Dave is infuriated. I would be too.
“Why would you attack me because Eden told you too!?”
Ichabod, Rydell, Larry, and Waldo all surround me. They're judging me for what I did, I can feel it. I deserve it, too. I became Eden's botch tonight.
“Hey man, Eden is blackmailing him!”
Larry, that wonderful kid, he's coming to my defense.
“Eden is making him his bitch!”
Rydell says it like it is.
Larry, Rydell, and Waldo start arguing about how at fault I am. Ichabod stares at me smoking his cigarette, staring a hole through me. Rydell might want to knock me out right now, but I bet Ichabod wants to kill me. We've never been the type to be conned or blackmailed.
But he doesn't know.
“We just won five weeks in a row for Streamer to lay down at the Melee for Eden? Yeah, I'm pissed.”
Rydell brings up a point. Eden is obviously going to make me lay down at the Melee. She's making me come into the Melee itself at third so Fear so we can eliminate Fear and then act as her body guard. I have to lay down. To Vain.
Anyone but Vain!
“He's not going to lay down, Dave.”
The other three men get silent. Ichabod's statement boomed through the dressing room. He gets up and stares me down.
“I won't watch Eden do this to him. Eden found out about a pretty important piece of information about Martin.”
“Yeah, no shit, but it's about to cost me a chance at the Co-op titles.”
“No it isn't Dave. I know what she knows.”
WHAT!
How does he know?
My eyes grow wide, Dave and the others look over at me, somewhat confused. Ichabod flicks away his cigarette and kneels down to meet me so that he can look me in the eyes.
“Martin, forgive me, but I've known for a while now. I found a letter in your office when-”
“Son of a bitch!”
I lash out, I don't know what to do. I grab Ichabod by the throat. I should kill him. Larry, Waldo, and Dave wrestle me off of him and hold me against the wall. Tears start rolling down my cheek as I see the guilt run over Ichabod's face.
“Martin, believe me, it was never my intention for anyone to know. These guys don't even know.”
But YOU do!
I'm gritting my teeth. Everything is blurry. I'm not used to crying, but I can't hold this in. I can't really make out Ichabod's face anymore.
He's judging you.
“Martin... I'm not going to watch you become a Syndicate lap dog. There's no stopping the information from leaking eventually and I'm not going to watch you become a shell of a man in the meantime.”
Ha! A man!
“If you don't tell the world I will, Martin.”
No.
I scream. I don't know what else to do. I fall to the ground. I'm pretty sure I yell some gibberish at Ichabod, but I don't know what it is. Tell the world? There's no way. I'd rather die. I can't look at everyone anymore.
They're going to hate you.
I curl up on the ground. I can't hear any of them anymore. I can't handle this.
The Mainstreamer lays sobbing quietly in the fetal position in his dressing room. Rydell, Larry, and Waldo look on speechless. Ichabod shows a rare look of concern on his face. Rydell looks over at Ichabod with wide eyes.
“What the fuck do you know?”
Ichabod shakes his head. “I'm not really ready to discuss that. But he needs to accept what he's hiding being public knowledge.”
Larry sits in a chair looking down at his godfather. “Did Uncle Martin do something?”
Ichabod almost chuckles and retrieves a Newport from his pack. “The Mainstreamer has done a ton of fucked up things. He's proud of that. This isn't like that.”
“Well I don't really want to knock him out anymore,” Rydell says looking down at his cooperative partner.
Ichabod blows out a cloud of blue smoke. “Dave, he speaks very highly of you. You've been a good friend to him when he really needed one. You've done more for him than you think.”
Rydell looks on silently.
“If you want to win next week, you going to have to be prepared for him to lose it a little bit. But he's the strongest man I know. I just hope he accepts this and takes that power from Eden.”
Ichabod takes a look at his longtime friend. “Let's step outside and give him some time guys.”
The four men walk out of the room leaving The Mainstreamer to himself.
The Mainstreamer slowly closes the door behind him. His eyes are bloodshot red and he glares at his friends. For an hour, all four men have waited while The Mainstreamer has been a lone in the dressing room trying to compose himself. He glares at Ichabod.
“How... how did you find out?”
Ichabod blows out a cloud of smoke. “When Larry and I cleaned up your coffee shop. I found a letter.”
The Mainstreamer looks over at Larry. “What do you think about-”
“I haven't told any of them, Martin.” Ichabod warns The Mainstreamer. The Mainstreamer looks back over and forces a grin. “I'm pretty positive just Eden and Myself know. Well... and Reeves.”
“Who the fuck is Reeves?” The Mainstreamer asks. Rydell snickers.
“Leave your coffee shop more bro. He's been around here for a long time, he's a backstage guy.”
Ichabod blows out another cloud of smoke. The Mainstreamer reaches out. “Give me one.”
Ichabod starts to object, but tosses the packs over. The Mainstreamer fumbles to get the cigarette out of the pack but finally succeeds. Ichabod lights the cigarette. The Mainstreamer takes a long drag and starts coughing immediately.
“How long has it been since you've smoked?”
“When did the Red Sox finally win the World Series?”
“2004?” Waldo asks, of course knowing that piece of information.
“Yeah something like that.” The Mainstreamer takes a smaller drag and takes a seat. “So what are we going to do.”
Ichabod stiffens up for a second. “Press conference seems the most obvious. I'm not going to tell these guys unless you want me to.”
“No, I guess they find out when everyone else does.”
Ichabod nods. “And I'd suggest we wait until we all meet with Klaus.”
The Mainstreamer takes a drag and ponders. “I wonder what Klaus will think.” He turns his attention to Rydell. “Dave... I'm sorry for what Eden made me do out there. I hate what I have to do but..”
“No problem man. No problem at all.” Rydell assures The Mainstreamer. The Mainstreamer thinks for a second and decides to leave it at that.
“So what now?” The Mainstreamer asks, almost unsure of where to go.
“I'm hungry boss.” Larry, Rydell, and Ichabod all loudly agree. The four of them all begin discussing food plans.
The Mainstreamer nods his head at the appropriate times. He can think of nothing else but telling the world his secret. Food, matches, anything like that seems like its part of a different reality.
“I don't know why we can't take my car.” Ichabod asks rolling down the window.
“Don't you drive a monster truck or something?” The Mainstreamer asks following suit.
“So?”
Larry rolls his eyes. “Are you both about to start smoking? I thought Waldo didn't allow smoking in his car anyway.”
“He'll be alright,” Ichabod says lighting up his cigarette. He looks over at Dave Rydell.
“Dave, I'm just glad you and Klaus were able to get along so we could work together.”
Dave nods, waking the smoke from Ichabod's cigarette. “Yeah man, I warred with the dude. I wouldn't go out drinking with him, but if he wants to kick some Syndicate ass, then I'm down.”
“Where are we going Waldo?” The Mainstreamer asks, realizing where Waldo has failed to turn.
“We're meeting with Larry, boss.”
“What?”
“We're going to your press conference.”
The Mainstreamer's eyes grow wide. “What!?”
Ichabod pipes up from the back. “You need to do it and quit tormenting yourself over it. We got to get it over with.”
“I'm... I can't. Waldo, turn around!” The Mainstreamer starts trying to open this car door. “Pull over!”
Ichabod nods Rydell who grabs The Mainstreamer's arms. Ichabod and Rydell fight to pin down as Waldo starts to speed towards the conference.
There's no god damn way.
“Yeah, I'm ready.”
There's no god damn way I'm going out there to tell them all. As soon as these guys drop their guard I'm taking off. I can't stop Ichabod from telling the world.
“Good, let's get out there.”
Ichabod seems content that I've screamed my way into acceptance. I'll never accept this.
“You want us all out there with you?”
No.
“Just you actually.”
“Okay. I'm here to support you.”
“Good.”
Rydell, Larry, and Waldo all reach out to shake my hand and show me support. I don't mean to dismiss this but they're about to think of me a lot differently.
“Ready, Martin?”
“Yeah.”
Ichabod and I start walking down a hallway. A couple guys who run some IWC site has us set up. I can hear the murmurs of the crowd. Once again, there's no god damn way. Two pudgy guys, they must be writers, kind of mark out on us as we walk up. Here's something to write about.
“Fuck!”
Ichabod yells loudly as I plant a jab right between his eyes. I got him hard, might have broke his nose. Either way, I'm gone down the hallway before he can stop me. He won't be catching me. He'll be doing this one by himself.
An angry Ichabod sits behind a podium with Dave Rydell, Larry, and Waldo standing next to him. A group of reporters stand around him murmuring and asking questions about his swollen nose. Ichabod growls at them.
“I'm not here to answer questions, I'm here to make an announcement.”
A reporter stands up.
“Is this about the Massive Meelee?”
“You choad. What did I just say?”
Murmurs spread throughout the room.
“I'm here to talk about a life-long friend in The Mainstreamer. He's recently been the subject of blackmail from The Syndicate and Eden Morgan. Since coming to the UGWC, he's made it extremely apparent that his focus is to best Alan Wallace.”
Ichabod pauses to think of what he's going to say.
“Before Horizons, The Mainstreamer spoke about his 8 years of purgatory and his reaction to losing an HSW World Title Match to Vain. A lot of us has accepted that The Mainstreamer was bitter abou the loss. But it goes much deeper than that.”
Ichabod swallows hard. He's fighting the feeling that he's betraying his closest friend.
“Leaving the wrestling world, his reaction to losing to Alan Wallace in HSW, his reaction to the death of his mentor, Wafer, his 8 years of seclusion in a church, and even his Holden Orson persona all centered on a single thing.”
Ichabod pauses again. No wonder Martin punched him in the nose.
“His repressed homosexuality.”
'Don't hate me for this Martin.
The crowd goes nuts. Ichabod has to take a moment before he can speak again anyhow. Larry and Rydell start whispering to themselves. Ichabod composes himself.
“Martin has had seemed to have repressed his sexual preference for a long time. From the information I found, Martin had a quiet feeling for his mentor Wafer until he passed away. Seeing Vain with such strong similarities in personality to him, The Mainstreamer seemed to have transferred those feeling to Vain. When The Mainstreamer recognized that the mutual respect Vain had shown him was a ruse, it was more than just a wrestling swerve. It was a crushing blow to a set of feelings Martin is obviously ashamed of.”
Loud whispers have turned silent.
“Martin had a hard enough time accepting the feeling he had for Wafer. When Vain did what he did in HSW..”
Ichabod starts to trail off.
“But somehow, Eden Morgan got wind of this and used it to blackmail him. Martin's attack on Rydell, Martin's asking to come in third in the Massive Melee, was all part of Eden's blackmail.”
Silence once again turns to whispers.
“In an attempt to save him from becoming a lapdog to the Syndicate, I'm telling the world his secret. I assure you, if Eden Morgan did not know I would not be telling you. But she's left me no choice.”
Ichabod snarls.
“And for that... she will pay.”
Ichabod pushes away the mic and storms away. The rest of the group stands stunned and quickly follows Ichabod off the stage to avoid the incoming barrage of questions.
Eden Morgan flips through documents sitting at her desk when a knock comes to her door. She rolls here eyes at the prospect of pausing her reading.
“Yes?” Eden calls out.
“Hey, Ms. Morgan,” Brandon says as he stumbles into her office with a fake smile on his face.
“What do you need?”
“Well, you know that guy, Graber you had in here the other day?”
Eden smirks. “Ah, yes. My newest friend, what about him.”
“And how you told him to ask to enter right after Fear in the melee?”
Eden's smirk turns into an outright smile. “My good ol' insurance policy. Yes, what about him Brandon.”
“Well Ichabod just made a big announcement about him...”
Eden nods as she begins to look back at her papers. “Okay...”
“Whatever you knew about Graber, I think Ichabod just told everyone.”
Eden's face grows stern.
“He's gay?”
First Fear, then an angry Mainstreamer.
“Son of a-”
“He's telling the world isn't he!!!”
Now I'm an atheist cutting a promo to God.
“The whole world knows I'm a closet queer. The whole… world…”
I fall to my knees. This church… this church gave me solitude for a very long time. This mask helped me feel hidden for so very long. Now I feel naked. Exposed. Dirty.
My father told me gay people where condemned to go to hell. When he died and I first started... feeling this way, I felt like scum. I had long abandoned my belief in God, but what my father said always stuck with me.
“Why did you make me this way!”
Shouting at God has never helped. For so long, I've hated this feeling. Feeling so uncomfortable when I'd get that.... feeling when spending time with Wafer. I knew it would never come to anything. Wafer was straight. Hell, it turns out he had a kid. Then... when I transferred that to Vain...
“You're a faggot too you know!”
I wonder how many people have called God a faggot. Leading up to that event in HSW, Vain and I had a healthy rivalry. Wafer had just died... My way of remembering him was to leave it all in the ring. The match Vain and I had was one for the ages. But then he did what he did. The hatred I have isn't just about him attacking me after a title match. He made me feel that way then crushed me. My eyes focus on picture of a crucifix.
“I hate you.”
I won't be satisfied until Vain feels the same pain I felt that day. But know... he'll know how I felt.
I'm not sure how I'm going to handle this.
I'm not sure how I'm going to face the world anymore.
I hate what I am, and I hate even more that everyone will know now. Eden used it for leverage as soon as she found out. What will the rest of them do?
I can't do this. My arms slack. My chin starts to bury into my chest.
“Uncle Martin!”
Was that Larry?
“He's here!”
Larry calls out behind him and starts to run towards me. How did he find me?
“Are you okay?” He pauses. “ Why are you wearing your mask again.”
Waldo comes stumbling in and Ichabod walks in shortly thereafter. The fucker will even smoke in a church. Waldo and Larry kneel down with me. Ichabod stays at the back of the church.
They know now.
I look at Larry. “Did Ichabod...”
Larry puts a hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah. He told everyone. Are you okay?”
“So you're okay.. with it?” I don’t know how I’d manage if Larry wasn’t okay with it.
“Of course. You're my godfather. Something like that doesn’t matter to me.”
I look over at Waldo. He nods at me and smiles. I look towards the back of the church at Ichabod, and Ichabod nods at me as well.
“Dave?”
Larry smiles. “Dave's as good of a friend as always. He wants us to tell him as soon as we know you're okay. This doesn’t matter to him either.”
“Dave says to get ready to kick some ass Monday, boss.” Waldo tells me.
Ichabod. Dave. Waldo. Larry. Maybe it's not so bad if these guys accept me. I look up at the crucifix once again.
“I still don't believe you're there.”
“I'm right here though, boss.”
Dammit Waldo.
“Not you.. nevermind.”
“You ready to go?” Ichabod says, as he walks up to me.
“No... I got something I need to take care of.”
Ichabod looks around the church.
“Yeah... I'll give you some time.”
“The hipster was so much more interesting, Martin.”
The Mainstreamer slowly strolls down the aisle of his infamous getaway. He allows a container of gasoline to pour out as he walks.
“You used to be so original and refreshing, Martin.”
The stench of the gasoline fills the room. The lights have been dimmed. All the religious symbols have been torn down from the wall or broken, save one crucifix at the front and center of the church, the one The Mainstreamer had been speaking to.
“Now you're just another cocky has been trying to relive his former glory, Martin.”
Martin flings gasoline around the room as he speaks in a mocking tone. He smiles, wickedly.
“I'm sick... so sick.. of everyone. From Fear who thinks he can look at me and figure me out, to Eden Morgan, the bitch who would take something as fragile as my sexuality, and use it against me. I'm sick 0of it.”
The Mainstreamer starts to cackle as he starts walking down the aisle once again. The gasoline pours.
“The Massive Melee conveniently puts you all in a ring with me. I get to watch everyone of you find out why The Mainstreamer is not just a has been hipster. I get to watch as everyone of you find out what all the fuss is about. Why did Ichabod suddenly become active once The Mainstreamer was on the roster? Why does Vain still brag so wholehearted about beating me?”
The Mainstreamer slowly allows the gasoline to pour as he continues to walk.
“Continue to underestimate me. You people have failed to realize I'm the strongest member of this roster. Everyone sees me handing out with Waldo and looks past what I’m capable of.
The Mainstreamer tilts the can up.
“But now I can't hide. Thanks to Eden Morgan and Ichabod, I'll never be able to hide again. So...”
The Mainstreamer raises his arms up.
“Here I am.”
The Mainstreamer begins to back down the aisle again, allowing the gasoline to hit carpet.
“I've been so scared to face Vain alone. I've never been able to face what he is.... was to me.”
“Run of the Mill, now I've been attacking him in a tag team with one of the very true people I can trust... and Vain sure does eat that up. He stutter-stepped for a second. He actually talked about a respect he had for me eight years ago. He then went on to talk about Wafer like he had a clue about the greatest man who ever lived...”
The Mainstreamer pauses.
“I'm rambling. Vain... there's no way you understood what your act did to me. You said that you thought you and I were going to carry HSW on our backs. I'll never get over what happened to me because of you. Our time for respect is long gone. If taking a co-op title from you hurts you, then it's what I'm going to do.”
“But that doesn't do much. That's just that type of sting that hurts for a short while. Maybe you'll fluke and somehow beat Klaus. Then you'll adorn yourself with another way for me to hurt you.”
The Mainstreamer smiles again and starts letting the gasoline pour.
“That's what it's going to be from now on. You're not gay, I know you aren't, but I have to make you feel what I felt when you did to me what you did. I can't make you have feeling for me and then crush you 3 days removed from your mentors death. To make you feel my pain, I'll have to get...”
The Mainstreamer smile grows larger.
“Creative. But trust me Allan. You're going to feel the pain I felt. Killian? You poor dapper gentleman you. You're going to be there too. Without you, Vain would have lost to myself and Rydell at Infinity. It's too bad I must hurt you also. Of all the jack-offs the Syndicate has, you may me the only one I think I could tolerate.”
The Mainstreamer reaches the front door of the church. He drops the can.
“But Vain.. Eden... that dickhead Zane... I'll relish watching you suffer with Alan. The rest of you, outside of the few I trust? I don't envy you either. This is the stage where I must conduct my final act. It'll be long, and wonderful for me. For you, it'll be frustrating chasing me at the top.”
The Mainstreamer takes one of the cigarettes he got from Ichabod out of his pocket and lights a match then lights the cigarette.
“For that, I apologize.”
The Mainstreamer drops the match in puddle of gasoline he's left at the entrance. He watches as the gas ignites, reversing his path from the pulpit of the church. The heat from the flames begin make sweat bead up on his face as The Mainstreamer slowly unties and removes the mask from his face. He looks down at the green masquerade mask that made Holden Orson who he was.
“Goodbye buddy.”
The Mainstreamer tosses the mask in the church and watches the flames over take it. He backs away to relive the heat until he’s able to watch the fire engulf the crucifix he left standing. Smiling… The Mainstremaer then slowly begins to walk away.
Dave is infuriated. I would be too.
“Why would you attack me because Eden told you too!?”
Ichabod, Rydell, Larry, and Waldo all surround me. They're judging me for what I did, I can feel it. I deserve it, too. I became Eden's botch tonight.
“Hey man, Eden is blackmailing him!”
Larry, that wonderful kid, he's coming to my defense.
“Eden is making him his bitch!”
Rydell says it like it is.
Larry, Rydell, and Waldo start arguing about how at fault I am. Ichabod stares at me smoking his cigarette, staring a hole through me. Rydell might want to knock me out right now, but I bet Ichabod wants to kill me. We've never been the type to be conned or blackmailed.
But he doesn't know.
“We just won five weeks in a row for Streamer to lay down at the Melee for Eden? Yeah, I'm pissed.”
Rydell brings up a point. Eden is obviously going to make me lay down at the Melee. She's making me come into the Melee itself at third so Fear so we can eliminate Fear and then act as her body guard. I have to lay down. To Vain.
Anyone but Vain!
“He's not going to lay down, Dave.”
The other three men get silent. Ichabod's statement boomed through the dressing room. He gets up and stares me down.
“I won't watch Eden do this to him. Eden found out about a pretty important piece of information about Martin.”
“Yeah, no shit, but it's about to cost me a chance at the Co-op titles.”
“No it isn't Dave. I know what she knows.”
WHAT!
How does he know?
My eyes grow wide, Dave and the others look over at me, somewhat confused. Ichabod flicks away his cigarette and kneels down to meet me so that he can look me in the eyes.
“Martin, forgive me, but I've known for a while now. I found a letter in your office when-”
“Son of a bitch!”
I lash out, I don't know what to do. I grab Ichabod by the throat. I should kill him. Larry, Waldo, and Dave wrestle me off of him and hold me against the wall. Tears start rolling down my cheek as I see the guilt run over Ichabod's face.
“Martin, believe me, it was never my intention for anyone to know. These guys don't even know.”
But YOU do!
I'm gritting my teeth. Everything is blurry. I'm not used to crying, but I can't hold this in. I can't really make out Ichabod's face anymore.
He's judging you.
“Martin... I'm not going to watch you become a Syndicate lap dog. There's no stopping the information from leaking eventually and I'm not going to watch you become a shell of a man in the meantime.”
Ha! A man!
“If you don't tell the world I will, Martin.”
No.
I scream. I don't know what else to do. I fall to the ground. I'm pretty sure I yell some gibberish at Ichabod, but I don't know what it is. Tell the world? There's no way. I'd rather die. I can't look at everyone anymore.
They're going to hate you.
I curl up on the ground. I can't hear any of them anymore. I can't handle this.
The Mainstreamer lays sobbing quietly in the fetal position in his dressing room. Rydell, Larry, and Waldo look on speechless. Ichabod shows a rare look of concern on his face. Rydell looks over at Ichabod with wide eyes.
“What the fuck do you know?”
Ichabod shakes his head. “I'm not really ready to discuss that. But he needs to accept what he's hiding being public knowledge.”
Larry sits in a chair looking down at his godfather. “Did Uncle Martin do something?”
Ichabod almost chuckles and retrieves a Newport from his pack. “The Mainstreamer has done a ton of fucked up things. He's proud of that. This isn't like that.”
“Well I don't really want to knock him out anymore,” Rydell says looking down at his cooperative partner.
Ichabod blows out a cloud of blue smoke. “Dave, he speaks very highly of you. You've been a good friend to him when he really needed one. You've done more for him than you think.”
Rydell looks on silently.
“If you want to win next week, you going to have to be prepared for him to lose it a little bit. But he's the strongest man I know. I just hope he accepts this and takes that power from Eden.”
Ichabod takes a look at his longtime friend. “Let's step outside and give him some time guys.”
The four men walk out of the room leaving The Mainstreamer to himself.
The Mainstreamer slowly closes the door behind him. His eyes are bloodshot red and he glares at his friends. For an hour, all four men have waited while The Mainstreamer has been a lone in the dressing room trying to compose himself. He glares at Ichabod.
“How... how did you find out?”
Ichabod blows out a cloud of smoke. “When Larry and I cleaned up your coffee shop. I found a letter.”
The Mainstreamer looks over at Larry. “What do you think about-”
“I haven't told any of them, Martin.” Ichabod warns The Mainstreamer. The Mainstreamer looks back over and forces a grin. “I'm pretty positive just Eden and Myself know. Well... and Reeves.”
“Who the fuck is Reeves?” The Mainstreamer asks. Rydell snickers.
“Leave your coffee shop more bro. He's been around here for a long time, he's a backstage guy.”
Ichabod blows out another cloud of smoke. The Mainstreamer reaches out. “Give me one.”
Ichabod starts to object, but tosses the packs over. The Mainstreamer fumbles to get the cigarette out of the pack but finally succeeds. Ichabod lights the cigarette. The Mainstreamer takes a long drag and starts coughing immediately.
“How long has it been since you've smoked?”
“When did the Red Sox finally win the World Series?”
“2004?” Waldo asks, of course knowing that piece of information.
“Yeah something like that.” The Mainstreamer takes a smaller drag and takes a seat. “So what are we going to do.”
Ichabod stiffens up for a second. “Press conference seems the most obvious. I'm not going to tell these guys unless you want me to.”
“No, I guess they find out when everyone else does.”
Ichabod nods. “And I'd suggest we wait until we all meet with Klaus.”
The Mainstreamer takes a drag and ponders. “I wonder what Klaus will think.” He turns his attention to Rydell. “Dave... I'm sorry for what Eden made me do out there. I hate what I have to do but..”
“No problem man. No problem at all.” Rydell assures The Mainstreamer. The Mainstreamer thinks for a second and decides to leave it at that.
“So what now?” The Mainstreamer asks, almost unsure of where to go.
“I'm hungry boss.” Larry, Rydell, and Ichabod all loudly agree. The four of them all begin discussing food plans.
The Mainstreamer nods his head at the appropriate times. He can think of nothing else but telling the world his secret. Food, matches, anything like that seems like its part of a different reality.
“I don't know why we can't take my car.” Ichabod asks rolling down the window.
“Don't you drive a monster truck or something?” The Mainstreamer asks following suit.
“So?”
Larry rolls his eyes. “Are you both about to start smoking? I thought Waldo didn't allow smoking in his car anyway.”
“He'll be alright,” Ichabod says lighting up his cigarette. He looks over at Dave Rydell.
“Dave, I'm just glad you and Klaus were able to get along so we could work together.”
Dave nods, waking the smoke from Ichabod's cigarette. “Yeah man, I warred with the dude. I wouldn't go out drinking with him, but if he wants to kick some Syndicate ass, then I'm down.”
“Where are we going Waldo?” The Mainstreamer asks, realizing where Waldo has failed to turn.
“We're meeting with Larry, boss.”
“What?”
“We're going to your press conference.”
The Mainstreamer's eyes grow wide. “What!?”
Ichabod pipes up from the back. “You need to do it and quit tormenting yourself over it. We got to get it over with.”
“I'm... I can't. Waldo, turn around!” The Mainstreamer starts trying to open this car door. “Pull over!”
Ichabod nods Rydell who grabs The Mainstreamer's arms. Ichabod and Rydell fight to pin down as Waldo starts to speed towards the conference.
There's no god damn way.
“Yeah, I'm ready.”
There's no god damn way I'm going out there to tell them all. As soon as these guys drop their guard I'm taking off. I can't stop Ichabod from telling the world.
“Good, let's get out there.”
Ichabod seems content that I've screamed my way into acceptance. I'll never accept this.
“You want us all out there with you?”
No.
“Just you actually.”
“Okay. I'm here to support you.”
“Good.”
Rydell, Larry, and Waldo all reach out to shake my hand and show me support. I don't mean to dismiss this but they're about to think of me a lot differently.
“Ready, Martin?”
“Yeah.”
Ichabod and I start walking down a hallway. A couple guys who run some IWC site has us set up. I can hear the murmurs of the crowd. Once again, there's no god damn way. Two pudgy guys, they must be writers, kind of mark out on us as we walk up. Here's something to write about.
“Fuck!”
Ichabod yells loudly as I plant a jab right between his eyes. I got him hard, might have broke his nose. Either way, I'm gone down the hallway before he can stop me. He won't be catching me. He'll be doing this one by himself.
An angry Ichabod sits behind a podium with Dave Rydell, Larry, and Waldo standing next to him. A group of reporters stand around him murmuring and asking questions about his swollen nose. Ichabod growls at them.
“I'm not here to answer questions, I'm here to make an announcement.”
A reporter stands up.
“Is this about the Massive Meelee?”
“You choad. What did I just say?”
Murmurs spread throughout the room.
“I'm here to talk about a life-long friend in The Mainstreamer. He's recently been the subject of blackmail from The Syndicate and Eden Morgan. Since coming to the UGWC, he's made it extremely apparent that his focus is to best Alan Wallace.”
Ichabod pauses to think of what he's going to say.
“Before Horizons, The Mainstreamer spoke about his 8 years of purgatory and his reaction to losing an HSW World Title Match to Vain. A lot of us has accepted that The Mainstreamer was bitter abou the loss. But it goes much deeper than that.”
Ichabod swallows hard. He's fighting the feeling that he's betraying his closest friend.
“Leaving the wrestling world, his reaction to losing to Alan Wallace in HSW, his reaction to the death of his mentor, Wafer, his 8 years of seclusion in a church, and even his Holden Orson persona all centered on a single thing.”
Ichabod pauses again. No wonder Martin punched him in the nose.
“His repressed homosexuality.”
'Don't hate me for this Martin.
The crowd goes nuts. Ichabod has to take a moment before he can speak again anyhow. Larry and Rydell start whispering to themselves. Ichabod composes himself.
“Martin has had seemed to have repressed his sexual preference for a long time. From the information I found, Martin had a quiet feeling for his mentor Wafer until he passed away. Seeing Vain with such strong similarities in personality to him, The Mainstreamer seemed to have transferred those feeling to Vain. When The Mainstreamer recognized that the mutual respect Vain had shown him was a ruse, it was more than just a wrestling swerve. It was a crushing blow to a set of feelings Martin is obviously ashamed of.”
Loud whispers have turned silent.
“Martin had a hard enough time accepting the feeling he had for Wafer. When Vain did what he did in HSW..”
Ichabod starts to trail off.
“But somehow, Eden Morgan got wind of this and used it to blackmail him. Martin's attack on Rydell, Martin's asking to come in third in the Massive Melee, was all part of Eden's blackmail.”
Silence once again turns to whispers.
“In an attempt to save him from becoming a lapdog to the Syndicate, I'm telling the world his secret. I assure you, if Eden Morgan did not know I would not be telling you. But she's left me no choice.”
Ichabod snarls.
“And for that... she will pay.”
Ichabod pushes away the mic and storms away. The rest of the group stands stunned and quickly follows Ichabod off the stage to avoid the incoming barrage of questions.
Eden Morgan flips through documents sitting at her desk when a knock comes to her door. She rolls here eyes at the prospect of pausing her reading.
“Yes?” Eden calls out.
“Hey, Ms. Morgan,” Brandon says as he stumbles into her office with a fake smile on his face.
“What do you need?”
“Well, you know that guy, Graber you had in here the other day?”
Eden smirks. “Ah, yes. My newest friend, what about him.”
“And how you told him to ask to enter right after Fear in the melee?”
Eden's smirk turns into an outright smile. “My good ol' insurance policy. Yes, what about him Brandon.”
“Well Ichabod just made a big announcement about him...”
Eden nods as she begins to look back at her papers. “Okay...”
“Whatever you knew about Graber, I think Ichabod just told everyone.”
Eden's face grows stern.
“He's gay?”
First Fear, then an angry Mainstreamer.
“Son of a-”
“He's telling the world isn't he!!!”
Now I'm an atheist cutting a promo to God.
“The whole world knows I'm a closet queer. The whole… world…”
I fall to my knees. This church… this church gave me solitude for a very long time. This mask helped me feel hidden for so very long. Now I feel naked. Exposed. Dirty.
My father told me gay people where condemned to go to hell. When he died and I first started... feeling this way, I felt like scum. I had long abandoned my belief in God, but what my father said always stuck with me.
“Why did you make me this way!”
Shouting at God has never helped. For so long, I've hated this feeling. Feeling so uncomfortable when I'd get that.... feeling when spending time with Wafer. I knew it would never come to anything. Wafer was straight. Hell, it turns out he had a kid. Then... when I transferred that to Vain...
“You're a faggot too you know!”
I wonder how many people have called God a faggot. Leading up to that event in HSW, Vain and I had a healthy rivalry. Wafer had just died... My way of remembering him was to leave it all in the ring. The match Vain and I had was one for the ages. But then he did what he did. The hatred I have isn't just about him attacking me after a title match. He made me feel that way then crushed me. My eyes focus on picture of a crucifix.
“I hate you.”
I won't be satisfied until Vain feels the same pain I felt that day. But know... he'll know how I felt.
I'm not sure how I'm going to handle this.
I'm not sure how I'm going to face the world anymore.
I hate what I am, and I hate even more that everyone will know now. Eden used it for leverage as soon as she found out. What will the rest of them do?
I can't do this. My arms slack. My chin starts to bury into my chest.
“Uncle Martin!”
Was that Larry?
“He's here!”
Larry calls out behind him and starts to run towards me. How did he find me?
“Are you okay?” He pauses. “ Why are you wearing your mask again.”
Waldo comes stumbling in and Ichabod walks in shortly thereafter. The fucker will even smoke in a church. Waldo and Larry kneel down with me. Ichabod stays at the back of the church.
They know now.
I look at Larry. “Did Ichabod...”
Larry puts a hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah. He told everyone. Are you okay?”
“So you're okay.. with it?” I don’t know how I’d manage if Larry wasn’t okay with it.
“Of course. You're my godfather. Something like that doesn’t matter to me.”
I look over at Waldo. He nods at me and smiles. I look towards the back of the church at Ichabod, and Ichabod nods at me as well.
“Dave?”
Larry smiles. “Dave's as good of a friend as always. He wants us to tell him as soon as we know you're okay. This doesn’t matter to him either.”
“Dave says to get ready to kick some ass Monday, boss.” Waldo tells me.
Ichabod. Dave. Waldo. Larry. Maybe it's not so bad if these guys accept me. I look up at the crucifix once again.
“I still don't believe you're there.”
“I'm right here though, boss.”
Dammit Waldo.
“Not you.. nevermind.”
“You ready to go?” Ichabod says, as he walks up to me.
“No... I got something I need to take care of.”
Ichabod looks around the church.
“Yeah... I'll give you some time.”
“The hipster was so much more interesting, Martin.”
The Mainstreamer slowly strolls down the aisle of his infamous getaway. He allows a container of gasoline to pour out as he walks.
“You used to be so original and refreshing, Martin.”
The stench of the gasoline fills the room. The lights have been dimmed. All the religious symbols have been torn down from the wall or broken, save one crucifix at the front and center of the church, the one The Mainstreamer had been speaking to.
“Now you're just another cocky has been trying to relive his former glory, Martin.”
Martin flings gasoline around the room as he speaks in a mocking tone. He smiles, wickedly.
“I'm sick... so sick.. of everyone. From Fear who thinks he can look at me and figure me out, to Eden Morgan, the bitch who would take something as fragile as my sexuality, and use it against me. I'm sick 0of it.”
The Mainstreamer starts to cackle as he starts walking down the aisle once again. The gasoline pours.
“The Massive Melee conveniently puts you all in a ring with me. I get to watch everyone of you find out why The Mainstreamer is not just a has been hipster. I get to watch as everyone of you find out what all the fuss is about. Why did Ichabod suddenly become active once The Mainstreamer was on the roster? Why does Vain still brag so wholehearted about beating me?”
The Mainstreamer slowly allows the gasoline to pour as he continues to walk.
“Continue to underestimate me. You people have failed to realize I'm the strongest member of this roster. Everyone sees me handing out with Waldo and looks past what I’m capable of.
The Mainstreamer tilts the can up.
“But now I can't hide. Thanks to Eden Morgan and Ichabod, I'll never be able to hide again. So...”
The Mainstreamer raises his arms up.
“Here I am.”
The Mainstreamer begins to back down the aisle again, allowing the gasoline to hit carpet.
“I've been so scared to face Vain alone. I've never been able to face what he is.... was to me.”
“Run of the Mill, now I've been attacking him in a tag team with one of the very true people I can trust... and Vain sure does eat that up. He stutter-stepped for a second. He actually talked about a respect he had for me eight years ago. He then went on to talk about Wafer like he had a clue about the greatest man who ever lived...”
The Mainstreamer pauses.
“I'm rambling. Vain... there's no way you understood what your act did to me. You said that you thought you and I were going to carry HSW on our backs. I'll never get over what happened to me because of you. Our time for respect is long gone. If taking a co-op title from you hurts you, then it's what I'm going to do.”
“But that doesn't do much. That's just that type of sting that hurts for a short while. Maybe you'll fluke and somehow beat Klaus. Then you'll adorn yourself with another way for me to hurt you.”
The Mainstreamer smiles again and starts letting the gasoline pour.
“That's what it's going to be from now on. You're not gay, I know you aren't, but I have to make you feel what I felt when you did to me what you did. I can't make you have feeling for me and then crush you 3 days removed from your mentors death. To make you feel my pain, I'll have to get...”
The Mainstreamer smile grows larger.
“Creative. But trust me Allan. You're going to feel the pain I felt. Killian? You poor dapper gentleman you. You're going to be there too. Without you, Vain would have lost to myself and Rydell at Infinity. It's too bad I must hurt you also. Of all the jack-offs the Syndicate has, you may me the only one I think I could tolerate.”
The Mainstreamer reaches the front door of the church. He drops the can.
“But Vain.. Eden... that dickhead Zane... I'll relish watching you suffer with Alan. The rest of you, outside of the few I trust? I don't envy you either. This is the stage where I must conduct my final act. It'll be long, and wonderful for me. For you, it'll be frustrating chasing me at the top.”
The Mainstreamer takes one of the cigarettes he got from Ichabod out of his pocket and lights a match then lights the cigarette.
“For that, I apologize.”
The Mainstreamer drops the match in puddle of gasoline he's left at the entrance. He watches as the gas ignites, reversing his path from the pulpit of the church. The heat from the flames begin make sweat bead up on his face as The Mainstreamer slowly unties and removes the mask from his face. He looks down at the green masquerade mask that made Holden Orson who he was.
“Goodbye buddy.”
The Mainstreamer tosses the mask in the church and watches the flames over take it. He backs away to relive the heat until he’s able to watch the fire engulf the crucifix he left standing. Smiling… The Mainstremaer then slowly begins to walk away.
2013, '18, '23 
2013 
's this!!
