Post by angelicavaughn on Sept 15, 2018 20:48:48 GMT -5
“Sar, when you see or hear this, I’ll be long gone. Don’t even try to find me because you won’t. Only one person in the world has a vague idea of where I’ll be, and I know you…. Please don’t torture her or have your pigeons poop in her face to get her to tell you! Even if she does, I will be beyond even your reach, which I know spans far and wide, even if your financial resources these days are a bit… drained.
I just want you to know that me leaving has nothing to do with you… but it also has everything to do with you. Because you were right, Sar. I don’t have what it takes. I don’t have what it takes to beat you. It’s a paralyzing fear that grabs hold of me as soon as I even entertain the thought. My hands lock up, my legs freeze, my breath sticks in my throat and my vision goes all blurry, like as if… Well, you know what blurry is.
I couldn’t hurt you even if I tried, but it’s not because I think you’re a better athlete than I am per se. Or a better wrestler. Fighter. Whatever term you want to stick on it. I could hurt you about as much as I could hurt my dear beloved kitties Alex and Bobby! By the dubs, take good care of them for me, will you? I’m sure they’ll miss their mommy terribly, but they’ll find solace with auntie Sar and cousin Has.
No, I sers couldn’t hurt you, because there are quite a few… things you might not know. I’m not sure if it’ll impact you in the same way it’s impacted me over the last few weeks, but we’ve always said that we had an instant connection the moment we met. There was a spark of friendship that ignited, so fierce and awesome that no darkness could ever hope to overshadow it. As if we’d known each other our entire lives. And I guess we did. Every time we looked in the mirror, mine a bit higher than yours obvs; every time we brushed our hair; every time we plucked those few nasty lashes from our eyebrows that are so unbelievably persistent. You know the ones I’m talking about, because you have them too. The ones that mess up the symmetry completely, like ew!
Anyways, what I’m getting to is this… you’re like a sister to me. Not just ‘like’. You literally are. And I get that this is a pretty weirdo way to break this news to you, but since I’ll be gone forever, I felt like you should know! I don’t like dabbling in what-ifs and what-coulda-beens, but I want to get this out of the way. Making revelations isn’t my thing, but I can’t go into hiding forever knowing that you never knew you had a sister who loved you very dearly, more than you could ever have known.
I bet you’re probably doing that thing you do now, waving your hands at your face all dramatically, as if the wind you create will evaporate the tears you don’t want anybody to see. But yes, Sarah Lacklan, I’m your sister. Bastard-sister, maybe, but I too am Jean-Paul Lacklan’s offspring. My mother Mary was one of his many concubines, and my so-called father, who now roams at Bordy’s side, was nothing but a follower who had found the call of a forbidden love a bit too overwhelming. This is a lot to take in, I know, like Roxy always says when she talks about ‘bad dragons’ or something, which seems like a bit of a pleonasm, because dragons are ALWAYS bad! Unless a few in Skyrim if I remember correctly.
Anyway, I’m drifting. Bad dragons, am I right? Roxy does always say they make you drift into outer space. BUT…
Just know that I love you Sar. Come what may. I will always look at you as the strongest person I know, both inside the ring and outside of it, the way you came back from your near-dead experience, the way you kept fighting because you would simply not be beaten; the way you returned to the ring in spite of every single kind of odds being stacked against you… I am much weaker than you, this I know. I am not even in your league. Because while you will always do whatever is necessary, I will always try to do the right thing and falter. You have embraced our bloodline, and will carry on the legacy our father always intended for us, while I will be kind and good and weak, and make him turn in his grave. I know he would not be proud of me. I know he would think I’m a disgrace to his dynasty. But I’d rather have the ghost of a dead man I never even knew spit on me than have to live with the thought that I put hands on my own sister.
So I’m sorry, Sarah Lacklan. I hope you will forgive me. This is goodbye. This is the end. Love you loads! LOL!”
Angelica put down her phone and stored the video message to her internal hard drive. A wave of relief washed over her as she saw she had just about enough memory left. No cat pictures had to be deleted on this day. This video, she was going to send to Sarah once she’d arrived, so there was no way she could intercept her. She knew they’d try and stop her if they could, but her mind was made up. She leaned forward and spoke to the driver.
“Are we nearly at the airport, mister?”
“About a minute out, ma’am.”
“Coolio as beans.”
-------------------
“Noooooooope! Nope nope nope nope! Not doing it! AM NOT!”
“You don’t have much of a choice!” Edith Seybold answered, as the two women stood face to face in her office. Edith, Angelica’s agent (and a very good one at that), was rather worried after the developments following Sarah Lacklan appreciation night. Sure, Angelica had come up short against Travis Pierce, but she’d also been one of the two last people standing in the Open Invitational Battle Royal. And the prize? A tag team title opportunity.
Now, according to Edith’s logic, this was a good thing. In fact, a VERY good thing. Title shots were never freebies, and always came on merit, especially in a place like UGWC. Edith didn’t even think that ANY kind of title shot, no matter where or how or WHO it was against, would ever form any kind of problem. But then again, her client WAS Angelica Vaughn, and she was as stubborn as she was adorable, as thickheaded as she was competent, and as impressionable as she was totes five foot ten.
“Erm, excuse me, I have all the choice in the world,” was Angelica’s rebuttal. “I am not fighting my sister, I simply WILL NOT! You have to understand Edith, you’re one of, like, 4 people in the world who know my secret! Would you beat up your own sister simply because you were told to? That’s not how I roll! I roll smoothly and carefree, like the wheels on a brand new Matchbox truck.”
Edith rolled her eyes.
“Look Angie, you very well know-“
“Nope! Noooope nop nope nope!” Angelica shook her head, her blonde locks flying all over the place as she closed her eyes in denial. The bright lights in the sterile office reflected off her glamourous blonde head, like a mirror that reflected the sun itself. It was a dazzling view, even in spite of the circumstances.
“I said I WILL NOT! I know I can’t get out of this, so it’s time for some radical measures!”
“Radical meas-?”
“Abs and totes and obvs! Ab and tobvs! I will not fight my sister, and I’m terrified to do so. It is therefore, that I have decided I will migrate to Tibet, where I will proceed to live undercover as a mountain goat! Nobody will ever find me!”
“….beg pardon?”
“No pardon needed! Thanks for everything Edith, you’ve been a great agent, but my career as a pro wrestler stops here. If Emperor Kuzco could live as a lama, then I’ll have no problem being a mountain goat, I’m sure. Thanks and toodles!”
Angelica turned around and sprinted out of the door, all sanity having forsaken her. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t. She loved Sar too deeply and too dearly, and ever since that dreaded battle royal moment, it was like the seas had parted, like the rapture had happened… She saw no way out, other than this. The shock effect had caused a chemical imbalance in her brain. It was Tibet or perish.
Hyperventilating, she left behind her agent, who stood nailed to the floor.
But Edith Seybold didn’t remain perplexed for long. As soon as she heard Angelica get into an Uber, or ‘Ubes’ as she started to call them, she whipped out her phone.
“Mary? Hello yes this is Edith. I need your help. Angelica’s lost her mind.”
-------------------
As soon as Angelica got in the Ubes, she tapped on the driver’s shoulder.
“Nearest airport. Go go go!”
With screeching wheels he departed and Angelica held on to her purse so it wouldn’t fall off her seat. She knew this as unexpected, but she also didn’t want people to think she’d forgotten all about them. She wanted to leave a few goodbye notes before she went to Tibet to live out the remainder of her life as an undercover mountain goat. And her fellow CoolKids, I mean #CoolKids, were her top priority. So she fired up her phone. Plenty of space left. Kenzi and Roxy, the Clear Connection, first. Obvs.
“Hiya Kenzi. Hiya Rox. Now, by the time you’ll be getting this, you’ll probably be thinking, “Why hasn’t Angie tweeted us a cat picture this past hour? That’s not like her at all! We’ve missed the five pictures of ser Alex having lunch, and the three pictures we usually get of ser Bobby trying to steal ser Alex’ lunch and the 12 pictures of the fight, which is totes a playful bromance fight, that ensues.”
And yeah, fair enough. I do send you all of those pics every single day. But that’s not the point!
The point is that I love you guys. SO much! Roxy, you and I may not have started out on the best of feet. Started off on the wrong feet. Started off on the best of terms. You know what I mean! But N-E-Ways, after you said I should clean my pussy, and I totes did because you’ll find that ser Bobby’s fur never looked shinier since that next day, we’ve totes been besties! I adorbz you to the fullest Roxanne, and I’m certain you’ll work your way into Hall of Fame after Hall of Fame despite your detractors desperately claiming you don’t have what it takes. So what if you like Squirtle? He’s a great starter Pokémon, and one of the most underestimated ones if you ask me! And on top of that, you’re one of the sweetest and most sincere people I’ve ever met. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise! Which I’m sure you won’t, since you don’t really know when to stay silent.
And Kenzi? There are no words in the dictionary I can use to describe what your friendship has meant to me. Your wisdom, your kind heartedness, your utter and absolute Christianity, or was it clarity, has been an inspiration to me throughout my career. While Sar and I may resemble each other physically, your moral disposition has kept me honest and true, your bright outlook has made sure I never strayed from my path, and you are, unironically, one of the brightest and shiniest and most absolutely amazeballs people I’ve ever had the privilege to meet. Leaving you will be hard, not in the least because… Well, you’ll find out. I just want you to know, that whilst I am living out the rest of my life in a complete secure location that you will never find out, I’ve no doubt you will continue to climb your way to the top in every federation that has the privilege of having you under contract. Whether it’s wrestling, MMA, or act… Or MMA… You will continue to be the best at what you do! It’s therefore that I humbly request that you…MAY… want to stop pursuing an acting career. Because, let’s just say you’re BETTER at other things. LIKE BEING MY FRIEND OBVS. And… do me a favor? Although I know I’ve no right to ask for one? Treat Sarah right. Treat her right until the day comes where you to are old gals in an old people’s home. Treat her with spoon-fed rice pudding, treat her with nuts and raisins, and hold her hand until she passes, whispering in her ear how much you love her and that not even eternity will keep you apart.”
Angelica turned the phone away from her face, wiping a tear from her eye.
“I love you all so much.”
She sighed. End of video. Time to get a message out to Sarah. She couldn’t possible leave her behind without a goodbye vid.
And there.
She.
Went.
-------------------
Angelica sat in the terminal, waiting for boarding. Yes, she knew she was taking this to extreme measures, but what choice did she have? She knew people would scold her, call her a coward and a weirdo, BUT THEY DID NOT HAVE TO PUNCH ON THEIR SISTER4S FACES WITH CLOSED FISTS. They did not have to DRIVE THEIR SKULLS INTO THE MAT AT MAX VELOCITY to pin their shoulders to the canvas! They DID NOT HAVE TO KICK THEIR CRANIUMS SO HARD THEY NEARLY SHATTERED.
Angie wasn’t counting on sympathy. She wasn’t counting on anything. But when she heard a voice in the distance, her shoulders slumped. A voice she recognized all too well.
“Angie, sweetheart?”
“Ugh, mommmmmmm!” Angie replied, knowing what this meant. Edith had told on her, that b---- erm, woman! Angelica stood up, but her mother already ran up to her, tearing her way through the hustle and bustle of the airport, with indistinct PA announcements and chit-chat from travellers all throughout. Mary saw her and ran up to her, hugging her with a tight embrace.
“Angie sweetie, what are you doing, what are you thinking??? Edith called me in distress, she said you’d lost your mind! She said something about Tibet???”
Angelica gave in, the warmth of hr mother’s embrace too overwhelming to fight back against. Of course. What HAD she been thinking? Was she really going to abandon all of her family just to escape confrontation? But still…
“I can’t do it, mommy…” Angelica insisted with teary eyes that smudged her otherwise impeccable make-up. “I can’t fight Sar or Kenzi. I shudder at the thought.”
And she did. Her shoulders shook, her chest heaved as she tried to fight back her tears. Yes, the battle royal had been an accomplishment; one she wished she’d never had.
“Aw, sweetie…”
Mary guided Angelica to the nearest bench and sat her down, wrapping her arm around her daughter.
“I know how you feel. Fighting a Lacklan is never easy. Whether physically or mentally, they get to you. I should know, because I gave in, remember? I let myself be mesmerized. I let myself be charmed and taken away. But as I let myself be talked into tales of grandeur and got bedazzled by the never-ending glory and splendour of Lacklanland, I also realized a few other things.”
“Like?” Angelica sked, looking up at her mother’s caring face.
“Like how the Lacklans revere strength. Like how they love confrontation and respect winners. Like how they will see wrestling prowess as the highest honor attainable, and how they will bend the knee to the strongest in the room. And you’re stronger than you think you are, Angie. So much stronger that this perception you have of yourself. You think that just because Sarah is your sister that you shouldn’t punch her in the face? Or choke her out? Or kick her skull in? No, sweetie, she’s a Lacklan, and the harder you hit her, the more she will respect you.”
“…but Kenzi?” Angelica asked while wiping a tear from her eye with her sleeve.
“Kenzi was born into this business. She’s an entertainer through and through, and she’s always wanted to emulate her mother! Be BETTER than her mother! But you know what they say, sweetie… You’re only as good as your opponent was. And believe it or not, but Kenzi NEEDS you to go all out against her. Kenzi needs you to show up, and be the Vaughnemous tall fiery kickstarter that she knows you can be! She needs you to be that girl who stood in the face of obscurity and gave it the middle finger.”
“I don’t flip people off”, Angie said, a bit taken aback.
“Figuratively! Obvs!” Mary replied. But think about it sweetie. You owe them so much, but running off to… Tibet? To live undercover as a… What was it?”
“Mountain goat…”
“Mountain goat? That’s not you talking. That’s just irrational. Maybe it’s the appletini’s talking, hmm?”
“….maybe….”
“So let’s get you home, let’s give you a nice hot bath, wrap you into some warm towels, and we can watch game tape while I prepare some chicken soup and feed you nacho’s and guacamole, right? My li-… very tall champion of Mexico and Portland?”
“Fine. No, you’re right,” Angelica said, nodding. Her world was so blurry. What HAD she been thinking? She needed to get home. And it was at that time, more than ever before, that she was glad her mother had come back into her life.
---------------------
Way later…
Angelica sat curled up on her couch. Mommy’s chicken soup in a mug in her hand and a blanket wrapped around all five foot ten of her. She’d come to her senses. Mother was right. So the moment she’d gotten home, she’d deleted the messages she’d recorded for Sarah, Roxy and Kenzi, lest she’d accidentally upload them or if someone stole her phone. Ser Alex jumped on the couch before starting to knead the blanket with his paws. Angie reached out and scratched him behind one of his folded ears, eliciting a purr. She then let go, holding up her phone for a new message, one directed at the tag team champions.
“Sarah! Kenzi! My fellow hashtag CoolKids! Let’s not beat around the bush, as Roxy likes to say. Or at least I think it was. Something about ‘beating off’ and something about ‘her bush’. Anyways, you know why I’m uploading this little message to the interwebz. It’s because you, my dearest besties, are scheduled to compete against ME, for the tag team titles. Co-op titles, whatevs. A pair of championships I once held with my dearest BF Roxy. And while our reign may have been rather short-lived, I take great pride we were ever even able to hold them, since your current reign proves that only people with true championship pedigree can ever hope to hold them.
Now, you know how much I love you guys, not much has to be said in that regard. You know how much I respect you. And yes yes yes, I know you think y tag partner is a bit of a joke. I’ve heard Sar talk down Dave Rydell’s abilities, I’ve heard every other person on the IGWC roster talk about how he's a has-been, or how he’s a joke these days… But you know what? He’s my tag team partner for the night, and if it’s his side I have to be successful at, then I’ll do my best to make it work! Dave Rydell may not be my first choice for a partner… or my third… or fifth or tenth…. But he’s a guy who shows up to work, a guy who’s sometimes down, but never out, and he’s due for a big break!
And who could be bigger than me, right? I’m five foot ten, as y’all know. But that’s beside the point.
Kenzi, you know I think you’re one of the most talented individuals on the planet. Forgive me for saying this, but your mother gave you great wrestling pedigree. Just look at her recent in-ring success! You made it, in part thanks to your hard work, but also because it’s in your genes!
Speaking of jeans, I really could use a new pair.
N-E-Ways, you and Sarah share a great bond, which is exactly what got you those tag titles to begin with. But you forget that I share a bond with you guys as well, one that goes almost just as deep. I know you two. I know how you rely and depend on each other. And while I know how strong that bond makes you, I know it also makes you predictable. And I wouldn’t bet against on any other team on the planet if it wasn’t me facing you, but I know every kink in your armor, every opening in your defences, and I will exploit them to the fullest within the boundaries of the rulebook. And while I know Sarah doesn’t always care a lot about the rules, I know she’d never cheat against ME!
I’ll admit, I had my reservations going into this match…”
Plane ticket reservations even, but hush, nobody has to know…
“…but I truly do believe we CAN beat you. Rydell and I may not have your chemistry, but we both have a point to prove. Overlooked and undervalued, we will go as hard as we can. Because I know now that doing anything but giving you my all would be doing you a disservice. So I’m gonna go eat my chicken soup, prepare as well as I can and beat you girls up as hard as I know how! I may falter, I may fail, but I’ll have given it my best shot… which is what I know you both will expect from me!”
Angelica winked a smooched at the camera, before disconnecting. These last few eeks had been such an emotional rollercoaster. Beating Bordy, being named Outlast Captain, losing to Pierce, and losing out on the first draft pick (not that it mattered because #spoileralert). Things were bound to be on the up and up again. She JUST had to make sure she and Rydell were on the same page.
Easier said than done…
-----------------------
At Synergy…
Backstage
Angie was nervous. She’d faced Rydell before. She’d beaten him. But even though at the time he’d said people didn’t take him seriously, she was hoping that was very far from the truth. After all, Angelica was about to face her very own sister (who still had no clue) and one of her very best and dearest friends… alongside a man she still knew very little about. Her usual pre-team up routine consisted of getting to know her teamie, like she’d done with Jet, but time was closing in and she still had to talk to Dave Rydell! She knew he had experience so maybe he wasn’t that bothered because she’d be like the 38th person he’d team up with, but for Angie it was still a big deal.
She wandered the hallways of the stadium, grabbing each and every staff member to inquire about Rydell’s whereabouts. Until she spotted him in one of the corridors all by himself. With his beard now grown out he looked a lot different and a lot more intimidating. For Angie, that was good AND bad. Because he seemed more menacing but also less approachable. But she swallowed her pride and let her courage prevail, so she could talk to him like a normal person.
“D-d-d-Dave?” she asked.
Dave heard his name, so he paused. With everything going through his mind for this title match coming up, he wondered, “what could possibly be happening now?” His back still to her, he let out a sigh. He turns, and with a half-smile on his face, he was relieved.
“I’ve been looking for you. I’m glad we finally have a minute.”
“You… have?” Angelica was surprised to hear it. She’d been so self-absorbed in her own troubles that she hadn’t really thought about Dave’s thoughts and feelings. It made her feel bad. After all, this was a guy about to put his body in the line in order to achieve co-operative in-ring success with her. He deserved better than that.
“Of course you have!” she continued. “What’s been on your mind, Dave? I get this is a confusing situation for you too. We were both about to throw each other over the top rope and suddenly… poof! We’re partners!”
Dave listened, intently. He soaked it all in right until she finished. He pondered, was he being set up? Or was this going down the road of a ‘for real partnership’? After all, Kenzi seemed to think highly of Dave, but Sarah? Not so much.
“Well, to be honest, I want to talk strategy. I want to figure out what your plan of attack might be and if we are on the same page. I want to know first and foremost, if I have anything to worry about. Are we partners? Or are we just teaming in a match tonight?”
Angelica sighed. She’d seen this question coming, and Dave was in his right to ask this of her. After all, stepping into a wrestling ring was a huge sacrifice. It puts a toll on your mind and body, and it’s never meant to be taken lightly. She had to reassure him.
“That’s fair, Dave. And, I won’t lie. You know those two girl in there are two of my best friends. So much so that I almost ran off into obscurity in order to avoid this conflict. But I’m here now. I’m here, ready to fight, wrestle, and go for gold. I will give it my best shot tonight as challengers; and if we become champions, I will give it my best shot as your co-champion every single match we have to defend. I’m here because I WANT to be, Dave. I could’ve abandoned you, turned on you, let you be a lamb ripe for slaughter as I saw you walk into the paws of my best friends… but they too have to learn that I’m not easily bypassed, and they will respect both you and me a ton if we beat them! Kenzi most certainly. And even Sarah. Because she respects strength, Dave. And I think we can show it to them”
Dave put his hand in his pocket. He looked down at his feet and then back at Angie.
“I’m going to be completely blunt. I don’t care if you wanted to run away. I don’t care if your ‘besties’ respect me or not. I know the work all of you have put in. I respect that. But I promise you this, if you cross me tonight, there will be hell to pay. I will dedicate every action I have left in this career to ending each and every one of you three.”
Dave stood up straight, pulled his hand out of his pocket, and smirked.
“But, if you say you’re on board, hey, I can’t wait! You’re here. I’m here. Now let’s cut the bullshit and get out there and kick some ass!”
Angie cringed at Dave using rude words such as ‘shit’, closing her eyes and almost instinctively trying to cover her ears. But his message did arrive.
“I won’t betray you, Dave. Kenzi wouldn’t want me to, and I would never want me to! I’m as much on board as I possibly could be. We’ve both been written off. Both been overlooked. Our team hasn’t been given even a sliver of a shadow of a chance to win this one, but I think you and I have got what it takes to put them down, even if only for one night. Last time we faced you said I looked up to you when I shouldn’t have. That people looked at you as a joke and that I was wrong to hold you in such high esteem. I say, Dave, that tonight we show the world why i was right back then. Why I was right that Dave Rydell has a lot more left in the tank than people give him credit for! That Dave Rydell can partner up with a five foot ten leggy blonde and win those co-op titles without any kind of pre-existing experience or chemistry because he’s just THAT good!”
Angelica held her hand in front of her, hoping Dave will shake it. She’s had her doubts herself. But now was not the time for hesitation or conflict. Now was the time for self-belief and co-operation.
“What say you, Dave? All or nothing?”
Dave stood there, intently. He thought about everything Angie just threw at him. She made some very compelling arguments. He even smirked a bit when she called herself a leggy blonde, as he is a fan of leggy blondes. He smiled, looked at Angie right in her eyes.
“I’m more of a fan of high fives. But I’ll take this. If you weren’t aware, I’m an all in kinda guy.”
Dave reached out and shook her hand.
“Sweet,” Angie said, shaking his hand. “Our time is now, Dave. It may be short, it may be long, it may be more than we can chew, like that time Roxy talked about how she met this guy who was over seven feet tall. Anyway, let’s just make sure we prove the doubters wrong and add a piece of legacy to our careers. Rydell and Vaughn, the unlikeliest of tag champs.”
And after that, Dave walked off, making his own final preparations.
I just want you to know that me leaving has nothing to do with you… but it also has everything to do with you. Because you were right, Sar. I don’t have what it takes. I don’t have what it takes to beat you. It’s a paralyzing fear that grabs hold of me as soon as I even entertain the thought. My hands lock up, my legs freeze, my breath sticks in my throat and my vision goes all blurry, like as if… Well, you know what blurry is.
I couldn’t hurt you even if I tried, but it’s not because I think you’re a better athlete than I am per se. Or a better wrestler. Fighter. Whatever term you want to stick on it. I could hurt you about as much as I could hurt my dear beloved kitties Alex and Bobby! By the dubs, take good care of them for me, will you? I’m sure they’ll miss their mommy terribly, but they’ll find solace with auntie Sar and cousin Has.
No, I sers couldn’t hurt you, because there are quite a few… things you might not know. I’m not sure if it’ll impact you in the same way it’s impacted me over the last few weeks, but we’ve always said that we had an instant connection the moment we met. There was a spark of friendship that ignited, so fierce and awesome that no darkness could ever hope to overshadow it. As if we’d known each other our entire lives. And I guess we did. Every time we looked in the mirror, mine a bit higher than yours obvs; every time we brushed our hair; every time we plucked those few nasty lashes from our eyebrows that are so unbelievably persistent. You know the ones I’m talking about, because you have them too. The ones that mess up the symmetry completely, like ew!
Anyways, what I’m getting to is this… you’re like a sister to me. Not just ‘like’. You literally are. And I get that this is a pretty weirdo way to break this news to you, but since I’ll be gone forever, I felt like you should know! I don’t like dabbling in what-ifs and what-coulda-beens, but I want to get this out of the way. Making revelations isn’t my thing, but I can’t go into hiding forever knowing that you never knew you had a sister who loved you very dearly, more than you could ever have known.
I bet you’re probably doing that thing you do now, waving your hands at your face all dramatically, as if the wind you create will evaporate the tears you don’t want anybody to see. But yes, Sarah Lacklan, I’m your sister. Bastard-sister, maybe, but I too am Jean-Paul Lacklan’s offspring. My mother Mary was one of his many concubines, and my so-called father, who now roams at Bordy’s side, was nothing but a follower who had found the call of a forbidden love a bit too overwhelming. This is a lot to take in, I know, like Roxy always says when she talks about ‘bad dragons’ or something, which seems like a bit of a pleonasm, because dragons are ALWAYS bad! Unless a few in Skyrim if I remember correctly.
Anyway, I’m drifting. Bad dragons, am I right? Roxy does always say they make you drift into outer space. BUT…
Just know that I love you Sar. Come what may. I will always look at you as the strongest person I know, both inside the ring and outside of it, the way you came back from your near-dead experience, the way you kept fighting because you would simply not be beaten; the way you returned to the ring in spite of every single kind of odds being stacked against you… I am much weaker than you, this I know. I am not even in your league. Because while you will always do whatever is necessary, I will always try to do the right thing and falter. You have embraced our bloodline, and will carry on the legacy our father always intended for us, while I will be kind and good and weak, and make him turn in his grave. I know he would not be proud of me. I know he would think I’m a disgrace to his dynasty. But I’d rather have the ghost of a dead man I never even knew spit on me than have to live with the thought that I put hands on my own sister.
So I’m sorry, Sarah Lacklan. I hope you will forgive me. This is goodbye. This is the end. Love you loads! LOL!”
Angelica put down her phone and stored the video message to her internal hard drive. A wave of relief washed over her as she saw she had just about enough memory left. No cat pictures had to be deleted on this day. This video, she was going to send to Sarah once she’d arrived, so there was no way she could intercept her. She knew they’d try and stop her if they could, but her mind was made up. She leaned forward and spoke to the driver.
“Are we nearly at the airport, mister?”
“About a minute out, ma’am.”
“Coolio as beans.”
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“Noooooooope! Nope nope nope nope! Not doing it! AM NOT!”
“You don’t have much of a choice!” Edith Seybold answered, as the two women stood face to face in her office. Edith, Angelica’s agent (and a very good one at that), was rather worried after the developments following Sarah Lacklan appreciation night. Sure, Angelica had come up short against Travis Pierce, but she’d also been one of the two last people standing in the Open Invitational Battle Royal. And the prize? A tag team title opportunity.
Now, according to Edith’s logic, this was a good thing. In fact, a VERY good thing. Title shots were never freebies, and always came on merit, especially in a place like UGWC. Edith didn’t even think that ANY kind of title shot, no matter where or how or WHO it was against, would ever form any kind of problem. But then again, her client WAS Angelica Vaughn, and she was as stubborn as she was adorable, as thickheaded as she was competent, and as impressionable as she was totes five foot ten.
“Erm, excuse me, I have all the choice in the world,” was Angelica’s rebuttal. “I am not fighting my sister, I simply WILL NOT! You have to understand Edith, you’re one of, like, 4 people in the world who know my secret! Would you beat up your own sister simply because you were told to? That’s not how I roll! I roll smoothly and carefree, like the wheels on a brand new Matchbox truck.”
Edith rolled her eyes.
“Look Angie, you very well know-“
“Nope! Noooope nop nope nope!” Angelica shook her head, her blonde locks flying all over the place as she closed her eyes in denial. The bright lights in the sterile office reflected off her glamourous blonde head, like a mirror that reflected the sun itself. It was a dazzling view, even in spite of the circumstances.
“I said I WILL NOT! I know I can’t get out of this, so it’s time for some radical measures!”
“Radical meas-?”
“Abs and totes and obvs! Ab and tobvs! I will not fight my sister, and I’m terrified to do so. It is therefore, that I have decided I will migrate to Tibet, where I will proceed to live undercover as a mountain goat! Nobody will ever find me!”
“….beg pardon?”
“No pardon needed! Thanks for everything Edith, you’ve been a great agent, but my career as a pro wrestler stops here. If Emperor Kuzco could live as a lama, then I’ll have no problem being a mountain goat, I’m sure. Thanks and toodles!”
Angelica turned around and sprinted out of the door, all sanity having forsaken her. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t. She loved Sar too deeply and too dearly, and ever since that dreaded battle royal moment, it was like the seas had parted, like the rapture had happened… She saw no way out, other than this. The shock effect had caused a chemical imbalance in her brain. It was Tibet or perish.
Hyperventilating, she left behind her agent, who stood nailed to the floor.
But Edith Seybold didn’t remain perplexed for long. As soon as she heard Angelica get into an Uber, or ‘Ubes’ as she started to call them, she whipped out her phone.
“Mary? Hello yes this is Edith. I need your help. Angelica’s lost her mind.”
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As soon as Angelica got in the Ubes, she tapped on the driver’s shoulder.
“Nearest airport. Go go go!”
With screeching wheels he departed and Angelica held on to her purse so it wouldn’t fall off her seat. She knew this as unexpected, but she also didn’t want people to think she’d forgotten all about them. She wanted to leave a few goodbye notes before she went to Tibet to live out the remainder of her life as an undercover mountain goat. And her fellow CoolKids, I mean #CoolKids, were her top priority. So she fired up her phone. Plenty of space left. Kenzi and Roxy, the Clear Connection, first. Obvs.
“Hiya Kenzi. Hiya Rox. Now, by the time you’ll be getting this, you’ll probably be thinking, “Why hasn’t Angie tweeted us a cat picture this past hour? That’s not like her at all! We’ve missed the five pictures of ser Alex having lunch, and the three pictures we usually get of ser Bobby trying to steal ser Alex’ lunch and the 12 pictures of the fight, which is totes a playful bromance fight, that ensues.”
And yeah, fair enough. I do send you all of those pics every single day. But that’s not the point!
The point is that I love you guys. SO much! Roxy, you and I may not have started out on the best of feet. Started off on the wrong feet. Started off on the best of terms. You know what I mean! But N-E-Ways, after you said I should clean my pussy, and I totes did because you’ll find that ser Bobby’s fur never looked shinier since that next day, we’ve totes been besties! I adorbz you to the fullest Roxanne, and I’m certain you’ll work your way into Hall of Fame after Hall of Fame despite your detractors desperately claiming you don’t have what it takes. So what if you like Squirtle? He’s a great starter Pokémon, and one of the most underestimated ones if you ask me! And on top of that, you’re one of the sweetest and most sincere people I’ve ever met. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise! Which I’m sure you won’t, since you don’t really know when to stay silent.
And Kenzi? There are no words in the dictionary I can use to describe what your friendship has meant to me. Your wisdom, your kind heartedness, your utter and absolute Christianity, or was it clarity, has been an inspiration to me throughout my career. While Sar and I may resemble each other physically, your moral disposition has kept me honest and true, your bright outlook has made sure I never strayed from my path, and you are, unironically, one of the brightest and shiniest and most absolutely amazeballs people I’ve ever had the privilege to meet. Leaving you will be hard, not in the least because… Well, you’ll find out. I just want you to know, that whilst I am living out the rest of my life in a complete secure location that you will never find out, I’ve no doubt you will continue to climb your way to the top in every federation that has the privilege of having you under contract. Whether it’s wrestling, MMA, or act… Or MMA… You will continue to be the best at what you do! It’s therefore that I humbly request that you…MAY… want to stop pursuing an acting career. Because, let’s just say you’re BETTER at other things. LIKE BEING MY FRIEND OBVS. And… do me a favor? Although I know I’ve no right to ask for one? Treat Sarah right. Treat her right until the day comes where you to are old gals in an old people’s home. Treat her with spoon-fed rice pudding, treat her with nuts and raisins, and hold her hand until she passes, whispering in her ear how much you love her and that not even eternity will keep you apart.”
Angelica turned the phone away from her face, wiping a tear from her eye.
“I love you all so much.”
She sighed. End of video. Time to get a message out to Sarah. She couldn’t possible leave her behind without a goodbye vid.
And there.
She.
Went.
-------------------
Angelica sat in the terminal, waiting for boarding. Yes, she knew she was taking this to extreme measures, but what choice did she have? She knew people would scold her, call her a coward and a weirdo, BUT THEY DID NOT HAVE TO PUNCH ON THEIR SISTER4S FACES WITH CLOSED FISTS. They did not have to DRIVE THEIR SKULLS INTO THE MAT AT MAX VELOCITY to pin their shoulders to the canvas! They DID NOT HAVE TO KICK THEIR CRANIUMS SO HARD THEY NEARLY SHATTERED.
Angie wasn’t counting on sympathy. She wasn’t counting on anything. But when she heard a voice in the distance, her shoulders slumped. A voice she recognized all too well.
“Angie, sweetheart?”
“Ugh, mommmmmmm!” Angie replied, knowing what this meant. Edith had told on her, that b---- erm, woman! Angelica stood up, but her mother already ran up to her, tearing her way through the hustle and bustle of the airport, with indistinct PA announcements and chit-chat from travellers all throughout. Mary saw her and ran up to her, hugging her with a tight embrace.
“Angie sweetie, what are you doing, what are you thinking??? Edith called me in distress, she said you’d lost your mind! She said something about Tibet???”
Angelica gave in, the warmth of hr mother’s embrace too overwhelming to fight back against. Of course. What HAD she been thinking? Was she really going to abandon all of her family just to escape confrontation? But still…
“I can’t do it, mommy…” Angelica insisted with teary eyes that smudged her otherwise impeccable make-up. “I can’t fight Sar or Kenzi. I shudder at the thought.”
And she did. Her shoulders shook, her chest heaved as she tried to fight back her tears. Yes, the battle royal had been an accomplishment; one she wished she’d never had.
“Aw, sweetie…”
Mary guided Angelica to the nearest bench and sat her down, wrapping her arm around her daughter.
“I know how you feel. Fighting a Lacklan is never easy. Whether physically or mentally, they get to you. I should know, because I gave in, remember? I let myself be mesmerized. I let myself be charmed and taken away. But as I let myself be talked into tales of grandeur and got bedazzled by the never-ending glory and splendour of Lacklanland, I also realized a few other things.”
“Like?” Angelica sked, looking up at her mother’s caring face.
“Like how the Lacklans revere strength. Like how they love confrontation and respect winners. Like how they will see wrestling prowess as the highest honor attainable, and how they will bend the knee to the strongest in the room. And you’re stronger than you think you are, Angie. So much stronger that this perception you have of yourself. You think that just because Sarah is your sister that you shouldn’t punch her in the face? Or choke her out? Or kick her skull in? No, sweetie, she’s a Lacklan, and the harder you hit her, the more she will respect you.”
“…but Kenzi?” Angelica asked while wiping a tear from her eye with her sleeve.
“Kenzi was born into this business. She’s an entertainer through and through, and she’s always wanted to emulate her mother! Be BETTER than her mother! But you know what they say, sweetie… You’re only as good as your opponent was. And believe it or not, but Kenzi NEEDS you to go all out against her. Kenzi needs you to show up, and be the Vaughnemous tall fiery kickstarter that she knows you can be! She needs you to be that girl who stood in the face of obscurity and gave it the middle finger.”
“I don’t flip people off”, Angie said, a bit taken aback.
“Figuratively! Obvs!” Mary replied. But think about it sweetie. You owe them so much, but running off to… Tibet? To live undercover as a… What was it?”
“Mountain goat…”
“Mountain goat? That’s not you talking. That’s just irrational. Maybe it’s the appletini’s talking, hmm?”
“….maybe….”
“So let’s get you home, let’s give you a nice hot bath, wrap you into some warm towels, and we can watch game tape while I prepare some chicken soup and feed you nacho’s and guacamole, right? My li-… very tall champion of Mexico and Portland?”
“Fine. No, you’re right,” Angelica said, nodding. Her world was so blurry. What HAD she been thinking? She needed to get home. And it was at that time, more than ever before, that she was glad her mother had come back into her life.
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Way later…
Angelica sat curled up on her couch. Mommy’s chicken soup in a mug in her hand and a blanket wrapped around all five foot ten of her. She’d come to her senses. Mother was right. So the moment she’d gotten home, she’d deleted the messages she’d recorded for Sarah, Roxy and Kenzi, lest she’d accidentally upload them or if someone stole her phone. Ser Alex jumped on the couch before starting to knead the blanket with his paws. Angie reached out and scratched him behind one of his folded ears, eliciting a purr. She then let go, holding up her phone for a new message, one directed at the tag team champions.
“Sarah! Kenzi! My fellow hashtag CoolKids! Let’s not beat around the bush, as Roxy likes to say. Or at least I think it was. Something about ‘beating off’ and something about ‘her bush’. Anyways, you know why I’m uploading this little message to the interwebz. It’s because you, my dearest besties, are scheduled to compete against ME, for the tag team titles. Co-op titles, whatevs. A pair of championships I once held with my dearest BF Roxy. And while our reign may have been rather short-lived, I take great pride we were ever even able to hold them, since your current reign proves that only people with true championship pedigree can ever hope to hold them.
Now, you know how much I love you guys, not much has to be said in that regard. You know how much I respect you. And yes yes yes, I know you think y tag partner is a bit of a joke. I’ve heard Sar talk down Dave Rydell’s abilities, I’ve heard every other person on the IGWC roster talk about how he's a has-been, or how he’s a joke these days… But you know what? He’s my tag team partner for the night, and if it’s his side I have to be successful at, then I’ll do my best to make it work! Dave Rydell may not be my first choice for a partner… or my third… or fifth or tenth…. But he’s a guy who shows up to work, a guy who’s sometimes down, but never out, and he’s due for a big break!
And who could be bigger than me, right? I’m five foot ten, as y’all know. But that’s beside the point.
Kenzi, you know I think you’re one of the most talented individuals on the planet. Forgive me for saying this, but your mother gave you great wrestling pedigree. Just look at her recent in-ring success! You made it, in part thanks to your hard work, but also because it’s in your genes!
Speaking of jeans, I really could use a new pair.
N-E-Ways, you and Sarah share a great bond, which is exactly what got you those tag titles to begin with. But you forget that I share a bond with you guys as well, one that goes almost just as deep. I know you two. I know how you rely and depend on each other. And while I know how strong that bond makes you, I know it also makes you predictable. And I wouldn’t bet against on any other team on the planet if it wasn’t me facing you, but I know every kink in your armor, every opening in your defences, and I will exploit them to the fullest within the boundaries of the rulebook. And while I know Sarah doesn’t always care a lot about the rules, I know she’d never cheat against ME!
I’ll admit, I had my reservations going into this match…”
Plane ticket reservations even, but hush, nobody has to know…
“…but I truly do believe we CAN beat you. Rydell and I may not have your chemistry, but we both have a point to prove. Overlooked and undervalued, we will go as hard as we can. Because I know now that doing anything but giving you my all would be doing you a disservice. So I’m gonna go eat my chicken soup, prepare as well as I can and beat you girls up as hard as I know how! I may falter, I may fail, but I’ll have given it my best shot… which is what I know you both will expect from me!”
Angelica winked a smooched at the camera, before disconnecting. These last few eeks had been such an emotional rollercoaster. Beating Bordy, being named Outlast Captain, losing to Pierce, and losing out on the first draft pick (not that it mattered because #spoileralert). Things were bound to be on the up and up again. She JUST had to make sure she and Rydell were on the same page.
Easier said than done…
-----------------------
At Synergy…
Backstage
Angie was nervous. She’d faced Rydell before. She’d beaten him. But even though at the time he’d said people didn’t take him seriously, she was hoping that was very far from the truth. After all, Angelica was about to face her very own sister (who still had no clue) and one of her very best and dearest friends… alongside a man she still knew very little about. Her usual pre-team up routine consisted of getting to know her teamie, like she’d done with Jet, but time was closing in and she still had to talk to Dave Rydell! She knew he had experience so maybe he wasn’t that bothered because she’d be like the 38th person he’d team up with, but for Angie it was still a big deal.
She wandered the hallways of the stadium, grabbing each and every staff member to inquire about Rydell’s whereabouts. Until she spotted him in one of the corridors all by himself. With his beard now grown out he looked a lot different and a lot more intimidating. For Angie, that was good AND bad. Because he seemed more menacing but also less approachable. But she swallowed her pride and let her courage prevail, so she could talk to him like a normal person.
“D-d-d-Dave?” she asked.
Dave heard his name, so he paused. With everything going through his mind for this title match coming up, he wondered, “what could possibly be happening now?” His back still to her, he let out a sigh. He turns, and with a half-smile on his face, he was relieved.
“I’ve been looking for you. I’m glad we finally have a minute.”
“You… have?” Angelica was surprised to hear it. She’d been so self-absorbed in her own troubles that she hadn’t really thought about Dave’s thoughts and feelings. It made her feel bad. After all, this was a guy about to put his body in the line in order to achieve co-operative in-ring success with her. He deserved better than that.
“Of course you have!” she continued. “What’s been on your mind, Dave? I get this is a confusing situation for you too. We were both about to throw each other over the top rope and suddenly… poof! We’re partners!”
Dave listened, intently. He soaked it all in right until she finished. He pondered, was he being set up? Or was this going down the road of a ‘for real partnership’? After all, Kenzi seemed to think highly of Dave, but Sarah? Not so much.
“Well, to be honest, I want to talk strategy. I want to figure out what your plan of attack might be and if we are on the same page. I want to know first and foremost, if I have anything to worry about. Are we partners? Or are we just teaming in a match tonight?”
Angelica sighed. She’d seen this question coming, and Dave was in his right to ask this of her. After all, stepping into a wrestling ring was a huge sacrifice. It puts a toll on your mind and body, and it’s never meant to be taken lightly. She had to reassure him.
“That’s fair, Dave. And, I won’t lie. You know those two girl in there are two of my best friends. So much so that I almost ran off into obscurity in order to avoid this conflict. But I’m here now. I’m here, ready to fight, wrestle, and go for gold. I will give it my best shot tonight as challengers; and if we become champions, I will give it my best shot as your co-champion every single match we have to defend. I’m here because I WANT to be, Dave. I could’ve abandoned you, turned on you, let you be a lamb ripe for slaughter as I saw you walk into the paws of my best friends… but they too have to learn that I’m not easily bypassed, and they will respect both you and me a ton if we beat them! Kenzi most certainly. And even Sarah. Because she respects strength, Dave. And I think we can show it to them”
Dave put his hand in his pocket. He looked down at his feet and then back at Angie.
“I’m going to be completely blunt. I don’t care if you wanted to run away. I don’t care if your ‘besties’ respect me or not. I know the work all of you have put in. I respect that. But I promise you this, if you cross me tonight, there will be hell to pay. I will dedicate every action I have left in this career to ending each and every one of you three.”
Dave stood up straight, pulled his hand out of his pocket, and smirked.
“But, if you say you’re on board, hey, I can’t wait! You’re here. I’m here. Now let’s cut the bullshit and get out there and kick some ass!”
Angie cringed at Dave using rude words such as ‘shit’, closing her eyes and almost instinctively trying to cover her ears. But his message did arrive.
“I won’t betray you, Dave. Kenzi wouldn’t want me to, and I would never want me to! I’m as much on board as I possibly could be. We’ve both been written off. Both been overlooked. Our team hasn’t been given even a sliver of a shadow of a chance to win this one, but I think you and I have got what it takes to put them down, even if only for one night. Last time we faced you said I looked up to you when I shouldn’t have. That people looked at you as a joke and that I was wrong to hold you in such high esteem. I say, Dave, that tonight we show the world why i was right back then. Why I was right that Dave Rydell has a lot more left in the tank than people give him credit for! That Dave Rydell can partner up with a five foot ten leggy blonde and win those co-op titles without any kind of pre-existing experience or chemistry because he’s just THAT good!”
Angelica held her hand in front of her, hoping Dave will shake it. She’s had her doubts herself. But now was not the time for hesitation or conflict. Now was the time for self-belief and co-operation.
“What say you, Dave? All or nothing?”
Dave stood there, intently. He thought about everything Angie just threw at him. She made some very compelling arguments. He even smirked a bit when she called herself a leggy blonde, as he is a fan of leggy blondes. He smiled, looked at Angie right in her eyes.
“I’m more of a fan of high fives. But I’ll take this. If you weren’t aware, I’m an all in kinda guy.”
Dave reached out and shook her hand.
“Sweet,” Angie said, shaking his hand. “Our time is now, Dave. It may be short, it may be long, it may be more than we can chew, like that time Roxy talked about how she met this guy who was over seven feet tall. Anyway, let’s just make sure we prove the doubters wrong and add a piece of legacy to our careers. Rydell and Vaughn, the unlikeliest of tag champs.”
And after that, Dave walked off, making his own final preparations.
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