Post by orangecassidy on Jul 21, 2020 22:39:52 GMT -5
Orange rolls out of the ring, shoves his hands in his pockets and makes his way back up the ramp. He hears the ref count in the distance and fans screaming for him, but he doesn’t care. He did what he came there to do. Walking into the gorilla position, he half expects Priscilla to be waiting for him so she could get her revenge. All he sees is a sea of production people, producers and agents staring at him, not knowing whether to clap for him or to shake their heads in shame. Orange walks through gorilla, making his way to the backstage area.
Orange Cassidy’s Internal Monologue:
I should go see if she’s ok.
Orange lights a cigarette as he begins his search around the arena. He starts at the trainer’s room, poking his head in to see Reginald Nowinski and no one else.
Reginald Nowinski:
Something I can help you with Orange?
Orange Cassidy:
Was Priscilla in here?
Reginald shakes his head.
Reginald Nowinski:
Afraid not.
Orange Cassidy:
Got a clean towel and bag of ice I could have?
Reginald nods and tosses Orange a towel, then fills a bag with ice and hands it to Orange.
Orange Cassidy:
Thanks.
Reginald Nowinski:
Don’t mention it. Actually, do you have a minute? I have been wanting to talk to you about your smoking habits…
Orange walks out of the trainer’s room and continues to roam the halls of the TD Garden Arena. He eventually passes catering where he sees the staff breaking down the tables and trying to clean up the area. They stay away from one table in the center, where Priscilla Kelly is sitting with her head in her hands. The certainty of his actions shatter in his mind and now all he feels is regret.
Orange Cassidy’s Internal Monologue:
Oh man. I hope I didn’t fuck this up.
Orange walks over to the table that the staff is too afraid to approach and taps Priscilla on the shoulder. Priscilla doesn’t look up, head still in hands.
Priscilla Kelly
Cranston, if that’s you, I’m feeding you to Helmuta. I told you to fuck off.
Orange sits in the chair next to her and places the towel and ice in front of her.
Orange Cassidy:
It’s not Cranston…
Upon recognizing the voice, Priscilla goes ever so slightly more still, before she exhales a deep breath, and her shoulders sag. She doesn’t remove her face from her hands.
Priscilla Kelly
I don’t know what to say to you right now…
Orange Cassidy:
That would make two of us…
He picks up the towel and ice from the table.
Orange Cassidy:
Can I at least help you out?
Priscilla says nothing, so Orange begins to wipe the sweat off her back and then holds the bag of ice to her shoulder. Priscilla finally lets her hands fall from her face, but her beady blue eyes, lulled with bitterness, do not fall upon Orange, but stay locked upon the spec of ground before her feet. She talks slowly, exasperated.
Priscilla Kelly
Was that really the best way to prove your point?
Orange Cassidy:
Did you take me seriously when I told you before?
Priscilla Kelly
I know why you did it Orange. You pinned me. You’re capable of it. I get it. I just-
Priscilla shakes her head. Finally, she looks up at Orange, meeting his gaze.
Priscilla Kelly
I shouldn’t have helped you get into this fucking match.
Orange goes to grab her hand, but waits to make sure it’s ok. He reaches out, but Priscilla pulls her hand away.
Orange Cassidy:
I feel like I was more than capable of winning that qualifying match by myself…
Priscilla Kelly
That’s not the point, Orange. I’ve not really faced defeat yet. It never really crossed my mind that I could be taken out like that. I thought the Chamber would be fun… quality time we could spend cracking four other heads together… and I knew I’d be okay because, I don’t let anyone get the better of me. I’m smarter than everyone here, more motivated, I’ve fought through more, I pick out weaknesses but I don’t have any of my own…
Priscilla swallows. She looks away from Orange.
Priscilla Kelly
At least I didn’t. You’ve made me realize that… I’m not the same Priscilla I came into this federation as. I was right about that Priscilla, you couldn’t pin her. But now I’ve been turned into a Priscilla who can be.
She sighs.
Priscilla Kelly
By you.
She looks back up at Orange.
Priscilla Kelly
If I’m with you… I’m beatable.
Orange sits back in his chair and lets out a sigh.
Orange Cassidy’s Internal Monologue:
Nice going dipshit…
Orange takes a moment to rack his brain and compose his thoughts. He takes off his sunglasses, slowly, and puts them on the table, slowly.
Orange Cassidy:
I’m gonna make a few assumptions, so stop me if I am wrong about anything. I like you. You like me. I respect you as a person. You respect me as a person, which I appreciate greatly considering you don’t really respect anyone. I respect you as a competitor, but you didn’t respect me as one. You thought having me in the chamber was a nice way to spend a Saturday night instead of what it actually is, having me fighting you for your title. Priscilla, you are an amazing competitor. You have been running this federation since day one. But nobody is unbeatable, any person can beat any person on any given day and that’s just life. I was worried that this sort of thing would happen if I beat you in the chamber, so I figured that I’d do what I did tonight to see how you’d react. I am now only realizing how shitty of a way I went about it. I used our feelings for each other to pull one over on you and that sucks. I betrayed your trust, I’m sorry and I promise I will not pull anything like that in the chamber. But, I will give it my all because I realize this is one of the biggest opportunities I’ve ever had in my career. I also feel like I’m not the same person I was when I walked into this federation. I’m hungry, I’m angry and I’m giving it my all. I’m not going to throw away an opportunity.
Orange eyes are those of a man who looks like he used all the mental capacity to say what he just said.
Orange Cassidy:
I can’t pretend to be in your head and know how you think of yourself, but I like Priscilla Kelly.
Priscilla hasn’t peered at Orange once, she sits silently, eyes looking lazily ahead of her, her head swimming with thoughts of what Orange is saying to her.
Priscilla Kelly
So do I.
Priscilla peers up slowly, she still doesn’t look at Orange, she looks ahead. Her newly dyed orange fringe falls in front of her eyes, and after a few seconds, she blows it away aggressively.
Priscilla Kelly
I like Priscilla Kelly… more than I like anyone else.
Priscilla stands up, she turns slowly.
Priscilla Kelly
And that’s who I’m looking out for.
Finally, her eyes settle on Orange once more. Her big blue eyes, filled with sadness. Not an anger, or hatred, or any other Priscilla Kelly staple… but an unusual, unexpected sadness. She’s in pain.
Priscilla Kelly
See you in the Chamber, Fire Ant.
And with that, Priscilla turns, and walks away. Orange watches her go, her bright orange hair swaying, before its bright glow disappears from the reflection of Cassidy’s aviators as she rounds the nearest corner. Orange sighs as his face drops into a slight frown. As he starts to walk to find the Best Friends so they can head home, the words of his mentor and personal hero echo through his head.
Bruce Hart:
You don’t make friends on the way to the top. Friends don’t get you to the top.
Orange Cassidy’s Internal Monologue:
She made me feel like I was at the top...
END