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The TV blared, serving as a reminder to the houses inhabitants that definitely needed something better to do. At least, one of them did. The house itself was a living nightmare. Beer cans, empty Cheetos bags and dirty laundry was scattered about the living room. Through a doorway beyond, the kitchen was barely visible through mountains of dirty dishes and food packaging. As for the stairs to the left, one can only imagine what was lurking on the second floor. Some may recognize this as the home of the Thomas family. A veritable mad house with dogs, reptiles and other unsavory characters. Such as the AWA’s own Seth Thomas, or his trusty little companion, Cody Carson. But our story is based upon the woman now carefully descending the afore-mentioned staircase. She had waist-length dark brown hair, a lean, muscular build, and eyes that could pierce the strongest of armors. Her attire consisted of a pair of faded loose fitting jeans, secured with a skull and crossbones belt; topped off with a black Darkwell tank top and bright pink striped stockings. Some of you may recognize her as Jalie Thomas, Cody Carson’s would-be sister in law. And forever a looming presence on his conscience. The television flickered and began running a local commercial for AWA, a repeat of last weeks Showdown. A bitter smile played across Jalie’s features as she watched the A3 mockery. Thoughts of her sister Carmen, asleep upstairs, more miserable than she’d ever seen her made her cringe. Carson. The fucking imbecile. He swore to Jalie not to hurt her, to respect her… He knew the consequences otherwise. But he ruined it. And now… Now he was in for one hell of a ride.

Jalie turned the TV off and waded through the mess into the kitchen. She checked the clock, mindful of Seth’s new “no pre-noon booze” rule. 11:52. She cursed under her breath. Dropping into a chair at the table she glimpsed a book among the stack of un-opened mail. There lay Brandi James’ autobiography. Jalie stared at it. She wasn’t angry with Brandi, not in the slightest. The two women were like sisters. And yet, this entire incident was folded neatly within the pages. A disaster in an eight by ten envelope. “Blame it on the mailman…” Jalie thought coldly. In truth, the blame lie with one person. Cody Carson. It was his harbored feelings and candid admissions that sent his fiancee into a downward spiral. He couldn’t find Carmen to talk to her. This was his almighty explanation. Had he known, all along, that Carmen would, as always, come running to her big sister? Of course he did. But it was an excuse to hook up with his high school sweetheart. Or at least try to. Jalie began drumming her fingers on the table. 11:56. A dull thudding told her that Carmen was making her way downstairs. Seth was begrudgingly off on a publicity tour in London. If there was one thing he hated more than the media, it was the English. Carmen passed Jalie, glancing at the clock above the stove and frowning. She pulled open the cabinet and grabbed an empty box of Pop Tarts. And then another one, and another. After searching she finally settled into the fact that they would have to buckle down and go grocery shopping. Carmen dropped into a chair opposite Jalie and sighed. Together, they looked like they’d just awoken from a night of hellacious partying, when in fact it was just the opposite.

“Morning sunshine..” Jalie muttered. Carmen snorted. She hadn’t changed out of her pajamas in days. Cody’s old football t-shirt and boxers were becoming like a second skin. Jalie adjusted her socks, picking non-existent lint off of them with an obvious nervous tick. 11:59.

“Any calls…?” Carmen asked, the hopefulness in her voice becoming fainter as the days went by. Jalie shook her head. She thought of Carson’s actions as of late and felt a gnawing in her stomach that had nothing to do with hunger. He had admitted that whenever he was Carmen, he thought of Brandi… That he never loved Carmen like he loved her. This was probably the thing that angered Jalie the most. The fact that he knew. He knew he loved Brandi and yet he made a commitment to Carmen anyway. The things she wanted to do to him would have made Dahmer blanch. 12:00.

She pulled a Corona from the fridge and twisted it open, downing half the bottle as if to make up for lost time. She reached underneath the table and pulled out a pair of worn looking flame-toed combat boots. She pulled them on, downed the rest of her beer, and headed for the door. Outside the grass was dying, weeds were sprouted through the cracks in their walk, and the beer bottles had somehow found their way onto the lawn as well. Jalie rounded to the left where a large dumpster was placed by the side of the house. She pounded on the lid but received no response. To the uneducated viewer, this probably looks odd. But don’t worry, she hasn’t quite lost it. Although, she never really regained it in the first place… Whatever “it” is. The on-coming stench of cabbage and sweat socks alerted Jalie to the presence of her manager and long-time friend, Hobo Nick. He was a man of approximately sixty five, with long bushy brown hair and a beard to match. He wore a brown trench coat and tightie whities, an outfit that, rain or shine, hadn’t differed in the many years they had known each other. He was gripping a peanut butter and banana sandwich like it had done him some personal harm.

“Bee in your bonnet, Dumas?” Nick drawled, taking a bite from his sandwich and eyeing her curiously.

“Since when do you say ‘bee in your bonnet’?” She asked. Nick thought for a moment. “Since the sorting hat said it in Harry Potter. But that’s besides the point. You look pissed. Sort of like the night I took two hits of ecstasy and locked you out of your car.”

“Pissed doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

And so began the long, tiring explanation of Cody and Carmen’s quarrel, along with an explanation of Jalie’s absence from the wrestling ring. Considering most of you already know the basics of Cody and Carmen’s soap opera, let’s focus on Jalie’s long absence from the senseless violence she so adores.

“…And as for my not wrestling, well, I didn’t feel like it.”

Wow. That was simple.

“I mean sure, walking Seth down to the ring every once in a while is alright but otherwise, I figured I’d take some time off after EWO. But I think I’m starting to get the bug again. Either that, or I’m having withdrawals. From what, I don’t remember. I’m looking forward to getting back in the ring soon… Not just yet but, soon. Brandi’s back, so I might as well make a return pretty soon. You know her and I make wonderful partners in crime. Hey, speak of the devil…”

A classic red convertible pulled up in the drive and Brandi stepped out. She placed her hands on her hips and watched Jalie with a wary eye. She was unsure yet whether Jalie had seen the beating Brandi placed upon her sister. Unfortunately for her, she had. And she had also seen the comments placed afterward. Jalie approached her looking serious. Carmen was gazing out the living room window, staring at Brandi. Brandi put a hand up to stop Jalie speaking, but it was swatted away.

“’Unexplainably insane’? I think you know why she went insane, other than the fact she’s related to me. Listen, woman, just go easy on her, okay? I know she fucked up trying to attack you and shit but she’s confused. Carson’s been a real fuck-up, not just to her, but to you too so… You’re sort of in the same boat there. Just let it go.”

Brandi nodded slowly. She turned her gaze to the front door where Carmen had been standing. Carmen nodded, giving her a silent affirmation of a truce.