“ASHLEY?”
He looked around a bit confused.
“ANTHONY?”
He pushed the sliding glass door to the backyard as he looked outside in the backyard. He closed it and started heading upstairs as Mark brought in his other suitcase.
“XAVIER?!”
Soon he heard some kind of response as he headed down the hall. He saw all three of them in the boys’ room. He eyes immediately locked with Ashley who looked less than thrill to see him. She got up and walked towards him. She stepped out the room and looked back at their sons.
“Boys, stay put. Daddy and I have to talk.”
She closed the door and folded her arms.
“Where the hell do you get off coming back here? After all you put that woman through; after all you put us through. You think you can walk in whenever it suits you? I gave you a chance, Anthony, and you blew it.”
“Listen, I understand…”
“No, you don’t understand a damn thing other than being so consumed with hatred and envy that you feel the need to attack people for things that happened years ago. You were behind all of this and now you want to waltz back in like everything is fine? This isn’t the Cosby Show or Happy Days, there is no acceptance and a nice lesson learned at the end of the day. You toyed with people’s lives. I’m not just talking Amber but her baby as well. How could you put hands on a pregnant woman? It makes me wonder if you would have done that to me if it weren’t your kids inside me.”
“Ashley, I would never…”
“But if you do it to her, what makes you incapable of doing it to another woman? What makes you care? What line do you even drawn for yourself? Because you has passed the line that everyone else in society has created when it comes to revenge. You had a problem with Davis, why did she get dragged into it? Why, Anthony, why?”
Her voice began to crack up as she turned her head to the side. She began to cry. He didn’t bother opening his mouth any further; he just put his arms around her and kissed her blonde head. He placed her face against his chest as her crying was muffled and she began to calm down. She slightly pushed him away to wipe away her own tears. She began to speak again.
“Tony…I don’t know why you have to make it this hard. I don’t get what you’re going after – if your after Davis then chase after Davis. I don’t see the big picture here, I don’t see a picture at all that has to include Amber.”
Anthony got on his knee in front of her as she looked down at him.
“I’ve provided for our sons, I’ve been the best father I could be to them. I don’t want to keep wrestling for the rest of my life, Ashley. I want to retire and take care of you and the kids. I want a stable life for us, I don’t want to run around from state to state. I have money secured to take care of us for the rest of our life but I want one more thing before I leave.”
“What is it?”
“The SCW Championship. I just want to climb the top one more time before I can put up the boots for good. I’ve been doing this for so long and I’m not getting any younger. My body isn’t getting any stronger and soon, I won’t be able to bare the slams and takedowns in the ring. I want one championship reign before I retire. I’ve shut down my naysayers, I defeated the man who screwed me over big time and all I want to do is win the big one. I want to stay home with you, Xavier, and Anthony for the rest of my days and help Shorty run his gym. I’m ready to grow up and stop living this life, I just need your support. I just need you to push me so I can make that final move and take the title – enjoy the reign and go home a happy man. That’s all I wanted since I returned….that and Davis’ head.”
“Fine but women and children are off-limits, I’m serious Anthony. I never ever want to see you put your hands on anyone who can’t help themselves.”
“Promise.”
He got up and they hugged. Mark looked up the stairs.
“Well I’ll leave you lovebirds alone, next time you see me you’ll be hugging a damn Siberian husky, Anthony.”
“Huh? What Siberian husky? He has a dog?”
“Don’t mind him, he’s losing it.”
Anthony chuckled as Mark left. A few hours passed as Anthony played with the boys, he went downstairs into his office and took a seat.
“Twitter, eh?”
He typed in the website and typed in “shortyjunior” to see if he was in there. He saw some kid with a Sub-Zero avatar with Shorty Junior in their background. He shook his head as he clicked followers then he saw “
XoHollyAdamsoX
When the hell did she get on friendly terms with that beer swelling 2nd rate Canadian wrestler? He read down the list full of arguments with some unknown wrestler or maybe it was an SCW fan? He clicked more and scrolled down. He continued to click more a couple of times skimming to see if he was ever mentioned.
@SCWAssassin Well Anthony has been avoiding me like the plague, so have fun
“Avoiding you? You who just decided to show up out of thin air in a women’s tournament is talking about someone intentionally ignoring a person? I’ve been here for months, where were YOU?”
He grunted a little as he shook his head a bit annoyed. He continued to press more
Too much on my mind, can't sleep @shortyjunior You should have a good "COLD" idea as to why :( <333
He turned his head a little, thinking about the nights where she laid sound asleep on his chest in the warm California nights. He went to sign up but in the middle of filling out the information he hears a knock on the door, he minimizes the screen.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“Hey honey, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m all right.”
“Well dinner is ready; we’re having some pasta and spaghetti with meatballs.”
“Sounds good I’ll be there in a second.”
“What are you doing?”
“Just checking out some…e-mails.”
“Oh, I’m sure you have a lot you haven’t been on your laptop for awhile.”
“Yeah, my AOL is packed. Most of it is spam anyway so I’m not worried.”
“Whenever you’re ready, come eat and don’t stay too long I don’t want your food to get cold.”
“All right.”
After a multitude of typing in several different user names “IceCold” as well as “NJDevil666”, he found himself a username not taken. It was final, he was “truebludevil”. It wasn’t exactly exciting but he was a considered by some as a devil or anti-christ after he kidnapped Amber with his eyes being blue he thought he could put bludevil. True happened to rhyme with blue so he decided to work with it. There he was, finally on this Twitter thing.
https://twitter.com/truebludevil
His thought about his first tweet, he wanted it to be reasonable but sporadic. Well he decided to write in the first thought when he got to the site: “What is this shit and how does this work? Am I doing this right?”
Well, it was better than nothing. He had to eventually add other SCW wrestlers and get into the fray of things. For now he and his little bird logo would stay on the sidelines…at least until he finished eating dinner. He wondered how his fellow wrestlers would treat him on Twitter, he wondered if he would even be able to talk to them. The thing seemed sort of complicated but he guessed he would get the hang of it in due time. He got up and left the room, scratching his head. Anthony grabbed a plate and began to serve his food out in it. He took a seat at the table as his family looked on. He smirked uncomfortably.
“Wow, all of us seated together. We haven’t done that in years, no thanks to me but hey, that’s what new days are for. Right?”
“Anthony, just be quiet and eat. We’re not judging you, we are looking at you in admiration – they haven’t seen you for awhile I don’t let them watching Breakdown anymore.”
“Oh.”
After he finished eating, they began to talk about Xavier and Anthony being in school. Even while talking to his family, Anthony was still zoned out thinking about the things Holly had posted. After putting Anthony and Xavier to bed, he laid in bed with Ashley. Once she fell asleep he crept out of bed and slid downstairs. He rubbed his eyes as he sat down to look at his account again. This time he saw one follower. He clicked it and saw Holly’s twitter account come up.
“What the hell…? How did she even know? I just set this puppy up a couple of hours ago.”
She was following him so wouldn’t the right thing to do is follow back? I mean they had their issues in the past but they weren’t sworn enemies. He clicked follow. In a minute or so a new tweet pops up,
XoHollyAdamsoX Tired and hot, someone please help me cool down :( <333
He put his head down on the desk, somewhat regretting his choice of name. Then again compared to a guy he saw last week with the name “ShadowFlayre” he figured he was in better company when it came to nicknames. He didn’t even know how to respond to her so he just stared at it blankly. He rubbed his beard…
“That’s what she sees you as.”
He scratched his head.
“A pretty boy…”
He sighed after saying that and pushed back his seat to get up. He walked out of the room and went to the bathroom; he looked himself into the mirror. There stood a six foot five man with blonde hair and blue eyes – given plenty of opportunities to model or act. Even while prepared to hit his 30s, college girls would still slip him their numbers. Ashley has a collection of them in her bedroom – she considered them “trophies” for her. All the numbers of women 10 years younger than her who couldn’t take her man away from her – no woman had. She had broken up with Anthony before Holly came into the picture.
But this wasn’t about her, this was about him. He needed to change his look – he couldn’t believe with all that he had done that she still wants him. He knew she didn’t want Anthony the warm hearted guy – she wanted the bad boy with sexy smile she saw on the television backstage. She wanted the man she rough-housed in bed with not the one who held her from night until day-break. For all he knew, she probably saw him as a joke and even more pathetic than usual. He remembered reading that article on SCW After Hours. She talked about how she felt it was her fault that all this happened as if to say that he was so hopelessly in love with her that all his actions are him “acting out”.
He wasn’t a damn child! He didn’t have to act out to get her attention; he did what he did to get himself ahead of Davis. It was a frustrating situation it almost seemed as if she was working against him in a passive-aggressive manner. He thought about cutting his hair down to a crew cut but it would just grow back plus he had his hair cut before and she loved it. It was frustrating; she wanted a Ken and Barbie life that was beyond unrealistic. He just wanted to hold on to what he had always had – his wife and kids. He wanted to throw the white flag in on any chance of working things out with Holly. He didn’t want to alienate his kids or hurt Ashley anymore. He stared himself in the mirror wondering what kind of hole did he just dig himself into.
He ran his hands through his hair. What attracted Holly to Robert? What was with him that when she was down on her face that would attract her to that goon? Was it the tan? Was it the tats? Was it the fact his brother looked like the white version of the Incredible Hulk? He tried to continuously put his finger on it but it was to no avail. He sighed because Robert wasn’t going to solve his problem with his looks. He needed to change or he would be permanently stuck playing “piece of ass” for Ms. Adams.
“I know what…dye it.”
That was it. He knew he didn’t feel like running around with contacts but from the time he had died his hair black when they started dating she didn’t really take to it. That was the best color for him to go with –a jet black practically the hair color of a Native Indian. He smirked thinking about ways to get away from Holly. He couldn’t put hands on her, this situation needed a “delicate” touch and by touch a dye that would turn her off instantly.
Black turns her off instantly.
Racism?
Who knows? The point was she was stop attempting to flirt with him. It wasn’t bad that she was flirting more than it was she was using a completely different medium such as Twitter to do it. He planned to head to the barbershop on the weekend or even earlier if possible. He went back into his chair and sat down, closing the laptop down.
It was pitch black, how he liked it.
Reverse racism?
Either way, he laid back in his chair as the cool Jersey air circulated throughout the house. He thought about not just being on Holly’s radar but the wheels began to turn in his mind when Xander openly said that HE WANTED the match. What would Xander get from fighting Anthony? Another non-former SCW Champion name under the buckle? He didn’t need that on his resume, he just beat Chad Evans. Why would he even need to blink in Anthony’s corner? What was he up to? Apart of him wondered if Valentine felt bad for Amber and Justin. Anthony was sure Xander and Calli’s relationship has been targeted on several occasions just like Justin and Amber’s.
They were right – the cycle of violence and revenge never ended. It didn’t matter, the match was made and Anthony had already made his plans to keep Xander clutched in his grip until he has proven what most should know by now – he wasn’t here to play second string to has-beens and those who never deserved to be at the top in the first place. He had his wife’s support and with that, he intended to make his way to the top. All he needed to do was remove that OTHER little blonde thorn from his side…this thorn was a lot better looking than the other thorn that he just removed at Rise to Greatness but nonetheless it was a thorn. Then there was nothing on his mind but himself, a ring, and Xander Valentine. He envisioned it and knew, while Xander was nothing less than a destructive force waiting to tear anyone apart that dear question his ability in the ring but Anthony was ready to play this game of chicken with him.
If he didn’t gamble big, he wouldn’t win big. Sometimes an entire career is worth putting on the line if your chances are good enough to come out on top. Anthony remembered when he was the big dog in several other federations – he remembered how they would try every and anything to strip him of his aWo championship. Even retired wrestlers returned just to take him on but they came up short. They just came in out of greed and need to ruin someone else to make themselves feel better. Anthony came in with the intention to make Xander eat dirt not for greed or the need to feel superior but for the simple fact he had something to prove. He wanted to step up on the podium. He wanted to be labeled the SCW Champion – Hudson had told him that he was made to be SCW Champion but Anthony didn’t listen. He wanted to help Davis reach his goal and got burnt in the end. With that bridge behind him, maybe it’s time to take some advice from the retiring former SCW Champion and make his way to the top before he would end up like Hudson – walking out of Rise to Greatness in his last match. He wasn’t getting any younger – people like him and Miller were just wrestling away their last days. It was time for that push to the top. Many could not agree with Anthony’s methods of making himself known but no one can dispute that their legs became weak as they saw him walk out with Amber in his possession. No one would dispute his ability when his next possession is the limp unconscious body of The Executioner. To execute the Executioner, what an interesting and difficult task.
There’s only one man up to it and you’re looking at him.
Xander, get your head out of your ass. I love how you attempt to talk to me using an analogy then tell me at the end that I don’t understand – then why tell me in the first place if you think I won’t understand? You’re a confusing person but let me explain a couple of things.
You think a two year revenge plan is pathetic? I did something considered by most to be the sleaziest underhanded thing to ever do. Could you imagine that the man you call your “best friend” and “road buddy” for months at a time was the person behind your pregnant girlfriend’s disappearance? Could you imagine the man who helped mold you into the man you were today held your pregnant wife at the top of a ramp and told you to make yourself bleed or she would suffer? I’m sure you couldn’t fathom that kind of mental abuse and emotional pain.
I did what some of you wouldn’t have the heart to do, look at you.
Look how you talk to me, as if I’m some kind of dog. I see the way you look down on me as if I’m beneath you. I’m not beneath you Xander, I’m behind you…staring you down and watching your every move. You see, I wouldn’t do that with a normal person so don’t believe I’m taking you lightly. I know I’ll more than likely shed blood before I even half-way wear you down. That’s fine, I’ve tasted my blood before and a breakage never did hurt…well unless it’s a First-Blood match. Right, Davis?
See, everyone threatens to bring you down. Chad threatened and so did everyone else but I don’t’ think you “truly” have a grip on what my threat is. I don’t intend to just pick up a win, I want to relay a message to the entire backstage that I’m coming through and if anyone else wants to be my punching bag then they are more than obliged. You’re not just an obstacle I have to overcome, you are the very message I’m trying to send.
I know you are no push over; I even want me to give you your all. I want to see how much I can withstand compared to how much I will throw at you.
You are the marker.
Come Breakdown as we stand toe to toe, I’m going to stare into those hallow eyes that has put fear into SCW wrestlers for the last several years. Then I’m going to adjust my arm to go straight back and land my fist directly between your eyes. Why? I don’t fear man. At best you could kill me but you can’t rip apart my soul and you can’t call me anything less than a man for seeing you in the flesh and bone and giving you all I got. I know guys around these locker rooms that duck you; I know ones that cry to management at the potential idea of facing you.
My mother raised a man, not a coward.
My mother raised a man who could take care of himself in any situation given including fighting some of the biggest men around. That’s why you don’t even see me flinch at the thought of you, the only thing you do is provoke me with your pathetic attempts to patronize me as if I were some small child. I’m a man whose seen things, heard things, and have done worse things than most. I didn’t go to sleep with a night light on, Xander. If someone was coming to get me, they’d have to fight me.
That’s my stance and there’s no backstage worker who’s going to coerce me into believing that I should try to watch my mouth when I talk to you or lay down and take a loss.
I’m not your playmates of the past where you had fun times fighting off a less pathetic version of Greg Cherry or CHBK. They feared you; they gave into your little mind games. I’ve surpassed mind games; I’ve shown I can run some of my own even.
Do you think all those two years were just plotting against Davis? You have got to be kidding me. That was just a part of it, most of it was spent figuring out how to get to the top. I had already moved to phrase two in my head when I saw Davis head busted open. You just happened to come waltzing into it like a mouse into a mouse trap.
See the only thing that even slightly puzzles me is what your true intentions are behind asking for this match. While I said to myself that maybe you were out to help Amber and Davis get some form of revenge, I realize that you aren’t the caring type.
You talk about loyalty, you had no loyalty. You are the dog you attempt to make me out to be. You didn’t turn on them because they served a “purpose” in your eyes. You are just like Davis, when things and people have no value you immediately turn your back on them.
I love how you and Hudson attempt to act so astute.
As if to say because you have changed from your old ways that you are somehow better than your darker colleagues. You were in this darkness right here alongside us before so drop the Pippi Longstockings routine. You want to mock me, try to make me out to be worse than you? Just me, there’s not a soul out here who has done darker deeds than you Mr. Valentine and you’d do well to remember that.
So continue to point that finger down at me, continue to act as if you are some reformed devil whose past behind him. No, not with all those many bodies you left in the ring – you have no business pretending as though your past wouldn’t catch up with you. Pushing it aside and trying to downplay it when it’s brought up won’t help your cause either.
You have always been one of us and this “mask”…this “disguise” you’re putting up fools NO ONE. You can’t even fool yourself into believing it so why don’t you just give it a break?
All this talk about how you’re back to your old self is even more laughable. If you were back to your old self, I wouldn’t have walked out of RTG with just a bloody head. The way you talk it looked like you’ve been eyeing to fight me for awhile so I’m sure the old you would have came to RTG and made my little cut into a flowing river of blood.
You’re not the old you, I wouldn’t be conscious and capable of talking right now if it were the old you.
I don’t know how many times I have to remind you – you are just barely the shell of the man you once were. Come Breakdown, I will do EVERYTHING in my power to crack open that shell.
