Selfish

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Off Camera

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A long black shiny limousine speeds down Hawthorne Boulevard in Portland Oregon.  The sun has already set upon this day and night has taken over, causing the street lights as well as the lights from buildings along the way to shine even brighter than they normally would.  In the back of the limousine we find professional wrestler Kyle Butler, dressed in a nice white silk button up shirt, black coat and matching black dress pants.  A confident smile is upon his face and perhaps that is because of the lovely figure who is joining him on this night, the beautiful creature who also happens to be a professional wrestler; SCW superstar Jessica Lasiewicz.  Kyle’s beautiful girlfriend is wearing a lace-trim long-sleeved black dress with a surplice neckline and a sheath silhouette.  Her feet are encased in black high heeled dress sandals.  Each has a wine glass in their hand, full of wine, with the bottle itself sitting in between them.

“Now don’t drink too much of that,” Kyle teases, even as he takes a sip from his own wine glass “I mean, how much alcohol can your body hold, especially this early in the evening?”

Jessica smirks knowingly. “You would be surprised.”

The two toast one another, clinking glasses, and each takes another sip of wine.  Jessica is going out tonight with her boyfriend Kyle Butler, which has been rare for the couple and not due to any fault on Kyle’s part.  The blame lays with Jessica Lasiewicz and her tenuous schedule, and it isn’t just a matter of her wrestling schedule with Supreme Championship Wrestling.  Young Lasiewicz has had her fair share of matches but nothing from Mr. D and the management team at SCW has kept her overly busy.  The truth only comes to light after you have peeled back a layer and looked at things from a deeper perspective.  You have to peel the layer back all the way to where it all started for Jessica in SCW, and it all started with one man…

…Silas Mason.

Jessica signed with Supreme Championship Wrestling, following her mother’s footsteps, partly because of issues with Independent Wrestling Cartel but also so that she could try and rescue Angelica from the clutches of Silas Mason.  Plus there was the added pressure of having to deal with her own sister, Marie Annabelle Jones, who was also signed with Silas Mason.  Two important members of her family, two people she loved and cared about, trapped either by force or by manipulation by Silas Mason.

The Morning Star would do whatever it took to try and get through to her mother and her sister.  And that included neglecting her own personal life, even her relationship with Kyle Butler.  Jessica is grateful to have a boyfriend like Kyle, for he is understanding and he has not gotten angry or upset with Jessica.  He understands how important family is to Jessica and he understands that she wanted to help them in any way she can.

Still, Jessica felt terribly guilty…but she knew she had an obligation to her family…

Eventually her mother was released from her contract with Silas Mason, due in large part to a bit of treachery from Regan Street.  Even Marie herself, the most loyal to Silas, learned that she needed to cast the villainous manager to the side and move forward on her own.

As long as Silas Mason was in the picture and causing problems, Jessica felt that she could not really focus on herself and on her own personal life.  But now with Silas Mason out of the picture and the Jones Family reunited and more powerful than ever, she knows that she can make up for lost time with Kyle Butler, she knows that she can focus on herself and her personal life.

Jessica has played hero for the Jones family for so long.  Now it’s time that she looks out for herself.

“I am glad we could go out tonight, Jess.” Kyle answers back. “And don’t get me wrong, I am glad we could go, but I have to admit that I am kind of surprised that you aren’t with your family right now.”

Jessica sighs, nodding her head. “I admit, I have been very busy lately with my mother, my aunt, and my sister…”

“Hush!” Kyle commands, taking her hands and squeezing them tightly. “Say no more!  You are going to apologize again and you don’t need to.”

“Yes, I do need to apologize.” Jessica remarks. “I have been neglecting you, neglecting us, and that was wrong.”

“But you were doing it to protect your family.”

“You’re right, I did it for my family.” Jessica looks at Kyle, smiling. “But that’s over, they are protected now, and now I am all yours.”

Jessica leans over and kisses Kyle on the cheek. “Does that sound good?”

“That sounds great!”

For Jessica, this is about a new start.  This is a new start for her and Kyle and a new start for her in general.  Tonight she looks forward to enjoying the evening with Kyle Butler.  Nothing else will be on her mind.  But she knows that too will have to change.  Her wrestling career, primarily her SCW career, has been focused on her family’s war with Silas Mason, but now that the war has ended she can focus on her own personal career and her own personal achievements as a wrestler, and that sets her in direct confrontation with Harmony Fisher.

Harmony Fisher is a former ally who fought by her side at Rise To Greatness against Silas World.  But that was then and this is now.  Now both ladies have their eyes set upon the same prize; the SCW Women’s Championship.  They will collide on the September 16^th edition of Breakdown and the winner will no doubt take a giant leap forwards in the women’s division while the loser will suffer quite the setback.

“Oh look,” Kyle points out the window “we’re here!”

Jessica has to squint to see what Kyle is pointing towards.  It is a sign, a small black sign, and the small street light overhead shows the word “Castagna” in fancy lettering with the image of a leaf underneath the word.  The limousine pulls up next to the door and comes to a slow stop.  Kyle is the first to exit the back of the limousine and he is followed by Jessica Lasiewicz.

“You’re going to love it here, Jess!” Kyle exclaims looking up at the sign. “Reviews say this is one of the finest, fanciest, and overall best places to eat in Portland!”

Jessica shoots Kyle a knowing grin. “You’re going all out, Kyle.  The limousine, this fancy restaurant...”

The young Polish woman winks at him “…if I didn’t know any better, I would think you were trying to impress me.”

“You’d be right.” Kyle says chuckling.

“Well you’re an idiot.” Jessica says, kissing him again on his cheek. “Being with you is enough.”

Kyle takes her by the hand and the couple makes their way forward and towards the door.  They push the door open and step inside.  The walls are gray and the floors are a cream color.  There are a mixture of tables and booths but mostly tables and the tablecloths are a cream color that matches the floors.  The entire restaurant looks extravagant.  Immediately upon entering the restaurant, Kyle and Jessica are met by a greeter, a female dressed mostly in black and with a pleasant grin on her face.

“Welcome to Castagna!” She says, beaming. “Party of two?”

Kyle nods his head. “Correct.”

The young lady picks up two menus and motions for Jessica and Kyle. “Follow me!”

Kyle and Jessica follow the young female greeter as she leads them deeper into the restaurant.  Eventually they come to a table near the center of the room.  It is a two seater, one for Kyle and one for Jessica.  The greeter places the menus down but it is Kyle who continues playing the role of gentleman, pulling out the chair for Jessica to sit down before he sits down himself.

“Your server will be here shortly.”

The greeter turns and walks away.  Kyle then turns and looks back at Jessica.

“Enjoying yourself?”

“I told you already,” Jessica begins “being with you was enough.”

“Yeah, I admit, I did go all out for you,” Kyle continues “but it’s because we deserve this, you and I.”

Jessica sighs. “It’s hard to argue that…”

“I was just kidding, actually…” Kyle says with a chuckle.

“You’re right, though.” Jessica states definitively. “We do deserve this.  We have done so much for other people, you and me both.  You helped Neil and Summer over in GCW with their war against Nirvana.  I helped my family in their war with Silas Mason.  I have tried to save my sister’s soul.”

Jessica smirks knowingly. “You are absolutely right, Kyle.  We deserve time for us…”

As Jessica says this, another woman, also dressed in black as the greeter was, approaches the table.

“Welcome to Castagna!” She says, sounding equally as pleasant as the greeter. “May I get you something to drink as you look over the menu?”

Kyle looks over at Jessica. “What do you suggest?”

“A bottle of Chardonnay.”

Kyle chuckles. “Excellent…Chardonnay it is then…”

The waitress nods. “I shall bring it right away.”

The waitress walks off.  Kyle turns and looks at Jessica. “You seem confident about the Chardonnay…”

“Surprising?”

“A little.  You just never really struck me as…umm….”

“The fancy high-maintenance type of girl?” Jessica laughs lightly. “You’d be surprised, Kyle, about a great many things you don’t know about me yet.”

“Yeah and we can blame our sporadic, rare dates on that one.” He chuckles.

“Les femmes Lasiewicz sont élégantes. Il suffit de demander à ma tante.”

“Huh?” Kyle blinks curiously a few times, this causes Jessica to laugh out loud.

“I said that Lasiewicz women are elegant…just ask my aunt.”

“Kayla?”

“No, silly!” Jessica retorts. “My aunt Magdalena Evelyn Lasiewicz.”

“Well I have to agree, you are elegant and more importantly, you’re mine.”

Jessica winks. “And you are mine.”

The waitress returns with two wine glasses and a bottle of Chardonnay.  She pours both glasses full for Jessica and Kyle.  Kyle then picks up his glass and holds it up for a toast.

“To us…”

Jessica nods and clinks glasses with him “…to us…”

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On Camera

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We open outside on a patio area of someone’s home.  It is dark outside and the only light comes from a bright moon, stars, and a few lights from the home.  Just then Jessica Lasiewicz steps into view.  The Morning Star is wearing a black dark gray hoodie, with the hood pulled up over her head, a pair of blue denim jeans, and black boots.

“Ever since I arrived here in Supreme Championship Wrestling I have been thinking about other people.  Ever since I set foot in SCW I have been putting other people first, whether it be my mother in her first against Silas Mason, or even Brittany Lohan in her feuds.”

She points a finger at the camera. “I even fought for you, Harmony.  I know I didn’t have to fight for you, I know you are a big girl who can take care of herself, but I wanted to help.  That’s what I do. I help people.”

“Funny, I guess I really do take after my father after all, don’t I?  I recall how my dad would fight wars in GDW, wars that never involved him at all, but he would fight them, fight them because he wanted to see GDW survive, he wanted to see GDW live.  He selflessly put himself on the line for GDW.”

Jessica pulls down the hood and lets her long dark hair flow down freely.  “I’m sorry for how this sounds, I really am, but I believe it is time that I try being selfish for a little bit.”

“Now don’t get me wrong, I am not going overboard like some people in our industry.  But after helping so many people for so long, and especially now that the major threat to my family and my friends, the threat known as Silas Mason, has been vanquished, I believe that I can move forward with my career, I believe I can start building a career for myself here in SCW, a career that doesn’t revolve around fighting a war on behalf of my mother.”

“That career will begin with the women’s division and will include me becoming SCW Women’s Champion.  It all starts with you, Harmony.”

She chuckles. “I fought by your side at Rise To Greatness and together we helped bring down Silas Mason.  It was a proud moment in my career to watch you and my mother become free of that pig.  But as proud as it was to fight by your side, now we must become enemies because we both want the same thing.  We both want to advance our careers and only one of us can advance…”

“…the other shall fall.”

“This time I’m not going to be selfless and look out for you.  On Breakdown I am going to be selfish and I am going to do what is best for me.  I am going to do what is necessary to advance my career in the women’s division and, eventually, get a shot at the women’s title.”

She shakes her head. “Now don’t worry, when I say I will be selfish and do what is necessary, that doesn’t mean I will cheat.  Quite frankly, cheating is for those who truly know deep down inside that they are pathetic losers and are too ashamed to admit it.”

“But me…I’m a winner.  You are a winner too, Harmony, a good wrestler, and it will be an honor to face you, and an even greater honor to defeat you.”

She shuts her eyes. “Dobranoc…”