Complacency

==========

Scene 1

Off Camera

==========

We open backstage at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  Rise To Greatness kicked off with a triple threat match between Josh Hudson, Christy Matthews, and Marie Jones to determine a number one contender to the SCW Adrenaline Championship.  The show has been rolling on with excitement and action ever since, giving the fans quite the thrill.  There is one person, however, who is neither excited nor thrilled about any of this and her name is Marie Jones.

Jones had a chance to do things the right way, to earn another shot at the Adrenaline Championship, but she failed to do so, losing tonight to Christy Matthews in the triple threat opener.  Truthfully, Marie feels as if she doesn’t have to earn another opportunity.  She had Andrew Raynes beaten when interference from Dylan Howell cost her the championship.  Now instead of defending the Adrenaline Championship at Rise To Greatness she was stuck trying to earn another shot at a title she feels in her heart of hearts should already be hers.

The match was her idea, mind you, because she wanted to at least try to do things the right way; at least, the right way in the mind of the fans of SCW and SCW’s management.  But it is clear and evident from the scowl on her face and the way she carries herself, with a sense of angst and anger, that she is questioning her own judgment as she makes her way through the halls of the Rogers Centre.

“Marie!”

The redhead stops in her tracks when she hears the familiar voice of her identical twin sister.  Marie turns around and sure enough she finds Kimberly Williams, dressed in torn denim jeans, black boots, and a black “SCW” t-shirt.  She quickly approaches her sister and places an arm on her shoulder.

“Are you ok, you seem upset?”

“I’m fine, Kim.  But I don’t want to hang around for the rest of the show.  I’m done here.  I take it Arthur didn’t come?”

Kimberly sighs and shakes her head. “No but can you blame him?  He’s probably still seething a little about you and Blake.”

“Yeah, I know…”

Marie’s voice trails off as she lowers head in shame.  She feels extremely guilty over cheating on Arthur with Blake Mason.  She had always wanted to find a good father figure for her son, for Sean, and just when she finds the right guy she pulls this stunt and for what reason?  To get a thrill?  She knows she did wrong and that she needs to try and make it right.  She also realizes that it probably served as a distraction that kept her from focusing on her Rise To Greatness match.  You won’t hear Marie make excuses very often but this is one time she feels justified.

Jones shakes her head, as if shaking these feelings altogether as she tries to regain her composure, fighting back the emotions that are fighting their way to the surface.  She swats Kim’s arm away from her shoulder and motions down the hall.

“Just go get the car and bring it around, ok?”

“Sure, but don’t you want to talk or…”

“There will be plenty of time for talking later.  Just bring the car around.  I’ll go get my stuff and I’ll see you out there.  Ok, sis?”

“Sure, ok.” Kimberly responds, nodding her head reluctantly before walking away.

Marie waits until Kimberly is out of eyeshot and earshot until she lets her emotions run free.  Tears begin to flow.  This was not how she wanted things to go down.  She had only wanted to experience life on the edge.  She wanted to live life on the wild side just for a little bit and see what it was like.  She had no idea of the consequences that it would carry with it.  Her marriage is now threatened, unless Arthur can find it in his heart to forgive her.

Professionally Marie is not much better off.  She was seemingly on the verge of a breakthrough year until she failed to capture the Adrenaline championship.  Ever since that point things have gone downhill for Jones.  She just knows she needs to somehow find a way to bounce back from all of this and turn her career around.

Jones turns and resumes her walk further down the halls of the backstage area of the Rogers Centre.  She takes a sharp left and finds the locker room area where she had used earlier this evening.  She pushes her way inside and luckily finds it empty.  She does not want to be bothered right now by anyone.  She spots her gym bag lying down next to a bench.  She’ll just pick it up and leave.  Simple as that.

“Evening, Marie.”

There’s another voice she recognizes all too well and another voice belonging to someone she would rather not talk to right now.  Marie sighs as she turns around to find her mother, Angelica Jones, standing in the doorway of the locker room area.

“What are you doing here?”

“You certainly do know how to make your mother feel welcome.” Angelica remarks rather sarcastically.

“I’m sorry, but you’ve gone off the radar ever since you and Kayla had your supposed “final match” in SCW.”

“Yeah, and I’m beginning to think that was a mistake.”

“What was a mistake, going off the radar or having the final match?”

“The match,” Angelica answers “but not the match itself; it was a great match.  But I think Kayla and I made a mistake in calling it the last match in SCW.”

Marie arches a brow out of curiosity. “Feeling the itch again?”

“Possibly.  You never know what might happen.”

“So is that why you’re here, mom?  Are you here to talk to Mr. D about making a grand return?”

“It’s true, I do have the itch again, the itch to compete, but it’s different this time.  It isn’t the same as before and so I can’t guarantee my next run, if there is a next run, will be the same as before.  I may not be trying to win the world title or trying to dominate alongside your aunt Kayla.  It will probably look very different.”

“How so?” Marie asks out of genuine curiosity.

“The details aren’t quite worked out yet, mainly because I’m not even sure if I will return, but my potential return isn’t what brought me here tonight.  The fact that this is Rise To Greatness XV, the biggest event on SCW’s calendar year, isn’t even what brings me out here tonight.”

“What are you doing here then?”

“I’m here for you, sweetie.” Angelica answers, pointing a finger at Marie.

That’s not what the younger Jones wanted to hear from her mother.  It’s what she feared but not what she wanted.  Marie and Angelica have had a rocky relationship ever since Angelica murdered Marie’s father.  It was that incident that landed Angelica in a mental ward for several years.  Marie did eventually forgive her mother but the pain is still there.  The distrust is still there.

“Not now, mom.”

“I know you’ve had it rough lately and I know I haven’t exactly been the best of mothers…”

“That’s an understatement.”

“…BUT I am here for you now and I want to help you if I can, especially when it comes to you and Arthur.”

“You want to help save my marriage?” Marie laughs in a scoffing manner. “That’s a laugh, considering you’ve had how many failed relationships…four or five?”

“Five.” Angelica answers slowly and quietly.

“And one of your ex-boyfriends happened to be my father, whom you murdered by putting a bullet in his head.” She shakes her head. “So I’m sorry if I’m not exactly willing to listen to your advice regarding my marriage.”

There is a tense pause for several seconds as Marie stares angrily at her mother.  Marie’s features soften as she realizes that she seriously hurt her mother’s feelings.

“Look, mom, I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean it.”

“No, it’s ok Marie.  Maybe you’re right, maybe I shouldn’t be giving you relationship advice.  You are a grown woman now.  You don’t need your mother for these type of things.”

Marie looks at her mother’s face and feels even more guilty than before.  She didn’t intend for this, either.

“I wouldn’t mind some advice on what to do next in SCW.  I assume you’ve been keeping up with what’s been happening?”

“I have.” Angelica remarks, nodding her head. “It was tough watching you lose tonight.  I know you wanted that Adrenaline Title Match very badly.”

“I did, but you see mom, I shouldn’t have had to have earned another title match.  I already had Andrew Raynes beaten.  The title was mine, it was within my grasp.  But as I was about to finish him off, Dylan Howell comes down and attacks, drawing a disqualification.”

“I know…” Angelica’s voice trails off.  It’s as if she’s heard this before and she probably has if she has listened to any of Marie’s promos or twitter rants recently.

“You’re not supposed to interfere in any matches.  That’s against the rules.  That’s why there was a disqualification.  Unfortunately the title doesn’t change hands on a disqualification.  Still, Howell broke the rules.  And yet he gets REWARDED for breaking the rules when Mr. D GIVES him exactly what he wants; a shot at the Adrenaline Championship, in the Thunderdome no less.”

Marie pats herself on the chest. “And how am I rewarded for following the rules?  I get shafted. Week in and week out I get shafted.  It isn’t fair, mom.  And do the fans care?  No, they don’t.  They were cheering loudly for a rule breaker, a cheater, a mentally imbalanced loony tune who did not deserve that opportunity at the Adrenaline Championship.”

“Your time will come, Marie.”

“Yeah, it will, but how long do I need to wait?  I’m doing things the right way all the while I’m watching rule breakers get rewarded and it’s frustrating.  Maybe I should stick around and attack Kennedy Street in the middle of the world title match.  Hell, it got Dylan Howell an Adrenaline Title Match, if that’s how the idiots running this place decide title contenders then maybe that’s what I should do to get a world title shot.”

“I think you already know that is not how you get what you want.” Angelica smirks. “I’ll grant you that maybe Dylan and Raynes don’t deserve much in terms of respect, I’m not even sure that Lizard King maniac Gio deserves much, but Kennedy Street has earned her spot and deserves more respect than that.”

You’re right, of course.” Marie sighs and shakes her head. “Still, I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.  I’m constantly being shafted and cheated.  I’m doing things the right way and getting nowhere fast and those succeeding are those who are taking the shortcuts.  It makes me wonder if I should start taking shortcuts too.”

“It’s said that patience is a virtue.” Angelica place a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Have patience, Marie, keep fighting, and you’ll get rewarded.  You’ll get the opportunities you deserve and it’ll be that much more satisfying when you get do it the right way.”

Marie frowns. “You talk as if you know it from experience.”

“I have won many championships and many accolades and achievements in my time, Marie, but almost all of them were by taking the easy way out.  If I could do it all over again, I would go back and try to win those championships the right way.  It’s one of my biggest professional regrets.”

Angelica embraces her oldest daughter. “Don’t make the mistakes I made, professionally or personally.”

After breaking the embrace Marie gazes into her mother’s tear filled eyes. “You mean Arthur now, don’t you?”

“Yes, I mean Arthur.  Make things right before it’s too late.”

==========

Scene 2

Off Camera

==========

The marriage between Marie Jones and her husband Arthur Pond has been rocky to say the least ever since Arthur learned that Marie had spent some time with Blake Mason.  Cheating on one’s spouse is the ultimate sign of betrayal and usually kills a relationship.  For Marie, though, she hopes she can salvage this relationship.  The one thing she wanted more than anything else was to find a good father figure for her son Sean Connor Jones.

Arthur loves Sean as if Sean was his very own son, and Sean loves being with Arthur.  It really has been the perfect setup.  Things have been different in the weeks following the revelation that Marie had been cheating on Arthur. Her normally loving husband has been quiet, cold, and distant.  Marie knows it’s  her own fault and she knows that she is the only one who can fix this.

Marie is currently riding up the elevator to the second floor of the hotel where she is staying with her husband Arthur.  As soon as the elevator reaches the second floor it comes to a slow stop.  The doors open and Marie Jones exits the elevator.  The Phoenix turns and begins to head down the hall.  Marie soon comes to a hotel room door, presumably her own.  Marie then takes her keycard and inserts it into the door slot and then once she hears it unlock she pushes the door open.

“Arthur?!  Sean?!” Marie shouts as she steps into the room and shuts the door behind her. “Are you here?”

“Sean isn’t here.” Comes Arthur’s voice from deeper inside the suite.  Marie walks in and finds Arthur sitting in a comfortable chair next to the window. “He’s with his Aunt Kim right now.  She insisted that she keep him for a little bit.  She said that you and I might need some time alone.”

“Oh Kim…” Marie chuckles lightly “…you clearly have been talking to mom.”

“Huh?” Arthur gazes at her quizzically.

“Oh, nothing.  But Kim is right, we do need to talk, sweetie.”

Jones sets her gym bag down on the floor before walking over and sitting down on the edge of the king size bed.  She motions for Arthur to sit down next to her.  Arthur sighs as he gets up out of the chair and walks over to the bed, sitting down next to Marie.

“I know what you want to talk about but do we have to talk about it now?  It’s late and…”

“If not now then when?!” Marie exclaims. “Arthur, I’m scared.  I’m genuinely scared of losing you and I don’t want that.”

“Then maybe you should have thought about that before you decided to sleep with Mason.” He growls angrily.

“I know,” Marie states with tears flowing freely down her cheeks “it was a terrible mistake and I wish I could take it back.”

“But you can’t take it back.  Once that genie is out of the bottle there is no putting it back in.  What’s done is done, Marie.  And this kind of action you perpetrated, it doesn’t just damage us, it could potentially damage you.   How many people know you cheated on me?”

“You, Kim, and Blake.  Jessica suspects something but isn’t clear what’s going on.”

“Your sisters wouldn’t say anything but what about Blake?  You know him and his past.  He could easily use that against you one day.  He could ruin your reputation, Marie.  And that’s not to mention the fact that this could destroy our marriage.”

Arthur shakes his head in disappointment. “You really didn’t think any of this through, did you?  What did you hope to achieve out of this?  What does Blake offer you that I didn’t?  Money?”

“Not the money!” Marie exclaims while shaking her head. “My mom and aunt are loaded with cash, Arthur!  If I wanted the lap of luxury I could get it from them, but I choose to live a simple lifestyle. I wanted to see what it was like to be bad, to live life on the edge.  You don’t get it, Arthur.  You aren’t in my position where I see degenerates like Ace Marshall and Cassidy Carter doing whatever they want, whenever they want, and they get all the spotlight and opportunities.  Even someone like Amy Chastaine who is openly in a relationship with multiple other men while being married is cheered and praised by the SCW fan base.  And then you have people like me…”

She shakes her head and wipes some tears from her eyes “…I bust my ass as I do things the right way, I don’t get much of a spotlight just because I live a rather normal life.  I’m normal, I do things the right way, and I don’t get rewarded for it.  I get cheated week in and week out.  I guess I just wanted to see what it was like to just do whatever the hell I felt like on a whim, without worrying about the consequences.”

“You’re right, I don’t understand and I can’t understand because I am not actively in the same wrestling environment you are.  That’s why I’m willing to give you the benefit of a doubt, that and because I really don’t want to lose you either.”

Marie attempts to embrace him in a hug but Arthur pushes her away. “Whoa, I’m not done.  Marie, what you did was a betrayal of trust; the ultimate betrayal of trust when it comes to a marriage.  This wedding ring…”

He flashes his wedding band “…is supposed to represent our devotion to one another. Yet you didn’t seem to care about that when you were running around with Blake Mason.”

“I already told you, Arthur, I’m sorry!”

“And I do forgive you but that doesn’t mean I trust you.  It will take a while before I will ever trust you again, Marie.  In fact, I’m not sure our relationship will ever be the same as it once was.  Hell, it could end up being stronger than before if we survive this, but it damn sure won’t be the same.”

==========

On Camera

==========

Dylan Howell never should have even been allowed to face Andrew Raynes for the SCW Adrenaline Championship at Rise To Greatness.  He attacked me in the middle of the my match, yet apparently that, in the mind of the talking heads running things here in SCW, is enough to make that reject from a sanitarium worthy of a title shot.  He breaks the rules and gets rewarded with a title opportunity.  At least I got to sleep well knowing that he didn’t WIN the title at Rise To Greatness.  Seeing a mentally unbalanced person like him who never should have been in the title match actually WIN the title would have been a travesty.

Then there’s me, someone who does things the right way; hell, I even went beyond just doing things the right way.  I had Raynes beaten.  I had him dead to rights.  I shouldn’t have to earn another title shot and yet I was willing to earn my title shot.  Yes, I asked for the triple threat match against Christy Matthews and Josh Hudson.  Now Christy, whose greatest natural ability is the ability to complain about being a single mother, has the title shot that should be mine.

Shut your fucking mouth, Christy.  I was a single mother for ten years before marrying my husband Arthur and I never whined or complained or used it as a crutch as much as you do.  So if you think you’re something special because you’re a single mother then think again.

The point of my rant is that I realize now that bad behavior is apparently rewarded while doing things the right way isn’t held in very high regard.  In fact, sometimes bad behavior is rewarded in Supreme Championship Wrestling.

Now that isn’t to say that I’m going to back to my old ways.  I’m not going back to being the full of herself little bitch that I once was.  But I am tired of playing nice.  I am sick and damn tired of being patient and waiting on my opportunities to come to me.  I am going to start TAKING my opportunities because I don’t just feel I deserve them, I KNOW I deserve them, I KNOW I am worthy.

I am The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling, I definitely deserve more than what I’ve been getting.   But it’s my own fault because I have been complacent.  I have been content to sit back and just let things happen.  From now on, I MAKE THINGS HAPPEN!

Now that brings me to Konrad Raab, a guy who always seems to just be happy to be here, happy to be with SCW. You won at Rise To Greatness and I’m happy for you, but unlike you I’m not content with just being here.  I want to be a top star in Supreme Championship Wrestling.  Eventually I would like to challenge for the SCW World Championship and I know I’m already at that level.  I know I can beat anyone on this roster, including the reigning champion.

Unlike you, I am not just content to sit around, smiling proudly, happy to be on the greatest roster in professional wrestling.   I want to be the brightest shining star in this company and nothing else will satisfy me, Konrad.  Contentedness is what kills a career and, to be perfectly honest, it damn near killed mine.

My contentedness is what allowed Dylan Howell to get that title shot at Rise To Greatness instead of me.  I should have protested more but I didn’t.  I should’ve demanded the right to fight the winner of Howell and Raynes but I was content with “earning” it the right way.  Now look at me.  Look at where I am.

I’m done being content.  I’m no longer just happy to be here.  I want to be the best; I want to prove that I truly am The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling and that it isn’t just a cute marketing phrase.  I have dreams and aspirations of being MORE than just an Adrenaline style wrestler but of main eventing Rise To Greatness.  But you, your only dream is being here.

Your dreams have been fulfilled, Konrad.  You have nothing else to gain.  And that means no drive and no motivation.  My dreams are bigger than yours, my drive is bigger than yours, and my aspirations are damn sure bigger than yours. That’s why you make an excellent stepping stone.  People like you make an excellent stepping stone for people like me, because you just want to be here.  I want to be THE BEST.

Am I going to rebound?  You damn right I will rebound when I kick your ass and drive your head into the mat with Ave Maria.  Nothing will change for you.  You’ll continue just being happy to be a part of SCW. But for me the entire landscape will change.  It’s just one match and it’s just against one guy but the ferocity and intensity I show against you will illustrate to Mr. D and the SCW locker room that I am done playing around, that I am done being nice, and that I am ready to usher in the era of The Crown Jewel, at the expense of people like you, Konrad.  People who are content.  People who are willing to sit back and be happy with their place in this roster.

People like that piss me off because they could have so much more out of their career, they could be so much more successful if they just weren’t so damned complacent.  All this while people like me bust our asses off only to get held back.

I’m not getting held back any longer.  I’m going to take what I deserve, Konrad.  You’re just getting in my way.