Opportunities

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Scene 1

Off Camera

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The cafe lies ahead, its royal blue paint glistening in the first golden rays of the day.  Outside the sidewalk is surprisingly quiet despite the bustling and moving to and fro of the various pedestrians out and about on this day in Boston, Massachusetts.  The cafe itself looks inviting to Marie Annabelle Jones; on the other side of those café doors is warmth and soft jazz music playing inside.  A good cup of coffee is just what she needs to start the day off right.  It can help get her mind off of her personal matters as well as get her body ready for the training regimen that she faces in advance of Under Attack and the Elimination Chamber Match for the SCW Adrenaline Championship.

Jones has a lot on her mind right now.  She’s hit the skids in Supreme Championship Wrestling ever since failing to capture the Adrenaline Championship from Andrew Raynes several months ago.  She’s tried calling her shots, she’s tried to get big matches, and while she succeeded in getting opportunities she’s seemingly failed at all of them.  Her losses include a loss in a triple threat against Christy Matthews and Josh Hudson at Rise To Greatness and a loss to Blake Mason at Apocalypse.  She failed to capture the SCW Television Championship from Alexis Quinne.  Most recently she failed to defeat Alistaire Allocco in singles competition.

This downhill spiral has led her to making some questionable judgment calls.  She’s been very vocal in protesting what she calls “unfair treatment” and bad booking.  She was also rather rude recently to her mother, who had stopped by her hotel after a Breakdown event only to provide advice on how to pull things back together.

What has happened to her?  This is not the person Marie Jones wants to be.  She does not want to be known as someone who whines and complains until she gets her way.  She wants to be known as a warrior, a fighter, as someone who earns her way in this business.  She definitely doesn’t want to be considered an ungrateful bitch.  Shunning those who only tried to help her will not help her cause.

Yet now here she is, not only with the Adrenaline Championship Match she felt she deserved, but it’s in the main event spotlight of a pay per view.  It’s in an elimination chamber match to boot, her first chamber match ever.

Jones approaches the front doors and pushes them open.  She steps inside and immediately beholds the square tables with glass tops, chairs with a slight rustic design, a terracotta rustic tiled floor, large windows, and small vases of yellow carnation flowers on each table.  She turns to face the cashier, and to her delight there is no one in line to order at this point.  With a warm grin on her face, Marie walks up to the cashier…a brown haired woman who looks to either still be in high school or just started college…

“Good morning, Annabelle!”

Very few people get by with referring to Marie by her middle name.  Marie hates it and that’s why she’s gone by Marie most of her life.  Her family can barely swing it and only a select few good friends can swing it.  This worker is clearly a very good friend.

“Good morning, Beverly.”

“French Vanilla Mocha Latte?”

“You know me all too well.” Marie remarks, nodding her head with a pleasant smile across her face.

“That’ll be five dollars and eighty-five cents, please.” The cashier informs Marie after punching the order in.  Marie quickly passes her a five dollar bill with a one dollar bill.

“Keep the change.”

“Thanks, Annabelle!  You’re the best!”

The cashier passes her a receipt.  Marie nods her head and goes to find a seat.  It is rather full and very few tables are empty.  She scans the area and apparently something catches her eyes.  Over in the back corner she spots her husband, Arthur Pond.  She immediately makes a beeline towards that back table and takes a seat next to him.

“Thanks for coming early to get a table.”

“Don’t mention it.” He leans over and kisses her on the cheek.  After breaking the kiss Marie looks over to the cup of straight black coffee in front of Arthur.  She smirks as she looks up at him.

“Didn’t bother waiting on me, did you?”

“You were running a little late, babe.”

“Blame it on the traffic.  It was a bitch.”

“When isn’t it?” Arthur asks jokingly.

“And when did you start drinking your coffee black?” Marie asks, pointing to the cup in Arthur’s hand.

“Blame your mother.  She practically dared me to try it and, turns out, I kind of like it black.  Besides,” he takes a sip and then sets the coffee back down on the table “there are days that you need it as strong as possible.”

“I understand completely.”

It’s at this time that Beverly comes over to the table.  She sets Marie’s cup of French Vanilla Mocha Latte on the table.

“There’s your order, Annabelle.”

“Annabelle?” Arthur says with a chuckle, winking at Marie.

“Shut up, Arthur.” Marie states quickly before looking up at Beverly. “Thanks, Beverly.”

“No prob!  Enjoy!”

Beverly turns and walks away, leaving Arthur and Marie alone at the table. Arthur smirks.

“I’m surprised you let her live.  Annabelle…”

“Yeah, well, it is my name.  Just not the one I like.”

“So, what’s on the agenda for today after coffee?”

“I need some alone time.” Marie says, taking a sip of her latte. “So you’re going to have look after Sean again all day.”

“All day?” Arthur asks with raised eyebrows.

“Yes, all day.” Marie says, nodding her head. “I am going to be busting my ass in the gym as much as I can as long as I can leading up to this chamber match at Under Attack.”

“Look, Marie, I know this is important to you, but you don’t have to do it alone.”

“Yes, I do.” She nods her head. “You can’t help me out with this one, Arthur.  I know you want to, and I appreciate it, but you can’t help me.  Kimberly can’t help me.  Mom can’t help me.  I have to do this one on my own.”

“Why?  What’s wrong with moral support?”

“Moral support hasn’t gotten me anywhere lately.” Marie says coldly. “I’ve tried and tried for months now.  I lost at Rise To Greatness.  I lost to Blake at Apocalypse.  I lost to Alexis Quinne, failing to become Television Champion. I lost to Alistaire Allocco.”

“But you’re in the main event of Under Attack.  You have a shot at the Adrenaline Championship!  That has to count for something?”

“That’s my problem.  I AM in the main event…and I’m not entirely sure I deserve it.”

“You’re crazy.” Arthur shakes his head.

“Am I?  What have I done lately to prove that I belong among the elites?  I haven’t proven that I’m elite.  I’ve proven that I’m a cry-baby. Mom said it herself, so did Kim, and they’re both right.  But this chamber match is my opportunity to prove that I belong.  This is my chance to prove that I DID earn this pay per view spotlight and that it wasn’t just handed to me.  But I have to win…” she shakes her head with a sigh in her voice “…I have no other choice.  I have to win or else everything people have said about me since my losing streak, all of it, will be true.”

There is a tense moment as Arthur stares into the eyes of his beloved wife Marie.  He hates seeing her like this.  He can tell that she’s fighting back the tears, that she’s trying to remain strong in this public setting.  She is an emotional person.

“Alright, that’s fine,” Arthur says reluctantly “I get it, this match is important to you.  I’ll watch Sean while you take the day to yourself.”

“Thank you.” Marie sips her coffee again.

“Still, I hated not going with you to Breakdown.” Arthur remarks, sipping his coffee. “You know I love traveling with you.”

“I know you do and I did miss you, but with the frame of mind I’ve been in lately…” Marie’s voice trails off as she shakes her head “...I just didn’t want you or Sean seeing me this shaken up.”

“It’s ok, babe.” Arthur answers back, placing a comforting hand on his wife’s shoulder. “You are upset and you have every reason to be upset.”

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t.” She shrugs her shoulders. “The point is that I haven’t been in the right frame of mind, that’s all.  I haven’t been handling things properly.  And that’s another reason why this chamber match at Under Attack is important to me.  It’s my chance at redemption.”

“You don’t need to redeem yourself or anyone else.” Arthur says with a warm grin. “You don’t need to prove yourself to anyone in SCW or any of the fans or anyone else for that matter.  I know who you are…who you really are…and I know deep down inside you are doing what you think is right.  And I love you for it and support you no matter what.  That’s all that matters.”

“You have no idea how much I appreciate hearing that…” a tear starts to roll down her cheek.

“Your mom tries to be supportive of you as well, in her own way.”

“I know…” Marie’s voice trails off as she thinks back to her recent encounter with her mother, she figuratively threw her out without any word of gratitude for at least trying to help.

“You were a bit harsh on your mother.  You know that right?”

“I do.” Marie nods her head. “She didn’t deserve that treatment I gave her.”

“Then you know what you should do before the day is over, right?”

“Yeah.  I think so.”

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Scene 2

Off Camera

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The sounds of a female grunting as well the echoes of feet against a heavy bag are heard throughout an empty gymnasium.  This is a place Marie frequents often whenever she’s in her hometown of Boston.  It is all but abandoned, thus she has privacy.  She will sacrifice the looks of the place for privacy.

The concrete floor is gray and the walls are painted an off-white color, at least the walls that still have paint on them, as most of the paint on the walls have begun to peel.  There is a standard wrestling set up in the center, weights scattered all over the floor.  At one of the far ends of the room is a red heavy bag.  The lovely Marie Jones is standing there at the heavy bag dressed in a pair of workout shorts, black tanktop, and her long red hair pulled into a ponytail in the back, as she viciously attacks the heavy bag with her well-educated feet.

With each kick, from roundhouse kicks to jumping spin kicks, Marie grunts loudly and the bag heaves back and forth.  The force of these kicks would be enough to take the head off of any competitor; they will serve her well inside the chamber.  At least she hopes they will.   The kicks continue, increasing in ferocity and intensity, until Marie finally decides to take a break.

Jones picks up a towel on the floor and begins to wipe the seat from her face.  During that time she hears the front door opening and then shutting.  A sigh escapes her lips as she drapes the towel across her shoulder and turns to face her visitor…

“You’re late.”

It’s her mother, Angelica Jones.  The matriarch of the Jones family is wearing an ankle length plain black skirt, sandals, and a floral print red silk blouse.  She is wearing her signature black leather jacket and her long red hair hangs unrestrained to below the shoulders.  She shrugs her shoulders and begins to approach her daughter.

“What can I say?  Bad habits are just hard to break.”

“I think I picked up on some of your bad habits.” Marie says with a light chuckle. “I was late meeting Arthur for coffee.”

“Naughty girl.” Angelica teases. “Never keep your man waiting.”

“That’s me.  Always naughty.”

“Not sure if that’s true.  Kimberly goes around threatening to maim people and Jessica thinks she’s a god.  Of the three children you’re tops.”

“Now that’s not nice, mom.” Marie shakes her head, teasingly. “Not nice to judge your children.”

“That’s what Kimberly says!” Angelica remarks. “But that’s beside the point.  I got your text.  What did you want to see me about?”

Just as she says this, Marie reaches out and embraces her mother in a tight hug.  Needless to say, Angelica is certainly taken aback and surprised by this move.  But not entirely upset by it.

“Ok…I wasn’t expecting this…” the hug is broken and Angelica laughs lightly “….uh, I’m not complaining, but what was this about, Marie?  I mean, we weren’t exactly on good terms the last time we spoke.”

“I remember.” Marie nods her head. “You tried to help me.  You offered advice.  And I was rude, I was ungrateful, and I threw you out.  So first I wanted to say I am sorry…”

“Ok,” Angelica nods her head “apology accepted.”

“…and that’s not all.” Marie sighs. “I also want to say that you were right about me.”

“I was right?” Angelica arches a brow out of sheer curiosity.

“Yes, you were right.  I mean, I’m not going to say that I think I was treated right by SCW and its management.  I still think I was treated rather poorly and I will stand by my words.  But the more I think about it, the more think about what I said in the lead up to this chamber match, and the more I think about what you tried to tell me…”

The Phoenix’s voice trails off.  Angelica sees that she’s having a tough time with this, so she places a comforting hand on her daughter’s shoulder.

“…all of this made me realize that talking a good game means nothing if you can’t back up your words with actions.  Instead of complaining and griping, I should have been busting my ass to get better.  This chamber match is a blank slate for me.  I’m starting fresh.  No more complaining, no more griping.  Just me playing the hand that I’m dealt.”

“You’ve been full of idioms lately.” Angelica says with a knowing grin.

“Yeah, I just realized that after I said it.”

“I am glad to hear you say that, though.  Because getting things done is how you get respect.  You can get noticed by complaining but you won’t get the right kind of attention.  You can raise your voice but if you back it up with action, then you’ll have support from the wrestling world.  It took me many years in this business to learn that lesson.”

“I just hope all of this action will get me that SCW Adrenaline Championship.”

“Even if it doesn’t, be proud that you gave it your all.  Be proud that you are in this spot right now.”

“Oh I’m happy to be here, but I’m not going to settle for second best or runner up.  I want that championship, mom.  You know that.”

“I know.” She nods her head. “But tell me, are you still upset that it’s a chamber match and not one on one against Raynes?”

“Not at all.” Marie shakes her head. “Fact is that a lot of people doubt me right now.  I brought a lot of that doubt upon myself through my actions and my losses.  But if I can win this championship by beating five of the best in SCW today, then I will silence the critics once and for all. This is my chance, mom.  And I need to win…”

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On Camera

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The Elimination Chamber means different things to different people.  To some it may be intimidating, to others of a more violent nature it may be just another walk in the park.  To those who have never ventured inside the chamber, it is the great unknown.

What does the chamber mean to me?

The chamber, to me, is about opportunity.  It is an opportunity at the Adrenaline Championship.  Ever since I failed to capture the title several months ago, it’s been eating away at me like a disease or a cancer.  It’s been eating me alive that I did not have the title when I felt deep down in my heart and soul that I had Raynes beaten.

Now I’m not going to repeat myself like I’ve done in the past.  Regardless of the circumstances behind the outcome, I failed.  And I’ve been pissed off ever since, partially at Raynes, partially at Dylan Howell, but mostly at myself because I didn’t get the job done.

This chamber match is a second chance for me.  It is my opportunity to get the job done this time.  There was an air of doubt in the ring that night but this time, inside of a locked elimination chamber, there will be no doubt.  Either I win or I lose.  And that, my friends, is fair.  That’s what I’ve been wanting from day one.  A fair shot at the Adrenaline Championship.

In a fair fight, always bet on The Phoenix to rise to the occasion.

The chamber is also an opportunity to finally break through here in SCW.  This is my chance to finally cement myself once and for all silence each and every one of my critics.

The critics and doubters exist because of me.  I brought it upon myself because I called my shots and couldn’t get the job done.  But now here before me is a golden opportunity that comes along once a year.  You beat one top star and some may call it a fluke, but if you beat FIVE top stars in one of the most violent and unpredictable matches there is, then no one can call it a fluke.  No one can doubt you.

Love me or hate me, everyone will have to respect me and acknowledge me after I win the elimination chamber match at Under Attack.

Opportunity is knocking at my door and I plan on swinging that son of a bitch wide open!