Post by Teo Blaze on Feb 10, 2016 15:12:02 GMT -5
This is happening too much.
Too many evenings spent worrying, too many times spent wondering, too many nights woven into a fabric of the unknown and the disastrous.
Too many times on the fluorescent lit tile floor, watching nameless scrubs in white and green uniforms pass one another urgently, whispering their patients fates to each other through baited breath and hushed lips.
Too many secrets kept from worried families, who never get to know just how bad their loved one is, and now, on the night that Teo del Sol was expected to defend his People’s title, he stood once more in the lobby of the hospital, listening to three words.
Three words that hung in the air, three words that roared like a thunderclap throughout his mind the moment they left the receptionist’s mouth.
Sorry. Family Only.
Did she not understand that though they shared no blood, that Teo and Spencer Adams had fought as brothers-in-arms more times than he could count?
That every time that he had started to fall, that Spencer Adams had been there to remind him of just why they had started their group in the first place?
That the moment that Spencer Adams was able to fend for himself, that the very first thing they were going to do was to kick in the door to Beach Krew’s locker room and dangle Jared off of the stadium like the son of a bitch deserved!
Teo caught himself, felt the pain in his hands that told him they were being clenched into fists, and took a deep breath, staring into the young girl’s eyes. She looked up at the luchador, but she could see the rage building behind his calm look, and he saw the familiar frightened look, like a rabbit before a wolf, flash across hers.
Teo: Thank you anyway. I’ll wait till he comes out.
Teo turned and walked away from the reception desk, sucking air through his nose to calm his nerves. Now was not the time to let himself get away from himself, there was still work to be done.
Still Asses to be kicked.
Teo paused only a moment before resuming his stride, determined not to let his frustration show to the receptionist, then walked to a sofa in the center of the lobby, lowering himself into it with closed eyes.
He didn’t want to open them.
He knew the moment that he did, that Tiburones would be sitting across from him, or David Sanchez, or maybe Dune. Someone to taunt him, to let him know that he failed. That the People’s Choice was all but dead. Vic had flown the coop, and Spencer….
Teo sighed, thinking back to when the three had first decided to rally against Beach Krew. Teo had just recaptured the Television Title from Tiburones, had grabbed a miracle reversal and finally gotten one over on the shark-masked madman, and Jared was not happy.
Reinforcements came with chairs, prepared to finish him off- they would have done it too, except that Vic and Spencer were waiting, the three were all sick and tired of letting Beach Krew do whatever they wanted. So they managed to keep them at bay. For a little while.
Back then, everyone was worried about winning the world title. Dune and Flash had just annihilated one another, and the field was practically open. But that tunnel vision came at a cost- no one noticed the tidal wave on the horizon. No one saw the storm coming, the shadow that would try to drown the WCF.
No one except the People’s Choice.
Teo had to admit, things got worse before they got better. Beach Krew quickly won almost every title there was to win, captured the World Title everyone was so concerned about. That got People’s attention.
Then in the midst of it all, Teo finally managed to eke out a victory, managed to squeeze out a win for the People’s Choice- though it nearly cost him his mask, he managed to beat Kemp for the People’s Title.
That was the moment. That was when Teo finally knew that it was worth it. Just to let Beach Krew, at the height of their power, know that they would not be able to extend that tyranny to silence the voice of the people…
That was all that Teo had wanted.
And now? He had another Kyle Kemp trying to do it all over again. Andre Holmes, one of the most up and coming names on the roster. Teo had had the chance to discuss the upcoming title match with Andre, before all….this happened.
He didn’t dislike Andre, but he didn’t trust him with the prize he had worked so hard to protect. Andre just rubbed him the wrong way- he had no interest in the belt before the match was announced and he quickly tried to adopt an attitude of caring towards the people the moment that there was a prize in it for him.
That was not the kind of champion that the People deserved. Teo had held the Trios titles and the People’s title at the same time, but he had done so to keep them out of the hands of Beach Krew, and even despite what it cost, they had managed to do that.
But the People’s Title, he had fought for that. He had spilt blood for that, had torn his flesh and driven himself through hell to be able to walk away with that title.
And now Andre was saying that he didn’t deserve it.
Teo knew, he wasn’t supposed to take the comments seriously- there’s not an opponent in the world that has anything nice to say before a title match. But Teo was really starting to feel a bit of that doubt, that wonder, that questioning the more people insisted that they could do it better.
Had he not dedicated and sacrificed everything for the People’s Title? Had he not bled for them, and willingly and happily faced Torture- arguably one of the greatest men to ever hold the belt? Had he not proven himself yet?
No. And you never will.
Teo knew what was going to happen the moment he opened his eyes, but despite himself that comment caused them to fly open anyway. And there, seated on the couch opposite him, was the man known only as Scarecrow.
Teo’s brow curled into a furious glare as he spoke under his breath, the words coming out like daggers.
Teo: How. Dare. You…
“Crow”: What, you don’t like it?
Teo didn’t respond to the apparition, only clenching his teeth and staring down at the white tile floor.
“Crow”: Fine, if you’re going to be a baby about it…
Teo glanced once more at the apparition, now apparently transformed into a WCF fan. Wearing a WCF T-shirt and a replica Teo del Sol mask, the vision spoke to him through a fanged mouth.
: Of course, you know the significance, but I just love twisting the knife.
Teo: Shut up and leave.
: Poor baby. Always in the shadow of someone else, always knowing that you’ll never be the best.
Teo: I’m done with you, not tonight.
: You idolized him, didn’t you? You saw a man of the people, someone who was able to get everyone in the world to look at him and tell him he was the best. You saw a man set the standard for that little belt of yours that no one would ever be able to live up to.
Teo: Don’t…
: And then you watched him die.
Teo stood up suddenly, storming through the front door of the hospital, out into the ambulance zone, his hands pulling on the sides of his mask as he made his way past the brick walls of the hospital, but when he rounded the side of the building, the vision was still there.
: Just like that, he passed into legend, and you were left to pick up the pieces.
Teo: Stop it!
: You were left with your little fan club to hold his belt. To carry on his legacy.
Teo fell to his knees, staring up at the fan, who pulled the mask off slowly…
: Face it, Teddy Sunshine. We all know how this ends.
The vision looked down into Teo’s eyes with a glowing red glare and a demoniac grin, the face underneath revealed as David Sanchez’s
: Don’t feel bad though, you were always a loser. It’s just time for people to find out.
With that the vision placed its hands on Teo’s shoulders, and he began to feel a tremendous weight pushing down on him, as though he were being pushed into the ground itself.
: It doesn’t matter what form I take, it’s always the same. Crow, Sanchez, Dune, Jared… How can you possibly hope to live up to these titans among men, huh? How can just you and a bunch of screaming nobodies overcome a force like that? You’re just a miserable excuse for a wrestler, and you’ve ridden a string of good luck to victories that you don’t deserve.
Teo began to see cracks form on the pavement, the vision trying to push him down into Hell.
: When you lose that People’s Title on Wednesday, that’ll be it, won’t it? Teddy Sunshine will have nothing left. No belts, no tag partners, and he’ll be remembered as just another champion who couldn’t live up to those that came before him.
Teo began to feel woozy, and felt his eyes roll back in his head as he fell face first onto the pavement.
: Face it Theodore. The House. Always. Wins.
With that the apparition faded away as Teo lay unconscious on the ground…
Wake up…
Wake…
Up…
You can’t go yet…
Teo suddenly became aware of a voice echoing, and he slowly began to remember where he was. With a considerable effort, he rolled himself over, his eyes staring up at the sliver of a moon left in the sky.
At that moment, he turned over and saw the last thing that he expected to see. He was looking up into Breanna’s face, and he saw it consumed by a mix of fear and concern.
Breanna: Wake up, Teo! I came as soon as I heard what happened, I was at the hotel, hoping to surprise you, and then…Spencer, and I knew you would…
Teo suddenly and without thinking turned and buried his head in her lap, and began to realize that tears were streaming from his face. Everything that had transpired began to hit him, the realization that he might never get to fight alongside Spencer again, that Vic was all but gone forever and that the People’s Choice would likely never be able to stand again.
Every emotion, all the loss, all the pain that he had put aside over the months of struggle, it all hit him at once, and there with his head in Breanna’s lap, he felt it all crystalize into one monumental wave of negativity.
He didn’t know how long he stayed like that, his head down, hidden from the world, but Breanna waited for him the whole time, gently stroking the back of his head as he broke down in front of her.
Finally though, she helped him to his feet, and the two walked back towards the hotel.
Part 2:
The camera pans on an empty locker room, lit by a single blinking fluorescent light. Though empty, one can almost feel , almost hear the sound of those who have passed through before it. The locker room kept hopeful athletes and wide-eyed wrestlers just long enough before they moved onto their triumph…or loss.
And there, in the center, stands Teo del Sol, the People’s title slung over his shoulder. He glances down at the belt, then looks directly into the camera.
Teo: So here we are Mr. Holmes. The time has come when you finally get the chance to back up all the talk you’ve been throwing.
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against you personally. Heck we could probably be tag team partners this week if things were strictly professional.
But when you take it upon yourself to try and take this from me?
Teo pats the People’s title with one hand and glances back.
Teo: That’s when you make it personal. You see Andre, I have no doubt that when you look upon this belt, you see a tremendous opportunity, you see a prize that you can put on your shoulder and parade around, you think that this belt will confirm what you’ve always known.
But that’s just it, more than any other belt in this company, this belt is as much a responsibility as it is a reward. When you compete for this belt, you are not just saying that you can pin someone for a 1,2,3. You are not just saying that you want to have it put down in the record books that on Feburary 10, 2016, that Andre Holmes defeated Teo del Sol, no.
When you compete for this belt, you are saying that you want to be the representative, you want to be the one that the People can look up to, can know fights for them.
Is that the kind of champion you want to be? Because Andre, I haven’t seen it.
I have seen you acknowledge the voice of the people, I have seen you acknowledge a desire for the belt, and I have seen you respect its significance.
But Andre, I have yet to see you show to me that you are worthy. I have yet to see you show me one moment, one bit of evidence that you care for these people more than you care for yourself.
You are an outstanding competitor, you are driven, you are talented, and you have even worked your way up to the tag team championship.
But the difference when it comes to this title, Andre, is that you have done it all for you. You have put forth as much effort as you needed to get what you want, and that has been the end of it.
But what you have failed to do, Andre, is to look at yourself and make a frank assessment.
You see, that’s what Andre Holmes is- he is a force of negativity. He prides himself on taking down people. Look at any twitter post, look at any promo- and you’ll see that Andre Holmes is a master at pushing the attention on his opponents. He points out their flaws, tears down their accomplishments, and tries to reduce them to nothingness.
It’s a good trick, I’ll grant you. When we talked this week in preparation for the title match, the first thing you did was try to paint me as some kind of failure, try to minimize the sacrifice and the dedication that I have put towards this belt and to these people.
But Andre, you have to understand, these people…they’re not that easily fooled. There have been plenty of guys exactly like you, guys who thought they could fool the people into supporting them by tearing down their opponent, to try and reduce ME to a poor champion because that way you look like a great alternative.
But I know better. I know that these people know that Teo del Sol, 100% is on their side. Teo del Sol has never in his life done anything! That was not for these fans. Teo del Sol has been injured, has lost teeth, has lost blood, has broken bones for these people!
As Teo speaks, he suddenly and violently rips off his mask, revealing the scars from the matches with Torture, Kemp, and Beach Krew. The missing teeth and the torn flesh laid bare as Teo talks directly into the camera.
Teo: You want to see what this belt asks of you, Andre Holmes, you take a good look! I want you to see every scar, every move, every bit of pain that I have put myself through to get to this point, and I want you to tell me again that I haven’t put every fiber of my being into paying back these people for the support they have shown me!
And now you want to come in and tell the world that you’re going to beat me because I don’t deserve to be champion??
Andre, I may respect your abilities, but I’m only human! You think that you’re going to come in and take my belt through politicking and through deceit, well I’m going to give you a wake-up call, man!
This belt will not! Be held by someone who is not willing to sacrifice, and I don’t mean who is willing to sacrifice if they might win a gold title, I mean someone who is willing to stand face to face with Beach Krew when no one in the world was willing and get pinned 1,2,3 in the center of that ring! I mean someone who is willing to walk into the ring with Dune and face him in a fair fight, even if it means that you can’t walk the next day! If you want to be the People’s Champion, you have to give Everything! To these people, and if you don’t, then you had better believe that someone else will.
That is the legacy of this belt. This is a belt that rewards people for their dedication, a belt that let’s people know that someone out there is watching and someone has noticed. But it only gives out what you put into it.
Andre, I hope you’re ready for the fight of your life come Wednesday night. Because if you want to take this from me, you’re going to have to pry it from my unconscious hands.
Teo turns away from the camera, breathing heavily as it slowly fades to black.
Epilogue:
Teo lies on the floor of a shoddy hotel room, his head once again in Breanna’s lap, except this time he stares up at the ceiling.
Teo: He was my best friend, Bree…
Breanna: I know, sweetie, I know…
Breanna strokes the hair on his unmasked face as Teo closes his eyes and offers a deep sigh.
Teo: I really wasn’t ready for this.
Breanna: We never are.
Teo: And now I have to defend my title.
Breanna: I believe in you.
Teo smiles, eyes still closed, and places his hand on her cheek, offering her the first smile since that morning.
Teo: What did I ever do to deserve someone like you?
Breanna: I dunno, you must be pretty lucky.
Teo chuckles under his breath as the camera slowly fades to black.
