Focus

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Off Camera

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Retribution is on the mind of Angelica and Kayla Jones, The Sisterhood.  No, they are not seeking vengeance or retribution against another team or another person in particular.  If anything, their retribution is going to be against none other than themselves as they hope to gain a form of redemption in a one on one tag match against The Honor Code for the SCW World Tag Team Championship.  The SCW World Tag Team Championship has been on the mind of the Jones sisters ever since losing the gold over a year ago and they were hoping to regain their tag team glory at Retribution.

Unfortunately now those plans have been put on hold.  The Sisterhood is having to wait yet again due to AJ Helms qualifying for the Shot of Adrenaline semi-finals at Retribution.  No tag team title shot for The Sisterhood.  Still, despite this setback, a setback that definitely frustrates them, they will not be dismayed. Their focus remains the same: becoming tag team champions again.

Focus, though, is an important factor in professional wrestling.  If you lose focus, you lose matches.  Kayla Jones knows this lesson all too well.  She knows this particularly well due to her most recent interaction with none other than her Trios Tournament tag team partner Lexi Von Aaron.

Despite a hopeful optimism and putting on her best possible performance, The Trios Tournament still did not turn out the way Kayla Jones-Snow had hoped it would.  Sienna Swann, Lexi Von Aaron, and Kayla Jones had high hopes for their trios team.  Dubbing themselves “Team Siexla”, they were a well-oiled machine with a game plan of how to make it to the finals and win it all and win that coveted Trios Contract.

Unfortunately it was not to be.  Team Siexla did not win The Trios Tournament.  They didn’t even make the finals.  And yet, in the process of the preparation of the Tournament and during the Tournament itself, Kayla Jones worked with her tag team partners and, in the process, at least gained one new ally in Sienna Swann.

Kayla sees a lot of herself in Sienna.  The SCW Women’s Champion was a bright and hopeful prospect in the world of professional wrestling who got a reality check of the dangers of the sport when William Mason delivered a vicious pile driver, nearly ending her career.  Kayla can relate to this as she, being the sister of Angelica Jones, was also a bright and hopeful superstar when she first started wrestling, but then she broke her neck in the process of a wrestling match.

Jones thought her career was over, but she fought through the pain and anguish.  She refused to give in to the grief.  Kayla would recover, recuperate, and would return to the sport she loved.  But she would never be the same again.

Just as Sienna, no doubt, will never be the same again.

Kayla and Sienna’s bonding is obvious.  But then there’s Lexi Von Aaron.

Lexi demands to be referred to as Lexi Helms, due to her obsession with none other than AJ Helms.

Kayla doesn’t see anything of herself in Lexi.  In Lexi she sees an eccentric, perhaps insane, obsessed young woman stalking AJ Helms.  Kayla put her personal judgments of Lexi to the side so that she could work with her in the Trios Tournament.  But now that partnership has ended and Kayla and Lexi are set to be enemies, opponents on the next edition of Breakdown as they go one on one.

Sunlight streams in from the window, striking Kayla Jones-Snow on her face as she lies down in her Queen sized bed in her hotel room in Houston, Texas.  Jones slowly blinks herself awake and stares into the sunlight with a warm smile upon her face.  Normally she isn’t a morning person and sunlight would not be very welcoming, but lately, the sunlight has come to represent how much better Kayla’s life has been looking.

Yes, she and Angelica do have to wait to get a tag team title match.  That much is unfortunate.  But the title shot is coming, one way or the other, and besides that, outside of the ring has been excellent for Kayla Jones-Snow.  She married the love of her life, Trenton Snow.  Finally, maybe, Jones has found her life partner; someone who will care for her.  At least she believes so, which is the reason for the smile on her face.

She just wishes her older sister, Angelica Jones, could find that same happiness.  But that’s another problem for another time.

Kayla has a wide warm smile upon her face as she throws the cover off and sits up, revealing herself in black lace panties, matching lace bra, and sheer nylon stockings.  She swings her nylon covered legs over the edge of the bed and stretches out before standing up.

“Going somewhere?”

Kayla turns and looks down to see Trenton staring up at her from the bed.  He, too, has a grin on his face, one that speaks of how much he loves her and how much he wants her even now.  Kayla knows this and snickers.

“Yes, babe, it’s morning and I’m getting up.”

“It’s too early to get up.”

Kayla chuckles lightly before motioning towards the clock by the nightstand that reads 9:30 am.

“It’s 9:30, babe.”

“So?”

“I have a public appearance and autograph signing for SCW this afternoon and I was hoping you and I could go out and grab a nice breakfast first.  Besides, this is late for me. I like being out of bed earlier than this.”

“Do those fans really need to see you, babe?  Do they deserve to see my beautiful wife?”

Kayla rolls her eyes.

“Deserve or not, I’m contractually obligated.  But don’t worry…”

She winks at Trenton.

“You still get to show me off.  We’re going to breakfast, remember?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“I just need to get dressed.”

Trenton shakes his head.

“No you don’t.”

“I don’t…”

Kayla twirls around, giving Trenton a three-hundred sixty degree view of her lingerie covered body.

“…are you suggesting this is appropriate to wear out in public?”

“No, it’s definitely not appropriate for you to wear out in public.  Those people don’t deserve to see you the way I do.”

Kayla sighs and rolls her eyes.

“Oh Lord, here we go…”

“What you should do is get back in bed with me…”

He winks.

“…so we can finish what we started last night.”

“But breakfast…”

Trenton shakes his head.

“No, Kay…that IS my breakfast…”

Kayla chuckles.

“You really are a naughty boy, you know that?”

“I try.  Now come here…”

Kayla puts one leg back on the bed but then she is interrupted with loud knocking at the door to the hotel room.  Trenton and Kayla, more so Trenton for obvious reasons, seems rather annoyed by this intrusion and hopes that his wife will ignore it.  But the knocking continues, louder and more insistent.  Kayla sighs and walks away from the bed and heads to the closet.

“Ignore them, Kay…”

“I’ll send them away, babe.”

Kayla emerges from the closet with a long pink nightgown.  The knocking resumes, louder this time than the previous times.  Kayla sighs out of frustration.

“I’m coming!  Hold on!”

Jones reaches for the doorknob and turns before pulling the door open.  She is stunned to see her older sister Angelica Jones stumbling inside.  The elder Jones is wearing denim jeans, white tennis shoes, and a plain black SCW t-shirt.  Her long, normally gorgeous, red hair isn’t so gorgeous.  Instead her hair looks very ratty and out of place.

“Angelica!  What’re you doing here?!”

Angelica stumbles forward and nearly falls but Kayla catches her in her arms.  Angelica goes dead weight and Kayla has a hard time supporting her.  Trenton immediately kicks off the covers and leaps out of bed in just his boxers (sorry ladies) as he rushes over to help.  Kayla looks to Trenton.

“Help her onto the bed.”

Trenton nods as he scoops Angelica into his arms and carries her over to the Queen sized bed.  He gently places her on the bed.  Kayla rushes over to her side.  Trenton sighs as he looks over to his concerned wife.

“I think she’s drunk.”

Kayla gets close to her sister’s face and takes a big sniff.  She nods her head.

“Yeah, I can smell the alcohol.”

Angelica groans and moans as she attempts to sit up.

“Lindsey…”

Kayla gently pushes her back down on the bed.

“Lie down, sis.  Take it easy and rest.  We’ll talk later.”

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Four Hours Later

Off Camera

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It has now been nearly four hours since Kayla and Trenton were interrupted by Kayla’s inebriated older sister Angelica Jones came stumbling into their hotel room.  Angelica was clearly drunk and out of it.  But now Angelica has at least recovered to some degree, sitting in a chair with her head buried in her hands.  Her sister Kayla is standing up in front of her, next to Trenton Snow.  Kayla is now dressed in a knee length loose fitting red skirt, red high heeled pumps, and a floral print silky black blouse.  Angelica is shaking her head, still repeating that same name she uttered four hours earlier, the name of a lost lover…

“Lindsey…Lindsey…”

“Angelica, please, tell us what’s wrong?  You just woke up.  Now tell us what’s wrong.  Is there an update on Lindsey?”

Lindsey Carter was Angelica’s wife.  They had a unique relationship that began on deception but they grew to genuinely love one another.  Unfortunately, Lindsey grew tired of Angelica never being around and, after accusing Angelica of putting her career ahead of the marriage, Lindsey walked out.

That alone would be enough to strike Angelica Jones right in the heart and do some deep emotional damage.  But what happened next, perhaps, was the final nail in the coffin.  Authorities began to investigate the disappearance of Lindsey Carter, who had apparently been reported missing.  Angelica, being her wife, was the obvious first suspect.

“They…cleared me of any involvement in Lindsey’s disappearance.”

Kayla nods her head.

“Ok, well that’s good.”

“It’s not…”

Angelica shakes her head.

“…it’s not good…”

“What do you mean?  Do you want them investigating you?!”

Angelica looks up at Kayla through tear filled eyes.

“It doesn’t bring Lindsey back.”

Kayla sighs.

“No, I guess it doesn’t.  But you can’t let this beat you.”

Kayla reaches out and place a hand on her shoulder.

“You’re tougher than this, Angelica!”

“Easy for you to say.  You still have Trenton.  I have no one.”

The elder Jones begins to cry.

“And it’s all my fault.  I tricked her into marrying me, there was never love at first, I thought we had grew to love one another but…maybe…”

Angelica doesn’t even finish her statement.  Instead she just sighs and shakes her head.

“I’m holding you up…don’t you have an autograph signing to attend?”

“Bullshit, Angelica!  That crap can wait!  You’re my sister and you’re my top priority right now.”

Kayla grabs Angelica by her hands and pulls her to her feet.  Once Angelica is back on her feet, Kayla embraces her in a tight hug.

“We’ve beaten so much, you and I.  Mom was raped and killed and we were separated, you to a convent and me to the home of an abusive drunk.  But we survived it and reunited.  This family survived Emma Storm trying to destroy us using your own daughter against you.  We’re Angelica and Kayla Jones, damnit!  We’re the damn Sisterhood!  We’ve beaten worse than this and I’m damn sure not going to let you get beaten by this!”

A fire-filled determination is in Kayla’s eyes as she stares at Angelica.

“I promise you, Angel.  You will survive this because I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

“But…”

Kayla shakes her head and immediately interrupts Angelica before she finish her statement.

“No ‘buts’, Angel!  You’ve helped me so much in ways that I can’t even begin to describe.  Let me help you bring you out of this depression.”

Angelica smiles.

“Thanks, Kayla…”

“Don’t thank me, Angel.  I’m just doing what sisters do.”

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On Camera

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I’ve been through hell in my lifetime.  I won’t go into any of the details, though some of you may know them already, but I had to grow up at a very early age.  I learned at a very early age that you really cannot trust anyone and while it’s sad that I had to learn that so early in my lifetime, it is still a lesson that has served me well in professional wrestling.

The fact is that you can’t take anyone at their word in this cutthroat business.  Angelica and I thought we were getting a World Tag Team Title match at Retribution.  We took it with very little optimism, not in the sense that we doubt ourselves.  We know we have what it takes to beat Shaun Cruze and AJ Helms for the tag team titles.

We weren’t very optimistic about the prospect of actually GETTING a tag team title shot at Retribution.

There are days when I hate being right.  This is definitely one of them.  But if we’re facing Honor Code-Lite…as that’s what I’m calling the duo of Shaun Cruze and Lexi Von Aaron…at Retribution, that’s fine, The Sisterhood will do what we do best.  We’ll go and we’ll compete.  No games, no whining.  No #FreeBotswana.

That just isn’t what The Sisterhood is all about.  We’re about competition so, by all means, Shaun and your reluctant new bestie, I wish you both the best of luck.  May the best team win.  It’s all in the spirit of competition.

Competition also means seeing who is the best and right now Honor Code is the best tag team in SCW.  The Sisterhood should be facing them, not Honor Code-Lite.  Still, it is what it is, and there’s no changing that.  So allow me to move on and address the “Lite” of Honor-Code Lite.

Lexi Von Aaron…

I suppose I could take the same approach with you that everyone else takes.  That would mean I’d have to call you a maniacal stalker obsessed with AJ Helms who, just as an FYI, hates your freaking guts but you’re too dumb to realize it.  That’s what everyone else says about you when they face you.  Some say it to your face.  Though some are too cowardly to say it to your face and will say it behind your back, not in the public ear, so no one knows what they really think about you.

To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if your besties Lenore Mason and Chanel Hunter don’t say those things behind your back.  Not meaning to sow seeds of discontent, mind you, just a word of warning from a former tag team partner.

No, I’m going to approach this from a different angle.  There’s no point in talking about any eccentrics that you may or may not have, because even the craziest and most insane individuals have competed not just in professional wrestling but for Supreme Championship Wrestling itself.

Dawn Lohan and Kordy Price once considered Red Rayne their “mother”…

CHBK agreed to tie his hands behind his back in an Empty Arena Match against a very dangerous Trinity Street in what had to be considered a suicidal act…

If you ask me, a woman who is smitten with a bit of a crush on a handsome young man is perfectly normal by comparison to some of the things gone on in SCW.  Now have you taken things a smidge too far in your quest for AJ’s affections?

Yes…yes times ten to the thirty second power…

…but being smitten with a young man like AJ Helms is perfectly normal.

So no, your eccentricities and what some may call your insanities don’t bother me.  What I am going to focus on is your ability.  You come from a talented wrestling family.  The business is in your blood.  And as a member of wrestling royalty myself, I know potential when I see it and when I look at you I see someone who almost has the total package…

…you are a gorgeous young lady…

…you have the talent to defeat anyone in SCW right now…

…you even have the backup of so many individuals in this industry.  Obviously you have your BFFs, Money in the Bank, but I know there are others.  I know you have so many more people supporting you, some publicly, some behind the scenes.  I know these people are very smart individuals who are trying to lead you down the right path to what could be success in this sport.

And yet you don’t listen to them.

I know you’re not listening to them because your focus is misdirected.  Everything you do in SCW is focused on one individual…

…AJ Helms.

I’m telling you right now that on Breakdown if your mind is on AJ Helms the same way it’s been for the past few months, then you have only one fate awaiting you.  You won’t impress AJ Helms the way you so desire.  You won’t achieve a grand victory that will win AJ’s love.

No…your fate will be a trip to the dentist’s office, because I will kick your teeth right down your throat.

Ok, my catchphrase came just a little earlier than usual, but that’s fine.  And as much as I hate to fight a former tag team partner of mine from The Trios Tournament, I know it will be happening.  There’s no way around it, Lexi.

So consider this match a little bit of tough love from me to you.  The fact is, Lexi, that having to work with you and team with you at The Trios Tournament earned my respect.  I can see what you are capable of, I see the potential you have.  And that’s why I pity you, Lexi.  I pity you because your lack of focus, this obsession over a man whose attention you’ve gained by doing all of the wrong things, all of this is holding you back from becoming the great athlete I know you can be.

Now it’s time for a lesson, Lexi.  A hard and difficult lesson in the ways of not just this industry but perhaps even in life itself, courtesy of “The Keystone” Kayla Jones.

You may think yourself a princess, you may call yourself a princess all you want, but when that bell rings I’m not treating you like damn royalty.  I’m not treating you like a princess.  I’m definitely not treating you like my former tag team partner.

I’m treating you as an opponent, someone whom I have to defeat.  I really wanted to win Trios.  I thought you, me, and Sienna had a great Trios Team, but we were knocked out way too early.  But I can’t continue to grieve over that loss, just like you shouldn’t be continuing your obsession over AJ Helms.  I’ve set my sights on Retribution where Angelica and I won’t get our tag team title match but at least we’ll get the chance to send a message to the real best tag team in SCW, not the Lite version, but the real version of Honor Code.

While beating Shaun Cruze and Lexi Von Aaron may not mean a tag title in the grand scheme of things, it will definitely give us a ton of momentum heading into our eventual tag team title match.

You’re just a bump in the road towards Retribution.  But I’m not going to let that bump in the road stop me.  I’m moving forward to face you at Breakdown and I can guarantee that you will get the absolute best of Kayla Jones.  I will fight you with everything that I have.

But will you return the favor and fight me with everything you have?  Will I get the absolute best of Lexi Von Aaron?

Or will I get Lexi Helms, the little girl playing princess who is more obsessed with AJ Helms than with defeating her opponents and winning her matches?

As I said, you nearly have the total package Lexi, but what you lack is focus.  You’d better not be focused on AJ Helms.  Your problem at Breakdown is with me because I’m going to throw everything I have into this match, just as I have thrown everything I have had into every match I have ever competed in.  You are going to get a fierce competitor, a warrior…

…you are going to get my foot shoved down your throat.