WE'RE SO EGGCITED

The

Moda

Center

I grabbed Selene by her arm, ducked under it to get behind her, then hooked her leg with my own. Without hesitation, I planted her face first into the mat. I'm eGGshausted, but still managed to roll her onto her back and drape my arm across her chest. My throat was so dry, every breath felt as if I had swallowed a handful of razor blades. I prayed the match would be over soon, that the Stop Laughing At Me would be enough to end the match. A beat passed before I realized it was – that Jimmy Turnbull had slammed his palm on the mat for a third time – it was the sound of the ring bell that actually slapped me out of my daze.

Bobby and I had won, and a win always felt really damn good.

This was slightly different though, because despite the multiple one off tag teams that I had been a part of over the course of my career – this was one that could become more. Bobby and I could actually be a successful tag team for the Bandits, a team that could contend for the tag team titles against the likes of any team that made it out of the tournament at UltraViolence, or at least that's what I told myself as I looked up at the rafters of the Moda Center.

That's what I wanted to believe, because despite what I kept telling myself, losing really sucked. Not as much as Vickie in the Red Army, Poor Whoresmen, or Glue Boys locker room, because even Hoover stares in awe when that girl is…Oh, hey, I recognize that smile.

The Hero of Honalee himself, Beautiful Bobby Dean, eGGstended his hand toward me with a smile that could launch a thousand ships.

Or is that munch a thousand chips?

His eGGsuberant smile was contagious, though you'd never notice the amount of jubilance he filled me with by the resolute eGGspression on my face. I will say I've seen that smile on his face as he looked down at a couple racks of ribs, so I find myself in pretty damn good company I'd say.

I grabbed the hand of my partner, appreciative of the help to my feet as I watched Selene and Fade make their way to the back. I already felt pretty sore, but I could imagine how much worse it would be tomorrow after the adrenaline wore off.

Partner.

It's crazy that all I've ever worried about was myself, and now I find myself in the center of the ring with someone that is going to need me to be someone he can depend on. I joined the Bandits in order to allow myself to fade into the background as Cancer and Coral commanded all of the attention, because I no longer wanted to be adored or looked at as the PRIME hall of famer that never held the Universal title.

Especially when I was nowhere near ever contending for the prestigious title that remained miles from my reach.

I would have been content with a few scattered wins just to break up the monotony of loss after loss I had slowly accumulated. As the low man on the totem pole, the man who stood at the bottom of the steps and watched as everyone passed him by, I never expected this.

I didn't deserve this.

Yet here I stood with Bobby Dean by my side, as the crowd showed their disdain by way of a chorus of boos. We expected nothing less. We were eGG Bandits after all.

No one liked it when we won.

I've allowed them to be happy long enough.

Bobby had put his trust in me, agreed to join me on a little journey to do something different for a change. Who knows, maybe having someone that depended on me could turn things around. Maybe, just maybe, I could start a new chapter in my career…one that wasn't just about myself.

This victory was just the beginning, and to be honest it tasted different for some reason.  =-=-=-=-= The

Scoop 

Troop

Victory is oh so sweet.

Almost as sweet as ice cream.

Tony Gamble couldn’t remember the last time he celebrated a victory at a local ice cream parlor, seriously, he racked his brain trying to think back. Was it pee-wee football back when he was 9? But, there he was, seated at a table for four, with an untouched bowl of sweet cream ice cream mixed with little balls of cookie dough. Across from him sat a smiling Bobby Dean, his massive shoulders bouncing up and down in glee as he shoves yet another spoonful of fudge covered mint chocolate chip ice cream into his voracious mouth.

With everything going on at home after Eddie Cruz pressed charges on him for assault, Tony had been pretty damn busy meeting with lawyers and explaining his side of the story. That story being that he had never touched the man, but with the video circulating social media and the fact that Eddie had actually been assaulted, it was pretty hard to prove without any actual proof as to where Tony was at the time.

Still, with a match now scheduled for night two of UltraViolence, Tony needed to let his attorneys deal with that and focus on the task at hand. Starting with the victory celebration he had promised Bobby after their win against the Femme Furies at ReVival 54.

“I still don’t know how we did it, Bobbo.” Tony comments in disbelief as the duo find themselves undefeated in the Tag Team division.

“Strategy, strategy, strategy.” Bobby says while ticking each word off with a flick of his mostly empty spoon, causing Tony to casually reach down and wipe some stray bits of green ice cream off his arm.

“Well, you got any other contagious diseases we can threaten to spread to the roster?” the grinning Gamble asks, rhetorically, not expecting an answer, forgetting for a moment who he was talking to…

“Does genital warts count?” Bobby asks in a tone that conveys he’s honestly wondering. “Although I have a feeling Ria would take offense to that.”

“But Sean O’Neal wouldn’t?” Tony couldn’t help but to ask, falling into the trap many have found themselves falling into.

Bobby simply shrugs as he stuffs another spoonful into his mouth, looking down unhappily into his now empty bowl. Tony begins to shake his head in disbelief as the big man then picks the bowl up and proceeds to try and lick the bowl clean, literally. Noticing the many heads turning in their direction and the rise of cellular phones, Tony reaches out and slowly lowers the bowl in Bobby’s hand back down to the table.

“What the…” the oblivious man from Honalee asks, his brows furrowed, his cherubic smile replaced with a sinister snarl of the lip, as if he were just accosted in the most heinous of ways. Tony, quickly seeing the boiling pot about to overflow, slides his untouched bowl of ice cream across the table.

“You can have mine buddy, you deserve it.” Tony offers, shaking his head as Bobby’s anger flips like a light switch and the happy go lucky big man is back just like that.

“No, but seriously, all contagious diseases aside, what do you think? Ria and O’Neal, you think we can…” his words fade away as he realizes Bobby’s attention is solely focused on the task at hand, that of demolishing the bowl of delicious frozen dairy. “Nevermind, buddy, that can wait for later.”

=-=-=-=-=

The

Dean

Den

“BLEEEEEEEH!”

“Ugh…”

“BLAAAAAAH!”

“Nooooooo more…”

There is a knock at the door, but I’m currently not in a state to respond as I find myself sprawled out before the porcelain throne, offering my praises to the powers that be. Forswearing any future intake of ice cream ever again, knowing all the while that the words are hollow and meaningless.

Another frantic knock sounds as I rest my cheek along the ridge of the toilet seat, ignoring for the moment that I’m in fact the one that uses this particular toilet…”Dad, are you okay?” the muffled voice of my daughter calls out from the other side of the door.

“Meh.” I groan out in response, unable to put much effort into it.

“What’s going on?” Annabelle demands, worried for her father’s health considering the complete lack of care he takes in his well being.

“Uncle Tony and I were out celebrating our victory,” I manage to call out, stopping half way as another bout of projectile vomit threatens to escape from betwixt my lips. “Things got out of hand.”

“You went out drinking?” my sweet, sweet child asks incredulously, “It’s only 3 o’clock in the afternoon!”

“No, not drinking.” I inform her, reluctantly, knowing what I’m about to say is much, much worse. “Ice cream…”

“Oh.” is her response, followed by a pause.

A moment passes.

Another moment passes.

“Fuck.” she finishes, as I hear her turn and stomp her way further from the door.

“I never want to win again.” I mutter in absolute agony.

=-=-=-=-= The

Henderson

House

Shiny black dress shoes tapped against concrete, as Tony Gamble made his way down the sidewalk toward the white wooden steps that led to the porch he had spent quite a few nights on staring up at the stars with his daughter Olivia Henderson. The wrought iron porch swing had become a place where they could speak about what was on their mind, discuss what they had done during their day, and just catch up on what they've missed over the last few years that they had been apart.

With hands stuffed into the pockets of his black slacks, The Grin took the first step in stride as the door to Olivia and Victoria's home swung open. The frown on her face, as well as the way she avoided eye contact, confirmed what she had told him on the phone.

“She's still not ready,” Victoria told him as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her other hand still on the knob as she pulled the door closed. An audible click made his heart sink just a little bit more, as she folded her arms across her chest. “Why did you come here?”

Even as disheveled as she looked, with her hair pulled away from her face in a messy bun, no makeup on, and a faded black tee shirt with Metallica's Reload album cover on the front, he couldn't help but admire how beautiful she was. He couldn't tell if she had on any shorts under the shirt because of how long it was, but he fantasized for a moment that she did not. He smiled, but she would never notice.

“Antonio!” her eyes widened as she continued to stare into his. She expected an answer, but he was so distracted he couldn't remember what the question was.

“I'm sorry,” he wasn't sure why he apologized, but it felt like the right thing to do. For what had happened in their past. For getting lost in her eyes. There was actually a list of things he should apologize for, and not just to her, but if he started he would never end.

“I get that,” Victoria replied with a slight shake of her head. “But I'm not the one you need to apologize to right now, and she's still not ready to talk to you.”

“I get that, I do.” He remembered not only what she had said as she closed the door, but also what she had told him when they spoke on the phone earlier. “But I didn't do anything. Nick's dad is just trying to get money out of me, and that damn video gave him a way to do that.”

“You keep saying that, but people saw the two of you together the night he was assaulted.”

“I was out having a few drinks with Ben, he had won a pretty big case earlier that day and didn't want to drink alone. I didn't even realize Cruz was there until Ben and I were about to leave.”

She listened as he told her the same story he had told his attorneys, the detectives that had questioned him, and her over the phone when he had been released the following morning.

The whole thing was still under investigation. Despite their confrontation in the bar when the bouncers had to separate the pair after Eddie took a swing at Gamble, there was no actual proof other than Cruz's story about who had attacked him.

Children though…well, children had their own way of spreading information, and it spread like a wildfire in California. Olivia had taken the brunt of it, so much so that she attacked Nick again since he was the one leading the charge.

Nick had always been a bully, but like most bullies it never became physical. Thing is, verbal abuse can hurt just as much, and Nick had not only found a way to get under people's skin but how to make his words cut deep. After that night at her school, she had become his sole target and his words started to cut a little deeper than before.

She wouldn't tell anyone what he had said to make her attack him again, and when she got home that afternoon and saw Tony waiting for her on that porch swing – she went to him but did not sit down. Instead, she told him something that may have hurt him more than any of the injuries he's ever had over the years.

“I wish you had never found me.”

That was almost a month ago, and Victoria had told him to give her some space…some time to get over this. She told him that Olivia didn't mean it, but Tony couldn't help but think that maybe there was a little bit of truth in her words.

He didn't attack Eddie, but he would have. That's why people find it hard to believe him. Not that Eddie Cruz is some Saint leading the choir at church on Sundays, but because he is Tony Gamble and what you saw on the screen is what you got when you saw him on the street. Until recently that is, because she managed to dig out the mustard seed of good that had been buried beneath the thousands of pounds of bad shit that the rest of the World saw. In the process though, she had been covered in that shit and it was obvious that it had changed her a bit as well.

Maybe it would have been better if he had never been a part of her life.

“I really want to believe you, but I don't think that's all that's bothering her right now,” Victoria placed her hand on Tony's shoulder before she pulled him close against her. “She still won't talk to me about what happened that day between her and Nick, but it hurt her pretty bad.”

“Bad enough that it made her regret ever meeting me,” he fought back the tears that wanted to go to war at the corners of his eyes.

“I told you she didn't mean that,” Victoria told him as she wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed gently.

“You knew even before she was born that I was no good for her,” he lost the battle, and soldiers slowly fell on her shoulder. He felt her embrace tighten a bit, but instead of returning her affection he placed his hands on her shoulders and shoved her away.

“Antonio,” she called out, tears in her own eyes as he made his way down the steps. He didn't look back at her, just kept walking away into the night as she stood there with no shoes on –  unable to go after him.

“I love you,” It was nothing more than a whisper, but to the young girl that stared out the window as her father walked away…it felt like a goodbye he would never hear.

=-=-=-=-= The

Yellow

Pages

“Hello!”

Bobby Dean waves.

Tony Gamble grins.

The Stool stools.

All is good in the World.

“UltraViolence.”

Tony is sitting on The Stool, Bobby is at his side staring at something on the hand he just used to wave.

“I wish I could say that I was looking forward to this match, that I expect more of a challenge than what Selene and Fade gave us, but I don't.”

Okay, maybe not ALL is good in the World.

“Now don't get me wrong, I don't want you to think that was some sort of insult or disregard for your talent.”

Bobby stops sniffing his fingers for a moment and looks down at Gamble.

“That's exactly what that sounded like, Tony.”

The Stool agrees.

“Not my intention, because I know that Ria and Sean O’Neal have at least a modicum of talent. Thing is, when I look at the two of them I can't help but see how different they are.”

Bobby stops licking his fingers for a moment, slightly confused.

“But we look different too, Tony. Like way different.”

Tony turns to face Bobby.

“That's not what I mean, Bobbo.”

He sighs slightly as Bobby sticks a finger in his mouth and starts sucking on it. The Stool feels slightly uneasy as Tony turns his attention back to the camera.

“It's easy to look at someone and see how different they are from one another, and it's even easier when I look at Ria with her colorful hair next to Sean standing there with a stick in his…”

Bobby shoves his hand in front of Tony's face.

“Do my fingers smell like hazelnut to you? I was eating some Nutella on the way over here, and I think some got stuck under my nails.”

Tony pinches the bridge of his nose, shaking his head as he does so.

“Maybe I got it all.”

He brings his hand back to his face and inhales deeply.

“As you can see, Bobbo and I are not all that similar on the outside either. But again, that's not the point, because what you look like has no bearing on what you can do inside of that ring. The way you handle yourselves inside of the ring is where I see the biggest difference between you two, and I can tell that it's what is going to hold you back and keep you from winning our match.”

Tony hops off of the stool and stands next to Bobby, signaling for him to stop trying to dig out whatever may be buried under his nails. Dean lowers his head, as his smile fades away and his shoulders slump in defeat.

“Bobby and I proved in our match that we could work together, because despite our differences we have one goal in sight. This isn't something we're doing because we aren't happy with who we are and feel the need to change something. No offense, Sean, but your partner has changed everything from her hair to her name, and still hasn't found a way to be happy with who she is.”

The Stool's fear becomes a reality when Bobby takes a seat, yet he remains strong under pressure.

“I've seen you following her around, standing at ringside during her matches, thinking that maybe she can teach you something about yourself that you don't know, but all she is and all she'll ever be is a distraction.”

It's surreal that The Stool hasn't collapsed under Bobby's weight, though stranger things have happened.

“I know first hand how someone can become a distraction, how they can change you even if you don't realize it. Get rid of that distraction now before she drags you down…before she changes you into something you don't want to be.”

Tony turns to Bobby.

“Either way, Bobbo and I are gonna have some ice cream.”

Bobby's eyes light up the room for a moment, his euphoric smile wide as Texas before he remembers his last encounter with the delectable dessert.