Two of a Kind - Royal Flush Wrestling (C-Verse)

[Scapino1974]

QAW Titan Clash #106

Sunday of Week 2, January 2023

Held at the West Texas Coliseum (Mid South Region)

 

“You ready, Kil?” Sarah asked as I entered the locker room.

 

Was I? You better believe I was. For the first time, I was going to headline a QAW show. Granted, I wasn’t sure that the booking made the most sense. Sarah and I were going to tag together against the Pact. Yeah, being in the main event was a great thing, but I wished that Jackson or Farrah would come up with a consistent storyline or, at least, a partner for me.

 

But still, main eventing against the Pact with Little Miss Perfect? Yeah, that was actually pretty sweet.

 

And it was. As often as I had main evented at RFW, there was a tangible difference doing so in the Coliseum. A lot of our fans in Minnesota were people who knew me as a high school wrestler or who had watched us through out growth period. I knew this wasn’t totally a fair reaction, but this felt more real.

 

I could get used to this, especially since most everyone considered our match the best of the night. Who knew how far we could go.

 

***

 

QAW Starshow 2023

Friday of Week 3, January 2023

Held at The Ranch of San Antonio (Mid South Region)

 

But the next week, Jackson had a new surprise for me: a three-way match against Raquel Alverado and Millie the Minx for the Shockwave title. He actually booked me to be the threat in the match, the one who came really close to actually winning. Raquel put me down and made the pin, but the crowd was buzzing by the time the show was over.

 

Could the month get any better after that?

 

***

 

QAW Titan Clash #108

Sunday of Week 4, January 2023

Held at the West Texas Coliseum (Mid South Region)

 

Turns out, it kind of could. Once again, Jackson had Sarah and I tag together against Millie the Mix and Kira Lee. And this time, rather than have us job, we actually got to win. And we had the best match of the night as well.

 

All in all, January had been a good month. Hopefully it was a sign of what 2022 was going to be like.

[Scapino1974]

Sunday of Week 4, January 2022

 

We were in trouble. So much trouble.

 

Just as I had suspected, we wound up burning through way too much money in one month. By the end of January, we had lost $31,011, a third of our war chest. Our production costs jumped by $33,000. There was no way that we’d be able to keep that up. As much as it pained me to do it, I had to downgrade everything back to the way it was. No more elaborate set or production values. Until we were bringing in more money, there was no way we could keep that up. I hated to do it, but we really didn’t have a choice. If I didn’t, RFW would have been bankrupt by April or May. June at the most.

 

I also had to renew our deal with WrestleWorld. I wasn’t sure how we ran through our contract so quickly, but I knew we needed the exposure if we were ever going to grow to where we could afford the better production values.

 

Hopefully 2022 would turn out better than January. Otherwise we were in a lot of trouble.

[Scapino1974]

From RFW.com…

 

Here’s what you can expect at the next All In:

 

• Jay Silver faces off against Curt Meritt
  
• Fro Sure fights James Diaz
  
• Grace “Diamond” Kil & The Uprising takes on Abigail Thompson, Marie Punen, & Alice Pellertson
  
• RFW Tag Team Champions Party On! defend their titles against The Hot Taggs
  
• Sarah Taylor squares off against DupliKate
  
• Texas Hangman & Roger Monteiro wrestle The Franchise
  

[John Lions]

Jay Silver faces off against Curt Meritt

Fro Sure fights James Diaz

Grace “Diamond” Kil & The Uprising takes on Abigail Thompson, Marie Punen, & Alice Pellertson

RFW Tag Team Champions Party On! defend their titles against The Hot Taggs

Sarah Taylor squares off against DupliKate

Texas Hangman & Roger Monteiro wrestle The Franchise

[Theheel]

Jay Silver faces off against Curt Meritt

Fro Sure fights James Diaz

Grace “Diamond” Kil & The Uprising takes on Abigail Thompson, Marie Punen, & Alice Pellertson

RFW Tag Team Champions Party On! defend their titles against The Hot Taggs

Sarah Taylor squares off against DupliKate

Texas Hangman & Roger Monteiro wrestle The Franchise

[Peppermint Rage]

Jay Silver faces off against Curt Meritt

Fro Sure fights James Diaz

Grace “Diamond” Kil & The Uprising takes on Abigail Thompson, Marie Punen, & Alice Pellertson

RFW Tag Team Champions Party On! defend their titles against The Hot Taggs

Sarah Taylor squares off against DupliKate

Texas Hangman & Roger Monteiro wrestle The Franchise

[Herrbear]

Jay Silver faces off against Curt Meritt

Fro Sure fights James Diaz

Grace “Diamond” Kil & The Uprising takes on Abigail Thompson, Marie Punen, & Alice Pellertson

RFW Tag Team Champions Party On! defend their titles against The Hot Taggs

Sarah Taylor squares off against DupliKate

Texas Hangman & Roger Monteiro wrestle The Franchise

[Scapino1974]

QAW Titan Clash #109

Sunday of Week 1, February 2023

Held at the West Texas Coliseum (Mid South Region)

 

As I tightened the laces on my boots, I went over what Jackson had put together for tonight’s match. Millie the Minx and I were going to face off against The Pact. Mariana Torres and Raquel Alvarado were good on their end, and Millie and I had some ideas about how we could play off of each other in our corner. I had no idea how the match itself would be received; Millie and I were supposed to win.

 

“So is it true? Did you guys really have to send back all of those upgrades you bought?”

 

I turned on my bench to face Teresa Perez. She and Houston Handley smirked at me from their lockers.

 

“Excuse me?” I asked.

 

“You heard her,” Houston drawled. “According to the buzz in the locker room, your Ace thought now would be a great time to spend a whole lotta money on upgrading RFW’s look, but when the money didn’t pour in, he had to send it all back and now you guys are gonna go back to your old look.”

 

“Do you really think your audience is going to stick around for that?” Teresa asked. “What kind of second rate company are you running up north?”

 

My cheeks burned and my fists clenched. It was probably a good thing Tex-Mex wasn’t in my match tonight. I might have not been as careful as I should.

 

“Hey! You leave her alone.”

 

Sarah Taylor appeared next to me. In some ways, she looked completely ridiculous, dressed up in her little girl costume and glaring at Teresa and Houston. She looked like an elementary school student trying to stand up to some mean adult. But the way Teresa and Houston backed off, I was surprised.

 

“You think you guys can do better? Why don’t you turn in your notice to Farrah and start your own company? Then you can show Grace and Ace how it’s done. How about that?” Sarah crossed her arms. “Or better yet, why don’t you come on up to Minnesota at some point and see what Ace does with you. He might have made some missteps, but he’s a good kid and you might be surprised at how he treats you.”

 

That was apparently enough for Houston and Teresa. They snorted and walked away, laughing in a way that definitely sounded fake.

 

Sarah sat down next to me. “You okay?”

 

“Uh…yeah. Thanks.”

 

“No problem.” She jerked her chin in Teresa’s direction. “I wouldn’t worry about her too much. Scuttlebutt is she’s getting ready to jump ship to CZCW. So I think she’s trying to stir up as much trouble in the locker room as she can before she goes. Make QAW stumble so CZCW looks better by comparison, y’know?”

 

I didn’t, but that made a certain amount of sense. I’d probably do the same thing, if I were in their shoes. A little bit of sabotage on the way out?

 

But I couldn’t let them rattle me. I couldn’t let them get in my head. I had a match to win. So I decided to find Millie and go over it all one more time.

[Scapino1974]

RFW All In

Thursday of Week 2, February 2023

Held at the Civic Center in Rochester, MN (Mid West Region)

Broadcast on WrestleWorld (28,042 viewers)

690 in attendance

 

Martin, Curt, and MC Motormouth welcomed the audience to the show. Curt started to say something about the return to the old normal in terms of set design and production, but Motormouth hushed him.

 

1) Stuntman came out to the ring with the title held high.

 

“That’s right, everyone! The champ is here and the champ isn’t going anywhere.

 

“See, here’s the thing. When I told my family and friends that I was coming to RFW, they all laughed at me. They couldn’t understand why I would want to do that. Come to some po-dunk little hospital town out in the middle of a cornfield? Why would you do that, Stuntman?

 

“This is why.” He held up the title. “I knew I could snatch up the title almost immediately. And I did. Because I’m just that good and I’m just that much smarter.

 

“I mean, think about who’s held this title since they unveiled it. Those morons always fought every single month. Every month, a title defense. Month after month. And they didn’t need to! I mean, I’ve read the rules. No requirement! So this month, Imma just take a night off and—”

 

My entrance music hit and I came out to the ring entrance.

 

“You know what, Stuntman, I’m going to stop you right there,” I said. “We have had some great champions here at RFW and the title is definitely yours. And you’re right, the rules don’t say anything about having to defend it. But coming out here and insulting not just your competitors but Rochester too? There are some here who might take exception to that.”

 

Stuntman scoffed. “You talk a big talk, Hart. But can you back it up?”

 

“Let’s see.”

 

I tossed down the mic and headed for the ring, taking off my t-shirt and tossing it into the crowd.

 

RATING: 39

 

2) JOHN “ACE” HART vs. STUNTMAN

 

Wow. As it turns out, Stuntman and I have pretty good chemistry in the ring together. I don’t know quite how else to explain it. We just kind of could read each other’s intentions without a word and we were able to put together a near seamless match.

 

Stuntman looked every inch the champion, but he found he just couldn’t quite put me away cleanly. I kept kicking out and fighting back. Eventually you could read the desperation in his posture and actions until, out of nowhere, I hit him with an Ace of Harts and got the pin.

 

WINNER: John “Ace” Hart in 19:48

RATING: 58

 

3) Stuntman popped up off the mat, his eyes wide. I went from corner to corner, celebrating my win, but that proved to be a mistake. Stuntman grabbed the belt and used it to knock me down, then set the boots to me until I couldn’t get up again.

 

RATING: 31

 

4) Fro Sure appeared on camera, looking grim and focused.

 

“I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired of James Diaz’s schtick. He’s the Son of the Monster. He’s supposed to be the future of professional wrestling. He’s going to dominate the RFW. But has he? Has that actually happened? All I’ve seen him do is take opportunistic pot shots at guys before a match and maybe pick up a W here and there. But when he’s faced with real, fair competition? He loses.

 

“So yeah, I’m facing the Son of the Monster tonight. But I ain’t worried. I’m going to walk out of that ring with the W. That’s a sure thing for sure!”

 

RATING: 37

 

5) TEXAS HANGMAN & ROGER MONTEIRO vs. THE FRANCHISE

 

Martin made a big deal about the fact that Roger Monteiro is the oldest man in this match: “Roger is 33. His partner, Texas Hangman, is 25. Jack Pryde is 23, and Mark Latrell is only 21. I think we often forget that the RFW’s roster skews toward the young.”

 

“More like inexperienced,” Curt quipped.

 

And that was kind of on display in the ring. Hangman and Roger had the match mostly under control, with Roger clearly calling the shots and directing traffic for most of the match. It looked like they had things sewn up and ready to go when suddenly, Wild Red Stallion hit the ring and attacked Hangman while The Franchise distracted the ref. By the time the ref turned around, Stallion had done the damage and gotten out of the ring again, allowing Mark Latrell to jump on Hangman’s back and get him in a sleeper hold. Hangman struggled to free himself, but eventually, he collapsed to the mat. Mark oddly decided to release him and quickly pin him for the win.

 

WINNERS: The Franchise in 11:41

RATING: 40

 

6) Roger and the ref helped Hangman get out of the ring. Wild Red Stallion rolled in the moment they were in the back. Mark, Jack, and Stallion celebrated together in the middle fo the ring. Then Mark got on the mic.

 

“That’s right, folks, what you’re seeing here is the beginning of a new day for the RFW! We’ve seen a lot of people come and go over the past three years, but we have all been a constant here, almost from the beginning. We are the foundation of this company.

 

“So we’re making it official. Jack, Stallion, and I are The Foundation. And we’re going to retake this company and show everyone what being in the RFW is all about!”

 

RATING: 39

 

7) Backstage, Sherry Smart has set up shop and is talking to Party On! about their upcoming match. She makes a confident prediction about how Party On! will win, specifically saying that Charlie would get the win for his team. The champs were excited to hear this. Charlie clapped Chip on the shoulder and said that they should finish getting ready. Chip said he would be along in a moment.

 

Once Charlie left, Chip thanked Sherry for all of her support and encouragement. Sherry smiled demurely and said that her spirit guide and led her to Charlie and then Chip and that she’s just trying to be an instrument of fate (“Whatever the hell that means,” Curt quipped). She tried to leave, but Chip caught her hands in his and said that she means a whole lot more to him. Maybe they could go talk about the future he sees for them…over dinner?

 

Sherry was flustered, but she smiled and said she’d think about it. She then quickly slipped out the back.

 

Chip leaned back in his chair and smiled, but the camera pulled back to reveal that Charlie had been standing nearby and overheard the whole exchange, and he did not look happy.

 

RATING: 27

 

8) A video played, reminding folks about the current rivalry between Curt Meritt, Jay Silver, and Cassidy Blaine. A bunch of the audience took this moment to go to the bathroom.

 

RATING: 16

 

9) JAY SILVER vs. CURT MERITT

 

And the crowd really didn’t get all that into this match. Curt did okay, but Jay sort of sleep-walked through the match. Motormouth made the comment that Curt may have been on to something by saying that Jay wasn’t a great asset to the company. Martin tried to downplay that, but he didn’t argue that much.

 

Curt eventually put us all out of our misery with a DDT.

 

WINNER: Curt Meritt in 12:44

RATING: 33

 

10) Backstage, James Diaz appeared while backed up by Original Sinner, Dreadnought, and Masked Mauler.

 

“Fro Sure, you’re playing a dangerous game. You think you’re only insulting me, but by calling out the Son of the Monster, you call out all of us. Beware! For the Monster’s wrath is awakened, and it seeks you out!”

 

RATING: 37

 

11) PARTY ON! © vs. THE HOT TAGGS for the RFW Tag Team Championship

 

This match was awful, no two ways about it. It wasn’t just the Taggs (who haven’t been living up to my hopes lately), but the champs were off their games as well. It was clear that they weren’t on the same page. Martin tried to play that off as being about what we saw backstage, but those of us in the know could tell it was more than just storytelling.

 

At the end of the match, Charlie was getting ready to put away Wolfie, but Chip blind-tagged his way in. Charlie was shocked as the ref made him leave the ring, but then Chip rolled in and took Wolfie almost out of his boots with a Super Kick. Chip dropped on Wolfie and made the pin and got the win.

 

WINNERS: Party On! In 12:47

RATING: 31

 

12) Puerto Rican Power’s music started and he came out to the ring, but much to everyone’s surprise, he had DupliKate on his arm. DupliKate beamed at everyone as she made her way down to the ring. Power even held open the ring ropes so she could slip through.

 

Once they were both in the ring, Power got on the mic. “You know, I was listening to what you said earlier, Martin. The RFW is a very young company, both as a whole and as individuals. I mean, look at Kate here. Just 22 years old and so under-utilized by the former Powers that Be. I see in her a future champion.”

 

DupliKate blushed and made an over-exaggerated “stop it” motion.

 

“Of course, part of the problem Kate has faced is that there are some impressive women on the roster here. Sabrina Wells. Modesty Pardor. Selina Svelte. Talia Quinzel. And let’s not forget the RFW Women’s Champion, Grace Kil.”

 

Power had to wait a moment or two for the audience to settle down.

 

“That doesn’t take away anything from Kate. But it does mean that she has more to prove to stand out in a crowded field like that. So I thought I would give her that chance tonight in a match against…Sarah Taylor!”

 

Sarah’s music hit and she came down the ramp toward the ring, a determined expression on her face.

 

RATING: 41

 

13) DUPLIKATE vs. SARAH TAYLOR

 

Martin pointed out that Sarah was pretty much undefeated since coming to the RFW, so that meant that DupliKate would have her work cut out for her. But Kate didn’t seem all that concerned. She smirked as she and Sarah circled each other warily.

 

And then the mind games started. Sarah would make a move, and Kate would mimic it just a split second later. That actually threw Sarah off for the first few moments. Whenever she would get some offense in, Kate would not only counter it, but replicate it. Sarah seemed really perturbed by this, especially since Kate simply smirked at her the entire time.

 

But eventually Sarah got over herself and started lashing out with some withering punches and kicks. Kate tried to keep up her game of replicating the offense, but she clearly was struggling to match Sarah’s intensity. At one point, Kate got in a lucky kick that rocked Sarah back. So Kate tried to get Sarah with the Newton’s Cradle, only to have Sarah counter it and get Kate in a Cradle of her own, leading to a win.

 

WINNER: Sarah Taylor in 15:06

RATING: 57

 

14) Back in the locker room, Grace was getting ready for her match. Selina and Talia waited for her.

 

“You ready, Kil?” Talia asked.

 

Grace nodded.

 

“I don’t think you are,” Selina said. “I know that Alice, Marie, and Abigail have been thorns in your side for the past couple of months, but you have to take them seriously. Any one of them could easily put you down if you’re not careful.”

 

“But they’ve got one thing that’s going to mess them up,” Talia added. “They’re cocky.”

 

“They think they’ve got your number. They think they have you dead to rights. But they don’t know how tough you are. They don’t know how hard you fight. They don’t know that a Diamond doesn’t break, right?”

 

Grace smiled.

 

“So we’re going to go out there and show them who you really are. You’re going to prove that you’re all that. We’ll make sure that you’re safe doing so, but you’re going to show everyone what Grace Kil is all about. You ready?”

 

Grace nodded. The three of them high fived and shoved each other around, and then they headed out to the ring.

 

RATING: 46

 

15) GRACE “DIAMOND” KIL & THE UPRISING vs. ALICE PELLERTON, MARIE PUNNEN, & ABIGAIL THOMPSON

 

The crowd really got into this one. They booed Alice, Marie, and Abigail as they came out to the ring and they practically exploded when Grace and her team made her entrance. The Uprising acted as Grace’s hype team, letting her take the adulation while they nodded and clapped along.

 

Once the match got started, it was clear that Grace’s strategy was to spend most of the time in the ring. She would occasionally tag in Selina or Talia when she needed a break or so one of her teammates could psyche her up some more. Selina and Talia were no slouches, though, and it was clear that they were there to take the fight to Alice, Marie, and Abigail as well.

 

But then, toward the end of the match, Selina accidentally took out referee Quincy Jargon with a mistimed elbow shot. Alice, Marie, and Abigail took advantage of the downed ref by isolating Grace in the ring and triple-teaming her. Grace fought back as best as she could, but it was clear that she was in over her head.

 

She eventually broke free and lunged for her corner, only to get punched by Talia. She reeled away, only to have Selina jump to the top rope and hit her with a missile dropkick. Her two partners then laughed, waved goodbye, and headed for the back, leaving Grace to fight Alice, Marie, and Abigail alone.

 

She did her best, but it was clear she was overwhelmed. After a few minutes, all three of her opponents hit her with finishing moves, with Alice making the pin. Abigail roused Quincy and he very blearily made the three count.

 

WINNERS: Alice Pellerton, Marie Punnen, & Abigail Thompson in 15:30

RATING: 55

 

16) Backstage, Fro Sure left the locker room and headed for the arena. But before he could make it there, the members of the Monster’s Court blitzed him. They took turns beating him down before they dragged him out to the ring and dumped him in, where James Diaz was waiting.

 

RATING: 31

 

17) FRO SURE vs. JAMES DIAZ

 

The crowd was buzzing for this match. A lot of them were vocal at Fro, trying to get him to recover and rally. Fro did his best, fighting back and trying to capture some momentum. There were a few moments where it looked like Fro was going to make it, but every time, James blunted his offense and stepped things up. In the end, James put him away with the Asian Thumb Spike.

 

WINNER: James Diaz in 14:41

RATING: 42

 

***

 

According to the Four Clap Posse, the fans weren’t happy with us. They overheard a lot of complaints about how we downgraded everything. But what could we do?

 

I also had to shell out an extra $2,500 to keep Stuntman happy. Apparently he didn’t like the fact that I picked up the win on him. And maybe that was just an ego-stroking thing for me. I didn’t care at that point.

 

I did make sure, in my speech, to thank Grace, Stuntman, and Fro Sure for taking the losses like champs. They all seemed okay with it. Well, Grace and Fro were okay.

 

Once everything was done, I found Abigail chatting with her partners. She smiled as I walked up.

 

“We still on for Saturday?” I asked.

 

She leaned in and gave me a quick kiss. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

 

FINAL RATING: 40

 

Quick Results:

 

From RFW.com...

 

Here's what you missed during the last RFW All In!

 

John "Ace" Hart defeated Stuntman

The Franchise defeated Roger Monteiro & Texas Hangman

Curt Meritt defeated Jay Silver

Party On! © defeated The Hot Taggs to retain the RFW Tag Team Championship

Sarah Taylor defeated DupliKate

Alice Pellerton, Marie Punnen, & Abigail Thompson defeated Grace "Diamond" Kil & the Uprising

James Diaz defeated Fro Sure

[Scapino1974]

Sorry, everyone. July has gotten away from me and it'll be another week or so before I can post an update. I promise I won't leave it on a cliffhanger (even a small one).

[Scapino1974]

Saturday of Week 2, February 2023

 

Apparently she would miss it.

 

I frowned as I stalked around the kitchen. I had gotten everything set up an hour earlier: the candles, Mom’s best china, the soft jazz in the background. Sure, it was maybe a bit cliche, but I had never really done something like this before and I wanted everything to be just right.

 

I hadn’t shared this with anyone, but I had been taking a cooking course for the past couple of weeks. I had some extra time on my hands, and I figured that a really great homecooked meal would be a great Valentine’s Day present for Abigail.

 

Actually, I had more than just the meal planned for her. My gaze skipped over the table to the present I had wrapped and hiding under the nearby credenza. Inside were a few documents that I had printed out. One was for a lease on an apartment in the Twin Cities, close to where Abigail went to school. Another was a new employment contract with a firm up in the Cities. I had found a new job that paid slightly better. And the third was for a number of educational opportunities I had been mulling over. I figured it was time to head back to school and finish my education.

 

All of this was supposed to communicate one thing: I wanted to get my future back on track. Yes, Royal Flush Wrestling would always be important to me and I wasn’t about to give that up. But I wanted to move forward again. Establish a life. And work toward that with her at my side.

 

Yeah, I suppose I could have gone with jewelry. Maybe even make my sister’s night and give her a ring. But I didn’t think either of us were ready for that step yet. This felt like the right move, the one that would show Abigail that I meant what I said at Christmas. I wanted to be with her.

 

So where was she? She was over an hour late at this point. I ran through the kitchen and checked the food. All of it had been done a half hour ago; I had tried to time everything so that she would arrive just as the smells would fill the house and she could help me put the finishing touches on everything. I snared my phone and looked at it. I had sent her numerous texts, none of which she had read. I had tried calling her folks to see if they had heard from her; they hadn’t.

 

I didn’t want to panic. There could be plenty of reasons why she wasn’t here, but to miss all of those texts? To not check in with her folks? What was she—

 

As I checked my messages, I saw all of my texts to her change from “delivered” to “read.” And then the phone jangled in my hand. It was her.

 

“Abigail?” I asked. “Where are you? Are you okay?”

 

“I am,” she said. “John…I’m sorry. Something came up. I don’t think I’m going to be able to make it tonight.”

 

“What’s going on?” I asked.

 

“You know…you know Stacy?”

 

Her roommate? “Sure.”

 

“H-her…her boyfriend just dumped her and she’s not taking it too well. She’s really got no one else to talk to about this and I’m not sure I can leave her on her own. I’m sorry. I hope you didn’t go to too much trouble.”

 

I turned a slow circle, looking at everything I had prepared: handmade garlic bread, a Caesar salad, a fettuccine alfredo, and a carrot cake. All stuff that Abigail loved.

 

“I guess not,” I said.

 

“Look, I’m really sorry. Rain check, okay?”

 

Oh, sure. Yeah. I’d just have to get all the ingredients to start over again, try to convince my folks to give me run of the house for almost a full day, and…

 

“Yeah, okay.”

 

“Talk to you soon.”

 

And with that, she hung up. I sighed and went back into the dining room. I switched off the music, blew out the candles, and grabbed a plate. I hoped Mom and Dad liked the leftovers. Because in that moment, I was not at all hungry.

[Theheel]

Glad to see your back and we are still hanging …..

[Scapino1974]

QAW San Antonio Invasion

Friday of Week 3, February 2023

Held in San Antonio, TX (Mid South Region)

 

I limped back to the locker room after the match against Raquel Alvarado and Millie the Minx. Not only had I lost (well, technically, Millie and I both lost), meaning that Raquel retained the Shockwave title, but I think I had tweaked my knee during the match, the one I had injured almost a year earlier. I didn’t think I needed to see a doctor. I was still able to put weight on it and I figured I’d have to take it easy for the rest of the night, but it was enough to send a pang of worry through my chest. Maybe I’d talk to someone about slipping out early and…

 

“Kil! You’ve got a visitor!” Kira Lee shouted.

 

I frowned. A visitor? Who on earth would be—?

 

Kira pointed behind me. I turned just as Mark enveloped me in a huge hug. I stumbled a little and winced as my knee twinged in protest.

 

“You were amazing out there, babe!” Mark said. “You really should have won that title! That would have been so cool.”

 

“Yeah, I suppose.” I pulled out of his arms and tried to steady myself, keeping my expression neutral. I didn’t want him to see how worried I was about my knee.

 

“So listen.” Mark stepped closer. “I’ve already talked to Hesketh about this. I figured, since it was Valentine’s Day a few days back, you and I could hit the town. I figured I’d stick around for the next couple of days until after the next Titan Clash, and…”

 

He kept talking, painting this incredible picture of the two of us spending time together. Seeing the sights. Riding together from San Antonio to the West Texas Coliseum on Sunday. The sort of thing that someone might do with their significant other. And it sounded nice. I mean, I tried to spend as much time with Mark as I could. But every weekend, I was on the road with QAW. We had become experts on calling and texting each other. I could honestly say that I had never known someone as intimately as I knew Mark. And him surprising me like this was…well, it was so sweet.

 

But in that moment, I wrestled with a pang of annoyance. With my knee aching, all I wanted was to head back to my motel room, get a bag of ice, and spend the night binging Netflix. I probably would have done the same thing the next day if I could have.

 

But he was here. So I screwed on a brave smile. “Where to first?”

 

***

 

QAW Titan Clash #111

Sunday of Week 3, February 2023

Held in the West Texas Coliseum (Mid South)

 

Thankfully, my knee stopped hurting by Saturday night.

 

It didn’t help that Mark had insisted on finding a nearby nightclub for drinks and dancing. I tried to lose myself in the moment on Friday evening, playing through the pain, holding him close when I could or putting in as much energy into my dancing as I could for the faster songs. And the drinks helped blunt the pain a little. But by the end of the night, when we made it back to my motel room, I was grateful to just collapse into the bed and claim I was too tired to do much of anything else.

 

The next day, we played tourist in San Antonio. Mark had never been, and while I had with QAW, I hadn’t spent the time to see anything of interest. So off we went to the River Walk, to the Alamo, to everything we could cram in in just one day. Through it all, my knee protested but the dull ache eventually went away by the time we made it back to the hotel room.

 

And the next day, we made the drive to the West Texas Coliseum. I had to kick Mark out of the locker room so I could get ready and, as much as I hated to admit it, I was grateful for the breathing room. Jackson raised a brow as I sighed in relief, but he gave my marching orders: I was going to team up with Kira Lee and Skye Hermosa to take on Darkness Cat and Anderson & Snyder. Since Anderson & Snyder were the tag champs, they were going to win, although reading between the lines, I think Jackson was getting ready to switch the titles to the Skye and Kira. I was just along for the ride.

 

And we had a decent match all things considered. I did my best to ignore the very vocal fan in the front row. Mark meant well, but it was a little distracting to have him keep shouting his love for me through the whole match.

 

***

 

QAW Titan Clash #112

Sunday of Week 4, February 2023

Held in the West Texas Coliseum (Mid South)

 

The next week, I braced myself for a surprise guest again. On the way back to Minnesota, Mark had gushed about how awesome the weekend had been and he kept talking like we were going to make it a regular thing. I worried that I had picked up a travel companion for all my future shows. But Mark didn’t try to sneak into my luggage and, when I arrived at the Coliseum, there was no one waiting for me.

 

I didn’t like the fact that they had me in a match with Kira Lee, losing to the Pact. But you know, it felt normal to do so. And that was okay with me.

[Scapino1974]

Sunday of Week 4, February 2023

 

At least the bleeding had mostly stopped.

 

A month earlier, when it had become clear that we couldn’t sustain the higher production values, I had made the hard decision to return all of the equipment and downgrade the production back to what it was before we hit “small.” I had hoped to recoup the investment but it turned out I hadn’t read the contracts closely enough. We were out a lot of money and it would take a while for us to get back to where we had been.

 

Things hadn’t returned back to normal quite yet, unfortunately. In February, we lost $4,206, bringing us down to $56,792. That really worried me. We couldn’t meet the production level targets financially, but if we were going to start suffering financial repercussions for not having the right level of production values due to fans avoiding us, we were going to be in trouble either way. I wouldn’t panic—not yet—but I was worried we had hit the point where we’d start so slide.

 

At the same time, I realized we’d have to keep our workers as happy as possible. That meant giving raises to Alice Pellerton, James Diaz, and Mark Latrell. Mark sent his request to me with some overly friendly references about how he needed the money to keep Grace happy. Whatever, man. We just need people to wrestle.

 

By the time I was done doing the finances for February, I really wondered if I should step out. I mean, we were doing okay. But it felt like we had hit a plateau. Hopefully we’d pick up some momentum again soon.

[Scapino1974]

From RFW.com...

 

Be sure to check out all the action at this month’s All In!

 

• Texas Hangman, Roger Monteiro, & Jay Silver fight The Foundation
  
• Papa Swoll faces off against Dustin Deuce
  
• Party On! © defend the RFW Tag Team Championship against Minnesota Awesome
  
• Fro Sure fights John “Ace” Hart
  
• Grace “Diamond” Kil takes on The Uprising in a handicap match
  
• Sarah Taylor wrestles Abigail Thompson
  
• Stuntman © defends the RFW Championship against James Diaz
  

[John Lions]

I'm glad you're back to writing Scapino, your dynasty has been a real treat. You are a very gifted writer and you've definitely inspired me to put a lot more thought into everything that goes on outside of the wrestling part.

 

Texas Hangman, Roger Monteiro, & Jay Silver fight The Foundation

Papa Swoll faces off against Dustin Deuce

Party On! © defend the RFW Tag Team Championship against Minnesota Awesome

Fro Sure fights John “Ace” Hart

Grace “Diamond” Kil takes on The Uprising in a handicap match

Sarah Taylor wrestles Abigail Thompson

Stuntman © defends the RFW Championship against James Diaz

[Theheel]

Texas Hangman, Roger Monteiro, & Jay Silver fight The Foundation

Papa Swoll faces off against Dustin Deuce

Party On! © defend the RFW Tag Team Championship against Minnesota Awesome

Fro Sure fights John “Ace” Hart

Grace “Diamond” Kil takes on The Uprising in a handicap match

Sarah Taylor wrestles Abigail Thompson

Stuntman © defends the RFW Championship against James Diaz

[Herrbear]

Texas Hangman, Roger Monteiro, & Jay Silver fight The Foundation

Papa Swoll faces off against Dustin Deuce

Party On! © defend the RFW Tag Team Championship against Minnesota Awesome

Fro Sure fights John “Ace” Hart

Grace “Diamond” Kil takes on The Uprising in a handicap match

Sarah Taylor wrestles Abigail Thompson

Stuntman © defends the RFW Championship against James Diaz

[Scapino1974]

RFW All In

Thursday of Week 2, March 2023

Held at the Civic Center in Rochester, MN (Mid West Region)

Broadcast on WrestleWorld (29,605 viewers)

644 in attendance

 

When I arrived at the Civic Center, I was surprised at what I found. Someone had spent some time hanging up cartoons all over the lockerroom. At first, I thought maybe one of the backstage worker’s kids got loose and tried to make the lockerroom more attractive. But then I got a better look at the drawings and realized two important things: whoever drew those pictures had some pretty good skills, because they had drawn some pretty awesome caricatures of all the wrestlers.

 

I flagged down Grace and motioned toward the pictures. “Who?”

 

“Kate.” She jerked a thumb toward DupliKate. “Thought we might need a morale boost for some reason.”

 

Huh. I found the picture of me and started laughing. She had drawn me as a stern dictator, glaring out of the picture. But she also drew Grace standing behind me with a wink and an impish grin, getting ready to pants me.

 

“We should have her do our merch,” I said.

 

“You really want to sell t-shirts of me pantsing you?” Grace countered.

 

Okay, maybe not. But still, it had the intended effect on me.

 

***

 

Martin, Curt, and MC Motormouth welcomed the audience to the show.

 

1) Things kicked off with Allie Perks and Joy Rider coming out to the ring. They got on the mic and started ripping into Alice Pellerton and Marie Punnen.

 

“The way everyone’s behaving, you’d think that the only person in the women’s division was Grace Kil!” Allie said.

 

“Don’t get me wrong, Grace is phenomenal and I wouldn’t want to go up against her,” Joy said. “But Allie and I were thinking: we can fight too. So we’re thinking that Alice and Marie should strap on their big girl boots and come out here so we can show them why we’re no slouches either!”

 

Sure enough, Alice and Marie headed out to the ring for the impromptu match.

 

RATING: 37

 

2) ALLIE PERKS & JOY RIDER vs. ALICE PELLERTON & MARIE PUNNEN

 

While the crowd kind of perked up for this one, sadly, Allie wasn’t up to the task. She looked a little lost and flailing in there. When it came time for her machine-gun punches, it was pretty obvious that Alice had to direct traffic in the ring.

 

Joy tried to make up for the difference, riling up the crowd as best as she could. But it was clear that Alice and Marie weren’t playing around. In the end, Marie put Joy down with a Scissor Kick.

 

WINNERS: Alice Pellerton & Marie Punnen in 12:47

RATING: 38

 

3) Backstage, James Diaz appeared in a darkened room. He laughed, a sinister sound, and confidently predicted that tonight was the night. “The Monster’s Court will claim the glory that is rightfully ours. I will take on this so-called ‘Stuntman’ and humiliate him in front of you all. And then the RFW Championship will be mine!”

 

RATING: 42

 

4) PAPA SWOLL vs. DUSTIN DEUCE

 

Papa Swoll seemed to be back to business as usual. He was laid back and somewhat carefree as he greeted the fans at ringside. Dustin came out, looking focused and angry.

 

The match was surprisingly good. Swoll didn’t seem too put out by Dustin’s intensity. Instead, he simply dealt with the offense as it came and didn’t let Dustin get him too riled up. Eventually, it looked like Dustin might have finally worn Papa down, but then, out of nowhere, Swoll hit the Pounce to end the match.

 

WINNER: Papa Swoll in 12:06

RATING: 40

 

5) The camera caught up with Fro Sure and myself backstage in the middle of a heated argument.

 

“Fro, listen to me. It’s time to let it go. Yes, you had the title for a long time. You are an awesome champion! But you don’t have the title anymore. It’s time to move on, to find a new challenge,” I said.

 

Fro snarled at me and got into my face.

 

“You think it’s as simple as that, Ace? Just let it go? Well, this ain’t a Disney movie and those kind of sappy kids songs don’t work here. You will never understand what it’s like to hold that title. You’ve never had gold. You don’t know how amazing it is.”

 

I bristled. “Hey, I may not have ever been the RFW Champion, but that doesn’t mean I can’t recognize when a friend is struggling with some unhealthy behavior. Fro, I’m worried about you.”

 

“Worry about yourself, Ace. Because you and me, we’re gonna settle this in the ring!”

 

RATING: 55

 

6) TEXAS HANGMAN, ROGER MONTEIRO, & JAY SILVER vs. THE FOUNDATION

 

The crowd was merciless to Jay Silver as he made his way out to the ring. There were a lot of jeers and insults about him being a bargain-basement Jason Momoa, some complete with signs. Curt Meritt seemed to be particularly pleased with that reaction.

 

Maybe the hostility was why Jay’s team struggled. But whatever the cause, Mark, Jack, and Stallion had this sewn up pretty much from the beginning. It was clear that they had been working out their strategy beforehand and were working as a unit. In the end, Wild Red Stallion took out Jay Silver with a Lakota Cutter (and surprisingly, the crowd seemed to be on Stallion’s side for it).

 

WINNERS: The Foundation in 11:41

RATING: 33

 

7) Grace appeared on screen with a grim smile.

 

“I should’ve seen it coming. That’s probably what everyone’s saying. Selina Svelte and Talia Quinzel helping me? Saving me? Offering to work with me? It’s so transparently obvious that they were going to stab me in the back at some point, right?

 

“Well, yeah. It is kind of obvious. And it should have been. But here’s the thing: I’ve always believed that people are worth believing in. There’s a reason why my name is Grace. It’s what I’ve always been encouraged to show people. Give them a chance to show that they’ve changed.

 

“And maybe that wasn’t a wise thing in this case. Maybe that was a bit naive. But my eyes have been opened now. And it’s time for them to learn what happens when you stab me in the back. Selina, Talia, this ends tonight.”

 

RATING: 33

 

8) PARTY ON! © vs. MINNESOTA AWESOME for the RFW Tag Team Championship

 

A pretty standard match, given that both teams are faces. Lots of cooperation, lots of fun spots, and after Charlie put Perry down with a Corner Cutter, the two teams came together to celebrate in the middle of the ring.

 

WINNERS: Party On! In 15:02

RATING: 40

 

9) But as the celebration went on, it was interrupted by Puerto Rican Power’s entrance music. He came out to the ring apron and said that the party was over.

 

“I’ve been really puzzled by Sherry Smart. At first, I thought she was just a run of the mill con artist who somehow made her way backstage and ingratiated herself to Charlie and Chip. You know, ride their coattails and fleece them of their hard-earned money.

 

“But then she kept going out to ringside, almost like she was a manager. But according to the paperwork I saw, the RFW doesn’t really employ managers. So what was her deal?

 

“Imagine my surprise when I found out that Sherry originally signed a contract to be a wrestler! But, as near as I can tell, that’s not what she usually does.

 

“So we’re going to fix that. Sherry, you have a match right now with Ruby Reece!”

 

RATING: 21

 

10) SHERRY SMART vs. RUBY REECE

 

Minnesota Awesome vacated the ring, but Party On! stuck around as Ruby Reece headed for the ring. Sherry seemed on the verge of panicking, but Chip and Charlie took turns trying to calm her down and get her to focus (although Charlie looked a little upset when Chip spoke to her).

 

Once the bell rang, it was clear that Sherry’s head wasn’t in the game. Martin covered for her by saying that it was clear that the “poor dear” was scared out of her mind. Ruby didn’t seem all that worried about her. She toyed with Sherry and knocked her around, not showing her a lot of respect.

 

But then, Sherry looked to ringside and her face went grim. She nodded once to herself and then, much to everyone’s surprise, started fighting back. Chip and Charlie exchanged surprised looks, but Charlie looked upset.

 

Ruby tried to fight back, but Sherry actually overwhelmed her for a second and finally put her down with a move that MC Motormouth identified as the Public Jawbreaker.

 

WINNER: Sherry Smart in 12:17

RATING: 31

 

11) Ruby looked positively stunned as the ref held up Sherry’s hand. Then Ruby exploded off the mat and attacked Sherry, beating her down. The ref tried to regain control, but Ruby ignored him.

 

So Charlie rushed into the ring. Ruby spotted him coming and bailed. Charlie chased her back to the ring entrance, but when he turned back to the ring, he discovered that Chip had gotten into the ring with Sherry and was comforting her. She clung to him, sobbing.

 

Charlie’s face fell, then his expression turned absolutely furious.

 

RATING: 38

 

12) As soon as the ring was cleared, Sarah Taylor came out to the ring.

 

“What a night, right? So much drama! So much craziness. So much…unprofessionalism. This isn’t the way a company should be run. That’s why I’m so grateful that Puerto Rican Power has taken control in his firm, yet soft, grip.”

 

She went on like that, extolling Power’s business acumen, but somehow, everything she said was loaded with innuendo and double entendres. The crowd ate it up and Sarah played into it, getting more and more flustered (which only led to her saying worse and worse things).

 

Finally, she stomped her foot and said, “Enough! I know who’s to blame for all of this! Abigail Thompson! She’s carried a chip on her shoulder against Grace Kil for years now and it’s high time someone knocked it off her shoulder.”

 

RATING: 75

 

13) ABIGAIL THOMPSON vs. SARAH TAYLOR

 

The crowd kept jeering Sarah for her speech and that seemed to rattle her. I don’t know what was really going on with her, but she seemed to be a bit off her game.

 

But here’s the thing: Sarah Taylor off her game is miles better than most people on their game. She did a good job, giving Abigail one of her best matches yet, even if the whole thing did end with Sarah putting Abigail down with a Newton’s Cradle.

 

WINNER: Sarah Taylor in 14:21

RATING: 55

 

14) JOHN “ACE” HART vs. FRO SURE

 

Martin did a great job of hyping up this match as a fight between old friends. And that’s how Fro and I tried to play this. While he had no problem taking the fight and unleashing his aggression on me, I did my best to simply block his offense and try to get him to calm down. When it became clear that he wasn’t going to back down, I fought back, although reluctantly.

 

In the end, Fro simply was too angry to be reasoned with and I couldn’t really stop him, so he put me down with the Sure Thing.

 

WINNER: Fro Sure in 14:41

RATING: 61

 

15) GRACE “DIAMOND” KIL vs. THE UPRISING

 

Selina and Talia came out to the ring first. They laughed at Grace as she came out to the ring, mocking her and generally having a good time. Grace simply got into the ring and stood there, her face stoic, but there was a fire in her eyes.

 

That fire exploded the moment the bell rang. Before Selina and Talia could regroup, Grace was on both of them, fighting both of them at once. She actually wound up clearing the ring and then stood in the center, glaring at both of them while they tried to recover.

 

It was all downhill from there for the Uprising. Grace kept the fight on them and wouldn’t let up until she finally took Talia out with a Diamond’s Edge.

 

WINNER: Grace “Diamond” Kil in 14:37

RATING: 61

 

16) In the locker room, Original Sinner rallied Dreadnought and Masked Mauler, saying it was time to “help” Stuntman get ready for his match. They slapped each other on the back and roared a bit before heading to the door…

 

…only to discover that the door was stuck shut. They slammed against it and pounded, demanding to be let out.

 

The camera jumped to outside the locker room to reveal that Stuntman had barricaded the door closed. He turned to the camera and said, “Thanks, fellas, I feel ready for my match now for sure!”

 

RATING: 25

 

17) STUNTMAN © vs. JAMES DIAZ for the RFW Championship

 

James seemed genuinely surprised as Stuntman made his way out to the ring. He tried to shake off the shock, but it was clear he was a bit too shook up.

 

James did try to take the fight to Stuntman, but it was clear he wasn’t quite ready to face the champ when Stuntman was ready for him. In spite of James’s attempts, Stuntman finally put him down with a 450 Degree Splash.

 

WINNER: Stuntman in 15:19

RATING: 44

 

***

 

Once the show was over, I made sure to pump up Papa Swoll, Dustin Deuce, and Abigail for their hard work. Abigail wouldn’t quite meet my gaze and she hurried out of the locker room after everything was done. That was weird. We hadn’t really been able to talk since Valentine’s Day. Our “rain check” was still there, but she didn’t seem to be in a hurry to claim it. That bugged me, but I figured it was better to give her some space.

 

I did notice that Stuntman was jawing with some folks after the show was over. They kept looking over at Jack Pryde as they did. I wondered what that was about also, but figured it wasn’t anything I should worry about yet.

 

FINAL RATING: 46

 

Quick results:

 

From RFW.com...

 

Here's what missed on tonight's RFW All In!

 

Alice Pellerton & Marie Punnen defeated Allie Perks & Joy Rider

Papa Swoll defeated Dustin Deuce

The Foundation (Mark Latrell, Prime Time Jack Pryde, & Wild Red Stallion) defeated Texas Hangman, Roger Monteiro, & Jay Silver

Party On! © defeated Minnesota Awesome to retain the RFW Tag Team Championship

Sherry Smart defeated Ruby Reece

Sarah Taylor defeated Abigail Thompson

Fro Sure defeated John "Ace" Hart

Grace "Diamond" Kil defeated The Uprising

Stuntman © defeated James Diaz to retain the RFW Championship

[Scapino1974]

QAW Titan Clash #115

Sunday of Week 3, March 2023

Held in Colorado Springs, CO (Mid South)

 

A few nights later, and I hadn’t heard anything from John about how he and Abigail were doing. I assumed that meant that everything was going fine. At least, I hoped it did. Me, I actually won a match for once. Kira Lee and I took on the Pact and defeated them pretty soundly. I liked Kira. She was a sweet friend and she definitely got me in the ring.

 

***

 

QAW Titan Clash #116

Sunday of Week 4, March 2023

Held in Tuscon, AZ (South West)

 

And I managed to round out the month with another loss, but at least this time, it was in a title shot!

 

Jackson barely said anything to me as he handed out the assignments. He skedaddled (as he would have put it) out of the locker room as soon as he was done. It turned out that Raquel Alvarado was going to take on Darkness Cat and me for the QAW Shockwave title. That was cool, even if it did come out of left field. Cat, Raquel, and I worked with the road agent to put on the best match we could and, even though it was a loss, I thought I did pretty good out there.

 

Sarah Taylor was waiting for me by the locker when I got back. I started to make a joke with her but the expression on her face made me stop short.

 

“What?” I asked.

 

“Not here, but after the show, you and I need to go get a drink,” she whispered. “I’ve heard something and you need to hear it too.”

[Scapino1974]

Monday of Week 1, April 2023

 

“Midwest Medlectron, please hold…Midwest Midlectron, please hold…”

 

I kept repeating the phrase, punching button after button. For some reason, half the sales force had called in sick. So had their usual receptionist so, lucky me, I got the call to come in so I could put people on hold one after another.

 

Actually, it wasn’t all that bad. The night before, I had gone over the books and RFW was doing okay. We had stopped the bleeding, at least for now, and made almost four grand in profits. We still had a long ways to go to make up for the massive hit our financials took, but all in all, things were looking up.

 

“Hey, Ace.”

 

My head snapped up at the quiet greeting. Much to my surprise, Jack Pryde stood in front of me, wearing a loose jacket and a pair of sunglasses. Trying to go incognito? I doubted that anyone in the office would recognize him.

 

“You got a minute to talk?”

 

I kept putting people on hold, one after another, then sighed. I punched in a different code and rang Marjorie, my on-site supervisor.

 

“Can I take a quick break?” I asked.

 

Marjorie sighed but gave me fifteen minutes. I hit the buttons that would send all the calls straight to voicemail (that’s where they were all winding up anyway) then slipped out of the receptionist desk and led Jack back out of the office. I braced myself for a mildly sexist joke about me being a receptionist, but he didn’t say anything. That told me it was definitely serious.

 

“What’s going on?” I asked.

 

He frowned. “Look, I’ve been with you since day one, right? You know where I stand with the company and I definitely appreciate the push you’ve been giving me, Billy, and Mark lately.”

 

Oh no. Was he leaving? Not a massive crisis, but I’d have to readjust my plans, such as they were.

 

“But lately, things backstage have been getting kind of…well, tense.”

 

“With who?” I prompted.

 

He winced. “Just about everyone. Chip and Hangman and Quentin in particular, though.”

 

I frowned. Quentin could be prickly, but Chip? And Hangman was a stand-up guy so far as I knew. “What happened?”

 

“That’s just it! I don’t know! I heard that Chip was going to be in town, and I thought that maybe I’d buy him a beer, y’know? I figured at some point, the Foundation might feud with them and it’d be good to be on good terms with them. But he flat out refused. I don’t get it, man, and it’s really bugging me.”

 

I started to say something, but my phone chirped. I grimaced and pulled out it. A text from Grace. I didn’t bother reading it, tucking my phone back in my pocket.

 

“And you didn’t do anything to—”

 

My phone chirped again. I grunted and looked again. Another text from Grace. This time, the wording of the text caught my eye: Call me!

 

“Sorry, man.” I unlocked my phone and pulled up the texts.

 

Grace’s first message was a link to an article on TEW.com with the comment Have you seen this yet? I frowned. I hadn’t had a chance to check TEW yet; my usual routine for the first day of the month was to post the upcoming card in the evening and then get caught up on what I missed.

 

But if she thought it was important… I clicked the link and scanned the headline, which…

 

I stumbled backwards and slammed into the wall, ice slicing through me.

 

“Ace? You okay, man?”

 

I stared at the headline, my mind going numb.

 

QAW Poaching Talent from RFW

 

I forced myself to keep reading…

 

TEW has learned that QAW president Farrah Hesketh has recently gone fishing in RFW’s waters and hooked some big names. According to what we’ve learned, Hesketh has signed both Sherry Smart and Abigail Thompson to exclusive written contracts, meaning that they will be leaving the small midwestern promotion by the end of the month.

 

I handed the phone over to Jack so he could read it. My mind kept spinning. Was this why Abigail hadn’t come to Valentine’s Dinner? Was it because she was in talks with Farrah Hesketh?

 

“Uh…Ace?” Jack said. “Who’s this?”

 

He handed my phone back to me. He had pulled up a picture that had been posted with the article. It was of Abigail and had obviously been taken recently; she had gotten her hair cut before the last All In and she had the new style in the picture. It almost looked like a paparazzi photo, because she didn’t seem to be aware that her picture was being taken. No, she was too busy laughing with…laughing with…

 

…laughing with some guy I had never seen before. She hung on his arm, and he smiled at her and it was so clear from their body language that this wasn’t just two friends out on the town. This was a lot more than that.

 

I shut down the phone and slid it back in my pocket.

 

“Ace? Are you okay?”

 

No, I wasn’t. Not even a little. But I knew what I had to do. First, I would finish talking to Jack. I didn’t know where the hostility was coming from, but I’d talk to Chip and Hangman and everyone and see what I could learn. Second, I would let Marjorie know that one more person was going to go home sick today. And third, I wouldn’t actually go home. Instead, I had to take a trip to Minneapolis. Because I needed some answers myself.

[John Lions]

This is great, you've got me fully invested. I never thought I would ever read a dynasty here where I was more invested of what happened outside of the ring rather than in.

[Herrbear]

I love all the twists and turns.

[Theheel]

I’m starting to feel bad for poor Ace, honestly.

[Scapino1974]

Monday of Week 1, April 2023

 

I had no idea what I was going to say or what I was going to do. I thought, by the time I reached Abigail’s apartment, I would have figured it out. But so many thoughts were warring in me as I made the drive. When I finally spotted the oil refinery just south of Inver Grove Heights, my personal landmark to remind me that I was almost to the Cities, I realized I had to come up with something.

 

So I forced myself to organize my thoughts. Abigail had betrayed me in two different ways: as an employee and as my girlfriend. Well, I didn’t know for sure about the latter, I realized. That picture didn’t mean anything. The asshole in the picture could be a friend or a relative I hadn’t met yet. Whoever took the picture may have misunderstood the situation. I may have as well. I couldn’t jump to conclusions until I heard what she had to say.

 

But signing with QAW? An exclusive, written contract? Okay, yeah, QAW was bigger than us and could afford to do that. But why hadn’t Abigail said anything to me about it? This wouldn’t have been a snap decision. Hesketh would have made an initial offer. Abigail would have thought about it, maybe talked to her parents about it. Maybe there would have been some back-and-forth on pay. But to not talk to me at all?

 

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the QAW contract was more evidence that she was cheating on me. Why else wouldn’t she have talked to me about this? We were supposedly building toward some sort of future together, and here she walked away from RFW without so much as a warning? I mean, if she had talked to me and then decided to go to QAW, it would have still stung, but we could have figured it out. But to leave without…

 

As I turned the corner onto the street where Abigail lived, I shook my head to clear it. The questions still circled like waiting vultures, but at least he’d be able to feed them answers soon.

 

I walked up to her apartment building and buzzed her number. There was no answer. I frowned and glanced at my watch. So far as I knew, she didn’t have class right now. Should I text her? Call? Try to figure out what was going on? No, it felt better to confront her without warning. So I sat down on the front stoop and waited.

 

I think I was there for close to two hours. A few of Abigail’s neighbors passed me into the building, and the looks they gave me confirmed some of my worst fears. Worry, pity, surprise. They knew. They knew something was wrong and they felt bad for me.

 

Finally, as my stomach rumbled and I considered leaving my stakeout for some dinner, I heard Abigail’s bright laughter. I stood up and looked around, then spotted her down the block. She was with him, the man in the picture, and he had his arm around her waist. They stumbled toward the apartment, both of them smiling and trying to stay as close to each other as possible and…

 

Then Abigail spotted me. The smile on her face froze, turned brittle, and then the color drained from her face. The man noticed me as well and his face turned stony, determined. I recognized that look. He was ready to fight.

 

Abigail whispered something to him and he nodded, never looking away from me. But he stayed where he was, his arms crossed and his gaze sharp. Abigail approached me, not cautiously but warily.

 

“John,” she said.

 

I decided not to say anything. I crossed my arms, unintentionally mimicking the other guy’s posture.

 

“I suppose you saw the news,” Abigail said.

 

I quirked a brow. That was it? That was all she was going to say? But I held my tongue. She was the one who needed to explain herself, not me.

 

She sighed. “This isn’t…I didn’t want…why aren’t you saying anything?”

 

“What am I supposed to say?” I asked. “Good luck with your new job and hey, you two make a cute couple? Is that what you’re hoping for?”

 

She winced. “This isn’t what I wanted.”

 

“Really?” I spat the question. “That’s what you’re going to say?”

 

“Well, what do you want me to say, John? What?”

 

“Is he why you didn’t come down for Valentine’s Day?” I stabbed a finger at the other guy.

 

He bristled and looked ready to jump in, but Abigail waved him back.

 

“His name is Stephen,” she said.

 

I swallowed a growl. I could hear the p-h in the way she said his name, but what galled me more was the gentleness, the affection I heard in her voice. The same that she had used when she said my name when we first started dating.

 

“He’s our neighbor,” she continued. “Moved in a couple of months ago. And…well, he noticed me and I noticed him and…”

 

“Who did the ‘noticing’ first?” I asked.

 

She looked down. “He did.”

 

That was some comfort, I supposed. But not much.

 

“He was really sweet and nice and when I told him I had a boyfriend, he did back off but we kind of kept flirting. And then…well, something happened the night before I was supposed to come down for Valentine’s dinner.”

 

Cold sluiced through me but I ignored it.

 

“I didn’t mean for it to happen, John. I really didn’t. But something’s felt…off between us since Christmas. At least, it felt that way to me. You said we were moving toward…something. And I was okay with that, but maybe I wasn’t. And when I was with Stephen, it felt so…right. So natural. The way it’s supposed to be.”

 

My stomach twisted and I felt like I might throw up. Or go over and bodyslam Stephen into a nearby parked car. Either way would make me feel better.

 

“And I was torn. John, I love you. I do. But I’m not sure if that’s enough for me anymore. I wasn’t sure what to do and I was…well, I was looking for a sign as to what I should do. And that’s when Farrah Hesketh contacted me with the job offer.”

 

She fell silent and I saw how the pieces fell into place for her. An accident with Stephen, questions about what to do, and then an offer that would completely disentangle her from me. It all added up so perfectly. Or at least, it probably did for her.

 

So what now? I mean, I could make a big deal about this. She had cheated on me. I could probably take out my frustration on Stephen; based on what I saw, I could take him easily and mess him up pretty badly. But what would that solve other than getting me arrested? Abigail had made her choice.

 

And it wasn’t me.

 

“Fine. Good luck at QAW. But don’t forget: you still work for me until the end of this month.”

 

Her mouth popped open but I didn’t care what she had to say. Instead, I brushed past her and walked over to Stephen.

 

He straightened up, uncrossed his arms and made fists. I wanted to laugh at him. He was probably trying to look intimidating, but the overall effect was laughable. So I stopped with three feet between us and glared at him.

 

“You got a real winner there, Stephen.” I spat his name like it was poison. “Hope you do better with her than I did.”

 

And with that, I went back to my car. Abigail called my name but I ignored her. Better to just go home and put out the next show’s card. I had a feeling it was going to be a fun one.