..SCENE ONE..
...Hand Covers Bruises...
Heather was exactly known for two things: Sex and wrestling. Sex for the most part was recreational and she intended to keep it that way. Wrestling on the other hand was what kept her sane from all the craziness in her life. It was seven some years ago when Heather walked in first time through Bobby Scopelli's infamous wrestling school in hopes of training to become a professional wrestler. She remembered walking in with all the confidence she could muster and located the gym's owner.
"I wanna be a wrestler." Heather said sternly at the stocky bald man who could have passed off as Danny Devito with his receding hairline.
Bobby Scopelli:
"Listen lady. Wrestling is not a joke. One slip up and you could end up getting seriously hurt... or worse getting paralyzed from the neck down."
Heather Haze:
"I am well aware of the risk that comes with it. Hence the reason I am asking for a formal training."
Bobby Scopelli:
"Okay so i'm gonna level with you...What do you know about fighting?"
The old man asked her gruffly.
"I've been fighting my whole life," Heather thought as she surveyed the old gym with its tattered up walls that was probably built in the 70s and a shaky wrestling ring that would implode any second upon impact. She then found a kid, maybe in his early 20s, twice her size, and pointed him out."
Heather Haze:
"If I can last five minutes with him will you train me?"
Bobby looked from the boy and back to her.
Bobby Scopelli:
"You wanna fight my nephew?"
Bobby asked, his tone unreadable.
Heather Haze:
"What have you got to lose?" she countered.
Bobby Scopelli
"Hey Ricky!"
Bobby yelled, the boy in question turning to face him; "Feel like a minute or two of sparring?"
"Who with?" Rick called back as he made his way over.
"Her," Bobby replied with a jerk of his thumb toward her as Rick's eyes widened.
Rick Scopelli:
"You're joking, right? No offence but there's a strip bar right across the street. I think they're having tryouts there. You may wanna check it out."
Rick laughed sizing Heather up.
Heather Haze:
"No thanks. I heard you tried to pass off as a chick there once until they discovered your little 'secret'. 2 words: Tiny penis."
Heather replied, her words having the intended effect as he tried to make himself look bigger.
Heather Haze:
"What? Afraid of a little girl kicking your ass?"
Rick growled and walked towards the ring, motioning her to step up as Bob flashed his nephew a toothy grin.
"Alright then," Bobby said as he turned to her;
Bobby Scopelli:
"You'll need some elbow pads, maybe some knee pads, and at least a mouth guard..." he smirked; "Pretty face like yours... no reason you should lose some teeth trying to prove something."
Bobby was known for being a hot head and a dick at times, but less than five minutes into the fight his heart softened up to the young girl's desire and perseverance even though she was clearly no match for his nephew who pummelled her and managed to pin her shoulders effortlessly to the mat effortlessly. Unfortunately it had taken her precisely fifteen more seconds to pass out from low blood sugar. She'd woken to an extremely scared Rick and an anxious Bob who was worried of an impending lawsuit. That night She'd spilled her guts to him over burgers and fries he'd bought her in a diner down the street relaying to him that she was penniless and forced to take up degrading jobs to make ends meet, and somehow figured wrestling was her ticket out.
By the end Bobby not only offered to train Heather as a wrestler but gave her an apartment above the gym in addition to her salary as a hired help to help out with the chores and to recruit others. He had only one condition; If Heather would become rich and famous he'd get 50% of the cut. Bob said jokingly. Flash forward ten months later and Heather was the star pupil of Bob's wrestling school, getting endorsement from several wrestling promotions who opted to book her in their venues which in turn allowed Bob to foot the bill to keep the wrestling school up and running till he planned on stepping down and handing over Rick to be in charge of the school, but not before offering some fatherly advice to Heather.
Bobby Scopelli:
"You think I saved your life the day I gave you a job and a place to live?" Bob chuckled as he shook his head. "If I can be frank it was You that turned this place around... you've helped me make more than enough money to retire, kiddo, you deserve this...The very first time when you walked through those doors, I knew you there was something in you... I could see the hunger in your eyes... the desire to win it all. You were destined to do great things, kiddo...it's just..."
Heather Haze:
"Ah, here goes...see I just knew there was a catch..."
She'd teased as Bob frowned.
Bobby Scopelli:
"Fine I'm gone skip the waterworks, but do this little favour for me and Look after Ricky, okay? He's a good kid but he's not going to make it far in the fight game...I mean the light is up there...but nobody's home. You know what I mean, right?
"Sure, Bobby," she'd replied without hesitation and bid farewell to her old mentor with a hug. Sadly Bobby would pass away a few months later to stroke. To this day she still occasionally regretted agreeing to be associated with the likes of Rick especially with him turning Bob's old wrestling gym into his own personal Mixed Martial Arts playground. While Bob was fairly level headed, Rick was the polar opposite of his uncle with his snarky sniveling attitude and his grandeur of being the world's greatest MMA fighter. AKA The know it all.
Rick Scopelli:
"Mixed Martial Arts is a thing now..get with the times Heather."
Quipped Rick as he laughed under his breath while pulling on his gloves. Heather simply stood there, void of any emotion as she contemplated on ways she was gonna hurt Rick on this particular day.
Rick Scopelli:
"So yeah...I'm just gonna have you hit some pads to warm up before we spar...but if I don't like what I see with the pads then we won't bother sparring...."
Heather simply rolled her eyes away at Rick as he lead her over to the octagon and waved her inside. Rick would then throw his own gloves aside and slipped the pads onto his own hands. He held them up and smiled.
Rick Scopelli:
"Don't hit them too hard to start with...I want to evaluate your form. And then we'll see how hard you hit." Rick rambled away as he took the time to appreciate that Heather had, at some point without her noticing, removed her baggy sweats and now wore a red tight short shorts and a black sports bra, which complimented her perfect 10 figure.
"Okay...start hitting with all you've got." Rick instructed.
After only a few punches Rick waved her off as he could no longer contain his giggles.
Heather Haze
"What the hell is so funny?" Rick started, shaking his head and laughing.
Rick Scopelli:
"You kinda look like a pissed off Pomeranian and just about as hard to take seriously..."Heather Haze:
"Glad I am entertaining you."Rick Scopelli:
"Seriously I haven't laughed this hard in a really long time... thanks... "Rick said as he stepped back a few, inserting his mouth guard in.
Rick Scopelli:
"Now Let's go over some basics. And by the that, I mean try and kick it up a notch."Rick smiled as Heather grew more infuriated by the minute, wanting to really wipe the smirk off his face.
Rick Scopelli:
"Don't worry... I'm not going to hit you... we go at half speed and we don't really hit each other... not hard anyway..."Before Rick could finish his sentence, Heather would connect with a hard uppercut to his chin and sent him flying backwards onto his ass.
Rick groaned, massaging his jaw and then spat out his mouth guard angrily.
Rick Scopelli:
"What part of... not really hitting did you miss?"Heather Haze
"Are you done dicking around? Cause I got a big match coming up with Dillon fucking Crowe in a few days, and your MMA bullshit isn't doing me any favours."
Rick picked himself up, feeling a bit insulted.
Rick Scopelli:
"I should have known it was that time of the month again. A fair warning would have been nice though."Heather Haze:
"This isn't working. I need to find another alternative or settle for a better crash test dummy that yaps less."Rick Scopelli:
"So much for being calm and collective. Seems like this Dillon guy has got you all spooked in a bad way."Heather Haze:
"It's the thought of being locked inside a cage with a sociopath who just happens to have mommy and daddy issues that has me spooked."Rick Scopelli:
"Guess you both have something in common then."Rick thought it was funny while Heather didn't think it was, as she shot him a glare which made him quickly change topics.
Rick Scopelli:
"Ok that was a bad joke. Speaking of, Did you hear back from your sister?"Heather Haze:
"Nope and I don't really care where she's at right now."Rick Scopelli:
"..But she's you sister..."
Heather Haze:
"Look. She's a grown ass woman, OK. I got more pressing matters to deal with then to worry about her. I gotta figure out a way to somehow beat this Dillon guy and win that Collateral Damage belt. This match is important to me, and I can't afford to screw it up. Opportunities like these only come by so rare."Rick Scopelli:
"So you just randomly thought of me so you can let some steam out?"Heather Haze:
"Are you trying to go all psychoanalyst on me?"Rick Scopelli:
"Well...I can sense that your chi is all over the place. With your sister...your grandmother....there's just so much going through your head that it's gotten you all worked up. You are clearly distracted."Heather Haze:
"Can we just drop this? I really don't wanna talk about my sister or my grandmother right now."Rick shoots his hands up in surrender.
Rick Scopelli:
"Okay...fair enough...So do you have any suggestions on how we go about this match with Dillon Crowe without me being your punching bag for the entire day?"Heather Haze:
"As a matter of fact I do. I hear you got a cage fighting tournament coming up and I wanna sign up for it."Rick raised a curious eyebrow at her.
Rick Scopelli:
"And why would you want that?"Heather Haze:
"So I can prepare myself better against Dillon, duh."Rick Scopelli:
"It's great your feeling suicidal, just willingly throwing yourself to these psychos who get off on violence."Heather Haze:
"Well... Desperate times call for desperate measures even if that spares me the time and day from kicking your tail end all day long."Rick throws his head back and laughs.
Rick Scopelli:
"Hah...You wish you could kick my ass, little girl. That's never gonna happen. Not even in your wildest dreams."Heather Haze:
"So are you gonna sign me up or not?"Rick Scopelli:
"And what if I were to say no?"Heather lets out a sigh with Rick clearly working on her last nerve.
Heather Haze:
Well then I'll just have to inform the cops and have them do a raid on your little illegal fight club you got going."Heather smiled sheepishly, knowing she had Rick by the balls while he glanced at her in utter disbelief.
Rick Scopelli:
"Are you seriously threatening me?"Heather Haze:
"I'd like to think it's more like blackmailing."Rick Scopelli:
"FINE THEN...YOU'RE ON...BUT whatever happens inside the cage it's all legal. That means anything goes. That means biting, kicking, hair pulling, groin kicking, groping all that shit it's all legal. There's no backing out."Heather looked unfazed over Rick's scare tactic as she pouted away her lips to mock him some more.
Heather Haze:
"Awww I didn't know you cared for me so much even though I am a bitch to you on so many levels."Rick Scopelli:
"Why would I care what happens to you inside that cage? It's at your own risk. And your right... you are a bitch up front."Heather Haze:
"Yeah, but A bitch that's gonna make you a whole lot of money if you think about it. APEX Management had the right idea sticking me and Dillon inside a cage cause nothing beats a good old fashioned intergender cage fight between two opposite sexes. Now that's money right there, which I can do the same for your lil' fight club if you put me with one of your best fighters."
Rick somewhat liked the idea, agreeing that Heather was on to something.
Rick Scopelli:
"Touche."Heather Haze:
"So I reckon we have a deal then?"Heather then stuck her hand out for a handshake. Rick simply looked at it, thinking over it long and hard before finally returning the gesture with a firm handshake of his own to seal the deal and smiled.
Rick Scopelli:
"Deal...but it's gonna be your funeral."Heather Haze:
"You're on."Heather then kicks Rick swiftly in the nuts, and he drops like a sack of potato. Rick holds his crotch, rolling around the mat in pure agony, with his face bright red like a tomato as Heather shows her bitch side by pointing at him and laughing as the scene fades.
________________________________________________________________
...SCENE TWO...
...The Training...
The crowd went into a loud frenzy as Deranged Axel pounded away the guy with his bloody fists and no sooner the fight was over.
"And hereeee's your winner....Deeerrranged Axxxelllll!" Said a disembodied voice over the megaphone as Axel pandered to the crowd, showing off his machismo over his fallen opponent.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you have been all waiting for.” Said the disembodied voice again,
“Please put your hands together for the one and only female contestant to the tournament, the beautiful Heather Haze!”Tossing her red hoodie aside, Heather walked up to the centre, seeing her opponent up close while ignoring the hoots and jeers from the crowd. He was a huge man, no doubt, almost six feet tall, and heavily muscled. He wore blue jeans, and his hands were wrapped in boxing bandages to protect them. He was no Dillon, but tonight he would do just fine. She had already seen him fight several other opponents, challengers to his position as king of the tournament, and he had demolished each and every one of them.
“And facing her is the mighty Axel himself!” the voice said over the megaphone, and the crowd went even wilder,
“Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this will be a night to remember indeed.”
“fighters, are you ready?” said the voice.
Heather nodded, before getting in a fighting stance.
“I’m going to enjoy laying my hands on you.” Axel said as he leered down at her.
Bobby would never have approved of this Heather thought. But in less than a few days she would be locked up inside a cage with an animal like Dillon Crowe. A sociopath in his own right who had very little to no regard for anything. This was about getting a glimpse of his world. This was no Wrestling, UFC, MMA, bare-knuckle boxing or kick boxing. This was straight up cage fighting where there were was only one rule: SURVIVE.
Heather flipped Axel the bird whilst making a kissy face as the disembodied voice screamed,
“Fight!”.Axel immediately launched himself at her, but Heather had already moved aside. Axel was nimble for a man his size, but he was completely unprepared for the flurry of punches and kicks launched by her.
Axel grunted as the first kick connected his ribcage. He could feel one of his ribs crack, but he ignored the pain and used his beefy arms to shield the more vulnerable parts of his body from the blows. Then he launched an attack of his own as he swung very well aimed blows meant to drop her. Heather ducked and weaved past them all, except one, as he made a wild, heavy swing which connected with her jaw. The blow knocked her to her feet and she was down. She ran a hand over her throbbing jaw remembering when her grandmother used to strike her in her alcoholic rage or when her sister's crazy ex-boyfriend decked her a few weeks back, but the pain wasn't nearly as bad as this::
"Get up Bitch!" Axel barked as he planted a devastating kick aimed straight to her belly, knocking every wind right out of her as the audience let out a gasp. He then lunged forward with his right knee, and then spun a kick into the Heather's back, knocking her right back down. Axel then grabbed her by the hair and pulled her face close to his. She could smell the foul beer emanate from his breath.
"Maybe after this we can go to my place and fuck. Whatdya say?" Sneered Axel as he brushed some of her hair and then licked her face which made her cringe.
"F*ck you!" Heather retorted and spat at his face. Axel grinned and savagely threw her to the floor.
The crowd roared into a frenzy as Heather backed away, looking at him in disgust. She could even imagine Ricky laughing his ass off somewhere, telling her 'I told you so." The ref threw a warning but Alex simply shrugged it off. What was the point of a ref there when there were no rules? Probably to make sure no one dies Heather thought as she picked herself up from the floor and gets in a fighting stance.
As Axel would follow up on another attack, Heather would sock him in the jaw as a receipt for earlier with a mean vicious right hook. The man staggered to his side as Heather took advantage of his temporary disorientation, and delivered a series of stiff kicks into his hamstring.
Axel grunted, and staggered a few steps more. He was clearly angry now. His face twisted into a rage-filled sneer. He opened up his arms and grabbed Heather before she could react. His huge arms crushed her arms and her torso together as he seemed intent on squeezing the life out of her.
Heather screamed. She struggled as the arms continued to constrict around her. She cursed herself for her carelessness as she tried futilely to get out of the tight hold. Nothing she did seem to help as she tried to knee and kick the giant holding her. Red spots began to appear before her eyes and a faint distant voice echoing in her ear asking her if she would want to quit.
There was one last trick up her sleeve though. She hated the thought of it but she didn't have a choice as she leaned in and bit off his right ear. The crowd booed at this. He howled as his arms loosened a little. And that was the opening Heather needed as she latched on and rolled him up sideways, using her full body weight to bring the brute flat on his back, and apply pressure on his bad arm. She had trapped him in an arm bar. There was no getting out of it, and very quickly she got him to tap out, as he slammed his hand on the mat over and over, screaming and withering in pain.
“And Heather wins by submission!” the voice screamed.
The fight was over, the crowd roared in approval, as Heather let go of the arm and sighed a relief. She would then take her bow and leave with the prize money. A money that would help Dillon with his medical bills she joked. She knew the fight with Axel would not be nearly as tough as Dillon's, but it didn't hurt boosting her confidence going into Red White and Bruised. Without a doubt Dillon was a force to be reckoned with. As important as the match was to Heather's career, there was no denying that this was an opportunity to make a name for herself at APEX. An opportunity to prove to the entire APEX Universe, the critics, and the naysayers alike that she was no slouch or some pretty broad with ass and tits, but a fighter..a wrestler that didn't frown on any competition. She was a bonafide bad ass worthy of being the Collateral Damage champion despite what Dillon or any of the skeptics thought of her.
Heather then walked over to the side mirror and glanced at her reflection as she took a deep breath and gathered herself. She saw the bruise on her jaw and winced, but then laughed it off as she got in her car and drove away with a newfound sense of confidence she hadn't had before.
________________________________________________________________
...SCENE THREE...
...Not Just A Pretty Face...
The scene opens up in the backstage area of the Capital One arena just before the show is about to start. Just off to the side was APEX 's own JR Freeman dressed in a white T-shirt and brown khaki pants, with a microphone dangling in his hand as he glanced over his watch, waiting impatiently for his interviewee to arrive. From a far we see Heather Haze walking down the hallway in a way that commanded attention. Sporting a pair of glittery pink pants and a white crop top, Heather was oozing confidence as she approached JR and tapped on his shoulder.
JR FREEMAN:
"Heather… I didn’t think that you would be coming the closer it got to show time.”
HEATHER HAZE:
"Well, I'm here now, aren't I? So let's just cut the chit-chat and get on with the questions.
JR simply shook his head away and then lifted the mic to speak, but Heather cuts him off.
HEATHER HAZE:
"Hey, aren't you that dorky guy who sits at the commentary desk? Whatever happened to that Daniel guy or whatever his name is? Did he get like fired or something?"
JR FREEMAN:
"He's at a production meeting. I'm covering for him. I hope that's not a problem for you?”
HEATHER HAZE:
"Meh...I don't care. Let's just get on with it."
Rolling her eyes, JR then turned to face the camera, bringing the microphone up to his lips as the cameraman counted him down before going live.
JR FREEMAN:
"Hello APEX fans. This is JR Freeman live with our Red, White, and Bruised pre show coverage and joining me here at this time is none other than...the 'bad girl' Heather Haze”
The camera panned over to reveal Heather who stood there, with her hands folded across her chest.
JR FREEMAN:
"Heather...tonight you have an opportunity to challenge Dillon Crowe for his Collateral Damage Championship belt inside of a steel cage. What are your thoughts going through your mind stepping into this type of match and a man like Dillon Crowe who is undefeated and will be defending his belt for the very first time against a challenger like you?"
JR then cranes the mic in her direction, awaiting her response.
HEATHER HAZE:
"I think it's fantastic that management has finally thrown me a bone after weeks and weeks of demanding for a title shot. And what better way than to stick me inside a steel cage with none other than a crazed freak like Dillon Crowe of all people. A man who has a mean streak in him, and a man who'll no doubt make me bring out my A-game. Now, you could look at it in two ways. Either this was management's way of rewarding me a title shot or setting me up to see me fail. After all, I'm may be the poster girl to the very 'filth' that Dillon speaks of and promises to 'purge' from this company. And I hope that isn't the latter cause I am not one to be taken lightly nor am I to be downplayed as some chic glamorized for her tits and ass. I'm more than that. I ain't a walking talking T & A show. And I hope Dillon doesn't make that mistake when we meet inside of that cage cause when that bell sounds off you can bet it's game on."
JR FREEMAN:
"So your saying you want to be taken serious and you are not entirely intimidated by Dillon by any means?"
HEATHER HAZE:
"Am I supposed to be impressed just cause he sent some has been like Rockin' Lunatic off to the glue factory? Am I supposed to be impressed that he's running around with the likes of a fat hillbilly and the Russow's who are terrorizing half the APEX roster making them run scared shitless? See, JR. Bleach boy may demand everybody and everyone to fear him. He may have some dangerous allies in his pocket with all his psycho babble talks about 'purging the filth' and what have you. But quite frankly I'm not gonna have all that faze me one bit. I've overcome through life with endless hardships and struggles by silencing the doubters and haters who looked down on me since day one. Fear, Doubt, and Uncertainty are NEVER entirely an option. Dillon doesn't know a damn thing about me and my struggles."
"Which is why I am more than happy to kick his emo ass and win me that belt. I'm more than willing to go out there and prove him and the entire world wrong. It's as simple as that. As a matter of fact Dillon should be grateful that I have taken the time to study him up and train for this match up. I have pushed my body beyond its limitations training for this one single match because opportunities like this don't come often around. Now Is it gonna be anywhere near as easy as I'd hope? No way. Is it gonna take a whole lot to bash his brains in and beat him to a stain? You bloody damn right it will be. In the ring Dillon is no doubt a force to be reckoned with. He's as vicious as they come, and a ruthless meanest son of a bitch there is, but when it's all said and done he's gonna remember my goddamn name. He's gonna remember every scar, every welts, and every bruises I'm gonna leave on his body as a reminder for years and years to come till he grows old and dies where he'll reunite with his dead momma in hell."
JR FREEMAN:
"I think it's highly inappropriate and insensitive to bring up his dead mother like that."
HEATHER HAZE:
"Oh, Is it now? I don't think it was a problem for him when he brought it up on TV last week. I mean You heard him ranting, bitching and crying out how he hates his mom, his dad, his family, and the people that fucked him up all his life. He spoke for fifteen minutes straight on how 'hatred' is what fuels him, which makes him stop wetting his bed for whatever apparent reason. And hey that's perfectly fine. Whatever works for Dillon to pull his big boy pants up every morning and pretend to be a cult leader then that's totally fine, really. All I can expect is for him to bring his carcass in the ring and fight me, and that's all I want out of him. That's pretty much what everyone is clamoring for in a match of this calibre where everything is at stake. Hell, He can go ahead and call me all the names, bring up my past, and run me under the sun as he sees fit, but frankly I don't really give a flying fuck what his opinions are. It's all about one thing and that is the Collateral Damage Championship, and the lengths we will go to attain it."
Heather then pulls out a folded up paper and reads out loud.
HEATHER HAZE:
"As a matter of fact here's a little letter straight from Dillon's late mum, which I shall read it out loud for our fans as well as to Dillon since he's an illiterate prick and this sums it all up brilliantly."
"Dear Dillon...you were always a worthless son to me, a piece of shit, and a pain in the butthole. And I hope to god that Heather Haze knocks those god-awful highlights out of your greasy hair, and shits down your neck. Signed Mrs. Crowe. xoxoxxo."
Heather then proceeds to tear the paper in half and smiles wickedly at the camera.
HEATHER HAZE:
Rest in peace, Mrs Crowe.
She then crushes paper and tosses it on the floor before walking off as the camera fades on JR's shocked expression which says it all.
OOC: Sorry for the lateness. Been busy as hell with work and stuff.
