Off-Camera Flashback
11/29/2020
Tombstone, Arizona
High Stakes

“TAP TAP TAP”

Betsy’s heart exploded in her chest when Jenny Myst began tapping out. Disbelief and utter euphoria exploded through her system as the roar of the crowd deafened her. Even still, she kept onto the hold, waiting to hear the bell.

And waiting…

And waiting.

It didn’t take very long for Betsy to realize something was amiss. Twisting herself around enough without breaking her hold on Jenny, she finally sees what the problem is. Ash Quinn is distracting the referee. He has no idea that Jenny just tapped out to her, that she was now the Shooting Star Champion. Frustrated, she finally releases Jenny and knip-ups to her feet and grabs him by the arm.

“Hey, come on! Jenny just tapped. I won, ring the bell!”

The ref shrugs his shoulders helplessly.

“I didn’t see it, kid. Didn’t happen. Sorry.”

Letting out a sigh of frustration, Betsy turns to finish the job - again. And that’s about all she remembers, because a brutal upper-cut from Ash Quinn knocks her out just long enough for her to come to and hear the bell sound, marking Myst’s victory. Groggily, she slowly gets up and stumbles back towards the stage. Once behind the curtain, James is there and quickly gets her arm over his shoulders while grabbing her firmly around the waist.

“I lost…” Her voice was weak and full of defeat.

James shakes his head vehemently. “Don’t do that, not right now.”

With as much ease as he can, James carefully guides Betsy through the backstage area. Several members of the staff and roster stop to congratulate her on her remarkable debut as James slowly gets her to the medical exam room. Betsy still seems out of it, and the praise being thrown her way falls on temporarily deaf ears. Once the door closes, mercifully drowning out the rest of the world for a while, James gently eases Betsy down onto the chair and sits down beside her. He examines her thoroughly, frowning deeply when he looks at her chin where Ash nailed her.

“That’s gonna leave a mark.”

Betsy turns her head away from him, trying to hide the tears of disappointment welling up in her eyes.

“Look at me, Betsy.”

With a sniffle, Betsy turns her tearful green eyes to James. He gives her forehead a feather-light kiss and starts smoothing out her hair.

“You did a fucking awesome job out there tonight.” She opens her mouth to object, but he gently places a finger on her lips. “You did, and everyone here saw it. You’ve put the entire roster on notice tonight. So before you start dwelling on how the match turned out, I need you to know and believe that you were absolutely incredible.”

Again, she tries to reply, but she has no words. Her lips quiver, just as the her tears start up again. At that moment, Genevieve comes in, holding Betsy’s phone in her hand. She gives James an apologetic smile.

“I know, you wanted a few moments alone. I won’t be long, I just thought Betsy might want to see what’s going on right now.”

Genie places the phone in Betsy’s hands and retreats from the room without another word. She glances at her phone and the first thing she notices is a missed message from Adam. Upon opening it, she sees that it’s exactly what she figured it would be: A heartfelt congrats on her debut, and telling her how amazing she did. She sighs and swipes it away. Behind that is a message from Elizabeth, with a similar message to Adam's. That’s when she realizes that her phone was blowing up. Tweet after tweet was pouring in, tagging her and expressing their surprise and admiration in her debut against such odds. Her eyes widened and she held out her phone for James to see what was happening. The grin that crossed his face could light up the darkest room and he hugged her lovingly and planted another kiss on the top of her head.

“You see, what did I tell you? You’re about to become an overnight, break-out star for XWF. You didn’t even need to win the title to do that.”

Betsy sniffles again and nods, setting her phone down and hugging James back. Even though vindication was coming from all sides, the darkest corners of her mind wouldn’t stop feeding into her disappointment. Gaining recognition was all fine and dandy… But it wasn’t until she thought she’d had the title won that she realized how much it had meant to her to win it.

“I just really wanted it… I realize now that I wanted it a lot worse than I originally thought.”

James nods his head sympathetically as the doctor finally enters the room to examine her. He takes one look at her face and shakes his head.

“You may be on liquids for a day or two, Miss Granger. Can you hop up onto the table so we can get a look at the rest of the damage?”

She attempts to rise on her own, but lets out a soft cry of pain as she clutches her ribs. James catches her easily and lifts her up onto the table. She gives him an embarrassed grin that’s full of gratitude. He gives her a rakish wink and backs away as the doctor begins to poke and prod and ask her all sorts of questions. She answers accordingly, but her mind is as far away as it could possibly be. Her mind was at war with itself. She knew she’d proven herself and what she was capable of… But leaving empty handed made it seem pointless. What else did she have to show for it? As her thoughts remained troubled, she went through the motions for the rest of the night...

Live Stream via XWF Twitter/Facebook/Instagram
12/2/2020

“Not so bad for the plucky upstart, wouldn’t you say so?”

Betsy is clearly at home on her webcam. There’s a smug look on her gorgeous face. A fire crackles away merrily behind in a gorgeous, ornate fireplace. Vibrantly colorful Christmas lights are already strung along the ceilings, the banisters of the stairs, and anywhere they could possibly be strung. The ambiance reflected Betsy’s personality perfectly. The lights themselves lit up every bit of her person, and she had clearly coordinated her wardrobe for the occasion. Her thick, golden locks tumbled gracefully down her shoulders, framing her face. Her snug sweater dress was white with silver threading. She accessorized this with a sparkling gold belt, designed with interwoven stars, which hung casually from her waist.

“I told the three of them not to underestimate me. I warned them that counting me out was going to be a mistake. And I just have to say… I do believe I made my point. All three ladies tried to take me down… And all three of them failed to get the job done. They laughed me off like I was going to be an easy target to pick off… Surprise, bitches.”

The smug look fades as Betsy leans forward in her chair.

“Yeah, I made my impression sure enough. Unfortunately, the night didn’t turn out quite the way I’d planned for it…”

Her hands clenched into fists at her sides as a thunderous expression crossed her face.

“There’s not a single soul that can deny the truth of the situation. I know I’ve been extra loud about it, I’m sure I sound like a broken record by now. I’ll say it a thousand more times, too. Get the word out to your friends and family and get them in on the movement. Hashtag: Betsy Got Screwed.”

Reaching under her chair, she pulls up a dry-erase board with her Twitter handle (@GalaxyGranger), as well as the aforementioned hashtag (#BetsyGotScrewed). She grins and keeps it held up for a minute before sliding the board back under the chair. Now she gets up and begins to pace in front of the fire.

“I don’t even know where to start unpacking this farce. I had Jenny Myst in my grasp, literally! Even when she tried to use her Boob Juice or whatever was in that canister of hers… She couldn’t get to me! Do you know why that is, Jenny?”

Betsy stops and turns towards the camera, looking right into it.

“Because I’m smarter than you. You were born with a pretty face and chose to ride on that to get through life. Such laziness. If you’d done a proper study on your opponents, you would have known to stay away from that ring post. You see, chicks like me, Jenny, we use our heads. We were blessed with the gift of intelligence and foresight. All I had to do was stay one step ahead and prove that I deserved my spot in that match. And after Sunday night, not only does the entire world now know that I should be here… They know that even a newcomer like me is better than you. The only reason you walked away with that belt is because Ash played her little games and kept the ref busy long enough to miss my victory. I’ll never forget the look of pain on your face as tapped out to me. I was cheated of the win I worked my ass off to earn.”

The fire begins to cast dancing shadows across Betsy’s face. Her green eyes glow against the orange hues cast by the flames. Everything about her expression warns of imminent danger.

“Don’t think I’m forgetting about you, Ash. Jenny may have taken advantage of the chaos that ensued when I made my fateful rookie mistake in letting her go. For as mad as I am that Jenny managed to retain on a technicality and my own dumb faux pas, I’m even more vexed at you for keeping the ref to busy to do his damn job. I’ve got an ass-kicking with your name all over.”

Silence falls as Betsy allows her words to sink in to anyone who happened to be watching. Then a smile tugs at her lips and her face softens.

“C'est la vie. The time for both of their comeuppance is at hand, but there are other matters to discuss while I have all of you here. And speaking of which, Hello! For anyone catching the live stream, thanks for joining! I appreciate you sticking around as I ramble on. For those of you catching the replay later, thank you and I hope you had a good day doing whatever it was you were doing.”

She flashes the camera a million-watt smile as she waves and settles back into her chair.

“Now, to the business at hand. First of which, I have to start off by giving everyone a round of applause. High Stakes crushed the ratings and it’s no wonder why. Everyone put on a hell of a showing and you should all be proud.”

Rising from her chair, Betsy gives the camera some applause for several seconds before sitting again.

“Among that action, there was a victory I do need to address directly. I’ve said it in person, and I’m saying it again here, for the world to hear. Atara Themis… My friend and, as fate would have it, my tag partner for the next Saturday Night Savage… Aaaaand, as of High Stakes, the number one contender to the Shooting Star Title. I knew you’d rock that shit, girl. Congratulations!”

Another brief standing ovation.

“Now we get on to the nitty gritty! I can’t even begin to tell you how stoked I am to be paired up with Atara for Saturday Night Savage in VEGAS BABY! Imagine it, the Goddess and the Impossible Traveler, pairing up to kick ass and take Vegas by storm. Tell me that alone won’t put asses in seats!”

Smiling into the camera, the moment itself is as perfect as a picture. As Betsy leans back gracefully in her chair, the colorful lights hit her, casting her in an ethereal glow.

“Sadly, it can't all be fun and games, now can it? No, somewhere in between gallivanting the streets and getting into some old fashioned debauchery, Atty and I need to make some time to take on the not-so-easy challenge of Charlie Nickles and Jim Jimson.”

Her smile fades as she considers her opponents for a few quiet moments.

“Here’s the thing about me, guys and dolls: I was blessed and cursed with this ability to take in everything I see. It’s what helped me get through school so quickly. It’s absolutely integral in what made me a child prodigy growing up. I study, and I do it well. So while I was preparing for the physical and mental strain of my debut, I was making sure to do my homework and take as many notes on as many folks as I could manage. If I’m to be fair, fellas… Neither of you escaped my notice. How could I overlook such raw intensity and a uniquely graceful, yet barbaric style of fighting?”

She pauses, trying to choose her next words carefully, but she looks at the camera in bewilderment and shrugs helplessly.

“Not to mention, I’m willing to bet at least two fly over the cuckoo's nest when you two walk into a room. I’m not going to lie, boys: I’m going into this knowing I’m going to be way out of my comfort zone. Power and brutality are not exactly my strong suits. On the other hand…”

Her smile turns wicked as she internally ponders.

“Everyone has always told me to be more of a risk taker. To try things I wouldn’t ever consider before. Which is funny, because I’m actually incredibly spontaneous in the things that I do. Sure, I look ahead to the bigger picture about the things that matter; but living in the here and now? I’m young, I’m reckless, and I’m always down for a good fight. Maybe it’s time to tap into new parts of my psyche, explore what I keep locked away from myself and the world. I reckon everyone has a crazy side, whether they show it or not. My OCD and perfectionism make me the perfect study candidate. I just happened to be gifted with the intelligence to finesse the tests.”

Her grin goes wider.

“You know guys, I hope you were watching me on Sunday as much as I was watching the both of you. That display I put on, that was only the beginning. It’s amazing how much a few days can change someone’s perspective. Don’t get me wrong, though. ‘I am and always will be the optimist, the hoper of far-flung hopes, and the dreamer of improbable dreams.’ But right now, I’m angry as fuck and need someone to take it out on. And the truth is, I have nothing against you guys. Despite my reservations about my own strategy in facing you, I find you both to be highly entertaining and a guilty pleasure to watch. So I guess what I’m getting to is, I’m sorry for whatever beat down I end up putting on you guys.”

She giggles and points to her bruised jaw. It’s currently an angry mixture of colors, purple being the prominent.

“As you can see, I’m not afraid to take a beating myself. I’d say don’t be afraid to hold back, but my instincts tell me you don’t have a problem with that as it is. Truth be told, the more I think about this match, the more excited I am to be a part of it. You guys seem totally cool, the kind of fellas I could grab a drink with at a seedy bar and play a few rounds of pool with after a show.”

Betsy gives a genuine smile to imply the authenticity of her words.

“Atty, my girl. I know this is going to sound stupid, but I’m really, extremely sorry that it won’t be you and I battling it out for the Shooting Star Title. I allowed a rookie mistake to cost me the opportunity to give you the fight you deserve. I actually feel like I let you down with my loss. Cent said it best on Twitter, the company just lost mad money in that booking. But where there are storm clouds, there is always a silver lining, and getting to tag together is only the beginning of ours. Think of it again: The Goddess and the Impossible Traveler. If we win our shot at the tag titles, we could run this company in our divine image. Our combined wisdom and ability to kick all the ass would make us an unstoppable force. Once you secure the Shooting Star title, we can work towards giving the championship the credibility it has been sorely lacking under the Myst Reign of Error.”

Betsy, caught up in her own spiel, throws her hands up into the air and begins to spin around, laughing while she does. It’s a playful laugh, but her actions disturb her poodle, Muppet, out of his sleep. He looks at her with disapproving eyes and lets out a loud groan that finally gets Betsy to stop her manic twirls. She drops down beside him gracefully and starts petting him with both hands. She presses her cheek against the top of his head and closes her eyes for a few moments, catching her breath.

“Looking forward to the fight boys. We’re good now, but I’ll give you the same advice I give everyone else.”

She lifts her head up and gets her feet. Walking over to the camera, she leans in close enough so that her face is the only thing you can see. Her next words, she whispers softly.

“Bereite dich auf deinen schlimmsten Tag vor.”

Fin