Please Login or Register to get full access to the forums.

Lost Password?
Current time: 03-28-2024, 01:54 AM (time should display as Pacific time zone; please contact Admin if it appears to be wrong)                                                                


X-treme Wrestling Federation »   » Archives » Bad Medicine 2021
Letters Between Lovers
Author Message
Charlie Nickles Offline
The Nickleman



XWF FanBase:
Drug addicts, rebels, weirdos

(the villain you love to hate; has cult following; may deal drugs on side)


#1
11-20-2021, 11:46 PM





I saw her through the window today
She was sittin' in the Silver Spoon cafe
I started to keep going
But something made me stop


Charlie cocked his head to the side as the radio on his desk started playing a scratchy recording of Johnny Cash. Charlie couldn't help but turn the volume on the radio up as the lovesick melody rippled through his room.

“This man has been through pain. Real pain, just like me. I can hear it in his voice.”

She used to love me a lot

Charlie nodded in affirmation of Johnny’s lyrics as he sat at a cluttered desk near a window.

“Sing it, Johnny. Sing your heart out.”

As the song carried on Charlie's eyes slowly drifted back down to the letter he had spent all afternoon working on. Charlie held the letter up and read it to himself aloud, as if inspecting it for quality.

“Dear Goldilocks,

Your knight in shining armor is coming for you. Tonight I’m sharpening my sword for soon I will ride to you along the tides of war. It doesn’t matter what impossibilities I must travel over, what schisms I must cross, or what cages I must break through- there is nothing that will stop me from winning you back.

That Winter Witch doesn’t deserve you. She’s too busy cawing with her Raven to treat you right. She acts like she’s somehow better than you, and she keeps you off camera like she’s ashamed of you. I hate to say this, Godlilocks, but I’m starting to fear that Betsy Granger loves her Raven more than she loves you. I even heard a rumor that she stows you with her luggage instead of buying you your own ticket when you travel! I think that’s downright despicable. Please don’t take my words as the callous mocking of a jealous lover, I’m just trying to show you the truth like any good friend would. And we are still friends, Goldilocks...at least in my heart. You are still, and will forever be, my best friend. That’s why I love you so much.

That little dead girl doesn’t give you the kind of love and attention that I can give you, that I have given you, that I am ready to give you again. You remember the love and attention I can give you, don’t you, Goldilocks? I gave it to you longer and harder than anyone else. They’re starting to call my lovin’ on you legendary, record-setting even. Don’t you want to go back to that?

I know you’ve had several partners since we drifted apart, more than I like to count. But that’s ok, Goldilocks. I can forgive you for being on the rebound. The type of love we had is hard to replace. No one has been able to duplicate it, no one has even been able to come close. Betsy, Vita, Marf- none of them can do you as long as I can do you. They’re all one pump chumpions, the love they give you can never last for longer than one bout.

I know you still long for my stable hands. I fought harder for you than anyone else ever has. Betsy Granger can not match the intensity that I loved you with and that’s why she won’t fight hard enough to fly out of New York with you shoved into her suitcase. I will win you back because I will go the extra mile, I will get up every time I fall down, I will keep coming back over and over for my baby. The name ‘Charlie Nickles’ has never appeared in the loser’s column when your precious beauty was on the line and I promise you this: it never will.

I hope you can find it within your golden heart to forgive me for losing control of myself when I was with you. I know I can never forgive myself for letting our love go cold. The next time your loving arms wrap around my waist I won’t ever let you go. When we leave The Barclays Center you will stay around my sides, forevermore….”



CAAWWWWW CAWWWWW



[Image: 6eb8da64112d44da8eb9f8106f8f8147.jpg]


Charlie looked up to the window behind his desk. A large crow shakes off some snow as it sits on the windowsill. It taps the glass before cocking its head to the side.

“Oh James, you must be so cold out there!”

Charlie pushes open the window allowing the bird to hop inside. An envelope with Charlie’s name on it drops onto the desk as the crow jumps away from the snowy winds.

“Ravens aren’t built for the winter, buddy!”

‘James’ shivers as Charlie looks down at the envelope.

“Oh, what’s this?”

Charlie grabs the envelope as he tosses a small treat over towards the crow’s feet. Charlie reads the return address information before immediately throwing the letter over his shoulder and rolling his eyes. The bird quickly gulfs down the treat before going back to the shivering.

“Fucking bill collectors. Why can’t you ever bring me anything useful, James?”

CAWWW CAWWW

“Ahhh shit, well I can’t blame you for that. I know what it’s like to have a needy, whiney little bitch nagging your every move and holding you back. I was married before, James, remember that. All right, I’ll let you get back to playing therapist for that premadonna.”

Charlie places another treat into the bird’s open beak before the crow flicks its wings and flies out the open window.

CAWW CAWWW

Charlie salutes the crow as it flies back out into the frosty skies.

“Fly safe, James the Raven.”

Charlie shuts the window behind the crow as he watches ‘James’ soar off into the distance. The Nickleman shakes his head from side to side as he thinks about what the bird ‘told’ him.

Bitch should have stayed dead. He would be better off if she did.

Our little Bets’ finally grew up. Soon it will be time to put her back out to pasture. But for now Barbie Betsy is out and the Granger Danger is in. Her big eyes turned into a big mouth as the girl who wanted to know everything convinced herself she knew it all. Going from wonderstruck to Wonder Woman in the span of a year can be jarring to anyone. It can strain any relationship. All that pressure, all that stress, all that newfound expectation- it can be a hard pill to swallow, and those side effects can be grilling. We can all sympathize with Bets’ position…..

But just think of that poor Raven. Poor, miserable James Raven. He used to love her a lot, you know. But Is this any way to spend your retirement? Listening to Rob Zombie’s living dead girl caw constantly about how she talks to demons in her dreams? Betsy used to play herself off as the good girl next door, and now she’s become the mentally ill girl with no daddy and a mom in the bighouse. That’s all fine and dandy for Betsy- it’s working out for her, but what about her little boyfriend? What if he wanted to date the good girl he doesn’t have to worry about? I know he doesn’t want to spend every night watching Betsy toss and turn in her sleep as she whispers about death and destruction. I also know what he whispers to himself every night, while Betsy’s distractions are keeping him from a peaceful rest...

Bitch should have stayed dead.

He’s growing tired of her, and frankly I can’t blame him. She’s a complete narcissist, she makes everything about herself. She walks around like everyone else on earth is only here to listen to Betsy’s problems, cheer her on from the background, and watch her overcome all the odds. Pffft yeah right. Keep dreaming, Bets’. It’s that kind of self-absorption that makes your name unbearable in the mouths of those you claim to love.

I mean, just imagine how Goldilocks must have felt while she was listening to Betsy’s latest set of promos from the closet. Betsy was just going on and on, talking Thebe’s ear off about how everyone entered the contender’s tournament not for a chance at the prestigious Television Championship, but just for the chance to have a match with Betsy! Ha! Talk about DELUSIONAL! Goldilocks is more beautiful, more lustrous, and a hell of a lot more important than BETSY fucking GRANGER! Goldilocks was here in the XWF before Betsy and after Betsy’s star is all shriveled up Goldilocks will still be shining bright on Saturday nights. People get written into the history books for winning the TV championship. Jim Jimson won’t go down in history just for beating Betsy Granger.

I entered and WON the contender’s tournament because I’ve been after my babygirl for months, just ask anyone that knows anything about those booking meetings! I’ve been chasing her, lusting for her, craving her. I’ve been denied every opportunity to cash in my champion’s rematch, so I took it upon myself to take control of my own destiny. The fact that Betsy Granger’s name is across from mine on the card is nothing but pure coincidence, pure happenstance, the random result of a half-dozen failed championship reigns.

Betsy just needs to make everything about herself, doesn’t she? In her narcissistic quest for attention she’s gone so far as to turn one of the XWF’s most acclaimed wrestlers into a reality TV sidekick! James is being filmed for cheap b-roll footage every waking hour, even when he’s cuddling late at night with his beloved Betsy. He probably even has the boom guy standing in the shower when he’s trying to take a shit. That doesn’t sit well with me, how do you think it’s sitting with the Raven himself? I can already see that his feathers are flickering at the ready.

He used to love her a lot, you know.

But now? I’m not so sure. His actions don’t show love. I’m not talking about the ones that they script and produce for the camera, but the ones that are never shot at all. I’ve almost never seen James there in Betsy’s corner, making sure the matches stay clean. Fighting in the XWF is the most dangerous career there is. Any given match can be your last, especially if your opponent’s smart and has a friend at ringside to help them cheat. Why wouldn’t you want to be in your lover’s corner to watch her back?

There’s only one explanation I’ll accept…

James the Raven wants Betsy to get hurt. Only then will she put these selfish championship pursuits behind her and get to working on her relationship. When she’s laying up in that hospital bed, unable to move her neck or even twitch her toes, James will be there for her. James is probably thinking he’ll be able to put Betsy’s big mouth to good use while she’s all cooped up in the long-term care unit. What a funky little bird!

I can’t blame the fellow for wishing injury on his romance partner. If my Goldilocks was as selfish and uncaring as Betsy is, I don’t even know what I’d do! I mean, just go back and rewatch all that reality TV show footage- does Betsy Granger ever ask James Raven how HIS day was? Does she ever talk about HIS problems...aside from the ones she caused him?! Everything is always Betsy, Betsy, Betsy alllllll the time. I can’t believe he can still bring himself to listen to her.

And to think, he used to love her a lot.

Betsy Granger is so wrapped up in her own vanity projects that she can’t see the elephant in the room: James Raven and Goldilocks BOTH deserve a more attentive lover. But Betsy Granger is so self-absorbed that she can’t even see the problem…..so what is a Nickleman to do?

Well I’ll tell you what I’m going to do! I’m going to fix TWO relationships with just ONE Devil Hook Drop! Call it voodoo magic, call it a violation of workplace safety, call it relationship therapy: whatever you want to call it, I have a Bad Medicine I’m fixing to give to Betsy! Just one drop is all it will take to fix your love problems! Side effects may include drowsiness, severe bruising of the ego, the bedside runs, and the wish to travel back in time before it all went bad!

Lucky for Betsy she should be able to handle that last one no problem! Funny though, Bets’ has never traveled back in time to help her momma avoid the big house. Even funnier, Bets’ still hasn’t gotten around to going back in time and changing the result of that little mud bath rumble we had when we first met. Time travel must be getting more expensive than airline travel these days....pfffft, time travel. Yeah, I remember the first time I ever did drugs, too. But Betsy’s good trip is about to turn bad when she meets the Nickleman one-on-one for her attitude adjustment.

I should write that last one down, that line may come in handy later…."


As Charlie starts looking around his cluttered desk for a pen and paper he hears a sudden tap on the glass window. As Charlie lifts his gaze he makes eye contact with what is clearly a different crow. This crow is a good bit smaller, perhaps a female, and it has a ring of white colored feathers around it’s left eye.

“James! You’re back so soon!”

CAAAAAAWWWWW CAAAAAWWW

“Well I’m not the one who told you not to wear a jacket!”

Charlie opens the window and a new crow comes flying inside with yet another piece of paper rolled up in its talons. Charlie grabs the piece of laminated paper from the bird as he pats it on the head a few times.

CCCCAAAAAAWWWWWW

Charlie grunts with low expectation as he starts unrolling the paper. The crow snatches a quarter off the table before flying back outside. Charlie immediately raises a fist and begins hollering at the bird.

“Hey that was my last quarter you piece of shi----ah, fuck it. That poor, miserable raven probably needs it more than I do.”

Charlie turned the other cheek as he turned his focus back to the paper. He finished unrolling it before he looked down at the page in confusion.


[Image: Gzza3X0.jpg]


“What the fuck is this? Some sort of love letter?”

Charlie inspected the front of the paper before curiously turning it over. He didn’t have any clue what he was holding until he spotted the hand-written note from Dolly Waters on the back. As Charlie read her message his expression quickly turned sour.

“No...she was barely older than me.”

Charlie flipped the funeral invitation back and forth as if something about it would change if he simply looked at it from a different angle.

“Really?”

Charlie holds onto the laminated invitation as he scoots his chair backwards, audibly scratching the hardwood flooring. The Nickleman rises to his feet with a seldom-seen somberness. He shakes his head from side to side as he purses his lips together. He walks towards the corner of the room where a whole heap of random stuff has all been piled together. Charlie digs through scores of empty beer bottles, fast food wrappers, and suspiciously white tissue paper.

“That bag from Mexico’s gotta be around here somewhere….I don’t think LSM took it with her...”

Charlie continued to move garbage around the corner of the room until he finally uncovered a familiar gallon-sized plastic bag. Charlie whispered silent thanks to his Goldilocks for the good fortune before picking the partially full bag up and carrying it over to the desk in front of the window. Charlie plopped back down into his chair as he emptied the contents of the large bag he dug up with LSM last month. A few meth rocks, a rusty spoon, and a used needle fall out of the bag. A crinkled up piece of paper falls out last before landing on top of the drugs and paraphernalia. Charlie set the funeral invite down as he hurriedly unwrapped the notebook page.

“You were always such a sweetheart, Maria. You loved to express yourself and communicate your feelings….but that just wasn’t the kind of relationship I was looking for…..”

Charlie presses the unwrapped page down flat as he looks at the spanish scribblings on the page. The Nickleman shook his head from side to side before placing a hand beneath his chin.

“You were a tender woman, Maria, but you were so god damn stupid sometimes. Why would I ever be able to read a letter in spanish? You left it on the counter for me when I got back from training...maybe you were going to read it to me when you got back from the clinic, I don’t know. I left for good that day, before I ever gave you the chance to say your piece. I packed that letter in my drug sack and told myself I’d get around to finding a translator one day….then before you know it I got the pigs on my ass in a high speed chase! Had to throw out the evidence and make a run for it……”

Charlie looks down at the long lost letter from Maria Gonzalez with a slight frown.

“I probably should have visited you when I found out you were in hospice care….”

Charlie’s frown evaporates as he shrugs his shoulders.

“But I had a tournament to win.”

Charlie grabs the funeral invitation and the spanish letter before rising up to his feet.

“Still, I should probably come pay my respects at your funeral. I think you deserve at least that much. And maybe I can get LSM to translate your letter for me- it might help her heal to read your words. And maybe your daughter will stop being such a bitch to me after I bring her this little souvenir….”

Fade to black.



[Image: 27J5l3J.png]
Edit Hate Post Like Post
[-] The following 4 users Like Charlie Nickles's post:
"Loverboy" Vinnie Lane (12-06-2021), Marf (11-21-2021), Schism (11-21-2021), Theo Pryce (11-21-2021)




Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)