I said as CJ and myself walked down the long crowded hall. Maybe I should explain. It’s 1990 and I’m a senior in high school. CJ is my best friend, shit, he’s my only friend. CJ and I hit it off way back in middle school. The only reason that we ever met, and in turn were able to get to know one another is because we both got in trouble a lot. It seemed like every time I was sent to the office, I would either see CJ already there, or he would show up slightly after me. I don’t really look back and think that I was a bad kid, I just had a smart mouth. Well a smart mouth, and a problem with authority.
Anyway, back on topic. CJ and I were tight, you get that. Anyhow the girl that I’m talking about was so much more than cute. Cute was the just best word that I could use at the time. I was shy, and very much kept my thoughts to myself, but this is CJ, and I had to talk to somebody about it because I’m just a big, dumb, shy, coward. This girl was, and in a lot of ways still is the most beautiful girl that I had ever laid eyes on. When I say beautiful, keep in mind that I’m not just talking about her physical appearance either. Her smile, her eyes, and yes her body, all perfect, but her personality, her laughter, the feeling that I used to get when I was around her.
Absolutely Beautiful.
“You should ask her out, man.”
That’s what he said without any hesitation. I wanted to, but…
“What if she says no?”
“Then she says no. You won’t know unless you ask, though.”
He had a point. I was so afraid of the possibility of being rejected, that I didn’t even consider the fact that she might say yes. I was happy just playing it safe and admiring her from afar, but I wasn’t really happy. Sharing in her company for an hour a day during class was great, but the idea of being hers, and her being mine, that’s what I really wanted. Perhaps this was a case of risk vs reward. If I asked her out, and she said no, what did I really lose? The school year was almost over, and after this year, I may not even see her again depending on where our lives take us. Or we could end up dating, and who knows, maybe that could lead to a life together, maybe we would turn out to be soulmates.
“Fuck it, I’m asking her out!”
“That’s all you’ve gotta do man.”
Later in the day, right before the last period, I bumped into Ashley in the hallway. She was standing there talking to Mr. Walker, the English V teacher. I waited patiently for her to finish her conversation before approaching her.
“Ashley, hi.”
“Hi, Micheal!”
So sweet, so nice, so beautiful.
“So...um... I wanted to ask you… something.”
She smiled an awkward smile. Looking back on it, I think she knew what I was getting at before I was able to get the words out. If I would have had half a clue, I would have backed out of this conversation as quickly as possible, but I was young and naive. I hadn’t really learned how to read people’s subtle responses yet. I wish I had, though, I really do.
“I just… Well…”
Yep, there is all of that confidence on display right there. Wasn’t I just the smooth talking playa back in the day?
“Would you like to go out with me!?”
It came out fast and hard! God, I know that I looked like such a fool. I almost can’t even blame her for the soul-crushing response that came next. What’s that? Do you want to know what she said to me? Ha, you think that my dumb ass attempt at asking this girl out garnered a verbal response? Hell no, what I received from Ashley was probably the worst rejection I have ever received from any woman since. She smiled, slowly shook her head no, all while mouthing the words “that’s so cute”. She continued down the hall, while I stopped dead in my tracks and tried to stuff my heart back into my chest. Rejection shouldn’t hurt this bad, but you also shouldn’t swoon over a girl for months on in before you decide to make a move. If you do, pray that you don’t get a response like that. It ended up fucking with my head for weeks, but at least I had my friend CJ to confide in…
Present Day
“What are the odds? What are the odds that I get paired with Peter Gilmour again? There was a 12.5% chance that Gilmour and myself ended up partners again. 12.5% chance that I would get stuck with the worst fucking partner that I could possibly draw. Those are the same odds that I would end up with Cadryn as one of my opponents. Are you kidding me right now? Taco the pig, you don’t even know how bad I want to burn your bacon right now! Because of that damn pig, I have to team with my biggest enemy in this tournament, and I have to face off against my closest friend. The odds of both of those things happening at the same time work out to 6.66%. 666… Kind of fitting that Cadryn suddenly thinks that he’s a demon huh?
So Satan Gravy is now Satan Caddy? Are you high? Oh wait, don’t answer that! Seriously, though, Do you really think that stealing my old gimmick is going to win you this match Cadryn? You need to put the fucking Meth pipe down bro! I’ve already explained that there never was a demon! You know there wasn’t a demon, YOU were in one the JOKE!
I created the demon persona because I needed to mask my talent from Chris Chaos. I needed for him to not take me seriously, and what better way to do that then to paint my face like a clown and jerk my manly man meat with some not so freshly cut deli meat? It was the perfect plan, and it damn near won me the Universal title! Chris Chaos was so convinced that I was just another goon who had gotten lost from the good platoon, that he almost walked out of Savage about 20 pounds lighter. It was a great trick Cadryn, but it was a ONE TIME USE trick!
Now seriously, man, you've got me worried for you. Meth isn't something that ANYONE should be playing around with! It's already fucking with your head and it's got you acting like a totally different person. The last thing that you said to me was that Buronan didn't want us hanging out leading into this match. You didn't give me a chance to respond before ending the call on me, but who in the hell is Buronan to tell us what we can and can't do!? Why are you even listening to him in the first place? I can only imagine that there is one singular reason for you're behaivior as of late...
Because Meth!
And Cadryn, for real bro, you’re not going to fool me into not taking you serious. I know what you’re capable of, and I know that with the right motivation, you can beat ANYONE in the XWF today. You might just have that motivation in this match. We’re friends, we’re partners, and we are both highly competitive. Look at how you took it to Bourbon and Caedus in the first round. Killjoy wasn’t offering up any support promoting that match, so you put the weight of the team on your shoulders and carried the hell out of it. Then when the match started, Killjoy once again failed you as the Bourbon men wrecked his ass while you watched helplessly from the apron. When you finally did get into the ring, you came out with the fire and determination that the XWF hadn’t seen from you until then. You were ready to drag Killjoy into the second round if it killed you, and it almost did.
You lucked out bro, you made it to the second round because Vinnie gave you Reno’s spot. A Spot that Reno didn’t even earn in the first place. So you went into round two as a second place loser. I don’t mean that in a harsh way either bro, it’s just what it was. How you got there doesn’t really matter, it’s what you did once you were given that opportunity to reenter the tournament that matters, and what you did was come out and fight even harder than you had tried to before. You and me bro, we’re so different, yet we share so many admirable qualities. We both continue to improve with each passing match. Everytime that we step into that ring, we walk out stronger, win or lose, we learn something that helps us ascend to a new level. 2 Months ago when I faced Thaddeus Duke, compared to a week ago when I stood toe to toe with the Champion. I sweat man, that was at least a year's worth of progression on my part. Now look at your first match during Wild Card Weekend, and compare it to what you did last Warfare. It’s like two different people. Our drive to succeed, to impress, to overcome, and to prove our doubters wrong… that’s our biggest strength. That’s also why I would never make the mistake of counting you out. I would never make the mistake of underestimating you. I’ve been on the road with you for two solid months now, and I love you like a brother.
What I don’t love is that partner of yours convincing you to cut all communication with me! What the fuck bro? Just because we are facing off in Lethal Lottery, doesn’t mean that we can’t continue to hang out. When the card was first set, we had this grand plan to appear in each other’s promos. We were going to turn the whole system upside down! Then suddenly you call me up and say that Buronan thinks that it’s best if we don’t speak until after the match? Who in the fuck is Boronan to tell us what we can and can’t do? What did that guy say to you, that convinced you that was a good idea?
I’ll tell you who Buronan is, Buronan is an asshole! Cadryn is a very impressionable guy. He’s also a guy that, God bless him, needs a little direction in order to stay on course. Buronan has had Cadryn on his team for a few days now, and look what’s happened. Cadryn has cut all contact with me, and Buronan is too irresponsible to give him the care and attention that he needs. Now I have my best friend running around thinking he’s a demon, and that the CGI pickled potato demon that we had in our final Demon Gravy video is not only real but has crawled up his ass and taken him over. Sure, Cadryn smoked Meth for the first time right before he was partnered with Buronan, but I don’t see Buronan trying to get him off that shit! Buronan doesn't give a damn about Cadryn! He just wants to move on to the next round. It's very cut and dry for him, and he'll do whatever he needs to do to improve his chances, including allowing MY FRIEND to go down this dangerous path! Well Buronan, I’m going to lay this out for you as simple as I can. You either get off your ass and take care of my buddy, or you won’t have to worry about making it to the finals. I’m already coming into this match knowing that I WILL move on and that I’ll do it with or without the help of Peter Gilmour. That’s not a promise, it’s a guarantee, but if you allow Cadryn to continue smoking that shit if you don’t even try to stop him. Then I’ll make sure that you don’t make it out of that ring in one piece! The well being of my friends means more to me than even the Universal title, and you saw how I brought it to the champ!
Now, as far as my partner goes, fuck! That’s all I’ve got, just fuck! Peter “Fucking” Gilmour, the legend who claims that he IS the XWF, but hasn’t had any real drive and motivation since he won the Universal title from Scully. You know, last round I kept my mouth shut. I wasn’t trying to start shit with my own partner, but then the fucker attacked me after the match anyway. Why, because I didn’t want to take the easy win over Justin Sayn? Because I felt obligated to give Robert Main a chance to prove that he was as good as he had claimed to be? We still won the match, just like I knew that we would, but was that good enough for lazy ass Peter Gilmour? Hell nah! Gilmour blindsided me after the bell like a bitch! Well, Gilmour, I didn’t have a problem with you before, but I sure as hell do now! We’re not friends, as a matter of fact, my biggest motivation to carry your dead weight ass into the next round is because no matter which team you end up on, I’ll get my chance to put you down! I’ve already stated that I’m winning this whole shebang, and I’m cashing that case in on Chaos! The fact that I get to knock your fucking teeth down your throat in the process is just icing on the cake! Oh and Gilmour, just so WE’RE clear, lay a hand on me at Warfare, and I'll make sure that whatever career you have left makes about as much impact as a wayward mouse fart!”
Micheal Graves dials a number on his cell phone and brings it up to his ear.
“Yes, I need to hire one of your performers for a couple of weeks... ”
The following 5 users Like "Dark Warrior" Micheal Graves's post:5 users Like "Dark Warrior" Micheal Graves's post (03-06-2017), Cadryn Tiberius (03-05-2017), JimCaedus (03-05-2017), Peter Fn Gilmour (03-05-2017), The Monster of Htaed (03-05-2017)
![[-]](https://xwf99.com/images/portal2/collapse.gif)
The following 5 users Like "Dark Warrior" Micheal Graves's post:
