Post by Alex Jones on Apr 20, 2009 22:42:46 GMT -6
Chapter one-Lost in the hall of memory....
My eyes open, another day in the own hell I created for myself. I don’t even feel like getting up, I’d rather close my eyes and drift back into the perfect world I’ve created in my head, a world where the people I care about don’t get hurt, a world where people are actually punished for their sins, not rewarded. But that isn’t the world we live in, that isn’t the world that’s been created....
I sit up, my muscles aching along with my head from the heavy night of drinking. I look over at the empty glass next to me, the smell of vodka lingering in the morning air. My stomach churns as I open a window to let in some fresh air, the sunlight hitting my eyes like a punch to the face, I turn my head quickly and shake it out. Strange colors bounce around the room as my eyes refocus and readjust to the slight darkness. I try to walk and stumble a little almost tripping over a heavy pair of boots, I regather my balance and walk over to the mirror.
I swallow hard waiting to see what the hard night has done to my youthful good looks. As I stare at my reflection I start to study my face, my skin seems to look pale and disjointed, I’ve almost aged five years just from a few weeks of sorrowful drinking, my eyes have sunk into my head, the brightness of the blue has faded into an almost sick grey.
I breathe deep and step back, my face is unshaven, a light beard has formed, I laugh to myself and sigh deeply. My smile fades, what would she think of me if she saw me like this?. Suddenly I hear Kevin Rudolf’s “let it rock” coming from under the bed sheets, I raise an eyebrow knowing it’s my phone. I pick it up and flip it open....
“Hello?”
My voice sounds horrible, like a mix between an old woman with a hole in her throat and a dying yak. The person on the other end is an NCW rep, one of Chris Diamond’s lackeys, this retarded sheep decides to inform me that this Sunday I have to turn up to “A knite to remember” to be put in a cluster**** tag match...wonderful.
“Yeah...tell him I’ll be there....”
I hang up the phone as my heart sinks, the last thing I want to do right now is go to the ring and get face to face with Angel. There was alot of history there before it got this personal, he believes it’s because I’m trying to be him, I’m trying to replace him, in my mind I know I’m not, but in his mind, in that minefield of a brain, he thinks I’m trying to be a father to Hayleigh, a husband to Shelly, I only wanted to be a friend to her, but it just so happened something else happened.
I can’t deny it for much longer, I keep saying she and I were just friends, but that’s not the case. There was something else there, something deeper, a connection that just clicked, it’s still there. It grew out of nothing to something meaningful, and now I may never be able to tell her how I feel. No, I can’t think like that.....I have to get into match mode, after all....I’m still AJ Phoenix......
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The scene reopens with AJ Phoenix arriving at NCW offices, a camera crew who are there filming some boring promo by a guy named Joe E-something see AJ and rush over to him, AJ smirks, his face now clean shaven his hair washed, he looks like the usual vision of himself except, something still isn’t quite right...his eyes. Chad lights, who was enjoying a nice coffee and a chat with a rather disinterested looking Carly Robbins comes running over with a mic.
“AJ!....AJ Phoenix!...”
AJ stops walking, he turns his head with a cocky grin etched on his handsome face. His upper body covered in a skin tight black “Opeth” t-shirt and his lower body covered in a pair of trendy half faded jeans and black boots, a shiny silver chain links his jeans to his wallet in his back pocket.
“AJ....we’ve been trying to get a hold of you for over a week, you were absent from competition last week after beating Angel and after a brief appearance on NCW television and on collision you remained silent....where have you been?...”
AJ turns his head and smirks at Chad before shrugging him off and continuing on his merry way towards the NCW management offices.
“Come on AJ, you’ve been silent for over a week and two weeks ago you beat Angel..the man who’s wife you’ve been trying to steal...”
AJ stops mid step and turns around slowly, he grits his teeth as Chad who has grown a pair comes right up to AJ.
“Unless you want to tell the world different...”
AJ breathes deeply and heavily getting face to face with Chad, he snatches the mic from Chad’s hands and shoves him back.
“You know, for the last four weeks all I’ve been asked is what the relationship is between Shelly and myself. And in the beginning it was just a friendship and I told everyone that but no one believed me. I told everyone that she needed a friend and I was going to be there for her but everyone assumed we were sleeping together. But now I stand here with a slightly different view and a slightly different answer. Shelly and I do have a connection, a strong one. But we’ve tried to ignore it for the sake of our friendship and the sake of her and Angel’s daughter...”
“But there you have it Angel, Shelly and I were starting a relationship, are you happy now?, does that validate your hatred for me?, in your sick mind does that make it ok for you to have threatened my life and to have accused me of putting Shelly in harm’s way deliberately?. Hell I’ll say it again, and this time I’ll leave no doubt...I love Shelly. There Angel, now you have what you want, now you have a reason to pull the trigger, to do Adams dirty work for him.”
AJ growls and spits a certain amount of venom into his words, almost as if his mind has snapped, he’s tired of being the martyr for all of Angel’s life problems....
“I stood there and waited for you, after I got the win I wanted you to do it, to get it out of your system cause in my mind if you had just done it, maybe you’d see what you had become and maybe you’d be the man who Shelly needed in the first place, maybe you’d be who Hayleigh needs, cause right now Angel you are not fit to be her father and over the last four weeks I’ve been her father Angel, I’ve read her bedtime stories, I’ve taken her to the park, I’ve cooked her favourite meals and made her favourite drinks, and I didn’t do it to replace you, I did it because that little girl needed a father and you weren’t there, instead you were too wrapped up in yourself indulgent bull****.
“You were too busy being part of Adam Knite’s “family”, protecting his interests. Hell even the match against me was to protect him, cause Adam knows as long as I’m breathing his little vision of dominance can’t ever be assured. Adam knows if he beats Ace that I’ll be right on his tail so he sent you after me, and because of Chris bringing Hayleigh out you couldn’t go through with it. Hell anyone could understand that Angel..anyone except Adam Knite....”
“Is he really the type of man you want to represent?..then again to me the line between the two of you is pretty blurred...”
AJ scowls and shakes his head
“But then again, you can’t “blame” me for what’s happened can you?”. Right that’s why you were going to take my head off. You’re full of it Angel. Just like your little comment about me dedicating most of my NCW career to getting you out of here. I have never wanted you gone Angel, you bring out the best in me, I love facing you one on one or in tag matches, even after losing to you it made me strive to be better, and even though I finally got the win over you I’m under no illusions here, it’s still eight to one in your favour.....”
“But this Sunday we go at it again, and this time it’s not just about pride, it’s about control, this is my last shot at finally taking NCW away from Adam Knite, this is my shot to tell him that we won’t go silently into the night, and I get to do it by facing you. And not just you, Homeless Harold, a violent psychopath of a man, your tag team partner Phillip Burns and of course Falcon. A formidable group. But I have no problem facing up to you all for the sake of NCW, Steve, JFK, MGK and myself won’t let it happen Angel. We will do everything we can to stop you and you, you’ll lay your life down for Adam, cause no matter how wrong it is, you’ll do it anyway, cause you’re too gutless to stand up to him and be a man, even with your small insults towards him and your growing disdain you’re still his puppet...you’re still not worthy of her....”
AJ shoves the mic back into Chad Lights chest and shakes his head making his way towards Chris Diamonds office