Post by Gavin Grimes on Aug 6, 2016 6:52:52 GMT -5
[Off Camera]
[The Fight]
[Ash & Gavin's Apartment]
[12:00 PM on Friday August 5th, 2016]
It’s noon and after sleeping away the morning, Gavin wakes up and heads to the bathroom. He gives his nuts a morning scratch before brushing his teeth and then rinsing out his mouth. Gavin then walks into his room and puts on a pair of shorts and a black tanktop before he makes his way out into the living room where Ash is doing basic household chores, nothing too labor intensive. She's wearing a tee shirt and yoga pants with her hair up in a scrunchie. Gavin looks over to the television that’s on and he raises a brow as he sees an edited together collection of footage from EVERY match he's had across ALL feds.
These are NOT full matches but instead scenarios or snippets that fade from one to the next with no apparent rhyme or reason, that is until Gavin notices that even while sorting some magazines Ash is calling every move Gavin attempts, every defense he goes for seconds before he does it. He realizes he's watching some Beautiful Mind type thing with Ashleigh and her eidetic memory and that she's testing that ability by anticipating how Gavin reacts in various scenarios. Gavin’s eyes widen in amazement as he's never seen Ash test herself like this before but it starts to really both him knowing that she’s studying over him and that he’s basically the test subject for her little memory game. Gavin ends up scoffing as he tries to brush off what she's doing.
Gavin Grimes: "Yeah, it's pretty easy to call a play by play of a video you've probably already seen a few times. Trust me, that little mixtape isn't going to help you in the ring with me."
He sits down on the couch and watches the TV.
Gavin Grimes: "But damn, I look good, don't I?"
Ash glances back over her shoulder and smiles, nothing about what she's about to say is being a wise ass or joking.
Ashleigh Grimes: "This is my first time seeing this one, actually. So I'm going from when I saw these live. But yeah, you do look good."
She grabs the remote and stops the video, which now realizes is being streamed from a source he's unfamiliar with.
Ashleigh Grimes: "As for it not helping."
She shrugs.
Ashleigh Grimes: "If you say so."
Gavin Grimes: "I'm just saying, I haven't revealed all of my bag of tricks yet... I've been saving them for this match."
Even though the video is stopped, he keeps his eyes on the television screen.
Gavin Grimes: "So where'd you get this video from? Who edited it?"
Ash then powers down the TV.
Ashleigh Grimes: "I paid a firm to take all the footage from your matches, break it down into pieces and host it on a server from which the streaming app then pulls randomly, that way it's never the same order twice. It's not just big spots either, it's every little move of every match. It's fine that you've been saving stuff for me, I'm just reinforcing what I already know of your tendencies and habits. Things you're probably not even aware you do."
Gavin Grimes: "Right. Well I'll keep looking over your stuff the old fashioned way, I don't need to pay any firm to do my dirty work."
Gavin puts his feet up on the coffee table and mockingly laughs.
Ashleigh Grimes: "That's fine. Your brain doesn't work the same way mine does. As for going through my footage, good luck with that. I hope you don't get too frustrated. My styles and tendencies vary sometimes from match to match. Purposely. I can have them do the same with my footage but I think it would just mess you up. Like you said, you need to do the things the way you're used to doing them. Which is good."
She smiles.
Ashleigh Grimes: "You like repetition."
Gavin raises his eyebrow as he looks at Ash with a frustrated look on his face.
Gavin Grimes: "It sounds like you're saying that I don't have the ability to evolve like you do. Guess I'm just the same old UNSTOPPABLE Gavin Grimes.”
Ashleigh’s brow furrows before rolling her eyes.
Ashleigh Grimes: "Did you just bark out unstoppable like you're cutting a promo? Save it. Seriously. You should be focusing on Avery anyways. You're prime for a let down if you ask me."
Gavin stands up and walks towards Ashleigh who is now standing in front of the television.
Gavin Grimes: "Are you seriously saying that I'm going to lose?"
Ashleigh Grimes: "Do you want the truth, or do you want me to say what you want to hear?"
Gavin’s really starting to get frustrated by Ashleigh’s demeanor.
Gavin Grimes: "Say whatever the hell is on your mind.”
Ashleigh Grimes: "You're going to lose to Avery. You've been trending towards that direction and I think this match is going to end in a let down for you. You've been burning both ends for too long and now that you've stopped I think it's too little too late. But I'm cheering for you and I hope you prove me wrong, that's for sure."
She smiles.
Ashleigh Grimes: "Being all defensive and uptight about things doesn't give me a good feeling about you going into this one though."
Gavin steps up and gets all up in Ashleigh’s face.
Gavin Grimes: "What kind of fucking mind games are you trying to play right now?"
She blinks and wrinkles her nose.
Ashleigh Grimes: "I'm being honest with you, babe. I'm not playing any games. Sorry. Maybe because I was watching footage and seeing patterns it caused me to detach a bit, but I'm worried about you in this one. Not about you getting hurt, but about you getting rolled up or something. You have to admit, it would be ironic."
He bumps into her as he looks down into her eyes.
Gavin Grimes: "Well if you think I'm going to be off of my game then why are you trying to throw me off even more with all of this shit you're doing already? It's like you want me to lose."
As Gavin starts to fume, Ash frowns for a second.
Ashleigh Grimes: "Please don't make this physical right now... and think about it, why would I want you to lose? The last thing I want is for you to lose. Truth be told if I had my way you wouldn't wrestle again until our match, that way no one else beats you and there aren't any lingering injuries."
He throws his arms up in frustration.
Gavin Grimes: "And if I had it my way, I'd be kicking your ass right now."
Ash sighs and shakes her head.
Ashleigh Grimes: "Of course you would."
She exaggeratedly steps around him as to not make physical contact and goes to walk away.
Ashleigh Grimes: "You really need your morning coffee."
He grabs her arm and turns her around.
Gavin Grimes: "You really need to stop being a bitch.”
Ash glances down at her hand that's still in a brace before her eyes rise to meet his.
Ashleigh Grimes: "Careful Gavin, for a whole bunch of reasons."
He lets go of her arm and shrugs.
Gavin Grimes: "My bad, i keep forgetting that you broke your hand. Hopefully you don't do anything else that dumb before our match but only time will tell."
She leers for a moment.
Ashleigh Grimes: "Right, because my hand is the issue here and not you threatening me.Grow up and focus on your match. Seriously."[/COLOR]
Gavin catches maybe the most annoying eye roll ever as Ash again turns walk away. Quite frustrated now, Gavin shoves Ashleigh from behind as she's walking away.
Gavin Grimes: "And you focus on yours instead of mine! I don't need to be babied by you. So Fuck off!"
Ashleigh stumbles forward when Gavin pushes her but immediately regains her balance before spinning and shoving him HARD in the chest with her good hand.
Ashleigh Grimes: "Cut it out! I'm trying to help you! Stop acting like an ass hat!!"
Gavin Grime: "I don't want or need your fucking help so how about you just shut the fuck up? Good? Good!"
Ashleigh Grimes: "What? Can't decide if you want to be physically or verbally abusive to me, huh? That's nice, shove me again and I'll slap the taste out of your mouth... douche."
Again she spins away from him, this time in disgust and once again, Gavin shoves her hard in the back.
Gavin Grimes: "Come on and do it then! I don’t fucking care!”
Ash spins around with tears in her eyes and hauls off with slap aimed right for his face. But Gavin catches her wrist in his hand and pulls her close. He then places her hand on his cheek.
Gavin Grimes: "If you want to slap me, you're really going to have to put your all into it. No half assing it or are you just the type to make idle threats? Come on babe, once more with feeling."
From her hand being on his cheek, Ashleigh can feel Gavin burning up with anger and rage. She then shakes her head before pulling her hand off of his face and turning away.
Ashleigh Grimes: "I hate you right now. Good job, Gav. Hope you're happy."
Gavin Grimes: "Don't blame me for your own idiocy."
He moves past her and makes sure to shoulder check her as he goes by and the tears for Ashleigh really start to flow from her eyes. Gavin pays no mind to it as he heads towards the door where he starts to put on his shoes.
Ashleigh Grimes: “THIS is why you can't beat me, Gavin. Because you can't take even the tiniest bit of criticism without having a giant hair across your ass. You jump at every challenge because you think the world is out to get you, but it's not. No one gives a fuck about Gavin Grimes but me. But you're right, I am stupid because I went ahead and cast myself as the enemy and you're too thick headed to see past that."
Gavin storms back towards Ashleigh and gets in her face as he gets quite animated.
Gavin Grimes: "You're right! Nobody cares about Gavin Grimes but you want to know why? Because it's always been about you. It always has been and always will be. I'm just an afterthought because you're the true star, you're the one who causes controversy, the one who's the highest paid. You put the asses in the seats! I just go out there and try to put on great matches and be the best wrestler possible and represent NGW in a great light; but it still doesn't matter because YOU make sure to cut me off every chance you get to make sure everyone knows that this is YOUR WORLD and you're kindly letting the rest of us live in it."
He pauses for a moment with his face turning beet red as it’s obvious that he’s fuming with rage.
Gavin Grimes: "You've taken everything away from me in NGW already except my belt... So if you beat me, which is a giant IF, since you're going to have to destroy me to do so... I'm done, I quit. I'm going to let Devlin know to put that into the contract because I won't live in the shadow of Ashleigh JERICHO, I refuse to do that."
Her eyes widen and her jaw drops and he can see those words stung. She slowly shakes her head from side to side.
Ashleigh Grimes: "You didn't mean all of that, tell me you didn't mean all of that!"
Gavin Grimes: "I meant every fucking word of it. The truth hurts, right? But hey, I'm only trying to help."
His face is red with anger and it's clear that he's not himself right now as his temper is now getting the best of him, making him say things that he doesn’t mean. Ashleigh swallows hard and nods, barely choking out her words.
Ashleigh Grimes: "You should go. We both need time."
He heads towards the door and doesn't even look back.
Gavin Grimes: "I planned on leaving anyway but you wanting me to go makes it a whole lot easier than usual. See you around, Miss Jericho."
She turns around, her voice soft and defeated, probably thinking he won't hear it.
Ashleigh Grimes: "Like the Grimes name is some badge of honor."
He grabs the door handle and opens the front door before turning around and letting out a laugh, letting it be known that he heard her comment.
Gavin Grimes: "It used to be... Until you tainted it."
Gavin walks out the door and slams it behind him as hard as he can, leaving a defeated and stunned Ashleigh alone and on her own. Normally she would chase after him but not this time, not after this fight. As Gavin makes it outside of the apartment building that he and Ash live at, he realizes that he fucked up but the damage is done and he needs to give Ashleigh space. He’s confused about what came over him and feels completely guilty about the things he said. Eventually Gavin finds himself at a Vegas dive bar. He’s sitting down on a barstool, taking shots of Jack Daniels. He takes two last shots when a homeless man walks up to him, panhandling for money.
Homeless Man: ”Young man! Would you mind buying me a drink?”
Gavin’s brow furrows as he looks over at the homeless man.
Gavin Grimes: ”Better yet, I’ll give you one hundred bucks if you record a video of me talking.”
The homeless man’s eyes widen.
Homeless Man: ”I can suck the chrome off a tailpipe for one hundred dollars but if all you want is for me to record you talking, you’ve got yourself a deal!”
Gavin mouths the words, ‘What the fuck?’ Before shrugging his shoulders and pulling out his phone and bringing up the video feature. He then hands it over to the homeless man.
Gavin Grimes: ”Alright, just hit the big red record button and you’ll be good!”
The homeless man hits the record button.
Homelessman Man: ”Alright, I think it’s recording because there’s numbers counting time and stuff on here. That means it’s recording right?”
Gavin Grimes: ”It does! Now shut up and don’t interrupt! I’m going to have to cut out that part of you talking after this.
[On Camera]
[This Is Who I Am]
[Dive Bar In Las Vegas]
[Friday August 5th, 2016]
Gavin stands up from his barstool and glares into the camera. His bloodshot eyes make it clear that he’s feeling anger and hurt.
Gavin Grimes: ”Avery Miles III… A man that I consider a friend of mine and even though we’ve been in the same company for eight long months, we’ve never had the opportunity to go head to head. But now the time has come and our paths will finally meet in the middle of an NGW ring in New Orleans. For a lot of NGW fans, this is a dream match. Hell, even for you, Avery, this is a dream match.”
He pauses to let that last statement sink in.
Gavin Grimes: ”The thing is, this isn’t a dream match-up for me. It’s not because you’re a bad wrestler, Avery; in fact, I think you’re phenomenal but the thing is, you’re just not on the list of people I’ve wanted to take down. The ones on my list that I’ve fought in the ring so far; Jackson Magnum, Blyss Lockhart, Jacob Daniels… I’ve pinned them all. The next person up is Ashleigh Grimes and I’ll pin her like I’ve pinned the rest. But like you said, I need to focus on you and not look ahead to Ashleigh. The thing is, I’m always looking ahead because I’m always five steps ahead of everyone else.”
“Just when you think I’m going to go left, I’ll go right or when you believe that I’m going to throw the ball. I run a playaction fake and throw a hail mary touchdown. It’s what I do and what I’ve always done. It’s because no matter what’s going on with me, whether it be a future match or something in my personal life, my focus stays on my upcoming opponent. You, Avery, have my undivided attention.”
Gavin confidently nods.
Gavin Grimes: ”But do I have yours? You’ve got matches with Adrien Cochrane and Jenson Idol to worry about. Your match with Adrien is the main event of #FSociety’s first ever show and let’s not forget that Robb Hardy is keeping a close eye on the ones who perform the best. There’s also that tidbit about Adrien Cochrane being a two time heavyweight champion. I won’t compare Adrien to myself but I do know that he can bring it in the ring. Then you have your match with Jenson is for the Heritage Championship. Those matches must be weighing on your mind and if you say that your focus is on me right now then you’re lying. You have a million things on your mind, Avery, so many big matches coming up besides myself. This isn’t just the biggest match of your life coming up against me, it’s the BIGGEST WEEK of your life. But if you can’t beat Adrien or Jenson, then you won’t be able to beat me.”
Gavin calls for a beer and the bartender hands him one. Gavin takes a few gulps of it before refocusing back on the camera.
Gavin Grimes: ”I agree with you when you say that we have a lot of similarities. We both go outside of NGW and take on all the challenges and challengers that are thrown our way and we love to represent NGW. The way that you go out and do that with your cute Marquee Championship basically makes you ‘Gavin Lite’ because you’re only able to win the lower tier championships while barely holding on to fleeting greatness. You go out and beat some nobodies while I’m beating some of the biggest names in the business in Blyss and Jackson. You captained the rising stars NGW team while I was the captain for the A-Team that beat the best IPW had to offer. Everything I’ve done so far seems to have been mimicked by you in a way but it’s just not as special.”
“And that’s not a knock on you, Avery, you’re a damned good wrestler and I’m not going to beat on a dead drum and say that you can’t win the big one. It’s honestly overplayed and I know that you’re capable of upsetting me in the ring because you are a special competitor. Do you want to know the biggest difference between you and I, Avery? It’s confidence and the fact that you don’t want it as much as I do. You essentially admitted it yourself, did you not?”
Gavin takes a few more sips from his beer and shakes his head.
Gavin Grimes: ”You know damn well what I’m talking about. You said that you couldn’t be the ‘same old Avery’ inside of the ring to beat me. You know that you need to step things up that you need to put your body on the line like I do. You NEED to do all of that, Avery. You NEED to do things that you’re not used to doing week in and week out. But me? It comes easily to me because every time I step through the ropes, I’m ready to put it all on the line to win. After my win over in Insurgency, I could barely walk under my own power for a few days and I could’ve asked Devlin for the night off for Vendetta last week. But I wrestled despite the fact that I had two matches, one against Heath Sommersby and the other against Sasha Foote.”
“At one point, Heath had me up on his shoulders and almost hit his finishing maneuver before I countered and ended it. Then my match against Sasha? She hit so many of her signature top moves against me but no matter how bleak things looked, I was still able to get my shoulder up and kick out right before the three count. This type of willpower… It’s the kind of thing that YOU need to beat me. But when it pertains to me? I already have it, I always have. It’s why almost five months ago, when I became the NGW Unified Champion, I withstood a chair attack from Tyson Gregory backstage and ended up beating him and four other men to win my championship. I never quit because I can’t…”
He pauses and sits back down on the stool before leaning back onto the bar. Gavin then grabs his beer and finishes it off as he stares at the camera with a serious look on his face.
Gavin Grimes: ”There’s a reason why we’re different in this aspect, Avery. It’s because I only know one thing and that’s wrestling. Everything in my life has been taken away from me and thrown away. Did you know when I was in high school, I was a four sport athlete? Football, wrestling, basketball and soccer were my life. I kept my nose clean and did things the right way in school but it wasn’t enough for my parents and they pulled me out of school. The rest of the story you already know but you get my point. I was beaten down physically and mentally, constantly being told that I was NOTHING. While you were being patted on your back with your family telling you, ‘good job sport’, I was being called a ‘piece of shit that will never amount to anything.’”
“And Sasha wonders why she touched a nerve with me last week when she called me a lifelong low life. ((He scoffs.)) But these were just the cards we were dealt, Avery. I’m not condemning you for having a great upbringing, in fact, I applaud it. Your parents did right by you and we can all see that by your actions. The thing is though, the way you are has caused you to settle. You’ve settled for the Marquee Championship, you’ve settled for going for the Heritage Championship in Indy Pro. It doesn’t matter where you go, it’s like you want to stay in the same lane. It’s because you don’t feel the same sense of urgency that I do. Every day, hour, minute and second; every moment of my life I feel like I have something to prove.”
“My past haunts me and it probably will for the rest of my life. I have to prove THEM wrong, even if they aren’t watching me on television, I don’t give a shit, I constantly have the need and hunger to prove that I am somebody.”
Gavin stands up from the chair and takes a few steps forward while shaking his head. He then holds out his arms to his sides.
Gavin Grimes: ”This is who I am, Avery. A cocky, confident asshole who’s completely insecure when it comes to the people who he loves. What? Were you confused at why I’m here at a bar? It’s because Ashleigh tried to give me some constructive criticism and I immediately got defensive and we did the same old song and dance that we always do; we see who can cut each other the deepest with insults and guess who won this round?
A clasps his hands together and does a victory pump with his arms in the air but he does mockingly.
Gavin Grimes: ”This is what I deal with every single day. It makes me feel like my back is up against the wall and that if I falter just once, everything is going to come crashing down. The thought of losing to you or anyone else makes me fucking sick to my stomach. Not because you’re bad but because I can’t stomach the thought of failure. You think that you need this win more than I do but you don’t, you fucking don’t. I need.. No, I HAVE to win every match. That’s what makes me tick, Avery. All of those things are why my drive is on a completely different level than anyone else’s, even Ashleigh’s. The hunger to succeed and prove the world wrong separates me from everybody. Am I crazy for it? Do I stumble with my marriage and other relationships because of it? You’re Goddamned right I do! I’m not afraid to admit it either.”
“This is all why you’re going to be fighting against someone that’s unlike anyone else you’ve ever encountered. You’re all I’m thinking about, Avery, you’re the only thing I watch on my computer and television when I’m at home. Avery Miles III matches and highlights have been filling up my days and nights for the last week because I’m that obsessed over my matches. I make sure I know everything there is to possibly know about you; your strengths, weaknesses, your tendencies, I’ll know them all by the time our match comes.”
He pauses and nods confidently.
Gavin Grimes: ”Just know this, Avery, I’m not letting you fly under the radar like everyone has, like how Jenson Idol over in IPW has. That whole underdog shit doesn’t work on me and I don’t overlook my opponents. And make sure to not get it twisted, just because I’ve stated facts for why I’m better than you doesn’t mean I overlook you either. I believe I’m better than everyone, including Ashleigh, and you better believe when my match with her comes that I’m not going to overlook her. You see, that’s another one of the reasons that I’m so fucking successful; because no matter how big or small or what gender my opponent is, I go at all of them the same way I would go at anyone else.”
“You’re going to get the same respect that I gave Blyss, Jackson, Team IPW, Bronx, Sasha Foote and so on. And just like with all of those competitors who got my respect and attention, they all also received losses at the hands of me… Which is what will be in your future.”
Gavin holds his hands out in the air with his palms facing the camera..
Gavin Grimes: ”All of this… This is who I am and I have no shame in exposing myself to the entire world. This is just how my brain works and why I do the things that I do, why I go through the things that I go through. Not only do you need to be willing to go the distance with me by putting your body on the line like I do… But you need to be able to go the distance with me mentally as well. Sure, I’m a regular guy for the most part but when that bell rings and I’m in that ring, I’m a completely different person. Wrestling is as much mental as it is physical and there’s only one person who’s matched me in the mental department while just coming up short physically and that was Blyss Lockhart; you all already know what happened there, we almost killed each other and I won. Because that’s what I do.”
“I won’t get into your personal life Avery… But I think the ones you love weigh on your mind more so than mine do when I’m in the ring. To be able to want it like I do… You need to be able to put it all on the line in the ring and I literally mean EVERYTHING. Frankly, I don’t think you’ve got what it takes to do that and I’m not condemning you for it but simply put, you’re just not me, nobody is. You’re great Avery, and I don’t doubt that you’ll give me the best match of your life and I’m going to find newfound respect for you at the end of the night… But the thing is there can be only one winner at the end of the night and the narrative isn’t going to change for Shae when announcing the end of one of my matches… Your winner…. GAVIN GRIMES!”
Gavin walks up to the homeless man that has been recording for him on his phone and there’s a discussion about the man getting one hundred bucks while Gavin is frustratingly telling him to end the video. The scene then cuts out.
[End]
[The Fight]
[Ash & Gavin's Apartment]
[12:00 PM on Friday August 5th, 2016]
It’s noon and after sleeping away the morning, Gavin wakes up and heads to the bathroom. He gives his nuts a morning scratch before brushing his teeth and then rinsing out his mouth. Gavin then walks into his room and puts on a pair of shorts and a black tanktop before he makes his way out into the living room where Ash is doing basic household chores, nothing too labor intensive. She's wearing a tee shirt and yoga pants with her hair up in a scrunchie. Gavin looks over to the television that’s on and he raises a brow as he sees an edited together collection of footage from EVERY match he's had across ALL feds.
These are NOT full matches but instead scenarios or snippets that fade from one to the next with no apparent rhyme or reason, that is until Gavin notices that even while sorting some magazines Ash is calling every move Gavin attempts, every defense he goes for seconds before he does it. He realizes he's watching some Beautiful Mind type thing with Ashleigh and her eidetic memory and that she's testing that ability by anticipating how Gavin reacts in various scenarios. Gavin’s eyes widen in amazement as he's never seen Ash test herself like this before but it starts to really both him knowing that she’s studying over him and that he’s basically the test subject for her little memory game. Gavin ends up scoffing as he tries to brush off what she's doing.
Gavin Grimes: "Yeah, it's pretty easy to call a play by play of a video you've probably already seen a few times. Trust me, that little mixtape isn't going to help you in the ring with me."
He sits down on the couch and watches the TV.
Gavin Grimes: "But damn, I look good, don't I?"
Ash glances back over her shoulder and smiles, nothing about what she's about to say is being a wise ass or joking.
Ashleigh Grimes: "This is my first time seeing this one, actually. So I'm going from when I saw these live. But yeah, you do look good."
She grabs the remote and stops the video, which now realizes is being streamed from a source he's unfamiliar with.
Ashleigh Grimes: "As for it not helping."
She shrugs.
Ashleigh Grimes: "If you say so."
Gavin Grimes: "I'm just saying, I haven't revealed all of my bag of tricks yet... I've been saving them for this match."
Even though the video is stopped, he keeps his eyes on the television screen.
Gavin Grimes: "So where'd you get this video from? Who edited it?"
Ash then powers down the TV.
Ashleigh Grimes: "I paid a firm to take all the footage from your matches, break it down into pieces and host it on a server from which the streaming app then pulls randomly, that way it's never the same order twice. It's not just big spots either, it's every little move of every match. It's fine that you've been saving stuff for me, I'm just reinforcing what I already know of your tendencies and habits. Things you're probably not even aware you do."
Gavin Grimes: "Right. Well I'll keep looking over your stuff the old fashioned way, I don't need to pay any firm to do my dirty work."
Gavin puts his feet up on the coffee table and mockingly laughs.
Ashleigh Grimes: "That's fine. Your brain doesn't work the same way mine does. As for going through my footage, good luck with that. I hope you don't get too frustrated. My styles and tendencies vary sometimes from match to match. Purposely. I can have them do the same with my footage but I think it would just mess you up. Like you said, you need to do the things the way you're used to doing them. Which is good."
She smiles.
Ashleigh Grimes: "You like repetition."
Gavin raises his eyebrow as he looks at Ash with a frustrated look on his face.
Gavin Grimes: "It sounds like you're saying that I don't have the ability to evolve like you do. Guess I'm just the same old UNSTOPPABLE Gavin Grimes.”
Ashleigh’s brow furrows before rolling her eyes.
Ashleigh Grimes: "Did you just bark out unstoppable like you're cutting a promo? Save it. Seriously. You should be focusing on Avery anyways. You're prime for a let down if you ask me."
Gavin stands up and walks towards Ashleigh who is now standing in front of the television.
Gavin Grimes: "Are you seriously saying that I'm going to lose?"
Ashleigh Grimes: "Do you want the truth, or do you want me to say what you want to hear?"
Gavin’s really starting to get frustrated by Ashleigh’s demeanor.
Gavin Grimes: "Say whatever the hell is on your mind.”
Ashleigh Grimes: "You're going to lose to Avery. You've been trending towards that direction and I think this match is going to end in a let down for you. You've been burning both ends for too long and now that you've stopped I think it's too little too late. But I'm cheering for you and I hope you prove me wrong, that's for sure."
She smiles.
Ashleigh Grimes: "Being all defensive and uptight about things doesn't give me a good feeling about you going into this one though."
Gavin steps up and gets all up in Ashleigh’s face.
Gavin Grimes: "What kind of fucking mind games are you trying to play right now?"
She blinks and wrinkles her nose.
Ashleigh Grimes: "I'm being honest with you, babe. I'm not playing any games. Sorry. Maybe because I was watching footage and seeing patterns it caused me to detach a bit, but I'm worried about you in this one. Not about you getting hurt, but about you getting rolled up or something. You have to admit, it would be ironic."
He bumps into her as he looks down into her eyes.
Gavin Grimes: "Well if you think I'm going to be off of my game then why are you trying to throw me off even more with all of this shit you're doing already? It's like you want me to lose."
As Gavin starts to fume, Ash frowns for a second.
Ashleigh Grimes: "Please don't make this physical right now... and think about it, why would I want you to lose? The last thing I want is for you to lose. Truth be told if I had my way you wouldn't wrestle again until our match, that way no one else beats you and there aren't any lingering injuries."
He throws his arms up in frustration.
Gavin Grimes: "And if I had it my way, I'd be kicking your ass right now."
Ash sighs and shakes her head.
Ashleigh Grimes: "Of course you would."
She exaggeratedly steps around him as to not make physical contact and goes to walk away.
Ashleigh Grimes: "You really need your morning coffee."
He grabs her arm and turns her around.
Gavin Grimes: "You really need to stop being a bitch.”
Ash glances down at her hand that's still in a brace before her eyes rise to meet his.
Ashleigh Grimes: "Careful Gavin, for a whole bunch of reasons."
He lets go of her arm and shrugs.
Gavin Grimes: "My bad, i keep forgetting that you broke your hand. Hopefully you don't do anything else that dumb before our match but only time will tell."
She leers for a moment.
Ashleigh Grimes: "Right, because my hand is the issue here and not you threatening me.Grow up and focus on your match. Seriously."[/COLOR]
Gavin catches maybe the most annoying eye roll ever as Ash again turns walk away. Quite frustrated now, Gavin shoves Ashleigh from behind as she's walking away.
Gavin Grimes: "And you focus on yours instead of mine! I don't need to be babied by you. So Fuck off!"
Ashleigh stumbles forward when Gavin pushes her but immediately regains her balance before spinning and shoving him HARD in the chest with her good hand.
Ashleigh Grimes: "Cut it out! I'm trying to help you! Stop acting like an ass hat!!"
Gavin Grime: "I don't want or need your fucking help so how about you just shut the fuck up? Good? Good!"
Ashleigh Grimes: "What? Can't decide if you want to be physically or verbally abusive to me, huh? That's nice, shove me again and I'll slap the taste out of your mouth... douche."
Again she spins away from him, this time in disgust and once again, Gavin shoves her hard in the back.
Gavin Grimes: "Come on and do it then! I don’t fucking care!”
Ash spins around with tears in her eyes and hauls off with slap aimed right for his face. But Gavin catches her wrist in his hand and pulls her close. He then places her hand on his cheek.
Gavin Grimes: "If you want to slap me, you're really going to have to put your all into it. No half assing it or are you just the type to make idle threats? Come on babe, once more with feeling."
From her hand being on his cheek, Ashleigh can feel Gavin burning up with anger and rage. She then shakes her head before pulling her hand off of his face and turning away.
Ashleigh Grimes: "I hate you right now. Good job, Gav. Hope you're happy."
Gavin Grimes: "Don't blame me for your own idiocy."
He moves past her and makes sure to shoulder check her as he goes by and the tears for Ashleigh really start to flow from her eyes. Gavin pays no mind to it as he heads towards the door where he starts to put on his shoes.
Ashleigh Grimes: “THIS is why you can't beat me, Gavin. Because you can't take even the tiniest bit of criticism without having a giant hair across your ass. You jump at every challenge because you think the world is out to get you, but it's not. No one gives a fuck about Gavin Grimes but me. But you're right, I am stupid because I went ahead and cast myself as the enemy and you're too thick headed to see past that."
Gavin storms back towards Ashleigh and gets in her face as he gets quite animated.
Gavin Grimes: "You're right! Nobody cares about Gavin Grimes but you want to know why? Because it's always been about you. It always has been and always will be. I'm just an afterthought because you're the true star, you're the one who causes controversy, the one who's the highest paid. You put the asses in the seats! I just go out there and try to put on great matches and be the best wrestler possible and represent NGW in a great light; but it still doesn't matter because YOU make sure to cut me off every chance you get to make sure everyone knows that this is YOUR WORLD and you're kindly letting the rest of us live in it."
He pauses for a moment with his face turning beet red as it’s obvious that he’s fuming with rage.
Gavin Grimes: "You've taken everything away from me in NGW already except my belt... So if you beat me, which is a giant IF, since you're going to have to destroy me to do so... I'm done, I quit. I'm going to let Devlin know to put that into the contract because I won't live in the shadow of Ashleigh JERICHO, I refuse to do that."
Her eyes widen and her jaw drops and he can see those words stung. She slowly shakes her head from side to side.
Ashleigh Grimes: "You didn't mean all of that, tell me you didn't mean all of that!"
Gavin Grimes: "I meant every fucking word of it. The truth hurts, right? But hey, I'm only trying to help."
His face is red with anger and it's clear that he's not himself right now as his temper is now getting the best of him, making him say things that he doesn’t mean. Ashleigh swallows hard and nods, barely choking out her words.
Ashleigh Grimes: "You should go. We both need time."
He heads towards the door and doesn't even look back.
Gavin Grimes: "I planned on leaving anyway but you wanting me to go makes it a whole lot easier than usual. See you around, Miss Jericho."
She turns around, her voice soft and defeated, probably thinking he won't hear it.
Ashleigh Grimes: "Like the Grimes name is some badge of honor."
He grabs the door handle and opens the front door before turning around and letting out a laugh, letting it be known that he heard her comment.
Gavin Grimes: "It used to be... Until you tainted it."
Gavin walks out the door and slams it behind him as hard as he can, leaving a defeated and stunned Ashleigh alone and on her own. Normally she would chase after him but not this time, not after this fight. As Gavin makes it outside of the apartment building that he and Ash live at, he realizes that he fucked up but the damage is done and he needs to give Ashleigh space. He’s confused about what came over him and feels completely guilty about the things he said. Eventually Gavin finds himself at a Vegas dive bar. He’s sitting down on a barstool, taking shots of Jack Daniels. He takes two last shots when a homeless man walks up to him, panhandling for money.
Homeless Man: ”Young man! Would you mind buying me a drink?”
Gavin’s brow furrows as he looks over at the homeless man.
Gavin Grimes: ”Better yet, I’ll give you one hundred bucks if you record a video of me talking.”
The homeless man’s eyes widen.
Homeless Man: ”I can suck the chrome off a tailpipe for one hundred dollars but if all you want is for me to record you talking, you’ve got yourself a deal!”
Gavin mouths the words, ‘What the fuck?’ Before shrugging his shoulders and pulling out his phone and bringing up the video feature. He then hands it over to the homeless man.
Gavin Grimes: ”Alright, just hit the big red record button and you’ll be good!”
The homeless man hits the record button.
Homelessman Man: ”Alright, I think it’s recording because there’s numbers counting time and stuff on here. That means it’s recording right?”
Gavin Grimes: ”It does! Now shut up and don’t interrupt! I’m going to have to cut out that part of you talking after this.
[On Camera]
[This Is Who I Am]
[Dive Bar In Las Vegas]
[Friday August 5th, 2016]
Gavin stands up from his barstool and glares into the camera. His bloodshot eyes make it clear that he’s feeling anger and hurt.
Gavin Grimes: ”Avery Miles III… A man that I consider a friend of mine and even though we’ve been in the same company for eight long months, we’ve never had the opportunity to go head to head. But now the time has come and our paths will finally meet in the middle of an NGW ring in New Orleans. For a lot of NGW fans, this is a dream match. Hell, even for you, Avery, this is a dream match.”
He pauses to let that last statement sink in.
Gavin Grimes: ”The thing is, this isn’t a dream match-up for me. It’s not because you’re a bad wrestler, Avery; in fact, I think you’re phenomenal but the thing is, you’re just not on the list of people I’ve wanted to take down. The ones on my list that I’ve fought in the ring so far; Jackson Magnum, Blyss Lockhart, Jacob Daniels… I’ve pinned them all. The next person up is Ashleigh Grimes and I’ll pin her like I’ve pinned the rest. But like you said, I need to focus on you and not look ahead to Ashleigh. The thing is, I’m always looking ahead because I’m always five steps ahead of everyone else.”
“Just when you think I’m going to go left, I’ll go right or when you believe that I’m going to throw the ball. I run a playaction fake and throw a hail mary touchdown. It’s what I do and what I’ve always done. It’s because no matter what’s going on with me, whether it be a future match or something in my personal life, my focus stays on my upcoming opponent. You, Avery, have my undivided attention.”
Gavin confidently nods.
Gavin Grimes: ”But do I have yours? You’ve got matches with Adrien Cochrane and Jenson Idol to worry about. Your match with Adrien is the main event of #FSociety’s first ever show and let’s not forget that Robb Hardy is keeping a close eye on the ones who perform the best. There’s also that tidbit about Adrien Cochrane being a two time heavyweight champion. I won’t compare Adrien to myself but I do know that he can bring it in the ring. Then you have your match with Jenson is for the Heritage Championship. Those matches must be weighing on your mind and if you say that your focus is on me right now then you’re lying. You have a million things on your mind, Avery, so many big matches coming up besides myself. This isn’t just the biggest match of your life coming up against me, it’s the BIGGEST WEEK of your life. But if you can’t beat Adrien or Jenson, then you won’t be able to beat me.”
Gavin calls for a beer and the bartender hands him one. Gavin takes a few gulps of it before refocusing back on the camera.
Gavin Grimes: ”I agree with you when you say that we have a lot of similarities. We both go outside of NGW and take on all the challenges and challengers that are thrown our way and we love to represent NGW. The way that you go out and do that with your cute Marquee Championship basically makes you ‘Gavin Lite’ because you’re only able to win the lower tier championships while barely holding on to fleeting greatness. You go out and beat some nobodies while I’m beating some of the biggest names in the business in Blyss and Jackson. You captained the rising stars NGW team while I was the captain for the A-Team that beat the best IPW had to offer. Everything I’ve done so far seems to have been mimicked by you in a way but it’s just not as special.”
“And that’s not a knock on you, Avery, you’re a damned good wrestler and I’m not going to beat on a dead drum and say that you can’t win the big one. It’s honestly overplayed and I know that you’re capable of upsetting me in the ring because you are a special competitor. Do you want to know the biggest difference between you and I, Avery? It’s confidence and the fact that you don’t want it as much as I do. You essentially admitted it yourself, did you not?”
Gavin takes a few more sips from his beer and shakes his head.
Gavin Grimes: ”You know damn well what I’m talking about. You said that you couldn’t be the ‘same old Avery’ inside of the ring to beat me. You know that you need to step things up that you need to put your body on the line like I do. You NEED to do all of that, Avery. You NEED to do things that you’re not used to doing week in and week out. But me? It comes easily to me because every time I step through the ropes, I’m ready to put it all on the line to win. After my win over in Insurgency, I could barely walk under my own power for a few days and I could’ve asked Devlin for the night off for Vendetta last week. But I wrestled despite the fact that I had two matches, one against Heath Sommersby and the other against Sasha Foote.”
“At one point, Heath had me up on his shoulders and almost hit his finishing maneuver before I countered and ended it. Then my match against Sasha? She hit so many of her signature top moves against me but no matter how bleak things looked, I was still able to get my shoulder up and kick out right before the three count. This type of willpower… It’s the kind of thing that YOU need to beat me. But when it pertains to me? I already have it, I always have. It’s why almost five months ago, when I became the NGW Unified Champion, I withstood a chair attack from Tyson Gregory backstage and ended up beating him and four other men to win my championship. I never quit because I can’t…”
He pauses and sits back down on the stool before leaning back onto the bar. Gavin then grabs his beer and finishes it off as he stares at the camera with a serious look on his face.
Gavin Grimes: ”There’s a reason why we’re different in this aspect, Avery. It’s because I only know one thing and that’s wrestling. Everything in my life has been taken away from me and thrown away. Did you know when I was in high school, I was a four sport athlete? Football, wrestling, basketball and soccer were my life. I kept my nose clean and did things the right way in school but it wasn’t enough for my parents and they pulled me out of school. The rest of the story you already know but you get my point. I was beaten down physically and mentally, constantly being told that I was NOTHING. While you were being patted on your back with your family telling you, ‘good job sport’, I was being called a ‘piece of shit that will never amount to anything.’”
“And Sasha wonders why she touched a nerve with me last week when she called me a lifelong low life. ((He scoffs.)) But these were just the cards we were dealt, Avery. I’m not condemning you for having a great upbringing, in fact, I applaud it. Your parents did right by you and we can all see that by your actions. The thing is though, the way you are has caused you to settle. You’ve settled for the Marquee Championship, you’ve settled for going for the Heritage Championship in Indy Pro. It doesn’t matter where you go, it’s like you want to stay in the same lane. It’s because you don’t feel the same sense of urgency that I do. Every day, hour, minute and second; every moment of my life I feel like I have something to prove.”
“My past haunts me and it probably will for the rest of my life. I have to prove THEM wrong, even if they aren’t watching me on television, I don’t give a shit, I constantly have the need and hunger to prove that I am somebody.”
Gavin stands up from the chair and takes a few steps forward while shaking his head. He then holds out his arms to his sides.
Gavin Grimes: ”This is who I am, Avery. A cocky, confident asshole who’s completely insecure when it comes to the people who he loves. What? Were you confused at why I’m here at a bar? It’s because Ashleigh tried to give me some constructive criticism and I immediately got defensive and we did the same old song and dance that we always do; we see who can cut each other the deepest with insults and guess who won this round?
A clasps his hands together and does a victory pump with his arms in the air but he does mockingly.
Gavin Grimes: ”This is what I deal with every single day. It makes me feel like my back is up against the wall and that if I falter just once, everything is going to come crashing down. The thought of losing to you or anyone else makes me fucking sick to my stomach. Not because you’re bad but because I can’t stomach the thought of failure. You think that you need this win more than I do but you don’t, you fucking don’t. I need.. No, I HAVE to win every match. That’s what makes me tick, Avery. All of those things are why my drive is on a completely different level than anyone else’s, even Ashleigh’s. The hunger to succeed and prove the world wrong separates me from everybody. Am I crazy for it? Do I stumble with my marriage and other relationships because of it? You’re Goddamned right I do! I’m not afraid to admit it either.”
“This is all why you’re going to be fighting against someone that’s unlike anyone else you’ve ever encountered. You’re all I’m thinking about, Avery, you’re the only thing I watch on my computer and television when I’m at home. Avery Miles III matches and highlights have been filling up my days and nights for the last week because I’m that obsessed over my matches. I make sure I know everything there is to possibly know about you; your strengths, weaknesses, your tendencies, I’ll know them all by the time our match comes.”
He pauses and nods confidently.
Gavin Grimes: ”Just know this, Avery, I’m not letting you fly under the radar like everyone has, like how Jenson Idol over in IPW has. That whole underdog shit doesn’t work on me and I don’t overlook my opponents. And make sure to not get it twisted, just because I’ve stated facts for why I’m better than you doesn’t mean I overlook you either. I believe I’m better than everyone, including Ashleigh, and you better believe when my match with her comes that I’m not going to overlook her. You see, that’s another one of the reasons that I’m so fucking successful; because no matter how big or small or what gender my opponent is, I go at all of them the same way I would go at anyone else.”
“You’re going to get the same respect that I gave Blyss, Jackson, Team IPW, Bronx, Sasha Foote and so on. And just like with all of those competitors who got my respect and attention, they all also received losses at the hands of me… Which is what will be in your future.”
Gavin holds his hands out in the air with his palms facing the camera..
Gavin Grimes: ”All of this… This is who I am and I have no shame in exposing myself to the entire world. This is just how my brain works and why I do the things that I do, why I go through the things that I go through. Not only do you need to be willing to go the distance with me by putting your body on the line like I do… But you need to be able to go the distance with me mentally as well. Sure, I’m a regular guy for the most part but when that bell rings and I’m in that ring, I’m a completely different person. Wrestling is as much mental as it is physical and there’s only one person who’s matched me in the mental department while just coming up short physically and that was Blyss Lockhart; you all already know what happened there, we almost killed each other and I won. Because that’s what I do.”
“I won’t get into your personal life Avery… But I think the ones you love weigh on your mind more so than mine do when I’m in the ring. To be able to want it like I do… You need to be able to put it all on the line in the ring and I literally mean EVERYTHING. Frankly, I don’t think you’ve got what it takes to do that and I’m not condemning you for it but simply put, you’re just not me, nobody is. You’re great Avery, and I don’t doubt that you’ll give me the best match of your life and I’m going to find newfound respect for you at the end of the night… But the thing is there can be only one winner at the end of the night and the narrative isn’t going to change for Shae when announcing the end of one of my matches… Your winner…. GAVIN GRIMES!”
Gavin walks up to the homeless man that has been recording for him on his phone and there’s a discussion about the man getting one hundred bucks while Gavin is frustratingly telling him to end the video. The scene then cuts out.
[End]