Post by NoOnE on Mar 19, 2016 17:43:10 GMT -5
Pavolo stopped what he was doing. He wasn’t expecting a knock at the door, and certainly not one so frantic. He opened the door, and for a split second in time, was positively excited when his brain processed that the figure his eyes were reporting at his doorstep was Kem Anderson. However, it took but another split second for him to notice other details: Kem’s breathing pattern was on the verge of hyperventilation, her hands at her side were shaking, and when she looked up in response to the opening of the door, the look in her eyes was nothing like the passionate confidence she usually projected.
“I…didn’t know where else to go.”
Pavolo offered his most comforting smile, and opened his door all the way, beckoning her in, which she quickly accepted.
Help me if you can
It’s just that this
Is not the way I’m wired
So could you please
Help me understand why
you’ve given in to all these
reckless dark desires
Kem couldn’t help herself. She knew she sounded crazy. Shit, she’d sounded crazy for weeks now, and the spiral was heading further downward rather than correcting itself. She almost didn’t want to come here; after all, she’d spent most of her career taking the list of people that liked and supported her and repeatedly lighting it on fire. Even at home, the streak of every personal relationship dwindling was apparent: her and Jennifer were at odds more than ever, so much so that even onlookers like Blair and Joseph couldn’t help but use it as a talking point; and Ingrid had been increasingly standoffish for weeks without really ever explaining herself or even acknowledging that she’s changed at all. How did she get to the point where the list of people that wanted her to stay in IPW was down to one person? Then again, given her current trajectory, it was a matter of days before he threw his hands up, joining the near-consensus that would emphatically favorite a “Kem quits” tweet. However, that future was not yet the present, and, as far as she could tell, Pavolo was listening intently as she laid everything out to him.
“I just…I wasn’t expecting it to be so easy for them to…”
Pavolo finally stopped her.
“Do you know for sure that they really feel this way?”
Kem looked stunned to hear him say that.
“Why wouldn’t they? They POSTED the video?”
“I thought their kid did.”
Kem exhaled loudly and wiped away the condensation collecting at the bottom of her eyes.
“Look, you show me someone who got drunk and did something they wish they didn’t, and I’ll show you someone who got drunk.”
Kem smiled, which warmed Pavolo’s heart mainly because it meant her anxiety was fading.
“When your girl went against her, she did the same thing, saying stuff after having a few and she kinda walked that stuff back the next time.”
Pavolo raised his hands up and beckoned her to the couch to sit beside him, and she acquiesced. Similar to last Monday night, Kem was quick to lean in to him once her walls starting crumbling down.
“Don’t worry about them. They know you’re still hurting over Emma, and they want you to keep reeling. They may think you’re cool, but you’re still part of a team that wants to keep them from winning the Tag titles.”
Kem nodded but backed away from him.
“God…this is embarrassing.”
Pavolo shook his head.
“It’s not embarrassing. It’s you, Kem. You’re honest and insightful, and you expect the IPW to be the best people we can be. I admire that quality in you, but some of them don’t wanna be the people they should be, you know?”
Kem nodded but clearly didn’t feel any better.
“So how do I deal with it? I don’t need MORE people subtweeting against me and trying to run me out of the company.”
Pavolo laughs then brings her in for another reassuring hug.
“They don’t want you gone, girl. Not even Emma. Blair and Joe want to get in your head and knock you off your game because when you’re ON, you’re unstoppable.”
Kem shook her head and started to denounce him but he stops her in advance.
“Hey, look at me.”
Kem looks in his eyes and sees genuine sincerity,
“You’re better than them.”
Somehow, Kem instantly understood to look past the surface-level thought and see what he was REALLY telling her: that she was strong enough to withstand an opponent’s negativity, even if that opponent was someone she still thought of as a friend.
“You good?”
Kem smiled at him, and though it was clearly forced, it was still a clear indication of progress.
“Yeah, but…it’s okay if I stay a little longer, right?”
Pavolo laughed.
“You know it is, Kem. You can always count on me.”
Her next smile appeared considerably more natural.
“I…didn’t know where else to go.”
Pavolo offered his most comforting smile, and opened his door all the way, beckoning her in, which she quickly accepted.
Outsider – Part 1 – The Way I’m Wired
Help me if you can
It’s just that this
Is not the way I’m wired
So could you please
Help me understand why
you’ve given in to all these
reckless dark desires
Kem couldn’t help herself. She knew she sounded crazy. Shit, she’d sounded crazy for weeks now, and the spiral was heading further downward rather than correcting itself. She almost didn’t want to come here; after all, she’d spent most of her career taking the list of people that liked and supported her and repeatedly lighting it on fire. Even at home, the streak of every personal relationship dwindling was apparent: her and Jennifer were at odds more than ever, so much so that even onlookers like Blair and Joseph couldn’t help but use it as a talking point; and Ingrid had been increasingly standoffish for weeks without really ever explaining herself or even acknowledging that she’s changed at all. How did she get to the point where the list of people that wanted her to stay in IPW was down to one person? Then again, given her current trajectory, it was a matter of days before he threw his hands up, joining the near-consensus that would emphatically favorite a “Kem quits” tweet. However, that future was not yet the present, and, as far as she could tell, Pavolo was listening intently as she laid everything out to him.
“I just…I wasn’t expecting it to be so easy for them to…”
Pavolo finally stopped her.
“Do you know for sure that they really feel this way?”
Kem looked stunned to hear him say that.
“Why wouldn’t they? They POSTED the video?”
“I thought their kid did.”
Kem exhaled loudly and wiped away the condensation collecting at the bottom of her eyes.
“Look, you show me someone who got drunk and did something they wish they didn’t, and I’ll show you someone who got drunk.”
Kem smiled, which warmed Pavolo’s heart mainly because it meant her anxiety was fading.
“When your girl went against her, she did the same thing, saying stuff after having a few and she kinda walked that stuff back the next time.”
Pavolo raised his hands up and beckoned her to the couch to sit beside him, and she acquiesced. Similar to last Monday night, Kem was quick to lean in to him once her walls starting crumbling down.
“Don’t worry about them. They know you’re still hurting over Emma, and they want you to keep reeling. They may think you’re cool, but you’re still part of a team that wants to keep them from winning the Tag titles.”
Kem nodded but backed away from him.
“God…this is embarrassing.”
Pavolo shook his head.
“It’s not embarrassing. It’s you, Kem. You’re honest and insightful, and you expect the IPW to be the best people we can be. I admire that quality in you, but some of them don’t wanna be the people they should be, you know?”
Kem nodded but clearly didn’t feel any better.
“So how do I deal with it? I don’t need MORE people subtweeting against me and trying to run me out of the company.”
Pavolo laughs then brings her in for another reassuring hug.
“They don’t want you gone, girl. Not even Emma. Blair and Joe want to get in your head and knock you off your game because when you’re ON, you’re unstoppable.”
Kem shook her head and started to denounce him but he stops her in advance.
“Hey, look at me.”
Kem looks in his eyes and sees genuine sincerity,
“You’re better than them.”
Somehow, Kem instantly understood to look past the surface-level thought and see what he was REALLY telling her: that she was strong enough to withstand an opponent’s negativity, even if that opponent was someone she still thought of as a friend.
“You good?”
Kem smiled at him, and though it was clearly forced, it was still a clear indication of progress.
“Yeah, but…it’s okay if I stay a little longer, right?”
Pavolo laughed.
“You know it is, Kem. You can always count on me.”
Her next smile appeared considerably more natural.