AJ Helms :: "The Next Dangerous One"

In the view of Aaron Helms, one of the best things about the post-pay per view break was the fact that you got to sleep in your own bed for more than just one or two days; he didn’t mind the schedule, in fact Aaron was happy to be on the road and part of him missed it during those breaks, in a twisted sort of way, but being able to climb into your own sheets and curl up in your own bed for more than just the Sunday and Monday night, there really was no other feeling like it. He had only been a part of the business for a year, but it was a feeling he had already learned to make the most of, sleeping in when he could and only having to worry about training instead of making flights and booking rental cars or figuring out a training schedule for each city they visited. That was another pain in the ass that Aaron hadn’t thought of when he’d decided he was determined to break into the business; you spend a hell of a lot of time training as a professional wrestler, but having to organize which gyms you could use in which cities, which places were accommodating to wrestlers, which places had the right gear, it all added to the pressure that people in the business felt on a regular basis and his lack of experience sometimes made that a bigger issue than it probably should be. Aaron didn’t like the fact that he sometimes found himself getting flustered at stupid stuff; it wasn’t exactly something he did on purpose and he couldn’t avoid it at times, but it was a reality he faced often, and it niggled at him. Scarlett would tell him to cool down, to not worry about things and deal with them as they happened, all good advice and advice he knew he should listen to, but it didn’t stop him from getting worked up any more than a falling brick could stand up to gravity! In short, Aaron was a worrier and that hadn’t done him too many favours as he set off on his journey towards trying to build a legacy in the professional wrestling business… but he’d tried to enjoy the positives and not dwell on the negatives where he could help it and while he knew he’d worry about things regularly, he tried to enjoy the things that he should enjoy, focusing on those instead.

And one of those things was his own bed after a pay per view ended… or it used to be, under normal circumstances!

Flying back to California from Detroit had been no more out of the ordinary than any of the flights Aaron had taken since he had joined SCW; he wasn’t in the Next Level private jet, that wasn’t heading back to California but taking Regan and David on a short vacation together and Tommy wasn’t travelling home straight away following Hell Hath No Fury so Aaron and Scarlett had flown commercial with Shaun and Angyalka. Aaron had sprung the extra cash for first class seats on their flight back to LAX and it had surprised him just how luxurious first class was on the five hour flight back out west. He avoided the complimentary alcohol – Aaron was underage and was well aware of his recent forays into the world of drinking, which he was in no rush to repeat any time soon – but he enjoyed the foot and the extra leg room was amazing compared to how cramped it was in coach. Aaron wasn’t the biggest guy in the world, in fact he was probably average height at six feet even, if not slightly below the average, but even he felt a little claustrophobic when flying commercial and while it was perfectly acceptable to get up and walk around a little while the seatbelt light was out, the way things were in the world meant that it seemed like a bad idea to do that during a flight so instead he had to sit there and fidget around, trying to stay comfortable and keep his legs from going numb without looking suspicious with it!

It was funny, but he’d actually spoken with Scarlett on the flight, about just how much he loved that feeling of sleeping in his own bed after returning home for the after-show break, about how he was looking forward to them climbing into bed that night, not for what may or may not be on the cards if he was lucky but simply because he was looking forward to the prospect of just sleeping, of not having a wake up call from the phone on the night stand, not having to get up and pack his things back into a case to make his connecting flight or make the drive to the next show. In short, it was a chance to unwind, relax and not worry about anything for a while. Those moments were few and far between and should be cherished, without a doubt! And the first few nights, he did cherish them; apart from stopping in at AnteUp most days to train, Aaron had no obligations to keep and it was sheer bliss for the teenager, nothing could compare to being free to do as he wanted for a while, nothing at all. But as the days passed, Aaron found that he was thinking more and more about the final Breakdown of the year, and aside from the issues caused by the crap with Lexi Von Aaron, he couldn’t help but think about his plan to speak to Mr. D and turn down his opportunity to challenge for the world title. He was still sure it was the right thing to do, that much hadn’t changed, but Scarlett had tried talking him out of it from the moment he’d told her about what he intended to do and while she hadn’t swayed him entirely, he did wonder if he was making a huge mistake. But Shaun had agreed with him, hadn’t he? Shaun had told him he’d get his chance when he was ready, three words that were oh so powerful. And so resonant too, because he knew he wasn’t ready for the opportunity, he wasn’t good enough to be in that position… something he’d been told his entire life in one way or another.

By the Monday before Breakdown, Aaron was a real mess. He’d done what he always did, let something get to him, work him up; he was worrying about his decision, worrying about his choice and that was only compounded by the fact that Lexi was publically advertising a wedding that wasn’t going to happen! He tossed and turned the entire night, his sleep broken and filled with horrid dreams, both of things that hadn’t actually happened, but also memories that he’d long since tried to forget…

Long Beach, CA
…3 years ago

It hadn’t been easy for Aaron over the last few years. The death of his parents had left him orphaned and while he thought things couldn’t get much worse, he’d also been left homeless when his grandmother – who he had been living with in California following the passing of his mother and father – also passed away following a stroke and a short stay in the hospital before she finally faded. Such heartache, such loss and only sixteen years old. He had become part of the system after that; he’d tried to petition the local authorities, he’d tried to convince them to let him continue to stay in his grandmother’s home and take care of himself, but there was no way they were going to let a fifteen year old do that, it wasn’t going to happen… and so Aaron was passed from pillar to post, foster home to foster home. Nobody wanted to take in older kids anymore, not for the long term anyway; everybody loved the idea of adoption, it was great that families wanted to take in children who didn’t have a family of their own… but everybody wanted a baby, a toddler at worst, what chance did a fifteen year old young man from New Jersey have at finding a home to call his own when people wanted as young a child as possible? And as a result, he’d lived with three different short term families since the system swallowed him up and was now onto his fourth, another short term stay for the holidays in a broken family who had no business fostering in the first place! Frank, the ‘father figure’ – which was a joke of a term in Aaron’s view – was an alcoholic who was badgered into fostering by his wife Holly who couldn’t have children of her own and she worked all the hours she could to make up for his drinking problem; the couple was so dysfunctional that Aaron wondered how on earth they’d made it as far as they had without divorce or, perhaps even more likely given how much of a douchebag Frank was, murder…

It was easy for him to be cynical after his experiences, he had no faith in the system and in a way he was already counting down the days until he was old enough to actually be allowed to go out on his own and fend for himself; his eighteenth birthday felt like a lifetime away though and he had to find solace in whatever he could to avoid dwelling on how much he truly hated his life. Fifteen and already in need of antidepressants, at least that’s what a doctor would no doubt tell him if he was willing to speak with one. He’d kept his true feelings to himself, had become extremely guarded as he was buffeted around from house to home. In truth, the depression had probably begun with the death of his parents but at least he had a semblance of ‘home’ living with his grandmother. That was well and truly gone now. His biggest wish was for the parents of one of his few friends to offer to take him in, a wish that was entirely based in the realms of fantasy, given that most of them either had no room or simply couldn’t afford to take in another kid when they were only managing to make do themselves… but his friends were the people who managed to at least keep him sane and stop him from doing anything stupid.

“What a match!” Aaron’s friend Cameron Knowles said as they watched the television set in the living room of Aaron’s current foster family, Frank and Holly. It was January the first and the two teens were watching the re-run of the previous night’s SCW pay per view, because Cam had been with family the night before and Aaron had promised to not watch without him. “I mean, Thirteen’s a douche bag and Marina isn’t much better, but you have to admit that was a pretty awesome match none the less,” he went on, grinning at his friend and Aaron had to admit that he was right. “And now we know who’ll headline Body Heart and Soul too; Thirteen and Jake Starr, that could be an awesome match too… fuck, SCW is just killing it now with what they’re putting out there, it’s so much better than GDW and the other companies trying to compete!” he said and Aaron nodded his head in agreement; in the world of professional wrestling, nobody did it as big or as well as SCW did, it was the leading force in sports and entertainment today… at least that’s what the fancy intro said before the start of every show. Clearly someone in advertising had got something right if people were quoting just the damn opening title!

“What about the invitational?!” Aaron said with a grin of his own. “I know there’s always a few surprises in stuff like that, but fuck bro, Hurse and Watson returning?!”

“I know!” Cam agreed, clearly excited about the return of the two stars Aaron had mentioned. “Man, I always loved Hurse… I mean, he can be a total douche bag to people but he’s so funny too! Can’t say I care that much about the ‘Gobshite’ coming back though. I struggle to understand what he’s saying half of the time…”

“Thank god for subtitles, right?” Aaron said before laughing and Cam nodded his head with gusto at that one. “It is kind of cool though, his story and stuff. I mean, how lucky is he, growing up with Yvonne Knight as his best friend? He practically walked into the business because he hung around with somebody in it for most of his childhood, learning stuff from Jacky and then getting to know Lucas…” he went on before looking a little guilty. “Okay, so I know he’s kind of a douche and Lucas Knight is one with bells on, but when you take away the fact that they’re both assholes, his story is an interesting one… fuck, I wish I’d been that lucky,” he added, making a comment that wasn’t exactly a new one for either of the two boys. They’d had the same conversation countless times since they became friends, talking about how cool it would be to be a part of the business, how awesome it would be to make their debut, to strike it lucky and earn a contract in the biggest company of them all… and okay, so they were both still kids, they weren’t even high school seniors yet... but they could dream, couldn’t they? Isn’t that what kids were supposed to do, have big dreams that they wanted to achieve in life as they got older? Admittedly, Aaron’s most pressing dream was actually to simply find someplace where he felt like he belonged but in terms of things that probably were just dreams and the chance of them coming true being slim to none, making it as a wrestler was also up there! “Imagine being out there bro, imagine being Thirteen or Marina Trent,” Aaron said and Cam laughed.

“I’d rather not be Marina, she just lost,” Cam said with a chuckle and Aaron just frowned.

“Not the point,” Aaron said, rolling his eyes at his friend. “She just competed in the main event, man! She was in the main event of a pay per view, fighting for the World Championship! I’d take that, I’d take losing in a bid for the big one over being me right now!”

Cam fell silent at that remark; he knew that Aaron was unhappy, that his current foster father was making life hell for him, that he wanted to go back to the kids home he spent most of his time at and he didn’t know whether to respond. “Things still a little--” he began but Aaron gave a dismissive wave of the hand, cutting Cam off.

“Not my point dude,” Aaron said, avoiding the subject. “My point is that I don’t see why it couldn’t be us out there, you know? I mean, okay, we’d need to catch a break and we’d need to be so fucking lucky that it’s almost untrue… but people do catch breaks, right? People do get lucky sometimes!”

“You talking about that stupid bullshit dream of yours again, numbnuts?” a voice from the doorway said as Frank, Aaron’s foster father, stumbled into the room with a bottle in his hand. If Aaron was any judge, and this was based entirely on experience from the last couple of weeks since he’d temporarily moved in with the Hendry’s, then Frank had woken up with a hangover and had immediately started to numb it with more alcohol. And Aaron knew that Frank was wasted the previous night because he’d seen him passed out on the couch just after midnight when he went to the kitchen to grab a midnight snack, several empty beer bottles and an empty scotch bottle tipped over on its side. “Fucking pussy’s sport anyway, all those flips and shit… you want to fight, try being a boxer! Or that MMA shit, that’s where the dollar’s at kids, not this… this fucking rolling around with guys while wearing tights!” the alcoholic went on, dropping down onto the couch and sloshing a mouthful of beer down his checkered shirt. “Son of a bitch,” he said to himself, brushing his shirt before sitting back and kicking his feet up onto the coffee table. “Seriously, rewind this shit, I’ll show you how it’s for little bitches who can’t throw a punch to save their lives, they’re just slapping each other and rolling around the floor!”

“Closed fist punches are against the rules,” Cam said helpfully, but Aaron knew it was a waste of time. If mind’s were books, Frank’s would be a copy “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” that was stapled shut…

“What I tell ya, a pussy’s sport,” Frank said, sneering. “It’s all bullshit, and how much do they make, a couple hundred grand a year? Fucking Mayweather makes millions for one damn fight! Those MMA guys, they make the g’s for one bout too, not of that pansy ass b.s you just wasted two hours or whatever, watching…”

“We’re not hurting anyone Frank,” Aaron said, putting emphasis on the man’s name, because the teenager knew Frank didn’t like that.

“No, but you’re pissing me off going on about it all the time,” the alcoholic jobless foster parent said, flatly. It was obvious that he’d only agreed to enter the foster care process because of the money the state shelled out in grants and caregiver’s allowance. “You want to be one of them, then go ahead and dream… but listen to me, butthead. Dreams aren’t worth shit. Know what I dreamt about when I was a kid? Playing hockey for the Oilers. I was going to help them win the Stanley Cup, become a star, do the commercials and date supermodels… you see any supermodels around this place?” he asked, scoffing. “Give it up kid, those dreams ain’t worth shit and it’s about time you realized that. You aint gonna amount to anything kid, you’ll maybe go to college if you’re lucky and then you’ll get some crappy fucking nine to five and you’ll find someone dumb enough to pump out a couple kids and in another fifty years you’ll die…” he said, already slurring his words as the beer in his system did its job of numbing him to reality. “It’s bout time you both grew up… you’re not kids, you’re fifteen. Suck it up and accept you ain’t worth shit and watching these… these fags, it’s all a waste of fucking time!”

Cam stared open mouthed at the man who was belittling the pair of them but Aaron was used to this; he’d been with them for no more than a couple of weeks, a sort of outreach to try and get the foster kids into homes for the holiday period, and this had been pretty much all he had since since he arrived in their home in Long Beach. He’d had such a festive holiday period, so much fun and games. Or not. “Come on Cam, let’s leave Frank to watch tv…” Aaron said as she pushed up from the floor and threw the cushion he’d been sat on in Frank’s direction, the alcoholic having to quickly dodge to avoid being hit.

“Yeah, go watch your pussy-ass tv shows in your room… it’s only yours for a couple more days then it’s back to the center for you!” Frank shouted after Aaron and Cam as they left the room, glaring at their backs until the door slammed shut behind them. “Fucking kid…”

Those were the images that ran through his mind as he woke from his fitful night’s sleep, the clearest dream as his brain was starting to wake up; his eyes opened as the door slammed shut, for a few seconds he actually thought he was back in that house in Long Beach, he actually hated himself, woke with thoughts of running away before he realized that he was in the guest house known as ‘home’ in the grounds of David’s property in the Hollywood hills. Not wanting to wake Scarlett, Aaron crept out of bed and after quickly dressing, crept out of the guest house too; David and Regan had been back a couple of days from their post-Hell Have No Fury vacation but as he walked past the garage towards the house, he noticed Regan’s car wasn’t outside. David’s was though, his Audi sat outside of the garage doors and Aaron could only assume that he wasn’t due to pick Jason up from Kathryn’s any time soon because he never took the sports car when he was picking the little guy up. Shrugging, Aaron continued to make his way inside; he wanted a shower but the shower in the guest house was in the ensuite of the bedroom so he decided to use one of the bathrooms in the main house. Aaron had only gone around the front instead of through the kitchen because that’s probably where David was and he wanted to try and avoid running into him if he could help it. David was a great guy and Aaron did love him, he was as close to a father to him as anyone had been since his own father died… but he knew that David would want to talk about the world title match and he had a feeling that wouldn’t be a great idea, not with what he was planning on doing…

Unfortunately, while Aaron’s plan of going in through the front of the house was a decent one, it didn’t account for the fact that David may not actually be in the kitchen!

The pair almost collided as Aaron turned from closing the front door behind him, David walking out of the lounge and into the hallway as Aaron turned to cross the hall too and the teenager couldn’t believe how unlucky he’d been. “Woah, steady up there kiddo, you almost knocked me on my old ass,” David said with a grin as he patted Aaron on the shoulder. “I was actually waiting for a sign of life from your little love hut; I was giving you until twelve before coming to let myself in, I haven’t had a chance to talk to you face to face since Hell Hath No Fury, I figured we needed a catch up,” the elder New Jersey native said with a smile and Aaron knew that this was going to be exactly what he expected it to be; David was going to want to talk about the pay per view, about the title shot he was going to get and then he’d have to admit to wanting to pass up on that which would open a whole new can of worms from the first part of the conversation and he really wasn’t in the mood for any of that at all! “But I figure we’d probably better start with the fact that you’re thinking about telling Olek that you don’t want the opportunity, because that seems like a pretty fucking good place to start to me kid, so whatever you were planning on doing, it can wait alright? Coffee first then you can go do whatever,” David finished before turning to walk towards the kitchen, raising a hand to wiggle a finger over his shoulder, telling Aaron it wasn’t a request.

Aaron followed his father into the kitchen where the coffee pot had clearly taken a lot of use already as it was still hot and David immediately set about grabbing two mugs from the cupboard but Aaron took one from him and placed it back on the shelving. Grabbing a can of Red Bull from the fridge he turned and walked to the kitchen table, pulling one of the chairs out to take a seat as David fixed himself a coffee. “So was it Shaun who told you, or Scarlett?” Aaron asked, clearly annoyed.

Stirring the sugar into his coffee, David tossed the spoon back down on the sideboard and turned to walk to the table. “Scarlett,” he admitted as he took a seat. “She called me yesterday while you were sleeping in, told me what you were thinking of doing… and I know you’re busy trying to be your own man kid, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t stick my nose in and try to give you advice. I think you’re making a mistake.”

Aaron looked at his father without even a trace of emotion on his own face; he was making a mistake? Not as far as he was concerned! “You can’t think I’m ready for this Dave, I’ve only been doing this for a damn year, I’m not ready for the pressure of competing at this level, you have to see that?!”

“Maybe you’re not ready,” David said, shrugging. “Shit, I don’t think I was ready when I won my first world title either, and look how things turned out for me…”

“Divorced?” Aaron asked, though it was only a joke and David took it as one.

“I was talking more about the money I have, the titles I’ve won over the years and the fact that I can’t go to the store without people wanting photo’s and autographs but sure, we’ll go with divorced,” David replied dryly, smirking at the teenager and Aaron just rolled his eyes before sighing.

“Well, no offence dude but that was you and this is me,” Aaron said, cracking his Red Bull open. “And this isn’t some indy company in Boston either; we’re talking about the fucking SCW world title!”

“The world title is the world title kid,” David said but Aaron shook his head.

“Nah dude, that’s bullshit,” Aaron said, shaking his head adamantly. “You’re telling me the world title in SCW is the same thing as some local company that’s run out of a school gym in Van Nuys? Because I may be wet behind the ears but even I know that’s a load of bullshit…”

David tried to keep a straight face but he couldn’t keep it up and he eventually cracked a smile before nodding slowly. “Okay, so maybe it’s not… but think about the experience! Think about getting to walk out there and compete for the world title, about how much you’ll learn from it!”

“Are you really telling me you think I’m ready for this?!” Aaron said, quirking a brow at the question. “Like, genuinely ready?”

David paused for a moment and Aaron saw it, saw the hesitation and David was quick to do damage control. “Hey, no, don’t read anything into that!” David said as Aaron went to speak, pointing at him. “Okay, so maybe this is a little early on in your career, but hasn’t that been the case for a lot of what’s happened up to now? I mean, Trio’s winner? Television champion, now this? You’ve faced every challenge head on so far, so why should this be any different?”

“Because it’s the world freaking title, dude!” Aaron said, placing plenty of stress on the latter part. “And you know as well as I do that I’m not ready. I need to go after it when I am ready and not before…”

David nodded his head, seeing where the teenager was coming from but he also had more confidence in Aaron that what he clearly had in himself. “You want honesty?” he finally asked and Aaron shrugged. “Alright, I can do honesty; truthfully? You’re nowhere near ready. You still make mistakes and you can be a little hot headed… but honestly? If opportunities were taken away from people simply because they weren’t as mature as others, there’d no about three people in the main event picture. You’re not ready… but that doesn’t mean you can’t go all out and give it your best. That’s all I want to say kid, the decision’s yours…” he finished, standing up and picking up his mug, taking a sip from his coffee as he patted Aaron on the shoulder and made his exit, leaving Aaron sat there at the kitchen table. He sat there without moving for some time, just staring at the wall opposite before letting out a grunt of frustration as he leant over the table and buried his face in his hands. This was a big decision for him… and he was pretty sure he was still sure what he had to do. He just had to find to guts to physically do it when Wednesday rolled around…

Time was running out, that was all Aaron could think about as he arrived Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit for the final Breakdown of two thousand sixteen; he had made his decision to tell Mr. D that he wanted to opt out of the world title match in ten days time, that he was eternally grateful for the opportunity but it was just too much for him so soon into his career. And he was grateful for the opportunity, especially to the fans who gave him the opportunity in the first place… but he had to do what was best for him and that meant turning down big chances if he felt the time wasn’t right. And it wasn’t right, it was that simple. Of course, it didn’t help that he was distracted by the drama surrounding Lexi Von Aaron; he was standing alone in the parking lot of the arena, or more accurately the loading where the production crew loaded the gear into the building, but it was used as a parking lot for the staff and roster because it was one of the few areas closed to the public. Aaron was stuck waiting outside as Shaun, Angyalka and Scarlett had headed inside to ensure that everything was in place from a security perspective after they raised concerns over what Lexi had been talking about all over social media, regarding the wedding that only Lexi believed was actually happening! And on the one hand he was thankful that his loved one’s were going to such lengths to ensure that everything was safe for the final show of the year… but at the same time, it was only making things worse for him because he wanted to get inside and find the boss so that he could speak to him about the End Of Year Special. Waiting outside, it had his nerves on edge and he didn’t know what to do with himself as he waited; he’d sat in the car for a while, but that didn’t work, he sat there shuffling around in his seat and tapping his fingers on the door lining… so he climbed out of the car and had a cigarette… and another… and by the time he’d finished his third he knew he needed something else to occupy him, because otherwise he’d chainsmoke his entire deck before getting into the building!

So he said to hell with it and ground his cigarette out underneath his boot before taking a walk towards the gate where security were standing by, keeping an eye on a small group of fans that had gathered around hoping for autographs. One of the security guards stepped towards him to try and warn him of getting too involved with the fans as he approached but Aaron smiled it off and told the big man he’d be fine, that he was just going to sign a few autographs and take some photo’s then head inside and he walked up to the gate where several fans started shouting his name. And it actually worked; Aaron found the distraction was perfect to take his mind of what was to come when he could finally get inside, he signed autographs and posed for photos and actually found that the smile on his face in those photos was actually real, instead of one he was putting on just for the fans holding out their cameras and phones. He worked his way down the line and dealt with as many autographs as he could, signing everything that was put in front of him and posing for every camera or phone camera before coming to the end of the line where a guy with thinning brown hair stood, holding a closed autograph book in front of him.

“Hey man, you want that signing?” Aaron asked with a smile on his face, but the smile quickly fell away as the fan opened his mouth.

“Yeah, I’m gonna take a miss on that; I’m waiting on one of the actual stars to come out,” he said, turning to look away from Aaron to the entrance of the building, hopefully. “Though if you want to jump on your phone,” he continued, turning his eyes back to Aaron. “And call your mom, get her to come out here, I’d gladly ask her for her autograph… she’s the only Helms left with any talent, after all.”

Aaron didn’t know what to even say to that for a moment; his mouth dropped open, he couldn’t find any words and the smug expression that spread across the guys face only made it all the worse. “Well, uh… alright then. Enjoy the show, dude,” Aaron said, making to walk away again before the ‘fan’ said more to him, pulling him back.

“That must really suck,” the guy said, pausing to see if Aaron turned back around… which he did.

“What’s that, bro?” Aaron asked, trying to keep a smile on his face like he was having fun talking to this guy.

“Knowing that you’re not just second best, but third…” the fan said, cocking his head to one side. “I mean, your old man, he’s as big in the business as it’s going to get, isn’t he? But then there’s mom… she’s not just a parent but she’s the competition too, because there’s no one going to think about AJ Helms when there’s Regan Helms to concentrate on…”

“There is no competition,” Aaron mumbled back, not entirely sure he meant what he said because he didn’t know if there was or not, but it probably wouldn’t have mattered how he replied, the guy clearly didn’t care about what the teenager had to say.

“Yeah sure, but only because you’re nowhere near her level,” the guy replied with a laugh. “Seriously, she’s a two time world champion and you’re just a two-bit wannabe… how’s it feel to know you’re going to choke in the biggest match you’ve ever been a part on next weekend? Getting some pointers from pops? From mommy?” he asked with a scoff, clearly enjoying his moment. This wasn’t the first time Aaron had experienced negativity in the business obviously, but for it to hit so close to home, for this asshole to actually hit the nail on the head as cleanly as he had… this was messing with the teenager’s head more than he could explain.

“Hey, how about you compete in one match bro, and then I’ll take your insight on board, okay?” Aaron said, trying to act calm and end the conversation before it got any deeper but this guy obviously wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily…

“How do you know I haven’t, huh?” he asked. “How do you know I’m not an indy wrestler myself, who’s trying to score his big break? You don’t, because you know nothing about me… but I know plenty about you, I know the whole story. How fucking lucky you are, all those breaks you got because of who adopted you, you got all the help needed, didn’t you? Now you’re getting a world title shot you don’t deserve and you’re going to make them both look fucking stupid on the big stage… I hope they take well to embarrassment, let’s put it that way!”

“Oh yeah, because it was a great fucking experience losing my whole family to end up in the adoption system,” Aaron snapped, glaring at the guy. Several of the fans had pulled out their phones again and were filming this now but Aaron didn’t even notice, he was too incensed with the guy who was giving him shit. “Sure, I got lucky when Dave and Regan adopted me, but do you think I wouldn’t give anything to have my parents back if I could?!”

“Hey, whatever makes you feel better about hanging on their coat tails man,” the douche-y fan said, smirking. “Just remember that we don’t all buy into the bullshit story about wanting to be yourself instead of baby Dave or second hand Regan… you’ll never compare to either of them, and you’ll always be in Regan’s shadow as long as she’s in this company. Good luck at the End Of Year Special dude, you’ll fucking need it!” he said and Aaron snapped. He went to lunge, or he would have done if it wasn’t for one of the members of security grabbing him underneath the arm, dragging him away.

“Go fuck yourself bro!” Aaron yelled at the guy as the security guard led him away. “Go fuck yourself!” he repeated, fighting to get away from the security guard but the guy had a good hundred pounds and four inches on Aaron, it was like using a marshmallow to cut a hole in sheet metal. “Fucking douche bag,” Aaron said as the security guard finally let him go by the doors and Aaron kicked at a trash can next to the door, kicking it over.

“What the hell are you doing?” A voice said from behind him and Aaron turned to face the doorway, only to take a step back when he saw the owner of SCW, Oleksa Drachewych, standing in front of the doors. “Seriously Aaron, what’s the problem? I had Shaun Cruze come to see me to inform me that you’d arrived and I came out to check on the arrangements that we made and before I’m halfway out here I’m hearing reports on the radio system that you’ve been dragged away by one of our security to stop you attacking a fan!” the Canadian said, looking angry. “Are you okay right now? Because I’m starting to question your sanity given recent events; arrested after Rise To Greatness – yes, we heard about that. Doing photoshoots that aren’t sanctioned by the company and could be seen as bringing SCW into disrepute? Dragged in for questioning under assault charges… Aaron, I signed you because David assured me you were talented and having seen what you’ve done so far I have to say I agree with him, but I worry when members of my staff act as crazy as you have done recently,” Mr. D continued and Aaron started to worry that he was about to get into serious trouble, something he was surprised didn’t happen already after the things D had mentioned. “I know this Lexi stuff is causing you a great deal of trouble and believe me, we’ve put a lot in place to ensure she can’t pull anything tonight, but I have my limits…”

“And I’m not trying to find out what they are,” Aaron told his boss sincerely, genuinely meaning the words that came from his mouth. “I just… ugh, that guy was pushing the wrong buttons and I… well, I didn’t handle it as well as I hoped I would…”

“And there’s the key issue,” Mr. D said, nodding. “In this business, we’re all under pressure, for a whole number of issues. You need to remember that, because things do get back to us at boardroom level, we hear things. Rumours get to us… like, rumours about people not wanting to take part in certain matches for instance…”

And it hit Aaron in that moment that the board must have heard already that Aaron was planning to pull out of the title match at the end of the month. This was his opportunity, his opportunity to tell Mr. D how he felt and tell him that he wanted to give it a miss… and then he surprised himself. “Yeah, I uh… I actually wanted to come and talk to you about that,” he said, pausing as he looked at Mr. D’s face, the boss waiting expectantly as Aaron’s gaze turned to look at the smug douche bag fan who was still standing at the gates, actually flipping Aaron the bird from the other side of the lot. And then he thought about the dream he’d had a couple days earlier and the foster carer who told him he’d never amount to anything and the bully who Shaun had reminded him of after Hell Hath No Fury and the pep talk he got from his father after the lacrosse game… and it all came to a head as he finally turned back to look his boss in the eye and he found himself talking, no idea where the words were coming from. “I heard it too and I just wanted to make sure you know that it isn’t true… I’ve no idea where it came from but I’m ready to go next Saturday, one hundred percent!” he said, surprising himself as much as Mr. D but he didn’t show it, giving his boss a confident nod and Mr. D seemed pleasantly surprised.

“Well, good…” D. said, nodding. “Because frankly, I’d have been surprised if anybody wanted to turn an opportunity down when the fans where the one’s to hand it to them, so I’m glad to hear it isn’t true. Now, do me a favor and pull yourself together so we can head inside, I want to go over the arrangements we’ve made to keep you and Lexi apart for the duration of the show,” he finished, holding a hand out towards the door, indicating Aaron should follow him. And he did; Aaron followed the boss inside and listened to everything he was telling him, though afterwards he wouldn’t have been able to repeat anything he heard. He was too busy thinking about his change of heart; was that really all it took, one asshole fan to tip him over the edge? David had tried to talk him out of it, Scarlett had done the same. Cam had text him several times telling him he was super excited for watching the show, but it took one slimey ass-hat to actually show him that he did have motivation, that he was fired up for the match. Everything he’d experienced over the years and everything he’d been through over the past few weeks and months, it was all leading up to this and now he realized where his motivation had been the entire time. For years, he’d been told he’d be able to do something when he was ready, he’d stand up for himself when ready, he’d get his opportunity when he was ready or be able to handle the pressure when he was ready… but he was ready, he was gifted the golden ticket by the fans and all he could think about was how pressured he felt because of it but why? Why did he feel that pressure when he had so much support behind him?! This was his chance to shine, his chance to step up and prove that he deserved to be where he wanted to be, his chance to reach the top of that ladder and stand there, on top of the fucking world… and he was taking it. He wasn’t going to quit, he wasn’t going to shy away, he was going to stand there on that mountain and tell the world he was over the fucking moon to be there! He was the New Jersey Legacy… and it was time to write the best chapter yet!

[Rec]

AJ HELMS: “You know guys, when this match was announced and I realized that I had an opportunity bigger than any I’ve been gifted up until now, I had a game plan. I had it all mapped out; I planned focus everything on this match and wouldn’t let anything sway me from what was important, I’d ensure I was focused and stay focused so that the only thing on my mind was the big prize available at the end because I know I can’t afford to let anything distract me, not when this is probably going to be the most important night of my career, the most important match I’ll ever see as a professional wrestler of any companies roster, not just here in SCW but anywhere I wrestle until the day I call it quits… and then life happens and that plan’s gone right out of the fucking window because it turns out that you’re now allowed to go two fucking minutes in this business without some complete fucking ass-hat trying to mess things up! I should be standing here talking about the World Heavyweight Championship, how excited I am to be here and the usual crap you hear from someone who’s as out of their depth as I am right now… and yet all I’ve got on my mind right now is how that fucking crazy bitch Lexi nearly got what she wanted! Seriously, I almost ended up married to Lexi Von Aaron, the most disgusting person I have ever met! I mean, how the fuck does that even happen, huh?! How the fuck does a company like Supreme Championship Wrestling allow that to take place; if Scarlett Shaun and Regan hadn’t come out, I’d probably be standing here right now as a married man, wed to someone I can’t even stand… that’s how marriages are supposed to end not begin! I guess I have the Daughter’s of Darkness to thank for that one, huh? If it wasn’t for Sloan and Diana attacking me and Shaun backstage I’d have avoided that whole thing, but let’s face it, the only person I can truly blame for all of this is Lexi herself and I don’t want to be dwelling on that but I can’t help it! I’m getting sick of her causing me nothing but fucking problems, I’ve been sick of it for months now and I just want it to fucking end! I’m starting to think that the only way that’s going to happen is if I use my Trio’s contract to guarantee it! Is that what it’s going to take Lexi, is that what it’s going to take to get through to you that I want absolutely nothing to do with you? That I’d rather marry anyone in the entire world than you, that I’d rather stick my cock in a blender than let it go anywhere near that thing between your legs?!

AJ scowls into the camera as he talks, hatred oozing off of every word he speaks.

AJ HELMS: “I’m done with it Lexi, I’m fucking done with dealing with these childish games you keep trying to play; you’re not in love with me, it’s bullshit immature infatuation amped up to an insane level… seriously, this is at ‘Fatal Attraction’ levels of fucked up now; how long before I come home to find one of Dave’s dog’s boiling away on the stove, huh?! You don’t love me Lexi, Scarlett loves me… or she did; this shit you’re pulling, you have no fucking idea what it’s doing to our fucking relationship, it’s putting so much fucking strain on us that she was talking about moving back in with her cousin a few days ago. She wants to move out because of your shit, that’s how much strain it’s putting on our relationship and to you, you’re not losing a single fucking thing! You’re not losing anything because you’ve got nothing to lose in all of this, but me?! I could lose the one person who has loved me unconditionally and without fail, the woman I actually want to marry, all because you don’t seem to be able to get it through your thick fucking skull that no means no and fuck off means that you should get the hell away from me! Well allow me to once again irritate for you Lexi, because you? You can go fuck yourself! You can go fuck yourself for all I care, because that’s as close as you’re ever going to get to me, you fucking psychopath; fucking yourself and staring at the poster of me on your wall, wishing it was me doing it… and I appologise for the image, I know there’s probably kids watching this and I apologize for that, but you have no fucking clue how angry this is making me, how angry she makes me! All I wanted to do guys, was pull my thoughts together and get them out on video, to talk about the most exciting moment of my career that’s coming up in just under a weeks time, but instead I’m raving like a lunatic because of some bitch who doesn’t seem to be able to take a hint… Christ, how the hell am I going to do this? How the fuck am I going to be able to walk out to that ring in Toronto on Saturday night and fight a potential two matches if I want to walk out as World Champion, when I know that I’ve got all this bullshit going through my head?!”

AJ sighs, shaking his head as he turns and paces around a little; he tries to pull himself together and figure the thoughts out in his head, though it’s obvious that that isn’t as simple as it sounds. Taking a deep breath, he runs his hands through his messy hair before turning his attention back to the camera to continue, trying to focus.

AJ HELMS: “Two World Title matches, two number one contenders for want of a better phrase… the first time it’s happened since two thousand and nine, and what makes that even crazier is that I was only what, twelve at the time? I remember watching though, when both Hurse and Justin Davis had their shots at Jake Starr and love the guy or hate him, you can’t deny that Starr really gave his all that night, competing twice to ensure he went home with the World Title like he’d arrived at the building that night! And okay, so maybe Jake only won the second match because Greg Cherry hit Hurse with the Cherry Pit while the referee was down but it was a historic night none the less, two people getting an opportunity in the annual vote… and now we have the sequel this year, seven years later, where Alexis Quinne looks to play the part of Jake Starr by walking in with the title over her shoulder and compete twice, beating me and Selena to ensure she starts the new year as the SCW World Heavyweight Champion. Jeez, just think guys; if things go may way and I prove to be the luckiest son of a bitch this side of the rainbow, I could start the new year as the world champion, something I didn’t think I’d get to say for a very long time, if ever… but I need to forget about the odds and the overwhelming nature of this weekend’s show because I have to focus. Being starry eyed is going to do nothing to help my cause and trust me bro, I’m not just here to make up the numbers, I want to actually compete this weekend and show I can get the job done on the biggest stages, in the biggest matches! And it’s ironic, because… well, I’ll be honest with you not guys; when I arrived at the arena for Breakdown last week, I arrived with the intention of walking into Mr. D’s office and asking him to remove me from the match. I know guys, I know what a fucking idiot that makes me and I also know how disrespectful it is to each and every one of you that gave me your vote but… well, I was worried that I can’t do it, that I don’t have it in me to pull this off. Basically, I was scared. Yep, I’m admitting that to you all watching this at home; I was scared shitless about this opportunity because I thought it was too big for me, that I’d never live up to the pressure it put on my shoulders and that I’d crumble…. So instead of doing that in the ring, I chickened out. I chickened out and decided that I was going to say ‘thanks but no thanks’ and pass up on the opportunity…"

AJ HELMS: “…and do you know why I didn’t? It’s funny really, now I think about It, but the only reason I decided not to pull out of this opportunity is because I had a run in with an asshole who told me I wasn’t good enough. Yep, you heard me right, the only reason I chose not to pull out of this show, give up my opportunity to become world champion, is because someone told me how much I sucked and that I would never be good enough to win the title. And that’s funny to me bro, because it made me realise that it doesn’t matter how much support you have at times, you can have all the support in the world all these people telling you that you can do something, but if you don’t believe it, it won’t mean a damn thing! But when someone tells you you can’t… well, that lit a fire under my ass guys, it made me fucking determined to prove that ass-hat wrong! And sure, I may still falter, I may still fuck everything up and come out empty handed, but I’m determined to show that I can hang with anyone I go up against, show that I can handle myself in the main event picture here in SCW and that I can reach the point where I’m headlining shows and featuring in the main event of pay per views! I know I’ve got a lot to learn yet, I’m not the most street-wise person on the roster where the business is concerned… but why shouldn’t I try and better myself, you know? If I didn’t want to be a star and see my name in lights, why the fuck would I sign with what’s seen as the biggest company in the world?! That’s what we should all be aspiring to, to do as much as possible, to achieve as much as humanly possible! And I’m not saying that the pursuit of gold should be the be all and end all in this business, but if you don’t aspire to greatness then you’re probably in the wrong industry and despite my personal feelings about her, I’d guess that even Quinne would agree with that one! That’s the one thing I definitely have to give her credit for; her and her cronies, they wanted to grow Punk Hazard into something that would become an industry leader, a brand in it’s own right… now remember AJ, don’t call them a gang or you’ll get in trouble…”

A slight smirk spreads across AJ’s face as he continues to speak, just hinting at the dig he’d just made.

AJ HELMS: “At the end of the day, you shoot for the moon in this business, aim for the stars… and you may not break orbit, you may barely get off the ground, but you never stop shooting for the sky even if that happens! So here I am… here I am, ready to take on the biggest fucking challenge I have ever faced, and instead of doing so with trepidation, instead of doing so while worrying that I’m not good enough, I’m going out there on Saturday night with quiet optimism. I know I may not win, I know I’m just as likely to fuck up or find myself on the losing side, but I’m not going to let that hold me back! I’m going to show Selena Frost or Alexis Quinne or hell, maybe even both that while I may be young, while I may be inexperienced, I’ve got more heart than anyone they’ve faced and I’m going to hold my head up high regardless of the fucking outcome! The only thing left to find out is who I actually get to face… I mean, a coin toss, that’s all it’s coming down to! I could go first and if I do then I’m guaranteed to end up facing Alexis in the opening match of the night, and I know that if I win I have to go on to face Selena in the main event. And let’s say I do win, that means I could be World Champion for only a few hours, which yeah, I guess I’d get to say I was a world champ but that would suck, I won’t lie. I’m probably wasting my time thinking about the what if’s though, because let’s face it, there’s no guarantee that I will get past Alexis. I mean, I get that the business is full of unknowns anyway, but as much as it pains me to fucking admit it, Quinne is a great wrestler in her own right… I just wish she’d fucking show it, instead of getting by through the numbers game… and that’s why I couldn’t help but make the gag about her and the whole ‘gang’ shit that caused so many problems the other week on twitter… and I don’t want to re-open a can of worms, but let’s just say I have limited sympathy for Quinne’s arguments, because she can yell till she’s blue in the fucking face but it won’t change the evidence that we see nearly every fucking week on shows! Don’t like the word? Okay, cool… I’ll give you another one; a group of fucking cheaters who use the numbers whenever the hell they feel like it, disrespecting pretty much every rule in the game whenever they see fit! How’s that for a description?! And okay, so Alexis won the world title without any of that and credit where it’s due, she beat three amazing athletes to get to this position she’s now in and it shows that she’s really upped her game over the last six months because you don’t get to the world title without hard work… but fuck, if we’re going to talk about labels and let them cut us to pieces then I may as well quit now!”

AJ HELMS: “Fact is, in this business it’s actions that speak louder than fucking words guys, and whether Quinne wants to call them a unit or a movement or a fucking book club, words don’t change what we see from Punk Hazard on a regular basis. And what, because Alexis gets pissed off that people call them thugs, we’re not allowed to take umbridge with the shit the fucking do?! Yeah, because that’s going to fucking stop me! I got shit every fucking day growing up; I didn’t like to fight so I was a fag, a faggot or a pussy… my mom – my birth mom – she was Italian, so I’m a Grease ball, a Dago, a wop… you name it, chances are I heard it while growing up in New Jersey. You know what hurt more? Getting punched in the face by a bully! Surprise fucking surprise guys, being punched hurt more than being called a Laposta. And if you know what that means, you’ll know why it’s not exactly a cool name to carry around with you! See, I have never and will never judge a book by the cover; I don’t give a damn if you’re a woman, a man, whether you’re transitioning or fluid. I couldn’t care if you’re gay, straight, bisexual… doesn’t matter if you’re black, white, olive, tan or fucking blue for all I care, I just want you to be a good fucking person. And again, I’m sure our World champ will be quick to talk about the good she does, about helping Golden Gate become one of the best wrestling schools in the country, about the World Hazard festival, about charity work or helping the underprivileged, I’m sure she can find a whole host of reasons why she’s a great person… but when people label her as a gang member, whether I use that term of not, it’s the people who are on the other end of her negative actions that throw words like that around! And this is where it goes back to how I only care about whether you’re a good person or not, because everything we see from Punk Hazard in this company, everything they do to flaunt the rules of the company, the shit they pull, the attacks they commit… you tell me guys, is that how good people behave?! If you are a good person, it’s across the board; for all I know, Hitler was fucking great to his mother and Mussolini gave spare change to beggars in the street, but I’m sure those two douchebags are unanimously thought of as being two of the most sickening cunts in the whole world! See my point?”

AJ shakes his head, letting out a sigh before turning his attention back to the camera to continue.

AJ HELMS: “And, I mean, you only have to look at the final Breakdown of twenty sixteen to know what the hell I’m talking about, right? Selena Frost managed to escape the ring before Blake and Bree could hurt her – a fucking smart move given what’s just on the horizon – and out pop Alexis and Grundy, catching Selena off guard and knocking her town… only to toss Selena to the fucking wolves by throwing her back in the ring where Blake and Bree were waiting! You all saw what happened and you know that Selena survived unhurt for the most part but that’s exactly the kind of bullshit I’m talking about; Quinne knew that Selena getting hurt would make it easier for her to make sure she heads into twenty seventeen as the World Champion and let’s face it, Selena is the bigger threat to Quinne’s reign out of the two of us, I have no problem admitting that… so Quinne chose to take the cheap way out by throwing her to the wolves, rolling her back into the ring to get decimated by Blake Mason and Bree Lancaster, two of the ‘clasiest’ people in SCW… if everyone else quit on the same day, leaving those two as the lone roster members that is! Quinne and Grundy took Selena out from behind, the numbers game again, and rolled her back into the ring… and thank god we ran out there to ensure Blake didn’t get to use that fucking piledriver on Selena because he already potentially ended one career and seriously hurt another, it wasn’t going to happen again! Kelcey and Shaun, me and Shaun, the four of us managed to stop that and make sure Alexis and Grundy didn’t get the satisfaction of watching their little plan come to fruition, but that’s the kind of fucking bullshit that I’ve come to expect from Punk Hazard, that’s the kind of bullshit that causes people to label them with names that they don’t fucking like and it’s that kind of bullshit that is quickly going to force the hands of many people to get rid of them just as they killed of Infamous, Monarchy, The Coalition and countless fucking groups that have turned up in this company and tried to push its roster too fucking far!”

AJ appears enraged as he glares into the lens of the camera, his nostrils flaring slightly as he pauses for breath before pushing on.

AJ HELMS: “Quinne’s right though… the world is fucked; we live in a country that’s filled will malice, with hatred, with tension, fear, anger, resentment, it fucking sucks living in this country at times and at best, it’s always going to have its undertones of negativity. But do you know what doesn’t help, guys? Fucking hypocrites like her, preaching about how horrible this country is while doing the shit she does to contribute to how much it sucks! That’s what fucking hacks me off bro, the fact that she claims she’s only doing what she does to survive in this business, but how many fucking people have made similar claims over the years? I may be a fucking rookie, I may have little to no fucking experience but at least I’m trying to make things a little better for everyone involved in this company! And that’s why I walk into this hoping that one of me or Selena can show Quinne and the rest of Punk Hazard why they’ve overstepped way too many boundaries by beating her and taking that belt from her… because the only way to prove a point is by hitting them where it hurts! And you know, I’m not going to say that I’ll be happy if it’s Selena who does it instead of me because honestly, at this point if I fail I’ll probably be kicking my own ass for weeks… but when I think about the people who I could be sharing the vote with, how do you pick someone more deserving of being here than Selena Frost, huh?”

AJ just throws his arms up in defeat, unable to answer his own question.

AJ HELMS: “Fact is, I’m surprised that Selena hasn’t had a world title opportunity before now, to be honest with you bro. I mean, think about it, I listed her achievements in my last video I’m sure I did; Best of the Best winner, Shot of Adrenaline winner, former World Tag Team champion, former Adrenaline champion and all of it with you guys at home believing in her every step of the way! In terms of being deserving, I can’t think of anyone – champ included – who deserves to be here more than Selena does! And I know I’m not meant to just pollish the ego of an opponent, because she may be my opponent if things go my way… but in terms of showing respect, Selena definitely has earned that from me, regardless of what people may say about her! I mean fuck, who doesn’t have their haters, huh? Show me someone who has never had anybody say a bad word about them and I’ll gladly eat my ring gear, because I don’t think that person exists… but those who mock Selena Frost, they do so expecting to score cheap heat or cheap shots and these people, they don’t seem to understand that that shit just bounces right off her and only focuses her more! How many times have we seen Selena take a beating and get right back up to continue, to look like she may falter only to dust herself off? Every fucking week pretty much, because she believes in herself… pun intended! She believes in her dreams, believes in doing right by you guys at home, the ones who placed their faith in the two of us, and I respect the ever living fuck out of her for that! Funny thing is, I could probably learn a lot from Selena, given some of the parallels going on; she debuted at the End Of Year Special a couple years before me, she came here as an unknown and wanted to build her reputation, to earn your respect. She tries to fight the good fight, she wants to do things the right way, she’s fought an uphill battle since day one and seemingly picked up critics left right and center as she did so… and yet she’s now here, the end of her third year in the business, about to get her ultimate reward for all that hard work and dedication… if that isn’t worth looking up to, I don’t know what is. I’ve had a lot of privileges over the last couple of years, the chance to work alongside some great people and learn from them as best I can… which makes it funny that one of the best lessons I could learn is going to come from someone I may be about to face in a few days time in what’s undoubtedly the biggest night of my life. And hearing Selena say the things she did, hearing her talk about believing in me, well that only further emphasizes my opinion of her but also makes me all the more determined to prove myself when the show starts and we find out who gets to face Alexis first!”

AJ HELMS: “Thing is… I can’t allow myself to get drawn into the niceties too much heading into the End of Year Special, because while it’s nice knowing that at least one of the possible matches that may take place is built on respect and a chance to simply put on a good match, I’m not an idiot and I know that when the bell rings, there’s no such thing as friendship in this business. We’re driven by wins and losses, our careers are built on them and this time around… well, is there anything bigger or more important than a win in this situation?! Like I said last time around, the World Title doesn’t have to be the be all and end all of the business, but if you don’t aspire to it, then what are you doing in the business?! And as much as I appreciate every nice thing Selena had to say about me heading into this, as much as I appreciate the compliments and the backing, as much as I understand how this is her moment and that her entire career has been building to this… sentimentality means fuck all when that bell rings! See, Selena has her story to write, she has her future to build towards… but I have my own legacy to try and fulfil, and respect does go a long way, but it doesn’t go so far as to overtake the need to ensure my own future! I have a chance on Saturday that is way bigger than I am, an opportunity to do the impossible… and I’m going to bend over backwards if I have to, in order to do just that! Like Selena said, she’s going to give her very best this coming Saturday, but my job is to see her best and raise it, the same with Quinne and what she brings to the table too; there’s no half measures, no ‘good enoughs’, it’s all or nothing and at least that way, if I do try and fail, at least I know I did do everything I can to try and win the big one, the biggest of them all… the world, fucking, title! I’ve watched my heroes hold that belt, I’ve watched people I dispise hold it… now it’s my turn to try and do so and while I know I’m probably pitching above my weight, while I’m probably setting myself up to fail, just getting the chance boosts me more than I can put into words and for everyone who shares the opinion of that asshole fan I had a run in with a few days ago, for every single person who wants to tell me I’m not good enough, that I don’t deserve to be in this position, that I’m out of my depth? Well, I won’t make promises, but what I will say is this. Just watch… watch and see what happens on Saturday and Toronto; you never know, I may just prove each and every fucking one of you wrong. That’s the plan, anyway… now I guess we just have to see if it’s true what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men, huh? BANG!”

[/Rec]