12-15-2019, 10:08 AM
December 1, 2019 - Philadelphia - Clarity
I walked backstage thinking about the match. There was a lot to process from the way it all went down. My body felt bruised, battered, and broken. Unlike anything I’d ever been through before. But there was a certain adrenaline in my veins. So many times before I’d left a match like this angry at myself for not accomplishing an ultimate goal. This time I felt a renewed sense or purpose. I see Jaina standing nearby getting ready to go on camera. I blow her a kiss and she grins and smiles back. I’m still looking back at her when I turn the corner and run into something so hard it almost knocks me down and out of my shoes. Somehow I stayed on me feet and turned around to see an all-too familiar dirty blonde with freckles and eyes and a smile that I’ll never be able to forget.
Jordan: Abigail! Oh!
Abigail: Were you even watching where you were going at all? What were you looking at?
She leans past me and looks down the hallway to see a producer talking with Jaina. She’s the only girl standing there among a group of three with the cameraman. Abi seems to study the scene for a moment longer before looking back at me and raising a brow. She crosses her arms, almost judging me.
Abigail: You’re fucking kidding me?
Jordan: What!?
Abigail: Don’t even, Jordan. I know you too well. You’re hooking up with Jaina. She’s a kid.
Jordan: She’s 18.
Abigail turns and looks at me, almost sternly. She shakes her head and starts to walk away from me. She seems pissed, but I don’t really understand why. It starts to irritate me, so I follow. I grab her shoulder and she whips back around to face me.
Abigail: What? We don’t have anything to talk about.
Jordan: That’s not true. We need to talk about this.
Abigail: What’s this?
I shrug and shake my head.
Jordan: Why the hell you’re so mad about Jaina.
Abigail just shakes her head at me. She looks annoyed. I know the look from every time I was going to go and talk to Bree while we were together or whatever you want to call it.
Abigail: I just expected a little better from you. That’s all.
Jordan: What does that even mean?
Abigail: Come on. I was suspicious of this already. But if I go back and count from the moment you started liking everything that girl tweeted I can see that you were with her when she was 17. Don’t you think that’s a little inappropriate?
I don’t say anything and she just smirks at me.
Abigail: So you’ve been keeping this from Bree this whole time, haven’t you? She’s going to murder you if she finds out.
I start to speak, but nothing comes out. Abigail’s eyes go wide.
Abigail: Bree knows!? They all know don’t they? The whole Lancaster family. Christ…
Abigail sort of turns to the side and looks away from me. I can tell she’s processing this information in her own way. She looks back over her shoulder at me and then faces me again.
Abigail: Can I just ask one question?
Jordan: Sure.
Abigail: When Owen and Jaina broke up, how long did it take for you and here to get together?
I try to think of what the best way to answer that could be. It was quick. We’d kissed before they broke up and it wasn’t long after that we had that night at the safe house. Just my pause and struggle to answer draws a huffy laugh out of Abigail.
Abigail: So this is a rebound relationship. And this is how you rebound from me? A kid? I expected to hear you were chasing Sierra Swann all over the world, but this? I can’t believe it. Does Owen know?
Jordan: I don’t really know. I think they talked after Apocalypse last month, but I’m not sure what they talked about.
Abigail: Wait, am I the only person not related to you or Jaina that you’ve admitted this to?
Again, I don’t really know what to say. I feel a little attacked. And a little confused. I can’t help but snap back.
Jordan: Stop. Stop this. I could have seen something really building between us, but you didn’t want it. We were labeled as friends with benefits at the biggest show of the year. Do you think I wanted that? I’d rather have just been your girlfriend and tag team partner than that. I thought I meant more to you.
Abigail: You did.
Jordan: I didn’t. If I did you wouldn’t have shut me out. And I wouldn’t have turned around and did it right back to you. We spent months hurting each other and what did it accomplish? You aren’t even working with Ravyn anymore and I get to wear a knee brace.
Abigail: So was it worth it?
Jordan: What?
Abigail: Fucking me as hard as ever just to win at Rise to Greatness?
Abigail has a wicked smile on her face as she finishes the question and I look down with my hands on my waist.
Abigail: As far as I’m concerned, we’re even. No hard feelings from me anymore. I hope you know I didn’t have anything to do with Ravyn and your knee. That was all between you and her. She doesn’t control me and I don’t control her at all. I forgive you for what you did at Rise to Greatness because I need to move on from all of this. I don’t want to fight you. Just do what you need to do and leave me out of it.
I’m taken back by the apology. I never expected this. But I agree with her. There was no reason for us to take this to the heights we did. She had me so fearful when she was cutting pink hair and sprinkling it around.
Abigail: And I’m still going to send you DMs when you post those damn thirst trap photos. Don’t act like you don’t know what you’re doing.
That elicits a giggle out of me and a calmer smile from Abigail. For a moment it flashed me back to the conversations we’d have on the road after a long day in the ring. She was the first person who was willing to take me under their wing and point me in the right direction with my career. She did it as a friend and a lover, even if we weren’t on the same terms when it came to that love. I’d fallen so hard and she clearly knew how to use that to her advantage. At least that’s how it felt.
Abigail: So are we cool then?
Jordan: Yeah, we’re cool. I forgive you, too.
Abigail: Good. Sup Jaina.
Abigail nods and turns and leaves our conversation immediately. I turn, shocked again, and see Jaina standing directly behind me.
Jaina: So… what was that all about?
Jordan: Nothing. Just a little chat.
I kissed Jaina’s cheek and headed toward Bree’s locker room with her in tow. We never held hands in public, just in case. We didn’t want anything to threaten our positions with the company. Of course little did I know that a few days later Abigail would be back to her curiously playful ways. And in doing so, she exposed the fact that Jaina and I were dating to the world of social media.
December 9, 2019 - Toronto
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. My eyes shoot open and I look around the room. My bed is smaller. Jaina is gone. Where the fuck am I? As I slowly begin to scan the room, I realize this isn’t my hotel room. My girlfriend isn’t here. I’m home, in Omaha, Nebraska. Goosebumps rise on my skin and the hair on the back of my neck stands up as a sound comes from the other side of a closed door. Lights are shining brightly on the other side of the door, managing to push through at the openings but not flooding this room. My room. I pull the covers up to my face like I did so many years ago. The door swings open and light blasts into the room, lighting up the bed in a bright glow. I pull the covers up, but I can still see the dark figure of the woman who stands in the doorway, backlit by a light I never remember being so bright. She slowly approaches as I hold the covers tightly against me. I could scream, but I can’t. It’s as if I know she’s coming for me, but a scream would make her approach even faster. As she reaches beside the bed, she holds a bottle high in the air. I know she’s going to strike me. I’ve lived this once and dreamt about it so many times. The inescapable nightmare of the time it happened outside of my head. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. She laughs at me as she prepares to strike. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. The bottle comes down toward me and I’m shaking so hard. “Jordan!? Wake up!?”
My eyes shoot open. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Jaina is shaking me and looking down at me with nothing but concern all over her face. “Jordan? Are you ok?” I turn away from her and see my phone is the cause of the buzzing. With one look at the name Christina, I ignore the call and drop the phone to the floor and turn back to Jaina, my breathing somewhat laboured.
Jaina: Jordan? What’s going on?
Jaina is sitting up and leaning over me. I look into her eyes and I sigh deeply.
Jordan: It was a dream. A bad one. One I’ve had a lot of times, but… not for awhile.
I let out another sigh and adjust the way I’m laying on my back against the pillow. Jaina cuddles against me, throwing an arm across my chest and laying her head on my shoulder.
Jaina: Do you want to talk about it?
My eyes trace invisible patterns on the ceiling as I try to decide my answer. But my eyes close and my heart chooses to open up for her.
Jordan: When I was a teenager, my mom got drunk. Well, you know she did it a lot. But one night, she came into my room. Every light in the house was on except my room. She was searching for something. She didn’t even remember what the next day. I hid under my blankets from her. Trying to ignore her and avoid her in case she lost it. She could see the outline of me and struck me in the head with a bottle. It knocked me out…
Jaina lifts her head from my shoulder and looks troubled by my words.
Jaina: You can’t be serious?
Jordan: I am serious. I had a concussion. A little cut on my head, too.
I pull back a little bit of hair on my forehead and run a finger across an almost non-existent scar along my hairline as Jaina watches.
Jordan: Bled all over the sheets, which she made me keep. Still had the stains the day I left for good. Just not something I want to remember, but it never goes away. It haunts me. Like it would happen again when I know it would never. Because I’ll never be in that situation again.
I turn my head to look at the clock for a moment and see it’s 3:30 in the morning. Jaina grabs my chin and redirects it back to looking at her where she plants a kiss on my lips. I smile and she smiles back.
Jaina: You can always tell me anything. Anything at all. My mom, she struggled really badly with alcohol for awhile. Like, it threatened to drive us apart. I can’t completely relate to what you went through, but I understand some of the feelings. I want you to feel like you can open up to me.
She looks at me with serious eyes. I nod.
Jaina: I mean it. Don’t ever close me out. Please.
My arm pulls her back in tightly against me and I plant a kiss on her nose. She lets out a giggle.
Jordan: Let’s try to get some sleep. Going to be a long day and then we have to travel.
We both close our eyes and a short time while I can hear that she is sleeping. The calm and her touch puts me back to sleep, too. My dreams aren’t so bad. But the morning comes and shoves us both awake. I reach down on the floor and pick up my phone. 15 missed calls? I open it up and see they’re all from her. And a voicemail. I stand up out of bed and walk into the bathroom and sit down on the toilet, punch in a few numbers and put the phone to my ear.
Christina: Hey Kylie, it’s your mom… I… well… I’m not doing too good. I need some money. If you could send me some… I just need some help. The meetings aren’t working and I stopped going. I saw you on TV the other day and thought, well, maybe you’d like to send some money your momma’s way so she can feel better. I can see you’re ignoring me like usual, though. Listen… no matter what, Kylie, I did love you. And I’m sorry. Bye.
The phone almost drops out of my hand as I sit there, expressionless. I delete the voicemail and stand up, going straight for my bag. I look over my shoulder out the door and dig out a bottle and shake four pills into my palm. I throw them in my mouth and toss my head back to swallow them before I flush the toilet and turn to look in the mirror. I have to sigh. I don’t know why she called me. I didn’t want anything to do with her. She didn’t love me. You don’t do those things to someone you love. She was messed up in the head. I shake my head and push away from the counter. Jaina is standing right there, looking at her phone. She looks shocked.
Jaina: Oh my god! They caught Ricky’s killer!?
Jordan: Wait, what?
Jaina: You’ll never believe who it is.
Jaina holds the phone up to me and I read the name. Immediately I start searching for some clothes to put on as Jaina watches me quizzically.
Jaina: What’s going on?
Jordan: We’ve got to go find Bree and Sienna. This is going to hurt them badly.
December 13, 2019 - Salt Lake City
I sat at a weight bench in a local gym looking at my phone. A towel draped over my neck kept sweat from running down my body after a decent workout. I knew I’d be doing very little between now and the tag match Jake and I had the following night in Salt Lake City. This place had a sort of beauty to it. I looked out the windows and could see right up into the mountains. Breathtaking view.
Jake: You’re reading about that guy, still?
Jake takes my phone out of my hand and walks forward away from me. I spring up and the towel swings off of my neck and to the floor.
Jordan: Hey!
Jake: This is garbage. Just forget about it. We’ve got better things to do. Like win matches together.
Jordan: It’s not garbage. That is really affecting my friends. They worked with that man that was arrested, and he killed a friend of ours.
Jake raises a brow at me as he hands my phone back and leans against another weight bench.
Jake: You didn’t even know that guy.
Jordan: Well, I… no… but…
Jake: You don’t even know the guy that was arrested. It’s funny though, you’re so immersed in their world. You’re like one of those people from that Christmas movie with all the girls.
Jordan: Christmas show with all the girls…
Jake: Yeah, you know. They’re mean and stuff.
Jordan: Are you calling me one of the plastics from Mean Girls? Seriously?
Jake: Mean Girls? What? I was thinking of Die Hard. You’re like one of the bad guys from that. And that Sienna girl is like Hans Gruber. A great Christmas movie.
I roll my eyes at him and sit down on the bench shaking my head. He always finds a way to talk shit about my friends. I feel like he’s trying to protect me most days, but it’s hard to tell. Back when I signed, he didn’t seem to care. When he returned to SCW, he didn’t care enough to tell me. And now he’s all about me and my business. It’s hard to keep up with. I wonder if, like Kandis had said before Clarity, he’s worried about me or about winning some matches.
Jordan: Why do you get so up in arms about them?
Jake points at my shirt and I look down. Of course he’s pointing at it because I’m wearing the newest Bree Lancaster shirt that promotes her Breemerica look at the US Champion. I cross my arms to cover what he’s still pointing at and look up at him.
Jake: It’s this shit right here. I wonder, why can’t you wear a shirt that features us. The one I designed but you shot down was great.
Jordan: Great!? It looked like you were looking at my ass and you had the PornHub logo remade to say StarrBros. I’m a girl, dude.
Jake: Well it was a mockup. I was just playing around on my phone and came up with it. It was all changeable. But that’s not the point. Also, I know you’re not a dude. I mean look at you, damn.
Jordan: Don’t be so fucking weird.
I roll my eyes and he laughs. I know I make mistakes just by selling his crude jokes. He doesn’t mean anything. He just likes to get a rise out of me. He’s too damn good at it.
Jake: What I’m trying to say here is don’t forget at the end of the day, this is what you have to worry about most. Your career centers around this tag team thing we’ve got going on right now. If you’re focusing on what Sienna and Bree are doing all of the time, you’re missing the point.
Jordan: What point?
Jake: The point that they aren’t all that concerned with what you’re doing right now and that you should be concerned more so about you than them. Do you think that they care one bit about what happens to you in the ring?
Jordan: I actually do.
Jake: Then where were they when Ravyn tried to break your leg? Where were they all those times Infamous was attacking you. This is as serious as you’ll ever get from me. Just making sure that you think about this.
I shake my head and sigh. He’s actually starting to annoy me. But the most annoying thing is that it makes sense. It’s something that I’ve tried to push back deep into my mind. But time after time, Jake is the one that comes through with a pry bar and pulls it right back out to the forefront.
Jordan: Let’s just drop this.
Jake: Nah, I don’t feel like dropping it.
Jordan: Don’t be a dick.
Jake: Look who you’re talking to.
I stare directly into his eyes and snarl. He simply smiles back and adjusts his weight to lean on an elbow against the equipment.
Jake: I’m trying to teach you the same thing I was when I beat you in the back with that chair before Clarity. You gotta get your priorities in line and I hope it’s more than licking the cracks of Sienna and Bree when you aren’t between the legs of Bree’s niece --
Smack! That was the noise I heard before I realized what had happened. I stood there looking at Jake, who had his face turned away, with a red handprint on his cheek. I realized that my temper had boiled over and I’d stood up and slapped him when he mentioned Jaina. Jake slowly turns back to me, nodding his head. I know he’s about to let me have it for the mistake I’d just made. My mouth is still hanging open in shock.
Jake: Where the fuck was that intensity at Clarity? We’d probably be drinking champagne and spilling it all over our brand new tag team titles? God damn, sis. That was a hell of a shot. Now I know what it takes to get you fired up.
Jordan: Don’t…
Jake holds his hands up and laughs.
Jake: Now I know your biggest priority when it comes to those women. It’s not them. It’s your little backstage announcer girlfriend. Should we get you a shirt with her on it?
Jordan: Please, stop it.
Jake goes quiet for a minute and shakes his head at me. I sit back down on the weight bench and let out a long, hard sigh. He kneels down next to me.
Jake: All I’m going to say is when the shit goes down some day, I want to know - without any doubt - that you have my back.
Jordan: You know I’ve got your back.
Jake: And my front?
Jordan: Jake!?
Jake: That’s my sister. Now get cleaned up. I want to explore this city and I can’t imagine the mormons like smelly chicks.
I roll my eyes once more as I stand up and gather my stuff into my bag and head to a locker room area.
Promo
A camera switches on and Jordan Majors walks in front of a view of the Rocky Mountains in Salt Lake City, Utah. She turns to the camera and gestures toward the range. The camera zooms in on her chest.
Jake…
The camera zooms out and centers on Jordan’s upper half with the mountains behind her.
When you think about how these mountains were formed, it’s pretty remarkable. The plates of the earth pressing into each other and pushing the corresponding land to move upward in these beautiful patterns that fill the skies of so many beautiful places around this country. But when I look at it, I’m reminded of the things that happen in our lives. How we can start out so far away from each other, but actions end up pushing us together. You see, I grew up not knowing who I truly was. And when I finally found out, few things really made sense. To learn I had a brother who was a superstar in this industry… it was incredible. Jake Starr was never one of my favorites, but there is no doubt at all that he’s one of the best the world has ever seen. At least in the top 100. But just knowing he was my brother, it meant nothing. We grew up in entirely different circumstances. He had a happy home. I had a dumpster fire that turned into a single mother that had no clue what she should be doing. Why am I going on and on about this? Because an event finally pushed us closer - me signing with SCW - and then another pushed us together. Back at Rise to Greatness I was faced with an unenviable choice. Do I take the lead of a woman who had been close to me, but not committed, and follow her down her path of personal darkness behind one of the toughest stables this company has ever known? Or do I try to trust in myself and believe that I am capable of defeating great odds to rise to the level of a champion. There was nothing on the line there. Nothing to truly lose. I rolled the dice and I hit it big. But nothing ever comes easy, does it?
What followed was a systematic version of stalking. Infamous played the role of vicious predators and I their unwilling prey. Because of them, I now wear a small knee brace when I go into the ring. I’m told it’s more of a precaution than anything else, but just imagine in your everyday life if you were to take a chance on yourself, you were successful, and then someone tried to disable you as a result. Mentally, it was difficult to comprehend. Even when I came back from that injury and chased Abigail from the ring, I stood there thinking about what the future might bring. There really was no way around it. Ravyn seemed clear that as long as she had the numbers advantage she would use it against me in full force until I stopped coming back to the ring to face her again. And to think, with a mindset like that she’s the one that has had the gall to refer to me as obsessed with her. I don’t think it takes a genius to see that she has been manipulating the facts in a way that most benefits her. It’s what she’s done for most of her days in this company. I’m staring face first at my rookie year coming to and end and she has to deal with the fact that she got caught by a rookie multiple times. She has to reconcile with that fact. That’s why she twists those facts and pretends this has all been about something I couldn’t let go. It’s hard for the average person to see or comprehend. But Jake Starr isn’t average, nor is he a person. I mean, he’s not average and he sees what’s really happened. The thing about him and I is I never wanted his help. I told him when I signed a contract here that I could handle myself and that I would do this all on my own. But the hard headed ones never know when to ask for help. When I got my knee ripped up, no one came to my rescue. Glory Braddock was already there and she managed to get the upper hand. Jake looked at the facts and he knew it had to be him. The next time they tried to do their worst, he came running to the rescue. It was an unexpected moment, but it showed that even in our circumstances, as wild as they are, that sibling bond will never be broken.
So where does that bring us today? These mountains are so close they’re practically hugging. And that’s how we are. Wait, not hugging constantly. We’re close. Like, not that close. He’s my brother and we fight together. Damnit. I’m getting off track. The more we fight together, the stronger we get as a team together. His resume is unquestionable. He’s accomplished so much in his time in this company and really overall in the industry. But I have a long, long way to go to meet his accomplishments. I never allowed myself to look up to his abilities in the past, but now I do. I’ve learned from him. I can feel myself turning into a more capable wrestler in the ring. I’m finding new ways to use my unique set of athletic abilities and mix them with what he’s shown me. Not only does that make me more capable, but more complete. I didn’t expect this, but it seems like this is what I needed all along. Fighting side-by-side with Jake has been an important moment in my career. Jake? Why are you laughing? Mountains hugging? Motorboats? Oh my god! Stop! Ignore him!
Ok, moving on… this week we fight the Wet Bandits. I’m not good with spanish, but it might even be the Wet Black Bandits. Las Bandidas de Gata Negra? Maybe it’s the Wet Black Cat Bandits? I only really speak english. Either way, we’re going to beat them down so hard this week. We’ve gotten really tired of people trying to push us around. We’re one of the best teams this company has to offer right now. And no cats are taking us down. Wet or otherwise. I really feel like I’m getting this wrong. Either way, we’re ready for anything they can throw at us. These cats don’t know what they have coming for them. Jake Starr is the chairman and I am one of the most up and coming stars in this whole business. The Jake and Jordan Connection -- working title everyone don’t hold us to that -- are only getting started with what we will both accomplish in the next year. Even with everything that has happened recently, I feel so confident. Every time I step out of the ring, I’m anxious for the next time I’m going to be back in there. That’s a huge change for me from where I was months ago. Even a year ago. Almost no one remembers the brown-haired girl that walked in her talking about outworking everyone and winning matches through sure will and determination. Most want to remember that Jordan Majors that stood there offering Peyton Rice a hefty wad of $100s for the TV Championship. So many people remember the Jordan Majors that walked into Rise to Greatness as an afterthought and shocked the whole damn industry. And now as we’re winding down my first full year here, I look back and I hope they remember me most for what I am right now. An ass-kicking, beautiful blonde that’s just getting started and gets everyone excited when they think about the things she could potentially accomplish in the future. Because that’s how I see myself right now. No matter what anyone will tell you, no matter what Infamous or Peyton Rice want to say about me, you all know one thing remains true at the end of every single event. Jordan Majors is money. She’s one of the most-see talents, one of the most beautiful women and one of the best personalities any one of you fans will ever see grace this company. You can bank on it you lovely bitches.
Jordan turns around and looks at the mountains as the camera slowly zooms in toward her lower half before going black.
I walked backstage thinking about the match. There was a lot to process from the way it all went down. My body felt bruised, battered, and broken. Unlike anything I’d ever been through before. But there was a certain adrenaline in my veins. So many times before I’d left a match like this angry at myself for not accomplishing an ultimate goal. This time I felt a renewed sense or purpose. I see Jaina standing nearby getting ready to go on camera. I blow her a kiss and she grins and smiles back. I’m still looking back at her when I turn the corner and run into something so hard it almost knocks me down and out of my shoes. Somehow I stayed on me feet and turned around to see an all-too familiar dirty blonde with freckles and eyes and a smile that I’ll never be able to forget.
Jordan: Abigail! Oh!
Abigail: Were you even watching where you were going at all? What were you looking at?
She leans past me and looks down the hallway to see a producer talking with Jaina. She’s the only girl standing there among a group of three with the cameraman. Abi seems to study the scene for a moment longer before looking back at me and raising a brow. She crosses her arms, almost judging me.
Abigail: You’re fucking kidding me?
Jordan: What!?
Abigail: Don’t even, Jordan. I know you too well. You’re hooking up with Jaina. She’s a kid.
Jordan: She’s 18.
Abigail turns and looks at me, almost sternly. She shakes her head and starts to walk away from me. She seems pissed, but I don’t really understand why. It starts to irritate me, so I follow. I grab her shoulder and she whips back around to face me.
Abigail: What? We don’t have anything to talk about.
Jordan: That’s not true. We need to talk about this.
Abigail: What’s this?
I shrug and shake my head.
Jordan: Why the hell you’re so mad about Jaina.
Abigail just shakes her head at me. She looks annoyed. I know the look from every time I was going to go and talk to Bree while we were together or whatever you want to call it.
Abigail: I just expected a little better from you. That’s all.
Jordan: What does that even mean?
Abigail: Come on. I was suspicious of this already. But if I go back and count from the moment you started liking everything that girl tweeted I can see that you were with her when she was 17. Don’t you think that’s a little inappropriate?
I don’t say anything and she just smirks at me.
Abigail: So you’ve been keeping this from Bree this whole time, haven’t you? She’s going to murder you if she finds out.
I start to speak, but nothing comes out. Abigail’s eyes go wide.
Abigail: Bree knows!? They all know don’t they? The whole Lancaster family. Christ…
Abigail sort of turns to the side and looks away from me. I can tell she’s processing this information in her own way. She looks back over her shoulder at me and then faces me again.
Abigail: Can I just ask one question?
Jordan: Sure.
Abigail: When Owen and Jaina broke up, how long did it take for you and here to get together?
I try to think of what the best way to answer that could be. It was quick. We’d kissed before they broke up and it wasn’t long after that we had that night at the safe house. Just my pause and struggle to answer draws a huffy laugh out of Abigail.
Abigail: So this is a rebound relationship. And this is how you rebound from me? A kid? I expected to hear you were chasing Sierra Swann all over the world, but this? I can’t believe it. Does Owen know?
Jordan: I don’t really know. I think they talked after Apocalypse last month, but I’m not sure what they talked about.
Abigail: Wait, am I the only person not related to you or Jaina that you’ve admitted this to?
Again, I don’t really know what to say. I feel a little attacked. And a little confused. I can’t help but snap back.
Jordan: Stop. Stop this. I could have seen something really building between us, but you didn’t want it. We were labeled as friends with benefits at the biggest show of the year. Do you think I wanted that? I’d rather have just been your girlfriend and tag team partner than that. I thought I meant more to you.
Abigail: You did.
Jordan: I didn’t. If I did you wouldn’t have shut me out. And I wouldn’t have turned around and did it right back to you. We spent months hurting each other and what did it accomplish? You aren’t even working with Ravyn anymore and I get to wear a knee brace.
Abigail: So was it worth it?
Jordan: What?
Abigail: Fucking me as hard as ever just to win at Rise to Greatness?
Abigail has a wicked smile on her face as she finishes the question and I look down with my hands on my waist.
Abigail: As far as I’m concerned, we’re even. No hard feelings from me anymore. I hope you know I didn’t have anything to do with Ravyn and your knee. That was all between you and her. She doesn’t control me and I don’t control her at all. I forgive you for what you did at Rise to Greatness because I need to move on from all of this. I don’t want to fight you. Just do what you need to do and leave me out of it.
I’m taken back by the apology. I never expected this. But I agree with her. There was no reason for us to take this to the heights we did. She had me so fearful when she was cutting pink hair and sprinkling it around.
Abigail: And I’m still going to send you DMs when you post those damn thirst trap photos. Don’t act like you don’t know what you’re doing.
That elicits a giggle out of me and a calmer smile from Abigail. For a moment it flashed me back to the conversations we’d have on the road after a long day in the ring. She was the first person who was willing to take me under their wing and point me in the right direction with my career. She did it as a friend and a lover, even if we weren’t on the same terms when it came to that love. I’d fallen so hard and she clearly knew how to use that to her advantage. At least that’s how it felt.
Abigail: So are we cool then?
Jordan: Yeah, we’re cool. I forgive you, too.
Abigail: Good. Sup Jaina.
Abigail nods and turns and leaves our conversation immediately. I turn, shocked again, and see Jaina standing directly behind me.
Jaina: So… what was that all about?
Jordan: Nothing. Just a little chat.
I kissed Jaina’s cheek and headed toward Bree’s locker room with her in tow. We never held hands in public, just in case. We didn’t want anything to threaten our positions with the company. Of course little did I know that a few days later Abigail would be back to her curiously playful ways. And in doing so, she exposed the fact that Jaina and I were dating to the world of social media.
December 9, 2019 - Toronto
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. My eyes shoot open and I look around the room. My bed is smaller. Jaina is gone. Where the fuck am I? As I slowly begin to scan the room, I realize this isn’t my hotel room. My girlfriend isn’t here. I’m home, in Omaha, Nebraska. Goosebumps rise on my skin and the hair on the back of my neck stands up as a sound comes from the other side of a closed door. Lights are shining brightly on the other side of the door, managing to push through at the openings but not flooding this room. My room. I pull the covers up to my face like I did so many years ago. The door swings open and light blasts into the room, lighting up the bed in a bright glow. I pull the covers up, but I can still see the dark figure of the woman who stands in the doorway, backlit by a light I never remember being so bright. She slowly approaches as I hold the covers tightly against me. I could scream, but I can’t. It’s as if I know she’s coming for me, but a scream would make her approach even faster. As she reaches beside the bed, she holds a bottle high in the air. I know she’s going to strike me. I’ve lived this once and dreamt about it so many times. The inescapable nightmare of the time it happened outside of my head. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. She laughs at me as she prepares to strike. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. The bottle comes down toward me and I’m shaking so hard. “Jordan!? Wake up!?”
My eyes shoot open. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Jaina is shaking me and looking down at me with nothing but concern all over her face. “Jordan? Are you ok?” I turn away from her and see my phone is the cause of the buzzing. With one look at the name Christina, I ignore the call and drop the phone to the floor and turn back to Jaina, my breathing somewhat laboured.
Jaina: Jordan? What’s going on?
Jaina is sitting up and leaning over me. I look into her eyes and I sigh deeply.
Jordan: It was a dream. A bad one. One I’ve had a lot of times, but… not for awhile.
I let out another sigh and adjust the way I’m laying on my back against the pillow. Jaina cuddles against me, throwing an arm across my chest and laying her head on my shoulder.
Jaina: Do you want to talk about it?
My eyes trace invisible patterns on the ceiling as I try to decide my answer. But my eyes close and my heart chooses to open up for her.
Jordan: When I was a teenager, my mom got drunk. Well, you know she did it a lot. But one night, she came into my room. Every light in the house was on except my room. She was searching for something. She didn’t even remember what the next day. I hid under my blankets from her. Trying to ignore her and avoid her in case she lost it. She could see the outline of me and struck me in the head with a bottle. It knocked me out…
Jaina lifts her head from my shoulder and looks troubled by my words.
Jaina: You can’t be serious?
Jordan: I am serious. I had a concussion. A little cut on my head, too.
I pull back a little bit of hair on my forehead and run a finger across an almost non-existent scar along my hairline as Jaina watches.
Jordan: Bled all over the sheets, which she made me keep. Still had the stains the day I left for good. Just not something I want to remember, but it never goes away. It haunts me. Like it would happen again when I know it would never. Because I’ll never be in that situation again.
I turn my head to look at the clock for a moment and see it’s 3:30 in the morning. Jaina grabs my chin and redirects it back to looking at her where she plants a kiss on my lips. I smile and she smiles back.
Jaina: You can always tell me anything. Anything at all. My mom, she struggled really badly with alcohol for awhile. Like, it threatened to drive us apart. I can’t completely relate to what you went through, but I understand some of the feelings. I want you to feel like you can open up to me.
She looks at me with serious eyes. I nod.
Jaina: I mean it. Don’t ever close me out. Please.
My arm pulls her back in tightly against me and I plant a kiss on her nose. She lets out a giggle.
Jordan: Let’s try to get some sleep. Going to be a long day and then we have to travel.
We both close our eyes and a short time while I can hear that she is sleeping. The calm and her touch puts me back to sleep, too. My dreams aren’t so bad. But the morning comes and shoves us both awake. I reach down on the floor and pick up my phone. 15 missed calls? I open it up and see they’re all from her. And a voicemail. I stand up out of bed and walk into the bathroom and sit down on the toilet, punch in a few numbers and put the phone to my ear.
Christina: Hey Kylie, it’s your mom… I… well… I’m not doing too good. I need some money. If you could send me some… I just need some help. The meetings aren’t working and I stopped going. I saw you on TV the other day and thought, well, maybe you’d like to send some money your momma’s way so she can feel better. I can see you’re ignoring me like usual, though. Listen… no matter what, Kylie, I did love you. And I’m sorry. Bye.
The phone almost drops out of my hand as I sit there, expressionless. I delete the voicemail and stand up, going straight for my bag. I look over my shoulder out the door and dig out a bottle and shake four pills into my palm. I throw them in my mouth and toss my head back to swallow them before I flush the toilet and turn to look in the mirror. I have to sigh. I don’t know why she called me. I didn’t want anything to do with her. She didn’t love me. You don’t do those things to someone you love. She was messed up in the head. I shake my head and push away from the counter. Jaina is standing right there, looking at her phone. She looks shocked.
Jaina: Oh my god! They caught Ricky’s killer!?
Jordan: Wait, what?
Jaina: You’ll never believe who it is.
Jaina holds the phone up to me and I read the name. Immediately I start searching for some clothes to put on as Jaina watches me quizzically.
Jaina: What’s going on?
Jordan: We’ve got to go find Bree and Sienna. This is going to hurt them badly.
December 13, 2019 - Salt Lake City
I sat at a weight bench in a local gym looking at my phone. A towel draped over my neck kept sweat from running down my body after a decent workout. I knew I’d be doing very little between now and the tag match Jake and I had the following night in Salt Lake City. This place had a sort of beauty to it. I looked out the windows and could see right up into the mountains. Breathtaking view.
Jake: You’re reading about that guy, still?
Jake takes my phone out of my hand and walks forward away from me. I spring up and the towel swings off of my neck and to the floor.
Jordan: Hey!
Jake: This is garbage. Just forget about it. We’ve got better things to do. Like win matches together.
Jordan: It’s not garbage. That is really affecting my friends. They worked with that man that was arrested, and he killed a friend of ours.
Jake raises a brow at me as he hands my phone back and leans against another weight bench.
Jake: You didn’t even know that guy.
Jordan: Well, I… no… but…
Jake: You don’t even know the guy that was arrested. It’s funny though, you’re so immersed in their world. You’re like one of those people from that Christmas movie with all the girls.
Jordan: Christmas show with all the girls…
Jake: Yeah, you know. They’re mean and stuff.
Jordan: Are you calling me one of the plastics from Mean Girls? Seriously?
Jake: Mean Girls? What? I was thinking of Die Hard. You’re like one of the bad guys from that. And that Sienna girl is like Hans Gruber. A great Christmas movie.
I roll my eyes at him and sit down on the bench shaking my head. He always finds a way to talk shit about my friends. I feel like he’s trying to protect me most days, but it’s hard to tell. Back when I signed, he didn’t seem to care. When he returned to SCW, he didn’t care enough to tell me. And now he’s all about me and my business. It’s hard to keep up with. I wonder if, like Kandis had said before Clarity, he’s worried about me or about winning some matches.
Jordan: Why do you get so up in arms about them?
Jake points at my shirt and I look down. Of course he’s pointing at it because I’m wearing the newest Bree Lancaster shirt that promotes her Breemerica look at the US Champion. I cross my arms to cover what he’s still pointing at and look up at him.
Jake: It’s this shit right here. I wonder, why can’t you wear a shirt that features us. The one I designed but you shot down was great.
Jordan: Great!? It looked like you were looking at my ass and you had the PornHub logo remade to say StarrBros. I’m a girl, dude.
Jake: Well it was a mockup. I was just playing around on my phone and came up with it. It was all changeable. But that’s not the point. Also, I know you’re not a dude. I mean look at you, damn.
Jordan: Don’t be so fucking weird.
I roll my eyes and he laughs. I know I make mistakes just by selling his crude jokes. He doesn’t mean anything. He just likes to get a rise out of me. He’s too damn good at it.
Jake: What I’m trying to say here is don’t forget at the end of the day, this is what you have to worry about most. Your career centers around this tag team thing we’ve got going on right now. If you’re focusing on what Sienna and Bree are doing all of the time, you’re missing the point.
Jordan: What point?
Jake: The point that they aren’t all that concerned with what you’re doing right now and that you should be concerned more so about you than them. Do you think that they care one bit about what happens to you in the ring?
Jordan: I actually do.
Jake: Then where were they when Ravyn tried to break your leg? Where were they all those times Infamous was attacking you. This is as serious as you’ll ever get from me. Just making sure that you think about this.
I shake my head and sigh. He’s actually starting to annoy me. But the most annoying thing is that it makes sense. It’s something that I’ve tried to push back deep into my mind. But time after time, Jake is the one that comes through with a pry bar and pulls it right back out to the forefront.
Jordan: Let’s just drop this.
Jake: Nah, I don’t feel like dropping it.
Jordan: Don’t be a dick.
Jake: Look who you’re talking to.
I stare directly into his eyes and snarl. He simply smiles back and adjusts his weight to lean on an elbow against the equipment.
Jake: I’m trying to teach you the same thing I was when I beat you in the back with that chair before Clarity. You gotta get your priorities in line and I hope it’s more than licking the cracks of Sienna and Bree when you aren’t between the legs of Bree’s niece --
Smack! That was the noise I heard before I realized what had happened. I stood there looking at Jake, who had his face turned away, with a red handprint on his cheek. I realized that my temper had boiled over and I’d stood up and slapped him when he mentioned Jaina. Jake slowly turns back to me, nodding his head. I know he’s about to let me have it for the mistake I’d just made. My mouth is still hanging open in shock.
Jake: Where the fuck was that intensity at Clarity? We’d probably be drinking champagne and spilling it all over our brand new tag team titles? God damn, sis. That was a hell of a shot. Now I know what it takes to get you fired up.
Jordan: Don’t…
Jake holds his hands up and laughs.
Jake: Now I know your biggest priority when it comes to those women. It’s not them. It’s your little backstage announcer girlfriend. Should we get you a shirt with her on it?
Jordan: Please, stop it.
Jake goes quiet for a minute and shakes his head at me. I sit back down on the weight bench and let out a long, hard sigh. He kneels down next to me.
Jake: All I’m going to say is when the shit goes down some day, I want to know - without any doubt - that you have my back.
Jordan: You know I’ve got your back.
Jake: And my front?
Jordan: Jake!?
Jake: That’s my sister. Now get cleaned up. I want to explore this city and I can’t imagine the mormons like smelly chicks.
I roll my eyes once more as I stand up and gather my stuff into my bag and head to a locker room area.
Promo
A camera switches on and Jordan Majors walks in front of a view of the Rocky Mountains in Salt Lake City, Utah. She turns to the camera and gestures toward the range. The camera zooms in on her chest.
Jake…
The camera zooms out and centers on Jordan’s upper half with the mountains behind her.
When you think about how these mountains were formed, it’s pretty remarkable. The plates of the earth pressing into each other and pushing the corresponding land to move upward in these beautiful patterns that fill the skies of so many beautiful places around this country. But when I look at it, I’m reminded of the things that happen in our lives. How we can start out so far away from each other, but actions end up pushing us together. You see, I grew up not knowing who I truly was. And when I finally found out, few things really made sense. To learn I had a brother who was a superstar in this industry… it was incredible. Jake Starr was never one of my favorites, but there is no doubt at all that he’s one of the best the world has ever seen. At least in the top 100. But just knowing he was my brother, it meant nothing. We grew up in entirely different circumstances. He had a happy home. I had a dumpster fire that turned into a single mother that had no clue what she should be doing. Why am I going on and on about this? Because an event finally pushed us closer - me signing with SCW - and then another pushed us together. Back at Rise to Greatness I was faced with an unenviable choice. Do I take the lead of a woman who had been close to me, but not committed, and follow her down her path of personal darkness behind one of the toughest stables this company has ever known? Or do I try to trust in myself and believe that I am capable of defeating great odds to rise to the level of a champion. There was nothing on the line there. Nothing to truly lose. I rolled the dice and I hit it big. But nothing ever comes easy, does it?
What followed was a systematic version of stalking. Infamous played the role of vicious predators and I their unwilling prey. Because of them, I now wear a small knee brace when I go into the ring. I’m told it’s more of a precaution than anything else, but just imagine in your everyday life if you were to take a chance on yourself, you were successful, and then someone tried to disable you as a result. Mentally, it was difficult to comprehend. Even when I came back from that injury and chased Abigail from the ring, I stood there thinking about what the future might bring. There really was no way around it. Ravyn seemed clear that as long as she had the numbers advantage she would use it against me in full force until I stopped coming back to the ring to face her again. And to think, with a mindset like that she’s the one that has had the gall to refer to me as obsessed with her. I don’t think it takes a genius to see that she has been manipulating the facts in a way that most benefits her. It’s what she’s done for most of her days in this company. I’m staring face first at my rookie year coming to and end and she has to deal with the fact that she got caught by a rookie multiple times. She has to reconcile with that fact. That’s why she twists those facts and pretends this has all been about something I couldn’t let go. It’s hard for the average person to see or comprehend. But Jake Starr isn’t average, nor is he a person. I mean, he’s not average and he sees what’s really happened. The thing about him and I is I never wanted his help. I told him when I signed a contract here that I could handle myself and that I would do this all on my own. But the hard headed ones never know when to ask for help. When I got my knee ripped up, no one came to my rescue. Glory Braddock was already there and she managed to get the upper hand. Jake looked at the facts and he knew it had to be him. The next time they tried to do their worst, he came running to the rescue. It was an unexpected moment, but it showed that even in our circumstances, as wild as they are, that sibling bond will never be broken.
So where does that bring us today? These mountains are so close they’re practically hugging. And that’s how we are. Wait, not hugging constantly. We’re close. Like, not that close. He’s my brother and we fight together. Damnit. I’m getting off track. The more we fight together, the stronger we get as a team together. His resume is unquestionable. He’s accomplished so much in his time in this company and really overall in the industry. But I have a long, long way to go to meet his accomplishments. I never allowed myself to look up to his abilities in the past, but now I do. I’ve learned from him. I can feel myself turning into a more capable wrestler in the ring. I’m finding new ways to use my unique set of athletic abilities and mix them with what he’s shown me. Not only does that make me more capable, but more complete. I didn’t expect this, but it seems like this is what I needed all along. Fighting side-by-side with Jake has been an important moment in my career. Jake? Why are you laughing? Mountains hugging? Motorboats? Oh my god! Stop! Ignore him!
Ok, moving on… this week we fight the Wet Bandits. I’m not good with spanish, but it might even be the Wet Black Bandits. Las Bandidas de Gata Negra? Maybe it’s the Wet Black Cat Bandits? I only really speak english. Either way, we’re going to beat them down so hard this week. We’ve gotten really tired of people trying to push us around. We’re one of the best teams this company has to offer right now. And no cats are taking us down. Wet or otherwise. I really feel like I’m getting this wrong. Either way, we’re ready for anything they can throw at us. These cats don’t know what they have coming for them. Jake Starr is the chairman and I am one of the most up and coming stars in this whole business. The Jake and Jordan Connection -- working title everyone don’t hold us to that -- are only getting started with what we will both accomplish in the next year. Even with everything that has happened recently, I feel so confident. Every time I step out of the ring, I’m anxious for the next time I’m going to be back in there. That’s a huge change for me from where I was months ago. Even a year ago. Almost no one remembers the brown-haired girl that walked in her talking about outworking everyone and winning matches through sure will and determination. Most want to remember that Jordan Majors that stood there offering Peyton Rice a hefty wad of $100s for the TV Championship. So many people remember the Jordan Majors that walked into Rise to Greatness as an afterthought and shocked the whole damn industry. And now as we’re winding down my first full year here, I look back and I hope they remember me most for what I am right now. An ass-kicking, beautiful blonde that’s just getting started and gets everyone excited when they think about the things she could potentially accomplish in the future. Because that’s how I see myself right now. No matter what anyone will tell you, no matter what Infamous or Peyton Rice want to say about me, you all know one thing remains true at the end of every single event. Jordan Majors is money. She’s one of the most-see talents, one of the most beautiful women and one of the best personalities any one of you fans will ever see grace this company. You can bank on it you lovely bitches.
Jordan turns around and looks at the mountains as the camera slowly zooms in toward her lower half before going black.