01-16-2023, 03:51 AM
[Have you ever been in a situation where you had to say “The hell with it” and do something to even the odds knowing full well you were putting your own well-being at risk? Where you were purposely putting yourself in harm's way to ensure a fair fight? Sometimes you have to because there are people who don't play by the rules and want to cheat their way to success. But the problem with doing the right thing is that sometimes you do it by yourself. Luckily, there are other people there to back you up when you do the right thing more often than not. And then there are the rare occasions when you can take advantage of a distraction to level the playing field. What, you don't believe me? Such an occurrence happened on the January 12th edition of SCW Breakdown and the most unlikely of heroes rose to the occasion and prevented an in-ring case of highway robbery. Oh, did I get your attention? Good! Follow me! I'm taking you on a trip to see who it was and find out if there was any fallout!]
Denver, Colorado. A thriving city full of bustle and activity. It being Sunday, most folks are at home spending time with family or watching sports. Some offices are open on Sunday, because some things don't recognize weekends. One of the most common businesses open on a Sunday is a doctor's office. This particular office only takes patients with appointments on Sundays. Chance Owens is sitting in the waiting room with his younger brother Leo and a faint grimace on his face. Leo shakes his head as he looks at his older brother. “Didn't the doctor tell you to take it easy?”
Chance laughs a little. “Technically, I did take it easy.” He shrugs his right shoulder. “I just used one move instead of being in a full match.”
“He's gonna yell at you anyway, you know... You've been grimacing and cussing under your breath all morning.”
“I slept wrong.” Chance gingerly rubs his left side. “You know my bed sucks.” The beds he and Leo had been able to afford thanks to Adam and Liam won't be delivered for a month, much to their dismay. Liam hadn't been happy when he'd heard about the delay, but there was only so much he could do.
“Yeah, that's true, but still.”
One of the nurses at reception steps out from behind the counter with a folder in her hands. “Chance Owens?”
Chance gets to his feet and pats Leo on the shoulder. “I'll be back, little brother.”
The nurse recognizes him when he approaches and her smile is genuine. “Hi Chance, this way, please.”
“Lead on.” He bites back a smile as he follows her down the hallway, taking time to appreciate the pleasant view he has.
She brings him to one of the exam rooms and unfortunately for him, there's a baby in the room right beside him. “The doctor will be with you as soon as he can... An urgent patient came in a few minutes before you checked in.”
Chance sits in the chair for patients with a smile. “I don't mind waiting when it's important.”
“Thank you so much for understanding.” She closes the door with a soft click.
Chance is left alone with his thoughts and can't help snickering at what he did on Breakdown. “Amelia, Amelia, Amelia. You think I'm scared of you? Not even you and Glory Braddock combined could do any serious damage! No, I'm not afraid of you. As a matter of fact, I have a two word response to your little 'threat'... Bring it!” Then he leans back and closes his eyes while he waits. It's hard to ignore the screaming baby next to him... But he tries his best.
The doctor gives a perfunctory knock on the door before he opens it. “Hi Chance, how are you doing?”
Chance grimaces at another spasm in his side from the crappy bed he has to sleep in for another month. “Other than having to wait a month for my new bed... I'm doing okay.”
“Any lingering soreness when you move your body a certain way?”
“No.”
“Any pulling from the incisions?”
“No.”
The doctor throws in a different kind of question. “And you're sure the spasm you just had wasn't from your escapades on Thursday?”
Chance notes the difference of the question with a raised eyebrow but he answers readily enough. “Yes, I'm sure... My bed is garbage and I slept wrong last night.”
The doctor makes a sound of disapproval, almost like he doesn't believe Chance. His words belie the sound he made, though. “When can you get a new bed?”
“Leo and I were able to buy new beds last week but they won't be delivered until some time in February.”
“Why the long delay?”
“Supplier problems.” Chance sighs and shakes his head. “People are still causing shortages.”
The doctor shakes his head as well. “There's nothing we can do about that, unfortunately... Go ahead and sit on the table there so I can do the usual checks.” Heart, lungs, blood pressure.
“Do you need me to take off my shirt so you can check my incisions?” Even as he stands up and leaves his jacket on the chair.
The doctor smiles and shakes his head. “No, you can just lift it up if I need to check them.”
“Okay.” Chance sits on the table with his right side facing the doctor. Laparoscopic surgeries only leave three or four small incisions on a patient's torso opposed to large scar-forming cuts created by standard surgical procedures. Those small incisions usually heal quickly and leave only tiny scars behind.
The checkup goes smoothly and the doctor smiles after making a few notes on his tablet. “Everything is normal and your muscle tone is good... Just be careful this week if you can.”
Chance eases himself off the table with a chuckle. “No guarantees, Doctor, but I'll try.” He goes to claim his jacket off the chair and shrugs it back on.
“That's all I ask... Why did you get involved in that match anyway, if you don't mind my asking?”
“I hate cheaters, so I did something about it.”
The doctor laughs and opens the door. “Always right to the point.”
“It gets me in trouble sometimes, but I don't care. We need to stand our ground sometimes.”
“We could use more people like you, Chance. Did you want me to let your other employer know you've been cleared to go back to work?” He's referring to Mr. Gleason and the insurance company.
“Oh, would you, please? I'm booked on Breakdown this Thursday so my mind's going to be elsewhere.”
“Consider it done.” The doctor gestures for Chance to leave first.
Chance nods to say thank you and finds his way back to the waiting room where Leo is waiting for him. “Look alive, little brother.”
Leo looks up from his phone and smiles. “All done?”
“All done. I don't have to come back unless I get hurt again.”
Leo stands up and stretches before putting his phone in his pocket. “Shall we leave, then?”
“We shall.” Chance holds the door open for Leo and follows him out into the chilly winter air. “I think our next stop should be a clothing store.”
“Did you want me to call Mom and ask for a ride?”
Chance carefully removes the disposable surgical mask he was wearing and breathes deeply to chase the antiseptic smell out of his nostrils. “Would you, please? The thought of taking a taxi makes me shudder.”
“Done deal.” Leo takes his phone out of his pocket and calls their mother Amanda at home. “Hi Mom? It's Leo. We just came out of the doctor's office and Chance wants to go clothes shopping. He doesn't want to take a taxi. Said the thought of it makes him shudder. Yeah. Thanks, Mom. See you soon. Bye.” He hits End and pockets his phone with a happy sigh before taking off his mask. “She'll be here in ten to fifteen minutes, traffic permitting.”
“That's good.” Chance slowly inhales a lung full of cold January air and exhales it just as slowly. The burn from the chill acts as a stimulant and he can feel himself waking up. Amanda's car pulls up to the curb twelve minutes later and he grins. “Right on time!” He can hear Leo laughing as they get in.
- - -
Chance, Leo and Amanda bring the bags and boxes of clothes into the townhouse amid gales of laughter three hours later. Chance puts what he's carrying at the top of the stairs and waits for Leo and Amanda to offload their burdens. He's still chortling from the look on the cashier's face from the last store. “You'd think she's never seen people go on a shopping spree before!”
Amanda's giggling uncontrollably. “She's used to it being women, Chance!”
That sets Chance off again and he leans against the wall, shaking with the force of his laughter. “I think she was on the verge of calling security on us!”
Leo rubs the leg he broke before Christmas and goes to bring in another load of bags. “She would have if we'd gotten the really expensive stuff!” He and Amanda leave Chance inside with his laughter.
Chance had been paying close attention to what he and Leo were buying so he knows which bags and boxes are his and which are Leo's. He moves them into two distinct groupings and wipes the tears of mirth off his face before going out to see if there's anything left for him to bring in. “The stuff near the kitchen is Leo's.” He finds three large bags and scoops them out by the handles with one hand so he can close the trunk with the other. A quick visual inspection tells him that's everything and he closes the trunk before going back inside. “This is the last of it... Thanks for coming in with us, Mom.”
Amanda smiles and hugs her sons. “It was my pleasure. I don't think I've seen either of you smile or laugh so much since you were young.”
“Well part of it was from being stared at by all those women.”
Leo grins. “They were checking out your butt, Chance.”
“Most of them were at least Mom's age! No offense, Mom.”
Amanda chuckles. “No offense taken.” Then she starts laughing again. “That one woman who thought I was your sugar mama instead of your mother...”
Now it's Leo's turn to lean against the wall as he laughs. “Did you see the look on her face when Chance turned around to confront her!?”
Chance shakes his head and puts the large bags near the front closet. He'd closed the door with his foot after coming back inside. “It was her daughter's comment that did it for me... 'Mom, you need glasses. Didn't you see the resemblance?'. I almost died laughing!”
Amanda is still laughing as she goes to the front door so she can leave. “That was the most fun I've had in a long time... You boys be careful with that money, okay?”
“We will.”
“I'm glad to hear it.” Adam and Liam had given Chance a hundred thousand dollars. She opens and closes the door as she steps outside.
Chance hears the door close and bends down to rummage through one of the bags of his clothing. He grunts as he digs, then makes a soft sound of satisfaction as he comes up with what he was looking for. “Go ahead and put your stuff away... I'll be back.”
Leo sees what Chance is holding and puts one hand up. “Don't break anything. You have a title match on Breakdown.”
Chance's grin is downright sadistic. “It won't be my bones breaking, little brother.” He moves his hands around what he's holding and a store price tag flutters to the ground followed by the thin plastic device used to hold it in place. A piece of cardboard follows close behind and he makes his way to the front door. The door opens and he pauses to put on what he's holding. Oh no. He's wearing a brand new pair of black fighter's gloves.
Leo shakes his head as the door closes. “I hope you know what you're doing...” Then he starts moving his stuff to his room.
Chance comes back less than half an hour later dripping with sweat and grinning like the cat that swallowed the canary. “That's better.” The fighter's gloves he just bought that day are still intact.
“Who did what to deserve you beating the hell out of them?”
“Some schmuck who thought it'd be fun to throw rocks at Mom's car while she was on the sidewalk as she was leaving.”
Leo scowls as he comes down and closes the door before throwing the deadbolt. “Serves him right.” Then he looks at Chance. “Hands.”
Chance lifts his hands so Leo can remove the fighter's gloves. “People started running when they saw me heading his way... I don't know why...” The twinkle in his eyes says he knows exactly why.
Leo laughs as he takes the gloves off. “They haven't forgotten.”
“It's only been five years, little brother...” Chance sighs contently. “I didn't know how much I needed that until just now.”
“Don't let it overwhelm you. As I said before you left, you have a title match on Breakdown this coming Thursday.”
“I know.” Chance goes up the stairs and starts moving the bags of his clothes to his room. He only realizes Leo's helping him when he turns around and sees him holding bags in his hands. “Thanks, Leo.”
“You're welcome.” Leo leaves the bags near Chance's closet and they go to finish moving the bags. He points to the couch when they're done. “Sit.”
Chance plops down on the couch and covers up with his favorite blanket. “I think the furnace is on the fritz!”
“I'll call maintenance in a few minutes here... I need to hang up our jackets.” Leo moves to the bags they left by the front closet. “In the meantime, what happened when you went to the arena for the end of the year special event? You never did tell me.”
Chance snorts as he finally crosses his legs to keep warm. “I put my foot in my mouth is what happened.”
“So talk already.”
“Kelsai Adamson was in the open invitational battle royal and I did what you and Adam told me to. I looked up her career on the internet.” Chance sighs as the warmth finally starts to seep into his sock-covered feet. “I then proceeded to make myself sound like some creepy-ass stalker and she almost laughed at me when she identified me. She doesn't like me, Leo.”
Leo comes back into the living room after hanging up their new jackets and looks at Chance sitting cross-legged on the couch. “Well, that's a first... But maybe she'll get over it and you can be more than friends.”
Chance snorts again. “Three strikes rule, Leo... She doesn't like me. She just got through a nasty divorce. She's my co-worker.”
“Oh.” Leo sounds mildly disappointed as he disappears into the kitchen to call maintenance about the lack of heat in the house. He comes back a few minutes later and settles into his favorite chair. “So let's shift focus to your match on Breakdown.”
Chance immediately starts to relax. “It was total chaos out there... Polly and Yuyo both got counted out.”
“So who's the champion?”
“Polly. Titles don't change hands if there's a double countout.”
“Oh, okay. You've faced Polly before in the Trios tournament.”
“That was a three on three situation... This is one on one and it's for her SCW Television Championship.”
Leo can hear the reverence when Chance mentions the title. “So what's your game plan?”
“I think my street fighter background will come into play here... Beat her until she can't move and pin her.”
“You can't only rely on that. She's smart.”
Chance concedes the point with a tilt of his head. “That's true... But it will help. I'm not going to underestimate her. She's got guts and a fighting spirit to go with those brains.”
Leo can see something in Chance's eyes. “But...”
“But she doesn't have the hunger to win a title. She doesn't have the desire to fight her way to a championship because she already has one. She doesn't have the desperation to prove she's more than just a wet behind the ears rookie and prove she deserves to be in the SCW.”
Leo knows Chance is talking about himself. “Chance, you know what they say about learning, don't you?”
Chance knows exactly what Leo's referring to. “You learn by living and you learn from your mistakes.” His eyes start to glitter dangerously. “I've learned a lot...” He wiggles a little and shakes his head. “I'll be glad when our new furniture gets here!” A mild twisting of his torso puts him back on topic. “I've learned what to do and what not to do to get ahead in life. And if there's one thing I've learned, it's that you don't let yourself get complacent!”
Leo shifts around to get comfortable. “Depending when Mr. Gleason calls you back to work at the insurance company, I think you need to get to a gym.”
“You're right as usual these days, little brother.” Chance wiggles the toes on his right foot and sighs softly when his ankle pops. “You do realize Polly may not be coming out alone... If it's not Colleen with her, it's bound to be Aisling. They are called the Playgirls Three.”
“Maybe I should go with you... It's just over in Columbus.”
“Tell you what. You can be in the crowd at ringside.” Then Chance grins. “Right beside Liam.”
Leo's not stupid; he knows what that means. “How excited is Adam?”
“Kid in a candy store, but he's gonna be focused on what he's there for.” Which is watching Chance's back in case anyone tries anything.
“Will he be going to the ring with you?”
“I don't know if he's ready for that yet.” Chance chuckles quietly. “Hell, I don't know if I'm ready for that yet!”
“At least he'll be backstage if you need him.”
“Right... Hey Leo?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for not being upset.”
Leo smiles as he rubs his leg again. “You're the wrestler, not me... I'd probably get my leg broken again.” Then he grimaces. “Once is enough, thank you!”
Chance can't help laughing a little. “Is it really bothering you?”
“Yeah... It feels like it didn't heal properly. There's this dull ache deep inside the bone.”
“Call your doctor tomorrow and see if you can book an appointment for Tuesday or early Wednesday.”
“Oh, he takes walk-ins in addition to appointments.”
“Good. I'll go with you in the taxi... I hate having to call Mom and Dad for rides so often and we can afford the fare now.”
“Sounds good to me... And maybe after you come home with the title and the winner's purse we can go looking for a decent car so one of us can actually drive places.”
Chance throws his head back and laughs. “That sounds like a plan to me, little brother!” Then he reaches out and picks up his tablet so they can enjoy a little music before they start cooking supper.
[And that's where we're going to leave them for now. Polly... You have talent and skill. You have brains and courage. You have guts and a fighting spirit. But so does Chance. Bring everything you have to the ring in Columbus, Ohio... You're going to need it.]
Denver, Colorado. A thriving city full of bustle and activity. It being Sunday, most folks are at home spending time with family or watching sports. Some offices are open on Sunday, because some things don't recognize weekends. One of the most common businesses open on a Sunday is a doctor's office. This particular office only takes patients with appointments on Sundays. Chance Owens is sitting in the waiting room with his younger brother Leo and a faint grimace on his face. Leo shakes his head as he looks at his older brother. “Didn't the doctor tell you to take it easy?”
Chance laughs a little. “Technically, I did take it easy.” He shrugs his right shoulder. “I just used one move instead of being in a full match.”
“He's gonna yell at you anyway, you know... You've been grimacing and cussing under your breath all morning.”
“I slept wrong.” Chance gingerly rubs his left side. “You know my bed sucks.” The beds he and Leo had been able to afford thanks to Adam and Liam won't be delivered for a month, much to their dismay. Liam hadn't been happy when he'd heard about the delay, but there was only so much he could do.
“Yeah, that's true, but still.”
One of the nurses at reception steps out from behind the counter with a folder in her hands. “Chance Owens?”
Chance gets to his feet and pats Leo on the shoulder. “I'll be back, little brother.”
The nurse recognizes him when he approaches and her smile is genuine. “Hi Chance, this way, please.”
“Lead on.” He bites back a smile as he follows her down the hallway, taking time to appreciate the pleasant view he has.
She brings him to one of the exam rooms and unfortunately for him, there's a baby in the room right beside him. “The doctor will be with you as soon as he can... An urgent patient came in a few minutes before you checked in.”
Chance sits in the chair for patients with a smile. “I don't mind waiting when it's important.”
“Thank you so much for understanding.” She closes the door with a soft click.
Chance is left alone with his thoughts and can't help snickering at what he did on Breakdown. “Amelia, Amelia, Amelia. You think I'm scared of you? Not even you and Glory Braddock combined could do any serious damage! No, I'm not afraid of you. As a matter of fact, I have a two word response to your little 'threat'... Bring it!” Then he leans back and closes his eyes while he waits. It's hard to ignore the screaming baby next to him... But he tries his best.
The doctor gives a perfunctory knock on the door before he opens it. “Hi Chance, how are you doing?”
Chance grimaces at another spasm in his side from the crappy bed he has to sleep in for another month. “Other than having to wait a month for my new bed... I'm doing okay.”
“Any lingering soreness when you move your body a certain way?”
“No.”
“Any pulling from the incisions?”
“No.”
The doctor throws in a different kind of question. “And you're sure the spasm you just had wasn't from your escapades on Thursday?”
Chance notes the difference of the question with a raised eyebrow but he answers readily enough. “Yes, I'm sure... My bed is garbage and I slept wrong last night.”
The doctor makes a sound of disapproval, almost like he doesn't believe Chance. His words belie the sound he made, though. “When can you get a new bed?”
“Leo and I were able to buy new beds last week but they won't be delivered until some time in February.”
“Why the long delay?”
“Supplier problems.” Chance sighs and shakes his head. “People are still causing shortages.”
The doctor shakes his head as well. “There's nothing we can do about that, unfortunately... Go ahead and sit on the table there so I can do the usual checks.” Heart, lungs, blood pressure.
“Do you need me to take off my shirt so you can check my incisions?” Even as he stands up and leaves his jacket on the chair.
The doctor smiles and shakes his head. “No, you can just lift it up if I need to check them.”
“Okay.” Chance sits on the table with his right side facing the doctor. Laparoscopic surgeries only leave three or four small incisions on a patient's torso opposed to large scar-forming cuts created by standard surgical procedures. Those small incisions usually heal quickly and leave only tiny scars behind.
The checkup goes smoothly and the doctor smiles after making a few notes on his tablet. “Everything is normal and your muscle tone is good... Just be careful this week if you can.”
Chance eases himself off the table with a chuckle. “No guarantees, Doctor, but I'll try.” He goes to claim his jacket off the chair and shrugs it back on.
“That's all I ask... Why did you get involved in that match anyway, if you don't mind my asking?”
“I hate cheaters, so I did something about it.”
The doctor laughs and opens the door. “Always right to the point.”
“It gets me in trouble sometimes, but I don't care. We need to stand our ground sometimes.”
“We could use more people like you, Chance. Did you want me to let your other employer know you've been cleared to go back to work?” He's referring to Mr. Gleason and the insurance company.
“Oh, would you, please? I'm booked on Breakdown this Thursday so my mind's going to be elsewhere.”
“Consider it done.” The doctor gestures for Chance to leave first.
Chance nods to say thank you and finds his way back to the waiting room where Leo is waiting for him. “Look alive, little brother.”
Leo looks up from his phone and smiles. “All done?”
“All done. I don't have to come back unless I get hurt again.”
Leo stands up and stretches before putting his phone in his pocket. “Shall we leave, then?”
“We shall.” Chance holds the door open for Leo and follows him out into the chilly winter air. “I think our next stop should be a clothing store.”
“Did you want me to call Mom and ask for a ride?”
Chance carefully removes the disposable surgical mask he was wearing and breathes deeply to chase the antiseptic smell out of his nostrils. “Would you, please? The thought of taking a taxi makes me shudder.”
“Done deal.” Leo takes his phone out of his pocket and calls their mother Amanda at home. “Hi Mom? It's Leo. We just came out of the doctor's office and Chance wants to go clothes shopping. He doesn't want to take a taxi. Said the thought of it makes him shudder. Yeah. Thanks, Mom. See you soon. Bye.” He hits End and pockets his phone with a happy sigh before taking off his mask. “She'll be here in ten to fifteen minutes, traffic permitting.”
“That's good.” Chance slowly inhales a lung full of cold January air and exhales it just as slowly. The burn from the chill acts as a stimulant and he can feel himself waking up. Amanda's car pulls up to the curb twelve minutes later and he grins. “Right on time!” He can hear Leo laughing as they get in.
- - -
Chance, Leo and Amanda bring the bags and boxes of clothes into the townhouse amid gales of laughter three hours later. Chance puts what he's carrying at the top of the stairs and waits for Leo and Amanda to offload their burdens. He's still chortling from the look on the cashier's face from the last store. “You'd think she's never seen people go on a shopping spree before!”
Amanda's giggling uncontrollably. “She's used to it being women, Chance!”
That sets Chance off again and he leans against the wall, shaking with the force of his laughter. “I think she was on the verge of calling security on us!”
Leo rubs the leg he broke before Christmas and goes to bring in another load of bags. “She would have if we'd gotten the really expensive stuff!” He and Amanda leave Chance inside with his laughter.
Chance had been paying close attention to what he and Leo were buying so he knows which bags and boxes are his and which are Leo's. He moves them into two distinct groupings and wipes the tears of mirth off his face before going out to see if there's anything left for him to bring in. “The stuff near the kitchen is Leo's.” He finds three large bags and scoops them out by the handles with one hand so he can close the trunk with the other. A quick visual inspection tells him that's everything and he closes the trunk before going back inside. “This is the last of it... Thanks for coming in with us, Mom.”
Amanda smiles and hugs her sons. “It was my pleasure. I don't think I've seen either of you smile or laugh so much since you were young.”
“Well part of it was from being stared at by all those women.”
Leo grins. “They were checking out your butt, Chance.”
“Most of them were at least Mom's age! No offense, Mom.”
Amanda chuckles. “No offense taken.” Then she starts laughing again. “That one woman who thought I was your sugar mama instead of your mother...”
Now it's Leo's turn to lean against the wall as he laughs. “Did you see the look on her face when Chance turned around to confront her!?”
Chance shakes his head and puts the large bags near the front closet. He'd closed the door with his foot after coming back inside. “It was her daughter's comment that did it for me... 'Mom, you need glasses. Didn't you see the resemblance?'. I almost died laughing!”
Amanda is still laughing as she goes to the front door so she can leave. “That was the most fun I've had in a long time... You boys be careful with that money, okay?”
“We will.”
“I'm glad to hear it.” Adam and Liam had given Chance a hundred thousand dollars. She opens and closes the door as she steps outside.
Chance hears the door close and bends down to rummage through one of the bags of his clothing. He grunts as he digs, then makes a soft sound of satisfaction as he comes up with what he was looking for. “Go ahead and put your stuff away... I'll be back.”
Leo sees what Chance is holding and puts one hand up. “Don't break anything. You have a title match on Breakdown.”
Chance's grin is downright sadistic. “It won't be my bones breaking, little brother.” He moves his hands around what he's holding and a store price tag flutters to the ground followed by the thin plastic device used to hold it in place. A piece of cardboard follows close behind and he makes his way to the front door. The door opens and he pauses to put on what he's holding. Oh no. He's wearing a brand new pair of black fighter's gloves.
Leo shakes his head as the door closes. “I hope you know what you're doing...” Then he starts moving his stuff to his room.
Chance comes back less than half an hour later dripping with sweat and grinning like the cat that swallowed the canary. “That's better.” The fighter's gloves he just bought that day are still intact.
“Who did what to deserve you beating the hell out of them?”
“Some schmuck who thought it'd be fun to throw rocks at Mom's car while she was on the sidewalk as she was leaving.”
Leo scowls as he comes down and closes the door before throwing the deadbolt. “Serves him right.” Then he looks at Chance. “Hands.”
Chance lifts his hands so Leo can remove the fighter's gloves. “People started running when they saw me heading his way... I don't know why...” The twinkle in his eyes says he knows exactly why.
Leo laughs as he takes the gloves off. “They haven't forgotten.”
“It's only been five years, little brother...” Chance sighs contently. “I didn't know how much I needed that until just now.”
“Don't let it overwhelm you. As I said before you left, you have a title match on Breakdown this coming Thursday.”
“I know.” Chance goes up the stairs and starts moving the bags of his clothes to his room. He only realizes Leo's helping him when he turns around and sees him holding bags in his hands. “Thanks, Leo.”
“You're welcome.” Leo leaves the bags near Chance's closet and they go to finish moving the bags. He points to the couch when they're done. “Sit.”
Chance plops down on the couch and covers up with his favorite blanket. “I think the furnace is on the fritz!”
“I'll call maintenance in a few minutes here... I need to hang up our jackets.” Leo moves to the bags they left by the front closet. “In the meantime, what happened when you went to the arena for the end of the year special event? You never did tell me.”
Chance snorts as he finally crosses his legs to keep warm. “I put my foot in my mouth is what happened.”
“So talk already.”
“Kelsai Adamson was in the open invitational battle royal and I did what you and Adam told me to. I looked up her career on the internet.” Chance sighs as the warmth finally starts to seep into his sock-covered feet. “I then proceeded to make myself sound like some creepy-ass stalker and she almost laughed at me when she identified me. She doesn't like me, Leo.”
Leo comes back into the living room after hanging up their new jackets and looks at Chance sitting cross-legged on the couch. “Well, that's a first... But maybe she'll get over it and you can be more than friends.”
Chance snorts again. “Three strikes rule, Leo... She doesn't like me. She just got through a nasty divorce. She's my co-worker.”
“Oh.” Leo sounds mildly disappointed as he disappears into the kitchen to call maintenance about the lack of heat in the house. He comes back a few minutes later and settles into his favorite chair. “So let's shift focus to your match on Breakdown.”
Chance immediately starts to relax. “It was total chaos out there... Polly and Yuyo both got counted out.”
“So who's the champion?”
“Polly. Titles don't change hands if there's a double countout.”
“Oh, okay. You've faced Polly before in the Trios tournament.”
“That was a three on three situation... This is one on one and it's for her SCW Television Championship.”
Leo can hear the reverence when Chance mentions the title. “So what's your game plan?”
“I think my street fighter background will come into play here... Beat her until she can't move and pin her.”
“You can't only rely on that. She's smart.”
Chance concedes the point with a tilt of his head. “That's true... But it will help. I'm not going to underestimate her. She's got guts and a fighting spirit to go with those brains.”
Leo can see something in Chance's eyes. “But...”
“But she doesn't have the hunger to win a title. She doesn't have the desire to fight her way to a championship because she already has one. She doesn't have the desperation to prove she's more than just a wet behind the ears rookie and prove she deserves to be in the SCW.”
Leo knows Chance is talking about himself. “Chance, you know what they say about learning, don't you?”
Chance knows exactly what Leo's referring to. “You learn by living and you learn from your mistakes.” His eyes start to glitter dangerously. “I've learned a lot...” He wiggles a little and shakes his head. “I'll be glad when our new furniture gets here!” A mild twisting of his torso puts him back on topic. “I've learned what to do and what not to do to get ahead in life. And if there's one thing I've learned, it's that you don't let yourself get complacent!”
Leo shifts around to get comfortable. “Depending when Mr. Gleason calls you back to work at the insurance company, I think you need to get to a gym.”
“You're right as usual these days, little brother.” Chance wiggles the toes on his right foot and sighs softly when his ankle pops. “You do realize Polly may not be coming out alone... If it's not Colleen with her, it's bound to be Aisling. They are called the Playgirls Three.”
“Maybe I should go with you... It's just over in Columbus.”
“Tell you what. You can be in the crowd at ringside.” Then Chance grins. “Right beside Liam.”
Leo's not stupid; he knows what that means. “How excited is Adam?”
“Kid in a candy store, but he's gonna be focused on what he's there for.” Which is watching Chance's back in case anyone tries anything.
“Will he be going to the ring with you?”
“I don't know if he's ready for that yet.” Chance chuckles quietly. “Hell, I don't know if I'm ready for that yet!”
“At least he'll be backstage if you need him.”
“Right... Hey Leo?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for not being upset.”
Leo smiles as he rubs his leg again. “You're the wrestler, not me... I'd probably get my leg broken again.” Then he grimaces. “Once is enough, thank you!”
Chance can't help laughing a little. “Is it really bothering you?”
“Yeah... It feels like it didn't heal properly. There's this dull ache deep inside the bone.”
“Call your doctor tomorrow and see if you can book an appointment for Tuesday or early Wednesday.”
“Oh, he takes walk-ins in addition to appointments.”
“Good. I'll go with you in the taxi... I hate having to call Mom and Dad for rides so often and we can afford the fare now.”
“Sounds good to me... And maybe after you come home with the title and the winner's purse we can go looking for a decent car so one of us can actually drive places.”
Chance throws his head back and laughs. “That sounds like a plan to me, little brother!” Then he reaches out and picks up his tablet so they can enjoy a little music before they start cooking supper.
[And that's where we're going to leave them for now. Polly... You have talent and skill. You have brains and courage. You have guts and a fighting spirit. But so does Chance. Bring everything you have to the ring in Columbus, Ohio... You're going to need it.]
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^Banner courtesy of Mad Marlowe