Post by The Circle Television Network on Jul 4, 2014 8:23:49 GMT -5
Candid Moment: SoLo
Last weekend was not a good one for my employer. For starters, the S.I. photo shoot she had bragged to the world about, thinking that it was for Sports Illustrated, turned out to be a hoax perpetrated by Ms. Crystal Hilton. Ms. Hilton posted a very unflattering picture of Ms. Grey, causing her to completely lose her focus in her match with Ms. Cynthia Warren. In a complete rage, Ms. Grey attempted to injure her opponent, only to have Ms. Hilton come out again to stop her. It took every member of LAW Security to separate the two of them.
Following that humiliating experience, Ms. Grey suffered a second meltdown outside the arena and disappeared. No one has seen or heard from her since that night. No one knows what she’s doing or if she is even okay. Following LAW, it was announced that Ms. Grey would be part of a huge tournament to crown a new Marquee Champion and she would be facing Ms. Ash Scion, a woman with a chip on her shoulder for those she considers non-athletes…especially the models, actresses, reality-TV stars, and fame-seeking glory hounds…all of which my employer seems to embody. If I didn’t know better, I would think that Mr. Lucus Dupree has recognized what a problem a woman like Ms. Grey can be…and he is pitting her against the woman who can alleviate him of that headache.
I won’t pretend to know how dangerous Ms. Scion is, I honestly do not know…but her reputation certainly precedes her…and she is a woman to be taken very seriously. She made her debut against Ms. Summer St. Claire last week, and despite a game performance, Ms. Scion prevailed, claiming her first victim. Ms. Grey is next on her list and after her performance last week…I would say that it is safe to say that she stands little chance against a woman of the caliber and single-minded focus of Ms. Scion…not without focus and intensity of her own.
With the clock ticking down…I have to do everything in my power to find my employer and make sure that she is ready to face the biggest challenge of her LAW career…or…at least do what I can to make sure that Ms. Scion doesn’t kill her inside the ring!
CTN TOWERS
New York City, New York
30 June, 2014
SoLo wrung her hands nervously as she rode the elevator to the executive suite level of CTN Tower #1. She had never been to the Towers herself, though she had always wanted to see them. Now that she was here, the butterflies in her stomach told her that this was actually the last place that she wanted to be…at least under the circumstances. She glanced across the elevator, which was easily 2-times the size of her bedroom, and watched as Raheem leaned comfortably against the wall, seemingly without a care in the world. Though she usually detested talking to the man, his calm demeanor raised her curiosity. If he wasn’t concerned over the state of affairs at the moment, maybe she didn’t need to be either.
“Mr. Raheem…do you know what this is about?” she asked in a small voice, “Do you think someone is going to be in trouble over what happened on Sunday?”
Raheem glanced up from his phone and answered, “Trouble? Hell yeah! Someone is definitely getting’ they ass fired today!” He grinned, then gestured in her general direction. “Somebody gonna be an unemployment check cashin’ mutha!” He chuckled, “Goddamn I hope it’s me!” He turned his attention back to his phone. “I’m tired of Sid’s bullshit!”
In typical fashion, she immediately regretted asking him anything at all. Was he serious about someone getting fired? It was hard to tell…but certainly not beyond the realm of possibility. She leaned against the wall and covered her face.
“Hey, So-So!” Raheem called out after a moment had passed.
She looked up at him, “SoLo…my name is SoLo.”
He grinned, “Like that shit is better or somethin’!” He walked across the distance that separated them and leaned against the wall beside her. “What you think about Priscilla Price?”
“Who?” she asked, having no idea of who he was talking about.
He held up an image of LAW’s newest signee on his mobile phone, “Bitch is fine, right?”
SoLo rolled her eyes, “Mr. Raheem, we have other concerns than this right now. Have you forgotten about Ms. Grey?”
The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened up to an exceedingly well apportioned floor. Raheem stepped out through the doors, then paused to look over his shoulder. “I try to forget about her old ass every damn day…Lord knows I try.”
SoLo sighed as she followed behind him, trying her best to keep up. “What are we going to tell Ms. Domino? I mean…we have to do something…we…we have to SAY something!”
He put his arm around her, “Hello is always a good way to start.” He paused, looking down at her, “Oh yeah, and…PLEASE DON’T FIRE MY BONEY ASS!!” He laughed, swatting her on her backside as he walked on ahead of her.
SoLo could feel her face growing hotter and redder by the moment. She didn’t know whether to continue to feel angry or just plain terrified at the prospect of being fired. She steeled herself as best she could and ran down the hall after Raheem, hoping that she didn’t burst into tears, like she thought she was going to at any moment.
Raheem breezed into the office area where Domino’s secretary looked up and started to stop him, but he touched his finger to his lips, then winked at her. The woman paused in complete confusion, but before she could get her bearings, it was too late and Raheem had already breached her defenses. A second later he was walking into Domino’s office as if he owned the place. “WHAT UP PLAYA?!!”
Domino looked up from the stacks of documents in front of her as Raheem barged in and planted himself into one of the two chairs that were positioned in front of her desk. She watched him as he kicked his feet up and dropped them on the marbled desktop, making himself as comfortable as possible. Her dark eyes moved to the door where her confused secretary stood with SoLo by her side. The woman started to plead for forgiveness, but Domino waved her off then signaled for SoLo to come in and take a seat as well. She assessed the two of them, the sighed, “This past weekend was…fun.”
Raheem smiled, “Oh! I didn’t know you was at th’ BET Awards too! That shit was off th’ chain, huh?”
She ignored his attempt at humor, “Where is Sid?” When her question was met with silence, she shook her head. “Look, I don’t care about what happened in LAW on Sunday, but I DO care about damage control. We are in serious need of that at the moment, but I need to know where our star attraction is so we can begin.”
Raheem snorted, “Come on Dom! I thought we was droppin’ that bitch anyway! Why are we even botherin’ wit’ lookin’ for her stupid ass?!”
SoLo’s mouth fell open at the news. “I…I’m sorry! Did you say that you were firing Ms. Grey?”
Domino gave Raheem an exasperated look that he answered with a shrug. “No need in hidin’ th’ shit. Hell, she’s more useful than Sid anyway!” He looked at SoLo, “I could use a personal assistant…someone to help assist me wit’ my person!”
Domino looked at SoLo, “Nothing is set in stone…but the writing is on the wall, Sid’s show is starting to tank and while this LAW thing has given it a temporary boost, we would all be lying to ourselves if we said it would carry us for more than another season or two without a major change.” She sighed, “At the end of the day, this is a business and with any business, when the profits dry up, changes have to be made.”
SoLo sat forward, doing her best to plead her employer’s case. “Ms. Domino, you said it yourself, the show has another two seasons in it…with Ms. Grey in LAW, who knows how much more attention she could draw? With the right push, the show could be bigger than it ever was!”
Raheem cut in, “Man, fuck all that!” He looked at Domino, “Check this out…two words for you…Priscilla Price!”
Domino looked at him, “The Metropolitan Mistress?” She arched her brow at him, “Good book…crazy woman…I don’t know what you are getting at.”
“That is Sid’s replacement!” He pulled out his phone and showed Domino the picture of the woman he had crossed paths with on LAW. “This chick is young and interesting…muthafuckas will be flockin’ to see her!”
Domino rolled her eyes, “Did you talk to her or did she just walk by and you caught wood in your pants? We are in the entertainment business…TV, movies, music and books…but we do these things with CONTRACTS! I don’t see any Priscilla Price contracts on my desk…nor do a see any appointments to discuss this with anyone by that name.”
He shrugged, “I aint talk to her yet!” He sneered, “It aint like she wouldn’t be down! Throw enough skrilla at someone and they will be down for whatever!”
SoLo slapped her hand on the desk, interrupting the sidebar conversation between them. “MS. GREY STILL HAS A CONTRACT!” When they both turned and looked at her, SoLo shrank back a bit, regretting her boldness. “Why are you discussing someone else when Ms. Grey is here and her show is still making CTN money! You are giving up too quickly…after everything that she has done for this company…everything that she continues to do!”
Raheem started to tear into SoLo, but Domino cut him off. “You’re right…CTN still has a contract with Sidney, but that contract comes to an end soon. If there is no valid upside to continuing that business relationship…ties have to be severed.”
Raheem laughed, “That will be one giant ass pain that I won’t have to deal wit’…and I for one, can’t wait for that shit to be over wit’!”
SoLo could feel the moment that inspiration had touched her, it was if her path had suddenly been made completely clear and there was no doubt about the direction that she needed to take. She straightened herself as she addressed Domino, “Make me Ms. Grey’s manager!” The room grew deadly silent and SoLo could feel every inch of her skin start to break out in a sweat. She took a breath and restated her case. “Make me Ms. Grey’s manager until the end of her contract. If I can’t turn things around…do whatever you like.”
“MAN! GET TH’ FUCK OUTTA HERE WIT’ THAT BULLSHIT!” Raheem yelled.
Domino laced her fingers as she gave SoLo her full attention, “I’m intrigued…the do whatever I like part…it appeals to me.” She gave a coy smile, “Let’s say this…if by the end of the remainder of Sid’s contract, if her show has not peaked…she forfeits all royalties in syndication.” She searched SoLo’s face for any sign of understanding, when she found none, she elaborated, “Sid won’t receive another dime in profit from any of her shows…EVER!”
SoLo stood up, “As her manager, I’ll have access to a CTN business account, merchandise, and production…the whole deal, no exceptions!” She stuck out her hand.
Raheem stared at Domino, “Dom! Bitch is straight trippin’! You aint considerin’ this shit, are you?”
Domino chuckled in response as she answered, “No…” she turned to SoLo, stood up and shook her hand. “I’m accepting!” She eyed SoLo, even as she continued to hold her hand. “I’ll have a contract drafted immediately…and it will include a clause regarding royalties and syndication, as discussed.”
SoLo nodded, “As discussed.” She pulled her hand away as she took a step back. “If that’s all…I’d like to go and take care of a few things.”
Domino nodded, as the girl excused herself. After she left, Raheem jumped up and pounded his fists on the table. “WHAT TH’ FUCK?!!” He pointed toward the door, “How you gonna let that chick take my fuckin’ gig?!!”
Domino rolled her eyes and sat back down, “I gave her the job that you have been trying to get out of for the past 2 and a half years…stop being so dramatic! Besides, this deal is even better than I could have hoped for! You and I both know that there is no way in hell that little girl is going to stop Sid’s show from hemorrhaging viewers.” She smiled, “The best part of this is that after it ends, we never have to pay Sidney Grey another red cent! You’ll be free to sign anyone you want…even that Priscilla Price woman…if she’ll give you the time of day!”
Raheem licked his lips at the thought of landing a deal with Ms. Price…
Candid Moment: Raheem
Okay! Yeah, a brotha be thinkin’ wit’ th’ big head instead of th’ REALLY big head sometimes…but for real…have you seen this chick? SHE FINE YO!! Hey! I don’t know if she is down wit’ th’ brown or what, but I do know this…th’ bitch aint Sidney Grey, so that is a HUGE plus in my fuckin’ book!
As for So-So or Slo-Mo…whatever th’ hell her name is, takin’ my job as Sid’s manager…so long to that fuckin’ headache, I don’t even know why I was trippin’ on that shit! Far as I am concerned…I am more happy than a mutha right now! No more chasin’ after that crusty-ass dinosaur, puttin’ up wit’ her drunken ass rants. Hey, if I didn’t hate her fuckin’ guts so much, I would actually feel bad about her havin’ to get that ass beat against Scion next week. Fortunately for me…I couldn’t care less…and after today, I am gonna really relish watchin’ Sid’s old ass being destroyed inside th’ ring!
My new favorite past time…that and watchin’ Priscilla Price’s fine ass!
He nodded at the thought of getting to work his magic with Priscilla, even as his thoughts turned back to the present. “Okay…I feel you on this.” He looked back to the door where SoLo had exited only moments ago. “What about Chan SoLo?”
Domino shrugged, “I wouldn’t worry about her. She’s probably puking her guts out right now, trying to figure out what she’s gotten herself into. Assuming that she even finds Sid, she’s got no plan, she’s in way over her head…and she knows it.”
A FEW MINUTES LATER
CTN Ladies Room
“YOU FOUND HER?!! OH MY GOD, THAT IS GREAT…” she paused and the pleased look on her face quickly faded. “She’s where?” SoLo sighed as she ran her free hand down the side of her face. This was going to be a problem, but it was a problem that she needed to solve and solve quickly if she was going to save her career and that of Sidney Grey.
“Listen!! I have a plan, but I need you to bring her back here!!” SoLo said as she stood staring at herself in the mirror, cell phone in hand. “Things with CTN have changed…I’ll fill you in as soon as I can…I promise! Just get her cleaned up and get her back here as soon as humanly possible!” She paused as she finally got the response she had hoped for. A look of relief spread across her face, “Thank you…I’ll talk to you soon.”
SoLo breathed a sigh of relief as she hung up her phone and dropped it into her pocket. She stared at herself in the mirror, taking a deep breath as she straightened her clothes. “You can do this…you can absolutely do this!” After another deep breath, her jitters completely dissolved and she felt much better…much more confident. “Everything is going to be just fine…”
She suddenly turned and vomited into the sink. After a few minutes, her stomach finally unclenched, she wiped her mouth and stood there staring at herself, “Oh my God…I’m so completely fucked…”
SoLo didn’t know if they would be able to convince Sidney to come back in time or not…but waiting to see wasn’t an option. She was a manager now and she would have to do what needed to be done to protect her client. She needed to do damage control after the stunt that had been pulled on Sidney…the resources of CTN would help her deal with that. The more immediate issue was what to do about the upcoming match with Ash Scion. The woman was hell-bent on making examples of women like Sidney…and she was ripe for the picking at the moment. She needed to hone her skills…she needed to train like never before, if she was even going to stand a chance in hell of not being demolished in the ring next week.
SoLo picked up her phone again and scrolled through her contacts until she found the number for talent relations. She dialed the number and waited for an answer. “Yes, I need you to locate someone for me…I need to see if you have a contact number for Nyako Shinsuzki?” She waited for a moment and when the answer came her eyes grew wide, “NO!! Not Kymiku!! That’s her sister…DO NOT CALL HER!! I need Nyako…thank you!”
SoLo sighed as she waited to get the phone number of the one woman that she felt could help prepare Sidney for the challenge that lay ahead. She hoped that it would not be a case of too little…too late…
SOMEWHERE IN FLORIDA
2 July, 2014
Sidney stared at the man sitting across from her through the haze of cigar smoke that filled the darkened room. Sidney looked worn and haggard…her clothes in a general state of disarray, the same clothing she was last seen in when she left the arena in a rage.
The man that sat opposite of her had thick rutty skin and a large hooked nose. His graying hair was pulled back in a long ponytail. He eyed Sidney through glassy and drunken eyes, even as he spoke in slurred but thick Native American accent. “You can give up…there’s no shame in losing to Grey Bear!”
The two of them swayed back and forth, but neither of them took their eyes off of each other. Piles of empty shot glasses were stacked in front of both of them…and only a few full ones still remained. Sidney stuck out her tongue at the man who called himself Grey Bear, speaking in an equally slurred voice, “The day I let a fucking Injun beat me at drinking is the day I quit fucking drinking!”
Sidney snatched up another shot and held it in front of her as Grey Bear reached over and did the same. For a moment, the two of them merely sat there, staring at one another. Sidney brought the glass to her mouth and tipped it back, taking the burning liquid down her throat in a single gulp. She sat there motionless for a second, teetering as she seemed on the verge of falling over. In the background a crowd around them began to yell in unison, “Ooooooooooooh!!”
Sidney swayed for a second and nearly fell over, but at the last moment she righted herself and refocused herself as she unsteadily brought the empty glass back to the table and sat it down with a loud ‘Thunk’! She glared at Grey Bear and slowly gave him the finger, causing the crowd to erupt with cheers and laughter.
Grey Bear seemed none to happy at the turn of events, but he brought his own glass shakily up to his dry cracked lips. He steeled himself, then tipped back the glass, taking the burning drink in a single gulp, just as Sidney had done. As the raw alcohol raced down his throat the man smiled, even as his body continued to race down as well.
“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
The crowd roared as Gray Bear smashed into the floor with a loud crash, completely unconscious before his body even landed. The continued to cheer as money was exchanged on the bets that had been taken. Sidney also collected her winnings, even as she reached for another drink, dragging it over as she readied herself for a celebratory drink.
A bright light shown into the room as the doors were thrown open. A fat young man in a blue smock walked in with an exasperated look on his face. “WHY ARE YOU ALL IN HERE?!! THE SHOW STARTS IN LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES!!”
The crowd scattered, all wearing classic Indian attire as they ran for the door. The man in the smock stared down at Grey Bear and swore under his breath. “WHAT THE HELL?!! ROY!! ROY?!! GET THE HELL UP!!” The man kicked the wall in anger, then stopped as he saw all the empty shot glasses. His eyes fell on Sidney, “YOU!! You did this!” He paused, reaching down to grab something off the floor, which she threw to Sidney. “Now you are going to make it right…Grey Bear!!”
Sidney stared at the costume and rolled her eyes. “Fuck you…I aint doing it!”
He got in her face, “You put on that suit and go out there and entertain those kids or I’ll have your ass thrown in jail for trespassing!” He glared at her, “You’ve got 2 minutes to get dressed!”
As the man walked off and Sidney stared at the bear head, “Happiest place on earth, my ass!” She took the drink and poured it in the bear’s mouth…
MINUTES LATER...
A crowd of crying and confused children watched as Sidney, dressed in the Grey Bear costume was led away in handcuffs. One of the children looked up at his mother through tear-filled eyes, “Mommy…what was the bear trying to do to the man’s butt? I don’t think that the Peace Pipe is suppose to go there.”
The man in the blue smock came limping up behind the officers, one hand still holding his sore behind where Sid had apparently tried to stick the pipe. “I want her thrown in jail!! She assaulted me!! She traumatized these children!! She got all of my Indian’s drunk!! Get her out of here!!”
Sidney was led to the gate by security, and then the handcuffs were removed. One of the Security Officer’s pointed to a waiting car. “Your ride is waiting for you there.”
Sidney pulled off the bear’s head and looked at the officer through bloodshot eyes. “I can just leave?”
“If you wouldn’t mind…please!” the man answered. Sidney started to hand him the head of the bear, but he refused. “Ehhh…no…that’s okay, it smells like vomit, you keep it.”
Sidney turned and staggered over to the car and opened the door. Her eyes widened as she saw the young woman waiting for her, “What in the hell are you doing here?”
The young girl stared at her, “I’ve come to take you home…Mom…”