Post by Samantha Tolson on Nov 18, 2017 23:03:55 GMT -5
--OFF-CAMERA--
CONTINUED from NIGHTMARES: Greatest Fears (Two A)
“...help me…”
“Sam...hey...what’s going on?” Her oldest sibling, Brian, was on the other end of the line, listening as his only sister begged him for his help.
“It’s the nightmares, Brian...they’re back...I can’t control them...I can’t sleep because I don’t want them to come back…”
“Have you tried seeing a doctor?”
“No...what could a doctor do?”
“Well, hon, if you went to see a psychiatrist…”
“No!”
“Why not?”
“I don’t wanna have my head shrunk by someone paid to try and be my friend!” By this point, an already-frustrated Samantha was fairly screaming into the phone.
“Calm down sis...I just want to help.”
Samantha sighed through her tears. “I know…”
“Now listen...I know you don’t like the idea of seeing a psychiatrist. You didn’t back when we were kids, back when these all started. But I think someone like that could help you.”
“I don’t need a paid friend, Brian...I just don’t. And if I’m honest, I don’t have time, either…”
Brian thought for a moment before continuing. “Then maybe you need to make time, Sam. Talk to the folks you work for. Tell them what’s going on. I’m sure at least one of them would give you the time you needed to get a little help….”
“Maybe. Possibly. Who knows?”
“You don’t unless you ask, Sammy.”
Samantha sighed heavily, not speaking for a moment.
“So...you gonna answer me?”
“No…”
“Why not?”
“Because I hate it when you’re right.” Samantha could practically see the huge grin on Brian’s face right through the phone.
Brian, for his part, chuckled a little. “That’s why you called me, isn’t it?”
“Kinda sorta…”
“I mean, you call me for one of two reasons usually. You wanna talk about Brianne, or you want validation about something.”
“Brian…”
“Well, you got validation about what you need to do didn’t you?”
“...yeah…”
“So...there ya go Sammy.”
“...Brian…
“Yeah Sam?
“Quit being a pompous ass.”
Brian laughed. “Hey...when you’re right you’re right.”
“...sure...rub it in…”
“Are you mad at me for it?”
“...no…”
“Then make the calls, Sam. Please. You know I wouldn’t tell you to do it if I didn’t have your best interests at heart.”
“...I know…”
“Sam…” Brian could sense something else was irritating her. “...talk to me.” Usually, it was all he ever had to say to her, and she’d ramble on for long minutes, usually crying, leaning on his shoulder, or sometimes even both.
This wasn’t one of those times. “I am talking to you.”
“No...something else is bugging you, I can feel it. Talk to me.”
Samantha sighed deeply. “I don’t like this match I have coming up in LAW.”
“Why not?”
“Because I have to fight a friend. And right now, Brian, I feel venomous. I feel like I could rip her head off and not feel a bit bad about it.”
“Is that a problem? I mean, it’s kind a what you do in that line of work, isn’t it? Beat people up?”
“Most of the time it’s not, but this is a friend. Someone I like, someone who’s been pretty good to me when she didn’t have to be. Yet I feel like if I cut her open and spilled her entrails on the mat, I’d be at peace with it as long as I won the match.”
“That’s not good, sis.”
“No, it’s not...but what can I do? I can’t exactly postpone the match.”
“True. Guess you’re going to have to try and get over it between now and then.”
Samantha sighed deeply, pausing for a moment. “I’m not sure I can….”
It was Brian’s turn to sigh deeply. “Try, Sammy. You have to try. There’s no sense in losing a friend to win a match, is there?”
“I’ve lost three in a row in LAW, Brian, That’s never happened before. And I’m not going to let it become four if I can help it.”
“Still...I wouldn’t want to drop four either. But just consider everything, OK?”
“I will.”
“I mean it Sam. Wins and losses come and go. Friendships, at least the good ones, last forever. Just think about that…”
“OK, Brian.”
“Sis I have to go...Emma needs me to take care of your niece for a bit so she can run to the store. Promise me you’ll think about everything.”
“I promise.”
“OK. Talk to you later Sammy. Love you.”
“Love you too Brian. Talk to you later.”
Samantha waited for her oldest brother to end the call, then sat her phone down on the floor beside the bench. Then she put her head in her hands, leaning her elbows on her knees as the tears flowed. Despite what she’d just told Brian, she wasn’t a hundred percent sure if she wanted to simply beat Stacy Jones, or if she wanted to let the dark side take over and absolutely maul her.
Either way, she had to find a way to let some of the anger out, some way to cleanse herself of the rage that had been building inside her. She stood up, wiped the tears from her face, and went to the heavy bag, and began kicking it. Half-heartedly at first, slowly but surely her kicks began to pick up steam and pace, and before she was done, she was screaming with every kick, pounding the middle of the heavy bag mercilessly. Eventually she could kick no more.
Samantha Tolson fell to the floor in a heap, crying like a small child, knowing that regardless of intent, this wasn’t helping at all.
--ON-CAMERA--
A bleary-eyed Samantha Tolson sits on the floor of her gym, looking into the lens of her tablet. She's in standard workout gear, and the red cheeks and even redder eyes give her emotional state away.
"What you want, Stacy?"
"What you want is the Sam that plays fair. What you want is the woman who will shake your hand before the match, try to take your head off during it, then shake your hand again after the match."
"I have to be perfectly honest with you...."
"...I don't know if she exists anymore."
"Because if I'm honest with you, all I can think about right now is doing my dead level best to separate your head from your shoulders...."
"...and I don't feel bad about that."
Samantha wipes the back of her right hand across her face.
"Three losses in a row, one more damning than the other. One more embarassing than the other. One more emotionally draining than the other."
"See, you're right, Stacy, we're friends...but someone has to be the example."
"Someone has to be the sacrificial lamb, the totem I use to show Roxy Cotton that when I get my rematch for my Chaos Championship, exactly what is in store for her..."
"...the blood I will willingly draw from her..."
"...the pain I will thoroughly enjoy causing her..."
"...the lengths to which I will go not only to reclaim my title, but with any luck at all completely eliminate her and her cancerous behavior from our sport..."
"...is it you, Stacy?"
"Are you going to be my lamb? My perfect sacrifice?"
"I don't want it to be that way. I really don't."
"...but she has to learn..."
"...she has to be shown..."
"So I need something from you soon, Stacy."
"I need you to talk to me. To reassure me that this is just a simple match."
"Because if you don't, I won't be held responsible for what I do."
"I don't want to lose my friend."
"...but if it makes her learn...if it makes her pay attention..."
"...then the monster has to come out and play..."
"...and she's bloodthirsty, Stacy...
Samantha drops her head just before the feed cuts out.
"...and I'm sorry..."
CONTINUED from NIGHTMARES: Greatest Fears (Two A)
“...help me…”
“Sam...hey...what’s going on?” Her oldest sibling, Brian, was on the other end of the line, listening as his only sister begged him for his help.
“It’s the nightmares, Brian...they’re back...I can’t control them...I can’t sleep because I don’t want them to come back…”
“Have you tried seeing a doctor?”
“No...what could a doctor do?”
“Well, hon, if you went to see a psychiatrist…”
“No!”
“Why not?”
“I don’t wanna have my head shrunk by someone paid to try and be my friend!” By this point, an already-frustrated Samantha was fairly screaming into the phone.
“Calm down sis...I just want to help.”
Samantha sighed through her tears. “I know…”
“Now listen...I know you don’t like the idea of seeing a psychiatrist. You didn’t back when we were kids, back when these all started. But I think someone like that could help you.”
“I don’t need a paid friend, Brian...I just don’t. And if I’m honest, I don’t have time, either…”
Brian thought for a moment before continuing. “Then maybe you need to make time, Sam. Talk to the folks you work for. Tell them what’s going on. I’m sure at least one of them would give you the time you needed to get a little help….”
“Maybe. Possibly. Who knows?”
“You don’t unless you ask, Sammy.”
Samantha sighed heavily, not speaking for a moment.
“So...you gonna answer me?”
“No…”
“Why not?”
“Because I hate it when you’re right.” Samantha could practically see the huge grin on Brian’s face right through the phone.
Brian, for his part, chuckled a little. “That’s why you called me, isn’t it?”
“Kinda sorta…”
“I mean, you call me for one of two reasons usually. You wanna talk about Brianne, or you want validation about something.”
“Brian…”
“Well, you got validation about what you need to do didn’t you?”
“...yeah…”
“So...there ya go Sammy.”
“...Brian…
“Yeah Sam?
“Quit being a pompous ass.”
Brian laughed. “Hey...when you’re right you’re right.”
“...sure...rub it in…”
“Are you mad at me for it?”
“...no…”
“Then make the calls, Sam. Please. You know I wouldn’t tell you to do it if I didn’t have your best interests at heart.”
“...I know…”
“Sam…” Brian could sense something else was irritating her. “...talk to me.” Usually, it was all he ever had to say to her, and she’d ramble on for long minutes, usually crying, leaning on his shoulder, or sometimes even both.
This wasn’t one of those times. “I am talking to you.”
“No...something else is bugging you, I can feel it. Talk to me.”
Samantha sighed deeply. “I don’t like this match I have coming up in LAW.”
“Why not?”
“Because I have to fight a friend. And right now, Brian, I feel venomous. I feel like I could rip her head off and not feel a bit bad about it.”
“Is that a problem? I mean, it’s kind a what you do in that line of work, isn’t it? Beat people up?”
“Most of the time it’s not, but this is a friend. Someone I like, someone who’s been pretty good to me when she didn’t have to be. Yet I feel like if I cut her open and spilled her entrails on the mat, I’d be at peace with it as long as I won the match.”
“That’s not good, sis.”
“No, it’s not...but what can I do? I can’t exactly postpone the match.”
“True. Guess you’re going to have to try and get over it between now and then.”
Samantha sighed deeply, pausing for a moment. “I’m not sure I can….”
It was Brian’s turn to sigh deeply. “Try, Sammy. You have to try. There’s no sense in losing a friend to win a match, is there?”
“I’ve lost three in a row in LAW, Brian, That’s never happened before. And I’m not going to let it become four if I can help it.”
“Still...I wouldn’t want to drop four either. But just consider everything, OK?”
“I will.”
“I mean it Sam. Wins and losses come and go. Friendships, at least the good ones, last forever. Just think about that…”
“OK, Brian.”
“Sis I have to go...Emma needs me to take care of your niece for a bit so she can run to the store. Promise me you’ll think about everything.”
“I promise.”
“OK. Talk to you later Sammy. Love you.”
“Love you too Brian. Talk to you later.”
Samantha waited for her oldest brother to end the call, then sat her phone down on the floor beside the bench. Then she put her head in her hands, leaning her elbows on her knees as the tears flowed. Despite what she’d just told Brian, she wasn’t a hundred percent sure if she wanted to simply beat Stacy Jones, or if she wanted to let the dark side take over and absolutely maul her.
Either way, she had to find a way to let some of the anger out, some way to cleanse herself of the rage that had been building inside her. She stood up, wiped the tears from her face, and went to the heavy bag, and began kicking it. Half-heartedly at first, slowly but surely her kicks began to pick up steam and pace, and before she was done, she was screaming with every kick, pounding the middle of the heavy bag mercilessly. Eventually she could kick no more.
Samantha Tolson fell to the floor in a heap, crying like a small child, knowing that regardless of intent, this wasn’t helping at all.
--ON-CAMERA--
A bleary-eyed Samantha Tolson sits on the floor of her gym, looking into the lens of her tablet. She's in standard workout gear, and the red cheeks and even redder eyes give her emotional state away.
"What you want, Stacy?"
"What you want is the Sam that plays fair. What you want is the woman who will shake your hand before the match, try to take your head off during it, then shake your hand again after the match."
"I have to be perfectly honest with you...."
"...I don't know if she exists anymore."
"Because if I'm honest with you, all I can think about right now is doing my dead level best to separate your head from your shoulders...."
"...and I don't feel bad about that."
Samantha wipes the back of her right hand across her face.
"Three losses in a row, one more damning than the other. One more embarassing than the other. One more emotionally draining than the other."
"See, you're right, Stacy, we're friends...but someone has to be the example."
"Someone has to be the sacrificial lamb, the totem I use to show Roxy Cotton that when I get my rematch for my Chaos Championship, exactly what is in store for her..."
"...the blood I will willingly draw from her..."
"...the pain I will thoroughly enjoy causing her..."
"...the lengths to which I will go not only to reclaim my title, but with any luck at all completely eliminate her and her cancerous behavior from our sport..."
"...is it you, Stacy?"
"Are you going to be my lamb? My perfect sacrifice?"
"I don't want it to be that way. I really don't."
"...but she has to learn..."
"...she has to be shown..."
"So I need something from you soon, Stacy."
"I need you to talk to me. To reassure me that this is just a simple match."
"Because if you don't, I won't be held responsible for what I do."
"I don't want to lose my friend."
"...but if it makes her learn...if it makes her pay attention..."
"...then the monster has to come out and play..."
"...and she's bloodthirsty, Stacy...
Samantha drops her head just before the feed cuts out.
"...and I'm sorry..."