Post by Samantha Tolson on Jan 27, 2018 22:41:28 GMT -5
OFF-CAMERA
The mid-day sun was bright through the open window in the office, the good doctor’s long, room-darkening curtains parted a bit for once, allowing the sunlight to cut a swath through the room. Unfortunately for Samantha Tolson, that sunlight happened to be catching her in the side of her face, and while the sunshine itself wasn’t the annoyance, the sparkles it left in her eyes as it washed over the side of her face certainly weren’t helpful as she looked at the doctor. He had joined her in the large chairs in which they had their sessions, his glasses on his nose in their peculiar position, and his typical yellow notepad in his lap and a pen in his hand.
“So, shall we begin?”
Samantha simply nodded, squinting through the light from the window.
“Is that bothering you? I can have Elise come in and close the curtains…”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll adjust.”
The doctor saw the discomfort on her face, though, and stood up, pressing a button on his phone. “Elise, would you please come in and close the curtains? The sunlight seems to be directly in the patient’s eyes.”
A moment later, the secretary entered the room, a smart black pencil skirt and a simple purple blouse adorning her. She walked to the window, closing the thick curtains and returning the room to the darker hues Samantha remembered from previous visits. Elise nodded politely, then exited the room as quickly as she’d come in, her job done.
“Better?”
Samantha rubbed her eyes for a moment. “Will be, once that damn sparkle effect goes away.”
“Alright then.” The doctor looked down at his notepad, taking a slow, deep breath. “So, we’ve been discussing boundaries, but I want to digress from that just a bit today, if I may. I’ve seen some of the things you’ve said recently on social media....”
Samantha cut him off quickly. “I’m not here to discuss Twitter with you.”
“But...the comments regarding one of your upcoming opponents are, if I may, a bit shocking.”
Samantha raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
“Well...you seem like a decent woman here when we have our discussions. The woman I see responding on Twitter seems like one hellbent on destroying a woman’s career. The dichotomy is a bit jarring.”
“So...what do you want me to say? That I’m sorry? That I don’t mean what I told Angelica? No, doctor, I mean every single word. She’s gone out of her way to paint me as some sort of monster, some sort of bad apple that’s only holding the title for herself. Yet the little trollop is the bad seed. She’s the one running with people like Kenzi Grey, Sarah Lacklan, Sativa Neveah. She’s the one who disrespected me by turning down a shot at the LAW Chaos Championship, then called me out by saying I was ignoring her when I had time to only film one promotional video. She's the one making me out to be something I’m not. So, yeah, if I get a chance to make her pay for her slanderous words, better believe I’ll take it.”
The therapist paused for a moment, considering his next question. “Why do you think this makes you so angry?”
Samantha bristled but tried to retain composure. “Because the little bitch lies about me to make me the villian.”
“And why, in your view, does she need you to be that villian?”
Samantha paused for just a moment before responding. “A motivational ploy maybe. One on one she can't beat me. I proved that last time. I took her best shots, shrugged them off and beat her. She needs something to hang her hat on.”
The doctor nodded slowly. “Interesting. I want to, then, talk about Miss Camacho. Does she anger you as well?”
“Gabby?” Samantha smiled. “No she doesn't make me angry. She represents opportunity.”
“How so?”
“If I beat her then as far as I can see, I should be the top contender for the LAW Championship.”
The doctor scribbled a little on his notepad. “And there is no one else with a claim to that position?”
“As far as I can tell, no. I mean Amy Jo has a guaranteed rematch as the former champion, but the powers that be haven't named a top contender. Why do you ask?”
“Well our work here is, of course, all about boundaries. The impetus behind the query was to see if you’d be crossing one should you defeat Miss Camacho.”
Samantha looked at the doctor coolly. “What if I do? No one has called her out for a shot. No one has been booked into a title match. If I can beat her without the title up for grabs, why shouldn't I have the next opportunity?”
The doctor grinned. “Remember that I am not a wrestler or much of an athlete at all, really. I am unaware of how these things work.”
“Professional wrestling's a very dog eat dog business. If you sit back and wait for opportunity, chances are good one will never come your way. You have to fight for every single chance you can get, and then do your damnedest to make it go your way. And as unfortunate as it may seem, Doc, that sometimes means you stomp on a few toes and you cut in line.”
“So...your vocation encourages a disrespect for others’ boundaries?”
The psychiatrist posed a good question, one Samantha considered. He did have a pretty good point, one she had never thought much about. “You know...never thought about that. I suppose it's half yes half no.”
“Explain please?”
“On one hand, it's simply the nature of our sport really. We all work hard to get noticed, and the more you're noticed the more opportunities you generally get. But on the other hand, that same nature would certainly seem to lend itself to ignoring the boundaries we all have. You have to be willing to maybe skip over some folks to get where you want.”
The doctor nodded, not expecting such a deep and thoughtful answer, then smiled, pleased his patient was thinking of more than herself and her own needs. “That was a fantastic response. I have to confess that it was unexpected.” The psychiatrist looked at his watch. “Unfortunately we have reached the end of our time for today. But, if I may, I think some progress has been made today.”
Samantha stood slowly, gathering her purse. “How so?”
“Until just now, all of your answers to me always revolved around yourself. This response? Really seemed to encompass all your colleagues, not just yourself.”
Samantha sighed as she slung the strap of her purse over her shoulder. “Despite what has been said about me, I am quite capable of putting others before myself.”
The portly doctor smiled, straightening his sweater vest over the slight paunch at his waist. “It does seem so. I will see you again soon?”
Samantha quickly recalled her schedule. “Wednesday at the earliest. On the road until then. But if I can make it in then, I will.”
“That sounds good, Samantha. Enjoy your day. And good luck to you as well.”
Samantha nodded, then turned and walked out of the office. The psychiatrist went back to the window, opening the curtains once again, smiling brightly as the sunlight again flooded into the room.
-------------------
ON-CAMERA
“You know, I wasn’t going to shoot my video here this time, but, since Sidney Grey is such a fan of the location, and, well, it’s such a nice day here in Las Vegas, what the hell?”
Samantha Tolson winks at the camera, her forearms on the edge of her pool, showing only her arms and head, as the rest of her body lounges beneath the water line. Her hair is wet and plastered against her head, and blue straps from her swimsuit are barely visible, but there.
“Forgive me, Gabby Camacho. I know you’re as intense as they come, but a chance to relax ahead of a big few days of matches was just too good to pass up. Rest assured, that when the bell rings, I’ll be just as intense as you are...just as intense as you know me to be.”
“Oh, but wait. What was it you told me before LAW 56, all those months ago?”
“I don’t impress you.”
“Let me tell you a secret here, Gabby. I don’t care, not one single whit, if I impress you or not.”
“All I care about, honestly, is that you remember after all the shit you talked to me before LAW 56...you know, all the personal shots you took at me a year ago, and all the things you couldn’t say about my ability or skill in the ring.”
“I want you to remember every last single word of it, Gabriella. I want you to go back, and I want you to put that into your mind before you speak again. And, let’s face facts, I know you will, and you’ll do it, as always, at the absolute last possible minute, because that’s what you do.”
“Just know that I’m going to remember it, and that I’ll put it in the back of my head. I’ll take whatever drivel and vitriol you want to say tonight, and I’ll put it all in the back of my head.”
“Because I can hear it now, Gabby.”
Samantha’s voice takes on a nasal quality as she mimics the LAW Champion.
“I’m the measuring stick in LAW.”
“I’m more than willing to hand out another reality check.”
“You’re good, but you’re not good enough.”
“I’ll take this match seriously, but I’m not sweating it.”
Samantha smirks, her voice returning to normal.
“And that, dear friends, is the meat and bones of virtually every promotional video Gabriella Camacho has ever made. No real credit for her opponents, no real appreciation for anyone else’s skill, ability, heart, or desire. Just Gabby Camacho, underselling anything of any value her opponents bring to the table.”
“Last time, Gabby, let’s call a spade a spade. Yes, you beat me. And you also damn near got choked out in the process. I took absolutely everything you had to offer, and still damn near put you out.”
“I know you. I know the way you think, the way you work. You think that I’m the same woman now that I was a year ago. And you’d be so very wrong.”
“I’m a far, far different person, a far different fighter than I was last year. Three times, I’ve been to the top of the heap. Yes, I’ll grant you it’s not here in LAW, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s a matter of time. Because whether I beat you, or someone else, I will claim the LAW Championship, and I will do it sooner rather than later.”
“See Gabby, I’m going to say something that no one else, even my good friend Amy Jo Smyth didn’t even say. I’m going to tell you something that nobody has ever told you here in LAW.”
“You’re the one person in this place that gets every opportunity she could ever want and yet does precious little to get it. Tell me, dear, what exactly have you done in the last, say, six months, other than steal a spot in a tournament you didn’t need to be in from someone who could have used that spotlight? What have you done, except somehow escape your title match with AJ by the very skin of your teeth somehow?”
“Other than cut a few videos, maybe talk a little bit….you haven’t done shit.”
“I get it. I really do. Why work harder when the path is greased so nicely for you, right? Why put out any extra effort at all when you can coast into title opportunities on the least bits of effort?”
“If only all of us could hop onto that corporate gravy train and take it for a long, long, comfortable ride.”
“Face it. You’ve been put onto easy street, and you’re milking it for all it’s worth.”
“You’re coasting, Gabriella, and for you to admit anything else is a bold-faced lie.”
“You’ll tell the whole world about how hard you worked to get to where you are, and you did. I won’t begrudge you that. But you got there, and now, you’re resting on your laurels just as often as you possibly can, while the powers that be in LAW spoon-feed you opportunity after opportunity, watching you suck from the corporate tit.”
“The rest of us, though? The ones LAW is holding down so you can sit on your comfy little false throne?”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll tell the whole world I did the same thing, holding the Chaos Championship with few defenses. Know the difference between me and you? I offered people chances. I begged for opportunities to defend my title, the one that was not handed to me, by the way, but the one I bled, sweat, and hurt myself over to make it a legitimate championship here. Angelica Vaughan straight up dissed the title by refusing a shot at it, then proceeded to say she was going to beat me.”
“Yet, what happened to little Angie? She got dropped on her noggin and beaten like a government mule.”
“You’ve fed and fed and fed, Gabriella. But there’s something along the way, as you’ve become the proverbial fatted calf off the corporate nipple, you’ve completely forgotten.”
“We’re hungry too. We’re wanting those opportunities too, and some of us, myself included, are really, really tired of seeing people like you coast along and get absolutely anything you want from management.”
“Hell, I couldn’t even get Helms-King or Dupree to schedule my rematch for the Chaos Championship. By now, honestly, I’ve moved on from it, because I’m not you. I can’t just snap my fingers and get what I want from management.”
“Come Sunday night, though, none of it will matter. You are the goddamn target, Gabby. You’re the woman who’ll walk to the ring, all smug and happy, toting that LAW Championship belt like you’re the best thing this company has.”
“Hell...even the Cool Kids are a better asset to LAW than you are, and I’m very, very public about my hatred for them.”
“Sunday night, though, you’re going to get an education. One that says you don’t get to coast anymore. One that says there are a lot of women in this company who deserve the spotlight you’ve been given for no apparent reason.”
“So you bring that title to the ring with you Gabby. You bring all your confidence, you bring all your self-important swagger, and you bring along your belief that you are completely unbeatable and infallible.”
“Because when it’s all said and done, I’m going to drop you on your fool head, I’m going to pin you, and then I’m marking my territory. I’m going to call you out one more time, but not on LAW number whatever. I am going to take you straight to pay per view, sweetheart, and with that pretty little belt on the line?”
“I’ll crush you yet again.”
“Time’s up for you, Gabriella Camacho.”
“You’ve coasted through for way too long. You’ve taken up more spotlight and more notoriety than you’ve earned.”
“Sunday night is the beginning of the end, Gabby.”
“You’re nothing more than a myth, and I’m going to show you just how big of a myth you really are.”
“Get ready sweetheart.”
“Release The Panic.”
Samantha grins at the camera one more time before turning around and swimming on her back, kicking slowly as she relaxes in the pool.
The mid-day sun was bright through the open window in the office, the good doctor’s long, room-darkening curtains parted a bit for once, allowing the sunlight to cut a swath through the room. Unfortunately for Samantha Tolson, that sunlight happened to be catching her in the side of her face, and while the sunshine itself wasn’t the annoyance, the sparkles it left in her eyes as it washed over the side of her face certainly weren’t helpful as she looked at the doctor. He had joined her in the large chairs in which they had their sessions, his glasses on his nose in their peculiar position, and his typical yellow notepad in his lap and a pen in his hand.
“So, shall we begin?”
Samantha simply nodded, squinting through the light from the window.
“Is that bothering you? I can have Elise come in and close the curtains…”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll adjust.”
The doctor saw the discomfort on her face, though, and stood up, pressing a button on his phone. “Elise, would you please come in and close the curtains? The sunlight seems to be directly in the patient’s eyes.”
A moment later, the secretary entered the room, a smart black pencil skirt and a simple purple blouse adorning her. She walked to the window, closing the thick curtains and returning the room to the darker hues Samantha remembered from previous visits. Elise nodded politely, then exited the room as quickly as she’d come in, her job done.
“Better?”
Samantha rubbed her eyes for a moment. “Will be, once that damn sparkle effect goes away.”
“Alright then.” The doctor looked down at his notepad, taking a slow, deep breath. “So, we’ve been discussing boundaries, but I want to digress from that just a bit today, if I may. I’ve seen some of the things you’ve said recently on social media....”
Samantha cut him off quickly. “I’m not here to discuss Twitter with you.”
“But...the comments regarding one of your upcoming opponents are, if I may, a bit shocking.”
Samantha raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
“Well...you seem like a decent woman here when we have our discussions. The woman I see responding on Twitter seems like one hellbent on destroying a woman’s career. The dichotomy is a bit jarring.”
“So...what do you want me to say? That I’m sorry? That I don’t mean what I told Angelica? No, doctor, I mean every single word. She’s gone out of her way to paint me as some sort of monster, some sort of bad apple that’s only holding the title for herself. Yet the little trollop is the bad seed. She’s the one running with people like Kenzi Grey, Sarah Lacklan, Sativa Neveah. She’s the one who disrespected me by turning down a shot at the LAW Chaos Championship, then called me out by saying I was ignoring her when I had time to only film one promotional video. She's the one making me out to be something I’m not. So, yeah, if I get a chance to make her pay for her slanderous words, better believe I’ll take it.”
The therapist paused for a moment, considering his next question. “Why do you think this makes you so angry?”
Samantha bristled but tried to retain composure. “Because the little bitch lies about me to make me the villian.”
“And why, in your view, does she need you to be that villian?”
Samantha paused for just a moment before responding. “A motivational ploy maybe. One on one she can't beat me. I proved that last time. I took her best shots, shrugged them off and beat her. She needs something to hang her hat on.”
The doctor nodded slowly. “Interesting. I want to, then, talk about Miss Camacho. Does she anger you as well?”
“Gabby?” Samantha smiled. “No she doesn't make me angry. She represents opportunity.”
“How so?”
“If I beat her then as far as I can see, I should be the top contender for the LAW Championship.”
The doctor scribbled a little on his notepad. “And there is no one else with a claim to that position?”
“As far as I can tell, no. I mean Amy Jo has a guaranteed rematch as the former champion, but the powers that be haven't named a top contender. Why do you ask?”
“Well our work here is, of course, all about boundaries. The impetus behind the query was to see if you’d be crossing one should you defeat Miss Camacho.”
Samantha looked at the doctor coolly. “What if I do? No one has called her out for a shot. No one has been booked into a title match. If I can beat her without the title up for grabs, why shouldn't I have the next opportunity?”
The doctor grinned. “Remember that I am not a wrestler or much of an athlete at all, really. I am unaware of how these things work.”
“Professional wrestling's a very dog eat dog business. If you sit back and wait for opportunity, chances are good one will never come your way. You have to fight for every single chance you can get, and then do your damnedest to make it go your way. And as unfortunate as it may seem, Doc, that sometimes means you stomp on a few toes and you cut in line.”
“So...your vocation encourages a disrespect for others’ boundaries?”
The psychiatrist posed a good question, one Samantha considered. He did have a pretty good point, one she had never thought much about. “You know...never thought about that. I suppose it's half yes half no.”
“Explain please?”
“On one hand, it's simply the nature of our sport really. We all work hard to get noticed, and the more you're noticed the more opportunities you generally get. But on the other hand, that same nature would certainly seem to lend itself to ignoring the boundaries we all have. You have to be willing to maybe skip over some folks to get where you want.”
The doctor nodded, not expecting such a deep and thoughtful answer, then smiled, pleased his patient was thinking of more than herself and her own needs. “That was a fantastic response. I have to confess that it was unexpected.” The psychiatrist looked at his watch. “Unfortunately we have reached the end of our time for today. But, if I may, I think some progress has been made today.”
Samantha stood slowly, gathering her purse. “How so?”
“Until just now, all of your answers to me always revolved around yourself. This response? Really seemed to encompass all your colleagues, not just yourself.”
Samantha sighed as she slung the strap of her purse over her shoulder. “Despite what has been said about me, I am quite capable of putting others before myself.”
The portly doctor smiled, straightening his sweater vest over the slight paunch at his waist. “It does seem so. I will see you again soon?”
Samantha quickly recalled her schedule. “Wednesday at the earliest. On the road until then. But if I can make it in then, I will.”
“That sounds good, Samantha. Enjoy your day. And good luck to you as well.”
Samantha nodded, then turned and walked out of the office. The psychiatrist went back to the window, opening the curtains once again, smiling brightly as the sunlight again flooded into the room.
-------------------
ON-CAMERA
“You know, I wasn’t going to shoot my video here this time, but, since Sidney Grey is such a fan of the location, and, well, it’s such a nice day here in Las Vegas, what the hell?”
Samantha Tolson winks at the camera, her forearms on the edge of her pool, showing only her arms and head, as the rest of her body lounges beneath the water line. Her hair is wet and plastered against her head, and blue straps from her swimsuit are barely visible, but there.
“Forgive me, Gabby Camacho. I know you’re as intense as they come, but a chance to relax ahead of a big few days of matches was just too good to pass up. Rest assured, that when the bell rings, I’ll be just as intense as you are...just as intense as you know me to be.”
“Oh, but wait. What was it you told me before LAW 56, all those months ago?”
“I don’t impress you.”
“Let me tell you a secret here, Gabby. I don’t care, not one single whit, if I impress you or not.”
“All I care about, honestly, is that you remember after all the shit you talked to me before LAW 56...you know, all the personal shots you took at me a year ago, and all the things you couldn’t say about my ability or skill in the ring.”
“I want you to remember every last single word of it, Gabriella. I want you to go back, and I want you to put that into your mind before you speak again. And, let’s face facts, I know you will, and you’ll do it, as always, at the absolute last possible minute, because that’s what you do.”
“Just know that I’m going to remember it, and that I’ll put it in the back of my head. I’ll take whatever drivel and vitriol you want to say tonight, and I’ll put it all in the back of my head.”
“Because I can hear it now, Gabby.”
Samantha’s voice takes on a nasal quality as she mimics the LAW Champion.
“I’m the measuring stick in LAW.”
“I’m more than willing to hand out another reality check.”
“You’re good, but you’re not good enough.”
“I’ll take this match seriously, but I’m not sweating it.”
Samantha smirks, her voice returning to normal.
“And that, dear friends, is the meat and bones of virtually every promotional video Gabriella Camacho has ever made. No real credit for her opponents, no real appreciation for anyone else’s skill, ability, heart, or desire. Just Gabby Camacho, underselling anything of any value her opponents bring to the table.”
“Last time, Gabby, let’s call a spade a spade. Yes, you beat me. And you also damn near got choked out in the process. I took absolutely everything you had to offer, and still damn near put you out.”
“I know you. I know the way you think, the way you work. You think that I’m the same woman now that I was a year ago. And you’d be so very wrong.”
“I’m a far, far different person, a far different fighter than I was last year. Three times, I’ve been to the top of the heap. Yes, I’ll grant you it’s not here in LAW, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s a matter of time. Because whether I beat you, or someone else, I will claim the LAW Championship, and I will do it sooner rather than later.”
“See Gabby, I’m going to say something that no one else, even my good friend Amy Jo Smyth didn’t even say. I’m going to tell you something that nobody has ever told you here in LAW.”
“You’re the one person in this place that gets every opportunity she could ever want and yet does precious little to get it. Tell me, dear, what exactly have you done in the last, say, six months, other than steal a spot in a tournament you didn’t need to be in from someone who could have used that spotlight? What have you done, except somehow escape your title match with AJ by the very skin of your teeth somehow?”
“Other than cut a few videos, maybe talk a little bit….you haven’t done shit.”
“I get it. I really do. Why work harder when the path is greased so nicely for you, right? Why put out any extra effort at all when you can coast into title opportunities on the least bits of effort?”
“If only all of us could hop onto that corporate gravy train and take it for a long, long, comfortable ride.”
“Face it. You’ve been put onto easy street, and you’re milking it for all it’s worth.”
“You’re coasting, Gabriella, and for you to admit anything else is a bold-faced lie.”
“You’ll tell the whole world about how hard you worked to get to where you are, and you did. I won’t begrudge you that. But you got there, and now, you’re resting on your laurels just as often as you possibly can, while the powers that be in LAW spoon-feed you opportunity after opportunity, watching you suck from the corporate tit.”
“The rest of us, though? The ones LAW is holding down so you can sit on your comfy little false throne?”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll tell the whole world I did the same thing, holding the Chaos Championship with few defenses. Know the difference between me and you? I offered people chances. I begged for opportunities to defend my title, the one that was not handed to me, by the way, but the one I bled, sweat, and hurt myself over to make it a legitimate championship here. Angelica Vaughan straight up dissed the title by refusing a shot at it, then proceeded to say she was going to beat me.”
“Yet, what happened to little Angie? She got dropped on her noggin and beaten like a government mule.”
“You’ve fed and fed and fed, Gabriella. But there’s something along the way, as you’ve become the proverbial fatted calf off the corporate nipple, you’ve completely forgotten.”
“We’re hungry too. We’re wanting those opportunities too, and some of us, myself included, are really, really tired of seeing people like you coast along and get absolutely anything you want from management.”
“Hell, I couldn’t even get Helms-King or Dupree to schedule my rematch for the Chaos Championship. By now, honestly, I’ve moved on from it, because I’m not you. I can’t just snap my fingers and get what I want from management.”
“Come Sunday night, though, none of it will matter. You are the goddamn target, Gabby. You’re the woman who’ll walk to the ring, all smug and happy, toting that LAW Championship belt like you’re the best thing this company has.”
“Hell...even the Cool Kids are a better asset to LAW than you are, and I’m very, very public about my hatred for them.”
“Sunday night, though, you’re going to get an education. One that says you don’t get to coast anymore. One that says there are a lot of women in this company who deserve the spotlight you’ve been given for no apparent reason.”
“So you bring that title to the ring with you Gabby. You bring all your confidence, you bring all your self-important swagger, and you bring along your belief that you are completely unbeatable and infallible.”
“Because when it’s all said and done, I’m going to drop you on your fool head, I’m going to pin you, and then I’m marking my territory. I’m going to call you out one more time, but not on LAW number whatever. I am going to take you straight to pay per view, sweetheart, and with that pretty little belt on the line?”
“I’ll crush you yet again.”
“Time’s up for you, Gabriella Camacho.”
“You’ve coasted through for way too long. You’ve taken up more spotlight and more notoriety than you’ve earned.”
“Sunday night is the beginning of the end, Gabby.”
“You’re nothing more than a myth, and I’m going to show you just how big of a myth you really are.”
“Get ready sweetheart.”
“Release The Panic.”
Samantha grins at the camera one more time before turning around and swimming on her back, kicking slowly as she relaxes in the pool.