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With everything going on with Brandon's recovery, it's nice to finally have a moment where you can actually settle. As Brandon has continued to progress, Jake and Shawn have felt more comfortable going home, and actually enjoying a little relaxation. Seeing Brandon alert, and able to somewhat communicate, tells them that things are legitimately heading in the right direction. For Jake, this bit of a reprieve couldn't come at a moment too soon. Since the whole ordeal began, Jake's mind has been running a mile a minute. With the stress of a friend in peril, combined with the self-imposed pressures that Jake has always put on himself from a professional standpoint, the ability to kick his feet up is a welcome occurrence.
As Jake sits in his living room, sprawled out on the couch, and watching TV, his mind is actually blank. He's enjoying some mindless show about tuna fishing, more for the over the top personas, rather than the actual content. Roeper is off in Mara's room, getting her ready for bed, and going through their nightly routine. After a much longer time than normal, Roeper finally emerges from the other side of the house, and plops down on the couch across from Jake. As she flops, she grunts. Roeper Hart: Just so you know, your daughter was a pill tonight... Jake smirks.
Jake Starr: Oh? How so? Roeper Hart: Every little thing she could fight about bedtime, she fought. Then, after every time I would get her past another task, she would beg for you to come in there. She doesn't comprehend that you are resting because of how hard you really have been grinding lately. Jake chuckles.
Jake Starr: Yeah, not many people comprehend that... Roeper Hart: I do... I always comprehend how hard you work. And if you really think nobody recognizes it, then I need to do a better job of showing it. Jake chuckles again, brushing off Roeper's comment.
Jake Starr: Trust me... If I was REALLY worried that you didn't appreciate me, and what I do, I would have said something a long time ago. I know you don't always understand the "whys" of what I do, but I know you're always appreciative. Roeper breathes a sigh of relief.
Roeper Hart: Oh good! I don't want you to ever think that I don't appreciate everything you do for our family here. I mean, yeah, I like having you home more, but I also know you're supporting us. Plus, I know how much that business means to you. Jake smiles. Hearing something like this from his wife is something he had always wanted to hear, from a support standpoint, but traditionally hadn't. Hearing it, though, makes him feel that he's doing the right thing, though.
As the idle chit-chat begins to wane, and the focus begins to shift more toward the television, the doorbell rings out through the house. Both Jake and Roeper turn and look at one another, confused at who would be showing up at this hour. Neither had been expecting anyone, which adds to more confusion. Roeper Hart: I'll go see who it is... Jake Starr: You sure? Jake's concern leads to a smirk from his wife.
Roeper Hart: Yes, I'm sure... I know how to use a peep hole! This very poignant retort makes Jake chuckle. Roeper jumps up and heads toward the front door. Jake mutes the TV so he can hear what is going on. He hears Roeper exclaim "OH," and quickly open the door. She then begins to make some idle chit chat with whoever it is, but it done at a volume where Jake cannot make out what is being said, or who is saying it. After a few more brief moments, he hears Roeper comment again...
Roeper Hart: Yeah! He's in the living room, right now... Go on in there! I'll make you some coffee real quick... Jake's confusion level goes up, and he turns to look back toward the entry way. Initially he sees Shawn Wright walk in, and Jake smiles, and hops up. The smile is quickly transformed as Shawn is followed by Thoren Holt. A much more serious look comes across Jake's face, and he just stands and stares. He stares Thoren down with a very stern look in his eye, looking past Shawn. Shawn sees this, and immediately walks into Jake's line of sight, and breaks the uncomfortable silence in the room.
Shawn Wright: He's ready to talk... Jake looks Shawn directly in the eye, and grits his teeth in his sarcastic response.
Jake Starr: Well that's great! Now do I get any say in this whole "ready to talk" matter? Shawn doesn't get intimidated.
Shawn Wright: Can it with the attitude, Jake... I didn't seek him out. He came to me. He sought me out, and talked to me about everything. Then he asked me to facilitate this meeting, and be a mediator in it. So I agree, it's time you two both speak your peace, and move on. It's needed to happen for a while, now. And I thought it best to have it done in a place you were most comfortable and "in charge" of the situation. So that's why we came here... Jake's teeth are still gritted in his response.
Jake Starr: Well you could have fucking forewarned me, couldn't you? Shawn continues to keep his cool.
Shawn Wright: Would it have done any good, Jake? Would you have MAGICALLY been willing to meet, or would you have told us both to go fuck off? Jake Starr: You know, I just don't know... Shawn Wright: ... And that attitude is EXACTLY why I made this decision by myself. The fact is, Jake, you two need to get all of this shit sorted out. You two need to figure out where the confusion is, where the problems lie, and just resolve them, or find the path to do so. So it's time this discussion happens. If not for the two of you to move forward, it's primarily for Brandon's good. Jake snarls.
Jake Starr: Fine... Shawn Wright: Good... Everyone goes to sit down, with Jake on the same couch he was on, and Thoren and Shawn on the opposing one. Jake picks up the remote and turns the television off, a sign to Shawn that he doesn't want there to be any distractions in this matter. Roeper brings Shawn a cup of coffee from their Keurig, and a bottle of water for Thoren.
Roeper Hart: Do you need anything, babe? Jake Starr: I'm good... I still have some... Roeper Hart: Ok! Roeper, trying to be the consummate "good guy" to everyone, exits the room, back to the kitchen, leaving the trio together. Jake's eyes are just locked on Thoren, and Thoren is uncomfortably staring back at Jake. Neither man speaks, and Thoren nervously takes a sip of his water, his hands shaking as he sets it back down on the table. It's at this moment Shawn begins to realize that neither man is going to take that initial "first step" on their own, and it'll have to be the mediator's job to facilitate the initial portion of the conversation.
Shawn Wright: Alright... So you both have a lot on your mind, and we all know that. A lot of it, if not all of it, needs to get out in the open so they can begin to move forward accordingly. In saying that, someone is going to have to start this dialog, and honestly, since a lot of the animosity from this situation comes from Jake, I think it's best that he lead things off. Hearing this makes Jake feel a sense of "power" in the discussion, and the ability to confront Thoren right from the start. Shawn feels this will keep Jake from interrupting Thoren too much, as he would have had his chance to speak his mind from the get-go.
Jake Starr: Alright... Jake's gaze has never left being locked in on Thoren, and he begins to speak his mind.
Jake Starr: ... I'm going to be blunt and say I don't know how to not think that you did this completely without the intention of, at the very least, getting Brandon feeling uncomfortable. I say that because you made the dip, you knew he was allergic, and then I remember you encouraging him to eat some, and then eat more. I remember you sounding happy about him eating it, and if he had not done so, or you had actually been forthcoming about what was in it, we wouldn't be in this fucking position. But instead, here we are. You acted in a selfish and careless manner and almost KILLED our best friend. You, for the longest time, wanted him out of the picture and... Thoren finally snaps back, cutting Jake off.
Thoren Holt: Ok you need to stop... Just stop... I get it, alright. I get it LOUD and clear. I completely understand where you're coming from Jake, and I'll be perfectly honest, if the roles were reversed and I was in your shoes, yeah, I'd probably think the same thing. But the fact is, though, and I'll say this as many times as I have to, this was NOT intentional, it wasn't on purpose, it wasn't part of some bigger plan. That day, I started to realize how close you all were. I wanted to be part of that because, for the longest time, I was the outcast of my family, and you KNOW that! You know how everyone looks at me different than the rest. I wanted to be part of the happiness that I saw, and the brotherhood you had with Brandon... Jake Starr: Then were you just not thinking? I mean, seriously... Thoren Holt: ... No, I was thinking! Jake explodes and yells.
Jake Starr: THEN WHY WOULD YOU FUCKING PUT SHELLFISH IN THE FUCKING DIP?! WE'RE NOT OBLIVIOUS TO HIS GOD DAMN ALLERGIES, HERE THOREN?! Think about it, man... We've all eaten sushi together, and we've ALL heard him talk about how he avoids that kind of shit! Thoren fires back.
Thoren Holt: Yeah! We've heard him say he avoids it... But when has he EVER talked about the effect it has on him, though? When was I supposed to find that out, man? All he's ever said is he ate it a couple of times, and each time it made him feel kinda rough when he had "a lot." How was I supposed to know what "a lot" was? He never said it was if he had ANY! Jake Starr: Well you SHOULD have fucking assumed it was ANY! Shawn senses the exchange heating up, and begins to try and interject some common sense into the equation.
Shawn Wright: Jake, did you even know how severe it was? Seriously? I mean did you guys talk about how it would send him into shock like that, or was it just a known allergy? I ask because he and I never had it, and I know he and I were talking just as much as you two. So I have to say I was more in Thoren's shoes with this... I would have just as soon assumed it was giving him the shits, but I don't know if you two talked about it, so that's why I'm asking... Jake takes a deep breath, and grits his teeth again, feeling the pressures of Shawn's comments getting to him.
Jake Starr: No... We didn't... But I was smart enough to know that ANY allergy could be a bad one. Shawn Wright: Jake, you can't say that... Seasonal allergies aren't bad. They're just irritating as hell. So you can't act like any allergy is potentially deadly... Thoren Holt: And I can say he never told me how bad it was, plain and simple... Jake's eyes shift back to Thoren.
Jake Starr: Thoren... Why don't you try getting in my shoes, for real. Sure you said if the roles were reversed, you PROBABLY would think like I do, so why don't you think like me right now? Think about our recent history together. How is all of this supposed to look to me, huh? How am I not supposed to look at you as responsible? Thoren finally screams back at Jake, his emotions pouring out.
Thoren Holt: HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL ABOUT ALL OF THIS, JAKE?! WHY DO YOU THINK I FEEL SO FUCKING GUILTY, HUH? Shawn makes a gesture to Thoren to try and calm himself down.
Thoren Holt: ... I'm not stupid, here, Jake! I'm not oblivious to what it all looks like. I know what you see. I know what EVERYONE fucking sees! I just don't know how to fix everything I've done in the past, or do in order to convince you and EVERYONE ELSE that it wasn't some purposeful act. I don't know what you need from me to PROVE my innocence, here... But I do know that I want to do whatever it takes to prove it. You told me, when you found me in the bar, that we were in this together, and you were right. I'm guilty of something, yes. But at the same time, I know I have to man up for what I did and try to make things right. I'm tired of being this tagalong for everyone. I want to be something more. And I want to do what it takes to move forward in fighting alongside Brandon in this fight, and the two of you going forward, or feel at peace knowing I can fucking just move on. There's this lingering cloud over my head, and I'm tired of living with it. I'm tired of being the one everyone believes is out to fuck over everyone else. I'm tired of being an outcast... Tears begin to fill the eyes of Thoren, and Shawn pats him on the leg, knowing it took a lot to admit everything to Jake. Jake sits there staring, emotionless.
Shawn Wright: You have anything to say, Jake? Jake shrugs.
Jake Starr: What am I supposed to say? Yeah, I hear what Thoren has to say. That doesn't mean I know how to magically respond to it. I don't know if you're expecting me to jump up and run and hug him... Shawn Wright: No... Thoren Holt: Not what I'm expecting... All I'm asking for is for you to be open minded enough to believe that it wasn't something I meant to or intended to do. Yeah, it was stupid and irresponsible, and I know this... I just need you to be willing to trust that I'm learning from it, and moving forward... Jake looks down at the floor between his feet, then back up at Shawn.
Shawn Wright: ... And I'll say this... I don't know why, but I believe the guy... From out of Jake's visual range, Roeper has overheard much of the exchange, and chimes in as well.
Roeper Hart: That makes two of us, Jake. He's family, yes, and I know that may make me look at things differently, but I truly believe he's sorry and made a bad mistake... Hearing Roeper, Jake's head slumps down again, as everyone looks at him for a response. Jake knows he has a lot to process, and to try to figure out. Shawn realizes that Jake isn't going to give his final answer at that moment and suggests they adjourn for this portion of the discussion. Roeper agrees that it is probably best, and Shawn and Thoren are both shown out by Roeper. Jake looks up to see them leave, with his mind racing on what the right move is. He sees the argument from both sides, finally, and just does not know how to properly weigh them against one another.
After escorting the pair out, Roeper walks back in and can see Jake toiling with the issue. She decides to sit next to him, and just hold him, hoping that a sense of calm may help him better think about things, or at least realize that the world is not about to end based on the decision he makes. Jake Starr: I wish I stood here and could honestly say I was in a more chipper mood. I wish I could go on live television and be the same braggart that I've been my entire career. But today I don't have that right. Today I stand here a little more humbled because of the events of Breakdown. Yes everyone, that night opened my eyes and humbled me. While I SHOULD actually be here proclaiming victory and basking in the glory of my talents, Ace Marshall beat me again. He took me to task, and beat me. There's no way around it. Now the loss did humble me, but it wasn't because Ace beat me that I was humbled. I think it was more that I was humbled by his generosity to not pass along the plethora of venereal diseases he carries in the process. It was a gesture that, when I got to the back and sat in my locker, stewing in my own annoyance, made me realize that amongst all the hateful rhetoric in the world, there still is some good. Now I also won't lie that at one point I did question that generosity because I felt my guts deciding that it was time to take a poop, and I worried if I had prematurely given him credit. Good news to all of you Ace fans... It was just the shitty catering by SCW personnel! Nevertheless, I'm not happy I lost. I felt I was better prepared, but again, I went in overlooking Ace and he took advantage. It happens. I'm not sweating it because it also tells me that, while I'm finally getting my groove back, I have work to do. I can't coast. I can't just assume I know what I'm doing. I have to showcase it, night in and night out. I have to make sure people remember what I'm capable of, and not be the guy who simply "phones it in" in matches they don't think matter. Everything has to matter to me, going forward. I'm not going to simply walk in against Cain and expect her to lie down and hand me the United States Championship. I have to expect her to go out there and do everything she can to try and best me. I basically have to have her prove to the world she's better than Jake Starr! Like I said, going forward, there isn't anything I have to prove anymore. Everything I do going forward is just a statement of who I am and what I'm capable of doing when I set my mind to things. Too many people in SCW rely on proving themselves, and having to have their recent record stand up to the "eye test," and quite honestly, the eye test can eat my ass. I'm sick of everyone having to have the right optics to be considered successful. I'm tired of the "suits" being able to say, "so and so is better because they won this match, and it is better than so and so because that win was more impressive." You know how impressive I've been since day one? You know how much that has translated long term? NONE! I've had to be part of that group who tries to justify themselves, and I'm just done playing that game. I'm out to do my own thing, and do it my way. Other people's eye tests can go fuck themselves because I'm simply that good. If they don't see it, THEY'RE IN THE WRONG, not me. I showed the world that at Apocalypse. Nobody gave me a fighting chance because according to their stupid eye tests, I had just loss to Ace, and Cannon was this unbeatable soul. Jake throws two middle fingers right at the camera.
Fuck all of you who fell into EITHER of those categories! Jake lowers his hands.
You all love writing me off because you get an erection over someone new every time you turn around. Well you can take your dick out of your respective hands and realize your tiny piece is about to shrivel up because I'm not going anywhere. Every time you write me off, I show back up. Every time you believe you're going to take me out, I conquer. It's how life works. And it will CONTINUE to be that way time after fucking time. I don't care who is put in front of me... I don't care if I lose three, four, five, SIX matches in a row... I don't care if someone looks like they deserve something more, the fact of the matter is THEY DON'T! I don't care about ANY of that bullshit because, honestly, it doesn't relate to me in the LEAST. It's just an excuse for someone to try and discount me and MAKE me not worthy of opportunities. It's just a way for people to try and JUSTIFY their unnecessary dislike for me. Get over it people... I'm not like the rest of these douchebags who lose a few and run home crying to mommy because they aren't happy with the end result. I'm not the prototype of someone who isn't immediately gratified in SCW. I don't run elsewhere and try to prove I still matter. Time after time I just make it CRYSTAL FUCKING CLEAR that I still am someone to fear and someone who WILL overcome ANY and ALL odds. So a loss to Ace sucks, yeah, but it isn't the end of the world because JUST LIKE EVERYONE DID for Apocalypse, everyone is already discounting me against Cain down the road. And it's that level of ignorance that I thoroughly enjoy watching suffer each time I actually WIN! Jake shifts his topic to Breakdown, in typical Jake Starr-promo format.
Now let me ask all of you a very simple question, now that I've reiterated my point about not giving a fuck, and moving forward... Has anyone ever heard of the phrase, "when you fall of, get up, dust off your jeans, and get right back on?" Well that's what I'm doing. I lost, I get it, it sucks. I've got to move on. And to do so, I'm going to really STEP MY GAME UP this time around... So without further adieux... Jake runs off screen, and some crashing is heard. Props seem to be flying about, occasionally getting into frame. After several minutes, Jake comes running back into the frame dressed as Paul Hogan from "Crocodile Dundee."
G'DAY MATEYS! Jake pauses.
Oh wait... That's pirate talk... Let me try again... Jake takes a deep breath, and starts over in a really bad Australian accent.
G'DAY MATES! For you blokes "Down Unda," I'm here to give ya a little diddy about what you're gonna be seein' this comin' Wednesday! For the first time in your lives, it won't just be some dingos and koalas! Cheers to that! Jake pulls a Fosters out, and takes a swig, then smashes the can on his head.
That's right, folks... You're gonna actually see new human beings coming into your lil' Outbacky area, and doing some of that them Aboriginals did back in the day... Or somethin' close to it! We educated folks in America call this lil' sport wrasslin'! We grapple around with one anotha, and try to see who can spit-roast their foe, and turn them into a shrimp on the barbie! And don't you worry, we marinade those fuckas in GLOBS of Vegemite! And good on ya, after we're done, I promise MEAT PIES AND TIM TAMS FOR EVERYONE! So ride your little roo down to the little arena there in Sydney, and get ready for a real pissa'! Why? Because this bloke is gonna entertain you guys until your gulful of piss! And while I'm doing that, I'm gonna bludger some ocker all the way back to the States! Jake gives two thumbs up, and pauses. After a good 10 seconds of holding the pose, Jake begins to get off balance, and looks past the camera to the camera man.
So, we good? The camera man apparently gives an affirmative from behind the camera.
Oh thank God... Now for those of you who aren't completely inept of speaking proper English, and yes, American is the proper English fuckwads, let me translate what I just said to the dummies "Down Under..." Breakdown I walk into a match in a little bit of a different scenario than normal. Usually, we're in North America, somewhere, doing our thing, but now I travel to Australia where it's a giant landmass of people you don't see, unless you're willing to walk 150 miles in either direction. Now while I may mock this land of nothingness, it's a stage that, for SCW, is a little bigger than what we're used to seeing. A lot of eyes will be on the organization, the superstars, and the successes or failures of this trip. For me, it's a moment to shine. It's a chance to stand out above the rest while even MORE EYES are on the organization. And I get to do so with a familiar foil... Blake Mason! Blake has been somewhat of a mainstay in my visual range of late... He decided to interject himself into MY MATCH, and tried to UPSTAGE me at Apocalypse, yet ended up looking like a complete buffoon in the process. He wanted everyone to see him as this guy who would take on multiple big fights, and somehow come out on top, but what happened to that poor sap? He set the stage perfectly. He got everyone all hype for the possibility that he might go out there and pull of this major night for himself, but he wasn't smart enough, was he? Sure, he had the physical capabilities... Sure he showed the world he can fight... But did he win? Did he actually accomplish the task at hand? No... He didn't... He showed the biggest flaw in his game by not keeping his head on a swivel. He went out there and he had it within his grasp, and then DERP! He lost it. He failed. He came up short. The world was saddened because it could have been the moment that "Little Engine That Almost Could" finally graduated to the "Little Engine That Did." Pity... Now in the land of the Aussies, he gets a chance to show the world that what happened was a mistake. He gets to show the world that he was the one that SHOULD have won. He gets to say, "Jake Starr stole the match from me," and I will look and say, "Blake, I simply took what was mine!" You see Blake, when you're in the kind of match we were in, you have to have a plan, and when I knew I was the focal point of everyone else's plan, I knew I had to revamp my mindset. That's when I decided I had to find the right time to TAKE the match, when one of you dopes let your guard down. I had to let you two do the dirty work, so then in the end, what was RIGHTFULLY MINE would remain just that. It wasn't theft. It wasn't anything like that. It was brilliance on my part. It was me picking the right time to capitalize. And yeah, I get that it is frustrating. I get that it sucks. I've been there. But you have to understand REALITY, my little friend... And for you, reality will never be your friend with me! That's why at Breakdown, all the way down there in the land of koalas and Vegemite, I'm going to put a hurting on you the likes you've never felt. Not for any other reason but because you stuck your nose in my business at Apocalypse, and I know you're so petty to believe that you actually stood a chance at being the number one contender for the United States Championship. Well your pettiness pisses me off. The fact you probably won't acknowledge that you were BLATANTLY outsmarted by me, pisses me off. And because it pisses me off, I want to make sure you don't forget this fight. I want to make sure you REMEMBER why you're not even in my league. I want you to have NO QUESTIONS about what happened at Apocalypse. That's why in the "Land Down Under," you're going to be feeling like you're right on the home turf of North America. You're going to to be beaten down, left for dead, and have your last memory of that event be of me laughing as I stand victorious. You will NOT question me after Breakdown. You'll respect me. You'll understand me. You'll wish you were me. Most importantly you'll agree that I'm simply the best fucking talent in SCW, hands down! It's inevitable... It's reality... It doesn't like you! And if you don't believe me, you're wrong, because even as the locals would say about all that, it's fair dinkum! Fin |
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