HWA Message Board: "Friends Don't Let Friends ________

Santa Monica, CA – HWA Headquarters and Academy - 11:07 a.m.

Matt and I were on the training floor doing some heavy bodyweight training following my more heart pounding cardio. He tossed a big ass medicine ball into my midsection in my series of sit-ups to fail. My heart pounding like a Cheetah after a Gazelle chase, the sweat was pouring off me, stinging my eyes and I was huffing and puffing. Matt kneeled down and grabbed my ankles.

(Matt): Let’s go, come on…no quitting on me now so you don’t!

(Jeremy): I’m gonna get you back for this.

Matt grinned at me, that cheeky, boyish grin that lights my world.

(Jeremy): Have you heard from Sean?

(Matt): Nice try, don’t try and change the subject…let’s go!

I still has some in the tank, I just needed to catch my breath, push past the tension telling my body to stop, and so it obeyed. I lifted up and began my next round of sit-ups, old school this time. I lost count and I lifted up once again hanging mid-way between dropping back to the floor and desperately trying to make it up. Matt yelled encouragement, his grip tightening on my ankles was a like spurs digging into the side of a horse and so I rose.

My efforts rewarded with a peck on the lips as I raised my head then flopped back to the floor. That was it, I was done for the day…a 3 hour session and I was done for. I laid there on the floor pulling in air and noticed Matt turn his head, something getting his attention. It wasn’t until I heard the voice that I sat up. Others had gathered around one of the monitors on the wall and was watching.

……“Jeremy you tried to kill my brother. You didn't want to just end his career you wanted him dead….”

A few people turned their head to look at me, quickly turning back to the screen as Lunatik continued. Right after he was done the other voice came in like clockwork. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Over the next moment, I’m sure my knuckles had turned white. I had clenched my fist so hard my hands hurt but didn’t realize it until I felt Matt’s reassuring, calming, touch.

“…If you won’t listen to me then ask Matt, I know he and I don’t agree on much of anything but I do believe we’ll agree that we should be all working together to stop DreamMaster instead of fighting amongst ourselves and only helping it’s cause.”

I could barely stand to hear his voice anymore. He was as bad as Tobias with the intentional name calling crap.

(Jeremy): Great!

(Matt): Great what?

I looked at Matt, he’d been around the business far longer than me and while I studied it intensely, book knowledge for lack of a better phrase never compares to real life experiences. I sought answers from him that maybe he didn’t even know. A lot of this crap was long before his time.

(Jeremy): What is with these people? Maniac’s got some split personality crap, Lunatik claims to have some lab rat twin, that creepazoid Professor Hoff lurks around here like some mad scientist. This is what I’m talking about Matt. What the hell are they thinking?

I pointed aggressively upstairs towards Butch and Wisdoms offices. What the hell were they thinking constantly letting people like Maniac and Erica stick around, but to take things even further and invite more nut jobs into the fold like Lunatik and The Professor. I stood up in a hurry, grabbed my towel, and turned when Matt grabbed my arm.

(Jeremy): What?

(Matt): Don’t be daft…you know what!

(Jeremy): I know what you’re going to say, I’m not taking his bait, that’s not what this is!

(Matt): Then what is it?

(Jeremy): It’s fingernails on a chalkboard, that’s what it is…I’m annoyed!

He followed as I stormed off. I knew what I was doing, and I realized that it looked reactive and impulsive but it wasn’t. Okay, so maybe it was a little reactive but only a little. I wasn’t just going to let them spew their babble and not say anything so I made my way to the recording studio at got stares all the way. Matt followed and joined me in the room. The moment the door closed I hit the button to send all the equipment into action. I was going live, and I wasn’t going to wait another moment.

(Jeremy): You know Lunatik, what you saw in my eyes was a man who was fed up with the system. Sick of seeing Maniac get by without any justice for the things he’s done. I don’t want him dead, I want him to suffer. I want him to suffer out loud the way Matt suffers in silence.

I want him to look at a wrestling ring and know he’ll never compete in one again. I want him to walk or get wheeled into an arena and have all eyes on him and know he’s got nothing left to give except maybe taking a shot at commentary.

I nodded my head, I could imagine it as I said. Maniac’s crippled ass wheeling himself out onto the stage and waving to the crowd, a fake smile on his face outwardly happy to be there, and inside he’s crying and a miserable old bastard.

(Jeremy): You don’t respect me? The feeling is more than mutual. I don’t care about your damn clone story, or the evil the two of you are reminiscing about. It’s clear you’re intent on standing in my way so allow me to be equally blunt. I’m not going to get “nuts” I’ll leave the broken brain business to the two of you, but I will go Super Nova on your ass and send you on your way out just as fast as you came back in.

I wagged my finger…I wasn’t quite done yet.

(Jeremy): I haven’t forgot about you Maniac. I guess I should be honored that a great legend such as yourself took the time from diner hopping across America to try and give me another word of advice and a life lesson. I don’t care about your old rivals, you’re just trying to find empathy or something for whatever you went through back in the day. I’m focused on the here and now. I’m focused on you taking a dump in our yard and asking everybody for help cleaning up your goddamn mess. “We should all be working together…”

I scoffed at that nonsense. I’d ask him if he were crazy but we all know the answer to that, he was downright mental.

(Jeremy): Maniac, don’t think that your friend is going to slow me down. He’s a speed bump at best. This path you claim to know I’m on…at first I thought it was revenge too, but it’s not. It’s, justice! So surround yourself with the friends you want, it won’t stop me from getting it.

Then it occurred to me as the words left my mouth…his…“friends.”

(Jeremy): Wolfy…I’ve said it before…we don’t know each other too much, Sean and Michelle spoke highly of you when you first came in, but you’ve pissed Sean off since then and that’s enough for me. Nevertheless, a word of advice, tread carefully. I’d steer clear of Maniac if I were you. It seems you’re already tied up with that crazy Professor and jumping in with the Sons of Anarchy on top of that. I’d take a good look around if I were you, you’re walking a very fine line and can easily save yourself.

I couldn’t help but smile. It was ironic everything Maniac rambled on about, his…. “friends.”

(Jeremy): I was just getting started at Ring Master Maniac, and the fact that you’re dragging Lunatik and Wolfy by your side just proves you’re no true friend to anybody. You want to bring them into the blast zone? You want someone to hold on to so you’re not alone when you fall, when I knock you down? Go ahead…anyone who stands with you is an enabler, and an accomplice and I don’t care what happens to them on my way to you.

That was enough…I’d said my piece for now. I hit the button and ended the feed. I was all riled up though and looked over at Matt.

(Jeremy): I’m sorry!

(Matt): Get it all out did you?

Not the guilt trip look. Why did he do this to me? Sometimes I wish he’d just rage with me, he’s got far more right to it than I do but he stays cool as a damn cucumber somehow. He internalizes, I know there’s a part of him, a part of this whole saga inside him that eats away and he just won’t share. Maybe it’s better the dragon sleeps.

(Jeremy): Yeah, I’m done…….for now.

His eyebrow arched at me.

(Matt): Let’s grab a bit then, eh? How about one of those epic cheesy sandwiches ole’ Maniac had.

(Jeremy): That’s not funny!

He seemed to think it was, ever trying to lighten my mood with his jest. He just raised his eyebrows at me with that smile of his, rubbed his belly and licked his lips and darted out the door before I could grab him.

…and the scene fades to black.