Post by Aries Reed on Jul 14, 2014 12:03:46 GMT -6
[March 24, 2013]
[Greyhound Bus Terminal]
[Atlanta, Georgia]
I stood outside of the Greyhound station as I watched Justin Brook's bus roll off. I watched him from his window seat as I leaned against the concrete pillar, silently wishing him all the best, knowing that sooner or later I would see him again.
We'd spent the past few months honing our skills...he was the only one who had taken the time to get my head on straight and point in the right direction
Fine tooling our craft...showing me what I was capable of
Sharpening my mind, showing me that I could be as a great as I wanted to be.
When the news came that Justin was leaving Knoxville to make it back to San Diego, I know it was coming and despite my own selfishness to keep my friend in Atlanta, I knew what he had to do and so do I. As his bus made the wide left turn, I turned the opposite direction and pulled a pair of headphones into my ears, slid my black hood over my head and pressed play on the iPod Mini and I started my three mile run back to the gym. I could hear the pounding of my sneakers against the hard pavement over the beating bass of the rap music pouring into my ears as I keep a fairly long stride, throwing short fury of punches as my taped fists cut through the humid air of another Atlanta summer.
One monkey didn't stop the show.
With Justin gone, I still had training to complete; I still had a job to do.
My life didn't change because one man.
And one man didn't change my course.
I would make it out of Atlanta...I would make it out of this shit hole...
...I would make my own name...I would make my own fortunes...I would make my own life.
I knew I would see him again, but until then I had to get better, I had to get stronger, I had to get faster.
I was going to prove them wrong; I was going to prove them all wrong.
I was going to change the world.
I was going to change the sport.
And I would do it one man at it time if I had to.
I never said my journey would be easy or paved with gold.
This was going to be hard, this was going to be filled with torment...this wasn't going to be for the faint of heart.
But then again, all things in life were never easy.
Why should it be different for some poor black kid from the hood of Atlanta?
---
[The grandfather clock behind him continued to tick away, as Aries leaned forwarded in large leather chair, staring intently at the minute hand on the clock. The fireplace in the corner of the room, gave the room a more ominous glow as its orange light danced against his face and rather large frame.]
"so I have to know, because it bothers me like a buzzing mosquito..."
"How does it feel to be at the begging for scraps at the table of Jonathan Collins? How does it feel to beg for scraps of affection and recongition that he sends your way."
"And like the attention starved puppy you are, you wag your tag and happily follow behind him while you travel on your way to another adventure like you're the Robin to his Batman...and you want to call my association with Brando into question?"
"Then again, I shouldn't be too surprised because I'm sure that when shit gets a bit too hot for you handle, Jon or Darrin will come in to the rescue and save you...maybe give you Fiona or Lexy to back you up because Jon doesn't let his little pet projects wander too far off the leash because he knows that when that happens...is his puppy dog is going to his ran through by the bigger dogs in the yard."
"You let my name fall out of your mouth like you know me and that's what's going to cost you because you see me hang with Coyote and Brando and you think you got a bead on me. Nah, kid...you got it all wrong because the three of us are going to be ones that not only tear the doors down in Revo...but in Exodus in general."
[Slowly Aries pushes himself away from the table and stands from his leather back chair as he reaches up and slowly untying the thin black tie around his neck, roughly pulling it from around his neck. Disrobing from his finely tailored suit jacket, he discards it by flinging it across the room with a care.]
"You may not care about this business...but for the rest of us, this is our livilhood...this is how we survive. This his how I survive, it's how I've put food on the table and a roof over my head and while I've watched others like Sydney come in and bat those eyelashes and get the world on a silver platters while the rest of us continue to grind it out."
"And that shit grates on my nerves...that shit bothers the fuck out of me, while I'm told that I just need to play the role that I'm given and everything will work out."
"Fuck that shit...Fuck Jonathan Collins...and fuck you most of all, Carey."
[Aries chuckled softly as he runs his hand over his freshly braided hair and shakes his head slowly. Placing both hands flat on the desk, he leans over as he looks up into the camera with a smile on his face.]
“You think you got what it takes to beat me then you don't need a place or a time...just the opporunity to make it happen because when you finally see me, I've already had eyes on you hours before. I've beat you before I even stepped into the ring because I know I'm better you."
"I'm the One who wants the shit more than you."
"I'm the One who puts the time."
"I'm the One who put in the sweat and the pain."
"I'm the One who refuses to settle for second place."
“I continue to work...I continue to develop...I continue to evolve into something that I wasn't before...”
“...something greater than I was before because I know if I'm going to step into the ring with some of the best talent in the world then I need to be better than I was yesterday...last week...last month...last year.”
“Anything else wasn't going to be satisfactory to me and you know it.”
“But if you want to think that this suit...”
[With a look of disgust, Aries pulls his shirt from his body as the buttons come flying across the room, skittering across the floor as Aries tosses down the tattered shirt. His bare frame is outlined by the roaring fireplace behind him as he chest heaves with a heavy breath. His jawline tightens as he slowly grinds his teeth as he continues on.]
“If you think that because of my drink...”
[With quick backhand, he pushes the bottle of bourbon off the table that lands with a large crash of broken glass.]
"Because of who I associate with...defines me, then you don't know shit...so allow me to educate you."
“This isn't some game...this isn't some sort of dramatic act for the Revo.”
“I didn't come here in a suit, sipping on liquor to make myself look important just to set the Exodus abuzz...because outside of this suit and outside of the drink. I'm still the roughneck black kid from Atlanta who needed an outlet so I wouldn't end up in jail, on the corner slinging dope, or six feet in the dirt.”
“So do you dare patronize me for a single second thinking that you know me because last time I checked we were both in that musty ass ring working our asses off , all the while you're rubbing shoulders with Jonathan Collions and I'm back here putting the work that you refuse to put in.”
“But for me...what you have, isn't what I want. What you've done isn't what I want to do. Does that make you better than me?”
[Aries chuckles slowly.]
“Not on your best day, Carey. Not on your best day.”
“This weekend isn't about the World Title because frankly, those monkeys don't deserve such a match. This is going to be about the two long lost friends...two men who've gone their separate ways and have reached a point in the road where we are going to find out who's the better man is.”
“I didn't promise the world that I would you, Jake...”
“I promised you that I would end you.”
“I promised you that I end you and rebuild you again because that's exactly what you need...it's exactly what you desire because let's face it, Jake. There isn't another soul on this roster that can do what I can do and has the ability to beat you at your own game. You want to think that you got me figured out, that you already know what I'm going to do before I do it.”
“You haven't been in the same ring with me before and the things that I've learned...the things that I've done in the ring, Carey my boy...it'll make your head spin. I'm going to show you what it means to inflict pain on another man.”
“And it's not because I have too...it's not because you've wronged me...”
“...it's because I want to because it makes me smile, it makes me laugh...it makes me feel good.”
“You want to get violent?”
“I embrace it.”
“You want to hurt me?”
“I welcome it.”
“You want to beat me? You have nothing to bring to the table, Carey.”
“I hope that I have your full attention now, I hope that your eyes are finally on me because I have don't your undivided attention...”
“Then you'll miss the real fun.”
