Post by veronicaaaahhhh on Jan 22, 2019 20:26:02 GMT -5
Penny thought long and hard about it. But f*ck it, she couldn’t sleep. Homegirl needed a smoke. It had been a long time since she rolled a big, fat joint filled with freshly ground herb. And for the first time, in a little over two years, Penny Shannon wanted to blaze her brains out.
It was late on a Thursday evening. Mary had been sound asleep for a good couple hours. And not wanting to wake her, Penny slipped on her Doctor Who sweatpants over her legwarmers and headed over to the balcony. She knew full well that at this time of the night, no one was going to bother her. Especially considering that they lived on the top floor of a small, five-story apartment in the more hipster sections of the city.
She took some blankets with her and prepped it up on the makeshift couch they kept on the balcony. Feeling warm enough against the dry yet chilly January air, Penny placed the joint close to her lips and lit it up. It took a few tries, with Penny having to find a good position that protected the joint from the wind. But in time, she got an ember going, and she felt herself slip back into that old feeling…
Brainstorms took her away from the norm as a familiar tingle began to spread itself through her entire being… It felt so good. But yet, it was unnerving- like, there was this sense of fear and worry slowly budding in the back of her mind. And Penny knew that if she didn’t cool it, she wasn’t going to enjoy this for long.
“Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between, I give you me: an aspiring adult who's lost her ability to chill the f*ck out!” Penny sighed as she watched her breath appear before her like tiny, glistening bits of stardust against the night.
“What’s happening to me? I lose my first match back and now, whatever ounce of confidence I ever had in myself has given way to this broken ball of anxiety. It’s like I can’t enjoy anything without worrying how bad it’s going to f*ck up my entire life.”
It was late on a Thursday evening. Mary had been sound asleep for a good couple hours. And not wanting to wake her, Penny slipped on her Doctor Who sweatpants over her legwarmers and headed over to the balcony. She knew full well that at this time of the night, no one was going to bother her. Especially considering that they lived on the top floor of a small, five-story apartment in the more hipster sections of the city.
She took some blankets with her and prepped it up on the makeshift couch they kept on the balcony. Feeling warm enough against the dry yet chilly January air, Penny placed the joint close to her lips and lit it up. It took a few tries, with Penny having to find a good position that protected the joint from the wind. But in time, she got an ember going, and she felt herself slip back into that old feeling…
Brainstorms took her away from the norm as a familiar tingle began to spread itself through her entire being… It felt so good. But yet, it was unnerving- like, there was this sense of fear and worry slowly budding in the back of her mind. And Penny knew that if she didn’t cool it, she wasn’t going to enjoy this for long.
“Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between, I give you me: an aspiring adult who's lost her ability to chill the f*ck out!” Penny sighed as she watched her breath appear before her like tiny, glistening bits of stardust against the night.
“What’s happening to me? I lose my first match back and now, whatever ounce of confidence I ever had in myself has given way to this broken ball of anxiety. It’s like I can’t enjoy anything without worrying how bad it’s going to f*ck up my entire life.”
Penny took another drag.
“And now, I managed to talk my way into a championship match I am clearly not prepared for,” Penny hissed. “You see, this is exactly why I spent so much of my twenties avoiding the notion of growing up. I used to be able to do whatever I wanted when I wanted and succeed. I lose? Fine by me, I’ll move on to the next one. I win? Even better. Nothing in my life changed. Now, I could lose and just watch my career get flushed down the toilet. Or, I could win and have the biggest comeback in the history of comebacks!”
Penny took another drag, coughing a little this time as she knew what that cough meant… “God, I’m going to f*ck this all up again, aren’t I? Another comeback down the toilet.”
Penny sighed.
“Penny Shannon does it again!”
And with that, Penny decided she was going to smoke that entire joint- regardless of how much it was going to f*ck her up. Like, at this point, she was just better off showing up for a beating she knew was coming. Forget everything- just go down with a fight and try to hold on to whatever shred of dignity was left when it was all said and done.
“I really wouldn’t do that if I were you...”
“And why?”
“Because you’re going to barely make it back to bed and the last thing you wanna do is look like an idiot in front of your wifey.”
“Well, that’s where you’re wrong,” Penny shot back. “She’s already seen me like a complete idiot, and she loves me just the same.”
“Let me guess? Vodka and Mountain Dew.”
“Oh, sweet nectar of Sappho!”
“She was Greek.”
“That’s beside the point,” Penny shot out taking a hit, coughing midway as she realized that she wasn’t just talking to herself the entire time. “… Wait a minute.”
“Hello Penny,” the voice giggled.
“… No!” Penny gasped. “That better be you!”
“What do you think?”
“How high am I?” Penny coughed, the burning sensation in her throat beginning to overwhelm her.
“How much did you smoke?”
Penny grabbed the thermos of warm water she kept close and chugged it down, just trying to get her throat to soothe itself as a gust of purple and green smoke began to whirl before her; forming itself into a shiny, little orb that reeked of the ripest, most sweetest bud you could ever imagine!
“It’s really you!” Penny shot out, spitting bits of water into the orb that if she coughed hard enough, she could have (accidentally) set it out.
The orb came to a sudden stop. And as it did, the dust began to settle, giving way to the figure of a woman. She was about the size of a WFWF action figure from Jacksbro®; five inches give or take, with a blue bob that curled around both sides of her face and a set of clear wings that majestically hung over both shoulders. Yet, the figure didn’t seem happy- if anything, she looked as if Penny had just tossed a drop of water in her face; which, in her size, would have amounted to a pitcher.
“Celeste Cuddlepunk?”
“Gee, thanks,” the figure shot back as she fluttered over to Penny’s shoulder to wipe her face with her hair. “And here I was trying to give you a nice surprise!”
“You did!” Penny shot back. “How the hell was I supposed to know that you were just going to appear?”
“That’s what I do.”
“It’s been two and a half years,” Penny shot back, rolling her eyes. “You were all, ‘Oh, you’re growing up. You’re gonna take care of yourself. I’m gonna hang out and get stoned with some other girl now!’ Look what good that did me?”
“Hey- you started taking your life seriously enough that you managed to land yourself a long-term girlfriend,” Celeste shot back, fluttering her way to face Penny now. “Who, by the way, probably wouldn’t have even given you the time of day if you didn’t put some effort into maturing, even the slightest bit. So, you’re welcome.”
“You know what?”, Penny shot out, taking a hit. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, Penpen.”
Many, many moons ago, in the midst of a long-forgotten adventure that led a young Penny Shannon to the center of a wrestling ring, the young Velocity Grrrl found herself under the guidance of the tiny, floaty being that sparkled before her: Celeste Cuddlepunk. A weed pixie (yes, they exist). And together, Penny and Celeste traveled to the unknown reaches of time and space; to magic kingdoms where they rode dragons, danced with witches, slayed orcs, and romanced princesses.
If Penny Shannon was there, it was a good bet that Celeste Cuddlepunk wasn’t far behind. Unseen to most human eyes but a chosen few, the weed pixie served as Penny’s stoned conscience. Until the time came for Celeste to part ways, believing that the young Velocity Grrrl was better off growing up on her own, without the allowance of Pixie Dust- which, truth be told, was something Penny herself could capture if she only believed in herself enough.
“So, what’s the deal?” Penny asked. “Did you just want to see me or could you sense my despair light-years away?”
“I won’t deny that it’s a little bit of both,” Celeste began.
“Well, that’s sad!” Penny sighed, hitting her joint. “I’m so pathetic that even the universe feels it. Goddess, maybe I should just no-show, take Mary to Antarctica and hide in an Igloo until the world forgets all about me.”
“You’re being over-dramatic.”
“I don’t think I am,” Penny shot back. “I lost my first match back! I should have bulldozed Mesh… And that was the thing: if I can’t pluck off a scrawny, blue-haired rookie, who happens to be the sweetest girl in the world, what more for a sociopath who basically revolutionized the entire promotion?!”
“You know what?”
“What?”
Celeste crossed her arms and glared at Penny. “If the Penny I knew all those years ago could see the Penny now, she’d probably kick her butt. Or try to sleep with her. Or both.”
“That’s the thing though,” Penny began. “I can kick all the butt I want, smoke all the pot the world has to offer, but maybe it’s time to face facts: I’m not that girl anymore. It was a mistake thinking I could just come back and expect her to just pop up again.”
“You are right though,” Celeste said. “That girl isn’t you. But that’s what’s so great about it, Penny. Can’t you see that you’ve become so much more than that?”
Penny smiled at the weed pixie and held out her index finger. Celeste, in turn, crossed her legs and fluttered down to Penny’s finger in a sitting position. It was just like old times: Penny, a bag of weed, Celeste by her side and the promise of shenanigans and glory to be had.
“I still can’t shake it off,” Penny sighed, taking a hit. “I don’t want to lose what I’ve built. But at the same time…”
“I know, Penny,” Celeste hushed. “I know. Just keep pushing and believe in yourself. You’re going to fall one way or another, so might as well do it willingly knowing that you can pick yourself right up and do it all over again.”
“Until the next fall?”
“Until the next fall,” Celeste smiled, fluttering away from Penny’s finger to kiss her on the cheek. “You can have everything you want, you know. A new year dawns upon you with a lot of promise. And given what you’ve been through, armed with everything you’ve learned, you’re in the best position to become WFWF Champion.”
“… I am, aren’t I?”
“The road won’t be easy,” Celeste began. “Just take stock of what has happened, what you’ve learned and listen to the survivors around you who’ve fought this war. You will come to find that you possess something they don’t.”
“A p*ssy?”
“Actually, yes.” Celeste smiled, as a gust of wind began to form around her once more. “But there is so much more than that.”
“Wait- the dust,” Penny shot back. “Are you leaving me?!”
“I’ll be back.”
“What? In like two years?”
“I can’t stay here,” Celeste sighed as her figure began to break into the night. “I can only guide the way…”
Penny took a long, hard pull off her joint to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. Yes, that was indeed a weed pixie- her (former) weed pixie. And yes, she was disappearing the way most of the Marvel Universe had at the end of Infinity Wars. Except it didn't feel bad, given she that all she cared about was Deadpool!
“You always do this!” Penny shot out, watching her disappear. “It’s like, you only come here when I’m really depressed to tell me something meaningful. When to tell the truth, all I want is just to drift off to another adventure, but no-”
“Baby?”
In that instance, Celeste, the clouds, and the specks of purple and green stardust that had once covered the balcony was gone. Instead, it was just Penny: all alone with a roach in her hand and the sound of Polish rap-folk blasting somewhere in the distance; which was probably coming from the new hipstery/grungy, pseudo-underground club that had opened a couple blocks away.
Penny looked over and saw Mary standing by the balcony door, huddled in a hoodie and a robe.
“Hey…”
“I know you came out to smoke,” Mary sighed, wearily. “But I just had a really messed up dream…”
“Baby,” Penny sighed, as she got up from the makeshift sofa and took her wife into her arms. “It’s okay. Do you want to tell me all about it?”
Mary yawned and crossed her head.
“Do you want me to tell you the story of Veronica the Witch, Celeste Cuddlepunk the pixie, and the war of the Magick Kingdom?”
Mary yawned and nodded.
“Come on, let’s come back to bed…”
Penny didn’t know what it was, but something was starting to come over her. Maybe she was a thousand miles away from her old adventures, but somehow, as the brainstorms in her head began to command her imagination, she just felt like for the first time, in a long time, she was exactly where she needed to be.
“Penny Shannon, WFWF Champion,” Penny smiled. “Has a nice ring to it.”
“Tell me that story too,” Mary yawned, leaning into Penny’s bosom.
Josh Dean’s Office
Championship Connections,
Atlanta, GA
*knock knock*
“The door’s open, come on in!” Josh Dean said as his distinctive southern drawl came through the large wooden frames of his office door.
With a deep breath, Penny pushed through the doors and stuck her head inside. “You busy?”
John took a moment to look away from his laptop as he gazed at Penny with an unexpected smile. “Didn’t expect to see you here today.”
“Well, I had a few things to sort out for the Miller Account,” Penny shrugged. “Thought I’d pop in and check on you.”
“Aren’t you gonna come in?”, Josh asked.
“Yeah, I guess I’ve got a couple minutes.”
Penny stepped inside the office. Josh Dean the CEO was a lot like Josh Dean the Wrestler; everything he does reminds you why he's the best in the business. And his office was a reflection of that. Event posters hung from the wall, as memorabilia, both his own and bits he acquired at private auctions, was kept on full display.
Penny walked past the sofa spread he kept at the front and made her way to a seat before his desk.
“So…” Penny began, trailing as she sat down. “I take it you saw Event Horizon?”
Josh folded his computer, looked at Penny and nodded. “That’s correct.”
“And how I lost to Mesh…”
“It was hard to miss that.”
Penny squinted her eyes. “And how I challenged Drakz to a title match?”
“Which he gave you,” John nodded, leaning back on his seat now as he pulled a pack of Marlboro Reds from his breast pocket. “So, what’s this? Are you expecting me to congratulate you?”
“No,” Penny said, looking away almost. “But I realized that the mood here would be different if I beat Mesh.”
“Penny,” Josh began, lighting his cigarette before pulling it away. “What do you expect me to tell you? Walking into Event Horizon thinking you could beat Mesh because of your experience and your accolades was the biggest mistake you could ever make! That kid is a wild horse, completely unpredictable! You just gave her the biggest win of her career, you know that right?”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t matter,” Penny shot back. “I could have thrown the jaws of life at that girl and still wouldn’t have stopped her.”
“Which is exactly my point! She is on a roll, and nothing can stop her now. And here you are, like a wounded dog, just limping your way into a match with Drakz, a title match no less, and you’re just hanging on a very thin notion that you could actually win. What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking that I could beat Mesh and celebrate a month later by giving Drakz the beating of a lifetime! You know as well as I do that if there’s anyone in the fed who can take him to his limit, it’s probably me.”
“At your best?” Josh began, taking a drag off his cigarette. “I wouldn’t doubt it. But a month in after retirement, after having been beat clean by a rookie, I doubt it. In fact, that’s probably why Drakz accepted the challenge in the first place. I’m willing to bet you a thousand bucks that he pegged you as a lone and easy target.”
“He’s seen what I’ve done to people.”
“That was then,” Josh said, blowing smoke as he tipped the ash off his cigarette on the ashtray. “Think about it. What would you do if you were Drakz? Say you were sitting on the very top of the wrestling world, beating every single competitor they put in front of you until there’s just no one left who could step up to the challenge. No one’s that good. And it’s been ingrained into the minds of the fans, the officials, and the wrestlers themselves that there ain’t no way of beating you. And, you become surrounded by the Kool-Aid that you start believing it too. Now, not only do you believe you’re the best but you will do everything can in your power to ensure it stays that way.”
Penny didn’t know what else to say. But she knew where this was leading. And so, as she slumped on the seat across him, Penny allowed Josh to continue.
“Now, here you are: the king of the world,” Josh stopped. “You’re comfortable. You start to dictate when, where, and whom you defend it. And you don’t want to blow it off on something that isn’t big. Something that isn’t going to be a box office draw, so you choose a returning veteran who’s about to get steamrolled by an up and coming rookie who’s in the same exact spot she was in just a few years before.”
“I get your point.”
“No, you don’t,” Josh said, taking another drag off his cigarette. “Drakz had you pegged for dead the moment you walked through the curtain.”
“You could have some faith in me!”, Penny shot back.
“I think you’re forgetting what Drakz did to me. What he put me through- Jesus Christ, Penny, I nearly lost everything!” Josh snapped, his fingers tightly clutching the filter of the cigarette. “And the craziest part of is that you were there! You saw everything with your very eye. And now here you are, pissing all that away over some infantile notion that you could actually win. So, no Penny. I ain’t giving you any credit nor my blessing, because what you’re doing is f*cking foolish!”
“What do you expect me to do?!”
Josh took a moment to focus on his cigarette. It was a look Penny was all too familiar with; it was as if a hundred things were running through his mind. All these emotions were taking over his entire being that he just wanted to slow down and compose himself. He was experiencing his own personal history flooding over his senses.
“I can’t deal with this.”
“I understand.”
“But I’ll tell you what,” Josh said, blowing smoke from his lips. “I know someone who’s far removed enough who can. He’s one of the few that managed to survive Drakz. Maybe he can show you a thing or two.”
“I think I know who this is.”
“Pack your bags, Penny,” Josh said as he stubbed out his cigarette on the ashtray. “You leave tonight.”
Tempe, Arizona
The next day…
It was a bright and comfortable day in Tempe. The sun was high, and the leftover air from the winter solstice hung over the city with a cool, yet gentle breeze. This was such a surprise to Penny. Granted, she had lived with Scarlett and the (melodramatic) McGurk clan for long enough to have adjusted to Arizona’s weather. But this was probably the coldest day she had ever spent on what was probably one of the hottest cities she’s ever been to.
The Uber took her to the front of Wayne and Vanessa’s charming abode. It was a comfortable two-story home in the middle of suburbia that had a somewhat ‘old world’ charm to it. Maybe it was Vanessa, but it always felt like it didn’t belong on a stretch of picket fences and proudly hung American flags.
Across the street, stood the quaint coven that belonged to Scarlett’s abuelita (grandmother), Mama Sandoval. It was where Penny had stayed during her time in Arizona. Penny knew there was always a welcome room for her, but it had been so long since she had seen everyone that it would have been rude if she asked.
“Good morning, stranger,” the old voice called out to Penny as the Uber sped away.
Penny turned her head and saw Mama Sandoval sitting on the porch of her home, mug in hand. Her gray hair hung curled behind her ears; a shawl draped over her shoulders. “Heya Mrs. S!”
“What did I tell you about calling me that?”
“Sorry Abuelita.”
“That’s more like it,” Mama Sandoval smiled as she held her shawl against the wind. “Wayne should be inside. Don’t forget to come over when you’re done.”
Penny gave Mama Sandoval a warm smile before turning on her heel to face Casa McGurk. With a deep breath, she rang the bell and clutched her handle of her backpack. It took a few moments until the door opened, but there he was: former WFWF World Heavyweight Champion, Wayne McGurk. A rugged mountain of a man not much had changed outside of the grey that began to pierce through his brown.
“You’re early,” Wayne said as a cigarette clung between his lips. “Come in, Penny.”
“Thanks,” Penny said, following after him. “Josh said you could help me out.”
“I honestly don’t know what I can do outside of a few pointers, here and there,” Wayne said, leading her into the living room. Outside of the ashtray, you could just get a whiff of Vanessa’s touch all over the décor.
“Hey, you’ve beat Drazk, and you’re a former World Champion,” Penny said, plopping her backpack on the couch. “That’s a lot more than what I’ve got right now.”
Wayne sat down on the sofa and took a drag from his cigarette. “Well, what do you want to know?”
“For starters, how’d you do it?”
Taking another drag off his cigarette, Wayne sighed and looked down. “It was such a long time ago, you know? But even then, all those memories just came rushing back.”
“Bad time, huh?”, Penny asked as she sat on the couch across from Wayne.
“Yeah,” Wayne chuckled, closing his eyes now as he took another drag from his cigarette. “… Vanessa and I broke up. My entire family was falling apart… I had nothing. Looking at it, it was probably the only reason I beat him. I had nothing left to lose at that point- I was angry, emotional. And by the time I got into the ring with Drakz, I didn’t care. I just took everything out on him.”
“That really doesn’t help me.”
“If it helps, I probably had Drakz at an off night,” Wayne chuckled. “I was expecting more out of him.”
“But that’s the thing,” Penny said. “Drakz hasn’t had an off night in a long time. He’s been on a roll- he’s like some kind of collector.”
“Collector?”
“Yeah,” Penny shrugged. “Every win is just another trophy to him, and there’s no way he’s going to want to slow down any time soon.”
“If you had an advantage, it would be that: the steak,” Wayne replied, leaning back as he brought the cigarette back to his lips. “The body and mind can only take so much, regardless of how good you are. One of these days, it’s all going to come crashing down on Drakz like a ton of bricks.”
“You think so?”
“It’s what happened to me with the International title,” Wayne shrugged. “I was the longest reigning champion the company had seen at the time. I made that title matter more than the World Championship. I could set the world on fire if I wanted.” Wayne took another drag. “Nothing could stop me, or so I thought.”
“What did you in?”
“In hindsight?”, Wayne replied, blowing out smoke. “I cracked under the pressure. With every single win came more demands, more pressure to keep the championship in my waist. But before I knew it, I just couldn’t seem to get myself out of a rut. Tried my hardest, but it didn’t matter. I was exhausted and I refused to admit it until it was too late.”
“And that was when you the missus split up, huh?”
“Yeah,” Wayne nodded. “Around that time.”
“So, there’s really nothing I can do without taking myself to some kind of emotional hell and risk losing everything important to me?”
“Worked for me, didn’t it?” Wayne chuckled, blowing smoke from his lips again. “Look, I ain’t telling you to throw your life any or nothing. I’m just saying: there’s a way to put a dent on Drakz’ streak and maybe, just maybe walk away with the gold. But you’re gonna have to make a sacrifice.”
“Do I have to?”
“Depends on you,” Wayne replied. “What’s more important? Your career or your family?”
Wayne had to leave for the gym. With a new batch of trainees ready for enrollment and no one around to oversee the classes, Wayne reckoned that he was gonna have to get in there and arrange everything himself. He resigned himself to supervise training; stepping in only if there was something he didn’t like seeing. But Scarlett was in Europe, and with another person on the road, he was going to have to work on this batch himself.
He had offered Penny a ride, but she decided to pass and spend the morning with his mom. In turn, Penny watched Wayne drive off in his old Harley Davidson; the same one he used to ride down to the ring all those years ago. Truth be told, talking to Wayne didn’t seem to help her. Granted, she didn’t have the biggest expectations in the world, to begin with.
And so, with not much else to do, Penny sat down on their porch, pulled out her vape from her backpack and had a smoke.
“Les hommes, ils nous accusent d'être dramatiques!”
That voice could only belong to one person and it was, hands down, one of the coolest women Penny ever had the privilege of knowing. She didn’t even need to turn her head, she could just feel the shock of red curls emanate from her voice.
“Bonjour, Penny,” Vanessa smiled, a glass of wine in hand as she leered over Penny’s shoulders. “Comment vas-tu?”
“Bein, I think?”
“Your French has improved,” Vanessa giggled, greeting her now with a peck on the cheek.
“It really hasn’t,” Penny turned her head. “I’m just trying to remember whatever I said the last time I saw you.”
“You were doing fine, you know?” Vanessa shrugged, swirling her glass of wine. “I really didn’t need to know that.”
“Well, I did make a promise to be honest with your family,” Penny shrugged, hitting her vape. “I’m just trying to stick true to a promise, regardless how small a lie is.”
The smile on Vanessa’s face was enough for Penny to know that she appreciated the candor. What was remarkable about Vanessa was the fact that she hadn’t changed at all. Sure, there was the occasional strand of grey, and maybe her eyes sagged a little, but outside of that, everything looked tight. To keep it short, Vanessa was still a babe!
“I appreciate that,” Vanessa said. “However, I don’t appreciate the advice Wayne gave you on Drakz.”
“Why?”
“Because I think you don’t need to lose everything to beat him,” Vanessa replied, rather bluntly.
“You think?” Penny asked, hitting her vape.
Vanessa sipped her wine. “That’s the problem with men: they thrive on drama! We, on the other hand, have enough drama just existing, that when it comes to getting the job done, we do it. Granted, we can be just as petty, but we know when to put it aside.” Vanessa had another sip. “That’s what happened to Scarlett and you. You both got caught up in the drama that you both allowed it to command your careers instead of doing what you wanted.”
“Holy sh**, I never thought about it like that before.”
Vanessa turned to Penny and smiled, “It comes with age. The most successful time I spent in the WFWF was when I went back on my own and held the International Championship for myself. And I was successful because for once, I didn’t allow myself to get caught in the drama. I just did what I had to do, and I survived from day-to-day.” Vanessa sipped her wine. “It’s as easy as that.”
“Guys, really have no idea, huh?” Penny shrugged. “The difference between our lives and theirs is as black and white as wearing a bra one day and not wearing one the next.”
“Exactly! And I couldn’t have said that any better. It’s really those small differences in our personal experiences that they could never understand. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a case of us being better. But we experience the world so much differently, and that should be what drives you. Don’t get caught up in the drama, Penny. Rise above it. Lead the world by example, because if there’s any wrestler in the world right now who can really spark a revolution, it’s you.”
Penny didn’t know what to say to that.
“If you’re going to walk away with anything you heard from Wayne or Josh, take their experiences and nothing more,” Vanessa said, sipping her wine. “Learn from their mistakes, learn from everyone’s mistakes and figure out how you can be successful without ruining your life. You never know, you might even just set a standard for everyone else to follow.”
“Thanks, Mrs. McG.,” Penny said, turning away. “I really needed that.”
“You can do it, Penny,” Vanessa smiled, raising her wine. “We’re all rooting for you!”
Atlanta, GA
Later that night…
Penny got back to Atlanta a little after dinner. In no mood to go home just yet, she made her way back to the office and saw Josh’s car in the parking lot. This was good. This was precisely what she needed. When it came to the revolving door of people who came in and out of her life, Josh Dean had grown to become an unlikely constant.
Josh was like a brother to her. To tell the truth, he was closer to her than her own brother. Like, if she had to really narrow it down, outside of Mary and the cats, Josh was the closest thing she had to family. It was like she could tell him anything and it’d be okay.
Penny knocked on the door of Josh’s office and waited.
“The door’s open.”
“Hey, still here?”, Penny asked, peeking in.
“Hey you,” Josh said, as he looked up from his computer. “I thought you were coming back tomorrow?”
“I thought about it,” Penny nodded, crossing her arms as she leaned against the frame of his door. “But I figured it was better that I came back home. I didn’t get a chance to train with the big guy, but I think I got what I wanted.”
“That’s good,” Josh said, as he turned away from Penny to finish-up whatever he was doing on the computer. “Come on in, I just need to send in this e-mail.”
“Take your time,” Penny said, closing the door behind her as she withdrew a joint from her breast pocket. “In the mood for an after-work smoke?”
Josh smiled at Penny as he folded the screen of his computer. “Why not?”
“Cool.” Penny smiled as she sat across from Josh, crossing her legs now as she lit her joint.
Josh walked over and sat on his desk before Penny. “Hey, I’m sorry about what happened yesterday. I just got carried away with how fast you were getting into all this, and I guess-”
“Dude,” Penny began, puffing at the joint before she got a nice ember going. “It’s all good, I get it.”
“You’re taking a big risk here, that’s all,” Josh said. “And if it were up to me, you’d do this properly, you know. I mean, we have access to all the best trainers and conditioning coaches in the country. If you only had time to prepare.”
Penny smiled as she handed Josh the joint. “I know.”
“Thanks,” Josh nodded, taking the joint now as he pressed it to his lips for a toke. “So, how was Arizona?”
“It was better than I thought it was going to be.”
“That’s good,” Josh said, passing the joint back to Penny. “So, did you pick up a few things from the big guy?”
“No, it was actually the Mrs.,” Penny grinned, taking the joint from Josh.
“Vanessa?”
“Mhm,” Penny nodded as she took a nice, clean hit.
“I could never figure her out,” Josh chuckled. “Wayne’s easy to read. Emotional, but his heart’s in the right place. Scarlett’s a chip off the old block, but Vanessa, she always seemed a bit…”
“Distant?”, Penny coughed, passing the joint back to Josh.
“Yeah,” Josh nodded, as he took the joint back from Penny. “So, how did it go?”
“She got me to see what I’ve been doing wrong all this time,” Penny replied, taking a drag. “And she showed me what my advantage over Drakz is.”
“Great to hear,” Josh nodded. “What do you think?”
“Have you ever worn a bra?”
“Excuse me?”
Penny took a quick hit and passed the joint back to Josh. “You heard me: have you ever worn a bra?”
Josh took the joint and turned his head. “No, I have not.”
“Well, it’s like this: you’re used to living your life being as free as you want,” Penny began. “Me, Vanessa, Nikki… We don’t have that freedom. We can, but it comes at a cost. I guess what I’m trying to get at is that you have your experiences and I have mine. We may be equals, but at the end of the day, we both experience the world so differently. With you, nothing changes. Me? I walk around without a bra, and the differences are like night and day. And that’s what I’ve got over Drakz.”
“I think I can get where you’re coming from…”
“He said no man could beat him, and I called him out because the one person who can isn’t a man. It’s a woman. And It’s me. And I think I can pull this off.” Penny began, giving herself a moment to gaze at the joint. “I’m not afraid of Drakz. I’m afraid of f*cking up. And Vanessa made me realize that no matter what happened, as long as I put myself in control, I could do it. I can beat Drakz clean.”
“Alright,” Josh nodded as he held his hands together. “Let’s play devil’s advocate. Say you did beat him. Then what? You know as well as I do that you have the worst commitment record out of anyone in WFWF history. Can you sustain being able to compete at that level every single night?”
“No,” Penny replied as she passed the joint back to Josh. “But neither can he. That’s why he’s been picking and choosing all of his battles the moment he won the belt. He knows that he’s close to the end of his rope and he’s just doing everything he can to delay that fall.”
John took a hit and passed it back to Penny. “We ain’t talkin’ about Drazk here. This is about you.”
“I can do it,” Penny replied. “All I’ve done in my entire life was show people how to become World Champions. I’ve willingly stood in the back and allowed other people to take the glory that I’ve so desperately craved. I deserve this. If I can help other people keep their titles, what more for myself?”
“Penny,” Josh began as he put his hand on her shoulders. “I couldn’t be more proud of you right now.”
Just a short while later,
In Penny and Mary’s Apartment
It was a little after ten when Penny made it home, and to her surprise, she walked in to find Mary sitting on the couch, working on her laptop as she streamed something off Netflix from the big TV; surrounded by their three kittens, as always.
For the first time in a long time, Mary didn’t seem stressed. She appeared, relax, comfortable, and freshly bathed, apparently. Mary's such an adorable little thing. Give or take a few inches shorter than Penny. Her thick hair held up in a bun as all she had on was one of Penny’s old Yukio Blaze t-shirts.
“Baby!” Mary smiled, looking up at Penny as she came through the door.
Penny dropped her backpack and made a run towards her wifey, crashing on the couch just inches from her bare thigh. “Oh my God, I am just so happy to be home.”
Mary ran her fingers through Penny’s hair and asked, “So, how did it go with Wayne?”
“Wayne was depressing.”
“As always.”
“But Vanessa helped me out.”
“That’s good,” Mary said, kissing Penny on the forehead. “So, what do you think? Can you do it?”
“Baby,” Penny gazed up at her big, brown eyes and smiled. “You’re looking at your next WFWF World Champion.”
“Is that a fact?”
“Mhm” Penny grinned, pushing herself up as she bit her lips and came close to Mary.
Mary, in turn, put her laptop aside and got herself closer to Penny. “I’ve never been with a World Champion before.”
Quickly, Penny grabbed her by the waist and straddled her right over her lap. “There’s always a first time for everything.”.
Desire Lines/Rebel Grrrl
A Penny Shannon Roleplay
The sound of drums cut through the atmosphere; it’s continuous beat sending a march down to the middle of a bright, sunny Suburban morning. And then, four bars to a beat later, the aggressive sound of electric strings sent shockwaves through the whole neighborhood as a pair of combat books decorated with pink laces began storming down the sidewalk.
“That girl thinks she’s the queen of the neighborhood,
She got the hottest track in town,
That girl, she holds her head up so high,
I think I wanna be her best friend, yeah!”
With her hair dolled up in pigtails, Penny Shannon proudly strutted down the street as if it was her own personal runway.
“Ladies, gentlemen, and everybody in between, you’re looking at the next WFWF World Champion. The Velocity Grrrl, Penny Shannon, is all grown-up and she’s now more dangerous that she’s ever been in her entire life!”
“Rebel Girl, Rebel Girl,
Rebel Girl, you are the queen of my world.
Rebel Girl, Rebel Girl,
I wanna take you home, I wanna try on your clothes- UNF”
“It’s taken me a long time to get here, and for the first time ever, I can confidently say that I am ready to step up to the challenge and take Drakz head on. Because Drakz, you are right. No man on the face of the Earth could light a candle to the woman I am! There is no one else as brave or as fearless or as dangerous as me in this entire sport. I’ve been taken to the brink of death and I have lived to laugh about it. So right now, I want you to think about what you did by accepting my challenge because I’m here to tell you that you’ve literally just made the biggest mistake of your life!”
“When she talks, I hear the revolution,
In her hips, there’s revolution,
When she walks, the revolution’s coming,
In her kiss, I taste the revolution!”
“You see Drakz, you have it easy. You’ve thrived on a world you built for your own personal pleasure. A place where you get to do whatever you want, whenever you want, regardless of the lasting consequence it has left of the people around you. I’m old enough to remember the WFWF before you seized control. Sure, it wasn’t as exciting, and it wasn’t that much fun. And to be perfectly honest, I loved what you did with the place at the time. It was trashy, gritty must-see TV at its best. But you know what’s lacked in this place ever since that time? Hope.”
“Rebel Girl, Rebel Girl,
Rebel Girl you are the queen of my world,
Rebel Girl, Rebel Girl,
I know I wanna take you home, I want to try on your clothes, UNF”
“The crazy thing, that not a lot of people realize this is the fact that when you really look at it, every single person to hold the WFWF World Championship belt since you first held it has been a sociopathic lunatic. And I should know, I trained one of them. And I’ve beaten some of them too.
Drakz, the moment you took absolute power, whether it’s backstage or in the middle of this ring, the WFWF has become a filthy, desolate place where only the demented survive. I know, I know I’m crazy and I know I’m twisted… And it’s taken me all these years to realize that I’m not as bad I thought I was. Because I have the hope that you so willingly threw away. And I think- no, I believe- that I can actually use that spark of hope to turn this place around once and for all.
Drakz, the moment you took absolute power, whether it’s backstage or in the middle of this ring, the WFWF has become a filthy, desolate place where only the demented survive. I know, I know I’m crazy and I know I’m twisted… And it’s taken me all these years to realize that I’m not as bad I thought I was. Because I have the hope that you so willingly threw away. And I think- no, I believe- that I can actually use that spark of hope to turn this place around once and for all.
“You see Drakz, I’ve hurt people. I’ve turned my backs on the people I’ve cared about most. Just like you. But the difference between us is that it killed me. And it took the love from good people I now call my family to show me show me just how big of a difference hope can make if you just give into it. I’ve seen what it’s done to me, I’ve seen what it’s done to Josh and Scarlett, and I never want it to happen again.”
“That girl thinks she’s the queen of the neighborhood,
I’ve got news for you: she is!
They say, she’s a dyke,
But I know she is, my best friend, yeah!”
“Drakz, let this serve as a warning. I’m coming into Los Angeles with every intention of taking home my WFWF World Championship title. And there is nothing, and I mean nothing you can do to stop me. I’m in control. I have the power. So, let this morning serve as the first day of a new era in the WFWF. An era built on hope and promise. An era driven by me is the WFWF’s rightful queen and World Champion. Get ready for a revolution. And the first day of the rest of your miserable, little life.”
At that moment Penny stooped in her tracks. She gave herself a moment to close her eyes and take a deep breath. She felt another rumble break through the atmospheric collision of drum and guitar. And when she was ready, Penny opened her eyes to find a crowd of a hundred thousand misfits and queers standing right behind her.
“Love you like a sister,
Always soul sister,
Come and be my best friend,
Will you Rebel Girl?
I really like you,
I really want to be your best friend,
Be my Rebel Girl!”