One Rotten Day. An #IconsAreFine Production
May 19, 2018 16:57:58 GMT -5
Jack Diamond, Mav., and 1 more like this
Post by Bobby Barratt on May 19, 2018 16:57:58 GMT -5
We fade into shot and see the ruffled dark hair of "The Prodigal Icon" Bobby Barratt sticking out of the top of his bed sheets. The clock reads 08:15 and the alarm is beeping, trying to wake him up. He swats idly at the clock before realising he has to be up for something today. He tosses the bedsheets across the bed and bolts up out of bed. Pixels hide his modesty....It must have been edited in post-production.
Shit! Too many snooze attacks!
Bobby starts getting ready in a hurry, trying to button up a shirt as he runs down the stairs. Luckily Alexa did her job and sorted him a hot cup of Coffee out so he could start the day. He grabs it from under the Coffee machine, sipping at it...It's cold. It was probably nice and hot when it was made half an hour ago and now Bobby doesn't have time to make another before his meeting! He throws on a smart pair of trousers he had ready and tries to do something with his hair before throwing on a pair of shoes and heading out of the door. The shot pans to him in the back of his car, trying frantically to let his appointment know he was on the way.
Hey, it's me. I am on the way, I swear!
...
I know, my alarm didn't go off...I'm sorry, alright?
...
Fine!...But if you think you're rescheduling, you've got another thing coming!
Bobby hangs his phone up and throws it down on the seat as his driver raises an eyebrow inquisitively. He heard the conversation, but by the look on Bobby's face, he daren't ask.
Nige, the gig's off mate. I fucked up again and now the station have an hour worth of dead air to fill because they can't drop a few fucking tracks while I get there and get mic'ed up!
I'm sorry boss. Anywhere you want to go instead?
I don't know....Just take me to Amber's, yeah?
Sure thing.
The driver swings a left and heads off towards Amber's house. Bobby picks his phone back up, sending out a quick message letting Amber know plans have changed and he is en route. Almost right away the phone rings....Amber must not be happy.
What do you mean you overslept?
Well me and the boys, we....
Never mind you and the boys! You know you have an important match coming up....You knew you had an appearance set up this morning to hype your Prestige Class Championship match with Danny Ray at Xtraction!
That's the thing! I could have sworn it was against someone else, but for the life of me I can't think who!
...Or maybe it's the amount of drugs and booze going through your system that messed your brain up?
Whatever....I'm on the way over anyway...It's the station's loss and our gain, right? Couple of hours to ourselves?
You should be so lucky...
Bobby sighs to himself. They finish up the conversation and Bobby drops his phone by his side again on the seat. The drive continues in silence for a few seconds before Nigel takes a deep breath and goes for it.
So I hear you might be picking some gold up again soon?
Yeah...I got that shot I earned the other week....I'm taking on Danny Ray. His title is on the line and you know for sure I'm bringing that home!
Well aren't you due a rematch against Steele for the World Title?
Of course I am! But a man knows his weaknesses and he knows when is the correct time to strike....For me that's not now. With losing Jen, the Championship and then with the turmoil within the Icons...I'm not clear headed enough to be taking on Jackson Steele again. It took everything I had to defeat him the first time and well....This opportunity fell right into my lap. I'd be silly not to take it.
Bobby reaches into the cooler between the seats and pulls out a crisp beer. He twists the lid off and takes a sip. Nigel rolls his eyes and sighs.
What, you got a fucking problem? First you question my career choices and then thirty seconds later you have the fucking audacity to question my life choices? Nige, we go back you know that...But you keep that shit up and you'll be finding a new job!
Nigel opens his mouth to speak, but notices the sound cancelling glass sliding upwards to block him out. Bobby is intent on having some alone time right now.
BUMP!!
The car hits a pot hole and Nigel veers to the side of the street. He puts the car in park and hops out. Bobby is looking around but doesn't notice anything.
Ah shit!
Bobby rolls down the window.
Come on Nige, chop chop!
Bobby, we've got a flat. I'm sorry.
Fuck's sake....What's even happening today? You know what? I'll walk it. Sort the tyre out and I'll let you know when I need a lift back. By the time you sort that out, I'll be there!
With that, Bobby hops out of the car and starts walking. He looks down and starts messaging Amber again to let her know about the delay as someone bumps into him. A second or so later, he feels the warm burning sensation that comes with someone spilling their Coffee on his shirt.
Oh, come on! What the hell man!
The person who spilled the drink utters a quick apology, not noticing the large brown stain on Bobby's still slightly creased white shirt before hurrying off to continue their day. Bobby contemplates going and kicking their skull in but figures he doesn't need any more bad karma today. He finishes his message off and starts walking to Amber's house.
The scene reopens and we see Bobby, stained shirt, scruffy appearance and all walking towards Amber's driveway. It's a modest looking house and he's only been here once or twice. He rounds the corner onto the driveway and feels his left foot slip slightly. The kind of slip you feel when you've trodden in something you don't want to tread in. He stops in his tracks, rolls his eyes and looks upwards while sighing before heading up the driveway and ringing the bell.
DING! DONG!
Bobby waits as Amber is heard fumbling with the locks before the door opens. The hallway is dimly lit and there's a bit of clutter around the place. Amber is in her robe and has her hair tied up in a towel. She's obviously just gotten out of the shower or something.
Took ya long enough, sweetheart!
Bobby kicks off his shoes before heading inside.
Hey don't worry about the shoes, Sugar!
Trust me...I trod in something out there and I'm not bringing it in....There's every need to worry about the shoes!
So what rolled over you anyway?
Amber closes the door behind them as the scene cuts to them inside the now closed front door. Bobby immediately starts pulling off his shirt and heads for the kitchen.
A day from Hell, that's what! First my alarm doesn't go off, then my Coffee is cold, my appearance gets cancelled, my car gets a flat and them some idiot drops a Coffee on me!
Wow, time to write the day off and start again?
I tell you, if ever there was a day you needed the Groundhog Day clock....it's today! Well at least we got the rest of the day together, right?
Of course, Sugar! Why don't you go take yourself a hot shower? I got a few of your clothes clean from last time you stayed over and it might help get the smell of stale beer and cigarettes off you anyway!
You mean to tell me you don't like a liquored up guy to take advantage of?
Not when it's Ten Thirty AM! Go get cleaned up you look homeless!
Bobby pouts at Amber jokingly before throwing his shirt into the wash and heading up the stairs. She hears the door to the bathroom close as she starts pottering around the kitchen.
You want a Coffee making to perk you up, some?
She waits a few seconds but she gets no reply. Amber shrugs before taking the Kettle over to the sink and turning the tap on.
YYYEEEAAAAAAOOOOWWWWWW!!!!!
Amber giggles to herself as she turns off the tap, realising she just half burned Bobby alive. The scene fades as we see Amber put the Kettle on as Bobby is probably upstairs trying to lick his wounds.
So we can chalk that one up as another shitty occurrence today, huh?
Again, I'm sorry. I didn't intend to do that. I didn't think you'd be in the shower so soon!
I know...It's kind of funny when you think about it....Just man it all adds up today, right?
Well put it this way, hopefully it will all be out of the way come Xtraction...when you take on Danny Ray!
Yeah I guess. I'm still having to convince everyone the Icons are fine and throwing around that stupid hashtag online...This is the last thing I need. I was hoping to get a little more time to wait it out.
Well you know how titles have to be defended every Sixty days. There's no way out of that and to be honest from what I hear from my contacts, Danny isn't exactly in the right mind to give you his best either!
Why not and how'd you know that? I thought he never recorded things for Network TV?
You're right he is a bit of a ghost when it comes to TV related stuff, but I have my conta-
RING! RING!
Bobby reaches into his pocket, feeling his phone vibrate. Looking down he sees "Dad" on the screen. He contemplates not answering it, but something deep down tells him to answer the phone. He takes a deep breath before picking up the phone.
Dad! What can I do for you?
Listen, Son.....It's your Mom.....She went off to work this morning and I've just had a phone call...She got in a car accident and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
RECORD SCREECH!!
The whole scene freeze frames apart from Bobby who puts his phone back down on the table, turns right to the camera and begins speaking.
Danny Ray, this is exactly how any piece of footage I can find of you goes. One week it's your job, the next it's your Mom, the next a miscarriage! Now I'm sorry, that sucks....But how can one guy get so much bad luck?! Shit this whole promo was staged from the alarm clock to the phone call and even I struggled to string that much bad luck together in such a short time!
Bobby reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded up piece of paper, he carries on speaking as he unfolds it.
Danny I actually had a good long think about anyone who could be as consistently unlucky as you and you know the only guy I could think of?
He holds up the piece of paper to the camera.
This guy! Bad luck fucking Brian and that guy was only a damn meme! The more I think about it, the more I start to think that you're nothing but a meme, Danny! You've run from shitty to situation to shitty situation, spurred on only by two things. Your faith and your family! But wait! Your faith jumps back and forth, week to week as to whether you bother believing in the big guy this time around, or you lose a match and you dig that shitty mask out of your furnace and start "questioning your beliefs" again! Playing make believe as a monster that Duke "Feel the Burn" Kosloff created! As for your family, I've never seen a guy request his family not to be at matches as often as you do! What's wrong....got something for a member of staff?
Bobby reaches over and takes his Coffee off the table and takes a sip. Amber remains in freeze frame just as she was when the shot cut.
Do you know what bugs me about you though Danny? More than the fact a man your size shouldn't be attempting four fifty splashes or dressing like he's homeless, despite being a man that holds a title and never pays for a damn meal because for some reason he's recognised everywhere? What bugs me about you most, Danny is the fact that you have the audacity to question what I do....You have the balls to question my motives despite having no firm standpoint of your own! Now I'm not a religious man, Danny and I don't plan to be, so you can save that space at the table all you like....But one thing you can't call me out on is my beliefs. If I tell you I'm going to kick you square in the nuts and take your title, you can be damn sure that's what I'm going to do! I'm not going to pretend to believe in one thing one week, then question it all after a loss! If you truly were a man that believed in the big guy...Isn't there something in the book about things being sent to test you? That's what they probably told your cousin Austin, right? You know when he was diagnosed? Right about when he probably looked up and asked "If God exists, why is this happening to me?" My point Danny is every time....Every time without fail that you are tested, you give up your faith and pretend you're all of a sudden some uncaged badass that tells his family to stay away because he's "afraid of what he might do!" My advice to you Danny is to pick a fucking side and stop boring the piss out of everyone who by this point has stopped giving a flying fuck about whether you're a good guy or a bad guy this week! There's a quote I remember that might help you out here!
"Walk on road, hm? Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later...get squish just like grape"
Do you know who said that, Danny? Do you know where I got that pearl of wisdom from? Fucking Mr Miyagi! The Karate Kid! Come on, grow some fucking balls and pick a damn side!
The shade of red drains from Bobby's face as he finally stops for a breath, taking another swig of his drink and putting the cup back down.
As for Xtraction: Blood Money....First of all I'm wondering why the hell I wasn't given a spot on Team AWF. Was I given this title shot as a way to calm me down? I mean Steele is complaining that he's a "maybe" and you know what? He's right! We don't see eye to eye on much, but if you aren't calling the only two World Champions in your history to flagship your team....Well you're setting yourself up for a damn fall! You're putting a hundred grand on this match and both sides have admitted it's a lot of their fortune....It's most of their company worth and they aren't picking the strongest team they can! Don't give me the bullshit "ego and synergy" response because if two guys can't put their shit aside for the future of the company that pays their check, then they shouldn't be there to begin with! Bobby Barratt has always been "Team Bobby" and trust me, earning top money is what's good for me and I'd have done my best to make sure that still happened and then had you over the table demanding more cash when I was the AWF sole survivor! But fuck it!
Bobby takes a few seconds to regain his composure again.
You know I've also had to deal with people questioning why I am so keen to take this match. Maybe not right now, but why I was so keen to take that title from you, given the last title I held was considered the top Championship in the XHF Network at the time! It's simple...Is AWF's TV show called AWF: World? No! It's called Prestige and the title it's named after is the guy that gets the coverage, the guy that gets the posters, the guy who's name appears under the word "FEATURING" on the banner. I will be the guy who puts the Prestige in AWF Prestige. Make no bones about it! You may be riding high after being the first guy to hold it twice, but Danny you're about to be the first guy to lose it twice too! So take some time, set a space at the table for your belt for a little while, Danny. Take it on a day out....maybe push it on the swings a little! I don't care! Just know that come Xtraction: Blood Money, your blood will be on my hands and I'll be the one making the money when I become the NEW AWF Prestige Class Champion! Now I'm going to click my fingers and I'll be right back in bed where I started the day. My alarm clock will be at 7:45 just like it was meant to be and I'm going to continue to be exactly as I say I am...An Icon. See you at Blood Money, Danny!
CLICK!
...
I know, my alarm didn't go off...I'm sorry, alright?
...
Fine!...But if you think you're rescheduling, you've got another thing coming!
Bobby hangs his phone up and throws it down on the seat as his driver raises an eyebrow inquisitively. He heard the conversation, but by the look on Bobby's face, he daren't ask.
Nige, the gig's off mate. I fucked up again and now the station have an hour worth of dead air to fill because they can't drop a few fucking tracks while I get there and get mic'ed up!
I'm sorry boss. Anywhere you want to go instead?
I don't know....Just take me to Amber's, yeah?
Sure thing.
The driver swings a left and heads off towards Amber's house. Bobby picks his phone back up, sending out a quick message letting Amber know plans have changed and he is en route. Almost right away the phone rings....Amber must not be happy.
What do you mean you overslept?
Well me and the boys, we....
Never mind you and the boys! You know you have an important match coming up....You knew you had an appearance set up this morning to hype your Prestige Class Championship match with Danny Ray at Xtraction!
That's the thing! I could have sworn it was against someone else, but for the life of me I can't think who!
...Or maybe it's the amount of drugs and booze going through your system that messed your brain up?
Whatever....I'm on the way over anyway...It's the station's loss and our gain, right? Couple of hours to ourselves?
You should be so lucky...
Bobby sighs to himself. They finish up the conversation and Bobby drops his phone by his side again on the seat. The drive continues in silence for a few seconds before Nigel takes a deep breath and goes for it.
So I hear you might be picking some gold up again soon?
Yeah...I got that shot I earned the other week....I'm taking on Danny Ray. His title is on the line and you know for sure I'm bringing that home!
Well aren't you due a rematch against Steele for the World Title?
Of course I am! But a man knows his weaknesses and he knows when is the correct time to strike....For me that's not now. With losing Jen, the Championship and then with the turmoil within the Icons...I'm not clear headed enough to be taking on Jackson Steele again. It took everything I had to defeat him the first time and well....This opportunity fell right into my lap. I'd be silly not to take it.
Bobby reaches into the cooler between the seats and pulls out a crisp beer. He twists the lid off and takes a sip. Nigel rolls his eyes and sighs.
What, you got a fucking problem? First you question my career choices and then thirty seconds later you have the fucking audacity to question my life choices? Nige, we go back you know that...But you keep that shit up and you'll be finding a new job!
Nigel opens his mouth to speak, but notices the sound cancelling glass sliding upwards to block him out. Bobby is intent on having some alone time right now.
BUMP!!
The car hits a pot hole and Nigel veers to the side of the street. He puts the car in park and hops out. Bobby is looking around but doesn't notice anything.
Ah shit!
Bobby rolls down the window.
Come on Nige, chop chop!
Bobby, we've got a flat. I'm sorry.
Fuck's sake....What's even happening today? You know what? I'll walk it. Sort the tyre out and I'll let you know when I need a lift back. By the time you sort that out, I'll be there!
With that, Bobby hops out of the car and starts walking. He looks down and starts messaging Amber again to let her know about the delay as someone bumps into him. A second or so later, he feels the warm burning sensation that comes with someone spilling their Coffee on his shirt.
Oh, come on! What the hell man!
The person who spilled the drink utters a quick apology, not noticing the large brown stain on Bobby's still slightly creased white shirt before hurrying off to continue their day. Bobby contemplates going and kicking their skull in but figures he doesn't need any more bad karma today. He finishes his message off and starts walking to Amber's house.
The scene reopens and we see Bobby, stained shirt, scruffy appearance and all walking towards Amber's driveway. It's a modest looking house and he's only been here once or twice. He rounds the corner onto the driveway and feels his left foot slip slightly. The kind of slip you feel when you've trodden in something you don't want to tread in. He stops in his tracks, rolls his eyes and looks upwards while sighing before heading up the driveway and ringing the bell.
DING! DONG!
Bobby waits as Amber is heard fumbling with the locks before the door opens. The hallway is dimly lit and there's a bit of clutter around the place. Amber is in her robe and has her hair tied up in a towel. She's obviously just gotten out of the shower or something.
Took ya long enough, sweetheart!
Bobby kicks off his shoes before heading inside.
Hey don't worry about the shoes, Sugar!
Trust me...I trod in something out there and I'm not bringing it in....There's every need to worry about the shoes!
So what rolled over you anyway?
Amber closes the door behind them as the scene cuts to them inside the now closed front door. Bobby immediately starts pulling off his shirt and heads for the kitchen.
A day from Hell, that's what! First my alarm doesn't go off, then my Coffee is cold, my appearance gets cancelled, my car gets a flat and them some idiot drops a Coffee on me!
Wow, time to write the day off and start again?
I tell you, if ever there was a day you needed the Groundhog Day clock....it's today! Well at least we got the rest of the day together, right?
Of course, Sugar! Why don't you go take yourself a hot shower? I got a few of your clothes clean from last time you stayed over and it might help get the smell of stale beer and cigarettes off you anyway!
You mean to tell me you don't like a liquored up guy to take advantage of?
Not when it's Ten Thirty AM! Go get cleaned up you look homeless!
Bobby pouts at Amber jokingly before throwing his shirt into the wash and heading up the stairs. She hears the door to the bathroom close as she starts pottering around the kitchen.
You want a Coffee making to perk you up, some?
She waits a few seconds but she gets no reply. Amber shrugs before taking the Kettle over to the sink and turning the tap on.
YYYEEEAAAAAAOOOOWWWWWW!!!!!
Amber giggles to herself as she turns off the tap, realising she just half burned Bobby alive. The scene fades as we see Amber put the Kettle on as Bobby is probably upstairs trying to lick his wounds.
So we can chalk that one up as another shitty occurrence today, huh?
Again, I'm sorry. I didn't intend to do that. I didn't think you'd be in the shower so soon!
I know...It's kind of funny when you think about it....Just man it all adds up today, right?
Well put it this way, hopefully it will all be out of the way come Xtraction...when you take on Danny Ray!
Yeah I guess. I'm still having to convince everyone the Icons are fine and throwing around that stupid hashtag online...This is the last thing I need. I was hoping to get a little more time to wait it out.
Well you know how titles have to be defended every Sixty days. There's no way out of that and to be honest from what I hear from my contacts, Danny isn't exactly in the right mind to give you his best either!
Why not and how'd you know that? I thought he never recorded things for Network TV?
You're right he is a bit of a ghost when it comes to TV related stuff, but I have my conta-
RING! RING!
Bobby reaches into his pocket, feeling his phone vibrate. Looking down he sees "Dad" on the screen. He contemplates not answering it, but something deep down tells him to answer the phone. He takes a deep breath before picking up the phone.
Dad! What can I do for you?
Listen, Son.....It's your Mom.....She went off to work this morning and I've just had a phone call...She got in a car accident and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
RECORD SCREECH!!
The whole scene freeze frames apart from Bobby who puts his phone back down on the table, turns right to the camera and begins speaking.
Danny Ray, this is exactly how any piece of footage I can find of you goes. One week it's your job, the next it's your Mom, the next a miscarriage! Now I'm sorry, that sucks....But how can one guy get so much bad luck?! Shit this whole promo was staged from the alarm clock to the phone call and even I struggled to string that much bad luck together in such a short time!
Bobby reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded up piece of paper, he carries on speaking as he unfolds it.
Danny I actually had a good long think about anyone who could be as consistently unlucky as you and you know the only guy I could think of?
He holds up the piece of paper to the camera.
This guy! Bad luck fucking Brian and that guy was only a damn meme! The more I think about it, the more I start to think that you're nothing but a meme, Danny! You've run from shitty to situation to shitty situation, spurred on only by two things. Your faith and your family! But wait! Your faith jumps back and forth, week to week as to whether you bother believing in the big guy this time around, or you lose a match and you dig that shitty mask out of your furnace and start "questioning your beliefs" again! Playing make believe as a monster that Duke "Feel the Burn" Kosloff created! As for your family, I've never seen a guy request his family not to be at matches as often as you do! What's wrong....got something for a member of staff?
Bobby reaches over and takes his Coffee off the table and takes a sip. Amber remains in freeze frame just as she was when the shot cut.
Do you know what bugs me about you though Danny? More than the fact a man your size shouldn't be attempting four fifty splashes or dressing like he's homeless, despite being a man that holds a title and never pays for a damn meal because for some reason he's recognised everywhere? What bugs me about you most, Danny is the fact that you have the audacity to question what I do....You have the balls to question my motives despite having no firm standpoint of your own! Now I'm not a religious man, Danny and I don't plan to be, so you can save that space at the table all you like....But one thing you can't call me out on is my beliefs. If I tell you I'm going to kick you square in the nuts and take your title, you can be damn sure that's what I'm going to do! I'm not going to pretend to believe in one thing one week, then question it all after a loss! If you truly were a man that believed in the big guy...Isn't there something in the book about things being sent to test you? That's what they probably told your cousin Austin, right? You know when he was diagnosed? Right about when he probably looked up and asked "If God exists, why is this happening to me?" My point Danny is every time....Every time without fail that you are tested, you give up your faith and pretend you're all of a sudden some uncaged badass that tells his family to stay away because he's "afraid of what he might do!" My advice to you Danny is to pick a fucking side and stop boring the piss out of everyone who by this point has stopped giving a flying fuck about whether you're a good guy or a bad guy this week! There's a quote I remember that might help you out here!
"Walk on road, hm? Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later...get squish just like grape"
Do you know who said that, Danny? Do you know where I got that pearl of wisdom from? Fucking Mr Miyagi! The Karate Kid! Come on, grow some fucking balls and pick a damn side!
The shade of red drains from Bobby's face as he finally stops for a breath, taking another swig of his drink and putting the cup back down.
As for Xtraction: Blood Money....First of all I'm wondering why the hell I wasn't given a spot on Team AWF. Was I given this title shot as a way to calm me down? I mean Steele is complaining that he's a "maybe" and you know what? He's right! We don't see eye to eye on much, but if you aren't calling the only two World Champions in your history to flagship your team....Well you're setting yourself up for a damn fall! You're putting a hundred grand on this match and both sides have admitted it's a lot of their fortune....It's most of their company worth and they aren't picking the strongest team they can! Don't give me the bullshit "ego and synergy" response because if two guys can't put their shit aside for the future of the company that pays their check, then they shouldn't be there to begin with! Bobby Barratt has always been "Team Bobby" and trust me, earning top money is what's good for me and I'd have done my best to make sure that still happened and then had you over the table demanding more cash when I was the AWF sole survivor! But fuck it!
Bobby takes a few seconds to regain his composure again.
You know I've also had to deal with people questioning why I am so keen to take this match. Maybe not right now, but why I was so keen to take that title from you, given the last title I held was considered the top Championship in the XHF Network at the time! It's simple...Is AWF's TV show called AWF: World? No! It's called Prestige and the title it's named after is the guy that gets the coverage, the guy that gets the posters, the guy who's name appears under the word "FEATURING" on the banner. I will be the guy who puts the Prestige in AWF Prestige. Make no bones about it! You may be riding high after being the first guy to hold it twice, but Danny you're about to be the first guy to lose it twice too! So take some time, set a space at the table for your belt for a little while, Danny. Take it on a day out....maybe push it on the swings a little! I don't care! Just know that come Xtraction: Blood Money, your blood will be on my hands and I'll be the one making the money when I become the NEW AWF Prestige Class Champion! Now I'm going to click my fingers and I'll be right back in bed where I started the day. My alarm clock will be at 7:45 just like it was meant to be and I'm going to continue to be exactly as I say I am...An Icon. See you at Blood Money, Danny!
CLICK!
