RUSH CHAMPIONSHIP - MELISSA KILLGRAVES (C) VERSUS JEN HELMS

[thisisemerge]

DEADLINE ONE - 3250 ROLEPLAY 13TH SEPTEMBER 2019 2359 EST

DEADLINE TWO - 750 WORD SHOOT / SEGMENT 15TH SEPTEMBER 2019 2359 EST

[Jennifer Helms]

OOC: The Road to Finding Ricky’s Killer begins.



Anything with the “REC” on it is Viewable to the Public.

The Views Expressed By Jennifer Helms & The Beauty Factory Do Not Reflect Those of the Publisher. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

THE FIVE-YEAR LIE

(Click Title)

[Ruppy]

Many would look at the short career of Melissa Killgraves thus far and believe the woman’s been doing a damn good job for herself.

Melissa herself would be the first to express doubts about that.

It’s easy to go the route many do and only examine the facts at face value because it will almost always paint the very picture you’re looking for. Once you start digging deeper, however, is when you begin to notice the cracks that would threaten to destroy that seemingly perfect image, leaving you desperately trying to either fix or disguise the faults to hold on to the way you want things to be. Melissa’s no fool though… for as much as she could gloat about the way things appear to be in front of a camera, behind closed doors she knows very well that she’s far from being what she wants people to see her as.

At first glance, only having one loss on her record and currently calling herself a champion certainly makes her seem like a very bright young star on the Emerge roster who’s always making the most of the opportunities presented to her. But when Melissa looks back on all of those victories, she can only scowl at what greets her eyes. As much as she hates the fact that she was essentially born and bred to be a soldier, the perfect way to bite back at her father to show him that forcing her down that path was a mistake would’ve been dominant performances that truly highlight the monster he’s made laying waste to those who embody the same ideals he tries to build his own life around. Yet victory after victory has not seen such performances lead her to them, only that she’s either managed to catch someone when they least expect it or taken advantage of outside help in order to succeed.

It was no wonder why people like Sundown and his mouthpiece were adamant about refusing to respect her no matter how much she’s proven she can go to war with the beast and take whatever he can throw at her.

It was a thought that sat in the back of her mind when she studied footage from the tag match on the first show after that Invasion and realized that Tommy Cook had effectively dragged her to victory in the end, and only furthered once she was backstage on the last show after defeating Robinson not by knockout as she wanted, but rather because she rolled him up for the pin. She knew every time that had been the end result of one of her matches could be explained that she simply outsmarted her opponent and caught them when their guard was down, just like one might do on the battlefield when the enemy starts getting too used to moments of peace and quiet, but that wasn’t the way she wanted to present herself when she first began this endeavor and the very thought that this is where she found herself was now starting to burn a hole in her head.

How in the hell was she supposed to prove anything if she couldn’t win a match her way?

“You see Melissa? This is EXACTLY why I felt this was necessary, and even the general agreed.”

A low growl escaped Melissa’s throat, though it was more a sign of slight annoyance than anything else in response to the person speaking. With Emerge heading down to Miami for their next big Invasion show, Claire wanted to take the opportunity to tag along again to watch her friend in action. Part of Melissa questioned if her friend was also doing this as a chance to see models from the Beauty Factory in person outside of a runway, given how fashion-obsessed the rich girl tended to be, but she denied this in a way that the military maiden knew well enough by now was only to agree with her so the subject could be dropped. Claire was well aware that one of their models was knocking on her doorstep looking for the RUSH Title, and Melissa had no intention of holding back on Jennifer Helms just because anything that happened to her in this match might cause harm to the woman’s other career.

Upon arriving in Miami with a few days to spare before showtime, Claire had suggested that Melissa take a break from her intense training to simply relax. It was a suggestion that didn’t sit well with the combatant despite her friend’s good intentions, but she only relented once Matt chimed in about how much good it might do her. In retrospect, the man had very sound reasoning. Despite how much she wanted to be ready to make it clear to Jennifer that her time as champion was far from finished just yet, being prepared physically was only half the battle and there was no question on whether or not that would be the case. Mentally, however… Melissa would be the first to admit that for as much as she liked the break she seemed to get from dealing with her father standing against her decisions in life because they weren’t exactly what he wanted for her, she was starting to get unsettled from the silence. For as much as she trusted Matt, especially considering the history he had with her father, she seriously doubted he said anything to the war hero to derail the tense standoff before the last Invasion that would’ve caused him to completely abandon this endeavor. The man’s stubborn determination was very well known… she had to get it from somewhere, after all, and it certainly didn’t come from her mother.

“I still would’ve preferred dedicating myself to making sure I’ll be able to turn Helms into a human pretzel.”

“Oh come on Melissa. Do you honestly think her parents and trainers would let her overwork herself getting ready for one single match? They are legends in the business, I do believe, so they’d know well enough.”

Melissa sat up and stared at Claire, hating the fact she was right. This wasn’t an excuse to abuse the fact she’d come along to Miami to simply hit the beach and enjoy flaunting the newest fashionable bikini of the late summer season, and despite the noise in her ears from all the people around them who were also looking to get that last bit of summer beach enjoyment in, especially with the recent hurricane seemingly floating away from the state of Florida and ignoring it altogether, she had to admit that getting the chance to just sit and sort out her thoughts was doing some good. Even if she wasn’t completely happy with what was floating around in her head, at least it could be dealt with instead of being ignored so she could truly give her undivided attention to the match on the horizon, especially if she was finally going to have the kind of performance she truly wanted to represent who the Emerge fans and locker room should know her as.

“I suppose you’ve got a point… assuming her Beauty Factory handlers haven’t outright forbidden it because too much working out would make her unattractive or some stupid nonsense like that. But did you really have to make me put up with ANOTHER Jennifer while we’re here!?”

Melissa raised an eyebrow as Claire moved her sunglasses to the top of her head to allow her questioning gaze to be seen unobstructed. The two of them moved their gaze over to where Jennifer was trying to carefully weave her way through the crowd without spilling the smoothies she was cradling in her arms. While the two women we’ve focused on up to this point had no problems with being in bikinis, the redhead felt more comfortable in a one-piece bathing suit. Claire had tried to talk her into donning a bikini as well, and Melissa wasn’t surprised that the idea was swiftly shot down considering the girl really had nothing to brag about looks-wise. She would’ve preferred if she hadn’t joined them on this trip at all, but Claire insisted and Jennifer certainly seemed like she wanted to watch firsthand what Melissa could do in the ring for herself, so she couldn’t avoid Matt deciding ‘the more the merrier.’

“Melissa, you really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. I did for so long and now I regret it, and I really think-”

“Look Claire… as much as I respect our friendship and everything you’ve done to help me stay afloat and as far away from my father as possible, you know I’m not as enthusiastic about this newfound arrangement as you are. I get that you have a crush on her for reasons I will never figure out, but-”

While Melissa had cut off Claire to break into her rant, she ended up cutting herself off at the stunned look she received back from the blonde. It wasn’t a look that said ‘how dare you interrupt me to bad mouth her’ but one that made it clear she wasn’t expecting Melissa to have cracked the code on her secret feelings towards the author. In hindsight, Melissa realized Claire had never outright admitted it and she kind of pieced it together herself without being completely certain it was true, but there was no doubt anymore and the military maiden felt guilty about dragging the secret out into the open. Before Claire could say anything in response, a smoothie was held out in front of her and she quickly swiped it and started slurping it down as though it would magically drown her embarrassment. Melissa almost practically ripped hers out of Jennifer’s hands before she sat down on their giant beach towel alongside them.

“Thanks for bringing me along, you guys. I don’t think I’ve ever got to see a wrestling event live before, and it’ll be nice to see you in action Melissa.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

Melissa looked away, slowly sipping on her smoothie while Jennifer clearly looked bothered by the response, knowing full well they weren’t on good terms for no other reason than Melissa just didn’t like her, but she was still holding out hope for that to change somehow. She took her mind off it and, inadvertently, helped Claire get over the shock and embarrassment of just prior to her return by striking up a conversation with the blonde as they continued to really catch up on the aspects of each others’ lives. Melissa drifted in an out of listening to it, but she was more concerned about the Jennifer she’d actually get her hands on come time for Invasion.

She couldn’t help but ponder just how different it seemed the two of them really were. Sure, they both had impressive records in Emerge and Helms did have previous experience with championship gold despite them both being relatively new to the business, but at first glance, the two of them seemed like night and day otherwise. Melissa was busting her ass virtually every waking moment to try and break free of the shadow of her father while also wanting nothing to do with her mother, and while she hadn’t really displayed herself the exact way she wanted to in the company yet there was no denying she was as tough and dangerous as she looked. Helms, on the other hand, had a wrestling pedigree to live up to as the daughter of SCW Hall of Famer David Helms and current Adrenaline Champion Regan Street, giving her parents that were not only willing to help develop her into a wrestler Emerge or any company would be proud to boast on its roster but also ones that actually cared for her. She was a great example of not judging a book by its cover, as it would be easy to question her wrestling despite also trying to be a model, forgetting in the process the bloodline she came from that was a significant part of this world.

“Must be nice… having a family that actually gives a damn about you and lets you be who you want to be…”

Melissa mumbled that to herself, but Claire and Jennifer both managed to catch it, glancing over at her as their own conversation froze. She didn’t notice, though, nor would she have been willing to elaborate even if she did catch their looks since she wasn’t about to disclose her personal issues to someone she barely considered a person from her past, much less a friend. They were concerned but decided not to push their luck.

“So, Jennifer… how’s, um… how’s things with Darren going?”

“Oh… we… we broke up…”

Claire’s jaw dropped as she got an answer that, deep down, she was kind of hoping for, though at the same time she did feel awful for the girl who had stolen her heart despite her own lingering questions about her sexuality. Despite not looking in their direction, even Melissa was ow fully tuned in to this as her smoothie nearly dropped from her hand at this news. She remembered Darren clearly: big, strong African-American who was Jennifer’s next-door neighbor who seemed like he hit the puberty jackpot when he went from looking like a complete dork to the kind of stud that definitely lived up to the lineage he was born into. It was no surprise that despite his hatred of sports he had enough natural talent to follow in his father and older brother’s footsteps of becoming the quarterback of their high school football team. Melissa herself had gone out with him for a while back in junior high after his transformation, but they broke up when it became clear his heart belonged to Jennifer, which just added one more reason to hate her to the list. Considering that, the news that they had broken up after dating for so long when it almost seemed like destiny that they would get married threw even her for a loop.

“Broke up? After how long you two were together?”

“I know… but, I found out that while we were in high school, despite how perfect our relationship seemed to be, he was cheating on me constantly behind my back with the head cheerleader. He only stopped when she graduated, but every now and then they contacted each other. I confronted him over it when I finally found out, and when given the choice he apparently decided to choose her over me…”

Any good feelings Claire had over perhaps having a chance with Jennifer after all immediately faded upon hearing this, as it was rightfully horrible to feel that way in the wake of such news. Melissa consciously tried to keep from crushing her plastic cup in her hand and covering herself in smoothie as this knowledge even set her off. As much as she didn’t like Jennifer just because of issues that were more in her head than anything else, not even she deserved to be treated like that. If they’d have just broken up much like Melissa had with the guy it would be one thing, but seeing someone else behind her back for years and then choosing them over her because he was too much of a coward to just let go of something he clearly didn’t want after all? No woman deserved that, and Melissa made a mental note to break the guy’s arm if she ever saw Darren again now.

“Well, it’s no wonder he broke up with you for a former cheerleader, sweetie. They’ve always got far more to offer than someone like you ever would.”

All eyes suddenly turned in the direction of the new voice to their conversation, and Jennifer almost instantly crawled back at how close she almost found her face to the woman’s chest. The barely-there swimwear made it painfully clear what she was hoping to gain out of being on the beach today, but her gaze carefully drifted over to where the other African-American woman present in this little spot along the sand, her smirk countered by a glare.

“Krystal…”

“Not going to call me mom? Or mother even? Guess that man really did program you to act like I never existed. I’m not surprised, considering how much you act just like him.”

Melissa growled at the woman, but she just chuckled to herself. Jennifer moved close to Claire, baffled at what was going on and what she was learning out of this, but even the tension of the moment wasn’t lost on her.

“What are you even doing here?”

“Working, clearly. I mean, I kind of just drift around to wherever I can hope to score. That’s how my adult life’s always been, and I’ve still got lost time to make up for. Your daddy was a quality score, don’t get me wrong, but having to wait until you came into the world since everyone’s so up in arms about abortions these days… it just doesn’t pay the bills, honey.”

Melissa almost felt like she was going to vomit at hearing this. She had enough reason to hate this woman as it was for leaving her with her father and outright abandoning them, which wasn’t too much of a surprise given the whole thing was meant to just be a one night stand anyway, but truly proving she was a woman immersed in her seedy occupation and acting as though her daughter’s very existence was a burden? That was low, for any human being.

“You know, coming down here to help people in the wake of that big, strong hurricane hasn’t been as lucrative as I thought it might be. You’ve got to have some money you don’t mind sharing with your dear mother, right Melissa? I mean, you’ve been on such a roll as a wrestling champion to rake in those big bucks and all. Or… I could always help the least appealing out of you girls forget all about her problems and teach her a thing or two…”

Krystal holds out her hand towards Jennifer, making sure it’s just enough out of reach so Claire can’t just smack it away for her. She doesn’t have to, though, as Melissa bolts up and grabs Krystal’s arm before twisting her wrist, causing her eyes to go wide at the pain. The grip is loose enough so that she’s able to pull away, and faced with her daughter’s icy cold glare she retreats, muttering curse words and threats the whole way as the girls watch her vanish into the throng of people around them. Melissa turns to sit back down, ignoring some of the glances from people around them, but pauses when Jennifer puts her hand on her arm.

“You…”

“You’re welcome.”

It was gruff, sure, but it made it clear Melissa wasn’t willing to address the issue any further, at least right now. Still, despite the potential problem that was just averted, Melissa felt like she had a renewed fire burning inside to take into her match with Helms at Invasion. She still had some things she felt she would need to work out now, but if nothing else?

She could justify her aggression in the form of making her pay for already having everything the military maiden didn’t and believing she deserved to take her championship away from her as well. After all… you can’t always have everything you desire in life.