Lucy wasted little time in getting back to Alabama after Synergy.

To say that she felt weird being in Chicago while Rogan was hundreds of miles away in Alabama would be an understatement. But suffice it to say, the trip back down to the gulf would have gone a lot quicker and a lot less painfully if she would’ve been able to convince the Dark Man that she could be trusted with Jack and the Buick, for just one night.

But she didn’t dare even ask that of him. There was a time and a place for that, and something deep down in her gut told her that this was not the time.

Even though she got there as quickly as she could, through conventional means – It was still almost dawn before she found herself walking barefoot through the sands of the beach that lie in front of the building Rogan lived in.

Her eyes flickered upwards, towards the top of the building – trying to gather whether or not the lights were on in Rogan’s condo, but from all the way down there, there was no way she could tell which set of identical windows were his and which weren’t. She sighed to herself and turned back towards the ocean, smiling softly as she watched the waves crash into the shore.

She hoped that he wasn’t sat up on the couch, waiting for her as she lowered herself down onto the cool sand and pulled her knees up to her chest. Lucy needed a moment to unwind and relax before she went upstairs. She was tired and her body ached – courtesy of Mac Bane – but she was thrilled about how the night went.

Lucy didn’t like having to face someone she respected so much, and she liked even less having to start his tournament off in the hole. But they both knew they’d do whatever they needed to do to get the job done. She was grateful for that understanding that not a lot of people have now a days.

“Lucy?”

The voice startled her and she nearly jumped out of her skin as she turned her body to see Trayvon, the bartender from the Pink Pony Pub – standing just down the beach from her, holding a pair of shoes in his hand. She put a hand to her chest and heaved a sigh of relief.

“Holy shit you scared the hell out of me.”

“My apologies, I was just thinkin that it couldn’t be you sittin out here so early in the morning.”

Lucy shrugged her shoulders.

“I just got back to town and it ain’t often I get to sit here without hoards of people messing up the view.” Lucy replied, motioning out towards the ocean and the way the moon reflected off of the water in these early morning hours.

Trayvon nodded his head. “I feel ya. I usually take a nice long walk after closing up most nights because it’s just so peaceful. Congratulations on winning tonight, by the way. Never had a doubt in my mind.”

He smiles and winks at Lucy.

“I appreciate it. Hey, you wanna take a load off?” Lucy asks, motioning to the sand beside her. “I promise I won’t bite.”

“I dunno, I wouldn’t want Rogan to think I’m tryin anything with his girl.” Trayvon replied with a chuckle as he sat down next to Lucy, making sure to keep himself at least an arms distance away from her.

A bit of pink rose to Lucy’s cheeks as she shook her head. That’s the first time she’d heard anyone refer to her as his ‘girl’, and in complete fairness, it kind of threw Lucy through a loop.

“I think you’re safe.” Lucy managed to say, casting a glance in Trayvon’s direction.

The two of them sat in silence for a little while, just breathing in the salty air and listening to the relaxing sounds of the waves crashing, one after the other on the shore. The sky was slowly turning a deep shade of cornflower blue as the sun prepared to make its appearance over the horizon.

Lucy sighed, knowing that she should be heading upstairs soon, but she sat back and stretched her legs out in front of her, burying her legs in the sand.

“Speaking of Rogan…” Lucy finally said, breaking the silence. “Was he–”

“Spent most of the night with us at the pub, yeah.”

“How was he?”

Trayvon shrugged his shoulders. “He’s real good at putting on a brave face, ya know? But I can tell something’s off.”

Lucy let out another sigh.

“Yeah. Well, I’m glad he didn’t spend the entire day by himself, but I can’t help but wonder if I shouldn’t have insisted he stay here. It’s not really my place to tell him what he should do.”

“Nah, but he trusts you, Lucy. That much is obvious.”

Lucy couldn’t help but smirk at that last statement.

“I don’t know what happened at Horizons. But I just wanna help him get through it as best I can. Maybe someday he’ll be ready to talk about it.”

Trayvon nodded. “Him and Poke were talking a good bit tonight, you know. Real intense lookin conversation.”

Lucy didn’t respond right away, but she’d be lying if she didn’t feel a flash of jealousy as she wondered whether Rogan had told this Poke what had happened… and not her. But as quickly as she felt it, she pushed it aside and turned her head, nodding at Trayvon.

“Poke, huh? I don’t think I’ve met him.”

“Seems to me like they known each other for a while, but then again what do I know? I just people watch for a livin.” Trayvon replied with a chuckle. “I’m sure he ain’t keepin nothin from you, Lucy. Whether he wants to admit it or not, that boy is all about you.”

Again, Lucy blushed.

“I…”

“And I know you all about him too. Why else you be jetting back down here right after fighting a big guy like that Mac Bane? If I was you, I’d be sleeping it off in a hotel or something.”

Lucy chuckled.

“Good point. Speaking of… I should probably get upstairs and—” Lucy shrugged her shoulders as she drug herself back up to her feet and turned around to look down at Trayvon. “Thank you, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing you soon.”

“No doubt. Have yourself a nice day, Lucy.”

Lucy nodded her head and left him sitting on the beach, watching the sunrise as she made her way into the building and a few minutes later she was stepping through the doorway of Rogan’s condo only to find him sitting up on the couch, exactly where she’d hoped he wouldn’t be.

Unexpectedly enough, Lucy felt a twinge of something in her gut the moment she saw him. It felt like she’d been gone forever, even though it had been barely a day since she’d been here.

“Hey, you.” She said quietly as she rushed the couch and practically fell into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I missed you.”

 

It’s like they always say, when one door closes – Another one opens.

It’s just not always easy to move on to the next door.

I’d be lying to you if I said that pulling out the victory against Mac Bane isn’t a big deal to me. Believe it or not, Mac Bane is a big deal; and you don’t need me telling you that to know it.

He’s at the top of his game, if not a little bit better than his best. That’s who World champions are and that’s what they do. I knew coming into this tournament that if any of us wanted a shot at the biggest prize in UGWC, we were going to have to step up to that next level, that we’d have to find a way to stand out from the crowd. Mac will rebound like he always does, sure. But I kind-of enjoy the little momentary confidence boost.

And I do mean momentary.

There’s a long way to go yet. It’s anyone’s bracket to lose.

Yet it does feel particularly reassuring to come bursting out of the gate on the right foot. If momentum exists, I want to have it. Because, no lie, I’ve been through hell in the past couple of years and that’s not something I particularly wish to continue.

But with the new year and with all of the circumstances set before me, it feels different. I know it’s an overused notion, but when I say ‘New year, new me’, it really feels like it this go around. Hell, there’s always gonna be valleys to walk through, even when things are at their peak.. But at least I’m not alone. It’s a lot easier to navigate this new path going forward when I’ve got someone like Rogan by my side.

So, shoutout to my partner – For believing in me. For seeing the very same potential everyone else claimed that they saw, and for adding gasoline to that fire.

It’s real easy for everyone else to tell me that they ‘see’ great things in me, yet I always seem to get in my own way. It’s even easier to sit back and watch the fire slowly put itself out. I mean, I get it. It wasn’t, nor will it ever be any of your responsibilities to help me. But let’s put this into perspective here, why wouldn’t you?

Because you’re lazy? Nah.

The reason is a lot simpler than that.

The majority of you are terrified of what I am capable of when I’m not holding myself down. Hell, I don’t even blame you. I’ve spent years terrified of what I’m capable of when I’m not holding myself down.

The difference between then and now, is, I’m no longer fighting as though I have nothing to gain and everything to lose.

So, I guess in my own way, I need to thank those of you who let my fire dwindle. I need to thank you for putting me down over and over and over again, hoping that eventually I’d fade back into obscurity and you wouldn’t have to look over your shoulder anymore thinking ’what if’? Thank you for letting me realize that all this time I was waiting for someone else to come along and pick me up when I only needed one person to do that.

Myself.

I wouldn’t have stood a chance against Mac Bane a few months ago. And I sure as hell wouldn’t be walking into this upcoming match on Monday with any confidence to speak of without these realizations.

Which brings me to you, Travis.

You’ve always been one of the people who enjoyed sitting back and watching my struggles, haven’t you? Sitting behind that desk in front of a camera talking about how Lucy’s lost a step, and how you’ve just hit your own stride. Talking about how it didn’t seem like my heart was in this anymore, and how you’re a new and improved Travis Pierce – Ready and excited to sink his teeth into, and conquer this ‘new era’ in the UGWC.

Maybe you were right about me a year ago, Trav. But it’s funny to rewatch your little show and to realize that you should be looking into a mirror when you’re saying all those things about me. But that’s all it ever is with you, isn’t it? You’re all too eager to spit your version of the ‘truth’ into everyone else’s face, but you’re completely blind to the fact that you ARE just about everything that you accuse everyone else of being.

How many times can you turn your head to look at two different cameras whilst spouting the latest bullshit your writers no doubt came up with before you realize that YOU’RE the one who’s heart isn’t in it anymore? How many jokes can you make before you see that YOU’RE the one who’s lost a step or twenty… Hell, some might even say you haven’t taken a step forward in YEARS.

Sure, you’ve accomplished some shit, Travis. No one can take that from you. You beat Rogan and I to become the Coop Champs last year but honestly, how much of that was Sebastian? Everyone and their brother can see who the REAL star of that team was and it sure as hell wasn’t you.

You’re a fantastic supporting character, Trav. Not quite Emmy worthy, but you get the job done. And there’s no harm in admitting that Seb carried you to Cooperative gold. It’s not like we all don’t already know that anyway.

And I know, it’s awful hypocritical of me to sit here and put you down after saying all that shit I said earlier about sitting by and letting other’s fires go out. But here’s the difference between you and I, Travis. I’ll look you right in your face and tell you that you’re better than the shit you’re doing. Ask Sebastian. I know what Sebastian can bring to the table, and I know that young man has every tool in his arsenal to beat me over and over again without hesitation.

Yet I stood there and I wouldn’t let him stifle his own flame because I’m not scared of the competition. Unlike you, I WELCOME it.

So Travis, you little one trick pony you… You’re better than this. Show me. Prove me right. Beat me at my best, and show the rest of the UGWC that there’s more to you than we all see.

Step out of your comfort zone and give me the competition that I DESERVE because I don’t wanna look back on this match and feel like I went 2-0 on a technicality. I wanna EARN those points. So the ball is in your court, Travis.

Put up or shut up.

Show me there’s more to you than the ball-less wonder that sits behind that desk and acts like he’s so much better than everyone else. Practice what you preach, sweetie. That’s the only way anyone is ever going to take you seriously.

I know the truth hurts, Travis, especially when you’re not the one spitting it.

See you soon.

 

《frm》