Post by Anastasia Hayden on Apr 1, 2017 21:31:06 GMT
“And I promise…As always…I will be in a hurry.”
Anastasia sighed as the video came to an end. She sat alone in the living room of her new apartment, still littered with unopened boxes, which served as her makeshift table for her laptop. Each word toward her was personal and each one hurt more than the last. Not that she was surprised by any of this. Everything Hutch said was true in some sense. And he wasn’t ready to let it all out for everyone to hear.
She wanted to be sad over it. There was a friendship there and maybe something else. It was blurred. Like it always is. But something told her it wasn’t right. He was married with a child. And he wrestled. Something like that scared her. She didn’t want to become that. Marriage, it made her sick. Having a child and still wrestling? Not a possibility for her. Despite their friendship, Hutch Lanahan represented everything Anastasia Hayden resented in life. He was her greatest fear personified.
There was only so much rope tied to his neck before he’d have to get pulled back home. Ana couldn’t live with that commitment. That’d been the way for twenty seven years. People said she’d grow out of it, but she never did. Maybe that was a sign of immaturity. But Ana didn’t care. She wanted to be free. The idea of being able to run far away and hide from the world was ideal. Then Bryan Williams entered her life. And Anastasia became the biggest hypocrite she knew.
Like Hutch, he was married at one point, but was divorced when they crossed paths again. She didn’t want to fall for him. She didn’t want to fall for anyone. Settling down meant becoming complacent. And while everything was telling her to stop and run; she didn’t. Instead, she found a happy medium. To stay with Bryan and to burn the bridge she had built with Hutch. That was the reality of the situation. She couldn’t have both and something had to give. Torching that bond hurt her, but she knew it had to be done. Not that it made her feel any better about doing so.
But Hutch would run his mouth on Twitter. He’d talk about her in his promos. Every opportunity Hutch got, Ana was referenced in some fashion. When she left him behind, when she took his belt...that was supposed to be it. No more Hutch in her life, but she found herself being lured back into his trap. She was over him. He wasn’t. Whether it was simply wrestling related or not was left open.
She hated it. She hated him. And whenever she wanted to forget about him, Hutch wouldn’t let her. Her phone buzzed and she lifted it up to her face; a notification from Twitter. As she opened the app, there was a reminder. A picture of her at the gym. A picture taken by Hutch. It made her sick and she closed her eyes, to focus on sending away the waves of nausea starting to come in. Then she heard him.
“Come on, Ana, few more reps.”
“Are you kidding, Hutch? You do it.”
And she heard his laugh.
“Fine. I’ll match ya...how about that?”
“Deal...you nerd.”
Then Ana heard her own laugh. That day had become so vivid to her. A day she tried to forget, but it wasn’t leaving her. She could feel the beads of sweat starting to form and roll down her face. One deep breath after another. Her heart was pounding and she had to control it. Ana was miserable, not being able to control her body. And this day was no different. It had been going on for weeks now, but now it was starting to drag Hutch into the picture. She was ready to snap; each breath just felt like the one before a breakdown.
When she opened her eyes, everything was normal again. Closing out of Twitter, she took a moment to look elsewhere on her phone. Anything to keep her focused on anything else. She needed a clear head before AWE and before FSociety. And she needed a clear head when she’d have to see Hutch again at the show. Controlling her mind was her only way out and even then, she struggled. She needed to at least pretend she was a professional who was stable.
But there was no telling what would happen until she saw Hutch face to face for the first time in months. She held the High Roller Championship that was once his and when that was it between them, he held onto a grudge.
The last show she felt confident calling out anyone to face her. She felt confident when she destroyed Xavier Young in the ring. But now? She was terrified. Ana didn’t know what the next emotion she would feel. There was no telling if she’d pretend to be the professional she needed to be or if she’d lose it the moment she saw him. In her mind, losing it and going after Hutch; beating him into a bloodied mess? That was a favorable outcome. But she didn’t want to give him that satisfaction.
Eddie Calhoun and Xavier Young would have to serve that role instead. She’d have to control herself. And she needed to keep Bryan away from Hutch. One responsibility after another. Ana dug her nails into her thigh, trying relive some of the pressure forming. Something to distract her. She’d already ripped the stitches out of her head earlier in the week, she didn’t need another trip to the doctor to fix it. She didn’t need any eyes worrying over her.
A knock at the front door and as she lifted her up from her phone, Bryan was standing there with a smile on his face.
“You ready?”
“Yeah...let’s start unpacking.”
She didn’t need anyone’s pity.
“Everyone wants to talk about one thing in this upcoming match...Hutch Lanahan and Anastasia Hayden. Our opponents? They don’t care about. Everyone wants to eat up the gossip and the drama. That’s the bullshit these mindless drones want then complain about it later. Everyone always says ‘Oh, man, I just want to see wrestling’, then log onto their social media accounts and chirp away because Hutch wants to run his fucking mouth. Well let me add some more fuel to that fire, let me clear up everything and let me tell you just who Hutch Lanahan is.”
“A bitter, lonely, pathetic wrestler. He’s no different than some of the rest of the trash that FSociety harbors, but he’s got to make everything about him. He’s got to let the world know just how bitter he is that I took the High Roller Championship from him. I took the only thing that made him relevant away from him. What has Hutch done since losing this? Nothing. He’s just sat back and pitied himself because no one else gives a fuck about him to do so.”
“And when I just wanted to focus on my wrestling...I get pulled into this drama. Because I have respect for myself, Hutch, unlike you. When you want to call me out, don’t be surprised that I bark back. You can’t get my name out of your fucking mouth, you scum. Now Bryan’s? My relationship with Bryan Williams seems to be a hot topic in the world of wrestling...why? Everyone acts like because I’m dating Bryan, I’m not the same Anastasia Hayden. That I’m not the same Anastasia Hayden who bleeds for every company she steps into and works harder than everyone else every single week.”
“I left you and Benji behind for one very simple, clear as day reason: You’re fucking failures. When was the last time Benji actually did something for himself? When was the last time you won a high profiled match? Hutch, you were the king of FSociety until I came in and fucked your world up. When I cut your legs from beneath you, you fell harder than anyone I’ve ever seen and you’re still scrambling to claw your way back up to relevancy. You think hanging with some ring rat is going to get you back to where you belong?”
“Oh, sorry, Hutch, was that a little too personal? Should I be like you and pretend like I’m looking forward to wrestling Xavier Young and Eddie Calhoun? No, fuck that. But you’re actually joking if you think I’m even interested in beating you again. I did that once, Hutch, I took you to your limit the first time. Beat you for the belt the second. What I’ll do to you if we had a third encounter...you don’t want to think of because as bad of a light that I get painted in...I want you to at least be able to go home and be a father to your daughter.”
“So do what you’re best at, Hutch, step back in my shadow and let me to all the work. Let me beat Xavier Young like I did at the last Anarchy. Let him run his mouth about his stupid candy and allow me to shut him up. I’ve never been concerned about Xavier Young and when he came for me at the last show...I showed that. I’m not scared of anyone in FSociety. Not Tyson Gregory, Ally Morrow, Xavier Young...you’re all the fucking same to me. You all lived in this safe bubble, but when I came to FSociety, my intention was to burst that bubble.”
“Xavier can go back to pretending he’s happy with his sad little career and Skittles after I’m done with him this week. Don’t get me wrong though, we all put on a smile and lie to ourselves that everything will be alright...but to do it for an entire career? That’s pathetic, Xavier, but that’s your style, isn’t it? Being pathetic. No different than Hutch, but at least you’re content being that, so in a way...you’re better than Hutch will ever be.”
“And let me tear apart Eddie Calhoun when that bell rings. A man on a mission from God...well, I don’t have to be the one that spoils that reality for you. I’ll let someone else do that. You’re already living a world of delusion, so you’re not all that different from Xavier. And you know what, Eddie? Despite all of that...you’re better than Hutch too! You can spout off whatever you want and no one is going to care...and you’re not going to care what they say. That’s great, Eddie, real inspirational of you.”
“So when I roll into the ring on Sunday in an attempt to make you question your faith, you’ll put on a smile and keep moving on like everything’s alright. But nothing’s ever alright, Eddie. In fact, everything sucks a lot of the time. And when I drive my foot down your Bible preaching throat, you’ll understand that. But I’m a merciful being, mightier than your God...I’ll dispose of you and Xavier quick and I’ll do my best to make it as painless as possible. But no promises.”
“I’ll at least spare you from having to wrestle Hutch Lanahan. I mean, maybe someday you’ll have to wrestle him at one of those washed up wrestler conventions...but until then, I’ll be your savior. I’ll kick your head off, Eddie, then I’ll do my best to break Xavier’s neck. Simple as that. All while Hutch tries his best to look like he’s actual menacing and capable of beating me, but delusion’s a real bitch to overcome. Hutch will just stand back and I’ll beat Eddie and Xavier in one swift motion.”
“But if Hutch wants to get cute, I’ll tango with him. He’s very aware of what I’m capable of doing and if he wants to piss me off...I don’t give a fuck about winning. I’ll slap some sense into him. And if I have to...I do what Hutch is too much of a coward to do.”
“I’ll put Hutch Lanahan out of his misery...in a hurry.”
