Apocalypse 2020

August 26, 2020 – Breakdown

After Rise to Greatness, I was anxious to get back inside of a ring. Something about the way that match with Sienna left a poor taste in my mouth. At the same time, I knew I was living rent free inside of her head, as that old saying goes. Because I had nearly outlasted everything she threw at me and rose like a phoenix before her eyes before she put out my flames on that summer night. I knew we had both left that match with a few different scars. Mine were visible and led to me losing my movie gig, at least for the moment. The future on that was still to be decided. Sienna? She wore the mental scars of that battle. She was still in need to prove that she was the real Iron Woman of SCW. It was a pitiful battle in my mind, but one she was willing to wage with me until the end of time. Me? I didn’t care about that. My whole battle with her was about declaring my independence from people who tried to claim my success and push me around. Control me. There were still moments when I sat quietly and dwelled on that match. My girlfriend would probably smack me just knowing that was my mindset. So I was ready to get back to the ring. Shake it off.

I was booked to the first Breakdown back from the break and was gleeful. Even at the opponent. Tommy Valentine? Fuck yeah. One of the best in-ring performers in this company and a rival of my new friends. I spent some time backstage getting my hair and makeup done before I heard my phone ringing. Kath called me from home to make sure I was in the right mindset for this first action back. I grabbed it and stepped into the hallway. It was reassuring to have someone like that in my corner. Kath had sent me with new gear for this Breakdown and wanted to know what I think about it. As usual, it was perfect. She knew how to make me look sexy and amazing. The call was short and sweet so I could get ready for the night. We finished with our typical “I love yous” as the call ended and I turned around to see Jaina standing there, just outside of a door. I looked behind her and saw she had come out of a bathroom. She looked a little flushed. She had a hand on her stomach. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

Jaina: Been awhile since I heard those words coming out of your mouth.

Jordan: I… uhh… that was my…

Jaina: It’s fine. Feels like it was quick for you to already be in love with someone else. Not judging. Just…

Jordan: I know… I know…

I wasn’t even sure what to say. The way things ended, it felt like she never wanted to see me again let alone say anything to me. I remembered back to that night, standing outside of Bree’s locker room after I’d turned my back against everything Sienna stood for. I saw Jaina stomping down the hall away from me. Even though she didn’t know I was there, her body language told the future of our engagement. It was over. I looked back over her shoulder at the bathroom door she’d walked out from and then looked back at her. Both of us were uneasy.

Jordan: What are you using a public bathroom for? Don’t you usually have use of private facilities here?

Jaina: So who is it?

Jordan: What?

Jaina: Is it someone you were with before we broke it off? I know it’s not Abigail. God, the world knows it’s not Abigail after what went down on Twitter…

I looked down and laughed. There was a time when that was her biggest fear of all. That my interactions with Abi, based on my sneaking away and spending time with her without Jaina knowing, were going to be the end of us.

Jaina: Is it Kathryn Pearson? Scott showed something to aunt Bree and I saw it too. There were pictures of the two of you together. They were saying things that I didn’t really believe, but they were right?

Jordan: I’ve been living with Kath since you and I split.

Jaina: So it is her…

Jordan: What is that supposed to mean?

Jaina: Come on. I know you! For you to be living with someone like that after all this time. The speed you tend to move. You and her are a thing. It’s fine. Again, I’m just kind of shocked at how fast it came together.

I sighed and rubbed a hand on the back of my neck. This was an awkward conversation to have with Jaina. I wondered if our past was part of the reason we didn’t even work together professionally. It was like they were forcing us to avoid each other. Or maybe it was something related to Bree or Sienna.

Jordan: Well, it sort of just happened when I was in a low spot. But nothing ever happened with anyone else while we were together. Although after we split I tried to go on a date and this girl apparently knew you or was with you and she tied me up and…

Jaina: What!?

Jordan: Nothing, I’ve tried to wipe it from my mind. I was just saying. What we went through was hard for me. I’m sure it was hard for you. I didn’t move forward easily. Things just happened.

Jaina: I know what you mean. I’ve sort of been seeing someone recently.

I looked at Jaina and swallowed as I kept my own thought to myself. It would have been hypocritical. Jaina seemed tired or weary. Something was off about her.

Jordan: Is she someone I know?

Jaina laughed and smiled at me. It was a smile I hadn’t seen in a long, long time. Not directed at me at least. She shrugged her shoulders.

Jaina: Well, it’s a HE and I don’t imagine you know who he is at all. But it has been a nice little thing that happened recently.

Jordan: I’m sure Bree loves that.

I smirked and Jaina rolled her eyes at me. I didn’t know if it was because I was right or she didn’t like that I brought her aunt into the conversation.

Jordan: Seriously, what’s going on with this bathroom thing?

Jaina turned to her side and looked at the door and then turned back to me. Her face was a little flushed. She shrugged at me.

Jaina: Just… not feeling that well today, but it’s fine.

Jordan: Ah, well. If you need any Tylenol or anything… who am I kidding? I’m sure your locker room is stocked with all the meds.

Jaina: Stop!

I giggled and crossed my arms. I leaned back against the wall. She looked down to hide a smile from me. There was a part of me that missed this part. The banter. The friendship. It was true that as soon as I met Jaina I wanted her. I pursued her out of that thing I had with Abigail. Hard! She was still with her boyfriend Owen when that started. A part of me felt like Bree had nudged me in Jaina’s direction with a hint here or there, but I couldn’t blame anyone but myself for what transgressed from there. All of that was on me. Our death wasn’t just because of what I did to Sienna. It was because of the many secrets that we held together, and even the ones held from each other. Most of that later part was on me, but the ones we kept together were designed to protect us. In the end, they probably did more harm than good.

Jaina: Hey, you know, I may never understand why you did what you did to Sienna. I’ll never agree with it. But I just want to be sure that you know you have picked the worst possible enemy to have.

Jordan: The worst? I think that might be a stretch.

Jaina: Seriously, Jordan. She’s obsessed with you. She’s not exactly in the best mindset and what happened at Rise to Greatness hasn’t fixed this. She beat you, but it changed nothing for her.

I knew it. I knew from the next day when people were raving about my performance that Sienna would be pissed. Still, I played dumb.

Jordan: But she beat me? This should be over. She got exactly what she wanted. What else does she need?

Jaina: She won’t be happy until she destroys you. I’m just being nice by warning you. The whole family will be satisfied if she does it.

Jordan: Geez, thanks I guess.

Jaina: Don’t act so surprised by this information. It’s your fault.

Jordan: What the hell else was I supposed to do?

Jaina shot me a look. In the moment, I had gone down the wrong path with someone who definitely took Sienna’s side in this battle. I let out a sigh and pushed myself away from the wall to face her.

Jaina: Maybe you should have stopped poking the bear like you did long ago. I know aunt Bree told you that you should have just talked with Sienna one on one and aired out your differences.

Jordan: It’s not remotely that easy and you know that. You know she would have said one wrong thing and I would have slapped her. Imagine if someone was mistreating Loki because they thought he was bad for you?

Jaina: Don’t bring my little brother into this!

Jordan: You know how complicated my life has been to this point. I don’t know what else to do other than to fight for myself at every turn.

Jaina shook her head and smirked.

Jaina: You don’t get it. This was a fight you never should have picked. Maybe the whole locker room is divided on what they want to happen. Some support you, the rest support her. In the end, none of that matters to Sienna. The only thing that matters to her is that she ends you. She tried at Rise to Greatness, but she didn’t get the job done. She might never stop trying until she gets that done.

Jordan: Well, I’m not backing down. I will never back down.

Jaina: Then I guess it was nice knowing you.

It grew quiet between us for a few moments. Jaina was still smirking. I know she was getting a kick out of my expression. Somewhere between cautious and confident. I could admit to myself that I always knew this was a possibility. If I had beaten her, she would keep coming. She beat me, and she’s still coming. We would have to find a way to put this to bed for good. If there was a way. I turned to look back at her once more and swallowed.

Jordan: So should I expect since scathing words from your aunt and her friend to come at me via the fact that I’m dating David Helms’ ex-wife?

Jaina looked down and I could hear a snicker coming from her. She crossed her arms.

Jaina: We were always pretty good at keeping secrets. I don’t see any reason to tell them if it’s something you don’t want out there?

Jordan: It’s not that. I love her. I really do. I know that’s weird to say to someone I was engaged to in March, but… she’s really been there when I needed it. I’m not ashamed of that fact that I’m with this beautiful woman. Not at all. I just know how they like to twist things and I know with Bree losing to Dave… this has all turned into a mess. This whole place is just a spider web of connections that all end badly for someone in a revolving wheel.

Jaina: I don’t see any reason to tell anyone.

Jaina sighed and placed her hands on her hips. She didn’t say anything, but once again she looked extremely uncomfortable.

Jordan: You sure you’re ok?

Jaina: Yeah. I’m fine.

Jaina forced a smile and nodded like she was reassuring herself.

Jaina: Listen, I’ve got to run. It was nice talking to you though.

I smiled back to her and nodded. But as she walked past, I grabbed her arm and she turned back to look at me.

Jordan: Just so you know, whatever is going on here right now. If you need to talk to someone you know you can talk to me…

Without a word, Jaina broke my grip on her arm and she walked down the path of the hallway away from me. For a moment I had a flashback to watching her walk away from me at Cold Blooded before I walked to the bar and drank my sorrows away. But so much had changed – mostly for the better. Later that night I found out just how right Jaina was about Sienna. She wasn’t done with me. But we would attempt to settle it once and for all when we met at Apocalypse.

Three Weeks Earlier – Bahamas

It couldn’t be overstated just how amazing this time with Kath was in the Bahamas. After a several month grind against Sienna, mostly a verbal battle, I needed some time to clear my head and just relax. Kath made that easy. She always had something she wanted us to do together. It was nice because our lives were pretty crazy from a schedule standpoint. I was traveling every week and she was traveling overseas every few. So to have a few weeks to spend together was a great opportunity for us. If there was an activity available at or near our resort, she was interested in it. There were times during our short time together where it felt like I was pushing her and providing her all the motivation to keep up with me. Now it felt like she had the energy and my youth could barely keep up with her spirit. I grew up in the middle of the United States where the only waves I saw were in fields of wheat. It was far from the bright city lights. It was important for Kath that I get the chance to see everything and try new things. Today was all about paddle boats on the ocean.

In my mind it was like we were out surfing and catching some sick waves. But instead we were in a calm area and the only risk we really seemed to have to fall off into the ocean water was if you fell asleep or someone shoved you off. We were somewhat secluded as most of the resort goers seemed to be glued to their towels on the beach, soaking up the sun. We paddled out and had a good laugh at how awkward I was. Kath always seemed to take to things naturally, whether she’d done it or not. Me? I was like that weird ugly duckling type that was stumbling around like a baby giraffe straight out of the womb. So naturally I spent most of my time trying to catch up with her as she paddled out ahead of me. At some point, I saw Kath slow to a stop in the water and straddle her board as she looked out toward a harbor in the distance where a few cruise ships were docked. She looked back at me as I approached and nearly soared past her at the speed of a dull roar. She reached over and grabbed my board so I didn’t go past her and I sat down straddling my board next to her.

Kathryn: Hey beautiful…

Jordan: Are you reassuring yourself that I’m still pretty after watching this hot mess paddling around the bay here with you?

Kath smiled and shook her head at me. She laughed and ran a hand through her damp hair.

Kathryn: You’re doing fine, babe. What do you think of paddle boarding?

Jordan: It’s just as easy as taking a suplex.

Kathryn: So not bad?

Jordan: Through a table.

Kath burst out laughing and reached over to pull my board closer to hers.

Kathryn: You make me laugh sometimes. You have trouble relaxing. It’s not like you’re uptight or anything. It’s like you’re waiting for the next person to hit you upside the head with a pan.

Jordan: A pan? Shit! You must think I’m living my life like I’m in an old timey movie or something.

Kathryn: No, really. It’s like that. Like… you always need someone to dare you to make a move. To give you that little push.

Kath was smiling. It wasn’t a serious conversation at all, but it made me look down at my board and lean forward against it. Kath could tell my reaction had turned serious, too. She stopped talking like she was dropping the subject all together. But it stuck with me.

Jordan: You know…I don’t feel like I’m that bad anymore. I’ve made some bigger decisions lately.

Kathryn: It’s true, but still. Think about someone like Sienna and how she seems to be in control of so much.

Jordan: I don’t think Sienna is in control of anything right now.

Kathryn: Ok, maybe she’s a little crazy. But think about it for a moment. Throughout that whole battle with you, she was reactive to things you said. But she was the one who was always controlling the pace. She held you off until she was ready for you. When she was around to get physical, she often took over. And, really, it’s just a bigger symptom of the whole issue at hand. She controlled you for a while. The battle between the two of you was every bit as mental as it was physical.

Jordan: Now you’re just rambling on.

Kathryn: What did I say that wasn’t true?

Jordan: Well the way you’re describing it makes it sound like I’m Sienna’s bitch.

Kath tilted her head and raised a brow at me.

Jordan: What the fuck!? You think I’m Sienna’s bitch?

Kathryn: Weren’t you though? When you told me about that halloween party last year it almost felt like she brought you as a fun accessory to distract her sister. Like a little toy poodle. Once she snapped, it was time to go. I mean, wasn’t your girlfriend there but you were more concerned with Sienna’s sister?

I shot Kath a purely dirty look. The thing that pissed me off sometimes was how good she was at speaking the truth and pointing out the obvious flaws. I appreciated it and loathed it at the same time. Everyone needs a partner that tells them this kind of truth and helps them be the best version of themselves. But we don’t have to like it!

Jordan: I love you, but I sure don’t like you right now.

Kath laughed at me. She laughed! She was laughing harder than seemed necessary at this moment. I grabbed her board and shoved it, but she barely seemed to move. She reached down in retaliation and shook my board back and forth. I immediately tumbled off the side of the board and landed in the water in a small splash. I rose back up from the water and clung on to my board like a piece of debris from the Titanic and tried to claw my way back on to it. Kath continued to laugh at me as I got up on the board and looked over her with an entirely new dirty face. Kath brushed it off by pulling me close and giving me a kiss. I forgave her. At least a little bit.

Kathryn: I’m not sorry for pushing you into the ocean. You were being a brat!

Jordan: Yeah, yeah…

Kathryn: I don’t tell you things like that about you and Sienna because I want to piss you off. I tell you because I feel like you want me to be honest with you about it. Am I wrong?

Jordan: You’re not wrong. It’s just not exactly easy to hear the truth sometimes. Even if deep down I know. But it’s all done now. She beat me so she’s going to drop it and we can just forget about her for now.

Kath burst into laughter again.

Jordan: What!?

Kathryn: If she forgets about this and moves on then I’ll let you continue to take Uber’s for the rest of your life if it’s what you really want.

Jordan: Ok… well, I guess we better just make Vihaan part of the family then. Because this thing with Sienna is over. She won.

Kathryn: If you say so…

Jordan: Anyways… I think we should talk about something else that’s kind of important.

Kathryn: Uhh… ok?

Jordan: We’re going home in a few days and we’ll be seeing Jay and I think we need to figure out the way this is going to work. Like, am I aunt Jordan?

Kath shook her head and then laughed softly.

Kathryn: Ky… are you serious? Why would he call you that? It’s not like he calls Regan “aunt Regan” or anything.

Jordan: Yeah, but Regan is his step mom. I’m just his mom’s girlfriend.

Kathryn: He can call you Jordan or he can call you Kylie, but he’s not calling you his aunt. That’s just… weird. Why would you think that?

Jordan: It’s not like I have a lot of experience with dating someone who has a kid.

Kath looked down at the water and away from me. It was obvious to me that she also knew this was going to be a little bit of a different thing for us to handle. There was not only Jay, but the obvious age difference between us and a few other factors that played into this relationship. It was conventional for others, but it worked for us. That was all that mattered to me. Kath turned her eyes back to me and smiled warmly.

Kathryn: I’d actually thought about this a little bit. I think when we get back to Santa Monica we need to sit down and have dinner with Dave and Regan to go over this and see if they have any thoughts. Just to make sure we’re all on the same page, you know? This is a family thing. They like you and they will be open, I think. Regan might not be all in on you quite yet because of all the Sienna stuff, but when it comes to Jay she will have good input on this.

Jordan: Are you sure about that? Like, they aren’t going to murder me or anything when we show up for this dinner and explain that we want to make it clear to Jay that mommy and whatever he calls me are in love?

Kath shrugged it off like it was no big deal at all.

Kathryn: They know we’re together, so they know this is coming. And you’re not my bitch so we will do this together.

Jordan: Back on the bitch thing are we?

Kath laughs and nudges me with her elbow before leaning in and waiting for me to meet her lips back with a peck.

Kathryn: If I didn’t tease you at all, you would think I didn’t love you anymore.

I couldn’t help but smile at that.

Kathryn: Besides, here’s the thing you need to remember about all of this. It’s our decision to be together and it’s my decision whether or not this is good or bad for Jay. We will find the right way to approach this, we will gather their input, and we will all explain it to Jay together. As long as Sienna lets you live long enough to have this dinner.

Jordan: stop saying that! I told you this thing between me and Sienna is over. She won.

Kathryn: If you say so.

Kath winked at me and giggled.

Kathryn: Let’s head back in.

I watched for a moment as Kath effortlessly stood back up on the board and started paddling away from me and heading back for the shoreline. I let out an easy sigh and pushed some hair behind my ear before I tried to stand up and went head over heels into the ocean water. I heard Kath laughing from a distance away as I surfaced above the water and worked to climb back up. I couldn’t help but laugh back this time. No matter what was next between me and Sienna or me and whoever, I was ready for it. It had to be easier than paddle boarding right? Right?

September 8, 2020 – Los Angeles

Amidst everything going on in my life, Karen called me to tell me I had a meeting with BC Productions, the new company that had taken on the filming and producing of Grimm. They wanted to talk with me about the past I was slated to play, a character named Brittney that was loosely based on Red Riding Hood. I was still very much interested in it, but I just wasn’t sure if I had the time to take a project on while giving wrestling the attention I knew it also deserved. Kath had convinced me otherwise, as had Karen, and so here I was walking into a random building in Los Angeles to meet the person who would be deciding if they still wanted me to be part of this project.

I’d never heard of BMC Productions before, but Vihaan knew exactly what it was when he picked me up because of course he was the Uber driver who showed up – Cookie was convinced I should pay him to drive me, but the prospect of that frightened me a bit. He just couldn’t really explain the nature of how he’d heard of them. That made me a little nervous, but he seemed to be one of those people that was extremely interested in pop culture. Either way, we arrived and I walked in and was led by a secretary to an empty room. After a few moments, I heard a booming, southern voice making its way down the hall toward the door. It sounded like Kathy Bates in any role she’s ever played someone with an accent. When the door opened and I saw the woman that entered, my jaw dropped. It was Cookie. It had to be Cookie. It was either Cookie in makeup to look older or it was a long lost relative of hers. She was average height, shaped like an hourglass, at least in her late 40s, with platinum blond hair, and breasts as big as cantaloupe. So basically, she was older Cookie. I still wasn’t convinced that this isn’t Cookie. I stood as she made her way in and as she reached out her hand, I obliged with a handshake.

Woman: Jordan. My name is Brownie McCream. I own and operate BMC Productions and we will be running Grimm. I wanted to meet today to talk about interests and expectations before we go forward with this project.

Brownie McCream? I looked around the room, surveying for a camera. Was I being Punk’d? Do they still do that anymore. I’d seen episodes when I was younger, but isn’t that guy old now? This had to be Cookie playing a joke on me.

Jordan: Brownie, eh? That’s an interesting name.

Brownie: Well, it’s not the one I asked for. But Daddy Cream… he was awfully fond of chocolate treats and his favorite was everyone’s favorite baked chocolate dish. So when Mama couldn’t decide what to name me, he chose. They wanted another boy, but I’m what they got. So anyways…

“Brownie” as she called herself sat down, but I skeptically stayed standing and looked down over her. I raised a brow as I surveyed this woman again and tried to determine if this was really someone other than Cookie. I hadn’t seen Cookie in a few weeks, but I wouldn’t put it past her to pull off some elaborate prank like this. The thing is, pranking didn’t seem to be in her nature. I was tentative as I sat down across from her. She crossed her legs as she stared back at me. Have you ever seen one of those things in a movie where it seems like people are trying to figure each other out just by staring? Yeah, that’s what we were doing for sure.

Brownie: I want to start out by saying that the last director they hired, Green River and Blue Sky or whatever the hell his name is, we canned his ass the moment I took over this project. This thing was in peril of falling apart completely until we took over. But I saw this project floating around and, well, I wanted to see if we could make it happen. You see, I’m a fan of yours. I particularly like the way you take it to those models posing as wrasslers that they seem to employ at an alarming rate in the SCW company. I’m more of a southern wrasslin fan myself, but I keep an eye on everything I can. Knowing that you were wanting to step out on a limb and take a chance with this project, it got me interested. But I have a few concerns.

Jordan: You have concerns… with me?

Brownie: Yes… how much time is my makeup crew going to need each week to fix your face after that Sea Anna woman beats your nose and eyes in a bit further? Are we going to need to take insurance out on you? Do we need to be worried about you dying or anything? I’ve got to say, as much as I like you I’m tempted to remove you from this show and you alone.

I was taken back but what she had just said. If this wasn’t a prank, this woman was hitting me right where it hurt. But I didn’t understand why. How could they make this work before, but now it was going to be an issue because I was locked in a blood feud with someone who’s name Brownie apparently couldn’t bring herself to pronounce in the correct way. I nervously wiped a few strands of hair behind my left ear and swallowed. Brownie was studying me expressions. She laughed.

Brownie: I would hope that someone in your profession could deal with pressure a little bit better than you can.

Jordan: Sorry, I’m just a little shocked. I had no idea what this meeting was supposed to be about.

Brownie leaned forward toward me with her hands folded together. This made her breasts practically pop out of her blouse. It wasn’t distracting AT ALL!

Brownie: Let me lay out my concern for you. It’s true that what you do in your career isn’t necessarily related to this project at all. In fact it probably helps bring a few random eyes to the show just because you have fans who want to see you. But that’s only if you have fans. If you’re just gonna be the type of girl who gets her ass kicked all the time without a single redeeming quality, then what do you bring to this role? Unless you’re about to put on some sort of Emmy-worthy performance, part of the charm of having you on this show is your other connections. If you’re just someone in the background, that tie-in doesn’t really aid us like we’d hoped.

I leaned back into my chair and gripped the arm rests tightly. I was sure the way this woman seemed to sense everything that she was staring right at the white in my knuckles to gauge exactly how tightly I was hanging on to the spot I sat in.

Brownie: You seem a little concerned by what I’m saying.

Jordan: Yeah, a bit. I mean, I thought I was wanted for this because of my appearance and my performance during the auditions. I wasn’t aware that people were going to care so deeply about what happens when I’m not on this show.

Brownie: Well now, it’s just common sense ain’t it? Right now all that people in the television community know about you is that you spiraled a binder into a poor man’s face like you were Peyton Manning or something. But Peyton has proven acting chops and you don’t. I wish I could have seen you toss that though. Kapow!

Jordan: Don’t you mean “Kablam!?”

Brownie: Who in the blue hell says Kablam? I just wanted to meet with you to make it clear that this is not a done deal. If we need to replace you on this project, we will. I want commitment. And I want you to tell me right here and now that you won’t embarrass us with what you do outside of this project. Because I’ve got to tell you, the rewrites I’ve seen so far are putting you in a much more important position than before. And if I need to replace you with someone else then I will.

Jordan: Ms. Dreams, I have no intent to embarass you.

Brownie: It’s Ms. McCream, and I know you don’t intend to. But I want something a little more firm from you than that. You see, I’ve looked into you and your past. I know all about your arrest down in Louisiana for punching your Momma in the face. I of course know you threw an object at our director. I’ve seen the photos of you and your woman in the papers. I know about the other women, too. The fiance. The gift baskets you used to hand out. That therapists whose car you vandalized. The fact that you have a shit load of money, missy. There’s basically nothing about you I don’t know at this point. I guess the one thing I don’t know is if this is a good idea or not.

Slowly but surely, I loosened my grip on the chair and leaned forward. This was a lot to take in. This woman knew everything about me and I didn’t even know if she was real or my best friend in a costume. I clasped my fingers together like she had and tilted my head slightly.

Jordan: Let me assure you of this. I will NOT do anything to embarrass this company or this project. I was excited about starting this and I made some damn big decisions when I decided to basically move to freaking Toronto for this. But I showed up with a black eye and damnit if one person decided that was a deal breaker for him. I was willing to do whatever it takes to make that work, but I was not willing to put up with someone who treats people like that. I’ve dealt with people who treat others like that, and I don’t want to do that ever again. So I’m sorry if I overstepped some line by throwing that binder at the director. I wasn’t even aiming for him, but I missed the wall and hit his forehead. But I want to do this, and I will prove to you that I’m worthy of this opportunity.

Brownie leaned back in her chair and a smirk came across her face. She folded her arms against her chest.

Brownie: Well damn, baby girl. That’s all I need to hear. You know, I just want to know that the person who is playing Red in this show is strong enough to display the same emotions in real life that she can on the screen. I want people to not just see her as an ass kicker, but know it, too. If they tune in to watch your show and see you wrassle, they expect to see the same passion this character has shown right there on their television. I think maybe today you’ve proven that is indeed the girl we’ve chosen for this role.

Jordan: Wait… so this was a test? You just wanted to see how far you could push me or see how I’d react to it? That’s all this was?

Brownie: Come on, darling. Can you hardly blame me for wanting to make sure we’re investing money in the right thing. It’s not like we’re making the next greatest show in television history here, but I sure as hell want to make sure it’s at least a good show with good actors in it and not some rushed, half-assed production of a superhero show being tossed on to the CW. This is BMC Productions. This ain’t some amateur bullshit like Warner Bros.

I raised a brow at the last part, now fully positive that this was some sort of a joke. This had to be Cookie in a costume. 100 percent. Brownie stood up and extended a hand, so I stood and went in for a hug. I reached high enough to grasp touch near her face, hoping to feel some sort of obvious prosthetic. Instead, Brownie slapped my arm away and took a step back.

Brownie: What in the hell do you think you’re doing? I’m a happily married woman and I don’t for a second think about put that at jeopardy to engage in any sort of relations with another person, let alone a woman that might be working for me. Now god dammit I thought you just told me you weren’t going to embarrass me?

Jordan: I’m sorry! It’s just that you look very much like a friend of mine and I thought maybe this was some kind of a prank.

Brownie: A prank? For god’s sake. Grow up. Who the hell did you think I was.

Jordan: Cookie Dreams…

Brownie: What kind of a name is Cookie Dreams?

Jordan: I mean, it’s not that different from Brownie McCream is it?

That was a stupid thing to say. I saw her demeanor change from flustered to frustrated. She raised a hand and pointed a finger in my face.

Brownie: Missy, I’m going to let this one mistake slide. But if you ever try to grab my face again I will fire you in a heartbeat and the next drama you star in will be the one that takes place in the courtroom where I sue your ass. Stay on my good side, Ms. Majors. If you do that, I assure you that we can make some real magic together. Now, can we try that again?

She put her hand out for me to shake and I met her with a normal handshake. Nothing weird this time.

Jordan: Thank you, Brownie. I’m really sorry for all of this. You won’t ever get an action like that from me ever again. I can promise you that.

Brownie: Good. Now get out of here. I have another meeting.

I nodded and hurried out of the room, opening the door to see another bosom blonde standing in front of me. I cocked my head sideways, my eyes nearly bulging out of my head as this day suddenly got even weirder.

Jordan: Cookie?

The woman looked back at me confused as I sighed and walked past her and left the meeting. Either I was having some true Cookie withdraws and suddenly everyone was looking like her, or I was actually losing my mind. All I knew is I had to get it together before I lost it Sienna style and started doing… god knows what that woman had started doing in recent months. The other thing I knew was this chapter had finally taken a turn for the better. Against all odds, I was back with the show. Against everything I’d just done to try and get myself fired from it for being weird, I had it back.

Maybe that’s what I could lean on from the experiences of the last few months. I’m a fighter and a survivor. I fought my ass off and survived the greatest of odds to make it to the end of my losing effort at Rise to Greatness. But it was going to take something entirely different if I wanted to take that next step. I had confidently told Brownie McCream that I would not embarrass her or the studio with my actions. That included performance at my first job. My priority. It was time for me to approach things with that same level of confidence. Right then and there, as I waited for Vihaan to come back and pick me up to take me home I told myself what would come next: I was going to take down Sienna. I was going to end this and put her in my past.

Promo

A camera turns on and focuses on the blonde in front of it, Jordan Majors, as she situates herself at what looks like a fire pit near a pool. She grabs a box and tugs it closer and then looks at the camera.

I guess this is it, isn’t it? In a few days time I will be in the ring with someone who has basically become my nemesis because I failed to fall in line with her… for 60 minutes. Last time I prepared for a battle with her, I was waxing nostalgic so hard. I had all these pictures that are here in front of me and I was so focused on little things that happened in the past. I was detailing every moment where I knew I was done wrong and dwelling on the times where it appeared good but was really just fake. Well, fuck all of that. It’s time to move past all of it. The world now knows two things for sure. One, that Sienna Swann is one crazy ass bitch that lost her mind sometime ago. And second, that I don’t go down easy. Well, now the playing field is leveled. We have 60 minutes to play however we need to in order to make this right. You can do your worst to me. I can do my worst to you. And in the end, only one of us can be the Iron Woman.

Jordan looks down at the box of pictures and laughs and then glances back at the camera.

Unlike you, I don’t need these labels though. I don’t need to pretend I’m doing something for the people who you now think have forsaken you. I don’t need the nickname of Iron Angel or Iron Woman. I don’t need any of that shit. I just need to beat you and shake away this past once and for all. For me, this is cathartic. For you it’s about revenge, I know. It’s about ending me and putting me away for good. It’s about proving that you’re faster, stronger, more talented… just… better. Maybe all of that is true. Maybe you are faster than me in the ring, and maybe you are stronger and maybe you are truly the most talented wrestler in the whole world. Even better than your buddy Glory. But nothing you could ever do, short of literally killing me inside that ring, will make me go away. Nothing will ever change the fact that I lasted longer than you at Taking Hold of the Flame. Nothing will ever change the fact that you one a match at Rise to Greatness and people wanted to talk about me instead. It’s all a symptom of the greater problem you created on your own long ago. The world just doesn’t care about you anymore.

She smirks as she sits down in a nearby lounger and leans back in the chair. A soft chuckle escapes her lips before she leans forward.

You see Sienna, hunny, you have outlasted your welcome in the minds of the people who watch us. You are far beyond the woman that was a world beater. James Evans violently ripped the rug out from under your feet and you fell down hard. You spiraled into madness. Think about this, you had your husband at your side, 2-on-1, against James and all the odds were on your side and you still lost. Even against me, you needed to take the easy way out. You won at Rise to Greatness because I allowed you to. You needed to do something you should have been disqualified for. And still, you had to kiss me twice to get your win. Your run at the top is long gone now. Your buddies are getting their chances to run at the top now and you are fading from the spotlight faster than the term Beauty Factory faded from our vocabularies. And it’s all your own fault.

Jordan pulls the box closer to her and picks it up, holding it in front of her as she looks down into it.

What I learned from you was nothing to be proud of. You’ve always been better than anyone else at blaming everything else but yourself. Sasha, of course, is the number one target of this, but the list really does go on. There’s always something you can point to. Case in point, you pointed the finger at me when you lost that match to James Evans. And why? Because when our friend Bree Lancaster was hurt I made the mistake of caring. The mistake I always make, right? I care too much about this business and about my peers. I’d be lying through my teeth if I said I didn’t still care about the friendship I had with Bree. But your venomous teeth are drilled so hard into those people I care about that they turned their backs on me in an instant because of our disagreement. You know what? That was my fault. There were ways to handle that other than the way I did, but I felt the need to make an impact. I own it. What have you ever owned? What haven’t you blamed on someone or something else? Frankly, the world got tired of your excuses. So as the business moved forward to new heroes and villains, you slipped to the back of the line. Now I wonder to myself, when you lose to me at Apocalypse and you lose the precious Iron Angel nickname you hold so dear to your heart… who will you blame then?

She stands up and dumps the box of pictures into the fire pit and walks off screen for a moment, coming back with a bottle of lighter fluid. She sighs as she turns to look at the camera.

So, I’m burning my past. This is step one of erasing the sins I allowed you to make at my expense. You belittled me at my lowest when I ran with your group. And you took credit for my success when I was at my highest. Someday, that high point is going to look like nothing compared to what I do after this. You are just the beginning for me. You made me feel like I was only just a background player. I refuse to just be one of your worthless soldiers that serves you for your own selfish needs and desires. I’ll never be that for you again. I don’t want to be a carbon copy of you like many of your followers strive to be. I don’t want to be anything like you. I don’t want to be the next Iron Angel or the next Syren. I want to be the first freaking Jordan Majors. I want to be known not for my alliances, but for my own actions in the ring. I want people to hear Glory Braddock call herself the best in the world and I want them to scoff because they know I’m better. I want people to think about my time next to Bree and for them to talk about how she made a mistake siding with you. I want to expose you for the lying, manipulative bitch that you are and leave you to deal with the repercussions of losing to me in this match.

Jordan pours the bottle of lighter fluid on the fire pit, violently shaking the bottle and smacking at the bottom to make sure to douse it before grabbing a book of matches off the table and looking back at the camera.

Someone asked me recently, what do I want next in my career? I want everything. I want all the top matches, all the championship bouts and I want it all to happen while you watch defenseless from your perch with your few followers still hanging around. I’ve got better friends now. Ones that actually care about me. Ones that actually want to see me be successful. Ones that don’t want to just use me. That’s all I ever wanted. I don’t want to be the person who carries your bags and holds the doors open for you. Sienna, you were a dynasty in this company. But your dynasty is long gone now. The final piece of the foundation that was still holding it together was destroyed when I planted your ass at Cold Blooded. Has anything gone right for you since that moment happened? I’m not sure you really want to answer that question aloud. It’d just drive you even more crazy. So I will burn my past now, once and for all. I will say goodbye and I will stop worrying about the little things that happened to drive us to this point and I will start seeing you for what you always were. Just another bitch that wanted to use me. Well, Sienna, you’ll never have that opportunity again.

Jordan strikes a match to the book and tosses it on the pictures. A flame shoots up and then fizzles down as the pictures slowly burn inside the fire pit. She grins as she looks back at the camera and then steps closer to it, the fire burning slowly in the background.

Apocalypse will be your personal armageddon, Sienna. I’m going to take you through hell not because of what you did to me in the past. I’m going to do it because it’s what you deserve. Because it’s what your crazy demands. And when I win this match and take everything from you, I will relish at the thought that your legacy met its end at my hands. No, these probably aren’t the nicest things to say about you, but I don’t want to play nice with you. I want to provide you with the end that you so strongly want to give me. But the only one getting closure from this match is going to be me. You can take that to the bank, bitch. You might be faster, stronger, and better than I am. But I’m money, and I’m walking away from this match with the win. You? Well, you’re just going up in flames.

Jordan turns back and looks at the glow of the fire before smiling to the camera and ending the video.