Crawl Back To Me

[High Tide]

I hadn't expected such a nice day. The sun was shining, no, beating down upon me. Hot and heavy I found myself removing my jacket before I had left my residence. That was a rare thing for me. I felt so exposed, so vulnerable. Hadn't that been a reoccurring trend lately? I shook my head, not to indicate a negative answer, but because I was ashamed. I had been feeling vulnerable lately and it showed.

It was all Wasp's fault. At least, that's what I told myself as I made my way towards the pier. A lake wasn't quite the same thing as the ocean, but I needed to feel that cool, watery breeze on my face. On a day like this it was a shame I wasn't out on open water. I didn't expect much from Trouble, even if it was her second time around PCW. She put up good fights but fell short consistently. Maybe that was why her and Wasp had become such good friends. I didn't really have proof that they were, but when Wasp stopped answering my calls and she hadn't requested and orders in weeks, I was pretty certain I knew what was going on.

A small breeze picked up, and I tucked a hand up on my hat to make sure it didn't blow away more out of reflex than anything. In doing so I took my eye off the sidewalk for a moment, before bumping into a young man.

“Watch where you're walking, freak!” the young man yelled at me as I continued on. I felt a familiar feeling of anger well up inside me, but I let it slide. Too nice a day it was, for me to get in trouble because of some stupid young punk. No, I had bigger things to worry about. Seromine for example, was one of those bigger things. Was I going to have the support of my crew behind me? It certainly didn't seem like it, I thought as I continued down the way, heading for the beach.

So be it. If they didn't want to have my back, then I would show them. There was a reason why I was the only one of the three to have significant singles success. A “close match” wasn't a win, that was something Trouble would learn sooner or later. And Wasp? What about him? He just couldn't hack it in the singles. Again, close matches, all flash but no finish. Typical. I thought I'd trained him better than that.

And for all the times I told myself that, it wasn't completely the truth. Wasp had brought me into wrestling. Wasp had trained me on the basics. Yet he had been outclassed, I just had more talent, I had a stronger style. The teacher had become the student and vice versa. I smiled to myself. Those days were so far removed now. Years and years ago. Yet those years didn't matter. Not now. Not anymore.

What mattered was the present. I needed to go out there and prove to myself that I was the better wrestler. Wasp and Trouble hadn't managed to win their matches in the Invitational, and now it was my turn to go up against a strong competitor in Seromine. At first I had wanted the help of my teammates, but now? I just wanted to prove to them that I didn't need them. They needed me if they wanted to get anywhere. If I could go up against the powerhouse that was Seromine and defeat him, then I would have the proof right in front of their eyes.

The wind got colder, wetter, and I looked up from the sidewalk and smiled. There was the lake, a welcome sight. There was laughter, there was the cold breeze, the water I so wished to sail upon. Yes, this would be a perfect place to focus my thoughts. To get ready for the trial that Seromine would impose upon me. Then they would come crawling back to me. Then they would truly see where the balance of power lay.