The Biggest Trouble EVAR!

[=Q=]

***

If I tell you it was a normal Monday, you’ll have to believe me ‘kay?

Supposing you believe me ...

... I walked to school. Watched the buses and cars pass as I sauntered my fabulous self down The Path (The Path: A well worn trail that snaked its’ way from the corner of my street, past a Haunted House that I routinely shut my eyes around ... around a HUUUUUUGE dip in the ground and TA-DA! School. Now that you’re fully caught up ... ). I pass the people I’d gone to school with for three years now. Didn’t have THAAAAAT many friends, but I had a few and knew where they’d be by the time I got to the school.

UNfortunately for me, on this day ... I missed every last one of them. I was late. Too much time pretending I was Mighty Max, I suppose. I missed all of my friends ... except HIM.

Keelan Smart.

He was just heading in the door, and it was JUST my luck that I ran into him. “Hey! Great timing!” I was confused, as most kids in my place would have been. He was waiting for me? It looked like he was heading in ... and in a HURRY, actually. “You gotta find me at lunch. I got some new cards today! They’re pretty good ones, but I already got ‘em. You want ‘em?”


(When he says cards, we’re not talking Pokemon; we’re talking NFL cards. That’s right: I, your humble Q, collected honest-to-god football cards. Don’t hate.) 

I was pretty excited, so much so that I completely ignored the fact that Keelan NEVER hung out with me in public and TOTALLY said yes. Of COURSE I was interested yanno? I mean, I knew I wasn’t cool enough to be seen around his OTHER friends so we usually just hung out after school. Not the best situation, I’ll admit ... but hey. No reason for BOTH of us to be looked at as complete losers. I still had some of my own friends, so it was all good.

... right?

...

The day goes by SOOOOOOOOOOO SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW. <----  That should show you how freakin’ slow the day went by. It was the WORST. It was almost like a more-mundane Christmas type thing. Inside my little mind though, that day was as long as they could possibly get. Fourth period OMGGGGGG! Freakin’ hurry hurry hurry hurry - -

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNT!

The buzzer went off and so did I. Like the foam dart speeding out of a NERF blaster barrel, I was ON IT. I high-tailed it. I probably looked like the most HORRIBLE student to my teacher, the way I bolted out of there (For the record? GREAT grades. Psht. Straight A’s, baby. I was a pro.). I got to the cafeteria in RECORD time. Two point seven-three-five seconds. Exact estimate.

>_>

Didn’t even know what we had for lunch. I was in the doorway. Stood there for a while ... BOOM! There he was. On him like shadows. "Jesus! When’d you get here?!” Doesn’t matter. The cards. Wanna see ‘em. Gotta see ‘em. Been waiting all dayyyyyyy. “Yeah, yeah. They’re in my bookbag. Here, wait a sec." He sets his tray on the railing and pulls out about a dozen cards. And OGOD you guise! They were SHIIIIIIINY. Holo-foil cards, baby! The best things in like, the whole football card world! And he was right, I didn’t have ANY of them.

Of course, I demurred. Contained my composure enough to CALMLY agree to the terms and conditions (NO CAPTCHA HERE!).  He hands them over and invites me to sit at the table with him. Eagerly clutching my newfound wealth, I sat at the table and began looking them over. The shinies were SO pretty. I didn’t care if they were rare or not; I didn’t own them before ... now I did. End of story.


...

... I guess the shiny caught someone else’s eye. The few seconds that I’ve spent in Holo-Foil Heaven, I’m only vaguely aware of the voice from across the table.  Maybe down a few seats. I can’t be sure. 

Hey!

Where did you get those cards?!

... ...

Between the thudding sound inside my skull and the sound of yells, laughs and cheers ... I picked up bits and pieces of the story. Namely, that the football cards that I had been so kindly given by a friend ... had been stolen and pawned off onto me. Little old unsuspecting ... ME. It didn’t last long, I don’t think. Or maybe it lasted a good while. That part of the story is fuzzy, honestly. The only thing I know ... is that once I am in full control of my mental faculties ...

... I can hear my Father on the other end of the phone.

Expressing his DEEP unhappiness in hearing that his son is calling from school to let them know that he’s nothing but a dirty rotten THIEF.

***

I’m not gonna lie, guise.

I’ve been in some pretty big Trouble before.

And lo and behold, I have Trouble rearing its’ deceptively NOT UGLY face before me once again. Arica Lewitt. ‘Trouble’. Trouble, as in .... I’m going to be in Trouble when I come face to face with you at the Iceys? Trouble, as in ... there’ll be Trouble if I under-estimate you in our match? Trouble, as in ... I’m sorry. I’m having Trouble coming up with anything else.

Look out, there’s some Trouble!

(Ever say a word so much to yourself or out loud that it begins to sound really really WEIRD in your head or coming out of your mouth? Yeah. That just happened. Did it happen to you? :\ )

I’m sorry. Just a bit of fun right there. -smile- So It’s pretty freakin’ sweet, amirite? Everyone ... EVERYone ... is going to have their eyes on me. Me and Arica Lewitt. I’m defending the Genesis Championship in the ONLY match on the Iceys Award show. Everyone may consider us near strangers, Arica. They wouldn’t be wrong. We don’t know each other very well ... but not in the way that everyone thinks.

We’re near strangers because you aren’t REAL Trouble.

I’ve seen real Trouble. I KNOW REAL TROUBLE. Real trouble is having to take on Non Compos Mentis, just KNOWING that there’s a hungry hungry Horde of people just waiting to pick you apart after a grueling championship match. REAL TROUBLE is finding yourself amongst people named GRIMM and THE ASSHOLE and STORM and ... TROUBLE.

... I see that as real trouble: finding yourself in the midst of people who attempt to portray and empower themselves with the bleaker aspects of human nature while you yourself are simply attempting to be a source of ... something ELSE.

Compared to THAT Trouble?

You’re just a level within that benchmark ... and I don’t know you as TROUBLE.

I know you as Arica Lewitt: a talented new face in Pure Class Wrestling, more than capable of taking the Championship that I have gained and HONORED for the past few weeks through my words and work. I know you as Arica Lewitt, the up-and-coming sensation that wants to make a name for herself. I know you as Arica Lewitt, yet ANOTHER Quality wrestler that could come away with a victory AND the Genesis Championship

I know you as a fellow person. A fellow competitor.

... do you know ME?

THANK YOU for giving me another week, another reason to bring my BEST.

I’M SORRY that you think people are under-estimating you.

PLEASE FORGIVE ME for purposefully avoiding your nickname.

I LOVE YOU for the chance you’ve given me at putting on one HECK of a memorable Icey Award match!  

****