REASONS
The first official show for EMERGE was a rounding success for Peyton Rice, the former Cruiserweight Champion in the UWA. Alex Anarchy was a tough challenge, she lived up to her name but that still didn’t matter, Peyton was able to once again be victorious and show why she was such a bright and future star in EMERGE and down the road, the SCW. She had her bad and good times but always was able to come out the better person. During the down times when she wasn’t spending it with Ricky, she would go visit her father, try to spend as much time as she could with him since he was injured on the job.
Her father was Peyton’s life.
She decided to visit him again, spend some time but as always it was the other way around, it was her dad that always was protective of his little angel….
Glendale, AZ.
Last week
Still a sore Peyton Rice, she walks outside to the pool and takes off her shirt, she is in a bikini, sporting some bruises on her side. Her father, Ray watches from inside, he notices the bruises and even her squinting a little in pain before she dives into the pool and begins to swim. His automatic wheelchair powers him outside after opening the door. His daughter gingerly swims across the pool in the early morning hours. Ray in jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt continues to watch Peyton exercise before she finally stops after a few laps…..
Peyton: “Dad?”
Ray: “Good morning.”
Peyton: “What are you doing up?”
Ray: “You know, I do get out of bed and get dressed on my own Peyton, I wanted to get an early start to the day and cook us up something to eat.”
Peyton: “I could do that for you. I know you don’t want anyone to do anything for you but really dad, that’s why I am here, I’m not looking at you any less for that dad. So seriously, I’ll get out, shower up and I can cook for us. I figured that we can go to the marketplace?”
Ray: “Sounds fun. What happened to your side Pey? Wrestling?”
Peyton: “My side? Oh yeah…. Alex Anarchy, tough gal.”
Ray: “Are you sure that you only bruised your ribs? It looks a lot worse than that.”
She shakes her head and tries to push herself up out of the pool and in doing so strains herself, Ray watches his daughter try to play off the injury, standing up and smiling but he doesn’t buy it….
Peyton: “You’re looking at me like you don’t believe me, I’m fine dad.”
Ray: “Those bruises look bad. Where was Ricky? Kelcey?”
Peyton: “Dad!? Ricky (Octavius) had nothing to do with my injury okay? He was watching in the crowd, but he can’t just come and save me. Kelcey is my mentor, she can’t physically do it anymore, she could hurt someone or herself. I’m fine.
Ray: “I worry about you Peyton and when I’m not around it’s a lot more difficult for me to accept things like this even if you don’t see it. I’m your dad and you are my daughter, my youngest and I may be in this wheelchair but that doesn’t mean I still can’t protect you, are we clear here?”
Peyton grabs her phone and sees a missed text from Ricky but doesn’t read it yet….
Peyton: “Crystal dad……crystal. I’m not trying to upset you or make you worry.”
Ray: “Well you are.”
Peyton: “I’m sorry. I promise you that I am fine. This is what I want to do., I know you understand.”
Ray nods, still bothered by her injury. Peyton grabs the towel, dries herself up a little and wraps the towel around her before leaning in, kissing her dad on the cheek and walking inside. Ray looks over his shoulder and sighs, he knows deep inside his daughter is playing it off lightly. He turns and lowers his head before letting out another sigh, feeling helpless ….
Peyton heads to the shower, she feels bad, wants to be honest with her dad, she hates making things light of what had happened, it doesn’t help that he worries too much about her and she knows that but as wrestler injuries can happen. She takes off her bikini and gets in the shower, Peyton lets the hot water run down her hair and back, she stares down at her feet with the white polished nails while leaning forward against the wall….
All she can do is think about her father….
Glendale, AZ.
5 Years Ago
Peyton was a gymnast and a cheerleader, just starting her senior year of high school, the loveable Peyton was working at the local Burger joint, while modeling young in her life, she still worked hard, ready to become an Arizona Wildcat. It was just another day after school where she was taking a tray out to some customers before coming back inside, her infectious smile always grabbed others and was contagious, she looked over at Zandiya, her co-worker…..
Zandiya: “He’s cute.”
Peyton: “Well yeah, aren’t they all.”
Zandiya: “No, seriously…..he’s cute. When are you going to start dating, you hardly ever go out anymore.”
Peyton: “Anymore? You make me sound like such a prude. I go out, I just like to pick and choose who it’s with. Brad is cute, football player and all but come on Zan, you know that my last relationship was a disaster, besides I just turned 18, I’m going to college next year and the last thing I need is a boyfriend.”
Zandiya: “Who said anything about dating, hook up with him if not I will.”
The gorgeous Peyton cracks a smile…..
Peyton: “Knock yourself out babe.”
She winks at Zandiya before picking up the rest of the order from the counter and walking it to the table, the cute Peyton wore red shorts, a tight white shirt and sneakers with her nails polished red and her hair slicked back in a ponytail. Zandiya dressed the same with her nails polished black. She watches her friend take some burgers to the table when the phone rings, she answers….
Zandiya: “Wally Burger, this is Zandiya, how can I help you?”
She listens for a second before her eyes widen, glancing over at Peyton….
Zandiya: “Yeah…..I will tell her…..I…..okay….”
She slowly hangs up the phone as Peyton walks back inside with a smile on her face….
Peyton: “Okay so Brad asked me out and I said yes…..and…..you are not happy……”
Zandiya: “Your mother just called.”
Peyton: “My mom?”
Zandiya: “There’s been an accident…..it’s your father Pey.”
Her jaw drops and eyes almost come out of her sockets when she realizes what has happened standing there in complete shock. Trying to stay strong and keep her emotions in check, Peyton grabs her things, checks her cellphone in her purse to see that she has a bunch of missed calls, without another word she runs out of the restaurant…..
Dignity Health – Glendale Memorial Hospital
Thirty Minutes Later
Peyton quickly runs inside, frantic and not knowing what to expect. She sees several firefighters in the waiting room, they look like they had been fighting a blaze earlier and her worst nightmares came true. She sees her mother, Jolene and sister Siobhan…..
Peyton: “Mom!?”
Jolene: “Peyton!?”
She quickly hugs her daughter, the firemen are watching Ray’s family try to console one another, Siobhan and Peyton hug as well. Peyton is in the dark, she doesn’t know what is going on and is frantic right now, wanting to find out any kind of information that she can in order to be better aware of what is happening to her father…..
Peyton: “What happened to dad!? No one is saying anything!?”
Jolene: “There was an accident. It was a warehouse fire; someone was left in there and your father went back for them and when he did a beam fell on his back, the doctors told me that he has no feeling from his waist down.”
Peyton: “Oh God….”
Siobhan: “Dad is strong Pey, we just need to believe he’s going to be alright.”
Peyton: “What do you mean no feeling? Like, paralyzed?”
Jolene: “We don’t know yet, it’s too early to tell but from what they told me, the beam was stain less and it weighed over 200 pounds. It broke his back Peyton.”
Her eyes start to tear up, covering her mouth, she backs up and shakes her head, in shock, she can’t even fathom that this would happen to her father….
Siobhan: “Pey?”
Peyton: “I…I can’t deal with this right now….”
Jolene: “Peyton…..”
Peyton: “I….I can’t do this…..”
Peyton walks away, she can’t deal with it right now, part of her just doesn’t want to accept it, she can’t, this is her father, her hero and a man that she has always looked up to, felt he was always invincible so the news was so surreal. She runs outside of the hospital and tries to keep control of her emotions but can’t, she starts to cry……
Glendale, AZ.
Last Week
Her head still lowered, inside the shower remembering like it was yesterday the moment her father was injured and paralyzed. Nothing hurt her more than that when thinking of what could have been done to prevent it and how her family reacted after it happened some five years later. Slamming the bathroom wall a few times, frustrated how all of this turned out, her father shouldn’t go through this, but she is not helping the situation either by not being completely honest to him and that really upsets her. She tries not to cry but does, her anger and disappointment in herself is too much to handle at the moment….
She spends a few more minutes before finally shutting off the water and stepping out. After drying up and getting dressed, Peyton finally reads the text, she smiles and goes out to the kitchen where her father looks in the fridge…..
Peyton: “Come on, we’re going to Brunch at the Desert Ridge, Ricky is driving up soon, he’s going to meet us.”
Ray: “Brunch? Really? Wrestling paying that well these days, huh?”
Peyton: “Yeah…..something like that. Modeling money too that I saved. Actually, I’d like to treat you out, I think both of us need a setting where we can talk and just have a nice day wouldn’t you agree?”
Ray: “That sounds just perfect. What is it? Bonding?”
Peyton: “Get dressed, go shower, do whatever it is you do. Call it binding but honestly I want to talk to you about a few things. So yeah? Get ready?”
Ray: “I am.”
Peyton: “No dad, we are going somewhere nice, jazz up, put on that grey suit! You look handsome in that and yes we can talk.”
Ray: “What’s going on Pey?”
She walks up to her father and squats down, holding her hand as Peyton smiles…..
Peyton: “Do you trust me?”
Ray: “With my life.”
Peyton: “Good, then get dressed okay?”
Ray: “Okay.”
Ray turns and rolls his way back into the house to get ready for Brunch with his daughter, she grabs the phone and calls Ricky…..
Ricky: “Hey babe, what’s up?”
Peyton: “Hey, I told my dad that I wanted to talk to him, we’re going to meet you at the Desert Ridge, did you come all spiffy and handsome?”
Ricky: “Aren’t I always? Besides we had already planned this. It’s nice to come out to Zona and visit him, I actually love this place.”
Peyton: “I know you do, it’s my home. I wanted to live somewhere a little more convenient, but I am convinced that he needs me more than ever, you know?”
Ricky: “I do, honestly. So, what are you saying?”
She pauses for a second before finally telling Ricky what she wants to do….
Peyton: “I want to move back home.”
SCENE FADES
PRETTY 4-WAY
REC:
“I am so honored and privileged to be a part of this great roster in Emerge, to be able to compete against a woman that we all know will be a Champion here in Alex Anarchy was a great way to kick off my career in this promotion and to impress because like everyone else, I want to be in SCW soon enough. Some people ask me how I feel that Owen Cruze is up there, and I am here, it’s simple, he chose it. He will be successful, maybe a trial by fire is what he needs. He has the pedigree, I need to work a little harder for it, but I don’t mind that is why I am willing to put the time and effort against the best young talent and some veterans who are looking for a fresh start. Having Kelcey Wallace as my mentor and manager is a Godsend, I couldn’t ask for anything more than to learn from her. Does it put a target on my back?
Sure, it does, not everyone likes it and that’s fine, I’m kinda used to be the hunted these days.
Vanilla Skyy, as GM wasted no time that is for sure, announcing a series of Fatal Four-Ways to determine the first Emerge Champion and that has me really excited. It seems like everyone will get their shot to qualify and I will not be any different. Agostino Romano, John Taylor and Alex Anarchy are the other three in my match. Alex Anarchy, I can’t say enough of, she was billed as tough, a running riot and she sure lived up to that hype. Agostino is a former Motocross contender jumping into a wrestling ring and he too looked pretty darn good in the ring. Finally, is John Taylor, he and Wasley are funny guys, Brits with mustache’s looking to have a good time.
We all have our reasons why in this match, I could see myself going up against J-Dilly in the final or Mika or even Sabrina Bello but before I even think about any of that? I need to get through this match first. One thing I have learned is never to underestimate anyone, we have our strengths and weaknesses, I’m no different but there is one thing I feel I have more than anyone else in Emerge….
Heart.
I know it’s cliché, it may even come across a little arrogant, but I speak the truth, my intentions for success are genuine, I don’t want to become the greatest wrestler that ever lived, I want to be me. One thing that Kelcey Wallace said to me that made sense, make your own path, never follow anyone else which is what I intend to do and what better way to start than on Monday night against three of the brightest stars. I’ve been here before, competed on front of huge crowds, does it give me an advantage?
Maybe….
And when it’s over?
It’ll be Pretty Perfect.”
/REC
Peyton Rice 