Post by K.I.S.S. on May 30, 2014 22:39:26 GMT -6
In the kitchen of Melissa’s New York home, Jeszika Gautier and Bethany Kenyon stand alone, awkward silence still simmering between them despite the meeting recently attended in the next room. As they stand there, each wondering what the other is thinking and hoping for the best, Jeszika sighs and turns to face the music.
Jeszika Gautier: I just wanted to say I'm sorry again for Making you feel like I did. But I know no amount of apologies will take away from the fact that I almost drove you to suicide.
Bethany nods slowly, the shame and guilt written all over her face.
Bethany Kenyon: I’m sorry I hurt you in Reno.
Jeszika shakes her head.
Jeszika Gautier: You never hurt me in Reno. In fact, you did the exact opposite. Trust me, if I wasn’t with Mel, you would be my next choice.
Bethany blushes.
Bethany Kenyon: I must have done something or you wouldn’t have reached for that hammer. Tell me how you really feel about that. Seriously Jezzy, were you angry with me? Were you hurt? Disappointed?
Jeszika takes a deep breath. Here it goes, the truth she had hidden for so long.
Jeszika Gautier: I guess... I'm just disappointed we never grew to be more...
Bethany nods almost as if she expected that answer to come forth.
Bethany Kenyon: Honestly, I’ve always felt guilty I wouldn’t admit it. I don’t mean like a little, I mean like…
She pauses, thinking this over. Did she really want to say this out loud?
Bethany Kenyon: That’s why I was holding the gun.
Jeszika looks down for a second, not sure what to say.
Jeszika Gautier: At least we're both admitting it now and we're both accounted for now anyways. Carrie and Melissa are good women and I wouldn’t want us to lose either of them.
She smirks.
Jeszika Gautier: Besides, I was still your first, and you know what they say about your first...
Bethany nods.
Bethany Kenyon: You never forget your first.
Jeszika nods.
Jeszika Gautier: Exactly.
Bethany Kenyon: How am I going to face them, Jezzy? How am I going to look Carrie in the eye again after she saw that, knowing why I was there?
Tears start to form in her eyes. Guilty tears that threaten to rain on the entire get together.
Bethany Kenyon: Knowing I was gonna shoot myself over another woman?
She takes a step back, shaking her head as the feelings start to overwhelm her.
Bethany Kenyon: How am I going to face Ash knowing I kept that from her? I wouldn’t tell my own sister what I’d done, Jez!
Jeszika runs her hand through her hair.
Jeszika Gautier: I... I honestly don't know, but you can't keep it from her. Secrets don't help relationships. If you hide this from her, you'll hurt her worse...
Jeszika puts a supportive hand on Bethany's shoulder.
Jeszika Gautier: Do you love her enough to be honest with her about this?
Bethany Kenyon: She was there…
Swallowing hard, Bethany shakes her head.
Bethany Kenyon: She and Nikki are the reason I didn’t do it. They came in just after I’d hit my knees. Nikki took the gun away and Carrie just held me. They both stayed there all night, we didn’t move for twelve hours.
Jeszika Gautier: But does she know why?
Bethany cringes.
Bethany Kenyon: Sort of but not really. She knows we had a thing and she knows some of how I was…
Jeszika Gautier: How was she when she found out that you and I had...?
Bethany Kenyon: Honestly, kinda turned on.
Jeszika laughs.
Jeszika Gautier: Well, she does know how good I taste...
She pauses.
Jeszika Gautier: Tell her everything, B, I'm sure she'll understand.
Bethany cocks her head, looking desperate.
Bethany Kenyon: How do you tell the woman you love that you used to be in love with one of your best friends?
Jeszika Gautier: Key words there... "Used to be."
She looks over at her friend
Jeszika Gautier: You do love her and only her now right?
Bethany closes her eyes.
Bethany Kenyon: I don’t know…
She pauses, shrugging.
Bethany Kenyon: I can’t say I never loved you, Jezzy and I can’t really say I don’t now but, I think it’s…
She sighs heavily.
Bethany Kenyon: I don’t wanna say “different” because that just sounds stupid but, do you know what I mean?
Jeszika nods.
Jeszika Gautier: I think I do. Now that you've found Carrie, it’s different?
Bethany swallows hard again.
Bethany Kenyon: I let it happen this time and yet, I still can’t get it out of my head… what did I miss out on? What did I run away from? How stupid was I to just refuse to admit to myself what and who I was? Carrie came along and I was not gonna make that same mistake again but I just…
Jeszika Gautier: This time you didn’t run, you let her in. Because you knew it was what you wanted and weren't afraid anymore.
Bethany Kenyon: That look on Ashley’s face, God help me...
Jeszika doesn’t know what to say right off, so she just wraps her arms around Bethany and strokes her hair.
Jeszika Gautier: I'm sorry, B... for putting you in that situation.
Bethany Kenyon: I have never wanted to just go get fucked up than when i saw that look on y’all’s faces.
Jeszika Gautier: I'm glad you didn’t, cause I would have joined you, and we know, in my currently frame of mind, alcohol and me and not a good mix right now. Even if I do wanna drink the whole bar right now just to make everything seem better.
Bethany nods.
Bethany Kenyon: I wouldn’t stop at alcohol. I’d try to snort Peru to make that feeling go away.
Jeszika Gautier: You saw how I was last week? I'd join you there, don't you worry...
Bethany exhales forcefully.
Bethany Kenyon: That’s what I’m afraid of. We’re gonna need to scale back on the party stuff for a while, I think. It won’t just be a bit of fun for us right now. Nikki’ll probably be thrilled and Carrie will probably understand. Ashley won’t...
Jeszika Gautier: She probably won’t want to stop, but I'm sure she will see why when we explain it to her.
Bethany Kenyon: What happens if she can't?
Jeszika Gautier: I don't know. I guess she'd have to go party alone, I honestly don’t know...
Bethany Kenyon: I'll have a talk with her. I suppose I owe her that much as it is.
Jeszika nods.
Jeszika Gautier: Did you want me to come, or is this something you'd rather do alone? Or with Carrie?
Bethany Kenyon: Carrie, I’ll need to do alone. Ashley, I think yes, we should talk to together but we have to be careful about not ambushing or ganging up on her too much.
Jeszika Gautier: Yes, the last thing we need is for her to take it all the wrong way and fly off the handle at us.
Bethany Kenyon: How do I ever thank Nikki?
Jeszika Gautier: By just being a good friend to her.
Bethany nods.
Bethany Kenyon: Ok.
Fifteen minutes later, Bethany and Jeszika walk into the next room. Melissa Mareau has gone to the office for a bit to take care of some business. Sitting on the couch, Nikki Peltier looks up in shock at the seemingly unsettled look upon the faces of two of her best friends in the world.
Nikki Peltier: Is everything ok?
Bethany and Jeszika both nod solemnly.
Bethany Kenyon: Where’s Ash?
Before Nikki can answer, Ashley comes walking back into the room looking expectant and yet almost happily resigned.
Ashley Kenyon: Somebody call?
Bethany nods.
Bethany Kenyon: We need to talk, Ash.
Ashley almost laughs at the choice of phrasing.
Ashley Kenyon: Bit of that going around, ain’t there?
Bethany nods, Jeszika standing behind her looking ashamed and almost guilty just to be having this conversation. Nikki frowns from the couch, wondering what is about to happen and hoping it’s not an explosion of nuclear proportions.
Bethany Kenyon: We need to talk, all of us, about our going out…
Ashley’s smile fades off, replaced by angry resentment.
Ashley Kenyon: Do we now? And this has nothing to do with what EVERYBODY keeps saying about me being unreliable?
Bethany shakes her head.
Bethany Kenyon: Not just, no.
Ashley nods, the level of anger on her face rising.
Ashley Kenyon: Not just…
Bethany Kenyon: Ash…
Ashley quickly shakes her head.
Ashley Kenyon: No! No cutting me off, no stopping me from saying anything, nothing! You’re about to tell me I can’t have fun anymore because some douchebag from back home has stuck his fucking nose into shit that has nothing to do with him and then some fucking asshole frat boys with nothing better to do and nothing else to say parroted what you were all really thinking! Well fuck that and fuck him! I’m not changing to please a fat bastard with a God complex and a flock of half-wit sheep, two pissy little bitches with delusions of grandeur and jealousy issues or even my own family tell me what I can and cannot do! If I wanna go get ripped out of my head tomorrow night with Billy, I’m gonna and I will be damned if I’m gonna let Joshua McBride piss on my life because he got some weird calling out in the boonies and decided the swamp gas was a calling instead of just making him trip balls!
Jeszika starts to answer but Bethany raises a hand to stop both Jeszika and Nikki from saying anything. She looks at her younger sister and just shakes her head.
Bethany Kenyon: Do you really think you’re the only one who wishes she was hammered off her ass right now? I’d bet all the money we’ve ever had that Nikki’s the only one in here right now that doesn’t wish she was three sheets to the wind and if we were, she’d spend every day worrying her head off, waiting for the three worst phone calls of her life! We need to dial it back, Ash, not because Joshua McBride demands we be sober to fight him but because in our current states, it wouldn’t just be a little partying. I know for sure, if I went out tonight, I’d get blind and I’d probably keep going. Jezzy admitted that’d be her too and you and I both know you would too! we wouldn’t be enjoying ourselves, we’d be addicts waiting to die, do you want that to be you? To be me? Jezzy? Do you really wanna give that raving lunatic fucker that kind of power over you?
Ashley stares at her sister in shock.
Ashley Kenyon: No...
Bethany nods, determination firing out of her eyes.
Bethany Kenyon: Me either, when we get home, I’m gonna tell Carrie I’m not gonna do that for a while. Maybe I’ll be able to celebrate some when this is all over but for now, I don’t know that I’ll even be having an occasional beer.
Ashley stands there in shock, having never expected to hear this from her sister. As they wait, Jeszika nods, walking forward.
Jeszika Gautier: Me too...
Nikki stands up and joins them.
Nikki Peltier: I was already kinda there anyway.
Ashley stands there looking like she wants to scream. Bethany walks forward and quickly embraces her sister. Within a few seconds, Jeszika and Nikki have join the Kenyon Sisters in the embrace.
Bethany Kenyon: We’re the only family we’ve got Ash, we need to do this for us, for each other.
Ashley nods and hugs the others back.
Ashley Kenyon: Ok…
- - - - - - -
The camera opens upon all four members of Arsenal, Nikki Peltier, Ashley Kenyon, Jeszika Gautier and Bethany Kenyon in semi-lit room with torches on the wall. Nikki kneels on the floor a hundred feet in front of the others who stand in a straight line across the back wall. Quickly the camera finds the them and moves left to right as they speak in succession, one after the other.
Ashley Kenyon: Anger...
Jeszika Gautier: Fear...
Bethany Kenyon: Hurt...
The camera swings back to the left again and makes another swing down the line.
Ashley Kenyon: Resentment...
Jeszika Gautier: Guilt...
Bethany Kenyon: Betrayal...
All three walk forward, coming together as a unit in the center of the room just behind Nikki as she kneels in front of them.
Bethany Kenyon: We’ve been through a lot lately, haven’t we?
Jeszika Gautier: That we have, but as always, we fight through and come out the other side, stronger, unified. You thought you had us, didn’t you Joshua? You thought you had driven that wedge between us and hammered it on home.
She chuckles a little.
Jeszika Gautier: Without ever laying a single finger on any of us, you caused us to crumble a little. But Joshua, you failed to take two women into account. You see, Arsenal isn’t just the three of us... Nikki, Melissa, they are as much a part of this as we are, and yet, for all your planning and schemes, you failed to take all elements into account and, well what do you know, here we stand united, stronger than ever. Good luck trying to split us again, cos it ain’t gonna happen.
Bethany nods slowly.
Bethany Kenyon: We walked in and did exactly what Joshua hoped we would do. We fell apart and then we smashed into each other while he got to sit back and laugh his sick fuckiing ass off. When that match was over, we’d proven to each other and to Aerynn what all we could do, but we’d also proven that everything was not quite where we needed it to be. The band, so to speak, needed to have a meeting and so…
Ashley shrugs.
Ashley Kenyon: And so now, shit’s happened and you gotta wonder what all he’s gonna do next considering that plan worked, not perfectly, but it worked and now this time, he’s gonna be there and probably with his working boots on instead of just looking like…
Ashley trails off, a realization hitting her like a ton of bricks.
Ashley Kenyon: Sonofabitch!
Jeszika looks over at her, surprised by the outburst, frowning.
Jeszika Gautier: What is it, Ash?
Ashley shakes her head, feeling stupid and guilty for not thinking of it before.
Ashley Kenyon: You were there, you sick fucking stalker bastard, you!
Jeszika's frown deepens, concern spreading on her face.
Jeszika Gautier: What do you mean Ash? What is it?
Ashley shakes her head, almost afraid to admit it before the world.
Ashley Kenyon: He wants us to admit our sins, right? To admit what we’ve done to wrong him, the company, each other, the world, the universe, whatever, right? Fine, I’ll admit it here, live and in living color! I, Ashley Kenyon, have been stupid and shot heroin before. I’ve only done it a couple of times and never openly the way I’ve done other things before and yet, when it comes back to it, I’ve always had to ask myself…
Bethany nods, catching on fast.
Bethany Kenyon: You went to great lengths to make sure we never saw you do it, how did he know you were like that when we did not?
Ashley nods.
Ashley Kenyon: And the answer is both stunningly simple and disgustingly sick!
Bethany just shakes her head in shock.
Bethany Kenyon: He was there…
Ashley nods again, this time glaring into the camera as she does so.
Ashley Kenyon: You were following us, more or less stalking us probably in the name of “scouting.” I’ll bet if we ask around, we’ll find out several other people caught a glimpse or maybe even had a chat with him.
Jeszika Gautier: Bastard!
She clenches her hands into fists
Jeszika Gautier: He was probably watching all of us...
She looks up at the camera.
Jeszika Gautier: So you want us to admit our sins? You want us to face the truth Joshua? Yeah, Then whatever, I'll admit some truths, truths most people, even Brody already knows. When I first met Brody, I hated his guts, I hated that he got me so drunk and took advantage of me, I hated the way he left me the next morning and sent in Aerynn to kick us out. Yeah I did plan to screw him over the way I did... But when I proclaim to the world I love him... THAT is not a damn lie. What you don't get Joshua is that over the course of the two months I was married to Brody, his walls weren’t the only ones the crumbled, he wasn’t the only one that fell in love, I fell in love with him too, Melissa knows this, Beth knows this, Ash knows this, Nikki knows this, now you and everyone else knows this.
She looks down for a second.
Jeszika Gautier: I just wish Brody knew... I plan on telling him one day, Joshua, I hope you know this.
She looks up again, her eyes dead on the camera.
Jeszika Gautier: You can't keep him forever Joshua, and that Mr. Savior, is not a lie. We WILL get him back and I don't care if I need to travel to your little imaginary land to do it. I will make that journey if I have to. Whatever it it takes, we WILL take you down!
Bethany nods in agreement as the three of them seemingly steel themselves simultaneously.
Bethany Kenyon: So I guess if we’re confessing sins here, it’s my turn, isn’t it? Yes, I was afraid once upon a time. Afraid of myself and how others would perceive me and so I made some stupid and cowardly choices. They were mistakes, not the first and damn sure not the last but at least now I actually try to do better. It doesn’t always work out that way but at least I’ve stopped lying to myself about who and what I am. There are those who think they know who we are, what we’re about and take it upon themselves to look down on us for that.
She shrugs.
Bethany Kenyon: Have we done things for money? Of course we have, as has everyone else currently on the roster of UWA and everyone in the seats that pays to see us compete! Money might make the world go round but it does not rule everything around me, nor does it rule us. We’ve been known to enjoy ourselves a bit at times but again, so has everyone else on the roster, doesn’t make us a special case to prove any point about morality or civility or anything else.
She nods and Nikki stands up, fading back into her friends between Bethany and Jeszika.
Bethany Kenyon: You fucked up, Joshua, and you fucked up bad because it didn’t kill us. If it’s one thing we’ve learned over the years it’s that when you take on a job, you don’t leave it half finished and hope for the best. you make a plan, you execute to the best of your ability and you finish that job by whatever means necessary. Now you sit there and you talk about what we are, what we believe in and how many times we’ve trespassed against others. you even make sure we had to face off with each other hoping it would split us apart forever and make it all the easier for you to pick up the pieces and remake the world in your image. The problem is, Joshie, that you didn’t break us and now, like Aerynn said, it’s time to look back into the face of our accuser. It’s time to for you to see what happens when you’ve looked into the abyss so long, it doesn’t just look back at you, it reaches out and smacks you so hard you forgot what you were looking for in the first place! It’s time to say, “Cry “Havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war!”
The others nod as they all put their fists together.
Ashley Kenyon: Alfa!
Bethany Kenyon: Romeo!
Nikki Peltier: Sierra!
Jeszika Gautier: Echo!
Nikki Peltier: November!
Bethany Kenyon: Alfa!
Ashley Kenyon: Lima!
Bethany Kenyon: We are the Arsenal... and more than sex, drugs, money or anything else, we believe in that!
Jeszika Gautier: I just wanted to say I'm sorry again for Making you feel like I did. But I know no amount of apologies will take away from the fact that I almost drove you to suicide.
Bethany nods slowly, the shame and guilt written all over her face.
Bethany Kenyon: I’m sorry I hurt you in Reno.
Jeszika shakes her head.
Jeszika Gautier: You never hurt me in Reno. In fact, you did the exact opposite. Trust me, if I wasn’t with Mel, you would be my next choice.
Bethany blushes.
Bethany Kenyon: I must have done something or you wouldn’t have reached for that hammer. Tell me how you really feel about that. Seriously Jezzy, were you angry with me? Were you hurt? Disappointed?
Jeszika takes a deep breath. Here it goes, the truth she had hidden for so long.
Jeszika Gautier: I guess... I'm just disappointed we never grew to be more...
Bethany nods almost as if she expected that answer to come forth.
Bethany Kenyon: Honestly, I’ve always felt guilty I wouldn’t admit it. I don’t mean like a little, I mean like…
She pauses, thinking this over. Did she really want to say this out loud?
Bethany Kenyon: That’s why I was holding the gun.
Jeszika looks down for a second, not sure what to say.
Jeszika Gautier: At least we're both admitting it now and we're both accounted for now anyways. Carrie and Melissa are good women and I wouldn’t want us to lose either of them.
She smirks.
Jeszika Gautier: Besides, I was still your first, and you know what they say about your first...
Bethany nods.
Bethany Kenyon: You never forget your first.
Jeszika nods.
Jeszika Gautier: Exactly.
Bethany Kenyon: How am I going to face them, Jezzy? How am I going to look Carrie in the eye again after she saw that, knowing why I was there?
Tears start to form in her eyes. Guilty tears that threaten to rain on the entire get together.
Bethany Kenyon: Knowing I was gonna shoot myself over another woman?
She takes a step back, shaking her head as the feelings start to overwhelm her.
Bethany Kenyon: How am I going to face Ash knowing I kept that from her? I wouldn’t tell my own sister what I’d done, Jez!
Jeszika runs her hand through her hair.
Jeszika Gautier: I... I honestly don't know, but you can't keep it from her. Secrets don't help relationships. If you hide this from her, you'll hurt her worse...
Jeszika puts a supportive hand on Bethany's shoulder.
Jeszika Gautier: Do you love her enough to be honest with her about this?
Bethany Kenyon: She was there…
Swallowing hard, Bethany shakes her head.
Bethany Kenyon: She and Nikki are the reason I didn’t do it. They came in just after I’d hit my knees. Nikki took the gun away and Carrie just held me. They both stayed there all night, we didn’t move for twelve hours.
Jeszika Gautier: But does she know why?
Bethany cringes.
Bethany Kenyon: Sort of but not really. She knows we had a thing and she knows some of how I was…
Jeszika Gautier: How was she when she found out that you and I had...?
Bethany Kenyon: Honestly, kinda turned on.
Jeszika laughs.
Jeszika Gautier: Well, she does know how good I taste...
She pauses.
Jeszika Gautier: Tell her everything, B, I'm sure she'll understand.
Bethany cocks her head, looking desperate.
Bethany Kenyon: How do you tell the woman you love that you used to be in love with one of your best friends?
Jeszika Gautier: Key words there... "Used to be."
She looks over at her friend
Jeszika Gautier: You do love her and only her now right?
Bethany closes her eyes.
Bethany Kenyon: I don’t know…
She pauses, shrugging.
Bethany Kenyon: I can’t say I never loved you, Jezzy and I can’t really say I don’t now but, I think it’s…
She sighs heavily.
Bethany Kenyon: I don’t wanna say “different” because that just sounds stupid but, do you know what I mean?
Jeszika nods.
Jeszika Gautier: I think I do. Now that you've found Carrie, it’s different?
Bethany swallows hard again.
Bethany Kenyon: I let it happen this time and yet, I still can’t get it out of my head… what did I miss out on? What did I run away from? How stupid was I to just refuse to admit to myself what and who I was? Carrie came along and I was not gonna make that same mistake again but I just…
Jeszika Gautier: This time you didn’t run, you let her in. Because you knew it was what you wanted and weren't afraid anymore.
Bethany Kenyon: That look on Ashley’s face, God help me...
Jeszika doesn’t know what to say right off, so she just wraps her arms around Bethany and strokes her hair.
Jeszika Gautier: I'm sorry, B... for putting you in that situation.
Bethany Kenyon: I have never wanted to just go get fucked up than when i saw that look on y’all’s faces.
Jeszika Gautier: I'm glad you didn’t, cause I would have joined you, and we know, in my currently frame of mind, alcohol and me and not a good mix right now. Even if I do wanna drink the whole bar right now just to make everything seem better.
Bethany nods.
Bethany Kenyon: I wouldn’t stop at alcohol. I’d try to snort Peru to make that feeling go away.
Jeszika Gautier: You saw how I was last week? I'd join you there, don't you worry...
Bethany exhales forcefully.
Bethany Kenyon: That’s what I’m afraid of. We’re gonna need to scale back on the party stuff for a while, I think. It won’t just be a bit of fun for us right now. Nikki’ll probably be thrilled and Carrie will probably understand. Ashley won’t...
Jeszika Gautier: She probably won’t want to stop, but I'm sure she will see why when we explain it to her.
Bethany Kenyon: What happens if she can't?
Jeszika Gautier: I don't know. I guess she'd have to go party alone, I honestly don’t know...
Bethany Kenyon: I'll have a talk with her. I suppose I owe her that much as it is.
Jeszika nods.
Jeszika Gautier: Did you want me to come, or is this something you'd rather do alone? Or with Carrie?
Bethany Kenyon: Carrie, I’ll need to do alone. Ashley, I think yes, we should talk to together but we have to be careful about not ambushing or ganging up on her too much.
Jeszika Gautier: Yes, the last thing we need is for her to take it all the wrong way and fly off the handle at us.
Bethany Kenyon: How do I ever thank Nikki?
Jeszika Gautier: By just being a good friend to her.
Bethany nods.
Bethany Kenyon: Ok.
Fifteen minutes later, Bethany and Jeszika walk into the next room. Melissa Mareau has gone to the office for a bit to take care of some business. Sitting on the couch, Nikki Peltier looks up in shock at the seemingly unsettled look upon the faces of two of her best friends in the world.
Nikki Peltier: Is everything ok?
Bethany and Jeszika both nod solemnly.
Bethany Kenyon: Where’s Ash?
Before Nikki can answer, Ashley comes walking back into the room looking expectant and yet almost happily resigned.
Ashley Kenyon: Somebody call?
Bethany nods.
Bethany Kenyon: We need to talk, Ash.
Ashley almost laughs at the choice of phrasing.
Ashley Kenyon: Bit of that going around, ain’t there?
Bethany nods, Jeszika standing behind her looking ashamed and almost guilty just to be having this conversation. Nikki frowns from the couch, wondering what is about to happen and hoping it’s not an explosion of nuclear proportions.
Bethany Kenyon: We need to talk, all of us, about our going out…
Ashley’s smile fades off, replaced by angry resentment.
Ashley Kenyon: Do we now? And this has nothing to do with what EVERYBODY keeps saying about me being unreliable?
Bethany shakes her head.
Bethany Kenyon: Not just, no.
Ashley nods, the level of anger on her face rising.
Ashley Kenyon: Not just…
Bethany Kenyon: Ash…
Ashley quickly shakes her head.
Ashley Kenyon: No! No cutting me off, no stopping me from saying anything, nothing! You’re about to tell me I can’t have fun anymore because some douchebag from back home has stuck his fucking nose into shit that has nothing to do with him and then some fucking asshole frat boys with nothing better to do and nothing else to say parroted what you were all really thinking! Well fuck that and fuck him! I’m not changing to please a fat bastard with a God complex and a flock of half-wit sheep, two pissy little bitches with delusions of grandeur and jealousy issues or even my own family tell me what I can and cannot do! If I wanna go get ripped out of my head tomorrow night with Billy, I’m gonna and I will be damned if I’m gonna let Joshua McBride piss on my life because he got some weird calling out in the boonies and decided the swamp gas was a calling instead of just making him trip balls!
Jeszika starts to answer but Bethany raises a hand to stop both Jeszika and Nikki from saying anything. She looks at her younger sister and just shakes her head.
Bethany Kenyon: Do you really think you’re the only one who wishes she was hammered off her ass right now? I’d bet all the money we’ve ever had that Nikki’s the only one in here right now that doesn’t wish she was three sheets to the wind and if we were, she’d spend every day worrying her head off, waiting for the three worst phone calls of her life! We need to dial it back, Ash, not because Joshua McBride demands we be sober to fight him but because in our current states, it wouldn’t just be a little partying. I know for sure, if I went out tonight, I’d get blind and I’d probably keep going. Jezzy admitted that’d be her too and you and I both know you would too! we wouldn’t be enjoying ourselves, we’d be addicts waiting to die, do you want that to be you? To be me? Jezzy? Do you really wanna give that raving lunatic fucker that kind of power over you?
Ashley stares at her sister in shock.
Ashley Kenyon: No...
Bethany nods, determination firing out of her eyes.
Bethany Kenyon: Me either, when we get home, I’m gonna tell Carrie I’m not gonna do that for a while. Maybe I’ll be able to celebrate some when this is all over but for now, I don’t know that I’ll even be having an occasional beer.
Ashley stands there in shock, having never expected to hear this from her sister. As they wait, Jeszika nods, walking forward.
Jeszika Gautier: Me too...
Nikki stands up and joins them.
Nikki Peltier: I was already kinda there anyway.
Ashley stands there looking like she wants to scream. Bethany walks forward and quickly embraces her sister. Within a few seconds, Jeszika and Nikki have join the Kenyon Sisters in the embrace.
Bethany Kenyon: We’re the only family we’ve got Ash, we need to do this for us, for each other.
Ashley nods and hugs the others back.
Ashley Kenyon: Ok…
- - - - - - -
The camera opens upon all four members of Arsenal, Nikki Peltier, Ashley Kenyon, Jeszika Gautier and Bethany Kenyon in semi-lit room with torches on the wall. Nikki kneels on the floor a hundred feet in front of the others who stand in a straight line across the back wall. Quickly the camera finds the them and moves left to right as they speak in succession, one after the other.
Ashley Kenyon: Anger...
Jeszika Gautier: Fear...
Bethany Kenyon: Hurt...
The camera swings back to the left again and makes another swing down the line.
Ashley Kenyon: Resentment...
Jeszika Gautier: Guilt...
Bethany Kenyon: Betrayal...
All three walk forward, coming together as a unit in the center of the room just behind Nikki as she kneels in front of them.
Bethany Kenyon: We’ve been through a lot lately, haven’t we?
Jeszika Gautier: That we have, but as always, we fight through and come out the other side, stronger, unified. You thought you had us, didn’t you Joshua? You thought you had driven that wedge between us and hammered it on home.
She chuckles a little.
Jeszika Gautier: Without ever laying a single finger on any of us, you caused us to crumble a little. But Joshua, you failed to take two women into account. You see, Arsenal isn’t just the three of us... Nikki, Melissa, they are as much a part of this as we are, and yet, for all your planning and schemes, you failed to take all elements into account and, well what do you know, here we stand united, stronger than ever. Good luck trying to split us again, cos it ain’t gonna happen.
Bethany nods slowly.
Bethany Kenyon: We walked in and did exactly what Joshua hoped we would do. We fell apart and then we smashed into each other while he got to sit back and laugh his sick fuckiing ass off. When that match was over, we’d proven to each other and to Aerynn what all we could do, but we’d also proven that everything was not quite where we needed it to be. The band, so to speak, needed to have a meeting and so…
Ashley shrugs.
Ashley Kenyon: And so now, shit’s happened and you gotta wonder what all he’s gonna do next considering that plan worked, not perfectly, but it worked and now this time, he’s gonna be there and probably with his working boots on instead of just looking like…
Ashley trails off, a realization hitting her like a ton of bricks.
Ashley Kenyon: Sonofabitch!
Jeszika looks over at her, surprised by the outburst, frowning.
Jeszika Gautier: What is it, Ash?
Ashley shakes her head, feeling stupid and guilty for not thinking of it before.
Ashley Kenyon: You were there, you sick fucking stalker bastard, you!
Jeszika's frown deepens, concern spreading on her face.
Jeszika Gautier: What do you mean Ash? What is it?
Ashley shakes her head, almost afraid to admit it before the world.
Ashley Kenyon: He wants us to admit our sins, right? To admit what we’ve done to wrong him, the company, each other, the world, the universe, whatever, right? Fine, I’ll admit it here, live and in living color! I, Ashley Kenyon, have been stupid and shot heroin before. I’ve only done it a couple of times and never openly the way I’ve done other things before and yet, when it comes back to it, I’ve always had to ask myself…
Bethany nods, catching on fast.
Bethany Kenyon: You went to great lengths to make sure we never saw you do it, how did he know you were like that when we did not?
Ashley nods.
Ashley Kenyon: And the answer is both stunningly simple and disgustingly sick!
Bethany just shakes her head in shock.
Bethany Kenyon: He was there…
Ashley nods again, this time glaring into the camera as she does so.
Ashley Kenyon: You were following us, more or less stalking us probably in the name of “scouting.” I’ll bet if we ask around, we’ll find out several other people caught a glimpse or maybe even had a chat with him.
Jeszika Gautier: Bastard!
She clenches her hands into fists
Jeszika Gautier: He was probably watching all of us...
She looks up at the camera.
Jeszika Gautier: So you want us to admit our sins? You want us to face the truth Joshua? Yeah, Then whatever, I'll admit some truths, truths most people, even Brody already knows. When I first met Brody, I hated his guts, I hated that he got me so drunk and took advantage of me, I hated the way he left me the next morning and sent in Aerynn to kick us out. Yeah I did plan to screw him over the way I did... But when I proclaim to the world I love him... THAT is not a damn lie. What you don't get Joshua is that over the course of the two months I was married to Brody, his walls weren’t the only ones the crumbled, he wasn’t the only one that fell in love, I fell in love with him too, Melissa knows this, Beth knows this, Ash knows this, Nikki knows this, now you and everyone else knows this.
She looks down for a second.
Jeszika Gautier: I just wish Brody knew... I plan on telling him one day, Joshua, I hope you know this.
She looks up again, her eyes dead on the camera.
Jeszika Gautier: You can't keep him forever Joshua, and that Mr. Savior, is not a lie. We WILL get him back and I don't care if I need to travel to your little imaginary land to do it. I will make that journey if I have to. Whatever it it takes, we WILL take you down!
Bethany nods in agreement as the three of them seemingly steel themselves simultaneously.
Bethany Kenyon: So I guess if we’re confessing sins here, it’s my turn, isn’t it? Yes, I was afraid once upon a time. Afraid of myself and how others would perceive me and so I made some stupid and cowardly choices. They were mistakes, not the first and damn sure not the last but at least now I actually try to do better. It doesn’t always work out that way but at least I’ve stopped lying to myself about who and what I am. There are those who think they know who we are, what we’re about and take it upon themselves to look down on us for that.
She shrugs.
Bethany Kenyon: Have we done things for money? Of course we have, as has everyone else currently on the roster of UWA and everyone in the seats that pays to see us compete! Money might make the world go round but it does not rule everything around me, nor does it rule us. We’ve been known to enjoy ourselves a bit at times but again, so has everyone else on the roster, doesn’t make us a special case to prove any point about morality or civility or anything else.
She nods and Nikki stands up, fading back into her friends between Bethany and Jeszika.
Bethany Kenyon: You fucked up, Joshua, and you fucked up bad because it didn’t kill us. If it’s one thing we’ve learned over the years it’s that when you take on a job, you don’t leave it half finished and hope for the best. you make a plan, you execute to the best of your ability and you finish that job by whatever means necessary. Now you sit there and you talk about what we are, what we believe in and how many times we’ve trespassed against others. you even make sure we had to face off with each other hoping it would split us apart forever and make it all the easier for you to pick up the pieces and remake the world in your image. The problem is, Joshie, that you didn’t break us and now, like Aerynn said, it’s time to look back into the face of our accuser. It’s time to for you to see what happens when you’ve looked into the abyss so long, it doesn’t just look back at you, it reaches out and smacks you so hard you forgot what you were looking for in the first place! It’s time to say, “Cry “Havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war!”
The others nod as they all put their fists together.
Ashley Kenyon: Alfa!
Bethany Kenyon: Romeo!
Nikki Peltier: Sierra!
Jeszika Gautier: Echo!
Nikki Peltier: November!
Bethany Kenyon: Alfa!
Ashley Kenyon: Lima!
Bethany Kenyon: We are the Arsenal... and more than sex, drugs, money or anything else, we believe in that!
