The Edge -or- A Promise
Feb 6, 2021 23:22:27 GMT -6
Ruthless Aggression, Stitches, and 3 more like this
Post by Gabrielle Visconty on Feb 6, 2021 23:22:27 GMT -6
and in a dream I'm a different me
with a perfect you
we fit perfectly
and for once in my life I feel complete
(and I still want to ruin it)
“Even Deeper” - Nine Inch Nails
with a perfect you
we fit perfectly
and for once in my life I feel complete
(and I still want to ruin it)
“Even Deeper” - Nine Inch Nails
The image opens on the interior of Gabrielle Visconty’s home in Honolulu, Hawaii. BLACKPINK’s ‘Ice Cream ft. Selena Gomez’ is playing over the music system as Gabi suddenly appears from out of a room and into the hallway with an arm full of clothing. Her platinum blonde hair is pulled back into two sloppy braids, one of which is draped over her shoulder. She is wearing an oversized red t-shirt that hangs lazily off her left shoulder, exposing the fading remnant of her injury from WrestleFest. The t-shirt stops about mid thigh and leaves a small gap between the pair of grey over the knee socks. She sings along with the song as she moves into another doorway as the camera follows. Gabi drops the clothing on the floor of the laundry room before she does a little dance step in tune to the music.
“Gabs!”
The voice of Hank calls from somewhere else in the house.
“Yeah!”
Gabi replies as she kicks through the pile of clothing at her feet. She selects some lighter colored items and tosses them into the washing machine.
“You want your wrestling bag?”
“Sure!”
She tells him as she tosses a few more articles of clothing into the washer. Hank appears from around the corner carrying Gabi’s bag. He drops it on the floor and the gym clothes spill out - along with an amber colored bottle. Gabi is oblivious as Hank reaches down and picks it up off the floor. His expression is pained as he stands back up, rolling the pill bottle in his hand.
“What’s this?”
Hank questions in a demanding tone. The attitude of his voice causes Gabi to offer a puzzled look as she glances over at him. He sticks his hand out towards her and Gabi smirks before she replies.
“Meds from my WrestleFest match.”
She replies before turning her attention back to getting detergent into the washing machine, standing on her tippy toes to get at the container on the shelf above the machine. He shakes the bottle and hears the sounds of pills clunking around inside the container. Hank sets the bottle on the edge of the washing machine as he moves close to Gabi, causing her to look up at him awkwardly… until she notices he is trying to get a look at her pupils. She shoves him away from her as she frowns at him.
“What the fuck?!”
Gabi angrily questions him.
“Gabs… Are you, uh...?”
Hank questions as Gabi’s face shows a brief moment of disbelief before it flushes with anger.
“No… NO! Goddammit Hank, it’s a damn bottle of strong acetaminophen, basically Tylenol! I didn’t even take one. If you don’t trust me you can open the bottle and count the pills.”
Hank looks from Gabi to the bottle on the washing machine.
“Really?! You are thinking about it!”
Gabi snaps at him.
“You don’t trust me?!”
Gabi exclaims as she shoulders past Hank aggressively. Hank catches her by the arm before she can walk away, gently stopping her. Gabi yanks her arm free as she steps away from him, wiping the tears starting to roll down her face.
“Gabs, I’m sorry… I just saw the bottle and,”
“You doubted me? You thought I had relapsed? You figured ‘once an addict, always an addict’, huh? Thanks for the support...”
Hank steps in and wraps his arms around her, easy lifting her off her feet, even as she weakly resists. He pulls her head against his shoulder as he hugs her.
“I’m sorry.”
“It hurt, Hank…”
Gabi replies weakly into his shoulder as she wipes her face on his shirt. Hank begins to speak but Gabi cuts him off.
“I’ve not taken a single painkiller since I’ve been at Candy’s, not even an aspirin for a headache... until after WrestleFest. And not by my own accord.”
Gabi replies as she leans back from his shoulder to look him in the eyes.
“I needed a lot of medical attention after WrestleFest. I fought them but,”
“You don’t have to explain yourself. I’m sorry for doubting you.”
Hank kisses her on the forehead.
“No, you don’t understand… I didn’t want any painkillers but they gave them to me anyway.”
Gabi shakes her head as she pushes away from Hank, trying to hide the shame in her eyes.
“And I liked it… a part of me really missed it. It scared the hell out of me… Then, after LOTC, they were wanting to prescribe me more. Hank, I can’t keep tossing myself into the meat grinder and expect that to be kept in check.”
“Quit.”
Hank replies to her sternly. Gabi’s expression looks as if he’d just slapped her.
“What?! I’m not quitting! Not now, not after getting to where I am.”
She replies back just as sternly, only for Hank to shake his head.
“Walk away from it all, you don’t need the money. Why keep putting yourself in those situations? What are you trying to prove? Why do you need to prove it at the risk of falling back into bad things? I don’t understand you sometimes, Gabi.”
Hank tells her softly. Gabi looks away from him and walks to the doorway where she stops, leaning against the frame. She picks at a small lint ball stuck to her socks.
“It’s what I do Hank. I am a Wrestler… like my father. Like my mother. It’s who I am. For once in my life I am getting traction in my career. I am making my own name,”
Gabi looks back over her shoulder at Hank.
“and that is important to me. It’s what I promised my father when I walked into my very first match as an amateur. It’s what I promised myself the day I signed to the EWC. If I can’t live up to that promise, then am I really living?”
Hank sighs as he leans up against the washing machine, his eyes locked to Gabi’s.
“You’ll never reach it… And that is who you are.”
She starts to speak and stops, letting Hank cut in.
“You’ll never be happy trying to one up your father. There will never be an end, you’ll always have one more thing to prove. It’s what you’ve always done. Your mom never wanted you to be in the ring because she saw it. She saw that perfect storm in you, a crazy blend of Visconty and Fields. You inherited your mother’s stubbornness and your father’s drive. Gabi, you broke yourself pushing for the belt you now hold. You’ve finally reached the top of that mountain, enjoy the view and then move on to something that isn’t going to destroy you completely. You’re 23 now and you won’t be able to do this at 33 if you keep pushing yourself to the breaking point… You are eventually going to break permanently.”
Hank speaks the words carefully, watching her expression, knowing the wounds he could easily open by dragging her back into her family history.
“Gabi, I can’t watch you destroy yourself because you are too stubborn to let go.”
She falls just short of glaring at him and his expression offers up the knowledge of knowing he crossed the line.
“What are you trying to say Hank? I should quit because there is risk? I should give up my lifelong dream because there is a chance I could injure myself? What would you have me do Hank, come work at the bar with you?”
Her words are acidic as she spits them at Hank, aiming right for his heart, knowing all too well he had to give up football in college due to a knee injury.
“So I just ‘sit back and play it safe’? What kind of life is that?”
Hank startles her as he smiles warmly back at her… no anger, just a warm smile.
“It’s a kind of life where I can walk down the beach with my children, or my children’s children. I can enjoy the simple things in life.”
Gabi runs her fingers through her hair before she looks away.
“That’s just not who I am…”
She explains just slightly above a whisper.
“I know.”
Hank says as he walks up behind her and places his hands on her shoulders, giving them a soft squeeze.
“Hank, I need you to trust me. I need you to stand with me, to share my dreams, not try to stop me every time I get injured… I suffered through that enough with mom. Yes, I am stubborn to a fault, but I am not going to get to the top tier of the wrestling world by playing it safe. Maybe I do break myself permanently… but I’ll be able to look my children in the eyes and know I risked it all for my dreams - I lived it while I had the chance.”
Gabi shrugs his hands off and walks towards the kitchen. Hank follows close behind her.
“I’ve known you since elementary school. I was there when you got into your first fight. I was there when you fell off the monkey bars and broke your wrist trying to outdo Bryan Silvers. I helped you hide your injuries from your parents when you first started that backyard wrestling bullshit. I took you to Senior Prom when I found out you liked me for more than a friend. Dammit, I have been with you every step of the way. Now, when I voice my opinion you are pissed off about it? Don’t you dare try to run me off like Izumi.”
Gabi turns and stares into his eyes, searching for something as she grits her teeth.
“It’s your defense mechanism. When people get too close to you, you run them off or push them away.”
“I couldn’t trust Izumi.”
“Because she was telling your doctor’s what you were hiding? Gabi, she was trying to help you because you were too fucking stubborn to help yourself. You were drinking to an excess and abusing painkillers - you were killing yourse...”
Gabi jabs a finger into his chest, stopping Hank’s words.
“Yes! I was already dead inside. I put on my wrestling gear and painted my face, but Gabrielle Visconty wasn’t there. I was rotting from the inside out and it hurt like hell… so I buried the pain. The countless hours I spent lying on the floor in the middle of the night, too scared to close my eyes and relive it all again. The ringing in my ears and the panic attacks. When I finally hit the edge…”
She pauses as she struggles with the words, reliving the moment in her mind.
“In Las Vegas, alone in my hotel room at the Wynn, I broke. I was done. I made a ‘hail mary’ last ditch effort and reached out to Ruthann… If she hadn’t answered the phone that night,”
Her words trail off as she struggles for her next breath. Hank reaches out to hug her and she steps away.
“If it had rang two more times.”
“Gabi, you beat it.”
“I’m lucky.”
The reply is quick and vitriolic. She offers him a sarcastic wink as she backs away, her body language changing, becoming challenging.
“HEY!”
Hank snarls, slamming his hand down on the island countertop, startling her.
“You’re doing it again! Gabi, you need to stop. You beat your demons with the help of your friends. You said it yourself, you couldn’t do it on your own. But here you are, falling right back into that same pattern. Don’t shut me out. I’m not going to play this game with you. Yeah, I still question if you are abusing painkillers… because I care. Candy, Robbie, Jordan, Saidie, Ruthann, they all care! Gabi, you are not alone, but you are trying to be and I just can’t figure out why.”
“It’s who I am…”
She replies in an apologetic tone. Hank reaches into his pocket and tosses something at Gabi. She catches it and sees it is a small jewelry box. She glances up at Hank quickly with a confused expression as he starts walking for the front door.
“If you want to wear that, let me know… If not,”
Hank shrugs his shoulders as he opens the door and walks out. Gabi leans back against the island and holds her breath as she opens the box, praying it isn’t what she thinks it is. A Promise ring sparkles back at her as she lets out her breath. The platinum band has two stones in it - her birthstone: garnet, and his birthstone: peridot. The words “I will always be there for you” etched into the inside of the band. Gabi clutches the box to her chest as she closes her eyes tightly. She opens her eyes and darts for the front door.
“Gabs!”
The voice of Hank calls from somewhere else in the house.
“Yeah!”
Gabi replies as she kicks through the pile of clothing at her feet. She selects some lighter colored items and tosses them into the washing machine.
“You want your wrestling bag?”
“Sure!”
She tells him as she tosses a few more articles of clothing into the washer. Hank appears from around the corner carrying Gabi’s bag. He drops it on the floor and the gym clothes spill out - along with an amber colored bottle. Gabi is oblivious as Hank reaches down and picks it up off the floor. His expression is pained as he stands back up, rolling the pill bottle in his hand.
“What’s this?”
Hank questions in a demanding tone. The attitude of his voice causes Gabi to offer a puzzled look as she glances over at him. He sticks his hand out towards her and Gabi smirks before she replies.
“Meds from my WrestleFest match.”
She replies before turning her attention back to getting detergent into the washing machine, standing on her tippy toes to get at the container on the shelf above the machine. He shakes the bottle and hears the sounds of pills clunking around inside the container. Hank sets the bottle on the edge of the washing machine as he moves close to Gabi, causing her to look up at him awkwardly… until she notices he is trying to get a look at her pupils. She shoves him away from her as she frowns at him.
“What the fuck?!”
Gabi angrily questions him.
“Gabs… Are you, uh...?”
Hank questions as Gabi’s face shows a brief moment of disbelief before it flushes with anger.
“No… NO! Goddammit Hank, it’s a damn bottle of strong acetaminophen, basically Tylenol! I didn’t even take one. If you don’t trust me you can open the bottle and count the pills.”
Hank looks from Gabi to the bottle on the washing machine.
“Really?! You are thinking about it!”
Gabi snaps at him.
“You don’t trust me?!”
Gabi exclaims as she shoulders past Hank aggressively. Hank catches her by the arm before she can walk away, gently stopping her. Gabi yanks her arm free as she steps away from him, wiping the tears starting to roll down her face.
“Gabs, I’m sorry… I just saw the bottle and,”
“You doubted me? You thought I had relapsed? You figured ‘once an addict, always an addict’, huh? Thanks for the support...”
Hank steps in and wraps his arms around her, easy lifting her off her feet, even as she weakly resists. He pulls her head against his shoulder as he hugs her.
“I’m sorry.”
“It hurt, Hank…”
Gabi replies weakly into his shoulder as she wipes her face on his shirt. Hank begins to speak but Gabi cuts him off.
“I’ve not taken a single painkiller since I’ve been at Candy’s, not even an aspirin for a headache... until after WrestleFest. And not by my own accord.”
Gabi replies as she leans back from his shoulder to look him in the eyes.
“I needed a lot of medical attention after WrestleFest. I fought them but,”
“You don’t have to explain yourself. I’m sorry for doubting you.”
Hank kisses her on the forehead.
“No, you don’t understand… I didn’t want any painkillers but they gave them to me anyway.”
Gabi shakes her head as she pushes away from Hank, trying to hide the shame in her eyes.
“And I liked it… a part of me really missed it. It scared the hell out of me… Then, after LOTC, they were wanting to prescribe me more. Hank, I can’t keep tossing myself into the meat grinder and expect that to be kept in check.”
“Quit.”
Hank replies to her sternly. Gabi’s expression looks as if he’d just slapped her.
“What?! I’m not quitting! Not now, not after getting to where I am.”
She replies back just as sternly, only for Hank to shake his head.
“Walk away from it all, you don’t need the money. Why keep putting yourself in those situations? What are you trying to prove? Why do you need to prove it at the risk of falling back into bad things? I don’t understand you sometimes, Gabi.”
Hank tells her softly. Gabi looks away from him and walks to the doorway where she stops, leaning against the frame. She picks at a small lint ball stuck to her socks.
“It’s what I do Hank. I am a Wrestler… like my father. Like my mother. It’s who I am. For once in my life I am getting traction in my career. I am making my own name,”
Gabi looks back over her shoulder at Hank.
“and that is important to me. It’s what I promised my father when I walked into my very first match as an amateur. It’s what I promised myself the day I signed to the EWC. If I can’t live up to that promise, then am I really living?”
Hank sighs as he leans up against the washing machine, his eyes locked to Gabi’s.
“You’ll never reach it… And that is who you are.”
She starts to speak and stops, letting Hank cut in.
“You’ll never be happy trying to one up your father. There will never be an end, you’ll always have one more thing to prove. It’s what you’ve always done. Your mom never wanted you to be in the ring because she saw it. She saw that perfect storm in you, a crazy blend of Visconty and Fields. You inherited your mother’s stubbornness and your father’s drive. Gabi, you broke yourself pushing for the belt you now hold. You’ve finally reached the top of that mountain, enjoy the view and then move on to something that isn’t going to destroy you completely. You’re 23 now and you won’t be able to do this at 33 if you keep pushing yourself to the breaking point… You are eventually going to break permanently.”
Hank speaks the words carefully, watching her expression, knowing the wounds he could easily open by dragging her back into her family history.
“Gabi, I can’t watch you destroy yourself because you are too stubborn to let go.”
She falls just short of glaring at him and his expression offers up the knowledge of knowing he crossed the line.
“What are you trying to say Hank? I should quit because there is risk? I should give up my lifelong dream because there is a chance I could injure myself? What would you have me do Hank, come work at the bar with you?”
Her words are acidic as she spits them at Hank, aiming right for his heart, knowing all too well he had to give up football in college due to a knee injury.
“So I just ‘sit back and play it safe’? What kind of life is that?”
Hank startles her as he smiles warmly back at her… no anger, just a warm smile.
“It’s a kind of life where I can walk down the beach with my children, or my children’s children. I can enjoy the simple things in life.”
Gabi runs her fingers through her hair before she looks away.
“That’s just not who I am…”
She explains just slightly above a whisper.
“I know.”
Hank says as he walks up behind her and places his hands on her shoulders, giving them a soft squeeze.
“Hank, I need you to trust me. I need you to stand with me, to share my dreams, not try to stop me every time I get injured… I suffered through that enough with mom. Yes, I am stubborn to a fault, but I am not going to get to the top tier of the wrestling world by playing it safe. Maybe I do break myself permanently… but I’ll be able to look my children in the eyes and know I risked it all for my dreams - I lived it while I had the chance.”
Gabi shrugs his hands off and walks towards the kitchen. Hank follows close behind her.
“I’ve known you since elementary school. I was there when you got into your first fight. I was there when you fell off the monkey bars and broke your wrist trying to outdo Bryan Silvers. I helped you hide your injuries from your parents when you first started that backyard wrestling bullshit. I took you to Senior Prom when I found out you liked me for more than a friend. Dammit, I have been with you every step of the way. Now, when I voice my opinion you are pissed off about it? Don’t you dare try to run me off like Izumi.”
Gabi turns and stares into his eyes, searching for something as she grits her teeth.
“It’s your defense mechanism. When people get too close to you, you run them off or push them away.”
“I couldn’t trust Izumi.”
“Because she was telling your doctor’s what you were hiding? Gabi, she was trying to help you because you were too fucking stubborn to help yourself. You were drinking to an excess and abusing painkillers - you were killing yourse...”
Gabi jabs a finger into his chest, stopping Hank’s words.
“Yes! I was already dead inside. I put on my wrestling gear and painted my face, but Gabrielle Visconty wasn’t there. I was rotting from the inside out and it hurt like hell… so I buried the pain. The countless hours I spent lying on the floor in the middle of the night, too scared to close my eyes and relive it all again. The ringing in my ears and the panic attacks. When I finally hit the edge…”
She pauses as she struggles with the words, reliving the moment in her mind.
“In Las Vegas, alone in my hotel room at the Wynn, I broke. I was done. I made a ‘hail mary’ last ditch effort and reached out to Ruthann… If she hadn’t answered the phone that night,”
Her words trail off as she struggles for her next breath. Hank reaches out to hug her and she steps away.
“If it had rang two more times.”
“Gabi, you beat it.”
“I’m lucky.”
The reply is quick and vitriolic. She offers him a sarcastic wink as she backs away, her body language changing, becoming challenging.
“HEY!”
Hank snarls, slamming his hand down on the island countertop, startling her.
“You’re doing it again! Gabi, you need to stop. You beat your demons with the help of your friends. You said it yourself, you couldn’t do it on your own. But here you are, falling right back into that same pattern. Don’t shut me out. I’m not going to play this game with you. Yeah, I still question if you are abusing painkillers… because I care. Candy, Robbie, Jordan, Saidie, Ruthann, they all care! Gabi, you are not alone, but you are trying to be and I just can’t figure out why.”
“It’s who I am…”
She replies in an apologetic tone. Hank reaches into his pocket and tosses something at Gabi. She catches it and sees it is a small jewelry box. She glances up at Hank quickly with a confused expression as he starts walking for the front door.
“If you want to wear that, let me know… If not,”
Hank shrugs his shoulders as he opens the door and walks out. Gabi leans back against the island and holds her breath as she opens the box, praying it isn’t what she thinks it is. A Promise ring sparkles back at her as she lets out her breath. The platinum band has two stones in it - her birthstone: garnet, and his birthstone: peridot. The words “I will always be there for you” etched into the inside of the band. Gabi clutches the box to her chest as she closes her eyes tightly. She opens her eyes and darts for the front door.
