June 3rd, 2020
Chicago, Illinois
It was a night of great triumph for one David Helms, but for Asher Hayes it was another night, another loss, another disappointment. Asher made his way to the back after being eliminated from the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal by Sienna Swann. He wasn’t getting a steak dinner. He lost in the poll orchestrated by Jake Starr. He wasn’t worried about the dinner he had joked about on Breakdown. He was pissed off at himself for having anything to do with Jake Starr. The man was considered a legend, yes. But he wasn’t the same Jake Starr he used to be. He wasn’t the type to command respect or hold the crowd in the palm of his hand. He had become complacent, which was something Asher didn’t want to become. Starr knew he’d get a reaction no matter how much effort he put into his career at this stage. Asher wanted to continue pushing himself, to get better, to show he was just a two-hit wonder in his return.
He had gone out of his way to help a superstar like Jordan Majors get better, and it seemed Asher was on the decline. Jordan had outdone him in every way for the last few months in some way, shape, or fashion. Asher commended her for her success and wanted nothing but the best for her. He just couldn’t help but feel like he had given her his best, leaving very little for himself. Just as he had told Ace, the thought of turning on Jordan had crossed his mind. He had pictured it several times, especially when she became the Adrenaline Champion. As he held the title, to present it to her, he saw himself clocking her in the face with the championship, but he didn’t. He told himself then that he had to ignore that part of him, that little voice in his head, and stay the course instead. To be who he truly was, and not who he felt the world wanted him to be.
But who was he? That was a question Asher had been toiling away with for what felt like months. He felt like he was living a real-world whodunit, as his identity had grown into a mystery. He wasn’t sure who he was, and Asher hated that. Was he the outgoing and outspoken sexually driven character he had showcased all over Twitter, and to someone such as Jordan numerous times? Or was he the guy who stayed in the background while people like Ace Marshall took the limelight and thrived? Or was he the guy who returned, beat Regan Street for the Adrenaline Championship, and refused to get involved in any drama, the guy who wanted to have fun but was serious once the bell rang? He knew there were many elements that made him who he was, just like it was with every other individual walking the planet Earth. So, who was he? Asher didn’t want to be someone with a billion personalities like James Evans or Konrad Raab. He wanted to be free, and Asher wanted to get out of the funk he had found himself in since January.
He left the arena and got on a plane back to the Windy City. While at the airport, he agreed to wrestle another match for Elite Pro the following night. He landed and had very little time to sleep before the show. At the show, he wrestled a competitor named Shane Osbourne. As always, Asher gave one hell of a fight, with the fans loving every second of the match from the slow build to the rapid-fire middle, before the thrilling closing segments. He walked away with another win before being confronted by Aaron Anderson once again about their upcoming Championship match. After the show, he finally made it home and as soon as his head hit the pillow, Asher was out. He knew the SCW was going on a break, which was exactly what he needed. That, and a good rest. When he woke up, Asher later found out in the current day, that he should have just stayed asleep.
He arrived at Evelyn’s place, barely bringing his car to a stop, when Asher saw Evelyn storming out of the house, looking like she was about to blow her top. He figured it had something to do with him because Asher knew that deep down, he was the bane of Evelyn’s existence. He had smashed her daughter as well as her fiancé, but in all fairness, Adrina was with him first.
“I can’t take this fucking shit anymore!” Asher thought about getting back into his car while also trying to think of something he had done recently that would have pissed off the woman barreling toward him like a locomotive.
He stepped in front of her, fully expecting to get clocked with a right hook. Neither happened, as Evelyn stopped in her tracks, her eyes bulging while she tried to catch her breath. “Evelyn, my dear. What is the matter?”
“Oh, fuck off, Asher!” She growled, before letting out a heavy sigh and shaking her head. “You know, I can’t believe I’m about to say this but I’m sorry. I know you’ve heard far worse from me but that time you didn’t deserve it.” Asher threw her off by pressing his hand to her forehead. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Just checking to see if you were sick. You are a little warm. You sure you don’t have a fever? I’ve never known you to apologize to me. Like at all. This is new for me.” He cracked a grin. “Can we just stand here and enjoy it for a moment or two?” Her scowl returned, and while it was a record for the short amount of time it had taken for him to get under her skin, Asher knew he didn’t need to make matters worse. “Okay, in all seriousness. What’s going on?”
“Well, you’ve been away for a bit. And during that time, that precious nephew of yours found himself a boyfriend.” Another heavy sigh escaped her. “And that little fucker is the goddamn Anti-Christ! I swear it! He is worse than you. And if I stay in the house any longer, I am going to end up going to prison for murder.”
“Fuck. He’s worse than me?” Asher questioned as Evelyn nodded. “I’m really going to have to step my game up.”
“Don’t make me kick you in the balls.”
“Yeah, you got it.” Asher said, covering up his man parts. “So, what’s the dude’s deal?”
She sighed. “He broke his ankle and his parents are out of town. My lovely fiancé agreed to let him stay with us until they returned. And the little shit has been milking it for everything it is goddamn worth, and then some. Like he wants something to drink, we have to stop whatever we are doing to get it. He’s hungry? We have to fix him something to eat.” She grinded her teeth. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind helping but this is way over the top. And I love Adrina, but if I could go back so I could slap her and tell her no, I would.”
“Well, she does like that. Minus the telling her no part.” Asher looked toward the house. “What is the kid’s name?”
“Damian.”
“Jesus F. Christ. Of course, it is.” He sighed. “Does he not have any other family around?”
Evelyn nodded, furiously. “Yes, he does. Some cousin named Aidan. Cody said you two knew him.” Asher nodded as well, remembering Aidan and how he had helped him at various points in the past. “He’s the one that set Cody and Damian up. I’d like to smack the shit out of him, as well.”
“Yeah, I totally get it. Aidan is the victim of a tongue fucking courtesy of my nephew.”
“Oh, yes. You found them kissing in the basement.”
“Whatever you wish to call it. Either way, it was weird. And, it seems Cody has tried to keep it in the family. Props to that little shit, I guess. So, has anyone tried to call Aidan?”
She nodded once more. “We’ve all….” She stopped herself. “Adrina and I have tried, using the number Cody gave us, but we’ve not been able to get in touch with Aidan. God knows I’d love to.”
“Well, I know where he lives. If anything, I can run out there in a little bit and see what the fuck is going on with him. In the meantime, I can go in and slap the shit out of this Damian kid. If you’d like.” He stated, giving her a wink.
She threw her hands up. “I’m going for a walk. The thought of you two under my roof at the same time makes my blood pressure rise. So, I’ll go for my walk to clear my head. Whatever you do while I’m gone will be fine. Unless it has anything to do with touching my fiancé.” She threatened, giving a wink herself.
Asher nodded. “I’ve already been inside your fiancé. She’s damaged goods in my eyes. Besides,” He said, shaking his head. “I’m trying to grow up a little bit.”
“That’ll be the fucking day.” Evelyn said, before walking away and down the road, out of view, not giving Asher the chance to speak. He looked at the house once again, letting out a sigh as he questioned, based on the information he had received, whether he needed to go inside. Before he knew it, however, he was walking to the front door and stepping into the long corridor that led to the living room and kitchen.
“Honey, I’m home!” Asher shouted at the top of his lungs. It wasn’t long until Adrina showed her face, looking as striking as ever instead of damaged goods as he had stated just moments earlier. “Yo, ex-lady. Long time no see.”
“If only it hadn’t been so long, we may not have as big a problem as we do at the moment.” She replied, making an angry face in the process. “Would you like to kick your nephew’s ass, or do I get the pleasure of doing so?”
“Well, I don’t think either of us really need to do that. But your lady has updated me on the situation. I told her, just as I’ll tell you, that I will ride over to Aidan’s place. I bought it for him, so it won’t be any issue in tracking him down. Unless of course, he’s not there.”
“Why wouldn’t he be there?”
Asher shrugged. “I mean he could be working. I don’t know. I’ve not really seen him in the last few months. I figured he was set and could handle things on his own.”
Adrina nodded. “Well, whatever you can do, do it. And do it fast.”
“That sounded a little desperate.” He snickered. “Can I talk to my nephew first?”
“You don’t get it. It is like a never-ending thing with this kid, Damian.”
“Well, I heard you were the one who agreed to let him stay. Seems like you’re reaping what you’ve sowed.”
“Oh, shut up, Asher! I don’t need you to rub it in my face. I’ve not slept in days. Evelyn hasn’t either. Cody doesn’t seem to mind. Any time that we try to refuse, he gives us the biggest fucking guilt trip I’ve ever dealt with.”
Asher nodded. “Well, he definitely gets that from his mother. She was always able to pull one over on Mom and Dad when we were younger. But you need to put your foot down and tell Cody to fuck off.” He added. “I know you’ve always had a tough time with that, but you just have to.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
He looked at her slightly confused by her statement. “The only reason it sounds easy is because that’s exactly what it is. Cody is a tough kid. I know he’s been through a lot, just as I know that’s why you take it so easy on him. But fuck that, dude. Sometimes you just need to stick your foot in his ass.” He paused. “Maybe don’t stick anything in his ass since he’s apparently into that. Um…you can put him in time-out?” He threw his hands up, just like Evelyn had done earlier. “I’m clearly out of options. Unless you’re okay with like flicking him in the forehead or some shit.”
Adrina looked him, disgusted as she shook her head. “You really were dropped on your head as a child, weren’t you?”
“I can neither confirm nor deny whether there is any truth to that.” He replied with a slight smirk. He could tell Adrina was under a lot of stress and wanted to make her laugh. His comment got a little bit out of her, but he knew the stress would continue until Damian was out of her hair. He went to speak, only to stop due to the sudden ringing of what sounded like a dinner bell. “What the fuck is that?”
Adrina let out a heavy sigh as she rolled her eyes, looking even more defeated than before. “That would be his Majesty.”
Asher frowned. “And was that a fucking dinner bell that I heard?” She nodded. “Who had the bright idea to give him that?” She shot him a look, telling Asher that he should have known the answer to his question before he even asked. “Cody.” He sighed, shaking his head.
Adrina gave a sarcastic grin, stretching as far as it could. She looked practically manic. “Ding! Ding! Ding!” She groaned. “He asked for a sandwich before you got here. That’s probably what he’s bitching about. I’m surprised Cody has come in here asking where it is.”
He grinned. “I’m surprised you’re making sandwiches. I don’t think you ever made me one when I asked.”
“That was because you usually asked after sex.”
“I always worked up an appetite.”
“Well, on that note. I need to go grab his food and take it to him.” She began to walk by him, only to stop and they locked eyes. “You should really get Aidan on board with taking this kid in, and quick.”
“I mean, after all I’ve seen and heard, I can’t help but ask what’s in it for me? I feel I could really milk it for my benefit.”
She shook her head. “Evelyn was right. He is an asshole just like you. She seems to think he’s worse. I’m not so sure.”
“Well, let me do you one better.” Asher stated, stepping in front of her. “Let me take him his food and introduce myself. Maybe flick my nephew in the forehead or give him a roundhouse kick. Maybe both.”
“You really don’t need to do that.”
“And you don’t need to be a slave to some teenage punk who gives me a run for my money, apparently. Now, go take you a break or something. Get naked and soak in the tub as you wait for me.”
“You’re not that lucky.”
“So, I’ve learned.” He said, referring more to his recent run in the SCW instead of his sex life. He never had issues there. Asher watched as she walked away before he entered the kitchen. There was a tray with a few sandwiches, some chips, an apple, and a drink. Asher ate one of the sandwiches and took a few sips of the beverage before carrying the remainder into the living room as he heard the dinner bell ring once again. There he found Cody, and some long brown haired, tan, and blue-eyed behemoth on the couch, with his left ankle propped up, looking more pitiful than a monster.
Cody looked up. “Hey, Uncle Asher.”
“Hello nephew. And hello,” He said, locking eyes with the guy he presumed to be Damian. “Spawn of Satan…” Asher shook his head, letting out a slight chuckle. “I mean, Damian. Right?”
A sarcastic laugh escaped Damian’s lips. “Oh, boy. That is rich! Like I’ve not heard that one before.” The kid scoffed and rolled his eyes, before looking at Cody. “You didn’t tell me your family was filled with so many comedians.”
Asher sat the tray down. “How old are you, Damian?”
“Almost 18.”
“Almost.” Asher chuckled and sighed. “I have another joke for you then.”
“I can’t wait for this one.”
“I don’t blame you.” The former United States Champion replied. “If you were 18, I’d tell you to walk over here and say that to my face. Get it? Walk over here…” Asher gave a fake laugh. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I just crack myself up.”
“Dude.” Cody chimed in. “What the hell?”
Asher shrugged. “What do you want from me? I suck at wrestling. I’m really trying to be a comedian.”
“Well, you’re not very funny.” Damian added, as he started to lean over toward the tray. “You should probably work harder.”
“I’ll take that advice. Thanks, Damian.” Asher replied, before leaning down and grabbing the tray away from the kid. He grabbed another sandwich and scarfed it down.
Cody rolled his eyes. “Dude, those were for him. What are you doing?”
“I was taking his advice.” He looked at Damian. “Was that any better?” Damian looked away and Asher met his nephew’s gaze. “Hey, Cody. Can we talk in private, please?” Cody looked at Damian before looking back at his uncle, who snatched away the dinner bell just as well. “We won’t be long, so this won’t be needed.” He said, before walking out of the living room. He met his nephew in the hallway, just as he had with Adrina. The only difference was that he met Cody with a flick to the forehead.
“Ow! Goddamn, that hurt!” The kid exclaimed, rubbing the center of his forehead where a red mark had already begun to form. “What the hell was that for?”
I flicked him again out of spite. “Because you have Adrina bending over backwards for that kid when he is a fucking asshole.”
“I’m sure people have said that about you.” He replied, rubbing his forehead. I wanted to flick him again ultimately decided against it. “In fact, I know they have because I’ve said it myself.”
“This isn’t about me. Evelyn seems to be going far crazier than she normally is. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but your little…whatever the hell he is to you…is a lot worse than me. He takes asshole to a completely different level. Hell, after being around him for five minutes, I can tell he is playing his own goddamn game. And as your uncle and parental guardian, I don’t want you involved in that.” I stated, hoping I was making some sort of breakthrough with my nephew.
He looked at me, completely dumbfounded, or maybe it was that he simply didn’t give a shit about what I had to say. His next statement confirmed that I would have been correct to go with the second option. “Since when have you been my guardian? You’re never around, dude.”
“Probably since you were placed in my custody after your mother’s death. Does that ring a bell? Like at all?” I felt like I wanted to kick him in his balls for being such a prick. Between me and Damian, Cody didn’t need to go that route. He was too good a kid to do so. His words however, made me feel like he didn’t really know that he was. “Look.” I said with a sigh. “I just don’t want you getting into trouble. This guy reeks of it. I don’t want you going down the wrong path, Cody. That’s all.”
“Well, you don’t need to worry.” He stated with a scowl. “I’m fine. I know exactly what I’m going. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m going to fix my boyfriend some lunch since my asshole uncle ate what wasn’t his.”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes. “I’ve eaten what wasn’t mine more times than I care to count. But you go ahead and do that, Cody. His cousin is Aidan and I’m heading there now to see if I can set something up so Damian can take his shit ass grin over there. Adrina and Evelyn don’t need his bullshit.”
“Whatever.” Cody said before walking away. Another sigh escaped me before I walked through the hallway, going past the living room, catching a glimpse of Damian who gave me a little wave that made me want to throat punch him. I told myself he was lucky that I wasn’t such a violent person despite my chosen profession.
I found Evelyn and Adrina sitting outside near the pool. “I figured I’d find you ladies out here.” I gave a smirk. ‘I’m up for it, just in case you’re wondering.”
“Up for what?” Adrina asked, looking confused as well as frustrated. I knew it wasn’t sexually even if I was there. I knew it was all about Damian’s punk ass.
I didn’t let that stop me, however. I figured they needed a laugh and wanted to give it a shot, though Evelyn was drinking some scotch. “Skinny dipping. The three of us. It’s a hot day. You have a pool. We’re all fairly hot. And I’m only saying fairly hot because I don’t want anyone getting a big head. Though the more we talk about it, the bigger mine’s getting if you catch my drift.”
Evelyn rolled her eyes but gave a slight chuckle before guzzling down her scotch and pouring herself another. “You’re such an imbecile.” She stated and I knew I couldn’t deny it. “Have you managed to get in touch with the boy’s cousin at all? Or have you even tried?”
I shrugged. “I can’t say that I’ve really had the chance. I met Damian, and wanted to curb stomp him into oblivion almost instantly. But I’m leaving now to head over there.”
“Well.” Evelyn began. “Do all that you can to ensure this happens. I don’t want that little shit staying here any longer. I don’t know if you’ve noticed that or not.” She stated with a slight smirk of her own. There was a part of me that felt like I was slowly beginning to like Evelyn, and then I looked at the bottle of scotch, telling myself I was way too sober to think such a thought.
“No, I don’t think I’ve noticed.” I replied. “Do you think you guys can maintain until I get word, or would you like me to load his crippled ass into the car and drop him off at the nearest homeless shelter, or put concrete around his feet and dump him into Lake Michigan?”
“Asher. Stop.” Adrina stated, with a groan.
Evelyn laughed and shook her head. “Let me get a few more of these in me and ask me again.” She said, motioning to her glass which was almost completely empty once more. I felt like Evelyn could give me a run for my money in the drinking department, but that would have to be decided at a later time.
“Okay, okay. I will hold off on homicide. We all can’t go to prison. Cody clearly can’t take care of himself.” I said, taking a quick glance into the living room window, just in time to see my nephew bringing Damian some food. “He doesn’t make good life choices.”
“He gets it honest.” I heard Adrina say. I knew that I would have argued that point normally, but I also knew that I didn’t have a winning dog in that fight. I simply chuckled and nodded my head, before saying my goodbyes and getting back out onto the road.
When I got to Aidan’s, I figured I’d find him passed out of the couch from a long day’s work. I figured I’d find the apartment I set him up with to be in damn near pristine condition. Hell, I even figured I’d find a lovely young lady cooking him some lunch to surprise him with. But when I got there, I had gotten nothing of the sort.
I did find him on the floor, a belt loosely wrapped around his arm, with a needle barely grazing the skin. I could tell by the fresh track mark that he had recently used. I called 911 while I held him in my arms. I had saved the guy and helped him get on his feet. It had been months however, since I’d last seen him. When the paramedics arrived, I got out of the way to sulk on my own as they went to work. I told myself I needed to be in his life even more, which reminded me of what Cody had said. That I was never really around.
I rode with him in the ambulance and I waited in the lobby for some time before I was told that Aidan would be fine. That I had found him just in time. That I did the right thing for making the call. I didn’t say much. I just nodded, telling myself that if I stayed in his life, Aidan may not have made the choices he had. That he may not have relapsed.
I brought out my phone and sighed heavily as I made another call. Adrina answered. “Hello?”
“Hey.”
“I was wondering when you were going to call. Did you get sidetracked with…I don’t know…stopping for a drink and meeting some girl?”
I wanted to ask if she was jealous, but I didn’t. The situation didn’t call for jokes, and for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like doing so. I let out another sigh, running my free hand over my face. “No, no. None of that. I went to Aidan’s just as I said I would. And…”
She cut me off before I could finish. “And he said no, didn’t he?” She asked, and I could just sense the disappointment in her voice. “I can’t wait to let Evelyn hear about this one.” Adrina sighed as well. “I thought you said he’d take him in. That he was a good guy.”
“Adrina, if you’d let me finish…” My voice trailed off and I groaned.
“Ash, what’s wrong?” She asked, and it made me miss the times when she’d find me down and out, ready to give up. Her concern would transition to love and care, which in turn would give me hope.
“I went to his place. There wasn’t an answer when I knocked. I still have a key to the place since my name is still on the lease. I went inside, and I found him.” I exhaled deeply. “I found him, and Aidan was ODing. He had been using again.”
“Jesus. Ash, I’m sorry. Especially that you had to see that.”
“Yeah. Definitely not what I expected.” I sighed again. “But the docs tell me he’s going to be okay. I don’t know when he’ll get out of here, but it seems like you’re stuck with Damian.”
“Yeah, yeah of course.” She replied. “That sucks beyond words, but Damian doesn’t need to be around that. No kid should be.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” I said, before silence fell between us. My mind wandered a bit, picturing all the times she had seen me high. All the times that Cody could have seen me high had it not been for her, or my sister, protecting him from me. Adrina spoke again, bringing me from my thoughts, asking if I was alright, once again. “I think so. I hope so. I just can’t help but feel like I could have done more.”
“What could you have done?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged, before leaning back in my seat, and staring at the ceiling for a moment, afraid to close my eyes in fear of seeing images of Aidan nearing death. “I can’t help but feel now, that I abandoned the guy. I got him set up with a place and sort of disappeared. I knew he was an addict. I know it is an everyday battle, and yet I left him alone. I should have stuck around a lot longer than I did.”
“Asher.” She began. “You don’t need to sit there and blame yourself. That is probably the worst thing you could do. Like you said, you’ve dealt with being an addict. Placing blame on yourself is liable to lead to other things, because you want to make that go away. And I don’t want you to do that. Just as I know, deep down, you don’t want to do that. Especially with all the progress you’ve made over the last few years.”
I sighed. “Yeah, you’re right.” I sighed again. “So, what are you going to do about your Damian problem?”
“I don’t know. I guess we will have to deal with it. I agreed to take him in, and now with him out of options for places to go, I can’t just throw him out. Even if I’d want to.”
“Yeah, I can understand that. Just don’t let him run you guys over, because he seems to enjoy that. And don’t let Cody do it, either.”
“I can handle Cody.’ She said. “What are you going to do?”
“I wish I knew.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“Neither do I.” I looked over to find Aidan’s doctor walking toward me. “Let me jump off here. The doc is coming back over.”
“Asher.” She said.
“Yeah?”
“Take care of yourself.”
I clinched the phone tightly for a moment, hanging onto those words before I finally managed to reply. “You, too.” I ended the call and got to my feet, shaking hands with the doctor. “Hey, doc. What’s up?”
“I wanted to come by and say our patient was able to talk for a little bit. He wanted to see you, after I told him who found him, but I saw you were on the phone.”
“Is he still awake?” I asked, feeling some relief.
“Unfortunately, he’s resting now. But you’re free to come back tomorrow.”
“Yeah.” I said, with a nod. “I’ll do that. Thank you for all you’ve done.”
We shook hands once more. “Thank you for what you did, Mr. Hayes. He’s lucky to have a friend like you.” I said nothing other than giving a nod. He walked away and I asked myself if I really was a good friend? If Aidan was lucky? I thought about all this, as well as the fact that my nephew was with an asshole. Someone just like me. I told myself there was good in me, so there had to be good in Damian as well, right? I arrived home and found myself in the kitchen, with a bottle of Jack and an empty glass. Adrina knew me better than anyone. She knew how I dealt with shitty situations. I poured a shot and lifted it to my lips, before something else caught my eye. I saw my laptop, which caused me to remember my last conversation with my therapist, how he told me to write. I put the glass down and sat down in front of my laptop as it rested on the coffee table. I turned it on, pulled up a blank document. My eyes stared deeply at the blinking cursor for what felt like an eternity, before I cracked my knuckles and pressed my fingers to the keys, hoping to find peace in the words.
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