Post by joss on Nov 18, 2024 0:44:03 GMT -8
Ray Dougie sighed as he read his head trainer Nathan Callaghan’s message where his request for a day off at the Crucible Academy was met with a very stern refusal. He had gone into the match against Boston Finest feeling much better after a night out drinking with Leonardo Martinez, his friend from the rival Nightfall faction, and even hooking up with one of the super flirty girls they met later. But for whatever reason, his mind flipped back the switch and he started second-guessing every move he made in that ring. He remembered the confused look on Kenny’s face before getting rocked by Summer in that one millisecond of taking his eyes off the prize. Once again, he was the reason why the brothers lost. Even though the younger Dougie expressed concern for him with zero blame after the match, Ray felt absolutely guilty. Needless to say, it was gonna be another sleepless night for him tonight.
True enough, he hadn’t slept a wink until the last hour before sunrise where his eyelids finally grew heavy as he found himself nodding off while sitting upright in his bed, listening to music. He woke himself up when he swayed to one side and it took him a moment to realize where he was. He quickly checked his phone for the time before rubbing sleep from his eyes. Then forced himself out of bed to freshen up with a shower, something to jolt the senses for a mind reset. He knew he was going to need it when talking with Nathan later. The man was old school, much like his own father was growing up, yet Ray didn’t know exactly what to expect from someone like Nathan so he wanted to be prepared.
After getting dressed in a clean shirt and jeans combo to look as presentable as possible, Ray waited for a while before promptly making his way to Nathan’s office as told. With an inaudible inhale, he knocked on the door, each of the two knocks good and crisp with no hint of the anxiety-jumbled thoughts racing through his mind right now.
"Get in here, Dougie," Nathan Callaghan barked from behind his desk, not bothering to look up from the paperwork he was reviewing. His tone was sharp, leaving no room for hesitation. As Ray entered, Nathan finally lifted his gaze, his eyes narrowing with a mix of disappointment and irritation. "You think this is a game? You want a day off after that pathetic performance? Sit down." He gestured to the chair opposite him, his expression unyielding.
Ray just swallowed his pride and trudged over to the chair and sat down. He kept his posture straight and his face devoid of any visible emotions, at least as much as he could, only his left foot was softly tapping against the leg of the chair. He didn’t even answer Nathan’s questioning, just kept quiet and looked at him like he was waiting for more berating. There was no defiance in his expression either. Just… nothing.
Nathan’s glare could have burned a hole through steel as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk. “Look at you,” he growled, gesturing to Ray with a sharp flick of his hand. “Sitting there like some damn deer in headlights. You know why you’re here, or do I need to spell it out for you?”
He didn’t wait for a response.
“That performance last night was a joke. You think guilt fixes anything? You think I care about your late-night adventures, how you make breakfast for those dumb sluts on Legion or how guilty you feel about screwing up in the ring?” He scoffed, leaning back, the chair creaking ominously under the weight of his frustration. "You feel sorry for yourself? Good. Means you still got some shred of humanity left in you. But the second you step into my ring, I don’t give a damn about your feelings, Dougie."
Nathan’s voice dropped, sharper now, colder. "So tell me: Are you wasting my time here, or are you ready to do what it takes to stop dragging your brother—and yourself—down? Because if you aren’t, there’s the door."
Finally at this point there’s some emotion in Ray’s features as he shot Nathan a look. But he still kept his cool as he considered his words carefully. This was really a lot like the times being told off by his father, the managers from his countless former odd jobs that fired him for his seemingly lack of drive and focus and his previous trainer who didn’t take him and his brother seriously.
Keeping a steady gaze on the head trainer, Ray breathed out a sigh and said as calmly as he could, “I’m ready to do what it takes, yes. I just wanted a day off to clear my head, regroup. But hey, if you’re not gonna grant that and instead want me to dive back into training and kill myself till I finally get a win around here, then who am I argue with you? You know exactly how to get us there, right? You got all the knowledge to pass on and all that. So I’ll be there. Tell me when. After breakfast? Lunch? Right now?”
Well there went the rebellion in him rising again suddenly and he couldn’t stop it. That frustration was just kept beneath the surface and the more he spoke, the more it wanted to be heard.
Nathan’s lips curled into a sneer, his hand slapping the desk so hard the sound reverberated through the room. “There it is,” he growled, leaning forward like a wolf closing in on its prey. “There’s that attitude I’ve been waiting to see. You finally grew a spine, huh? Too bad you’re still using it to whine instead of taking responsibility.”
He stood, looming over the desk, his voice growing sharper with every word. “You think I’m here to hold your hand? You think I give a damn about your breakfast or your lunch schedule? This isn’t a daycare, Dougie. I don’t coddle failures, and I sure as hell don’t waste my time with people who think they’ve got it all figured out while they’re sitting dead last.”
Nathan paced now, his boots thudding against the floor like a metronome of judgment. “You want to ‘regroup’? You want a day off to clear your head? Newsflash, kid: life doesn’t give you days off. It kicks your ass when you’re down, and if you don’t learn to stand up and fight back, you’re never gonna make it.”
He stopped abruptly, turning to glare down at Ray, his voice a low snarl. “You want to know when you’re training? Now. You’re not walking out of here until you’ve put in the work. And if you think for one second I’ll let you get away with coasting by, you’re even dumber than you look. So get your ass to the gym, Dougie. Prove to me you’re not the waste of potential everyone seems to think you are.”
Nathan jabbed a finger toward the door, his gaze unflinching. “Or don’t. Walk out. But if you do, don’t bother coming back. This is your line in the sand, kid. Cross it, or stay on the side with all the other losers who couldn’t cut it.”
It took every fibre of his being not to shoot back but Ray really held back, almost desperately, as he took in every verbal blow. He didn’t even realize he was now gripping the chair arm tightly. As he forced himself to relax his hand, he took his time to steady his breathing before speaking.
“Okay. You want me at the gym now? I’ll go. I told you, I’ll do the work. And I’ll keep my mouth shut and my head down. Whatever you say, I’ll do it. Whatever it takes. I…” he hesitated but his tongue was working faster than his brain could stop him, “…don’t want to be left behind. I don’t wanna be last. Not again. I’ll catch up. I swear. Please don’t give up on me yet.”
His voice kind of trailed off a bit at the end there. Even he was surprised at the vulnerable confession he just made there. After everything, there was still that appreciation in him for being accepted into Crucible and the faction, which he knew he owed it all to Nathan. It was as tough love as he could get and like the other trainers Sean and Brendan mentioned, maybe this was what Ray needed to finally pull himself out of this slump. It was time he was serious about not just his place in the Academy but also life in general. He had always dreamed about being a professional wrestler since he was a kid so now that he’s gotten the opportunity to be trained by the likes of Nathan, why sabotage himself like he always did? He needed to recalibrate and there was a lot. But if Nathan said he could do it without taking a day off and just continue working then that’s what he was going to do. His way clearly hadn’t been working so why not try Nathan’s? Thinking about his fellow faction mates who had been a lot more successful than him and his brother, he was slowly coming around to the idea that he had been the wrong one and Nathan the right one the whole time.
When he looked up at his head trainer, he said nothing else and waited. But Nathan just pointed at the door so Ray stood up and took his leave with no further arguments. He went straight to change into his training gear before beginning the hard road to his own redemption. Along with the pressure of at least getting a win next time, he also hoped that this wasn’t a mistake.
True enough, he hadn’t slept a wink until the last hour before sunrise where his eyelids finally grew heavy as he found himself nodding off while sitting upright in his bed, listening to music. He woke himself up when he swayed to one side and it took him a moment to realize where he was. He quickly checked his phone for the time before rubbing sleep from his eyes. Then forced himself out of bed to freshen up with a shower, something to jolt the senses for a mind reset. He knew he was going to need it when talking with Nathan later. The man was old school, much like his own father was growing up, yet Ray didn’t know exactly what to expect from someone like Nathan so he wanted to be prepared.
After getting dressed in a clean shirt and jeans combo to look as presentable as possible, Ray waited for a while before promptly making his way to Nathan’s office as told. With an inaudible inhale, he knocked on the door, each of the two knocks good and crisp with no hint of the anxiety-jumbled thoughts racing through his mind right now.
"Get in here, Dougie," Nathan Callaghan barked from behind his desk, not bothering to look up from the paperwork he was reviewing. His tone was sharp, leaving no room for hesitation. As Ray entered, Nathan finally lifted his gaze, his eyes narrowing with a mix of disappointment and irritation. "You think this is a game? You want a day off after that pathetic performance? Sit down." He gestured to the chair opposite him, his expression unyielding.
Ray just swallowed his pride and trudged over to the chair and sat down. He kept his posture straight and his face devoid of any visible emotions, at least as much as he could, only his left foot was softly tapping against the leg of the chair. He didn’t even answer Nathan’s questioning, just kept quiet and looked at him like he was waiting for more berating. There was no defiance in his expression either. Just… nothing.
Nathan’s glare could have burned a hole through steel as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk. “Look at you,” he growled, gesturing to Ray with a sharp flick of his hand. “Sitting there like some damn deer in headlights. You know why you’re here, or do I need to spell it out for you?”
He didn’t wait for a response.
“That performance last night was a joke. You think guilt fixes anything? You think I care about your late-night adventures, how you make breakfast for those dumb sluts on Legion or how guilty you feel about screwing up in the ring?” He scoffed, leaning back, the chair creaking ominously under the weight of his frustration. "You feel sorry for yourself? Good. Means you still got some shred of humanity left in you. But the second you step into my ring, I don’t give a damn about your feelings, Dougie."
Nathan’s voice dropped, sharper now, colder. "So tell me: Are you wasting my time here, or are you ready to do what it takes to stop dragging your brother—and yourself—down? Because if you aren’t, there’s the door."
Finally at this point there’s some emotion in Ray’s features as he shot Nathan a look. But he still kept his cool as he considered his words carefully. This was really a lot like the times being told off by his father, the managers from his countless former odd jobs that fired him for his seemingly lack of drive and focus and his previous trainer who didn’t take him and his brother seriously.
Keeping a steady gaze on the head trainer, Ray breathed out a sigh and said as calmly as he could, “I’m ready to do what it takes, yes. I just wanted a day off to clear my head, regroup. But hey, if you’re not gonna grant that and instead want me to dive back into training and kill myself till I finally get a win around here, then who am I argue with you? You know exactly how to get us there, right? You got all the knowledge to pass on and all that. So I’ll be there. Tell me when. After breakfast? Lunch? Right now?”
Well there went the rebellion in him rising again suddenly and he couldn’t stop it. That frustration was just kept beneath the surface and the more he spoke, the more it wanted to be heard.
Nathan’s lips curled into a sneer, his hand slapping the desk so hard the sound reverberated through the room. “There it is,” he growled, leaning forward like a wolf closing in on its prey. “There’s that attitude I’ve been waiting to see. You finally grew a spine, huh? Too bad you’re still using it to whine instead of taking responsibility.”
He stood, looming over the desk, his voice growing sharper with every word. “You think I’m here to hold your hand? You think I give a damn about your breakfast or your lunch schedule? This isn’t a daycare, Dougie. I don’t coddle failures, and I sure as hell don’t waste my time with people who think they’ve got it all figured out while they’re sitting dead last.”
Nathan paced now, his boots thudding against the floor like a metronome of judgment. “You want to ‘regroup’? You want a day off to clear your head? Newsflash, kid: life doesn’t give you days off. It kicks your ass when you’re down, and if you don’t learn to stand up and fight back, you’re never gonna make it.”
He stopped abruptly, turning to glare down at Ray, his voice a low snarl. “You want to know when you’re training? Now. You’re not walking out of here until you’ve put in the work. And if you think for one second I’ll let you get away with coasting by, you’re even dumber than you look. So get your ass to the gym, Dougie. Prove to me you’re not the waste of potential everyone seems to think you are.”
Nathan jabbed a finger toward the door, his gaze unflinching. “Or don’t. Walk out. But if you do, don’t bother coming back. This is your line in the sand, kid. Cross it, or stay on the side with all the other losers who couldn’t cut it.”
It took every fibre of his being not to shoot back but Ray really held back, almost desperately, as he took in every verbal blow. He didn’t even realize he was now gripping the chair arm tightly. As he forced himself to relax his hand, he took his time to steady his breathing before speaking.
“Okay. You want me at the gym now? I’ll go. I told you, I’ll do the work. And I’ll keep my mouth shut and my head down. Whatever you say, I’ll do it. Whatever it takes. I…” he hesitated but his tongue was working faster than his brain could stop him, “…don’t want to be left behind. I don’t wanna be last. Not again. I’ll catch up. I swear. Please don’t give up on me yet.”
His voice kind of trailed off a bit at the end there. Even he was surprised at the vulnerable confession he just made there. After everything, there was still that appreciation in him for being accepted into Crucible and the faction, which he knew he owed it all to Nathan. It was as tough love as he could get and like the other trainers Sean and Brendan mentioned, maybe this was what Ray needed to finally pull himself out of this slump. It was time he was serious about not just his place in the Academy but also life in general. He had always dreamed about being a professional wrestler since he was a kid so now that he’s gotten the opportunity to be trained by the likes of Nathan, why sabotage himself like he always did? He needed to recalibrate and there was a lot. But if Nathan said he could do it without taking a day off and just continue working then that’s what he was going to do. His way clearly hadn’t been working so why not try Nathan’s? Thinking about his fellow faction mates who had been a lot more successful than him and his brother, he was slowly coming around to the idea that he had been the wrong one and Nathan the right one the whole time.
When he looked up at his head trainer, he said nothing else and waited. But Nathan just pointed at the door so Ray stood up and took his leave with no further arguments. He went straight to change into his training gear before beginning the hard road to his own redemption. Along with the pressure of at least getting a win next time, he also hoped that this wasn’t a mistake.