[Sam Marlowe]

 The past few weeks had been hard for Sam Marlowe.  Oh she was a champion in Sin City Wrestling and on a bit of a winning streak as the Roulette champion of the Bombshells.  But recent events have colored her thoughts and luckily she hasn’t been in the ring to defend the title but this week, she was to face Mercedes Vargas in a title defense on Climax Control that could see Mercedes make history.

Sam couldn’t let that happen…

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The slamming of a door against a wall announced the arrival of an older lady who stops in the doorway then moves towards a lectern at the front of the class room full of college students and a very familiar redhead who isn’t really paying attention to the chaos around her as her focus is on the small IPad mini in her hands.  The screen has writing across it that Sam is intent on as the elderly professor coughs to get the class to quiet down.

“Good morning,” she says in a soft british accent with an accompanying smile.  â€œToday we are to read the poems that you were tasked to write from last week.  Now who should be ask to start us off?”

Sam wasn’t watching as the professor was moving along the students.  Sam’s attention was focused on the email that she had open on her tablet.  In it, she was reading about a relapse that her small ill fan had taken.  She didn’t know that the professor had stopped behind her and was leaning over her shoulder.

“Why don’t we start with our somewhat famous student, Samantha Marlowe,” commented the professor with a smirk that indicates her contempt for the young wrestler.

“Huh?” replies Sam as her attention is caught with the snickering and laughing of her classmates as the professor taps her knuckles on the desk in front of Sam.  

“We felt that you being famous would be an advantage to stepping up to the front of the class and giving us the benefit of your ability,” adds the professor with a lilt in her voice.

Sam looks down at the email she had been reading then up at her professor before she slides out of the desk and moves to the lectern and puts the IPad on the stand and then looks up at her fellow classmates before she begins to speak.

“I wrote this about my friend Keith who is very sick and doesn’t have long left, and I titled it Tears,” says Sam as she coughs and begins to read off the IPad.

Tears
Each tear I cry gives number
To every heartache I have inside
It is the physical evidence
I try so hard to hide
I cannot let you see it
Or even know it's there
For you will find it weakness
Because it shows how much I care
Dry eyed I must be
And strong so you don't know
The hurt I feel, deep inside
I pray it doesn't show.
So I will cry tomorrow
After you have gone away
For I don't want these tears of mine
To make you feel you must stay.

The class was quiet as Sam looks up, her eyes glittering slightly at the emotions she had put into the poem.  Suddenly a slow clap begins from the professor who speaks up.  â€œThat was beautiful.  Good job,” says the professor as she motions for the next person to move to the lectern.  

Sam grabs her IPad and once more slides into her seat and then slumps into it.  A soft ping gets Sam’s attention as an email arrives.  Reading the email, the glitter in her eyes spills over as a trail of tears slides down her face.  With a soft sigh, she reaches for the IPad and them getting to her feet, she moves towards the door only to be stopped by the clipped accent of the professor.

“Where are you going miss?” demands the professor.

“I have to go and see someone who is asking for me,” replies Sam without stopping.  She slams out of the room and heads down the hallway, blurry vision from the tears falling from her eyes that she doesn’t see the person she slams into.   Mumbling an apology.

Sam Marlowe stands in the hospital hallway as she waits outside of a room with a bear in her hand and a grim look on her face.  She is wringing her hands as she looks through the glass at the small boy who is laying in the bed connected with wires and tubes and surrounded by staff and family.  The boy turns his head and he spies Sam who smiles and waves to Keith as he motions her inside the room.

Moving into the room, Sam fights a smile onto her face as she gets closer.  â€œHey Keithie, how you doing buddy?” she asks the small boy.

“I sick,” he replies softly as he motions at the beeping machine nearby.  â€œThey say that I gotta keep the machine beeping.”  

Sam sits on the side of the bed and hands him the bear for him to cuddle with.  

“Daddy says you have the title and you are fighting for it at the next show,” he says.

“Yeah, facing Mercedes for the belt and I can’t wait to face her,” admits Sam as she nods.  â€œShe’s looking to beat me and I am looking to keep my title.  So are you going to be watching?”

Keith nods with a big smile.  The scene fades out on the pair talking quietly.

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Sam Marlowe is standing in the interview area in front of the CC logo dressed in street clothes with her belt on her shoulder and her red curls framing it.  Smiling for the camera, Sam begins to speak.

“Mercedes we have our match coming up and it is your chance to make history in Sin City Wrestling if you win this match against me.  But I have to remind you about something,” says Sam and looks at the lens.  â€œI have been lately been the spoiler here in SCW.”

Sam smiles as she shoulders the belt better and begins to speak once more.

“I bet you are wondering what I am talking about when I say spoiler.  Take for instance my non title match against Polly Playtime.  Now she got it into her head that she was going to earn her way to the title by facing five bombshells that when she beat them, it would prove that she was worthy to challenge for the Bombshell title and when she stepped up to me in my element, she didn’t do so well.  Because I was a spoiler for that night.  I spoiled it for her because she wouldn’t be able to say that she was good enough to beat me and ergo, she shouldn’t even be challenging for the title…which by the way I heard she is but that is another story,” offers Sam.  

“Then of course we have our little rivalry between us and yes you beat me and I have beaten you so both of us know that we do have each other’s numbers when it counts and believe you me, when this match happens for the Bombshell roulette title, I am going to be doin’ my dangedest to keep this title on my shoulder,” offers Sam, “and that means that I am going to have to take the fight to you and hope like hell that the wheel is feelin’ pretty good for me.  See for the last little while, I have been on this streak of wins that have been giving me my confidence back and well, not to be cocky or anything, I kinda like hearing my name at the end of the match as my music plays and I hear Justin saying ‘Winner of the match…SAM Marlowe!’ and climbing those turnbuckles and revelling in the waves of fan appreciation.”

Sam pauses for a moment as she takes a deep breath and let’s her hand caress the belt, a quick flash of sadness crossing her face.  â€œYou know that this week as well has been rather hard because my buddy Keith is really sick and when we were talking at the hospital, he gave me some really good words of advice.  He told me that he has to keep the machine beeping.  You know what Mercedes, I realized that is what I have to do for my fans like Keithie.  I have to keep the machine beeping here in SCW.  I have to keep coming to the ring and giving it my all for the fans and in return they give me something that you won’t be able to overcome…”

Sam’s hand continues to caress the belt as the sadness is slowly replaced by a look of confidence.

“Those fans give me the will to keep fighting and to keep winning over bombshells in the company who write me off like I am nothing.  After Climax Control and our title match, you won’t be able to write me off you know.  Because you see, this title I hold…” says Sam as she pulls the belt off her shoulder.  â€œThis isn’t just my title, this isn’t just a belt that looks pretty around a bombshell’s waist or on her shoulder.  You see, this belt is a symbol for the fans.  This is for them to know that the bombshell holding it came out and gave it her all for them.  And I don’t know if you have noticed Mercedes but that symbol describes me to a tee!  So come Sunday when we step in the ring, one bombshell is going to walk out with this title and I apologize now Mercedes but that bombshell is going to be me.”

With that vow, Sam once more shoulders the belt and moves out of camera view before the mage turns to static.