It is another bright and sunny day in New York City, and the parks and touristy areas of the city are abuzz with throngs of people. In a table set outside a small food-and-drinks booth in one of these areas sits none other than the ACW “Alpha Female”, Jacqui M. As she sits sipping from the tall glass of beer in front of her, New York’s premiere female wrestler seems, however, to be less than relaxed, starting at every sudden noise or movement, and getting defensive the minute someone comes closer to her – even when it happens to be a fan asking for her autograph.
As she apologises to the kid, duly scrawling her name in his autograph book, she spots something over the fan’s shoulder, which finally seems to set her at ease. As for the boy, he ends up being lucky enough to get a two-for-one, as approaching the table at that exact moment is none other than fellow ACW erZack Bronko , accompanied by his pretty brunette wife, Nikki, and their four-year-old son, Matthew.
As the seven-footer similarly graces the young man with a scrawl on his notebook, Jacqui smiles pleasantly at the nuclear family, inviting them to take a seat. Noticing that there are not enough chairs, she then gets up and walks over to the next table, where a man is sitting reading the paper. The wrestler begins to drag away the vacant seat, but the man quickly protests:
Man: Hey! That’s MY chair!
This, however, only makes Jacqui all the more determined. The blonde yanks away the chair, glaring at the man dangerously, and all the bluster is suddenly drained out of him. He holds his hands up in a sign of peace and returns to his paper, while Jacqui drags the chair over to where Bronko is standing, chuckling openly at the whole scene.
Jacqui M: Here.
She plops the chair in front of her workmate, who slowly takes a seat. Then, once the female wrestler has regained her own seat, he turns to her and formally introduces the two women:
Zack Bronko: Nikki, this is Jacqui Monroe. Jacqui, my wife, Nikki Bronko.
As the two shake hands, Nikki is a little wary, but it is Jacqui’s turn to chuckle, as she reads into the other woman’s expression:
Jacqui M: Don’t worry, honey. Your hubby’s safe. I’m not the kind of woman who messes with married guys. If you guys were still dating, though, you’d have to watch out…
Nikki smiles, surprising her interloper by giving as good as she got:
Nikki Bronko: If we were still dating, honey, you’d have to go over my dead body to get to Zack!
This draws a delighted guffaw out of the “Alpha Female”, who motions to high-five Mrs. Bronko:
Jacqui M: You said it, sister! You’re my kind’a woman!
Nikki giggles, high-fiving her new friend, as little Matthew applauds. As for Jacqui, she turns to Bronko, her tone suddenly no-nonsense:
Jacqui M: Hey, dude…first of all…thanks for standing up for me. And no hard feelings about that match, eh?
The ‘Badass’ nods:
Zack Bronko: Don’t worry.
Clearly satisfied with the answer, the blonde quickly continues:
Jacqui M: This whole thing is pissing me off, though. This suspension is bullsh…
Glancing at the little boy on Nikki’s lap, the blonde quickly redacts herself:
Jacqui M: …bull poop. And that Demon’s still running rampant over there! Hell, if they’re not careful, he may go after Ashley next! Or that backstage bimbo!
Zack, who by this point is leaning forward and listening interestedly, merely nods, seemingly having nothing to add to what his friend is saying. Jacqui, however, seems to take this as a sign of disinterest, as her next few words are a bit more forceful:
Jacqui M: I just can’t let it happen, Zack! I can’t let any more women go through what I went through! They won’t survive it! Hell, *I* barely did! And I don’t wish that on anybody. Well, maybe on Claressa King, but nobody else!
The seven-footer guffaws again, surprised at the lengths of the blonde’s hatred for her former boss. Then, seeing that she is glaring at him, he quickly appeases her:
Zack Bronko: I wasn’t laughing at you! It’s just that you *really* hate her, don’t you?
Jacqui nods defiantly, as Zack continues:
Zack Bronko: Anyway, I’ve tried to talk to John, but he’s not listening…
The blonde nods again, as if she were expecting this:
Jacqui M: Of course he’s not. He probably thinks the Demon is just some moron going ‘round playing serial killer! Typical macho bull…crap, really! But I’m not gonna stand for it. They wanna suspend me?! Fine! I don’t need permission to wrestle!
Here, Zack cuts in:
Zack Bronko: He said the suspension was for your own good…
Jacqui M: Of course he did! Hell, I know what his reasoning was! But he didn’t need to *suspend* me, Zack! I would have accepted time off! Hell, it would have done me good! But not this way, man…not this way! With this little stunt, John McHenry just made himself an enemy!
Bronko cuts in once again, trying to appease his temperamental friend:
Zack Bronko: Take it easy, kiddo. Don’t go blowin’ your chances and makin’ an enemy out of everybody just to prove a point. Think it through. I’ll help you, if you want.
Jacqui M grins:
Jacqui M: Actually, that’s what I called you here for…to ask your help. But it’s gotta be for right away. We can’t bide our time with this creep. So I gotta know, Zack…are you in or out?
Zack hesitates for a while, clearly considering the pros against the cons in the proposed situation. Then, he steals a glance at his wife, who nods almost imperceptibly. A hint of a grin crosses the seven-footer’s face, and he turns to Jacqui:
Zack Bronko: OK, kiddo. You got me. As long as it’s nothing illegal.
The “Alpha Female” smirks:
Jacqui M: Don’t worry. I’m not that dumb. And Zack…thanks.
Zack nods in acknowledgment, as the two fast friends share a grin once again. Then, Jacqui’s tone once again becomes business-like, as she orders another beer from the man at the counter:
Jacqui M: Right. I hope you guys have some free time right now. ‘Cause we need to talk strategy.
(Permission to use the Bronkos)
