Vanessa Price had been working hard at her fencing training. Determined, eager, and exuberant as ever, she was an exceptional student. It was just a matter of tempering her great talent into the perfect talent. And it was something that Vanessa didn’t take lightly–she threw her all into her training, knowing that the tournament was just around the corner. The best of the best would be there from her age range. It would be the toughest competition.
Vanessa Price wanted to win.
It was time to leave, and one of her family’s limousines had already pulled up, waiting to take her home from the facility she had been training at. Vanessa stepped inside, thanking her driver, and then was surprised to see her father in the back. Harrison Price was a man who was respected among his peers. He had expectations, and he met them through making sure everyone in his company met them as well. He demanded nothing less than his high expectations, and if they weren’t able to meet them, he cut them off. This extended to his daughter, too.
It was rare Harrison went out of his way to meet Vanessa after practice. She knew it was for a purpose. Harrison, having been so successful at fencing before at her age, reminded her of it. A bonding moment between the two, where she said she hoped to win, just like him. He stopped her, and with a smile that was, in a word, content, he said to her that he expected her to win. That content smile was just polite, and Vanessa had seen it so many times before. He had mastered it in his business dealings, when making his expectations known.
She answered that the competition is tough. They were a gifted batch of competitors, and it was often so close between all of them who would come out on top. Harrison answered with a nod, at first. And a moment later said, “Your initials are not a mistake. VIP. Very Important Person. The middle name came before your first name–your grandmother’s name, Ida.” He continued to explain, “Because when you were born into this family, you are a Very Important Person by default. But amongst other important people, you need to keep being the most important one.” A content smile. The hand on her shoulder. “That includes being at the top of whatever you are involved in. Be it CEO of a business, like me, the favorite guest at a party, or the champion of a competition.”
He narrowed his explanation further. “You’re among the elite in fencing. Important, yes. But very important? No, that’s reserved for the best,” Harrison stated, patting Vanessa’s shoulder once. “I know you’re better than to rely on hope though.” Vanessa understood, now.
Vanessa Price needed to win.
Training became more intense. The days went on longer. Vanessa got worn down, but she needed to win. As she got worn down, her body wasn’t able to keep up with her. And days before the competition, she had torn something in her shoulder, just trying to go a little too hard. Her doctor recommended not competing, lest she aggravate it further. That was impossible though to Vanessa. She couldn’t avoid competing. She needed to push on.
And she pushed, somehow going through the competition and overcoming. Vanessa had done everything she could to resist the pain in her shoulder though. One match after another, she eventually made it to the semifinals. It was then that her arm had locked up. Her opponent had pierced her, and she was eliminated, now fourth place.
Vanessa Price had lost.
Her disappointment was intense. It was important for Vanessa to win–very important. Despite thinking how important it was, she hadn’t realized just how much. That is, until she looked up in the bleachers where her father stood. Harrison had waited until Vanessa had locked eyes with him. He wanted her to see him. And he turned and left. No content or polite smile. Not congratulations for Vanessa getting this far in the tournament. Just a shake of his head before he left.
Harrison barely saw his daughter after that, for a long while. To this day, they never spoke about her placement in the fencing tournament. She knew precisely what he thought of her performance. It hurt her, seeing precisely how disappointed her father was in her. And it made clear that she needed to meet each and every one of his expectations. And she couldn’t let him down again–and further, she couldn’t let herself down. She was a Very Important Person, and she needed to present herself as one.
Vanessa I. Price now understood the importance of winning.
And Vanessa I. Price was going to make sure she won from that moment forward.
—-------
Vanessa I. Price was standing backstage with a scowl on her face. She adjusted the short tie that matched her business-style top as she watched her opponent for the Apex Match come out to the ring. It was none other than Amber Skye, one half of the Pom Pom Punchers. A pair of wrestlers Vanessa never had any interaction with, but certainly didn’t hold much respect for. She thought she deserved better than the one member of that team that couldn’t even stay healthy.
The fashionista’s lip furled as she continued to watch the entrance. Her disdain was palpable, but it tended to skew that way before any match–especially a match of this magnitude. Price had an opportunity to win the Apex and become the Openweight Champion, something that would certainly be a prize worthy of her. She just needed to go through this cheerleader to prove she deserved it.
There was certainly nothing VIP would stop at to do so. At the very least, there wasn’t a limit for her now. She had used and abused every opponent in her matches thusfar.
She had overheard Grace Kenning’s dismissive attitude towards her, and Vanessa I. Price took her into the ring and humiliated her worse than she had ever been before. She was the dominant winner and that match and made sure Grace would never forget it.
And then she had faced off against Angelina Tarrant in a grisly affair. Violence upon violence unleashed on Vanessa, and the fashionista had to take her down through desperation and grit and determination. And she put Angelina in her place with enough shots with a lead pipe to teach her to respect her and never attempt that brutality against her ever again.
She never
wanted to do any of that though. Vanessa I. Price never set out to embarrass her opponents, take a very extreme path, or attempt to make them learn a lesson. But they had insisted upon it. There was nothing else to be done about it. She deserved their respect, but if she wouldn’t get it, she would damn sure strip any respect from them as well.
And so there was Amber Skye, looking to make a statement. Aiming to get a big win and punch her ticket to the Openweight Title. She hadn’t done anything to Vanessa just yet. The most offensive thing about her was that she came out to the ring waving pom poms and insisting on sharing ring space with VIP. All minor offenses.
But that didn’t mean that Vanessa was going to let up on Amber, not for even a moment. She wanted that girl put down in impressive fashion, and she didn’t care what she had to do to make it happen. It was just a cheerleader, thought Vanessa. Just a stupid little cheerleader.
Then, Vanessa I. Price heard the familiar call of “HEEEEEEEY! WOAH-OH-OH-OH!” and made her way to the stage as
Money by The Warning played. Stepping out onto the stage, a red carpet unfurled the entire length of it as Vanessa stood in a jacket and sunglasses, putting her back to the crowd at first as they booed her loudly.
There was another entity that she hadn’t ever been able to earn the respect of in any typical fashion: the crowd. They didn’t care for her attitude, her wrestling style, or the words she would say to them. But Vanessa had their respect in another way. They got loud for her because her success was undeniable. Even if they hated her, they couldn’t help but react to her. And that alone made it all worth it.
With a smirk, Price turned back around, not bothering to engage the crowd at all as she walked down the ramp, sparing Amber Skye a brief glance before scoffing. VIP could barely stand to even glance at her. But when she finished walking down the red carpet, she went over to the ring steps and began to walk up them, stopping briefly at the top and placing a hand on the ring post, taking a moment to survey the crowd. Normally, she simply walked into the ring, but this time was different. She had more to say.
Taking off her glasses and whipping them off of her face and down the ramp, she pointed at herself and screamed out to the crowd,
“Boo me all you damn well want, because I’m winning this, and I’m going to demolish this prissy, chesty doll and become the champion that you all don’t deserve!” Then, immediately, she pointed at the referee.
”Now open these damn ropes!” Her standard entrance, wherein the referee held open the ropes for Vanessa as she walked in, spinning in a flurry as she held her arms out. The referee would then take off her jacket as VIP turned, facing Amber.
She felt it now. Vanessa felt the surge of adrenaline now. She felt everything that she wanted in the palm of her hands. All of her training, all of her hard work and dedication. An exhaustive amount. She knew it led to here, against this cheerleader, and she outright laughed, stepping right to her.
“And you! To even disrespect me by facing me tonight,” shouted Vanessa as she pointed a finger directly in Amber’s face.
“You’re only memorable so long as your name is next to that other insipid cheerleader, but as a bonus, I’ll make sure that it’s notable for being the reason I’m Openweight Champion. Your only claim to fame.”
And then Vanessa would give Amber’s face a shove before immediately quick-stepping back to go behind the referee, who would attempt to prevent any further contact before the match properly began! Price had made her intentions entirely clear now, and set the pace before the match even began.
Vanessa I. Price would win. Because that was just who she was now: a Very Important Person in LAW.
