He Learned from the Best
Location: St. Bernard, Louisiana
Date and Time: 5:00 AM, March 13<SUP>th</SUP>, 2008
BEEP!! BEEP!! BEEP!! BEEP!!
[An arm flings towards the clock to turn it off. The clock reads five o’clock AM. The man sits up, wiping his eyes.]
Man: Ah, is it morning already?
[He grabs his cell phone on his night stand next to his bed, looks at it, and puts it back down. The man then stretches, as he gets out of the bed. He steps into the bathroom in the room, brushes his teeth, and gargles a mouthful of Listerine. He grabs a bottle of hair gel and spikes his blonde hair. The man then walks out of his room. By this time, he is fully dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a plain black t-shirt. He walks into his kitchen and turns his stove on and puts a pan on it. He reaches in the cabinet above the stove and grabs a can of Pam to spray on the pan. He also has a pancake mix next to him. After a few minutes, another man walks into the kitchen.]
Second Guy: Morning, Adrien.
[The first guy, who is now obviously Adrien Cochrane, leaps in surprise. He turns around and sees the other guy.]
Adrien: Holy crap! Are you trying to give me a freaking heart attack, Charlie?! When the hell did you get here?!
[Charlie smiles and looks at the pancake mix.]
Charlie: Pancakes for breakfast?
[Adrien, still catching his breath, pours the batter on the pan for the first pancake.]
Adrien: Yeah. I’ll make you a plate. What are you doing here? I haven’t seen you in years.
[Charlie laughs.]
Charlie: Man, I have to make sure you aren’t screwing your life over. However, I hear you have it made. Big wrestling star, successful rock band, more money than God...
Adrien: Well, yeah, but...
Charlie: So it seems like I have taught you right.
[Adrien scratches his head.]
Adrien: What did you teach me again?
[Charlie laughs again.]
Charlie: Everything you know!
[Adrien scratches his head again.]
Adrien: You did?
Charlie: Of course. You see, had it not been for me, you would still be some little punk kid living on the streets.
Adrien: ...How again?
[Adrien puts the first batch of pancakes on a plate next to him. He pours more batter in the pan for another one.]
Charlie: I turned you into who you are. The whole "sneaking up on people" and "pulling pranks"...has my name written all over it.
Adrien: ...So let me get this straight...you create my whole prankster persona, yet you claim to be responsible for both my wrestling and music career?
Charlie: Affirmative.
[Adrien rubs his chin.]
Adrien: I don’t see it. I will admit that I did learn everything about pranking people from you and how mysterious I am comes from you...obviously with how you snuck into my house and slept in my guest bedroom...but I don’t see how that affects my career and
wealth. You didn’t teach me how to play guitar or how to wrestle.
[Charlie laughs at Adrien yet again.]
Charlie: Of course you don’t see it. You’re blinded so much by your success that you don’t see that I am the man behind it all.
[Adrien is now laughing. He places the second batch of pancakes on another plate.]
Adrien: Whatever, man! Did you hear about that TEAM tournament?
Charlie: No, not familiar with it...then again, I hardly watch anything wrestling that doesn’t involve my old childhood friend. Enlighten me.
Adrien: Well, a place called TEAM, I forget what it stands for, has this little tournament for people from all parts of the wrestling world to compete against each other. I signed up as well as my tag team partner. You remember him, don’t you?
Charlie: Yeah...what was his name again...Dan...Don...Dane...
Adrien: Dean.
Charlie: Yeah! Dean Hobkirk! The British guy!
Adrien: Yeah, so let’s see how long I can go before getting eliminated.
[Charlie laughs.]
Charlie: Still have that humility down pact I see. So, is who’s your opponent?
Adrien: Oh, you’ll like this! His name is Dr. Tittylover.
[Both chuckle.]
Charlie: So has he run his mouth yet?
[Adrien nods.]
Adrien: And the things he said...hilarious. First off, he must of dug up some really old stuff on me because he called me The Dream Breaker. I haven’t had that nickname in years.
Charlie: Hahaha! Wow.
Adrien: Then he started about my weight and height. I guess he has never heard of a cruiserweight. Then he named a bunch of reasons why I am going to lose. I just keep thinking to myself, why is it every time a wrestler is in a match, they go on a trash talking spree. I mean, they do realize you can say whatever you want and it doesn’t make a slight bit difference when they step into that ring, right?
Charlie: Cockiness. Something I have taught you to stay away from.
[Adrien looks at Charlie with a raised eyebrow.]
Adrien: No, you didn’t!
[Adrien takes the last batch of pancakes and puts them on the last plate.]
Charlie: One...two...three....umm, Adrien. There is only two of us here. Why did you make three plates?
Adrien: I’m expecting company over in a minute.
Charlie: Who? Are you still seeing that Stephanie girl?
[Adrien nods. Charlie shrugs his shoulders.]
Charlie: Well, sorry for interrupting things.
[Adrien shakes his head and smiles.]
Adrien: Don’t worry. It’s nothing. Dean was supposed to make it too, but he canceled.
[Adrien grabs the three plates (two in one hand) and heads to the dining room, followed by Charlie. A few seconds after they turn the corner, a loud yelp is head.]
Charlie: YOUCH!! Where did this thumbtack come from?
Adrien: Haha, what can I say, I learned from the best.