Post by Danielle Basch on Mar 24, 2018 13:55:47 GMT -5
Windsor Fashion – South Bay Galleria
Redondo Beach, CA
Friday, March 23, 2018
A young girl with dark blonde hair stands beside one of the clearance racks near the store’s fitting rooms, her brow furrowed as she browses through the rack’s offerings. Every so often, a dress sparks the young girl’s interest, only to have her sigh in disappointment as she puts each item back.
Voice: What’s wrong, sweetie?
Surprised at the genuine concern in the voice, she turns around, a stunned look on her face as the young girl lays her eyes upon the WCG South Bay Champion, Danielle Basch.
Girl: I, um... well...
She blushes, looking legitimately embarrassed as she quickly backs away from the clearance rack. Danielle just looks at her and smiles.
Danielle: You know, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with browsing the clearance rack. I did that a lot when I was your age. Sometimes, you can find a pretty good deal.
The girl visibly relaxes, letting out a sigh of relief as Danielle’s words put her at ease.
Danielle: What’s your name, sweetie?
Girl: Corrie. You don’t need to tell me your name... everyone at my high school knows who you are!
Danielle: Oh really? What high school do you go to?
Corrie: Mira Costa. Actually, I’m trying to find a dress for the Sadie Hawkins Dance. And I need to find it fast, because the dance is tomorrow night.
Danielle smirks.
Danielle: Costa, eh? My manager went to Costa. I think our Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse teams just faced off a couple weeks ago...
Corrie: You mean El Segundo? Yeah, we cr...
Danielle: Go ahead and say it. Your team kicked our tailfeathers. I’m not ashamed to admit defeat. Anyway, where were we? Ah yes... dress shopping. I couldn’t help but notice that you seemed to be a bit bummed with what you’ve found so far.
Corrie purses her lips, then clicks her tongue.
Corrie: Yeah... Any time I find something that looks nice enough, I pull it out and it’s the wrong size.
Danielle firmly puts her hands on her hips and tilts her head.
Danielle: Well then, perhaps we should look at some of the other racks.
Corrie’s face goes pale.
Corrie: Um... one problem with that.
The young girl’s eyes stare down at the floor, and her voice trails off into a barely audible whisper.
Corrie: Everything else is out of my price range.
Danielle chuckles softly, then lifts up Corrie’s face so that she’s looking her in the eye.
Danielle: Not today, it’s not.
Corrie is stunned beyond belief, staring in shock at what Danielle has just told her.
Corrie: You’re kidding me...
Danielle: Absolutely not! You go on ahead and pick ANY dress in the store, and it’s yours!
Corrie: Seriously? I’m not gonna grab a dress, take it up to the register, and some dude jumps out and yells “you’ve been Punk’d!”?
Danielle laughs and shakes her head.
Danielle: Nope, I’m serious. Now, come on, clock’s ticking, and you need a dress YESTERDAY! You go out, and find one that will knock your date’s socks off. I’ve got some other business to take care of while I’m here.
Corrie squeals, then throws her arms around Danielle in gratitude before backing off, taking a look around the rest of the store.
Corrie: Thank you so much!
Danielle: You’re welcome, sweetie...
She watches with a smile, heading toward the seats placed outside the fitting rooms.
Danielle takes a seat on the brown padded bench, looking toward the doorway that leads into the fitting rooms. As the young girl from before approaches the doorway, her arms heavily draped with a hoard of fabric in shades of pink, purple, and red. Corrie looks in Danielle’s direction, flashes a beaming smile, then disappears through the doorway. As this is happening, she doesn’t notice the approaching cameraman, who clears his throat as he finishes setting up behind her.
Cameraman: Um, Mrs. Basch...
Danielle looks over her shoulder, visibly taken aback at the camera’s presence.
Danielle: Oh! Um... how long have you been there?
Cameraman: Totally didn’t just see you tell that kid you’d comp her dress...
Danielle shakes her head.
Danielle: What? I was in a position to help, so I’m doing it. But never mind that; your job is to film me while I talk about my match at Unscripted, right?
Cameraman: Mmhmm.
Danielle: Alright then. Just give me a second to collect myself here....
She swings her legs over the bench, turning the rest of her body around to face the camera. Hopping up from her seat, she straightens up, looks into the camera and flashes her usual smile.
Danielle: Ya know, I didn’t exactly come here to drop some money on clothes I’ll never wear. No... with everything that’s been going on lately, I figured I’d get back on track to doing what I said I would do when I became the South Bay Champion, and that’s bring my championship to the people of the South Bay. So I decided to pay a visit to one of the places where I would often just window-shop, and on special occasions, actually buy something. Even now, I’m not above flipping through the clearance racks in a place like this. Just because I can afford to spend more doesn’t mean I’m gonna turn my nose up at a bargain.
But again, I didn’t come here to shop. After all, I’m just one day away from my next title defense, and it’s against someone I had recently invited into my home... hell, I even let her crash in my husband’s childhood bedroom after a night of bachelorette party craziness!
She pauses, turning to look over her shoulder. Corrie steps out from the fitting room in a dark red dress that makes her already light skin look all the more pale. Danielle shakes her head before turning back to the camera, while Corrie heads back into the fitting room.
Danielle: Iphy, we had a ton of fun at Mercedes’ party this past week, but unfortunately, I have to put that aside tomorrow. You see, we may be friends, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do what’s necessary to defend what’s mine, and that’s the South Bay Championship. Friend, foe, or indifferent, I swore to myself that anyone standing across the ring from me would get the same treatment, and that’s to remind them why I’m the one holding this belt. If you think you’ve got what it takes to take it from me, you’re more than welcome to try.
No offense, but at Unscripted, I’m going to make sure that the South Bay Championship stays right where it is, and that’s strapped around my waist. I know I don’t have to ask you to give me a good fight, because I know you will. But when it comes to the South Bay Championship...
She stares into the camera with a determined gleam in her eye as she shakes her head.
Danielle: It’s gonna take a whole lot more than that.
She crosses her arms as the camera zooms in on her gaze before slowly fading out.
END
