Penelope Primrose: A Year in the Life (Part 12)
Continuing the story of Penelope Primrose, taking place during the start of the Beautiful Angels of Boxing Entertainment league.
The author of these stories goes by the DeviantArt handle of thegeorgiapeach. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed his post-match analysis of B.A.B.E. matches very much. But now, he’s covered a year in the life of the former UK Foxy Boxing champion.
Without detracting from the current B.A.B.E. storylines and keeping true to (and in some cases building up) the personalities of B.A.B.E. fighters, this story presented an outsider (UK) view of what was going on with the league. These stories helped make my own fictional world seem more real to me! In fact, as far as I’m concerned, these stories are canon to my own stories.
This doesn’t usually happen but I was so into this storyline, that I actually wanted to help bring some of it to life. And with the author’s permission, I will be re-publishing these stories to the B.A.B.E. blog.
So, (around) every week, you can tune in here for the stories with some associated images. (Not everything will have images… just the action-oriented stuff! And, please, visit thegeorgiapeach‘s DA page for his stories and analysis. It’ll be worth your time!
Story by thegeorgiapeach and art by cpunch . (Please note, some of the images in these stories may have been previously published. Click the highlighted links below for refreshers as you go along.)
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Penelope Primrose sat sweating on a stool in the corner of the UK Foxy Boxing workout ring. She was toweling off and drinking water watching Missy Eddington, her trainer/manager, taking off the punch mitts, chest guards and belly pad she had worn to help Penelope through the vigorous workout. Missy was sweating more than Penelope was and breathing hard. Missy “The Body” Eddington had once been a two-time UK Foxy Boxing Champion back in her day, but since retiring Missy had piled on the pounds. Penelope thought to herself as she watched Missy amble over to her, “Missy, you’ve really gone to pot!” Penelope wasn’t being snide, she had just been contemplating her preparation for her bout against Chantelle Daniels, and she was thinking she needed more help in her training.
Chantelle was lean, long and fast – and as good as Missy had once been, she was none of these things anymore. Missy was as sharp and clever as ever, but Penelope clearly saw that Missy could not come close to replicating Chantelle’s tempo. For all the satisfaction Penelope had gotten in seeing one of her verbal tormentors knocked out cold, she was acutely aware that Chantelle had dominated Mace Morgan over the first two rounds. And most of that domination was the result of the furious pace at which Chantelle Daniels worked in the ring. She was fast and she was relentless. There really wasn’t anyone in UK boxing who could replicate that, and certainly not Missy at this stage. Missy, someone who knew everything there was to know about UK Foxy Boxing, continually reminded Penelope that Chantelle can, and had, kept that pace up through five and six, and once seven rounds, before claiming victory. The younger Penelope wouldn’t have thought much of it, as speed and stamina had once been her calling cards. But Penelope knew now that she was a changing fighter, built more on strength and power.
Passing the water over to her trainer Penelope remarked, “Missy, we need to do more. I can counter all day and move around, and work extended rounds, but how am I to prepare for Chantelle’s reach and speed?”
“Penny . . . huff . . .I’ll be honest. I’ve been working on it. There just aren’t too many around to hire to spar with you. There are a couple – Lucy and Kayla maybe, but word is it they are in Fairchilds camp. Of course Syd Smith would be good, but she is training for Fairchild . . . I’ll keep looking . . . throw me that towel . . . thanks . . . puff, I am too old for this!”
“You’re not that old Missy – you just got fat!”
The way Penelope had said it, caused Missy to laugh and spit out her water, “Geez, Penny, you ‘hot mess!’ Looks as though you’re being trained by an even hotter mess!” They both laughed, but while exiting the ring for the locker room they both pondered, ‘How do we get ready for Chantelle?’
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Penelope flopped on the couch, and turned the TV on, flipping over to British Sports Net to catch the end of David Kent’s show. On the drive home she had received word via text that her fight with Chantelle, as well as Kelly Fairchilds with Sydney Smith, had been moved back six weeks, mostly to accommodate the schedule of Champion Morgan Mace. She wanted to see if there were any updates. Penelope herself didn’t care too much about the delay as it would give her more time to prepare for Chantelle.
“ . . . so to recap. UK Boxing Executives articulated that they want to max out the return on some marquee matches. The original fight card, anchored by Mace’s title defense, was to include both the Fairchild and Daniels fights. UK Foxy Boxing has kept Mace’s bout as the anchor for two Saturday’s hence. The English Rose will now be the Main Event in the following fight card six weeks from today. Daniels/Primrose will be on the undercard. Officials believe those two fights will shed some light on who will challenge Mace for a title in the following weeks . . .”
“Undercard!! To Fairchild!? Arrgh . . . We are both champions, she hasn’t won anything! It’s bad enough they keep calling it the ‘Daniels fight’ and now this . . ” Penelope Penelope was going between yelling and muttering as she slammed the remote down on the couch and kicked a couch pillow that had fallen to the floor. She had managed to keep her envy of Kelly Fairchild in check but this, Penelope stewed, she could not abide. She reached for her phone, but before she could call Missy she saw she had a text from her trainer. She opened it up: “before you get all hot and bothered abt being on the undercard, know that it was UK Officials bowing to public pressure. Remember that survey that came out last week in the Beacon? Well, the fans overwhelmingly thought Kelly should Main Event her next event, and they couldn’t rightly bump the champ. It is what it is Penny! Better for you this way, let Kelly take all the heat! If u call I won’t answer – rest up and go to bed!” Penelope flopped back into the sofa clutching her phone, ‘Well, she thought, Missy knows me too well!”
Penelope turned her attention back to the TV “ . . . it’ll give that ‘hot mess’ has-been more time to self-destruct her way out of this fight, if you ask me! Be it stuffing her face or brawling in night clubs, Primrose just got more time to sully her reputation.”
Penelope watched as Chantelle Daniels was being interviewed after her recent workout. Chantelle had chosen the later workout time in the gym, to better acclimate to the time when the fight would take place. She was wearing bright silver spandex workout gear, bra and hotpants, and leaning on the top rope down at reporters. Penelope’s Fairchild envy turned towards Chantelle’s long and sinewy body.
“Ahh . . . bloody hell!”
CLICK!
Penelope turned the TV off and lay down on the couch, hoping to catch a quick nap before tuning into the early morning telecast of B.A.B.E. Episode 6. As agitated as she was, she was spent by the grueling workout regiment Missy was keeping her on. She fell into a deep sleep, not even stirring when her phone blew up with texts and phone calls.
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“There is only one last goal to achieve. I want B.A.B.E. Championship belt!”
Ashley Powers pushed away her plate of cheese and crackers, her annoyance growing as she watched the screen of her hotel room T.V .Looking at the empty wine flask only added to her disgust as she sat listening to the detestable Nikita Drago spew her rhetoric from the B.A.B.E. ring.
“Tonight, I issue challenge to current champion Ashley Powers. Ashley . . . If you are woman enough, come now and meet me in ring. Show me and audience that you are not scared of me!”
With that, Ashley bolted out of her chair, “Woh . . .” she blurted as she teetered a bit to her left and steadied herself by leaning on the table, nearly tipping the empty wine glasses. Focusing back on the T.V. she heard the roar of the B.A.B.E. audience chanting her name.
“Powers, Powers!” The chanting was building towards a crescendo, and while she watched Ashley’s own frustration was building. The B.A.B.E. camera’s were pointing at the ramp, and Ashley knew for certain that the expectant audience was waiting for her to walk down that ramp. Ashley would have liked nothing better than to do so, and she began pacing in front of the T.V, “Son of a . . . this is ridiculous!” She muttered. The “Powers!’” chants began to die down and Ashley lamented her current status of being far away from the B.A.B.E. arena. Nothing pained her more than to let down her fans, and her inability to respond to their chants was galling, and she felt as though it made her look weak. She cursed the tour she was on, despite the good it was doing promoting B.A.B.E., and she cursed Nikita. Nikita was the second woman to call her out by name today, after the upstart Tonya Lee’s shameful post-win acts of earlier in the evening, and Ashley was stuck in a hotel miles away, wine her only solace as she watched the madness of the latest B.A.B,E. episode.
“Ha! You see . . . Even B.A.B.E. champion is scared of Red Scare. She knows she cannot beat me. Ashley, you should retire now and just had the belt over to me. It will be easier that way.”
“Coward!” Ashley thought, knowing full well Nikita knew she was out of town. That was the only reason she was making such a bold public display. Ashley stared at the T.V. as she watched Nikita walk back down the ramp.
“Alright, Nikita,” Ashley spewed, “You’ve got my attention.” Ashley took in the final shots of Tina Coretti lying knocked out on the canvas. She felt bad for Tina, knowing how Tina had literally just tonight decided to jump in the ring in Lisa Simmons’ place. That took courage, but Ashley continued to lament the fact that she wasn’t there tonight, as she should have been the one to face Nikita on this night. The rumors that Nikita had taken out Lisa with that sidewalk attack were running rampant, but hearsay couldn’t prove anything. Ashley was thinking about what she would say to Raquel Balboa to try and get out of this media tour circus, and get back to B.A.B.E. to shut down Nikita Drago, when her cell phone rang.
“Hey Lana . . .”
“Ashley, and how are you? Wild night out there tonight . . .”
“Yeah, I watched it all . . . so frustrated being stuck here, miles away . . . Nikita’s got my attention now!”
“I bet she does! Just wanted to let you know that we all know you’d have ran down that ramp and pummeled that blowhard had you been there! Things are getting a little tense over at B.A.B.E.. and we all hope you can get back sooner . . .”
“Oh I plan on getting back right away! Enough of this nonsense! In fact, I was just going to call Rocky, see if I can finalize my commitments at this stop, and then head back and answer Nikita.”
“Well, I hope she listens . . . but take it slow, don’t yell or demand anything from Rocky, she is uber-stressed these days! And I am sure tonight didn’t ease any of that – I mean after tonight, she lost Gail, probably Cheryl for a while, and her secretary Mandy just texted me – she might fire that Tonya girl tonight for what she tried to do.”
“Really . . . well she should! That Lee character is out of line . . . as is Nikita. They can’t prove anything on Nikita or Maria?”
“Only what Tina has told them, but given their long history, though no one thinks Tina would lie about it, Tina’s word alone won’t stick on Nikita. Too much potential blowback from litigation if she fires Nikita on word of a rival fighter.”
“That’s so annoying!”
“Rocky knows, she believes Tina, but feels her hands are tied on that one . . . but you good?”
“Yeah! But I need more wine after this night! Just mad I wasn’t there tonight! I miss that arena, and hearing them chant my name and unable to answer it, ahhh!”
“I know! Felt so bad for you . . . oh . . . well I gotta go . . . Penny’s calling from England, I’ve been trying to reach her all night! Hang in there Ash, I am sure we’ll see you soon!”
“I hope so! Thanks Lana . . .see you soon!”
“Bye Ash . . . Penny, that you!? Where have you been, you missed quite a night! Things at B.A.B.E. are getting crazy!”
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Penelope rolled over on the couch, and groggily reached for her phone. “Shit!” she mumbled when she saw the time. She had slept well past the time she wanted to wake up, and had clearly missed most of, it not all of B.A.B.E. Episode 6. She sat up, and after tiredly stumbling back and forth to the bathroom, she plopped back down on the couch and turned the T.V. on. “Damn . . . Missed it all!” she mumbled when she saw some archery show beaming back at her where the Foxy Boxing from B.A.B.E. should have been airing. Looking at her phone she quickly glanced at the series of texts and phone calls, and saw that the large percentage of them had come from Lana Sinclair. “Well, Lana, let’s call you back and see what I missed . . .”
“. . . Penny, that you!? Where have you been, you missed quite a night! Things at B.A.B.E. are getting crazy!”
“Lana you sound off your rockers! Fill me in, I slept right through the whole thing!”
“Crazy night . . . not a night Rocky will forget I’m sure as things are getting a bit unhinged over there . . .”
“Well . . . ”
“. . . And I just got off the phone with Ashley, and she’s all mad . . . I don’t know why I am so wired, but watching tonight Pen, I want to get back in B.A.B.E. more than anything . . .”
“Lana, honey . . . what happened!? You’re killing me, I’m already mad enough I missed it!”
“Sorry, sorry . . . well you know how Lisa had been attacked?”
“Yeah . . .by Nikita right?”
“That’s what everyone is saying . . . but anyway, Rocky was stressed all week cause she had no Main Event. None of the other matches were really Main Eventers . . . she was going to go with Gail and Maria . . .”
“Did Gail win!”
“What?”
“Did Gail win, or is she out!?”
“Oh, dear, she got destroyed again . . . she’s out! Feel bad for her, after the whole Rod/Farrah thing she never got untracked – I mean the heat she was getting from everywhere, and now this . . . she just didn’t have it . . . I don’t know . . .”
“Wow! Gail is forced out! And she was going to be a big thing. She certainly made a mess of things . . . All the money I guess doesn’t buy talent. . .”
“Something like that Pen . . . Sonya gone, and now Gail . . . where was I . . .”
“ . . . Main Event . . .”
“Oh yeah . . . So Rocky’s got no headliner, Episode six has no real heat, and Nikita comes out and does her ‘Everyone is afraid’ schtick, but then out comes Tina, who swears to everyone that Nikita and Maria took out Lisa. Anyway, she comes out to the ring and challenges Nikita on the spot, tonight!”
“That’s ballsy, not like she’s been boxing all that long!”
“Right! But, they have that F.L.O.W. history . . . the crowd goes crazy – and Mandy, you remember Mandy . . .”
“No, who’s that . . .”
“Mandy! Rocky’s secretary!”
“Okay, yeah,” Penelope feigned, as she had no recollection of the woman.
“Well, Mandy always gives me the scoop, she says Rocky starts freaking out, you know how she likes to be in control of everything. And she wasn’t going to let the fight happen at first, but Liberty said to let it go, you couldn’t buy this kind of unscripted action . . .”
“Liberty still teaching Rocky some things I see!”
“Yeah . . . so Tina gets the green light, so the night just starts off wild . . . .”
“Who won!”
“Nikita overwhelmed her in four – but Tina showed heart, she kept swinging til the end . . .but Tina just ran out of steam, I think too much adrenaline, and I’m not even sure she woke up expecting to fight.
All my idle time last year though, I caught quite a bit of F.L.O.W., so it was weird seeing Tina get beat at anything! So anyway, that’s why Ashley is steaming, cause Nikita calls her out after the fight, and the crowd chants her name, and she can’t answer because she’s miles away! Ashley is hot! She wants to end her tour and fight Nikita next card!”
“Wow! Ashley heated! Not sure I’ve seen that side of her . . . but yeah, Nikita is the worst – but she knows what she is doing!”
“She is why I want to get back at it! Been working out quite a bit, I am feeling good . . . I might set a meeting with Rocky to see if I can maybe come back.”
“Really!”
“Yeah, hope to start in ring work this week, just to fool around and see what is what . . .”
“You really feeling better!? Doctors say you’re good?”
“Yeah, yeah . . . be careful and everything, but feeling real good.”
“Well that is great!”
“And all these ‘heels,’ for lack of a better term, or really darkening things up over there, and Rocky isn’t happy. I mean Ashley has been gone, Lisa is injured, Gail is gone now, and there isn’t anyone punching back against Nikita, or Jade, or this new gal Tonya Lee- she’s scary – and she absolutely crushed poor Cheryl today! Never seen anything like it! Oh, and Amber left her corner! Had the towel and just walked away as Cheryl was desperate for help!”
“What!!? Why?!”
“Who the hell knows! No one saw that coming, they’ve been so close for so long!”
‘Wow! Things do sound crazy! You sure you want to jump back into that?”
“Haha! Yeah I do! Maybe not Lee, something about her makes my skin crawl, but yeah, I’ve got to get back to this . . . hold on, a text from Mandy! . . .. Wow! Holy crap!”
“What is it!?”
“Mandy says Rocky is going to fire Lee! Not suspend, but fire!”
“Really, what did she do?”
“Oh I forgot, after she destroyed Cheryl, she was going to keep beating on her before other fighters stopped her.”
“Really! Did she punch her after the fight?”
“No, but paraded Cheryl around the ring like she likes to do, taunted Ashley again with her ‘I’m coming for you!’ crap, and then straddled Cheryl and was going to ‘ground and pound’ her.”
Penelope didn’t like the ‘after the fight was over’ shenanigans that many Foxy Boxers liked to do to embarrass other fighters. Lee should have got something, but Penelope was annoyed, but not surprised, that Lee got the pink slip. She felt it was overly harsh, but maybe Rocky is just protecting other fighters, and her favorite Ashley, from having to face her. “So, Lee is going to get fired, I got fired, but somehow Nikita and Maria attack another B.A.B.E. fighter, and what?! Nothing!? Hardly seems fair or consistent!”
“Never thought of that Pen, but yeah, Rocky has been stressed out lately. Quite a bit on her mind. Mandy says Liberty has been working overtime trying to calm her and counsel her. B.A.B.E. is getting big! She has her dream, but controlling it, and all the different personalities and logistics . . . Rocky is getting wound tighter than a yo-yo!”
“So, Gail is out, that Lee girl looks to be out, Ashley is mad, Nikita is carrying on and getting to do what she wants, Amber went turncoat! Well, ‘other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?” Penelope heard Lana laugh.
“Yeah! And I’ll fly in on my cape and save the day, if Rocky says I am allowed to!”
An idea suddenly percolated in Penelope’s head, “You are serious about coming back and getting some work in the ring?”
“Yes I am.”
Penelope thought how Lana would be perfect for her training, specifically how to prepare for Chantelle. Lana was long and tall, “Listen, Lana, I have news of my own. My fight has been pushed back six weeks. No injuries, just UK Boxing politics. I just got to thinking, what if I came out there and trained and sparred with you for a couple of weeks?” There was silence on the other side of the line, “Lana?”
“I heard you. I would love to, but I am not sure where my skills are . . .”
“ . . . not right away! Maybe in three weeks. I could get out there for two weeks, and then back here for the final week of prep. You can get three weeks under your belt, let me know during that time if you think you are good to go. I’ll come out there!”
“Well, your second week would end, and coincide with Episode 7, or at least when it is currently scheduled. We could take in the fight card from the arena. If I was a betting woman, I would guarantee Ashley and Nikita Main Event that episode!”
‘Deal!! But no Trixie’s!! Let me know, and I will talk to Missy! Thanks for the updates! It is a crazy town over there at B.A.B.E!”
“Haha, yes, no Trixie’s! Alright, I’ve got loads of texts to answer! Nice chatting with you Penny!”
“You too Lana, ciao!”
Penelope hung up the phone and flopped back into the couch. The birds were chirping, and she would be off running in a couple of hours. She could feel the electricity of B.A.B.E. coming through Lana in that call and Penelope couldn’t help but think she should still be there. If only Rocky had given her one more chance. Penelope sighed, tipped over and thought of how she would drop Chantelle Daniels to the canvas if it was the last thing she ever did in a Foxy Boxing ring.
(To be continued)
