#46 J.J. Yeley

"You know something….” Billy says as the scene fades in. He is standing in front of a burning barrel at his new place. Jessica was purging some paper work and Billy was more than willing to burn it. So as darkness falls and the flames shoot up from the burning barrel Billy adjusts his Duke hat.


"You don’t have a clue what in da hell Ima sayin’ Kris and I can get dat. I don’t have da best speech but den again, I don’t care either. I dropped out of high school cuz dat teachin’ lady was out of her cotton pickin’ mind. I don’t care what happen ten thousand years ago and what happened back den has no bearin’ on what is goin’ on today. Caesar won’t change da outcome of our match dis week and he sure as well won’t change da outcome of the Coronation Cup as it will be me who lifts da cup in victory. But….Kris….I don’t have a clue what in da blue bells you were talkin’ about either.”


Billy reaches in his back pocket and pulls out his can of chew.


"I don’t use like, or as...or something? What point were you makin’? Am I suppose to talk like one of dem girly California surfer guys? Cuz you know I could try.”


Billy taps the top of his can and pops the lid.


"And fer da record Kris. I like a nice lookin’ ass. Jess, fer da record and don’t tell her I said dis. She has a fine ass. God! I get a shiver runnin’ down my spine just thinkin’ about ‘bout her back side. It’s like….yeah man. Dat ass!”


Billy takes a pinch of chew and tugs on his bottom lip and stuffs it full of chew. He snaps the lid back on his can of chew and stuffs that back in his back pocket.


"I’ve spent all day unpackin’ and movin’ stuff. Discussing paint colors and in da back of my mind I was think’in ‘bout what you said. More like tryin’ to figure it out. I don’t get da whole Roman Empire stuff. What was da point of dat? Everyone and der brother knows who Julius Caesar was. Hell he’s da only Julius I even known dat goes by dat name. He must have kicked so much ass, dat, like people just retired his name….bro.” Billy attempt at sounding like a “surfer dude” "But what no one remembers is da name of da guy who kicked his ass. I mean Ima guessing dat someone kicked his ass right? Ima no history major like you are Kris.”


Billy spits into the fire. Burning chew spit, that must smell awesome.


"Den it hit me. See one of Jess’s favorite bands of all time is Cake. Why dey decided to name dem selves Cake I’ll never understand, much how I’ll never understand you Kris and how you think you’ll beat me Saturday night. Dey have dis song. Going da distance. I had to listen to da song a couple of time and it hit me, like a big old wave man. It just, like, whoa you know?”


Billy reaches in his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper. He unfolds it.


"Da sun has gone down and da moon has come up. And long ago someone has left with da cup….” Billy glances up and nods. "Dat is me. But he’s still drivin’ and strivin’ and huggin’ da turns.” Billy points at the camera "Dat would be you.” Billy looks down at the paper in his hand. "He’s still thinking of someone for whom he still burns.”


Billy crumbles up the paper and tosses it in the fire.


"Which Ima takin’ is your mom. Or sister. Which ever floats your boat guy. Da point is, dat is you in dat song. You might not believe it but it is you to a T! You can’t win. You have no chance of winning. I’m Duke. I’m Julius Ceasar pushing my Empire across da land, conquering everyone in my path, and you’re Baylor, Da underdog dat never wins. Da guy who is of special needs who is so slow, no one hangs around and cheers you on fer dat moral victory dat you so desperately needs! Ima goin’ home with da cup and you’ll still be here spinnin’ yer wheels Kris.”


Billy slides his hands into his front pockets of his wrangler jeans.


"Sunday, dis was just another match fer me. Sunday you were just another name I had to face and beat to move on. You were no better den Ashley Williams. No better than Odyssey. You were da final brick in da block, the first little wall I had to scale to get to da next round, to go on and win da cup and get my match against Caleb Hart fer da Triple Crown fer dat is my birthright. I had da blinders on. Everything else goin’ on in da other blocks were just background noise and I wanted none it. I have a plan. I have a gameplan all drawn out and I was checkin’ everything off like a 160 point pre owned inspection from Honda. I was crossin’ my T’s and dottin’ my eyes. Der was a reason why Jay put me in dis block. After da year I was havin’, dis here block was no sure thing. First I had to beat da current Prestige Champion. Den take on the question mark, da new guy. Da wild card den der was you Kris. The old timer, da guy who has been in da cup before and could stop me from goin’ da distance. Maybe I was set up to fail from da get go. I mean with my record comin’ into dis tournament, who thought I was goin’ to defeat Ashley Williams? You know. But I did. Den I took care of Odyssey. Ima on a roll. And why is dat?”


Spits again.


"Because I saw da path. I knew what I had to do, where I had to go and no one was goin’ to stop me. I had to become dis….prick. No one was goin’ to throw me off my game. You’re damn right I’m driven! Driven like a mother trucker high on cocaine blastin’ through da night to make my deadline on da east coast and it’s code red right now! I don’t care what other people were thinkin’. I dug down and found dat switch. I did what Josh Eagles said I would one day do. I found it inside of me and I was unleashin’ it right here and now in dis here tournament…...but you threw me dis curve ball Kris. You got me off topic. You got me from dat dark corner in my mind where I was happy to be, where I was kickin ass, takin’ names and moving up dat ladder. Dat part of me dat Jay must have seen in me a long time ago and has been tryin’ to bring it out in me. He knew dat if he could bring dat out in me...I would be unstoppable.”


Billy pauses for a second and stares at the flames shooting up from barrel. He doesn’t look to be too happy either. He wets his lips.


"Ima gunna hurt you Kris. Ima gunna hurt you real bad. Dis match against you and I, is personal. You almost did it too. You almost got me off my game and maybe, just maybe you would have won. But now? All you did was piss me off even more and everyone knows dat da one thing you don’t do in life is piss off a full blooded redneck. Da beatin’ I put on Da Rodent will look like child's play when I get done with you. I promise you dat.”


Billy slowly nods his head.


"You feel me?”


Fade out.