Author: pandora1017
Rating: PG-13
Content: Slash-ish. Not a lot.
Comments: Um, I started to write a story with Matt muse, but my other musi got jealous and tried to take it over, so this is kinda a combination of a couple ideas I've [they've] been toying with for a while. This is kinda a timeless story because it's using current hockey line-ups, but pre-roster split WWF characters. Also, Lita doesn't seem to exist in this story, as her being Matt's [quote-unquote] best friend wouldn't mesh too well with what I'm going for. And I know that Matt's not really shy. [Funny, I apologize for making him shy but not for making him bisexual... that's interesting in and of itself...] *shrug* I guess I'm taking more liberties than I'm used to. Just ignore the inaccuracies. Sorry. :-D
Characters: [Who I don't own. But if I did... let's just say Matt wouldn't have the problem he had in the story. ;-)]
Matt = Matt Hardy
Jeff = Jeff Hardy
Adam = Adam Copeland = Edge
Jay = Jason Reso = Christian
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It had been a long day.
With a sigh, I twisted the knob of the shower and let the steaming hot water smack against my chest. My muscles relaxed with the heat. I hadn't realized how sore I was from my match at this house show tonight. I turned around and let the warm water slide through my hair and relax the muscles in my back, too. Felt nice. I must have stood there for five full minutes, motionless. I was finally distracted from my blissful calm by muffled voices and laughter. That would be my brother.
"Jeff?" I asked, calling over the noise of the water. I grabbed a little bottle of shampoo and started washing my hair.
"Matt?" He asked back, uncertainly, from the other side of the locker room.
"Yeah, s'me."
"You ready t' leave soon?"
I smiled to myself, surprised that Jeff wanted to wait for me. "Yeah, I'll only be a couple more minutes."
Lately, I hadn't been talking to Jeff that often. He'd fallen in love. When I first got to the WWF, I'd crushed slightly on the stunning blonde, Adam Copeland, but I never really acted on it. I was... well, am kind of shy. So while I was trying to subtly catch his eye, my flamboyant little brother waltzed in and stole him away from me. Jeff had known that I had liked him, but Adam and Jeff had fallen in love. And I was kind of kicked to the curb. But I wasn't that mad. If those two were happy, that was the important thing. They were cute together. Really. I credited all those little pangs of sorrow I felt when I saw them together to being sad that Jeff had taken someone he knew I had liked. But, like I said, I wasn't going to let that get between Jeff and I.
Of course, it didn't take me long to figure out that I wasn't jealous of Jeff. I was jealous of Adam. He'd stolen my best friend. I was sometimes labelled a 'loner,' but just because I was usually too shy to just start talking to new people. That didn't matter when Jeff was around, though. Jeff and I knew each other backwards and forwards. We had inside jokes that only we laughed at and I knew that I'd never get bored hanging out with him. But since Jeff had found Adam... my time with Jeff was severely cut.
I mean, it wasn't a bad thing. Now, after the shows, I get to unwind with just myself and Sports Center. But things were awfully quiet by myself. And it was ice hockey season, the one sport I really couldn't get into. I bet Adam was turning Jeff into an ice hockey fan.
How long had it been now? Two years? I missed just turning on a radio and talking with Jeff about anything and everything until we passed out for the night. I missed the joyriding around random towns when we were too wired to sleep. I missed our inside jokes. Now his inside jokes were inside with Adam. I sighed, realizing that Adam was most likely out there in the locker room with him.
"Well, I was thinkin' that I might go back t' the hotel with Adam an' Jay. D'ya have the keys t' the rental?"
I sighed. I hated this. It really hurt, realizing that he didn't want to spend as much time with me as he did with Adam. But I didn't want to tell him. He was happy, and I wanted him to be happy.
But I wasn't happy.
"Yeah. I got 'em."
"Cool. See ya later, man."
"See ya," I muttered, knowing that Jeff wasn't too concerned that he couldn't hear me. As if to confirm that, I heard the heavy slamming of the locker room door as he left.
They left, I sadly reminded myself.
Finishing rinsing myself off, I shut off the water, dryed off, and went back to the locker room to get dressed. It was empty. Once again, here I was, alone. I didn't mind being by myself, usually. Sometimes I even enjoyed it. But sometimes I just wanted someone to talk to. Even if it wasn't Jeff. But there was no one here. I finished getting my things together in silence, found the keys to the rental car in my jacket pocket, slung my duffel bag over my shoulder, and left.
Maybe I'd run into someone interesting between here and the parking lot. But I wasn't going to hold my breath.