As I watched him pull his hair down, all I could think was "Damn"…
This was the first time I'd seen him in person since I was 16, considering I'd packed up and moved from Cameron, NC to the California coast as soon as I could. Now being 25, and looking drastically different from the awkward teen I used to be, I couldn't help but wonder if he'd even recognize me.
Of course, I wouldn't have recognized him either. That is, if I hadn't watched him change from a scrawny 18-year-old dreamer to a dreamy controversial superstar on national television. Every Friday night, I was glued to the TV, as captivated by his high-flying stunts and crazy risks as the rest of his fans.
Except it was different; because none of those people knew the broken, twisted, intelligent, astonishing, insane Jeff Hardy that I had known since I was 7 years old.
He'd always been a little crazy, but when it was necessary, he was a regular Einstein. He kept cool in most of the toughest situations, but always knew how to lighten the mood.
I, on the other hand, had been a little drama queen since birth, always criticizing him and his brother Matt, challenging them to be better and better. I was the only one who could see the fire in their eyes since we were kids.
And standing here in the Smackdown locker room, watching him prepare for another show, I couldn't be more proud of where he'd gotten to, of where they'd both gotten to. (This could very well be due to the fact that, ever since I first saw them both on television, I contributed their drive and their now household names to the fact that I believed in them when not a lot of other people did. But still.)
More than anything, I was terrified of what he'd say or think after I abandoned him – and everyone else in our family-like small town – to escape the hell that was North Carolina. But I had no choice; I had to say something to him. I'd been dreaming of the day I could finally walk straight up to him and congratulate him on all he's accomplished. So I made my way over.
I could see him watching me as I walked toward him, wondering frantically what I was going to say. As I stopped in front of him, he smiled, and I knew he could still see me for the girl I used to be. "What the hell are you doing here girl?" He asked with a grin. I couldn't help beaming. "I heard an old friend of mine was around somewhere. Have you seen him? He's a kind of skinny awkward kid, really hyper and loud…" Before I could finish, he started laughing again and pulled me into a (very welcome) hug, just like the one he'd given me before I left for California.
"I thought for sure I'd never see you again" he said with a sigh as we parted. I sat down on the bench behind me and gestured for him to do the same. "I've been thinking about coming back ever since you and Mattie made it big, but I couldn't bring myself to leave…I've got too much stuff going on back home. As a matter of fact, I threw all my stuff into a suitcase and caught a red-eye flight to get out here. And I called into work on the plane, saying that I had 'family business' to attend to." I decided to leave out the fact that I was a bit intoxicated at the time.
He laughed again and asked, "So what made you decide not to wimp out this time?" I explained it the best I could: "I was basically just fed up not having you guys in my life anymore. I've watched every single show, and couldn't help but think about all the shit we've been through together and how I just…left you guys. So I went for it."
"Well, whatever crazy shit you were on when you decided to leave everything in Cali to come see me – um, us – I'm happy about it. I missed you Kay."
'Kay'. No one had called me that in almost 10 years. To everyone at the magazine, I was 'Kaitlynne'. Even my parents and closest friends called me 'Kaity'. I never realized how much I missed it. It's the little things that always got me about Jeff. Little smiles across the room, his nicknames for me, those are the things that I loved the most about him. Realizing that he was staring at me and waiting for a response, I whispered, "I missed you too."
And we just sat there, just looking at each other, for what seemed like an eternity (but was probably only a few seconds). I hoped he couldn't see the longing in my eyes, just as I had every time I looked at him since I was 12 years old.
Suddenly I felt a strong arm pull me up out of my seat and into a rather forceful hug. "Kay!" said Matt's muffled voice. "I didn't know you were coming to visit!" I pulled away smiling, seeing the silly grin on his face. I always loved seeing Matt, especially when I needed a laugh. He'd always been the goofball of the group, and could put me in a better mood no matter what.
"I missed you guys – a LOT." I said to them both. "Is California gettin' too hot for ya?" Matt asked with a wink. Jeff punched him playfully and declared, "I think it's the other way around dude." I couldn't help but blush. I smiled back at him as Matt snickered obliviously. I saw Jeff look at me and quickly turned my head. I hadn't come here to live a Nicholas Sparks novel; I only wanted my best friends back.
We all jumped just a little bit as Matt's phone made a chiming noise. He pulled it out of his pocket, confused, and stared at it for a moment. "Oh crap, Jeff, I just got a text from McMahon that said if you're not out there in 10 minutes he's gonna…well I don't know; that's the end of it. Geezer doesn't know how to work technology. You better go!" Jeff, looking determined, stared at the locker room exit door for a moment, and then looked back at me. "You should watch this. It's all a hell of a lot better live. And I've got some extra inspiration tonight." He winked and headed toward the door.
I managed to utter, "Good luck!" as he walked away before collapsing onto the bench behind me. I hadn't needed to hold in my emotions so much since I was 16, and I had forgotten how exhausting it was. Matt glanced at me in confusion for a second, and then asked, "Wanna head out to ringside?" I nodded silently, while screaming on the inside. Truth be told, I had never been more terrified in my life.
That is, of course, until I was standing next to the ring where Jeff was getting the hell beat out of him by arguably one of the largest men in the WWE, Batista. Every time he got hit, it took all of my power not to interfere, because I knew he would be disqualified. It didn't help that he was so persistent in his climb to the top ringpost.
It was slow motion for me to watch him this closely. The imaginative kid I used to know had turned into a man living his dreams. And it all hit me as soon as I saw him hit his signature move, a Swanton Bomb, and pin Batista while I was standing right there. After that I couldn't really feel anything except a numbing happiness. Matt jumped up into the ring to give Jeff a congratulatory high five, and they both pulled me into the ring with them as the announcer named Jeff the official winner of the match. As he pulled me into an embrace, I could not only feel Jeff's heart beating fast, but the eyes of every single person in the WWE universe on me. Millions of people were watching what was to be the unfolding of the rest of my life.
