4 Hours Until Showtime
Jeff went to his dressing room that he shared with Kennedy and Carlito, immediately going to his gym bag and zipping open the side pocket. Kennedy watched him suspiciously as he dug through his gym bag, finally pulling out a package of Marlboro Light. "Join?" the Hardy asked the blond man, holding out a cigarette in his direction. Shaking his head, he declined. "I'll keep you company though," he offered while he put his jacket on and did up the zipper.
While the two men found an exit that hid them away from the fans, Jeff casually lit up his smoke when he left the building. The cold air hit him hard as he struggled to zip up his hoodie when they walked outside. "Why did you come in so quick?" Ken asked, leaning against the wall with his hands in his coat pockets.
Jeff took a drag and blew out the smoke, shrugging his shoulders. "It's weird, man," he began. "I've talked to her before, you know. But today, she just seemed...lost. And bored. Good God, was she bored. But then we started talking.."
"Who?"
"Her and I."
"I get that, jackass," Ken said, kicking a stone in Jeff's direction. "I meant Her. Who is she?"
"Oh.." Jeff ducked his head and blew the smoke towards his feet. "Maria."
The blond let out a laugh. "She's always lost. I've traveled with her before, just a couple of cities when I first came to Raw.
She is a nice girl though. What did you talk about?"
He inhaled quietly, a small drag of the nicotine that seemed to help him get through the long days. When he looked back at Ken, he gave another shrug. "Just stuff. How bored she was with the schedule, how much the meetings suck. I made a joke and she laughed." Jeff smiled to himself. "She has a nice laugh."
Ken returned the shrug, "I've never heard it."
"See? I feel like I should cherish the moments I've already had with her. You've never heard her laugh, and its the most beautiful thing ever. She has a great smile, she giggles, she has a personality. Ken...why does she seem so alone?"
He watched as his friend took another quick drag of his cigarette and thought of an answer to the question. He thought hard, thinking all the way back to when he first met her at a joint Pay Per View, and even then he didn't see her laugh, or smile. Or socialize. "I don't know," he answered quietly. "She will always be a broken girl, I guess."
"But why?" Jeff almost shouted. "Why Maria? What made her break? How long ago was it? Why isn't she fixed? When will someone do something about it?" Throwing his smoke to the ground, he stubbed it out with his toe violently and kicked the garbage can that was next to him.
Ken stepped back, startled by his friend's actions. "Are you OK, Hardy?" he asked while he picked up the garbage can from the ground. "Why are you so interested in Maria all of a sudden? She's been here for a while, you could've talked to her before."
"This is different. I promised that as long as we're together on TV, then I won't leave her. If I said that, then I just feel like..."
"You should be the one to fix her?" Ken cut his friend off. "Jeff, don't be ridiciulous." He threw on the hood that was attached to his sweatshirt and stared at the disgruntled man, slightly smiling to himself. "She's just a girl, Hardy. Don't let her get to your head so much."
Jeff watched as his friend left him behind, and he lit up another cigarette. From their brief encounter, he knew Maria was not just another girl. In silence, he blew out a smoke ring and quickly put out the newly lit nicotine stick. He knew he had to know more about her...but who would know the most about her?
Charging into the arena on his own, he searched for the first Diva. They seemed to be a tight knit group, they did share one locker room between at the most, seventeen girls for the pay per views. On Raw there are only eight Diva's...which one would know Maria best...
"Candice!" Jeff yelled down the hallway, seeing the former champion getting her makeup done. Watching as he came closer, she arched her eyebrows in his direction. "Hey Jeff," she greeted him suspiciously, as he took a spot next to her in the free chair. "Funny seeing you here in the Diva's area..."
He let out a laugh while he toyed with a eyeliner pencil, twirling it like a drumstick between his fingers. "I have some things I'd like to ask you. If, you have answers, of course."
Candice pressed her lips together and took the curling iron out of the hair stylist hands, informing her she'll do her own hair later. "Jeff, let's take a walk, yeah?" she suggested, hoping out of the chair and standing barely to his chest. "Let's grab a seat," she mumbled, her index finger loosely linking into his.
They made their way through the catering area, past a creative meeting in the middle of a hallway, and through the curtains, out onto the stage for that night's Raw. Stepping off of the ramp and onto the ground, the pair climbed over guardrails and up the first couple pairs of steps. Sitting into one of the yellow fold-out chairs, Candice looked up at Jeff who was in the row behind her, sitting a two seats over so he could put his feet up on the chair in front of him. "What's it to you, Hardy?" she asked. "You haven't said a word to me in months."
His eyes glared down at the diamond engagement ring on her ring finger, "I never knew what to say. After we...finished with each other...you and John didn't take long to get engaged."
"Jeff, you said..."
"I know, I know. What we had was just a release. I'm happy for you and John. I really am."
Candice looked at her right as it flashed underneth the lights of the arena. "That means a lot," she said to Jeff, holding his hand in hers. "But why do you really want to talk to me?"
He gave a shrug of his shoulders and sighed. "I don't know," he whispered. "I was talking to Kennedy about Maria.."
"Maria? You never talk to her. No one talks to her."
"That's the thing!" He felt his heart starting to beat faster again, like it had previously done when he was outside. His hand started shaking. He needed another cigarette. "I talked to her today, and she's the most innocent, sweetest thing ever. I promised her I wouldn't let anything bad happen to her now that we're going to be working together. And then I tell Ken this, and he tells me she's just a girl..."
"He said what?" Candice stood up, shocked from her fellow Wisconsinite's words. "Maria...she's...I can't explain. I've talked to her a bit, she's pretty quiet." Her brown eyes looked up at Jeff, "she could use you," she whispered. "But tell her you'll be there for her...Jeff, you can't break that promise."
He shook his head, "I never would. I think she would be good for me...we'll be good for each other. I'm sure of it."
Candice stood up and stepped over the seats behind her, sitting down next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arm around his. "Promise me you'll take care of her?" she whispered.
Placing a kiss on top of her head, he let out a soft moan, "I promise you, and I promise her. Candy," he tilted her face to look up at him, balancing her chin on his index finger, "you will be the two girls in my life from now on."
They stood up together, embracing one another in a hug that they held onto tightly, and meant every squeeze. "She'll be lucky to have you, Jeff." She pulled back and they exchanged a peck on the cheek. "Just remember...no girl is ever just a girl."