"Shane,
what was that all about?" Andrew asked as he walked into Shane's
hotel room. Shane looked up with a tear stained face. His normally
neat and clean face and hair was disheveled and worn looking. "Oh
man, come on." Andrew sat next to him and put his arm on his
back. "You'll be fine; all you have to do is go and talk to
her."
"I can't," he said. "Can't you see? I
can't do it. There is no way that I can do that."
"Why
not?" Andrew asked.
"Andrew, if Paul finds out what
happened, do you know what can happen?"
"I know Paul, he
may be protective, but he's not unreasonable."
"He is
when it comes to Mercedes. If I go back there and fix things and act
like I am happy and that everything is going to be fine, I am messing
things up for her and me. I'm not doing it."
"Why and
how?"
"Paul would never let her stay." Shane said.
"My dad would exploit the entire situation and things would get
screwed up, royally."
"That's not true." Andrew
said. "At least talk to her."
"I'm not apologizing,
she still lied to me. She got what she deserved and she knows
it."
"One simple little lie, to keep you from not
running away from her like you are now deserves her having the man
that she feels for deeply right now scream at her and storm away?"
He stood up and walked over to the other side of the room staring at
Shane hunched over still shaking from crying. "Oh right I forget
Shane, you're the big boss man and you need to have control over
everything. She definitely deserves to have her heart broken, be
totally humiliated and know that from now on she needs to stay away
from you. Good going, I'm sure you made the right choice."
"I
didn't say that, but she lied." Shane said managing to spit out
a few words in between sobs.
"As do you and every one else on
this earth every once and a while. So you can go and walk around like
you are big and bad while really all you are is that little word that
rhymes with wussy." Andrew said. Shane looked at him shocked.
"Go ahead; fire me for what I am saying. I doubt you will
because you know I'm right. There was no reason to do that to her.
She didn't tell you because she knew that this is what you would do.
She knows you better then you think she does. But you know best. So
let her feel like she is the scum of the earth, let her feel like she
isn't good enough for big bad you, but please keep it away from me.
You really are a good actor, for a moment there you had me thinking
that you actually cared for her." Andrew said and then left.
"I
do." Shane said as soon as the door closed. He did care for her;
the problems was, was he really brave enough, bold enough, and stupid
enough to tell her and try to have a little relationship behind the
scenes without anyone knowing?
Mercedes had kept herself from
crying, she knew that Paul could come along at any time. If he saw
her crying she would have to tell him everything and then all hell
would really break loose. Her mind was a tornado of thoughts and
ideas. She was left for the rest of the night with thoughts barreling
through her mind at an unbearable speed. She was left with thoughts
that were destroying her brain, her heart, the better part of
her.
"If that's what he wants to do to me then fine,"
she told herself. "I won't let him get the best of me. I can get
so many other jobs, men; I have a great future ahead of me. I don't
need to stay with him." she said. That was the truth, but it was
the truth that she didn't want to bow down to. She knew that, for
her, there wasn't a better man. She didn't want to go out this way
and she was determined not to. If she had to swallow all pride in her
then she would, she would give up everything just to have two minutes
to fix things with Shane. There was a very large part of her that
needed him in her life in one sort of form or another.
"Cedes,"
Paul said knocking on the door in the morning. "Cedes let me
in."
He knocked on the door a little bit harder.
"Coming."
she said not wanting to get up yet. She didn't have much sleep and
she wanted to stay in. But with Paul banging on the door she knew
that he would think that something was wrong if she didn't
answer.
"Mercedes, open up." he said getting
louder.
"Calm down, I just got up." she said opening the
door. She went into the bathroom to brush her teeth.
"Why did
you sleep so late? You scared me; did you forget that we were
supposed to have breakfast together with Stephanie?"
Mercedes
gave a little grunt. "I'm so sorry." she said after she
finished brushing. "I totally forgot. I got to bed late and I
guess I slept through the alarm."
"It's not a problem,
but you better get ready we have to get out of here."
"What
time is it?"
"Near twelve." he said.
"I
don't have to get out of here until two. I have a little promo to
shoot before the show and that's all." she said. "You go on
ahead. I'll see you there tonight."
"You sure? I don't
want you to get caught up in anything else and miss it." he
said.
"Paul, would you stop treating me like a baby? I can
handle my own business affairs."
"I'm sorry, I just
don't want anyone taking advantage of you."
"Well what
if I want them to? What if I want to get into trouble for no reason?
Let me do what I have to do. Leave me alone."
"Mercedes
what's up with you today?"
"Get out." she said
coldly. "I don't feel like being babied." she looked at
Paul's shocked face. "I mean it Paul, go. I am not a baby, I can
do what I want and date who I want. There isn't a damn thing that you
can do about it." she walked into the bathroom and closed the
door.
Paul stood there shocked for a moment and then walked away.
When he told Stephanie what had happened all she said was that she
told him not to be so over protective.
Mercedes didn't talk to her
brother until later on that night.
"Listen Paul I want to
apologize for going off on you like that."
"It's fine. I
know that I have been a little hard on you and I'm sorry. I don't
want to see you hurt and I am still getting use to you being
independent."
"Well get use to it." she gave him a
hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I love you for al that you have
done for me, but you've done enough, so please stop."
"I'll
try." he smiled. "Go get ready you have a match
tonight,"
Mercedes walked off to go to her dressing room, on
her way she walked into Shane.
"Oh I'm sorry," she said
looking up at him. "Good luck tonight," she said and walked
off.
"Mercedes," Shane called after her. She turned
around, about ready to cry at her misfortune with Shane. "I'm
sorry, but-" he managed to say.
"So am I." she
said. Not allowing him to say another word she walked to her dressing
room.
There was a knock on her door.
"Come on in."
she said. Andrew walked in.
"How you feeling today?" he
asked her.
"Not much better, but I'm trying." she said.
"That's good to hear. Have you talked to Shane?" he
asked.
"I just saw him. Didn't say much, just good luck and
walked away."
"Oh," he said softly.
"Yes,
now I have to go out there and pretend that I am sparking something
up with Jeff, I don't get how they can do this. I mean how can they
not let their personal lives bother them? How do you do it?"
"I
don't think about it. When you come into the arena, and step into
that ring, you leave your life behind you. You become that alter ego;
you are that character and nothing else."
Mercedes nodded.
"Good advice, I'll try it."
"Listen, with all
that's going on, I want you to know that I am still trying to work on
Shane and get him to see that he should take the chance of being with
you."
"You don't have to do that, he made his decision
and that's the bottom line. Let him alone, if he wants to change his
mind then he can."
"Are you sure that you want it that
way?" Andrew asked her.
"I'm positive. I don't need
someone talking him into having some sort of sympathy or pity for me.
I want him to think for himself and look back and see what he's
lost."
"You seem o.k. with this all."
"I'm
trying to be, but it's really not working very well. I snapped at
Paul, and I can't seem to manage a smile for anything in the world.
It really does feel like I lost another piece of me."
"Don't
worry, things will work out. I guess I should go get changed, I have
things to do." he looked at me and shook his head. "You're
strong you can get through this o.k.?"
"You know it."
Mercedes tried to put on a fake little smile, but it didn't' work
very well.
Andrew gave a half grin and walked out as Jeff walked
in.
"Hey Mercedes, is everything o.k. with you?" he
asked me.
"Not really, but does it matter right now?"
"O.k.,
if you want to talk about it you know where I am." he said.
Jeff, as well as the other members of Team Xtreme was some of her
closest friends. "And if not me then I am sure that Amy will be
of some help."
"I'm afraid that she won't. Not on this
one. Anyway, what's going on."
"Well, we're going on
pretty soon, I mean we have the backstage stuff then we have the ring
action, so I was just coming to make sure that you are totally cool
with doing this,"
"It's my job, and I have no reason not
to want to do this. We're adults and know that none of this is going
to carry on outside the ring. I mean, you have a girlfriend, and I'm
well, I'm single and have no one to worry about, so I should be
asking you if this is cool with you."
"You know that it
is." he sat down. "Are you sure that you are fine? Is there
something that's going on that you don't want to tell me or just are
trying to hide from everyone?"
"I'm trying to hide it
from everyone and I don't want to talk about it. So basically we have
a combination of both."
"O.k. well, show started,"
Jeff said looking at the clock on the wall.
"I know," I
put my head down. "It still seems weird that I am in a way
finally associated with Team Xtreme. I'm not being put in it, but how
did they think of putting us together?" I asked.
"I
don't know, I guess they thought that it would be cute." Jeff
brushed away of Mercedes auburn hair and saw a little tear on her
face. "Tell me what's wrong."
"I can't. I can't
start to cry, I can not and will not go on camera looking like a
mess."
"If you want it that way," Jeff stood up. "I
have to get suited up and get ready. I'll see you in a few."
Mercedes
nodded her head. "I'll be there."
When Jeff walked out
all the anger inside of Mercedes emerged as she threw a tray of
vegetables across the room. Shane always made sure that she had a
little tray in her room.
"I hate you Shane for doing this to
me," she yelled. After a few minutes of crying she got herself
together and bounced around her room trying to keep her mind busy.
She thought about having to go out there and kissing Jeff like it was
all real and that she sincerely meant it. There was one thing, she
had no love to share, right now her body was filled with anger, but
she would take Andrew's advice as she was told to make her way to
Jeff's locker room.
"Jeff, I've been looking for you,"
she said in a cheerful manner when she walked in the dressing
room.
"Why?" he asked.
"Well, I wanted to tell
you that I really appreciate you getting me away from that monster
Albert. He use to be nice, but now he's really flipped."
"I
didn't really do anything though."
"Don't be so modest,
I just wanted to say thank you for that missile drop kick and letting
me get out of there."
"But I-I- didn't-"
"It
doesn't matter, I just wanted to thank you and tell you that..." I
leaned in and whispered in his ear.
A huge smile crossed Jeff's
face as he leaned against the wall.
"Good luck tonight. I'll
see you later," I said running my nail down his shirt.
I
walked past Matt and Lita and said hi.
"Jeff, Jeff."
Matt said waving his hand in front of Jeff's face. "What's going
on with him?" Matt asked Lita.
"I don't know. Jeff?"
Lita studied his face and shrugged.
As the show went to commercial
Jeff still stood there shocked at what I said to him.
"Jeff,
you can unfreeze now." Matt said.
"What?" Jeff said
snapping out of his daze.
"That's what we should be asking
you, what did Mercedes say that did that to you?"
"Something
that is very interesting, and that I am definitely going to enjoy
later on." Jeff smiled again and didn't say another
word.
Mercedes had whispered to him that when she went out to kiss
him she was going to go full force so he better be prepared. It was
immature, but she knew that it would make Shane jealous and she
wanted to upset him. It was a small measure of revenge for the things
that Shane had said to her.
Jeff had a match against X-Pac for the
light heavy weight belt that night. Since Albert did not show up
ringside Mercedes walked out during the middle of the match and
"distracted" X-Pac. Allowing Jeff to get the three count
and be crowned the new light heavy weight champion. This was how
Mercedes was going to be the newest ally to the members of "Team
Xtreme".
She jumped in the ring and gave Jeff a hug and held
his hand up high. Unexpected to Jeff, she grabbed him and kissed.
Mercedes had told him that she wasn't hold anything back, but he had
surprised her. After she pulled away from the kiss she smiled and
left the ring. Mercedes looked back and mouthed sorry to Jeff. He ran
up after her, something that she didn't plan on him doing and grabbed
her arm. He lifted his eyebrows and grabbed her for another kiss. If
Mercedes thought that he and she had let everything go last time, she
was wrong.
She stood there and let Jeff do his thing, and then she
walked up the platform hand in hand.
She slapped him as we got
backstage. "What was that about?"
"What?" he
asked. "I am just doing my job."
"That seemed like
you took a little bit past your job and went a little into your own
pleasure."
"So what if I did? You didn't seem to fight
it to much," he said with a smile.
"Whatever,"
Mercedes said with a laugh.
"You were just too good the first
time to let you go without a second kiss."
"Right,"
She said. "I am sure that it was. Just please, if you plan on
doing something like that then would you please tell me?"
"I
will. Welcome to our relationship," Jeff said jokingly.
"Oh
yeah I can tell right now that I am going to like this so
much."
"Consider yourself lucky. I'll catch you back at
the hotel."
"Bye." Mercedes headed to her dressing
room. She saw Shane standing there and almost turned around. "This
is ridiculous," she thought to herself. "He isn't going to
mess up my life like this."
She walked by him without a
word.
"What no hi anymore?" he said.
"You want
to hear hi? Get a life." she said coldly. She was trying to play
it hard and upset but every bit of her wanted to fall in his arms and
beg him to give the two of a chance.
"Why are you being so
mean?"
"There's a simple answer to that, it's what you
deserve. Excuse me I have to get changed so I can leave."
"Can
you at least talk to me?"
"When you learn how to talk
then I'll think about it."
"You can't even say that you
are mad at me, that makes no sense. You just went out there, made out
with Jeff and you are mad at me? Shouldn't this be the other way
around?"
"No, two reasons. One, it's all a storyline and
two I am not in any type of relationship with anyone so yes I have
ever right to be mad at you."
"That's not
fair."
"Neither are you and neither is life." She
shut the door in his face and threw her bag against the wall. She
cared for him so much, but she couldn't just give in to him and fall
into his arms. She needed to make her point and show that she could
live without him. She wanted him, but she didn't need him. And she
needed to make that clear to him.
There was a soft knock on the
door as Mercedes was getting her things together.
"Mercedes
can I come in?"
"Yeah," she said. Stephanie walked
in and sat down next to her.
"You know, Paul was a little
shocked at the way that you acted."
"I know, and I have
to talk to him about that a little more, I was just under a little to
much stress."
"Is there anything that you want to talk
to me about?"
Mercedes stayed quiet and thought about telling
her. If there was a way that she could tell her without it getting
back to Paul then she would have.
"No," she said
finally. "I'm o.k. I just need a little time to cool off and
calm down, I'm still all pumped up from that match."
"That
was quite a kiss with Jeff."
"It was all his idea, but
he's not half bad." They laughed and talked for a few more
minutes.
"Cedes," Paul yelled as she was walking to her
car.
"Yeah," she yelled back turning around.
"Come
by my room later if you can. I want to talk."
"I will if
I can. If I can't, I'll catch up with you at tomorrow's show."
"O.k.
then I'll see you a bit later."
It was one of the times
that Paul and Mercedes didn't travel together. She had decided to
travel with Matt, Jeff and Amy.
She walked into the hotel to get
her things together for the early trip the next day.
As she walked
into her room she saw a few bunches of yellow and pink roses. She
found a card in one of the bouquets.
She recognized the writing as
Shane's.
"If you can't forgive me to be a couple, then
please at least except this apology so that we can get back to being
friends. I need you."
She smiled and laughed at the same time
that she wanted to through the flowers out the window or over Shane's
head.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. And as sure as
she was there was Shane standing at the door.
"Listen, I know
that card doesn't say it all, but I'm sorry." he said.
"I
didn't want to lie, but I knew that you would get all nervous and
everything if I told you that I was Paul's sister."
"I
know I overreacted and I am so sorry about that. When I saw you kiss
Jeff I just felt like I was missing out on all of these great things
that he was getting. I tried to tell you that I was sorry, but I
couldn't and I didn't know how. I was to proud. You didn't deserve
any of what I said to you at all."
"I did deserve some
of it. Come in, I want to talk to you."
So the talking with
Paul left Mercedes mind and she sat and talked with Shane for hours.
They weren't talking about even starting a relationship, but it was
as if they were finding out about each other for the first time. They
talked about everything and each apologized hundreds of times. Shane
knew that he had more to be sorry for, but he liked the fact that
Mercedes was even take any of the credit for that fight and they way
that each of them had acted that day.
