short, but leads into the next chapter which will be a very funny one, promise. see jeff try and dance ballet. hope you like.

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CHAPTER THREE

Belle had managed to talk her into hitting the gym with her after work and once she had changed in the backseat of Belle's car, with her right beside her doing the exact same thing on the side of the road, Mari had convinced herself that she would be able to work out some of the tension in her muscles for the next show- that was three days away.
"So, did ya send in your application?" Belle questioned.

Imari glanced at her, quirking an eyebrow. "Which one? There are two."
Belle gave her a look that told her to not be a smartass about it and just answer the question. "Alright! Both of them," she snapped when Mari pretended that she couldn't hear her.

"Yeah. Despite that it took Josh dragging me to the post office to do so," Mari told her friend, smiling a little weakly. "I really want the main one, but I don't mind being a dance teacher. I love working with the kids."
"But you love to wrestle. Imagine if the WWE did accept you. You'd be able to pay for everything. Hospital bills. A studio. Everything, baby girl."

Mari looked down as she thought about the truth in Belle's words. She wanted to wrestle for the WWE, she always had, but being the 'semi-adopted' sister of the Hardy Boyz, being that she had particularly lived with them growing up as a kid, until… She rolled her eyes at her stupidity.

"Come on, I wanna see if there is a dance class on. Or a kids class I can teach. They love letting me teach," she said, changing the subject as they climbed out of the car, gym bags in hand.

Belle rolled her eyes at her friend, though she couldn't disagree with her friend. The kids did love Imari when it came to being taught. She just had a fun and playful approach to it. Not a cold and tactile way like Mari's old ballet teacher had with her. Probably why she had such a straight and trim figure. However, trim wasn't the word to describe Mari at the moment. Underweight would be the one. She had been going downhill and Belle knew not to say anything less she get her head snapped off.

- - -

Well, the only class they did have was kids ballet, which was fine by Mari, at least she'd get some exercise in while helping the little ones. Pulling on the ballet shoes, Mari began to wonder just what type of exercise that Belle was going to do exactly as she watched her friend flirt with a couple of big muscly gym boys.

There were ten little girls all lined up stretching as she'd asked them to do and it made her smile as she started to stretch. Wearing only a tight light green fitting sports bra to hold her in place, and a pair of black gaucho pants.

Mari neglected to see the few men entering the gym and heading straight past the studio, even more so, she neglected to see the man stop and peer through the crack in the door to watch her as she started to teach her class.

- - -

Jeff couldn't help it. He was staring. The minute he'd taken in the long multi-toned hair pulled back to reveal the long, slender and more swanlike neck and the baby face features of his old friend had Jeff left speechless. He looked behind him to find Matt, Shannon and Greg gone and took his opportunity to slip into the door, loving the sound of 'What Hurts the Most' by Cascada playing. He loved dancing to this, only because the beat was so fast. Her back was to and he dropped his bag near the door as he pushed the door shut, not wanting his brother to catch him in here, knowing it would only create a disaster because of Mari truly being here.

Jeff didn't miss the way her body moved fluidly as she danced for the little girls lined up who all followed her actions only a few seconds later.

- - -

Mari smiled as she watched the girls try and copy her as she moved.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up suddenly and she shivered and lost her balance, rolling her ankle in the process. Landing with a thud on the floor, she nearly swore, but saved herself when the girls surrounded her. A second or two later and she felt a hand on grip her ankle and a warm heat spread from the contact. Glancing up, Mari found Jeff fiddling with her ankle.

"You alright?"

She pulled from his grip and made to stand up. It was sore, but what was new, she was always sore. A hand went to grip her arm, but she moved away from him. "I'm fine. Go away, now."

The arrogant smirk that spread across Jeff's face at her words had Mari's brow creasing a little in worry. What was he going to do? "Nah, I think I'll give this a try," he replied, waving her off as he kicked off his shoes and stripped off his t-shirt so he was left in a white ribbed singlet and a pair of blue Adidas track pants.

"What?!" she screeched. "You. Ballet. You're a joke and a half, Hardy. Last time I saw you try and dance ballet, you fell flat on you a-r-s-e." She laughed a little as she watched him start to stretch. What was he trying to prove? It wasn't a challenge because she could out dance him in ballet any day, she knew that and he probably did, he was just being a stubborn jackass.