I met Matt through his younger brother Jeff who had been watching the debut match of mine. I was in love with Jeff for the first few months, I wasn't really sure why since we had nothing in common, until I met Matt, who changed my life more than he would ever know.
Lita adjusted the straps to my outfit as the practice match began. She had only been in the Indy Feds for the last six months but already she was making much progress. She was wrestling a long time friend of hers who had gotten her interested in wrestling in the first place.
Rachael locked her in a headlock, which Lita quickly reversed, throwing her back to do a clothesline. She went to climb the ropes, except Rachael had not been taken down to keep her down. She was pushed to the ground, being dragged into the corner to do a ten count.
She could already begin to feel her energy dissolve, the match had been more tiring than she had thought. She did a desperate maneuver neck breaker. Lita forced herself to once again move herself to the ropes, which she got ready to do a moonsault. She flipped, contacting with not Rachael, but the mat.
Lita clutched her stomach in pain as Rachael quickly went for the cover. The three count was executed and the bell rang finalizing the match.
Lita got to her feet, hugging her friend. "Great match, the fans are going to love it."
Rachael smiled replying, "No, the fans are going to love YOU."
"Lita! Lita!" She could feel a grin beginning to tug at her lips when she heard Jeff's voice.
She hopped off the apron, jogging over to Jeff and giving him a quick hug. "Hey Jeff, how's life treating you?"
"Great, You had an awesome match, loved your moonsault."
She looked down at her feet, blushing slightly. There was just something about Jeff that made her become this shy, reserved, babbling idiot.
"I'd like you to meet my brother, you remember me talking about him right?"
Lita nodded, Jeff always consistently talked about his "big brother" who had trained with him to get into the WWF. She didn't expect much of his big brother, because, how could anyone else come out on top compared to Jeff? He was sweet, he was caring, he was everything she ever wanted in a…
"Lita, I'd like you to meet Matt."
Lita looked up to meet with a pair of dark chocolate brown eyes that showed depth. She had to stifle a gasp as she openly stared at his features. He was different from Jeff as night and day, but there was no denying, he was the most striking man she had ever seen.
She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She managed a nervous smile. "Hi, I'm Lita. I've heard a lot about you from your brother."
With an easy manner his lips formed into a smile. "Likewise." He replied.
As I got to know him, it seemed I was losing whatever I felt for Jeff, and the feelings growing stronger for Matt. He was everything I had hoped to find in a man, but never thought I'd find. There was only one thing stopping me from making a move on Matt: my boyfriend.
Nick through the beer bottle at the wall, the bottle shattering, the shards cutting into her skin.
"Please Nick…."
Nick backhanded her, sending her body to the other side of the room. "You're a slut you know that? No one's ever going to love a worthless crap like you. Only I could love you even if you're a whore, understand?" He grabbed her by the nape of her neck, raising her off the ground.
Lita nodded numbly.
Nick released her, kicking her overturned body before heading for the door. "You better be here when I get back, bitch. Cause there's more where that came from if you aren't."
Her tears slid silently down the sides of her face. She knew she would be in worse state if Nick saw her crying, because it seemed as if crying only added to the fuel of Nick's anger. She curled into a ball, trying to imagine herself invisible, so that Nick wouldn't dare hurt her anymore. She saw that the cuts on her arms were enough to need stitches, except she didn't care. If she died that night, she would have been happy, to get off the world that seemed to cruel to her.
Nick was the perfect gentleman when they were around others. All her friends had oohed and aahed over Nick. Only they didn't see the second side to the man she loves, or at least had loved. It had started as an innocent fight, he had slapped her. Lita was shocked at first; Nick never seemed the one to abuse another.
She had forgiven him when he had come back to her with flowers, tears in his eyes, begging for forgiveness and that nothing like that would ever happen again. Then a second fight occurred, then the third, then…until she no longer cared to keep track.
Lita had tried to leave Nick before, only to receive the beating of her life. He had threatened to hurt her friends if she told who had beaten her to nearly an inch of her life, so she could only weakly explain to her friends that she had been hurt by being at the wrong place at the wrong time by a gang.
The worst part of it all was, no one suspected anything. It was as if Nick had found the perfect façade that no one would ever look through to see his true self.
She didn't want to live, but she didn't want to die either.
Life had come to a dead end for me then; I was stuck in between two worlds, one with all my friends..and Nick, the other, a world without Nick, or my friends.
If Matt hadn't found me at the state that I was in, I probably wouldn't have stayed here to be able to tell this story.
"Nick, baby you know I can't do that….Vince would kill me…why not?!? Because I'm loyal to my fans…no it's not a bunch of bullshit! You're right, we do need some time from eachother…goodbye!" She clicked her cellphone off, slamming the phone to the ground, hearing it break to pieces.
She tensed when she felt a hand on her shoulder, but immediately relaxed when she realized who it was.
"Lita? Are you okay? You want to talk about it."
She bit the inside of her lip, she knew she had to stay strong, she knew if she told anyone, chances were Nick would be out to hurt all of her friends who she wouldn't be able to live without. She knew…..all the words began to spill out of her, as if she had kept those feelings in for so long that they had no choice but to be vocalized.
Matt soon wrapped his arms around her, smoothing her hair, whispering, "Shh..it's going to be okay Lita; I won't let him hurt you anymore. We'll get help."
Lita could feel happiness overwhelm her, until she realized that with only Matt, chances were Nick would be able to find a way to harm everyone she cared for.
Matt sensed her sudden change in attitude. "We'll talk to Vince McMahon right away, he'll know what to do." He kissed the top of her head, hugging her closer to his body.
We did go to Vince for help; he was able to get a restraining order against Nick. After that, I never heard or saw Nick again, although in the back of my mind, I was always afraid that he might be watching me, just waiting for his time to strike.
Just when I thought that things were finally settling down in my life, Dean Malenko goes and disrupts whatever peace I had began to build within myself.
He never seemed to give up. First it was interrupting in all of my matches, then it was the box of chocolates, then, the challenge for the match.
Dean Malenko had interfered with the third match that she had this week.
He stood at the top of the ramp, a microphone in his hand, a confident smirk on his face. "So Lita? What'd you say? One-on-one with the great Dean Malenko."
Lita would have raised my mic and refused, except Matt put a hand over the microphone, quickly whispering in his light southern accent that he had a plan.
She felt uneasy about taking on a wrestler like Dean, although she hated him, she couldn't deny that he was one of the best wrestlers in the business. But her trust for Matt overpowered her uneasiness.
"You got it Dean. All you have to do is show up."
She felt nothing less than safe as Matt put a reassuring arm around her shoulder. She had to keep from shivering of the pleasure she felt just having Matt care about her well being.
The week before the match against Dean Malenko, I was on odds and ends. No support from Matt seemed to ease my fears. Many questions went through my mind, what if Malenko won? What if Matt's plan didn't work?
Thankfully, Matt's plan went through, and I had gotten from that experience, much more than I had hoped to get.
Lita lay on the canvas, fighting to keep from slipping into unconsciousness. She could hear Dean yelling at her to get up, but she felt much too tired.
She saw Matt slide in to the ring, a metal chair in his hand. Her eyes widened, Matt had always been one to say he believed in fair play, no foreign objects. Except maybe this was an exclusion.
With all her strength, she managed to wave the referee over, managing a hurt look on her face, which wasn't hard because her head was pounding, she told the referee that her head was hurting.
As the ref leant down to see if she would still be able to continue the match, Lita heard the distinct sound of metal contacting with a person.
Lita craned her neck to see Matt throwing the chair out of the ring, getting out of the ring himself also. He signaled for Lita to make her move.
She crawled over to the direction of Dean, almost collapsing onto Dean as the referee finished the three count.
Once the bell had rung, Matt came back into the ring, jumping up and down with happiness.
Matt helped her to her feet, hugging her tightly.
"Did I just beat Dean? Did this really happen?" Lita asked, still in disbelief.
"You did it Lita, I knew you could. All you needed was a little help."
"I'm sorry I ever doubted you Matt." Lita smiled, turning to the crowd, giving them the hardy boyz gun indication.
She faced Matt again to find him staring at her.
"Something wrong Matt?" She waved a hand across his face when he didn't reply.
Her brows knitted questioningly as he began to lean closer. When his lips touched hers, she could feel herself gasp. The kiss was short, Matt pulling back to see her reaction.
To say the least she was stunned. She had just received the sweetest and gentlest kiss she had ever gotten from the man she was in love with. She touched her hand to her lips to confirm the happening.
Matt's face dropped when he saw her reaction, it seemed as if he didn't expect her response to be none. He began to apologize furiously, blushing deeply.
Her lips parted to say what she should have, but she found her voice wouldn't leave her lips. She watched silently as Matt left the ring.
She was hesitant as to whether stay and enjoy what would have been the one and only kiss with Matt, or to go and catch up with him, to find if he felt the same way.
She hardly heard the crowd cheering; she only heard the beating of her heart as she caught up with Matt midway up the ramp. She lightly touched his back, watching him jolt. He turned, and began to apologize when he saw it was her.
Lita silenced him by placing a hand over his lips, searching for a sign in his dark eyes, to see if this fate was one that he wanted also.
This time, it was Lita who tilted her lips so that his lips met hers.
He broke the kiss midway, looking at her, breathless. "Why…"
Lita smiled, covering his mouth from him speaking any further. She pulled back only enough to whisper, "Live for the moment."
He seemed to accept her answer, because his arms tightened around her waist, giving her a mind-blowing kiss.
If only everything had stayed the way it was at that moment. But like everything else I ever managed to care for, everything I touched became tainted.
"I don't want to fight you Matt! If you just see from my point of view.."
Matt cut in sharply, snapping back, "If you would just listen, you would see my thoughts are more rational."
"Why don't you just let Jeff live his life? I know what it feels like to have someone have complete control over my life, and to tell you the truth Matt, it doesn't feel good!"
"Are you trying to say that I'm trying to control Jeff? I'm only trying to protect him." He looked taken aback at her words.
"Matt…." Lita touched Matt's shoulder, but he pulled back as if he was burnt.
"I need some time alone, I'll see you around…maybe."
Lita shook her head, stopping him from heading to the door. "You know what? I'm sick and tired of this! I don't want to fight, but if this is the way you are going to be acting, it seems like I have no choice. So Matt, you go and think this over."
She slammed their locker room door behind her leaving Matt with his face buried in his hands.
I hated having to fight with Matt, I knew there could have been ways to avoid the situation, except I was never really much on looking for alternatives.
Matt was headstrong, and I was stubborn as well, I guess that somehow made us a bad mix when it involved an argument.
Lita shook the tears from her eyes, as she ran down the hallway.
She bumped into someone but she didn't care to look to see who it was.
"Whoa there Lita, what's the hurry?" Jeff joked, his smile quickly dissolving when he saw her tears.
He led her to a chair, helping her sit down. He sat down on his knees so he was looking up into her eyes. "What's wrong Lita?"
"It's nothing." She looked away, closing her eyes although the tears still kept flowing.
Jeff gently turned her face to meet his. "I know that you wouldn't be crying over nothing. You can tell me, I promise I won't tell anyone else."
Lita almost laughed at his naiveness; the world hadn't been at its cruelest to him yet. "You want to know the truth?"
Jeff nodded.
"I got into a fight with Matt because I said that you should be able to do whatever you want and he said he was just trying to protect you and I…I'm so confused."
Jeff enfolded her in his arms. "You really stood up for me?"
"I always stand up for what I believe in…don't you?"
Jeff saw Lita, as she was right then, a brave woman who was slowly crumbling because of Matt. A beautiful woman who deserved more than what she received.
Jeff caressed her lips with his, increasing the pressure steadily as the seconds passed.
Lita pulled back suddenly, shaking her head. "This isn't right. I love Matt, Jeff I think you're great but…"
Jeff sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I knew you'd say that, I guess you can't blame a man for trying."
Lita smiled weakly. "Still friends?"
"Of course." Jeff placed a friendly kiss on the cheek before he walked off to his next match.
After the incident with Jeff, it suddenly looked as if Matt had seen everything that had happened, because unexpectedly he began to give me the cold shoulder, only associating with me if it involved a storyline.
Vince McMahon called Jeff and Lita into his office after a couple of days that Matt had begun to act strangely.
"We have a change of plans for the direction of which the Hardy Boyz storyline is going, you will break up with Matt, and join Jeff to be his valet." Vince said.
"Why the sudden change?"
Vince looked at both of them replying, "To tell you the truth, it was Matt who suggested this. He said he would like to get out of the storyline as soon as possible."
Jeff and her exchanged glances, what was happening?
It didn't take long at all for that question to be answered. The questions all answered in the form of two words. Two words, that put an end to me and Matt….for forever.
"I'm sorry Matt! I didn't see your foot on the ropes!" Lita pleaded, reciting the lines she had memorized to do the taping.
"Yeah? Well it seems more than that, why were you never on my side?" Matt looked at her with accusation in his eyes, the allegation looked so real to her, she had to shake her head to assure herself that this was only the scripts, not in real life.
"I'm the referee! I can't be on sides, I'm sorry Matt, if I had seen your foot on the ropes.."
Matt got up abruptly, causing her to take a step back. "I don't want to listen to any more of your lies." He pointed to the door. "Leave."
Lita didn't know what it was, but somewhere along his lines, she could begin to see that he actually meant every scripted word he said, except…why?
She backed away to the exit as she was supposed to, real tears beginning to well.
"As of now, team eXtreme is no more." He shut the door in her face.
Lita could feel her feet crumble beneath her, her whole world come crashing down. She didn't even hear the cameraman lean down to ask if she was all right. All she could hear were the last words Matt said to her, no more…no more…no more…
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please R&R