Chris dropped Jeri off at her house, staying long enough to see that she
got to the door. She opened the door and walked in, laying her stuff down.
When she looked into the living room, she saw someone with her mom that she
wouldn't have expected in a million years. Her father.
He had left right after she was born, and returned once when she was nine. But he was more trouble than help. He was drunken everyday. All he ever did was drink beer. He didn't even have a job. He just wanted his beer.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she said to the already-drunk body on the recliner.
"That's no way to talk to your father, young lady." He said, his words slurred.
"I don't consider you my father. A father is someone who decides to stick around his daughter while she's growing up." She said, going to her room. Jeri sat there, turning up her music to drown out the sounds of her father yelling up at her.
A week of this arguing went on, until one day, her dad once again came home drunk, worse than ever. He broke her door open and started to chase her. She grabbed her one prized possession, a spelling bee trophy she had won when she was seven, and threw it at his head.
She ran out of the house, over to Chris' house. He was getting into his car to drive over to the airport; he was leaving today to go back on the road. She ran there as fast as she could, but her father was catching up with her.
Chris was in the car when he heard someone banging on his window. He rolled down the window and saw that it was Jeri. "What's wrong?" he said, his voice full of concern.
"My.dad. is chasing.me. Let... me. go with you." She said out of breath. Chris looked behind her and saw her dad running towards her.
"Get in!" he yelled, unlocking the doors and rolling his window up. She got in and locked the doors as they sped off. "Do you have anything with you?" he asked as they drove away.
"Yeah, I just happened to pack as my dad was chasing me like the drunken idiot he is." She said sarcastically. "Sorry." She said, laying her head down on the window. "Chris, thank you."
"For what?" he asked, confused.
"For letting me come on the road with you. I hope Vince doesn't mind. But, I'm sorry if I'm causing trouble." She said, worried that she was.
"It's okay. I don't think he'd mind. About the clothes thing, we'll be there in six hours or so. I'm sure some of the girls would be happy to let you borrow some of their clothes." He said.
"I doubt my blubber would fit into their clothes. I'm a lot bigger than them." She said.
"You're still sure as hell a lot prettier than them." He told her, looking over.
"You don't mean that." She said. He nodded, indicating he did mean it. "Thank you, Chris. I love you." He had just thought it was Chris dropped Jeri off at her house, staying long enough to see that she got to the door. She opened the door and walked in, laying her stuff down. When she looked into the living room, she saw someone with her mom that she wouldn't have expected in a million years. Her father.
He had left right after she was born, and returned once when she was nine. But he was more trouble than help. He was drunken everyday. All he ever did was drink beer. He didn't even have a job. He just wanted his beer.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she said to the already-drunk body on the recliner.
"That's no way to talk to your father, young lady." He said, his words slurred.
"I don't consider you my father. A father is someone who decides to stick around his daughter while she's growing up." She said, going to her room.
A week of this arguing went on, until one day, her dad once again came home drunk, worse than ever. He broke her door open and started to chase her. She ran out of the house, over to Chris' house. He was getting into his car to drive over to the airport; he was leaving today to go back on the road. Her father chased her the whole way there.
Chris was in the car when he heard someone banging on his window. He rolled down the window and saw that it was Jeri. "What's wrong?" he said, his voice full of concern.
"My.dad. is chasing.me. Let... me. go with you." She said out of breath. Chris looked behind her and saw her dad running towards her.
"Get in!" he yelled, unlocking the doors and rolling his window up. She got in and locked the doors as they sped off. "Do you have anything with you?" he asked as they drove away.
"Yeah, I just happened to pack as my dad was chasing me like the drunken idiot he is." She said sarcastically. "Sorry." She said, laying her head down on the window.
"It's okay. We'll be there in six hours or so. I'm sure some of the girls would be happy to let you borrow some of their clothes." He said.
"I doubt my blubber would fit into their clothes. I'm a lot bigger than them." She said. He just shook his head and kept on driving.
~~~
By the time they got there, Jeri was asleep on the car window. He stared at her for a few minutes. She started to tremble. He guessed she was having a nightmare. Jeri had been through a lot. Her dad, her boyfriend, her best friend. Sometimes he just wished he could kiss her long enough to take all of the pain away. Maybe even longer.
He shook her to wake her up. She looked around, and got out, helping Chris with his bags. She hoped Kane was here. That was the one wrestler she had met, and they had grown really close. They were best friends. She turned around to see him coming out of the hotel to see her.
"Kane! How'd you know I was going to be with him?" she asked.
"He called and told me. I could hear your snoring in the background." He laughed as he hugged her. "Oh, I missed you so much, Jeri."
"Not as much as I've missed you." She giggled. "Hey, let's go to TGIFridays and get something to eat. I'm starving." She said, grabbing his hand and dragging him over to the parking lot. "Now which one is your car..?" she asked.
Chris took his bag to his room and went up to the receptionist's desk. "Ma'am, can you get me the room number for Lita, please?" he asked. She was on the phone, but she handed him a piece of paper with the number 431 on it. He guessed that was her room number.
He knocked on the door and waited for Lita to answer. "Oh, hey Chris. What can I do for you?" she asked when she did open the door.
"I need someone to talk to. You know that Jeri girl I used to tell you about?" he asked. Lita nodded her head. "I think I'm in love with her." He said.
"But, she's fourteen years younger than you are Chris!" she said.
"I know, I know. But I can't help it. She's so beautiful. But, I made a mistake. I proposed to Leslie."
"That bimbo? You have to break it off. Soon." She told him. He nodded and said he was going to do that soon. "Well, you better leave and get some rest. You have a match against Kane tonight." She pushed him out the door, let Matt come in, and slammed it in his face.
"Thanks.." he mumbled to himself.
~~~
Jeri had started crying. "What's wrong?" Kane asked her.
"I'm. in love.with. Chris." She said in between sobs.
"What?" he asked. "Does he know?"
"No. I want to tell him, but I'm too damn afraid he'll hate me. Then it would totally ruin our friendship." She sobbed.
"I doubt that. If he didn't love you, he'd be a stupid idiot. Not saying he isn't already.." he laughed. Jeri laughed too. "You gotta tell him, Jer."
She shook her head. "I could never do that."
He had left right after she was born, and returned once when she was nine. But he was more trouble than help. He was drunken everyday. All he ever did was drink beer. He didn't even have a job. He just wanted his beer.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she said to the already-drunk body on the recliner.
"That's no way to talk to your father, young lady." He said, his words slurred.
"I don't consider you my father. A father is someone who decides to stick around his daughter while she's growing up." She said, going to her room. Jeri sat there, turning up her music to drown out the sounds of her father yelling up at her.
A week of this arguing went on, until one day, her dad once again came home drunk, worse than ever. He broke her door open and started to chase her. She grabbed her one prized possession, a spelling bee trophy she had won when she was seven, and threw it at his head.
She ran out of the house, over to Chris' house. He was getting into his car to drive over to the airport; he was leaving today to go back on the road. She ran there as fast as she could, but her father was catching up with her.
Chris was in the car when he heard someone banging on his window. He rolled down the window and saw that it was Jeri. "What's wrong?" he said, his voice full of concern.
"My.dad. is chasing.me. Let... me. go with you." She said out of breath. Chris looked behind her and saw her dad running towards her.
"Get in!" he yelled, unlocking the doors and rolling his window up. She got in and locked the doors as they sped off. "Do you have anything with you?" he asked as they drove away.
"Yeah, I just happened to pack as my dad was chasing me like the drunken idiot he is." She said sarcastically. "Sorry." She said, laying her head down on the window. "Chris, thank you."
"For what?" he asked, confused.
"For letting me come on the road with you. I hope Vince doesn't mind. But, I'm sorry if I'm causing trouble." She said, worried that she was.
"It's okay. I don't think he'd mind. About the clothes thing, we'll be there in six hours or so. I'm sure some of the girls would be happy to let you borrow some of their clothes." He said.
"I doubt my blubber would fit into their clothes. I'm a lot bigger than them." She said.
"You're still sure as hell a lot prettier than them." He told her, looking over.
"You don't mean that." She said. He nodded, indicating he did mean it. "Thank you, Chris. I love you." He had just thought it was Chris dropped Jeri off at her house, staying long enough to see that she got to the door. She opened the door and walked in, laying her stuff down. When she looked into the living room, she saw someone with her mom that she wouldn't have expected in a million years. Her father.
He had left right after she was born, and returned once when she was nine. But he was more trouble than help. He was drunken everyday. All he ever did was drink beer. He didn't even have a job. He just wanted his beer.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she said to the already-drunk body on the recliner.
"That's no way to talk to your father, young lady." He said, his words slurred.
"I don't consider you my father. A father is someone who decides to stick around his daughter while she's growing up." She said, going to her room.
A week of this arguing went on, until one day, her dad once again came home drunk, worse than ever. He broke her door open and started to chase her. She ran out of the house, over to Chris' house. He was getting into his car to drive over to the airport; he was leaving today to go back on the road. Her father chased her the whole way there.
Chris was in the car when he heard someone banging on his window. He rolled down the window and saw that it was Jeri. "What's wrong?" he said, his voice full of concern.
"My.dad. is chasing.me. Let... me. go with you." She said out of breath. Chris looked behind her and saw her dad running towards her.
"Get in!" he yelled, unlocking the doors and rolling his window up. She got in and locked the doors as they sped off. "Do you have anything with you?" he asked as they drove away.
"Yeah, I just happened to pack as my dad was chasing me like the drunken idiot he is." She said sarcastically. "Sorry." She said, laying her head down on the window.
"It's okay. We'll be there in six hours or so. I'm sure some of the girls would be happy to let you borrow some of their clothes." He said.
"I doubt my blubber would fit into their clothes. I'm a lot bigger than them." She said. He just shook his head and kept on driving.
~~~
By the time they got there, Jeri was asleep on the car window. He stared at her for a few minutes. She started to tremble. He guessed she was having a nightmare. Jeri had been through a lot. Her dad, her boyfriend, her best friend. Sometimes he just wished he could kiss her long enough to take all of the pain away. Maybe even longer.
He shook her to wake her up. She looked around, and got out, helping Chris with his bags. She hoped Kane was here. That was the one wrestler she had met, and they had grown really close. They were best friends. She turned around to see him coming out of the hotel to see her.
"Kane! How'd you know I was going to be with him?" she asked.
"He called and told me. I could hear your snoring in the background." He laughed as he hugged her. "Oh, I missed you so much, Jeri."
"Not as much as I've missed you." She giggled. "Hey, let's go to TGIFridays and get something to eat. I'm starving." She said, grabbing his hand and dragging him over to the parking lot. "Now which one is your car..?" she asked.
Chris took his bag to his room and went up to the receptionist's desk. "Ma'am, can you get me the room number for Lita, please?" he asked. She was on the phone, but she handed him a piece of paper with the number 431 on it. He guessed that was her room number.
He knocked on the door and waited for Lita to answer. "Oh, hey Chris. What can I do for you?" she asked when she did open the door.
"I need someone to talk to. You know that Jeri girl I used to tell you about?" he asked. Lita nodded her head. "I think I'm in love with her." He said.
"But, she's fourteen years younger than you are Chris!" she said.
"I know, I know. But I can't help it. She's so beautiful. But, I made a mistake. I proposed to Leslie."
"That bimbo? You have to break it off. Soon." She told him. He nodded and said he was going to do that soon. "Well, you better leave and get some rest. You have a match against Kane tonight." She pushed him out the door, let Matt come in, and slammed it in his face.
"Thanks.." he mumbled to himself.
~~~
Jeri had started crying. "What's wrong?" Kane asked her.
"I'm. in love.with. Chris." She said in between sobs.
"What?" he asked. "Does he know?"
"No. I want to tell him, but I'm too damn afraid he'll hate me. Then it would totally ruin our friendship." She sobbed.
"I doubt that. If he didn't love you, he'd be a stupid idiot. Not saying he isn't already.." he laughed. Jeri laughed too. "You gotta tell him, Jer."
She shook her head. "I could never do that."