(Warning: This story contains themes of abuse.)
Nothing that I Feel
Chapter 2
Chris Jericho scowled at his stack of pancakes as he sat down. The blonde Canadian hefted a sigh, and picked up a fork, surveying the other wrestlers that looked at him expectantly. "She can't come;" he said flatly, "She and Matt are leaving for the arena now." He looked back down at his breakfast, not daring to see the looks of disbelief on their faces.
"Figures," muttered Chris Benoit from his seat across from Chris Jericho. There was what looked to be a neutral look on his face, but his friends sitting at the table knew it concealed his anger. Jeff Hardy bowed his head slightly, pushing what was left of his waffles into the puddles of thick syrup. His eyes focused on the fork, hardly paying attention to what the others were saying.
Edge leaned back in his chair, his lips pressed tight together as he surveyed the group. Since the roster spilt had ended, this was the group that had been together almost inseparably. Well, mostly. Christian, Trish Stratus, Molly Holly, Jackie, the two Chrises, Jeff, and himself were the usual group. Sometimes, he added as an afterthought, Stacy, Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle and Victoria hung around. Edge's eyes wavered to the two empty seats. They were always there. Every time they ate, they brought up seats for Matt Hardy and Lita. For the past three months, those seats had remained empty.
Trish looked over at Jeff, a sad expression on her face. She threaded her fingers between his, and squeezed his hand gently. He didn't respond. Trish looked around the diner of the hotel, fighting the urge to comment on the situation. 'I can't stand this!' she thought to herself, looking around at the others. Their expressions varied—sad, angry… 'Just sitting around accepting the fact that Lita is being treated like some…some…' her anger flashed up to the point where she couldn't finish her thought. 'We have to do something… I have to do something…'
Jackie bit her lip slightly as she set her chin on her hand. 'She's not coming. Again.' She shifted uncomfortably. 'Am I the only one who sees it? It's obviously not her… It has to be Matt,' unkind words formed in her mind, and she gladly let them flow, wishing she only had the chance to say them aloud to him.
Chris Benoit threw down his fork and leaned back, assessing all of the others. "Okay, for once, I'm going to say what I think is on everyone's minds. It's obvious that it's Matt keeping her from meeting us. It's obvious that she has tons more bruises than she should, even after a brutal match. Maybe I'm the only one putting two and two together but-"
"Don't say it," Jeff said suddenly. Chris looked over at him, and saw his pleading face.
"I'm sorry, Jeff, but I have to," he told him. "You know it, we all know it. Matt is hurting Lita," he took his time to look everyone in the eye. "And we're doing nothing."
"We are too!" someone interjected, but Jackie spoke before anyone else did. The blonde's voice was soft, but it got the attention of the others quickly.
"Have you ever seen the commercial where everyone is standing around the piece of trash, talking about how wrong it is that it's sitting on the street, and not in the trash can a foot away? And then one guy comes up, and picks the trash up, and throws it away?" she asked, and the others nodded slowly. "Those people saying how disgusting it is, that's us," she claimed, her voice riddled with emotion. "We know what's happening and we know it's wrong, but we do nothing." She stood up, pushing her chair in and staring at the others. "I'm going to be the person who makes a stand to pick up that piece of trash. I don't know if I can throw it in the garbage alone…but I'm going to try," she stepped back, swinging her purse over her shoulder. The blonde clenched her jaw. "At least my conscience will be clear when Matt goes over the edge." Jackie made her way out of the room, leaving a shocked group of wrestlers behind her.
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Author's Note: I'm so sorry that it has been so long since an update! My muses died for this story, but now they're back, and hopefully until the story ends! Anyway, please review! And if you would like to see a certain pairing in this story, just say who and I'll consider it!