Riley
went backstage after the show as fast as she could to congratulate
Matt and Jeff. She ran around the corner and bumped into something
rock solid. The impact knocked the wind out of her and she fell to
the floor. She groaned as she sat up and found that she had run into
none other than John Cena.
He reached down to take her hand
and she brushed it away as she regained her footing.
"You
know you could watch where you're going," she said as she
brushed herself off.
"Well, you could try not running all
over the place. You could knock someone over."
"The
only person I succeeded in knocking over was myself but I had some
help considering your body is so hard it can serve as a brick wall. I
guess you can say the same about your head."
She continued her path to the Hardy's locker room
John watched Riley walk
away and thought, 'that girl has some issues,' before heading in the
opposite direction toward catering.
Riley
finally made it to the locker room and knocked feverishly on the
door.
"Jeffery Hardy, would you hurry and open the door?"
Jeff sure enough opened
the door and he gave her an unexpected bear hug.
"Gross,
Jeff you're all sweaty!" she squealed trying to wiggle out of
his grasp.
"You know you love me. Are you going to
congratulate me?"
"If you would get off of me then I
would, but if you don't let go in 5 seconds I'm going to hurt you."
He let her go and got his bag out of a chair.
"Come on Matt, we're going to be late for out flight!"
Matt and Jeff had
gotten some time off and decided to take a flight back to North
Carolina with Riley.
They
got to the airport that was surprisingly deserted and got on the
plane without any problems.
"So, how is
everything back home?" Riley had begun to fall asleep on Jeff's
shoulder but sat up and proceeded to glance out of the
window.
"Well
I'm working as an intern and correspondent for two newspapers while
going to school..."
"Considering MY half of the inheritance was suspended and won't take effect until I'm married, in that case I won't get it."
"Chris is still himself driven for success, working to become a partner in his law firm..."
"While in the process trying to get me to quit doing the motocross thing completely"
"AJ is a student at NC State..."
"AJ, my constant partner in crime when you're not around. The "powers" of a twin to sense me have never worn off"
"Everything is the
same," she said with a sigh.
Jeff
noticed a tone in her voice that he hadn't heard but he couldn't tell
what it was. "You're saying this like it's a bad thing,"
Jeff said with a look of concern. Riley just continued to stare out
of the window and sighed.
They
landed at the airport around 6:00 a.m. "So Ry, who's picking us
up?" Jeff asked taking her backpack from her
"AJ
should be waiting for us near baggage claim. Has anyone noticed this
place is basically deserted?"
"Of course kid, you
didn't think a lot of people took a red eye to North Carolina did
you?"
Matt laughed as he grabbed his luggage.
"Could we stay
with you? SOMEONE lost the spare key to our parent's house the last
time we were here and our house is being remodeled," Jeff said
making an unmistakable glare at his brother.
"Sure, as
long as you follow my list of rules."
Jeff remembered her
list of house rules which ranged from reasonable to ridiculous by
number 45.
"Whatever you say RyLynn", Jeff said in a
sing song tone.
They found AJ and drove toward Riley's
apartment. AJ was driving, Matt was in the passenger seat sleeping
and Jeff was in the back next to Riley sleeping. Riley leaned over
her brother's shoulder.
"So, did Chris call?" she
asked speaking slightly above a whisper.
"You know he
did. I told him you were visiting some friends so he called Angie,
Ashley, Lauren, and Harmony. Guy's dense, never thought you'd be
visiting the Hardy Boys in another state."
"Lynn are
you sure he's your boyfriend and not a stalker?" The voice
caused Riley to hit her head on the roof of the SUV.
"Jeffery
Hardy, I thought you were sleeping."
"I have very
sensitive ears. Oh, and why not the use of my middle name
honey?"
"Well, I don't know why your parents gave
you the name. Yes, Nero was a great emperor but he was nuts. He
killed his mother by having someone stab her in the womb from which
he came, he killed his first wife, his second wife and eventually
himself."
"Note to self, change my middle name."
AJ
laughed, "You really should hear the phone messages you got
Lynn. Guy is the most perfect when it comes to having his life in
order but he can be such a wacko."
Riley dialed her voice
mail on her cell phone and put it on speakerphone.
"RyLynn
it's Christopher. Your brother said you'd be gone for the weekend.
I'm sure that it just SLIPPED your mind that our ANNIVERSARY is this
weekend. I just thought I'd take MY girlfriend out to dinner but she
had to go out of town without notice. I worry about you RyLynn. I
tried calling your cell phone but it was off. I'll be substituting
dinner plans for working late, I have a big case but maybe we can
reschedule. I love you, Bye."
"I knew there was a
reason I never liked the guy. He's such an ass." This voice was
that of Matt.
"You guys, he just worries about me and I
didn't tell him I was going."
"But didn't you say
you needed a mini-vacation? I mean since you don't do traveling and
motocross anymore you've been a workaholic," AJ said pulling
into Riley's apartment complex.
This caught Jeff of guard.
"Whoa, Riley you didn't tell me you gave up motocross. That's
been your life since for the past five years and...."
"Jeff
I don't feel like talking about it, I just want to go to sleep."
The
trio got their bags, said good-bye to AJ, and went up to Riley's
apartment.
"Ry...." Jeff continued to pound on her bedroom door. "Riley open up, I need to talk to you!" The pounding got louder.
"Jeff, let the girl sleep!" Matt said throwing a pillow at his younger brother. "RyLynn Amber..."
The door opened to
revealed Riley standing there in a t-shirt and boxer shorts with hair
tied in a disheveled ponytail.
"Jeff Hardy, what don't
you understand about 'leave me alone I don't want to talk about it?'
Riley leaned against the doorframe and yawned.
"The part about not wanting to talk about it," he responded.
Before she had a chance to protest he pulled her out of the door way and down the hall toward another room.
"There's something I want to show you." He tried to turn the doorknob but found it to be locked.
"Where's the key?" Riley pointed above their heads where a chandelier was hanging.
Jeff fished around the top of the chandelier and found the key. He unlocked the door to reveal a room full of assorted pictures and boxes. He was shocked and motioned for her to sit down in the room. He followed her and did the same.
"RyLynn Carter, what happened to all of your trophies?" Jeff asked raising his voice a little. Riley just sighed and looked away from him.
"In the closet,
packed away in boxes, places where I never look. Why?"
Jeff
stared at her blankly. "What do you mean why Lynn? This has been
your life. The one thing you fought your father on tooth and
nail..."
Riley still looked away, "I still don't get
where you're going."
"How could you give up the one
thing that you love and pack it away like it was
nothing?"
This
hit a chord in Riley and her expression changed from barely there to
angry and upset as if to say 'NOTHING!' Riley said nothing. She
couldn't find the words to speak and stormed out and back to her room
leaving Jeff sitting there.
He
couldn't understand what had caused the change in Riley so quickly.
Several months before, she had been fighting an injury to her leg and
back in order to ride in one of the most important races of the year.
True she hadn't won like she wanted to but she was happy with coming
back and that was all that mattered. He had left a happy and content
Riley; the girl he had known for what seemed like forever. Now as
time passed he felt as if he didn't know her at all. She had given up
the first thing she had fought for in her life. Well maybe not the
first but the first that she had succeeded in. The first being her
father's love but that was mission impossible all its own. He didn't
know what he would do if he gave up the one thing he loved to do.
Jeff entered the
Carter's yard to see A.J. sitting on the porch "Hey AJ, have you
seen Riley anywhere?" AJ had grown taller and was about 6' 2"
due to growth spurts the previous year. "Uh, last time I saw her
she was working in the garage." Jeff said thanks to AJ and went
to the Carter garage. He found Riley hovered over a blue and white
dirt bike. She had grown out of her prissy dresses and curly hair and
now was wearing a pair of jean overalls and had her hair straight and
in a long ponytail. She was also taller standing at 5'6 1/2" 5'
7 or 8" in heels.
Jeff knocked on the wall causing Riley
to drop the wrench in her hand.
"Oh, it's you. I'll be ready to go in a minute."
Jeff walked in a little further and surveyed the bike. "So, this is your super secret project. Trying to fix it up?"
Riley saw the smile on his face and frowned.
"You think it's stupid?"
Jeff shook his head, "of
course not. I think it's cool. What do AJ and your dad think?"
"AJ
is a little thrown by the idea of me doing this but being the great
brother he is he's helping me fix it up. A blessing because I don't
have the slightest idea of what I'm doing."
"What
about your dad?"
"He says that and I quote 'it's
ridiculous. A girl your age should be painting her fingernails and
having parties, not fixing bikes and being a tomboy. You're a lady,
act like it. Whatever phase you're going through it better be over
quick. No boy will even look your direction if you keep this up.' End
quote. I don't know what his problem is. He lets AJ try out for
sports and indulges him in whenever venture suites him, knowing Lex
that's every two minutes. I go after the one thing that I want and he
can't support me in my decision, ONE THING. I've been the perfect
little model that he's wanted me to be but right now I want to find
who I am at the moment, not who he wants me to be."
"Why
don't you just tell him that?" Jeff had begun to adjust the
handlebars on the bike figuring this would take a while. Once Riley
began to vent she really didn't let up.
"I tried Jeff,
that's thing. His only response was, 'you're only 14 years old
RyLynn. You don't know what you want or who you are. It's my job to
look after you and not let you make FOOLISH mistakes that will get
you hurt in the end. I know what's best for you.'"
Jeff
laughed, "Oh that was priceless. He ends the speech with the
'daddy knows best bit' huh?"
"Of course, my point is
that I don't know who I am. I don't have my life planned out; I don't
think ANYONE at this point does. All I know is that it's my time to
find my ground and form my identity."
"Well said.
One thing though," Jeff said standing in front of her with his
hands behind his back.
Riley didn't suspect a thing. "What
is that Jeff?"
"I know who you are."
Riley cocked her eyebrow.
"You're my best friend," he paused.
"...Who is going to get hosed in 3, 2, 1..." Jeff pulled
the hose from behind his back and sprayed Riley full force with the
hose drenching her from head to toe.
"Jeffery Nero
Hardy," she squealed trying to run away from the onslaught of
wetness that seemed to follow her as she ran out of the garage.
Jeff
turned off the hose and ran into the yard after her.
A very wet and pissed off Riley greeted him.
"What? Its a hundred degrees and you were covered in oil so I
thought I'd help you out."
"Is that so? Well I got a
surprise for you too BEST FRIEND."
Jeff had a look of
panic in his eye. Before he knew it Riley had a can of motor oil
hanging over his head and he was being covered in black gooey oil.
The sun shone off of it causing rainbow streaks to appear.
"You
look good with rainbow hair." With that Riley ran in the
direction of her room. A safe haven of which Jeff Hardy wouldn't be
able to infiltrate mostly because she would be locking herself in for
the next week.
