I want to start off by saying that my heart goes out to everyone who was affected by the tragedy in Colorado.
On a lighter note… Thank you all for reading and reviewing the last chapter! :) Especially Esha and Guest (ugh, I wish you would've typed a name :( I feel so mean for acknowledging you as just Guest, lol)
I hope you all enjoy the latest installment.
Love ya : )
Ch. 15: Tense
Sky's POV
"Jeff? Hardy? Girl, quit playing. Now here, your dad's waiting for you outside the door." My mom shoved a bouquet of yellow and white tulips in my trembling hands. "Oh, wait. I almost forgot. Maybe this will calm your nerves." Shelly grinned as she picked up a little remote from the coffee table beside her.
"Shelly I'm spazzing out right now. And you're no help." I groaned as I searched this huge bedroom for a TV. Of course, it's on the wall. "Just shut up and watch." She giggled as she pressed play.
"Danny, hey." My eyes grew ten times wider when that beautiful face appeared on the screen. His hazel eyes sparkled, much like mine did when I looked in the mirror. So much for keeping him out of my head.
"I don't know about you… but I'm fucking spazzing out right now." He said, making Shelly laugh and my mom groan. She's never liked his blatant use of profanity. I don't know how she deals with me, because I'm worse.
"Can you believe we're really doing this?" He asked with a smile. Oh, did that make my heart flutter. "You're so gonna laugh at this fancy ass tux your mom custom made for me." He started to laugh as he looked down at himself. Too bad the camera's only showing his head.
"Oh, and your mom made Shelly put my hair in this dumb ass ponytail. I told them you wanted it to hang, but whatever." He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, at least now he doesn't look like a grease monkey." That voice was familiar, too. It's my mom's apprentice/assistant, and my bff, Tyanna. I'm guessing that she's a bridesmaid. "Oh hush it, Ty. My little son-in-law's a cute grease monkey." My mom laughed.
"Damn. Can you believe that I'm rambling? Me, of all people. You probably think it's cute, though." He chuckled. And he's right, I do. "I'm so nervous right now. Look at my hands." He held up his shaking hands to the screen. Looking at the letters tattooed on his fingers made me think of all of the times I've kissed them. Good times, man.
"Let me finish this up before I start dry heaving on camera. And that wouldn't be a good image to see right before you walk down the isle, now would it?" He nervously chuckled. "I just wanna say I love you. And even though I might look like shit right now, there's nowhere else I'd be but right here, nervous as hell, waiting to see you walk down the isle." Everyone in the room 'awwwwww'ed when he said that.
"I can't wait to see you in your dress." He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Well, to be honest, I can't wait until I take it off of you, later on. Shelly kinda blabbed about your, uh, undergarments. Hey Shell. And thanks Ms. B." He grinned that goofily crooked smile he always does and waved into the camera. I'm so glad my mom gave up on trying to get him to take out his lip ring when we were in high school. From the looks of it, she succeeded in making me take out both of mine. At least I got to keep the tongue ring.
"Uh, your dad's glaring at me like I'm one of his defense attorneys for that comment. I'll just make this short and sweet. Tonight. You. Me. Dragon. It's on. See you at the altar, Mrs. Brooks." He gave me a wink and then walked away from the camera. I could hear the voices of Luis, Diego, Jug, Colt, and Sam, Phil's other good friend from the Chi, all going 'awwwwww' in the background. Phil let out a loud "Fucking douchebags!" before the DVD went blank.
"Dragon? Who's that?" My mom asked, making Shelly and I laugh. "Uh, it's a video game, Ms. B. Now help me dab her eyes. Miss-I-don't-cry has sprung a leak." Shelly came over to me with Kleenex and gently started dabbing under my eyes.
I didn't even notice I was crying. I don't mind. At least they were happy tears. There was a knock on the door and my mom, Tyanna, and a few more faceless girls in beautiful, flowing yellow dresses headed to the door. "That's my cue. See you in a little bit, girls." My mom smiled at me as she pulled the veil over my face again. At least I could see out of it this time.
About five silent minutes later, Shelly spoke. "You know you're nervous for nothing, right?" She smirked as she watched me stare at myself in the mirror. "He's loved you since September 13, 1996. If I were you, I'd run down the isle, not walk." That made me chuckle.
"Thanks for that. I really needed it." I turned around and gave her a hug. After our embrace, there was another knock at the door. I realized that she and I were the only two left in the room. "Where's the flower girl?" I asked her, confused.
If my mother coordinated my dream wedding, which I'm positive she did, then there has to be a flower girl and a ring bearer. It's tradition. And no one breaks tradition. Or so my mom says.
"Sky, you're tripping. You don't remember you and Phil arguing with your mom about having the flower girl drop black rose petals instead of white tulips? That was the highlight of this whole wedding planning business. That and the argument about Phil's lip ring." She laughed as she made her way to the door. So I guess taking out my lip rings was the compromise.
"No, I guess not." I sighed. "Well, your mom just said fuck it. No flower girls, no ring bearers, and no flower dropping, period. Your mom's a trip." She opened the door and I instantly knew that voice. "Damn, you look cute." Jug exclaimed.
"I know. Now Sky, we're all gonna be waiting for you. Your dad's gonna knock when they're ready. Do not run away. Run down the isle to him, remember. Not down the street, away from him." She laughed as she closed the door behind her.
As soon as I was alone, my stomach started to churn. I know that this is a dream. I'm in the hospital sleeping off a concussion. I'm currently dating Jeff Hardy. But even though I know all of this is the truth, I feel like I'm really here in this unfamiliar bedroom waiting for a knock from my dad.
I promised myself that I was gonna do my best to keep him out of my mind. Working smoothly, don't you think?
I started the DVD up again and paused it on his smile.
As I stared at his handsome face, I came to a heart wrenching conclusion. Even if I do manage to keep him out of my mind consciously, he'll continue to be the main focus of my subconscious. As long as I suppress him while I'm awake, he'll haunt me in my dreams.
As strange as it may be, I think I can live with that.
I gave in fully to my dream and the nerves of tying the knot hit me like a ton of bricks. I needed to sit so I could catch my breath, but I'm afraid that something would happen to my mom's masterpiece of a dress.
Instead, I pressed play on that DVD again. As soon as I heard, "Danny, hey." I calmed. I can do this.
My dad knocked on the door, and I instantly opened it, now very anxious to get to Phil. "Whoa, Skylar. You're beautiful." My dad smiled down at me. "Thanks. You don't look half bad yourself." I smiled at him. He doesn't, to be honest. His hair was slicked back, that Eddie Munster hairline prominently in the middle of his forehead. His black tux was very neat, not a wrinkle in sight. And he had a yellow tie, that matched my bouquet, and the girls' dresses.
"You ready to do this?" He asked, holding his arm in that weird way that all wedding party people do. "Definitely." I sighed as I placed my hand on his. As soon as I did, some awesome Cali-style guitars started to play 'here comes the bride'. I guess that was a compromise between us and my mom, too.
"I'm proud of you, Sky. Really, I am." My dad said as we slowly walked to the door leading outside. I've been waiting to hear him say that for years. Of course, it would be in my dream.
A chunky lady with a headset smiled at us and slowly opened the doors. My mouth dropped. We were in Chicago. At my mom's humungous mansion. Her lavish backyard was transformed into a springtime wonderland with all of the whites and yellows and reds, pinks, and sky blues. I'm speechless.
Everything was under this huge ass tent, which meant that no one could see me yet. Two guys in white suits on either side of the white tent nodded at us and slowly opened the tent.
I couldn't make out faces again. But everyone was standing. I heard a few people gasping, and a few people going 'wow'. But the loudest of them all was a roaring "Goddamn." that came from the altar. That made everyone chuckle.
I instantly looked to where the voice came from. And there he was. Grinning that smile that I love. All six feet one inch, two hundred twenty three pounds of him. Standing there in an all black tuxedo, with a matching black shirt, and a yellow bowtie that looks very handsome on him. I looked at his shoes and I wanted to laugh. Even on his wedding day, with all of the harassment from my mother, he still managed to wear some black Chuck Taylor's.
After seeing that, I really did want to run to him. But my mom would have a fit if I did, so I'll stick to walking.
Ten long seconds later, I was next to him. My smile, very noticeable through the veil. Shelly gently grabbed the bouquet from my hands. I wasn't even paying attention. I didn't even notice her and my girls and Phil's guys. My eyes were glued to him and his smile. "You look fucking amazing." He whispered to me, while our audience were being seated.
"You do, too. But…" I quickly walked around behind him so that I could take that rubber band out of his hair. Once I did, he gave his head a little shake and it messily fell into a crooked part down the middle, like it normally does. "Now, you're perfect." I smiled at him.
"Good evening everyone. We are here today to join Skylar Danielle Burton and Phillip Jack Brooks in matrimony." After some random guy with a stethoscope around his neck said that, (I didn't even notice anyone else at the flowery altar), I kinda blanked out. I just stared at Phil's smile. And no, random dude with the stethoscope marrying us didn't startle me.
The conscious me came back to the forefront when the guy said that we had written our own vows. Then I started to panic. I don't remember any vows. "I'll go first." Phil smiled, saving me like he knew I was about to have a conniption.
"Skylar, I love you. I love you, so please wake up." Wait, what did he say? What the hell kind of wedding vow is this?
I closed my eyes and opened them again. This time, I was lying down in this dark ass room with this annoying ass beeping noise coming from somewhere.
"Phil?" Ugh. When I spoke, my voice was groggy and hoarse. Then I remembered that I was in the hospital. Oh, dammit. I wish I hadn't have said his name out loud. "How do you feel?" Another random guy asked me as I frantically searched the room with only my blurry eyes to see where the voice was coming from. I tried to lift my arms, but they felt like cinderblocks.
Ugh, how in the hell did I manage to walk to the bathroom like this? I know even with the nurse's help, I shouldn't have been able to move. Probably bedpans. Eww. Whatever, I'll let that stay a mystery, cause I'm thankful that I didn't have to get a catheter.
"I feel high." I grumbled, finally snapping out of my pee thoughts. I heard Phil's familiar chuckle coming from my right side. My head instantly shot over to where his voice came from. I'm guessing that he was the blurry little blob sitting on the beige hospital couch along with two other blobs beside him. Great, just great. "Dork." I mumbled as a bright light suddenly shown in my eyes.
"Go away, man. What are you doing?" I looked forward where the light was coming from and still only could see a blurry blobbish figure. Whoever they are they're lucky that my arms feel like lead. Otherwise they'd be getting a swift fist in the face. "Hi, Skylar. I'm Dr. Hamilton. I'm just checking your vitals. Which seem to be pretty good." He perkily replied. As the light continued to be shown into my eyes, my vision started to come back.
"Only my mom would find a Clooney lookalike to be my doctor." I mumbled once the doctor's face became clear. And also making Phil, Dr. Hamilton, and one of the other blobs laugh. I could make out that laugh anywhere. It was Luis.
Speaking of Luis, he's the reason why I had that damn dream. "Oh Sky, hush up and let the man do his job." That blob, which was becoming more humanlike by the second, was my mom.
I sucked it up and let the Clooney looking doctor finish his poking and prodding bull. When he was done with that, he asked me a few questions about my memory. To which I explained that I remember everything that happened, down to me falling out in Jeff's arms.
So he proceeded to explain all of the crap they had to do to make my swelling go down. And I got to see what my brain looks like. And I also got a lecture about my carelessness when it comes to concussions and listening to doctors. After he finally shut up, he left me in the room with the blob-no-more people.
I ignored their awkward staring and slowly made my way out of the bed. My legs felt like pudding that's been left out. Hard on the outside, a little hairy, but soft and mushy in the inside. Nevertheless, I made my way to the bathroom to fix myself up, at least a little.
I was surprised that I looked well rested. My hair needs to be washed pronto, but that's the least of my problems. After I got that weird taste out of my mouth and my teeth were shiny enough, I turned on the shower, and started scrubbing away. Generic hospital brands suck ass, so I scrubbed with plain water.
After my shower, I dried off, wrapped a towel over my dripping hair, put on an ugly white robe, and wobbled my way to my bed. Still feeling unclean, mind you.
My mom instantly ran up to my bed with a cup of water. I'm thankful for that cause my throat is dry as hell. And I refused to swallow that water from the sink that I gargled with. I hate hospitals, ugh.
"Now you see why I wanted you to continue your modeling?" My mom said. "Damn. I got a clean bill of health just forty-five minutes ago. Can you scold me a little later?" I scoffed.
"Luckily for you, I've missed your snarky comments." She winked at me as she leaned down to give me a hug. I didn't hug back, cause I'm not used to this kind of affection from her. "Am I dreaming? Cause I can't deal with anymore of those." I instantly brought my left hand up to my face. No canary yellow ring. Phew.
"I bet I know what you were dreaming about." Luis said in a teasing way. "Oh I bet you do. You're part of the reason why my dreams have been corrupted." Much like the rest of my mind, but that's none of anyone's business. But hopefully because of the little truce with my conscious and subconscious, my mind might become a little less corrupted.
"Corrupted? What do you mean corrupted? Do I need to get the doctor back in here?" My mom asked, just two seconds away from pressing the help button on the little remote connected to the hospital bed.
"No, ma. My mind was corrupted waaay before this crap. Chill out." I brushed off her concerned look and turned my attention to my little baby Glen doll, who was gently tucked in beside me. "How'd he get here?" I smiled as I picked him up to cradle him in my arms.
"That Hardy boy brought it." I could hear the loathing in Luis's voice. "Oh, he did? Where is he? Is he here?" I asked, raising my head up to search the tiny room for a flash of purple or green hair. "Don't get your hopes up. They scheduled an impromptu photoshoot since he's back in Cali."
I sighed. "They should be here for your photoshoot in a little bit. But your little makeup artist is here in the waiting room." Luis rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah. The big E loves to exploit our war wounds. Ooh, I'll probably get a new storyline out of this one." I smiled as I watched Luis's jaw clench. I know he hates that I'm in the WWE. And I know that it irritates the hell out of him that they're gonna capitalize on my injury. I find it hilarious that Phil and I are completely un-phased by that.
Instead of Luis going off, it was my mother who spoke up. "I don't want them in here, Skylar." She frowned. "Ma, they're coming. And they're gonna snap pictures of me in this hospital bed. And you're gonna shut up and like it." I gave her a smile.
"Here we go, Karate Kid. World War 199." Luis said with a chuckle. "Should we take cover?" Punk asked. "You might need to, since you're the one that got her into wrestling. But I'm gonna take a seat and enjoy the fireworks." Luis laughed. "Shut up you two idiots." I grouched at them as my mother silently stewed in her anger.
"This has nothing to do with Phillip. This is between me and Skylar." My mom began. "I don't think so, ma. I've been practically dead for almost a whole week. Can you wait at least an hour before you start your shit?" I sighed as I blinked harshly at her.
"Do not use that kind of language with me, Skylar. And no, we can't wait. What I need to discuss with you ties into your near death experience here." She continued. "No matter what the hell you say, I'm not quitting wrestling. I don't want to model and I damn sure don't want to design clothes with you and Tyanna." I hoarsely yelled at her.
"Okay. And I guess that getting concussions and laying unconscious for weeks at a time is just the risk you have to take to 'wrestle'." She said the word 'wrestle' like it meant that I was a hooker. "Ma, shut up." I rolled my eyes at her and looked over at Luis and Punky.
They were laughing at this. "I'm gonna ignore that. You know, you're a little disoriented right now. You need a little rest." She smiled that conniving little smile that lets me know that this conversation will continue soon. "Whatever, ma. My answer will be the same tomorrow, next week, and next year. Get over it." I smiled back at her.
"How am I supposed to get over the fact that every night you risk the chance of being badly injured or even killed?" Her voice was no longer calm and collected. Ugh, and here come the tears.
I'm not doubting that she really does care about my well being, but she's being beyond overdramatic. "Mom, stop harassing me. I could very well injure or kill myself falling off the catwalk." That made those two idiots laugh. My mom, on the other hand, is boiling.
"This isn't a laughing matter, boys. Can't you see that this is only the tip of the iceberg of injuries that awaits her in this profession?" She asked Lu and Punky, who were caught off guard by that question. Now I'm the one laughing.
"Uh… well. I didn't want her to wrestle anyway. Karate Kid's the one that you need to talk to." Luis grinned, easing himself out of the line of fire. "I've been doing this since I was fifteen, Ms. B. I'm still standing." My mom scoffed at Punky's response.
"It's different with you, Phillip." She gave him a warm smile. Phil shook his head and Luis softly chuckled. They both knew that that was the wrong thing to say in front of me. "So, how exactly is it different for him? We're doing the same thing." I calmly said to her.
"It's different because he's more seasoned, Sky. And a little more mature than you are." She explained. "Mom, that's bullshit and you know it. The only reason why you accept Phil wrestling is because you're like obsessed with him. Your precious Phillip." Ugh, that made me scoff. "I'm not obsessed, Sky. I just happen to think that he's a nice young man. A good influence on you. That's all." She's lying through her teeth.
"Ma, please. If you didn't have Mario, you'd probably be cougaring it up with little Phillip." I was serious, but that made Luis laugh. Punky groaned.
"Skylar Danielle Burton, I have no romantic interest in that little boy whatsoever." I have no qualms about my mom's feelings towards Punky, but she just irritates me with her constant doting on him.
"Ugh, I know that mom. My point is, I'm gonna do what I want. And I want to wrestle." I sighed as Luis got up to answer the room door. "Sky, I don't like this in the least bit. What kind of business likes to showcase your injuries and exploit them for profit?" My mom began as Annie, one of our regular stylists, started to set up her supplies on the little tray that holds the horrendous food that the hospital gives.
"Hi, Sky. How are you feeling? Everyone's been worried about you." Annie smiled as she leaned down to give me a hug. "I feel fine. But I'm kinda pissed that I made the worst impression that I possibly could make. How in the hell do I get hurt after only two and a half months of being here?" I groaned.
Annie smiled at me and tried to reassure me that I didn't screw up. "Wait a minute. You're in a hospital bed because of those careless people you work with and you're the one worried about making a bad impression?" My mom's chipper and calm voice is gone now. She's pissed.
"Mom, don't worry about it. How about you go check on Tyanna down at the store. I remember her mumbling something about a new idea for your upcoming spring collection while I was asleep. It sounds awesome." That made her smile a little. Anytime I bring up fashion, it brightens her day.
"So you really did hear us when you were sleep?" That's the first thing Phil's said to me since I woke up. It kinda shocked me. "Uh… yep. I wasn't really sleep for the most part." I snuck a look at his now flushed face. I had to quickly turn away before I ended up red in the face, too.
"Okay, fine. I'll go. But we're gonna have a little talk later on. Rest up, sweetie. Luis and Phillip, keep an eye on my baby." She gave me a kiss on the cheek and headed to the door. "Yes ma'am." The boys said in unison as she closed the door behind her. They're total kiss asses. I rolled my eyes at them and turned my attention to Annie.
"Now that she's gone, what's really going on backstage? Do they totally think I'm a little weakling? I bet I'm a total laughing stock backstage. Fuck!" Ah, it feels good to say that word again. "Oh, they're not talking about you getting injured. They're talking about him," Annie said as she pointed over to a still flushed Phil. "and why he asked for a week off to stay with you."
I heard him groan loudly when she said that. "It's obvious that he's a concerned friend. But I'm guessing since Lori's drama has died down, they have to have something to gossip about." Lori and Taker has been the talk of the regular locker room and the OVW locker room for months.
"But it isn't just gossip, is it miela?" Luis grinned at me. "Shut the hell up, Lu. And get out. I don't need you all up in my beautifying space." I raised my hand and shooed him toward the door. "Oh, but he's not all up in your beautifying space?" He smirked as he made his way over to my bed.
"Actually, yeah. He is. Get out, too." I said to Phil in between laughs as Luis playfully poked me in my stomach. "Oh, no. When I'm done with your face and hair, I gotta touch up his, too. Winston's gonna take some shots of him with you." At this point, my mom's voice comes blaring into my thoughts.
"Why the hell does it need to be documented that he's here? Are they planning some type of angle around it?" I asked Annie. I really can't deal with that. And I'm pretty sure he can't either. "I don't know. All I know is that they want me to make you two look pretty." She smiled sympathetically at me.
"It's bad enough that I'm getting full on face paint." I mumbled at Luis's laugh. "I can't wait to see how this goes down." I frowned at Luis and pointed to the door. "Alright. Fine. I gotta go see how Diego's manning the shop anyway. He's good, but uh, he's not me, you know." I rolled my eyes at him after he gave me a hug and headed to the door.
Great. Now it's just me, Annie, and Phil. Tension, tension, tension. "Alright, lets get started. We're on a tight schedule." Annie smiled as she took the towel off of my dirty, unflatteringly wet hair. "Lucky for you, I've got just the thing." She grinned at me as she handed me a bottle of my favorite cherry hair shampoo. "I freaking love you, Annie. Thank you." I squealed. "No problem." She grinned at my 'I just won the lottery' reaction.
I practically snatched it from her as I got up to run into the bathroom. I cut the shower on and stared at myself in the mirror as I let the water heat up.
"I guess you're first then, Punk. So, how've you been?" I faintly heard Annie say. That's my cue to stick my ear to the door. "Oh, between wondering if Sky's really gonna wake up, and if she did that she wouldn't function properly, I've been great. Just great."
"Dumb question. Sorry." Annie quickly said. "No, I'm sorry. It's just been a tough week. And now that she's been given a clean bill of health, I've got other shit to worry about." He sighed.
Huh, I wonder what the other shit is. Could it be about all of that stuff he was saying to me while I was asleep?
"I understand." Annie sympathized. After a few minutes of silence, I thought that the little convo was over. As soon as I took off my robe, I heard his voice again.
"Hey, Annie? Now that's she's occupied, can you tell me what they're saying about us backstage?" He asked her. "Uh, word got out that you two previously dated. And now they think that your love has been rekindled. Add that to the talks of Amy's crush on you and Jeff and Sky's PDA, and you've got a juicy story."
He groaned, I sighed. I've heard little whispers about me and Phil backstage, but it was nothing serious, cause we were the new kids on the block. Now we're going full on scandal. Great. Just what I need. As if I haven't screwed up enough by getting hurt…
And since we're the new talk of the locker room, I wouldn't be surprised if Punk and Skylar end up being the newest on-screen couple of the WWE. Vinny Mac loves a hint of reality in his storylines.
"So this little photoshoot is gonna kickoff the love triangle, or square, angle between us so called lovers and our so called admirers?" Apparently Punk was thinking the same thing I was.
"I don't know for sure, but I doubt it. The photos are going on wwe . com. I'm thinking that you're being used as a little male eye candy. And if you are starting an angle, It'll probably be a big brother bff role. So I think it's safe to say that this is gonna kickoff a little feud between Kelly and Sky." Annie reassured him, and me.
"Oh great. Barbie's been blowing up mine and Sky's phones all week with her apologies and shit. I understand that she's sorry, mistakes happen. But she's a little, uh… blonde. And now she thinks that Sky's gonna want her blood or something. I doubt that she's gonna be into that." That made me laugh. Shit, I'm supposed to be in the shower, not ear hustling by the bathroom door.
"I heard that laugh, missy. Are you finished?" Annie said with a chuckle. "I knew she was eavesdropping." Punk chuckled, too. "Shut up. I'm almost finished." I yelled to them as I quietly stepped into the steamy shower.
Kelly's the least of my problems. And boy do I have a lot of those. I'm gonna have to call her and calm her little scary ass down.
My problem is the handsome tattooed guy getting dolled up right outside of this little bathroom.
When he asked me earlier about remembering what was said to me while I was knocked out on that medicine, I knew he was talking about his little promise to get me back.
Just the thought of that ebbs the pain in my stabbed heart, but I can't dwell on the temporary calm cause I know that it's gonna be gone in a heartbeat. I'm not even gonna begin to get my hopes up with him.
I know him. And his little weak moment of saying that he's gonna do whatever it takes to make me his is gonna fade into the distance. All of his doting is gonna stop once his superiority addled mind decides that he's pitied me long enough. And then he'll be gone. Poof.
Back to wishing that he didn't love me. And I refuse to let him see me in pain again. I'm thankful that Annie and Winston are here. Less tension.