AN: I hit 100 hits the other day, thanks to you people reading my story. THANKS.
-FortheloveofWrestling
Mark sat in the trainer's room, icing his knee. As he sat, he thought about the whole situation that had played out the night before and he was sure that Jeff was going to be mad and probably not talk to him for a week or more.
"Hey man, tweak the knee?" Paul said as he came in and sat in the chair across from Mark.
Mark smirked, "yeah, something like that."
"You know, Adam and I were talking last night, after Jeff apologized to us and-"
"He apologized?"
Paul nodded, "yeah, he apologized and told us that he smoked before the match and everything."
Mark smiled slightly and allowed Paul to continue.
"Well, we were talking and we decided that maybe we might not have thought about how you confronting Jeff could cause you guys problems, what with your whole 'brokeback booty call' relationship, and all." Paul said, laughing.
Mark laughed, "don't worry about it, somebody had to talk to him, so our little 'brokeback booty call' relationship, i'm sure, made it a lot easier for me to be the one to do so."
"Well either way, sorry, man." Paul said, slapping his friend on the leg and standing up. "I've got to go, Steph's looking for me to watch the girls while she goes out to do something expensive."
"Alright, take it easy." Mark said, laughing.
After about ten minutes, Mark was deep in thought over how he would make his next move with Jeff. He thought about maybe telling Matt and maybe even his dad about what was going on, but he thought against bringing his dad into it. That would only make Jeff even more mad and that wouldn't help anyone. He figured if he told Matt, it would only help Jeff, but even that was starting to bring doubts to his mind.
Just as he had closed his eyes he felt someone standing over him. He opened his eyes and was quite surprised to see Jeff hovering over him. Mark straightened up in his seat and removed the ice from his knee. Jeff took a deep breathe as Mark winced in pain from standing and putting weight on his knee.
"How's the knee?" he asked, turning his back to Mark.
"Battered and bruised, but nothing it's not used to." Mark answered, sitting back down. Jeff nodded.
"Look Mark, I didn't mean to make you mess up your knee." Jeff said.
"And my jaw?"
"No, I meant to hurt your jaw."
"Alright, I guess maybe I deserved that."
Jeff chuckled and laid his hands on his hips.
"So, when will you be done brooding?"
Jeff turned around to stare at Mark, "what?"
"You're talking to me now; I didn't think you would for a while, but since you are, how about we just skip the brooding and ignoring so that we can work on getting you better?"
"You're kidding, right?" Jeff asked, feeling his anger start to boil again. "I did what you asked, I apologized to Paul and Adam. And i'm going to follow through with this ridiculous punishment that Vince is giving me, I just came by to see how your knee was, and now I have." Jeff dropped his gaze and walked near the door, "And when I said I 'fuck you,' I meant it." with that, Jeff stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him, leaving Mark in confusion.
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"What in the hell is wrong with you Hardy boys?" Mark yelled.
Matt stood up from his seat, "Mark, look, I know Jeff has problems, but he and I both have already talked and agreed that as long as he uses them responsibly, i'm gonna stay out of his face about it."
"What does that even mean, Matt? You're letting him use the drugs 'responsibly?' That's absurd, Matt. You're just giving him permission to kill himself. That's what's going to happen, Matt. I know you don't want that, so please help me."
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"Hey, ASSHOLE!"
Everyone in the catering room turned to the door to see who was shouting. As soon as everyone turned and saw that it was Jeff, they all quickly turned to Mark and then back to their food. Jeff looked through the room and then in the direction everyone else had been looking and found Mark sitting.
Mark stood up from the table and leaned down to say something.
"I'll be right back girls, behave and listen to Uncle Glen, okay?" Mark stood straight up and glanced up at Glen, who was sitting with them.
"Don't get up because of me, ASSHOLE." Jeff said, getting closer to them.
Mark walked up to Jeff and grabbed his arm, turning him around and walking back the way he had come.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jeff spat, "get your hands off of me."
"Jeff, you need to shut up, right now." Mark said, tightening his grip on Jeff's arm.
After a little struggle, Jeff was able to get his arm free and stop in his tracks.
"You need to stop talking to brother, behind my back."
When he was able to break free of Mark's grasp, a couple of the other guys around them stood up and tried to calm him down, but Mark beat them to it by grabbing Jeff's wrist.
"Shut your mouth and start walking." finally giving in, Jeff followed Mark out of the room.
"What in the hell are you thinking?" Mark yelled, pushing Jeff against the wall.
"What in the hell are you thinking? You need to keep your ass away from my brother."
Mark pushed Jeff down the hall and into an empty locker room.
"Are you messed up right now?" Mark asked, holding Jeff's chin in his hand , trying to get a clear look into his eyes.
"Man, get your hands off of me before I knock you down again." Jeff threatened, pushing Mark's hand away from him. "I'm clean."
"Good. I'd rather you be an idiot than a junkie. If Vince gets wind of what happened in there, he's going to fire you on the spot."
"So what." Jeff said, "Just stay away from Matt. I don't need you guys going behind my back and trying to 'help' me."
"What did Matt tell you, Jeff?"
"It doesn't matter, just stay away from him."
"What did he say?" Jeff just stood his ground. "You know what he told me? That he hates when you use that shit. That he's afraid you're going to OD and die. He's afraid of what it's doing to your dad. That he's afraid your dad wouldn't be able to handle it if they lost you too."
"Matt and I have an understanding."
"...as long as you're responsible, right?" Mark asked, "you're hurting yourself and you're hurting them, Jeff. That what you want?"
"Look. I'm going to stop." Jeff said.
"Until your punishment is over?" Mark said, turning away from Jeff.
"What does it matter to you anyway? I thought you were ready to give up on me?"
"Maybe I think you're worth all the trouble, Jeff." Mark said, "But you acting like kid doesn't help. You need to take this serious. Don't you care what you're doing to your family?"
"Of course, I do. I'm not doing this to hurt them."
"Then stop doing it to stop hurting them."
"Just stay away from my brother, I don't need him to turn his back on me too."
"I'm not turning my back on you, Jeff, I would never do that. You think I am because you think it'll make it easier to hate me and refuse my help. I'm not going to stop trying, even if Matt is too afraid to do it, I'm not."
Jeff chuckled, trying not to believe him, "fucking liar. You're just being an asshole about all of this. I was willing to listen to you, but you went too far the other night. I don't care what you have to say anymore."
"I'm trying to help you. I thought maybe bringing up your family might make your start listening to me."
"Whatever, man."
"Jeff, you did your photo shoot already, so just go back to the hotel now, before Vince comes looking for you. I'll go do damage control for you... again." Mark opened the door and turned to look at Jeff again.
"Can you do me a favor?" Jeff looked at Mark, his eyebrow raised, "are you clean right now? For reals?"
"Man, I already told you alre-"
Mark raised his hands up in defense, "okay, okay. I was wondering if you could say hi to the girls, they've been asking for you."
Jeff sighed, when he walked into the room shouting, he didn't realize that Mark's girls were in there as well.
"Yeah. Bring them by." he sighed again. "Mark, I didn't know that they-"
"I'll call you before I bring them by your room." Mark said as he walked out the door, "thanks."
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"Fuck you, Matt." Jeff shouted, "you're as bad as he is!"
"Calm down, Jeff. I know you're going through withdrawals or something, but you need to calm down."
"Whatever, Matt. You know I have nothing to say to him."
"Come on, Jeff. He's always been the only one to help you through this. I wish I knew how to help you, but I don't, okay? I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry, just get out of my face. I'll be fine."
"Mark wants to help you, why won't you let him?"
"You don't know what he said. About mom or dad, I'm just tired of him being on my back."
"You know that I wouldn't let him talk badly about mom or dad, but he's willing to help you. He wants to be there for the agitation and depression, the yelling the fighting."
"And you don't? You don't want to help me?"
"Of course I do, but I think that maybe I might end up giving in to you when you ask for pot and eventually something stronger. And if I do, it'll only end up hurting you even more." Matt sat down next to his brother, "you screwed up big time, Jeff, and he was trying to get you to understand how important it is for you to get clean."
"Matt, i'm not going to ask for anything, I swear. I'm going to get clean, by myself, without his help. I don't need his help."
"You know he asks me all the time how you're doing?"
"So?"
"He cares about you. I can't blame him for getting angry and saying that stuff."
"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter because he screwed up whatever relationship we had."
Matt laughed, he knew his brother still cared about Mark, no matter what he said otherwise.
"What are you laughing at?"
"You. You're so full of it, Jeff. You know you were the one who screwed up your relationship with Mark, it wasn't him."
"Great. So you're taking his side?"
"I'm on your side, Jeff, but you know that he had nothing to do with you messing up."
"I know, but he acted like and ass and said some horrible things. I'm done with him. End of story, Matt."
"Okay, whatever you say, Jeff." Matt said. "I gotta go talk business, so i'll be back later, alright?"
"Alright. Later, man."
I'm not loving how this is coming to me. Oh well.
Review? Thanks.