A/N: Once again, I apologize for the wait. I have gotten bogged down with all kinds of classwork and projects. I wanted to get this chapter out, because my upcoming week is pretty hectic. I have to say, though, that I am really looking forward to telling this story. I have been brainstorming and I have all this ideas and I can't wait to write them down. All I can say is...bear with me, please, because I never abandon anything. With that in mind--ENJOY! Peace!
Thank you to Ainat, , Writinglove101, StarSixtyNine, , cherrycokerocks, RatedRCouture, Medieval Mystic, and wwechick24 for reviewing the last chapter! Again, your feedback really means a lot to me, and I thank you all for it!
Chapter 3: Nothing In Common
Maria glanced from one to the other, her pretty face creasing in confusion. "Wait…you two know each other?" she asked slowly.
"No!" Melina immediately exclaimed, at the same time that Jeff admitted: "Kind of…"
The Dominant Diva glared at him, her dark eyes shooting baleful sparks. "Yeah, right!" she spat. "Like I would ever associate myself with a washed-up loser like you!"
Jeff matched her frown with one of his own. "You're no prize yourself, princess," he retorted. "At least I don't mow people down because I'm too busy texting on my cell phone."
Melina gasped in outraged shock. Off to the side, Maria silently took a step back. "You jerk!" the paparazzi princess shrieked. For the first time, Jeff glimpsed the fiery temper smoldering beneath the Raw Diva's beautiful exterior. Melina pushed herself up onto her elbows, jamming her face into the Rainbow-Haired Warrior's. "Do you have any idea who I am?"
"No!" Jeff shot back just as vehemently, meeting her gaze. "And to be honest…I'm starting to be glad that I don't!" Melina was struck speechless by this. Her lips moved, but the only sound she was able to utter was a collection of indignant syllables. As she struggled to regain her voice (something which never happened to her in the ring), she began to realize that despite all of this guy's animosity toward her, he had yet to move off her…just as she had yet to push him away. She glanced up and in doing so, inadvertently met—really met—his eyes for the first time. Their gazes locked and held, and incredibly, Melina felt her cheeks begin to burn.
Jeff heard the male voice as though from a distance—"Hey! Asshole! Get the hell off her!"—but didn't comprehend that it was directed at him until he felt a hand grab him by the hair, hauling him off the mystery girl and against the adjacent wall. The back of his skull connected with the cinder block surface, and for a few seconds, all he saw was bright spots of color. Eventually, his vision cleared and the Charismatic Enigma shook his head, trying to clear away the dizziness. Blinking a few times, he saw some pretty boy in a ridiculous-looking fur coat kneeling down by the mystery girl; helping her up into a sitting position and gently pushing her reddish-brown curls back from her face. "Mel, are you all right?" the pretty boy asked anxiously. He reached up and tenderly cupped her cheek in his hand. "Did he hurt you?"
The mystery girl—"Mel"—shook her head. "I'm fine, Johnny," As she gazed at the pretty boy, an unexpected expression of tenderness flashed across her features, briefly transforming her from a harpy into an angel. Jeff felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw just how beautiful she really was. So this is what she looks like when she's actually happy to see someone…he thought to himself.
Almost as though she had heard him, the mystery girl turned toward him, her beatific countenance instantly transforming into a scowl. Just like that, the harpy had returned. She pointed her index finger in his direction accusingly. "He ran into me!" she snarled.
Oh really, Little Miss I-Couldn't-Tear-My-Eyes-Away-From-My-Two-Way?...Jeff thought to himself sourly. He didn't get a chance to voice it, however, before the pretty boy rose to his feet, whirling around and storming toward the Rainbow-Haired Warrior. "Hey, jackoff!" he shouted, glaring down at Jeff over a pair of expensive-looking sunglasses. "What the hell were you thinking, putting your hands on her?"
Jeff had just opened his mouth, fully intending to ask this jackoff just who the hell he was, when something else caught his attention. Up until now, he'd only seen the pretty boy from the back, so it was at this moment that he caught his first glimpse of the blue-and-gold Championship belt draped over the other Superstar's shoulder. Even from his vantage point on the floor, Jeff could still make out the lettering on the name plate:
Johnny Nitro
The Charismatic Enigma glanced from the title belt back to the pretty boy's face, comprehension finally starting to dawn in his mind. "Wait a minute…" he began slowly. "Nitro? You're Johnny Nitro?"
The pretty boy froze for a second, and then pushed his sunglasses up onto the top of his head. "Yeah?" he replied warily. "What's it to you?"
Jeff shrugged. "No reason," He felt the words burbling up inside him, and before he could stop to consider whether or not saying them would be a good idea, they were already out of his mouth. "Just…when I heard that you were the Intercontinental Champion, I pictured someone less…gay."
Nitro's handsome face twisted into an expression of dislike. "Motherfucker—" he growled under his breath, and with surprising speed, he lashed out with his booted foot, catching Jeff squarely in the abdomen. The Rainbow-Haired Warrior doubled over, gagging, all the oxygen temporarily driven from his body.
The Intercontinental Champion pulled his foot back for a second blow when Melina suddenly latched onto his arm, dragging him back. "Wait! Johnny, wait!" Jeff lifted his head up, still struggling to catch his breath. He saw the mystery girl put her hand on Nitro's cheek, turning his face back toward her. "Johnny, baby—he is so not worth it." Her eyes momentarily from Nitro's to Jeff's, shooting invisible daggers in his direction. The mystery Diva turned back toward the Intercontinental Champion, her voice now a seductive purr. "Come on, baby, let's just go."
Nitro stared at her for a second or two, and his body gradually relaxed. "You're right, Mel; we've got bigger things to think about than this loser." He let Melina lead him away, but just before they headed off down the hall, Nitro turned back, pointing at Jeff. "You got off lucky, you hear me?"
The Charismatic Enigma didn't reply; not out of any newfound common sense, but because he was still too out of breath to talk. He waited until the Intercontinental Champion's back and he was a couple yards down the hall before rolling his eyes. What a prick…he thought. It was just his luck that the guy holding the Intercontinental Championship turned out to be a complete bastard. On the plus side, though, it would make taking the title from him that much sweeter.
Even as he banished the thought from his mind, however, Jeff knew that it wasn't the IC Title that he found most interesting about Johnny Nitro; it was that beautiful witch at his side…
The Rainbow-Haired Warrior sensed movement beside him, and turned to see Maria kneeling down next to him, her large eyes filled with sympathy. Her lips curled into a wry half-smile and she extended her slim-fingered hand. "Need some help?"
"That would be great," Jeff managed to croak out. Taking hold of both of Maria's hands, he was able to raise himself gingerly to his feet. His gut still ached and he was battling the urge to throw up, but he had endured worse in the ring. Glancing down the hall at the now-absent forms of Nitro and the mystery girl, he turned back toward Raw's backstage reporter, a puzzled countenance on his face. "Okay, what the hell just happened? Who was that?"
Maria briefly slid her gaze down the vacant corridor before resuming her focus on Jeff. "As you probably figured out, that was the Intercontinental Champion Johnny Nitro…and the chick you bumped into…that's his girlfriend, Melina."
"Girlfriend?" Jeff couldn't describe the strange mixture of emotions that coursed through him at the mention of that single word; it felt almost like…disappointment. He quickly pushed them aside. "You telling me that harpy is actually part of the Raw roster?"
Maria nodded. "Yeah, she and Nitro came here from SmackDown at the end of May. They were part of some tag team that split up or something. Anyway, Nitro won the Intercontinental Title back in June, and it's no secret…" The backstage reporter stopped and looked around furtively, even though she and Jeff were the only ones in the corridor. Satisfied that no one was eavesdropping, she continued, albeit in a lower tone of voice. "It's no secret that she's the only reason he's still Champion."
"So, what you're saying is: watch out for her." Jeff answered. He was starting to get a clearer picture of the situation.
Maria nodded again in the affirmative. "Seriously, Jeff. If Melina's at ringside, she'll do whatever she has to to make sure that Nitro wins the match. Kick you while you're outside the ring, scream at the ref, cause a DQ—whatever it takes." Her pretty features briefly twisted with disgust.
Jeff noted her reaction, a slow smile slipping onto his own face. "You don't like her…do you?"
The backstage reporter rolled her eyes. "No one likes her. Pardon my language, Jeff—but Melina's a bitch." Just hearing this epithet from Maria's mouth made Jeff want to burst out laughing, but he managed to swallow his snickers. Maria continued. "She walks around here like she's better than everyone else, even though she's been in about as many matches as I have. She doesn't change with the other Divas if she doesn't have to, and when she does, she treats us all like dirt. The first day I met her—" Maria's eyebrows came together in a frown as she recalled the story. "—I went up and introduced myself; just said 'Hi, I'm Maria Kanellis; welcome to Raw.' Do you know what she said to me?" She looked at Jeff expectantly. The Charismatic Enigma merely shrugged and indicated that she should continue. The backstage reporter lowered her pitch slightly, trying to imitate Melina's strident tone. "Oh, it's you. Are you going to drop the microphone this time, or just forget the questions?"
This time, Jeff did burst out laughing, but unlike his first encounter with Melina, he was able to get this bout of hilarity back under control. Maria looked at him, her frown gradually relaxing into a smile of her own. "I know, right?" she added, as though Jeff's laughter had been a statement in itself.
"Don't worry," the Rainbow-Haired Warrior managed to say when he finally returned to normal. "I'm pretty sure that after today, I'm the last person that chick wants to be around."
"Jeff, I'm serious, okay?" The backstage reporter's voice had taken on a sober quality, and Jeff looked back at her, his own smile fading. Maria leaned toward him. "Steer clear of Melina." she whispered.
The Charismatic Enigma nodded, but even as he did so, he couldn't help but wonder how one girl could be so aggravating and yet so fascinating at the same time…
"…So there I am, walking down the hall, minding my own business…" Melina went on. "All of a sudden, this asshole comes out of nowhere; next thing I know, I'm flat on my back and this pervert's got his face pressed into my boobs," She clutched Nitro's arm a little tighter, turning to look at her boyfriend. "Thank God you came along when you did, Johnny,"
The Intercontinental Champion used his free hand to ease his title belt more securely up onto his shoulder. "What a jerk," he muttered, more to himself than to her. "I'm gonna go kick his ass; someone should kick his ass—"
"No! No, Johnny, wait!" Melina clung to his arm, doing everything short of digging her nails into his skin to deter him. She gazed up at her boyfriend with appraising adoration. "You're better than him, remember? You don't need to stoop down to his level."
Nitro glanced over at her, and the tension eventually went out of his body. "You're right, Mel," he grudgingly agreed. "You're right, as always,"
"Of course I am," Melina replied sweetly. They continued on for a few more feet before the Dominant Diva bit her lip, stealing another look at her boyfriend. "Um…Johnny…quick question: who was that, anyway?"
The Intercontinental Champion ground to a halt, turning toward his girlfriend. "You're kidding, right?" he asked incredulously. Melina felt her tentative smile fade. Most of the time, Nitro was the epitome of a devoted, sweet, obedient boyfriend, but every once in a while…he would get this expression on his face; would look at her and speak to her with something bordering on contempt. She had rarely seen it during their MNM days, but ever since Johnny had become Intercontinental Champion, she had started to see it more and more. It was a countenance that allowed her to see a darker side of Johnny Nitro…a side that Melina would just as soon avoid.
The Intercontinental Champion, however, didn't seem to notice her discomfort. He glanced back the way they had came, not looking at her as he spoke. "You remember that loser Matt Hardy we had to deal with back on SmackDown?" The paparazzi princess nodded.
Nitro looked back at her, his mouth curving up into a derisive smile. "Well…the douche who ran into you…that was his burnout younger brother, Jeff."
Melina's mouth dropped out. "You're kidding!" she exclaimed. "That was Jeff Hardy?"
Nitro looked at her oddly. "You sound surprised, babe."
The Dominant Diva shrugged. "It's nothing; I just thought he'd be…" She scrambled for an appropriate adjective, and finally added lamely: "…taller."
For a split second, the Intercontinental Champion stared at her, then threw back his head, roaring with laughter. Melina watched him, unsure whether she should be offended—or join in. "Ah, Mel, you kill me!" Nitro managed to say after he had gotten himself under control. "You know all about him, right?"
His girlfriend nodded. "More or less—that he used to be a great tag team wrestler, got fired for being a drug addict and a burnout, then went to TNA and got fired for pretty much the same reasons." She tilted her head to the side, pushing a curl of hair from her face. "I didn't know Vince had rehired him."
Nitro bobbed his head in affirmation. "Yeah, I just got the news from Shane tonight; apparently he and Randy Orton are going to be squaring off to determine who gets to face me for the IC Title." His affable expression dissipated, transforming into a scowl. "I can't believe that they're letting him back in the ring, let alone letting him get a shot at my title. I mean, after what just happened—where the hell does this guy get off, talking back to me, trying to feel you up—"
"Johnny!" Melina quickly reached up, taking Nitro's face in both of her hands. "Look at me," she commanded. Nitro obeyed. "You have a title defense tonight against Carlito; the last thing you need to be thinking about is Jeff Hardy." Her lips curled into a sneer. "I don't know why you're so worried. That loser's just going to crash and burn like always. Just watch; I bet he won't even make it past the qualifying match. And if he does…"
The paparazzi princess dropped her voice down to a whisper. Tiptoeing up, she placed her mouth right next to Nitro's ear. "Then I will be right there, just like I have always been there. Trust me, even if he makes it to the match…there's no way in hell I'm letting him walk out with your title."
She heard Nitro's breathing grow heavier, felt his hands come to rest on her waist. "That's what I love about you, Mel," the Intercontinental Champion murmured. "You always know how to put things in perspective."
"Hm," Melina cooed softly. She pulled back a little bit, smiling up at her boyfriend. "Now, why don't we go back to our dressing room…" She slowly walked her fingers up along the curve of his biceps. "…and you let me warm you up for your big match." the Dominant Diva finished.
Nitro wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her against his side. "Well, then, what're we still hanging around here for?" he remarked. The two of them continued their stroll down the hallway.
Even as she pressed against Nitro, even as she felt his lips graze the curve of her neck, Melina couldn't get the image of Jeff Hardy's intense green eyes out of her mind. She hated him, she still kind of wanted Nitro to head back and kick his ass—but yet when he had looked into her eyes, she had felt that she and Jeff understood each other. That even though she was the A-lister and he was the burnout, they were the same.
Which was ridiculous...because what could she and Jeff Hardy possibly have in common?