Jeff Hardy stepped through the curtain and walked towards his locker room amid the words of congratulations and praise. He paced himself ahead of his older brother who followed; excited over their win and pumped up, as he always was after a match they won. Jeff hurried to the locker room door and swung it open, hard, the impact on the wall shaking the foundation of the room. He grabbed his bag, not even bothering to change or shower, and ran back out of the room past a very bewildered Matt.
Jeff continued his rapid pace until he reached the exit, where he promptly slowed down and walked to lean against the door. He pressed his face against the cold metal hoping it would help dissolve the redness and strain that resided there. His crystal green eyes stared forward, seeking something that wasn’t there, something that he couldn’t grasp. And that element was control. His desolate eyes disappeared under the softest of pressure, his eyelids closing as he leaned his body fully into the door and stumbled out when it opened. He reopened his eyes and tried to focus his blurry vision on the ground, not able to keep his head upright. Jeff found that wasn’t a good idea when he was suddenly bent at the waist, his upper body in a garbage can.
“Not my DAY!” Jeff’s voice bounced off the sides of the can and attacked his brain, his head pulsing harder with pain as blood ran to his head rapidly.
Jeff stood up and forced his eyes to stay staring ahead though his insides pounded and ravaged the outer shell of his body. He finally reached the taxi that was waiting for him and dropped his bags in the open trunk. He got into the car and spoke inertly to the driver, telling him where to go. The ride was quiet and Jeff was grateful for the silence, now able to slow down the many thoughts that have ran monotonously through his mind all day.
Jeff sighed and ran a hand through his, now, light green hair and wanted nothing more to lie down and fall into a deep sleep. Though, the more he thought about it, the more he realized it would be impossible for him to go to sleep, and if he did happen to fall asleep, he would be up every half hour or so, restlessness and building apprehension provoking him back into reality.
“I changed my mind. Can you please bring me to the nearest park?” Jeff asked the driver.
“Sure thing mister,” the middle aged driver replied.
“Thanks,” Jeff mumbled, simply not caring if he came off as rude or what not.
He turned in his seat and leaned his head against the window, watching as cars passed and rain continued to fall. Jeff’s raised his hand and pressed a finger to the glass, trailing a drop of rain from the top of the window to the bottom where it disappeared, rolling further down the car. He no sooner began to trace another drop from his side of the window when the driver stopped the cab. Jeff realized they were stopped and sat up, reaching into his pocket for money to pay the taxi. After he paid his fair, he jumped out of the car and was immediately doused with a bitter blast of the wind and rain. He went to the back of the car and retrieved his bags, then began to walk into the park, wet gravel and mud sounding his onset beneath his feet.
The cab driver looked on and shook his head. He sighed before starting his car and driving off, leaving the dejected superstar behind.
Jeff continued walking until he reached a bench that faced a lake, right in the middle of the park. He sat down and removed his bags from his aching shoulders. He sat there and stared out over the lake, the reflection of the trees and horizon broken, shattered by the raindrops that fell unmercifully from the sky. Jeff tilted his head back, his eyes closed, letting the rain mix and mask his painful tears. He couldn’t stop thinking. He wanted the thoughts that plagued his mind to fade away and never return to haunt him of these days.
‘Holidays are so overrated,’ Jeff thought to himself as his mind spun with memories that were left inside.
Tears poured steadily, in time with the rain, and he threw his strong shell to the wind for a moment.
“So this is hell,” he whispered, looking around with bloodshot, tear filled emerald eyes.
“Hell is only what you make of it,” a voice sounded softly behind him, making him jump slightly.
Jeff couldn’t see through his tears and the rain, but for some reason, he was calm. A soothing essence flowed within him as the person came closer, walking around the bench to sit on Jeff’s right side. He could see somewhat clearly now, and stared at the woman before him. Her hair was slicked to her face with rain and the raven black strands clung to her bare shoulders. Her eyes shown a startling bright blue, sending shivers down his spine at the intensity within them when she directed her stare to him.
“Why the tears Hardy?” She asked, reaching her hand out to touch his face. Her fingers glided over his tears, stopping their trails on his cheek.
“It…it’s the rain,” he stammered slightly, her touch putting him into a peaceful trance.
“Jeff, you’re good at doing a lot of things, but lying isn’t one of them. What’s the matter babe?” She asked, her voice a mere whisper in the wind, penetrating his wall and breaking it down.
He crumbled before her, his head falling into his hands and his shoulders shaking, racked with sobs and unleashed emotions that had collected through the years. She watched with sorrow of her own and reached her hands out. She ran her hands up Jeff’s arms from his elbows and under his chin, picking his head up out of his hands to look openly at her. She brushed her thumbs lightly under his eyes a few times to rid him of his shed tears. When he finally looked at her, he fell deeply into her eyes, finding a comfort there he had not found in anyone else. She broke their stare and wrapped her arms slowly around his neck, pulling him close to her. Jeff immediately encircled her waist and held onto her tight, taking in her essence, knowing it wouldn’t last.
When she finally pulled away, Jeff stared at her, amazed at how much she eased him. She looked at him and smiled before leaning forward and pressing her lips to his.
Jeff was stunned for only an instant before he closed his eyes and leaned into her soft touch. She released pressure on his mouth but continued to place feather light kisses continuously of his parted lips.
Jeff was dazed with the fire hot sensation every time her lips met his. He couldn’t form any rational thought at the moment and frankly, he didn’t want to. He wanted to relish in the comfort and take solace only in her. But, his reverie was cut short when she pulled away from him and stood. His eyes opened slowly and he looked at her, his vision clouded over, sedated with passion.
“Sweet dreams Jeffrey,” she whispered as she turned to leave.
Jeff broke from his delusion and his head snapped up quickly.
“I…I don’t even know…your name,” he stammered quickly as she turned and smiled at him.
“Ruby,” she answered, her reply catching in the wind and drifting to caress Jeff’s ear like her soft kisses, which still burned upon his lips. He closed his eyes, the name branded into his mind from the past.
When Jeff reopened his eyes she was gone, dissolved into the rain and nowhere to be seen. He sighed with a smile on his face as he gazed up at the stars, now visible through the clouds as the storm slowly cleared, both in nature and in Jeff.
“Happy Mother’s Day Momma,” he whispered towards the heavens. He picked up his baggage and walked out of the park, another memory emblazoned in his mind, just a small whisper of his past.
-THE END-
