Chapter 4
"Hey, I didn’t say a word." he replied, trying to look innocent.
"Just the way you came down here, you looked like you wanted to argue with me again." I said coldly.
"What makes you so bitter?" he suddenly asked.
"I don’t know." I replied, realizing that I was being a bitch to him again.
"It seems to me, you are trying to shut out the world." Matt said, sounding genuinely concerned.
"I guess, I’m not a big fan of people, which is why I became a writer, so I wouldn't have to deal with people like you." I said, sliding out of the ring, Gabe following me. I started to walk up the ramp, but Matt stopped me.
"You know, you looked really good out there, even if you were only pretending." he said, trying desperately to find out what made me tick.
"You're just saying that..." my voice trailed off, as I blushed. I turned back to face him. His eyes glowed strongly, almost making my cold heart melt.
"No, I’m not. See, when you watch people, and they don’t know it, they are themselves, they aren’t hiding anything, just like you were a few moments ago." Matt said, walking up to me.
"So, exactly what are you saying?" I asked, smiling for the first time since he interrupted Gabe and I.
"I’m saying, that you're not as tough as you want everyone to perceive you as." he said, moving even closer to me. "I think you could do it, Maria, you just need some self-confidence."
"Oh, really, do what?" I asked, with sarcastic tone.
"Maria, you know what I mean, I think you should become a wrestler, I could train you, and you wouldn't have to be in front of a lot of people to begin with, you could work your way up to bigger crowds." Matt said, trying to convince me.
"Why do you want to train me, so you can grope me while you’re teaching me the moves?" I asked, just out of spite.
"You know what, you are impossible, why am I wasting my time?" he asked, grumbling angrily, pushing past me up the ramp.
"I don’t know, Matthew, why are you wasting your time?" I asked, following him up the ramp, gathering my things and Gabe. He didn’t answer me; he just grabbed his leather jacket and furiously walked through the empty halls to the backdoor. We followed him, not saying a word. The two of us got in our separate cars and drove back to the hotel. We both reached the hotel elevators at the same time. Our hands overlapped as we both went to push the button marked up on the control panel. We quickly pulled away from each other, almost like we were back in second grade, afraid to get the others "cooties." When the elevator finally came, the three of us stepped on, in silence. As we rode up to the sixth floor, I studied him in the mirrored cubicle. I didn’t have to look at him, just his brooding reflection. He was leaning lazily against the one wall, his hands resting on the bar behind him. His feet were crossed at the ankles as he stared at the floor. His ponytail, had become loose and was all pushed to one side, resting on his shoulder. As he stared at the floor, I could see the sadness and confusion he was thinking about. His thick expressive eyebrows were arched with a question in them and his eyes looked at the floor with discouragement in them. He then subconsciously licked his large pouted lips, and swallowed, his high cheekbones revealing once again his deep-set dimples. He looked beautiful, standing there that night in the silent elevator. I don’t know what had brought me to think that, but I did. I studied him again. His nose was tiny and upturned, like that of an elf. His ears also reminded you of one of the "little people." His masculine jaw was set off by a slight beard that went just down his side burns and along his chin line. I looked at his eyes again, his long lashes finally blinked in frustration and suddenly the silence was broken by his sigh. My trance then came to an end, as the bell finally gave its "ding!" signaling that we had reached our floor. The three of us made our way to our separate rooms. As I pulled my key from my pocket, I turned to look at Matt. Simultaneously he had done the same thing in front of his door. "Good night Matt." I said, feeling compelled to do so. He looked at me and paused for a second, he didn’t reply, but gave me a weak smile. I smiled back, and left myself into my hotel room. I sighed and closed the door behind myself. Later on that night, after I had gotten changed for bed, and Gabe was sacked out on my bed, I took my binder and a pen out to the balcony and took a seat at the table and chair which was placed there. I looked out over the city of Dallas; it was pretty all lit up for everyone to see. The buildings were outlined in neon green lights, showing off their immense size. Down below some late night traffic passed by. I sat quietly, then, still trying to write something for Vince. While I was seated, I heard the distinct voices of Matt and Jeff sitting next door on their own balcony. I quietly got up and moved my chair next to the wall; I placed it so that my back was against it. I sat back down and tuned into their conversation.
Chapter 5
Chapter 3
