I've always been in love with you
I guess you've always known it's true
You took my love for granted, why oh why
The show is over say goodbye
Say goodbye, say goodbye

Make them laugh
It comes so easy
When you get to the part
Where you're breaking my heart
Hide behind your smile
All the world loves a clown
Wish you well
I cannot stay
You deserve an award
For the role that you play
No more masquerade
You're one lonely star...

All the world is a stage
And everyone has their part
How was I to know
Which way the story'd go
How was I to know you'd break
You'd break, you'd break, you'd break my heart...}

Adam pretty much ran back to the Hardys' locker room after the ten-fifteen minutes were up.  His heart was racing as he approached the door, but not a second did he hesitate to knock.

Jeff opened the door a few seconds later, and he looked out at Adam with what looked to the tall Canadian to be sympathy.

"Is she out of the shower yet, Jeff?"

The colorful-haired young man ran a hand through his long hair nervously and sighed.  "Yeah...she finished her shower a few minutes ago.  Adam, you missed her," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"She's gone," Jeff explained.  "She came back five minutes after you'd left before, and she went back to the hotel."

Matt came over to the doorway, deciding to put in his own two cents and again annoy the tall blond man in the process.  "Jeff, why are you bothering with this?  She obviously doesn't want anything to do with him."

"Why don't you keep out of this, Matt?" Adam snapped testily.  "Amy's not your sister, and she sure as hell is not your girlfriend..."

"No, she's not," the dark-haired man shot back, his brown eyes flaring dangerously.  "But guess what?  She's not your girlfriend anymore - and I doubt she'll ever be again."

The Canadian held his breath, his hands clenching into fists.  "Look - why don't you just mind your own business and let me talk to Jeff?"

"Make me!"

Adam tried to push his way through the door, as he'd had just about enough from the elder Hardy brother.

Jeff positioned himself more fully between the two angry men.  "All right!  That's it!" he shouted.  "Matt," he cried, turning to his older sibling, "for the millionth time, stop it!"  He turned back to Adam and gestured to him with a nod of his head toward the hallway.  The blond man got the message and backed up, then the rainbow-haired man followed him out, shutting the locker room door right in Matt's face.  Fortunately, the darker man didn't make an attempt to follow them out.

"I'm really sorry for the way Matt's been acting," Jeff said, his face looking somewhat embarrassed.  "I'm not making any excuses for him or anything, but he's so overprotective of Amy."

"I know," the Canadian replied, nodding.  "That was the main reason she never wanted him to know about us...She was afraid of how he would react - and how he would treat us."

"I know," the younger Hardy said.  "She told me way back not to tell him anything."

Adam raked a hand through his long blond hair.  "Jeff...before she left, did you...?"

"I told her you'd come around looking for her - that you wanted to talk to her," came the reply.  "Adam, she's so depressed, man.  She is so miserable.  You have to patch things up with her..."

"I want to," the blond said softly.  "Damn it, I've wanted to do that for the last three weeks, but...I kept thinking about how angry Amy was with me, and I thought she would tell me off - tell me to get lost.  Every time I see her in the hallway, she turns around and walks the other way - she's been avoiding me, Jeff."  He raked a hand through his hair again.  "Earlier tonight, I stopped off at the women's locker room to talk to Trish, and Amy was there - she looked right at me, but then, she turned away."

"Can I ask you a question?" Jeff asked, his hand going into his pocket as he fingered the keycard the redhead had entrusted him with a few minutes earlier before she'd left.

"Sure...What is it?"

"Why exactly did you and Trish pull the wool over her eyes like that?  I mean, I remember how miserable she was feeling back then," the young man said.  "She honestly believed you and Trish had something going on, and...well, she cried to me about it."

Adam's heart felt as though it were shattering in his chest.  Damn it, he'd hurt her even worse than he'd thought.  He'd had no clue she'd cared so very much back when they'd started - but here Jeff was, saying she'd actually cried over it.

"I was stupid for even thinking it," the tall blond man said, glancing down at how guilty he felt.  He pushed back some of his long hair again as he continued.  "I was stupid...I was insecure," he admitted as he raised his gaze to the other man's eyes.  He shook his head, his eyes shifting nervously.  "I did it to see what Amy's reaction would be - because I wanted to be sure of how she felt about me."

Jeff arched an eyebrow at the admission, but he didn't speak, as he knew Adam wasn't through just yet.

"I had my suspicions that to her, it was all just about sex and nothing else...because I knew she didn't like me," he said.  "But...in all honesty, after our first time together...I realized I had genuine feelings for her.  And that was why I asked Trish to make her believe there was something going on between us - I thought I needed to know for sure - because her reaction would tell me whether or not she really liked me."

"Damn it, Adam...She doesn't just like you - she's in love with you.  And you've hurt her so badly," the rainbow-headed man said.

The tall blond man winced and nodded, but before he could reply, Jeff spoke again.  "Look, man..."  He pulled the object out of his pocket and handed it to Adam.  "Amy gave me this earlier.  She trusted me with it - it's a spare key to her room.  I think you should use it..."

Adam glanced at the keycard now in his hand, his eyes raising to meet his friend's before he nodded seriously.  "Thank you, Jeff..."