Torrie sniffled as she finally felt her tears subside. She took several deep breaths, hating that she had grown to be so weak. She'd never cried quite so easily in her life, not even when she was a little girl - not even when her parents had gotten divorced.
"Yeah, people really do suck, don't they?"
The blonde nearly jumped in her seated position on the floor, her head whipping around as she glanced over her shoulder. She'd had no idea she was still being watched, so the voice had startled the daylights out of her. But... she didn't see anyone.
"W-what?" she asked, hating the small quaver in her voice.
"People," came the male voice, soft but just slightly louder. "Too many of them suck. Believe me, I know."
Torrie frowned and turned her head again, searching for the owner of the voice. It sounded familiar, but it belonged to someone from another roster, someone she hadn't spent any real amount of time with since she'd joined the WWE and he'd been rehired by them. She craned her neck, her gaze trailing to the very top of the equipment cases stacked high to her left in the corridor. She was finally able to just make him out in the shadows.
"Um... Yeah. I mean, it seems like everyone's giving me a hard time lately."
"I hear you," the man said, a hint of defeat coming into his voice. "But you gotta roll with the punches. I learned that a long time ago."
Torrie nodded, squinting as she kept her gaze on him. He was so high up, actually close to the ceiling. She couldn't help but wonder why he'd climbed all the way up there. On the other hand, one thing she knew about this man was that he was definitely not afraid of heights.
"I know it sounds cliche," he went on, "but you can't let anyone bring you down."
"I try not to," she said.
"Good. That's a start," the man praised her. He was silent and thoughtful for a beat. "You got so much goin' for you, yet you don't even seem to realize it."
The platinum blonde said nothing this time, instead opting to give him a strange look - as though what he were saying was a foreign concept. Dear God, did this woman really think that little of herself? It didn't seem possible.
"C'mon, you gotta know that."
She still said nothing, but he saw her gaze drop a slight distance.
"Well, for starters, you're really beautiful," he pointed out. "If I can be frank, you're one of the most beautiful women I've ever laid eyes on."
Despite herself, this time a smile came to Torrie's face. She couldn't help it - she'd always been a sucker for flattery.
"You're smart, and you have a good sense of humor. Nice personality, good disposition. And, to top it all off, you're talented," the man concluded. "Now, you tell me - what's not to like?"
The blonde woman found herself chuckling, which surprised herself probably more than it did him.
"There you go," he said cheerily. "You know what? It's good to hear you laugh. And I'm glad I'm the one who made you do it."
Torrie raised her gaze, eyeing him appreciatively. This was just exactly what she'd needed, someone on her side. He had definitely picked up her spirits in a big way.
"Thank you," she said.
"And don't let that Michelle McCool get to you," the man said. "That one's really got a bad attitude. If you ask me, she's just jealous."
"Huh?"
"Oh, come on," he said. "Who's been the top diva on SmackDown since 2002? You, Torrie! She's just got her panties in a bunch now that you've returned because she got the top spot while you were gone. And now, with you back, the rug's been pulled out from under her." With those words, the young man climbed down from his position on top of the stack of equipment crates. He came to sit directly beside her and offered her a warm smile. "Don't worry," he said with a wink. "Everything's gonna work out just fine."
The blonde diva merely stared into his eyes and again somehow managed a tiny smile. Everything this man had just said to her was so wonderful, and he had a strange way of actually making her believe it. She'd never known him well at all, and she'd never taken him for such a talker, but he was so motivational!
"I gotta go - got a match to get ready for," he said. He gave her left shoulder a soft pat as he rose to his feet. "I'll see you later, Torrie."
She simply stared at him, blinking as she raised a hand to wave. The word "bye" left her lips in such a soft whisper, she wasn't even sure that he heard it.
And Torrie watched as Jeff Hardy walked down the corridor, away from her.