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The woman winced as she and her friend returned to the backstage area. The two leaned against one another for support, although the redhead had been battered more than the blonde.
"Damn that Chris Jericho!" Trish Stratus exclaimed, her face a mask of fury. "I can't believe he actually had the nerve to be so rough with you... I tell you, Lita - it's hard to believe you were ever friends with that guy!"
"Well, that was a long time ago," the high-flying redhead muttered as she held one hand against her back. Damn, it was hurting like a bitch after Y2J had callously shoved her into the guardrail around the ringside area.
"And who am I to talk?" Trish berated herself. "You were only his friend... I was the one who was contemplating sex with the loathsome creature!"
Lita winced as they turned into a corridor and reached the locker room they were sharing. She knew she would have to put ice on her back later.
"Yeah, well... I don't know, Trish - he was a complete asshole toward me, but he actually seems to still care about you - in his own warped little way."
"What are you, kidding?" The petite blonde Canadian stared incredulously at her best friend. "He's a loser, Lita... He proved that fact two weeks ago when I overheard him and Christian talking about that stupid bet!"
The two divas looked up, startled by a sudden knocking on the door. Lita was about to rise from the couch into which she'd just sunk, but Trish gestured for her to stay put. The redhead was definitely a lot worse for wear than herself.
"Are you girls all right?!"
The concerned green eyes of Edge scanned Trish and then quickly traveled over to Lita. Before either woman could issue a response, the tall blond man was in the room and sitting beside the redhead.
Trish watched the two of them together as she shut the locker room door. It was very obvious how much Edge liked Lita, and it sort of stung - not that the little blonde was jealous of that in itself... She just felt kind of lonely after everything that had gone down with Chris.
Shit... She'd thought she'd actually found the real thing this time around...
"The next time I see my little brother, I think..." The Canadian balled his hands into fists. "...Oh, I think I'll kill him!"
Lita met his emerald eyes, noting the fire within. While she definitely appreciated her friend's offer, she didn't want him to bother.
"Edge, no..." she said, reaching out to grab hold of his arm. "He's not worth it... Besides, I can fight my own battles."
The blond man noted the determination in the diva's hazel eyes. Damn it... Why did the redhead have to be so... Well, for lack of a better word - fiery? It was in her true nature to want to fight her own battles, no matter who her adversaries were, and no matter what the consequences. Hell, Edge recalled having heard the woman say only days earlier, in anger, that she might just challenge her ex-boyfriend, Matt Hardy, to a one-on-one match. The son of a bitch had taken to regularly interfering in her matches. It seemed as though it were a religion with him.
"Okay, okay..." The tall blond man put his hands up as though in surrender. "Fine, I'll keep my nose out of it - this time. But believe me when I say that if Christian tries anything more with you, I'll be forced to kick his ass..." Edge turned toward Trish. "And if Jericho does something else to hurt you, I'll do the same to him..."
The blonde diva nodded absent-mindedly.
Edge and Lita exchanged glances, both realizing that Trish seemed a million miles away.