My Number One Fan

“Merry Christmas!!” Three voices shouted outside.
“Merry Christmas!” I shouted back. Jeff, Matt and Mr. Hardy walked into the house.
“Hey you guys!” Aunt Marylyn called from the kitchen. She was in there working on a huge ham. Mr. Hardy sniffed the air and made his way to the kitchen.
“What is the party in here?” he said when he seen Dad and Uncle Paul was in there as well.
“Merry Christmas Riley.” Jeff said, wrapping his arms around me. Matt wrapped his arms around both of us, pretending to sob.
“I love you guys.” he said, fake sobbing harder. Jeff and I both laughed.
“Here, this is for you.” Jeff said, holding up something wrapped.
“You didn’t have to get me anything.” I said. I got him something to, but I didn’t buy it.
“Just a little something I seen you eyeballing one day.” Jeff replied, handing me the present.

I took it and started pulling the paper apart. It was the Metallica shirt I was looking at the day we went into town. Along with a case of rainbow colored eye shadow.

“Jeff, thank you.” I said, hugging him. “I actually have something for the both of you as well.” I said. “I’ll be right back.” I ran into my bedroom and placed my new shirt and eye shadow on my desk. Picking up my notebook, I quickly went back into the living room, where Matt and Jeff were sitting on the couch.
“It’s a notebook!” Matt said excitedly. Jeff and I stared at him. “It means she’s written us something.” Matt cleared up.
“Not only did I write, I tried drawing a little too.” I said, setting the notebook on the table. “I sucked at it, but I tried.”
“It’s fine.” Jeff said. “Let’s see what you got.” I opened the notebook and turned to the first page.
“Teen Wrestling Federation or Trampoline Wrestling Federation, the TWF... a name? Matt read out. “That sounds interesting, it’s simple and to the point.”
“Yeah, and I can probably do something with a symbol for it.” Jeff spoke up. Maybe something that connects the top of the TWF.”
“What else you got?” Matt asked.
“The TWF Title.” I said, turning the page and showing a really rough drawing of a title. “Plus a Tag Team Title as well.”
“Cool.” Jeff said, looking at them. “These aren’t half bad Riley. You drew these?” he asked, looking over the belts I created. I nodded. “These are really good.” he said. I smiled.
“I also got a script in the making.” I said, turning the page again. “We’ll just need to think of some character names for each of you.”
“This is brilliant Riley.” Matt said, reading over what I wrote. “’You won’t get away from me Jeff. You’ll be tied up like a cow in a rodeo.’ How did you think of that?”
“It just came to me.” I said. “I followed what you guys told me to do; I just let it roll out of my mind and through the pen.”
“You really do have a lot of potential to be a great writer.” Jeff said, looking the script over as well.
“Thanks.” I said.
“This is excellent.” Matt said. “Do we keep this or are you?”
“That’s my writing notebook, but if you want I can rewrite it and give you the other copies.” I said. Matt and Jeff both nodded.
“I hate to be a damper on the spirit, but we don’t know if we’ll even be able to use this.” Jeff said suddenly. “We don’t know if they decided to get the trampoline or not.”
“Yeah that’s true.” I said, slumping in my chair.
“Hey guys, I think it’s about time you open your presents.” Mr. Hardy said suddenly. We turned and seen him, Dad and Uncle Paul carrying a huge unmarked box.
“Whoa.” Jeff said, standing up and running to it.
“This is for the three of you, from all of us.” Uncle Paul said. “So, have at it.” Jeff looked at me and Matt. We both nodded. Jeff turned back to the box and started working on the tape, but he wasn’t able to get it.
“Matt, your knife.” Jeff said suddenly. Matt reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny pocket knife. He opened it and slid the blade across the tape.
“Holy… wow! Are you serious?” Matt shouted after he opened the flaps. He pulled out a sheet of paper and held it up for me to see. The trampoline we’ve been asking for.
“Oh my goodness!” I squealed, running up to my uncle and father and throwing my arms around the both of them, well trying to.
“Thank you guys so much.” Jeff said, hugging his Dad as well.
“You’ll have to find a place to put it.” Mr. Hardy said.
“We will.” Matt said. I looked over to him and smiled. Our plan was still working.
“When are you going to put it up?” Dad asked us.
“Not right now. We want to enjoy it without getting frozen.” Jeff said. “Maybe early spring?”
“Real early spring.” Matt agreed.
“What’s the difference between when you watched Wrestlemania years ago compared to now?” Mr. Hardy asked suddenly. “You watched it then, but you still wanted to do baseball Jeff. Now you’re dead set on wrestling?” I turned to Jeff with shock on my face.
“You guys watched it before?” I asked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You never asked.” Matt muttered. Jeff punched Matt’s arm and turned back to me.
“Dad let us watch it a few years ago. I didn’t really get into it.” Jeff replied. “Watching it again and actually seeing what all those stars were doing, it thrilled me.” Jeff said.
“Really? If I remember right, you tried to beg me for a trampoline right after that as well.” Mr. Hardy said.
“Thanks Dad!” Jeff said, turning to his father.
“How long have you been thinking about becoming a wrestler Jeff?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Only a couple of months.” Jeff answered. I looked into his eyes and seen her was being honest.
“Fine.” I said, sitting back down on the couch.
“Hey, we would have told you if it was anything worth mentioning.” Jeff said, kneeling down in front of me. I sighed, knowing he was right.
“C’mon Riley Piley.” Matt said. “’Tis the season to be jolly and all that other good holiday crap.” I couldn’t help it. I laughed, not just a chuckle, but a full laugh.
“Okay Matt you win.” I said, standing back up and trying to catch my breath.

“Riley, can you come help me real quick?” Dad called from the hallway. I walked into the hallway, only to find that he was in the spare bedroom, his bedroom technically.
“What are you doing?” I asked, walking into the room.
“I got this for your aunt and uncle as a thank you for taking care of you for so long.” Dad said, indicating a huge box I somehow missed.
“How about I go get Jeff or Matt to help you carry it?” I suggested.
“No I don’t need help carrying it. I just need you to put your name on it.” Dad said, handing me a marker. I took it and put my name beside his. “That’s it. Thank you.” Dad said. I just shrugged and went back into the living room, only to find out Matt and Jeff had taken space in the kitchen. I decided to stay in here; it wasn’t as crowded as it would have been in there.
“Paul, Mary, come into the living room for a minute.” Dad called, walking into the room. He had the box with him.
“This is from me as a thank you.” Dad said as everyone walked into the room.
“For what?” Uncle Paul asked. Jeff sat next to me on the couch, and out of nowhere I felt my heart skip a beat.
“For being here for me, for being a good brother and sister-in-law, for taking care of Riley all these years, just because.” Dad said. Uncle Paul looked at Aunt Marylyn, then to me.
“Mark that was the daughter we never had.” Uncle Paul said. “With Marylyn being sterile and not able to have kids, Riley felt like a daughter to us too.”
“I know, but still. She’s my biological daughter, and I haven’t been able to be around for her, but you have. So I just wanted to show you how much I appreciate it.” Dad said. He pushed the box toward Uncle Paul, who picked it.
“There’s nothing in here.” he said. Dad didn’t say anything, just took out a pocket knife and cut the tap keeping the flaps together. He reached in and pulled out an envelope.
“What in that?” Jeff whispered to me. I shrugged my shoulders, telling him I had no idea. Dad handed Uncle Paul the envelope, who tore it open instantly. Inside were two tickets.
“A cruise?” Aunt Marylyn asked. “We can’t take a cruise Mark.”
“Sure you can.” Dad replied. I couldn’t believe it; Dad had bought them tickets for a cruise.
“What about Riley?” Uncle Paul asked.
“I’m taking her to my house.” Mr. Hardy spoke up. “Mark came up to me and told me about his idea, but he knew he couldn’t take time off, so we decided that she’ll stay with us while you’re gone.”
“That,” Dad said. “Or we can have her go down to Texas.”
“I don’t think that’ll be a good idea.” Uncle Paul said. “You know how Dad is Mark.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking Paul.” dad said. I didn’t want to know.
“I don’t want to go to Texas anyway.” I said. “It’s to far away from home.” The minute I said the word home, Aunt Marylyn’s eyes filled with tears.
“Thank you Mark,” Uncle Paul said. “Thank you for everything.”
“It’s no problem Paul.” Mark said. “You guys deserve some time for yourselves. “
“Definitely.” I said, standing up and walking to Dad’s side.
“It’s not until April, so you have time.” Mark said. “I wanted you guys to have fun while staying warm.”
“Hey, we can set up the trampoline then.” Matt said excitedly. Jeff and I laughed. I went into the kitchen and checked on the ham. It was nice and juicy.
“You don’t want too much juice, but you don’t want to little.” Aunt Marylyn said from behind me. She popped her head into the oven to check on the ham herself. “A few more minutes.” she said, straitening herself back up. “We meant what we said Riley. You really are like a daughter to us.”
“I know.” I said. “You and Uncle Paul are like parents to me too, but I still miss my mom, and I still wish I had more time with Dad.”
“I know sweetie.” Aunt Marylyn said, hugging me to her. “I know you do.”
“Mom’s...” I started to say, but my throat clogged up. Coughing, I looked up at Aunt Marylyn. “Mom’s in heaven, watching us right now right?” I asked. Aunt Marylyn looked thoughtful before nodding.
“Yes Riley, she’s in heaven, and she’s watching you every day.” she replied. I nodded.
“Can she hear us?” I asked. “Her and Mrs. Hardy?”
“I’m sure they could.” Aunt Marylyn said.
“I think I’m starting to believe in heaven.” I said. “I think I’m starting to see things that mom told me was true just might not be.”
“Everyone has their own opinion on things Riley, like heaven and hell; whether there is a heaven or if there is a hell. Your mother tried to teach you her beliefs, like most mothers do, but like most children, you’re starting to develop your own logic. Your own sense of judgment and thinking, you’re starting to get your own beliefs, and no one can change those but you.”
“Thanks Aunt Mary.” I said, hugging her harder. She let me go and checked on the ham again.
“Go tell those boys dinner’s ready.” Aunt Marylyn said. I nodded and skipped into the living room.
“Hey, dinner’s ready.” I said. The guys all stood up and walked into the kitchen.
“Jeff, Riley, let’s go eat in Riley’s room.” Matt said after grabbing his plate and filling it with food.
“Can we?” I asked Aunt Marylyn.

She smiled and nodded. Jeff and I grabbed our plates and made our way to my room. Jeff and I sat on my bed while Matt sat on my desk chair.

“We need to talk about the wrestling thing more.” Matt said, turning the chair to face us. Jeff shoved a forkful of Mashed Potatoes into his mouth, leaving me to speak.
“Yeah, we’re setting up the trampoline while I’m staying with you?” I asked. Matt nodded.
“We can wai fo Dad to go to worf, then dith school to worf on if.” Jeff said, his mouth full of ham.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” I scolded him. He quickly swallowed the ham in his mouth.
“I said we can wait for Dad to go to work, then ditch school to work on it.” Jeff said clearly now.
“We understood you, just no talking with your mouth full.” I said. “You could choke and I don’t know the Heimlich.”
“Neither do I.” Matt said. “So please Jeff, no choking yourself right now.”
“Fine.” Jeff said. “But we could do that. Dad leaves for work before we leave for school.”
“No he doesn’t. Not in spring time.” Matt said, taking a bite of ham. After he swallowed he kept talking. “He leaves later the hotter the days get.”
“We can hide out in the trees until he leaves.” I suggested.
“We could.” Jeff agreed. Then he clapped his hands. “Our tree.”
“What about it?” I asked.
“We can hide up in that tree until he leaves. He won’t see us, and we’ll be able to keep a look out for when he leaves.”
“That’s a great idea Jeff!” I shouted. Matt and Jeff both made shushing sounds.
“Sorry.” I mumbled.
“So when are we going to do it? Like what day?” Jeff asked.
“We’ll have to keep an eye on the weather; we’ll have to burn the wood we cut down.” Matt said, scraping up the crumbs off his plate. I finished my plate and set it on my bed beside me.
“Okay, so when all the wood is dried and everything.” Jeff said, setting his empty plate on top of mine.
“How long is this cruise?” Matt asked. I shrugged my shoulders at the same time Jeff did. We talked about other stuff until Mr. Hardy called to Jeff and Matt that it was time for them to go.
“Merry Christmas.” Matt and Jeff said to all of us. It was a very merry Christmas this year.

~April~

“Let’s go Riley.” Jeff said, dragging me behind him.

We were heading to our tree. Today was the day. We were going to clear an area for the trampoline we received for Christmas.

“I can’t believe we’re finally doing this.” I said, bouncing slightly from excitement. Jeff nodded his agreement.
“Shh.” he said when he seen his front door open.

We both sat very still as we watched Mr. Hardy get into his car and drive away. We waited for another minute before climbing down and running up to the front door.

“Matt he’s gone!” Jeff called. Jeff grabbed two pairs of gloves from a table beside the couch and handed me a pair. He slipped his over his hands and grabbed a hacksaw.
“Here you can use this.” Matt said, handing me a hatchet. I didn’t complain. I knew I’d be more useful from the sidelines.
“Jeff and I are going to cut down the trees, and you’re going to chop them into small pieces okay?” Matt said. I nodded and followed them out the door. They walked into the woods, me following them. We were about a mile or so into the woods when we stopped in an area that was slightly cleared already.
“Here we go this’ll work.” Matt said, looking around. He and Jeff started working on chopping down the trees.
“Where am I stacking them?” I asked, looking around for a spot.
“Right here’s good.” Jeff said, throwing a small limb just off to where I was standing.

I grabbed the limb and started using the hatchet to make it smaller. It wasn’t working out to well. The pile Matt and Jeff were throwing was growing at twice the speed as I was able to chop.

“Guys, this isn’t working.” I said finally, working on my third branch and staring at the pile that was continually growing beside me. Matt and Jeff turned around, sweating and panting.
“What’s wrong?” Jeff asked, throwing his hacksaw down.
“This pile is almost above my head and compared to the two of you, I’m slower than a snail.”
“How about this?” Jeff said, picking up the hacksaw and walking toward me. “I think we should take a break and help you with these, and we’ll trade our tools. I’ll use the hatchet and you can take the hacksaw. It’ll probably be faster to use it.”

I nodded and took the saw. Jeff too the hatchet and began working on the limbs on the ground. After another half hour and the three of us working together, the pile size had decreased.

“Thanks guys.” I said, panting. Even thought they helped, I still did a lot of work.
“Let’s go get some water.” Matt said, walking toward the house. Jeff and I followed him, but we froze as we walked up to the house. Mr. Hardy’s car was in the driveway.
“What time is it?” I asked, alarmed that Mr. Hardy was home.
“I don’t know.” Matt said. “You two wait here and I’ll go check the time.”
“I hope it’s about time for the two of us to be home.” Jeff muttered, sitting on the ground. I nodded my agreement. We waited for about 5 minutes before Matt showed back up.
“It’s okay guys. We’ve been working longer than we thought. It’s about 4 right now.” Matt said, carrying three glasses of water. “I told Dad what’s going on and he called your uncle Riley.”
“Okay,” I said, taking a huge drink of water.

We went back to the clearing, and I finally noticed just how much work we’ve done. It was almost completely bare except the pile we had off to the side along with a few rough patches.

“Okay, we’ll finish this today and we’ll work on the rest later, when it gets warmer and drier.” Matt said. Jeff and I both nodded. I picked the hacksaw back up and started working on cutting the branches again. Soon, the pile was getting higher again, but I was keeping up fine this time.
“Okay, that’s good.” Matt said after awhile. I straightened up and turned around. The place was completely cleared out except for the pile of wood beside me.
“Come on, it’s getting late.” Jeff said, taking the hacksaw from me and carrying it toward the house.
“I think I need a shower.” I said, wiping at the sweat that was running into my eyebrows.
“Yeah I know, I can smell you all the way over here.” Jeff said, covering his nose with his hand. I would of chased him, but I was to clumsy to run through the woods. Running and carrying a hacksaw… that was suicide waiting to happen. “What nothing?” Jeff asked, turning around walking backward, showing his grace like always.
“Dude, how the hell are you always so poise?” I asked, stumbling slightly as I tripped over a root Jeff clearly missed.
“I don’t know, just part of my charm I guess.” Jeff said, turning back around and looking at where he was going with just enough time to prevent himself from running into a tree. I barely missed the same tree as I tripped over another root.
“This had better be worth it.” I thought, huffing. Matt led the way back to the house, where I grabbed my backpack to head home.
“See you tomorrow.” Jeff called as I walked out the door.

I just waved my hand, not really commenting to him. I quickly made my way home, only to find no one was home, and I didn’t have a house key. I just decided to sit on the front porch until someone got home. For the first time in years, I didn’t want to be over at the Hardy house, I just wanted to be home.