Shooting Stars(Sesha Ballins)

The Night We Met ੈ✩‧₊˚

Seth was in his mother's house, standing barefoot on the grass. It was dawn in Davenport and Seth's head was flooded with thoughts and the past. Seth stood there, the wind breezing past his hair as he closed his eyes. He remembered he was standing there when he was 24 years old, He learned how to drive almost 10 years earlier. He went to school for 12 years and never attended college, but he could read well, and remember multiplication tables up to 12. He learned that people aren't that smart, learned how to pull lottery ticket scams and asphalt-paving scams, and get free meals with a slight upturn of his brown eyes. He learned that if you hold 10 dollars to a stranger, he would pay 20 to get his hands on it if you play him right. He learned that every good lie is threaded with truth, and every accepted truth leaks lies.

He was 24 years old in that field. The sunrise breeze smells of wood smoke and feels like dry fingers as it lifts his long hair from his forehead. He remembers everything about that day because it was the day he met Mercedes. Colby was 5 years away from today, and he felt that someone has finally given him permission to live.

Growing up not knowing his biological father, living a life with not many friends, and being confused about what he wanted to be, Seth had always felt alone and confused about his life. He never really knew who he was, what he stood for, and what he believed. But Mercedes told him once "You don't have anyone to tell you who you are, so you don't need anyone to tell you. You are who you are. and You're beautiful." And with Mercedes that was usually enough. Colby didn't need to be defined —by his father, mother, place of birth, a name on a credit card or a driver's license, or the upper left corner of a check. As long as her definition of him was something Mercedes could live with, then he could too.

Thinking about it now, She was a shooting star, a brief blaze of brilliance that lit up his world and left him in awe. Just like a shooting star, she brought brightness and happiness into his life, but her presence in his life was short-lived.

It was Monday Night Raw and Sasha were still coping with the hostilities of Summerslam when Seth called her name, and days later he broke things off with Zahra. The news was already spreading all over the place that Seth had committed his second cheating scandal. Sasha, Team B.A.D., and Team PCB are getting their hair and makeup done when Paige decided to heat up the conversation.

"You know I hate it when people take things that aren't theirs." She said. Sasha knew instantly what she was implying but she stayed quiet. "What're you trying to say Saraya?" Ashley countered, knowing what she meant. "I meant nothing," Saraya said, standing up from her seat. "If you're trying to say something, do tell me." Sasha stood up for herself. She hated the backlash she was getting from the things Seth did. "I have nothing to say for mistresses and side hoes," Saraya yelled at Sasha's face. "Then you don't have anything to say to Zahra too then?" When Sasha said this, she felt an immediate slap to the face by Paige, so hard it could send her directly to suspension.

"SARAYA, MERCEDES CALM DOWN!" Trinity came into the room completely shocked while her sneakers lit up the dim room. "Can we please not turn anything physical around here?" She commanded, separating the two to different sides of the room. Nikki came to the dressing room when she heard a commotion and immediately approached Sasha's direction. "Are you okay?" She asked. "I'm fine." She responded. Just about right, she had a beat-the-clock match against Paige that very night.

"You and Colby a thing?" Nikki asked. "Not at all! If anything we're the opposite. I don't know why he called my name, or why he approached me that day but we're not dating or anything. I don't know why he broke up with Zahra because I never did anything but exist." She complained. The backlash she was receiving was nowhere as near as Seth was getting. "I understand. People just love to hate on a girl around here instead of blaming the guy. They'd much prefer a pretty girl sway their boyfriend than accepting that their boyfriend just lost feelings for them." Nikki explained, calming her down.