"Rise and shine, cupcake!" is what I heard being screamed in my ear as sleep quickly slipped away from me. I opened one eye to see Charlie in my bedroom, throwing my curtains open and fully allowing the sun to slap me in the face.
"Mmm, what time is it?" I groaned, feeling around the bed for my phone.
"Uh, 2:20," she replied, looking down at her Apple Watch.
"2:20?!" I popped up, "Why did you let me sleep this late? You know I have group at 2:30! Being late can fuck up my graduation." One of my goals was to obtain my PhD from the University of Arizona but one of their underwriting requirements includes background checking applicant's history of documented hospital stays due to mental health, which I would fail miserably. However, if an applicant completes and graduates from an accredited support group, they would be considered as any other applicant. The other members of my group also had agreements like this within their respective fields, which is why we all took it seriously and showed up.
I waltzed around my apartment bedroom, throwing an outfit together and brushing my teeth at the same time. Charlie threw herself on my bed and dove into her phone, laughing at the TikToks playing in her headphones.
I managed to slip on the easiest thing I could: a denim skirt and a corresponding Diesel baby tee. I guess we're going Y2K aesthetic today.
"Why are you still here?" I asked Charlie through a mouth full of toothbrush. I noticed she had been here past her usual 2-3 day stay, now pushing a week since she'd found a second home in my apartment.
She moved the right side of her headphones and rolled her eyes at whatever she was about to tell me. "I apologized but she still ain't fuckin with me. Said she needed 'space', whatever that mean."
"It means you need to work harder if you want her back," I tried to enunciate through the pool of toothpaste in my mouth. She turned her attention to me and gave me a once-over.
"Don't wear those sandals, put on those pointed-toe joints I bought you last year." Another one of Charlie's hobbies was fashion, which made me her personal mannequin. She always told me I had 'model measurements' which was perfect for poking and prodding with needles and fabrics. It was interesting to me that she was piqued by women's fashion, since she usually dressed more masculine, but I support her endeavors nonetheless.
I swapped out the sandals I had on for the pair of shoes she suggested, then complimented the early 2000's outfit with a pair of Dior wraparound shades I thrifted a few months ago. I did a zig-zag part in my slick back bun and finished my appearance with some stack necklaces and rings.
Charlie gave me an approving thumbs up, liking what I had on. I paced downstairs, grabbed my keys, and walked out to my car.
I pulled up to the coffee shop, giving Orien a wave before walking to the back and into my group session.
The loud metal door worked against me as I tried as hard as I could to open it silently, knowing it was past the 2:30 start time. The screech seemed to be 100x more dramatic as all eyes fell on me. Quin quickly brought the group back to her attention as she continued talking about whatever they were discussing.
I looked at the arrangement of chairs, remembering to sit away from the devil of last week. To my luck, the only open chair was right next to him in the same way it was last session.
I walked over, now gaining attention from the clicking of my heels and wishing I had worn the sandals I had on first. I slid into the chair and placed my tote bag around the back, making sure it hung and didn't touch the ground.
"So, when we find ourselves having these intrusive thoughts, our best bet is to replace that with a positive trigger, right?" Quin was speaking, "Kiara, do you mind if I use you as an example?"
