red side of the moon- trixya

ten.

Judy grew up stepping right beside her

Katya stood at Trixie's locker, and after a few minutes and the hallways beginning to clear, she feared that Trixie might've forgotten about their plans for the afternoon. Then her phone started to vibrate in her pocket. It was Jodi, who had already texted her earlier to let her know Trixie was being picked on, but now she was calling her. They never talked on the phone- they either FaceTimed or texted.

"Is Trixie okay?" Was the first thing she asked.

"No." Katya's heart sank. "Do you know where the AP English room is?"

"I'm already on my way," Katya said, practically sprinting down the hall to the room.

She opened the door and saw Trixie with her head in her hands, strips of blotchy red skin where her hands didn't cover.

"Oh my god," Katya said. "What happened? Who said something?" She was frantic and filled with rage.

"Just hold her, Zamo. I need to find Mr. Sanders and tell him what happened." Jodi was calm, as usual. Katya had always admired Jodi's ability to keep calm and rational.

Katya did as she was told and took Jodi's spot next to sobbing Trixie. She held Trixie's head to her chest and slowly pet her hair, trying desperately to calm her down. Her skin was so hot. Her makeup was all over her face. Katya remembered how pretty Trixie had looked this morning and cursed at herself for not complimenting her. For not keeping her safe. For even letting Trixie out of her sight.

As Trixie's breathing slowed back to a normal pace, and as her sobs turned to hiccups, she realized what was happening. Katya was holding her and petting her head. She became aware of her situation and stayed where she was for a moment. She realized her makeup was a mess and that Jodi was gone.

Trixie raised her head from Katya's chest and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Katya's blue eyes were filled with worry. Trixie's brown eyes were filled with sadness and embarrassment.

"Are..are you okay? What happened?" Katya said, taking Trixie's hand in hers and gently stroking it.

Trixie wanted to go. She wanted to go to Katya's house and be done with school for the week. "Where's Jodi?" She squeaked, leaving her hand in Katya's.

"She'll be here in a minute or two, she went to get the teacher," Katya said. She wanted to hold Trixie forever and just keep her safe. "What happened?" She said again.

"Kids are mean," was all Trixie could muster up.

Just then, Jodi walked back into the room with Mr. Sanders by her side. They asked her lots of questions that she didn't want to answer. She wanted to leave. Once Mr. Sanders got tired of prying, he let her go. Trixie hugged Jodi and thanked her, but she was awfully drained.

"I wanna go," she whispered to Katya. Katya nodded and took her hand, leading Trixie to her locker. She switched over a few binders and notebooks before closing it again. Katya led Trixie to her car and opened the door for her.

"I'm sorry," Katya said. She wasn't sure what she was apologizing for, but she never wanted Trixie to be sad again.

"Not your fault," Trixie said, looking out the window. "Violet is always mean." Trixie's voice sounded broken and tired and she was fighting to keep her eyes open.

Katya instinctively rested her hand on Trixie's thigh. Trixie pulled away automatically. She wasn't sure what she would have done if her mind was more awake. Katya felt bad; she didn't want Trixie to think that she was pushing herself on her.

"I'm a good twenty minutes out," Katya said, noticing how tired Trixie looked. "You can close your eyes for a bit if you want." Trixie nodded a thank you and did, falling asleep in Katya's passenger seat, dreaming of days when everything would be just a little bit easier.