February Stars

1

Author's Note: This story is dedicated to @ElizabethWarner, who is the love of my fandom based life. She is the most incredible person I know and an amazingly talented writer, musician and emoji selector. She loves this story, so this one is for her. xoxox NOW GO MAKE ME A BETTER COVER!

April 2003

Jessica carried her mug of tea from the kitchen to the living room and set it on the end table next to her couch. She plopped down and opened her lap top, knowing she had to finish proof reading the copy she'd been given earlier that day. The best thing about being an editor for a magazine was that your work could get done anywhere and since Jessica's nights were usually free, she would save one story to edit before going to bed. She had gotten halfway through both her tea and the article when there was a knock on her door. She jumped, startled, then frowned. She was not accustomed to having late night visitors. She moved her computer off of her lap and stood, tip-toeing to the door. She closed one eye and looked through the peep hole to see her best friend Ashley and it looked like she'd been crying. Jess quickly unlocked the door and pulled it open.

"Ash?" she said, full of concern. "What's going on?" Ashley stood there, bawling, eyes puffy and red, with two large suitcases by her side.

"He broke up with me!" she wailed. Jessica stepped out into the hallway and pulled the other girl into her arms.

"Oh honey!" she said, rocking Ashley back and forth. She let go of her friend, reached down and grabbed the bags, dragging them into her condo, then ushered Ashley over to the couch. "What happened?"

"He said he didn't feel the same way about me anymore! He said he wasn't in love with me!"

"Are you serious? He said that?" Jess asked, horrified. She had met Ashley about four years ago when the girl had moved from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. and they had quickly become friends. Jessica had been there the night Ashley had met John and had gotten to know him very well over the past few years. She did not see this coming anymore than Ashley had.

"Yes," Ashley sobbed. "His exact words were 'I don't think I even know what love is.'"

"Ugh," Jess said, shuttering. "What a dick."

"I knooooow," Ashley wailed. "Three years, Jess. Three years we were together. Now what am I supposed to do?"

"You move in here, with me, until we figure something else out," Jess explained.

"I can't imagine starting over! I don't want to be alone," Ashley wailed. Jess frowned and reached out to hug her wounded friend.

"You won't be alone though," Jess said, smiling. "I will be here with you. And you know what? I'm single and I'm perfectly happy."

"Yeah, but your different," Ashley sniffed. "You're always single and you prefer it that way."

"Yes I do!" Jess confirmed. "Men are such babies, nothing but a headache. I think you will find that single life is much more preferable. You can go where you want, when you want, with whom ever you want." She winked at Ashley. "And your sex life has variety, not the same old thing over and over again!"

"I liked having sex with John," Ashley said, bursting into tears again.

"It's sex!" Jess laughed, "You can enjoy it with almost anyone! Anyway, you'll meet someone soon, D.C. is filled with handsome, successful men looking for a catch like you!" They sat up for another hour or so, and Jess tried her best to console her friend, but she knew it would take time. She set Ash up in the guest room of her condo and told her good-night.

Three weeks later, Ashley still hadn't managed to pull herself out of her depression. Jessica bought tickets to movies, tried to get her out to the bars on the weekends, tried having people over to cheer her up, nothing worked.