An Apple A Day(Trixya)

Stars

"So, how was it?"

"It was nice."

"That tells me nothing. Come on, I need details." Monet hit Trixie's arm, almost making the blonde spill her drink.

"There is nothing to tell."

"Girl, you are getting back on the horse after being thrown off."

"Okay so?"

"So, therefore there is plenty to tell. Did you guys hit it off? Was she into you? Are you into her? Did you end the night in her bed, or her in yours?"

"No, it was nothing like that. She was nice to talk to."

"Nice to talk to? Bitch."

"What?"

"She needs to blow your back out."

"Monet!"

"What? It's the truth. You have had a stick up your ass lately."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah, well you don't but the rest of us see it."

"Rest of us? Who is us?"

"Raja, Raven, Latrice, and maybe every other teacher that has had the displeasure of being in the break room at the same time as you."

"Am I that bad?"

"Trixie, you aren't your happy self anymore. You have been in a slump, grouchy, snappy girl you name."

"Well shit."

"Did something happened?

"No."

"You know you can talk to me, right?"

"I know but at this point there is nothing to talk about."

"At this point? What do you mean?" Trixie sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair, setting down her glass.

"Monet, what do you do when the person you like keeps slipping through your fingers?"

"Hold them tighter."

"But doesn't that mean it's just not meant to be?"

"No, sis you just need to try harder. You can't get what you want by just giving up."

"Monet, I don't know."

"What don't you know?"

"If I should eve-"

"I'm gonna stop you there, yes you should. You should get your woman." Trixie laid her head on the table and groaned.

"I wish this was easier."

"It would be boring if it were."

"Easier?"

"Yes."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because if it is easy to get it then it'll be easy to lose it." Trixie sat up and looked at Monet. She had never thought about that. That was too much to think about. Trixie shurgged it off as she chuckled.

"You are crazy Monet."

"Crazy but right."

"Yeah, sure you are."

***

Trixie stumbled out of her Uber and waved as the car pulled off. She looked at the steps leading to her building and sighed. Maybe a condo was a bad idea. Trixie took a deep breathe and walked up each step, taking it slow. Once inside, Trixie walked to the elevator. Waiting. "Ms. Mattel?"

"Huh?" Trixie turned around to see Jan, taking out her headphones. "Jan? Are you following me?" Jan chuckled and shook her head.

"No, I have a friend who lives here. She wasn't feeling too good so I went out to get her some medicine." Trixie nodded and pressed the elevator call button again. Jan stood next to her teacher, humming. "So, Katya got back today."

"That's nice."

"Mmhm. So, are you two going to talk?"

"Jan, I'm your teacher."

"And Katya is your student, well was."

"What do you mean was?"

"She is switching math classes." Trixie walked into the elevator, followed by Jan.

"Good for her."

"May I ask a question?"

"Mmhm."

"Why won't you guys talk?"

"Why should we?"

"Because you guys like each other."

"Katya said goodbye, what else can I do?" Trixie had been trying so hard not to think about Katya. She had gotten pretty decent at ignoring the thoughts, so when a woman approached her in the supermarket and started a conversion with her..Trixie was able to accept the woman's offer of a date. Trixie didn't think about Katya during the date, even though a lot of things could have easily reminded her of Katya. Like maybe the fact that 'Come To My Window' was softly playing in the restaurant, or the subtle smell of freshly brewed coffee, maybe even the bold red lip that Trixie's date was wearing. So many chances and Trixie still didn't think about Katya. And now she was drunk and..thinking about Katya. That seemed like a death sentence.

"Don't you miss her?" Trixie leaned back against the railing in the elevator, staring at the blinking lights.

"Just because you miss someone doesn't mean anything."

"It means you can at least talk to her."

"Jan, we both know how Katya is. How stubborn she is. She said something to me that has stuck with me. She told me that it wasn't doing either of us any good and maybe she was right. If it wasn't doing anything for her, then why bother?" The elevator opened to Trixie's floor with a bing. She stood up straight and sighed before walking out into the hall. "Thank you for trying but some things just aren't meant to happen for more than a given time Jan. Sometimes that time can be a lifetime or a short while. You'll learn that as you get older..I sure did. Goodnight Jan." Jan held onto the bag of medicine tighter as she watched the elevator doors close. She refused to accept this. Jan knew that both her best friend and Trixie were miserable without each other. She had noticed how close they were before Katya had even breathed a word to her. There were so many signs, if you paid attention. The pink kisses that Katya wore on her cheek and neck sometimes clearly matched Trixie's shade..the way they spoke about each other and said one another's names, the way they stared at each other. Whenever they spoke to one another in class, they were always in their own world. They were teleported to a universe with only the two of them, even in a room full of other people. They saw stars in the other's eyes, stars that they couldn't find anywhere else..stars that they had never seen before. Jan refused to let them give that up, just because they were stubborn.