Chrissy laid in her bed not sure of whether or not she could sleep any longer, but knowing that she didn’t want to wake up yet.  She rolled over and saw that it was only 6:24 a.m.  She moaned and rolled over and threw the covers over her head.  Chrissy prayed to the gods of sleep for just a few more hours, she was actually off work today and all she wanted to do was stay in bed and sleep, but it didn’t seem like it was going to happen.  She threw the covers off her head and muttered fine and Fuck this and stomped out of bed.  She walked into her bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face and stared at herself in the mirror.  She stared long and hard at herself and even looked into her own eyes.  Her normally green eyes looked a little hazel today, but even if they were their normal color, they never had much sparkle to them.  Chrissy shook her head a little and looked around her bathroom for a rubber band, she found one and pulled her hair back, placing it in a messy ponytail on the top of her head.  Chrissy wiped her face off and opened her bathroom door.  She stared at her living room and decided that if she couldn’t sleep, she might as well clean up her apartment.  she took a deep breath and went to work.

     It was almost 8:45 and Chrissy had actually gotten a lot done in her apartment, she dusted, threw away old magazines and trash.  She washed the dishes and vacuumed up as well.  She was just putting on her shoes to take the trash downstairs when there was a knock at the door.  She wondered who it could be considering that everyone she knew understood 8:45 on a day off didn’t exist for her.  She opened the door hastily and saw the person she least expected.

     “What are you doing here?” she said.

     “Can I come in?” he said.

     “No.”

     “Please.  C’mon, I need to talk to you,” he said.  Chrissy stared at him but said nothing.

     “So, ignore me till you feel like talkin’, huh?  You sure know how to treat a lady.  Fuck ‘em and leave ‘em, right?”  Chrissy was standing in the doorway and held the door open only a sliver.  She was afraid that if she let him see all of her, she might do something she’d regret.

     “C’mon Chris, lemme in.  We need to talk.”

     “Oh, so we only need to talk when it’s convenient for you?  Well, I’m busy, so it’ll have to wait,” she said icily.

     “Fine, I’ll wait.  Tell me when.”

     “Alex, I don’t know.  Another time.  How’s that?”

     “Fine,” he said and walked away.  Chrissy opened her door a little wider and watched him walk down the hallway and saw him get in the elevator.

     “Just fine.  Another time,” she muttered as she closed her door.

 Later on that day, Chrissy was flipping through mindless mid afternoon television when her phone rang.

     “Hello?”

     “Hey Chris.  It’s Josh.  Can you pick me up from work? My ride bailed on me,” Josh pleaded.  A small smile crossed Chrissy’s lips.

     “I have plans man,” she said.

     “Break them.  I’m way more important that any plan you could have made.  Please Chrissy,” he begged.  Chrissy liked hearing him beg.

     “I don’t know…these are fairly important.  Movies wait for no one,” she giggled.

     “Just pick me up.  Please!”

     “Fine, fine, fine.  Quit your bitching.  What time?”

     “Five.  Thank you so much!  See you later.”

     “Yeah, yeah, yeah.  You owe me a movie,” she said as she hung up the phone.  She looked at her watch and saw that it was 3:30.  Chrissy knew she had a while and flipped the channels until she saw Jerry Springer.  She smiled and threw the remote on the floor and spread out across her couch.  The topic was “Bizarre Love Triangles” and Chrissy was in heaven.
 

         The television flashed in AJ’s darkened living room.  He was sprawled out on his couch watching mindless television and eating Cheetos.  He was watching the television intently and every once in a while flinging a random expletive at the people on screen.

    “You dumb fuck!  Hit him! Steve! Get the fuck outta the way! Hit him!”  As AJ watched the television he smiled and forgot about his troubles for the time his thoughts were on the troubled people on the screen.

    “You stupid fuck!  Jesus Christ! You’re sleeping with her sister?” Chrissy yelled at the screen.  She dug deep in her bag of Cheetos and watched intently as yet another saga unfolded right there on Jerry’s stage.

    “Go girl! Hit him! Steve! Get the fuck outta the way! Hit him!” she yelled before shoving a few more cheesy pieces of crap into her mouth.  She laughed when the couple started bickering and forgot about her own problems for a little while.  Chrissy was happy to be smiling.
 

     Chrissy ran into the diner and began apologizing before she was even all the way in.

    “Dude, I’m so sorry I’m late.  Traffic was a bitch!”  Josh just stared at her and shrugged.

     “It’s okay, I had to cover for someone anyway.   Can you wait just a few more minutes?”  Chrissy nodded and sat down on her favorite barstool.  She looked at all the patrons and smiled a little.  Chrissy drummed her fingers on the countertop when she saw a familiar face sitting in a very familiar spot.  She shook her head and groaned a little.  Chrissy groaned even more when he caught sight of her as well.

     “Shit,” she said.  Chrissy saw AJ get up out of his seat and began walking over to her.  Her first instinct was to leave, but she knew she had to wait for Josh to get finished.  Chrissy saw AJ getting closer to her, and she had nowhere to go.  He was just about to her and he started to say something when she interrupted him.

     “Don’t say anything.  This is neither the time nor the place,” she said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

     “Chrissy, we need to talk,” AJ said almost pleadingly.  She shook her head and bit the inside of her cheek.  She took in how AJ looked standing there in front of her.  He looked as though he hadn’t slept and he needed a shave.  He wasn’t wearing glasses, which she thought was kind of odd, and he was wearing a hat.  Chrissy had seen that his thumbs had been picked until they had bled, a nasty nervous habit. She sighed and looked at AJ.

     “We needed to talk that day.  What is there to say today? Nothing.  You left.  You used me and you left, plain and simple.”  Chrissy watched an injured look appear on AJ’s face.  She didn’t care.

     “I know what I did Chrissy, you don’t need to remind me of it,” AJ said quietly.  He began to pick at one his thumbs.

     “I’m glad you know what you did,” she said.  Her eyes darted everywhere except into AJ’s sight.  “Look, I’m getting ready to leave, let’s not do this here.”  Chrissy began to fidget with her ponytail and she kept looking in Josh’s direction.  He was clearing off a table and caught her stare.  He nodded and hurriedly finished up the table.  Chrissy saw Josh coming towards her and yelled to him.

     “C’mon, let’s go,” she said.  She went to turn around when AJ grabbed her arm.  “Let go of my arm, thank you,” Chrissy said as she removed AJ’s fingers from their grip.  AJ let go of her arm and said,

     “Sorry,” as he backed away from her.  “Chrissy, please.  We have to talk soon,” he said.  His eyes were pleading with hers.  She saw the look in his eyes and could feel herself wavering.  Chrissy shook her head a little.  Josh walked up to both of them and he gave AJ a look of death.  He grabbed Chrissy’s arm.

     “C’mon, let’s go,” Josh said as he pulled her towards the door of the diner.  Chrissy stared at AJ for a moment and half-heartedly waved at him.

     “Later,” she said as if it were a promise.  She walked with Josh out the door and looked back once more.  Chrissy saw AJ just standing there staring into space.  She kept walking.

     “Glad to be outta there?” Josh asked as he opened up the passengers side door.

     “Yeah.  Thanks,” Chrissy said weakly as she climbed in.  She put the key in the ignition and drove off, but she kept her eye on the rearview mirror.