Blood, Love, and Other Inconveniences

Part 4

Chapter 4

Fletcher woke to the sounds of dishes being moved around the kitchen, and she groaned her sleepy protest into her pillow. She was so damn tired. She tried to go back to sleep, but Tricia's domestic activities were far too persistent. It was her roommate's way of telling her to get her butt out of bed. Some days it was dishes, others the vacuum. Tricia was never subtle, her type A ways spilling into Fletcher's routine whether she wanted them to or not. It didn't matter though, not after all the pair had been through together. She'd known Tricia Chung since they were kids, long before Tricia had come out as a trans woman in high school, their friendship only deepening through the years. They'd been through a lot together. Tricia's family and their reactions to things, a few bad relationships on either end, and, of course, the hell that had been Andrew. Considering all that, a few clanky dishes and a chore wheel were easily tolerated.

Checking the alarm clock, Fletcher blinked in surprise, wiping the sleep out of her eyes. It was already one in the afternoon? How in the hell? She never slept that late! Stumbling out of bed, she showered, dressed and plodded into the kitchen, still somehow half asleep.

"Finally!" Tricia wrinkled her nose at the sight of Fletcher, tucking her long black hair behind her ear. The woman was beautiful, always put together just so, everything coordinating and hair perfectly done. Fletcher felt the opposite. Messy and slouchy and her clothes always picking up mystery stains from the sheer act of existing. "I thought I'd have to start banging on pans to get your ass up."

"Sorry," Fletcher plopped down at the breakfast table. Well, it was actually a lunch and dinner table too, but Tricia had insisted that the catalogue she'd ordered the fancy thing from had dubbed it such and so must they. "Don't know what happened."

"Well, you came in a little later than usual," Tricia offered, already putting a mug of coffee in front of her. Fletcher took it gratefully. "I heard you come in around three I think."

"Three?" Fletcher frowned, trying to remember the night before, or rather, early that morning. Her shift was from six to two, what had sucked up an extra hour? She could barely recall her night at work. Just vague, monotonous tasks, per usual. Something about...hot dog porn? No, that had been a dream, must've been. And of course Sandra had been...Her frown deepened as her thought seemed to stop dead. There was a strange heaviness in her chest for some reason. She took a long drink of her coffee, hoping this fuzzy feeling would be purged with the caffeine.

"You ok, Fletch?" Tricia's dark brown eyes flashed with concern. "You look spacy."

"I feel spacy."

"You should call in sick tonight. We can order a pizza," her friend was already getting excited. "It's my cheat day and it's never any fun to eat shit by myself." Fletcher laughed, shaking her head.

"Well then let's just eat shit now," she shrugged with a grin. "I still need to work tonight, Sandra will whine if I don't, but feeling spacy's as good a reason as any to have pizza for breakfast."

"Done!" Tricia whipped out her phone, already getting on the app to order. "We should get that focaccia too. Go big or go home, right? I think I have a brownie mix around here somewhere..." she trailed off, eyes focused on her screen. "You want the usual?"

"Always," Fletcher gave her a mock salute, taking another swallow of her coffee.

"Extra pineapple it is," her friend made a face. "Oh, hey, while I'm thinking about it, I'm going to the basement today to do laundry. If you have a load I'll do yours too."

"You are perfection," Fletcher smiled. "I'll go get it now before I forget." She went to her room then, gathering up her laundry from the various piles she'd left on the floor. The rest of the apartment was spotless but her bedroom was hit and miss, mostly miss, as Trish was always quick to point out. She tossed the clothes into her basket, still a bit foggy headed as she did so. That's why, when she lifted the mustard shirt from the oak floor and held it in front of her, it took a few long moments to realize what she was looking at.