The Top Two Females

|02|

Xena had curled her hair into twisting strands, feeling the weight against her back. With strapping her shoes to her ankles, she grew about an inch. Her white blouse— the only clean on she had— was see through, making her wear a tank top underneath. Her skirt inched her delicate skin, up to her waist and down to just above the knee.

Sighing, she left her bathroom, gripping the handle for dear life as she walked down the stairs. The incident yesterday caused her ankle to twist, making each step a challenge, but just like running, she was going to ouch through it.

Popping an ear bud into her ear, she softly heard the song The Rose ending. She must had forgotten to turn off her music last night. Luckily for her, her phone was on the charger. "Lies the seed, that with the sun's love in the spring becomes the rose." Xena was never one for romance, but she had to admit the idea was nice. Dating wasn't her thing— definitely with her background. She didn't trust herself to pick out the right guy anymore.

That lead to her period of blind dates that ended just as bad.

After locking her front door on her apartment, she headed down to her old, high school car. The truck's blue paint was peeling and her radio was busted, but Shelly was still driving. Xena gave her the name after having the old thing for three years, after her parents passed down the car to her. If she survived this long, she deserves something to remember her by.

It took a couple tired to get Shelley stared, but she started to purr like a cat. Xena speeded off to work, slightly worried that Shelley was going to break down in the middle of the roads. While driving, she attempted to go down streets that were flat, not needing to change the gears manually.

Xena had to slam the door to get it to close, but she arrived safely at her work, ready for the next eight hours of her day. She trotted into the building, bitting her tongue. Xena gave a wave at the front desk, scurrying into the elevator. She waited patiently as the others climbed in, giving and receiving a small, awkward smiles before the doors closed.

The doors opened and closed, allowing more people to step in or out. Xena crossed her arms, staring at the floor number as the elevator kept rising to the top. Once she reached her floor, she gently nudged herself through the doors, finally escaping the crowded area. Her office floor opened up, allowing her to breath as took the couple steps towards her office. She paused the office cubes, unlocking her door. A nice window was behind her desk, opening up for the world to see.

She left her door opened, sitting down at her desk— logging into her computer. Her back relaxed into her seat, her fingers typing on the keyboard as talked and worked with her co-workers. The day was calm and quiet, nothing big happening as she checked the company's network. She thought too soon, hearing a soft knock on her door.

Xena smiled, happy to see one of her co-workers and friends. "Whatcha need, Zane?" She started to stand up, pushing her chair as her knees started to take her body weight on. Her legs shaky with the heels, but she was getting better at walking with them. Zane rolled his eyes, coming around the desk and hugging her. "You're lucky there's really nothing to do today," Xena joked, pulling back from the hug as she crossed her arms.

"Can I not go visit a friend just because?" He mumbled into her ear, his arms going around her waist. Zane couldn't help but feel like she belong right there and always— in his arms. Xena's arms rested on his shoulder as she returned the gesture, stepping away after an friendly amount of time. Zane stared at her face, noticing the healthy glow of her skin along with barley noticeable ache scars. He blinked a couple times before stepping back, giving his friend a smile.

Xena hummed, a large grin appearing on her face, "I don't know. When was the last time you came here without needing anything?"

Zane looked down to the floor embarrassed as he realized he only came here when he needed something. He scratched the back of his head as he struggled to find an answer that didn't revolve around him asking for help. He stuttered, "Re-recent-ly?"

Xena chuckled, her giggling making Zane smile again, "No worries, Zane. I don't visit you as often as I should." She gave him a toothy smile before tucking a stray strand of hair behind her, so it was out of her face. "Anyways, what brings you to my humble office?"

"Are you free tomorrow night?" Zane asked, nearly gulping on his own voice as he almost tumbled with his words.

Xena bit her lip, slowly shaking her head, "No." She suddenly brightened with joy, "Do you think Claire, Samantha, and Trevor are free? We can get the whole group together another time!"

Zane nodded his head, keeping the corner of his lips from dropping, "Yeah... Yeah, of course!"

*•*•*•*

"Kimber!" Shay yelled, grabbing her friend's keys from the counter. "We are going to be late for work! Hurry up!"

Shay hesitated for a moment, thinking she would have to go to Kimber's room to wake her up. She stopped her thoughts once she heard a big thump from upstairs. She cracked a smile, shaking her head before turning to grab some protein bars.

Kimber was running down the hallway, scrambling to get her favorite. She quickly stuff it into her mouth, her head looking around the living room for her shoes.

"I thought," Shay teased, "you had everything ready last night." Kimber only grunted, swallowing before she jumped to the floor, looking under the couch.

"Found them!" She reached under pulling them out before sliding them on her feet. She ran her fingers through her hair, fixing it before turning to her friend. "Ready to go," she saluted before running out the door.

Shay rolled her eyes, not understanding the burst of energy Kimber has in the morning to act like a child on steroids.

They buckled up once they were both in the car, turning up the radio. Shay pulled out of their apartment parking lot before going down the back roads.

Shay Harry's mood went glumly. She sighed, "Fucking hell." Her eyes narrowed at the familiar blue truck, causing a lot of noise, in front of her. "You would think she's smart enough to get a new truck."

Kimber glanced up from her phone, shaking her head. "Don't worry about it, Harry. It's not like she's bugging you." She turned her attention away from her lap, staring at her friend. "Plus, she didn't do anything to you," Kimber shook her head, trying to get her friend to see the truth.

"Yeah, but she broke my brother's heart."

Kimber groaned, "And your brother is fine. He has his own business."

Shay rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she turned off the backroads. She didn't feel like following his brother's ex-girlfriend longer than she had to. "I hope I never have to see her again," she grumbled, looking over her shoulder before pulling out.

Her friend sighed softly, never one for drama and just hate in general, "I know you and Xena were close when she dated her brother, but did you ever actually talk after they broke up?"

Harry scoffed, "There's nothing to talk about. She hurt my brother. Friend or not, I hate her."

"Well," Kimber stuttered, "hate... hate is a strong word, Shay. You should be careful when you use it."

Shay glanced over at her friend, her anger softening. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She relaxed her fingers, noticing the tight grip she had on the steering wheel. "I'm sorry. I should be more careful with my words."

Kimber nodded her head, "It's ok." She shrugged her shoulders, "It's just something I have to live with." She took a deep breath before rubbing the back of my head, "Maybe you should talk to Xena. You know, clear the air."

Grunting, Shay nodded her head.

Kimber gave her a pointed look.

"Ok," Shay yelled, finally pulling into the gym parking lot. "I'll talk to Xena." She crossed her arms once she parked, a frown on her face.

Her roommate smiled, "Thank you." She opened the door, sliding out of the set before her feet touched the ground. "Now, let's get to work."