Chapter Text
Martin looked at the text from his best friend, feeling confused. It simply read, "Come to my dorm at 7 sharp." He was currently finishing up a class and contemplating whether to head back to his dorm to eat or go to sleep; he hadn't made a decision yet. His thoughts were interrupted by another message from her: "I don't care if you have plans; you better come." He chuckled at his friend's persistence, reminiscing about how they had first met.
He had just arrived on campus, wandering around like a lost puppy, preoccupied with his thoughts, until he accidentally bumped into someone. He quickly looked around to see who he had knocked into and noticed a girl with maroon hair sitting on the ground. He immediately squatted down to help her, offering his hand. She swatted it away with the back of her hand, insisting she was fine and didn't need his help. Despite her rejection, Martin still felt guilty for knocking her over, so he offered to walk her to class. Surprisingly, she accepted his offer.
As they walked, they discovered they were in the same class, both studying for the same degree in fashion design. She introduced herself as Denita, and he reciprocated with his name. They bonded over their shared love of fashion and made plans to incorporate animal designs into their creations, inspired by Martin's passion for animals. Eventually, Martin realized that fashion design wasn't the right fit for him, and he decided to switch his major to zoology. Denita was disappointed by his change, but he reassured her that he would still partner with her in the future.
The teacher dismissing the class brought him back to the present. He noticed he had two missed calls from his brother, Chris. Great, he thought, the perfect child wants someone to talk to. He quickly ignored a third incoming call from Chris, checked the time, and realized it was almost 7. He hurried to Denita's dorm, opened the door, and found her sitting on her bed, engrossed in her phone. As soon as she looked up and saw Martin, she rushed over, hugged him, and jumped into his arms, exclaiming, "Martino!" He caught her and, grateful for the greeting, replied, "Nita!" as he hugged her back.
She ushered him onto the bed and told him to wait while she got a surprise for him. Martin was very curious about what the surprise could be, but Nita wouldn’t tell him. Eventually, he gave up and waited for her to bring the surprise out from the closet where she had hidden it.
She turned around, showing Martin the surprise, and his mood changed instantly from happy to frantic, then angry. The young college student with dirty blond hair and blue tips frantically looked between his best friend and a pair of Draco lizards in suspended animation. Finally, he locked eyes with her and asked, clearly upset, "Donita, what have you done?"
Anger was etched on her face as she shouted back, "I made OUR dream come true! We can use the beauty of nature in fashion and share it with the world!" This only made Martin angrier as he replied, "This is not what I wanted, not even close. I wanted us to draw inspiration from the animals, not use live animals for YOUR sick dream! Unless you turn the Draco lizards back, I am NOT a part of this dream!"
He paused for a moment before continuing in a calm but icy tone, "It's no longer our dream, Dinita. It's only yours." He began walking toward the door of her room, casting one last sad glance at his friend, aware that he couldn't change her.
It took Donita a few seconds to process what had just happened before she began yelling for Martin to come back, running out of her dorm. But he was already gone. Overwhelmed, she broke down in the hallway, tears streaming down her face, aware that she wouldn’t see him again.
Over time, Martin's sadness over losing his friend turned into resentment; he began to think that she had only used him for his knowledge of animals, as he was studying to become a zoologist. Meanwhile, Donita became more bitter and closed off, reluctant to let anyone get close, fearing they might walk out on her like Martin did. Still, no matter what she tried, she felt a deep longing for him.