Chapter Text
It has been hours.
Specifically, Madeleine hadn't been outside of her dorm since the morning, when she had to take a delivery package she ordered a week ago for one of her dress projects. Hell, Katya doesn't even know if she ate or not between these hours. She checks on her occasionally, but is always met with a brief "Just get out!" from her. She had never been so focused on doing something outside of academic requirements, neither her hobbies. Was she really focused, though? Or was she just trying to muffle out the noise her mind was making?
"Man, is she doing good there or...?"
Denver, too, was concerned. They had been roaming the booths for the campus' Valentine's event without Madeleine. She was always with them in campus events and was a guilty fan of the creative gimmicks and products from students.
"She says she is." Katya responds. "I know her well enough. She isn't gonna lock herself inside for no reason. Besides, she tells me every problem of hers."
"Mmm... I don't think so. That's not a good basis to leave her like this. That kind of isolation is definitely not something Maddie does."
"Are you saying we force ourselves into the door right now?"
"I mean, If anything, we shouldn't be standing still outside ignoring who knows what's happening to her behind that door..."
Denver had a point. After all, he's quick to recognize that odd behavior, ever since a specific experience of his. However, what makes this decision difficult is Madeleine's value for privacy. She hated it when anyone barged into her private businesses without permission. In fact, it was only Katya whom she spoke of any personal matters she had. She told no one of that time she almost threw up from stage fright during a previous play they were part of. She told no one of her fears of big bugs, her funny little crush on Denver, or anything at all that she found embarrassing. To open the door was like opening Pandora's box, and they are surely gonna get in trouble as soon as they get a narrow glimpse of her dorm through the door crack.
They're worried. Great.
She snips a strip of fabric before pinning it to a mannequin. The draping was done, and all there is left to do is to sew these pieces together. The dress was modeled after a vintage pattern she stumbled upon, but was modified a bit for her liking. There were colors here and there, as she used a thin and translucent layer of holographic fabric on some parts of the white dress. She also thought of putting more lace frills, but that means she would have to sew through her trembling hands.
She was pale, shaking, and was noticeably breathing heavier than usual. She also has this awful headache and occasionally felt dizzy. But she would rather occupy her brain, drown herself with work, than to think about Denver at the moment. She found herself disgusting and sinful for still catching feelings for a friend who will never, and should never see her as such. She feels that she doesn't even deserve Katya, who stayed with her despite how rude she once was— what else with Denver, then?
"...Just focus, damn you..." She threw herself into a seat, setting up the sewing machine.
"Yeah, no. We can't risk Maddie potentially dead in there." Denver knocks on the door loud enough she should be walking in to yell at them to stop. "Hey! If we'll have to sit outside for hours if you can't hear us knock since literally ten minutes already, then we won't hesitate to call the cops on you!" He kept turning the door knob, hoping by some miracle that the door unlocks. Or breaks if it means it's his last resort.
Speak of the devil.
It was right there when she decided to answer the knocks that had been going on for minutes, and it was also right there when she realized how she managed to stay in her room for hours doing one thing out of anxiety. They now think she's lost it.
"Right, right, what do you guys want now?!" A muffled, yet clearly pissed Madeleine yells through the door.
Thank god.
"Geez, that air smells like seconds away from death. Go outside and breathe, man! We were kinda worried!"
"Not just 'kinda'! We thought you... Ah! Forget it! Just come out, man!"
"O-oh, right..." The voice, now less pissed and more guilty, muttered through.
She finally unlocks the door.
"Finally! God, you look pale! We'll find you something to eat and drink! Did you know that there's a mini cafe stand the moment you step into the botanical garden?" Katya holds Madeleine's shoulders, forcing her to stand straight.
"What happened to you? You've never stayed inside the dorm for a whole day!" Denver, on the other hand, was still concerned about her antics.
"Gee, sorry. I don't know what it was, but uh... I guess I was too scared to go outside. Y'know, crowds and all?"
"...Right. Just... if something's been bugging you, don't be scared to tell us, kay?"
"...Okay." Madeleine averts her eyes, noticing how her head seems to hurt more looking at how bright it is where Denver was standing. "I'll also have to eat this headache out."
"Right then! It's not too late anyways!" Katya, whose eyes were beaming with excitement, drags Madeleine out of her confines and to the botanical gardens.
They then ended up feasting a good amount and managed to get buckets worth of chocolates from winning a bunch of games the students set up. Katya ate enough of them for her to probably be able to stay up for a week with just sugar in the system. Denver managed to showcase the bush trimming the botany students had been working on for a week for this event. All the things happening at campus took Maddie's running thoughts away from her, even just for a short bit of time. What a day.