Kate Marsh

The girls dormitory was teeming with life in the late hours of the day, and the pitter patter of rain along with the hum of her neighbors music was just loud enough to wake Kate up.
It was another late night, they had been coming often lately to Kate. She was lucky enough so far to have only stumbled upon them during weekends, but in her current state these late nights may start spilling into the weekdays.
Kate rolled out of her cocoon on the bed and caught a glance of herself in the mirror.
Tired, she thought.
She looked as bad as she felt. It wasn't the weather, although funnily enough the overcast outside was actually more comforting than the rest of her surroundings. She was just so, tired. An indescribable feeling of... Unwelcomeness. Like a permanently unsettled stomach. Why can't this whole video just blow over?...

Kate was upset with herself for letting another day slip away.

Had anyone even noticed I was gone?

She looked for her phone to see if anyone tried to contact her during her overdue sleep. Apparently she had fallen asleep on it, because the phone was buried under her pile of blankets. Kate skipped through the messages

Mom sent Yesterday

Hi Katie dear! Your father and I wanted to know how your first month of art school had gone? I called but it went straight to voicemail. Please call as soon as you read this, love you sweetie!

Alyssa sent at 8:54 AM

Yo Kate, wanna grab some lunch after I finish my swim meet? Txt back soon pls.

sent at 11:09 AM

Hey did you get my message? I'm already out at lunch with Stella now but you can still join us at Two Whales.

Max sent at 7:09 PM

Kate Alyssa is trying to contact you and can't, are you okay?

sent at 7:20 PM

Okay I'm gonna stop by your room soon to check on you unless you reply.

After reading the last message, Kate panicked. She quickly tried to type a reply but her tired fumbling fingers were too slow. She noticed herself slowly becoming more and more overwhelmed by the inaccuracy of her typing and stopped everything to take a deep breath.

She closed her eyes and focused on the pitter patter of the rain to keep herself from tipping, taking note of the leaves rustling in tune with their calming splashes.

You need to calm down. You can't make Max or Alyssa worry about you. Just take your time, its just typing. Jeez...

Kate heard a gentle knock on her door just then.

"Kate? It's Max, I'm coming in okay?"

Kate sat up from the bed eyes flittering open. Max took a good look at the dimly lit cluttered room, immediately realizing that Kate was not acting normal.

"Did you just wake up?"

"Hey, Max. I'm sorry I just couldn't find my phone charger all day so I had no way to see yours or Alyssa's texts."

"Okay, but, did you take a nap or something you just look so tired."

As Max spoke she went to sit next to Kate on her bed.

"Oh! No, i'm just… Not wearing makeup right now that's all…" Kate stood, scooting away a little bit. She tucked her hair behind her ear, trying to make the messy bun look a little more presentable.

Max didn't believe her. And Kate knew that, but it was just easier for the two of them to pretend.

"Okay." Max stood up "Well, do you wanna maybe get some tea with me right now? I know it's a bit late but-"

"Max I'm sorry but I can't right now. I need to do homework and stuff," Kate lied "but, maybe we could do something another time."

Of course Max knew Kate was lying again, but recognized that she obviously just wanted to be left alone right now, so Max decided to drop it.

"Okay then, I'll be just a few doors down in my room if you need me. Also, don't forget to call Alyssa and let her know you're okay. She was pretty worried."

"Yeah, thanks Max."

The two stood there together for a moment, both unsure of what to do next, then parting ways.

Kate flopped back onto the bed and closed her eyes, letting the start of Max's music again calm her nerves and carry her off into sleep