When the sun had made its way through the cracks of his curtains, Maddy, grabbed his comforter and rolled into it, forming a sloppy burrito, where his toes stuck out. He probably slept two, maybe three, hours tops. He groaned when he couldn’t decide what hurt more, his splitting headache or his burning hand. Burring his face into his pillow, and tried to decide if going to his first class was worth it.

Maddy’s bloodshot eyes snapped open.

He was in his bed. He. Was. In. His. Bed. Maddy unraveled out of his blanket and rolled out of bed, his bottom hitting the wooden floor first, ignoring the throbbing of his aching muscles, and leaped for his phone still on the kitchen floor.

“I’m calling the cops!” He shouted in a vacant apartment. It was small enough to see every corner of the room, but Maddy wasn’t going to take any chances. “Don’t even think about trying to-”

Looking down at the clock on his phone a different fear bubbled inside his stomach. He had seven minutes to get to class. He cursed loudly as he stripped out of his clothes from last night, and jumped into a cold shower.

If he really wanted to, Maddy could have taken the day off from school. Dee wouldn't have minded. She was always looking for any reason to skip out anything that wasn't partying, boys, or cosplay. But he actually enjoyed learning. Getting A's, B's, and the occasional C, made him feel normal and on a day like today, that's all he wanted.

Maddy chewed on his toothbrush as he combed a hand through his shaggy brown hair. He spit into the sink and ran to his closet to find something to throw on. He settled on a collared shirt and a pair of dark jeans. He was so used to getting called into work right after classes that it just became easier to wear work clothes all the time.

Slipping his sneakers on and shoving his apron in his backpack, he took a glance at his appearance in the mirror by his closet. On good days, Maddy stood tall at five-foot-eleven inches. He wasn’t fit, but the runs Dee forced him to go on with her, helped to keep his muscles from atrophying.

Today wasn’t a good day, however, his hair, still wet, clung to his forehead and dripped down the nape of his neck in drops as thick as runny eggwhites. He shivered at the thought. His face, usually lightly tanned and wearing a blush, was almost as green as his eyes and he felt barely five-foot-ten.

Maddy gave his reflection a shrug and a crooked smile, there were days where he looked less human. He ran out the door and cursed as the crisp Autumn air bit at shocked his system. With a click of his tongue, he tightened his backpack straps and started running.