Still riding high after the end of the show, Alex and I leave the backstage area to see if help is needed out front. Some interns are picking up stray programs and gift bags, and we do the same. In the distance, I see Madison sitting by herself, head in her hands, shoulders shaking. She can’t be this emotional over the fashion show, can she?
I poke Alex and nod in Madison’s direction. “Do you think something happened?”
Alex shrugs and shakes her head. “Who knows? That girl is all drama.”
I’m mentally debating whether or not I should check up on her when I hear a familiar voice yelling my name. I turn and see Jake hurrying toward me with a huge grin on his face.
“Hi!” I say, giving him a hug. It’s been more than a week and a half since I last saw him, and I’ve missed him.
“Those designs were incredible,” he says. “It must have been amazing seeing the final product after all the work you put in.”
“It really was!” I say. “And the energy in the room was electrifying.”
“I know!” Jake agrees. “My mom was able to get me a ticket, so I got to sit out front and watch the whole thing. I so lucked out.” He waves Liesel over and puts his arm around her.
“I loved your designs,” I say to Liesel. “The last piece was phenomenal.”
Liesel smiles modestly. “Thank you. It was my favorite as well. And I’m so grateful to you and Alex for your help backstage. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Hey there,” Jake says as Alex walks over. “I thought you looked familiar. Chloe’s best friend from California, right? Good to see you again.”
The three of them recap the show, and Alex gushes about the great time she had. I take it all in, trying not to think about how much I’ll miss both Jake and Liesel when I head back to California this weekend.
Suddenly, I feel everyone staring at me. “Sorry, what? I zoned out.”
Liesel smiles. “We were just saying how glad we were that we got to spend these months with you. We’ll miss you, kiddo.”
“Me too,” I say, my eyes tearing up again.
“Don’t worry,” says Alex, throwing her arm around me. “I’ll take care of her.”
“And I’ll be in Santa Cruz next month visiting my dad,” says Jake. “I’ll give you a call, and we’ll hang out then, okay?”
“You’d better,” I say. I hug him and Liesel one last time, then Alex and I finish cleaning up and head back to the dorms, leaving the glam of Fashion Week behind.
* * *
As soon as Alex and I walk in the door, Bailey is on us. “How was the show? Amazing? I’ve been dying to hear how it went.”
“The best!” I say. “It was so cool seeing all the designs, especially the ones I got to help out with.”
“I’m so excited for Thomas Lord’s show tomorrow,” Avery adds from where she’s sitting. “But I’ll be honest, I’m getting kind of sad too. Our time here is almost over. At least there’s still the send-off.”
I perk up. “Send-off?”
“Oh, yeah,” says Bailey. “Most of the designers do a big breakfast on the last day for the interns. The lead designer comes and thanks everyone for all their hard work. Sometimes they even give you a gift.”
“See?” says Alex. “I told you freebies were a possibility! And now that you have something to look forward to, you don’t have to be gloomy after I leave.” She winks at me.
I give her a half-hearted smile. “Too bad you can’t be here for that,” I say. Her flight back to California leaves tomorrow, and my last day as an intern is Friday.
Alex shrugs. “It’s fine. This has been really exciting, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I totally get why you love it here, but I’m really a Santa Cruz girl at heart. I don’t think I can do the hustle and bustle thing on a daily basis.”
“I can sympathize with that,” says Bailey. “I miss my home in Florida too.”
“Not me,” says Avery, grinning. “My home is right here.”
Alex throws a pillow at her and laughs.
“Hey,” I say, just realizing Madison is missing in action, “do you know where Madison is? I saw her crying at Fashion Week.”
Avery and Bailey exchange glances. “She really wanted to get noticed,” Avery finally says with a shrug.
“What does that mean?” I ask. “What happened?”
“She tried to show Daphne Appell, that reality show host, some of her designs, and Daphne got annoyed. I guess her people complained to Stefan. It seems like it got blown out of proportion, at least according to Madison,” says Bailey, sounding like she feels bad for even relating the story. “She was here earlier and said Stefan told her she can come to the breakfast Friday, but she can’t intern for him again.”
“Wow,” says Alex. “If I were her, I wouldn’t feel right going to the breakfast.”
Avery shakes her head. “She won’t. She’s too embarrassed. She wants to change her ticket and leave Thursday.”
Knowing Madison, she probably was a little pushy with Daphne, but I still feel bad. It stinks to go out on a sour note.
Suddenly, the door bursts open, and we jump. It’s Madison, her face red and puffy. “Hi,” she says quietly.
We look at her, unsure what to say.
Madison sighs. “I’m sure you told Miss Diva everything?”
“I’m really sorry,” I say.
Madison snorts. “Yeah, well. Me too.”
No one seems to know what to say, so Alex starts packing. The rest of us — except for Madison — try to help.
Finally, I can’t take the awkwardness anymore. “You should stay until Friday,” I finally say, breaking the silence. “Come to the breakfast. It was just a mistake.”
Madison whips her head around, and I brace myself for some of her usual bad attitude, but she deflates. “It was a big one. I just — I just wanted someone to see my designs.”
I nod. We all understand wanting recognition.
“Nothing I can do about it now,” Madison says, heading to her room. “I might as well go home. But I’ll say this, Diva Girl, one day you’ll see my name plastered everywhere.” She flashes a determined smile and disappears into her room.
I hope I do, I think. I hope I see all our names plastered everywhere one day.