Issues [Frollie]

Chapter 8

Mollie was absolutely fine.

She did not feel a headache pressing at the flesh behind her eyes, and could not feel that pain pulsing in the ropey laceration on the side of her head. She was not pushing back a dizziness that threatened to topple her as she stepped into the van, or blinking past the shimmer that continued to pass over her vision whenever she stayed stationary for too long. She did not feel mild trembles beginning in her fingertips, and she was certainly not wishing that she had opted out of joining the girls for the interview today so that she wouldn’t have to pass through the massive crowd of fans that had collected outside the studio.

She hadn’t taken her medication yet, as she’d been rushed out the door before she could find a private moment to herself so the others wouldn’t see. Even Frankie didn’t know about the pills that were pushed far down into Mollie’s bag at that very moment. Secretly, Mollie had even begun to doubt whether she truly needed them anymore, given that she’d been feeling better every day, but this experience was more than enough to show her otherwise.

Not that she was feeling bad. She was just dandy.

She was –

“- fine, Frankie,” she said, as she noticed the concerned brown eyes roaming over her face. “I’m fine.”

Frankie was quiet, but even her silence was sceptical. She was looking closely into Mollie’s eyes in a way that made the blonde girl feel certain that she was reading every single dizzy thought that crossed her mind, but she didn’t look away. Instead, she beamed straight into Frankie’s wary expression and watched as her friend blinked and smiled back instinctively, pausing in her scrutiny and ruining whatever concentration she had gained in the last few seconds. It was a low move, playing on Frankie’s affectionate side, of all things, but it would keep her from worrying overly much.

They all just worried so much, and she couldn’t stand to be the one to make their concern any more intense.

“Let’s do this, girls!” Mollie exclaimed excitedly. She clapped her hands in relish, and then left them clamped together so no one would notice the slight shake of her fingers. Outside the van, the roar of the crowd was deafening as they began to pull up to the throng. It was occasionally terrifying to see so many faces pressed up against the windows as they passed, but they had become more accustomed to it over time. Today, Mollie stomach swooped in anxiety. If she fainted in front of a crowd this big… it wouldn’t be just her girls that worried about her.

Suddenly, Vanessa jumped as a hand smacked against the window by her head, and everyone instantly laughed at her. Mollie started as well, sparkles bursting in front of her eyes. The back of her neck was warm and aching with the tension headache she could no longer ignore.

“They’ve blocked the road again,” Una announced, peering through the window with cupped hands. “I think we’re going to have to do another runner up the middle. The van’s not going to make it to the garage.”

“Are there barricades up?” Frankie asked, and leant forward as well.

“Yeah, and there’s a bit of a path between them. We should be fine.”

Rochelle’s eyes found Mollie’s. “Is that alright with you?” she asked concernedly, and Mollie responded with an energetic nod that made her skull twinge in protest.