Mackenzie winds up in a supply room

Mackenzie couldn't help but let out a mortified scream as she ran through the crowded lobby. It likely would have drawn more attention to her, had it not all been fixed on her to begin with. With every frantic step she took, it felt like she was bumping into two or three people. With every slap of her bare foot on the cold tiled floor, she could feel her bare skin colliding with the various fabrics of everyone around her. Some were the rough exteriors of winter jackets, some were the gentler surfaces of indoor clothing, but all were in sharp contrast to the blushing redhead's soft skin. Mercifully, though, the crowd wasn't dense enough to prevent her from crashing through it, and no one was trying to grab or stop her.

Gotta hide! GOTTA HIDE!! were the only thoughts in Mackenzie's humiliated mind as she finally emerged from the crowd. To her left was a large set of stairs that led up to the second floor where all the classrooms were (and likewise, plenty of students). To her right were the building's main doors that led outside (to a sidewalk in the middle of downtown). And straight ahead was a seemingly deserted hallway. It didn't take Mackenzie long to decide which way to run.

She crossed the remainder of the lobby in record time, turning the corner, crossing over into the hallway. This put her thankfully out of sight of the large crowd she'd just bisected, but not completely hidden. Those entering the building and anyone at the front desk had a perfect view of her nude form. Mackenzie began checking the closed doors that littered the hallway. Most were locked, and she was just aware enough to notice that most were labelled as supply rooms for the various stores and restaurants in the satellite campus. Finally, one handle turned freely.

"Yes!" Mackenzie gasped as she hurried into the room, idly noting that it read "E'n'F Supplies" on the way. Despite being the only unlocked room, it was luckily deserted, a worry that hadn't even occurred to the rushing redhead. She quickly turned the bolt on the door, locking it behind her. She began to heave a sigh of relief, when Mackenzie noticed the floor to ceiling windows on one side of the room.

She gasped again, crouching down instinctively, before realizing that most of the windows were covered by tall wooden shelves. The bookshelves-turned-storage shelves obscured almost all of the windows, though they left a foot of glass bare at the very top of the room. And, Mackenzie noted, stepping closer, they all seemed to be set back from the windows slightly, leaving less than a foot of space between the wood and the glass. As long as Mackenzie didn't stand in the far corners of the room, she would be out of sight from anyone outside. And that was good news for her. She cautiously peered around the edge of the furthest shelf, and saw a bustling city sidewalk directly outside, with dozens of people walking by! Mackenzie gulped, glad the thick shelves were there to shield her from view.

"Okay... Okay," she muttered aloud, giving herself a moment to collect her thoughts in the privacy of the room. "I just need to find something to wear. Then everything will be fine," she feebly chuckled.

Mackenzie looked around the room again, this time taking in the various boxes and bins littering it. Some were on the shelves and some were simply scattered on the floor. She spent the next few minutes picking her way through the supplies, hoping to find some spare uniforms, or at the very least, some spare aprons. But she didn't find anything helpful. It was all decorations or just various paper products to hold the drinks and food of the café. The closest thing the redhead managed to find was a large green banner proudly stating "Stop Here For Your E'n'F!" She could, perhaps, wrap it around herself several times over. Though Mackenzie wasn't sure how well that would work in reality.

Mackenzie sat back on the cold floor, heaving an exasperated sigh and bringing her knees to her chest.

Why does this always happen to me? she lamented. How come, no matter what I do, I always wind up naked in front of everyone?! It's so embarrassing...

As she buried her face into the crossed arms on her knees, Mackenzie continued muttering aloud.

"And those were the very last clothes I owned..." she said softly, the magnitude of that statement hitting her all over again. "What am I even supposed to do now? I'm flat broke, and my friends are getting seriously sick of lending me their clothes. I don't know what to do! I'm seriously just stuck naked, aren't I..."

Dejected, Mackenzie slowly lifted her head to look at the sun streaming in through the strip of glass at the top of the room. Then, something caught her eye. One single box rested on top of the shelves, seemingly forgotten. And it was labelled "Aprons" in black sharpie.

"No way," Mackenzie muttered, her resignation quickly turning to renewed determination. "No way!"

She hastily stood back up, mind already piecing together a plan where she could barely, juuust barely, make her way out of this hole and live to be clothed another day.

If I can get an apron to wear, or even better, two of them, then I'd be at least halfway decent, she thought. That would let me go find Ben and explain what happened. He'll probably be pissed at me for running off mid-shift, but it's only been a few minutes! Besides, I kept working naked for a goddamn HOUR! That had better count for something... Once our shifts are over at 4, he can drive me back to campus. I'll get my paycheck, get back to my room, and this weekend I can finally go shopping for some more clothes! Hopefully Marianne will be willing to lend me something to wear to the stores, but I can worry about that later.

With at least a tentative plan in mind, Mackenzie rallied. The box was too high for her to reach without something to boost her, so she began looking around the room for something to stand on. Unfortunately, it seemed like pretty much everything in the room was stored in cardboard boxes or cheap plastic bins, and those were both way too flimsy to support her weight. After another look, though, she finally came across a very small stepstool, barely a foot high. She wasn't sure if it would be tall enough to let her reach the box of aprons, but she had no reason not to try. She was already stranded at work naked, so what was the worst that could happen?