MLB: Leave Me Be

Chapter 5 : What she wants

~~Recap~~

He sighed and lifted the door slightly to open, quietly. He promised Alya he'd check on her, but he didn't want it to seem like he's invading her privacy. After all, he did come to her home unannounced. As he lifted the door to fully open, he gasped in shock at what he was witnessing.

"Marinette!?"

~~Recap Over~~

The boy wasted no time in running towards the young girl who was crying her heart out on the floor next to the bed. But her tears weren't what was bothering him. It was what she was holding in her hands. He quickly snatched the tiny bottle from her hand and examined it.

"I can't believe this. Drugs!?" He screamed out loud. Not paying attention to her already shaky body.

"What the hell is all this?" He scolded again.

'Drugs? Does he really think I'd go that far?' she thought to herself.

Her head lifted itself to face the blonde kid. Her whimpers and tears were already long gone. Though the big puffy red eyes were still there. But for some reason, she didn't seem sad anymore. She felt enraged and hurt. Her fists tightened as she shot herself up to look him in the eye.

"Excuse me! Why would I be taking drugs?" She shouted back at him.

"You tell me." His arms were crossed as he presented the bottle in front of her.

"They're sleeping pills you idiot." She cried as she snatched them back.

"Wanna explain to me why it's nearly empty? How much of that stuff are you even taking?"

"Wanna explain to me why you're in my room? How long have you been here?" She sneered back.

If there's one thing Adrien knew, it's that arguing with girls when their upset is like talking to a brick wall. They won't listen. Perhaps the childhood memories of him and Chloe were preparing him for this moment. After taking a quick breathe to let out his frustration, his anger changed into disappointment.

"Marinette, will you please just talk to me?" He pleaded.

As she drew her eyes away from her sleeping pills to him, she noticed his eyelids begging for attention. He had sympathy for her. He wanted to help her.

"I told you guys... I'm just... Busy with family stuff. I don't have time to talk." She answered.

"Then... Well you atleast tell me what's bothering you?" He pleaded once more. This time leaning in closer while his lips curve up into a soft smile.

"Like I said. It's family stuff... It's personal." She couldn't even look at him while spitting this lie out. But she did say it was personal... So maybe it's not a complete lie. Right?

One look at her frown and he could instantly tell she was lying. She sounded so insecure as those words released her mouth. "Say that again... But to my face." He whispered softly as he placed a comforting hand on her crossed arms.

She shrugged and pulled herself away from his embrace. Giving him the impression that she didn't like it. But truth be told, she loved it. Support is what she needs right now. Reassurance that Vexer is really gone and nothing has changed. His gentle touch reminded her of her clingy kitty. And then the horrors of losing him came flooding back. With the sickening laugh echoing in the background, the pool of blood was all around her beloved kitty as he spoke his last words..."I love you". If only she had the courage to tell him that she loved him back. If only she had the courage to stop Vexer in time. If only she wasn't akumatized in the first place. Things would have been so different. She wouldn't have to go through this trauma right now.

"Marinette?" That voice was all it took for her to break out of her trance. But she still couldn't look at his face. If she did, she'd see his bleeding bruised face again.

He tried to place his hand again but she quickly shoved it away before he even had the chance to rest it on her shoulder.

"DoN't ToUcH Me!"

This caught him off guard as he felt ashamed for his actions for a second. Why was he trying to hold her arm? She never minded it before, so why is she suddenly acting like she's afraid of him or something.

"Please. Just go." She whimpered as she held herself tighter. Embracing herself and telling herself that she's okay now. She's safe.

"We're all worried about yo-"

"I never asked anyone to worry about me. All I'm asking for is time... Why won't anyone just leave me be!?" She cried in anger. Rage consuming her as she pushed him away from herself. Of course he felt humiliated. But he was mostly concerned. Never has he ever seen her acting like this. It honestly broke his heart to see her go through all this pain.... Alone. But the angry push she gave him was enough to convince him to leave her be (for now).

He bent down as he opened the trap door, looking at her with disappointed yet hopeful eyes.

"Don't work yourself up. You don't have to play the hero all the time. We're your friends and we're always here to support you. If you let us." He advised and let himself out of the room.

Tikki took the opportunity to fly back into the scene and have her presence noticed by her owner. Lost for words, the only thing she was good for right now was a tap on her shoulder. Marinette thought long and hard on Adrien's last words before he left. You don't have to play the hero all the time. That rung in her mind like a broken record player. When her head finally cleared, she looked back onto her hand to examine the bottle of sleeping pills.

Soon, the day gave in. A new day means a new beginning. A fresh start for today. Life is full of possibilities. Speaking of, what are the possibilities of Marinette showing uo for school on time today? Zero.

The first three periods had already come to an end. By now, it's pointless to think she's gonna show up any time soon. Alya tried to force some information out of Adrien, however, he was trying to avoid her all day. Everytime she'd get close to him and whisper psst!  to get his attention, he'd ignore her calls as if he didn't hear her. Eventually, the teacher spotted Alya and got scolded right away. If this keeps up, Adrien might not have to deal with her today. However, that mini celebration of his was short-lived as lunch period began.

"Well... Did you talk to her? What did she say?"
She asked eagerly.

"It didn't go as planned. Sorry, Alya." He tried to keep it easy with the bad news. But the young reporter wasn't having it. She demanded answers. He sighed in defeat as he finally spoke the truth.

"I went to her house yesterday. She said she didn't want to talk and that's it."

"Wait... So you just left?"

"Well what was I supposed to do? Pin her to the wall? Or tickle her until she was ready to talk?"

"Why not both?"

"Alya." He gave a disapproval look. "Look, she's in pain right now. She's vulnerable. I didn't wanna push her or anything."

"But that was exactly what you were supposed to do!" She yelled.

"Would you just calm down? I'll try to talk to her later someday. Just don't do anything stupid. For example, don't force her to talk. It might things harder for her."

"And me too. 53 voice messages, 38 missed calls and 21 messages. And she hasn't replied to any of them yet."

"Like I said, let's give her some space."

Not wanting to agree, but having no options left, she agreed. It was decided then. They won't try to force her to talk. But they will be ready and willing to listen to her when she finally decides to open up. A few days passed, no one heard from Marinette. Her parents weren't able to force her to go to school. So they did the next best thing. They supported her decision to stay at home for the time being and told all her curious classmates that she was sick. Of course they didn't want to lie, but what else could they do?

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Sorry for the late update. I didn't have any motivation to write. I'll try to update the next part soon.