Because He Loved Me First

11

"Whenever I see girls walking beside Chloe, I immediately think they're friends. I thought the same with you, but you actually seem to hate her guts."

"No, I don't hate her. I just don't know her that well. I mean, she was being completely rude to me, which is why I don't want to be near her anymore, but that doesn't mean I hate her," Marinette tried explaining as slow as possible. "Chloe was supposed to show me around the school, her father said so, but I couldn't handle the way she was talking back to me, so I left her and came here, in hopes that I'd try to make new friends. But you're being exactly like her!"

The girl didn't speak for a few seconds, before she suddenly lifted her hand for Marinette to shake. "I'm Alya."

"Oh," Marinette was surprised. "Um, okay then, let's try this again." She shook her hand. "I'm Marinette."

"Friends of Chloe's are always coming after me because she tells them to. I thought you were one of those girls, so that's why I was being like that." Alya placed her book down. "It's always been like this ever since I came here, and I started to not trust people. Excuse me for my rudeness."

"No, that's fine," Marinette brushed it off, at least glad that Alya had let her in.

"But. . ." Alya looked down at her closed book. "I advise you not to get close to me."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not going to be here after a week," Alya gave her a sad smile.

Marinette gasped. "Are you going to. . .? Are you going to do what I think you're going to do?"

"Do what?"

"You know. . . That thing."

"Kill myself?"

Marinette widened her eyes.

"Pfft, what? No!" Alya tried to stop laughing and clasped her hand against her mouth. "I'm moving away from Paris. I told my mom about my situation in school so she decided that it was better for me to start school in another city. Marinette," Alya got closer to her, "killing yourself is never the answer. That's what my mother taught me. Though sometimes, things may be hard and everything is falling apart, just remember that there's always an answer and suicide isn't it."

Marinette smiled. "Okay then, I'm glad. I mean, now I know why you tell me to not get close to you, but it's okay, Alya, really."

The girls turned back to the front when the teacher started class. Immediately after she finished taking attendance, the door suddenly opened and three girls started walking inside, their heels clicking on the floor and giving them away. Chloe walked in front, and when she got to her seat, she removed the sunglasses she was wearing. An orange-bobbed haired girl was walking behind her, carrying a bunch of books against her chest, and then thirdly, a long-brown haired girl walked beside her, trying to act as cool as Chloe, but miserably failing.

"Who are those girls?" Marinette whispered as she watched each girls take their seats at the front.

"Well, you obviously know Chloe, the blonde brat. The shorter one with the orange hair is Sabrina. She's sort of like Chloe's. . ."

"Maid?"

"Yeah," Alya chuckled. "And then the third is Lila, the second popular girl in this school. Marinette, another advise. Stay away from these girls. I won't be here with you through your battles in this school, so the least I could do is tell you all the rules so you don't mess up."

"Thank you."

"Yeah, not a problem."

~

"It's better if we eat outside," Alya picked up her bag and waited for Marinette to clean up her side of the desk. "That's what I always do. Too many people are always in the cafeteria, waiting for their next victim to walk across. I learnt that the hard way, but now you're gonna learn it the easy way."

Marinette stuffed her books inside her back and let out a small laugh. "Thanks again, Alya. With you around, things are so much easier."

Marinette finished and started following Alya out of the classroom. "Get your stuff from the locker first," Marinette told her. "I'll wait for you here." She stood in front of the ladies bathroom as Alya nodded and started heading for her locker, which was just across from where the bathroom was. Soon she was done and was walking back to Marinette.

"We're passing the cafeteria now," Alya informed. "Don't make eye contact with anyone. Just look away and keep walking forward." Marinette nodded and did so, though a familiar voice ruined that.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't nerd #1, and nerd #2." Chloe started walking from behind them. Sabrina and Lila stood in front, blocking their way to the exit. "Marinette, when you told me you didn't want to be my friend, I never expected that you would stoop so low to hang out with nerd #1."

"She has a name, you know!" Marinette gritted her teeth as she glared at Chloe. "It's Alya! Call her Alya!"

Chloe chuckled. "I love your bravery, Marinette, but once you see how things run in this school, that bravery of yours will slowly die away. You'll learn that it's always a bad idea to speak back to Chloe Bourgeois."

"It's never a bad idea to speak up for my friend!"

"Friend?" Chloe grinned again, walking closer to them. "At least you're doing better than nerd #1 ever did when she came to this school the first time. It took her two weeks to get just one friend, only for that friend to backstab her later on and come to my side. Guess who the backstabber was? Yeah, that's right. It was Lila."

Marinette turned over to Lila to see the brunette grinning from ear to ear, as if she had just accomplished something. Then she turned back to Chloe, who was now standing right in front of her.

"Marinette," Chloe lifted her hands up. "Welcome to Chloe's World!"