Everything's about to change...
Marinette's POV
Right now, Adrien and I are getting ready for the awards ceremony. It's going to take place in the hotel's ballroom, and it's starting in half an hour.
Adrien was taking a shower while I put my makeup on. Chloe knocked on the door and I let her enter.
"Omg your dress is so pretty!" We both yelled at the same time. I was wearing a light pink mini dress and she was wearing a black sequin dress.
"You look a little pale, Mari" Chloe pointed out.
"Yeah, I feel kinda nauseous and dizzy since this morning" I admitted.
"God, don't tell me you're pregnant" She joked, and I rolled my eyes.
"Relax, I think 3 hours of sleep and 5 martinis before bed are to blame" I replied.
"Good, cause I really don't want to see how Adrien would react if you were pregnant" Chloe said, and I frowned.
"Well, how do you think he'd react?" I asked out of curiosity.
"There was one time, around a year ago, when a girl claimed she was pregnant from him, and he went crazy. He even scheduled a secret appointment for her with one of our family doctors to abort it. Thankfully it was a false alarm" The blonde girl said.
"Seriously?" I asked skeptically, and she nodded.
"Yup, what do you think would happen to the Gabriel brand's reputation if Gabriel's son knocked up an 18 year-old?"
At this moment, Adrien came out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. His body was steamy and damp, making it impossible for me to not look at it.
"How would you react if I told you I was pregnant?" I asked him with crossed my arms. He stared at me to examine my face. I raised my brows to indicate him to answer the question.
"Are you?" He asked fearfully.
"She said if, dumbass" Chloe interjected.
Adrien took a breath to think, and then raised his shoulders. "I don't know, I guess I'd tell you to abort it"
"See?" Chloe turned to me, but I ignored her.
"And what if I wanted to keep it?" I challenged him.
"As much as I love to talk about hypothetical situations, we have to get ready now" Adrien replied, ignoring my question. My heart stung a little, because I expected him to say something supportive.
"Okay... Well I think I'm ready now" I replied. My hair was curled, my makeup was done and I was all dressed up.
"Go away Chloe, I need to change" Adrien said.
"Right... Mari, lipstick" Chloe ordered, and I handed it to her. She applied it on her lips and left the room.
-
The ballroom is magnificent... There is a dozen football teams and cheerleading squads from a dozen schools, but it doesn't feel crowded at all.
Each school is seated at a round table, and the event organizers provided non-alcoholic drinks and a buffet for everyone. I was talking with my friends about prom, college and other stuff.
As predicted, the Black Cats won the gold medal for Outstanding Football Performance. The Silver Rings won the silver medal, and the Blue Vipers won the Sweepstakes Award. Surprisingly, I won the medal for exceptional cheer leadership. I have a little trophy with my name written on it.
Speaking of which, I caught Luka, Lila and Felix glancing at me a couple of times. I just ignored them because I was having a wonderful time after days of fighting with Adrien.
My throat became dry from all the laughing, so I headed towards the buffet table at the other side of the room to get a drink.
"Hi Marinette" Someone said behind me. It was Luka, I hadn't seen him in months after we 'broke up'. It wasn't really a break up because I called it off before we made things official.
"Hi Luka" I greeted him with a smile as I grabbed a glass on the table.
"Congratulations on your award, you're looking good by the way" He replied.
"Thanks! And you too..." I said before my vision started to get a little blurry.
"I didn't get the chance to say this before, but I'm happy for you and Adrien. I was wrong when I said he was just a player, you two seem very... Hey, are you okay?" He asked worriedly when I grabbed my forehead in pain.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine, and thank you! I'm glad we can still be friends" I replied gently as I tried to fight the sudden ache inside my pounding head.
"Me too, I should get going now. Have a nice evening" The blue-haired boy said after grabbing a glass of fake wine.
I smiled weakly and then shut my eyes to compose myself. At least that small conversation went pretty well, considering the fact that we almost dated.
I walked fast towards the bathroom because I felt sick all of a sudden. My heartbeat was rising, my palms were sweaty and my head hurt like hell. What is happening to me...?
As soon as I got to the bathroom, I opened the sink, and the sound of running water soothed my burning head. I took some deep breaths and tried to calm down.
I looked up at the mirror and saw that Lila was standing behind me. I yelped in surprise and turned to her.
"Gosh! You scared the crap out of me..." I exhaled, startled, as I turned off the sink. She snickered in response.
"Congrats on your medal" She said sweetly, which was weird coming from her.
"Um... Thanks?" I replied with one brow raised.
"Marinette, I've been very mean to you and your friends since the day we met. The truth is, I was always jealous of you, and it made me angry. But now, I'd like to be on good terms with you" Lila said.
I didn't know if this was one of her tricks, but she seemed pretty sincere. My head still hurt, and I felt like I was about to faint at any moment. I stayed strong, because I didn't want to appear weak in front of my enemy.
"Um, okay, whatever, yeah we can be on good terms" I replied nonchalantly. The truth is that I don't care... As long as she doesn't do anything to provoke me I'm not gonna do anything to provoke her.
"Okay! Well that being said..." Lila approached me, and I could smell her intoxicating lavender perfume from where I was standing. "I'm not gonna give up on Adrien"
At least she's consistent...
"I always thought it was just a silly crush, but you probably know that I'm a model at his agency now, and we've been spending a lot of time together" She explained.
I just stood there, not knowing what to say. I really didn't want to deal with her crap right now. "Yeah, he mentioned that..." I replied simply.
"I realized that it's not just a crush. I'm in love with him..." Lila whispered, as if she was ashamed. Her words made my headache worse.
"I don't care about your feelings Lila, Adrien's mine and you know it" I retorted with a slightly irritated tone.
"Love isn't always about possession Marinette, it's about appreciation" The brunette emphasized. Strangely, it made a lot of sense.
"How does it feel to know that you're just one of the many girls Adrien has loved?" She continued with a smug smile.
"There's a difference between love and sex" I replied.
"Is there, really? If love is about appreciation, then Adrien has deeply appreciated every single girl he's been in bed with. Including me. Do you really think that you're special?"
"Do you think that you're special?" I glared at her. I know that she's just trying to upset me, but I couldn't help but feel a sting in my heart.
"All I'm saying is that I don't give a fuck that you're his supposed girlfriend. I'm gonna do everything I can to win him back" Lila declared dramatically.
I took a deep breath to soothe my racing, furious heart. My vision got blurry again, and a high-pitched noise shattered my left ear.
"Give it your best shot, skank" I told Lila weakly.
I stormed out of the bathroom before she could say anything else. This girl really knows how to get on my nerves... As I got out, I immediately bumped into Felix.
"God, are you kidding me?" I muttered under my breath.
"Hello again" Felix greeted.
"Jeez, how the heck are you everywhere?" I asked with a unamused tone.
"I guess it's part of my charm" He grinned.
"It's part of your creepiness" I corrected, and he put a hand to his chest to fake being hurt at my remark.
"You wound me! But all jokes aside, you look very beautiful tonight" He winked flirtatiously.
I didn't have the energy to tell him to back off, so I just played along. "Thank you..."
"I must ask, how are things going with Adrien now? You two seemed fairly happy back there"
"Everything's great, not that it's any of your business"
"It became my business when we made out at the bar and in the elevator to get back at his cheating ass" Felix retorted.
"So what, you followed me to the ladies' room to make out some more?" I asked sarcastically.
"No, I just wanted to talk to you one last time before you go back to France. Hey, you look pale" He pointed out.
"Yeah, I don't feel so good..." I grabbed my throbbing head.
At this moment, all energy left my body and my knees couldn't support my weight anymore. I almost collapsed on the ground, but Felix caught me.
Then, everything went black.
-
I woke up in a white room. My arm was connected to an IV machine, and I was wearing different clothes. I'm in the hospital.
I immediately searched for my phone, but I couldn't find my bag anywhere. My body felt lighter, and my head didn't hurt anymore.
The door opened and Felix entered. He looked very tired. "Welcome back to the land of the living" He said.
"What happened?" I asked, completely confused.
"One minute we were talking, the next you fainted. So I drove you to the hospital" He explained as he sat down on the chair next to me.
I took a minute to breathe in the situation. My friends are probably worried sick. However, I was still grateful to Felix for taking his time to bring me here.
"Thank you..." I smiled at him, and he smiled back. "How long have I been asleep? What's wrong with me? Where's the doctor? Where's my stuff? What time is it?"
Questions didn't stop flying out of my mouth. I tried to get up, but Felix forced me to stay in bed.
"You've only been asleep for an hour. The doctor took your blood to run some tests, and she'll be back any moment now. A nurse took your stuff when we arrived" He explained.
The door opened again, but this time, a woman in a white coat entered. I assume that she's the doctor.
"Hello Miss Dupain-Cheng, I'm Doctor Wilson. How are you feeling? She greeted.
"Better" I replied.
"Are you two married?" She asked, and my eyes widened in horror.
"No! We're just..." I started, but no words came out. What are we, really? Friends? Acquaintances? Drunk hookup?
"I'm just gonna wait outside" Felix got up awkwardly and left the room.
"Doctor, what's wrong with me?" I asked Doctor Wilson.
"According to your blood tests, your collapse could be linked to your pregnancy" She explained.
Thank God I'm already in the hospital, cause I might've just had a mild heart attack.
"Excuse me, my what?!" I practically yelled.
"Yes, congratulations, you're about a month pregnant now" The blue-eyed doctor said.
Thoughts raced inside my head, but when I remembered the conversation I had this afternoon with Chloe and Adrien, I couldn't help but laugh.
"What's funny?" The doctors asked with an amused smirk.
"Oh, it's just that I joked about being pregnant earlier, and turns out that I am...!" I chuckled. As the words came out, the gravity of the situation hit me. My laughter faded, and I stared blankly at the wall.
What am I gonna do? How am I gonna tell Adrien? Can I be a mother at 19? What about my future?
"But I'm on the pill..." I muttered in confusion.
"The pill doesn't always work... Marinette?" The doctor called, and I looked back at her.
"There are many options, we can talk about it if you want... There's abortion, adoption..." She enumerated, but all these options made me sick to my stomach.
(A/N: Please note that I absolutely support women who choose abortion or adoption when faced with a pregnancy, under any circumstances. But for the sake of the story, Marinette will be against these options)
"What if I've been drinking in the past few weeks? I didn't know that I had a baby... Oh God... Will that affect its health?" I asked worriedly.
"As long as you don't drink anymore, the baby should be okay" The doctor reassured me, and I let out a sigh of relief.
"And when will I start to show..?"
"In the second trimester, and since you're rather skinny, probably in about 3 months, so in July" I nodded and let out another sigh of relief.
After examining my body, Doctor Wilson left the room to get my discharge papers because everything was clear. I was left alone with my thoughts.
No one will know until summer. As of a minute ago, my future was crystal clear: Go to IFA Paris, get my degree in Fashion Design, and then find a job.
But now, there's a little me on the way! My future is blurry, but I already love that baby. I'll just have to do everything, but with him/her. If women all around the world can do it, I can do this too!
And Adrien can never find out.
So I guess I'm going to New York after all...
"Please sign here, and then you're free to go" Doctor Wilson said when she came back.
I thanked her and signed the papers.
"You're clear to go now, please take care of yourself and don't overwhelm your body for the next few weeks" The doctor said.
"Thank you so much" I said gratefully.
My dress was folded on the table next to me, so I changed and then got out of the room. Felix was still sitting in the waiting room so I headed towards him.
"Thanks again for bringing me here, but I need to speak to a nurse about my purse" I said.
"Actually, one of the nurses gave me your stuff while you were in there. You have a lot of missed calls and texts" He replied as he handed me my purse.
"Yeah no kidding..." I commented when I looked at my phone: 93 missed calls from Adrien, 78 missed calls from Chloe and 39 missed calls from Nino.
I didn't know how to explain this situation to them, so I didn't call them back. Ignoring my problems won't make them go away, but right now I'm just tired.
"So? Are you okay?" Felix asked as we headed towards the parking lot.
Am I okay? No. I'm going to have a little baby in 8 months, and I know that its father doesn't want it, and both of my parents are dead so they can't help me.
I'm all alone in this situation.
Actually, I'm not all alone. I glanced at my belly and realized that I'll never be alone now, I'll have my baby. And I have to be strong because I'm all it has to protect it.
I didn't realize I was crying until Felix hugged me while whispering soothing words in my ear. For some reason, I felt a little bit better even if my tears continued streaming on my cheeks.
"Sorry..." I muttered once we both pulled back from the hug.
"It's okay, and you don't have to tell me anything if you don't feel comfortable" He replied gently.
Once we got inside Felix's car, he handed me a tissue. I grabbed it and wiped my tears and runny nose.
"Thanks, but it's gonna take more than your diseased tissue to clean up the mess I'm in..." I said, and he chuckled at my slight insult.
"Do you need a minute? It's a really short ride to the hotel..." He scratched the back of his neck shyly.
"Actually, can you keep a secret?" I asked recklessly. I don't know why I'm about to tell him, of all people, about this, but somehow he makes me feel comfortable.
"Sure..." He said with a nod.
I took a deep breath and shrugged to compose myself. "I'm a fashion designer. I've won a lot of Gabriel's contests, I have an incredible internship at Vogue, I'm connected to Audrey Bourgeois, I've signed contracts with Pearl Designs, and so many brands in the last few months..." I rambled and paused to take a breath.
Felix looked impressed, but that's not the point of my story. "But now, all of that might be gone because... because... I'm pregnant! And yeah, the father is Adrien, and I know that he'll force me to abort it, so I can't tell him about it because I want to keep it, but it's hard to hide a pregnancy from your boyfriend for 8 months..."
"Whoa whoa whoa slow down... You're pregnant from Adrien Agreste?" Felix cut me off, and I nodded hysterically.
"Anyways, I planned to study Fashion Design in Paris, but I was also accepted at Parsons in New York, so if I flee the country this summer before I get fat, I could keep this a secret and once the baby is born, well, Adrien will have no choice but to deal with it!" I stopped my rambling, out of breath.
"You're an insane woman..." Felix said, and I frowned. "I know it's your body your choice, but Adrien is still the father and he should know!" He scolded, and I looked down sadly.
"I know that if he knows, he'll force me to abort it. If not him, then Gabriel. These two will do anything to preserve their brand's reputation. You're related to them, don't you know that?" I questioned.
"Yeah, I guess you do have a point..." He replied.
"Please, don't tell them..." I begged.
"Don't worry, we stopped talking for a while now. And even if we did, I wouldn't tell them. By the way I'm going to Parsons too" He said, and my face lit up in surprise.
"Seriously?! What program?" I asked cheerfully.
"Fashion Marketing, so I guess this is not the last time we'll see each other..." He winked, and I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, but next time you'll see me I won't be as hot as I am now" I laughed.
"Pregnant women glow, and yeah you probably won't be hot, but you'll still be beautiful" He replied, and it made me blush.
"Wow, you really know how to charm a girl... But let's go back to the hotel now, it's getting really late and our friends are probably super worried. I know I'm dead meat when Adrien sees me with you..." I half-joked.
Felix shook his head with a smirk, and then started driving towards the hotel.
"It must be difficult to date someone like Adrien..." Felix said on the road.
"Yeah... He is a powerful man, and a jealous one. It can be suffocating sometimes, but I think it's part of why I love him" I replied with a sigh.
"I wish there were more girls like you... All the girls I've been with couldn't handle it" He said with a sad tone.
"What does your family do?" I asked curiously.
He didn't answer for a while and he seemed troubled by the question, so I changed subjects.
"I need to come up with a lie that explains why we were together tonight, outside of the hotel. Any ideas?" I asked.
"Say that I wanted to show you the Wellington Bridge down the street. It's beautiful and it lights up at night" Felix replied.
I didn't want to lie to Adrien, but I have to.
For the sake of our unborn child.
-
I have mixed feelings right now. Pregnant Marinette is risky in a story, but it's necessary for what's about to come.
Do you like where this is going..?
Will Marinette be able to hide her secret from Adrien?
Felix and Marinette will see each other again in New York! They will study together for 4 years!
What will happen to Marinette's baby?
What secret is Felix hiding about his family?
What is Lila up to, now that she works with Adrien?
But more importantly, will Adrienette survive..?