"Mylene."
Alya took this opportunity to lend a hand. Crossing her arms over her chest, she stood up from the chaise and walked over to Marinette and leaned over to look at the blunettes list.
"Ah, I see. Mylene's a sweetheart. Her father's never home though, so that may or may not be a problem-"
"Yeah, maybe you're right..." Marinette reached for the phone, interrupting her friend eagerly in the middle of her sentence.
"Girl, wait!" Her hand was slammed down by Alya's. The dark-haired girl's eyes widened at her friend's sudden reaction but she kept her composure.
"Do you remember when we had a sleepover with her for the first time?"
Marinette could vaguely remember. "I don't recall much, it was a long time ago... why?"
"She had nightmares every 10 minutes." Alya blinked. Marinette suddenly remembered how bad she felt for the scared girl. It gave the entire group so much anxiety and they were walking zombies the next day. "That girl kept everybody up! And when she did fall asleep, she snored heavily. She's the only one of us who now won't sleep in the same room as everybody else. Imagine if you were stuck with her every night for months?"
Marinette tucked her hair behind her ear anxiously. "I mean yeah, I get what you're saying. But I wouldn't need to sleep in the same room with her."
"I don't know, girl, we've been to her house before. They have no spare rooms. You'd have to stay in her room with her." Alya said warily. "Plus, I honestly don't think it would be a good idea. Your guys' families don't know each other very well and I doubt your parents would want you to stay with them if Mylene's parents aren't home all the time."
"My parent's let me stay home all the time by myself."
"But not in someone else's house. Isn't your dad pretty strict?"
"I guess you're right. There's many reasons why asking her would be a bad idea." Marinette peered down at her list to read the next name. "Alix?"
Alya nodded. "Maybe, check with her? I know her family is super fancy."
Marinette dialed Alix's number, put it on speaker, and waited for the call to go through. Alix picked up after a few rings, her voice sounding the same as it did in person.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Alix! It's Marinette."
"Hey, what's up?"
"It's kind of hard to explain," Marinette paused before taking a deep breath, "It turns out my parents are going somewhere for a little while. So I need a place to stay. Do you think I could stay with you?"
There was silence after Marinette finished speaking. A small voice could be heard in the background of the call that neither her nor Alya could make out who it was.
"Aw, Marinette. You know I'd love to have you here... but, my dad is always away from home, and my brother is obsessed with his work. My family members take all the extra rooms in the house for more space. You'd have nowhere to stay, and I really don't think my father would allow me to have you stay with us."
Marinette let out a frustrated sigh and pinched her temples. There was no use arguing. At this point, the act of persuading or forcing herself in as a guest in someone's house just seemed plain rude. So instead of pushing it anymore, Marinette hung up the phone after a quick goodbye. "Alright, Alix. Thanks for asking though."
"Great," She complained as Alya placed a hand on her shoulder, comfortingly.
"It's okay. Who's next?"
She looked it over. "Juleka."
"Uh..." Alya paused and scratched the back of her neck. "Are you sure you want to stay with Juleka?"
"Uh, yes?" Marinette was confused. She picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts. "We're close and there's plenty of room."
"Marinette, they have a houseboat."
The girl paused for a second. "But it's a big houseboat. I could live there part-time and return to my bakery, which is only a few blocks away any other time."
"But what about... her... her family..." Alya struggled to explain anymore of what she meant.
"Oh yeah, Luka. That would... be kinda weird actually..." Marinette said as she twirled her hair nervously. "I can't imagine living with someone that I have-had- a mutual crush with."
"Yeah, my point exactly," Alya said as she leaned back and crossed her arms knowingly. Of course, in her head, she was doubtful and wishing that her best friend could just move in with her instead. If it wasn't for her large family and non-understanding parents, it would be possible and they wouldn't have to go through this. "So, who's next?"
Marinette crossed off both Alix's name and Juleka's, the sight of her pen moving shoke Alya out of her irritable thoughts. The two sat there silently for a second before she looked at the next person on her list.
"Okay, what about Rose?" She asked with hope.
She didn't receive any comments or objections from her best friend, instead, an accepting facial expression, so Marinette put in Rose's number, while Alya moved to take a spot next to her.
The peppy girl picked up quickly.
"Heeellllooooo?" A cheerful voice squeaked.
"Rose! It's Marinette!"
Alya bent over the phone. "And Alya!"
"Hey, guys you will not believe this! Prince Ali is coming back to Paris next month and I'm thinking of asking him to go for a picnic. Or is that too obvious? Should I try the museum? He likes that stuff right? Of course he does, what am I thinking- he loves to travel..."
Rose began to speak fast, and Alya groaned quietly. Marinette politely interrupted Rose before she got too into her daily tea.
"Hey, Rose! I can't talk for long, I'm in kind of a crisis. I just have a quick question- Do you know if there's any way I could stay with you for a little while?"
"It's not really a little while, her parents are moving to America for a few months, maybe even a year. Do you have a room? All she needs is a place to sleep, really."
"Oh my gosh! That would be like a sleepover every single night! Hold on, let me ask!" Her voice faded. Both girls could clearly imagine Rose sprinting down the stairs to ask her mom and dad. She returned in no time, completely out of breath.
"I'm s-sorry, bu-but my mom says... there's no room..." Her voice was warped with sadness and heavy breathing. Another person, the same answer; you can't stay here. Marinette gave Alya a strained smile as tears began to cloud her vision. She said goodbye quietly and hung up before Rose got the chance to reply. She was too stressed to even think anymore.
Marinette slammed her phone down and pushed away from the desk again, rubbing her eyes before the tears could fall. She leaned on her pink chair and rubbed her temples as she sighed in discouragement and defeat.
"Oh, Marinette. We'll figure out something..." Alya said, hope wavering in her voice.
"I don't know... I've tried everybody!" Marinette's voice was borderline whiny as dejection overwhelmed her usual optimistic thoughts. What was she supposed to do? She couldn't just stay with anyone.
"Well...What about Chlo-"
Marinette whipped her head around so fast, it could have come flying off her body. Alya got the message and cleared her throat, changing the subject.
"And there's no family you can stay with?"
"I barely have any family in the area. The only person slightly available in Paris is my Nonna. But she travels all the time. I doubt she'd be able to stay in Paris very long. I even called her last night when I couldn't sleep and she was all the way in Frankfurt, heading toward Athens. My parents would never agree to it, especially what happened last time on my birthday."
Alya and Marinette grew quiet for a second before the look on the redhead's face changed to a slight smirk.
"Well... there's one person I think you should ask before you officially give up and move away..."
Marinette didn't even bother to look at Alya, instead, she turned around and slumped over her desk.
"And who's that?"
"How about Agreste?"
The color drained from Marinette's face in a heartbeat. She swiveled around in her chair to face her friend.
"A-Adrien!? WHAT PLANET DO YOU LIVE ON? I COULD NEVER LIVE WITH ADRIEN!"
Alya approached Marinette from behind and placed her hands softly on her shoulders.
"Marinette, Relax! Think about this, girl. Just a little bit. He would love to have you stay! And not to mention his dad doesn't completely hate you... would you rather move away?"
"No..."
"All you have to do is ask." Alya offered in a supportive tone.
"Gabriel would never agree to that, all I'll do is make a fool of myself! You seriously think that he would allow me to live in his house when he barely allows his son out of it?"
They both stopped talking for a moment as Marinette made her way to the window to lean against the pane. She looked out onto the crowded streets of Paris. For a moment, Marinette felt her worries slip away as she drowned herself in the busy bees who walked the sidewalks. Cars flooded her vision, and the view of the Eiffel Tower from a little ways away made her take a double-take. Maybe Marinette couldn't do it for herself, but she had to do it for Ladybug. She had to at least ask. Then she could say she tried. For Chat and Tikki. For Paris. There was no other choice, and it was the last resort.
Alya shook Marinette out of her thoughts, her voice lowered.
"I can't think of anyone else for you to ask. I practically begged my parents for the last few days. They said no! There's not enough space or sanity left in my household. I even asked if I could stay here with you. They obviously aren't up for it- not one bit. And it hurts because I feel like it's my fault. I could keep trying, but it would only make them angrier..." Her voice drifted away. "And I really don't want to make them angrier than they already are."
Neither of them spoke for a second as they contemplated the options laid out in front of them.
"Sabrina isn't your friend. You don't want to ask Chloe, but who could blame you..." The ombre-haired girl trailed off falling silent once more as she thought.
Marinette heard Alya sit back on the chaise.
"You aren't close with any of the guys in our class except two. Nino and..." The girl waited for a second.
"Adrien." Marinette finished her best friend's sentence, turning to face her. "You're right, besides it's been 3 years. It's stupid of me not to be able to ask him a friendly question. Plus, we're all really good friends compared to back then. I guess when the thoughts come up, it makes it hard to remember that Adrien and I are friends this time and that it won't be awkward."
The two girls smiled lightly at each other and grinned from ear to ear. Marinette's face was laced with pink. Her eyes darted to the pictures that still lined the walls. The crush hasn't gone away. She's loved him for three years now, and they were soon going to graduate high school together. She wanted to tell him before then, but she never really thought about actually acting on her feelings.
"I agree with you."
Marinette didn't even know if Adrien cared about her at all the way she did about him. But within the last few years, she'd gotten better around him and isn't as nervous. It took a little while, but she's not as nervous as she once was since they'd become better friends than they once were. Marinette has loved his friendship more than anything in the world. And if there's one thing she knows about Adrien, it's that he's generous and considerate.
But Adrien's dad? Not so much.
.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.
A/N: Hey, sweets! Thanks so much for reading my second chapter... I wonder what they're going to do now? Actually, not really. I know exactly what's gonna happen next, hehe.
Song Choice: Happier by Marshmello ft. Bastille
Chosen to represent Marinette's feelings about wanting to be happy, while still trying to push away the doubt she feels that Adrien doesn't even care about her.
Word Count: 2104
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