~Marinette Dupain_Cheng~
It had started out like any other day.
I woke up late, as per usual. But I had the feeling that today would be different.
Was it a good feeling? I thought so. Only later would I realize that I was trying to warn myself of what was to come.
I should've stayed home. I should've waited out the storm.
But I didn't.
"Morning, mama! Morning, papa!" I smiled, rushing through the bakery, grabbing a crossiant from the kitchen. "Bye, mama! Bye, papa!"
My dad chuckled. "Bye sweetie!"
"Have a good day," My mother waved.
I smiled, running as fast I could out the door.
Tikki poked her head out of my bag. "Slow down, Marinette! It's not like school is going anywhere!"
I shot her a glare, about to say something when I tripped, running into someone.
And not just any someone.
"Woah! Careful, Marinette! Are you okay?" Adrien asked, and I froze.
"Uh, yeah, I'm grape! Er, gran! I'M FINE THANK YOU!" I rambled.
Geez, Marinette, get ahold of yourself.
"Hey, have you happened to see Nino? We were supposed to meet on the steps."
I shrugged. "He didn't come by the bakery. He does that occsionally. Alya's not here, either I wonder..."
Adrien thought for a moment. "Maybe they went in together."
"Maybe."
The belll rang, and we walked to class in an awkward silence.
Adrien held the door open for me, which made me giggle, but my smile faded as soon as I entered the room.
Alya was glaring at me.
I felt my whole body freeze as I scanned the room. Everyone else smiled, and waved, Chloe smling at me, not glaring as usual. That was the second weird thing I noticed that day.
Then I saw her.
Lila, in the back row, smirking.
I gulped. "M-Morning, Alya!" I went to sit down in my seat, but Alya slammed her bag down without even looking at me.
"Sorry, but this seats taken. Right, Nino?"
Nino was behind Alya, his hat low on his head. "Sure..."
Marinette felt tears in her eyes. "Whats wrong, Alya? Did I do something wrong?"
"You know perfectly well what you did,"
My shoulders shook. "B-But I don't,"
"Now go sit somewhere else, Dupain-Cheng." Alya said, her expression blank. The whole class gasped, even Chloe, who looked at me, a totally different look in her eyes.
Our eyes met, and I saw something... sincere. Concern. Worry.
For me.
Chloe nodded towards the back, glaring at someone, not throwing any snarky comments or mean insults at me.
I followed her gaze, noticing who she was glaring at.
Lila, who pretended to be writing in her notebook.
I bit my lip, knowing perfectly well this was all her fault. I shouldn't have talked to her like that yesterday.
I walked towards the back, the only availbe seat the one next to her.
As soon as I sat down, Lila closed her book.
"I warned you, Marinette."
My eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"
"None of your concern. You'd just try to fix it." Lila grinned. "Now that you don't have Alya, all of your friends will slowly start to hate you,and Adrien will be mine."
"Adrien would never listen to you."
"Maybe. But I have my ways. I'm very persuasive, you know. He'll have to be mine, unless he wants his friends to disappear too."
I felt a tear go down my cheek. "Your a monster."
"No. I'm a star. And theres nothing you can do about it, Dupain-Cheng."
I turned away, not wanting to look at Lila, who just happily went back to her doodles.
Suddenly, I noticed that Adrien was arguing with Alya, looking to Nino for help, but he just looked away.
Our eyes met, and I froze.
Adrien smiled kindly, walking right past his usual spot and up towards where I was.
Lila's face lit up. "Adrien! How nice to see you!"
She tried to hug him, but Adrien shook his head. "Lila,"
"Ooh, do you want to sit here? Shoo, Marinette, that's Adrien's spot now."
I stood up, but Adrian shook his head again. "No, Lila. I'm actually here to talk to Marinette."
My face lit up.
Adrien doesn't believe whatever Lila has done to get Alya and Nino to hate me!
"Well, then. Talk to her." Lila said, patiently waiting.
"I think he wants to talk to me in private, Lila." I said. Lila looked at me like 'wut'.
Adrien nodded. "Yeah. So..."
Lila growled, gathering her stuff and stomping away, asking Alya if she could sit with her.
Alya nodded, moving her bag happily, which broke my heart.
Adrien sat down, turning to me. He noticed that I was crying. "Marinette, are y-you alright? What did she say to you?"
I gulped.
Might as well tell him. He's the only friend you've got.
"Yesterday, I confronted to Lila. I knew she was lying. This was before we talked. She threatened me. She said if I wouldn't pretend to be her friend, another one of her pawns, she'd destroy my life. She'd make my friends hate me, and exactly that's what shes doing. We're enemies, and shes winning." I wiped the tears from my eyes. "What did Alya and Nino say? What did Lila tell them I did?"
Adrien frowned. "Apparently someone hacked into the LadyBlog and deleted one of Alya's articles that she posted last night. She worked super hard, and it took her four weeks to write. Then someone commented on all her posts with rude remarks and comments, and Alya almost thought it was Chloe, before she read the hater's name, and all the imformation they knew Alya had never told anyone about."
Lila hacked into the LadyBlog?! Shes gone to far.
"The name of the hater was 'Baker's Daughter'. Alya didn't believe it, until she got to school this morning and Lila told her that she saw you doing it, and she had 'proof'. Photos, probably photoshopped. Someone also told her mom about Alya sneaking out to record akuma attacks and shes grounded. The only people who knew about that are you, me, and Nino. She feels betrayed."
I bowed my head, tears in my eyes.
"Do you believe those lies?" I whimpered.
Adrien cupped my cheek, turning my head so he could look me in the eyes.
"Of course not, Marinette. You'd never do a thing like that."
"Your the only one who believes me, though. Lila's gonna suceed in turning all the people I care about away from me. No one will trust me, and I'll lose them all..." Tears poured down my cheeks harder then ever before.
"Hey." Adrien took my hand. "You still have me."
I smiled, tears in my eyes.
I hugged Adrien, and he hugged me back.
"Don't worry, Marinette. I'm here for you, no matter what. I've felt... alone before myself. I'll protect you. It's all gonna be okay."
I held him tight, but I knew it wasn't going to ever be okay.
Because I'm not okay.