Past Tense

Chapter One

As the first rays of morning sunlight filtered through the curtains of her bedroom, Marinette stirred restlessly in her loft bed. With a heavy sigh, she pushed aside her cozy blanket and reluctantly swung her legs over the edge. The familiar routine of school awaited her, but today, an unshakable sense of melancholy clung to her like a shadow. 

As Marinette dressed in her signature pink shirt and jeans, her movements lacked their usual excitement usually felt in the morning. Her usually bright blue eyes seemed dulled, reflecting the weariness that settled in her heart. 

The thought of facing another day at Françoise Dupont, where social pressures and the weight of her double life as a superheroine intertwined, left her feeling drained before the day had even begun. Just thinking about the expected taunting from Chloe or the stress of not knowing how to act around Adrien. 

Making her way downstairs heading a beeline straight for the side door instead of squeezing through the front door and past early morning rush of bustling bakery. Also partially to avoid facing the cheery smiles of her parents, knowing the moment they saw her they'd know somethings up.

Outside, the streets of Paris bustled with activity, the city awakening to another busy day. Marinette's footsteps echoed faintly against the cobblestones as she made her way to school. Normally, the vibrant atmosphere of her beloved city would have cheered her, but today it felt distant, almost unreachable.

As Marinette arrived at Françoise Dupont, her classmates greeted her enthusiastically, but she responded with half-hearted smiles and quiet nods. Even Alya, her best friend, noticed the change in Marinette's demeanor.

"Hey girl, what's up?" Alya asked, concern creasing her brow. "You seem kinda down today."Marinette shrugged, forcing a smile. "I guess I'm just tired," she replied, her voice lacking its usual sparkle.

The thing was not even Alya knew what Marinette's deal was, Marinette hardly knew herself. 

Marinette thought back to when she had started feeling down. It leads back to a few weeks ago when she had gone back into the classroom to grab her notepad, which she forgot. When she approached the door, which was cracked open enough for her to peek in without being totally in view. When she looked in she saw a few girls "cornering"  Adrien in the classroom.

 He seemed friendly enough towards them not seeming too upset or irritated at the attention and crowd. Feeling a sense of uneasiness at the sight she slowly tried to take a step back as to not attract any attention to herself or the fact she was basically spying on them. But clearly she was not made for stealth, as she tried to place one foot behind the other in attempt to creep back she bent her foot at the ankle, causing her to stumble forward to catch herself. This is in turn banged the door open. 

Everyone's head shot towards the door and Marinette on the floor. One of the girls shot her daggering looks for interrupting in during their "conversation". 

Adrien saw her and shot her a smile with a pleading look in his eyes.

She stared at him embarrassed and in a hurry scrambled to her feet and rushed out. Leaving Adrien's futile calls of her name to deaf ears, leaving him surrounded by those bloodthirsty girls.

After that incident, Marinette didn't stutter when she talked to him anymore. In fact, she rarely even talked to him at all, despite his many attempts to start a conversation. She was never rude towards him just... dismissive.