A Little Too Soon for Goodbye

2 -School

As I walk, I have a hard time not crying. How? Why? I've done good. I have never missed a single appointment, have eaten so healthy to the point where I hate junk food now (except for the occasional sweet from the bakery), worked out, stayed healthy, and taken every single medication that I was told to take. I even survived brain surgery but now... in a short 6 months I am going to die. None of that mattered. It never will.

As I get to school, I immediately see Adrien. He sees me too, and smiles and waves. He is never going to know how I feel. I walk over to him, and he says, "Hey Marinette." in his usual kind, sweet voice. I am too distracted by my own mind to even get a little flustered with the fact that he is talking to me, and I just respond with, "Hi Adrien." In as normal of a voice as I can manage. "Everything okay?" He asks, and I say, "Huh?" Still being trapped in my own mind. "Oh um... yeah. Just, not in the best mood right now. Woke up on the wrong side of the bed." I say, slightly smiling at him, also feeling bad for lying.

"Hey, it's okay. It happens to all of us." He says, and I nod. "W-Where are Alya and Nino?" I ask, changing the subject. "Nino's out sick, and said that Alya is refusing to leave his side." He says, and I roll my eyes. "They need to come up with better excuses to skip so then they can suck face with each other all day."

Adrien laughs, and I frown while looking at him. I don't want him to lose me. I don't want to lose him. "How's your mom doing? I heard she beat her breast cancer." I say, changing the subject again. "She's doing really good, actually. She is bouncing back pretty quick, and her hair is at a pixie cut length now. She misses her long hair, but is happy that she's better." "I'm happy for her. It is wonderful that she got better." I also feel a serge of jealousy for the woman. How come she gets to be okay and I don't? She's already had her life. She has a child. Her life is good.

Gosh I sound awful right now.

"Are you sure you're okay? I can tell that something is really bothering you. You're acting kind of weird." He says, bringing the attention back to me. "I'm fine, really. Just not in the best mood ever." I feel the familiar sting in my eyes before I cry, and look away from him, forcing myself to not even let a single one fall.

"So," I start, not really knowing what else to say. "How has modeling been going? I heard your fathe-" But instead of finishing my sentence, I get interrupted by a high pitch squeal of anger. "Dupain-Cheng!" Chloe fumes, and I turn towards her. "Chloe, I am really not in the mood today. If you don't want me to talk to Adrien right now, then fine. I'll leave. I just can't deal with your over obsessive drama today." I look at Adrien, and manage a small smile at him, but before I can walk away Chloe says, "How DARE you not want to be around me! You JERK!" I just sigh and walk inside the building, heading towards class.

When class starts, I look at Ms. Bustier as she claps. "Good morning class! Today, we are going to be starting a partner project with the person that sits next to you. Adrien, Marinette, since Alya and Nino aren't here, Marinette will switch seats with Nino for the remainder of the project and the two of you will work together. You may move now, Marinette." I grab my things and move down a row, plopping down next to Adrien. I don't even glance in his direction.

"During this project, one of the members of the partnership will pick a topic out of this bucket, and the two of you will have to work together to research and make a presentation on it. It will last until Christmas break. You can do anything you want to present it, but the only thing that is required is a 3 page essay typed out. One page from one person's perspective, one page for the other's, and one page from what the both of you think it is and how the research on this is important and how your perspective has changed over time on the subject. I'll start in the back, and make my way down."

She walks up the middle row, and lets that person pick the subject. We will be second to last. But I am not paying a ton of attention to that as I could be, because the dead-line is Christmas break. 2 months from now. 4 months will be left. I rest my head on the desk, and squeeze my eyes tight, wishing this was all a dream. That I would wake up, and still be 17, cancer free, and not ever even realize how bad that mole on my leg looked. I wish I didn't ever have that mole.

I feel as Adrien taps my shoulder, and I lift my head off of the desk, looking at him. "Um, our subject is this." He hands me a little slip of paper with our teacher's hand writing on it, and it says, 'the different types of love.' I just nod, not even caring, feeling like none of it matters anymore, and grab my pen out of my back pack.

I write my number on the paper, and hand it back to Adrien. He pulls out his phone and puts it in, sending me a text. I look at my phone and it says 'hi' with a little smiley face next to it. "Hey," I say out loud, and he chuckles. "Do you want to come to my house after school to work on it?" He asks, and I nod, saying, "I have to check with my parents first, but yeah. Sounds good."

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When lunch rolls around, I know Adrien is really concerned for me. He also doesn't believe me every time I tell him that I'm fine. "Do you want to join me for lunch?" I ask, and he nods, smiling. We walk together, but when I am going down the stairs of the school, someone trips me, and I begin to fall forward. Adrien catches me, barely, by my backpack, and I am hanging in the air. I stand up, carefully, and turn to see Chloe.

She is laughing, and I just sigh. "Chloe, I am really not in the mood. Can we do this another day?" She shakes her head no, and says, "You just make it more fun when you don't put up a fight. Run along now, and then I can enjoy as you fall again. Surely you will."

I just sigh, and continue to walk. Adrien turns and gives her a dirty look, and one of disapproval. "I hope while you cross the street a car hits you, you little whore. Then I can dance on your grave and finally be free of you." I freeze, wondering why she is being so rude today. Today of all days she had to do this. She has never said anything nearly as rude as that before, and I just want to cry. It's all I've wanted to do all day.

But all I do is turn around, and let out all of my emotions. At least in my eyes. I give her a look of all of the sadness and pain I've felt today, and let her see just how bad she messed up. "Chloe!" Adrien yells at her, but she is looking at me, deep regret in her eyes. She opens her mouth to say something, but I turn around and continue to walk home, Adrien right next to me.