3.Protection
The classroom door swings open, and Marinette's knuckles turn white as she grips the edge of her table, gaze snapping upward.
Oh.
It's just Max.
"Girl," Alya says gently. "You need to relax."
Relax? She has better odds of spontaneously growing wings and taking flight.
Marinette exhales a trembling breath, gaze returning to the empty seat in front of her. The seat that won't be staying empty for long. It's only a matter of time until he arrives, and then she'll have to spend the entire day staring at the back of his head and try not to cry. Again.
"It's going to be okay." Alya reaches to rub her back, and it feels nice, but it brings Marinette no closer to being okay, because she's not ever going to be okay again. Briefly, last night, it had felt like she might be, but then the rain had chased her kitty off, and her thoughts had resumed their spiraling all throughout the night.
She slept so poorly that she's not only punctual, she arrived at school before Adrien did.
Once again the memory of yesterday's humiliation flashes before her eyes, her stupid jerk brain shoving the highlight reel into her thoughts every ten seconds.
The pity in his voice.
How she ran away like a coward.
The way he didn't hesitate.
Even as her wildest dreams painted visions of him declaring his undying love in return, her realistic best-case scenario had involved him being willing to give it a shot. A date, maybe, and then the undying love. Marinette had been bracing herself for having to wait while he made up his mind.
But he hadn't hesitated.
Marinette is not an option even worth considering.
Yes, thank you for the reminder, brain, you can stop now.
But it doesn't.
She squeezes her eyes shut, and buries her face in her arms atop the desk.
"Oh, Marinette," a saccharine voice rings out.
No.
No no no.
Slowly, ever so slowly, Marinette raises her head until Lila's face comes into view.
"I heard what happened." The words drip with concern, yet are just a touch too loud to be appropriate. The stupid liar's voice fills the room, and heads swivel toward it. Lila's expression is soft and gentle, showing none of that triumph she must no doubt be feeling. "I'm so sorry."
Shut up.
Go away.
Marinette stares, unblinking, biting her tongue and fighting to keep her breathing steady. The tightly coiled knot of misery within her belly twists painfully. Her skin flushes as all the frustration of the last few days rises to the forefront of her mind, red-hot rage seething under the surface.
Lila's gaze slithers to Adrien's empty seat and back to Marinette, the reassuring smile she's wearing growing a little wider. "You must be so uncomfortable with him right in front of you. I've been thinking…"
She reaches out, fingertips ghosting over Marinette's shoulder in some horrid mockery of comfort.
"Would you like to switch seats agai–?"
"Don't touch me!"
Marinette slaps Lila's hand away from her shoulder, yet the crawling under her skin still lingers. Lila stumbles back, clutching her bandaged wrist to her chest. The classroom falls silent, a dozen pair of eyes glued to the confrontation and holding their breath.
