Just A Normal Girl

Chapter 5

Marinette sprints as fast as she can. Why had she waited for them outside the classroom? (of course they won't eat with you) She feels like she can't breathe. One of her pigtails comes loose but she doesn't look back, can't look back, forget the hair tie (run), run run run run run.

As she runs through the halls, Marinette feels the walls closing in. Tears pricked her eyes as bile rises through her throat.

So that's what her friends think of her. A bully. A bully only capable of hurting (you can only hurt). As her breathing quickens, Marinette only focuses on leaving. Allegra and Claude can't know she heard them. It'll be less embarrassing that way, when they tell her that they don't want to have lunch with a bully.

When the sunlight finally reaches her, the pig-tailed girl is exhausted, as if she's been running for years. With her hands on her knees, she tries to take a deep breath, but her lungs feel like they're closing in. She's drowning. Because she's a bully (bully bully bully). And she deserves this.

Marinette feels someone's hands on her shoulder, but she can't focus on it. Her head is pounding (bully), she can only see a small part of the pavement (bully), her heart is beating too loud to hear anything (bully), they all hate her (bully).

She feels the warm presence of Tikki in her purse, and the volume of her heartbeat turns down a little. Focus. (bully).

She hears a voice calling out, but can't hear what they're saying. Focus. Focus on the voice. "Shhh. Deep breath in, deep breath out". She tries to listen to their instructions, but her throat is dry, so so dry (bully). Focus. Deep breath in, deep breath in. No, out. Deep breath out. Marinette gets the breathing wrong the first couple of times.

But as her breathing slows down, her heart beat becomes quieter and quieter. Deep breath in. And as her heartbeat becomes quieter, the girl becomes more aware of her surroundings. Deep breath out.

She's been moved somewhere else. Marinette hadn't realized someone had moved her to the bench beside the school. No one ever goes here. It's a quiet area with not much sun, so most people prefer to be on the other side. She hadn't noticed when a blanket was wrapped around her shoulders either.

"Hey, Marinette. How are you feeling?", a soothing male voice says. She turns to the side and sees the people she doesn't want to see.

"Don't worry about people watching you. We moved you away before everything happened", Allegra consoles. Allegra's on the right side of her and Claude is on the left. They were on either side of her. Marinette feels closed in. This has to be a nightmare.

They give her space, and for the first time in a long while, it feels like Marinette can breathe. Marinette closes her eyes, and concentrates on Allegra's voice as she continues speaking. Something about panic attacks?

The boy looks at her with his big brown eyes, and Marinette feels a shiver run down her spine. It's like he's peering into her soul. "You don't have to tell us anything if you don't want to." And for the first time, Marinette sees Claude hesitate. "I-, I understand." (no he doesn't). He does?

As she stares at him back, all Marinette can think about is that he doesn't. He's not Ladybug, the superhero tasked to protect Paris. And he isn't lonely bully Marinette who's friends left her. He probably has loads of friends. Best friends. She can feel herself spacing off. Claude's still staring at her, and Marinette realizes that she's probably being creepy by staring back. She blinks her eyes a few times, and she also realizes that she also realizes that she must've been staring back for a while.

Her eyes are really dry.

The pigtailed girl shakes her head in response to Claude. Well, a former pig-tailed girl. The strands of half her hair poke her face, and Allegra widens her eyes.