Hidden ~ Miraculous Ladybug AU

Chapter 10

Marinette's POV

"Oh my god Felix? Bridgette? Is this actually you guys or am I dreaming?!" I heard Bridgette giggle on the other line.
"It's really us Marinette!" She squealed happily.
"Oh my gosh!!" I jumped around happily.

"Hey Mari! Sorry we haven't called or texted much. We've had so many exams it's like we're drowning." Felix groaned.
"Oh. Well that sucks. The next time you go MIA maybe give me an explanation huh?"

"Yeah. We're sorry." Bridgette apologized. I shrugged.
"It's ok I guess. So, what's up?"
"Well, we just wanted to check up on our favorite Parisian!" Felix said. I scoffed,
"Uh huh. Sure. I'm way too happy right now though so I'll let it slide." I said happily.

"Ok ok. So, what's been going on over there?" Felix asked me.
"Hmm. Oh! I got accepted into a college!" They both gasped.
"Which one?!"

"Agreste University!" I announced happily, making Bridgette screamed on the other side.
"Really?! Like the university you've wanted to go to since forever?"

"Yes!! I'll be able to do fashion design, and a bunch of other really fun courses! You guys need to apply there! We might be able to go to the same college!" I realized. I hadn't seen my old best friends in so long.

"Yes we totally should!"
"It is a pretty nice school." Felix thought aloud. I rolled my eyes.
"And you'd see me!" He chuckled on the other side and tried to hide his happiness, but I could hear it in his voice.

"I guess that too."
"Oh whatever." There was silence for a second then I remembered what I was doing before.

Who better to ask what to do for a talent show than the people who knew you best when you were the real you?

"Oh guys. So my school has a talent show today and I got signed up. What do you think I should do? I've got nothing." I admitted. They still thought I was the same, and that I was never bullied anymore. Oh boy were they wrong.

"Hmm. You could dance." Bridgette offered. I laughed out loud,
"No way."
"You could do art."
"As if." Suddenly Bridgette drew in a huge breath.

"I've got it!! You should sing!" I considered the possibility. Bri and I would always put on these little concerts when we were younger and sing our hearts out. I stopped when Chloe told me I sucked. Now that I was looking over my choices that did seem the most promising.

"Um. I don't know. I'm no good at singing."
"Oh be quiet Buggy." Felix said. I smiled at the nickname. When we were little we'd call each other by our favorite animals.

Felix's is a peacock because he thinks they look cool. Bridgette's is a bunny since they're cute. And mine is a ladybug because they bring luck and they look nice.

"Hey guys, my roommate is calling me, I'll be back in a sec." Bridgette said. After a moment of silence I inhaled deeply,

"Hey Fé?" I asked in a small voice, my doubts and insecurities coming out. Sure Bridgette and I were really close, but no one could be as close as me and Felix were.

"Yes?" He responded in a serious tone.
"What if I mess up? What if everyone hates my voice?" He sighed.
"What's this about? You've never been insecure about your voice."

"Would you believe me if I said my voice randomly started sounding like crap?" I laughed nervously.
"No. Why are you like this Marinette?" He asked me with concern laced in his voice.

"Well, maybe I haven't told you everything about what my life is like over here." I confessed.
"What do you mean?" He paused. "Look, I know we have drifted apart. And we don't talk as much as we'd like to, and Bri and I have been really distant. I understand if you feel left out, but I'm here to talk to you now."

My lips lifted slightly at how much he worried about me. It was true, I felt forgotten. Like they didn't have time for me anymore. They're both part of rich, famous families and I'm just some baker's daughter. In all honesty I am in utter disbelief they even decided to talk to me at all when they left or why they hung out with me while they were here.

"I stopped singing once you guys left because..." I sighed.
"Mari, I understand if you don't want to worry me, but I want to worry. I'm just more worried that you aren't telling me something."
"Chloebeganbullyingmeagainonceyouleft." I blurted.

"Woah woah. Slow down."
"Chloe, she started bullying me again once you left. She hasn't stopped. But it's ok now! I'm leaving and going to college!"
"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Like you said. I didn't want to worry you. What could you do anyway from over there? All it would do is get you to worry. At least you two were happy. I handled it just fine anyhow." I lied, rubbing my wrists.

"That b*tch! If I ever get back into Paris she's gonna regret those 7 years." He snarled.
"Oh come on Felix. It's ok, really."
That's another lie.
"Hey, what's going on? I heard screaming." Bridgette said.

"Nothing." I said quickly. Felix sighed before agreeing.
"Well, it was great talking with you again Mari. But..."
"You've got to go?" I finished disappointedly.

"Yeah. Sorry. Madame Keeops wants us Fé."
"Ok." He replied and Bridgette hung up. "I'm calling you later and we're talking about this." He said before hanging up. I pressed my lips together before returning inside.

"Where'd you go Mar?" Alix asked me when I sat back down and set my peg leg beside me.
"Oh? Just some old friends called me and I couldn't pass it up." I sipped my now luke warm coffee.

"Also, I know what I'm doing for the talent show." I announced.
"Ooh. What is it?" Alya asked.
"It's a surprise. I need a song for it though." I tapped my chin.

"What should I use?" They all hummed. Then, the perfect song came on over the speakers in the café. "Oh! I've got the perfect song."

It was later that same night and I was lying in my bed, waiting for my phone screen to light up and Felix's contact to pop up. I sighed and rolled over in my nice bed. I looked at my forearms in disgust, tracing over my cuts.

I was so ashamed for what I had done, but at the same time, it felt so good to relieve my stress. I had a lot of stress right now. I sat up and began climbing down my ladder, my thoughts drifting to the razor on my sink.

Just as I reached my bathroom door my phone began ringing. My eyes widened and I bolted up to my bed and answered the call.

"Hello?" I asked calmly.
"Marinette! You're still awake? Sorry I didn't call until now." Felix apologized.
"It's ok. It's not like I was waiting forever or anything." I half joked since that was exactly what I had been doing.

"Well, care to explain now?" He got straight to the point. I sighed before explaining from the beginning. I told him about everything thing...except my cuts, and the beatings she'd give me occasionally.

Sometimes I needed to stop to recompose myself or to regather my thoughts, but the whole time he just sat there listening. At the end he reassured me everything would be ok and told me about some of the bullies at his school, and how people dealt with them before hanging up.

It reminded me I wasn't forgotten by my friends, even if they were far away and out of reach, they didn't completely forget about me. The reason why I'm not sure, but I knew they hadn't forgotten me, and I hoped they wouldn't ever.