Because He Loved Me First

18

Adrien could feel his heart pounding as he looked out the window. It was dark outside, and he was getting a bit sleepy as he's never stayed out this late. The limo door opened and Nathalie came inside. "I'm sorry, Adrien," She took a seat, "but Marinette was not inside the building. We've looked almost everywhere, and Marinette is nowhere to be found."

"Wait, maybe we could-"

"No!" Nathalie interrupted him with a small glare, before she sighed. "Adrien, your father called and requested you to go home right this minute. It's late already, and we've searched everywhere you said Marinette could be, and she's not at any of those places."

Adrien looked down, not wanting to admit it, but knowing that Nathalie was right. Where could Marinette be? Adrien hid his face in the palms of his hands, knowing Nathalie was looking at him. "Tomorrow, we'll keep looking," He muttered, but loud enough so Nathalie heard. Or maybe she'll turn up tomorrow. Adrien had hope. Marinette wouldn't just go away like that, not without a reason, and he thought they were finally beginning to become friends, finally having her feel comfortable around him. What would make her leave without saying anything to anyone, not even her parents? Adrien lifted his head up. "But before we do that tomorrow," He continued with a deep look of determination, "we have to talk to a few people first."

~

Lila stopped walking when she noticed someone was walking behind her. Usually she would have taken Chloe's limo to school, but she was really early today, and Chloe wasn't coming to school until after Lunchtime. A little weird, Lila found it, but didn't question Chloe. She turned around to notice that it was Adrien, and when she saw him, her face broke into a wide smile, and she waved at him. Adrien did not wave back. Instead he walked up to Lila with a straight face and Lila immediately knew something was wrong.

"Lila," Adrien nodded over at her. "I just. . . Wanted to ask you something. By the way, why aren't you. . . With your friends?"

"I think Chloe's sick," Lila shrugged. "She's coming to school in the afternoon. Sabrina is with her and will come to school at the same time. Um, what was your question?"

Adrien stared at her up and down, and Lila would have been sure he was checking her out if he didn't have that angry look on his face. He finally looked back up at her face. "Have you seen Marinette? Or. . .know where she might be?"

Lila stopped, a little confused by the questions. Chloe was right; why did Adrien have to care so much? "I don't understand, Adrien. I'm not close to Marinette," She answered the question honestly. "I mean, Chloe convinced me yesterday that she was just sick and that's why she didn't show up. It's really early today though. Maybe she'll come by to school later. She's sometimes usually late anyway. And if she doesn't turn up, well. . . I don't know."

"You don't know where she might be? I know you two aren't close, but Chloe is always coming after her, and you're friends with Chloe, which means you come after Marinette as well." Adrien sounded angrier as he said the words, and Lila admitted she was beginning to get frightened. After he embarrassed Chloe in class yesterday, Lila never saw Adrien as the same person again. No one ever dared to embarrass Chloe; she always found a way to get back at them.

"I barely come after Marinette. It's all Chloe. I just stand by Chloe's side and do whatever she tells me to do," Lila again gave an honest answer. She sighed and turned around to walk away, already feeling tired with all the questions relating to Marinette. She didn't know where Marinette was, or where she might have been. Why would Marinette ever tell her anyway? Adrien made no sense coming to her and asking about Marinette.

"Wait!"

Lila turned around. "What?"

"Why?"

Lila frowned. "Why what?"

"Why do you listen to Chloe and bully Marinette? From what I've heard, Marinette never did anything to any of you guys. You just decided to attack her like that. That's not fair. Imagine if that was you. Imagine yourself in her shoes, countlessly getting bullied by girls you didn't even do anything to. Imagine being tortured by Chloe. I can't believe. . . I can't believe you would ever stick by her side and actually do this."

Lila stood there for a moment, not saying anything. Sure, Adrien made sense, Marinette hadn't done anything to her, but she didn't torture Marinette because she hated the girl. She tortured her because Chloe told her to do so. She tortured her because if she did, Chloe would pay her, allow her to get all these expensive things but for free. With Chloe as her friend, life was so much easier. So maybe, she was a gold-digger, but she also did it for her family. Lila looked down at the ground. "My father is in the hospital."

"Ah, I'm so sorry to hear that."

"That's what everyone says!" Lila snapped. "But are you really sorry, Adrien? You hate me, so why would you care?!"

"I never said I hated you."

Lila was taken aback, shocked by his words. Adrien didn't hate her? That was impossible. He was just trying to mess with her. "My father is in the hospital, and I'm trying to pay off the bills because my mother can't. And to do that, I have to stick with Chloe. I have to do whatever she says, which includes treating Marinette bad. Besides. . . If I had to choose between Marinette and my own father, of course I would choose the person I loved more; my father."

"You don't have to torture people to get what you want."

"My father's life is way more important than Marinette's!"

"Now, that's not true. You barely know Marinette. Now, let's say that Marinette was your best friend? Then would you be saying all these things?" Adrien walked closer to her. "Besides, it's been quite a while. Why isn't your father out of the hospital yet? Does Chloe even know he's there? Does she even care? Why would you want a fake friend over a real one? Chloe's just using you, because she's too lazy to do anything on her own."

"What are you trying to suggest?"

"If. . . If you tell me what Chloe did to Marinette the say I wasn't at school. . . I'll pay off the bill."

Lila widened her eyes. "That's. . . That's it? You'll pay everything?"

"Everything."

The offer was tempting, but Lila had promised Chloe that she would never tell. Though, Adrien made sense as well. Chloe was just a fake friend, Lila didn't see her as a real one. Chloe was using her to fulfill her tasks, and Lila was using Chloe to make money. No, Chloe barely gave her money. . . The blonde just gave her expensive stuff. Lila was hoping she would get close enough to Chloe, and then be able to tell her about her father. But now. . . She had an easier choice. Adrien could do this for her, and all she had to do was. . .

"You said you would choose your father over Marinette, and you did," Adrien continued. "Chloe is a fake friend," He smirked, "so why won't you pick your father over her as well?"

Lila gulped. She looked around, though feeling guilty all of a sudden. She then turned back to Adrien and nodded. "Alright, I'll do it. I'll tell you everything that happened on that day, just as long as you keep your promise." Adrien nodded. "Alright, come. Let's go somewhere else."

Adrien nodded again and followed.