I'm back! I really do apologise about the long wait for this chapter. Chapters won't typically take this long to be released, I've just been busy working on another story, then after the stress of that, I decided to take a short break to help give my brain some much needed rest, because the way I was feeling, there was just no way that I could write. But I'm back now, and updates should usually take no longer than two weeks. I hope that you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year to those that celebrate, and I hope that you're all doing okay.
Thank you so much for all of your amazing reviews on the first chapter. Also, thank you to those who have followed this story and added it to your favourites. It makes me so happy to see that so many people are interested in this story, and it inspires me to keep going.
Chapter 2: A Broken Heart
Sweaty and out of breath, Marinette finally made it into the park, her heart thudding in her chest from both panic, and from her sprint over here. As she ran through the entrance, she placed her hands on her aching knees in an attempt to catch her breath. She had never run so fast in all her life. Her lungs were burning and protesting, and Marinette began to panic even more at the thought of the gross mess she probably was right now.
What was Adrien going to think of her? He was probably going to think she was even more weird than he likely originally thought. The plan was already sliding downhill so fast. She was late, she was a mess, she was out of breath, and everything was probably ruined now. She had wanted to look her best for this magical moment. She had wanted this moment to be amazing and special; a moment she could remember happily forever.
The moment she and Adrien finally got together.
Fat chance of that happening now.
"There you are! Where on earth have you been?!" Alya's yelling startled Marinette.
Marinette rapidly looked around, unable to catch any sight of Alya. Confused, Marinette tried to look in the direction her best friend's voice had come from, but there appeared to be no sign of her. That's when Marinette looked down just in time to see a pair of hazel eyes staring at her from inside a large bush before a hand reached towards her. Marinette yelped as she was suddenly tugged into the bush alongside Alya who began frantically checking her phone.
Meanwhile, Marinette tried to catch her breath and smooth out her clothes, ready for the moment. Though what Alya was doing hiding in a bush, Marinette wasn't sure. She didn't remember that being part of the plan. She was sure that the plan was for Alya to meet her by the entrance, and that they were both going to pretend to casually stroll through the park, bumping into Adrien and Nino halfway through who were going to use the other entrance. Alya and Nino were then going to make their excuses and head off, leaving Marinette and Adrien alone under the romantic, spring blossoms. Then Marinette would make her move.
Oh no.
Did this mean that something else had gone wrong? Was Marinette too late and had missed her opportunity? Had Nino and Adrien already walked by and now Alya and Nino were trying to fix the situation?
Marinette knew that she had a bad feeling as soon as she woke up. This whole thing was a total disaster and she never should have agreed to it! What had she been thinking with this complicated plan?! Something was bound to go wrong! The plan had been doomed since the start!
"Marinette, are you okay?" Alya's concerned voice pulled Marinette out of her thoughts. "You've gone really pale all of a sudden."
"I…" Marinette squeaked. "I've blown it, haven't I?"
Alya's eyes widened. "No, no, no," she quickly reassured, "though you would have if Adrien and Nino had arrived on time," she quickly mumbled that last part.
"What?!" Marinette shrieked.
"Sssssh!" Alya shushed.
Both of them looked up just in time to see a mother walking past them with two children. Alya and Marinette froze as the woman gave them a strange look, freaked out by the two girls hiding in the bush. Not knowing what to do, Marinette awkwardly waved before the woman glared at them, grabbed her children, and quickly pulled them away.
Marinette and Alya both sighed, and Marinette was thankful that it was a total stranger that had spotted them in this strange situation rather than Adrien.
Speaking of Adrien…
"Adrien and Nino aren't here yet?" Marinette whispered in shock and panic. "What's going on?"
Alya rolled her eyes. "Adrien's father was being awkward with him, so they ended up leaving later than anticipated, but don't worry, they're on their way right now."
"So I haven't blown it?"
"You haven't blown it." Alya smiled at her reassuringly.
"I still don't know if I can do this." Marinette gulped, and Alya sighed in frustration.
"Yes you can, girl! Just stick to the plan and tell him how you feel. We already know he has feelings for you, so he's not exactly going to say no, is he?"
"But what if he does? What if we've got this all wrong?"
Alya placed a comforting hand on Marinette's shoulder. "Stop doubting yourself. You can't keep going through life like this, otherwise you'll never get anywhere. Sometimes you just need to swallow your fears and take the plunge, dive head first into terrifying moments in order to get what you want out of life. And what you want is Adrien. So dive head first in there and get him, girl!"
"You really think I can do this?" Marinette asked, feeling her confidence growing at Alya's words.
"I know so."
"Oh Alya, thank you!" Marinette squealed as she pulled her best friend into a tight hug, almost squeezing the air out of her.
"What are best friends for?" Alya wheezed before gasping for air when Marinette finally let her go, frowning as her appearance finally registered with her.
"But first," Alya continued, "we're going to have to fix you up."
"Oh," Marinette responded worriedly as she remembered how awful she must look right now.
"But it's okay," Alya explained as she dug through her bag and pulled out a handful of make-up, "I came prepared for every situation. We have a few minutes before Nino and Adrien arrive, so I have plenty of time to fix your face."
"Thanks…I think?"
Alya smirked and rolled her eyes before grabbing a wipe and cleaning Marinette's face of the mess she had made earlier that morning. It made Marinette feel incredibly childish, once again filling her mind with doubt over whether she was ready for this huge, life changing moment. However, she kept repeating Alya's words in her mind to try and drown out any nerves that she might have over what she was about to do.
Because Alya was right. Marinette needed to do this or she would forever regret it. She had just been presented with a once in a life time opportunity. It looked like Adrien did indeed have feelings for her. Despite the doubt gnawing away at every inch of her flesh, Marinette knew that surely Adrien could have only been talking about her. Nino and Alya seemed so sure as well, which only served to further cement the theory as fact in Marinette's mind.
She could do this! She could tell Adrien how she felt!
If she did this, she might finally get to be with the boy of her dreams. They could be boyfriend and girlfriend! They could hold hands, they could embrace, they could…kiss!
Marinette could finally have her first kiss with the boy she had always dreamed of being with. Well…technically her first kiss was Chat Noir, but she didn't count that. She was just trying to save his life; it didn't mean anything.
This would be different. This time she would be kissing someone out of love. Marinette could feel her heart lurch in her chest as she wondered if today might be the day that they kissed. What if when she confessed everything, Adrien would be so happy and beyond words that he would just simply take her into his arms and kiss her?! It would be so romantic, but Marinette tried not to get her hopes up.
Adrien might end up being a total gentleman and want to take things slow. He might want to take her out on cute dates and get to know her a bit better before they did anything like that. He might want to wait for a more romantic moment, like when they would go out to have dinner together, or he might even wait until they were having a cosy night in, playing Mecha Strike III together.
Butterflies fluttered around Marinette's stomach at the mere thoughts. Then after all of this, they could get married, own a nice house, have three kids, have a dog and ca – no wait – a hamster! They would have such the cutest pet hamster, and they would name it –
"If you don't stop bouncing around I'm going to end up poking you in the eye with my mascara," Alya warned, half joking, half serious.
"S-sorry, I…I'm just nervous."
Alya remained silent for a few seconds, not breaking her concentration as she spoke again. "You were fantasising about marrying him and getting a hamster again, weren't you?"
"What? Pffft, no!"
Alya raised an eyebrow at her, smirking.
"Okay, I totally was," Marinette quickly admitted, looking away in embarrassment. It seemed like Alya could always see right through her.
"Uh huh," Alya teased, before growing more serious. "Seriously, girl, try not to get too ahead of yourself today. Just focus on confessing your feelings, then maybe we'll worry about marriage in ten years' time or something."
"I guess you're right." Marinette sighed before taking a deep breath to try and clear her mind.
Alya then paused for a second. "But I am going to be your maid of honour, right?"
Marinette giggled before nodding.
"Yes!" Alay exclaimed before getting back to work, putting her mascara away before bringing her eye-liner out, this time applying more even and tidy looking lines across Marinette's eyelids, making her blue eyes stand out beautifully.
"Now, time for the lipstick," Alya announced, pulling out a darker colour that Marinette would often never use. She preferred to stick with more natural colours, so to have Alya pull out a colour that would look a lot more obvious on her had her feeling slightly nervous and uncomfortable.
What if Adrien thought that she was trying too hard? What if he thought she looked desperate or that she was trying to look way older than she was? What if he didn't like it? What if he preferred the colours that Marinette normally used? What if it made her stand out too much? What if somebody else she knew saw her and ended up laughing at her?
"Ummm…I'm not sure…" Marinette stared at the tube nervously.
"Oh relax, Marinette, it'll look great on you. Plus, it's flavoured, just in case you get any action." Alya winked.
"Alya!" Marinette shrieked, her cheeks turning bright red. She had just managed to calm herself down over that idea, and now Alya had just reminded her that she and Adrien might end up kissing at some point today.
Her stomach exploded into a fireball of intense anxiety, fuelled by the images of every possible route that today could take. Alya took full advantage of Marinette's frozen state and began applying the lipstick, leaving no room for Marinette to protest. Though Marinette knew better than to fight against Alya most of the time. She knew that Alya would always win.
However, Marinette had to admit that she was starting to feel much better in herself. Now that she looked less like a swamp creature, she was growing more confident that she could pull this off. Maybe Adrien arriving late was a blessing in disguise. It meant that she hadn't missed him while still providing her with time to make herself look more presentable. Marinette now had no idea what she had been freaking out over in the first place.
She was still nervous, but she just kept telling herself that it was only natural. She was about to confess her feelings to the love of her life after all. The plan had originally gone so wrong, but now everything was being fixed. It looked like the universe was finally allowing things to go Marinette's way. It was finally giving Marinette a break. She felt like she could conquer anything. What could possibly go wrong now?
Marinette's deep thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of Alya's phone vibrating. She sighed and picked up before gasping, her eyes widening in horror. Marinette could feel her heart instantly leap into her throat at the sight of Alya's expression.
What had happened?!
Marinette just had to go and jinx herself again!
"Wha –"
Before Marinette had time to ask what was going on, Alya had shushed her before placing a hand over her mouth and tackling her further to the ground. They lay low in the middle of the bush, just barely able to see through the gap that Alya had originally pulled her through. However, Marinette couldn't see or hear anything, so why was Alya doing this? What exactly was wrong?
"Y'know Nino, you're behaving very weirdly today," a familiar voice said.
Both Alya and Marinette immediately locked themselves in place, eyes wide in terror.
"What's so weird about wanting to use the other entrance?" Nino chuckled awkwardly.
"Because it's on the other side of the park," Adrien replied, sounding concerned, yet wary. "Are you up to something?"
"Me? What? No!"
"Because now that I think about it, you've been acting really weird for the past few days, let alone today," Adrien noted, frowning at his best friend suspiciously.
"I…I just thought we could do with the exercise?"
Marinette could see Nino frantically looked around while Adrien wasn't looking, probably because he was trying to see if he could spot her and Alya anywhere. Alya tried to wave to get his attention, however, Nino didn't notice them, and frustratingly turned his back on the bush that the two girls were hiding in.
Alya slammed her fist on the ground before trying to reach for her phone, but it was just out of her reach. She attempted to shift forward, but that caused a few of the leaves to rustle, making her freeze in place again, terrified in case Adrien turned around and saw them there.
Marinette held her breath, tears of fear and frustration welling up in her eyes as she stared at Adrien above her. They really should have planned this out better. Why did everything keep going wrong? Maybe this plan was just destined not to work. The three of them were stupid to try and come up with something this convoluted in the first place.
"Do you think here's a good spot to hang out?" Adrien asked as he stared down at the ground. "The grass seems nice and dry here."
"Oh – ummm – yeah, I guess," Nino said, pulling his phone out to check it again, frowning in confusion and worry, probably over the fact that Alya hadn't yet managed to reply to his message.
Marinette and Alya both exchange terrified glances as both Adrien and Nino sat down in front of the bush that they were both hiding in. Both of their backs were facing them, and Alya slammed her face against the ground in frustration which only caused Marinette to panic even more. She clung to her best friend, not sure of what to do. If they made any sudden movements now, they would both likely be spotted. How on earth were they going to explain this if they got caught? Adrien would be creeped out by this whole thing for sure. This was even more mortifying than the time he saw all of those photos of him in Marinette's room on TV.
"So…" Nino began awkwardly, "that was some akuma attack the other day. Luckily Ladybug and Chat Noir will always be there to save us."
"Yeah." Adrien sighed dreamily, sounding distracted.
"There you go again!" Nino exclaimed, startling Adrien out of his obvious daydreaming.
"Huh, what?"
"Whoa, dude, you've got it baaaaad!" Nino playfully elbowed him.
Adrien shook his head. "I told you, I don't want to talk about it."
"Well…if you talked to me, then maybe I can help you. It's obviously someone that I know, otherwise why would it be such a big secret?"
Marinette watched, her heart pounding away in her chest as Adrien shifted nervously, suddenly seeming very interesting in the grass all of a sudden. She could just about make out the light shade of pink that was staining his cheeks. She could feel her own cheeks growing warm at being in such close proximity with him. Now she was never going to be able to focus on an escape plan.
"I don't want to talk about it," Adrien repeated, sounding miserable. "Besides, I probably don't stand a chance with her."
"What?!" Nino shrieked before laughing. "Dude, I know that Marinette would be totally psyched to go out with you. Why – oops."
Marinette's heart thudded to a halt in her chest, and Alya glared furiously at the back of Nino's head, looking like she was ready to commit murder. However, Marinette waited with bated breath, waiting to see what Adrien would say to Nino having guessed who he had a crush on.
"Marinette?" Adrien repeated in confusion.
Nino sighed, knowing he had no choice but to admit it now. "Dude, it's obvious she's the girl you have a crush on."
Adrien's eyes widened. "What? No, Marinette is just a friend."
In that moment, Marinette felt like the entire world froze to a standstill. There was not even a trace of the morning, spring breeze as she dug her nails into the dirt, feeling like a hand had reached inside her chest and ripped her heart out right in front of her. Her chest now felt completely hollow and empty while she was left to bleed out onto the ground. The worst part was, Marinette didn't even feel any pain yet. She just felt numb. Her blood turned cold, filling her body with ice that sent a tingling sensation throughout her entire body.
Suddenly, it was like nothing felt real to Marinette anymore. It was like she had woken up in the wrong universe where she felt like she didn't belong. Like none of this mattered because it was just some dream – a terrible nightmare. At any moment, Marinette expected to wake up. She would be back in her room, and none of this would be happening. Her heart would be back in her chest and not pulsating on the ground in front of her while all Marinette could do was watch as it shrivelled up and stopped beating before her very eyes.
Despite the icy coldness of her body, her eyes began to burn. They burned with betrayed and heartbroken tears that were desperate to be unleashed. A huge lump formed in her throat, and she began to feel like she was drowning. Marinette was no longer at the park on a warm spring day, but rather she was sinking in a freezing ocean, surrounded by nothing but a dark void that dragged her deeper and deeper below the surface.
Alya's comforting arm that was wrapped around her felt like nothing more than a snake that was just trying to pin her under the water and drown her faster, trapping her within its coils. Marinette needed to get away. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. Her chest constricted painfully as she gasped for air, and sobs banged and slammed their fists against her ribcage, begging to be let free.
"Then…?" Nino questioned, his eyes wide in horror. "Who…who is it? Because I don't know anyone else with black hair."
Adrien looked like he was beginning to panic. "Errrr…ummm…K-Kagami?"
Now it felt like Marinette was being repeatedly kicked in the stomach. This could not be happening. She'd had her insecurities about Kagami when they had first met, but now to have them actually confirmed only fuelled Mariette's despair.
But then again, why should Marinette even be surprised? Kagami was so much more amazing than Marinette could ever be. Kagami was incredibly beautiful, amazingly talented, rich, and came from a well-respected family. Of course she was perfect for Adrien in every way. She would have something to offer Adrien. Kagami and Adrien were within the same league, while Marinette was a lowly peasant at the bottom of the food chain. What could a baker's daughter offer someone like Adrien Agreste?
Marinette had been a complete and total fool.
"Kagami?" Nino questioned, shocked and confused.
"Errrr, yeah. Y'know, that girl in my fencing class." Adrien laughed nervously.
"I see…" Nino glanced down, looking terrified.
Marinette felt like an elephant had just sat on her chest. She was now lost in the middle of a jungle, being crushed to death by one of the giant creatures. She couldn't call for help. She couldn't move. The longer she laid there, the more she felt the life being squeezed out of her. Marinette knew that she needed to get out of there. She couldn't listen to any of this for a second longer.
It was all too much.
Her heart couldn't take it.
Alya seemed to sense this, and she searched the ground, finally able to find a small pebble before throwing it at Nino's back while Adrien was busy looking the other way. Startled, Nino quickly glanced backwards before a look of horror washed over his face at the sight of Alya and Marinette laying down behind them. Marinette instantly knew that he had figured out that they had overheard everything. Marinette knew that she must look like a mess right now, as Nino's face instantly turned sympathetic at the sight of her.
However, Alya quickly recaptured his attention, motioning for him to take Adrien away. Nino nodded, immediately understanding, causing Alya to let out a breath of relief. She kept an arm wrapped tightly around Marinette, attempting to rub soothing circles into her arm, but all Marinette could concentrate on was the pain that was suddenly engulfing her. It was like she had just been run over by a bus, the wheels driving directly over her chest and crushing it, bursting her heart in the process and causing her to bleed out.
"Hey, dude, what do you say we get some lunch?" Nino asked.
"Isn't it a bit early?"
"Yeah, but I'm hungry." Nino was already stood up and attempting to pull Adrien up with him.
All Adrien could do was wordlessly follow, a look of confusion on his face as Nino led them both away. Alya sighed with relief when they finally disappeared before she turned towards Marinette, looking concerned. However, all Marinette could do was stare straight ahead with a blank expression. Her body felt like it was on autopilot as she slowly sat up and crawled out of the bush, back out into the open.
Now Marinette felt completely exposed. At any moment, the vultures would swoop in and start picking at her corpse. She would lay there, trapped inside her own mind, powerless to stop them from consuming her flesh. Powerless to stop them from poking their beaks inside her chest and digging out the broken pieces of her heart. Maybe she should just let them have it. After all, she had no one else to give it to. The one person who Marinette ever thought her heart could belong to didn't want it. Now the organ simply caused her nothing but pain and agony.
She didn't want it anymore. It belonged to Adrien. It didn't even fit properly inside her own body. It didn't want to be a part of her anymore. The broken remnants wanted nothing more than to leap out of her chest and chase after Adrien.
But what would be the point?
He didn't want it.
He was in love with someone else.
"Marinette…" Alya asked, sounding incredibly worried.
"I…I'm fine…I just…I need to be alone," Marinette replied flatly.
"I don't think that's wise –" Alya tried to protest, however, she was quickly cut off.
"I SAID I JUST WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE!" Marinette's sobs finally burst free, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
Before she could control herself, Marinette fled, not even giving Alya a chance to register what was going on. Marinette ran as fast as she could, her tears blurring her vision, preventing her from seeing where she was going. But Marinette didn't care. All she knew was that she needed to run. She needed to try and escape this pain.
Finally, Marinette couldn't run any further, and she collapsed against the trunk of a huge oak tree. There appeared to be no one around, and Marinette finally unleashed all of the pent up emotions inside her. The tears just kept on coming, and the sobs just kept on breaking free, both of them showing no signs of letting up any time soon.
Feeling defeated, lost, and hopeless, Marinette slid down the trunk of the tree until she was curled up into a tight ball on the ground, wishing that it would just swallow her up. She didn't think she had ever felt so stupid and humiliated. The pain continued to claw at her body, tearing her to shreds. It was like she was being devoured by ravenous wild animals, and Marinette was completely powerless to stop it.
All she could do was remain curled up in her tight ball, hiding herself from the world, trying her best to nurse the giant hole that had been left in her chest. All the while, Marinette remained completely oblivious over the dark purple butterfly flying towards her.
Oh no! What's going to happen next, guys? As always, please feel free to let me know your thoughts and opinions in a review as it always helps me out immensely. I hope that you all have a good week, and I'll see you again soon.
