Miraculous Ladybug: Popular
Chapter Nine
Chloé smiled and she clomped over to Adrien in her cream colored high heels, wrapping her long arms around him, giving him a squeeze.
Marinette stared, completely baffled at the sight. Adrien stood there with his arms spread out. He arched his back in an effort to escape Chloé's deadly grip, but she held on even tighter.
"I'm glad you are here, Adrien! It took me forever to get ready for our date. I can't wait to meet your dad."
"W-what date?" Adrien sputtered as he finally pried himself away from Chloé.
Chloé popped her hip to the side and placed her perfectly manicured hand on her hip and she rolled her eyes, laughing up a storm.
"Don't be silly, Adrien! You and your father were talking and you said how you'd introduce him to your girlfriend! Which is obviously me."
Marinette frowned and shook her head. "No, I don't think that's how it went. He would never ask you out or ask you for a favor."
Chloé gave Marinette a hard glare and her left eye began to twitch.
"Listen-" Adrien finally interrupted the two who were exchanging dirty looks at each other. "I don't have time for this. I'm sorry. My father is waiting and I don't want to disappo—"
"Adrien! What is taking so long? I sent you to find your date and you're here arguing with two young ladies? Our salads just came and you have the nerve to just leave to argue with people?" Gabriel questioned with a harsh edge in his tone.
Adrien face-palmed and he shook his head. "Father, no. Please understand, it is nothing like that. It's not what you think it is."
"I do not care! Hurry up and get your date inside so we can eat and discuss business!"
Both Chloé and Marinette winced as they watched the father and son argue. Chloé quickly shrugged it off and averted her gaze to Marinette who was almost shaking from how shocked she was to see Adrien and Gabriel show such hostile behavior to each other.
Chloé inched closer and closer to Marinette while the two males argued. She slightly leaned down and raised her filled in eyebrows. She gave Marinette a hard stare and she quickly narrower her crystal blue eyes.
"Listen here, Marinette, don't think I won't say anything to you because they're here. You better go home now. Think about it. I'm richer than you, I've known Adrien longer, and I have more power, and I know his dad will like me. Look at me, then look at you. Look at what I'm wearing and how I look. Honestly, just give up." Chloé spoke softy to Marinette. Chloé spoke softly like how you would to a child to sing to them, but the intensity and fire in her was so strong it didn't matter how soft and gentle she spoke.
Marinette looked at Chloé, not knowing what to say. Marinette took a look at Chloé. Chloé wasn't ugly, she was actually pretty (but maybe that must of been the load of makeup on her) and suddenly, Marinette didn't have any confidence. She lost it all, just like how she was going to lose Adrien at this very moment.
Marinette couldn't stop comparing herself to Chloé now. She never had before, but she started to take note of how Chloé was. Chloé had a beautiful tan and she had golden hair. She had her hair down, parted in the middle. Each strand was a perfect spirally curl that bounced when she shifted slightly.
Marinette was the exact opposite of Chloé. Anything Chloé was, Marinette wasn't. Chloé had the model image Gabriel would be looking for. Marinette was more like the sweet, cute girl next door while Chloé just had that look that made you know she meant business and had experience modeling or putting herself out there. Yes, she was obnoxious, uptight and one of those rich girls, but she was popular which would come in handy, and Marinette didn't have that.
Marinette just felt terrible at this point, but she didn't know that it would get worse.
"Adrien," Gabriel snapped, causing the three teens to stare at the angry father with slight fear and anticipation. "who is the young lady you were going to bring to dinner?!"
Adrien began to sweat slightly and he looked at Chloé, who was irritated. He then glanced at Marinette and he saw how distraught she was.
"The girl I wanted you to meet was..." Adrien said as he gestured to Marinette who was beaming now from Adrien smiling and pointing at her happily.
Gabriel raised his eyebrow, taken aback by his choice in women.
"Really? You're not kidding?" He stated, showing his disappointment.
Chloé laughed and stepped forward and then stepped to the side to cover up Marinette. Marinette gasped in shock and she peeped out from the side behind Chloé, frowning.
"Of course he is joking! I'm his girlfriend, I'm the lucky lady! Why would he want her? I'm the daughter of the mayor and I'm gorgeous and popular, so why wouldn't it be me?"
Gabriel nodded and closed his eyes.
"Excellent. Well Adrien, let's get back into the restaurant and enjoy our meal."
"But f-father! Listen! Chloé is not the one I pick—"
"Enough!" Gabriel yelled.
"I'm sick of this foolishness! Let's just get inside!" Gabriel grabbed onto his son's shoulder and roughly pulled him back into the restaurant where their food would be.
Adrien continuously attempted to pull away, but his father kept a tight grip. Tighter than Chloé's grip.
The blond looked back helplessly, trying to see Marinette to make sure she was okay, but he couldn't see anything clearly through the window of the restaurant.
Chloé smirked at Marinette and she twirled and fiddled with a golden curl, laughing. She slowly walked towards the door of the establishment. She didn't open it, but she had her hand pressed against the door, ready to open it at any minute.
"You should of known," Chloé began as she stretched out her arm, moving her thin wrist side to side, checking her manicure. "He wouldn't ever want you. It was all a joke. He was trying to lead you on. He was with you as a joke and he worked with you at your dumb smelly bakery as a joke."
Standing there, Marinette just stared at the dirty ground. She frowned when she heard the sound of Chloé opening and closing the door. Marinette had no idea how she should feel. She didn't know if she should cry, yell, or just dig a whole and hide in it until everyone forgot about her.
Chloé had done lots of bad things and she's done lots of things to hurt people and Marinette's family, but out of all those things, Chloé's words did hurt her. She felt like such a wimp and coward, but she truly loved Adrien, and she really adored him as a person. It wasn't because of his looks at all. She couldn't handle the thought of thinking Adrien actually didn't like her. She did feel played and most of all she felt stupid for believing Adrien wanted her.
Marinette continued to stare at her feet and she sighed. She really hated life right now. She hated getting worked up over a boy, and she most of all hated how she let Chloé get to her and steal her man. She couldn't believe she was actually comparing herself to Chloé earlier either. Chloé was nothing compared to her. Right?
Marinette bit at her lip and swallowed hard, trying not to cry. Marinette hardly ever cried, but now she felt so weak. She wish she really was Ladybug and that it wasn't her alter ego. She just wanted to remain strong for as long as she could.
"It's okay.. It's okay.. Nothing else will go wrong." Marinette whispered to herself as she finally began to walk away from the restaurant, avoiding eye contact from other people walking across the sidewalks and streets.
Suddenly, she felt little icy droplets pour onto her slowly. The droplets were a small amount but then a profuse amount dribbled onto her, soaking her hair and clothes. She was drenched.
"Oh great, it's raining!" Marinette gasped as she wiped her face clean of all the droplets. All of them were off her face now but the icy cool feel of the water remained on her skin, making it numb.
"Oh, sorry." A short lady said flatly as she moved her watering hose away from Marinette, aiming it at another direction.
Marinette frowned and continued to walk. Her lipstick and mascara was running down her cheeks and chin like a gooey sad mess. She didn't have the energy to cry, and she didn't have the energy to fix herself in case any of her friends saw her.
The feeling of her clothing clinging to her skin made her uncomfortable, and finally she felt like crying from being in a situation like this, but nothing came out. She shrugged off the feeling and continued to walk.
She knew she couldn't arrive home looking like this. Her dad and Alya would ask her so many questions and demand things from her, and she didn't want to tell them because she knew she'd get Adrien in trouble, and that was the one thing she would never do.
Marinette finally stopped at a small coffee shop and she opened the door. There was hardly any people in there. Maybe one person and the workers, and all the customers were in the drive through. She could sit and dry off and then order a coffee to lift her spirits.
She trudged towards the table in the corner. Each step she took she was welcomed with an uncomfortable spongey squishy feeling. She knew she got wet, but not that wet to leave her shoes full of water like an aquarium. She assumed all the water on her legs traveled down and made tiny pools in her flats as she walked.
The workers behind the counter made no eye contact with her. They simply greeted her with the usual 'Hello, welcome' and they continued to make drinks for the awaiting customers outside.
"This is the best day ever.." Marinette mumbled to herself.
She was cold, sad, and lonely. How ironic the one day she didn't bring Tikki with her, it would be the one day she needed her the most.
Marinette seemed to just have bad luck.
