Whoa, I actually have a chapter done in less than a week! Anyway, off to some reviews. :)
Guest: Why is blackmailing someone something people like to romanticize? Adriens behavior is very toxic and unhealthy.
Never really thought about that. Maybe cause its something different? I only ever view it as something like comedy (in the context of stories/movies) unless the genre is like angst. But i mean, if you hate it that much, then don't read or look into the story - or any movie/story for that matter.
Sad Cheeseburger: I love this story! please continue updating. i have one question, have you abandoned a play to remember? i hope not :(
I have not! I know it seems like I have (and every other story), but I swear I haven't! A Play to Remember is probably the number one story I really want to complete. I have so much ideas for it. The only problem I have is that this is my first time writing something with mysteries. I have everything I want to happen, but linking them so it flows nicely is another story... I also don't really want to do it so badly (for my kind of skill). I'm planning to upload at the end of the month or next month though.
Anyways, enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Ten: Set
Marinette clutched onto the strap of her riding helmet, taking a few steps back as she watched Lila's horde of friends march through the open gates of the ginormous ranch. They were all dressed similarly to Marinette and were being greeted by what Marinette assumed to be close and personal workers of the Rossi family.
Marinette swallowed, her throat feeling coarse and dry. She took a few more steps back, retreating behind a block of well-trimmed bushes. If she didn't go to the event, Lila would find a different way to contact her, right?
Despite Norman already driving off and leaving her miles away from the resort, she didn't mind calling a cab or catching the bus and sightseeing the city. After all, she did have one of the Agreste credit cards in her pocket. She just had to somehow leave the scene and return to the resort unseen. If Adrien questioned the new purchases on his credit card, she could just tell him that she lost the card somewhere by the pool and someone used it.
She turned around, intending to leave, but was immediately spotted by Nino who was hauling out items out of a van with a few other men.
"Marinette?" He looked surprised. He said a few words to the man beside him before jogging over to Marinette who was frozen, cowering in her spot behind the bushes. "What are you doing here?" He asked while checking out her new gear. "I didn't know that you were invited to this event. I wasn't even aware that you knew how to ride a horse."
"I guess I'm just a lucky girl…" Marinette shyly laughed, avoiding eye contact at all costs. Regarding his other comment, well, she was hoping she didn't have to ride a horse. She's never interacted with one before. Who knows what would happen if she were?
"I bet," he said. "I heard that the Rossi events are really hard to get into."
"Well… you're here, right?"
"Yeah, to carry in equipment and let my mentor have all the fun." He frowned.
"You'll get your chance. I'm sure of it," said Marinette while taking a quick look back at the small groups of people still entering the venue. "Do you need some extra help?" she asked. She didn't want to enter the place and have all eyes on her because she was an outsider. She didn't even know if Lila was already there. And if she was, would she welcome her as a friend?
"Nah, I think we're good. You should enjoy your time here with the other guests." He slightly turned; ready to return back to his work.
"I can carry some bags or small boxes!" She called out.
One of the men walked over to the duo, carrying a couple of paper bags. "You can bring these in," he said. "We're already late, and we could use the extra help."
"Of course!" Marinette wrapped the straps of her helmet around her wrist and eagerly grabbed onto the handles of the paper bags. " So, where do I take these?"
"Through the back door, over there." The man pointed to an open door just behind an oak tree.
Marinette smiled in relief, noticing that it was far away from the main entrance.
Marinette walked around the rustic styled house, following the orders of Nino's mentor. She was told to bring a select few of the paper bags out and onto the stage where the band would be performing for the crowd. She maneuvered herself around the many servers who were zooming in and out of the kitchen, taking platters of food outside to where the party was actually happening. She stepped over to one of the many windows and took a peek outside. On her left were a bunch of white clothed, round tables with florally centerpieces and, cards – most likely containing names – facing each wooden chair tucked beneath the table. Each chair was almost already filled, and everyone looked like they were already mingling with another, exchanging greetings or already sharing memories. Further to the left were the refreshments and rows of finger sandwiches and other finger foods. To her right was a file of wooden fences, dividing the guests from the vast, green field that contained obstacles for the horses.
Marinette squinted her eyes, trying to find the area she was directed to go to. Past all the tables and growing crowd was the stage where she were to deliver these bags of cords and other equipment she didn't seem to recognize. She groaned. Why couldn't they park by the stage? That wasn't the worse thing though. Adrien and Nathanael were sitting at the table closest to the stage.
Marinette shut her eyes tightly and placed the bags on the floor next to her. She untangled her riding helmet from her wrist and placed it on her head before strapping it into place. She clutched onto the strap of the bags and decided to make a run for it.
She stepped outside; the warmth of the sun making her wish that she didn't have to wear this turtleneck and blazer. She headed to her left, taking cover behind the dishes as she zoomed past the tables and finally, towards her destination.
She stopped by the corner of the stage, feeling as if her heart were about to explode through her chest. She looked over to where Adrien and Nathanael were sitting, not liking that they were just a few feet away from her. She could hear the two arguing, but it wasn't audible enough for her to understand. She didn't care though, if anything, they were so engrossed in their bickering that they weren't even paying attention to the people around them.
"Are you okay?"
Marinette turned to find Nino standing beside her, handing her a bottle of water.
"I know they told you we were behind schedule, but you didn't have to run all the way here."
"I didn't want to get you in trouble," she said through pants as she grabbed the bottle from Nino, almost drinking the entire thing in front of him.
"I see you found your boyfriend," said Nino, looking over in the direction that Marinette was previously looking at.
"Oh, you knew about that?" Marinette felt embarrassed. She was hoping that Nino would be so busy with his internship to notice or hear about it.
"Yeah, I thought you hated that guy." Nino laughed. "I guess when Alya told me about how much you hated him, she probably meant that you liked him." He laughed again. "Girl talk. It's so confusing."
Marinette smiled, but it was quick to fade away.
"What was Alya's reaction? I bet she was happy to hear about it."
Marinette raised a brow. She was so sure that Nino would text her the second he found out about it. And even if he didn't yet, that meant that he still had his phone, and she could text him through there. There was no way that Adrien was going to monitor Nino's movements. That was a little extreme.
"Why don't you text her and find out?" Marinette grinned, feeling like she just outsmarted the monster.
"I can't. My mentor took my phone."
Her face fell. "What?"
"He thinks of it as a distraction. He gave me a walkie talkie to contact him with." He reached into his pocket, pulling out the clunky device. "He was okay with it first, but I guess he changed his mind."
Or Adrien changed his mentor's mind.
Marinette sighed. "Well, I hope she's having a fun time at camp."
"It's Alya. You know she is." He smiled widely and then turned his head, looking back at a wooden table that was filled with bags and other musical equipment. "I should probably get back to work." He grabbed the bags that Marinette hauled over and gave her his thanks. He then retreated to the wooden table, grabbing a few more things, and walked up the stairs leading to the stage.
Marinette took another swig from the water bottle, quenching her thirst until the whole thing was completely empty. She placed the empty bottle on the corner of the stage, and took a few steps back, just noticing that the two boys were no longer bickering. They were busy talking to older people at their table. She left herself vulnerable by letting Nino talk to her, but she was lucky to see that the boys didn't seem to notice. She walked up a few stairs, hiding herself behind the curtains of the stage. She took one long exhale and removed her helmet, her bangs already clinging to the sweat on her forehead. She carefully brushed her bangs away, making sure to keep her foundation intact.
"There you are." Marinette heard a voice.
"What?" Marinette whispered, turning to look at Nino. He was completely engrossed in sorting out all of the CD's he was pulling out of one bin. She cleared her throat. "Did you just-" She suddenly felt a pair of hands grab her by the waist. "What the-" She tried to scream, but was stopped by her mouth being covered by a pair of gloves. She tried to squirm her way out of this person's grip, but her strength was no match. She attempted to call for help again, but being dragged behind another set of curtains muted her voice.
"Not so loud. I don't want Adrien or Nathanael to see." At that moment, Marinette knew that it was Lila. For a petite girl, she was pretty strong. Marinette was confident enough to say that she was stronger than a lot of boys in her grade.
She felt Lila's grip loosen on her and push her forward, making her walk down another set of stairs.
"Wh-what do you want?" Marinette asked. She stood still as the brunette took a few steps ahead of her, turning to face her.
Lila looked around, making sure that no one saw them before removing her riding helmet. She was wearing the exact same outfit as Marinette. The only difference was her jodhpurs being a couple shades lighter. It made Marinette wonder if Lila grabbed some clothes from her closet and got a servant to engrave Marinette Dupain-Cheng on a nametag.
Marinette stood still with her eyes darting from left to right. She was so sure that Lila's friends were somewhere undercover, getting ready to unleash their attack on the girl who stole their rich friends' future boyfriend. Maybe one of them was standing behind the thick curtains of the stage, holding onto a rope that controlled the drop of a bucket full of horse poop. Then the others would come in and take a dozen pictures of her humiliation.
"Are you okay?" asked Lila, waving her hand over Marinette's face.
"What? I'm fine." Marinette blinked, her attention snapping back to the girl who was in front of her.
"Right," Lila said, unconvinced. "Follow me. I don't think this is a safe area to talk."
Marinette simply nodded. She didn't want to disobey the girl who belonged to a wealthy and prosperous family.
Marinette followed behind Lila who was continuously on the lookout. They walked for a couple minutes until they reached a white van that was parked under an oak tree. This certainly wasn't helping Marinette's imagination. Now she was thinking that Lila and her friends were going to kill her and dump her into the nearest lake.
"Okay," said Lila, quietly opening the door to the back of the van. She stepped in and urged Marinette to do the same before closing the doors. "This is good enough." She looked out the tinted windows as an extra measure.
"Are you trying to kill me?" asked Marinette, looking around. It was completely empty. It seemed like the perfect vehicle to use for a murder.
"What? No." Lila laughed. "I'd be known as a criminal and my father would disown me."
"Then why are you being so cautious?" Marinette asked. She felt a sense of relief in her gut, but not enough to unwind the anxiety that built up since last night.
"Because I know."
"Know what?"
Lila reached into the pocket of her blazer, pulling out her phone. She began to tap her fingers against the screen and then turned her phone around for Marinette to see.
Marinette turned red looking at the familiar frames being played in front of her. She quickly pressed the button on the side, shutting the phone off before too much could be heard. It didn't help that Adrien played it enough times for her to memorize every single word she said. Just hearing one part from the video triggered the memory of a few sentences.
"How did you get that video?" Marinette protested. "I suppose you're going to show that to everyone to humiliate me."
"What?" Lila said, putting her phone away. "Why would I do that?"
"Because you asked me about Adrien the second we met, and I knew you liked him right away. And then I ruined it for you at the party."
"That was a hard night…" She trailed off. "I found it incredibly hard to believe, so I did some snooping, and found this video on Adrien's laptop."
She didn't like Adrien in the slightest, but Lila's words kind of stung. Would it be that hard to believe if she was actually dating Adrien?
She looked back at Lila who was busily tapping away on her phone. She then groaned, realizing that another copy was just made.
"I'll delete it right away," said Lila, putting her phone back in her pocket. "I just wanted you to believe me before I make this proposal."
"What proposal?"
"I don't know why Adrien is deciding to blackmail you for this video, but at least now I know that you like Nathanael."
Marinette felt her face turn red. "What's your point?"
"I like Adrien. I'll help you win Nathanael if you help me win Adrien."
Marinette opened her mouth, but hesitated to say anything. She wasn't expecting this at all. Well, the last week has been one huge surprise. By now, she should have suspected for something else surprising to happen.
Marinette bit on her bottom lip. She knew one thing for sure. Lila was probably way scarier than Adrien if she got on her bad side. Plus, she seemed to be someone who was willing to help – despite it being for her own personal gain. She wasn't in Agreste territory. She was in Rossi territory. If she played her cards right, she could be back in Paris and off to the camp in, maybe, a week or two.
"How can I do that?" Marinette finally said. "He's practically keeping tabs on me. He even made me give up my phone to use this temporary one." Marinette took her phone from out of her pocket. She clicked on the home screen and was immediately welcomed to a few text messages from the devil himself. "He said he even checks who I'm texting or calling to make sure I'm not calling a friend back in Paris."
"That's so unlike him…" Lila murmured, leaning over to read the messages that Marinette decided to open up.
How's your lessons? Send me pics so I know you're not slacking.
"Lessons?" Lila questioned.
"He's making me take lessons with Anthony to improve my posture and face and everything. He even has scheduled dates for us." Marinette started on her rant rampage. It felt so good for her to finally say this to someone.
"I don't know why he would do any of that, but I only see him once a year. I guess he's changed." Lila looked so confused – almost like she was contemplating her crush on him. Marinette hoped his so-called sudden change wasn't enough for Lila's unrequited love to immediately end.
"Why am I wearing this riding outfit?" Marinette decided to ask. "I don't think your family would appreciate an outsider being near you and the horses."
Lila shook her head. "I told my family you were my penpal from Paris. I told them we were bestfriends. And, well, I thought today would be a great day to start my plan."
"Which is?"
"Nathanael loves horses. He's really good at riding them too. I know he loves girls who love riding them with him. After the main event, my friends and I get to ride the horses around the ranch. I think that's a perfect place to start."
Marinette wasn't sure if it was. She knew absolutely nothing about horses, especially about how to ride them.
That's the end of the chapter! See you, hopefully, by friday or saturday! As usual, leave a favorite/follow and or review! Love you guyssssss!