"Dude, really? Mireille?" Nino's voice sanked into a whisper, as if someone would eavesdrop on our skype call. "You move fast."
"What can I say?" I smirked into the camera phone, I was already lounging on my comforter, hastily running a hand through my wet locks from the shower I just got out from. I rolled onto my stomach, getting a better look at Nino who had his eye basically millimeters from the camera. I laughed slightly, cuffing my smiling mouth which muffled my blush and feelings. "I'm kidding, it's serious, Nino."
He cocked an eyebrow, "Mhmmm." He whipped his body back from the camera, going back to the video game he was playing in the background, propping his phone just to see his face. "Well, good catch."
"Ha-ha. Anyways, how's Alya?"
He rolled his head, a satisfying crack coming from the stretch. "She's good… She took me to meet her parents.. They were interesting."
Now it was me cocking an eyebrow, "Somethin' you want to say there bud?"
"No… It's nothin. We're good! So, wanna tell me why you were so concerned with Marinette at lunch?" Nino flashed his teeth with a snarly grin.
Dumbfounded, "She looked like she was going to puke, not to mention I could literally feel her hatred seeping towards me." I was trying to get a hangnail, wincing in pain. "More than usual."
"Yeah, I'm really worried about her."
"Huh?" I paused biting my nails, struggling to look at the small screen that seemed to shrink more seeing he was no longer in view. "Didn't you think she was annoying?" Remembering all the times he had to bitch about her blocking his chances to get down-like literally down-on Alya. He was rummaging loudly beyond the screen.
"Eh? Did I say that? I guess since I'm practically hanging out with her all the time with Alya, she's actually a cool person. You're missing out, maybe you should come to terms or something…" His voice faded slightly.
"Are you sick? We're talking about Marinette, whose hated me since- I don't know actually. I don't even know what I did so I can't really apologize to that heartless wrench. I'm more concerned on why you're practically defending her. She's the one making my life a living hell!" I was spinning the phone around, I was basically hopping off the wall, as if the rage in my voice didn't do justice to how exasperated I felt.
A long paused stretched, only my huffs of exhaustion were audible. "Okay, maybe you shouldn't do anything. Yeah, forget what I said man."
"You're so weird man. You okay?"
"Yeah," He gave me a lopsided smile and a twinkle in his eye told me he was up to no good. "Alya's calling, text me later. See you tomorrow at Mireille's party."
"Okay, see ya' man-" The phone dinged showing me the time duration of the call that had just ended. Well that wasn't suspicious. I sighed and went back to texting Mirielle and procrastinating on my history homework.
…..
"Marinette, what's up?" Alya made her way down the beige and moldy themed hallways, I shut the locker and gave her my full attention. She practically skipped the rest of the way, bouncing right in front of me full of smiles.
"Nothing," I giggled, "Someone's happy."
"Just happy to see my bestfriend and for tonight! And that I've had three cups of coffee." No wonder she seemed so jittery.
"You're insane."
"A little." She turned to wave a little too friendly and little too shaky greeting to a group of people from her science class. I grabbed her elbow to lead her to lunch, but stopping abruptly remembering her boyfriend.
"Where's Nino?" She stopped dead in her tracks and eyed me with daggers that broke with water. "Where the fuck is he?" My defences were heightened, I could feel my pupils get larger and the adrenaline rush to my hands. Something I'd get when I encountered Adrien or akuma. Suddenly I was aware that the bags under her eyes weren't from the coffee jitters or exhaustion- Well it was exhaustion. She must've cried herself to sleep. And what seemed once were loving smiles were shaky ones, trying not to break down.
"I don't know…" She shook, her ombre hair creating a curtain around her face. I took her elbow again to guide her to block her shaking shoulders to a corner of lockers. Protecting her with my body and the raging aura. Wiping her eyes, she took a shaking breath. "He said we should take a break, and that things were moving too fast…"
"Oh, oh, Alya.." I hushed, "He's not worth it, hey, talk to me."
She wiped smudge eyeliner from her face. "No, I'll be okay. I kinda wanna um, reset my priorities. I think this will be good for us-Me." She tried to give a reassuring smile despite her shaking. "The deli will be sold out if we don't go.." She tried to brush past me but I trapped her more with my shoulder. She sighed, rolling her bloodshot eyes and stepping back from the path that I was blocking.
"I don't care. What happened? Where is he?" I looked over my shoulder, no sight of him.
"It's really nothing. We talked basically all last night. It was mutual… Mostly."
"Mostly. Oh okay. I swear to god if you're protecting him.." She saw my body tense, and stifled a laugh.
"Only because you would literally kill him."
"You know me so well.." I was only conscious of her now, setting my attention to the empty hall ways and the chatters coming from the lunch room. Giving up I turned when she touched my flexing arm.
"Let's skip." She gave me another smile, dragging me out of the corner and from my defending stance. "Let's skip the rest of the day."
Anxiety pierced me, my perfect attendance… I shook the thought away. She was my best friend and she was seriously hurting. She must've seen my stance that was replaced from anger to uncertainty. She looked like she was slapped with painful understanding.
"Nevermind, let's just go before it really gets sold out…" I grabbed her arm as she was practically dragging her feet to the lunch room. I dragged her with a wrenching force the opposite direction, where the front door was and where her station wagon was parked.
"Shutup, let's go get some starbucks and chocolate. We can binge out together."
…..
"Ladies, ladies, there's enough Nino to go around." Nino sat down in my seat, or the seat Mirielle designated the other day. I felt bad for the girl who she kicked out to let me sit as well. Irritated, I was determined to shoot down whatever confidence, whatever happiness he had right now for some small revenge for playing Alya.
"So Nino, how's your girlfriend?" I eyed him while leaning into a propped elbow on the lunch table, keeping Mirielle close to my free side.
He blushed or maybe it was the anger that sparked him. "We broke up. She wasn't right for me.." He suddenly played the 'sensitive guy with a bad past.' I was surprised to see the barbie dolls of the lunch table take the bait and coo at him. Cringing at how it backfired, I abruptly stood up, taking time to upright Mirielle who fell sideways at my absence. It took a while to convince her I was going to the bathroom, but I just wanted to get fresh air and cool my anger. Nino wasn't the one to play people, infact I thought he genuinely cared, genuinely loved Alya. I know I'm one to talk, ask all my exes, but seeing his behavior made me gag on my past's. I opened the school's front door, smiling at the ashamed teachers who went out for a smoke and who hid their cigarette from their student, totally not reprimanding me from breaking the school's "no one off school campus" rule. Rubbing the back of my head, cracking my neck, my eyes stumbled upon Marinette and a redhead crying into her shoulder. I recognized the car that would always be parked at Marinette's bakery or Nino's house. The past months I had gotten close to Alya, not to her other best friend's liking, and I found myself knocking on the passenger side door. Marinette jumped looking like a concerned and loving friend, like an angel, to a tiger protecting her cub. It was always entertaining to guess how much she hated me. I shrugged it off and to my favor, Alya rolled down the window but wasn't too pleased herself.
"Alya…" I started, leaning my weight on my hands that gripped the car door. "I'm sorry for what he did, it was totally uncalled for and.. I didn't think he'd do this. I'm just, really sorry." I noticed Marinette's eyes soften before I saw Alya's head nod. She sniffled loudly, turning her body from leaning in on Marinette.
"He's just a douche, he didn't even give me a real reason besides we were moving too fast… I mean,"She waved her hands in confusing gestures, biting her trembling lips before Marinette put her hand on her's. "I'll be fine, thank you."
"It just, doesn't seem like him. I know how much he cared about you…" I winced at her eyes that were going to overflow. "If you need someone, I'm going to talk some sense into him. This really doesn't seem like him.." She nodded, finally going mute in her sniffles and hand gestures. Marinette squeezed her hand again, surprisingly looking up to me without the usual 3rd degree.
"Adrien, we should be going before the teachers notice." I was a bit taken back but after turning over my shoulder to see the usual smoking crowd come back from their ashamed corners, I nodded. "Thanks." She looked as exhausted as Alya, I wanted to ask her what was wrong but decided not to overstep boundaries. I took a step back from the car and gave them somewhat of a wave. Not surprised to see Marinette look boringly into it, not wasting time backing out and speeding to god knows where.
…
"Marinette I can't move." She groaned from my bed. I had taken a shower in the meantime, not surprised to see that Alya had eaten half of the groceries.
"Wow can't see why," I motioned to an empty package of oreos and jar of peanut butter. "Come on, wash up and get ready for the party. Meet some new guys and doll yourself up." Seeing that it didn't motivate her I added, "I finished you dres-" She was already slamming the door to the bathroom. I laughed, happy that she was starting to return to her usual self. I knew they hadn't been dating for long and the fact that she was now ignoring me for her ladybug blog and her phone had made melancholy happy. I shimmied into a matching pair of black lace panties and bra that really showed off my nonexistent curves covered by layers of muscle. I put a large t-shirt on that I could practically swim in and stood in front of a body length mirror. Brushing my wet hair I realized how long my raven hair passed my shoulder blades, almost stopping at my bellybutton. It made me remember my freshman year, pigtails, really Marinette? I usually wore my hair in very messy buns or straight and sleek when I wasn't drawing and hastily wiping the falling hair away. It would always bothered me and suddenly I missed the pigtails, but not by much. Alya had came out right when I was in between blowdrying and straightening my hair. Her golden complexion was already coming back to her, and my ivory one contrasted as she shared the mirror with me. As well as the blow dryer. Fumbling with eyeliner, I turned to my Alya, holding it like a child who just accidently broke their favorite new toy. After some pleading, a bit crying and puppy dog eyes she finally surrendered and started brushing the bangs that fell past my freshly plucked eyebrows and to my eyelashes out of my face.
"Mari, you don't even need makeup." She was expertly putting liquid liner and executing a perfect and clean wing of black above my oval eyes. "Really." She finished, falling back to her heels. She had already began putting foundation and contouring her sharp cheekbones.
"It's just eyeliner and mascara, you were blessed with such big and beautiful eyes." She was starting to look like the group of girls Adrien had started sitting with. Jealousy wavered in my gut, okay I shouldn't be this jealous of her eyes.
"And blessed with glasses?" She shot a glance inbetween putting mascara on.
"Come on you haven't worn them since sophomore year," I walked to the radio and to turn up a song, I See Stars, The Hardest Mistakes remix. I happily started dancing like a dork, that received an amused grin from Alya who switched doing the other eye. It felt like a fitting song for the both of us. A knock interrupted me hopping on my bed, I sprinted to the opening hatch. My mom heaved herself up, leaving her legs dangle through it.
"You look gorgeous girls! How long will you be staying out?" She herself looked gussied up.
"Uh, we'll be home around 11? Why?" I eyed her carefully.
"Oh well your father and I will be out until Sunday. I thought I told you?"
"Nope." I turned my back from her. "You haven't been talking to me much."
"I know, we've both been busy." She looked down at her hands. So I'm part to blame too, huh. I shook my head. "I love you, Mari."
I sighed, rolling away the tears from my eyes. Alya stopped doing whatever she was doing to her eyelashes and what looked like a clamp, awkwardly not trying to hide her prying. I didn't want to damper our night, so I successfully pulled out my understanding and accepting smile. "Love you too. Just text me the details okay? You probably have to go now," I gestured to her zip winter jacket, "We'll be fineee. Right, Alya?"
Fooled, Alya nodded her head excessively. " Of course! Leave your precious daughter in my care." She swung her arm around my shoulder showing a toothy grin.
"Very well. I trust you girls, be safe okay? Love you both!" I could hear my dad shout from down below. I gave a shy wave to my wavering mom. She slowly and cautiously made her way down the ladder. I turned to Alya who raised an eyebrow at me.
"You didn't tell me you had the house to yourself,"
"I just found out!" It came out harshly than intended, laughing it off I reassured her by asking her to sleep over another night to pig out. "C'mon, pick out what you like." I yanked open my closet, revealing two dresses still on their mannequins and rows of designs I've created. She was in a daze, as if the tight black dress with crossing straps in the front, it's reflecting material making it look leather, beckoned her to it. She turned to give me a winking smile as I took out a navy blue sweetheart dress with a netting halter top collar. It was a shade or two lighter than my own hair color, I felt shy that it stopped a little shorter than mid thigh, but after looking at how Alya's short dress tightly gripped her thighs made it better, that mine was flowy from the cloth belt that hugged my small waist. She looked like a black candle, he ombre hair curled like a flame. I was jealous of her curves, and on how confident she was in her body. I mean I would be too if I looked like her, Nino was really missing out.
"Wait! Mari, come here." She was tugging off her black sleek heels and handing me a dark red pair that complimented the navy. I took them in my hands as we stood at the open hatch on the floor. She held out a lipstick of the same color and beckoned me to come closer. I did, eyeing it warily. She gently lifted my chin to coat my lips and hugged me tightly afterwards. "Thank you, so much. For everything." I hugged her with just as much force.
"No, thank you." My heart felt heavy with all the unsaid drama and anxiety that silently filled my head. I shook it off deciding I wasn't going to ruin a night we both desperately needed. With another spray of Miss Dior perfume we were climbing down the ladder, clammering to get on our shoes and our matching petticoats. With that, we made our way to Mireille's house-Or should I say mansion? Whatever it was, her parents were well off as well as close with the police department, seeing no one arrived on any noise complaints. We gave each other an excited and exasperated look and then linked arms as we made our way up the steps. "Ready?"
Her cold air filled the air after a refreshing sigh. "Ready." She smiled reassuringly at me. I grinned wider, already feeling the heat admit from the house. We both needed this distraction like we needed explanations.
...
I'm really excited for this story to play out. This was a quickie, I promise another one soon. Hopefully you'll guys will enjoy and are excited for it as I am. I have the links to the dresses I used as reference, if any of you guys would like to see for yourself. I'm not the greatest person at descriptions but oh-well, I'm always trying to improve. XOXO Thanks for reading, and for the reviews! :^) Until next chapter.