Slowly But Surely

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

She was trapped.

This time, there was no escape.

Marinette swallowed nervously.

''I'm n-not trying to rush anybody, b-but if you guys are done eating, can we go back to L-Luka's house p-please?"

Marinette was shaking with fear at this point. She couldn't stop her fingers fromtrebling,so she stuffed them in the side pocket of her purse.

Luka and Kagami looked at each other nonplussed.

"Are you cold?" Kagami asked confusedly.

Marinette kept a close eye on the group. Everyone was their this time, including Adrien. They hadn't spotted her yet. Her heart was racing a thousand miles an hour, and it felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Breath, Marinette." Tikki said encouragingly from the purse.

Marinette took a deep breath and calmed herself. She might get akumatized, or worse. She needed to keep her emotions in check.

"A-are you guys done eating?" She asked, trying and failing to conceal the urgency in her voice.

Lila spotted her.

No, No, No, Marinette thought frantically.

She was walking toward them.

"Okay! Great! Let's pay and get out of here." She said with false energy.

Thank goodness the restaurant is crowded, the bluenette thought.

They paid, and almost made it to the door without being spotted.

Almost.

Not crowded enough.

"There she is!" Someone shrieked.

No.

She felt someone grab her arm.

Alya.

"You'll get what's coming to you at school, you bully." Alya hissed in her ear.

Kagami noticed this exchange and sent Alya a look cold enough to freeze a desert. Alya backed away several steps.

Luka reappeared a second later, apparently, he had lost them in the crowd.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Nothing, we were just about to leave." Marinette said.

The bluenette watched as her classmates sent her looks of loathing.

She pretended not to notice as she walked outside into the cold night.

It was much colder than expected outside. Well, to even say that was an understatement. It was freezing.

"Mari, you okay?" Luka asked.

He sounded very concerned. The last thing Marinette wanted to do was to make him worry.

Luka took off the black sweatshirt that he was wearing and gave it to her.

"What about you? Luka, you'll freeze!" She exclaimed.

He simply chuckled.

"Well, we better get to the car soon then. I have a sweatshirt lying around there somewhere."

Luckily, since Luka had parked close, the trio did not have to walk that far.

They dropped off Kagami first, then Marinette. Marinette started to take the sweatshirt off when they arrived at the bakery, but Luka refused it.