Because He Loved Me First

5

Walking in school in such a slow motion was dreadful, so Marinette started walking faster, and maybe that may have been a bad thing, because the next thing she knew, she had bumped into someone. She rubbed her head and picked up her fallen backpack from the floor, before looking up. Of course it was Adrien. She quickly turned around, not even caring that she was going the wrong way now, but just wanted to get away from Adrien.

"Hey! Wait up." Marinette gritted her teeth when she heard Adrien call for her. She started walking faster, up until the point that she started running. When she turned to look behind her, she widened her eyes to see that Adrien was following. Quickly, she rushed out of the school. What the heck was she even doing now? Why wasn't Adrien leaving her alone? Why did he care?!

Marinette then stopped and looked around her. Screw school. She was just going to lie to her parents like she always did, she was going to tell her parents that she had been feeling so sick that she left school, but got lost and didn't make it home. If her parents could believe that she was doing okay in school, she was sure they would believe this lie too.

"Marinette, please wait. I'm sorry."

Marinette continued walking away, not even sure where she was going anymore. Adrien continued to call out for her, and then Marinette felt a hand on her shoulder. She stopped short and turned around, seeing Adrien behind her now. How had he caught on so quickly?

"Why are you heading away from school, Marinette. I don't mean to chase you away."

Marinette gulped. How could a guy be incredibly nice even after what everyone else had told him? How could he believe just one girl over a whole bunch of students. It just didn't make any sense. It didn't make any sense at all. Marinette balled her hands into fists, but finally decided it was time to make it all clear for Adrien. "If I give you a reason on why you should leave me alone, would you do it?!"

Adrien stared at her for a while, before he cracked a smile. "Just as long as the reason is good enough." He must have been enjoying the fact that Marinette had finally talked to him, probably getting the idea that after this, they would be friends.

"Fine!" Marinette wasn't too afraid now to grab his hand and drag him inside a random store. She closed the door and turned to Adrien, taking a deeper breath before trying to decide on how to start. "Adrien," It felt so good to say that. This was the first time she'd ever said his name out loud. "Listen carefully, because this is going to be the only time I say this. You may think you're helping me by being all nice," Yeah Marinette, tell him everything. Tell him how you feel! ". . . But you're actually making things worse for me. Before you came to this school, I was ignored, I didn't have that much attention and I liked it that way, but then you show up, you give me this attention I don't even want, and now everyone is talking about me again. Everyone is giving me attention and it's the worse kind. I advise you to stay away from me, not just because others say you should, but because it's going to make me feel better. I like keeping to myself, so stop wasting your time!" After saying all those words out loud, she took in a large sum of air and looked down at the floor, hoping that Adrien got it now. If he listened, then her parents' business would still be on, Chloe wouldn't be so cruel to shut it down.

Adrien stared at her again, for a while, without saying any words. Marinette was sort of afraid that he would start crying or something, or worse, start making fun of her, teasing her at how she'd thought he would ever care about her. Of how wrong she was that he might even have the slightest care.

"When I walked inside that class for the first time," Adrien suddenly said, looking at her face, "you were the only one who stayed back while everyone else gathered around me like little mosquitoes begging for blood. That's why I looked at you, took interest in you. I was just. . .a little surprised."

"Why, because you think everyone are the same as the students in class, always coming to you?" Marinette exclaimed, though she admitted it was a bit rude, but she hoped Adrien got the hint anyway.

"Well actually, yeah," Adrien shrugged. "I guess I understand what you mean by not wanting too many attentions, maybe because that's what I want too. Basically what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry. You can't force people to be your friends, and I guess the way I'd been around you, it kinda looked like that."

Marinette had her mouth hanging opened a little, surprised that she'd even hear Adrien say those words. Even though she was glad that he understood, she still kind of felt bad. "You want to be my friend?" She found herself saying those words before she could even stop herself.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do. I may not know you that well, but I have a feeling we could really hit it off well."

"Well. . . I'm sorry, Adrien, but we can't be friends, and not just because everyone else in school doesn't want us to be, but. . ." But in 14 days, I'll be gone and then you'll forget about me, and then it would turn out that trying to befriend me was all for nothing; a waste of time, you would regret doing it, wish the times you'd wasted on me would be given back to you. "I don't want to be your friend. Sorry you wasted all those time on me." Marinette opened the door and left the store, leaving Adrien to think about what she had just said.

When she exited the store, Marinette could feel her heart stop for a second at who was in front of her. How had Chloe found them? Had she followed them? But now she was going to get the wrong idea, which was something Marinette hadn't wanted at all.

"I guess you really don't listen, huh?" Chloe chuckled. She looked back at the door, before stepping away from Marinette. "We'll see how you pay for this disobedience."

And for the first time ever, Marinette was actually afraid of her.