SLOWLY FALLING FOR YOU (α∂яιєηєттє)

Chap. 24

I took a sip of water from my bottle, placed it down on the floor and looked up, Father seemed to be busy talking to a lot of people, that he hadn't even said any word to me. I mean, not that it really mattered, but I just wanted to talk to him about this career he was picking out for me. What did I get out of this anyway? What was the point of all the money I got if he hardly even let me go out to buy whatever I wanted? Instead he told me to focus on my work as I would have it for the rest of my life. When he had said that to me before, I hadn't believed he was actually being serious, but now my eyes had finally been opened and I could clearly see that there was no way he was letting go of me.

I heard someone sitting down right next to me, and when I turned around, it was Lila herself. She smiled at me, but I didn't return it. Then she sighed, hanging her head low. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know you're mad at me. If it wasn't for me, rumors about you playing Marinette and I wouldn't have been all over the news. I tried explaining it to some people, but I'm not sure if they got me. . . I've never had this much attention on me before. I really hate it."

You should've just let people believe Marinette was my girlfriend! You shouldn't have gotten in the way! I groaned in my head, restraining myself from opening my mouth and shouting at her. "It's. . ." I forced myself to say the words, not wanting to be rude because I still had my plan on figuring out how to get her off of Marinette. "It's okay, Lila. It wasn't your fault. I'll talk to Juleka when I get the chance." I brushed it off like it was a piece of cake. Serious, I don't know if there was a way I could get Juleka to talk to me. She'd been ignoring me ever since she made that post. . .and I don't even know her. There must be a reason why she did what she did! Does she hate me. . .?

"Anyway, what's that?" Lila then pointed over at the piece of paper I was holding unto. I stared down at it, reading all the words I'd written down. It was supposed to be my plan sheet. I wanted to write down all the fun things I wanted to do for each day of the week. I was getting a week break; I better make the most of it.

Lila took the paper from me and looked it over, before handing it back to me. "Oh, you're totally free all week? Well, the rest of us are too. . .we totally don't mind hanging out with you whenever you want, Adrien. I spoke with Nathalie and she told me about the break you were getting." She placed her hand on my arm. "I promise to make sure that you have fun during this week, okay?"

"Okay." I cleared my throat, removing her hand away from my arm. She quickly apologized, but I doubt she meant it. I looked down at the floor, trying to figure out what to say next. My next words had to be wise, a way to get to know more about Lila, that way it'd be easier to find proof of her being a cheater and a liar. "Lila. . ." I didn't look up as I thought more about the question I was going to ask, before I finally said it out loud. "Why do you like Marinette?"

"Huh?"

"I mean. . .she's been your best friends for years now, and you two seem really close. What are the reasons why you really love her as a friend? What makes her different from most people you've met?" I could see her face change for a bit, before she laughed and scratched her head.

"Oh, sorry. . .I was just confused there for a bit. I mean. . .I thought she already told you. . .about how she saved me. I was really helpless back then, such a loner with no one around to help me. When I was just six, my mother moved away from Paris after my father cheated on her. Back then, I was really blinded. . .I thought my father was the good guy. He lied to me, saying that my mother was the one who cheated on him. He introduced me to this new woman and told me to call her mom from now on. I listened obediently, but that woman became the reason for my father's new behavior. . ." She stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath before she continued. "If it hadn't been for Marinette, I would still be living in that house like a helpless maid being toyed by her so-called parents. She helped me escape from that prison. . .she was that light of hope I had been waiting for, and she finally came and took me away from my terrible life. Her family was such sweethearts, and I remember myself always being jealous of how perfect and happy she was with her parents. I remember wishing I was her. . .in fact, I still do.