< Monday >

The loud cheers of the crowd had Marinette pumped up. She grabbed her guitar and went out on stage, the cheers filling her ears. She yelled out to all of them, and they yelled back at her, making her feel more proud of herself than she could ever feel.

This was what she wanted. This was what she had ever dreamed of. When she was little, she had been a nobody; nobody talked about her, nobody ran up to her to get autographs. But then she had started joining competitions since she was 7 years old, and made her way up to the Popularity Board.

Now she was 17, everyone cheering for her, everyone calling and yelling out her name. Marinette smiled widely and started played her guitar, the cheers getting louder.

Then she started singing; singing out to all of them, singing out the new song she had made and had been ready to share.

She was happy, proud of herself. But as she was ending her song, she had looked up, and saw her. She gulped at the sight of her. Marinette didn't want to see her to be here.

The woman never came to any of her shows, never showed any sign of care. Marinette kept on her smile anyway, and finished off her song. She then quickly existed the stage, breathing hard.

She had to talk to her, ask her why she was here. Did she come to ask her for more money again? Did she come to make trouble?!

After everyone congratulated her, she had looked up again, and there she was, staring at the woman.

"Marinette, it's time to leave," She spoke boldly. She turned her back and started leaving, Marinette following with a sigh and a look of annoyance.

"That..." She spoke. "That was a good performance. Well done, Marinette."

"Thank you," Marinette muttered. "Mom."

Her mother chuckled and unlocked the car, telling her to get in. "Marinette, don't give me that attitude. I was just congratulating you, which I haven't done in such a very long time."

"Oh please," Marinette rolled her eyes. "We both know the only reason why you're being so nice is because you need something. You never come to any of my performances, so why now?!" She huffed and got inside the car.

"Marinette," She shook her head and started the car. "How would you know that I need something from you?!"

"The only reason why you and Dad ever love me is because I make money and you need the money," Marinette replied with a cold look, turning the other way. "You don't love me as a daughter. You just love me because I make money!"

"Marinette, stop that attitude this instance!" She growled at her, stepping on the brakes hard. "At least be thankful... I'm giving you a ride back home."

"I have my own car!"

"So why didn't you take it?!"

"Because Alya offered to give me a ride," Marinette turned down to her guitar. "Anyway, lets not talk about this anymore. I don't need you to come pick me up after my shows. It's not really necessarily!"

"So how much money have you made this week?" Marinette rolled her eyes at the question, her annoyance rising up.

"I won't answer. If you want money so bad, make some on your own!"

They arrived back home and Marinette was quick to step out of the car, running towards the house with her guitar and other materials that she had brought with her.

Just one more year. She told herself. One more year, and you can finally get out of here!

She ran upstairs to her room, making sure not to meet her Dad, because then she would have to talk and answer all his questions. She shut her door, locking it, and took a large breath.

These weren't her real parents!

Andy and Hannah had adopted her at age of 3, the age where she barely knew of her real parents. She wanted to find her parents, but how could she when she didn't even know how they looked like.

Her adoptive parents had a different last name, which was Dubois, but Marinette wanted to be known as a Dupain-Cheng. In all honesty, it angered Andy and Hannah to the core, because everyone had been pointing at them, calling them unwanted parents.

It wasn't nice, but Marinette didn't care.

Marinette took another deep breath and placed all her items on her bed. She stretched, thinking about the busy day she had yet again had. She then laid down, her mind wandering off like it usually did.

"Marinette, there's no need to think about your parents. We have some adults here that would like to take a look at you."

She had looked up, her sight a bit blurry as she had just woken up from her sleep. A sleep with yet another nightmare of the situation that her real parents would be in. New faces had looked back at her, and she had shuddered.

"Marinette, oh you look so cute and sweet," Hannah had picked her up, hugging her as if she was the mother. Marinette had felt uncomfortable, but she had accepted it.

She had been told-your real parents abandoned you. Now you have to deal with these new ones. It was either live the rest of her life with no parents, or deal with new ones, and she had accepted the second option.

"Marinette!"

Marinette groaned and rolled off her bed, feeling disturbed. She had thought she would love her parents like she had imagined-she had imagined having such a great life with her new parents, but her life was quite the opposite of it.

It was either "give me this" or "give me that". They were always asking her for money, telling her it was of good purpose. It wasn't.

Instead they spent her money with friends, bought drinks, relaxed at home, with no jobs at all.

They were pathetic and lazy.

"Marinette!" Andy called out again, and Marinette opened her door, walking downstairs with a usual annoyed look on her face.

"Yes?"

"Marinette, we're out of groceries," Andy exclaimed, opening the empty fridge. "Could you fish out some money to lend me so I can go buy some groceries?"

"Money doesn't grow on trees," Marinette growled back, folding her arms.

"Yes, I know that," Andy glared at her. "But I also know that you made money at your new performance. How much."

"She refuses to speak of it," Hannah spoke. "This girl is becoming a brat. Listen Marinette, we raised you! We fed you when you couldn't, treated you with kindness. Now it's your turn to do the same! Return the favor!"

It was a lie-Marinette was sure to know of that. They had barely raised her. Instead they left the house, paid some people to take care of her while they weren't home. Marinette was around her baby-sitters more that she was with her parents. She knew her baby-sitters way more than she knew of these pathetic excuses of parents.

She sighed anyway, and lent them money. She would have already left this place-she would have already asked to live with some of her friends, but she didn't, because she didn't want others knowing of her situation, and she didn't want to be too much of a burden to them as well.

She would have bought her own house and lived there, but she wasn't old enough.

One more year, she told herself again. One more year and I'm getting out of here!

❣❣❣

< Wednesday >

"Marinette, you're late!" Alya Cèsaire, one of Marinette's best friends, sighed as she grabbed her arm and started dragging Marinette inside the school. "What's the excuse this time?!"

"Sorry, Alya, I was just busy with... You know what," Marinette grumbled. Only Alya knew of her family problems, which showed just how close they were. It had been hard for Marinette to come out of the closet and tell her best friend about the problem.

It wasn't just hungry-eating animals that lived with her, but abusive as well. Andy and Hannah never had the guts to touch or hit Marinette as she was popular now, but sometimes Marinette could always hear them screaming at each other, throwing things at each other. It made her sick to the stomach.

"Alright, I'll let this one pass, but only because of them," Alya had agreed to not speak of their names in school or public. "But tomorrow, you have to come early. Tiki is running for school president, and she would need both of our help."

Tiki Sondra was another one of their best friends, but Marinette wasn't as close to her as she was with Alya, so she didn't share as much secrets as she did with Alya. Tiki didn't even know about her family problems, and Marinette wasn't planning on telling her anytime soon.

"Alright, don't worry," Marinette promised. "I'll make sure to leave for school before those two start bothering me. I'll make sure to get here early."

Alya nodded. "Anyway, you better get to your class. I'll see you at lunchtime."

Marinette headed to her locker and opened it. Instantly a huge wave of letters and notes fell from her locker. Marinette groaned as she picked one up and read it, realizing it was a love letter from a boy she didn't even know about.

"Seems like you're still getting love letters even when you tell them not to," A voice spoke behind her, startling her a bit.

Marinette turned around and waved. "Hey Adrien. What's up?"

Adrien shrugged, shutting his locker and facing her. "Um, after school, I have something important to tell you. Don't worry, I'm not asking you out. It's just about my father."

Marinette quickly nodded. Adrien Agreste was the only boy she knew that didn't ask her out, or do any types of those things like the rest of the boys. He knew she hated it, so maybe that was why he didn't even bother.

"Alright then, I'll see you after school," Marinette waved at him as he walked out of the locker room. She grabbed her books as well and shut her locker, before heading to her first class.

As she walked down the hallway, lots of students and teachers walked up to her, telling her how amazing her performance had been last night. She just nodded and thanked them, before continuing to walk to her class.

In all honesty, she didn't mind this attention before, but she was beginning to find it annoying. Maybe she could have a press conference or something, and tell everyone to treat her like a normal person once she was in school.

She entered her class and all class were on her. She was glad to know that her first class didn't have Chloe Bourgeois, or any other of her enemies in it. Chloe Bourgeois still hated her to the core for all the attentions and respect she was getting. She wasn't surprised to see Adrien there though.

Her first class was Art. She always had Art on Wednesdays and Fridays, and she was always sitting in the front row with Adrien.

They didn't talk much in class-they weren't even close enough to be friends. Marinette hadn't bothered to talk to him, or make friends with him, after all Adrien loved being by himself. Actually, the only friends Adrien even hung out with was Nino Lahiffe and Plagg Nelson.

Quickly Marinette took her seat right beside Adrien. It was said from all the students that she and Adrien were the best artists in class, but she herself didn't think so.

They had two Art teachers, one a female who always taught on Fridays, and the other one a male who taught on Wednesdays. Right now it was the male's turn to teach the class.

Jérôme LeClerc walked up to the front with his usual strict look. "I heard that you all did well on your last art project. Well done. All your designs were absolutely fabulous!"

The whole class nodded, patting themselves on their backs at the well done the teacher had said they did.

"Now for your next project, you will be partnered up," Jérôme continued. "You are to make a painting of any famous person you know. Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste are off the list."

Marinette blushed, looking down once she heard a few of the art students groan silently to themselves. Adrien didn't say anything, didn't do anything to react to what the teacher had just said.

"You will be partnered with whoever is sitting right next to you, so you don't really get to decide."

Adrien turned to Marinette with a smile. "Huh, I guess we're working together."

"Yeah," Marinette nodded. She and Adrien had never worked together in a project before, and if they ever did, it wouldn't be just them, it would instead be a group of four or five.

Jérôme took out a large painting canvas. "This is how big your painting is going to be. Now, before I give you your canvas, you are to think of the famous person you would paint. I'll give you 15 minutes. Next two weeks, on Friday, you can hand in your project. Alright, you may now start!"

"Who do you think we should do?" It was a bit of a surprise to Marinette to hear Adrien ask her that question. She thought maybe Adrien would pick for them, but she shrugged off that thought.

"Let's do your father," Marinette decided. It would make Adrien or Gabriel happy to hear that she wanted to do him, right? "What do you think?"

"Wow, I've done this project with multiple of others, and no one had ever suggested we do my Father," Adrien looked surprised. "Well, sure, if that's what you want."

"You're letting me decide?"

"I don't really mind on who we do," Adrien shrugged, not seeming bothered at all. "I'll ask for our painting materials. Just wait here."

Marinette nodded. She watched as Adrien stood up and started walking over to Jérôme, and that's when she heard some giggles from some girls.

She turned her head around, and caught some girls' eyes, them giggling at something for some reason. She figured it was because she and Adrien were partnered together, but she brushed that idea aside and just turned back to the front.

Adrien soon returned after that, but empty-handed. "He said we had to do a rough draft first."

"Of course. A rough draft is always needed in this class," Marinette chuckled. Suddenly she felt a shiver up her spine. She didn't know why she suddenly shuddered. It was either the thought of working together with Adrien Agreste.

Or the fact that the same giggling girls were now secretly taking pictures of her and Adrien.

❣❣❣

Word Count: 2488 (excluding this)
- Edited -