Marinette couldn't breathe. She could hear Alya talking to someone but sound didn't register in her ears and air didn't register in her lungs. She gasped again, welcomed air that only helped the sobs escape her throat. She didn't want to waste her tears on Adrien Agreste. She just couldn't stop crying.

She could tell Alya was worried. She wouldn't have called someone if she wasn't scared. Marinette tried to muffle her cries into her pillow. Her bedroom door opened. Concerned hushed whispers quieted. Marinette didn't have the energy to lift her head so instead she focused on quieting her cries. A warm hand was placed on her shoulder. Someone crouched down and rubbed her back. "Hey Marinette." It was Rose. The calming voice was familiar and soothing but it did nothing to stop the sadness. "Alya called us." Marinette turned her head and looked at her and hiccuped.

"Why?" She asked. Her voice was hoarse from crying. Her lips were chapped and there was mascara smudges all over her pillow. She couldn't imagine how she looked but Rose's kind smile did not falter, she just continued to rub her back gently.

"She was worried. You haven't said a word about what happened." She looked past Marinette and motioned for someone to come in. A blue mug was placed on her bedside table. Marinette looked up and bit her lip.

Lila smiled at her weakly. "I hope you don't mind... I was practicing with Juleka when she got the call... I made you tea." She gestured to the cup so Marinette forced herself to sit up and took the cup shakily. The warm drink was good and it soothed her throat. She was grateful.

"Thanks." She hiccuped. She wiped her eyes as Lila settled at the edge of her bed.

"I really admire you as a dancer and a person so please just tell us what happened... Everyone is worried." Lila sipped from her own mug and gave Marinette an encouraging smile. "We can help if you just tell us." Marinette nodded slowly.

"Adrien Agreste happened." Marinette sighed and kept her hands wrapped around the coffee cup. Juleka appeared from the bathroom with makeup wipes and sat in front of her. Juleka wiped at her face like a mother would. The burn of mascara was fading and she felt better.

"What did he do?" Alya said from beside her. Marinette jumped at her voice. Marinette wasn't sure when Alya had walked in but she was glad her best friend was beside her.

"First," Juleka interrupted Alya. "Let's get her cleaned up and comfortable." Alya nodded and got up and began going through her drawers. Marinette laid back down and covered her sore eyes with her arm. She could hear Alya throwing clothes at the girls around her. Then a t-shirt landed on her stomach and a pair of sleep shorts were flung in her direction. Marinette gathered the sleep clothing and made her way to the bathroom. She was met with tear stained cheeks and red eyes. She looked away and didn't look at the mirror again as she changed. She took off her minimal jewelry and walked out. She could tell her hair was a mess but she didn't care.

Her friends were sprawled out on her bed and some on the floor. "Is this what the call a breakup sleepover?" She joked. The small smile felt wrong at the moment, it was like her whole body was sad.

Alya sat up from her fortress of pillows. "You guys broke up?" Marinette sighed at the question as all the girls perked up.

"We didn't breakup because we were never actually really... together." It was quiet.

Juleka broke the silence. "I don't get it. He was so..." She struggled to find the right words. She looked at Rose for help but only received a shrug.

Lila peeked out from her bundle of blankets. "Into you?" she offered and Juleka nodded.

"Yeah! Into you! I saw the way he looked at you during practices. It was like nothing else mattered to him." The words were like powerful shocks. She didn't believe him. She couldn't believe him because it made it that much worse. No matter how much she hated Chloe, she couldn't do that to her. She couldn't become a mistress. She couldn't become the other woman. The feeling of emptiness took root in her bones and she began to shake. She wasn't sure if she was sad or angry. She was sure it was a mixture of both.

She felt drops of water. She raised her finger to her cheeks and felt the slickness of water on her skin. She felt the teardrops hit her legs before she even realized that she was crying. Thinking about him made her feel so much pain. "Stop talking about him like that. He doesn't care about or for me. I wasn't anything but a distraction. He's engaged." It was completely quiet and Marinette took the time to compose herself once again. Though this time she wasn't so successful. The lump was beginning to form in her throat again and her eyes burned with unwanted tears.

She roughly wiped her eyes. She cursed her tears and Adrien Agreste. He didn't deserve them.

"Who's he engaged to?" Rose broke the silence because Alya was still fuming. Incoherent curses left her lips in mumbles Marinette couldn't quite catch.

Alya began hitting the pillows that surrounded her. Marinette didn't have the heart to tell her to stop. "He led you on even though he was engaged?!" Alya threw her hands in the in an exasperated gesture, letting the poor pillow recover from the assault.

"He's engaged to Chloe." Marinette answered Rose. Lila choked.

Juleka groaned. "As if it couldn't get any worse..." Rose placed her hand on Juleka's arm in a comforting gesture. "Chloe is honestly the worst human being alive." Marinetted laughed through her heartache.

"That just proves that they really do deserve each other." Lila added. Marinette picked up her lukewarm tea and tried to get it past the sorrow built up in her throat. She drank it as fast as she could, hoping to would settle that sick feeling under her skin.

Alya stood up suddenly and hugged her.  She was taken back until Alya squeezed her, "I'm sorry Mari... I know you really liked him." Alya's voice was tearful as if she shared her best friend's sadness.

Lila was the next one to join in on the hug. She closed her eyes and breathed out. "You deserve someone who would give you the world and more." Marinette nodded yet the tears still cascaded down her cheeks. She didn't think Lilia and her were close. Marinette never really had to help her during practice because Lila was an exceptional dancer. They had a few conversations during and after the callback but their friendship didn't extend to after practice. Marinette was thankful for the comfort. She needed all the comfort she could get.

Juleka and Rose enveloped her in a warm embrace. They breathed words of encouragement and of love. She let her cries escape her. Her sadness seemed to scream. She couldn't contain it anymore. Even though Marinette was wrapped up in her friends and their love for her, she still sobbed. She closed her eyes and told herself to remember this moment even if she was a mess. These were the people who love her. These were the people who wouldn't hurt her. She cried because she loved them. She cried because her heart was broken.

Surrounded by her friends, Marinette broke down. They all held her as she cried like they were hoping to put her back together. She cried and cried and cried. No matter how hard they squeezed or how many whispered words of reassurance and sympathy Marinette fell apart.

There was no stopping it.