WIP (omg it's only) Wednesday: 5/11/22
I was all set to wrap this up Sunday night/Monday, and then that stupid Brielle Girard - who wasn't even supposed to be in this chapter - stuck her stupid head in, and the next thing I knew there was an additional 4k and growing and I have no idea what's happening. That's a lie - I know EXACTLY what's happening. I just haven't had time to write it down yet.
This week will end eventually and I'll have time/energy to finish this, right? 😂 (Our dish guy's been out since Friday, so I've been spending a lot of time in the dish pit this week. I've actually been (mostly) enjoying it, but it's also been a Messy Week and I'm coming home a sludge!pudddle. 😬)
The walk to the school was almost uncomfortably silent. Juleka watched her boots the entire way, absently nibbling on her lip as her thoughts spiraled and darkened. Rose watched the sidewalk, looking for any sign of a dressed-up Luka on his bike. By the time they reached the school, she was frowning, too.
She hadn’t spotted him the entire way, and his bike wasn’t chained up out front.
“…maybe he went to get actual flowers,” Rose hummed, tapping her fingers against her hips. “Maybe he’s actually putting some effort into this.”
“Rose…” Juleka sighed, groaning as she reached up and scrubbed at her face. “Babe. What happens if he doesn’t show up?”
Rose’s head whipped in her direction, her eyes narrowed and her lips pressed into a thin line.
“What?” she hissed. Juleka groaned again and lowered her hands, biting her lip as she looked at Rose. She ignored the kohl smudging her fingers – they’d both need to stop by the bathrooms to touch up their makeup at this point.
“What happens if my idiot brother does not come to this dance?” she asked as patiently as she could manage. If possible, Rose’s expression became even more pinched. “What happens when he doesn’t show, just like he’s been telling us will happen all week? What happens when Marinette is standing at those doors, waiting for someone who doesn’t even exist, and Luka doesn’t show up to make everything better?”
“He’s going to show up, Juleka,” Rose snapped. “Your brother isn’t that stupid.”
“Oh my God, you don’t even know him, do you?” Juleka groaned, tugging on her hair. Rose opened her mouth to answer, but Juleka was already turning on her. “Rose, you need to tell them what you’ve done. I told you this wasn’t going to work – I told you Marinette didn’t want any of us meddling anymore, and Luka is stupid and would push back, and they’re both about to get their hearts broken for nothing. You have to tell them. You have to fix this.”
“I am fixing this, Juleka!” Rose cried, stomping her foot. “You just need to have a little faith, ok? Everything is going to be fine! Luka will be here – he has to! He wouldn’t dare break Marinette’s heart like that!”
“He would if he doesn’t even realize he’s the one breaking it!” Juleka shouted, making Rose flinch at her volume. “Fuck, Rose! He’s not even…he’s breaking it by proxy! You’re the asshole here! If Marinette and Luka end up miserable and alone with fifty or six hundred whatevers after tonight it’s going to be your fault, not theirs!”
They both froze, turning to stare up the steps with wide, unblinking eyes. Marinette stood above them, a white shawl wrapped around her bare shoulders, watching them with a concerned frown on her lips. She shifted a little uncomfortably, tightening the shawl around her as a cold breeze blew past.
“Is…is everything all right?” she asked.
