Aftermath - Ch 3: Turning Point
Chapter 3: Turning Point
Marinette considered her face in the mirror. Her skin was pale and oily. She needed a shower, but she couldn’t manage that simple task. And the bags under her eyes were darker than ever. She couldn’t even sleep right despite spending twelve hours in bed.
“You can’t go every day.”
Marinette’s gaze shifted behind her reflection to her best friend who was combing her hair gently.
“Why not?”
“Because you’re not okay,” Alya said and Marinette hated that she couldn’t argue. “And you’re trying to do too much.”
“It’s not like I’m doing anything worthwhile at home. At least at Adrien’s, I’m doing something.”
Alya didn’t meet her eyes, instead remaining focused on sectioning her dark hair into two halves. Marinette didn’t really want her hair in pigtails. It was too much a reminder of all things Ladybug. But she didn’t really have the energy to object either.
“You need to go to your therapy appointments at least,” Alya insisted.
“Why? It doesn’t help. My hand isn’t going to heal. They’ve already said as much.”
“Occupational therapy is not just about improving. It’s about learning how to use your hand as it is now.”
“I’m sure I’ll figure it out,” Marinette grumbled, though she had no intention of doing so. She had yet to even pick her stretching exercises back up and she didn’t see that changing.
“You don’t have to figure it out. That’s what your therapist is for.”
Marinette let out a deep sigh. “Look, Adrien needs me.”
Alya shook her head. “Adrien will be just fine for the 90 minutes a week it takes you to get there, have the session, and get back.”
Marinette didn’t bother to respond. She had nothing to say to that. Alya was right, but Marinette didn’t want to go.
“He would want you to go,” Alya said, echoing her thoughts. “It would kill him to know you were neglecting yourself for his benefit.”
Marinette glanced at her purse hanging off her desk chair that still held the Ladybug earrings.
She wasn’t going to admit to Alya the real reason there was no point in going to her appointments. There wasn’t any point in relearning how to use her hand if she wasn’t going to stick around.