It started out as any other day, Marinette was getting ready for school, saying goodbye to her mother, whom was drinking tea by the counter. And she walked to school with Alya. This was her usual routine, her normal routine anyway. As Ladybug she fought akumas alongside Chat Noir, she saved Paris every now and then but yet, for some reason slowly she hasn't been feeling like herself lately. Wake up, go to school, hang out with friends, save the day, help around the shop, do some home work, sketch some design she may not have time to make because of all the akuma attacks, then go to bed. Sure it was more exciting than any other average teenager's life style. She got used to too fast too quickly which was a good thing, but she was bothered by something. The rush of adrenaline she would feel as Ladybug helped her cope with that feeling for some time now. She wanted to get rid of that feeling in her chest, spending time at school would distract her now and then, laughing,
That feeling she was feeling, she got this feeling after saving Chat Noir from Dislocoeur, after that kiss. Even though Chat had no memory of it, why was she left with this feeling.
Most people would call that feeling guilt. She felt guilty, why most would ask. Well that's a question with an obvious answer. In a way she had felt as though she had betrayed Adrien, her crush, her love. Even though she doesn't really have any actual conversations with him. But her heart did belong to him. Even though she kissed Chat in order to save him, she felt as though she had too. Her first kiss was given to Chat and he had no knowledge of it. That should make her feel better, that he had no idea she did such a thing. But the kiss isn't what she was feeling guilty about. It was the fact that deep down she might have enjoyed it even though she had to.
The more she thought about it the more she felt that feeling of dread in her chest. Her heart belonged to Adrien and only him.
"Hey, earth to Marinette?" Alya was waving her hand in front of her face for a while before the secret heroine even noticed it.
"Oh sorry, just lost in thought." Her best friend handed her a piece of paper. "What's this?" She examined it for a moment.
"It's for the final project, the teacher randomly paired up the class into two, and guess who your partner is?" Wait hopefully it wasn't Chloe, she had enough of being paired up with her, Marinette didn't even feel like talking to her let alone look at the spoiled rotten girl. It was not a good time. Alya observed Mainette;s expression, and knew she was hoping it wasn't Chloe.
"Don't worry, Chloe is not your partner. Trust me it's someone way better!" Alya's tone was full of glee, which caught Marinette's curiosity.
"Alright then, spill the beans, who is my partner?"
Alya motioned her index finger towards Adrien. And the reaction she was expecting was well unexpected.
"Really? That's pretty cool!" She was still feeling a bit ashamed but because of that feeling, in a way kept Marinette's overload of any emotion what so ever to a limit.
"I thought you would be more excited! You rarely get to talk to him, and now you get to spend the next month working on this project with him!" In fact she was, but for some reason she couldn't show it like she usually did.
"I am, I'm screaming on the inside, wouldn't want to scare him off now do I?" Alya thought for a moment.
"Since when did you get to mature, and without me!" Marinette couldn't help but giggle. "Well I have to get going, I need to look after the shop while my parent's go out to buy some ingredients." Alot of the bakery's ingredients were freshly made in the country, by some relatives so they needed to go out of town for a bit.
"Alright, see you later then." Just as she walked out the door of the classroom she was stopped by her least favorite person in the world.
"I hear, you're paired up with Adrien?" Chloe stood in front of her arms crossed and glaring.
"And your point is?" What did she want to do switch partners or something?
"Switch partners with me! Who knows If I'll be able to find an opportunity to go to his house for a month." Marinette really didn't have time for this.
"No, besides if we switched partners that would upset the teacher and then there would have been no point in her picking each pair randomly." That and she just wanted to get home. She was still upset at herself, no matter how many times she convinced herself that there was no reason to be upset she was. She then started to leave ignoring Chloe.
"Don't walk away from me!" The blonde grabbed Marinette's shoulder, why now she thought to herself. Why is she bothering her now? She gave her an honest straight forward answer, but this WAS Chloe, she wanted things her way, she was stubborn and right now Marinette hated that.
"Listen, No means no, are you that dumb that you don't know the meaning of a simple word." She pulled away from Chloe only to feel her go for her twin tails, but before she could Marinette dodged out of the way. Something Chloe didn't anticipate, she lost her balance and fell to the ground face first as Marinette continued to walk down the halls. "Do you really think starting a fight will help you get your way, go home and actually work on an assignment." She left Chloe with her shame and embarrassing defeat.
And someone managed to watch the whole thing, and see Marinette in a whole new light. Adrien stood under the door frame, with an expression that made him seem like he had stars twinkling in his eyes. "That was amazing." He whispered to himself.
