A Cataclysmic Miracle

by jazzflame

Sometimes, we fail to see the value of what's already in front of us. Sometimes, we hurt our loved ones without ever meaning to. Most of the time, our happiness is already within our reach, but we just fail to recognize it-until it's too late. When secrets are revealed, tragic misunderstandings occur and heartbreaks imminent, what will happen? (Rated T just to be safe.)

2. Class Act

Chapter 2: Class Act

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this chapter, just the plot. All characters, names and reference mentioned were not used for any commercial purposes nor monetary gain and were just used for the sake of fiction.

. . . . . . . .

"Storm Audra is set to sweep the country starting on Monday, and the national weather agency has issued a red weather warning in preparation for next week's incoming storm. Civilians are advised to stay at home and postpone any travel plans for their safety. Emergency departments are all ready to take any urgent calls. However, the forecast for today is still under yellow warning, with continuous rain showers and thunderstorms throughout the country due to a low-pressure area build-up in the Atlantic Ocean. This is Nadja Chamack, reporting live with a reminder to stay safe and dry, everyone!"

"Well, that's not good at all. The weather is very bad. It's very dangerous to go out in this condition." Sabine Cheng said worriedly, glancing outside the bakery's windows.

Tom Dupain looked at his wife. "You're right, my dear. It seems like the storm is coming in early despite the weather forecast. Maybe we should just close the bakery today, seeing as nobody in their right mind will go outside anyway."

Just then, they heard a loud thud! from above followed with a cry of-

"I'M LATEEEEE!"

Marinette came bouncing down the stairs hurriedly, grabbing a croissant off the counter for breakfast. She was about to go outside the door when her mother stopped her.

"Marinette! Slow down, honey! Are you going to class? Maybe you shouldn't go to school today… The weather is really bad, and you might get hurt or get into an accident or something." Sabine told her daughter worriedly.

"But mom! I can not not go to class! If I don't go to class, I won't see Adrien! If I don't see Adrien, he might not realize how we are destined to be together! Besides, we might have a group project and we might be grouped together!" Marinette replied dreamily, seemingly unaware of her parents in front of her. Did I say that out loud? She blinked, then turned serious. "And uh, also, we have a test today, and Madam Mendeleiev will totally fail me if I'm not there to take it… She said that it will take up to half of our final grade this semester! I need my score to be a très bien, not just a passable or assez bien… If I want to be a successful designer, I need to pass Chemistry first, though I really don't know how knowing the periodic table of elements will really help me make new designs in the future." Marinette joked.

"All right, all right, sweetie. We're really proud of you, taking your school work seriously. All right, you can go to school. But, take all these croissants with you, okay?" Sabine said, putting three dozen of freshly-baked croissants inside a thermal bag and handing it to her daughter. "We'll be closing the bakery anyway, and there's no sense in letting good food go to waste. Also, bring this last camembert snowflake with you, dear. Share it with Alya. It'll just spoil if not eaten quickly. Your mother and I already ate the other one." Tom said, ruffling Marinette's hair.

"Thanks, Mom, Dad! I love you!" Marinette kissed each parent's cheek and dashed away to go to school, while Tom and Sabine followed their daughter with their eyes as she hurriedly crossed the street to get to the campus, braving the elements with her umbrella in hand.

"She reminds me of you." Sabine said, looking at Tom.

"Is it by her dedication to her future career? Or her drive to get a very good score in her exam?" Tom asked cheekily.

"Neither, actually. She's just like you in the sense that she won't let anything get in the way of seeing her loved one, even if it's raining cats and dogs out there right now."

"What? How could you say that? I am not an irrational person with no sense of self-reservation when it comes to calamities and natural disasters, okay?" Tom huffed jokingly.

"Welllll, I still remember the time when I found out that a certain boy got stuck inside a nice café in town in the middle of a snowstorm because he was waiting for me to show up… Apparently he did not receive my message that I was not able to come because my doorway was snowed-in from the previous night's snowfall. He stayed overnight because he thought that I would still show up, not knowing that I still can't go because my car froze and wouldn't start because of the freezing temperature. I ended up taking care of that certain boy in his house when his mother called and told me that he got sick after walking back home in the middle of a storm with no protective gear whatsoever." Sabine smirked.

"Well, that boy sure was dedicated to his love then. I'm sure he didn't regret it though. He got the girl in the end, after all." Tom winked.

"Yes, he is a very dedicated young lad." Sabine blushed, and looked at Tom. "My lovely and dedicated not –so-young-anymore lad." And she pecked him on the lips.

. . . . .

Marinette ran towards her classroom, taking care to avoid the puddles and not slip while looking at her watch. She does not want to get Madam Mendeleiev started on her, and she really does want to pass her test today. Opening the door, she sighed in relief when she saw that everybody was already inside, except for their teacher. She made a beeline straight to Alya and plopped down on her seat.

"Hey girl! You're very lucky that madam is not here yet! Though with this weather, it's no wonder if she's stuck somewhere or still at home though." Alya told Marinette.

"Dude! This sucks! Why can't the school just cancel the class for today? Preferably before we all got here? Or better yet, before this morning, like last night maybe? I could've used the extra time to doze some more, man!" Nino, hearing their conversation, complained.

"It's just that they didn't want to cancel school because the storm is not yet here officially, as the weather forecast says. But I'm sure that they'll cancel it next week when Storm Audra hits Paris." Adrien replied. "Besides, it's not too bad, Nino. Look at the bright side, at least we can have some work done instead of doing nothing at home. Right, Marinette?"

"I-I, a-ah, eck, bluh-" Marinette stammered, blushing. Alya saved her best friend, as always.

"Easy for you to say, sunshine boy! You have your own private chauffer to drive you around in this weather, but us mere mortals will have to brave this weather just to go home tonight! It will be too late if they suspend the classes, since we're all here anyway. Nino's right, they should've announced classes to be cancelled last night at the earliest." Alya replied, not unkindly.

"That's not what I meant, I was just trying to look on the bright side-"

Alya laughed. "I know, I know, golden boy. I'm not mad at you, I'm just mad at whoever decides when's classes are suspended or not. Is it decided by the mayor, or by the school administrators?" At this, their other classmates were already listening in on their conversations, and everybody turned to look for Chloé, but found out that their blonde classmate was nowhere to be seen. "Figures," Alya grumbled loudly. "Of course Mayor Bourgeois would never let his beloved daughter out in this weather, but us normal students have to travel back and forth from home to school to home in this crazy thunderstorm. Chloé must be still asleep by now." She looked at Sabrina, daring her to deny it, but even Sabrina cannot say anything to refute Alya's statement, knowing it to be true.

Just then, the overhead monitor inside the classroom turned on, and Mr. Damocle's face can be seen blurrily due to static. "Students, I have an announcement to make. Due to the unfortunate weather condition, classes have been suspended today and you are all advised to go home where it is safe and dry. Teachers and staff members who are already in school, please assist the students in getting home safely. As for the staff members who are not able to come to school due to transport and other difficulties, myself included, please try to contact the parents of the students to try and arrange for them to be collected in front of the school building. That is all."

At this, the students started talking all at once.

"What! I woke up early for nothing!"

"It's unfair! There's no way I can go home in this kind of weather!"

"I should've stayed home and played with my dog instead!"

"Mr. Damocles isn't even inside the school? But he's always the first one here! That means that there are no other teachers or staff here right now?" Rose asked worriedly.

Marinette looked at her classmates worriedly. "Guys, calm down-"

"I want to go home!"

"Ivan! I'm s-scared!" Mylène sniffed.

"Don't worry Mylène, I'm here for you." Ivan answered.

"Oooh, M-Mylène i-is s-scared! Quick, Ivan! Punch the thunder so it will stop scaring poor little Mylène!" Kim started teasing the couple.

"Stop teasing Mylène like that!"

"Or what?"

"Or I-I…..I… I'll punch you!"

"Bring it on, tough guy! I've been working out in the gym for the last couple of months, I bet that I can out-punch you!" Kim bragged, flexing his muscles.

"Now, guys, just wait a second-" Marinette tried again.

"HA! As if! I bet that you'll be beaten to a pulp by Ivan here! You're such a wimp, I know that a gust of wind can take you down on your feet!" Alix joined the conversation.

Max coughed. "Actually, Alix, Kim cannot be knocked down by the wind if he's standing upright on his full height unless if the velocity of the wind is highly unproportionate to his body mass-"

"Who asked you, wise guy?! I don't remember talking to you!" Alix turned to Max.

"This is a nightmare." Juleka grumbled to Rose, which was heard by Sabrina.

"Shouldn't this be fun to you, Juleka? You're all into misery business and all that, right?" Sabrina scoffed sarcastically.

"Hey! Don't talk to Juleka like that! Just because she's different and she likes weird things and stuff doesn't mean she likes people arguing around!" Nathaniel said to Sabrina.

"I'm sorry Nathaniel, but did you just imply that my best friend is weird?!" Now Rose turned to Nathaniel.

"This is terrible! I could've been updating my Ladyblog right now instead of being here, but I can't, because there's no signal!" Alya whined.

"Boohoo, poor Alya can't update her blog, it's the end of the world!" Nino teased her lightly. However, Alya is very sensitive about her passion.

"Excuse you! That's very rich, coming from you, Mr.-Number-one-stalker of all of Steven Spielberg's social media accounts!"

"Hey! It's different from what you're doing, this is a future career for me! Not just how you are following two heroes all across Paris during every attack!"

"You're right, it's not the same, because this is actually like an on-the-job training for my future career as a respected journalist! This experience will definitely help when the time comes! Unlike you just stalking his profiles!" Alya argued back.

"That's not true, what I'm doing is also important! I am shadowing his profiles so I can learn from his tastes through the internet!" Nino turned to Adrien. "Back me up here, bro!"

Adrien felt trapped. "I-I…"

"ALL RIGHT EVERYONE, QUIET FOR A SECOND!" Marinette yelled over the noise. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. All of you stay here while I check if any teacher or staff is around inside the school. Don't go anywhere, it's better that we're all together inside one place. That way, if any of our parents come and collect us, it will be easier for them to find us and quicker for us guys to go home. Is that okay?"

"But, Marinette, your house is just in front of the school, why don't you go home now? You can easily run across the road and be home in less than a minute, where it's safe and warm." Mylène asked.

"Do you really think I could just leave all of you here like that, Mylène?" Marinette smiled. "I can't and won't go home knowing that my friends are stuck here inside the school! No, I won't go home until everyone else has gone home. You are all my friends, not just my classmates." Marinette started at the door with a very determined look on her face. "All right, I'll go around inside the campus, and I will be back soon." And with that, Marinette closed the door gently behind her.

"That girl is so selfless." Alya muttered fondly.

"Yes, Marinette is the best! I know that we can always count on her!" Rose said happily.

"Dude, that's really kind of Marinette. She didn't have to, but still she did. Stayed with us and calmed us down and not panicking. If Chloé was here, she's be gone before you could say thunderstorms." Nino replied.

Yes, she's really great and sweet. With great leadership skills and taking control of the situation quickly before it escalated to something else. She also could've left us and gone home where it's warm and dry with her parents, but she stayed with us. Mari is really selfless and one of a kind. She must be extra sweet with her crush or boyfriend, whoever that lucky guy is. Wait, why am I thinking about Mari's love life? I should be thinking about My Lady instead! But they're both brave and kind and sweet and strong and selfless… But! I love Ladybug! Marinette is just a friend… isn't she? Adrien, deep in thought and still staring where Marinette had left, didn't notice that his face turned into a violent shade of red until Nino poked him on his side.

"Uh… dude? Are you okay? You've gotten red all of a sudden. Are you sick or something?"

"Uh? Ah, n-no! I-I'm not sick!" This got Alya's attention from above their seats. Oh, great…

"Then why did your face suddenly got red while staring at where Mari's been standing?"

"I-I was not staring!" Adrien blushed harder.

"Dude! You're getting redder and redder by the second! What's wrong with you, man?"

At this, Alya shrieked. "Agreste!"

"No, Alya!"

"ADRIEN AGRESTE! Don't tell me you like-"

"N-NO!"

Just then, the door opened, cutting the weird conversation between them. Marinette looked at her two friends confusedly. "What's up, guys? Am I interrupting something?"

"N-No! T-there's n-nothing g-going o-on, M-Marinette!"

Alya smirked. She knows that stutter. She's heard that kind of stutter everyday already, to not know the reason behind it. But for now, she'll give Adrien a breather Also, she needs to find out more before she tells Mari her suspicions. "Nothing, girl. Just messing around, that's all." Nino just shrugged.

"Ookaay… Anyway. I didn't see any staff member at all inside the campus. And it seems like the other students had already gone home by their own or were picked up by their parents as soon as Mr. Dacmocles made that announcement."

"What?"

"What should we do?"

"Maybe we can also try to go home too?"

At this, she looked at the window, her classmates following suit, observing the torrents of rain pouring down mercilessly with the wind howling against the glass. And wait a minute, is that car flying? She ran nearer to the windows and gasped when the said flying car crashed into a tree, and another car began flying due to the strong winds ravaging the city. The class whimpered collectively.

Nope. Nope, nope, nope. She looked at her classmates' faces. They seem to be thinking along the same lines.

"All right, here's the plan. We will camp out here and wait for the weather to get better." The class nodded their agreement. "I tried calling when I was outside the room, trying to get a signal in different areas of the school, but no such luck. The electric company must've cut off the cables and wires earlier to prevent accidental electrocution from live wires from electric lines due to the storm. Later, when the rain and the wind tame, that's the time we can try going home when it's safer to do so. Is everyone okay with that plan?"

"Of course! There's no way I'll walk outside in the pouring rain with crazy wind and flying cars – if I don't fly first, that is – and live electrical wires just waiting to toast me into crisp! I can't race anymore if that happens!" Kim cried dramatically.

"What a baby." Alix jeered.

"Statistically speaking," Max started, "The chances of you getting swept up by the wind is higher than getting hit by a flying car and being electrocuted by fallen electrical wires-"

"All right, Max, we get it!" The class chorused.

Marinette face-palmed. "Okay everybody. Be serious now. Charge your phones while we still have power at the moment. Electricity might be cut off soon if this wind keeps banging up the roof. The generator may die any moment. Rose, Juleka and Nathaniel, try to find any runners or mats that can be used as mattress for sleeping or lying down on the floor."

"There's some mats inside the gym!" Kim and Alix shouted.

"Okay you guys, go with them so that you can show where they keep the mats and help bring them back here. Nino, Alya, Adrien, keep on trying to contact any staff member and our parent's numbers to see if the signal has been returned so that they won't worry and to assure them that we are safe for the moment. The contact directory is in the school website, and you can find other details there that you might need." They nodded.

Wow, Marinette is totally wicked! Why haven't I seen this side of her before? Adrien thought.

"Max, Ivan, Mylène, Sabrina, look for any kind of linen that can be used as a cover, then we can place them on the windows."

"Why?" Ivan asked.

"So that in case the wind does gets stronger and breaks the glass, the shards won't be flying directly at us. Also, we should move the cabinets and chairs and the table in front of the windows as a first line of defence, just in case. This type of glass is pretty strong, but I'm not betting our safety and our lives on a hunch. Better safe than sorry."

"Statistically speaking, you are right. Flying shards of glass are quite deadly, especially with this acceleration and velocity and-"

"ALL RIGHT, MAX, WE GET IT!"

Chuckling, Marinette clapped her hands twice to get their attention. "Okay, guys! Let's get to work!"

. . . . . . . .

"Wow, Rose! This is really good!" Kim said after swallowing a mouthful of his food.

"Yeah! This is really amazing!" Max agreed with his best friend.

"Thanks, guys! But all the girls helped make our dinner; it's just the recipe that came from my grandmére." Rose said shyly, smiling at Juleka, Alix, Mylène, Sabrina, Alya and Marinette. While the boys were busy setting up the mattresses and mats on the floor, the linens on the window and the tables and chairs and the shelves according to Marinette's plan, the girls went down to the cafeteria to whip up their dinner for the night. Along with Marinette's croissants, it feels more of a picnic-sleepover inside the room instead of being stranded under a heavy storm inside the campus.

"Really? Even Alix?" Kim asked, flabbergasted.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? Just because I like racing and roller blading more doesn't mean that I don't know arts culinaires." Alix grumbled.

"Sorry Alix… That's not what I meant. I'm just surprised, that's all. I didn't know that you also liked to cook." Kim apologized, blushing in embarrassment.

"Well, I don't know about you all, but I know that I have Mylène over here and she already told me that she wants to be a full-time mom to our kids, while I work and be the breadwinner for our family. Which is totally okay for me, because I will do anything to make her happy." Ivan shared. Rose squealed and hugged Mylène.

"Uh…isn't that a little bit too early to think about?" Nathaniel asked him.

"No, it's not. We both love each other, and we just asked ourselves one day if we can see a future where we're together. We had fun thinking and imagining about it, actually. Of course, nothing is set in stone. We could break up, but I know Ivan and myself, and that will only happen when the world as we know it ends. I believe and trust in our love for each other." Mylène answered, blushing slightly.

"Wow…" The class chorused. A comfortable silence followed, thinking that they are getting glimpses of their classmates and friends in a new way, and this bonding moment for them brought on by the storm is a blessing in disguise by opening a hidden side of their classmates that they didn't know about before.

Alix coughed lightly. "I guess Kim's reaction was valid, after all." She started. "I have always been under my brother's shadow. That's why I tried to be as different from them as much as my possible, him and my dad. With both of them being intellectuals and working at the museum, I decided to be a rebel chick so that they will notice me as my own person and not as another Kubdel who is expected to continue in the family business and manage the Louvre in the future. Besides," here she smirked at Kim, "Kimmy-boy here is lucky that I am who I am, or else who will put up with his terrible dares and supply the need for his all-around ego-boosts?"

"I will!" Max answered. "I mean, I will give him his ego boosts and put up with his dares, even though I am not-ehem-physically inclined to participate anyway. That's because he is my best friend, and I will always have his back because I know that he has my back too. Before I met Kim, my so-called friends just used me for their assignments and school works and other school-related activities. Sure, they 'protected' me from bullies because I make their home works for them. But they never want to hang out, they can't relate to what I am saying-they just simply don't listen-and they just drop me like a hot potato once I've finished their work. In short, they just really used me for their academic endeavours. Until I met Kim, I never had a friend who listens to me, who considers what I say, and who doesn't see and use me as a mere project-maker."

"I will always be your best friend, and you mine." Kim clasped his best friend's back. "Unfortunately, Alix is right. I hide behind false bravado and stupid dares because of my fears of rejection and being humiliated. I became known and accepted as an athlete, so I decided to embrace the stereotype of one. Before, I thought that being mean and a bully is part of being an athlete, so sometimes I become that kind of a cruel person. The reason I do those stupid dares is to be accepted by all of you... I thought that if I proved that I am the best in my field, you guys won't reject me and leave me by myself. That's why I was akumatized when Chloé not only rejected me last Valentine's day, but also humiliated me when she sent my embarrassing picture to all you guys in your phones." He added quietly.

"Hey man," Nathaniel started. "You don't have anything to worry about. Nobody really wants to be rejected nor humiliated. At least, you're doing something to be recognized. Me, I hide behind my drawings and daydreams and fantasies and comics because I am too afraid to be rejected." Here he looked at Marinette quickly, whose glance went unnoticed except by Alya and Adrien, making the blond boy feel a little something in his chest, who decided that he will find what in the world was that little something that he felt later. "I created my own world inside my head because I kept on thinking that I will never be enough for anybody, at least here in the real world, anyway."

"You're not alone." Juleka said to Nathaniel. "All my life I've been forgotten by most. Before I met Rose, I was a quiet, timid, and shy wallpaper and nobody really paid any attention to me. Though I love my family, I just can't seem to fit in. My mother, though I love her, has a really different wavelength from my own, and my brother is happy with his thing and I just don't want to burden anyone with my ramblings. I do love them, but sometimes I just want somebody to be there for me without feeling of being a burden to them. I really thought that I was invisible to everybody else, that's why I really believed that I had a curse when it comes to class pictures. I still can't believe I've been akumatized just because of that."

"About that…" Sabrina started. "I'm sorry for locking you inside the bathroom stall, Juleka." She took a deep breath. "Really, I need to apologise to all of you. I know that I was wrong for doing what Chloé is always ordering me to do, especially to hurt or embarrass or humiliate you guys, but I can't help it. Chloé is my friend, and though I know that she is wrong, I still do her bidding. I just wish that I grow enough back bone to tone her down a little bit. I've accepted her for who she is, and I know some reasons why she is that way, but I admit that she could still tone down her bullying to you guys. I can't apologise for Chloé because I know that she needs to do that on her own, but I still need to apologise for taking part of her plans against you and for not stopping her when she gets too far and for not being a better friend to her… I mean I could've become a better influence to her, could've make her see sense and try my hardest to help her change for the better, but I just stopped trying to help her become a better person. I was-still am- afraid to be friendless if Chloé decided not to be friends with me anymore."

The all looked around, not saying anything. They really don't need to. Sabrina is right, Chloé needs to be the one to apologise for her bullying, not her best friend. Sabrina's only fault is going along with her best friend's plan, and for not standing up to her when she plans something terrible, but Sabrina already apologized for that and they can see that she's really remorseful for her actions. Just like Ivan and Mylène being loyal to each other, Max following and supporting Kim all the way, and Rose and Juleka being best of friends no matter what, they can't really sway Sabrina's dedication and loyalty to Chloé. They vowed to include Sabrina more, if she's afraid to become friendless if Chloé ever decides to stop being her friend.

Rose sensing the heaviness in the air, started to share. "For me, I am just happy that everything is okay in my life. I have my best friend," she squeezed Juleka's hand, "my parents are alive and well, and now I have you guys as not just my classmates but also my friends as well." A chorus of awww was heard, mostly from the girls. "I am blessed to be surrounded by you guys…and even though the situation could've been better to have a bonding time together with each other, I couldn't have chosen better people to be trapped with here in school." The girls hugged Rose and the boys smiled at the scene.

"That's really sweet of you, Rose." Marinette smiled at the girl.

Alya smirked. "Yes, Rose. That's really sweet of you. But don't you have another secret to share? I mean, this is like a game of Truth or Dare where we all bare ourselves and be vulnerable, just minus the dares and pressure and-"

Mylène laughed. "We get it, Alya. You still have the instinct of a hound, but can't we just enjoy a little open forum and sharing of ourselves without any catch for once?"

Alya started to apologize, but Rose cut her off, and smirked. "Actually, Alya… I am also still friends with Prince Ali, and we also still keep in touch. In fact, he said that he will be coming here sometime next week, and he wants to meet and catch-up just like the old times."

The girls squealed at the news. "Really, girl! Just like the old times, is it? Is it going to be a date-date? What are you wearing? What will you say? Where will you go? Will he have his chaperone again?"

"You know I'll help you get ready in every step of the way." Juleka smiled.

"I'll secure a covert police assistance for you from my dad, to keep any paparazzi from disturbing your date." Sabrina volunteered helpfully.

"I'll help you find the perfect place for your date. Nothing too extravagant, but still romantic enough to set the mood. I have a list of places where Ivan took me for our dates before." Mylène winked.

"I'll record the whole date, under cover, of course, so you can have something to look back to and even show to your kids in the future!" Alya added.

"And I'll design and make you a one-of-a-kind dress for your special day!" Marinette giggled.

The boys looked in awe at the female camaraderie happening right before their eyes. They looked at them fondly and they all felt a rush of protectiveness for their female classmates. Especially Adrien. Finally, he has a circle of people that he can call his friends.

"And remember Rose," Adrien interjected, "Prince or not, if he even makes you cry, just tell us, and we boys will have a talk with this Prince Ali man-to-man. Right guys?" He smirked playfully at all the males in the room, who all gave a unanimous agreement with his statement. Kim flexing his muscles, Max computing the outcome of a six-to-one confrontation, Ivan grunted and grinned at Nathaniel who grinned back, and Nino just clasped Adrien's shoulder.

Friends. I have friends. Adrien thought happily.

. . . . . . . . . .

"Please! No more!" Nino cried dramatically.

"Oh just be quiet, Nino! You're overreacting!" Alya scolded her boyfriend.

"This is pure torture! Why are we having a High School Musical marathon, of all the movies that we can watch?"

Mylène giggled. "If I remember correctly, it was you who requested that we watch a movie after eating and our little confessionals back then."

"Yes! That was my idea! But I didn't mean for us to watch and have a marathon of High School Musical!"

"Shut it, you. These are all the movies that I have in my flash drive. My siblings along with my little cousins begged me to watch them when I babysat for them last week when our parents went out for the night. Beggars can't be choosers." Alya defended the movies.

"It's okay, bro. This is better than watching the documentaries inside the laptop back in the Science room." Kim shuddered.

"Hey! I voted to watch those science documentaries!" Max pouted.

"Yeah, and we all outvoted you so just put a sock in it." Ivan grinned, and Max just harrumphed light-heartedly.

"I think, for one, that this movie suits us all. We started off having different groups and cliques as a class, but now we are all friends with each other just like in the movies!" Rose giggled.

No one wanted to admit it out loud, but Rose is right. They could see the similarities of their situation with the movie's plot and they could all relate to the characters.

"Yeah, yeah. Now put on the next one so we can finally move on." Nino teased Alya lightly. Alya just stuck out her tongue at him, and pressed play for the next one.

"What time is it?

Summertime! It's our vacation!

What time is it?

Party time! That's right, say it loud!"

. . . . . . . .

A/N: Hey guys! This is the second chapter! Now, this one is quite a bit long, and one could even say that this could be considered as a one-shot fic because I think it can stand on its own. This chapter opens more about our protagonists' classmates and friends. It's such a small class, and I think they deserve a small back story of their own. This gives us more insights and depth of their characters and personality.

Marinette, as Ladybug, scouted the school for any teacher or staff member while also looking for any phone signal. That's why she came back rather quickly. Alya and Nino were busy with Adrien, while the rest of the class were busy thinking about their situation, that is why they didn't notice anything unusual with Marinette's quick return.

Adrien doesn't have any feelings for Marinette yet-she's still in the friend zone. He's still focused with Ladybug in this chapter. The only reason that he got flustered with Alya was that she caught him off-guarded and he felt embarrassed with Alya's insinuation that he likes Marinette as more than a friend, especially with his line of thinking before Alya noticed his stare. He's still not totally aware of what his feelings for Marinette are, and he doesn't want Alya to say or imply anything he himself is not sure of. That is why he got flustered-he felt that Alya had read his thoughts and he just panicked-hence his reaction. But, rest assured that Adrien will delve with his budding feelings for Mari in the later chapters. He just needs some alone time with his thoughts and feelings for self-actualization and clarity. :D

Now, you guys might be wondering why I didn't include the backgrounds of Alya and Nino in this chapter. Well, I thought that we already know much about them, and that it's their classmates' time to shine in this moment. Of course, I have further plans for the couple, but I felt that giving them a sob story will not contribute much to the story right now. That's why I made this chapter focus more to their other friends, to show the class dynamics which I felt was lacking (or at least, to some stories I've read. Don't get me wrong, I adore the fanfictions in this fandom, but only few stories give exposure to their classmates and friends.). I felt that Alya and Nino were already overexposed, and that we don't need anymore back story to build up their characters. Of course, in case of Marinette and Adrien, everybody had already perceived them as an open book, that's why they didn't felt the need to ask our two lovable dorks about themselves or delve more about each other. Marinette is very transparent-you could always read her emotions just by looking at her and she has no trouble expressing herself except with Adrien. And with Sunshine Boy, he is also pretty easy to read (Lila totally got that he has a crush on Ladybug just by their one encounter in the library), he answers their classmates' questions to him without hesitation, given that those questions are not too personal (of course, they all avoid asking questions that are too personal because they also would not answer questions that are too invasive for themselves.)

Actually, I have already finished the whole story until the end, but I am just taking my sweet time uploading each chapter. :D Kidding aside, I enjoy expanding each chapter and adding more plot to the story, that's why I haven't uploaded all chapters yet. For example, this chapter is saved in my computer as 'Chapter 2.1', while the original second chapter for this story is under the name of 'Chapter 2', which I haven't uploaded yet. Inspiration strikes me at different times, and believe it or not, this scene is not actually included in my original draft. That's why I like to pace my uploads for this fic, to keep my story line open. Thanks for bearing with me!

Now, on a lighter note, I can say that I totally relate with the class suspension scene in this chapter. Back when I was in school, I experienced waking up early and waiting for an announcement of class suspension in the news. However, when none came, I trudged to school in a horrible weather, only to find out that classes were already suspended, and they didn't even let me inside the gate! Sometimes, my classmates and I were already inside the room, waiting for our professor to show up while we continuously wait for an update on social media if classes had already been suspended due to a storm. It really was irritating and such a hassle back then, but now I confess that I feel nostalgic every time I reminisce those times.

I hope that I made a believable start in terms of Adrien having feelings for Marinette. I want to ease his feelings into liking our Mari, and I hope I delivered a realistic opening, just enough for Adrien to take notice of the love of his life in her civilian persona. In the cartoons, he really sees Marinette only as a friend, but he said that he can always find his lady even without the mask. That is why I made a scenario where Marinette will show her Ladybug side more prominently without an akuma for Adrien to finally take notice of her. After all, the reason why Chat Noir fell in love with Ladybug is because of her leadership skills, bravery, stubbornness and dedication & commitment to save Paris-in short, her personality, not because of her looks or her name or her status as a hero.

Thanks to the episode 'Kung Food', there's an evidence that Marinette is not always a stammering dork in front of Adrien, and that she could actually hold a coherent conversation with him! They really had enough sweet moments together in that episode *Squeals*. There's more romantic episodes in the show, sure (the umbrella scene is still the most romantic episode for me so far), but as I haven't watched Season 2 yet, 'Kung Food' really built up and laid a good foundation for Marinette and Adrien to bond more as friends, which we all know will lead to something more.

Lastly, I don't have anything against High School Musical. It is actually part of my high school life, because I attended high school at the same time the movies hit the screen… I thought that it fit the 'breaking of status quo' in my story, and how they all became closer to each other and better friends in the end. I just thought that it would give a comedic relief if Nino will whine about it and critique it, being an aspiring director that he is.

All right! I've babbled enough already! See you in the next chapter!

P.S. I've just totally made that stuff up about Alix and her family and the Louvre. ;)

-jazzflame