Nino had never been the type of guy to let what others say bother him. He couldn't be, with someone like Marinette Dupain-Cheng as one of his best friends, and Chloe Bourgeois as the love of his life. If every harsh word hurt him, he would never have been able to see past all of Marinette's snarky words, or Chloe's disgusted attitude towards him. Honestly, he didn't mind if people were critical, he didn't mind-that was their opinion and they were entitled to it. Sometimes he just wished people didn't have such negative thoughts about his music.
Music had been Nino's passion for years, since his Aunt Renee had bought him a simple music program. He had immediately fallen in love with the freedom of being able to mix his own music, and make sweet tunes which suited his style. Every song he created had a little piece of him in it, and sometimes it hurt just a little when the people who listened to his songs didn't understand the intent of the song, or couldn't jive with the vibe, or simply didn't like it. He'd known that he'd opened himself up to such criticisms when he'd started posting his mixes online, but he hadn't anticipated that half of the responses to his music would be so disparaging.
His email pinged, and Nino clicked on the notification. A smile stretched on his face. Jagged Stone was in town! He had to get tickets! Nino went to the website he used to buy tickets and paused. How many tickets should he buy? He'd originally just planned on one, but maybe this was the universe's way to apologize for how much hate Nino's music had been getting lately. His heart rate sped up just thinking about his plan. Inviting Chloe to a Jagged Stone concert sounded like a dream-especially if she said yes. Should he do it? He couldn't. But what was the worst that could happen? She already belittled him at every opportunity, an invitation to a concert couldn't possibly make it worse. In face, the worst that could happen would be her saying no, and she already said no to dates all the time.
He clicked the 'add seat' button. His total went up and Nino's bank account started crying. He paused before checking out. She always said no when he asked her out alone. Maybe she'd say yes if it wasn't just the two of them. She'd mentioned something about the new kid, Adrien, being her childhood friend. Nino hadn't talked to the guy, but he seemed nice enough, but his 'golden boy' energy had been a little too strong for Nino to stomach the idea of talking to him one on one. He'd just have to suck it up for a few hours, because if he showed up, Chloe would likely come to the concert. He added another ticket to the concert. The new total almost gave him a heart attack, and that was the moment Nino's wallet died. He forced himself not to care. Nino was sure it would be worth it.
Nino was no stranger to Chloe Bourgeois. She had been in his class since elementary school, and he knew the type of person she was: lazy, selfish, and mean. Anytime there was a team project, he'd prayed to anyone who would listen, begging to not be paired with the blonde slacker. The powers above had faithfully listened to his requests every time, every year, until his second to last year of high school. He had not been happy.
He and Chloe had been partnered together for a history project. They would have to study an event, write a paper on it, and make a display on a board. The teacher had given the class two weeks to work on the project and, knowing he would have to do the work of two people all by himself, Nino had been planning to start working the same day the project had been assigned.
Honestly, he'd had no expectation of Chloe. He thought that she would leave him to his work, maybe ask him if he'd finished, sign her name on the parts of the project, and then take whatever grade he'd earned for the two of them. She surprised him, though, by approaching him in the break between classes.
"Don't think you're going to be messing this up for me, Lahiffe," she'd sniffed. "I need a good grade, and I'm not about to let you drag me down with you. Today, after school, you and I are going to the library. Don't even think about bailing." She didn't say anything else. Sabrina came up to her, and then the two girls had walked away. Nino had been a little too confused to even ask which library she'd meant. He'd shaken the encounter off, figuring Chloe was all bark and no bite. She wouldn't come, so it wouldn't matter if he asked her which library she was talking about.
School ended, and he packed up to go home. Chloe strutted to him, a hard look in her eyes.
"Oh, no you don't," she frowned, hands on hips. "Library, now."
He apparently didn't have a choice. The two of them had worked in silence. She looked up a few credible sources online while he'd tried to find physical books on the subject. The fact that she had even showed up, that she was actually working on the project, had astounded him. As they sat together, Nino couldn't help but look at her and wonder if she was actually working.
"What?" She'd snapped as he stared at her curiously. "I always knew you weren't the brightest bulb in class, but could you at least pretend to work?"
"Oh, yeah, I'm just, uh," he averted his gaze from her icy eyes and decided to check any response he'd gotten on his latest song. His shoulders dropped. He had a few loyal ones in his following, but a lot of people just listened to his work to call it crap. He was getting really tired of it.
"Bad comments on your dumb songs?" She'd asked, her tone not nearly as sharp as it had been moments before. He'd nodded. Nino wasn't the kind of guy to keep secrets-he was an open book. His friends didn't even need to ask him to see what he was feeling. Likely, he'd let you know about it before they had even realized there was a problem.
"Yeah. I post them on this website, see? You can share your music, podcasts, whatever audio file you make. It's really cool. People can also comment on your stuff. Lately, I've been getting a lot of hate, and it's starting to really get to me. I guess I'd better quit." He looked up at her, hoping for something encouraging, but not really expecting it.
"That's just stupid," she'd scoffed, tosssing her hair. "You're going to let other idiots influence you and your hobby? Either you're dumb enough to let them influence your feelings, or you're not nearly as passionate about your stupid music as you come out to be."
It hadn't been the first time someone had told him to ignore his haters, but for some reason, when Chloe said it, it hit differently. He'd stared at her a little longer.
"You're actually giving me advice?"
"I give everyone advice," she hadn't looked up from her computer. "It's not my fault no one else is smart enough to follow it. Now get back to work, I don't want to do all of this by myself."
He didn't get much work done that first day. He didn't get much done the second day, either. Her attitude towards the project had simply been too surprising for him, it was weird. He wasn't sure what to make of it.
In the end, he simply accepted it, no questions asked. He wasn't like his other friends-he didn't like confrontations. He was more of a 'go with the flow' kind of guy. Chloe cared about her grades? Good for her, he'd pull his weight in the project, get good marks, and then the two of them would never have to interact again.
Surprisingly, the thought of never talking to her again had bothered him. Yes, her words were as waspish as ever, and she rarely seemed to have the patience to have normal conversations with him, but hidden behind the attitude were thoughts he didn't necessarily disagree with. Yes, they could be worded differently, and she could care more about how she affected others around her with the way she spoke to them, but Nino could look over that just to hear her thoughts. Day by day he kept trying to draw her into conversation, to see what she would think of his absent parents, his prodigy sister, or the fact that he had been raised by his two aunts. Any time Nino spoke, Chloe had shut him down. By the time the two of them turned their work in, Nino had been convinced that his one inspiring conversation with the girl was a fluke. After printing the paper and handing it to Chloe, he had sat down at his desk and hadn't spared her a second glance. He wouldn't have thought twice about her if it weren't for what happened two days after the project had been turned in.
Their teacher at the time, Mr. Delecour, had called the two of them to his desk after class. He had looked troubled, and a quick glance at Chloe told Nino that she had no idea why they had been called up, either.
"Do you know why I've asked to speak with you two?" The relatively young teacher had asked.
"Obviously not," Chloe retorted. "Now get to the point-I don't have all day."
"Ms. Bourgeois, this is a serious matter," Mr. Delecour had frowned. "I'm afraid it's come to my attention that the two of you may have cheated on the history project."
Nino felt his heart beat faster, and his palms were damp. He hadn't done anything, but being accused of cheating was no small matter. His parents already thought little of him as it was. If it came to their attention that the school thought he was cheating, he'd never hear the end of it.
"Are you as stupid as the rest of the kids in this class?" Chloe demanded before Nino could apologize, or plead that there must have been a misunderstanding. Her fists found purchase on her hips, and she glared down at the teacher. "I am Chloe Bourgeois. I am pretty, I am popular, and I am not stupid. Do you honestly think I would stoop so low as to cheat to get my grades? This is ridiculous!"
"I don't mean to offend, Ms. Bourgeois," Mr. Delecour had soothed. "And your innocence does not extend to Mr. Lahiffe, your partner."
"I didn't cheat," Nino offered lamely, ears burning. He wiped his hands on his pants. What else could he say, really?
"Of course he didn't cheat," Chloe fumed, her hands now on the teacher's desk. The teacher was looking less and less tolerant of her behavior by the minute. "Lahiffe might not be intelligent, but he cares what other people think of him, especially his two stupid parents. Just saying the word 'cheating' in his house would have him kicked out. There's absolutely no way he did anything dishonest for this project-especially since he knew it would be linked to my name. Who told you we cheated?"
The teacher started to answer her, but Nino was too busy trying not to cry. She wasn't nice, she didn't sugar coat anything, and she didn't give people the common courtesy of using their first names most of the time. Still, she had listened. When he thought she was annoyed with him and had ignored everything he had said, she had listened and remembered what he said, and knew how he felt. A surge of affection rose in his chest towards her. After this, he would ask her on a date. Hopefully, she would say yes.
"There you have it!" Chloe smacked the table with her palm. "Couffaine and Kurtzburg never do their work on time, and they always cheat on your lame pop quizzes. They probably looked at our things and copied them, then went to you first so it wouldn't look like they were the victims! I bet you didn't even investigate before calling us up-this is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"
Chloe and the teacher had argued for a while longer until Mr. Delecour gave up. He had sent the two of them on their way, promising to look into Juleka and Nathaniel's project. Nino couldn't find it in himself to care about that. His thoughts were entirely on the feisty blonde next to him.
"Hey, Chloe?" He asked, not even able to wait until they had left the building. She didn't pause in her walking, or even look up from her phone, but he knew she was listening. "Do you wanna maybe...go on a date with me?"
"You're insane if you think you're in my league."
Since then, Nino had asked her out countless times, and the answer was always a firm 'no.' He never overstepped his boundaries-a no was a no, and he knew that. Still, she hadn't ever told him to stop asking her. He would keep trying, at least until she told him she didn't like him, didn't want his attention, didn't want him to talk to her again. He really hoped that wouldn't happen. He really liked her.
In the year since the history project, he had come to notice and appreciate so much more about Chloe Bourgeois. He saw how confident she was in herself, yet how she seemed to relate to those who had no self-confidence. He saw how she tried to give advice and her input to people who were struggling, even if her words weren't always helpful. He saw how she stood up for her friends, and stood up for herself. He admired so much about her. One day, he hoped she might admire something about him.
Before that, maybe she would agree to just go to a concert with him, even if she had to come with a friend. Sure, it wasn't ideal to hang out with the girl he liked, along with her childhood friend, but he would take what he could get.
Nino checked his phone again. No messages from Chloe, and the concert was going to start in twenty minutes. Checking in and finding their seats would take about that much time, and as much as Nino liked Chloe, he was not about to miss any part of Jagged Stone's concert, especially considering how much money he'd dropped for the tickets.
He checked his phone again. Still no messages from Chloe. His heart dropped. Couldn't she at least have told him she wasn't going? He could have sold the ticket back. But, no, of course she didn't. This reeked. Nino's emotions went through the familiar roller coaster. He was angry with her, of course he was. Still, she had the right to say no. If she didn't want to come, though, she should have said so, not just left him hanging and hundreds of dollars poorer than he had been a week ago. Yet, he knew, through all the disappointment and anger, that the second he saw her face again and heard her speak to him, he would forgive her. It was pathetic, really, but he simply couldn't help himself.
Nino joined the line, staying on his phone to keep from feeling like a loser.
"Nino!" A voice called out, and Nino's head snapped up. There he was, in all his beautiful model glory-Adrien Agreste. Nino waved him over, and the two of them stood together in line.
"Sorry I'm late," Adrien apologized. "My father was having a tough time letting me go."
My father? Nino inwardly cringed. Who spoke like that anymore? Nino and his own dad weren't close, but he'd never called the man 'father.' Just hearing the word made him feel like he was in one of those Victorian set dramas his Aunt Leanne loved to watch.
"No worries, Dude. When's Chloe coming?" Nino tried to keep the hope from rising in his chest, and tried not to sound too hopeful. He failed on both accounts. Adrien looked away uncomfortably, and the fragile hope blooming in Nino's chest shattered. Nino sighed. "She's not coming?"
"I tried to get her to come," Adrien tried to console. "She said she doesn't like Jagged Stone. I thought that was ludicrous, but Chloe's stubborn, you know."
"Dude," Nino said. "Chill out."
Adrien blinked. Nino rolled his eyes and elaborated.
"We're at a rock concert. You can't be saying things like 'father' and 'ludicrous,' you'll embarrass me."
"Do you know anyone here?" Adrien asked.
"Well, no."
"Are they going to remember you?"
"Listen, that's not the point," Nino lectured, showing the woman at the front of the line their tickets. "We're at a Jagged Stone concert. I had a feeling Chloe wouldn't come, even though I really wanted her to. I'm not going to let her make my night miserable, and I'm not going to let your diction embarrass me."
"I'm not the one who said 'diction,'" Adrien mumbled, following Nino to their seats. The concert was about to start. The opener was just finishing her final song, so the crowd was all warmed up.
"Just do what I do, ok? The less uncomfortable you are, the more fun you'll have!"
Honestly, Nino hadn't expected much out of Adrien. The guy was wearing a sweatshirt, jeans, and sneakers, but somehow he looked so polished and out of place it made him want to tell the guy to leave. But, he wouldn't do that. Adrien came, and Nino was determined to show the guy a good time. Maybe then he would tell Chloe what a cool guy he was, and she would accept when he asked her out next. Also, Adrien just seemed like the kind of guy who didn't have many experiences. It was sad. Nino might not be friends with him, but as long as they were attending the concert together, he would make sure Adrien had the time of his life.
Avril Butler, the lead singer, came out on stage, and the crowd went wild. It was so loud Nino couldn't hear what he was saying. It didn't matter. He screamed louder, and was shocked to hear Adrien join the crowd. Avril eventually gave up trying to say anything and went straight in for the first song. It was an old one, way back from his first album. The screams from before were nothing compared to the noise level right then. He singing, and everyone sang along. Song after song, Nino jumped, danced, and screamed along to the words. The lights changed colors, dancers came on stage, and the members of the band had little jokes and stories to tell between the songs. It was awesome, and Nino couldn't remember the last time he'd had so much fun.
The music kept blasting through the speakers, and Nino knew he wouldn't be able to speak the next day. He didn't care! About halfway through, Nino looked over at his companion. Adrien had taken his sweatshirt off, and was now just wearing a simple black t-shirt. He was jumping in place, screaming the words to the song. He must have noticed Nino staring at him, because he bent down and started dancing while screaming the words in Nino's face. It was weird, wild, and totally unexpected. Nino grinned and yelled the words back.
Song after song, Avril Butler kept his energy up, and the crowd loved him. Jagged Stone wasn't such a popular band just because of their good music and inspiring lyrics, but also because of how darn charming every single member of the band was. Nino wished the night would never end.
"Alright, Paris," Avril panted as the concert was about to end. "I know its been a tough few years, and it doesn't look like things are getting much better. But remember, we're Parisians-and no punk ass monsters are going to do us in!" The band started the last song of the night. It was a slower song, more heartfelt, and every single person in the stadium new the words by heart. Jagged Stone had released the song after the first Makara and Akuma attack-the one which had taken the most lives. The song had unofficially become the song of hope to Parisians. Even people who didn't like the band knew the song, and children sang it every day in elementary school.
A few girls to his left started crying, but they kept singing along. The crowd was silent for a moment after the song, as was customary.
"Thank you, Paris," Avril murmured into the mike. Then, his smile returned, along with his earlier energy. "Thank you, Paris! Here's a special surprise for you all: we've been talking to our manager and studio, and it's been decided: we'll be coming back to Paris more than we ever had before! In our darkest times, music can be the light we need. Never give up hope, Paris, and we'll see you soon! We love you!"
The crowd cheered again, and Nino got hit in the head with an 'I 3 Jagged Stone' poster.
"Come on!" He screamed, getting Adrien's attention. "We have to leave before traffic gets too bad!"
The two of them left the stadium. It was a shock to be in such a crowded, humid, high-energy environment, then walk out a pair of doors and step into a calm night.
"Do you need a ride home?" Adrien asked, gesturing towards an incoming bike. It seemed like a regular pedicab, the only mode of transportation in Paris these days, other than walking or riding a horse. The bike was driven by a big man in a suit, and Adrien greeted him by calling him a gorilla. Weird, but alright.
"Sure," Nino agreed. He couldn't wipe the smile off his face. The adrenaline from the concert was still pumping through his blood. Apparently, Adrien felt the same way, because as soon as they sat in the car, and Nino had told the driver his address, Adrien turned and started gushing about the concert.
"I didn't think to check the setlist before the concert, but I totally should have! They played Cherry Vanilla and Not The Last Night one after another and I almost passed out from excitement!"
"Dude, I totally feel you! And the acoustic rendition of Youth? Avril Butler has such a beautiful voice I almost cried."
"I've never screamed that loud or that long in my entire life," Adrien grinned at him, falling back in his seat. "Do you hear this? You're the first person to hear me sound like this. Thank you so much for inviting me out!"
Nino grinned. "No problem, man, thanks for coming. Concerts are fun if you go alone, but way better if you have a friend."
"We're friends?" Adrien grinned at Nino. "I haven't made any of those yet. So far, Chloe's the only one in class who's bothered talking to me. I mean, I sit next to Ivan and he's nice enough, and Marinette said hi at a photo shoot the other day, but I haven't really made any friends yet, you know?"
"That is so sad," Nino said. "Don't worry, with me as your new buddy, you'll be making friends in no time. You'll have so many friends you'll almost forget about me. But then I'll fight my way through the crowd like 'Hi-ya! You can't forget about me, I made you who you are!' and then you'll be like 'who are you again?' and I'll be like 'the guy who took you to the Jagged Stone concert' and you'll be like 'Oh, yeah,' and we'll be cool again."
Adrien laughed. "Yeah, no way I'd ever forget about you. I'm sorry Chloe's so...you know, mean to you. I wish she'd been here."
Nino shrugged. "Hey, I know she's mean. I like her anyway. Besides, I'm curious why you came. Jagged Stone doesn't seem like your kind of music."
Adrien's eyes lit up. "Are you serious? I love Jagged Stone! I have every single one of their albums, and a signed shirt, and I've seen all his interviews, and I have all his songs memorized."
"Even Shadows of the Future?" Nino asked. That had been the band's fourth studio album, widely considered their weakest album. When it was released, a lot of fans came out and spoke of how disappointed they were with the music. He had never shared that opinion, though.
"Yeah, actually," Adrien said. "I know a lot of people didn't like it, and I can see why-the music was different, and the lyrics didn't have the same rhythm as their earlier or later songs. I liked it though, it kind of seemed like they were trying to grow, to go in a new direction. I have to respect anyone who goes out and experiments with music."
"Anyone?" Nino asked cautiously. Adrien nodded. "You know, I make music, too, if you ever want to check it out."
"Really?" Adrien said. "That's so cool. How long have you been doing it?"
The rest of the ride home passed in a blur for Nino. He couldn't remember the last time someone other than one of his aunts had shown so much interest in his music. It was really nice, to hear someone encouraging him like that.
"I'll check out your music," Adrien promised when they reached his house. Nino smiled.
"Hey man, I'm going to be honest. When you first showed up, I was super bummed it wasn't Chloe. But actually, you're a really cool dude."
"Uh, thanks?" Adrien questioned, but he didn't seem mad. They promised to hang out soon, and Nino went home. His mom was still awake. She raised an eyebrow at the time, but didn't bother telling him it was past his curfew. They both said goodnight, and Nino went to sleep.
Comment:Why do you even bother posting when all your music is such trash?-YoMama192
Reply: Well why do you bother listening if you don't like it?-Adrien Agreste (certified)
Comment:Your songs are so repetitive, it's getting annoying.-Marxxie
Reply: You've left this comment on his last three songs. Pot, meet kettle.-Adrien Agreste (certified)
Comment:Why do you even bother making 'music' if it sounds like this? Do you even try when you mix these songs?-Jebediah Hope
Reply: How many songs have you made?-Adrien Agreste (certified)
Nino couldn't help but smile as he walked into class. He said hi to Kim, told him all about that weekend, and then made a beeline to Adrien.
"You replied to every single mean comment I've had on a song in the last two months," Nino said. It was supposed to be a question, but he was too happy and touched to question it. "Thanks, dude. You didn't have to do that, you know?"
"I know, but friends do that, right? They stand up for each other?"
"Yeah," Nino nodded. "They do." He held out a fist. "They also have secret handshakes. Come on, we'll figure one out." It took a lot longer than normal to make a secret handshake than it normally did. Mainly, this was because Adrien seemed very confused about the entire concept. Nino couldn't help but laughing at that, and though Adrien took it in good humor, Chloe was not nearly as amused.
"Don't laugh at him," she snapped.
"Chloe, it's fine," Adrien tried to say, but she ignored him.
"He doesn't know all this stuff, alright? You don't know his past, you don't know his circumstances, so you don't get to laugh at him!"
"I...I wasn't. We were just making a handshake and-"
"Oh, don't you try that with me," Chloe rolled her eyes. "You're mad that I stood you up for the Jagged Stone concert, and now you're trying to get back at me by going after my best friend?"
"He's your best friend?" Sabrina choked out. Nino winced at the hurt expression on her face. "What about me?"
"Don't bother crying about it, Sabrina," Marinette came and stood by Nino. "Why would you even want to be friends with her? How many times has she actually been nice to you, or helped you out?"
"Stay out of this, Dupain-Cheng!"
"Get over yourself, Chloe! You're trying to quiet her because you know the answer is 'never!'" Nino exchanged glances with Adrien. How had this gotten so out of hand? Marinette grabbed Nino's arm, "I say, let her keep her best friend. If they've known each other for as long as she says they have, who knows what kind of lowlife scum he is, too?" She was glaring at the blonde. Adrien's brow furrowed, confused.
"You're mad at me?" He asked, looking to Nino for an explanation.
"Of course she's mad at you," Sabrina bit out, frowning at Marinette. "You're Chloe's friend, which, in her mind, means you're worse than Lucifer himself."
"Hey, Sabrina?" Marinette smiled at the girl mockingly. "Shut up. You don't know anything about me, so you don't get to say a word about me until you do."
"Don't let her fool you, Adrien," Sabrina blinked and a few tears fell down her face. "Once she's decided you're a bad person, or you're beneath her, there's nothing you can do to change her mind. But if someone else is prejudiced like that? Watch out, because Marinette Dupain-Cheng will be there to bite your head off." Sabrina stormed out of the room.
Chloe glared at Marinette. "Are you happy now? Is that what you wanted to achieve?"
"Obviously not, Chloe," Marinette's words were as icy as her eyes. "I don't set out to make people feel worse about themselves. You were yelling at my friend about something he would never do, and he was doing an awful job defending himself because he likes you, so I came to tell you to calm the hell down!"
"You can't go around telling me what to do," Chloe sassed, ears turning red. "He was making fun of Adri-cat and-"
"Jesus Christ, shut up!" Marinette barked. "Are you going to stay here, arguing with me, or prove me wrong and go after your crying friend?"
Chloe fumed for a second, then left the room, roughly bumping Marinette with her shoulder on her way out of the room.
"Why?" Adrien spoke up, probably still wondering what Marinette had against him. "I thought, since that day at the park, we were cool?" Adrien looked at Marinette. She narrowed her eyes at him. Nino looked to the front of the room. Juleka was doing some last minute homework while Rose seemed to be helping her with one of the problems. Nathaniel was talking to Max, not seeming very concerned with the scene occurring in the same room as them. Alix was watching them, exchanging small comments with Alya. Kim was talking to the teacher, who didn't seem like she wanted to intervene any time soon.
"You think I'd be 'cool' with you after what you did?" Marinette narrowed her eyes at him.
"What I did?" Something about Adrien's voice compelled Nino to act. He sounded so confused, so overwhelmed. Nino took in a deep breathe and covered Marinette's entire face with his hand. He didn't slap her or anything, but the sound of his hand hitting her face echoed through the room. Adrien looked at him, appalled.
"Come on, Palm Face, time to calm down. How much coffee have you had this morning?"
"Don't touch my face!" She pushed his hand away and let him lead her back to her desk, which she shared with a new girl, Alya. "You'll get concealer on your hands." Nino grinned down at her. That was one of the nice, predictable things about Marinette. She was easy to distract in the morning before she'd finished her twenty ounces of coffee. Her thermos was hilarious-at least twice as big as her entire head, and she drank the whole thing every morning. Nino was sure it would cause her problems down the road, but she insisted that she needed it, and couldn't function without having that much coffee every morning. She was an addict, and everyone knew it.
"Who cares, a little bit of soap and water, it'll come right off." He stood next to her as she sat down. Alya looked back at Adrien, who looked entirely too alone. Ivan was scribbling madly on a notebook paper and didn't say a word to the guy. No one else would even look at him. Friends stand up for each other. "Marinette," Nino said, and she looked at him as she drank some calming coffee. "Adrien is a good guy." She set her thermos down and stared at him. "Really. We hung out at a concert this weekend, and we're friends now. Be nice to him, would you?"
Marinette looked down and was quiet for a minute. "A concert? Do you mean, the Jagged Stone concert? The one which I couldn't afford the tickets for?" She looked up, and her eyes were glassy. "You took him and Chloe and you didn't even ask me?"
Nino looked away. "Well, I mean-don't change the subject That's not Adrien's fault."
"No," Marinette glared at it. "That's not his fault. He hasn't been one of my best friends since first grade. He hasn't known what a big fan of Jagged Stone I am. And he doesn't know I've been dying to go to one of their concerts for years."
"Marinette, I'm sorry," Nino tried, but she looked back at her desk.
"Whatever, go back to your new friend and leave me alone."
He knew he'd hurt her feelings, but he didn't have a chance to patch things up with her. The teacher, done talking to Kim, and realizing the drama had faded away, clapped her hands and told everyone to get to their seats. Nino walked back, and the grateful smile Adrien sent him feel proud. He might have gotten in a fight with one of his best friends, but he did it defending a new kid. Once he explained it to her that way, she wouldn't be angry anymore, he was sure.
At lunch, Nino pulled Marinette aside.
"Why are you talking to me?" she grumbled. "You think I'm a bully, right? Go hang out with your new friend: the one you know so much about."
"I'm sorry I didn't invite you to the concert," he said, reiterating his sentiments from that morning. "It's just… you know how long I've liked Chloe, and I thought if I invited Adrien along, she would come. And by the time I accepted she wasn't coming, the concert was starting. I would have asked you to come, I promise."
Marinette shook her head. "I don't care about the dumb concert. You just seem to trust that guy more than me. You don't know him, Nino, you don't know the things he's done. I do."
"Do you, Marinette? Maybe I don't know everything, but I know he's a new kid in class who hasn't made any friends just because he's already friends with Chloe. He's a nice guy, and he's lonely. I thought you, of all people, would be against judging him for his friends, or who he's associated with."
"That's not why I don't like him," she said vehemently. "He-"
The air suddenly got humid, and a disgusting smell entered Nino's nostrils. Marinette's face turned grim, and she started pulling him out of the cafeteria. She ran with him through the streets, but after a while he lost her in the crowd. As he'd been taught, Nino didn't look back. He didn't pause or search for her. He simply kept going, pushing through the crowd, fighting for safety. He hated it, but that was what life had been in Paris for two years.
Francois-Dupont High School had a very standard procedure for students to follow in the event of an Akuma or Makara attack. They were to immediately evacuate the premises and look for an emergency bunker with space. Students were reminded to leave their backpacks and jackets in the classrooms, and encouraged to exit in an orderly manner. Teachers were not to leave until it was certain all students had left the building.
There were no instructions for when the attack was over. Usually students stayed away and returned to school the next day. If there had been any homework assigned, students would beg off of it because of the scare from the previous day, or because they had left the materials at school during the attack. Teachers were required to give allowance to any students who used the Makara or Akuma as an excuse. Some students returned to school and gathered their belongings anyway. Most of the time, these students had more in their bags than just schoolwork, and they wanted it back in their possession before the next school day. Adrien was one of such students.
He wandered through the school, taking his time. It wasn't like anyone would be waiting or worried for him back at home. His father, though protective of almost all things in his life, seemed almost indifferent about the Makara and Akuma. Adrien couldn't figure out why, and his father never explained. In the end, it didn't matter. The attacks resulted with Adrien enjoying a little more freedom than he otherwise would not have had. Grabbing his backpack was one of those freedoms. His bodyguard was not allowed to follow him on school property. Though he liked spending time with the Gorilla, he still craved having a sense of freedom, without his every move being watched.
As he continued walking towards his classroom, Adrien heard two voices in the hallway. He mentally sighed as the familiar voice of Marinette snapped in the air. He wondered who was on the other end of her razor tongue this time. He turned the bend and paused. The scene in front of him was not exactly what he had been expecting. There was Marinette, as short as ever. Her feet were set, her eyes disapproving, and her finger stuck straight in the other girl's face. The other girl looked decidedly more relaxed. She was leaning against a locker, one arm crossed in front of her, and the other played with her brown hair. There was a sardonic smile on the girl's face, and her green eyes were cool whilst Marinette's were flashing with fire. Most surprising about the scene was who stood at Marinette's shoulder: Chloe.
"And why do you care?" the girl asked Marinette lightly. Adrien knew who she was. On the first day of school, all the new kids had introduced themselves to each other. This girl, with green eyes and light brown hair, had introduced herself as Lila. "We could all see from this morning's scene that you don't like the Queen Bee, so why not just walk along, pretend like you never saw what was happening?"
"I wasn't mad at Chloe just for who she is," Marinette growled. "It's the principle of it-I won't let her get away with talking down to people, and I definitely won't let you get away with it."
Sabrina's words from earlier came back to him. Marinette had a serious character flaw: severe prejudice. He must be misunderstanding something. There was no way Marinette, who had determined Chloe to be a self-centered bitch, would ever defend her. That wasn't the kind of person she was. She was stubborn, prideful, and mean.
"You've seen how she talks to people," the girl said. "You've seen how she thinks she's better than everyone else."
"I don't know what she thinks, and neither do you!" Marinette scowled. "I can protest her actions, I can let her know when I think she's doing something wrong, but I can't accuse her of something I don't know to be true, and I won't let you do so, either!"
Lila's posture remained loose, though her eyes narrowed. "You and I both know she deserves every single thing I said to her. You don't even like her. Why are you on her side?"
"Who cares if I like her or not?" Marinette snorted. "She was minding her own business and you were bullying her. No one else was around, and she needed someone on her side."
Adrien shook his head and decided to head back home. He didn't want to risk being caught in the middle of that. Still, it was an amazing thing he had stumbled upon. He imagined he was feeling like the first person who discovered sliced bread felt like. It still felt a little surreal. He almost couldn't believe it. He wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it for himself. But there it was, right in front of his eyes. Marinette Dupain-Cheng was defending Chloe Bourgeois. Tomorrow, pigs might just fly.
She, in an instant, had proved Sabrina's opinion incorrect. Though she was entirely too aggressive about it, she was standing up to what she thought was unjust. It reminded him a little of Ladybug. Except something about his short classmate seemed so much more...powerful? No, that was the wrong word. Marinette Dupain-Cheng had something inside of her, something which felt more courageous than Ladybug could ever be.