*Ring!*

Marinette ran into the classroom just as the bell rang. She sighed with relief that she wasn't late. There were a couple of people who were, however. The second row to the front was empty, signifying that Alya and Lila weren't in yet. She stared at her old bench, wondering if anyone would notice if she sat there just for today, before heading to her seat in the back row. She used to hate being alone at the back, but now she's grown to love it. She can get on with her work without any distractions. Her grades have never been higher! Miss Bustier signalled for class to begin as two chatty teens walked through the door.

"Of course, I know who Kuro Neko is! What kind of best friend would I be if I didn't help Ladybug pick her new partner!" Lila was spewing lies again and Alya was hanging off her every word. "I can get you an interview with her if you'd like!"

"That would be amazing Lila! I'm so lucky to have you as a friend. Could you possibly get me one with Ladybug too? I want to ask about Chat Noir."

"Definitely! I'll get them to patrol near your house tonight!"

She was going to avoid that area on her patrol. Marinette took out her notebook and sketchbook from her bag. She scribbled "avoid Alya's house" onto one of the pages before turning her attention to her sketches. A small tailoring company took interest in her designs and offered to make them a reality. Whilst they weren't as famous as Agreste designs or Bourgeois, Marinette was thrilled to be so close to her design career. She was so focused on her designs; she didn't notice a certain blond peeking at her from the front row.

Class had ended with no drama. Lila had continued to spout lies for most of the lesson, but it was hard to hear them over the chatter of the class. Everyone was understandably excited about the new hero and were talking about what this meant for the future of Paris. No one had approached Marinette to blame her for "hurting" Lila which she took as a blessing.

"Hey Marinette!" The girl squeaked in surprise as Adrien stood next to her, breaking her train of thought. "Sorry if I scared you."

"No, I was just distracted. That's all. What's up?" Talking to him had gotten a lot easier recently. Sure, there were still feelings there, but they weren't as strong as they used to be.

A small blush appeared on his cheeks and he coyly looked to the side. "Well I was wondering if you'd want to hang out after collège. Maybe get a drink and go visit the Louvre?"

"I'm sorry Adrien but I'm going out with Kagami today. She's probably waiting for me outside of collège right now. Maybe some other time." Any other time, she would've pounced at going out with Adrien, but she wanted to get closer to her new partner. She didn't want to repeat the same mistakes she did with Chat.

"Wait, you're Kagami's date? I didn't know you or her felt that way about each other…" His face deflated at the news.

"D-DATE? Kagami told you we were going on a date?" Thankfully they were alone in the classroom. No snoopers to hear the conversation.

"So, you don't feel that way about her?" His eyes lightened and his lips turned upwards in a smile. It was a face like what Chat Noir would make when she admitted she wasn't getting any further with her crush. It made Marinette uneasy.

"No! Not in that way!" It was almost a shout, as if she was trying to convince herself. "I just like how she softens when she's around people she likes. How she's opened to me more since we became friends. How I can trust her to be there for me when others aren't. How she's passionate about her interests. How she walks with confidence and purpose. How her hair bounces with each step and how it smells of tea tree-" Her eyes widened abruptly as she looked into Adrien's. "Oh my gosh. I do have a crush on her!"

Adrien's heart sank. Marinette, his Ladybug replacement had just admitted that she loved someone else. Not only that, but she'd fallen for his 3rd choice – Kagami. His eyes glanced at the clock on the wall, wondering how much time he had to walk around and mope after this. Marinette also looked at the clock and then rushed to collect her bag.

"Oh gosh Kagami's going to be waiting for me! I need to go! See you tomorrow!" She darted out of the room, leaving a stunned Adrien stood on his own. He shouldn't have hesitated.