Marinette saw Ivan sitting on the floor by his locker. His headphones were on the highest setting as she could hear Avenged Sevenfold muffled through his headphones. She sat next to him and laid her hand on his shoulder gaining his attention.

"Are you okay? I know everyone is blaming you for everything but it's not your fault."

Ivan didn't say anything but appreciated Marinette's kindness. He just wished she was a different girl and Marinette knew that. He had his eyes set on a short, pear-shaped, doe-eyed girl. She was timid, liked to read, and was sort of a loner like Ivan was.

"You know girls appreciate flowers, chocolates, or a poem. She'd probably like a romantic cliché." Marinette attempted to be the wing-woman for she thought Mylène and Ivan were a good match.

"I could… write her a song?"

"There ya go you big lug! What girl wouldn't want a love song written especially for her? Go for it!" She just wished he put as much effort into his hygiene as he did romantic endeavors.

She then followed him intoMiss Bustier's classroom.

"This is your seat, Adrikins," Chloé said as she pointed to the empty spot next to Nino. "Right in front of me."

Adrien offered his hand to Nino for a handshake. "My name is Adrien."

"Nino." He replied accepting the handshake. "You're friends with Chloé, then, huh?"

Adrien noticed Chloe and Sabrina put gum on a seat. "Really?" Adrien questioned as Chloe was quite skilled in pranks and something simple as putting gum on someone's seat seemed below her.

"Don't worry. She just needs a little attitude adjustment."

"Why do you think this is necessary?"

"You've got a lot to learn about school culture, Adrikins."

Marinette walked in witnessing the blonde model kneeling by her seat. She assumed that he was placing gum on her seat a tradition that Chloe did every year.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"Uhhh… I…"

Marinette could hear Chloe and Sabrina's snicker in their precious seats.

"Okay. I get it. Good job, you three. Very funny."

"No, no, I was just trying to take thisoff!" He protested.

She glared up at him. Due to their size difference, she was practically a mouse threatening a cat. "Oh, really?" Chloe and Sabrina's snickers turned into full-blown cackles at the sight. "You're friends with Chloé, right?"

"Yeah, so?" He said unintentionally puffing out his chest to look more intimidating.

She huffed as she grabbed a tissue and removed the gum herself. "I believe this is yours." She said smashing the A.B.C. (Already Been Chewed) gum into his hand.

Adrien's nose curled at the gesture. He threw away the gum and headed to his seat. "Now do you see what I mean about demanding respect?" Chloe added.

Alya leaned over to whisper to Marinette. "Daddy's boy needs an attitude adjustment."

"I want to knock him down a few pegs but is he really worth the effort?"

"Teen supermodel AND Chloe's buddy?

Forget it. That's a suicide mission."

Nino frowned at his new desk mate.

"Why didn't you tell her it was Chloé's idea?"

"I can't throw her under the bus. She's my best friend. It's called: Loyalty."

"Brah, it's called stupidity."

Miss Bustier ordered the class to quiet down so she could check on attendance. "Agreste, Adrien?"

Nino whispered to Adrien "You say "present"."

Adrien jumped from his seat with his hand raised. "PRESENT!"

'First day of school and I can't even get past roll call.'

A loud "HA!" came from the other side of the classroom. The source of course was Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Her outburst was only met with an intense glare of Miss Bustier's aqua green eyes.

"Bourgeois, Chloé?"

"Present!"

The attendance roll call went off without a hitch. She gave Adrien a syllabus since missed the first day and recommended that Nino explain it to him. She also recommended that Nino show Adrien around the school at least until he gets used to his new environment.

During lunch, Marinette sat next to Ivan trying to help him with his love life. As she believed he needed a friend. He was being ignored as people feared he'd turn again. He poked his plastic fork at the mashed potatoes and what Marinette assumed was meatloaf. School lunches never looked edible to her. She preferred to pack aesthetic lunches that tasted equally amazing as they looked.

"I don't think I can do this."

"How about you test it on me first? That way you can gain a bit of confidence."

"Okay." He coughed clearing his throat.

"I made this for you." He started singing the lyrics in a loud, shrill voice.

Marinette covered her ears causing Ivan to stop.

"This was a bad idea." Ivan wadded up his lyric sheet in frustration.

Mylene picked up the wadded-up lyric sheet and handed it back to Ivan as she didn't think it was fair for the janitor to clean up his mess.

"I think you two have things to talk about. Hm?" Marinette said as she watch Mylene smooth out the crinkled paper.

"Oh, uh… I… Uh…" Mylene fiddled with the end of her multi-colored dreadlocks. Realizing it was rude of her to pry. She looked up at Ivan with apologetic eyes.

"Maybe it would help if you read the lyrics to Ivan's song." Marinette chimed pointing to the piece of paper.

Mylène took a moment to skim the lyrics. "Wow, it's really beautiful. It's a shame you can't hear them when you scream. I mean, when you sing." Mylene corrected as she wonder why Marinette was talking to Ivan earlier. She was a little jealous that Marinette was confident enough to talk to anyone she liked.

"It was scary, wasn't it. I'm sorry." He blushed embarrassed that he made a fool of himself.

"It's okay." She lightly grazed his hand with hers. "You want to finish lunch together?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind."

Marinette took that as her cue to leave the two with some alone time or as much alone time they could get with a room full of hungry teenagers. Marinette smiled like a proud parent watching their kid walk onto a school bus for the first time. "Oh, they'resomade for each other." She muttered as she took her things to her and Nino's traditional spot in the cafeteria.

Nino went to give Adrien a few words of wisdom as he was in charge of Adrien until he got used to public school. He had to navigate Adrien through the lunch line and Adrien questioned if the food was safe to eat. Nino assured him it was but wasn't entirely sure since Nino had packed.

"Mrs. Bruel is honestly the BEST lunch lady. She gives free cookies to students if they're having a bad day."

This woman was a tank but the kindest sweetest tank that anyone could ever ask for.

"Oh, Father doesn't allow me to have sweets." Adrien looked at the chocolate chip cookie on his foam tray and awkwardly smiled. He was used to the cooking staff already knowing his dietary restrictions.

"She must think you're having a bad day. Accept the cookie." Nino whispered as students accepted the cookie when offered and traded it off or gave it away. Refusing the cookie was not an option. It was an unwritten rule of Francis DuPont.

"Are you diabetic sweetheart? Or gluten intolerant? Because rest assured I have cookies just for you!"

"Sorry, Ma'am, thank you for the cookie." Adrien smiled as he heard a few students groan because he held up the lunch line over a cookie. Another reason it was best to just accept the cookie.

"Dude, you wanna make friends, right? Well, go talk to Marinette. You know, about the chewing gum." Nino said indirectly inviting Adrien to handle out without with his squad. If Marinette could have a plus one then why couldn't he?

"But what should I say to her?"

"Just be yourself and avoid doing anything that Chloe would do." He patted Adrien on the back and shoved him in the direction of Marinette.

Adrien tried to gain Marinette's attention as calling her name was not working. He sat his tray down on the table debating if he could indeed apologize. "Marinette... Marinette..."The only person who ignored him this well was his father. He grabbed her upper arm as she chatted with Alya about the new heroes.

"Let go of me, Agreste," Marinette stated as more of a warning than a request.

"Look I wanted to tell you that you misunderstood the whole gum thing."

"Okay?" She stared at his hand that still gripped her arm. He wasn't using pressure but it still made her uncomfortable. "Is that all?"

He studied her expression. Her fine eyebrows furrowed, the disdain in her cerulean eyes, her soft strawberry glossed lips tilted as if she was biting the corner of her cheek.

'She's kinda cute.' He released her at the mere thought of betraying Chloe. She would drop him if she found out he thought this shortcake was attractive. He did enjoy his sweets and although tempted he would have to pass.

"You're not sitting with us are you?"

"I was told to make new friends and-"

She interrupted him. "Bold of you to think I would want to be friends with you."

"You two are more alike than I thought." He replied referencing how Marinette's rude remark matched the ones that Chloe sputtered about.

"Agreste, shut up and sit down or run off to your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend." He said as slung his jacket over the chair. "She's my best friend and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that."

He sat down and became suspicious that something more lied within Marinette and Nino's relationship as their meals matched. He wondered if he would find a girl that would make him meals or maybe they made their meals together? He thought that would make a cute date. Then he reminded himself: "Dating distracts from progress." A motto repeated regularly by his father. But he couldn't help but pry in his fellow students' lives.

"Are you two dating?"

"Me and Nino? Pfft..." Marinette laughed as she placed an egg roll onto Alya's lunch since she was begging for something more flavorful than the meatloaf provided by the school.

"So, you're single... Not that I'm interested! I'm not that... I wouldn't..."

Marinette rolled her eyes and tried her best to ignore Adrien the entire lunch period. She heard Alya rant about how exhilarating being with superheroes felt. Adrien slightly smiled when Marinette mentioned that a cute cat boy was running amok in the background.

"If I get his number you'll be the first one to know. I promise."

Marinette felt the rain with her hand. Her ride was late like usual and now she had the wonderful opportunity to wait for the rain to lighten up with poster boy.

"Hey..." He added only to be ignored by Marinette. "I just wanted you to know that I regrettrying to be friendly." He knew that apologizing was for the weak-willed. Well, at least according to the Bourgeoises and his father.

He rummaged through his bookbag for his black umbrella. He knew had no use for it and he wondered if she had walked here. He opened it and offered it as a kind gesture. He had never been to school before but he knew he was already on the wrong path and wanted to change. He just didn't know-how.

He handed her his umbrella, and they shared brief eye contact through the exchange. Marinette smiled. Adrien thought perhaps he was forgiven and smiled back. Marinette took his smile as a cue to snap his umbrella in half. She didn't want to owe a friend of Chloe's anything. She learned the hard way with Sabrina. She kindly handed the broken pieces back. Still keeping that smile.

Adrien thought she would graciously accept his offer since she seemed nice to everyone except three people.

"I was going to offer you a ride next but not with this attitude."

"I was unaware an unripened watermelon could have a conscience. Let alone get a license."

Adrien started laughing at Marinette's lame excuse for an insult. "That's best you got?"

"No, because I didn't think your virgin ears could have handled what I truly think."

"Try me." He had heard and seen plenty of negative comments there was nothing she could through at him that he hadn't dealt with before. One of the perks of being a public figure.

"Sorry, Agreste but I don't exist to entertain you."

Adrien frowned at Marinette's reply. She's wasn't amusing him by playing his games and that irked him. He let out a "tsk." and stormed off in the direction of his Vespa.

Plagg was enthusiastic that Adrien got on the wrong foot with Marinette. He didn't want them to be friends or lovers and this was the best result he could have hoped for. "First day of school and you already have an enemy!"

"Whatever," Adrien said mad that she had gotten the upper hand.

Master Fu had arrived to walk Marinette home as Luka, her usual ride was occupied with violin lessons.

Wayzz peered his head out of Master Fu's pocket just in time to watch Adrien storm off. "They are going to be the end of each other, Master."

"On the contrary, those two are made for each other."