{+}{+}{+}

Marinette spaced out her entire first class.

Many things have just happened all at once for the bluenette to comprehend—to process everything. She figured out she has a crush on Adrien, who is now in the seat right in front of her. The very seat Luka used to fill until unexpectedly finding out he is being homeschooled.

Then, the nagging echo of the name "Tsurugi" continued to rattle Marinette's very core. The exact same last name of her uncle, Shan Tsurugi.

"Does that mean...Kagami is my-"

The bell rang, cutting off Marinette's thoughts and ending her first class. Everyone began to pack their supplies while Miss Bustier told them their assignment. Marinette hurriedly grabbed her bag before realizing she has no clue how she's going to do the homework without today's notes.

"Darn it," she thought, frustrated with how today is going so far. She'll have to copy Alya's notes and get some more information on Luka's homeschooling during lunch.

"Hey, Marinette?"

Marinette shifted her icy gaze away from shoving her books into her bag and immediately melted into a softened look meeting emerald green eyes. Adrien's smile somehow wiped away her stress within seconds and replaced it with a fluttery feeling in her chest.

"Oh uh—yes, Adrien?" Marinette questioned, cheeks warming up and giving her face a pinker tint.

"Do you mind showing me where the art room is?" The blonde asked, hopeful. Marinette's heart skipped a beat, forgetting how to use her mouth to speak.

She let out a nervous giggle before stuttering out, "Non—Oui! Possibly? I-I can show you the storage closet. I mean, the art room! Why would I show you the storage closet? That would be really weird! Besides, it's my ne-next grass—class!"

Adrien blinked for a moment in confusion, hardly understanding anything Marinette said. Yet, he managed to at least understand that she agreed to show him where the classroom is.

"Um, okay?" The blonde said, raising an eyebrow before adding, "It's awesome that we have two classes together so far. I can't wait to see what else we have together. We'll have to check each other's schedule on our way the artroom."

"Mate—great! That's a great idea," Marinette replied, nervously. She is going to make Celine pay for messing with her head.

"Hello, Adrien and Marinette."

Adrien and Marinette's focus turned away from their conversation to the new voice. Adrien gave a sunny smile while Marinette turned a ghostly pale.

"Hi, Kagami! What's your next class?" Adrien asked. Before the Japanese girl could utter a word, Marinette quickly gathered her things and headed toward the door. Kagami and Adrien watched the bluenette in befuddlement. Adrien's heart felt like a rock sinking into the depths of an ocean.

"Marinette? Where are you going?" Adrien questioned, wondering what happened.

"I-I'll meet you in the locker room. I just remembered I n-need to get something fr-from my locker," the aspiring designer answered. Then, she hastily left the room without another word.

"She's acting...somewhat strange," Kagami quipped, earning a nod of agreement from Adrien.

"Yeah," Adrien wistfully spoke.

{+}{+}{+}

"Girl, you're insane."

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious," Marinette grumpily sagged on the bench in the locker room and hid her face in the palms of her hands, "It's just like when I had a crush on Luka. I can't form anything speech-wise correctly, completely or too much rambling.

"But," Alya piped, shutting her locker and sitting next to her best friend, "I have a feeling that there's something more that's bothering you than boy troubles."

Marinette perked up, bluebell eyes widening in shock. Alya may be blind to some things but she can be a wizard when it comes to reading Marinette. The bluenette's lips thinned out, a faraway look within her gaze. Alya frowned, placing a comforting hand on Marinette's shoulder.

"What's troubling you, Marinette? You've been acting really odd lately," Alya paused, rethinking her wording, "Well, odder than usual. My point is, you can tell me anything."

Marinette looked up at her best friend, knowing she can trust the journalist. Yet, she's unsure if she's prepared to lay everything out at once. So, she gave an assuring smile.

"I'll explain everything to you later. For now, I'd like to focus on my present problems," Marinette said.

"Alright, what are your recent problems?" the ombré-haired teen asked.

"One is Luka, but I can wait to hear about it at lunch. The second is homework. I might need to borrow your notes to copy," the bluenette listed before shyly scratching the side of her cheek, "The last is the new students, Adrien and Kagami."

"Okay, I can understand why you have problems with all of that. What I don't understand is why Kagami is a problem for you," Alya replied.

"Let's just say, she's sort of a part of my other disasters and I just found out about," Marinette tried to explain, only for Alya to look like a lost kid in a store. Marinette sighed, "Look, I'll explain later. For now, I need help with Adrien. He's probably going to be here any min-"

"Sorry, it took a little bit. Kagami and I were talking about our next fencing practice," Adrien suddenly appeared, causing Marinette to fall off the bench in fright. Marinette's facial features bloomed a bright cherry red, quickly scrambling to her feet.

"Adrien! I wasn't expecting you! Wait, no—of course, I was expecting you! Why wouldn't I when I said we would meet here so I can guide you to the art room," Marinette nervously rambled.

"Yikes," Marinette heard Alya murmur under her breath and nudged her in the leg.

"Yep, lead the way!" the blonde chirped. Marinette nodded, afraid she'll say something else stupid if she opened her mouth again. She looked over her shoulder towards her best friend, who gave an encouraging (yet, Marinette swears she could see some teasing) thumbs up. Bluebell eyes glared until Alya is out of sight.

It barely took a second after leaving the locker room for Adrien to get ambushed by Chloe.

Alya sympathetically winced seeing that moment before the door fully closed.

"Poor, Adrien," the ombré-haired teen thought before a new presence filled Marinette's spot on the bench. Alix crossed her arms, a sly smirk drawn on her features. Alya isn't quite sure if she should be afraid (and that's coming a lot from the fearless journalist) or intrigued with whatever Alix is about to say.

"Yes?" Alya questioned, skeptically. Alix wiggled her eyebrows, pulling out a photograph from her sleeve.

"I've got some good dirt if you want it," the pink-haired skater tauntingly waved the picture in front of Alya's face. This spiked Alya's curiosity, a sucker for any sort of "dirt" that's presented itself.

"Go on," Alya said, intrigued. She knows Alix must have something juicy to share if she's looking this satisfied. Alix handed over the picture to Alya to look at. It took a few seconds for Alya's eyes to bulge out of her head in shock. Alix knew she delivered once seeing the flabbergasted Alya's jaw drop.

"You're kidding me!" The journalist yelled, standing up from her seat, "I feel like an idiot."

"I know right!" Alix exclaimed, watching Alya sit back down. Alya nearly tore the picture, heat bubbling within.

"I'm going to hunt down and murder that little bit-"

"Woah! Settle down! There are children present," Alix said, gesturing towards Kim and Nino.

"How did you get this picture?" Alya questioned, suspiciously, "Lila lives in a five-story building and this looks like you took it right outside the window of her bedroom. You're about as bad as Marinette when stalking people, but she doesn't sneak pictures through an open window...that I'm aware of, at least."

Alix shrugged, "Max let me borrow Markov for a little bit."

"Borrow as in steal and returning without Max knowing, right?" Alya deadpanned.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night. Besides..." Alix said, snatching the picture back, "...we can't let good dirt like this go to waste. We should get revenge!"

"I don't know..." Alya said, frowning, "Yes, I'm completely furious and want to rip off her head from her fake body but wouldn't retaliating make us just as bad as Lila."

"Alya, think about it," Alix stated, poking the side of her temple, "From my speculation of Marinette, this fox has been lying to us since day one—for years! She's not only made us look like fools but probably has been harassing the one person who knew the truth this entire time, your best friend."

Alya thought about it for a moment when realizing something, "It was her..."

"Huh?" Alix questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Lila is the one who told Chloe about Luka having a girlfriend!" Alya said, finally figuring it out, "I should've just kept my big mouth shut like Mylene said."

Alya has been wondering how such information got into Chloe's paws and weaponized it against Marinette. While Alya has been fawning over make-believe stories, Marinette has been hurting.

"So...are we going to get revenge or..." Alix said, not understanding what's happening. Alya huffed in fury, glaring evilly down at the photo before shifting her gaze over to Alix. A fire burned in brown eyes, ready to cause chaos wherever it touched.

"Yes, we're going to get our well-deserved revenge, especially for Marinette," Alya sneered before the warning bell rang, "We'll do it later. Meet me in the library at lunchtime."

"Yes, ma'am," Alix agreed. The ombré-haired girl nodded and made her way to class. The skater hummed in joy and looked down at the picture of Lila taking off a fake pregnant belly.

{+}{+}{+}

"Where's Alya and Alix?" Marinette asked, setting down her tray of food and looked to her friends for an answer. Lunchtime arrived quicker than Marinette knew. The entire morning was a big blur.

She can vaguely remember Nino offering Adrien to sit with the guys before walking off towards their table. Marinette obviously didn't mind, wanting the blonde to make more friends. Her head has been filled with many thoughts, remembering as little as a quarter of the day so far.

At least, Juleka will put one of those questionable thoughts at ease now that lunch is here. Yet, it'll only be replaced with whatever scheme Alya and Alix are up too. Nothing good can come out of those two working together.

Plus, Alya said she would let Marinette copy her notes! That traitor!

Juleka and Mylene unknowingly shrugged their shoulders. Rose has a different reaction, perking up in her seat with a bright smile.

"Oh! I saw them heading to the library," Rose said before adding, "Although, it's strange to see Alix heading there."

"The library?" Marinette questioned in her mind, sitting down next to Mylene. The bluenette hummed in acknowledgment before turning to Juleka, "I heard your brother is being homeschooled now. How come?"

Juleka swallowed the food in her mouth before replying, "He wants to attend college early."

Two pairs of eyes widen (since Rose already knew about it after Juleka texted her). Before any more questions about Luka could be asked, a new voice piped in, "Uh..."

The four girls turned their attention to a nervous-looking Kagami shifting uncomfortably in place.

"Can I...sit with guys?" She asked. Marinette felt unsteady on her seat, while the other three girls kindly offered one of the two empty seats. Marinette watched relief pass through Kagami's brown eyes before sitting down.

"So, how are you liking this school?" Rose asked, politely. Marinette suddenly found her tray of food interesting, poking at her mashed potatoes. She wonders if Kagami knows Shan or anything. Maybe, Marinette is jumping to conclusions. She isn't sure how popular the name "Tsurugi" is. It could be a very common last name for all she knew.

Yet, it just seemed like too much of a coincidence.

"It's really nice," Kagami answered, smiling, "It's different and new but in a good way."

Rose went starry-eyed, glad that the new student is already enjoying this school even though it isn't over yet.

"I've been to some of your fencing matches. My cousin competes in it too and she's always blown away by your sword fighting techniques. I don't really know the first thing about fencing myself but I can tell you're really amazing at it," Mylene complimented.

The small talk continued between the girls (surprising, even Juleka), all of them except for Marinette keeping quiet. Kagami glanced in Marinette's way, worried that she did something wrong again. The last time they saw each other, Marinette left in a hurry.

Kagami frowned a little, thinking Marinette is probably still upset.

Lunch soon ended. Marinette quickly scurried out of the lunchroom before Kagami was given the chance to say anything.

"Man, why is it so hard to ask Kagami about Shan? Maybe...it's because I'm scared of what she'll think of me when she finds out the whole truth about me? That's if, she is related to Shan," Marinette thought, hugging her books closer to her chest, "I can't imagine what mom went through to keep all this bottled up for years."

Marinette sighed before pausing in realization. She began to freak out, looking in every direction for Alya or anyone in her first period class.

"Shoot! I forgot about asking to copy someone's notes," she said in her mind.

"Marinette!"

Marinette looked over her shoulder to see Adrien walking toward her. She felt her insides churn and her heart speed up.

"You forgot this," Adrien said, handing over a familiar pink instrument, "Nino told me this is your special designing pencil. Since I have class with you next, I thought I'd run into you more likely."

Marinette gratefully retrieved the pencil back, "Thank you."

"Also, I happen to run into Alya. She said you were having a hard time taking notes first period. So, she asked me if I could lend you a hand with notes since she wasn't able to make it to lunch," the blonde added.

Marinette didn't know how to respond. She's even more suspicious with whatever Alya is doing and going ballistic over the fact her recent crush offered to help her with homework.

"Uh...duh—uh, mess! I mean, yes! Absolutely, gorgeous—Agreste! Help me—homework and stuff," Marinette incoherently spoke, brain malfunctioning. Adrien smiled, unsure what most of what she said but understood enough to know she agreed.

"Cool! I'll meet you at the park after school," Adrien said, "I've got to go get some stuff from my locker. I'll see you in class!" She didn't see Adrien slip out two folded pieces of paper from his pocket.

Marinette watched Adrien walk off before her book slipped from her grasp and fell onto her foot.

"Ow!" She exclaimed, snapping out of her daze. She knelt to grab her book when a foot stood on top of it. Bluebell eyes averted away from the science book and up to meet with a sly smile.

"Hello there, Marinette," Lila said in a non-friendly way, "Clumsy as ever, I see."

Marinette glared at the humanoid fox, "Give me my book back, Lila. I don't have time to play your games."

"Oh, this thing," Lila said, picking up the book and tossing it over the edge of the rail, "Oops, it slipped out of my fingers. I'm so sorry, Marinette."

"No, you're not," Marinette spat, quickly treading down the stairs. Once the book is back in her grasp, the bell starting next period rang. The bluenette sighed, knowing she's going to get an earful from her science teacher for being late.

All because of that two-faced liar.

"Marinette."

Marinette froze, shooting her head around to see Kagami holding her schedule. She seemed unsure about something, which heightened Marinette's anxiety. It left Marinette going in circles with what could possibly be going on in the fencer's head.

"Did she figure it out? Did she always know? What is she thinking?" Marinette questioned, feeling her palms starting to sweat. Suddenly, Kagami's unsureness turned into embarrassment.

"Can you show me where Miss Mendeleiev's classroom is?" She asked, fiddling with the schedule in her hands and not looking Marinette in the eye. Marinette's form relaxed. An idea popped into her head. She can use this as an excuse as to why she is late! Marinette gave a weary smile, "Yeah, I'm actually heading there myself."

Kagami returned the smile, "Perfect."

Then, her smile shrunk into a frown, "Did...did I do something wrong?"

Marinette's eyes bulged out from their sockets and shook her head, "No, of course not! Why would you think that?"

"Well...you seem to be ignoring or avoiding me. I didn't know if I did something to make you hate me...again," Kagami admitted, sadly. Marinette walked over to the Japanese girl and reassuringly settled her hands on Kagami's shoulders.

"Kagami, I never hated you to begin with. I just..." Marinette sighed, "There's something I need to ask you but I'll save it for later. We need to get to class."

"Okay..." Kagami worriedly agreed.

{+}{+}{+}

"It has been a long day," Marinette said out loud to herself and opened up her locker. School finally ended which means it's time to head to the park. She is putting her books away when noticing an envelope sitting on the top shelf of her locker.

Marinette curiously grabbed it and scanned it for a name. A soft, warm feeling blossom in her chest, a bit giddy.

To: Bugaboo

The bluenette opened the envelope and two letters spilled out. One has the word "Before" and the other has "After" written on the folded slips. Marinette unfolded the "Before" paper and began to read.

Dear Bugaboo,

I don't know if you want to continue writing letters or not, but I'll make sure there's a letter in your locker every Friday, even if you don't reply.

Anyways, I'd like to share my "before" and "after" feelings with school. It's my first time ever attending one and it makes me excited. It's a whole new experience and I can't wait to share it with you! I'm so excited, I nearly left an hour too early this morning.

I nearly skipped breakfast, my hair was a bird's nest, and I may or may not have had my shirt on backward. Luckily, I have a pretty awesome guardian looking out for me.

Yet, I am also...terrified.

I really want to make a first good impression that I almost made multiple mistakes. It means a lot to know that you'll be here to help me through it all and guide me. You have no idea how much I appreciate it!

Thank you.

~Kitty

P.S.: I realized I didn't say a single cat pun throughout this entire letter! That's a cat-astrophe!

Marinette giggled, unable to stop smiling and heart melting into a puddle. Adrien's too sweet for his own good and regrets being late this morning to show him around.

She tucked the letter into her backpack and opened up the "After" letter.

Dear Bugaboo,

I can't give enough thanks for everyone's support and kindness. I truly felt welcomed and made many friends! I know it's only been one day, but I already love this place!

Miss Bustier is such a lovely teacher the way she treats all her students as if they are her own kids. You should've seen Miss Mendeleiev's face when I answered a really hard Physic question on that quiz. Her face was priceless! Even the cafeteria staff gave Kagami and me a cookie to welcome us.

Nino taught me some jokes. Kim and I had an arm-wrestling match. Alya told me some funny stories about you. Ivan introduced me to some really good rock music. Chloe was...well, Chloe. Nathaniel and Mark showed me a sneak peek of their next comic.

I can't wait to meet everyone else I didn't get the chance to talk with!

Well, I'll see you at the park, Meow-lady!

~Kitty

{+}{+}{+}