"So… I'm not the only one who's noticed something strange with Chloe right?"

Nino's question was met with his girlfriend's wide-eyed stare before she reached up and pulled him down to behind the wall she and Marinette were couching.

"What?" He asked.

"Shh!" Alya shushed him before peaking up. Nino did the same and saw who she was watching.

"Adrien and Chloe?"

"Something's going on," Marinette said.

"Tell me about it." Nino agreed. "I'd almost describe her as… well, chill is not the right word."

Both girls looked at him incredulously.

"Chill?" Marinette asked. "I think she hates me."

Nino blinked. "I mean… that's hardly a secret."

"No, it's… different this time. I've never had someone look at me like that." Even as Marinette said it, she knew it was a lie. She'd seen that look before, but only in the eyes of Akuma that were particularly angry with Ladybug. "And when she insulted my fashion sense, she looked like she wanted to hit me."

Nino blinked. "Really? Because she walked right by me after I spilled ketchup on my shirt and didn't say anything."

"What do you think she's up to?" Marinette asked.

"I said that I don't want to do it!" Chloe yelled making the three jump.

Adrien said something to the now grumpy rich girl before glancing around. The three of them ducked down to avoid being seen.

"A better question would be what is Adrien up to?" Alya said.

Marinette thought about it. "Maybe she's tricking him."

"By yelling at him?" Alya asked. "Chloe's not sly enough to manipulate someone like that. She'd be all sweet and fake and…" She glanced over the wall. "Uh…"

Alya's sudden lack of words drew Marinette and Nino's attention and they looked over the wall and saw what she was looking at.

Adrien's arm was around Chloe's shoulder and her head was against his chest.

Marinette's brain went blank as she stared at the spectacle in front of her.

"Now, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this." Alya said.

"Why is he holding her like that?" Marinette all but screeched.

"I mean," Nino said. "She looks kind of miserable. Maybe Adrien's trying to comfort her."

Marinette sighed in admiration. "That's just like him isn't it? Trying to help people." She frowned. "And she's taking advantage of it."

Nino and Alya glanced at each other.

"What?" Marinette asked.

"Maybe she really is upset."

"She isn't too upset to antagonize me."

Alya opened her mouth to say something before shutting it. "Good point."

"I bet she's just trying to play on his sympathy to try and ensnare him."

"Would she have to?" Nino asked. "I mean, she knows him more than most people. She might know him better than we do, though through whatever filter she sees the world. And before he joined school, she was the only girl he was friends with. I mean she's practically-"

Marinette's hearing went as she began to imagine Chloe, in Adrien's arms, laughing at her as they rode off into the sunset to get married in a magic rich people wedding.

Before her fantasy could get farther though, the school was shaken by an explosion that made the three fall to the ground.

Alya shot to her feet first. "That must be an Akuma!" She yelled as she ran off.

"Alya," Nino groaned as he ran after her.

"Marinette," Tikki said.

Marinette nodded. "Let's go."

/

A short look at Marinette's perspective on the day.

Marinette is interesting. She has good reason to not like Chloe, and the rich girl's emotions are so complicated, it's impossible to figure out what's going on without being told.

Anyway, leave a review with your thoughts and check me out on twitter at WriterImmigrant.