Chapter 23

~Marinette's POV~

I watched myself walk down a small hallway very slowly, looking down slightly. I looked very sad and confused as I slowly shook my head to myself in disbelief. I continued walking until I entered a room with boxes stacked high, and soon Alya was shown behind me with a bright grin, holding a small cake with a single candle on it burning.

"Feliz cumpleaños!" She said happily as she held out the cake to me. I turned around to face her, and her smile vanished as she saw that I wasn't happy. "What's wrong?"

I let out a soft breath, obviously trying to hold back my emotions and keep myself from crying as I answered. "I just… uh…" I trailed off before I finally said it with a disbelieving tone. "I just got fired."

"What?" Alya asked as she took a couple steps closer to me, looking very concerned. "Why?"

I forced a smile for a second, but it quickly vanished. When I spoke, my voice shook. "Blair told her father that I was…" I looked away from Alya briefly then looked at her again. "rude to her."

"But—" Alya sputtered blinking quickly as she tried to think of a logical explanation. "She's obnoxious. Everyone's rude to her."

"Well, I think he's scared of her." I said with small nods. Alya grimaced but didn't argue. I shook my head, rolled my eyes, and sighed heavily. "What does Zachary see in her..?"

Alya frowned and put a hand to her chest, a gesture that told me she was sorry for what I was going through. I looked down again and slowly walked around a table before I took off the red apron, folded it, and sat down in a chair at the table with the apron on my lap. Alya slowly sat in the chair across from me.

I knew that as I had been filming the scene with Alya and Nino, it was hard not to think of Chloe really stealing Adrien away like that because it was very scary to think about this movie becoming a sort of reality. I know Adrien sometimes seems to be blind to the way Chloe treats everyone else, much like how Zachary is blind to Blair's behavior towards others.

"Ha!" I was taken out of my thoughts and turned my head to see Chloe with a very smug smile. "You got what you deserved, Dupain-Cheng!"

My eyes narrowed at her and I opened my mouth to say something, but someone else beat me to it. I turned quickly to see who spoke, and as I did I noticed Alya looking rather confused herself, her mouth also open slightly as if she was going to say something as well. But my eyes landed on someone behind Alya who was speaking, and my eyes widened slightly with surprise.

"Chloe! It was only for the movie to show what kind of a person Blair is! Marinette wasn't the one fired, Marilee was, and even then she didn't deserve it!"

Everyone went quiet as we all turned and looked at Adrien who seemed to only see Chloe in the room with him through narrowed eyes. We were all shocked by his outburst, especially Chloe.

"But, Adrikins!" Chloe protested, crossing her arms stubbornly. "She is so below us!"

"No, she is not, Chloe." Adrien said in more of a growl. "Just like your character, Blair, is not above Marilee. You'll learn that when Zachary breaks up with her."

"What?!" Chloe demanded angrily, standing up from her seat and immediately glaring at Alya. "Why is Adrien going to break up with me, of all people?"

"Because you're a brat…" I heard Alya mutter under her breath with an eye roll as Adrien answered for her, and I was too surprised by Adrien to feel amused by Alya.

"Chloe, you can't expect Zachary and Blair to stay together much longer when she's treating Marilee the way she is." He said. "Or because of the fact that Zachary and Marilee will be together by the end of the movie. It has to happen sometime."

"But—" Chloe tried to argue but quickly cut herself off, obviously so angry she didn't have words. "You will not be kissing her!"

Adrien looked taken aback for a second before he crossed his arms. "I've already had to kiss you." He said. "Come on, Chloe. If you really try to ruin this film, it won't do any of us any good. It's too late to try to create a new story, and I'm not going to let you demand that Alya changes anymore of her scenes."

"Adrien—" Chloe started in a pleading voice, but Adrien cut her off, sounding stern and quite stubborn.

"No." He said. "Not this time, Chloe. If you try stopping this film over this little breakup between our characters, we will all most likely fail this semester final, including you and I."

"But—"

"I won't stand for it if you talk to your father about it." Adrien said instantly, apparently knowing exactly what she was going to say. "If he somehow keeps your grade from dropping, I will be sure that my father cuts ties with yours."

When Chloe looked at him unconvinced that his threat meant anything he continued. "You do realize that a big number of your father's supporters as mayor came because he had my father's support?" Adrien asked, causing Chloe to have a slight panicked look. "If your father loses these supporters and their votes, it will be much harder for him to stay mayor at the next election, I can promise you that."

"Adrien, you wouldn't—"

"Try me." Adrien said, and with a final glare, turned away from Chloe and looked my way with a smile as if he hadn't just threatened his oldest childhood friend.

I looked at him with awe. He was defending everyone against the kind of stunts Chloe pulled to always get her way, and it seemed for once that finally she was put in her place; temporarily at least. But above that, Adrien stood up for me, and that was just another thing I added to the mental list I have of why I love this boy so much.