First day

"Marinette! You're going to be late for your first day of school!"

A groan was heard underneath a light pink pillow and a fifteen-year-old girl poked her head. Her blue eyes barely open and her blue/black hair was a tangled mess. The wake up alarm on her phone had been ringing for the past five minutes, but she had tried to repress the sound so she could get a few more minutes of sleep. Sadly, she knew she couldn't keep this up forever. With a loud groan, she placed her hand over her phone, making the alarm sound muffled against her skin and managed to remove the pillow from her head and drag her body out of bed.

"Okay, Mom." he called out from upstairs. Marinette stretched and yawned before walking down to the kitchen, where her mother was waiting for her. Marinette's mother was a lovely chinese woman with short black/blue colored hair and brown eyes, wearing a chinese white shirt and light purple pants with simple black flats. Marinette was a girl of both chinese and french heritage, her father being born in france and having married her mother. Marinette kissed her mother's cheek and sat on the table, preparing her breakfast.

"Excited for you first day at a new school?" her mother asked, trying her best to sound as excited as possible. But Marinette did not share her enthusiasm.

"Remind me again why dad had to move back to Paris?" Marinette said as she prepared her bowl of cereal. "What was so bad about New York?"

Marinette's mother lovingly caressed her daughter's keep. "Honey, we talked about this. This will be a whole new start for us. Your father's taking over his grandparent's old bakery and we get a new house and a new fresh start. Besides, this will be a great chance for you to get more in touch with your roots. Paris is a wonderful place, filled with such beauty and mystery. It's where your father and I first met before we moved to New York."

Marinette wanted to sound happy, she really did, but based on her own experiences with her old school, she wasn't so sure if she would fit in this one.

"Just give it a chance. Who knows, you might make some new friends."

"Not with my rotten luck." Marinette said as she poured the last of her cocoa cereal into her bowl.

"Don't' say that. I'm sure everything will be fine."

Marinette hoped her mother was right. Who knows, maybe this year would be different. And, it wasn't that Paris was such a bad place. It was full of wonder and beauty as her mother said, and it was where her favorite french fashion designer lived so who knows, maybe her luck was about to change. Maybe a fresh start wouldn't be so bad.

Marinette placed the cereal box hard on the table, causing it to shake and a single orange from the fruit bowl rolled out, going over a slice of bread, which leaned next to the bowl and continued its way over the butter knife, which was over the stick of butter itself, before colliding with the milk carton, causing it to fall and our all over the floor. Marinette groaned at her own clumsiness. This kind of stuff never would have happened to Bridget.

Her mother showed mo signs of anger or annoyance, but instead sympathized with her daughter as she cleaned the spilled milk with a mop. "It's alright, accidents happen."

"To me, they happen everyday." Marinette said, sadly taking the spoon and taking a mouthful of the cereal and chewing the sugary substance.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Marinette." her mother said with a bright smile that lit up the room.

Marinette didn't even bother to respond. All her life, she was known as the klutz of her family. No matter who much everybody else tried to sugarcoat it it just never ended. Back at her old school, she used to trip and fall so many times that the students nearly always had their phones at the ready to take a picture. One of which even became a meme for the school until the principal ordered it down and the image was deleted before things got worse. But, the damage was already done.

After breakfast, Marinette got herself dressed in a white shirt which had cherry blossoms on it, pink pants with matching flat shoes. She also had a black jacket over her white shirt and a single pink purse over her shoulder. Her parents were already working at the bakery downstairs. The building also served as their new home, which was beyond gorgeous and one of the perks about living in Paris. Marinette's father, a large but lovable man, hand her a long rectangle box filled with tasty looking cookies for his daughter to take to school.

"Wow, Dad! They're so pretty!" Marinette said, smiling upon seeing the mouth watering treats.

"Just a little something for your first day. I'm sure your new class will love them."

Marinette had no doubt about that. Her father was an incredible chef, as was her mother, and no doubt this would surely help her on her first day of school. Or at least, she hopped. "You're the best!"

"No, we're the best." her father corrected as he ruffled his little girl's hair, which was styled into two pintails. "Thanks to the new logo you designed." her father showed Marinette the drawing of the bakery's new logo she had designed and the family now used it as their official emblem. Marinette was a very talented artist, and fashion designer. While her parents were artists in the kitchen, Marinette was an artists with a sowing machine and a notepad.

Marinette hugged her father, only to accidentally drop the box to which her father managed to catch with his foot and lift it back up for his daughter.

"Oops."

"It's alright. No harm done."

Marinette blushed as she took the box back and her mother handed her her backpack. Marinette kissed both of her parents goodbye until she stopped upon seeing a picture on the wall behind the counter. It was one of Marinette when she was very young, around ten-years-old, sitting beside an older looking woman around twenty three with brown hair and blue eyes like Marinette. She bared a striking resemblance to the young girl in almost every aspect, right down to their noses. She wore a police officer's uniform and hugged the child with all the love in her heart. Her eyes were filled with such kindness and bravery. Marinette's heart sank. One of the hardest things about moving was that they had to move without her.

Bridgett was Marinette's role model, her best friend, her inspiration, her hero, everything. She was the best cop on the force, until the career took away her life. It was a nighttime patrol and her older sister was shot right in the head. It was a devastating loss for the family. It happened no more than two years ago, and even today Marinette still wishes she could see her sister once more. Bridgett was everything Marinette hoped to be. She was fearless, daring and yet so incredibly generous. She placed the needs of others before herself. All Maninette was good for as making messes and sowing cloths. Her sister was a hero, she even earned a metal for her service.

Marinette felt her father's strong grip on her shoulder and allowed him to wipe away a single tear that escaped her eye. "I know. We miss her too." he said before taking the picture and giving it to Marinette. "So you'll know she's still with you." he said in his most loving voice.

Marinette smiled and nodded her head before kissing both her parents once more, placing the photo into her backpack and taking the box of cookies in hand. She ran out the door, embracing the bright Paris city sunshine and air. In her rush, she nearly fell over when a car drove by. Sighing in relief, Marinette readied to walk across the lane, only to gasp in shock upon seeing an elderly man walking towards the sidewalk she was currently on. The poor man was as slow as a turtle, with a can and all. And what was worse, was that a car was already coming his way. The car was going so fast it would surely run over the poor old man. What was worse, this man was also trying to multitask by driving and texting, which was never a good combination. Marinette never understood how people can care more about what was on their phones rather than what was in front of them.

The car was fast approaching and the man wasn't walking any faster. She didn't know what came over her, maybe it was just her human nature or her sister's influence, she didn't know but Marinette ran up and dragged the man right out of the road, just in time when the car came to a screeching halt upon seeing the elderly man and stopped at the very moment Marinette pulled the older man to safety.

"What's going on!" the driver asked, rolling down his window.

"Maybe you should stop texting and focus on where you're driving!" Marinette exclaimed angrily at the reckless driver, her face nearly as red as a tomato. The driver only blinked in surprise and placed his phone down before driving way. Marinette sighed in relief, relinquishing all of her anger, only to groan in frustration when she saw that many of the cookies from her box had fallen out in her attempts to help the old man.

"Oh, my! Thank you very much, miss." the old man said and bowed in gratitude as Marinette picked up the cookies, at least the ones that weren't already broken. Several bystanders even stepped on a few of the cookies before she could grab them.

"Oh, I'm so sorry about your cookies." the man said as he helped her out. Before long, a decent amount of cookies were back in the box.

"No big deal, I'm used to it." Marinette said. "Would you like some? They're still a few good ones left."

The man humbly accepted the girl's offer and took a bite out of the cookie. "It's delicious!"

"My dad made them." Marinette said before looking down at her watch. "Oh, no! I'm going to be late! Have a good day, sir!" Marinette bowed in respect before making a mad dash across the sidewalk towards her new school.

The man smiled as he watched the girl leave. "Thank you very much, young lady…" he said with a knowing grin. Master Fu had a good feeling about this one.

(~)

The bell had already run and Marinette was running late already. Just what she needed, to be late at her first day at a new school. She did not regret helping that poor old man, but luck really wasn't on her side today. She was hallway towards the stairs that led to the school's doors, already panting. She would breath a sigh of relief once she reached her destination. But, just her luck, she tripped once more. Her eyes were so fixated on the doors she was completely oblivious to the stranger running in her direction. The boy cried out once they made contact, his taller body causing Marinette to fall down and the boy with her.

"I'm so sorry!" he said, once realizing his clumsy mistake. Marinette was right underneath the boy, who used his arms to support his upper body. He was around her age with slight tan skin, bright blond hair and bright forest green eyes.

"Are you alright….miss…" the boy trailed off upon seeing the girl he had collided with. She had the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen, her dark blue bang hung loosely on her forehead, slightly swiped to the side and she looked at the boy in surprise. The boy blinked, feeling embarrassed that he had fallen on this girl due to his carelessness. His cheeks turned red as he smiled rather shyly.

"Hi." he said.

Marinette only grunted in frustration as she shoved the boy off of her, causing him to fall back and land on his backside. Marinette stood up and dusted her cloths, picking up her backpack and box of cookies, none of which had fallen out this time.

The boy stood up as well and tried to apologize to the girl. "I'm really sorry about that." he said, trying to sound sincere. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Not the first time." she muttered under her breath and adjusted the strap of her backpack. She gasped once she heard the bell ringing again. "Oh, crud!" without a second glance, the girl ran up to the stairs and bursted into the building. The boy watched her run off in confusion, only to snap himself back to reality and face palm himself.

"Right, the bell!" he said to himself and ran into the building as well. This was his first day too, he couldn't be late.

(~)

Marinette bursted into class, just in the nick of time. The teacher had just started calling out the students' names. Once she arrived, Marinette breathed a sigh of relief and took the first empty seat she could find on one of the bench-like desks, fit for two students. Once seated, she placed her backpack beside her and her box of cookies on her desk. Her eyes scanned around the room. Her class was most certainly a colorful batch, and there was not one specific group of specific school stereotypes like at her old school. A goth girl was sitting next to a girl wearing pink, and the two were chatting like life long friends. Another desk had a strong-looking jock-like boy sitting beside a nerdy looking boy. The joke commenting on something his companion had on his phone. At her old school, a boy like this would had stuffed this poor smaller boy into his own locker. One boy wearing a cap and headphones around his neck waved at Marinette. She smiled and waved back, it would be rude of her not to. Maybe this new school wouldn't be so bad after all. A wave of relief and joy filled up within her, only to be taken down when a hand slammed onto Marinette's desk, startling her as she shrieked.

"Excuse me? Just who do you think you are?" a blond girl asked. She worried a white and black stripped shirt underneath a bright yellow jacket with a brown belt and white pants. Her hair was styled into a ponytail and wore sunglasses on her head.

"I'm sorry? Marinette asked, arching an eyebrow in confusion.

"Oh, I see. You're the new girl from New York, right?"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng." the teacher called out, looking down at her clipboard, to which Marinette raised her hand.

"Here!"

"Marinette, hu?" the blond girl said, looking down at the dark haired girl with scorn. Marinette could already tell this girl loved looking her best, considering the amount of eye shadow she had on her eyes, and the expensive looking back she carried around her shoulder. "Well, I can understand since you're new here and you don't really know how things at this school work, so let me make it as clear as I possibly can. That seat you're sitting on right now, it's mine!"

"Sorry, I didn't know." Marinette replied. It was an honest mistake, she was new here after all and she didn't know if somebody was already sitting here before she enrolled.

"Well, now you do." said another girl who just took a seat beside Marinette. She was a strawberry blond with a bob cut and white headband, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at Marinette while smiling wickedly, just like her blond companion.

Marinette only sighed. She knew this trope all too well: The mean girl and her lackey. Guess there was one in every school, if not then it wouldn't be a high school. It was a trend that never seemed to die, neither in television or in real life.

"So do us all a favor and go sit next to the other reject." the blond girl said as she pointed her finger at another desk, not too far from hers, where a tan skinned girl with brown/red hair sat. She wore glasses and a pleaded shirt with blue jean pants and converse. She narrowed her eyes at the blond girl.

Marrinette narrowed her eyes at the girl, "That's not very nice!" she voiced out. Marinette always did have a habit of saying whatever came to her mind. Sometimes words would just blurt out before she even had a chance to think it over. Even when her instincts were telling her to be silent, she just couldn't. She was an openly expressive person by nature.

The blond girl scoffed, "You've really got a lot to learn. Now move! Adrien will be here any minute, and that next seat will be his, therefor mine! Understood!"

"Who's Adrien?" Marinette asked. The blond girl and her companion immediately started laughing upon this question, almost as if it were stupid of her to even ask such a thing.

"Are you serious? You really don't know who Adrien is?! I thought New York girls knew all about the latest gossip." said the blond, making Marinette fell all the more insulted. This girl was not only a stereotype herself, she was stereotyping Marinette as well.

"He's a super famous model!" said the blond haired girl's companion. "The son of Gabriel Agreste."

Marinette gasped when she heard the name. "The Gabriel Agreste?! The most famous fashion designer in all of Paris?!"

"Duh! I thought Japanese people were supposed to be like wicked smart or something." the blond girl said.

Marinette's fists clenched as she stood up and faced the blond, her anger fuming and her cheeks becoming red. "For your information, I'm Chinese!" she stated, "Get your facts straight before making accusations!" Marinette voice raised up. Several of the students witnessed this and the blond stepped back and scoffed.

"Uh! Do you have any idea who I am, runt!"

"A snobby blond?" Marinette replied. Every now and again, some hint of her sister's bravery would sink in an influence her actions. Today was one of those days.

"Why you little!" the blond gained up on Marinette, making the dark haired girl reel back, immediately loosing all of her courage in that very moment. The moment somebody else got angry was when she would back away. She never wanted to start a fight, but her anger just got the better of her again. Once again, she was just a big mess-up.

"That's enough, Chloe!" the girl from the nearby seat called out.

"Aww, if it isn't Alya here to save the day." Chloe taunted the girl, who only stood her ground. "What are you gonna do, super-loser? Shoot rays at me with your glasses?"

"You sure you wanna know?" Alya replied, standing firm before Chloe before shoving her aside and smiled kindly at Marinette, gently taking her hand. "Come on, you're welcome to sit with me." she said.

Marinette complied and took her backpack and box of cookies as she walked down towards her new desk. Only to trip and fall once again, this time looking all the rest of her cookies. As if Marinette wasn't humiliated enough. She could already hear Chloe and her companion, Sabrina, laughing at her expense. However, the rest of the class did no such thing. Marinette picked up what was left of her cookies and hung her head as she sat beside Alya.

Just then, the door opened once more and the blond boy who bumped into Marinette earlier. The minute he walked onto the room, several of the students gasped in awe, but Marinette only arched an eyebrow, until she remembered who he was. He was Adrian, the son of her favorite fashion designer. She couldn't believe she had not recognized him sooner. He looked exactly like in his father's fashion posters. Maybe she didn't recognize him without all of the flashy clothes he often wore. He wore more modest clothing today. A white over-shirt with an upturned collar and sleeves rolled up above his elbow with five horizontal stripes around the chest, consisting of yellow and green and blue jeans with orange sneakers.

"Sorry, I'm late." he said, waving shyly at the teacher. "I…got kind of lost." he confessed, his cheeks tinted with red.

"Adrihoney!" Chloe called out, waving at the boy from her desk and shoving Sabrina right off, causing her to land hard on the floor. "I saved your seat!"

"So glad you could join is, Mr. Agreste." said the teacher and Adrien took his seat next to Chloe, who immediately hugged him tightly, much to his unwanted surprise.

"I'm so happy you could make it! I was getting worried." Chloe said, trying her best to sound sincere.

"Uh, sorry to worry you." Adrien replied with uncertainty.

"Oh, forget it! And don't you worry, I'll let you in on the 411 on everything. Which are the best spots at the school to hang out, the losers you shoulder avoid, which is practically everyone except for me of course, and most importantly, which classes we'll be taking together! Oh, this is gonna be the best year, Adrihoney!"

"Y-yeah…great." Adrien forced himself to smile and placed his bag beside him. His eyes darted around the room until he spotted the girl he had run into earlier this morning. She was sitting only a few feet away from him next to another girl he didn't recognize. He never did get a chance to apologize for earlier and he hoped he would get the chance latter on.

Marinette didn't even bother to look his way. He was the son of a rich fashion designer and he was apparently friends with someone like Chloe. There was no point in befriending him, even if she wanted to. Based on her experience with rich people in the past, she made certain not to let the same mistake happen twice.

"Hey, it's okay." Alya said to her new companion. "Chloe's just a jerk. She thinks that just because her dad is the mayor of Paris that automatically makes her above everyone."

"Her dad is mayor?" Marinette said in surprise before groaning. "That explains a lot." she said before burying her face into her arms.

"I'm guessing you have experience with these kind of girls, hu?"

"How did you know?"

"The way you stood up to her just now. That was pretty impressive."

"That? Please, I didn't do anything. Besides, I backed down at the last minute. You, on the other hand, you stood up to her no problem. I can never do that without chickening out."

Alya only smiled compassionately. "Don't sell yourself short, kid." she said before pulling out her phone and showing Marinette a picture of a female superhero, with a cape and everything. "Ever read "Majestica?" she asked, Marinette only shook her head. "Well, she says that the only thing that lets the forces of evil win, is when the good guys don't' do anything about it."

Marinette arched an eyebrow. "You lost me."

"You see, the forces of evil-Chloe-and the good people-that's us-we can't allow her to push us around."

"I'm not much of a fighter." said Marinette, "Besides, I don't think fighting really solves everything."

"I'm not talking about punching her into a wall, I'm talking about never letting people like her get to us. Once she knows she can't get to us, she'll loose her power over us. You get me now?"

"I…think so. But it's easier said that done."

"Don't worry about it. Starting now, we're gonna work on your confidence, er…" Alya trailed off, now realizing she had not asked for the girl's name. Marinette took the last good cookie she had and split it in two, sharing the other half with her new friend.

"Marinette."

"Alya."

The two new friends ate the pieces of cookie together, cementing their new friendship. Marinette did like making new friends, even if she was still cautious about who she trusted. Something was telling her she could trust Alya. So long as she stuck with her and not Chole, thugs should be fine.

Meanwhile, Adrien watched as the two girls giggled happily. He always wondered what it was like to have a friend whom you could laugh with. Chloe was the only friend he had before coming to school, but it was more so by chance than anything. His father was old friends with Chloe's father, and during their business meetings the two of them would play a bit, but most of the time it was Chloe who called most of the shots. Adrien, being the polite boy that he was, allowed her to. Over the years, Chloe became more and more materialistic and mean, but was always kind to Adrien, even more so once he became his father's new fashion model. Sadly, it wasn't the friendship Adrien had hoped for. Still, he couldn't be rude about it. He hoped being at school for the first time would change that.

He kept on looking at Marinette, she seemed so comfortable with her new friend. The memory of there encounter was still fresh in his mind. He couldn't forget her beautiful bell blue eyes. And, more amazing, she didn't fawn all over him like other girls did. If anything, she didn't appeared to have even know who he was. It was a wonderful breath of fresh air.

Chloe noticed Adrien starring at the girl, and immediately her jealousy flared. "Eh, word of advice; stay away from that one." she said, pointing at Marinette, "She has like zero respect for people like us."

"What do you mean people like "us"?" Adrien asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Important people. You and me, we're at the top of the food-chain. They're at the bottom."

"Chloe, just because they're not rich doesn't mean you can treat them like-"

"Like what? Insects? That's exactly what they are."

"Even actual insects have a purpose, Chloe." Adrien stated before turning his gaze back at the teacher while crossing his arms on his desk, not wanting to lose his temper right then and there.

"Oh, Adrihoney, you've still got a lot to learn." Chloe said as she pinched Adrien's cheek, much to his dismay. He rubbed his face a and his eyes fall back upon Marinette. He smiled.

(~)

The rest of the day went along rather smoothly, much to Marinette's surprise. Alya was fantastic, she was kind, non-shallow and she was a lot of fun. She reminded her a bit of Bridgett. She had her same fearlessness and spunk.

As for Adrien, his first day was…somewhat okay. He was still bombarded by fans who wanted a picture and autograph, and Chloe clung onto his arm all day long. He could tell she was mostly feeling his arm muscles. He wasn't particularly that muscular, but many years of fencing and karate did leave him physically fit. It came to a point where he couldn't take it anymore and politely pulled his arm away from her grip.

"Chloe, I'm going to need both of my hands to eat lunch." he said before walking a bit faster towards the cafeteria, leaving Chloe to grunt in anger. Adrien was a bit of the stubborn naive type, but if she was going to have him for herself then she would make sure to teach him the ropes.

The cafeteria was just as he saw in movies that took place in high school. Only cleaner. He looked at the variety of choices and his stomach grumbled. As a model, he was mostly supposed to eat very light meals, and not too much sugar or greasy foods. But today, he didn't care how greasy the food was, he just wanted a taste for once. He spotted the first food he had long wanted to try in years.

Pizza!

As a kid, he used to love eating pizza with his mom and dad, but ever since he became a model, the amount of the cheesy goodness was minimized to the point he couldn't eat anymore. He licked his lips as he made a mad dash for the last two remaining slices. One with pepperoni and one with mushrooms. He reached for the one with pepperoni, at the exact same time another hand reached out for it as well.

His eyes darted upwards to see who it was, and he let out a silent gasp once he saw it was Marinette. Immediately, the two reeled back their hands which had made contact with one another. Adrien could feel his cheek turn red as did Marinette's, though his was more out of being flustered since this was the second time they made contact, Marinette's was more out of embarrassment than anything.

Adrien scratched the back of his neck, trying to say something to the girl he had bumped into to. "I, um, uh…Hi." he said. He mentally slapped himself. Adrien had never struggled to speak to anyone before, then again the only other girl he ever had a conversation with was Chloe.

"Hi." Marinette replied indifferently.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry for bumping into you earlier. I can be such a klutz sometimes."

Marinette blinked before replying. "It's fine. I guess." she said with uncertainty. She wasn't entirely sure if to fully trust this boy yet. Besides, a super model being a klutz? She'd already seen a few of his works, he most certainly didn't look like a klutz. Not to mention, he was standing there with a hand behind his neck and the other on his hip before placing it onto the side of the table trying to look casual. It was evident he had been doing this modeling business for a long time now, and it showed in his posture.

Adrien's eyes darted back and forth between the girl and the pizza slices. "Uh, would you like to go first?" he said politely while trying to hide his bashfulness. He didn't know what to say to this girl. Was she still upset with him? It was hard for him to tell. For him, this girl was a little bit hard to read.

Marinette reached out her hand and choose the slice of pizza with pepperoni, her eyes darting back and forth between her meal and the boy. He smiled kindly, his green eyes sparkling like emeralds. She had to admit, he was pretty cute. She managed to smile a bit and nod her head in gratitude before heading to her table.

Chloe had watched the whole thing, and took notice of the way Marinette was looking at her Adrien. She didn't like it. She didn't like it one bit. As Marinette approached, she shoved her expensive designer bag with her foot, putting it in Marinette's path, causing the girl to trip and fall. The slice of pizza splattered underneath her shirt. Chloe and several other students started laughing, minus a few, including Alya and Adrien. Marinette sat up, the slice of pizza already staining her favorite white shirt right before hearing the sound of a digital camera flash. Chloe had taken a picture of the poor girl's humiliating moment, and all with a devilish grin on her face.

Adrien rushed to Marinette's side only to have Chloe grab his arm. "Oh, Adrien, you're so brilliant! I swear, you even had me fooled for a second there." Chloe said with a chuckle before taking another picture of a new messy Marinette who was now standing in front of her. "Did you really think somebody as cool as Adrien would ever be friends with someone like you?"

At that moment, Chloe's words triggered an unwanted memory in Marinette's mind. A moment very similar to this one, where all eyes were on her, only instead of pizza it was mash potatoes, as well as a few broken chips. The girl, whom he thought was her friend, was the ringmaster of this little sideshow. The camera phone flashed, nearly blinding Marinette.

"Did you really think I'd be friends with someone like you?"

Tears began to form in her eyes and Marinette ran as fast as she could away from the scene. Alya ran after her and Adrien tried to reach out to explain everything, but was stopped by Chloe. "Let her go, Adrien. After what she did to me, she deserves it."

Adrien angrily removed his arm from her grip and ran after Marinette. Alya managed to cat up to her new friend, "Marinette! It's okay, don't let her get to you!"

For a moment, Marinette stopped her running, and looked at Alya, wiping away her tears. "I just want to go home." she said, her voice cracking as more tears came from her eyes.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay." Alya said, wrapping her arms around the poor girl in an effort to comfort her. But, as kind as the gesture was, Marinette just really wanted to leave. After that moment, she just didn't want to stay at this school any longer. "It was just an accident."

"No…it wasn't just that." Marinette said as she gently ended the hug. "Look, I can't explain it right now, just please…I just want to get back home."

"But-"

"Please."

Alya decided to comply and allow her friend to go home. It seemed like she really needed it. "I'll explain everything to the teacher, promise."

"Thanks."

"Just get some rest." Alya patted her new friend on the back before heading back, ready to give Chloe a piece of her mind.

Adrien, who had been hiding behind a wall, walked out and followed Marinette outside in hopes of explaining everything to her. He felt awful over what happened. He couldn't let this poor girl leave school just because of one stupid prank.

"Hey! Marinette!" he called out once they both reached outside, "Please, wait!"

"What do you want?!" Marinette shouted angrily as she stopped and stunned around to face him. "Not enough laughs for you? Is that it?!"

"No! I swear, I had nothing to do with this! It was all Chloe!"

"You really expect me to believe that?"

"I'm telling you the truth." Adrien insisted, looking at her with sadness in his green eyes.

"Right, this coming from the guy who's friends with Chloe, the queen bee."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I may technically be the new girl here, but I know how this works. You and Chloe are just like the rest of them."

"The rest of them?" Adrien asked back, "Are you implying there's a "them"?"

"Yeah. Rich kids like you who like to toy with other students for your own amusement just because you believe you can!"

"I'm not like that!"

"Right. And that's not pizza sauce on my shirt!" Marinette said, pointing at her stained shirt.

"Look, I'm sorry for what happened, but one stupid prank shouldn't be enough for you to leave school in the middle of the day."

"You don't know me at all!" Marinette's fists clenched after he angry outburst, which was enough for Adrien to step back, gripping his bag in fear. His eyes widening and Marinette slowly stepped back, panting slowly. "You don't know me."

Before he could say another word, a sleek limousine pulled over in front of the two and a woman wearing a secretary outfit walked out. "Adrien! There you are!" she exclaimed as she approached the boy. "Is this where you've been all morning? You know your father disapproves of this!"

"But, Nathalie!"

"We're taking you home, right now." the woman stated firmly, causing Adrien to quickly give up. This surprised Marinette a bit. Why was he not allowed to go to school? And why did he wimp out like she did when Chloe got angry. Why was he so scared all of a sudden?

Adrien sadly complied and followed Nathalie towards the limo, but not before turning around to look at Marinette. "You're right, I don't know you. But you don't know me either." he said, his tone slightly bitter with a hint of depression before he walked into the limo. Marinette watched as the vehicle drove away, still unsure on what had just happened.

She looked back at the school before heading her way back home. She'd father face her parents' many questions and go back in there.

(~)