Marinette approached the school the next morning with a sinking feeling in her stomach. She was on time, her hair neat, and she had done all of her classwork. She just wasn't sure how her classmates would react. Did they all truly agree with what they had signed off on? She looked down at her feet. What she really worried about was how she would react. How she could react. What was she supposed to say to these people now? She had felt awkward enough before all this happened.

Taking a deep breath, Marinette tried to stroll casually into the lobby. She felt curious eyes on her as she entered, many not even from her own grade but simply wondering if some of the rumors they had heard were true. Just as she thought she had better turn around and go home, Alya appeared at her side. Marinette had been so caught up in observing the other students that she hadn't even noticed her friend. They looked at each other wordlessly before embracing. Releasing her friend from the hug, Marinette gave a half-smile that she hoped would convince Alya that everything was alright.

Unfortunately, the two had known each other for a long time. Alya would not be so easily fooled. She gave Marinette a meaningful look that nearly caused her to groan- they would be talking about this later. But instead of pushing the envelope, Alya allowed it to slide. There was no sense in creating more drama than had already unfolded around Marinette.

"So, how was the science homework? I'm pretty nervous for the dissection today," Alya asked, settling into a neutral topic.

"Oh, well enough. I have to agree- I think it'll be pretty gross," Marinette replied as they walked up the stairs. The simple, emotionless conversation allowed her to relax a little bit. This, she could handle. She turned her mind from its whirling thoughts, instead focusing on schoolwork. Facts were always much more comforting than rumors.

Alya congratulated herself. With Marinette focused on the lab in science and the math test today, she wouldn't worry so much about the throngs of curious students in the hallways. As she spewed inconsequential questions about school, she could notice more than one person who initially tried to listen to them before turning away when they heard what was being said. They settled into class, Marinette rejoicing that Chloe hadn't yet made an appearance. And if Marinette remembered her schedule right, she wouldn't have a class with her until after lunch.

What Marinette hadn't factored into the equation was Adrien. She shared most of her classes with him, something she had been elated over at the start of the school year. She was still more than happy to see him in class, but every since she had nearly kissed him… Marinette had to pull herself back from her thoughts, cheeks slightly flushed. She wasn't sure where the two of them stood. Perhaps he thought nothing of it, thinking that Marinette was just trying to get the film finished. Did she dare to hope that he had felt as much of a connection as she did?

Faced with her droning teacher and a growing list of math problems, Marinette turned to her work, letting her brain busy itself with numbers and formulas.

Adrien sat in the back of the room, head ducked. He was the picture of the reluctant student. What he really wanted to hide from wasn't the lesson; it was his fellow students. Ever since the filming, he wasn't really sure what was going on. Chloe had caught him off guard, allowing her to remove him from the room. He had been forced to spend time calming her down so as to prevent another akuma attack. By the time he had been able to return to the classroom where they were filming and hopefully explain things to Marinette, she was gone. Speaking of Marinette…

Adrien had to fight the temptation to turn around and look at her again. Something about their almost-kiss made him feel flustered and nervous. When he had looked into her eyes, he swore he recognized something in them. Which was a little odd- Adrien hadn't spent a lot of time looking deeply into the eyes of girls. He had no way of knowing how Marinette had felt. He had heard many hurtful rumors, and he was sure that she had, too. Chloe had even tried to convince him to sign a compilation of insulting statements. He had refused. Knowing that the longer he was quiet, the harder it would be to speak to her, Adrien vowed that he would talk to her at lunch and explain his actions. Hopefully she would be understanding.

The day seemed to fly by in a flurry of tests and mindless work. Marinette, so robotically caught up in her work, made to turn right towards her history class at the conclusion of science. Alya's arm snaked out and pulled her friend to the left with her, towards the cafeteria. Marinette jumped, snapping out of her musings.

"C'mon! Aren't you the least bit hungry?" Alya teased as they stopped by their lockers. Marinette was relieved to note that her locker had been returned to its formerly clean state, devoid of the mess two days prior. She grabbed her lunch from her locker, and they descended the stairs to the cafeteria.

Here as she ate, Marinette could feel the stares on her back. And this time, Alya's attempts at distraction weren't working. Marinette's breathing quickened and her skin crawled. Why would someone want to be the center of attention all the time? She certainly preferred the option of anonymity. Even as Ladybug it was reassuring that she had the opportunity to be a normal girl as well. Marinette had almost finished her sandwich when she felt someone behind her. Alya's eyes bugged out, and Marinette looked at her, confused. Turning around, she was about to speak when she finally connected the dots. Marinette nearly stopped breathing.

Behind her was Adrien, standing a little sheepishly, one hand on his neck as he looked at the floor. "Hey, uh, Marinette," he began, "can I talk to you over there for a little while?"

He waited patiently as Marinette extracted herself from her seat before making her way over to an alcove in the hallway.

"Look, I'm really sorry for what happened the other day. For what it's worth, I think Chloe took things way too far. I'm sorry that I didn't get to say this that day, but you know how she can get. I wanted to come back and explain, but she took a long time to calm down…" Adrien broke off, embarrassed at his sudden rambling.

Marinette thought that her heart was just about to burst out of her chest. Forget the harsh words of the other students- here was Adrien, apologizing to her so sweetly. She hadn't even known that the blonde boy could be anything less than suave and smooth. Somehow, he was even more adorable when he was embarrassed.

He looked at her hopefully.

"Don't worry about it, Adrien. That incident had Chloe written all over it." Marinette paused, not sure what to say next. She didn't get a chance to decide because the blonde menace herself was storming across the cafeteria.