Marinette collapsed in her chair, exhausted. So much had happened that it hardly felt real. Surely she had been dreaming? Somehow, she had managed to not only direct her classmates in what to do at the town hall (gaining their respect and hopefully their votes) and turn everyone's attention to Chloe's underhanded tactics, but also transform into Ladybug to defeat Darkblade. At this rate, how could nobody suspect? She hadn't exactly been very subtle. Maybe people just saw what they wanted to see.

Despite the crisis, she had still made her way over to the fabric store, much to the relief of the frazzled owner who quickly put Marinette to work, thanking her for coming even in light of the recent events in the city. When she had heard those words, Marinette had tried to push her exhaustion away in order to help more. But she had reached her limit, and when Mrs. Guinebertiere had found her slumped on a box in the back room, she had been sent home.

Sent home with a haul of new fabrics! Though the day's events had been trying, the distinct smell of new fabric made her perk up. A pair of loose trousers complimented the casual shirt that had been the start of the collection. She knew that she should work on new items to compliment the others she had created so far, but Marinette soon turned her mind towards her day dreams. Adrien would look dashing in a slightly tailored jacket, offering to escort her through the crowded room…

Marinette looked down at the seam she was sewing and frowned. She had to keep her mind from wandering! Her carefully measured seam allowance had grown larger, throwing off the careful measurements of the jacket sleeve. She would have to get her seam ripper- if she used caution, then she wouldn't have to recut the sleeve. She didn't have that much extra fabric after all, and she shouldn't be using it on such silly mistakes!

A quarter of an hour later, she was satisfied that the sleeve would look perfect. She wanted to spend extra time to make sure that this turned out just the way she had imagined. If she was going to lose this competition, it wasn't going to be for lack of trying. This was going to be her best showing.

Marinette stared at her bookbag in loathing. Her assignments were pressing, but none were due tomorrow. She could cram them all in later. She hoped. With that kind of day, how could she be expected to save energy for her schoolwork?

Marinette berated herself. School was important, she knew, but sometimes she just wanted a break from it all. She shrugged on her pajamas, determined to get a few hours of sleep before she needed to wake up again.

No sooner had Marinette made herself comfortable in her bed than her phone rang. She looked at the number blearily. She didn't recognise it, but decided to silence the ringing before it woke her parents up by answering.

"Hello?"

"Ah, is this Ms. Marienette Dupain-Cheng? Good? This is Vincent, from the park photoshoot. The photos have come out brilliantly, and I wanted to know when you would be available again. That is, if you will be available again? We are going to use them in an advertisement- don't worry about payment, we will arrange something before the ads go up."

Marinette blinked blearily.

"Um, sure. Call again in the morning and we can figure something out?"

"But it is already the morning, I don't see-"

Marinette hung up before turning over. A photoshoot, however exciting, was her last concern right now.

A ringing alarm shocked Marinette from her warm and oh-so-cozy bed. She felt more exhausted than when she had gone to bed the night before! Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she dressed quickly before hastening downstairs.

Try as she might, she wasn't able to choke down more than a bite of the delicious breakfast waiting downstairs. Her stomach churned with nervous energy. Readjusting her pigtails, she grabbed her bag and strolled out the door. Being late on election day wouldn't go down well at all.

Marinette barely even noticed the smiles sent her way, so focused was she on what could go wrong that day. What if she completely embarrassed herself before the election? Or what if nobody voted for her? Worse, what if Chloe managed to win?

Before she knew it, Marinette was in her seat next to Alya. Her friend smiled encouragingly at her.

"Marinette, calm down. We'll do fine!"

Marinette let herself believe her friend's words. She felt the tension bleed from her shoulders. Alya was right- she had prepared for this! She could do this!

Her ballooning self-confidence was deflated by a piercing glare from Chloe. The blonde raised her eyebrows before examining her perfect nails. The smugness rolled off of her in waves. What did she know that Marinette didn't?

The teacher entered the room unhurriedly.

"As I'm sure you all know, today is the election for class representative. I'm going to pass out these ballot. When you've made your choice, bring them up to my desk. We should know the result by the end of homeroom. Best of luck to our candidates!"

A new wave of panic shot through Marinette. She squeezed Alya's hand so hard that the other girl winced. Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts, think…

Marinette turned, catching Adrien's eyes. He smiled at her warmly. Just when Marinette was going to turn around to awkwardly watching their teacher, so quickly that she thought she might have imagined it…

He winked at her!

Adrien Agreste actually winked at her!

Marinette's worries about the election flew out the window, replaced by a dreamy smile. Before she made a fool of herself, she whirled to face the front of the room again. A blush dusted her face. Adrien winked at her! Her! Marinette drifted into la-la-land. Where was she? Oh, yes. Adrien easily navigated the crowds of the party. One woman stopped to compliment his suit. He laughed. Oh, it's all the work of this lovely girl here, Miss…

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng!"

Marinette's head shot up.