"What do you mean he asked her out?!"
Marinette winced at her friend's hissed whisper. She tried to shush her BFF before she set herself into a rage. A little voice in her head told her she should've just kept her mouth shut. Of course Alya would be angry on her behalf. That was the kind of friend she was. But it was too late, now. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she gave her a small nod.
"Are you sure?" Alya pressed. "Absolutely positive that's what you heard?"
The lovesick girl gave a small shrug. "I-I think so... I-I mean, that's what it s-sounded like..."
"Ugh, this is so lame! I can't believe he'd go after some chick he barely knows just because she's a little bit famous!" Alya folded her arms in a huff. She leaned against the lockers with a furrowed brow. Marinette suddenly found her shoes really interesting. She wasn't going to cry, not over this. Alya noticed her sadness and quickly sputtered to cheer her up.
"I mean... It doesn't sound like him at all. Have you ever known him to care about his social status?" She got a small head-shake from Marinette. "See? Girl, you probably misheard them. They were probably talking about their work. Maybe they're doing a photo shoot together or something."
"Oh, God no. I think I would hang myself."
A very loud squeak filled the hallway. Marinette jumped three feet into the air, spinning around to face the girl who'd snuck up behind her. The thief rested on arm against one of the lockers, her painted lips, blue today, curved in a knowing smirk.
"Luna! I.. you... Um..."
"Hey to you, too," Luna said with a wink. "Couldn't help but notice you spying on me earlier."
"Me? Spying? Pssh. No. I don't... do that sort of thing... often..." In typical Marinette fashion, the girl fidgeted every which way. The actress laughed. Mischief danced in her eyes at the squirming girl. She was getting too much of a kick from teasing her.
"Alright then, so it was pretty boy you were watching back there."
Marinette turned at least thirty different shades of red and pink in the blink of an eye. "I... WHAT?! N-No, he... you... WHAT?!"
Luna looked to Alya. "How bad is she crushing?"
"Majorly," the bespectacled teen snickered. She was soon hit on the arm by the blushing mess that was Marinette. Luna chuckled again.
"Well, Mari. It just so happens that you're in luck. I'm actually not interested in him."
"You're not!" Marinette said with a little too much enthusiasm. She cleared her throat and smoothed her bangs out of her face. "I, uh, I mean... How come?"
"Well, he seems like a nice guy, and I only date bad boys. Personal rule. Something about leather and spandex just gets me going." Ears and a tail didn't hurt either, in her opinion. "So, you are free to pursue til your heart's content."
"R-really? But didn't he-"
"Invite me to dinner? How much you wanna bet his dad asked him to? Seriously, there is nothing going one between us."
Marinette felt like she was on cloud nine. Suddenly, her heartbreak and jealousy seemed a little silly. She found herself smiling as she scratched her cheek. As she opened her mouth to apologize, however, who else but Chloé crashed the party.
"Eww, did you hear that, Sabrina? Marinette actually thinks she has a chance with my Adrikins." She laughed to the redhead behind her, who gave a small chuckle in return.
Someone shoot her now. Marinette's blush came back, this time half from rage. She glared daggers at the young heiress, wrapping her arms around herself defensively. "What do you want, Chloé?"
The blonde tossed her ponytail in the air behind her, one hand on her hip. "Well, Mari-trash, if you must know, I was coming over here to tell Miss Wannabe Starlet to keep her grubby little hands off my boyfriend. But clearly, I need to extend the message to you as well, not that you actually stood a snowball's chance in hell, anyway."
Even though she told herself the words weren't true, Marinette couldn't help the sting she felt from them. She knew he was out of her league. It didn't make hearing it any more bearable.
"So, when are you gonna ask him out?" Luna asked with a smiling face.
The blackette blinked at her. "Huh?"
"Did you seriously not hear me?" Chloé shrieked.
"You are planning on asking him out, right?" Luna continued as if the blonde wasn't there.
"Uh... I mean..." Marinette's eyes shifted between the two, nervously. She was too stunned to give her a straight answer. Soon enough, Chloé was shoving her out of the way to glare at Luna head on.
"Listen here, bitch-"
"Oh, hey, honey buns! I didn't see you come up."
Chloé's ears were burning from the overly cheerful and innocent tone. She balled her hands into shaking fists as she spoke, venom dripping off every word. "You need to clean the crud out of your ears. I told you Adrien is already taken."
Luna cocked her head to the side. "Really? That's news to me."
"Well, it's true, so you'd better-"
"Hey, Agreste! I didn't know you had a girlfriend!" Luna yelled down the hall. The commotion of the hallway stopped as all attention was suddenly on the group of girls. The model in question looked up from his conversation with Nino, very much resembling a deer in headlights.
"I... Don't?" was all he could manage to utter.
"Oh!" Luna turned a smug gaze back to Chloé. "I must be hearing things, then. See ya later, Mari. Aly." She gave the girls a wave before sauntering off, leaving a sputtering and very pissed heiress behind her. Alya and Marinette shared a look, then snuck off while Sabrina did her best to calm her aggravated friend.
"Dude, what was that about?"
Adrien shook his head as he made his way to the car waiting for him. "Not a clue. Chlo looked ready to blow a gasket, though."
The DJ laughed. "I know, right. That Luna chick is a riot around her."
The blond frowned. "I fail to see how her getting under Chloé's skin is funny. Especially if she's using me to do it."
"Oh, come on, man. You know Chloé does the same thing to everyone else. It's high time she got a taste of her own medicine."
Adrien couldn't really argue that. The Chloé he met in school was a much crueler girl than the one he grew up with. On more than one occasion, he'd seen her manipulate her fellow peers into getting what she wanted, more so whenever he was concerned. Part of him still wondered what happened to the sweet girl that had been his first real friend growing up.
Before he knew it, Adrien was standing before an open door held by his bodyguard. He shook his head and turned to Nino.
"I'll see you later, man," he said with a wave.
Nino waved back as he headed home. "See ya tomorrow!"
Adrien climbed in the back seat and waited for the Gorilla to start the car before pulling out the playing card Alya had gotten. He had meant to give it right back to her, but with all the commotion, he'd forgotten to. He would just have to give it back, tomorrow. In the meantime, he gave it a proper look over. This time it was the Seven of Spades, which struck him as odd. He would've thought she would stick with the Ace, like she did for most of her heists. Why the change? Did the cards hold some meaning he wasn't aware of? He was soon twisting the card in his fingers while he thought.
Natalie was waiting for him when the car finally pulled into his driveway. He stepped out with a sigh as she went over his schedule for the rest of the day.
"We'll be stopping by Antoine's for measurements," she drawled. "Mr. Agreste noticed some of the clothes are beginning to look a bit tight in your most recent shoot. Also, you will be trying on some of the picks for the upcoming line. Did you speak with Miss Galemore about dinner this evening?"
"I did. She declined. Apparently, she's by herself in France, and she didn't want any rumors being spread about the two of us."
"That's a shame." There was a click to the woman's tongue that made Adrien doubt she meant it. "Though, it does seem like a wise decision on her part. I heard she was taking a break from the spotlight."
"Do you know her, Natalie?" Adrien couldn't help but ask.
"Not very well. I only had the pleasure of meeting the youngest Galemore once when she was just a child. She seemed like a troublemaker, that one. Clung to her father like she was his shadow, though. They seemed close."
Adrien went silent. That familiar emptiness filled his chest again. He knew he had no reason to be jealous of what Luna had, yet there it was. As black and ugly as the day before. God, did he hate himself for it. It was all he could do to push it back down. Thankfully, Natalie seemed to notice his change in mood and allowed the subject to drop.
"In any case, your schedule will be free for the rest of the evening. I suggest you make good use of it."
He gave her a curt nod. He planned on doing just that. Stretching his legs as Chat might be just the thing he needed.