Ladybug de-transformed in an alley way close to her house where no one would see. Tikki fell into her hands and gave a long sigh of relief.
"Sorry, Tikki. I know you're tired." Marinette said handing the kwami a cookie from her handbag.
"That's okay Marinette. Are you feeling better?" Tikki asked in-between bites of her chocolate chip cookie. Marinette smiled and dusted some crumbs off the kwami's cheeks.
"I'm feeling much better. Chat Noir is a great friend, and thanks to him I think I know what I have to do about Chloé. Also, there's nothing like a fight to release some tension." She said punching the air in front of her. After her talk with Chat Noir there was an akuma alert, so that would cover up her absence for the rest of the day. Tikki finished her cookie and began to float alongside Marinette as she walked down the alleyway.
"That's great Marinette!" Tikki said and Marinette nodded. She felt the weight of everything settle on her again and her pace slowed. She could hear the busy street in the distance and for whatever reason the thought of being a part of that noise overwhelmed her. She stopped just before she could see the people and cars passing as anything more than a blur. "What's wrong?" Tikki asked concerned once more.
"I can face Chloé, and I can face my parents, and the dance, and Miss Bustier, but…I don't know how I'm supposed to face Adrian. He doesn't…How do I face his rejection?" she said leaning against the cool brick wall.
Before Tikki could answer Marinette's phone began to buzz from within her bag. She pulled the phone out and the light from the screen seemed to light up the entire alley. Alya's name and picture smiled up at Marinette. Marinette took a deep breath before answering.
"Hello?" She said unsure of how she should sound.
"Hello!? Girl, where are you!? You need to tell me what happened today. Are you okay?" Alya asked. Her voice became less loud as she continued to speak and finally it sounded soft and concerned with the last question.
"Yeah… I'm okay. Do you want to meet me for ice cream? I think I need something sweet before I can get into the story." Marinette said trying to joke about the situation.
Alya laughed a little before replying. "Anything for you girl! Let's meet at, Une Glace. I do not want to have to find Andre today."
The girls met up at the ice cream shop, and Marinette explained all that had happened to lead up to the fight at school. She also told her that Chat Noir had found her and comforted her when she ditched class, but she left out the fact that she was Ladybug when it all happened.
"You have to run the dance with Chloé?! Ugh what is Miss Bustier thinking? If you got into a fight over love letters what does she think is going to happen when you can't be away from each other for hours on end?" Alya said, and though the mention of the love note stung, Marinette replied.
"I think she thinks that me and Chloé will get along if we have to spend time together." She said. She licked the ice cream off her cone to distract herself.
"Like that would ever happen!" Alya snorted before taking a spoonful of her ice cream and leaning back in her chair.
"Actually Alya, that's what I need the most help with right now…I want to try to get along with Chloé." Marinette said sitting up straight and putting on a face of determination.
"What?! Marinette, Chloé is the one who doesn't want to get along with you. Even before this incident she's always made your life miserable." Alya said crossing her arms over her chest.
"I know, but I feel like I owe it to her to try. All of this happened because I wasn't a good friend to her when she needed me to be, and you heard what she said during our fight. Her parents have induced this hatred for me since day one. I don't know. The last thing I want to do is be friends with her after all she's done, but maybe that's what I need to do." Marinette resolved.
Alya sighed and reached out to touch Marinette's shoulder. "Okay, I'll help you. You're too nice you know that?" She teased poking Marinette in the forehead. They both laughed and Marinette thanked Alya for understanding.
"So…Adrian. What are we going to do about him?" Alya tentatively asked while looking over her cup of ice cream at the black-haired girl.
Marinette sighed and put her head down on the iron table. The hot surface was oddly comforting. She picked her head up enough that Alya could hear her words. "I'm just going to have to face that when the times comes. I know he doesn't…feel the way I do, but I don't really want to hear him say it yet. I just want to focus on Chloé for now."
Alya stayed silent as she watched her friend grapple with heartbreak for what felt like the hundredth time. She couldn't offer any advice or words of wisdom since she had never been through it herself. Marinette was strong, and she would get through this even if Alya wasn't around to help.
"Your ice cream is melting." Was all that Alya said and Marinette jumped up to see that he ice cream cone had been melting on to her hand.
"Ugh!" she exclaimed and then looked around frantically for napkins. Alya couldn't help but laugh at her best friend's facial expressions. Eventually they both were laughing hysterically, and though the passersby on the street stared, neither of them really cared.
"Wow! You look great Marinette!" Tiki said as she zoomed around Marinette's body to get a full view.
"Thanks, Tikki. Too bad an apron is just going to go over it." Marinette had been working on a dress for herself for the dance. It was nothing too fancy. She had bought a long satin dress from a department store which she added layers of tulle and lace around it to give a more ethereal look. She had also added off the shoulder sleeves which were a bit scratchy, but she would manage. She hadn't had time to make all the adjustments she wanted, but still she thought the fabrics draped around her beautifully. She couldn't help but think that she should wear lace more often.
"I think it'll be just as fun to run the dance as be in it." Tikki encouraged her. She landed on top of Marinette's bun and smoothed a stray hair down.
Marinette laughed and scooped Tikki off her hair. "I hope you're right. I'm really dreading this to be honest. Class was hard enough even though it was only a half day. I can only avoid Adrian for so long, and Chloé doesn't seem to want to make up."
"Marinette, Alya is here!" Sabine's voice called from downstairs.
"Coming! Come on Tikki."
"Where? You don't have a bag with you!" Tikki said and Marinette just smiled and pulled up all the layers of fabric to reveal the satin dress underneath. She added a pocket to the inside of the dress just for Tikki before she had begun working on it. Tikki happily tucked herself away in the dress and Marinette rushed downstairs to meet Alya.
"Wow! Is that really the dress we bought a week ago?" Alya exclaimed when she saw Marinette.
"Does it look okay?" Marinette asked and Alya nodded.
"Girl, you look gorgeous. What about me?" Alya said doing a dramatic spin with her arms out spread as if she were in the ballet.
Marinette giggled. "Fantastic! Were all the adjustments I made, ok?" She asked circling, bending, and bobbing to look at the fine details of her stitch work. She had shortened the hem, taken in the waist, and added straps when they had first picked out the dresses.
"Fits like a glove! Come on we have to get going we still have to help set up." Alya said and after Marinette's parents took their fill of pictures the girls headed out. Marinette couldn't help but feel guilty when her mom told her to have fun at the dance. She knew she wouldn't, but she couldn't tell her that.
When they arrived at the school Adrian and Nino were standing at the top of the stairs waiting for the girls. Marinette couldn't help but stare when she saw Adrian. He was wearing a black suit with an emerald, green dress shirt underneath. His hair was as immaculate as always, but she couldn't help but notice how much his eyes stood out against the black material. As the girls approached his eyes met her's and Marinette quickly looked away.
Adrian frowned but decided to try acting as if he hadn't noticed. "Hey Marinette!" He said walking up to her while Nino and Alya hugged hello. Marinette looked around like and actor on a stage who had forgotten her lines. She was confused as to why he was acting so casual.
"Hey?" She said darting her eyes between him and the love birds now walking into the school without them. Traitors.
"I think we need to talk." He said scratching the back of his neck nervously. Marinette could already feel the pain in her chest building. Her entire body felt stiff and she thought that if she were to breathe too deeply she would burst into tears.
"Yeah…um…can that wait until after the dance? I just-I just don't want to ruin the night." She said looking out at the road below. She briefly wondered if it would be possible to run away and never come back.
"Ruin the night?" Adrian repeated back to her.
"Yeah…I mean. I already know what your going to say, so I would rather delay it until I know that I can be alone afterward." She said with her voice higher than normal as she tried to hold back tears. She could feel her entire body trembling and she hated that she couldn't keep herself together. Adrian suddenly grabbed her wrist and walked her inside the school. Only a few people had arrived so no one was setting up yet. Adrian continued to drag her up the stairs and to their classroom.
They were the only ones there and there was something intimate about the quiet in the usually loud room. He closed the door behind them and then looked at her. He looked sad but also…angry? Marinette had never seen kind of expression on his face and it stunned her into silence.
"Why do you do this?" He asked her and her eyes widened in shock.
"Do what?" She asked, defensively stepping back. He stepped closer toward her.
"Why do you act like you like me and you want something more from me one day, and the next you act like you want nothing to do with me?" He asked making sure to keep eye contact with her. He wanted to make sure she heard every word.
"W-what?! What are you talking about? I didn't- you know I didn't write that letter right?" She said backing up again and scanning for a way out of the situation. It was no use. He was blocking the door.
"I know. Chloé wrote the letter, but does that mean it wasn't true?" Adrian asked and Marinette's blood ran cold. Every muscle in her body froze even as Adrian came closer. She couldn't read his expression. She didn't know what answer he was looking for.
"If you tell me, you don't love me, we can move on and pretend none of this ever happened, but if you can't then I want to hear it from you. Chloé may have been the one to write the letter, but I really didn't realize how much it made sense until I read those words." He looked away briefly to think and then looked at her again and stepped even closer. They were half an arm's length away from each other now and Marinette wasn't sure she was breathing. "I want to know how you would tell me in your own words. Until you tell me you love me, I'm not going to respond to those words. Chloé may have made me aware of it, but her words don't count, only yours do." He said and they stood in silence staring at one another until Adrian began to walk away. He opened the door to the classroom and before he left he turned back to her and said, "You look beautiful by the way."
He shut the door and she watched him walk away through the classroom windows. Marinette's heart was beating out of her chest and her legs were so weak that her knees buckled. She caught herself on the teacher's desk and then took some deep breaths.
"What the hell was that?!"