"What the hell was that?!" Marinette shouted. Her cheeks were on fire and she felt like someone must have been playing a trick on her. That couldn't have been real, right? She was daydreaming…right?

"I don't know! Maybe he does like you! Or he doesn't? Or… I don't know. He was very unclear!" Tikki said zipping from side to side with each new statement.

"I know!" Marinette said and at that moment they heard Marinette's name echoing from outside the class.

"I think I heard her up here! We'll be down in a sec!" Alya yelled and Marinette could hear her getting closer.

"Ahhh! Hide Tikki!" Tikki quickly hid in Marinette's dress pocket right as Alya threw open the classroom door. The girls made eye contact and Marinette laughed awkwardly to break the tension. Did Alya know about what happened with Adrian?

"What are you doing up here?" Alya asked poking her head into the room to see if there was anything that would have brought Marinette to the classroom.

"OH! Uh… I just wanted to…be alone before the party starts. Yeah!" Marinette said hoping that Alya would buy her act.

"Okay? Well, everyone is here now so Miss Bustier wants us all down stairs to start setting up." Alya said curious about what her friend was actually doing. That girl was always running off to do who knows what on her own. She often wondered if there were actually important things she needed to do or if she just didn't want to spend time with their friends. Then again there were moments like this where Marinette was just standing in an empty room on her own for no reason. Maybe her friend was just weird. She could live with that. Right now it was more important to show Miss Bustier that Marinette hadn't skipped out on her responsibilities.

"Right! Let's go!" Marinette said charging out of the room with Alya. They made their way down the stairs together and everyone turned to look at them, making both girls feel more than a little self-conscious.

"Why are they staring?" Marinette whispered tugging at the length of her dress even though it was already long.

"Because they can't mind their own business." Alya said though she knew it was because they both looked amazing. She knew that Marinette would trip down the stairs in a flustered mess if she told her, so she just linked their arms as they descended the stairs. Marinette set her jaw in place and stared ahead thinking that everyone was silently judging her. Though some might have been judging her the majority couldn't believe that the girl who was always stumbling around and making a scene could look so graceful.

The girls got to the bottom of the stairs and everyone went back to their business. They all quickly got to work setting up the dance before all of the other students started arriving. Despite the difficulty of navigating ladders and dusty tables with all of their nice clothes the crew managed to set everything up beautifully.

There was no theme, so they had kept everything black and blush pink and with everything set up the school courtyard was almost unrecognizable. They had even cast down rolls of fabric form the balcony on one side to close in the space and cover the walls. Marinette noted that the space between the curtains and the walls was definitely wide enough to transform.

Marinette saw Chloé once as they were setting up and she could hear he shrill voice screeching orders every now and again, but they still had not spoken to one another since their fight. As the time drew closer and more students started showing up Marinette began to dread being stuck behind the snack table with her for the entire night. She wished she could have fun with her friends.

Finally, the DJ showed up. Nino still seemed upset that Miss Bustier had hired a professional instead of allowing him to DJ the party himself. Marinette saw Alya cross her arms at Nino as he scowled at the DJ and when he noticed he smile awkwardly and apologized. The DJ set up and the lights dimmed which was Marinette's cue to get to her position.

"Have fun Alya!" Marinette said patting her friend on the shoulder.

"I'll come talk to you! Hang in there!" Alya said hugging her before sending her off.

Marinette turned to the snack table where Miss Bustier was dragging Chloé. Without allowing herself to think she marched up to her position. Miss Bustier handed them both aprons to keep their dresses tidy while they worked, and then went off to chaperone. Marinette tied the apron around her waist easily while Chloé struggled. After a minute or so of pretending not to notice Marinette sighed, "Do you want help with that?" Chloé stopped fidgeting and glared at Marinette. After a long moment she shoved the apron into her hand and turned around. Marinette rolled her eyes and uncrumpled the apron. She reached around Chloé and began to tie the apron around her waist. Since she had always done this herself she forgot what an intimate process it was. She had never been this close to Chloé in her life except for maybe kindergarten when Chloé would pull on her braids. It made her feel uncomfortable and uneasy which caused her to fumble with the strings even longer.

"Done." She finally announced taking a step away from Chloé. Chloé turned around and crossed her arms looking out at the party. She didn't bother to thank Marinette for helping her.

Music began to blare from the DJ drowning out every other sound. Marinette took time to examine the snack table set up. The cheese and crackers they had discussed were set up in several places along with some grapes and sliced meats. It was their job to replace the cooling pack under the display platter every so often to make sure nothing went bad. There were also several champagne glasses lined up on the table, when people wanted a drink they were to select sparkling grape juice or apple juice and the girls had to pour it for them. They also had to hand out napkins and plates. The ice cream machine they had suggested was standing at the end of their table and had another table next to it with all the possible toppings. Since the ice cream was self-serve they didn't have to do much on that end except refill toppings and make sure it was clean.

It wasn't long before students began wandering up to the table. Marinette was very attentive to their wants and needs while Chloé just stood there looking at her nails. After the third person came and left Marinette turned to Chloé with a hand on her hip. "You have to help you know!" She growled.

"But you're so good at it." Chloé said sarcastically with an exaggerated smile.

The next few people that came up to the table were helped by the both of them and though Chloé was being loud and pushy they eventually fell into a rhythm with Marinette serving drinks and Chloé handing out plates and napkins. Eventually most everyone had experienced the snack table which left the girls to refill what had been depleted and wait around until someone wanted more. Everyone was busy dancing and laughing with one another and it wasn't long before Marinette found Adrian in the crowd.

The boys were trying to teach him how to dance which didn't seem to be going very well. Adrian tried to copy their outrageous moves and when he did they all erupted into laughter. She saw him rub the back of his head and laugh along with them. She smiled as she watched him, and cursed the music for drowning out the sound of his laugh.

"So, you do like him." Chloé said. Marinette snapped her head towards her in surprise. She had almost forgotten she was there. It didn't help that because of the music she had to lean in so close to be heard. Embarrassment and anger rose inside of her and settled as a warm blush on her face.

"Yeah, I do. Now, thanks to you, he knows, and he probably won't want to talk to me ever again." She said picking up a cracker and picking at the salt to distract herself. The conversation they had in the classroom flashed through her mind. She was still trying to figure out what he meant. Did he want her to tell him she liked him herself so that he could reject her? Did he like her back? She couldn't figure it out, but either way it seemed cruel to leave it all up to her.

Chloé scoffed in disgust as she looked at Adrian on the dance floor, "He cares too much about you to do that. He cares too much about everyone. Everyone but me." She said shoving a cracker in her mouth. Marinette's eyes widened from the sudden vulnerability.

"He cares about you; probably more than he should if you ask me." She said and Chloé rolled her eyes, but Marinette saw the melancholy look on her face as she looked away. She put another cracker in her mouth and Marinette assumed that was the end of the conversation. Of all the people to be talking about her crush with why was it, Chloé? What had the world come to? Then it suddenly struck her and she asked, "Do you like Adrian, Chloé?"

Chloé who had been taking a sip of grape juice began to cough trying not to spew the purple liquid everywhere. "Sorry! Here!" Marinette exclaimed handing her a few napkins.

When she had eventually gotten a handle on herself she crossed her arms and screeched in her face. "Why do you want to know?!"

Marinette stepped right up to her glaring back just as fiercely. "Well since you felt the need to expose my feelings in front of the entire school. I think I have the right to know what yours are." She shot back. After a minute of glaring at one another Chloé broke.

"Fine! No, I don't like him. I like him as a friend, and I always want him in my life. I love him more than I've ever loved anyone else, but I don't want to be his girlfriend." She exclaimed and both girls looked out at the dance floor to see if anyone had heard. Luckily it seemed like no one had noticed the two talking.

"Then why tell him that I do?" Marinette asked. If she didn't want him for herself then why sabotage Marinette's chances?

"You just make me so angry! I wanted to make you feel as bad as you've always made me feel. It's not fair that he likes you more than he likes me. He's known me longer! I wanted him to know that your friendship was a lie. That you were just friends with him because you wanted to be his girlfriend." She spat and you could almost feel the heat radiating off her body as her rage grew.

"That's not true!" Marinette screamed. This time people did happen to hear them and they all turned to look. Some people started asking if there was going to be another fight. The girls caught Miss Bustier's eye across the room and she gave them a warning look that said they better not cause another scene. They both smiled awkwardly and eventually everyone went back to their partying.

"I'm not just friends with him so that I can date him!" Marinette said more quietly now.

"So, you're saying that even though he rejected you, you still want to be around him?" she asked and Marinette went quiet. She had wanted to ignore him.

"Its not like I spent much time around him to begin with." She deadpanned. They barely had a friendship Marinette thought, Chloe had no reason to be worrying about anything.

"You're avoiding the question." Choe said and Marinette couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Why do you care Chloé?" Marinette asked exasperated.

"Because I did like him." She said and there was a long pause as her words sunk in. "I liked him for a long time. I had to accept the fact that he didn't like me, and it hurt, but it hurt more to think that I could never see him again. I loved him so much that I wanted him near me despite knowing that he would break my heart, and I don't believe that you love him that much." She finished staring into marinette's eyes with determination and commitment. "I don't think you deserve his love."

Marinette looked away and found the blonde haired boy in the crowd once more. He looked more relaxed and this time he noticed her and waved. She flinched but waved back at him slowly. He smiled sadly and then looked away. "I don't know how much I love him yet. You're right. It hurts to look at him and it hurts to be around him, but would I abandon our friendship? I don't know." She said and before Chloé could answer a group of girls came over to the snack table. They helped them with their snack but their presence had effectively killed off the conversation for the rest of the night.

Marinette didn't know how or why they had even started talking about Adrian but now she somehow knew more about Chloé while knowing less about herself. How much did she love him? What did he mean to her? Did she even like him if she could never bring herself to spend time with him? These were questions she never even thought to consider, and they made things much more complicated.

As the time drew closer to 10'oclock people slowly started to leave the party. The few that were still left behind were ushered out. The teachers said that they would clean up the mess and that they would see all the students on Monday as they closed the doors to the school. The lights from inside let off a warm glow that contrasted the cool night air. Marinette chatted with Alya and Nino as they waited to be picked up. Alya had abandoned her shoes long ago and was still holding them in her hand as she described the fun they had. Alya's sister showed up not too long later and the pair offered Marinette a ride home. Marinette looked around and most of the other students had gone only Adrian was left sitting at the top of the stairs.

"Um… no. I'll get a ride form someone else." She said and they both nodded silently after they saw Adrian. They got into the car and waved goodbye leaving Marinette standing in the silence of the night. She looked back up the stairs and saw Adrian staring at her. She made her way up the steps and then sat next to him all without saying a word.

The pair of them just stared out into the night full of stars. She couldn't help but notice how comfortable she felt. It was like when she and Chat Noir looked over the city. Finally, he spoke up.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier. I don't know what came over me." He said his eyes showing the most genuine guilt she had seen on anyone's face. Manon's baby doll eyes had nothing on this.

"No-no! You were right." She said looking away from him. She looked up at the sky as she continued. "I need to figure out how I feel about you, and I need to tell you myself. I'm tired of being afraid of my feelings. I want to be able to look you in the eyes and say…sa-ay." She said making eye contact with him again. His intent stare never broke from hers and she felt her heartbeat quicken. "I want to say…" She said her voice more like a whisper now.

She felt him leaning in closer to her face and her body automatically doing the same. His eyes slowly fell on her lips and then made their way back up to her eyes. She felt so hot even though the night air was cool and the difference was causing her to shake. Adrian noticed the small strand of hair around her face quivering and her smiled and leaned back slightly.

"I can't wait." He said brushing back the piece of her behind her ear. His touch sent chills down her spine, but she was surprisingly calm on the outside. "I want to know more about you, and I want to figure out how I feel about you too. I thought it was clear to me, but after today I'm not so sure." He leaned back and smiled, and Marinette leaned back to her original position as well.

They continued to look out at Paris until Adrian's black car hummed to a stop in front of the school. "Do you want a ride?" He asked as he got up and offered her a hand to do the same.

"Yes, please." She said taking his hand. He didn't left go of her hand until they had made it all the way down the stairs and she told herself it was because he knew she was clumsy.

They rode on in silence and when they came to a stop in front of her house Adrian walked her to her front door. "What did you mean by that?" she asked as he stopped in front of her door to say goodbye.

"By what?" he said looking back at the car. He obviously couldn't stay long.

"When you said you thought you knew how you felt, but something about today changed that." She said standing her ground and staring up into his eyes. He seemed embarrassed but after a second her answered.

"I've always thought of you as a really good friend, and I admired you. I thought that's all it was, but when you told me that my feelings would ruin your night…when you tried to brush everything off as Chloé's words and not yours…it made me really upset. I realized that what I thought were your feelings made me feeling really good and for you to deny them made me feel awful, so I wasn't sure how to respond to them anymore. Our conversation made me realize that I also need to figure out how I feel, or else I might make a mistake that I can't recover from." He said and the sound of his bodyguard getting out of the car filled the air. He made a grunting sound and Marinette and Adrian nodded knowing that that meant it was time to go. "Let's figure it out together." He smiled before turning away and getting into his car.

Marinette watched the car leave before she sighed and entered her house. Everything was dark, but Marinette's mom called to her from upstairs making sure it was her. They must have waited for her to come back.

When she made it to the top of the stairs her mom was standing with the door open waiting for her. She was wearing a fluffy red robe and smiling brightly. Her father was sitting on the couch holding a book that he had been reading.

"How was your night honey?" Sabine asked, excitedly ushering Marinette into the room. Marinette immediately took off her shoes and slid into her slippers that were by the door. She sighed in relief as she shuffled over to the couch to sit down.

"It was better than I was expecting it to be." She said and her parents looked at one another confused.

"You didn't think you would have a good time?" Sabine asked and Marinette didn't know how to explain her statement.

"NO! uh-idk. You know how clumsy I am! Dancing-dancing is just like hard to get through especially when your awkward and we all know that I am, so yeah. Ha ha…" She said and her parents looked at each other in that concerned way and then smiled. They turned back to her and asked more questions about the dance. She supposed they had accepted her lame excuses. After a while of talking, they all wished each other good night and went to their rooms.

Marinette changed into her pajamas and took off the small amount of makeup her mom had let her apply and crawled into bed. Now that the adrenaline from the night had worn off she could feel how sore her feet were and how her eyes begged to be closed. Tikki seemed full of energy but she could see that her holder wasn't in the mood for talking so she silently flew over to the bed and waited. Marinette eventually trudged up the stairs and crawled into her bed. Images of Adrian flashed in her memory. The way he spoke to her. The way he grabbed her wrist, the way he touched her hair, her cheek, how he spoke so close. She smiled to herself and replayed the moments over and over again until they blended with her dreams.

AN:

Hey guys! Sorry for the long gap between updates. I've been pretty busy with school and this story kind of grew into a much longer and detailed beast than I originally intended. I want to start thinking about my next project, but it's been a while since I wrote or read fanfiction. I want to write something a little more edgy and adult. I have an old Jelsa AU soulmates fic that I think I want to revamp and start posting again. I deleted it a while back but if you know you know. If you have any fandom suggestions for me to check out that you think could handle a darker alternative please let me know. I'm always looking for new things to get into.

Sorry this is long. I usually don't post Author's notes cause its kind of a pet peeve of mine, so don't expect them too much in the future. Leave a review of the story to let me know what you think!

-Until the next update!