The Line Between Love And Hate

Chapter 5: Rest Of Our Lives

A few years earlier...
~Adrien~
"I don't get this." Marinette whispers to me from her seat. "What's there not to get?" "There's no way he can be the killer." "Mari the proofs right there in the files."

"I've went over these files plenty of times and it doesn't make sense. If he was happy with his new girl then why would he go after his ex?" "These cases are already solved. They're just giving us these files to review."

"They can be trying to throw us off. Maybe they want us to dig deeper." "Or maybe they want us to just study the files." "Look. He was linked to her boyfriend at the time. What if her boyfriend framed her ex?" "But why would her boyfriend kill her?"

"There's reports of constant fighting. Maybe this fight just went too far." "But the boyfriends are always the first suspect. Why wouldn't they have went to him?" "That's what I don't get. But I know for a fact that her ex didn't kill her. We need to dig deeper." The bell rings and Marinette gathers the files. I watch as she walks away without looking up from the folder.

"Dude. The bell rang. Are you just gonna sit there staring at your girlfriend?" Nino says as he takes the seat beside me. "She's not my girlfriend." "Not yet." I roll my eyes and stand up. "I have to go after her before she runs into something."

"Ow!" We hear from the hallway and Nino laughs. "I think you're a little too late for that." I smile and walk out the door.

"I thought you were behind me Agreste. You were supposed to be my eyes." Marinette says when I walk up to her. I laugh as she rubs her head. "What? Do your eyes not work or something?" "Apparently not." She says sarcastically.

"What are you doing tonight?" "Helping Luka study." "Luka?" "Mhm." She hums as she continues flipping through the folder. "If I didn't know any better I'd think you and Luka were dating." "Well I guess it's a good thing you know better."

"Ditch him." As soon as I say that her eyes shoot up from the folder. "What? Why?" "I was thinking that we can do something tonight." "Agreste as much as I'd love to hang out with you, I already made a promise to Luka." I place my hand on her forehead just as she's about to run into a pole.

"I just saved your life. You owe me." She laughs and shakes her head. "My hero!" She clasps her hands together and brings them up to her chest. "Now where were you 5 minutes ago when I ran into a wall?" "You walked too fast." I shrug.

"Please Mari. Hang out with me tonight! I don't know what I'd do without my best friend." "Stop being dramatic. It's just one night." She says as we reach her dorm.

"Marinette-" "We have the rest of our lives to hang out Agreste. Don't be such a baby."

Yeah... "Rest of our lives" my ass.

Present day...
I walk to my desk and see Nino waiting by it. "If you're here to apologize I don't want to hear it." "I know what we did was wrong-" "Clearly. Otherwise you wouldn't be here right now." "-But you have to see where we're coming from. We just want the group back."

"That's something you're never going to get again. You don't have to accept it. I get it's hard for you guys, but you're making it that much harder on yourselves by setting us up. So just stop doing it."

"Hard on us? Or hard on you?" "What do you mean?" "I think get it now." "Get what?" "It's because when we ambush you guys you have to pretend to hate her. That's why you avoid her so much." "Now you're just being delusional Nino."