Dark Cupid 2.0

Chapter 5: Is this your phone?

When Marinette entered her classroom, all eyes darted towards her. She blushed a little, not really liking to be the centre of attention, especially in this moment and time. Her gaze moved to Adrien for a brief moment and her heart started somersaulting again, because the boy was giving her one of the most intense looks she had ever seen on him. She felt heat rushing to her face and gulped awkwardly before tearing her gaze away from his face and walking towards her seat.

"Mlle. Bustier has gone to talk to M. Damocles," she told everyone else, remembering that not only was she the only person who knew the detail, but she was also class president so she had a duty to direct the class away from chatting, towards a more proper activity until Mlle. Bustier came back. "Maybe we can revise 'Les Misérables' toge—" she started, but Alya cut her off.

"Or maybe we can keep talking about what we were talking before you arrived, Marinette, which is how fantastic is the news that LadyNoir is finally happening, and watch again the whole akuma battle on our phones!" Alya messed with her phone again and put on once more the video of the fight between Chat Noir and Ladybug, causing Rose to squeal loudly.

"Are you feeling better, Marinette?" asked Adrien from the seat in front of her. Marinette looked at him and when she saw the gleam of concern in his eyes, her heart swelled for the love that she felt for that boy.

"Uh, well I am, yes, I mean okay, oh, I am okay, thanks." She blushed again and lowered her gaze.

Adrien smiled softly. "At least you're not pale anymore," he said. Then he touched her hand (which made Marinette jump out of her skin because she wasn't looking at him and she didn't expect that) and asked, "Did you find your phone?"

Oh. Her phone. Thanks for the reminder, Adrien. "Uh, no, I-I didn't," she muttered.

That made Alya emerge from her latest replay of the akuma fight. "Oh yes, your phone, Marinette. When was the last time you saw it?"

Marinette put a hand on her chin and looked up. "Ummmmm, I think it was when Lila and Chloé were hit and started running after me."

A series of giggles resounded in the class. Chloé 'hmf'ed loudly and started looking with great interest at her phone, completely ignoring the rest of the class.

"You were lucky not to be hit, Marinette," said Rose. "I don't know what I did to poor Juleka when I was under the influence of the akuma, but it must have been terrible, because I was straddling her and she looked quite red when the Miraculous cure made me come back to myself."

Marinette was going to reply that yes, she had been lucky, but Lila cut her off. "Actually, Marinette, it's such a shame you weren't hit." All eyes darted to the Italian brunette who smirked and stood up from her seat, moved her hair to her back with an elegant gesture and started walking down the stairs to reach Marinette's desk. She sat at the side of her desk and looked at her, bluebell eyes meeting shiny green. "I, for one, would have been curious to know whom you would be pursuing."

Alya stood from her seat and glared at Lila. "Enough, Lila. After the reaction that you had when the akuma hit you, nobody believes you any more when you say that you want to be Marinette's friend. Leave her alone!"

Lila sneered. "In fact, I have no intention to be her friend any longer. She lost that privilege ages ago, Alya." Her lips curled in such an evil smirk that even Alya ended up paling. "But I am genuinely curious about whom she would try to pursue. Not who she would fight against, though, because in all honesty, we all know who that is." Her gaze darted to Adrien and stopped significantly at his face.

"If you have a problem hearing my words because of your tinnitus, Lila, read my bloody lips. Leave. Marinette. Alone!" roared Alya. Marinette blinked and looked at her best friend with surprise. She didn't expect Alya to have an argument with Lila. Usually they were very close. But maybe having seen the reaction that Lila had when the akuma hit her, she had finally understood that the Italian girl didn't like Marinette. Well, if that was the case, at least one good thing had come out of that akuma attack.