#SuperBug : Not So Secret Anymore

Chapter 3

The past month was really pleasant for Marinette. After meeting Superboy, she felt like she could breathe better. It was nice to talk about everything to someone and even better that someone could understand the down side of being a superhero. Even with the time difference, it was refreshing to talk to him.

Alya had a smile each time she was her best friend take out her cellphone. Marinette was happy and relaxed for the first time in months. She didn't know what put the girl in a dark place again and again in the past year, put she knew that the person on the other end of those texts and phone calls was the reason her friend was laughing and why she could see her real and genuine smile.

Even if she was curious and her journalist instincts were up the roof, she controlled herself not to investigate and wait for the young designer to tell her everything when she was ready. She had learn, over the last few years, not to push Marinette into confession because she never ever talked under the pressure and if she went too far, the girl would just shut everyone out and stay in her shell for weeks. It has been like that since Lila came back and got Marinette expelled. Up to this day, her best friend was tense, nervous and really cautious around the Italian student and didn't let out any information that could be used against her.

Marinette had changes during the past few years, but the biggest changes happened in the last year, the nine or ten last months to be precise. She was always tired, and Alya knew for a fact that didn't sleep well that's if she slept at all, always having nightmares and of course she didn't want to talk about it. Her best friend barely had time to hang out with her friends, she didn't talk about Adrien in a romantic way anymore. Every day during the lunch period, the young designer would sit with her friends at their usual table and read, do homework or design. It's all she would do, she was not eating and every day Alya insisted that Marinette eat but she only got the "I'm not hungry, I'll eat at home after class" respond day after day.

Alya also noticed that the clothes her best friend was designing for herself and wearing was really different. Most of them where black and red, the pink seemed to be inexistent in her wardrobe. Just yesterday Alya realised the biggest changes in Marinette's clothing: she looked like a young woman and not like a teenager anymore. She was dressing sexier, more laced or cleaved shirts, shorter skirts and dresses, high heels, almost never whore pants except during winter and again it was rare. Her hair were now down or in a half-up ponytail. Lila suggested she was acting and dressing this way to sleep around, but it didn't look like she was trying to seduce or to attract guys, she had just matured and to be completely honest Alya found that it suit her very well.

So seeing her best friend laugh and smile all week, each time she got a text or a call from that guy (because that was the only information she was able to get from her) made her smile as well. It had been such a long time since the happiness of her friend had been genuine that Alya made a silent promise to Marinette: She will make sure that nothing would come between her friend and this man whoever he was. And with that she took all the girls in the class, except Lila, to have them all aware of the situation. Even Chloe and Sabrina were in it. Even if they were not best friends Chloe and Marinette had made a mends and started from the begging, they respected each other, Chloe and Sabrina would join if they were available to during the gang's hang outs and they would help each other out when needed. They all discover really soon that Chloe had a beautiful voice and that Sabrina was a good saxophone player during one of the Kitty Section's repetition, that led to the two girls joining the group during performances and Luka even took the Mayor's daughter out a couple of times for coffee and movies.

The plan with the girls was simple: if Marinette was on her phone no one was to interrupt her, not the boys, not the teachers, not her parents, etc. they had to make sure of that. It would not always be easy, but it was worth it, Mari's smile was worth it.

* * *

On the last Saturday of the month, Chloe had organized a sleepover at the hotel and invited the whole class. The girls were to stay for the night and the boys only for the first part of the party. Everybody got to the Grand Paris around 5pm and Chloe made sure to have enough pizza, snacks and drinks for all. All the teens were talking, laughing and dancing to Nino and Luka's music. After cleaning up a little bit, Alya proposed to play a game or two. Her plan was to try to have information on Marinette's guy, if they played Truth or Dare she would have no choice. They played for about a half hour, when it landed on Marinette for the third time.

"Ok Mari! Truth or Dare?" asked Chloe.

"Euh. I'll go with truth." Seeing the smirk on her new friend Marinette was now convinced she had just fell into her trap.

"Who is the guy you are constantly texting? I want as much detail you can give me."

Marinette hesitated, she could not answer that question, and she didn't even know his real name. The boys seemed surprised by Chloe's question, but all the girls were impatient to find out more about this mystery boy. And how could she explained she was in contact with Superboy. The story is really simple, but not for the superhero, because nobody could know she was Ladybug. Looking up at her classmates, who were all staring she felt the panic starting to grow in her stomach. Clenching her fists and panting, she was relieved when a phone started to ring and then she realised it was him calling she was more than happy.

"Sorry! I have to take this, I'll be right back!" She left the room and when to the bedroom next door running.