Miraculous Ladybug: Season Six | Part One

Chapter Eleven: A Fresh Start

    It has been three months since LadyNoir defeated Monarch, whose identity remains a mystery to Parisians and most of Ladybug's allies, including Chat Noir. Threats have been minimal since the night Chat Noir and Ladybug reunited and defeated Night Owl, with the help of Rena, of course. There have been very few akumatizations since Summer began and ended; these villains have not been easy for the heroes to defeat, though. They have become more elaborate and specific to Ladybug and Chat's weaknesses after one another, almost like someone has been doing research in between attacks to fabricate the perfect puppet. The mastermind behind the puppets still has not revealed themselves to the hero, but that doesn't stop Ladybug and Chat from speculating who it may be.
    Today is the first day of school for the students attending Bustier's Noble College, the final stage before students move on to adulthood with their aspiring careers. The school was renamed after its purpose was to help students with their ambitions directly rather than their previous grades and reputations affecting their chances of succeeding in their chosen careers. It's still a school where students must learn required courses like mathematics, language development, sciences, and history. Still, they can select three electives to provide entry-level experience in their chosen career. Poor grades will result in academic probation, meaning students will have to improve their academic standing to move on the following year with the career they desire, or they will be put into courses that will assist them instead of choosing the electives that would benefit them career-wise.

Marinette's POV

    I woke up early, an hour and a half before I had to be at my new school. A fresh start without Chloe for a change it's like a breath of fresh air. A fresh start with... "Adrien," I sighed, twirling into my desk chair, staring at my computer screen saver, flipping through photos of him. I started daydreaming about my day with him, walking through the halls hand in hand, telling him everything on my mind, sitting next to each other in our classes, and sharing notes and ideas. "Marinette," he calls out to me, walking over after his designated elective course, looking for me. "Marinette!" He calls again as the crowd of students starts flooding between us. I'm over here, my prince. I respond, reaching out to him from what seems miles away now.
    "Marinette," I was taken out of my sequence, disappointed, "are you ready for your first day?" My dad calls out from downstairs. I look over at my clock, "I HAVE TEN MINUTES. OH MAN, I'M GOING TO BE LATE FOR THE FIRST DAY???" I shout, grabbing my pink book bag and watching Tikki disappear into my purse. I swing the bag onto my back and climb down my stairs. "Hey, Marinette, I was worried you weren't coming." I jumped straight out of my skin; I swear I could see myself from a third-person perspective for a second.
My mouth is agape, "Adrien?" I said, starstruck and freaking out on the inside as if we hadn't been together for months at this point. His smile melts my heart; he reaches out, I assume, to take my hand. I gently lay mine on top of his before he drags me out of my parent's bakery, not forcefully, more so because we were running extremely late. "Sorry for the sudden appearance. I couldn't wait to see you, Marinette." He says as he opens the backside passenger door to his vehicle for me. I scoot over to the driver's side back window seat, sitting behind the Gorilla, who smiles at us. He doesn't say much, but he never has to let us know that he enjoys our company. Adrien joins me, sitting next to me before shutting the door so the Gorilla can begin to drive us to our new beginnings.
    "Have you decided on your future career electives?" I start before this becomes another awkward ride. Why can't I talk normally? He looks at me with pure disappointment before looking out his window. "I still haven't decided. I went through so many websites and people talking about their passions. I guess I don't have anything to give this world." He sounded broken and tired; I looked over at him before sliding my hand on top of his. "I'm sure you will find your calling, Adrien. You've already given plenty to the world just by being here." I assured him quietly, trying to comfort him as we slowly approached our new school. "I guess so; I'm taking extra general study electives instead. It's kinda their way of giving us an "undecided" route to keep us in school for the full 7 hours." He mumbles using air quotations. I'm not helping his dilemma.
Gorilla stops outside the stairs and puts the car in park, waiting for us to leave. Adrien silently gets out, holding the door open for me once again. "How did your passion come so naturally to you? When and how did you discover you loved fashion?" He questions as I exit the car. He closes the door before taking my hand. I blush, recalling when I decided to be a designer, "I guess since I was a kid, did you not have a childhood dream?" I ask as we begin walking up the stairs leading to the entrance. He doesn't respond as if he's pondering a complicated math equation. "No, all I remember is what my parents wanted me to be, and I was happy with that at the time." He responds, opening the large glass door and showing us a new world full of teenagers. I frown at this response before spotting Alya and Nino waving at us from a bench inside the corridor leading to a long line of never-ending doors.
    We leave this conversation alone as we make our way over to our friends. I let go of Adrien's hand to hug Alya and for Adrien and Nino to do their little "bro" stuff. "Hey girl, we thought you overslept," Alya starts as I pull away, standing before her. I laugh, "No, I actually woke up early!" I respond as her eyebrow arches, looking at Adrien, "Sure, is that why you both arrived here 2 minutes before our first class?" She teases, causing Adrien and Nino to stop catching up with one another. "Marinette, you were still asleep when I came by to pick you up. You didn't come downstairs until the 3rd time your dad called for you!" Adrien scoffs before laughing, presumably at my poor time management skills. I blush, refusing to mention why I never made it downstairs until I was called for, "Yeah... Maybe I did oversleep; it's not my fault someone kept me up until midnight the night before because they refused to hang up." I say, indirectly calling out Adrien as a teasing way of poking fun at him. He blushes before the bell rings, indicating our first class is beginning soon.
Before I could walk away, Nino caught our attention, "Wait, dudes, do we have any classes together? I know that's so lame of me to ask because we have different career choices, but..." He starts searching for his schedule on his phone. The rest of us begin to look for our schedule and start sharing the courses listed that we may share, excluding career-driven electives. "Advanced composition, human anatomy..." I begin going down my list, as does everyone else. We all somehow share one course, European History from 1600. "Oh, perfect," I groan, not remembering history being on my schedule; I must've overlooked it subconsciously from my hatred of the subject.
    Lunch rolls around quicker than expected, and syllabi are passed around like nothing in my classes, going over expectations and rules. To say this school is almost as strict as my last would be an understatement. I walk alone in the corridor, going to the cafeteria, passing by unfamiliar and familiar faces simultaneously. I finally reach the entry to be met with almost every table being claimed by different groups. I scanned the room, hoping to find my friends bunched together like every other entry-grade student. I spot Luka speaking to Adrien. My heart stops for a moment as my face begins to heat up. I stare in all, waiting in line to grab my tray until my stomach ultimately falls to the floor when Luka points in my direction. I look away quickly, pretending to focus on the girl's blonde pin-straight hair in front of me, focusing on the minor details to distract myself. I glanced over and saw them wave at me, motioning to sit with them, noticing a few of my other friends join them. I reach the front of the line, reaching for a tray with a fruit salad, a ham sandwich with cheese, and a bottle of water, and I make my way slowly to prevent my clumsy antics from occurring unexpectedly and embarrassing me on my first day. Wow! How embarrassing that would be.