True Love?

Chapter 11

The next day, Marinette is awake an hour earlier than normal. Even Tikki is surprised. As Marinette pulls out her outfit for the day, Tikki flies over and helps with her hair. Marinette changes into a soft blush pink dress that falls just below her knees. This dress was one she made herself. She even added a small ladybug pattern around the bottom of the skirt to hint at her alter ego. Marinette grabs a pair of soft blush pink flats and a matching purse. Tikki left Marinette's hair down and added soft waves. Marinette descended the stairs without tripping or falling. She grabs a handful of cookies for Tikki and puts them in her purse. Bidding goodbye to her parents, Marinette skips to school.

"Today is going to be a good day!" she tells Tikki as the little kwami phases into her chosen's purse.

"I agree, Marinette!" Tikki replies excitedly. Marinette arrives at school just as Nino and Alya do. However, instead of standing in their usual spot, they go inside and sit with Lila. This leaves Marinette puzzled as to what happened. She walks up to them smiling and waves.

"Hey, guys!" she greets them. Instead of greeting her back they just glare at her. "What's up?" At this, Lila breaks into sobs and runs to the bathroom.

"Way to go Marinette," Alya sneers. "First you try to prank everyone by stealing Lila's boyfriend and now this. What did Lila ever do to you?" She stomps off to find Lila. Marinette just stands there with her eyes wide.

"What?" she asks Nino quietly. He just shakes his head at her in disappointment and walks away in the direction that Lila and Alya went. All alone, Marinette stands awkwardly in the middle of the school courtyard as other students shoot glares her way. She lowers her head and walks to the classroom. Sitting at her seat, she pulls her sketchbook out and starts to sketch a new design. The dress she comes up with is based on Cat Noir and has little aspects of Ladybug in the design. As she finishes up the finishing touches the rest of the class starts filling in. Marinette was sure that Adrien would come earlier to start implementing their plan but shrugs it off thinking that his father held him up somehow. A cough startles her out of her thoughts. Looking up, she sees Lila standing over her.

"You're in my seat," Lila says after a pause. Marinette looks back confused.

"But this has always been my seat," she replies. Her thoughts are brought back to the first day of the school year when she said this same thing to Chloe. Bringing herself back into reality, she goes back to her sketching. Lila grabs Marinette's sketchbook and throws it to the back of the room.

"I said, you are in my seat," Lila growls. "Now go get your sketchbook." Sighing, Marinette ducks past Lila and grabs her sketchbook off the floor. The whole class laughs and Lila dumps Marinette's stuff on the floor. Holding back tears, she collects her stuff and goes to the seat in the back of the room. Before she gets there, someone sticks their foot out and trips her. Her stuff goes flying to the floor again. Marinette sniffles and collects her things again. She heads back to the seat before anything else can happen. Sighing again, she flips a page in her book and starts to sketch darker designs, waiting for class to start.

Adrien arrives at school and sees Marinette walk over to Nino, Alya, and Lila. He watched her wave and greet them but they don't greet her back. They just glare at her. Then Lila starts sobbing and runs away. He doesn't hear the exchange between the other three but notices Alya storm towards where Lila went and Nino shaking his head and walking away. He is about to go over to Marinette so she is not all alone but is intercepted by a now dry faced Lila, miffed Alya and quiet Nino. They pull him over towards another table and start asking questions. Lila hangs on his arm and tries to get closer to him but he pushes her away. Alya notices this and scowls at him.

"What the heck, Agreste?" she growls. "Why did you push your girlfriend away?" My eyes widen.

"Girlfriend?" he asks back, confused. "I don't have a girlfriend yet, Alya." Lila chokes and clings to his arm again.