Pretty Bluebell

chapter 5

"Oh, Marinette... I didn't expect you to purchase, but I appreciate the support!" Lila says with a fake, sweet voice. Marinette used all her willpower not to scowl. She wanted to keep her manners in check.

She handed Lila the money, and she handed her a magazine copy in return.

As soon as she had a firm grasp on the magazine, Lila's grip still remained, and it was enough force to rip the first few pages right of the magazine. "Oops! My bad...That was the last copy too..."

Such fake sympathy. So fake, Marinette could smell it. She could see right through Lila. Thankfully, she was patient enough to not fight back. With a sigh, she shook her head. "It's okay, I'll stick with this," she said, going back to her seat.

"Wait, I'll go get a new one. You're paying full price, it's only right you get a copy in good condition."

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned back to see Adrien himself. He was so much more gorgeous up close...

Dear God.

"You really don't have to trouble yourself, I--"

"Please," he cuts her off, taking ahold of the ripped magazine. "I insist."

Marinette looks at Ms. Bustier for approval. She notices the cuplrit of her ripped magazine doing the same. When her teacher nods, she spots a scowl on Lila's face. To cover it, Lila approaches Chloé, who, like everyone else, is busy flipping through their perfectly intact copies of the magazine.

"Okay, I'll come with."

The two leave the classroom, walking side by side. It's quite awkward at first. "So, where did you keep the other copies of the magazines?" Marinette asks, aiming to strike up a conversation to avoid a continuous silence. "In the library, on the first table you see when you enter," he replies. "I'm sorry about Lila. I saw how she handed you that, it was quite obvious she did it on purpose."

She was shocked at the fact he was apologising for something that wasn't even his fault. "You don't need to be the one apologising. But yeah, I know it was on purpose."

Marinette leaves it silent for a bit, before speaking again. "Are you guys friends?" He shakes his head. "Not really. I only really talk to her doing work."

It's silent again as they go up a flight of stairs. "So, uhm...Marinette, right?"

Now he's looking at her and she's still looking at him. Marinette smiles, nodding softly. "Yes, that's right." Adrien can't help but return her smile; it was contagious. "It's funny. We've suddenly met three days in a row," he remarks. She chuckles. "Yeah, quite...By the way, how did you like the pain au chocolat and--"

"One of the best things I've ever had," Adrien answers before she could finish her sentence. She chuckles again, this time in disbelief. "Really now?" He nods. "Really."

"I also wanna apologise for bumping into you that first day," Marinette then owns up sheepishly. "I was in a rush, I was late for my shift because I was staying over at a friend's."

The blond boy forgives her without hesitation. "Don't worry about it, really. I told you, you don't have to apologise."

They stop in front of the library door. "Wait here, I'll get it for you," he advises, and she replies with a simple "okay."

A minute later, he walks back out with an unscathed copy. "Here you go. I'll take the ripped one."

They trade magazines, and Marinette notices how gentle his grasp his compared to Lila's earlier. "Thank you. I appreciate it," she says. "It's no big deal, really. It's the least I could do," he flashes her a smile full of sincerity.

They get back to her classroom, and Lila is already impatiently tapping her foot with her arms folded across her chest. "There you are!" her look of unsatisfaction morphs almost instantly into a Chesire cat grin at the sight of Adrien as she flings herself toward him. "Come on, we have other classes to go to!" she urges as she tugs him away.

He manages to wave quickly at Marinette before leaving, and thankfully, she notices. She waves back with a soft laugh at the grimace on his face making it evident he was very much against the idea of being 'taken away' by Lila.

Like they always say, this was also considered one of those situations where the third time's a charm.

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