Chemistry & Timing: A Miraculous Moment

The Job Fair (5)

Marinette POV:

I can't stop wringing my hands as I walk to the school gymnasium. Even with Tikki and Alya's encouragement, this is a big step in getting into the fashion world. I need to impress them.

As we enter the gymnasium, I find out the orientation is actually set up like a career fair with booths covering the entire floor. I could see companies like Arch Travelway, Horizon Robotics, and Forestland, all of them with booths and people handing out flyers to students. A few of them even have demonstrations to show what the students can learn with their internship.

"Okay, girls, where to first?" Alya asks.

I look at the little map given to us by Ms. Bustier, "Um, you wanna check out the Channel 6 News desk first?"

"No way!" Tikki squeals with delight and runs off. Alya and I, confused, chase after her. Once we catch up, we find out what made her so excited.

"Maman? Papa?" I look bewildered at my parents' booth which is ladened with various sweets and pastries–also Tikki drooling over them. They see me and wave.

"Marinette! So glad you made it! Sorry we couldn't wish you luck this morning, but we had to get here to set up the booth," Maman explains.

"I didn't know you guys had a booth," I try to pull Tikki off the desserts, but she is way too strong for such a tiny girl.

"Well of course! It'd be an honor to help teach the next generation of bakers!" Papa says enthusiastically, "I only hope I can inspire the same sweet pleasure and care for the art that my mentor did for me."

Alya smiles and nudges Tikki, "I'm pretty sure you already have an eager applicant."

"Oh yes, please!" Tikki nods excitedly.

Tom raises an eyebrow, "Only if you can promise not to eat half of the batches you make."

Maman playfully slaps papa, "Don't pretend like you haven't done that, Tom."

Me and the girls giggle at my father's sheepish expression, then my maman points to a couple of boxes in front of the booth, "Marinette, can you please carry these to the other side? They're extras in case we run out."

Alya nudges Tikki again, "With her around? You definitely need them." Tikki pushes back with a grin.

I pick up the boxes and walk around the booth, but as usual, I still haven't grown out of my childhood clumsiness. I trip on an electrical wire and start to fall forward.

Suddenly, I feel someone catch the boxes on the other side just before I could hit the ground. I lean on the boxes and the other person to straighten up and they take them from me.

"Thanks so much," I say as they turn around, "I'm just so clumseeeee–"

My voice trails off as I see the person that saved me was Adrien. He held both boxes like they weighed nothing, and behind his thick framed glasses, those same emerald eyes that plagued my dreams last night look back at me widely.

"Marinette!" he says, sounding surprised to see it was me that he saved, "H–hi–hi–," he clears his throat and lets out a breathy, "Hey."

"Hi!" my voice squeaks (when the hell did my voice start squeaking!). I clear my throat and say, with a much cooler tone, "Hey, Adrien."

Adrien gives me a heart melting smile before he looks over my shoulders. He visibly relaxes as he greets, "Hey, Alya. Tikki."

"Hey, Adrien," I feel Alya walk up next to me, but I can't see because my eyes are still fixed on Adrien, "Glad to see Marinette has a knight in shining armor to save her from her own clumsiness."