You're The Music That's Been Playing In My Head: Book 3

Multiplication: Part 2

"There will be no more holders, no more help because of me...Monarch is stronger than ever before," Marinette vents, burying her face into the pillow she was hugging, Alya and I patting her back. 

"That's not your fault Marinette."

"Of course it is. This all happened because I messed up. I mistook Félix for Adrien, can you believe that?"

"Of course we can. Félix was passing himself off as Adrien, he fooled everyone," I reassure her and she shakes her head.

"Not me. After the way I treated Adrien my obsession with him should've picked up on this."

"Well you're not obsessed with him anymore, you're going to forget some things."

"That just makes it worse! I was relying on old bad habits to help save Paris and because of that I made the biggest mistake of my life: I lost the miraculous and the kwamiis."

"You already got one back, and you'll get the other ones back too," Alya reassures her, and Mari takes a breath.

"As long as we're fighting against Monarch, I can't be distracted with small things like boys. No more trying to get me and Adrien to talk, I can't afford any more mistakes, I don't deserve him anyway."

"Ok...But remember to still live your life outside of Ladybug."

"I don't have time for a social life the entire world is at stake. I have to be the guardian of the miraculous before anything else," Marinette says determinedly when her phone rings causing her to jump.

Adrien was calling.

"Well, well, well, a boy you don't want to talk to is calling. Are you gonna pick up?" Alya teases with a smirk, causing Marinette to act dramatic.

"No, no, no! I don't know him and I don't pick up calls from strangers!"

Alya swipes her phone away and answers the call.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng's assistant who is this?"

"Alya?"

"Tell him I'm not here," Marinette whisper hisses.

"Marinette is telling me to tell you she isn't here which is frankly embarrassing," Alya rats on her and I laugh out loud while Marinette shakes me, begging me to help.

"Oh, that's too bad. When she's back tell her my father's fine with me not modeling anymore."

All our eyes widen hearing Adrien's words as I appear on screen.

"What? Adrien that's amazing! We're all proud of you!"

"You don't wanna model anymore? Now that's a scoop," Alya comments when Marine snatches her phone back.

"You had a heart-to-heart with your father?! That's amazing!" 

"Marinette you're back?"

I hold back my laughter, I really hope that was a joke.

"Yes...I was gone but now I'm back. I do that sometimes...I'm a black belt at going back and forth actually," Mari stumbles over her words.

"I've been meaning to tell you that ever since I started school so many new things have happened to me. There's still a lot I fully don't get but there's one thing I know: my life would be very different without you in it. You've always been there for me, through every rough patch, giving me good advice. You're special so thank you Marinette."

"You're welcome...?"

"I mean it. I want you to know how important you are to me and hopefully, someday I can do as much for you as you've done for me."