Jerk in Sheep's Clothing

The Ol' Sympathetic Ear

Adrien knew that he should be more cooperative, but he didn't feel like smiling.  All day, the sinking feeling that he had gotten from Henri's nasty look had stuck with him, and he hadn't been able to shake it.  All he could think about was the cruel smirk on the other boy's cocoa lips, and the scheming glint in his eye.  How could he get such a bad feeling in his gut from one look from a guy he didn't even know?

Not to mention, the way he had switched from nice guy to wicked and back again so fast was baffling.  The exchange was as quick as lightning.  Blink at the wrong moment, and you'd miss it entirely.  And it had all hinged on whether or not Marinette was looking.  Did she have something to do with it?

"Hey, kid.  You ready to get back to work, or are you still lost in la la land?"  Plagg's voice piped up in the privacy of the dressing room, jerking Adrien out of his thoughts.  The green-eyed boy sighed as he ran his hands through his golden hair.  "I just can't stop thinking about that new guy, Plagg.  I don't know what it is, but something about him bugs me."

"Maybe its jealousy.", suggested his kwami.  Adrien looked flustered at such an idea.  "Jealousy?  Why would I be jealous of that guy?  I just met him!"  Plagg rolled his eyes.  "No reason."  Adrien glared at his friend as the tiny cat ate his beloved Camembert, back to minding his own business.
------------------
"So, Adrien knows, but he's not doing anything?"  Marinette sighed.  She had just finished relaying the entire story to her new friend, no details spared.  She had tried her best to give others perspectives as well as her own, so that her friends would not look like total jerks, but he still seemed entirely disgusted by their actions, especially Adrien's.

"Its not entirely his fault.  He missed a bunch of stuff, and I've left out a few details when talking to him as well."  "Why?", asked Henri.  "Don't you want him on your side?"  Marinette fidgeted.  "I dunno...I mean, Lila's already gotten akumatized three times.  And each time, she's been a tough foe for Ladybug and Chat Noir.  I don't want to trigger her a fourth time.  What if next time, she actually succeeds as a akuma?  I can't set that into motion!"

Henri rolled his eyes.  "If you want, Marinetre, I won't say anything.  But if you ask me...I think you'd be better off not listening to Adrien.  In fact...dare I say, I think you're better off without him, period.  And that goes for your other so-called 'friends'.  You deserve better."  Marinette beamed, her stomach full of butterflies, the good kind, not the kind used by Hawkmoth.  "That's so sweet of you."
------------------
Adrien arrived back at school for the rest of the school day and sat in his usual seat at the front.  Lila was still there, and Nino and Alya sat in the row behind him.  Marinette had not arrived back at class yet, but Adrien was hoping when she did, she would get her seat back so he did not have to sit next to Lila.

Moments later, she walked into the classroom.  Adrien brightened a bit—until Henri walked in right behind her.  They were engaged in yet another conversation, and it was really starting to cheese off Adrien that every time he saw them, they were chitchatting as if they were the best of friends, considering how Henri still gave him a churning stomach feeling whenever he entered his vision.

Still, he put on his usual fake smile, the one he had perfected from years of nonstop modeling, and said cheerily, "Hi, Marinette!"  To his shock, she didn't seem to hear him.  She didn't even glance in his direction.  Her blue eyes were locked onto Henri's brown ones as they climbed the stairs, passing by Adrien and all the others as if they weren't even there.  It was once they reached the middle of the steps did Adrien notice they were holding hands.

Alya noticed the sad, surprised look on Adrien's face, and leaned in towards him.  "They spent all of lunch together.", she whispered, catching Nino and Lila's attention.  "He was talking her up like he's known her all his life!  And get this—once, when I was looking at her, she blushed!"  She hit that last word hard.  "Hit" being a good word to describe her tone, because that one word made Adrien feel like he'd taken a hit to a gut.

Nino looked baffled at the idea.  Here, he and his girlfriend had been plotting and scheming for months to get their two best friends to date one another.  And now, just like that, her interests had changed?  What a turn of events!  It was a discovery that needed a few moment to process in his head.

Lila, on the other hand, could scarcely contain her delight.  She knew now that she had made the right choice bargaining with Henri.  Not only was he steering Marinette away from her friends, but he was actually catching her eye and her heart.  Which meant one less girl Lila had to compete with for Adrien's attention.  She managed to keep her cool as she commented slyly, "I think they make a lovely couple.  Don't you, Adrien?"

Choking down the urge to vomit, the blond boy mumbled out, "Sure.", and turned to Mme. Bustier, hoping that the focus on his lessons would distract him from the fact that that sickly feeling he had caught from Henri had been increased by a thousandfold.