The Duel

'She's Happy'

"Come on Luka! They're all waiting for us already!" Marinette yelled at her boyfriend the next morning after he picked her up from her house. She was dragging Luka by the hand behind her, with a smile on her face, and joy in her heart. The rest of Marinette's class was eagerly waiting in the classroom, Marinette sent out a group text telling everyone to come in a few minuets early for a surprise announcement she had to make. Since the last two times anyone had seen Marinette at school she'd run away crying, no one had any idea what it was going to be. But she sounded enthusiastic when she texted everyone, so they assumed it was good. They just had to wait and see. Adrien was nervous, for some reason he thought it was going to have something to do with himself and his last encounters with Marinette.

Marinette walked into the room with a huge smile on her face, and everyone waiting in anticipation. Luka stood behind the door where no one could see him yet.

"What's your surprise Marinette?" Rose exclaimed in her high pitched, excited voice.

"Yeah we've been waiting forever, spill it!" Alix chimed in.

"Okay, okay!" Marinette said, biting her lip with excitement. "I have a boyfriend!!" She blurt out all happy and jittery. The whole class gasped and got quiet, everyone looked at Adrien. And Adrien, being himself, jumped to the conclusion she was talking about him.

"Marinette what? I thought I made myself clear to you the other day, I don't wanna have to get mad at you again." He said, thinking Marinette was refering to him as the boyfriend, and that she was trying to put him on the spot and make him say yes.

Marinette gave Adrien a confused, annoyed, and almost mad expression, as if she couldn't believe how he thought everything was always about him. But she wasn't going to let her ex-crush's pride ruin her beautiful day. But before she could correct him, Luka walked in and kissed Marinette's cheek. Marinette giggled at how adorable he made his entrance, and because she was in love with him and giggled at basically everything he did.

"Oh, sorry for the confusion agreste, don't worry she doesn't have feelings for you anymore." Luka said to Adrien while grabbing Marinette's hand. Adrien turned red, embarrassed that he didn't realize.

"YOU TWO ARE DATING!?" Mylene said with excitement, putting her hands on her cheeks like it was the cutest thing she'd ever seen.

"aww you're so perfect for each other!" Rose added with similar enthusiasm, and the rest of the class continued with various compliments as well. The couple smiled, glad that everyone seemed to be happy for them, everyone except Adrien who was looking at the ground in shame. The two noticed, and Luka nodded at Marinette for her to go say something.

Marinette walked over to Adrien calmly, "hey Adrien, I just wanted to let you know I'm sorry for what I said to you the other day, and that I didn't mean it. I hadn't actually figured out my feelings yet. But I really hope we can still be good friends."

Adrien looked up at her and smiled a fake smile to show he agreed, for some reason he just felt uneasy inside.

Luka walked up next to Marinette and also in front of Adrien, "hey dude I just wanted to say sorry for punching you, it was a bad call. We good?" Luka said, and extended to arm forward for a handshake. Adrien faked his smile again and shook Luka's hand, "yeah, all good man." He tried to sound sincere, but his voice was off, although Luka didn't seem to notice.

The whole class was still excitedly talking to one another when the first period bell rang, and Luka had to leave. Adrien saw him standing in the doorway with Marinette as they were saying goodbye to one another before they would go on their first official date after school that day. He said something that made Marinette do her cute giggle, and Adrien couldn't understand why, but watching them made him uncomfortable. He saw Marinette get up on her tip toes and give Luka a quick kiss before he walked down the hall to his class. Seeing the two of them made Adrien turn red with anger, fear, shame, and embarrassment. But most of all, regret.

Marinette turned around from the door to get into her seat, and Adrien couldn't keep his eyes off of her, it was like for the first time ever he was realizing his classmate's beauty.

Then it hit him. Luka's words from their fight echoed in his head, "you don't even realize what you just lost," and he knew in that moment Luka was never talking about their fight, he was talking about Marinette. But now he realized, seeing Marinette with someone else made him realize what he lost.

But now it was too late.

She had chosen someone else.

Someone that wasn't him.

But she was happy, and that's all that really matters, right?

'yeah, that's all that really matters............'

~fin~