"Good morning, Mari," Adrien tells Marinette as she picks up on the first ring. "Just calling to make sure you're not late for school."
"I was actually awake before you called, Smarty Pants," She teases, struggling to put her shoe on. She steps forward, tripping, and lands on her chaise, groaning.
Adrien laughs. "Forget to tie your shoes again?"
"No, just tripping over nothing again." Marinette gestures for Tikki to fly in her bag as she heads downstairs. "Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!" She starts heading downstairs. "I think I'm catching a cold from last night after playing in the fountain."
"Will a kiss make you feel better?"
Rolling her eyes, she says, "I don't think a kiss would work." She opens the bakery door. Adrien's standing there, phone in hand, grinning at her. "But we could definitely try." Hanging up, she stands on her toes, bringing her lips to his. He wraps a hand around her waist, pulling her closer. "Good morning, Lovebug."
"Feeling better?" Adrien asks, smirking.
Marinette smiles and grabs his hand, crossing the street with him to school. "A little."
"Just a little?" Stopping in the middle of the road, Adrien grabs Marinette's face and kisses her again. "How do you feel now?"
"Like we're about to be road kill."
A car honks at them.
Laughing, Adrien grabs her hand and they race to school. "Everyone's more chatty then usual," He notes, watching all the energetic students.
Alya and Nino walk up to them. "Haven't you heard? Lila's back."
"WHAT?!" Marinette and Adrien shout at the same time.
"Yeah, dudes. She finally came back from Japan." Nino spots Lila on the stairs and waves at her.
Lila makes eye contact with Marinette. She smiles and waves. Marinette glares at her. "You've got to be kidding me," She mutters, her face turning red from anger. "No one wants her here, anyway!"
Alya rolls her eyes. "Dramatic as always, Marinette."
"Hi, Adrien!" Lila waves like crazy at the blonde model, blowing him a kiss.
Adrien gives her a look of disgust as Marinette grabs his hand and drags him away from the group. "I can't believe she's back," Marinette mutters, crossing her arms. "Our lives are so much better when she's gone."
"I know what you mean," Adrien whispers, shaking his head. "But we shouldn't let her get to us." Marinette thinks back on all the times Lila has threatened to ruin her life. Should she tell Adrien about it? "Besides, she's not worth getting angry over. We don't want to add fuel to Hawk Moth."
Adrien's right. We can't let ourselves become victims. I guess I'll wait on telling him what Lila said to me. Marinette smiles at Adrien. "Lila's not even worth it."
The two walk hand in hand to class, taking their usual seats. All the students are gathered around Lila, fascinated by her stories and the lies of web she strings. Adrien and Marinette stare in her direction, both sporting an angry glare. "Miss Bustier?" Lila asks, standing up. "Would it be okay if I gave everyone their gifts? While I was in Japan, I couldn't stop thinking about my amazing classmates and I knew I had to get them something! For being such good friends to me."
Miss Bustier smiles. "Of course, Lila! Go right ahead."
Grinning, Lila grabs a large gift bag and starts hanging out gifts to everyone. Marinette eyes Lila as she walks up to Adrien. "Here you go, Adrien." She places a flower-shaped keychain in his hand. "This is a special keychain. Legend says two people who carry a matching set are destined to fall in love." Lila reveals the matching one from her pocket. "And I just happen to have the other one."
"Sorry, Lila." Adrien hands Lila back the keychain and grabs Marinette's hand. "But I'm actually with Marinette now."
"What?!" Lila shrieks, eyes wide. What happened while I was gone? "Uh, I mean that's good, Adrien! Good for both of you." She turns her cold stare on Marinette. "As long as she makes you happy." She sets a purple fountain pen on her desk. "I didn't forget about you, Mari. Here's a pen. Since you're always writing in that diary of yours."
"Thanks, Lila," Marinette mutters, throwing the pen in the trash can by Miss Bustier's desk as Lila turns away.
Alya leans over. "Girl, why are you still hating on Lila? You have Adrien. You don't have to be jealous anymore."
"I'm not jealous, Alya!" Marinette defends, crossing her arms. "Lila is a liar! She lies about everything."
"Really?" Alya questions with an eyebrow raised. "Because she brought everyone presents from Japan. You know, where she said she was."
Marinette growls to herself and crosses her arms, annoyed.
Miss Bustier claps her hands. "Alright, class! Settle down. I know you're all excited about the gifts Lila got you, but you can thank her later during free time. As you know I've postponed the Romeo and Juliet play until Lila got back, seeing as it's her favorite play, but now we can continue with the auditions after school!"
"I'm going to try out for the part of Juliet," Lila says, still standing at the front of the class.
Rolling her eyes, Marinette thinks, Like Juliet, go ahead and stab yourself, Lila.
Lila walks over and leans close to Adrien. "Will you be trying out for the part of Romeo?" Winking, she blows him a kiss before leaving to sit at her desk.
"Dude, you better not," Nino warns him. "Do you know how jealous your girl will get if you play Romeo and Lila plays Juliet?"
Adrien squeezes Marinette's hand. "I'd only play Romeo if Mari plays Juliet."
Marinette smiles.
Alya groans. "It's just a play, guys. I'm going to try out for the role of Juliet's nurse."
"Great," Marinette mumbles, "You can nurse Lila back to health after I beat her ass for trying to kiss Adrien."
"Marinette!"
The dark-haired girl frowns and rests her head on the table.
Lila jumps from her seat, gasping. Everyone turns to look at her. "Marinette! How could you say that about me? Especially after I got you a present all the way from Japan?"
Her head perks up. "What are you talking about, Lila?" She asks, annoyed with her already.
Miss Bustier sets down her notebook. "What's wrong, Lila?"
Tearing up, Lila shouts, "Marinette wrote a mean note about me!"
The class gasps.
"Let me see, Lila," Miss Bustier says, gesturing for Lila to come to her desk.
Lila walks with her head down, crying, and hands the note to her teacher. Miss Bustier reads it. "Marinette! Why would you call Lila a 'selfish airhead'?"
"WHAT?!" Marinette screams, standing up. "I didn't write that!"
Lila gasps again, bending down to pick up the purple fountain pen from the trash can. "You threw my gift away, Marinette? But it was special! I got it just for you..."
Everyone turns and stares at Marinette, sending her cold glares.
"I-I..." Marinette starts panicking. No, not again. Lila was turning everyone against her. "I didn't write that!"
"Marinette, go to the principal's office. Now!" Miss Busiter points at the door. "Your parents will be called in to discuss the matter. Bullying in any way will not be tolerated."
"But I didn't write that note, Miss Bustier!" Marinette looks to her classmates, seeing if anyone believes her. "I'm here in the front! Lila's in the back. I didn't hand a note to anyone, so how could it have gotten all the way back there to her?"
"What do you mean, Mari?" Nathaniel speaks up from the back. "You just handed me that note."
Marinette and Adrien's eyes widen in sync.
"No I didn't!"
Miss Bustier frowns. "Marinette! Principal's office! NOW!"
Angry, Marinette stands up and storms out. She makes eye contact with Lila, who smirks and winks at her. She stomps down the hallway to the principal's office.
Adrien stands up. "Come on, guys! We all know Marinette would not have written that note!"
"It's right here, Adrien," Lila says, taking the note from Miss Bustier. "Read it for yourself." She walks over and even quieter, whispers, "Play the part of Romeo and I'll leave Marinette alone."
Adrien's eyes widen. This girl is insane. He sits down, quiet.
Lila pretends to wipe away a tear. "I-I think I can handle the rest of class now that Marinette isn't here."
The class starts comforting Lila.
"Don't let Marinette get to you," Max says, adding, "It's a one hundred percent possibility that Marinette Dupain-Cheng is in fact a jerk."
Adrien turns and glares at Max. And it's a one hundred percent possibility that you're a moron.
Lila glances down at Adrien. "Do we have a deal?"
Adrien knew doing the play with Lila was a bad idea. A disaster waiting to happen. It would hurt Marinette. But if he didn't, Lila would ruin her life. They couldn't prove Lila was a liar yet, so he didn't have a choice. Adrien had to play Romeo, to protect Marinette. Adrien slowly nods.
"Miss Bustier?" Lila asks, facing her. "I might have overreacted a little. Marinette and I just got off on the wrong foot. I think I should be the bigger person and forgive her. Is it alright if I go talk to her?" Miss Bustier nods and Lila leaves.
"What have I gotten myself into?" Adrien mumbles to himself, letting his head fall on his desk.
***
Marinette sits in a chair across from Mr. Damocles. "Are you really going to call my parents?"
"Did you not give a classmate a hurtful note?"
"I didn't write that note!"
Lila knocks on the door, slowly pushing it open. Marinette wants nothing more than to push her down a flight of stairs. "Mr. Damocles?"
"Yes, Lila?" Mr. Damocles asks, phone in hand. "I was just about to call Marinette's parents."
"That won't be necessary, Mr. Damocles!" Lila laughs, waving her arm around ."I was just coming to apologize to Marinette. I overreacted over a little note and that was wrong of me."
"So, you don't want me to call her parents?"
Lila shakes her head. "Goodness, no! I'm sure Marinette and I can work something out. Can't we, bestie?"
"S-Sure, Lila," Marinette whispers, standing up. "Bestie."
Mr. Damocles sets the phone down. "Well, then. Back to class, you two."
Marinette and Lila walk out.
"I don't know what you're planning, Lila, but I won't be a part of it."
Lila's eyes widen. "What do you mean, Marinette? I'm just being a good friend." She stops and faces Marinette, stepping forward until her back hits the wall. "It won't be long, but Adrien will be mine. I'll make sure of it. Shouldn't be too hard now, taking him from you."
Marinette laughs. "Oh really, Lila? Take a hint. Adrien's just not that into you."
"Not yet, anyway," Lila smirks.
"Yet?" Marinette asks, confused.
"Oh, right. You missed it." Lila places a hand on the side of Marinette's head, leaning in. "Miss Bustier was going over the roles for the play and Adrien volunteered to play the part of Romeo. Of course, I'm playing Juliet. There's no way Miss Bustier would let you have a part after that little note you wrote about me. Maybe you could play a shrub."
"You and I both know I didn't write that note," Marinette growls, her hand balling in a fist.
Lila laughs, tapping her nose. "Of course, silly. But the class doesn't. And they think you're such a horrible person, Marinette. How long until your friends ditch you and you're all alone?" She pats her shoulder before walking back into class.
"UGH!" Marinette screams, stomping her feet. "I can't stand Lila! She makes me so mad!"
Tikki flies out of her purse. "Marinette, calm down! Deep breaths. Do it with me. Deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out." She helps Marinette calm down, letting out a worried sigh. "You have to be careful with your emotions. Hawk Moth could akumitize you and Paris would be in danger."
"You're right, Tikki." Marinette takes another deep breath. "That girl gets worse and worse every time I see her. You think Adrien really volunteered to play Romeo? After he said he wouldn't?"
"Lila lies, Marinette," Tikki reminds her. "I'm sure Adrien wouldn't. She probably only said that to get you mad."
Marinette nods. "I can just ask Adrien myself." After Tikki hides, she walks back into class. She notices her best friend gathering her stuff. "Where are you going, Alya?"
"To sit with Lila." Alya glares at Marinette. "She's really hurt by what you wrote, Marinette."
"What...?"
"I know you don't like Lila, but you went too far, Marinette. That doesn't give you the right to say hurtful things about her." Alya adjusts her glasses. "First that comment on beating her up and then the note? It's like you're a new person, Marinette. A mean one. And I don't want to be friends with a mean girl."
Marinette watches as her best friend walks to the back of the room, taking the empty seat beside Lila, who waves. She sits down, angry, and looks at Adrien. She leans forward and taps his shoulder. "Did you really volunteer to play Romeo?"
Lila must have told Marinette already. Frowning, Adrien whispers, "Yes."
Marinette's eyes widen. She sits back. So it's true. Adrien wanted to be in the play with Lila. Crossing her arms, she zones out through class, not paying one bit of attention to the lesson. Romeo and Juliet had romantic scenes together. A kissing scene, in fact. What if Adrien thought Lila was a better kisser? What if he dumped her and started dating Lila? Marinette doesn't even realize the class is empty until Adrien slides in beside her.
"Mari?" Adrien asks, reaching for her hand under the desk. "Are you okay?"
"Why would you volunteer to play Romeo, Adrien?" Marinette snaps, a lot angrier than she planned to. "You literally just told me you wouldn't do the play unless I was Juliet."
Adrien wants to tell her the truth, but he didn't want to make things worse for her. "I..." He shakes his head, coming up with his best lie. "Having extracurricular activities will look good on my record when I start applying to colleges."
"Yeah, Adrien, because fencing, piano, and Chinese lessons aren't enough," Marinette scoffs, standing up. She fights back tears, quickly leaving for the girl's bathroom. She locks herself in a stall just as she begins crying.
Tikki flies out and sits on Marinette's knee. "Mari?"
"I can't believe Adrien, Tikki! He knows Lila's a bad person, but he's willingly getting closer to her." She pouts, adding, "I hate this stupid play."
"Maybe Adrien's just thinking about his future, Marinette." Tikki rubs Marinette's cheek, wiping away a tear. "You know how tough his dad is on him to be perfect and talented at pretty much everything."
Marinette sighs. "You're right. Do you think I overreacted?"
Tikki nods, saying, "I think you owe him a better conversation. One where you actually listen to his side of the story."
"Maybe..."
***
Adrien looks down at Plagg. "What am I supposed to do, Plagg? I don't want to do the play with Lila, but I don't want her ruining Marinette's life, either. If we could catch her in a lie and prove it, then we could show everyone what an awful person Lila really is."
"Marinette seems really hurt by this, Adrien," Plagg mumbles, yawning. "You better think of something fast before she dumps you."
"Marinette won't dump me!" Adrien looks down. "Will she?"
Plagg shakes his head. "You're asking the wrong kwami, Romeo."
Lila walks in, pretending to be scared by Adrien's presence. "Oh! Adrien. You're still here."
Adrien glances at the pink backpack. "I'm waiting for Marinette to come back. She left her bag."
"I just wanted to come talk to you about the play." Lila slides in next to Adrien. "If you even mention one word of this to Marinette, her life here is over. I'll twist and turn everyone she loves against her before you can even count to three."
Angry, Adrien asks, "What do you have against Marinette, Lila?"
Innocently smiling, Lila says, "You."
"I hope Adrien's not mad at me, Tikki," Marinette whispers, rubbing her eyes as she heads back to the classroom. She hears two voices and squats down, peeking through the open door.
"We should probably start rehearsing our lines, Adrien." Lila grabs his hand. "We'll be spending a lot of time together. I hear this play is very long and very romantic." She catches Marinette's stare in the corner of her eye, and leans forward to peck a kiss on Adrien's cheek. "And a lot of kissing, too."
"I'll see you later, Lila," Adrien mumbles, wiping his cheek with the back of his hand.
Lila walks out, running straight into Marinette. "Oh! Marinette. There you are. Wanna help Adrien and I run lines together? We're starting off with the kiss on the balcony."
"No thanks, Lila," Marinette snaps, storming into the room.
Adrien looks over with wides eyes. He lifts her backpack. "You forgot your bag."
"Were you just flirting with Lila?!" Marinette shouts, walking up the steps to reach him.
"What?! No!" Adrien shakes his head. "Are you serious, Mari?"
"Lila wasn't even trying to hide it! What, with touching your hand and all." She crosses her arms. "I saw her kiss you. Lila's back for one day and you're choosing her over me?"
Adrien shakes his arms. "Woah! Slow down! First of all, Lila kissed me on the cheek, and second I wasn't flirting with her at all, and third, I would never choose Lila over you!"
"It seems like it apparently!" Marinette yells, letting jealousy consume her.
"Mari, it's not like that!" Adrien rubs his head, trying to figure out a way to control the situation. "It's just a stupid play!"
"Then quit!"
Adrien stands there, quiet.
Marinette tears up. "If it's just a stupid play, quit and let someone else play Romeo."
I can't, Marinette. Sighing, he finally whispers, "I can't."
Marinette starts laughing. "Right. Because the great Adrien Agreste has to have the perfect record! You have to be perfect at everything so everyone will love perfect you! I can't believe you, Adrien. You know what Lila is. A liar! You know she lies! Didn't you see how she got the whole class to turn on me? Nathaniel? Even Alya?!"
"I know she's lying, Marinette! We know she's lying." Adrien tries to grab her hand, but Marinette steps back. "Mari-'
"But no one believes me!" Tears escape and she stands there, sobbing. "No one believes me, Adrien. You doing this play with Lila feels like you don't believe me, either."
Adrien watches Marinette as she cries. "Mari..."
"I'll see you later, Adrien. Thanks for watching my stuff." Marinette snatches her bag, storming down the steps. She leaves a broken-hearted Adrien alone in the classroom.