Adrien's POV
In the morning, I headed to the dining room for breakfast after doing my business in the bathroom. My father and step-mother already left to work, so it was only Chloe, Marinette and I.
The maids had prepared a big breakfast, as usual. There were trays of fresh fruits, eggs, bacon and crepes on the table.
Chloe and Marinette were having a conversation over coffee.
"Good morning, Adrien" Marinette greeted. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she was wearing a simple black t-shirt and grey sweatpants.
"Hey Mari" I replied as I headed towards the coffee machine.
Chloe yawned. "Adrikins, do you mind getting me another cup of coffee?" She asked and I nodded in response.
"What were you guys talking about?" I asked as I sat down in front of them and gave Chloe her coffee.
"Oh, nothing..." Chloe started. "I was just saying that Luka's co-captain, Nathaniel, is cuter than Luka and Mari was disagreeing with me"
"Come on, they're both nice guys but Luka is wayyy better looking than Nate" Mari said.
"Ladies... I think we can all agree that I'm more handsome than both of them" I grinned and winked at Marinette, who rolled her eyes at me.
"Adrien, you're a model, you're not allowed to say stuff like that" Marinette retorted, and my grin only widened.
"What's that supposed to mean, Princess?" I asked, and I swear her cheeks pinked a bit.
She scoffed. "Whatever... I'm gonna go get ready for school..." She got up and left the room.
My gaze lingered on her walking away and my grin never faltered.
"Well well welll, lookie lookie what we have here..." Chloe nudged my shoulder playfully and wiggled her eyebrows.
"What do you mean?" I feigned ignorance.
"Come on brother, you're crushing on Marinette! It's so obvious!" She stated, and I frowned.
"She's just a friend" I shrugged.
"Please..." She scoffed in disbelief.
Chloe finished her coffee and violently ruffled my hair to annoy me. She then went to her room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Marinette's POV
"Hello class, a new student will be joining us today. Please introduce yourself" My literature teacher said to a new girl.
I was reading my book, but my attention turned to the front of the classroom. The new girl was very pretty. She had tanned skin, brown hair with red streaks and hazel eyes.
"Hi everyone, my name is Alya and I just transferred from Heritage High School!" She waved. She was very confident and looked friendly.
I was sitting alone, because I knew no one in this class. I gestured for her to come sit next to me, and she did.
"Hi, I'm Marinette, it's nice to meet you" I introduced myself with a smile.
"Nice to meet you too!" She replied. The class started in a few minutes so we could talk a bit.
"Why did you transfer from Heritage?"
"I have an internship at Vogue and as you know, the publishing house is right across the street. I was tired of taking the bus 4 times a day so I decided to switch schools" Alya replied, and my eyes widened in shock.
"You have an internship at Vogue?!" I half-yelled.
"Yeah... My friend's mom is actually in charge of the Vogue website and she needed an intern. Turns out I was fit for the job" She replied shyly, putting a hand behind her neck.
"Alya, that's amazing! You're lucky to have this opportunity, you must be very talented" I congratulated her.
"Thanks, Marinette. It means a lot... The downside of it is that I need to take half of my school classes online, since I'm very busy"
"Well, I'm sure you can manage. Here's my phone number in case you need any help with anything. Or if you just need a friend to talk to" I wrote down my phone number in her notebook.
She giggled. "I was so nervous about transferring, but I already have a friend... Are you interested in fashion? You could come by some day and I'd be glad to introduce you to my bosses"
"R-really? That would mean so much! My dream is to become a fashion designer, just like Gabriel"
"You're on a first name basis with Gabriel Agreste?!" Alya's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Yeah... I'm friends with his step-daughter Chloe Bourgeois and his son Adrien" I explained.
"Well, your career in fashion is pretty secure then, with Gabriel Agreste and Audrey Bourgeois in your corner" The brunette teased, but I looked down.
"Oh! I didn't mean it like..." She continued, but I interrupted her with a smile.
"No, it's okay! I understand what you mean... It's just that I've always wanted to have my own brand and my own name... I don't want to succeed because of nepotism"
"I totally get it... Do you have some sketches with you?" She asked with a smirk.
"Um, yeah..." I looked in my bag and took out my sketchbook.
"Woah, these are really cool! I've never seen such unique concepts and color mixes..." Alya said as she skimmed through my designs. "Do you mind if I hold on to them?"
"Sure! I have tons of them at home anyway..." I replied.
The teacher started the class and we stopped talking. Alya put my sketchbook in her bag and we took out our textbooks.
---
After school, I decided to visit my mom at the hospital. She was terminally ill because of lung cancer. She's been sick for a while now, and I try to visit her as often as possible. My dad died of the same cancer when I was a little girl...
"Hi, mommy" I said as I entered her room.
As usual, I brought a new bouquet of flowers to decorate her room. By now, her room looked like an actual garden... I don't want her to spend her last days between depressing grey walls.
Even if she looked tired, she still managed to be the most beautiful woman on earth. Her eyes lit up when she saw me.
"Hello, sweetie! How was school?" She asked. I gave her the flowers, and she smelled them in awe. Pink roses, her favorites.
"It was really good! I made a new friend today. Her name is Alya and she's very kind" I replied.
"I'm glad, Marinette" I gave her a hug and kissed her forehead. I skimmed the room and looked for any dead flowers.
"I love you, mom... I'm sorry for not coming more often" I said, and she shook her head with a smile.
"Don't worry about me, sweetie... Just knowing that my daughter grew up to be such a beautiful, kind and smart woman makes me the happiest mother on earth"
My eyes started watering, but I quickly regained my composure and smiled back.
"I'm graduating this year!" I said excitedly. I made a vow to myself that I would only talk about happy things with my mom.
"I can't believe how fast time flies... What color is your prom dress going to be?" She asked.
"Hmm... Ever since I'm a kid I never imagined myself in anything other than a pastel pink prom dress. What can I say, it's the princess in me" I replied cockily, which made her giggle.
My mom and I talked some more, then I left so she could rest.
I walked home to my apartment. When my mom got sick, we decided to sell the bakery, because there's no way that I could've run it without her.
I used the money to buy a modest apartment near school. There was only one room, a kitchen, a living room and a bathroom. I decorated the small space to make it cozy.
I worked on some school assignments and then went to bed.