Of Love and Lies | Adrienette

~4 Old Enemy, New Friend

~Marinette Dupain-Cheng~

Ever since that day, Adrien has never left my side. He stopped at my house everyday before school to make sure I was never late, and we hung out on weekends.

We grew closer then ever, and I noticed he was acting weirder. More... nervous, shy, and even a little flirtatious.

God, it made me so flustered sometimes.

Then he started making puns.

Yes, puns.

Then I got a little annoyed. Amazed, but annoyed.

He teases be with puns every chance he gets. It's as if he enjoys seeing me so flustered!

Anyway, Lila was slowly taking each and everyone of my friends away.

Rose thinks I'm the one who destroyed the scrapbook she made for Ms. Bustier. Juleka's bracelet broke, and she's convinced that it was somehow my fault. Kim lost his football game and he thinks it was my fault, since my bag somehow ended up in the middle of the field.Max is not talking to me. Alix hates me. Natheniel is more silent then usual, and he's been staring at Chloe quite a lot. Mylene and Ivan... I'm not even gonna talk about them. Sabrina has joined Lila, leaving Chloe in the dark, and is now against me as well. And everyone is convinced I'm the reason Lila turned into Chameleon, when it was really because of something Adrien said.

But I've kept my head up, ignoring the whispers, the rumors, and the glares from everyone. But other then Adrien and Nino, only one other person doesn't hate me anymore.

Chloe.

Shes been actinng weird lately.

And by weird, I mean nice.

Shes waving at people in the hall, offering to help. Shes been spying on Lila a lot, and I've even caught her staring at me and Adrien, a smile on her face.

It's actually kind of cool, seeing her try to change her ways.

I think.

But, today in the hall, Chloe waved and invited me to sit with her on a bench.

I thought Chloe hated me... but I guess I'm wrong.

I sat down next to Chloe, texting Adrien to say I would meet him at the bakery soon, saying that I ran into 'an old friend of yours'.

"Hey, Chloe." I smiled awkwardly.

Chloe smiled back. "Hey, Marinette."

Woah. She didn't call me Dupain-Cheng. Or Mari-trash!

"Look, Marinette, I wanted to apologize for the way I've treated you these past few years. You see... all I've ever wanted is to be noticed by my mom. She always ignores me. She only cares for herself. Shes rude, selfish, snobby, and extremly mean. I thought if I was like her, she'd pay attention to me. But I was wrong. Instead of attention, I lost all of my friends. Everyone hated me, including you. I caused akumas, even gettin akumatized myself more then a few times. I hated it. The only real friend I had was Adrien. So I was over-protective. I didn't let anyone near him, with fear that someone would break his poor heart. His mom told me to look after him. But he got annoyed. I almost lost him a few times.

" So when Ladybug gave me a second chance to be a hero... a true hero... I decided to change my ways. These past few days, I've noticed what Lila's been up to. Marinette, I know that your smile isn't real. The only real smiles I see from you are the ones you have when your around Adrien. Trust me, I've been through this before. Let me help you. It's the least I can do after how many times I've hurt you. I guess what I'm trying to say is... I'm sorry, Marinette. I'm sorry for everything,"

Her words tounched me, and I smiled, feeling tears in my eyes.

I hugged Chloe.

"I... I guess this is a good sign, right?"

I wiped my eyes. "Sorry. Thank you, Chloe. I really needed to hear that. Other then Adrien, my life has been a mess these pat few weeks. It's good to know your on the same page about Lila. What you've been through is even worse then what Lila has done to me. Maybe we can actually be friends, for once?"

Chloe smiled, wiping tears from her eyes. "I'd like that."

We hugged, and for the first time in two weeks, I was truely happy.

"Hey! I have a great idea! How about you come over to my house tonight and we have a sleepover, just the two of us? My mom and dad are going out to dinner, so, the house will me empty. We can make cookies, have a pillow fight, watch a cheesy romantic comedy, talk about anything, and so and so. Adrien might drop by later, but that's okay. He always checks on me, via phone call, text message, or in person. So, what do you think?"

Chloe's face lit up. "That sounds... amazing, Marinette! I haven't had a sleepover in a very long time."

I smiled. "Here," I gave her my number. "Call me anytime. How about we meet at my house tonight at six?"

Chloe nodded. "Perfect. You live above the bakery, right? I'll be there."

I nodded, smiling. "Bye, Chloe!"

I walked away, Chloe smiling to herself.

"Goodbye friend,"