Marinette couldn't focus in class. At all. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Louise, unfortunately. Luckily though, she wasn't in any of her classes. One moment, Marinette feels like everything is normal. But then Louise will tap on the glass of the door during Physics class, playfully wave to Adrien and ruin everything.

However, that day Adrien wasn't in Miss Bustier's class. Marinette guessed it was because his father or assistant pulled him out of school early, but she wasn't quite sure why.

It's a good thing, too, because Chloe might have finally snapped and ranted to Adrien about the entire situation.

Chloe was not happy about the predicament, either. Very unhappy. Jealous of Louise in a way, but she masked this jealousy with insults to the gorgeous 5'8 model.

And, surprisingly, Chloe felt more like an ally to Marinette ever since Louise stepped into the picture. Possibly because of their shared dislike for the girl. But Marinette didn't want to rupture this temporary peace by bringing up her own opinion on who Adrien should be with... aka herself. For once, Chloe wasn't being a total jerk to her. She was instead directing her slurs at someone else for a change.

And as free study time was granted by Miss Bustier to the entire class, Marinette took this opportunity to forge some kind of friendship with the blonde. Or pact, as much as she hated to admit...

Small chatter erupted amongst the class as everyone moved to study with each other. Alya stared in disbelief as she watched her friend leave her seat and carry her books over to Chloe.

"Hey," Marinette smiled.

Chloe turned her head and raised an eyebrow. She looked like a mess; there were dark circles under her eyes and her hair was sticking out of place. Marinette could guess that she was taking the whole Louise and Adrien situation far worse than Marinette had.

"Can I sit here?" Marinette asked, pointing to the empty seat beside Chloe. Sabrina was out of town so that gave Marinette even more of a reason to sit with the blonde.

"Whatever," Chloe mumbled quietly, staring at her study packet.

"Are you-"

"What does he even see in her anyways?! Like, I'm way prettier than that manipulative little snob!" Chloe spat, clenching her fists angrily.

"Chloe, lower your voice-" Marinette began, but was cut off for a second time.

"I'm serious. The only reason she got with him was for the publicity!" Chloe said, raising her voice.

Everyone stopped chattering and looked over at Chloe curiously.

Marinette raised an eyebrow. "Wait... what do you mean she got with him for the publicity."

Chloe sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. "Oh please, it's child's play. You really think two models just happen to fall in love? One who is super well known and famous, aka Adrien, and one who is brand new to the industry? Come on. That's the definition of manipulation on Louise's part."

Marinette blinked. It sounded like a reasonable explanation, but still, Chloe has been wrong before. Many times. So she would need proof to ever suspect something like that. As much as she disliked the thought of Adrien being with another girl, she wasn't about to believe an accusation of her without any evidence. Maybe Louise really loved Adrien and wasn't in it for the exposure?

"I'd have to see it to believe it," Marinette shrugged.

Chloe scoffed, flipping her hair. "Whatever. I know my Adrikins. And I won't let him get hurt by this two faced snake."

Marinette narrowed her eyes. She knew that look. Chloe definitely had something planned. "What are you thinking, Chloe?"

"I'm thinking I'm gonna expose Louise," Chloe smirked. "That way, Adrien will see her for who she truly is."

"And how will you do that?" Marinette asked, slightly interested.

Chloe leaned in closer, a sick, satisfied grin on her face. "I'm gonna have one of my father's friends conduct a supposedly legit interview with Adrien at the park that Louise does not know about. Then I'll snatch Adrien's phone while he's distracted and text her to come to the park. She'll see that there is an interview going on and if she barges in, then I'll know she's only with Adrien for the publicity. Full proof."

"I don't know about full proof..." Marinette mumbled. "There could be many different factors that play into your stunt. Like what if Louise is busy tonight?"

"It'll work, trust me," Chloe smiled with content. "If you wanna see it go down, I could use a hand."

Marinette bit her lip. She wasn't sure if she should or not... She didn't want to hurt Adrien or anything.

"I think I'll pass. But good luck, I guess," Marinette stated, standing up. "Just remember who you may be hurting in the end." And with that, Marinette gathered up her things and walked back to her seat.

Alya raised an eyebrow and whispered to Marinette. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing," Marinette sighed, flipping open her textbook. "Shall we study?"

*

After school, Marinette decided she wasn't going to plague her mind about the situation anymore. She was going to go home and bake some cookies with Tikki while they watched a variety of cheesy romantic comedies. It was the perfect plan for her Friday night. Plus, Marinette missed spending quality time with her kwami.

When she walked into the bakery, she greeted her parents and then headed upstairs. She slipped off her flats just as Tikki came flying out of her bag.

"So, what's the plan tonight? Are we sleeping with the lights on or off?" Tikki asked curiously.

"Actually," Marinette smiled, "We're having a best friend's night. I'm gonna bake us some cookies and then we're gonna watch RomCom's!"

"Ooh!" Tikki cheered excitedly, buzzing around the room. She then stopped and innocently looked up at Marinette in confusion. "What's romcom?"

Marinette laughed, tickling her kwami. "You'll see." She then sighed, sitting on her bed. "I'm feeling a little hopeless in the love department, so... uh, nevermind. I told myself I wasn't going to talk about it anymore.

"Aww, Marinette," Tikki said sadly. She flew up and hugged her cheek. "I'm sorry."

"Its okay, Tikki. I'll get over it. Eventually," Marinette shrugged. She then stood up. "Time to bake some famous Dupain-Cheng triple chocolate chunk cookies!"

Tikki's smile was priceless. It lit up the entire room. That made Marinette feel a lot better.

*

"I don't understand. Why does he keep saying that he doesn't love her when the audience clearly sees that he does?" Tikki asked, genuinely perplexed. "I mean, when they went to the ball he was slow dancing with her." She floated criss crossed in the air beside Marinette's head and was nibbling on a cookie.

"Boys," the raven-haired girl replied unamusingly, the situation sounding very familiar to her. She tossed her half eaten cookie on the plate.

Feeling even more depressed than she had felt before watching the movie, Marinette decided that she needed some fresh air.

"Be right back, I feel stuffy," Marinette said, standing up. She climbed up the ladder to her balcony and was greeted by a beautiful sunset. The hours of day were almost over and the night was setting in fast.

She crossed her arms, leaning over the rails of her balcony, a popular spot for contemplation. She looked out at the booming streets of Paris and then to the right, where the park was located.

And, for a moment, she was confused because she saw a tall man standing in the park all alone with a cameraman and a guy holding a boom mic. And then, coming in from the other side of the park, was Adrien.

Finally, Marinette remembered Chloe's plan.

She watched as Adrien approached the man and greeted him with a friendly smile and firm handshake.

"I can't let Chloe meddle in Adrien's relationship. I don't like Louise either but I can't knowingly let this go on," she whispered to herself.

Speaking of which, Marinette spotted Chloe hiding behind a tree, waiting to strike.

If she left the house as Marinette, her parents would be suspicious. So, there was only one thing left to do.

She climbed back down her ladder and glanced at her kwami. "Tikki, spots on."