[Narrator's POV]

Marinette looks around in confusion as she follows Lila, wondering where it is they're going and what for. She has to pick up her pace a little to keep up with Lila's fast strides. The girl seems to be on a serious mission; she keeps her eyes forward as she struts right out of school.

"Uh, what is it that we're doing?" Marinette finally asks.

Lila grabs Marinette's hand into a crushing grip and yanks her along, sprinting out into the street. Marinette screams in terror as a car that had been speeding toward them skids to a stop barely before contact. Lila opens the car door hastily despite the shouting of the driver.

"Please sir, my friend's mother has had an accident and the ambulance is having trouble moving her to the hospital. We need to get to Pont des Arts right now!" Lila says frantically. "You'll take us won't you?"

Without even waiting for an answer, Lila clambers into the back of the car, pulling Marinette in with her.

"U-Um, I—" The driver stammers.

"It's an emergency!" Lila roars. "STEP ON IT!"

The driver panics and slams a foot down on the gas pedal. Lila smirks in satisfaction as they speed through the city. Marinette tilts her head to look at Lila. It is strange seeing a genuine smile of amusement on a face that she had assumed to be frozen in a permanent scowl. Lila catches Marinette's eye and drops the cheeky look. She quickly lets go of Marinette's hand as if repulsed and crosses her arms as she turns her head to the window. In a mere few minutes, the car has pulled up by Pont des Artse. Lila gets out as soon as she can and continues on her way.

"Uh, th-thankyou!" Marinette says to the driver as she scrambles after Lila.

"Your pitiful, dumbfounded face really helped sell that. Usually I can't get my way so easily." Lila says.

"What the heck was that?" Marinette questions.

Lila reaches up a hand to play with her fringe as if bored with the conversation. "Taxis are expensive."

"You really enjoy lying, huh?" Marinette says dully.

"It's fun and I'm good at it." Lila replies.

"Was that the reason you needed me? What are we doing here? Where are you going?" Marinette inquires further.

"I'm hungry but I don't have any money so you're shouting." Lila answers.

Marinette frowns. "Are you serious? You took me out of school and into the path of a speeding car, then got in said car with a complete stranger, just so that I could buy you a meal?"

"Why are you complaining? I thought you didn't want to be at school with everyone right now." Lila huffs. "I was being considerate, but I guess being around me is just too insufferable. Maybe you should go back to class with Adrien then."

"Oh I see, you wanted to help me. Rushing to my rescue, were you Lila? I thought you didn't like people." Marinette says smugly. "Pretty sure going out to eat together is what friends do."

"If you had stopped blabbering about Adrien and your problems for just a second at lunch time, you would have heard beforehand about my plans to visit my favourite crepe place, which I am so charitably letting you tag along on as the loserish shadow you are." Lila replies in denial.

"Are you scared of rejection? Is that why you act this way?"

"Don't patronise me."

The two girls finally reach the actual 'love lock' bridge at this point. Lila takes a sharp turn onto the bridge as if literally veering away from the conversation but Marinette jogs to her side once again.

"I know you have secret, nice intentions that you're hiding. Well, maybe not nice but at least a little understanding and perhaps cool even." Marinette persists. "If you just admit that you felt some emotion in connecting with me and wanted to make me feel better by bringing me here then I'll be your friend."

Lila's eyebrows furrow in annoyance. "I don't want you to be my friend!"

Marinette purses her lips in a pouty sort of way. She looks away from Lila to stare at the locks quietly as they pass. Lila marches on with her fists curled angrily but eventually the silence becomes unsettling. She fidgets uncomfortably as she tries to withstand it, her eyes flickering to Marinette more and more frequently.

"Why have you gone all silent? What's wrong with you?" Lila demands out of nowhere.

Marinette sighs over-dramatically. "It's nothing. I was just admiring all these pretty locks and wishing I had someone to share one with...My friends, my family, my Adrien, my heart hurts for them all. Is there nothing left for me in this world? I'm so miserably lonely!"

"Hey, you're hanging out with me! Am I not good enough company for you? Is that it?" Lila challenges. "I'm way better than any of your stupid friends anyway! Don't you care?"

Marinette places a finger on her chin innocently. "This is weird...Are you begging for my recognition? How can you be better than my friends if I can't accept you as one?"

Lila's face flushes. "I-I'm denying you here, not the other way around!"

Marinette snickers devilishly. Lila has finally choked. In a battle of lies, Marinette has won.

Lila growls in frustration. "Whatever then!"

"Whatever then...we're friends now?" Marinette prompts.

"We've literally talked twice." Lila grumbles.

"I don't hear a no~o." Marinette chimes.

"You weren't even sad just now, were you? You conniving little—"

"Awww, you were concerned that I was sad!"

"Don't mistake pity for empathy."

"Ah, what a shame," Marinette says loudly. "I was so happy about making a new friend that I was considering buying her some crepes..."

Lila takes a deep breath as she contemplates. "Fine then, call me what you want, I guess I'll allow it since it's beneficial for me." She concludes. "It's not like you could get any more annoying and bothersome, worthless labels won't change the dynamic here."

"Is it like your goal to stuff every sentence you can with rudeness?" Marinette says.

"I don't need to, it comes naturally." Lila replies with a spiteful smile.

Marinette grins and stretches her hands up to the sky. "Man, it feels so refreshing to be out! In all seriousness, thanks for doing this for me. Do you do wag often?"

"Whenever my head needs clearing or I'm sick of having to deal with the idiots at school every day, or both. That's why I knew you needed it, to let loose a little." Lila says. "It's like therapy being with me. I've managed to spark some actual personality in there so I couldn't just let you wallow away like a lifeless bag. It's like my duty to show you the way. I'm basically your god."

Marinette laughs. "Oh come on, you were so close to being nice that time!"

.

.

By the time second break comes round at school, Marinette still hasn't returned.

"Where could she be? She's not in any of the classrooms!" Alya says. "You don't think she'd leave campus do you?"

"You're approaching this all wrong," Nino replies. "To catch a delinquent, you must think like a delinquent."

Alya raises an eyebrow as Nino ruffles up his hair and puts his cap on backwards.

"It's all in the attitude, kay babe? We gotta blend in or they won't trust us, see, cuz you gotta question someone who would know Lila." Nino explains. "Someone as big and mean as her. A ruffian. Like Iven!"

"Iven is one of the sweetest guys we know." Alya debates.

Nino walks ahead anyway, with his back slouched and his hands in his pockets. Alya rolls her eyes and goes after him. When they reach Iven, Nino sniffs and nods his head as greeting.

"Hey guys," Iven says. "Everything good?"

Nino looks around suspiciously before lowering his voice to speak to Iven. "I'm looking for the place."

"The place?" Iven responds in confusion.

"You know, where they sell the stuff." Nino whispers intensely.

"The...stuff." Iven repeats.

"The rocks. The mojo. Grass. The stuff." Nino says. "Hook me up with your dealer, man."

"Woah dude," Iven replies. "I don't do drugs. Not cool."

Alya rests her face in her hand.

"It's cool, man. I'm cool. I'm no nark, kay, you can tell me where to find her." Nino persists.

"Who?" Iven questions.

"We're looking for Marinette, okay? Not drugs." Alya steps in.

"Alya! You blew my cover." Nino complains.

"We're not infiltrating an underground society," Alya says. "This is a high school."

"Okay but whatever dark, scary place Lila comes from definitely has drugs. Find the drugs, find Lila, find Marinette." Nino replies.

"If you're looking for Lila you could have just asked." Iven says. "I heard she sneaks out the back during breaks."

"Thankyou, Iven, that was very simple and straightforward." Alya says before walking off.

"Hey, I was right about Iven having the info!" Nino hollers as he jogs after her.

Alya and Nino go outside and turn the corner to check around the back of the building but no one is there.

"Nothing." Alya says in disappointment.

"But that's where you're wrong!" Nino declares. "A clue, there!"

Nino points to the ground where there are scattered remains of macaroons and a crumpled box.

"Looks like there was a fight." He deduces.

"Or Marinette was being clumsy." Alya replies. "Come on, this is a dead end."

Nino sighs and follows Alya back into school. The Marinette mystery had drawn enough attention to pop Chloe and Nathaniel's blissful bubble and draw Adrien back to his friends out of concern. The three of them and Sabrina are waiting in the courtyard for Nino and Alya's results.

"We've checked everywhere in this school," Alya says. "She's done a runner."

"With Lila?" Chloe replies in disgust.

"But Lila hates everyone," Sabrina inputs. "Maybe she actually needed Marinette for something and then Marinette took the opportunity to leave school, or maybe Marinette's parents needed her help all of a sudden."

"I don't get it." Nathaniel says, shaking his head. "How is anything supposed to be resolved if she runs away?"

Adrien grips his arm timidly. "Guys...maybe we should just leave her be."

"No way. I'm taking matters into my own hands." Chloe takes out her phone and begins tapping away furiously. "I'll do what I do best, throw a party! That's bound to draw her out. A party with Chloe Bourgeois is an offer no one can refuse."

"I don't think so," Nino says. "There's no way Marinette would be in the mood to party."

"Then I'll make it an inescapable occasion, like her best friend's birthday!" Chloe says. "There is no way Marinette would miss it."

"But it's not my birthday." Alya points out.

"I was talking about me but I guess we can make it for you." Chloe says.

"It's not either of your birthdays." Adrien replies.

"It's an early celebration, guys, it's fine!" Chloe says impatiently. "Trust me, this'll work."

.

Marinette sips her strawberry milkshake happily. "You're right, this place is the best! I didn't take you for a sweet tooth though."

"Why, because I don't look like a little girl? Should I wear pigtails and pink?" Lila mocks her.

"I take back my praise then," Marinette says. "My family's bakery is way better than this."

"Are you kidding me?" Lila shoves her plate forward. "Try this!"

The plate that was once piled with crepes, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and berries, now only has one bites worth of a crepe and one strawberry.

"You're sharing with me now?" Marinette smirks and cocks an eyebrow. "But this is the last of your food, don't you want it?"

"I don't not want it, but I want you to try it." Lila replies.

Marinette giggles. "So you finally see my point of view."

"I just want you to shut up, don't make a big deal out of it." Lila says.

Marinette scoops the bit of food into her mouth and chews leisurely. "Yeah," She mumbles. "Pretty good."

"Pretty good? Are your tastebuds stupid too?" Lila replies.

"If you had tried the macaroon I offered you, you would know what perfection tastes like." Marinette says.

"I assume it would have tasted like hair." Lila retorts.

"I'll take you to my bakery one day when I'm not supposed to be in school." Marinette looks down at the empty dishes on the table and frowns. "Speaking of, are we going back now?"

Lila shrugs. "The world is your oyster."

"I don't really wonna go through that car stunt again." Marinette says.

"I hitch a ride because it's quick and convenient, but there's a bus stop just outside that I use too." Lila says. "There's a route straight to the mall if you want to watch a movie or do some shopping."

"But you don't have any money." Marinette replies.

"I lied." Lila says complacently.

Marinette looks unamused but unsurprised too. It is then that her message notification dings. She takes her phone out of her purse and shudders.

"An early birthday party for Alya? And Chloe's hosting it? This is definitely a ruse! They're scheming against me. I can't go to this, Adrien's gonna be there and I am so not in a partying mood. Oh but what if Alya gets offended that I refuse? It's still a birthday party for my best friend, even if it holds ulterior motives."

"You push people away and get invited to a party?" Lila crosses her arms. "I never get invited to anything."

"But I've seen you at loads of parties." Marinette says.

"Yeah, well, it's not like what anyone wants would stop me from going." Lila replies. "Though I tend to avoid parties thrown by Chloe Bourgeois."

"Chloe's really not that bad," Marinette says. "And her parties are always great. Actually, I think you two would get along—"

Lila holds up her hand to decline Marinette's proposals. "Agree to disagree. So back to the topic at hand, what's your dilemma with this party?"

"I-I just can't do it. I can't go." Marinette says. "It's not a dilemma, really, I'll just tell Chloe that I can't come."

Lila grabs Marinette's wrist to stop her from texting. "Are you crazy? You have to go! If you don't go it'll be so obvious that you're too scared to see Adrien."

"I think it's already obvious that I'm running away from my problems. I gave in to Audrey and broke up with the love of my life, then literally ran away from him when I saw him this morning. I have nothing else to lose!" Marinette says desperately, struggling against Lila's grip.

"No—" Lila leans over the table to wrestle Marinette for the phone. "You'll lose your dignity!"

"I don't want it!" Marinette insists.

"Then you'll waste my charitable efforts to pull you out of the gutter! I thought you were at least a little more sane than the average halfwit!" Lila rips the phone from Marinette's hand and holds it way above her head. "Just stop for a minute and think. Parties are vital opportunities to rub your wellbeing in you exes face. It's like a showdown. The one who doesn't come is a total loser! It's textbook breakups. Step one, you look super hot, have everyone drooling over you and make your ex regret your breakup until his death. Step two, you have heaps of fun and show everyone that you don't even care about the breakup. Step three is that you either get back together or hook up with someone else so it's a win-win situation."

Marinette shakes her head. "No, no, no, I can't do any of that! I don't want to dress up and talk to guys, I don't want Adrien to feel sorry or jealous or anything bad, I don't want to pretend like I'm happy about this but we also cannot get back together. I do care about the breakup, Lila. I can't treat it like some stupid game. I don't want to acknowledge Adrien as my ex, that's why! I don't want it to be real, that's why I run...I get that you're trying to help me but I can't handle going to this party after what I've done."

"But what if you don't go and Adrien ends up with some other chick? If you don't want to go to get over him then you should at least make sure his eyes stay on you. Or if you really don't want to be involved with him in any manner then just treat him like any of your other friends and stop avoiding him. Seriously, stop guilting yourself into misery. None of this is your fault, right? Don't be so hard on yourself, you still have the right to have fun with your friends." Lila says.

For once, Lila's voice doesn't sound so harsh. She doesn't just want her way, she seems to actually care about the outcome of Marinette's decision.

Marinette's anxiety settles as she stares at Lila. "That was...sort of nice."

"Yeah, well, I can't be associated with a spineless loser so I've taken on the responsibility of being your life coach. I'm just trying to save you from social suicide." Lila says. "You can't keep following me around forever. You'll have to face your friends sometime and it's a party. I don't mind you being around so that means you have the capabilities of being fun. Didn't I tell you to just let loose?"

"I wish I was as straightforward as you but I can't help overthinking it." Marinette says downheartedly. "Usually I have Alya as my voice of reason. If only you could come with me...I could use your confidence."

"Does that mean that you're going?" Lila asks spiritedly. "I know you can do it. It's all in the attitude. Make those suckers grovel in your presence!"

Marinette smiles and holds out her hand. "Pass me the phone."

.

Chloe taps her foot impatiently.

"You only just sent the message," Nathaniel says. "She probably hasn't seen it."

"I got your message about your party tonight Chloe, I'll definitely be there. It sounds great!" Rose calls out from across the courtyard. "And happy early birthday Alya!"

Chloe raises her eyebrows at Nathaniel.

"What teenage girl doesn't have her phone on her? Of course she's seen it, but why would she respond to something so stupid?" Alya says. "I told you this wouldn't work."

"You don't know," Sabrina replies. "I really think she's busy. Plus, a party tonight is a bit late notice. Marinette wouldn't just snub you like that; she's got to have a reason."

"Yeah, Marinette knows it ain't cool it leave a friend on read." Nino agrees. "She'll come through."

Adrien sighs. "Who are we kidding? Alya's right. She's not coming..."

Chloe's phone buzzes. Everyone scrambles to crowd around her, the six friends squishing together to look at the phone screen.

1 message from Super Bug Bestie

"What kind of contact name is that?" Asks Sabrina.

"Not what you should be concerned about." Alya comments.

"It's an inside joke." Chloe answers.

"So it is Marinette?" Nathaniel says. "Open it then."

"I am!" Chloe replies.

"Maybe I shouldn't look..." Adrien says.

"Just hurry up, this tension is killing me!" Nino whines.

"Everyone shut up!" Chloe snaps as she taps on the notification.

Super Bug Bestie: Can I bring a plus one?

Silence...

Everyone stares at the message.

"P-Plus one? Like...a date?" Adrien chokes out.

"No way," Alya says. "We know everyone that Marinette knows, who could it be?"

"We shouldn't just assume that it's a date anyway." Nino says.

"Right, it's probably just a friend." Nathaniel adds.

"Impossible," Chloe says. "I invited everyone."

"A close relative then?" Sabrina suggests.

"She doesn't have any around our age." Alya says.

"So it is a date? B-But it can't be!" Nino panics.

"There's no way I'm letting her bring a plus one to this party." Chloe says. "It'll ruin the whole purpose!"

"No, wait." Adrien speaks up.

Everyone looks to Adrien. A serious anger has taken him beyond expression. He appears calm but the intensity in his eyes burns fear in the others' nerves.

"Tell her to bring the plus one." Adrien orders, his voice low and tense. "I want to meet this guy..."