"Wow," I breathed out after we got into the hotel that we were staying in. I had just texted my parents to tell them that I had arrived at Italy, so that they won't be worried.

As I climbed out of the private van, the vast ocean was the first thing that I saw. The hotel was vertically opposite the beach.

Since it was quarter to one, and it was a Friday, the beach was fairly crowded with both adults and children. There were umbrellas scattered across the sand and people either playing in the ocean, taking selfies or videos.

We should have arrived sooner, if it weren't for Chloé. Chloé arrived at 7:45 am. Since she came late, we left school late at about 8:00 am. Unfortunately for us, the traffic caught up to us and we were stuck in the traffic for about an hour and a half.

By the time we reached the airport, we had missed our flight so we had to wait for another hour. The flight was about two hours long.

So long story short, if Chloé had arrived sooner, we would have been here about two hours ago.

The good thing about Italy is that there is no time zone or anything. The time in France and Italy was exactly the same, so we didn't have to go through jetlag.

Thank God.

Back to the hotel. It was a grand white building with a fountain before it. The fountain had the most interesting design that I had ever seen. I had to take a picture of it.

I did hear that Italians are very good architects.

The may grass was trimmed to perfection and flowers bloomed here and there. We followed our teacher into the hotel and into the reception where we were served cold orange juice by the nice people who worked there.

Our teacher talked to the receptionist for a minute or two before addressing the class.

"Okay, class. Welcome to Italy," Our teacher gave us a grin. "What do you think of it so far?"

Side conversations started to happen but they were loud enough for the teacher to hear. Some people said that it was beautiful, others said that it was cool and some guys just liked the weather.

The weather was good. It was not a hot summer day, but it was more of warm spring afternoon. We were nearing spring was nearing anyways.

"I'm glad to hear that you like it so far," Our teacher held up a bunch of key holders with the keys dangling under them. "Now I have the keys to the rooms. The sleeping arrangement is three people per room. Make your arrangements before I make them myself,"

I grabbed Alya's arm and my suitcase. I looked around for a suitable third roommate. I would much rather prefer it to be just Alya and I but I can't argue with our history teacher.

I don't want to risk getting sent back to Paris.

Unfortunately, everyone seemed to have predicted the sleeping arrangements because soon everyone was in groups of three.

Our teacher handed the groups their key as the workers of the hotel showed them to their room.

Alya and I stood there with Chloé, Sabrina, Rose and Juleka. The six of us stood really awkwardly.

"Oh dear," Sabrina said. "One of you has to come and share a room with Chloé and I,"

"You mean, one of you four have to share a room with Marinette and I," Alya corrected.

"What about Juleka and I?" Rose piped up.

"Well, this is going to be a problem," Our teacher frowned. "There are no two-bedroomed rooms so you girls would have to sort yourselves out,"

"Alya and I come as a package. Buy one get one free," I stated while folding my arms.

"Well, so do Rose and I," Juleka brushed her bangs out of her eyes. That reminded me of how Adrien removed my hairbands.

They were dangling on my left hand and I decided to put the in a pocket as I ran a few fingers on my hair.

"Just hurry up. One of you losers come and stay with Sabrina and I," Chloé was picking at her nails.

"Or," Rose started. "Since Chloé and Sabrina aren't a package, this makes things easier,"

"Either Alya and I or Marinette and Rose play rock-paper-scissors for them," Juleka suggested. "The person who wins gets to keep whoever they want,"

"Cool. Marinette, do you want to do it?" Alya turned to me.

I shook my head. "No. You know how I always have bad luck. Go ahead and do it,"

I found what I said amusing. I was Ladybug. Ladybugs usually mean good luck, yet here I was saying the exact opposite.

"Alright," Alya turned to Juleka and Rose. Rose stepped forward towards Alya. "So do we shoot on scissors or after we say the word 'scissors'?"

"We shoot on scissors," Rose replied and Alya nodded. "And it's three rounds,"

Was I the only one finding it a little mean that we were indirectly fighting over who to pick between Chloé and Sabrina?

It reminded me of the time when it's PE and you have to pick teams. Then the teams usually fight over the last people on who would be a much better choice.

"Rock, paper, scissors," Alya and Rose said in unison. Alya threw a rock and Rose threw a paper.

"Hey! Can we at least pick on who we want to stay with?" Chloé spoke up. "Sabrina, you pick first,"

Sabrina eyed Alya and I. I did my best to give her a warm smile. Then she turned to Juleka and Rose. She looked at the four of us very warily.

"I want to share a room with Juleka and Rose," She said after a minute or two. Then she took her suitcase and went towards the two who were grinning from ear to ear.

I could guess why Sabrina would pick those two. They are all introverted and I once heard of a saying that says birds of a feather, flock together.

Alya and I are introverted, too - don't get me wrong. It's just, we are extroverted introverts, if that makes sense. And it's mostly Alya, not me.

"Fine by me," Our teacher hands them their keys. She turned to look at Alya and I. "You don't mind staying with Chloé, do you?"

"Not at all," I answered, before Alya could. I know that Alya would have most likely said the opposite of what I had just said.

"Great. Do you mind telling everyone to change into their costumes and to meet me back here so that we could go to the beach?" Our teacher asked.

"No problem," I replied again.

"Thank you, Marinette. I really appreciate this," Our teacher gave me our room key before heading off with her suitcase to her own room.

A man waved us over and motioned us to follow him. I almost forgot that he spoke Italian, not French. Many people say that the two languages are closely related though.

"At least I have you to keep me sane from Chloé," Alya muttered to me as we walked together.

"Right back at you," I said as I eyed Chloé. Her suitcase had been taken by the man who was showing us to our room.

I remembered what our teacher asked us to tell my classmates once we got to our room. I dropped my suitcase next to my bed and headed out to knock at every door, hoping that I wouldn't bump into strangers.

I didn't even have time to admire the room. Luckily, I didn't bump into any stranger and I had informed everyone on the message our teacher asked me to send.

I was able to muster my room number and I thanked God that the numbers were written on the doors. By the time I came back to my room, Alya was already dressed in beach wear.

She wore a simple white shirt and a floral pair of shorts. Under her shirt, I could see black traps and I guessed that she was wearing a bikini.

For Nino, no doubt, I grinned cheekily in my head.

She wore a big floppy sunhat with brown chic sunglasses, too.

Chloé was hogging up the bathroom so I decided to change in a secluded area where no one could see me.

I wore a simple grey, sleeveless top which exposed a bit of my belly button and white long pants. Under it, I wore a pink bikini. However, the top half was ended nearly at my waist and the bottom half had some material dangling loose.

Chloé came out in her blue fringe-tube swimsuit which just looked like a combination of Alya's costume and my costume. She looked amazing. She put on her clothes before catching Alya and I staring at her.

She was wearing a white chiffon dress/top. I was not sure if it was short enough to be a dress or long enough to be a top.

She eyed us up and down before rolling her eyes and putting on her clothes. "If you two think that you can impress these Italian boys or the boys in our class by wearing that, you are sadly mistaken,"

Alya and I began to turn red with anger and fury. And to think that I complimented her.

Calm down, Marinette, I could imagine Tikki saying. You can't fight fire with fire. But fire and ice can work.

I just have to be the opposite of what she is. So if she's mean, I have to try my best to be nice.

I locked up and the three of us headed out but when Chloé saw Sabrina she ditched us. I didn't mind her leaving.

"Girl, did I get the chance to compliment you?" Alya nudged my shoulder as soon as Chloé left.

"I was just about to say the same thing," I grinned at her. "You look fantastic,"

"Well, yeah!" Alya flipped her hair. "I have to look good,"

I slugged her in the shoulder. "Hey, you're supposed to compliment me!"

"Ouch! That hurt you know, Miss Self-Centered," Alya rubbed her arm, but she was grinning, too. "You look fabulous, Marinette,"

"Thank you," I took a little bow.

As soon as we got to the reception, everyone was there. I handed my key to the receptionist because I knew how careless and clumsy I could be sometimes.

"Alright, it seems that everyone is here," Our teacher was in a white sundress with open sandals. She also wore a big sunhat.

My eyes somehow met Adrien's in the sea of people. My cheeks flushed red because I noticed that he was staring at me so intently. He didn't even bother to break eye contact when I caught him red-handed.

I turned away very quickly though and tried to focus on what our teacher was saying.

"We are going to go to the beach today. Please stay around this area and don't wander off. But most importantly, have fun because you earned it," She beamed at all of us before we all started to walk to the beach.

I wasn't wearing any shoes because I didn't bother. Sand was going to enter in them and it was going to be hard to get it off my shoes. Plus, I was most likely going to be in the water.

Suddenly, Alya started screaming and I turned my head to face her. She was being carried by Nino towards the ocean before he threw her into the water.

Alya spat the water out of her mouth. "Nino, you idiot! You drenched my clothes!"

Nino just laughed. "Maybe you shouldn't have worn them. This is the beach,"

Alya huffed out angrily before she peeled off her wet clothes to reveal her bathing suit. I noticed how Nino's eyes never left her until she started to chase him around the water.

A smile formed on my face. They were made for each other.

"Adrien! Help me, dude!" Nino yelled at Adrien who was laughing at both of them. I noticed that he was currently shirtless and wearing long black swimming shorts.

"No way, dude. You're the one who threw her," Adrien shook his head.

He is such a reliable friend. Note the sarcasm.

"You're the one who came up with the idea!" Nino splashed water on him.

Adrien's laughter stopped and he gave Nino a glare. "Quit splashing on me water!" He hurled water right at Nino.

"I will after you stop splashing water at me," Nino splashed on him water again.

"Payback time, sucker!" Alya came and attacked Nino by splashing on him water, siding with Adrien. She sent a wave of salty water towards Nino's shivering body.

He was also shirtless and in red and black swimming shorts.

"Marinette! Wherever you are, if you can hear me, please come and save me from these two!" Nino called out.

I lifted my shirt over my head and slid off my pants before going to attack Alya. "Aaaaah!" I let out a tribal cry before tackling Alya into the water.

"What the -" The rest of her words were drowned out by the water. We both fell into the water. The cool water gave my skin goosebumps and made me shiver a little.

Alya got out of the water first. "Oh, you're going to pay,"

My eyes widened and I scrambled onto my feet and took off running. I could hear Alya's footsteps behind me. A wave of cold water hit my back and Alya burst out laughing because my body tensed to the cold water.

Nino took the chance to attack Alya while she was distracted. What I didn't know, is that Adrien did the same thing.

The next thing that I knew, I was being carried.

"No! Please!" I screamed, trying to cling on to Adrien. "If I'm going down, you're going down with me!"

"Alright," Adrien shrugged. Then the next thing I knew, the ground started to come closer to me. My back hit the water with Adrien on top of me.

"Adrien, you idiot! You weigh like a tonne! Get off of me!" I squirmed underneath Adrien, who was laughing.

"Now that's just hurtful," He put a hand over his heart.

I took the chance to cup my hand and fill it with water, before I splashed some at him. Adrien covered his eyes and I flipped us around, so that this time, I was on top of him.

"Aha!" I grinned victoriously. "It is I who has the upper hand,"

Adrien raised an eyebrow, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Really?"

"Yup! Hey, Nino! I got Adrien captured just for you," I called to Nino, who was a couple of feet away from us.

"That's great news Marinette!" Nino replied. "But I am a little preoccupied with your best friend right here,"

He winked at Alya who was busy wrestling him in the water. She was straddling his waist. Alya's cheeks heated up and it made made her angrier, in a playful manner though.

"Whoa!" I screamed before we were flipped around and I found myself under Adrien again.

Adrien sent me a wink. "Don't you look cute, today? I like your bathing suit,"

"GET. OFF. OF. ME!" I screamed, deliberately ignoring his compliment towards me. "If you didn't hear me before, I will repeat what I said. You weigh like a tonne! Get off me or I'll scream rape!"

Adrien held my wrists and pushed my hands up until they were on either sides of my head. "It's not rape if you enjoy it, Mari,"

My cheeks flushed red. I took a very deep breath. "HELP! HELP ME! THIS BOY IS GOING TO RAPE ME! SOMEONE CALL THE POLICE!"

Adrien began to laugh as he got off me. I sighed with relief before he grabbed my waist and threw me over his shoulder.

"Unfortunately for you, we are Italy and they speak Italian, not French," Adrien replied as his body trembled with laughter.

My eyes widened in surprise again. I began to hit his back, trying to make him release me, but the boy works out so he was obviously very strong.

"Nino to the rescue!" Nino yelled before he tackled Adrien by holding his waist. The three of us came crashing down in the water and Alya walked towards us laughing really hard.

Her laughter was contagious and in a matter of seconds, we were all laughing really hard. The four of us were seated in a circle in the water, just wheezing for oxygen since we were practically dying of laughter.

This felt right. I had never felt so much bliss and happiness in my life with friends. It felt like the four of us had some sort of special bond and we had a goofy relationship with each other.

Now thanks to this wonderful memory, I now like the beach very much.

"Ooh! Wait! Let's take a selfie!" Alya ran to her drenched clothes and removed her phone and selfie stick. Luckily, her phone was waterproof.