The morning session went by quickly. Before they knew it, it was time for lunch.

"How about if we all go to the park for our lunch hour today? It's been forever since the four of us hung out!" Alya suggested.

The others nodded in agreement. "I'll go pick up some food from the bakery," Marinette said. "I'll meet you guys there."

She scurried home and grabbed a take-out bag, filling it with sandwiches and cookies. The others were waiting for her on a shady bench under a tree in the park. They all dug into the bag and started eating.

"Wow, this is really good Marinette," Adrien commented while eating a sandwich. "Did you make these?"

"No, my parents made them," she replied.

"Oh, okay. What about the cookies?" he asked.

"Nope. My parents. I usually just help out at the register. I try to leave the baking to the experts."

Alya and Nino stared at Marinette as they ate. Was she actually having a normal conversation with Adrien? They weren't the only ones to think it was unusual.

Adrien smiled at her but didn't say anything back.

"What?" Marinette asked after a minute, noticing his gaze.

"You're not stuttering like you used to," he said, putting his hand to the back of his neck. "Not that it was bad or anything," he added, not wanting her to feel self conscious.

"Right, the stuttering," she said, grabbing a chocolate chip cookie.

"It's just a little strange to hear you stop," Adrien continued. "You used to stutter all the time last year."

"Well yeah, because I was in love with you," Marinette responded, taking a bite.

Alya and Nino's mouths both fell open simultaneously, with a half-chewed piece of bread coming out of Nino's.

Adrien's face immediately dropped. Then he managed to regain an uncertain smile as he glanced over to Alya and Nino, before looking back at Marinette. "You're joking."

Marinette shook her head. "No, I'm serious. You never noticed that I only stuttered around you?" She had a neutral expression on her face, like she had this type of conversation everyday.

"I, uh..." Adrien didn't know how to respond.

"Marinette, maybe we should go inside," Alya offered.

"No, it's okay," the girl continued. "I mean, he was going to find out eventually. Why not right now? Then we can all move past it." She took another bite of the cookie.

There was a minute of silence before Adrien tried to speak again. "Wh... why didn't you, um... say anything be... before?"

"I did try to tell you. Several times, actually. But every time something weird happened. Like one time I made you a gift and then the note got lost. And that time I completed your Valentine's Day poem, but I forgot to sign it. And then of course I confessed my feelings to you when we all made that video, but your cousin erased it. I'm sure there were a couple more, but that's all I can think of at the moment."

Alya put her palms up to her forehead. Nino still had his mouth open.

Adrien glanced between them and Marinette. "I, uh... I'm sorry?" He didn't mean for it to sound like a question.

"You don't have to be sorry. Like I said, something happened every time." She paused for a moment in reflection. "Almost like fate had other plans." She paused again and then shook her head. "Anyway, sorry for springing all of this on you, but you would have found out one way or another. I mean, it wasn't like it was a big secret or anything."

"It wasn't?" he asked slowly.

"No, I'm pretty sure that you're the only one who didn't know," Marinette said.

Adrien looked over at Alya and Nino, who both avoided eye contact.

Marinette finished her last bite. "Alright, well I'm going back to class. You want to come with, Alya?" she asked her friend.

"Uh yeah," she replied, standing up and joining Marinette as she walked towards the building.

Nino looked over at Adrien apprehensively. "So, uh... crazy first day, huh?"

************************************

Adrien couldn't focus during his afternoon classes. All he could think about was what Marinette had said during lunch. Was he really that oblivious?

She had made him a gift that he didn't know about? What was it?

And she was the one who had responded to his poem, not Ladybug. He threw it away in the trash can in Miss Bustier's classroom, so it makes sense that it was someone at school.

Then there's Felix. Of course he had to delete the video. What was his problem anyway?

Did Marinette really have that much bad luck? Or was it fate just like she said?

Before he knew it the school day was over and he was walking outside with Nino. Marinette and Alya trailed behind them.

"So... uh..." Nino tried to think of something to say as the four friends stood on the sidewalk.

Alya spoke up. "Well we're going to head out."

"See you guys tomorrow," Marinette said as the couple took off. She turned to Adrien, who was intently focused on his orange sneakers at the moment. "So, are you going to be like, super awkward around me now?"

He couldn't help but smile as he looked up at her. "I'll try not to be."

"Seriously, don't worry about it. That was a long time ago, and I know that you're in love with Kagami."

"You think that I'm in love with Kagami?" he asked.

"Well, yeah. You told me you were," Marinette replied.

Adrien blinked at her. "When did I tell you that?" He would never have said that. It simply wasn't true.

She let out a small laugh and looked down at her own shoes. "You said it on the way home from the wax museum."

Now Adrien looked back down.

Marinette continued. "You said that the girl you love didn't like pranks. You were talking about Kagami, right?"

"Uh, no. Actually I wasn't," he admitted, looking up at her.

She looked at him confused. "Well who were you talking about then?"

He put his hand to the back of his neck. "I, uh... I don't want to say. It's kind of embarrassing."

She tilted her head at him. "I tried to kiss a wax statue of you. There's nothing more embarrassing than that."

He couldn't help but smile again.

"Come on," Marinette pleaded with him. "You can tell me. I promise I won't say anything."

"Alright," Adrien said slowly. "I was actually talking about..."

Honk.

Adrien turned towards the waiting car. His bodyguard was getting impatient. "I guess I have to go," he said, facing Marinette.

"No worries. I'll see you tomorrow," she said, smiling.

He smiled back before leaving.