"I know you'll do great today. Just remember to watch where you're walking and look both ways before you cross the street. Too many people die being careless and you don't wanna die on your first day of school, right?"

"Wow, that was pretty harsh."

"What? You know I'm right :P"

"..."

"Oh, come on, I was joking, princess."

"I know, I know, Chat."

"Marinette, get your butt down here!"

Huh? Oh! Alya's here!

"Sorry, Chat, I gotta go to school now or Lady Wifi is gonna have my head!"

"Aww, okay. Don't worry about a thing, Bugaboo. You got this ;)"

"Marinette!"

"Coming!"

I threw my phone into my school bag and pulled the straps on as quickly as I could. I tried to simultaneously put on my sneakers and ended up knocking over the assorted drawing utensils on my desk. "Ugh, not again," I groaned. I saw the alarm clock on my nightstand and saw how late I was. "Oh, I'll get it later!"

I practically jumped down the steps to the house and saw Alya leaning against the doorway, tapping her phone and glaring daggers through her thick glasses. "Hehe, waiting long?" I asked with a sly smile.

"Let's just go. I don't want to be late because of you again this year," Alya said. She grabbed my hand and pulled me along to make sure I didn't get lost. No matter how aggravating I can be to her sometimes, she still views me as a friend and a best friend at that. While we walked down the street, I was a few steps behind her but I could still make out a smile.

"Are you excited for the new school year?" I asked.

"Of course, I am! A new year means new kids and new kids mean new juicy stories," she smiled. Alya was always interested in dramatic stories that she could potentially exploit, I mean, publish. Ever since we were little kids, she wanted to be a news reporter and a journalist. Unlike most little kids, Alya continued to keep that dream and runs the school newspaper and blog. She also made a blog for me to use in my spare time.

It's called the Ladyblog which was subtly named after my favorite animal and insect, the ladybug. Just like Alya, I've had an aspiration practically since birth which was fashion design. I don't know what it is about ladybugs, but there's something about them that gives me the inspiration to create new designs. I probably should find a new source of inspiration because most of my designs contain the trademark black spots and are mostly made up of various shades of rouge, but if it's not broken, why fix it?

"Oh my god, Adrien's here already!"

Alya shoved me against the shrubs that outlined our school which finally came into view. Her tanned fingers pointed to an expensive looking black car where a blonde teen walked out with the help of a red-haired woman dressed in a black business suit. A crowd of girls flocked him and he waved kindly to them and tried to enter the building with ease. "Now's your chance!" Alya said.

"What? Wait, me? Are you nuts?!" I screamed. A few students who were walking past us stopped and turn to see my exasperated expression. I smiled nervously at them and Alya and I joined them on the sidewalk to enter the building.

"Come on, girl, you have to make a move. We live in a generation where we can do that, you know," she said.

"That's impossible for me! Every time I see him, I just freeze and stutter and completely malfunction!" I groaned.

"Don't get so down on yourself, Marinette. As clumsy as you are, you do have some pretty wicked luck. Maybe that ladybug obsession of yours is more helpful than you think," Alya says, patting my shoulder. I looked up to her and smile.

We reach our classroom where Mme. Bustier is beginning the first class of the new school year. Alya and I sit next to each other in the same seats as last year with Adrien and his friend Nino in front of us. This is basically the closest I can get to him without flipping out, but being behind him means he can't see me.

I'm practically invisible to him. Despite the encouragement I always get from Alya, I doubt he would be interested in a clumsy girl like me.

"Adrien, don't you want to seat over here with me?"

A blonde blob of a girl skips over to Adrien's desk and clings to his arm like a small child does to their mother.

"C-Chloe, we're in the middle of class!" Adrien retorts. He pulls his arm away from her person and she pouts.

"Come sit over here with me! There's a better view there than near these nerds!" Chloe motions to Alya and I and Adrien sighs.

"Chloe! Return to your seat immediately!" Mme. Bustier yells. Chloe scoffs but does as she's told and class resumes as normal.

"I knew today was gonna be a total disaster."

"What's wrong, m'lady?"

"Oh she's just moping that she didn't get to talk her boyfriend."

"Lady Wifi!"

"Ladybug's got the jitters, huh?"

"Chat!"

"I've told you before, m'lady, that if you need practice saying how you feel, I will gladly lend my services 3"

"..."

"Ladybug, it's only the first day of school. There's like two hundred more left."

"Ugh, don't remind me."

"Chat, shut up."

"Look, I know you two are trying to help, but I just can't tell him. Not yet anyway."

"Hey, if you need anything, we're here for you."

"Yeah. I might not be there physically but you always know where to find me."

"Thanks you guys."

"With that said, I'm gonna take a kitty nap. Good night. ;)"

"Good night"

Chat Noir logged off and now it was just me and Alya.

"You know Chat's totally into you, right?"

"Huh? No way! He's just trying to be cute behind the screen."

"Why don't you tell him who you really are? You know he's in Paris, maybe you know each other or could meet up."

"Alya, you don't meet strangers on the internet! Don't you watch the news?!"

"Marinette, journalism is my passion. Ask me that again."

"Not my point."

"All I'm trying to say is maybe you should give him a chance if things don't work out with Adrien. You two seem to have a much better connection and I'm not just talking about an internet connection."

"Alya..."

"I'm not forcing the issue. I said my piece and now I'm heading out. Good night Mari."

"Good night, Alya."

I should probably head to bed too before my brain gets weird ideas again. I can't afford to lose sleep from overthinking things on a school night.

"Alright, everyone. Gym class is done for today. Before you leave, I want you to return the equipment to the storage room. If you work quickly, you won't be late for your next class. See you tomorrow."

Everyone in the auditorium groaned but complied with the coach's wishes. The boys, mostly Kim and Ivan, took the heavier pieces of equipment to show off how strong they were while the girls took in cones that were used for today's drills.

"Marinette, hurry up. I'm not going to wait for you if you keep daydreaming," Alya said.

"You say that all the time," I sighed.

"And I'll mean it too if you don't get your butt in gear." She went ahead of me to put her cones away while I gathered the jump ropes I was standing around.

"I can't believe they expect me to clean this stuff up! What if I break a nail?" Chloe's shrill voice regrettably met my ears.

"Then you break a nail, it's that simple," I said.

Chloe looked at me in shock and almost seemed to growl. "It's heavy too! What if I pull something?!"

I looked beside her to see several yoga mats laying on top of one another as a makeshift seat. "You can't carry that?" I asked.

"I can't and I won't! I'm too important for slave work!"

"Ugh, I can't believe you sometimes."

I gathered her mats under my arms and brought them with me to the storage room. Because of our little chat, everyone was already done cleaning up their parts. Alya's cones were also back in their spot. I guess she really did mean it this time. I placed my jump ropes on the shelf and Chloe's mats on the floor in the corner. "Now I can go back to cla-"

The storage room door slams shut and there's a soft click on the other side. I grab the handle but the door doesn't budge. I flick my wrist as hard and fast a possible but the door is locked from the outside. "No, no, no, no, no!" I mutter to myself. On the other side, I can hear snickering and the sound of footsteps getting more and more faint. "Chloe! I swear if that was her...no, I have to get out of here!"

I move back and try to kick the door, but it doesn't move. I kick the handle but all that does is hurt my foot from the metal. The class bell rings and I sink down against the door. "No one's close enough to get me. I guess I'll just wait it out or something." My head hits the door as I sigh. "How did I end up like this? I'm so stupid!" My head hits the door hard and I fall back.

"Woah! What the- Marinette?!"

I fall onto my back and look up into pure emerald oceans. "Adrien?" Adrien holds my shoulders and helps me to stand up.

"How did you get locked in here?!" he asks.

"I-I don't know. I was putting equipment away and then the door closed and I heard someone, but I don't know who it was."

"Are you okay?"

"Huh? Y-Yeah. Thanks for getting me out of there," I stuttered.

Adrien sighs and shows me a relieved smile. "I'm glad. I heard a voice in here and came running. I didn't think it'd be you," he said.

"Uh, class started already, I should get going!"

"W-Wait, Marinette!"

I couldn't hear anything else that he said over the sound of my feet hitting the floor and my heart pounding in my chest. He talked to me! He actually talked to me!

Maybe I'm not as invisible to him after all.

Author's Note

I've been meaning to write a Miraculous fanfic for a looooong time now. I just love how creative this fandom is with AUs and wanted to contribute to it. I hope you like this first chapter and hopefully I'll be able to pump out a few more soon for you guys!

Until next time, sayonara~!