Once upon a friendship

My strategy

"...and he didn't even know I was gone till he turned around!" Alya said giggling. She was about to continue but quickly stopped when Marinette did not join in her laughter. "Marinette, are you listening to me?"

"Huh?" Marinette said swiveling her head away from the bleachers across the room and to Alya.

Alya's eyes traveled where Marinette's had been and she sighed upon seeing Adrien. He was walking down the bleachers with Nino, headed towards the door. "Girl, if you want to talk to him so badly, why don't you just do it?" she asked.

"Talk?! To him?!" Marinette stammered. "How could I possibly ever talk to him? I can barely string two sentences together when he's within five feet of me."

"Look," Alya said, placing her books in her bag, "What's the worst that could happen?"

"He rejects me and I die in a pit of despair, alone forever."

"Only with that kind of attitude," Alya said. "Why don't you just try taking it slow? Ask him about himself? Like what kind of colors he likes or what sort of movies he watches?"

"But I already know all of those things!" Marinette said throwing her hands in the air hopelessly.

"But he doesn't know you know those things."

"But if he thinks that I know the things he knows, he'll know I'm weird."

"If he knows the things you know about him, he'll know you're thoughtful and you'll know that I'm right, and I'll know that I helped you realize how much I really know."

"Well...wait what?"

Alya laughed, "Oh Marinette, you're so easy to confuse. My point is: talk to him. Clearly, the sitting around and hoping he notices you thing isn't working. Why not try another strategy? My strategy."

"Your strategy," Marinette said, poking her friend's shoulder, "could easily wind me up in a situation where Adrien realizes how hard I'm crushing on him. I don't want to be rejected. It's easier just to hope he notices me rather than risk it all like that."

"If you just sit around, he's never going to notice you," Alya said "And besides, rejection isn't that bad."

"How on earth would you know that, Alya?" Marinette said crossing her arms, "you've never even asked anyone out."

Alya raised her eyebrows shrewdly. "Alright then," she said, cracking her knuckles before extending her hand to Marinette. "If I ask a boy out, will you please put your fear behind you and talk to Adrien?"

Marinette looked down at Alya's outstretched hand warily. Making a wager of any sort with her was always dangerous. She took competition very seriously.

How bad could it be? Marinette thought to herself. I'm the hero of Paris. I take down akumas in my free time. If Ladybug can be brave, why not Marinette?

"Alright," Marinette said, taking Alya's hand and shaking it firmly, "it's a deal."

"Good," Alya said, suddenly standing up.

"Wait, where are you going?" Marinette said in confusion, gathering her things quickly to join her.

"To go ask someone out," Alya said casually. "Honestly, this wager was really the spur I needed to do it."

"What?!" Marinette yelped. "We didn't agree to do it right now!"

"No time like the present," Alya said brightly. "Come on scaredy-cat, I need to find him before break is over." And rushing out of the gym doors, holding Marinette's hand, she headed out to meet her challenge.

"All I'm saying, dude, is that their new sound is way better than their stuff from two years ago," Nino said, plugging his headphones into his MP3.

Adrien nodded, "I agree with you, man. Honestly I wouldn't know half the things I do about music if you didn't tell me. You're like a musical wizard."