Lila peered critically down at the nearly blank paper in front of her—a veiled cover for the malicious glare she was only just keeping from shooting towards the table across the library.

While the rest of the class always seemed to be so hyper focused on whatever new superheroic relationship drama nonsense was happening, Lila was much more focused on the drama several rows ahead of her.

Focused, in particular, at a dark set of pigtails nestled against a crisp, white shirt.

Lila's eyes narrowed. She wasn't sure how Marinette had accomplished it when she could barely speak a whole sentence to Adrien without stumbling all over herself. But the little menace had managed to pit Adrien against her, despite the threat she'd made after returning to their wasn't going to stand…

She knew that Marinette and Adrien had both been watching her…

Marinette had been annoying enough whenever she'd spent more than a few minutes chatting with anyone in the class. But she'd been particularly insistent around Rose and Juleka, hovering for days each time she'd even gotten close to that pair of girls.

She tilted her head, gently tapping her nails against the wooden tabletop.

But in the past few days, neither Marinette nor Adrien had been paying enough attention to much else—except to one another.

Luckily for her, many of the other, kinder members of the class didn't look too closely either. As it was, neither Ivan nor Mylene had noticed she had barely cracked open a book this session.

The too-sweet pair were sickeningly adorable, shooting fleeting, coy glances back and forth at one another from behind their piles of book. Neither one thinking she'd notice...

Well, if no one was going to bend over backwards to make sure she was also comfortable, she'd have to cheer herself up.

It was time to twist the knife that would propel another classmate off towards Akumatization. Lila smiled serenely. That would cheer her up; nothing would feel better right now than watching Ladybug crash and burn.

She hadn't been carefully watching the rest of the class for long. Ingratiating herself was easy. But finding the right buttons to press? That took time—and careful planning.

And lately, she'd had little else but time to herself…

Lila pointedly stretched,setting her pencil and paper aside, then subtly cleared her throat.

"How are you doing, Lila?" Mylene asked politely.

Lila tittered happily. "I got a lot done a few days ago, when my Mother was busy in the embassy. My section of the paper is nearly completed." Her eyes narrowed as she nodded over to the table where Adrien was holding up Marinette. "But it seems like some people are hardly working…"

Ivan peered over his shoulder, surprised at the scene. "Marinette must be really tired."

Mylene nodded. "Maybe she was working on a new project? She does that hyperfocused work thing sometimes…"

"Hmmm…" Lila puzzled aloud, tapping a finger to her lip. "I guess that must be it. I did overhear Rose and Juleka talking about some contest that she was entering for Gabriel. And how she must be looking for models to fit for some new designs. I heard she won something before, a contest of Gabriel's? It's funny how a little fame - and attention - can go to some people's heads…"

Ivan furrowed a brow, although Mylene was quick to reassure. "Lila, I'm sure that's not true…"

"I really don't think Marinette likes me, but I'm not sure why." Lila pouted, summoning every ounce of guileless innocence she could muster. "Just a few days ago she openly glared at me and walked away when I tried to say "Hi!" to her. Instead, she pulled the others away, muttering about studying for a science test."

Mylene and Ivan looked at one another silently.

Lila shuffled anxiously in her seat, subtly recapturing their attention. "Has she ever said anything about me to you? I would hate it if she was talking behind my back but I want to know if I can fix our friendship if I did something wrong and don't know…"

"No, Marinette's never said anything about you to us." Mylene soothed. "I'm sure there must be some kind of misunderstanding, it doesn't seem like her…"

Lila relieved smile was genuine—if not for the reasons the others thought.

"Oh, that's good to hear, I must be mistaken. When she made those plans with everyone else to model for her, and I was in ear shot but she didn't include me, I thought for sure she must not like me."

"Wait!" Mylene gaped, eyes wide in stunned shock. "What plans? Who did she invite?"

"Oh, you weren't invited either? I thought for sure you would be, because you're such a sweet person... you guys used to do a lot of things together, didn't you?"

"Well, yes we... we do… we did… do a lot of things together. I just figured she's been a little busy lately—she's seemed more tired than normal..."

"Mmmm. Yes, maybe she forgot to ask you because she's been really tired lately. I bet it's hard trying to create new fashion ideas, and maybe getting input from too many people would be hard for her to sort…"

Chloe stood over the table, interjecting herself into the discussion with a poorly stifled snicker. Sabrina hovered behind her, looking a bit out of place. "Marinette getting fashion advice… from her friends? Utterly ridiculous. It's no wonder she didn't ask you for any help, Mylene. I mean, look at your outfit." Chloe peered down at her nails. "If anyone should have been invited, it should have been me. But there's no way I'd be caught dead in that hovel she calls a home…"

Mylene's lip started quivering. Her hands gripped the edge of the table tightly. Ivan reached out a hand to soothe her…

But Lila wasn't one to miss an opportunity. "Oh Mylene, you look upset! You shouldn't take it personally! If anything, I bet it's because Marinette is striving to be a designer. You know how single minded creatives get when they're in the zone…" She waved her hands in demonstration of her point. "They're only interested in what is fashionable and what is in. Of course, we can't all look like Marinette… slim jeans, and wafer thin. I think it's incredibly cruel how designers often discriminate and judge based on body sizing and anyone with curves. I did hear her say something about wanting to make sure her next designs were only shown off in the best light, so she wanted the 'best' models for help. I never imagined, though, that wouldn't include you…" Her lips curved upwards viciously. "Not since you've been friends for so long."

Mylene shut the book, pushing her chair out noisily.

Lila tilted her head, frowning softly as she watched Mylene go. "Actually… It's awfully strange how close she's gotten to Adrien lately." She mused aloud, noting with some satisfaction how Ivan's nose flared more and more with every word.

Mylene peered down, forlorn… barely holding back tears.

Nonplussed, Lila stared back over at Marinette, not bothering to quell her venom. "Isn't she usually a lot more distant? I wonder if he has anything to do with the fact that she won that contest before, or how she seems to be striving for only the most fashionable. It really really does go to show that a little fame can change everything."

A choked, "Excuse me…" slipped past Mylene's lips before she rushed out of the library.

"Mylene!" Ivan's eyes widened, stumbling to keep pace with her frenzied exit...

Of course, Ivan was livid. "How dare she do that!?"

He shook his head, running as fast as he could down the steps. He'd never known Marinette to be that unkind… she had been the first to be patient and give a kind word to him.

At the base of the steps, he puzzled where Mylene might go to hide before deciding on a likely path.

His brows furrowed. In the past, she'd only seemed to lose patience occasionally with Chloe. But then again, recently, Marinette had been really harsh with Lila. It wasn't typical Marinette behavior.

But to be that way with Mylene?

She didn't deserve it. Mylene couldn't harm a fly—she would never even want to.

Maybe Lila was right… Marinette was changing.

Ivan bashed an angry fist against the lockers, distraught that it was taking so long to find her.

A wounded sniff told him that he'd come to the right place. Racing over, her drew her small, quaking shoulders into the biggest bear hug he could manage.

As bad as it ever might be that Marinette had so deliberately snubbed his sweet girlfriend… he couldn't believe that Adrien would be okay with it.

Ivan grit his teeth, as Mylene's unrestrained sobs racked her body.

That he wouldn't notice Marinette becoming so rude and callous, or that he'd stand by and witness it without a word to her.

Then again, there seemed to be an awful lot that Adrien didn't notice...

And it was that was the thought that clawed at him most—before the the lilac glow fell before his eyes.

Avenging Angel…

I am giving you the power of vengeance—to expose the lies and balance out the scales of justice.

Author's Notes:

If it makes you feel any better, this hurt me, too...

Still on track with the chapter total of 17 as of now...and I'm editing details of chapter 15 tomorrow!

Big thanks to Kellarhi for helping me slog through this chapter. For all this installment is shorter than the past few, it was definitely a struggle!