YO! If y'all thought last week was intense... Have fun!
PS: As most of this chapter is a flashback, this is mostly in italics. Sorry if this messes any reading styles up.
"Do you need anything else, honey?" Sabine placed a steaming cup of lemon balm tea on the edge of Marinette's loft space. The girl shook her head from her place on her bed next to Adrien, cuddling further under the blanket he had draped around her shoulders.
Adrien shifted to retrieve the cup from the floor. "Thanks, Sabine." He smiled.
She returned a weak smile, concern for her daughter apparent on her face. She descended the ladder. "You two kids holler if you need anything. Your dad and I will be down in the bakery."
Marinette sipped the tea her boyfriend handed her as the trapdoor closed. Adrien rubbed her arm.
"Okay Bugaboo. It's clear that what happened today has something to do with you and Lila. What happened between you two?"
"Adrien…"
He held up his hands. "I know I didn't need to understand before with Sandboy, but now this is impacting more people. Please help me understand so that I can help you better." The boy watched as Marinette drained the rest of her drink in one gulp.
Marinette dragged a weary hand across her face. "Fine. I'll tell you. I'm warning you though, you are not going to like it…" He gripped her free hand.
"I don't have to like it. I just want to help you, Marinette."
The girl sighed as she shifted into a sitting position. "Alright. This happened after we defeated Volpina, before you found out who I was, and before Lila left on her 'world tour'…"
xXx
Ladybug landed on the rooftop that would serve as her rendezvous with Chat Noir. She had met the Guardian of the Miraculous when she went to drop off the book she had saved from the trash. It had been several hours since the event with Volpina on the Eiffel Tower and the girl had yet to process what had all happened.
It was true that she hadn't known Adrien for that long, but according to every relationship and crush quiz that she'd taken, Marinette had very strong feeling for the boy. It wasn't quite love yet; she knew that. However, this was something more than simple attraction. Since the first day of school and the incident with the umbrella, Marinette felt drawn to him- almost like… destiny…
A few tears escaped her eyes as the heroine remembered the fear on the Illusion's face as Volpina threatened to drop him. Ladybug grit her teeth angrily. She could not believe that she had almost given up her Miraculous for a lie! The girl swiped the tears from her eyes. At least Adrien was okay…
"You alright, mi'Lady? You seem a bit… distracted…"
Ladybug startled at the sound of Chat Noir's voice. Was he always this quite or was she really that out of it? "Oh, hey Chat… I'm fine. Just tired after a long day." She glanced at her legs to regain her composure, then looked out over Paris from where the boy had joined her.. Chat said nothing as he sat to observe their beautiful city with her.
They talked as Chat was the curious kitty he was, asking about her interest in Adrien Agreste. In spite of her better judgement, Ladybug explained her crush on the model. At first she felt mortified. However, Chat helped her see that her feelings were justified and truly coming from her heart.
After he left with a cryptic message of who he was crushing on, the girl slung her way home. It had been a long and emotional day.
The next day didn't fare any better.
Marinette was surprisingly early to class for once. She entered the classroom to see everyone in different seats. Alya waved her over from her seat next to Nino.
"Alya, what's going on?" Marinette fingered the strap of her backpack. Something was up.
"Well, after what happened yesterday and pre-existing medical conditions, Lila can't sit in the back anymore. Ms. Bustier's moved her up there with Adrien." Alya gestured to the seat in front of her.
Marinette glanced around the room. All of the other seats were filled. A sinking feeling enveloped her stomach. "Everyone else changed seats too. Where am I sitting now?"
Nino pointed to the back row. "Where Lila used to sit. You've got the top box there, dude!" Alya nudged his ribs at seeing Marinette's crestfallen face.
"Girl, I know that we aren't sitting together anymore, but you can pick where we go to eat for lunch for the next week!" Alya clutched the girl's hand, attempting to make the situation better.
"Wow! You really pulled through for me, Miss! This front row seat will really help my tinnitus and trauma from being akumatized due to Ladybug's incompetence yesterday!" Lila strolled into the room accompanied by Ms. Bustier.
"Of course, Lila." The woman noticed Marinette in the aisle. "Is something wrong, Marinette?"
"Ms. Bustier, why do I have to sit in the back now?" Marinette tried to keep the whine out her voice.
The teacher placed her supplies for the day on her desk. "Do you have any issues seeing or hearing?" Marinette bit her lip.
"Um..."
Lila placed a hand on Marinette's arm. "If Marinette has an issue, I can try and push through my tinnitus from the back. I can just avoid looking at the Eiffel Tower through the window. It's become a trigger for emotional distress as a result of Ladybug's failure yesterday."
Marinette gritted her teeth, but quickly realized that everyone was staring at her with scorn. She even heard Kim scoff. "Um, I actually don't have any issues. I'll… go have a seat now."
Ms. Bustier nodded. "That's probably for the best."
With every step to her new seat, Marinette felt the weight of everyone's stares. How could Lila have charmed them within one day? Marinette's heart sunk even lower when Adrien walked in.
The boy took stock of the new seating arrangement. Marinette saw him frown in her direction before sitting down. Lila immediately glopped onto him, laughing at something she had said. That chipped away further at her normally cheerful personality. Marinette could barely focus on what Ms. Bustier was talking about that day. Before she knew it, the lunch bell had rung. She met Alya and Nino in the hallway.
"So, where do you want to go for lunch today?" Alya wrapped her arm around Nino's.
"I'm not really feeling like going off campus today. Are you guys alright with getting something from the cafétéria ?" Marinette could feel her emotions dragging her down. Alya nodded, so the trio headed to the cafeteria.
There was a commotion at one of the tables as the group walked in. Marinette's fury resurfaced as she saw that practically their entire class surrounded Lila. They were catering to her every need as she sat there smiling. Marinette heard the girl say something about a sprained wrist as she grabbed her own tray. She scoffed.
"What's up, girl?" Alya poked her friend.
"Lila's totally lying. Everything that comes out of her mouth is a lie." She slammed a bowl of fruit salad onto her tray.
"Lila's barely been here for a day. What did she do to make you dislike her so much?"
Marinette sighed. "Fine. I'll tell you." As soon as Nino finished selecting his pudding cup, Marinette dragged the two of them to a table on the opposite side of the room from Lila. "You know how Lila dragged Adrien into the library after school yesterday? Something felt off about her, so I followed her."
Nino dropped his spoon before it entered his pudding. "WHAT?" The girls shushed him. "You followed Lila and Adrien? That's not cool, dude."
Alya placed a hand on his arm before turning back to Marinette. "What happened?"
"She lied to Adrien! She was telling him this story about how she knew Ladybug and how she was the descendent of a vixen superheroine and…" She stopped as Alya raised her hand.
"Okay. She was telling Adrien things about herself to impress him. You're not the only one who has a crush on him, you know." Marinette blushed at that. "Can you prove that what she said isn't true?"
Marinette panicked. There was no way she could prove it to Alya and Nino without revealing that SHE was Ladybug. "Uh… Okay. You want some proof? Here." She balled up the napkin from her tray and turned to Lila's table of admirers. "Hey Lila! You forgot your napkin!" The girl summoned every bit of Ladybug luck and power that she could as she launched the projectile at the Super Liar. She grinned triumphantly as Lila caught it with her supposed 'sprained wrist'.
The crowd gasped. Lila dropped the napkin, wincing in pain. "Ow! Once, I went with my parents on a trip to India and witnessed someone get their eye gouged out by the corner of a napkin. If I hadn't sacrificed my wrist, the napkin could have injured Max. Ow!" She massaged her wrist.
Max placed a hand over his heart. "Lila, you saved my eye."
"You wear glasses, Max!" Marinette yelled. That got the attention of Lila's posse.
"Are you proud of yourself, Marinette?" Mylène scolded.
"Lila's in more pain because of you!" Kim shook his head.
Lila attempted to calm the rumbling mob. "Guys, don't blame Marinette. She was only trying to give me a napkin. Right, Mari?"
Marinette stormed over to the table, pointing a finger in Lila's face. "Only my friends can call me Mari." Marinette knew that she needed to get out of there to calm down.
The girl barged into the bathroom, clinging to a sink. She ran some cold water into the palm of her hand before rubbing it on her face.
"What's wrong, Marinette?" Marinette's head snapped up at the sound of Lila's voice entering the bathroom. "I'm sorry about the nick-name thing." Lila slid closer. "I'm getting the sense that you don't like me. I've only been here for a day. I'm not sure what I did to warrant this.."
A montage of every lie Lila has told sped through Marinette's head like a montage as she clenched her eyes shut.
"Is it because of Adrien?"
Marinette turned her head.
"It is! It's because I'm sitting next to him, isn't it? I didn't mean to make waves." Lila placed a friendly hand on Marinette's shoulder. "Let's not fight over a boy. I was really hoping that we could be friends. Hey! Now that I'm sitting next to hm, maybe I can slip you inside information!" Lila stopped as Marinette wrenched herself out of the liar's grasp.
"You and I would only be friends when you stop lying, Lila!" The girl's eyes hardened. Marinette kept going. "I know everything. Your hearing's fine, your wrist is fine, and you don't know Ladybug!"
Lila began fussing with her hair in the mirror. "Huh. I was wondering if anyone here was smart enough to catch on. You're not as dumb as you look, you know." She smirked. Marinette took a step back. "People like me because I only tell them what they want to hear." Lila turned to Marinette, resuming her innocent stance. "Oh yes, Rose! Prince Ali DOES remember you! He talked a lot about you the last time I visited hi with my family." She nodded seriously. "Oh man, Ivan! That song you wrote rivals what Jagged Stone puts out. You should take it to a record company." The brunette relaxed, placing a cocky hand on her hip. "Call it what you want, but it works."
"It's called lying!"
"Whatever." Lila tossed her hair. "There's not much you can do anyway. You don't want to be my friend? Fine. Stay out of my way. But…" She marched towards Marinette, backing her into the wall of the bathroom. "If you cross me, try to expose me, or tell Adrien ANY of this, you will lose everyone, and I will make sure that you never get close to Adrien again." Lila smiled at the look of fear in Marinette's eyes. "Ah. You've been there before. Good. Then you know how it feels to be friendless." Lila leaned away and adopted her alternate persona. "Kay byeeeee!" She slammed the door shut.
Marinette hesitated only a moment before shutting herself into a nearby stall. Tears began to stream down her face. "I thought Chloe was bad, but Lila is even worse! Chloe never tried to turn the whole class against me!" The girl sobbed. Tikki tried to comfort her.
"You shouldn't let her get to you. Marinette…" The kwami shrank back at Marinette's wild eyes.
"Or what, Tikki? You heard her! If I try to expose her lies, she'll ruin my life!" The girl screamed, slamming her fist into the side of the stall.
Tikki racked her brain, trying to think of something she could do to help her owner. She saw a dark shadow out of the corner of her eye. "MARINETTE! An akuma!" She cried.
Marinette snapped out of her misery into Ladybug mode. She backed herself into the corner of the stall, trying to get as far away from the creature as she could. Her breathing was still heavy until she heard Tikki's voice.
"You may be discouraged now but remember: Hawkmoth's minions only prey on those with no hope. You're Marinette! You always find a way! You'll find a solution to this mess!" The girl smiled.
"You're right Tikki. I may be down now, but I'm not out. As long as I have you and my friends, there will always be hope!" She sighed with relief as the akuma fluttered away. Marinette sank to the floor. That was too close.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Marinette stayed in her new seat in the back, practicing deep breathing exercises to help her stressed mind. She didn't even notice Adrien scooting away from Lila's advances.
Marinette finished the project she was working on in the art room, so she sat on the staircase in the school's courtyard waiting for Alya to finish with her journalism club. The girl was staring at the new group of students surrounding Lila. She was regaling them with stories *ahem* lies of exotic places she had visited or famous people she knew. It chaffed at Marinette to see her friends falling for lies. Marinette sighed.
Maybe she had been rash before, going after Lila with such force. That was what would drive her friends away. Maybe there was still a way to still expose her for the fake that she was..
"Are you going to tell everyone about Lila's lies?"
Marinette whipped her head around. Adrien leaned on the stair railing, a sad look clouding his features. "What do you mean?" She nervously glanced at where Lila was seated.
"I overheard you earlier telling the others about her being a liar. She's lied to me too." He turned to her and asked again. "So, are you going to tell everyone?"
"Shouldn't I? Shouldn't they know that they're being lied to?"
"Would exposing and humiliating her make things better? It would just spread the hurt. As long as her lies don't directly hurt anyone…" They both turned back to the throng around Lila as they all laughed at something she said. "As long as you and I know the truth, does it really matter?" Marinette smiled. She didn't want to burden him with the threats Lila had made against her. Adrien liked to see the best in people. She couldn't ruin that for him.
"Maybe you're right."
Adrien smiled as well, patting her shoulder before leaving for his car. Marinette allowed herself to melt a little at his touch. She didn't notice Lila's narrowed eyes.
Outside as Marinette parted ways with Nino and Alya, she was stopped by a vicious looking Lila.
"I thought I told you to stay away from Adrien." She snarled.
Marinette shrugged. She was determined to not let this girl get to her. She was struggling. "He already knew that you were a liar. I didn't have to tell you anything."
Lila encroached on Marinette's personal space as she jabbed a finger into the girl's shoulder. "Well from now on, Marinette, you and I are at war. I'm leaving for a few days with my parents on a trip. But prepare yourself. When I get back, I will make your life a nightmare. All of your friends will see you for the pathetic loser you are, and I will do everything within my power to win Adrien onto my side. You can count on that." She leaned away, a satisfied smirk on her lips.
Marinette shrugged again. "We'll see Lila. Have fun on your trip." She left without a single glance back.
xXx
"I guess she really did leave with her parents, but as you know, she didn't come back until recently." Marinette ran a hand through her hair. "She luckily hasn't tried to follow through on her threats yet. I have gotten some pretty nasty comments on social media that may be her. I can't prove it though." She paused, noticing Adrien's silence. "Are you okay?"
"All of that happened when I was looking for Ladybug." He seemed stuck on something.
She nodded, trying to help him. "Yeah… and?"
It was his turn to run his fingers through his hair. "I was so busy trying to find Ladybug that I missed the damage Lila was doing to you! How could I have been so blind?"
"I didn't want to burden you!" She tried to comfort her boyfriend. "I could handle it. She left soon after, so I was able to push it away. Besides…" She splayed her hand against his, smiling. "Something pretty great came around to help me not think about it…"
Adrien grinned, pulling her into his embrace. "I'm just glad you finally told me. We're going to have to find you an outlet for stress or something. Don't hit me," He glared at her as she smiled sheepishly. "But you tend to internalize stuff and bottle it up. It is very noble for you to try and carry the weight of the world there, Atlas, but it's not healthy." He felt her sigh against his chest.
"Maybe we can try kick boxing? I've heard it's great for taking out aggression." He chuckled.
"Yeah. We can look into that after Hero's Day. Sound good?" Instead of a response, he got a yawn. "Do you want me to leave?"
She snuggled closer. "No. You're my comfort animal. Comfort Kitty." Her eyes drooped. He smoothed the hair from her forehead.
"Alright. I'll stay until you fall asleep."
In case you can't tell, I REALLY don't like Lila :) To me, she's a kind of villain like Hans from Frozen. You just can't stand them, but you have to admire their craftiness.