Marinette sits at her desk, not even bothering to pretend to pay attention. Honestly, the whole class is in a similar state of depression and while normally she would do her best to cheer everyone up, she just wasn't feeling it.
She looks at where her extra phone she kept with her was sewn into her bag, she knew she was being careless with keeping it on her all the time but she didn't have the heart to let it go.
Tikki's words from a few days ago float to the surface again, "Marinette, you know that phone is strictly for you and Chat Noir to be able to call each other in an emergency. Master Fu would be upset if you lost it because you weren't taking care of it."
She shakes her head, she knows perfectly well what it's for but ever since Chat had gone missing she hasn't left it at home even once. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Alya slide something over to her. Glancing at it, she checks to make sure the teacher hadn't seen before taking it and opening it.
'You good?'
She mentally rolls her options around in her head as she reaches for her pencil. She feels her hand tap it and moves her hand to grab it only for the thing to clatter on the floor. A few people glance at her but they immediately go back to what they were doing. Rolling her eyes at the stupid object she leans over to pick it up. Looking back at the page, pencil in hand she writes 'as much as I can be' before sliding it back. It wasn't a lie, she wasn't great but she wasn't awful like she was yesterday.
Alya leaves her alone for the rest of class.
Lunch comes and Marinette makes a break for the bathroom. She has done this everyday since Chat disappeared. She finds an empty stall and walks in, reaching into her purse she digs around to find the hidden pocket. Tikki floats next to her, her concern clear on her face but she doesn't say anything. Finally finding it she slips out the phone and checks it. Nothing.
Sighing heavily she tucks it back into her bag and waits for Tikki to hide back inside before walking out. She splashed water on her face before grabbing a towel.
She ignores the door opening and pulls out her concealer, the bags under her eyes were aggressive and it almost felt like nothing worked anymore.
"You look like a mess as usual."
The dark haired girl cringes at the voice, because she just can't get a break can she, "Hello, Lila."
Said girl hasn't been nearly as let down as everyone else has been. It's probably her hate for Ladybug that's been putting her in a good mood, since the hero has been so upset.
"You know trying to hide your pimples should be done at home right?"
She rolls her eyes and continues what she was doing. It was the same with all their interactions. With Adrien not here to occupy her attention Lila had pointed all her focus on making Marinette's life miserable, it was only sort of working.
"No one cares what you look like since their top visit worrying about my sweet Adrien. So why bother covering it up if no one will give you the light of day?" The girl is closer now.
Finishing with her task, she puts away her concealer. Checking one last time that she looks at least semi-presentable before trying to walk past the brown haired student. Emphasis on try.
As she moves to walk past her the girl side steps directly into her path. Effectively bringing them face to face, "Ugh, you look even worse up close. Why not just wipe it away so at least it doesn't look like your trying so hard."
Effectively done with her, Marinette takes a single step back and stares her down with her eyes, she was done, "Lila."
The girl seems surprised but doesn't move.
"If you don't move out of my way I will report you for verbal abuse and blackmail. To the police, not the principal. I will get a restraining order on you, and I will not hesitate to claim that you have cornered me in the bathroom on multiple occasions and harassed me." She stands tall, unwavering at her statement. She meant every single word.
Lila looks almost appalled at the idea, like Marinette had personally offended her, "And why would you do something like that to the nicest person in the school? I'm loved by everyone here. Who would possibly believe you?"
Shrugging a shoulder, she steps around the girl, "It doesn't matter if they believe me. The police will launch a full investigation on you. That will include your home life, social media, and your school attendance. Which if you don't remember is almost non-existent. I might be late most of the time to my classes, but at least I'm consistent."
She walks out without looking back. At this point, she just didn't care about Lila. People were constantly trying to say things about her and the people around her to manipulate them. Whether it be Chloe, Lila, the mayor, even Hawkmoth tries to manipulate them. It makes it no different from politics.
Walking down to the lunch room, she quickly gets her food and finds a place to sit in the back. She knew that what she had just done would come back to bite her in the form of her friends making her eat alone, she was used to it. Because Lila didn't hide her fake sorrow about Adrien missing like she did.
Just as she suspected the girl came flying in with tears in her eyes and a tale about how Marinette had cornered her in the bathroom. Expertly ignoring the rest, as well as the stares she could feel in her back, she pulls out her homework for that night and starts it. It's not like she'll be doing anything else.
After a while, Nathan joins her at the table, it had become a sort of routine between them. He never believed Lila because she was always bad mouthing his crush, and while Marinette knew he only sat next to her because of it she was grateful anyway.
He stays silent, pulling out his own project to work on and doing both like she did. They would talk occasionally to ask each other questions but with her mood always so down he took the hint and kept their interactions soft.
By the time lunch was over, the rest of the class effectively hated her again and her homework was finished. She figured, with how patterns go, she would be ignoring any and all looks while trying to pretend to pay attention to the teachers.
Finally, finally, classes are over and she makes a B-line for home. She doesn't bother stopping to wait for her friends or trying to stay after for any reason. All that matters is that she come up with a plan to somehow convince Adrien to leave his father. Or maybe just on how to take Hawkmoth down without her partner. Or maybe she should give her miraculous to someone else, give them all the information they would need and send them to take down Hawkmoth.
She shakes her head as she crosses the street, that was a bad plan. Bad Marinette. Take down Hawkmoth. That's the goal. Nothing else.
She enters through the back door of the shop and sneaks upstairs without greeting her parents, with how she looked, she was bound to distract them from work and she just didn't feel like talking to them.
Once she makes it to her room, she finally notices her phone ringing. Hope shooting through her bones she dives into her bag, making Tikki fly out in a panic, till she finds the device that's ringing. Her mood drops again when she sees it's just her normal phone. Alya's smiling face taunting her.
Dropping the device on her desk, she ignores it in favor of finding the emergency phone. She knew he wouldn't answer but…
She taps his name and waits for the ringing to stop, "Hello, Bugaboo! Sorry, I missed ya! Please leave a lovely message for me to listen to later as I would love to hear your voice at any time of day."
It beeps and she takes a deep breath, "It's Tuesday. Day 16. I mostly called because I miss hearing your voice. I know it hasn't been that long but…"
She pauses as she tries to think of what to say. It was getting harder and harder to find words as her own silence rang over the speaker of the phone in her hands.
"I miss you. I will find a way to help you. Even if I have to do it alone."
With no other ideas she hangs up and immediately calls again. It rings and she waits for the last beep, then she puts it on speaker.
"Hello, Bugaboo! Sorry, I missed ya! Please leave a lovely message for me to listen to later as I would love to hear your voice at any time of day."
She hangs up before the last beep and repeats the process. This was what Tikki kept telling her was unhealthy. It wasn't just the fact she kept leaving messages, it was what she did after the messages.
By the time she stops, tears are running down her face in thick streams. She stays quiet though, she had learned to cry quietly after coming home one too many times with an injury and a close call with her parents.
Rubbing her face she sets the device down on its charger before pulling out a pen and paper to start writing out her plan. Just before she could write anything though, the trap door swings open with a slam. Nerves on high alert, she grabs the phone off of her desk and puts it in her back pocket before getting into a ready stance.
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng! You have the nerve to ignore all of my phone calls and messages when I know for a fact your home?!" Alya's eyes scan the room, a quiet anger burning in her eyes.
Marinette forces her body out of a fighting stance and waits till her friends eyes find her, the anger dies only slightly.
"You! Have no right! To go taking your frustration out on other people! I know you're upset about Adrien, but to attack Lila without any reason whatsoever is uncalled for!"
The dark haired girl just watches as her friend freaks out, it was new, to be yelled at like this. Sure, she's been yelled at by others for much the same thing, but to get such a strong response from her own best friends. The tears from earlier are dry, and she can't find anymore to give.
She lets her shoulders slump, they were hardly friends anymore, "So you're just going to assume that Lila was right?"
The other girl puts a hand on her waist and points a finger at her, Marinette interrupts her.
"You didn't even ask my side of the story."
The anger doubles in her friend's stance.
"What kind of reporter only gets one side of the story?"
The jab is clear as her friend reals back, "That was uncalled for!"
Marinette continues, "Oh wait. Most reporters only get one side of the story." She can see how upset her friend is, if she keeps this up she would effectively lose a friend, "They only get the side of the story that's interesting."
Her friend looks effectively taken aback, a hand over her chest, "How could you?! You know your just proving Lila right? You did attack her didn't you!"
That last part wasn't a question. No longer able to look at her friend, she sits down in her chair, "You still don't know my side of the story."
She hears a loud huff, the next words adding fuel to the fire, "I don't need to. You've just proven Lila right."
She hears the other stomping down the stairs only to pause, "I can't believe this is the type of person you really are."
Marinette waits till her steps fade, the front door slamming shut to signal her exit out of the house. She sits there, waiting for tears to come, but nothing happens. She then glances around her room to see if maybe a butterfly had come in, but still nothing. Since it was Tuesday, maybe she wouldn't have to fight her friend again.
Tikki floats into her vision, her face unreadable, "Marinette?"
Said girl sighs, she had nothing to say. That was bad. On a normal day, that would have created an Akuma right in her room, or even before that. Another one would have been her fault.
"Marinette."
She looks back up at the small Kwami.
"Would you like to go out?"
Surprised, she gives her Kwami a hopeful look, "Would that really be ok?"
Tikki nods and Marinette gives her a small smile before holding out a hand, "Do you think we should visit master Fu?"
The Kwami shakes her head, "Nope. Just you and the miraculous. If Hawkmoth has the same attack pattern as he's had these past two weeks, you should have a free day!"
Smiling wider at her small companion she nods her head, "I had the same thought. Ok, if you're absolutely sure."
Tikki nods and Marinette stands up, kicking the trap door closed before shouting, "TIKKI, SPOTS ON!"
The adrenaline that rushes through her makes her sadness seem secondary. She leaps out of her trap door and lunges out over the city. Swinging with no real destination in mind, she ignores all the shouts that reach her since none of them are asking for help.
After awhile she does an extravagant flip onto the Arc de Triomphe. Landing with a grace she hasn't felt in a while. She looks around at her surroundings, trying to figure out if she wants to stop here or keep going. The view from up here was so nice, she felt just a little bit more relaxed than before.
Walking to the edge she's about to jump off when a particularly excited shout catches her attention. Normally, she wouldn't be able to hear anyone from up here but a single glance down tells her exactly why she could hear it.
A small speck of yellow is moving around, she thinks they might be waving their hands but she can't tell. Taking a moment she debates the pros and cons of talking to Chloe right now. On one hand, it would bring a ton of attention to her, on the other, Chloe was the only one she wasn't currently having issues with.
Decision made, she drops down to the ground next to the girl with a smile she doesn't feel, "What's up?"
Instead of saying anything, she simply hands her a piece of paper, and walks away.
Confused, she looks down at it. Her name is scrawled across with beautiful calligraphy, a small Ladybug is glittering ink sitting just next to it. Looking closer she notices it's a letter not a paper, though it's kind of the same thing.
Shrugging she swings off from the crowd that had started to gather and finds somewhere quiet to read it. Opening it she finds the inside written in gold.
'To whom it may concern,
Meet me at my secret hideout. We need to talk."
-Bee'
She smiles a little at the bumble bee that's drawn next to the extravagant signature. Really, all of this just to talk to her.
Swinging out once more, a destination in mind, she tries to think about what she would want to talk about. It could be anything from an autograph to begging her for the miraculous but she couldn't put a pin in any of them. With Chloe it could really be anything.
