Marinette did not know what to expect when she asked Amaia, her new neighbor, to stand in for her at the picnic. She was anxious, sure. Alya was hosting it, and she didn't know what she would do if she saw her again. The wounds from that day, even a month after the incident, were still fresh.
Was she paranoid? Or was she just anxious? She didn't know. Amaia returned some time later, saying she would tell Marinette what had happened once she was rested up. Which seemed fair. It seemed like something had happened.
She got her answer the next day when Nino and Alix messaged her first thing in the morning. Someone finally managed to get through to Alya that what she had done was wrong. While Marinette felt relieved that there was less danger, she couldn't help but notice how Nino and Alix spoke of her new neighbor.
It was then Marinette learned Amaia was the reason Alya broke down. As in, she legitimately broke down in tears. Marinette was silent. She didn't know what to say or think. Nino mentioned (he heard from Rose) Amaia had stood up to Alya. What's more, she actually refused Alya information about Marinette.
It was incredible. And a bit scary. Because now, Alya would associate Amaia with Marinette. And when Alya was fired up, no one was safe. She had to wonder how Amaia was able to withstand the fire that was an angry Alya. And now, thanks to Marinette, she had a target painted on her back.
Marinette felt guilty. She didn't mean for her new neighbor to get on everyone's bad sides like that. She didn't mean to hamper her friendship prospects.
But when she contacted Amaia to apologize… Amaia simply told her to save it. Marinette didn't need to apologize. Not when Amaia volunteered, she was reminded, to go in her place. Marinette tried to plead guilty, but Amaia told her otherwise.
Then she said something that would give Marinette pause.
I'd rather have one real friend than a thousand fake ones.
One real friend as opposed to thousands of fake friends. Marinette thought back to how easily her class turned on her for Lila. Were they ever really friends, to begin with? If they had turned on her like that? Amaia had one last question for Marinette.
If they were your friends, then why did they leave you like that?
Marinette had no answer. Mostly because she didn't know the answer, herself. Why did they leave her so easily? Was it something she did? Something she said?
It shouldn't matter if you're flawed or not, Amaia said. They shouldn't be your friend if they can't accept your flaws.
Marinette had many, many flaws, she was well aware. She was clumsy, she couldn't spit out a coherent sentence around her (former) crush, and she was prone to catastrophic levels of overthinking when it came to worst-case scenarios.
It shouldn't matter, Amaia told her. Marinette was human. And humans were prone to dumb mistakes. What made it beautiful was sticking together through thick and thin. Through dark times until they saw the light of dawn.
Never sell yourself short, Marinette, Amaia said. You never know when you'll need that confidence.
With that, the call ended. Marinette felt herself reeling afterward. While it was nice Amaia found possible friends in Nath and Alix, she found herself having trouble processing one thing. Alya, as in Alya Césaire, the fearless Ladyblogger, broke down after a crushing realization. She didn't know what to think. Her mind went blank. On advice from Tikki, she went down to talk to her parents.
While they were initially surprised, in the end they were glad someone finally got through to Alya. It was wrong of her to attack Marinette like that, Sabine said. Even if she got word that Marinette was bullying someone (Tom snorted at that), she should've gone to a teacher instead of handling the matter herself.
But then again, with Bustier as the teacher, it wouldn't have mattered. Their hope now was that Mr. Oropeza wasn't another Bustier. They'd certainly file complaints again if he turned out to be another Bustier. But for now, they would wait and see.
The day passed, and Marinette received a contact request from Nathaniel. On Amaia's advice, she accepted him back into her circle. The artist was truly remorseful for how he had treated Marinette. He even offered to make some art for her walls to replace the photos she had discarded.
Again, on Amaia's advice, Marinette accepted. Though she wondered why Andres snickered when Amaia blushed at the mention of another artist she admired.
Four days passed, and still no word from or about Alya. Marinette maintained steady communication with Alix, Nathaniel, Nino, and Amaia. Quite frankly, Marinette felt a bit better about not having to talk to Alya. Adrien was a whole other matter entirely. Nino still had minimal communication with him thanks to Gabriel. Though she did learn Adrien was trying to contact everybody.
She could wait. She waited an entire month to hear if Adrien was in any way concerned about her. When she heard from Nino that Adrien was trying to contact everybody, she felt a faint glimmer of hope. Her crush may no longer exist, but at least a bridge could be repaired. Hopefully.
Aurore and Mireille stopped by the bakery the next day to check up on Marinette. It turns out, their families had been keeping them busy enough they had trouble finding time to reach out to her. No thanks to DuPont shutting down in addition to their own careers eating up much of their time.
She learned through the two that Thérèse, her fellow class representative, would be placed in another foster home as soon as they found a suitable guardian. For some reason, Officer Raincomprix was considering taking her in. He would for sure be a better guardian than her mother had been, they all agreed.
Nobody knew Thérèse had such a mother. Thérèse always presented herself as strong and reliable. Enough that her class elected her as their representative multiple times in a row. But Eleanora's arrest and appearance in the news opened their eyes to the reality behind the mask. Everyone heard clearly how Eleanora only saw Thérèse as a trophy, not a daughter. Even Audrey Bourgeois wouldn't have viewed Chloé in that way.
Perhaps they had taken for granted how strong Thérèse could be. Marinette remembered vividly how Thérèse would make time for her when she first started as the class representative. Guiding her through the loopholes, teaching her tricks to maximize organization, building up her confidence when contacting the school board for class trips.
Thérèse helped her when she first started. And now, Aurore and Mireille agreed, it was time to help Thérèse.
Thanking them and bidding them farewell, Marinette went to work figuring out what needed to be done. Right now, the akuma attacks were her top priority, and she would need to address that. Thérèse's well-being would be a close second. The girl had been like a sister to her ever since she was elected class representative. She couldn't leave her hanging.
The Madame Destiny attack also showed Hawk Moth was stepping up his game in acquiring their Miraculouses. So she would need to consult Fu on forming a permanent team of heroes. Her mind immediately went to the group from Kadic that had risked their lives to help Ladybug and Chat Noir. Perhaps she could discuss with Fu, if he approved the idea, who would fit what Miraculous.
Her thoughts then wandered to Mrs. Rossi. From what little she had heard from her parents, Mrs. Rossi was truly remorseful for what Lila had done to her. According to them, they didn't exactly have the easiest life back in Italy. Lila's time at DuPont was supposed to be a second chance that she ultimately threw away. It would be a long time before Marinette would even consider forgiving her. But her mother didn't deserve the hate she had gotten. Not from Eleanora. Not from the public. Not from anyone.
Lastly, she had to find some way to thank Amaia. She'd lived in Paris for barely a week, yet she had done so much for Marinette already. She didn't need to volunteer to take Marinette's place at the picnic. She didn't need to stand up to Alya for her. She didn't need to help Marinette, period.
Perhaps this was the wake-up call everyone needed. It would be a long time before Marinette could fully heal. But now, with Amaia on her side, she had hope for a better tomorrow.
In her journal, with Tikki's guidance, she wrote down what needed to be done:
1. Consult Master Fu
2. Bake treats for Thérèse
3. Cheer up Mrs. Rossi
4. Thank Amaia
She'll have to make a list to present to Fu for the new Miraculous Team. She no longer trusted the former Fox, Bee, or Turtle. Alya had betrayed her for Lila, Chloé was still Chloé, and Nino stood by while Marinette was assaulted. But she had a feeling they would find a strong team in this group from Kadic. She had seen, as Ladybug, how they worked together with their different skills to help take down Madame Destiny. Jeremie would make an excellent mission control person. Aelita was creative and resourceful. Odd was a monkey, Ulrich was strong, and Yumi was crafty. She was certain Master Fu would agree they'd make excellent Miraculous Holders.
Thérèse loved baked goods with lots of berries. Preferably, a mix of raspberry, blueberry, and blackberry. She was a huge fan of cheesecake topped with berry purée and paired with a glass of iced sweet tea. Marinette knew the brand. Thérèse always had her favorite sweet tea with her at class rep meetings. Perhaps her parents could help her with making smaller cheesecakes? Thérèse was practical in her everyday life as she was in her leadership. She wouldn't appreciate having to clean up an easily-prevented mess.
Marinette wasn't sure how she would go about cheering up Mrs. Rossi. From what she'd heard from her parents, the woman was wracked with guilt from the damage Lila's lies caused. This wasn't the first time, Marinette finally learned, that Lila had isolated someone to this degree. But from what she saw of Mrs. Rossi the day Madame Destiny attacked, she was nothing like her daughter. It wouldn't be fair to extend the blame to Mrs. Rossi for what Lila did. This one, Marinette knew, she would have to plan carefully.
Thanking Amaia was the last item on the list of priorities. Truthfully… Marinette didn't know how to go about this one. Amaia was still new. And carefully guarded. She didn't know if she had as much of a sweet tooth as Andres. And she was certain she would refuse any "just because" gifts. One text message and confirmation later, Marinette decided to make a dog bed as a thank-you gift. The gratitude Amaia showed when Marinette made the offer almost made her cry. She couldn't even find it in her to refuse the payment for the custom bed. Thus it was settled that Marinette's next paid project would be a dog bed big enough for a fully-grown husky (she had to chuckle when Andres snorted in disdain).
The next day, Marinette put her plan into action. She did not know what would happen after. But with renewed faith in herself and a newfound fire, she knew it would be okay.