Up high, the wind tended to be a little bit fiercer than on the ground. A warm night on the city streets could easily be a cold and bitter one on the rooftops, and as both girls sat on the ledge, they shivered as a breeze hit them, head-on.

Ashley hugged herself looked out over the city. "We came here a year ago, and the city is nice, but I didn't know anyone, you know? And I tried, I tried so hard at school, but the kids there…" Ashley trailed off. "It's a really rich school. Mom and dad thought I'd benefit from it, so they spent all their money to send me there. But, the other kids? They know my parents don't make as much as them. And they like to remind me of it all the time."

Chloé nodded as she realized what was going on. She remembered the things she used to say about Marinette and her clothes, her parents, their bakery…

"You're being bullied." Chloé said. It wasn't as much of a question as a statement.

Ashley glanced at Chloé before nodding. "It wasn't bad at first, you know? Some names, notes on my locker, standard stuff. But this one girl, Stephanie? She and her group, they started ganging up on me, and hitting me, and I told people. I did! I told the principal and my parents, and I told everyone what they were doing, and they all said to just be better, to ignore it, that it'll go away."

Ashley looked out over the city. "But it doesn't go away. It gets worse. They see you do nothing, and it gets worse."

Chloé bit her lip and waited for Ashley to continue.

Ashley wiped at her face with her sleeve and sniffed. "And then? Then the video started going around. And it wasn't, it wasn't my fault! I didn't know they were filming me! I really didn't!"

"What was the video about?" Chloé asked, her voice small.

"They, they filmed me changing in the locker area and posted it. With commentary. That… Who does that? I was just getting out of my gym clothes, that's all! And they just…"

"Didn't someone say something?" Chloé asked. "A teacher? The principal? Someone?"

Ashley stopped for a moment to take a breath. "No one did anything to help me. The girls who filmed me have rich parents, and rich kids get away with things. My dad's just a clerk with the city. He makes enough for us to get by, and that's it. But them? They've got all the money."

Ashley shuddered. "The principal claimed he didn't know who filmed it and that it was unfortunate, and I should have been 'more alert to my surroundings.'" Ashley's fists tightened. "It was a changing room! This wasn't my fault, but it just won't stop!"

She took a second to wipe at her face again. Her hands were shaking so badly that Chloé could see them from where she was sitting.

"And, and when I confronted them about it, they filmed me again, and, and I got so frustrated I started crying, and they started mocking me, and, and they've been sending me the videos, and tagging everyone in the school, and then they, they started sending texts saying I should… I should…"

Ashley panicked as Chloé abruptly stood up and, at a slow and steady pace, walked over to her.

"What are you doing?" Ashley cried out. She scrambled to her feet. "I'll jump. I want to jump! I just want this to stop! It's not going to…"

Before Ashley knew what was going on, Chloé pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry," Chloé whispered. "I am so, so sorry."

At that moment, she wasn't sure if she was talking to Ashley, or someone else.

Ashley tensed, but then nearly collapsed against Chloé.

"I can't do this anymore," Ashley sobbed. She gripped at Chloé's jacket shook like a leaf in the wind. "I can't go back there. I can't do this and be there and I can't, I can't go back. I can't do it anymore! I feel so alone there, you just, you don't know what it's like! I just want this to stop!"

Chloé continued to hold her. The young woman in her arms wept until she was out of tears. Occasionally, she would repeat herself against Chloé, telling her the same thing, over and over.

"I just want this to stop."

Chloé only pulled back when she felt Ashley completely relax in her arms.

"Ashley," Chloé said, looking her in the eyes. "It's going to be okay."

"No, it's not," Ashley said through a hiccup. "They're…"

"Ashley, I don't BS people. I'm not just saying that," Chloé said, her voice level. "I am telling you that I am about to make this okay for you."

"But, you can't," Ashley sniffed. "You can't make people change how they act. I mean, yeah, you're awesome and a hero. Seriously, like, you're my idol. I've got your doll and your posters… I've even got your movie! But, your hair is the wrong color…"

Chloé bit her lip. "I went for a change."

Not exactly a lie.

Chloé looked at Ashley and felt something cut deep inside of her. She saw a look in the girl's eyes that nearly made Chloé throw up. Chloé knew exactly what it was. It was that same angry, helpless look she used to work to see in other people's eyes when she tore them down.

It was a look she'd seen in Marinette's eyes more than once.

'I can't change who I was,' Chloé thought. 'But I can make up for it. I can do that right now.'

'I'm not Marinette, and I don't think I can be. She'd know just the right thing to say and make this girl believe in herself again. I… I can't do that. If I try to motivate her, she's definitely going to jump. I don't know how to be Marinette.'

I'm Chloé Bourgeois. So… I'll handle this like Chloé Bourgeois.'

"Ashley, you're right. I can't make someone stop their bullying. If Ladybug could do that," Chloé thought for a moment and shuddered. "Then things would be very different right now. I admit, I can't fix things for everyone, and I know that. But right here and now, I can make things better for you."

Ashley looked at her. "How? How could you possibly help me with this?"

Chloé squeezed her arms and smiled. "Sometimes when you're dealing with a bad situation, you need to hide. Sometimes, you need to stand up and push back. And sometimes, when it gets bad? Like, so bad that you find yourself empty and alone, and wanting to do what you were thinking of? You have to ask for help."

"But I've tried that! And no one can help. The teachers don't care, I have no friends there, no one talks to me, I have no one to turn to!"

Chloé leaned forward a little bit and kept looking into Ashley's eyes. "This is important, Ashley. I'll only do it if you want me to, but… Will you let me help you? If I can make things better, and I mean truly, life-changingly, long-term better, will you let me help?"

Ashley looked at her for a moment. "You can do that?

Chloé nodded. "But only if you want me to."

"How can you help me?"

Chloé smiled. "You'd be surprised at what I can do."

Ashley bit her lip and nodded. "Okay. If you can help me, then yes. Please help."

"Alight Ashley, buckle up." Chloé cracked her knuckles. "What is your father's name?"

"Philip Peintre."

And that's your last name, too?"

Ashley nodded again.

"Okay. Ashley Peintre, here is what I need from you. I need you to go to bed and get a good night's sleep."

Ashley tensed, but Chloé gave her shoulder a squeeze and winked. "I'm serious. I'm going to need the night to work my magic. What's your school?"

"Kingsworth International."

"Wooo! Okay, that explains the rich kids. Ashley, I want you to go to school in the morning and clean out your locker, first thing. This is important, because once things start happening, they won't stop. I'm going to need you to be brave and to trust me, 'cause it's going to get real crazy, real fast."

"Why?" Ashley asked, confused. "What's going to happen?"

Chloé smiled. "You know how in a fairy tale the heroine will have a fairy godmother that appears with the power to fix things?"

Ashley eyed her. "You're seriously saying you're sending me a fairy godmother?"

Chloé's smile grew.

"Oh, I can send a little better than that."


Notes:

NEXT TIME!

Chloe helps.

Yeeeeeeeeep.

Not gonna go into any more detail than that.

Be here for the fireworks tomorrow, same Bug Time, same Bug Channel!