"I WILL DESTORY YOU! DAMN YOU, MORGANA!" Lila finally screamed as she was then dragged out of the school, kicking, and screaming the whole way. People cheered as she went while Morgana dusted her shoulder off. At one point she tried to reach for an officer's baton to throw at Morgana. That was met with an officer putting her hands behind her back and for people on the crowd to throw whatever rubbish they had on them.
"That concludes the end of my presentation, enjoy the rest of your free day," Morgana said as she turned on her heel to go back to Marinette.
People did a few cheers and claps as she walked but she waved it off, not being a fan of praise. She didn't need it. Elena's parents followed the police, not letting Lila slip through their grasp again. A few others followed but most lingered back to discuss what just happened.
"Morgana... I cannot even, I mean... I don't know how I can repay you," Marinette said as tears brimmed in her eyes.
"Oh, don't start crying, it always puts me off," Morgana said as she folded her arms.
Luka and Kagami ran up on stage, while Luka then swept Marinette up in a hug. Kagami merely looked at Morgana and both girls gave each other a respective nod. Tom and Sabine then hugged the mini group, aside from Morgana, who reeled at the idea of physical contact.
"Excuse me?" Greta said as she approached the group. Marinette looked over at Morgana expectantly, but the girl did nothing.
"I have done my presentation on Lila now. Your turn with her," Morgana said. Marinette gulped but faced the woman.
"Yes?" Marinette asked, while her two friends stood by her protectively.
"I just want to apologise for Lila... I had no idea of the harm she caused. I know nothing can ever make up for it," Greta sniffed.
"It's okay. You didn't know. You fell for her lies but you never did any harm to us. Lila was at fault for that," Marinette said. Greta could hardly believe her daughter would bully this sweet girl. She envied her parents.
"Thank you... I don't deserve your forgiveness," Greta said as she gave a smile before heading off to follower screaming daughter.
"You were too kind," Kagami stated.
"She was clueless. She knows now," Marinette said.
"Speaking of people who know," Luka said, his eyes going to the akuma class.
They looked extremely guilty, and their parents were furious. Adrien looked just as guilty, and Gabriel was still reeling from what had just happened. He had a lot of thinking to do. Marinette didn't make any attempt to move. She looked over at Morgana, who had a stack of binders in her arms, but her eyes said everything. Morgana had taken care of Lila, now it was her turn. Marinette and her group made her way off the stage while the class then approached them.
"Marinette I am so sorry!" Rose said in tears.
"I cannot believe Lila lied!" Kim said.
"I can. I did try to tell you," Marinette said stiffly, making a few of the flinch.
"Well, dudette...we are so sorry. We hope you can forgive us for not believing you," Nino said. There was a long pause.
"Thank you. However, I do not forgive you. I can't. Not now anyway," Marinette answered, making Luka and Kagami breathe a sigh of relief. Morgana nodded in respect.
"What?! Mari, we said sorry, you should forgive us! It's a bit selfish of you!" Alya said. Her family looked disgusted at this, and Nora looked like she was going to smack her.
"See, that, right there! That is why! Even after Lila has been exposed, which could have been done if you had done your job as a journalist, you're still insulting me!" Marinette said as she raised her voice.
"I do my job as a journalist!" Alya protested.
"Alya, you posted all of Lila's lies on your blog! You didn't check anything! All you are, is a tabloid for Lila. You enabled her lies," Marinette said.
"She's right. I've seen your blog. You don't post anything unless it's to do with Lila," Nora said in agreement, making Alya go red in the face.
"That goes for all of you. Rose, you knew Prince Ali. Did it cross your mind to ask him about Lila if she did all this work for him? Ivan and Mylene, the amount of damage she has done for charities is unbelievable. It makes them look like they're using money for their own gain and not helping their causes. Nathaniel, half of the artists she claimed to know are dead. Nino, if she knew Spielberg, he would have mentioned her in his own interviews. Alix and Kim, if she really did extreme sports, she would have injuries! You should know that better than anyone! And Max? You really though you could lose an eye of a napkin? A FREAKING NAPKIN?!" Marinette burst out, months of frustrations being vented out.
"You tell them Marinette," Kagami said.
"No one asked you Ice Queen," Alya sneered.
"Don't call her that. She has been there for me all this time. She's my best friend," Marinette snapped back, making a pink dust appear on Kagami's cheeks.
"Wait, I thought she was your rival?" Alix asked.
"As I have told you several times before, we are not rivals. After realising Adrien wasn't worth it anymore, as friendship is more important, we bonded!" Marinette said. Adrien was saddened by this now as he understood now more than ever that the term, 'Just a friend', actually stung.
"Wait? She's your best friend? Mari, I am your best friend!" Alya protested. Tom and Sabine couldn't believe those words came out of her mouth.
"A best friend wouldn't push or shove me! A best friend wouldn't rip up my homework or sketchbook. A best friend wouldn't go out of their way to make my life miserable by harassing me online and sending me texts telling me that I am worthless and scum of the earth!" Marinette yelled.
"You did what?!" Otis bellowed.
"That goes for all of you!" Marinette scowled.
"We didn't mean it!" Kim said.
"Oh, but you meant it when you pushed me into a locker so hard that I had a black eye?" Marinette answered. Kim's mother let out a shriek of fury at that.
"Marinette, I swear if we'd have known, we would have defended you!" Nathaniel said. Morgana's eyes twinkled. Oh, this is delightful.
"Really? So, would you have told me to take the high road and that her lies weren't hurting anyone?" Marinette asked. She saw Adrien freeze up.
"No! That's bad advice," Sabrina said.
"What idiot would do that?" Kim scoffed.
"I don't know. Why don't you tell them Adrien?" Marinette asked she turned to the blonde. All eyes fell upon him, and now new anger was bubbling.
"Dude, you knew?! You saw what Lila was doing to Marinette and you let her take the fall?!" Nino shouted, feeling betrayed.
"You moron!" Alix yelled.
"Don't you blame all this on him. While this was bad advice, would you have believed him? Adrien was the new kid, so what would he know? This could have all been solved if you had just used your brains!" Marinette said.
"I must take some blame on this. I asked Lila to keep an eye on Adrien and see what his influences were. Clearly, I was wrong," Gabriel said.
People were shocked at this but Sabine and Tom sort of understood. Adrien had never been around other people so asking someone to look out for him was a nice idea. But the person he picked was not a good idea. He had a lot of things to reconsider, especially regarding his future as Shadowmoth.
"Poor judgement on your part," Kagami stated.
"Indeed. I had no idea what that piece of filth was capable off. That is until my eyes were opened," Gabriel said, his eyes wandering over to Morgana, who said nothing.
"Mari, it doesn't mean you shouldn't forgive! I mean, we're all friends here!" Alya said as she went to reach for the girl, who instantly pulled away.
"No, we are not. Don't call me Mari. Only my actual friends call me that," Marinette snapped, making everyone look down in shame.
"Marinette?" Miss Bustier asked as she had finally decided to pull away from the crowd. Marinette started to feel stressed again and her parents instantly picked up on this.
"Well, if it isn't the worst teacher," Kagami said, making tears brim in the woman's eyes but she didn't comment.
"Marinette, don't you think you should forgive the class? They fell for Lila's lies, so they are victims too," Miss Bustier stated.
"Are you kidding me?!" Kagami all but yelled, who was held back by Tom. In fairness, he was more worried about holding back his wife, who had a face of thunder.
"You expect my daughter to forgive the bullies who wrecked her confidence and gave her such anxiety that she felt so worthless about herself?" Sabine raged.
"Marinette is the star of the class despite her mood changes. She should set..." Miss Bustier started but Marinette interrupted.
"I am not going to set an example! That is your job! You are supposed to support each student, not single them out and mentally abuse them! I resigned as president because it was all too much! After talking to Morgana, all my duties were supposed to be done by you! You piled them all onto me! That wasn't my responsibility!" Marinette shouted.
"Marinette, lower your voice!" Damocles said as he also came over. Truth be told he was trying to hide from angry parents. Wrong decision.
"No, I will not! You expelled me against one student's claim and didn't even bother to get statements and evidence! You didn't even check the cameras!" Marinette raged.
"I am truly sorry for what happened. But I am your principal, and I am in charge!" Damocles said, puffing out his chest, like a pompous owl. Pun intended. Marinette looked close to crying as Luka held her while Kagami and Marinette's parents were furious. The akuma class seemed hopeful that the teachers would persuade Marinette to forgive them, and Adrien seemed to be finally grasping how Marinette suffered.
"Alright, I've had my break, I'm tagging back in," Morgana said as she stepped in front of Marinette and faced up against the teachers.
"Young lady, you have done more than..." Damocles started.
"Oh, shut up, you have no authorisation over me," Morgana said.
"Morgana don't be..." Miss Bustier said.
"You can shut up too. I am no longer a student here. I transferred back to my old school this morning," Morgana said calmly.
"You did?" Adrien asked in surprise.
"Of course. My job of exposing Lila is done. Since you were too incompetent to check my files when I moved here, I went to the school board and asked them to sort my transfer back," Morgana said.
"How did you get in contact with the school board?" Damocles asked, with slight nervousness in his voice.
"I go to an elite school run by a headmistress who doesn't waste her time or money on stupid owl items or prancing in a fake costume. She was more than happy to get me in contact. Which reminds me... you'll be hearing from them too," Morgana said as she handed two files from her pile to the teachers, who opened them.
"Why are we being sued?!" Miss Bustier said, now bursting into tears.
"Child neglect, enabling bullies, emotional distress... the list goes on really. There's a high chance your teacher's license will be revoked, and you'll never teach again," Morgana said, much to the astonishment of the akuma class. The Dupain Cheng's were not surprised as they had one of the lawsuits due to what they had done to Marinette.
"Impressive," Gabriel muttered.
"You have abused your power for long enough. Damocles, you are or were supposed to be a teacher. You didn't need to be a costume to be a hero. Teachers are heroes. Helping students around the clock should be the greatest award for you. But you abused it. You're pathetic," Morgana scowled.
"Damn..." Luka whistled.
"I should be the least of your worries. As for your most troubling student...she'll be leaving with me," Morgana said.
"What?!" Alya shrieked.
"No way!" Nino yelled.
"Inside voices please," Morgana said as she shook her head.
"But-!" Miss Bustier whimpered but Morgana pointed her finger towards the door.
"You had your chance. You blew it. Now scram," Morgana ordered. Reluctantly, both teachers clutched their lawsuits to their chests and walked away with their tails between their legs.
"Alright. Questions and comments please?" Morgana asked.
"Why is she leaving with you? Marinette belongs here!" Alya said.
"Yeah, the class isn't the same without her!" Rose stated.
"You mean it's not the same without me giving away free treats and commissions?" Marinette deadpanned.
"Wait, you did all of that for free? I assumed they paid you!" Nathaniel's mother said in shock.
"Not a coin in sight," Kagami said.
"I transferred here because I saw what was happening to Marinette. I offered to expose Lila but I had terms. One, she had to do what I said without question. Two, she no longer considered you humans. Three, she was not to associate with me due to suspicion. Finally, she was to transfer with me when the deed was done," Morgana explained.
"But Marinette can't get into a school like that!" Alya said, making her parents almost glare daggers at her. What had happened to their daughter?
"Care to correct them?" Morgana asked.
"I got in with a full scholarship to study fashion," Marinette answered with a smile.
"Wow, congratulations," Adrien said with a weak smile.
"Indeed, you will blossom in that school. It enhances all of its students," Gabriel said with a respective nod.
"No, this isn't right, you can't leave us!" Alya said as she stomped her foot.
"You don't tell me what to do Alya," Marinette said as she folded her arms.
"Yes queen," Kagami said stiffly, and everyone looked at her at that. She blushed slightly. "I saw people use it to symbolise confidence."
"Preach queen," Luka said with a nudge, making Marinette laugh.
"Well while Marinette may be moving, it wouldn't be right for her not to give you all a going away gift," Morgana said, then handing the folders over to Marinette. Her eyes lit up at this. Morgana felt rather miffed in not holding her folders, but Marinette had earned this.
"Thank you, Morgana," Marinette said as she handed out the folders to the class. The last one on the pile was the biggest one of all. She handed that one to Alya. The look on their parent's faces was of absolute dread.
"You're suing us?!" Alya yelled as she looked at the folders.
"Oh Alya, what have you done?" Marlena said as she held the side of her head.
"Well, I was going to send this all to you later, but seeing as you asked," Morgana said as she tapped on her tablet and turned the screen around to an all too familiar video of the canteen.
"Luka, can I..." Marinette asked shyly.
Luka didn't even need to say anything as he held his arms open. She buried her face in her boyfriend's chest, not wanting to hear or see the video again. She didn't sleep properly that night. As the video played on with the shouting and tray flipping, all the parents looked mortified at what happened. Alya's face kept getting paler by the second. As soon as the video ended, she swiped the screen to reveal various mean texts they had all sent. The tension could be cut with a knife.
"These are all screen-shotted in your files. As for the video, I have documented what was said but the only being charged for the incident is Alya," Morgana said as she put her tablet away.
"Me?! This is all Lila's fault!" Alya protested.
"Did Lila flip that tray?" Morgana questioned.
"What?" Alya asked.
"Did Lila flip the tray?" Morgana asked again.
"Well...no..." Alya mumbled.
"Precisely. In a way, I must applaud Lila. She was smart. She got you to do the dirty work with the bullying. She's quite clean in Marinette's case. Lila will be charged on mental trauma for Marinette but the other cases will pile up," Morgana said.
"Don't compliment her," Kagami scolded.
"I was observing, there is a difference," Morgana said without looking at the girl, who huffed in annoyance.
"Easy ladies," Luka said with a nervous laugh.
"So, you're all being dealt with cases of bullying, trauma, destruction of property and so forth. Some more than others. Community service is a must as well as fines. Well, that and you'll have to delete your blog," Morgana said.
"What?! You can't make me do that!" Alya exploded.
"I think the court will strongly disagree," Morgana answered.
"Deleting that blog will do you good. You spend too much time on it anyway. Not to mention all the harm it's caused. Consider your technology privileges revoked for a very long time," Otis said sternly, much to Alya's horror.
"Well, I am glad to see you are a competent parent. Some would just excuse that behaviour or fight the law," Morgana said with a respective nod. At this point, most of the parents had realised that this was no ordinary girl and what she said was not to insult, but to help. Or give constructive criticism.
"Well, I can imagine that you have a lot to discuss so I am going to take my leave. If you need any extra information, then speak to Marinette's lawyer or mine," Morgana said as she turned on her heel and walked away, her hair swishing as she went.
"I bet she's Mayura," Alya muttered. To her annoyance and surprise, Marinette laughed. A proper laugh as she even wiped a tear from her eye.
"Oh please, if she was Mayura or any kind of villain, she'd be ruling Paris by now," Marinette answered.
"Agreed," Kagami said.
"She'd be terrifying if she was akumatised," Adrien agreed.
"That'll never happen. She doesn't seem to have much emotion anyway. Not when she talked to me on the phone or even when everyone was heckling her," Gabriel said with a concerned frown.
"She's weird," Alya mumbled.
"You say she's weird, yet she's the one who handled the situation like a professional and gave you a lawsuit," Kagami said with a smirk. Alya did have to be restrained at that point. Nora practically dragged her off along with her parents yelling at her the whole way. Most of the others dispersed aside from Juleka and her mother, who had a stern glare on her face.
"Come Adrien, we must be going. We are removing you from this school immediately and going back to home-schooling," Gabriel said firmly. Adrien didn't seem to protest but something seemed to trigger Marinette. Adrien wouldn't have done any of this had he not been so sheltered.
"Wait!" Marinette said, stunning the small group.
"Yes, Miss Dupain Cheng?" Gabriel asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I want to make a deal," Marinette said.
"What are you doing?" Sabine asked.
"What kind of deal?" Gabriel questioned as he turned to her.
"This whole thing with Adrien's advice and... the other thing... is because he didn't know about basic social interaction. He needs to learn when to say no to someone, to stand up for himself and to socialise with people," Marinette explained.
"And a spine..." Kagami muttered, earning a warning pat on the shoulder from Tom. Not the time.
"What are you getting at Miss Dupain Cheng?" Gabriel asked.
"I propose that you send Adrien to private school. There will be other students there, who he can talk to, there is no ranks or anything. He can learn, talk and meet new people and build up confidence. He can choose what he wants to do. If you do that...I will take off some of the lawsuits. While Adrien is at fault... if he learns from it...he can prevent it from happening to someone else," Marinette proposed.
"Marinette..." Adrien said as he was almost crying. Sabine and Tom were beaming with pride at this. Luka looked happy as well as amazed by her kindness while Kagami...well there was no change there.
"You are being extremely reasonable and generous. I am not quite sure if we deserve it but... I accept. You are unique Marinette. I can only hope my son will find someone who has your qualities one day," Gabriel said.
"Thank you, sir," Marinette said with a nod.
"Thank you Marinette... I hope we can work things out one day," Adrien said with a smile, although he felt his heart break a little when Luka placed a hand on her shoulder. He then gave the group one last wave before walking away. Gabriel went to follow him but then gave Luka a look. He had the same look in his eyes that he had all those years ago from when he met Emilie.
"Never let her go," Gabriel said. Luka blinked in surprise but smiled warmly at the man before he walked off after his son.
"I'll never understand that man," Anarka said with a shake of the head.
"You do know Morgana isn't going to be happy. Quite frankly I am not either," Kagami said.
"Look, he's going to be damaged enough from that livestream and Lila, so taking off a few of them won't lighten the load but it will put him at ease," Marinette said.
"I'm proud of you honey," Sabine said as she gave her daughter hug. Tom followed suit. There was a shuffling of feet and Marinette saw Juleka approaching. The girl brushed hair out of her eye before speaking.
"Marinette...I'm so sorry...about what happened. I know you won't forgive me...but can I try to earn your trust back?" Juleka said as she spoke, her voice raised a little. "Luka...I don't expect your forgiveness either... cause of the band but I can try to earn yours back too."
"Well, what you did hurt Juleka. You never stepped in...but then again you never physically harmed me, destroyed my stuff, or even sent me texts. You're most likely just going to get community service... so yeah, I think we can work on that," Marinette said with a smile.
"Yer a good lass. She doesn't deserve it, so it means a lot," Anarka said as Juleka almost beamed with tears in her eyes.
"So now that all of this is done... what happens next?" Kagami asked.
This is not the end.