AN: This is the beginning of my little foray into writing for this fandom, and I just gotta say: these are kids. Please do not sexualise them. The stuff I've seen in this fandom, even at the beginning, is mildly disturbing. That being said, this fic may brush over mature concepts and use moderate amounts of language (hence the rating), they are teenagers after all.

On to some more info: At the time I started writing this (just after the release of Reflekdoll) I was sorely disappointed in the lack of 'life ruining' Lila has managed to inflict upon Marinette. Seriously. Chameleon was the first episode in Season 3 and the most life ruining we saw since then was in Ladybug. Granted, Marinette was expelled but Lila took forever to do it. I don't know about any of you but when I was that age, no girl could hold out on her sweet revenge for more than a few days if at all.

Now that Season 3 is almost over (just waiting for Chat Blanc and Felix) I am saying this: this fic will discount everything that happens post-Ikari Gozen.

So be prepared for DramaTM, my favourite Girl Gang which is yet to come and more salt than is in a bucket of sea water.

A Dish Best Served Cold

Marinette scowled down at her tablet as cries of concern filled the classroom following Lila's pained yelp.

"Lila, what's wrong?" Ms Bustier asked gently. The other students at the front of the class turned back to catch a glance. Lila sniffled. Marinette kept working. This was the third time this week.

"I don't want to be a bother…" Lila trailed off. The concerned cries and encouragements of the rest of the class on any other day would've made Marinette proud, now it just made her nauseous. Alya shot Marinette a deep frown and gestured subtly to the back of the classroom. Marinette kept her head down, determinedly ignoring Alya's increasingly poisonous glare.

Obviously emboldened by the class' comforts, Lila continued. She whimpered slightly. Marinette rolled her eyes at the image that appeared in her head; Lila conjuring large crocodile tears as if by black magic. Marinette was nearly certain that the lump of coal Lila called a heart was incapable of producing genuine emotion.

"The arthritis in my hands just flared up…" Lila paused, as if nervous with the class' attention. "And…well, I was…I was just wondering if I could repeat the lesson during lunch, once it's settled down?"

"That's alright Lila," Ms Bustier said sympathetically, "I'm sure one of the others will be happy to act as your scribe, or give you a copy of their notes." Offers of assistance quickly came in exclamations and eagerly raised hands. Marinette's grip on her stylus tightened until her knuckles turned white.

"Marinette." Lila's honeyed voice drifted into Marinette's ears, immediately causing her to scowl. She kept her head down. "I'm sure Marinette would be able to make a copy of her notes for me. Everyone's always talking about how nice and sweet she is." Marinette's stylus slipped from her grip and hit her between the eyes, hard.

Marinette rubbed the sore spot between her eyes as the class turned their attention to her. She glanced over her shoulder at Lila, unsurprised to find a dramatic 'woe-is-me' expression staring back. Marinette frowned. She was trapped between a rock and a hard place. Either cave and do Lila's work, or assert herself and make herself known as Chloe 2.0. The silence in the room stretched on and Marinette's skin prickled with the judging stares of her peers. Lila's bottom lip began to wobble and tears pooled in the corners of her eyes.

"I suppose I can't put you out, Marinette." Lila simpered. "You have work to do too, and so do I. So…" Lila wiped her eyes delicately. "So I should just push through the pain of my arthritis."

Someone gagged loudly. The class whipped about to stare at Chloe. Said girl examined her manicured nails carelessly.

"Are you quite alright, Chloe?" Ms Bustier asked, a hint of concern furrowing her brow.

Chloe glanced up, lips pursed. "Lila's voice is just so sweet it's making me want to vomit." A loud snort escaped Marinette before she could capture it. The class glanced at Marinette accusingly. A whimper attracted their attention to the back of the classroom. Lila's expression was twisted into a pale imitation of hurt and emotional vulnerability.

"I'm sorry I make you feel this way, Chloe." Lila said. She fiddled with her hands in an expression of nervousness. "I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, so I'll just stop talking." The class hissed, accusing whispers flitting across the aisle like locusts. The looks tossed in Chloe's direction were outright venomous. Marinette was genuinely surprised that Chloe's head hadn't caught on fire from the heat of the collective stares.

"Excuse me while I go retch in the bathroom." Chloe stood and marched out without so much as a backward glance.

"Chloe!" Ms Bustier called after the girl, even as Sabrina trotted after her, obediently in tow. Ms Bustier sighed before turning back to the class. She met Marinette's eyes with a smile. "Marinette. What do you say to making Lila a copy of your notes?"

Marinette stared back blankly for a moment too long. "Could I go to the bathroom, please, actually?" Ms Bustier nodded slowly and gestured to the door. Marinette made her way to the door, resolutely ignoring Alya's glower.

As the classroom door shut behind her, the last thing Marinette heard was a chorus of voices volunteering to work with Lila.

Marinette opened the door to the bathroom with a little more force than necessary, startling Sabrina where she was busily restyling Chloe's hair. Chloe glanced at Marinette out of the corner of her eye and pursed her lips.

"What are you doing here, Dupain-Cheng?"

"These are the school toilets, Chloe. I'm allowed to be here." Marinette folded her arms. "But that's not the point." A knowing grin crossed Chloe's lips and her eyes narrowed.

"You don't like Rossi either, do you Dupain-Cheng?" Chloe purred.

Marinette drew back as if burned. "How did you know?"

Chloe scoffed. "As if it wasn't obvious. Every time she says something you look like you're about to cough up a brick." She examined her spotless nails. "I'm surprised no one else has picked up on it."

"They have." Marinette muttered. The class had definitely picked up on Marinette's dislike of Lila, which had only grown and festered since the Chameleon incident. Whilst Marinette had been able to temper her actions with Adrien's quiet reassurance of Lila's fate, she couldn't help the way she seethed whenever the class fell over themselves to fawn over Lila's every word. Or the way she felt when Alya blamed Marinette's distrust on jealousy. Or how helpless she felt pinned beneath Adrien's weighty stare of disapproval.

Chloe's brows quirked and her eyes glinted. "Well, you've come to the right person." Marinette's mouth tugged down.

"For what?" Marinette asked suspiciously. She glanced at Sabrina, the girl was busily slicking Chloe's hair into a refreshed version of her signature ponytail, before meeting Chloe's eyes in the bathroom mirror.

A smirk twisted Chloe's features, sending a shiver down Marinette's spine. "Revenge, obviously."