Nino and Alya stood outside school, waiting for Marinette and Adrien to arrive. Nino had sent Adrien a message asking if he had a photoshoot this morning, and he had said he didn't. That was good since the trio wanted to ask if he wanted to join in on their scheme. They called it that, just for the fun of it. And because Alya liked to say the word scheme.

The familiar limo pulled to a stop. Nino, and Alya felt giddy as they noticed the blonds mop. They didn't expect him to look sad and disgusted, mouthing 'I'm sorry' to him. But it didn't take longer than a few seconds before they understood. Behind him, Lila climbed out of the limo. She clinged to Adrien as she thanked the gorilla before he drove away.

Why was Lila with Adrien this morning? And why was she clinging to him?

"Eh… Hey dude. What's up?" Nino managed to sound somewhat normal despite the situation.

"Oh well I…" Adrien began but was quickly cut off.

"Oh, it's such a good morning today, isn't it?" Lila answered for him.

"It was a good morning." Alya muttered to herself, making Lila tilt her head as she couldn't quite hear her.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Nothing. It is a good morning." Alya put on her biggest, brightest fake smile she could. Nino mentally facepalmed and Adrien looked uncomfortable. But somehow, Lila didn't notice it. She kept going on about her morning with Gabriel Agrest. She claimed to have a meeting with him to discuss future projects. And a possible raise. And how Gabriel wanted her to move in with them as he apparently saw her as a daughter-in-law.

"Isn't that so cute, Adrien?" Lila squeezed his arm, making him flinch.

"No, it's not." he couldn't deal with this. Not now. Not after yesterday. Not after noticing Marinette coming towards them, looking confused and hurt. He felt embarrassed that she saw him with the liar in tow, and the last thing he wanted to do was to hurt her. Wait, what?

"What do you mean?" Lila asked nervously, trying to drag him with her for a private conversation.

Adrien pulled his arm free. "You heard me! It is not cute. It's horrifying to think that my father would pair me up with you. I'd rather date Chloe than you."

He could physically feel Marinette tense up from his words, even though she stood a good few feets away from him. Her eyes began to water, but she stayed strong. Instead of running away, she walked to their classroom.

"No, that was not what I meant to say. Damn it!" he swore to himself.

Nino had to hide his face behind Alyas head as he tried to hide the laughter bubbling up. Lila's face, the look of sheer disbelief. Her eyes, screaming at Adrien to obey him. It was too much.

Alya could feel her boyfriends shaking behind her and had to bite her cheek to stop the smirk that wanted to surface. "How does it feel to be on the other side, Liar?" she thought to herself.

"Well, we don't want to be late for class now, do we?" Alya said and nudged Nino to follow her so he could stay hidden. Adrien proudly stood tall and turned away from Lila as he followed his friends.

"You will pay for this" Lila thought as she bit her thumb nail. She was brought back to reality from the sound of a vehicle. Since there was someone looking for her that drove a car, she didn't even look that way. She ran up the stairs, fearful of him finding her. She hated to feel like that. She had to do something about that girl before he would find her.

—

Marinette sat at the back of the class as everyone entered. Alya was hoping Marinette would have taken her rightful seat back from Lila, but to her surprise Marinette was still sitting in the back. She tried to wave at her, but couldn't catch her attention. With a heavy heart, she sat in her seat. She typed something on her phone and sent it, hearing Marinette's phone chime at the sound.

Alya: "R u ok?"

Mari: "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Alya: "Y won't u sit in ur seat?"

Mari: "I'm keeping Catie company."

That made sense. Alya felt satisfied with that answer, but felt like Marinette wasn't telling the entire story. She would have to ask her at recess.

Ms. Bustier stood by her board when Catie entered the classroom just in time as the bell rang, but where was Lila? She had arrived with Adrien, so why hadn't she come to class?

"Good morning." Ms Bustier greeted the class.

"Good morning, Ms. Bustier."

"I'll start with a roll call, then we'll get on with today's lesson."

Ms. Bustier started to call each student. When she called Lilas name, as if it was staged, Lila burst through the door looking like she was crying.

Marinette cringed, as did Alya and Adrien. Nino couldn't care less. What was she up to now?

"Lila, how good of you to join us." Ms. Bustier said with her friendly smile.

"I-I'm so-sorry I'm late. I was…" she looked up at Catie, giving a subtle smirk that barely anyone noticed before she burst out crying. "I don't want to be a snitch." she cried in her hands.

"What's wrong?" Ms. Bustier said as she went over to her student.

"Yeah, tell us!" Kim shouted.

"I-I don't think… I can…" Lila continued sobbing.

"Would you feel more comfortable to tell me outside?" the good-hearted teacher offered.

Marinette figured it would be something she had done to Lila again, since it always was like that when she acted this way. Well, at least some of her friends had started to see the truth.

"I don't think she would let me." Lila kept her act going.

"Who?"

"Yeah, who?" Max said as well.

Lila didn't say anything, but pointed towards the back of the class. They all turned to look the way she pointed, but felt a slightly unnerving feeling when they figured out who she pointed at.

"Do you mean Catie?" Sabrina was the one who finally spoke.

This caught the attention of both Catie and Marinette. Neither were prepared for that. Nor was Alya or Adrien. Nino felt somewhat relieved it wasn't Marinette this time that was accused, but that didn't mean he still wasn't unhappy with the way the liar could accuse someone.

"She… She told me… She told me outside that…" Lila said between sobs.

"Catie! What did you say?" Kim stood up and turned to a puzzled Catie.

"I don't know. I didn't say anything. She ran inside before I even stepped out of my dads car. There was no one in close proximity to the classroom when I entered. I went straight from my dads car to the classroom. So whatever she says I said, I don't know where or whom she heard it from." she stated, no hesitation, no need to think. Straight to the point. Still looking puzzled, but also looking bored.

Ms. Bustier didn't know what to believe. She was in the classroom when Catie entered.

"She told me that I was faking it. That I was a liar and everyone would hate me for it. She told me she would photoshop every picture until you believed her over me. That you were to stupid to notice." Lila had to bite her tongue to not laugh at her brilliant plan. If Catie could plant seeds of doubt, then so could she. It would only be a matter of time until her lies would grow big enough to have Catie out of here.

"Did she now?" Alya looked back at Catie, before she quickly glanced over at Marinette. Their silent conversation said it all. It was now or nothing.

"Well, I don't believe Catie would say something like that." Alya crossed her arms looking bored.

Silence…

"What is she doing? Why won't she believe me? She was always the first one to jump to my defense." Lila fought the urge to grit her teeth in rage.

"Are you serious?" Ivan spoke up this time.

"What do you mean?" Mylene then followed, feeling brave after Ivan had spoken.

"Well, why photoshop pictures when you aren't even going to show them around? Seems like a waste of time."

"That does seem unlikely." Max said as he corrected his glasses.

"No one would do that." Adrien spoke next. Since he was a model, he knew the time it took to edit photos after a shoot. And that was just editing.

"A-Adrien…" Lila genuinely felt betrayed. She hoped he would defend her like he had like the last time. It had to do something with the outburst this morning.

"If it is about the snow cave incident, you can look it up. There were several news articles written about it. Although I don't think any of you can read the magazines from Japan. So I suggest you look for the New York Times or the Sun." Catie still looked bored. She hated to talk about herself, but what choice did she have?

"Markov. Will you please look up the articles about Catie Summers." Max asked his robot companion.

"You might have to look for Catherine Summers. They used my full name." Catie cringed at uttering that name.

It took only a minute before Markov spoke.

"Affirmative. I found many articles about Catherine Summers. Most are articles about how she and a group of friends got stranded on Mt. Fuji and had to dig a hole in the snow to survive. I can also find articles about her in Brazil. She caught a soccer ball at a game where one player had accidentally shot it into the crowd. She can be seen in the picture smiling with said player."

Catie cringed at that memory. She had almost forgotten it. It was after that time people started to demand they get into contact with that player because of that. She had bragged a little about how she got to pose for a picture with him, but she had never said she knew him. But the kids she had spoken to about it twisted it into her knowing him and harassed her after that because they wanted to meet their idol. Thankfully they had to move again six months later.

"You've been to Brazil?" Kim lit up.

"Um… Well yeah. We lived there for about a year before we moved again. But it was a long time ago." Catie felt embarrassed to have to talk about that.

"That's amazing!" Rose piped up.

"What the hell? This was not how it was supposed to go!" Lila felt the anger rise. How could they not take her side? They had always done that?

"Alright class, settle down." Ms. Bustier clapped to try to get the students' attention. "Lila, would you be so kind as to take your seat so we can begin our lesson?"

It was like the class had already forgotten about her outburst and accusation. Her fake sobbing had halted the moment Catie had mentioned the articles. Stupid reporters! Stupid Markov! She won't give up so easily.

—

Lila was seething in her seat. Alya had scooted further away from the liar, and that seemed to have ticked her off more. Nino and Adrien could feel the anger coming from her. Adrien gave Plagg a nod, telling the kwami to look out for any akumas coming their way. Marinette had also done the same to Tikki.

The lesson was boring, but everyone seemed to be more focused on the topic than on Lilas outburst. In fact, she hoped the other students would whisper about it at least. But instead she could hear whispers about Catie living in Brazil. She didn't understand why no one came to her defense like they always did. What was wrong with them? Especially Alya, who always seemed to have run to Lila whenever something was wrong. Maybe she needed to stage a fall out, or maybe she could fake being pushed down the stairs again. She needed Catie gone. She could ruin everything Lila had worked hard for. Well, not worked but lied to get the attention. That was perfect! She had to get Catie alone somehow and make it look like she had injured her. That could work.

Alya glanced over at Lila, noticing how she seemed to have calmed down. "She's planning something." Alya thought, but couldn't send a message in case Lila would see. She had to tell them as soon as they left for recess.

—

"Okay class. I'll see you again after gym class." Ms. Bustier said as the bell rang.

"Perfect! I can definitely blame Catie for an 'accident' in gym class." Lila couldn't hide her smug face as she left the classroom.

Alya waited until the liar left the room before she waved at Marinette to come over. She didn't want to draw too much attention, but this had to be addressed now. She pointed at Catie to come too, since she figured it had to do something with her.

"What's going on? You seem agitated." Marinette said in a low voice as she sat down next to Alya. Catie placed herself on the floor on her other side.

"Lila is planning something. She looked pissed off during the first half of the lesson. I guess it was because no one believed her story about Catie." Alya looked around. So much for not drawing attention.

"Yeah, I could feel it too. It gave me chills honestly. But now that you mention it, it did calm down after a bit. But I figured it was because she decided to let go." Adrien rubbed his arms to warm himself up.

"No, Adrien. Lila never lets things go. She builds on it until she can't anymore, and even then she won't let go." Marinette sighed. She had first hand experience with this.

"No, I don't think she let it go."

"What do you mean, babe?" Nino asked the brunette.

"I glanced over at her. And honestly, it gave me chills. She smirked, like she had just found the biggest scoop. I don't know what she's planning, but it seems to be big."

"I wonder if it's me she's after." Catie sighed. "It was only a matter of time. Since she tried to discredit me with that statement about the pictures and stuff, I guess she would be planning to use gym class as an excuse."

"No, I don't think so. Lila most of the time just shows up and sit on the sidelines because she is 'injured' somewhere." Adrien said.

"But she has attended some classes, and sustained 'injuries' to be excused." Marinette thought back.

"Then I guess she will get 'injured' during gym class and try to blame it on me." Catie shook her head. "I'm starting to think it was a mistake for dad to take this job. We should've just stayed in Achu."

"Then we will be there to make sure it won't happen. We have to try and keep you apart so that she can't do that." Alya said as she put her hand on Caties shoulder.

"It is an idea. But what do we do if the teacher pairs you two?" Marinette looked worried.

"We just have to wait and see then I guess." Nino shook his head in disbelief. How could he have been so blind to the cunning girls' schemes?

—

As they suspected, Lila had planned to attend class this time. No fake injuries or her 'arthritis acting up'. The other classmates were thrilled that Lila was attending, while the group felt on edge. Well, not Catie. She figured if Lila would pin an accident on her, she could do the same.

This was not Caties' first rodeo. Not that she would tell the others about it. As long as she didn't get injured herself, she would never use her EDS as a weapon. That was one of Catie's biggest issues with Lila. Catie had never met someone who had used an illness or an injury as an excuse. Not once during her life, moving around. She had met people who had hid it, not wanting to talk about it. She was also a member of an online group for teens with EDS, and one for military kids. Nowhere had she encountered anyone who would weaponise whatever they struggled with, be it mental, physical or even amputated.

The teacher announced they would play volleyball. It didn't take long before Lila would tell a tale of how she was once scouted to play professional volleyball, but had to decline because of her arthritis. Catie could only roll her eyes as the girls on Lilas' team gushed over her.

Lila would play with Rose, Alix and Mylene. Catie was on her own team with Juleka, Marinette and Alya. Chloe and Sabrina sat on the side refusing to participate. Well, Chloe was, and Sabrina had to do what Chloe wanted. Even though she wanted to play as well.

"So far so good." Alya thought as she gathered her team.

Catie looked over at Lila, and saw the smirk that quickly disappeared when she noticed. Catie smiled and waved at Lila, a friendly gesture, but she figured Lila would somehow twist it into her taunting or something.

While the boys had already started (Marinette had to be brought back to reality several times as she was found gawking at Adrien), the girls were setting up. They decided to put Marinette in the front, so she would have to focus on the net. Being in the back meant she would be distracted by her crush.

Catie would be at the front with Marinette, and of course Lila would stand right in front of her on the other side of the net.

"Typical. Oh well. I just hope my feet won't give up on me, or my wrists for that matter." she thought as she readied herself.

The first few sets were uneventful. No one got injured and both teams scored, Lilas' team taking the lead. But then Catie's team took the lead, and they kept getting scores.

As the ball reached Catie, Lila saw her chance and jumped to block. But she didn't block with her hands. She screamed as her butt hit the ground while she rubbed her nose. She had blocked the ball with her face. She hadn't plan that. She had something else planned, something that didn't hurt. But she could use this! "You screwed up!"

"Lila! Are you okay?" Mylene and Alix were quickly by her side to help her up while Rose got the teacher.

"You did that on purpose!" Lila cried as she pointed at Catie with her free hand, the other still holding on to her nose.

Alix and Mylene looked uncomfortable, while Catie looked bored.

"And how would I have done that?" Catie simply asked. She didn't need Marinette or Alya to step in for her defense. This was like deja vu. It had happened both in Brazil and Germany.

"You knew I was going to jump and block, so you directed the ball to hit me in the face!"

Catie sighed, crossed her arms and just stood there. Looking straight at Lila, who started to feel uncomfortable herself.

"In volleyball, you jump and smash the ball over the net to score. You also jump and block it. If you didn't think to hide your face while doing so, how is that my fault?"

"Catie, please! Be a little considerate. It's not every gym class Lila attends." Rose looked angry. Lila bit her cheek, but cheered inside her head. Finally someone would defend her.

"Rose…" Marinette began but was stopped by Caties' hand in her face.

"Wasn't it you Lila who had played professionally before?" Catie simply asked, still looking bored.

"Well I-I…"

"If you had played professionally, then you would've known that sometimes the ball won't go the way you want to. I was anticipating you jumping, so I was aiming for the floor below you. If you had played professionally as you said, you would've read my intentions and positioned yourself accordingly. The fact that you moved close enough for it to hit you in the face means that you clearly didn't anticipate my aim. In fact, it tells me that you didn't know what you were doing."

Marinette could have done cartwheels while hugging Catie from her statement, but she held herself. No one had spoken to Lila like that. It felt so satisfying.

"Are you saying I'm a liar?" Lila put on her best crying face while Rose and Mylene rubbed her back. Alix had taken several steps back as she didn't want to be involved anymore.

"I'm just saying that you might have forgotten a few things since you played professionally. Maybe you haven't played as much since you have arthritis, like I haven't played much because of my EDS." Catie gave a playful smile as she stretched out her hand.

Lila inwardly cringed. She didn't want to take this girls' hand. But she had to. If she didn't, the others would say she was petty. She gave her best fake smile as she took Caties' hand. She was then helped to stand.

"I'm sorry it hit you. It was not my intention to do so. But your nose seems fine, and no other injuries. Shall we continue to play?" Catie dissolved the situation easily, no shouting, no fighting. Just straight up facts, and even an apology. Even if one would think Catie didn't have to apologize, Catie was taught to say sorry even if it was an accident.
"How would someone know it was an accident if you don't apologize for it?" her father used to say. "That way no one can blame it on you later."

With that, Lila couldn't even say she was injured anywhere else as she was standing on her feet, no blood running down her nose and the fact that Catie had used both of Lilas' hands to help her up. "Damn you! Damn you to hell!"

The rest of the class went without a hitch. The boys and the teacher had witnessed the whole thing, so there really was no wriggle room for Lila to spin it in whatever way she wanted to. She could hear the boys talking as they took a break while the girls finished.

"Do you think Lila made it up about her playing professionally?" Kim said after he took a big sip of water.

"Catie made a fair point. She should have anticipated the balls' movement if she had." Max sat leaning against the wall as he fanned his overheating head.

"It was the apology for me. It was an accident, yet she apologized and even offered help. It was a noble thing to do." Adrien smirked into his water bottle. He felt proud of the new girl for how she handled the situation.

"You are so right, dude!"

The boys moved into the locker room to continue the conversation as the lesson had ended. Lila cursed under her breath. How could everyone turn to that brats' side instead of defending her?! Catie would pay. So hard she would wish she was never born.

"Or maybe it was because of her injuries that she hasn't played for a long time." Ivan wanted to be a part of the conversation again. "But what is EDS?"

"Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome." Max had made a note to look it up after he accidentally heard the girls talking about it in the hallway one day.

"What's that?" Nino asked. He had tried to get Alya to spill it after their conversation in the cafeteria, but she kept saying she had made a promise so she wouldn't say anything. If he wanted to know he would have to ask Catie, but she refused to say anything.

"It's a medical condition that affects the joints and skin, making the skin to bruise easily and joints to dislocate more often than normal." Max explained as simply as he could. There was so much to read about, and so many different types of EDS, but he figured it was the gist of it. He didn't know which type Catie had, but since she didn't want to talk about it he figured it would be useless to ask.

"Wait, what?!" Kim and Nino shouted.

"Are you serious?" Adrien managed to keep her voice low, but was still shocked. "Was that why she struggled up the stairs when she came back after being away for a week?"

"If she has that, why is she playing volleyball? Or attending gym class at all?" Nathaniel started to worry about the girl.

"She could seriously injure herself!" Ivan shared the worry.

"Dude, what are you thinking about?" Nino noticed that Adrien looked like he was deep in thought.

"Do you…" He began but shook his head. "Remember a few weeks ago when Catie was absent for a whole week and then came back limping?" His eyes grew in realization the more he talked. What had Marinette said, that she was pushed?

"Oh yeah. She had to use a tablet to write on and was laughed at by our gym teacher because she wanted to participate." Nino wondered where his blonde friend was going with this.

"Are you saying she sustained injuries because of her condition?" Max had a hard time following his train of thoughts.

"No, well sort of. When I got to school that day, I saw Marinette helping Catie up the stairs. She looked really pale and in so much pain. Anyway, I asked what had happened and Catie said she fell and was injured."

"So she fell and triggered some joints to dislocate?" Kim knew it could happen.

"No. Marinette said something else." His face turned pale and he sat down. Why would someone do that? With what he knew now, he could only think of one person.

"What did she say?"

"She said… That Catie was pushed in front of a car."

—