A few days later subpoenas were issued to students and teachers across the college, a trial had already been set for the following Monday.
The police interrogated Lila and based solely on the terrorism charges; she was sent to a juvenile prison where she would remain for the duration of the trial. She of course denied everything, but when the police presented their case against her to the prosecutor, the judge had no choice but to issue subpoenas and set a date as soon as possible. The most damning charge in his mind was a conspiracy to commit terrorism, and if some of the other charges were correct he'd need to reach out to the International Criminal Court for them to do their own investigation.
Animosity toward Marinette was rampant, however, with the insistence of Gabriel, the Gorilla had been assigned to protect both Adrien and Marinette.
Soon the week had passed, and Monday was here, classes had been canceled as most, if not all, of the students and staff, had been subpoenaed to attend the trial.
Adrien and Marinette sat in the gallery surrounded by Nathalie, the Gorilla, and Gabriel. Some of the other students who had started to see Lila for what she was were seated near them. As for the Lila devotees, they were seated across the aisle and were shooting glares at those who would oppose their queen.
All too soon, the prosecutor started to lay out the case for the court, Lila was sitting at the defendant's table with her eyes glassed over, and the Public Defender making notes as he tried to get her to answer his questions. The poor young man had been picked to take the case by lottery drawing, no one wanted to be associated with a potential terrorist. It had gotten even worse when he visited her and tried to get her side of the story. He had meticulous copies of all the evidence, it had been well documented and delivered by the prosecutor the day after Lila had been arraigned, and it was very damning.
The young man sighed as he continued to make notes, this would be much easier if she would answer his questions. She looked catatonic, but he could see something brewing under the façade and he didn't like what it could mean.
All told, the day's hearing lasted only four hours, time in which the Prosecutor laid out the case and the Public Defender tried to spin it in his client's favor. After they had been released for the day, Lila had been ordered to remain in police custody for the duration of the trial, the Public Defender, a young man named Pierre Bazalgette, finally made his way home along with everyone else who had come for the trial.
Adrien and Marinette watched him gather his things and make his way out of the courtroom.
"I feel so bad for him," Marinette said as the doors closed behind the lawyer.
"So do I," Gabriel added as they all made their way toward the courthouse entrance. "He has not been given an easy assignment, no matter what happens he may not be able to find much work outside the Public Defender's office."
"Well, not much we can do about it right now," Adrien added as they pushed the doors open, their car already waiting for them as they were escorted out by the police. The Gorilla opened the door to allow them to enter, he closed it once everyone was inside.
"The prosecutor mentioned that they plan on calling the students and staff as witnesses before the others," Nathalie said as she checked her tablet. "It should take a week or two to get through all the students and staff, maybe longer. He said that you and Marinette would be the last to be called before they moved on to the celebrity witnesses."
"I think the next few weeks will be very interesting," Adrien said as he looked out the window before turning back to face the rest of his family. Internally he let out a massive sigh at that thought, he had an actual family now, a wife, his father, and, if he read the signs right, a stepmother. Of course, the Gorilla was like the uncle he always wanted and needed, while he couldn't speak, the man did give good advice and his fingers could fly over the phone's buttons when he needed to type a message.
"In what way?" Gabriel asked as he looked up from his tablet, having been checking on the production details of several pieces from the spring lineup.
"It'll be interesting to see where everyone stands regarding Lila," the younger Agreste replied.
"Ah, yes, that will be very interesting, won't it," Gabriel said as he tucked the tablet away and contemplated what Adrien said.
"I wonder if any will change their minds?" Marinette asked in a quiet voice, not sad, but contemplative.
"Well," Adrien told her as he took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles, "we'll find out very soon."
.o.0.o.
The prosecutor had underestimated the amount of time the defense would take to cross-examine and call their own witnesses from the staff and students. Instead of taking two weeks, it was approaching closer to four.
The entire trial was a media circus and Lila was eating it up and doing everything she could to spin her innocence. After the opening statements, she had come out of her stupor and had vociferously stated whenever possible her innocence.
Her devotees were just as vocal, although some of them were getting less vocal as the trial continued and more evidence and testimonies were presented. Unsurprisingly, Alya was among this second group. As the evidence against Lila piled up Alya could no longer hide the fact that she had bought every lie the Italian had spouted.
The reporter turned her gaze to where Adrien and Marinette were sitting. She couldn't help but notice that they were sitting very close to each other and would occasionally whisper something to the other. On Adrien's other side sat Nino, given the argument they'd had the other day Alya wasn't surprised. As she took a moment to look around the side of the room she found herself in, she couldn't help but notice more and more people were migrating to the other side. As she listened to the testimony of Principal Damocles regarding what has been termed the 'locket incident,' she could feel herself physically shrink in the seat as she realized the part she'd played and how she had not done a thing to help Marinette. Alya shrank even lower when CCTV footage of the locker room was played, and it clearly showed Lila planting the locket in Marinette's locker.
Once the video had finished and the prosecutor had finished his questioning regarding the current topic the defense rose to begin cross-examining the principal, well, former principal. When the Governing board started its investigation it uncovered many breaches of justice in Damocles' administration. It turns out that Marinette wasn't the only student to be unfairly treated by the principal who had a hero complex and felt his word was law. The board had fired him on the spot and placed an interim principal until a permanent one could be appointed. Alya had a feeling he would not be the last to lose his job, there were even whispers of civil suits on behalf of the students he had unjustly punished.
With a sigh, Alya tuned out the public defender as he started his cross-examination, not that it would do any good given the video evidence, but he still had a job to do.
Taking her phone from her pocket she sent a text to Nino.
Can we talk?
She looked over when she saw him jump a bit. He pulled the phone from his pocket and looked at the screen, his eyes darted in her direction when her name was shown. He unlocked the phone and read it before showing the message to Adrien and Marinette. Once they read the message they looked in her direction as well, Alya could not fight the feeling she was being judged and the result would seal her fate with the three. Adrien and Marinette leaned close and whispered for a moment before Adrien nodded at Nino. Her phone lit up a moment later.
At the bakery, once the judge dismisses us. Come alone.
Alya read it several times before she let out a sigh she didn't know she was holding. She quickly replied and put her phone away. Hopefully, the judge will dismiss the trial for the day soon, it was getting close to 4:30 and the jury was starting to look tired.
30 minutes later the public defender had closed his cross-examination for this specific item. The defense had mentioned they would be calling Damocles back to the stand later when new evidence was presented.
"Court is adjourned," the judge said a few minutes later, "we will reconvene in two days."
He banged his gavel, and the huissier de justice, the American equivalent would be the Bailiff, dismissed the courtroom as the judge left for his chambers.
Alya sighed as she rose and joined the masses leaving the courtroom.
As she made her way out she messaged her parents to ask for a ride to the bakery. She put her phone away once they agreed.
15 minutes later she was standing in front of the bakery door, hesitant to reach for the handle, several times a customer had entered or left, and the door swung close before her each time.
She knew she didn't deserve whatever opportunity was presenting itself, but she knew she had to try to take it, whatever it was.
Taking a deep breath she reached for the door and pulled it open, stepping through into the busy bakery.
Looking around she tried to spot her estranged boyfriend, but she failed to see him. Moving deeper into the bakery she was still looking around when a shadow fell over her, looking up she found the form of the Gorilla looming over her. Alya gulped and took a small step back, the Gorilla held up a finger and motioned her to follow him. He didn't wait for a response, he just turned and made his way to the stairs leading to the apartment upstairs, Alya had no choice but to follow.
Alya didn't say a word, she just followed, soon she found herself in the apartment of her once best friend with the door closing behind her and the Gorilla ushering her toward the living room.
Alya sat in the chair he indicated and waited in silence as the man disappeared up the stairs to the loft. A moment later he returned and took up a position just behind her and to the side. Alya gulped again at the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. Looking up she saw a very serious Nino walking toward her, Marinette and Adrien following him.
Nino took a seat in the chair opposite her while Adrien and Marinette sat on the loveseat nearby.
"So, talk," Nino said into the silence that followed. His face was unreadable and Alya had no idea how to approach the conversation. Taking a deep breath she just decided to get it over with.
"I'm sorry," she said as she looked at her hands in her lap, her eyes lifting to meet Nino's once the words escaped her lips. "I was wrong, about everything."
Nino contemplated the words for a moment before replying.
"It seems to me that I'm not the one you need to apologize to Alya."
The reporter nodded in confirmation but had trouble bringing herself to look at the pair sitting on the loveseat. For their part they just sat there, watching, one of Marinette's hands resting on top of Adrien's while the other hands were on the armrests. Alya wanted to comment on this but felt it was no longer her place.
"Mari…" she started only to be cut off by Adrien.
"You no longer have the privilege to call her that," he said without moving, a glare forming on his face, "you will address her as Marinette until she decides otherwise."
Alya quickly gulped and nodded.
"Marinette," she began, "I'm sorry, I can see now that everything Lila said was a lie."
"What do you want Alya?" Marinette asked.
"I…I just want things to be normal again."
"We all know that is not going to happen," Adrien spoke up, "especially not after you tried to attack me and all the other stuff you pulled."
"I know," she replied, "I just, I just hoped that I could at least get Nino back." She paused to stare at her hands before she continued. "I don't have any hopes of salvaging our relationship Marinette, but I want to at least be able to talk."
"Why? So you can twist everything I say to show I'm jealous of Lila? She never had anything I should be jealous of, Alya. She was a parasite feeding on your attention and when I called her on it she tried to destroy me, and she almost did. She even tried to drag Adrien through her lies, thank God he didn't let her."
Marinette squeezed his hand and gave him a smile which he returned, lifting her hand, and kissing the knuckles.
"She wanted him for her own, Ayla, not because she was in love with him, but because she wanted him as her property, like a trophy or a toy."
"I know, I can see that now," Alya replied as she looked at Marinette and Adrien.
"This," Adrien said as he gestured to his and Marinette's joined hands, "is not your concern Alya. You lost that right when you betrayed Mari."
Releasing her hand Adrien leaned forward to put his elbows on his knees and stare intently at Alya.
"So, we'll ask you again Alya, what do you want?"
Alya looked down at her hands, considering her next words carefully. She wanted to make this right, but she wasn't sure if she could.
"I understand that I've done a lot of damage," she said, "but I don't want to just disappear from your lives. We've been friends for so long, I just want a chance to make it right."
Marinette and Adrien exchanged a look, and she could tell they were considering her words. Nino looked at her, his expression softening just a little.
"I don't know, Alya," Marinette said, "You hurt us, hurt me. I mean, you stood by and let them expel me when you know I'd never do anything like that, yes you stood up for me with the exam answers, but after the stairs and pendant, you turned your back on me. Adrien had to make a deal with Lila to get the school to let me back in. That's not something I can just forget or forgive easily."
"I know, and I'm so sorry. I was just so caught up in everything Lila was saying. I never stopped to think about whether or not it was true. I just believed her, even when it didn't make sense, even when you offered me proof she was lying."
"Why?" Adrien asked, "Why would you believe someone who was clearly lying? You know that most of the things that Lila claimed to have done, Mari actually has done."
Alya sighed. "I guess I just wanted to believe that someone like Lila, who was so confident and seemed to have all these amazing experiences, would want to be friends with me. I was so blinded by that; that I couldn't see the truth even when it was right in front of me. Marinette may have done most of the things Lila claimed, but she never bragged about it or talked about it, Lila did. She made it sound so amazing and it was easy to forget that Marinette had done it for real."
There was silence in the room for a moment as everyone processed her words. Alya could feel her heart racing, wondering if she had just made things worse.
But then Nino spoke up.
"I think…" he hesitated, "I think we all need to take some time to think about this. It's not something that can be fixed overnight."
"I understand," Alya said, feeling a little relieved that the conversation wasn't over yet. "I'll do whatever it takes to make it right."
Marinette and Adrien exchanged another look, and she could see a glimmer of something in their eyes. Alya desperately hoped it was something good.
"Okay," Marinette said, "We'll think about it. But for now, we need some space."
Alya nodded, grateful for the chance to make things right. She stood up, ready to leave and give them the space they needed.
"Thank you," she said, "I'll do anything to make it right."
As she turned to leave, she heard Nino's voice call out to her.
"Alya, wait."
She turned back to see Nino standing up, a small smile on his face.
"Let's start with dinner. I'll pick you up at seven."
Alya felt her eyes fill with tears as she realized that maybe, just maybe, things could be okay again.
"Okay," she said, smiling back at him. "I'll be ready."
For the first time since the world around her began crashing down, Alya had a glimmer of hope that maybe she could get her friends back.
.o.0.o.
The trial started up again a few days later, the prosecutor presenting more evidence and calling witnesses to explain. By this time they had made it through all the students and teachers, Mr. Damocles was the only member of the administration required to stay and testify again, and based on the evidence only Adrien and Marinette were going to be called back again.
Today the prosecutor was going to bring up the incident that resulted in Marinette getting expelled, something that neither Adrien nor Marinette was looking forward to. The prosecutor had informed them that he would be calling Lila to the stand today. He hadn't needed to call her for the 'locket incident' since it was so straightforward, however, the CCTV only caught some of the stair incident, but what it did show proved that Marinette did not shove Lila down the stairs, and he was going to show the jury that.
As the session began, the courtroom was filled with an air of anticipation. Damocles had already been on the stand for about an hour and a half for both the testimony and cross-examination. He had been shown the video captured by the CCTV and had been asked to explain why he chose to not check the CCTV video system that he had overseen the installation of.
His testimony had not done him any favors in the court of public opinion, nor had it done anything to show that he had been competent in his dealings with Marinette and Lila's interactions. In the end, the man had slunk from the stand, disgraced in more ways than one. He had decided to not remain for the trial and had made his way out the courtroom doors and into the courthouse. No one saw him for the rest of the day.
The prosecutor stepped up to the stand and called Lila Rossi to the witness stand. Lila, with her typical confidence and swagger, took her place on the stand, ready to give her testimony.
"Ms. Rossi, can you tell us what happened on the day that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was expelled from school?" the prosecutor asked.
Lila began her tale, spinning her usual web of lies, saying that Marinette had pushed her down the stairs in a fit of anger. She portrayed herself as the victim, telling the court that Marinette was constantly bullying her and that she had no choice but to defend herself.
The prosecutor, however, was not going to let Lila get away with her lies so easily. He pressed on, grilling her with questions and pushing for the truth.
"Ms. Rossi, your story doesn't seem to match up with the evidence we have. Can you explain why that is?" the prosecutor asked, a hint of skepticism in his voice.
Lila shrugged nonchalantly, still trying to maintain her arrogant attitude. "I must have remembered the details wrong. It was a traumatic experience, after all," she said, playing the sympathy card.
The prosecutor was having none of it. "Really? Because the video footage clearly shows that you were not pushed down the stairs by Marinette Dupain-Cheng. In fact, it appears that you staged the whole thing."
Lila's expression changed for just a moment, a flash of fear crossing her face before she quickly composed herself. "That's not true! She pushed me, I swear!" she exclaimed, trying to save face.
The prosecutor was relentless. "The video speaks for itself, Ms. Rossi. You were caught in a deliberate act of deception, trying to frame an innocent person and get them expelled from school. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Lila was backed into a corner, her arrogant demeanor slipping for just a moment. But she quickly regained her composure and went on the offensive. "You're just trying to make me look bad! I'm the victim here, not Marinette! She's been bullying me for months, everyone knows it!" she yelled, trying to redirect the blame.
The prosecutor turned to the jury, speaking loudly and clearly so that there could be no mistaking his words.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this video clearly shows that Marinette Dupain-Cheng did not push Ms. Rossi down the stairs. This was a deliberate act of deception by the witness, designed to frame an innocent person and get them expelled from school."
Adrien and Marinette sat back in their seats, relieved that the truth was finally being revealed. They knew that it would be a long road ahead, but they were grateful for the support of their friends and family, and they were determined to see this trial through to the end. Now they just had to sit through the cross-examination and the lies Lila would spout.
As the cross-examination began, Pierre Bazalgette, the public defender assigned to represent Lila, stepped forward to the stand. He began by establishing a rapport with Lila, asking her about her background and her life before the events in question.
"Ms. Rossi, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?" Mr. Bazalgette asked, trying to build a foundation of trust with the witness.
Lila replied, "Well, I've been through a lot. I've been bullied my whole life and I've always had to fight to defend myself."
"And, if I may ask," Mr. Bazalgette continued, "You mentioned to your teachers and classmates on several occasions that you have a 'lying disease'. Can you tell us more about that?"
Lila nodded. "Yes, I was diagnosed with a rare medical condition that causes me to lie compulsively. I can't help it; it's just how my brain is wired."
Bazalgette nodded and continued his cross-examination. "Ms. Rossi, can you tell us more about this lying disease? When were you diagnosed? Who diagnosed you? What are the symptoms?"
Lila hesitated, looking uncomfortable. "I-I was diagnosed by a psychologist, about a year ago. The symptoms include an uncontrollable urge to lie and fabricate stories. It can be very distressing, especially when people don't believe me."
Mr. Bazalgette nodded understandingly. "I see. So, if I understand correctly, you're telling us that when you accused Marinette Dupain-Cheng of pushing you down the stairs, you were lying?"
Lila hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Yes, I was lying. But I couldn't help it. My condition made me do it."
Mr. Bazalgette then turned to the jury, trying to make them see Lila in a sympathetic light. "Ladies and gentlemen, this young woman is suffering from a serious medical condition that causes her to lie uncontrollably. We cannot hold her responsible for her actions."
The prosecutor, seeing the direction that Mr. Bazalgette's line of questioning was going in, stepped forward and interrupted. "Objection, Your Honor! The defendant's medical condition is irrelevant. The fact remains that she deliberately lied about a serious incident, and that is but one thing that is on trial here. Additionally, there is no such disease as a 'lying disease' recorded in any medical records. This is simply a convenient excuse for the witness to use to cover up her crimes. I challenge the defense to produce this psychologist's report as it was not disclosed during the initial investigation, nor has it been mentioned before now."
The judge nodded and sustained the objection. Pierre knew that he had a tough case ahead of him, but he was determined to do everything in his power to get Lila cleared of the charges against her, at least until the judge spoke again.
"Mr. Bazalgette, do you have any medical records or expert witness testimony to support this claim?"
Pierre was caught off guard by the judge's question. "I-I, um, I will have to check, your honor."
The judge nodded. "Very well, we will reconvene tomorrow and see if the defense has any evidence to support this claim."
With that, the trial adjourned for the day, and reporters and audience members were all talking about the new development.
The Agreste party just sat and watched as Lila was escorted from the room by the huissier de justice, a smirk on her face as she disappeared through the doors.
No one said a word as they stood and made their way to the waiting car.
"Well, that was an interesting development," Gabriel remarked once they were on the road.
"Indeed," Nathalie replied as she scrolled through information on her tablet, "Ms. Rossi threw the defense for a loop. He had no idea that a report like that might exist, which, according to everything we have gathered and turned over, does not exist. Based upon the timeframe Ms. Rossi gave she was still in the employment of this company and was covered by the corporate healthcare plan. The provider for the plan shows that Ms. Rossi did not visit any psychologist, at least not using our healthcare plan."
"Knowing Lila, she would have used the plan to make sure she had the best doctor too, she would not rely on the public system," Adrien added as he looked out the window in thought, Marinette was cuddled up against him, her eyes closed in contentment.
"That was my assessment as well," Nathalie replied as she put her tablet away and turned to face the other occupants, most of whom were deep in thought.
"Well then," she began as she addressed them all, "what shall we do for dinner tonight? The chef sent me several options to pick."
"Could we invite my parents?" Marinette asked from her ball of contentment, one of Adrien's arms draped over her and Tikki and Plagg both curled against her neck.
"Of course," Nathalie replied even as she pulled her phone from her pocket to make the call.
"Thank you," Marinette replied sleepily as she drifted off to sleep.
Adrien just smiled down at her as he stroked her hair. His smile grew when the Gorilla changed direction to head toward the bakery. He had a feeling it would be a very pleasant evening.