The room was dead silent, save for the ambience of pencils scribbling on paper. Madame Mendeleiev may have been a harsh teacher, but she knew how to run a classroom effectively - and especially during a test.
It had been quite the eventful weekend, given the city was still reeling from the Jagged Stone concert last week. The students of Dupont were still gushing about the musician and his outlandish style. The number one trending topic on Twitter had been a post-concert interview with Nadja Chamack in which he gushed about an up-and-coming designer giving him the sunglasses worn during the concert. #EiffelTowered was on everyone's lips, it seemed like, and everyone was wondering just who on earth it could be. The man himself had been surprisingly tight-lipped; no doubt his manager had firmly told him to zip it.
Only a few knew the truth; Marinette had taken it in stride for the afternoon, but had squealed about it later to Alya. No doubt she could trust Felix and Adrien not to talk about it, given the younger boy had pinky-promised he wouldn't (and Felix had assured her he was serious). And Felix... well, he hadn't given her ample reason to doubt him yet. There was the incident with the bowler hat, but luckily for her she had thought to switch out the feathers in time before she earned Gabriel Agreste's ire.
Chewing on her index finger, she scribbled down another answer before glancing out the window. It was a beautiful morning.
Suddenly, from a couple of rows back, Chloe let out a shrill noise and startled the class.
Madame Mendeleiev scowled at the blonde as she whirled about. "Miss Bourgeois! This is a test!"
"Something just pinched me!" The girl insisted, rubbing her sore arm and looking around the room.
"I don't care for excuses today. One more peep out of you and you're going to the principal!"
Chloe made a face, but didn't argue, and as she tried to focus on her paper again, Marinette glanced over at Juleka with wide eyes. Juleka mirrored her surprise with shrugged shoulders.
Marinette's eyes narrowed, and she ventured a glance back at Chloe for a moment, then her gaze shifted to the empty seat beside her. Actually, come to think of it, the girl had been surprisingly quiet all morning. She hadn't even told her that her shoes were outdated when she ventured a greeting. And with Sabrina out sick...
But what could be wrong? Her father's approval was high as usual, and as far as she knew, nothing horrible had happened to her lately...
"If this means she'll stay away from me, then I guess I'm kinda glad," she thought cheerfully. Then, after a moment, she shook her head. "What is wrong with me...? I can't believe I just thought that."
From the other side of the room, a blond boy watched as the mayor's darling squirmed in her seat, face twisted uncomfortably. His eyes slowly slid down to a crease in her blouse, an oddly-placed wrinkle on her side. The seat beside her was empty... What in the heck was she doing, sitting like that?
He blinked as she finally let out a loud "OW! STOP IT!"
"Miss Bourgeois! Principal's office, now!" Their teacher boomed, pointing towards the door.
"It's not even my fault!" She finally argued, tears pricking her eyes as her arm went to her side stiffly. "Something is messing with me!"
"I don't care for excuses today!" Mendeleiev repeated sternly, staring her down through her glasses. "I won't ask you again. Go or get lunch detention!"
With a whimpering growl, Chloe stomped her way through the classroom, her flats slapping the tile. As she crossed the threshold, something seemed to trip her up and she fell with a yelp to the floor.
Several students let out muted snickering, but upon Madame Mendeleiev's sharp look around the classroom, the laughter stopped.
Marinette bit her lip, staring after the girl with concern. "If only we weren't in science right now..."
"Back to work!" Their teacher instructed.
Several seats back, Ivan glanced down at Chloe's abandoned paper and took a double-take at the red ink scribbled on it: YOU BIG FAT LIAR
The moment class was over, Marinette all but leapt from her seat, grabbed her things, and made for the door.
As soon as she was outside, she hurried to the locker room on the first floor - and as soon as the door was shut, Tikki crept from her hiding place, concerned.
"Something's wrong, Tikki, and I think I know who's behind it," she said as she unlocked the locker and put her things away. "But who's the akuma this time?"
"There has to be a clue somewhere," the being responded with a hum. "Who would have a grudge against Chloe this time?"
"Believe me, if I knew I'd be finding them by now." Marinette huffed, leaning against the metal for a moment before her eyes narrowed. "The better question is, who doesn't have a grudge against her?"
"You raise a good point." The avatar of the Ladybug offered a kind smile before tucking herself back into her holder's purse. "I know you can figure it out, Marinette. And don't forget to get to class on time!"
"Right!" With a triumphant smile, she marched out of the locker room.
As she rounded the corner, she squeaked as she walked right into Adrien, sending her stumbling back a few steps. Adrien grunted, rubbing his chest, and she gasped. "Oh, crap, sorry! Are you okay?"
"Just fine," he answered with a terse smile. "What's the rush?"
"On a little errand." Her eyes darted around until she caught a glimpse of Chloe, and her eyes narrowed before she gave him an awkward attempt at a grin and a shrug. "Uh, see you in class?"
Adrien watched her scramble up the stairs, bewildered, before slowly following her.
"Ugh, stupid principal," Chloe huffed to herself as she tentatively made her way down the hall, still gingerly rubbing the bruise on her thigh from where she'd hit the stairs. "It's not my fault this time! Maybe... maybe I'm haunted? Maybe I'm cursed? How am I gonna explain this one to Daddy?!"
So absorbed in her own monologue was she that she didn't see the ribbon slowly being stretched across the walkway in front of her.
"Honestly, maybe I should've stayed home today-yeeeeeeee-?!"
"Watch out!" Marinette hollered from behind, grabbing the back of her shirt and yanking her back just as her foot snagged on the ribbon. Chloe shrieked, flailing around at the sudden pull, and ended up making the girl fall back with her.
With a groan, Marinette felt her back hit the floor with a painful spasm. "That's... gonna leave a bruise..."
"What the-? Dupain-Cheng?!" Chloe twisted around, a glower forming on her face as she snarled, "What in the heck do you think you're doing?! This shirt is worth more than you'll see in a year!"
Rolling her eyes with a huff of a sigh, the pigtailed girl merely gestured to the now-limp ribbon lying on the floor in front of them. "Saving you from a fall? You're welcome for that, by the way - instead of hurting yourself by falling on your face, you had something softer to land on."
The blonde sputtered for a moment, looking between her nemesis and the cheerful yellow ribbon and back. "I- I didn't ask for your help! I could've caught myself! Just great, now you got my jeans dirty. Do you know how hard it is keeping white jeans white? These are dry-clean only! If I find even a speck of mud on them I'm sending you the bill!"
"You're welcome," she sighed to herself as Chloe scrambled to her feet. Getting up with a grunt, she inspected the ribbon with a narrowed eye. "Yellow. Isn't this one of yours?"
Chloe stopped short. "Huh?"
"This is satin," she explained, rubbing the material between her thumb and forefinger. "You're the only person I know who would buy satin ribbons in this shade of yellow."
For a moment, her hand went to her ponytail - and then she scowled, snatching the ribbon from her hand. "Well, if it is mine, I won't have you dirtying it with your commoner germs!"
Annoyance finally at its peak, Marinette stood and sent her a glare. "Okay, what is your problem today?"
"What's my problem? I'll tell you what's my problem! My entire day has been ruined by some- some thing that won't leave me alone!" Chloe threw her arms in the air in exasperation, voice raising until students walking below stopped and looked up, surprised. "Hiding my favorite shoes, making me poke myself with my eyeliner pencil, pulling my hair, tripping me, pulling my brand-new blouse-" she pointed a finger at Marinette's chest hard. "And to top it all off, I have to deal with you after I have to have a talk with the principal! I'm not going crazy, something is haunting me!"
Blinking, the girl's eyes began to wander when she noticed a weirdly-warped spot of air behind Chloe, all the while the girl kept ranting. "I am so sick of today! I made a fool of myself in front of Adrikins, I get scolded for something I didn't do, and now I have an ugly bruise on my leg! It's gonna take at least a week to get rid of-"
She was interrupted by something yanking her backwards, making her shriek again in pain. "OW! STOP! MY HAIR!"
Marinette's eyes narrowed, and she grabbed Chloe's wrists and pulled her forward, making her yell louder.
A door slamming open made them look up. "What is going on out here?!" Principal Damocles demanded, face beet-red with anger as he surveyed the girls. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Chloe Bourgeois, my office, now!"
Whatever force seemed to suddenly let go of her, and the two girls' heads banged together painfully, earning a yelp from both of them.
Rubbing her head, Chloe blinked back tears of pain and glared at her. "Thanks for nothing," she seethed, before turning and storming off towards the principal's office.
Marinette remained behind, a frown forming on her face. "So that's it," she murmured to herself, casting a glance at her bag before making her own way to the office.
What was with Chloe today?
Adrien watched as she stormed into class a minute late, eyes glassier than usual and a glare that could kill. Slumping into her seat, she hid her face in her crossed arms, askew ponytail falling over her shoulder. Only a few seconds after her, Marinette walked in with a thoughtful look on her face. Locking eyes with him, she shrugged and mouthed "talk later" before finding her spot next to Alya.
Humming to himself, he took out his notebook and glanced around the class. Despite the circumstances, everyone seemed to be acting as normally as they usually did. Despite the scene in Science that morning, not a single factor was out of place.
Something was wrong.
Subtly looking towards Chloe, he noticed something strange over her free shoulder. A warped, almost flickering patch of air that was visible for only a scant moment before disappearing again. Whatever that was, it was right next to Chloe - and if she didn't realize it was there...
There was a loud thwack and a cry of pain as a book flew across the room before hitting its target. All eyes looked up, stunned, to see a book seemingly hit nothing and drop to the floor. Chloe flinched, looking up with a bewildered (and subtly wet) face.
"Oops, sorry," he said, putting on his best innocent voice, "I twitched. Did I hit anyone?"
Miss Bustier coughed awkwardly. "Uh, no, Adrien, you didn't."
"Oh, good." With his best smile, he sheepishly shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry, Chloe, I didn't mean to scare you."
"I- it's..." she stumbled for a moment over her own words, "it's fine, Adrikins."
Got you.
Marinette raised her hand. "Uh, Miss Bustier? I'm so sorry, I forgot my pencil bag in the locker room. May I go get it really quick?"
"Uh... sure?"
"Thank you!" The girl all but leapt from her seat, giving Adrien a grateful look as she raced from the room.
The boy covered his mouth to conceal his smirk. Looks like she was quicker than he gave her credit for.
"Miss Bustier, Chloe doesn't look well," he spoke up again, giving her a wide-eyed expression. "Could I take her to the nurse?"
Miss Bustier stopped short and frowned at him this time. "Adrien... while I appreciate your concern over your friend, I really do have to get my lesson started."
"Please," he insisted.
Chloe looked between them for several long seconds, torn. Then she raised her hand hesitantly. "Yeah, Miss Bustier, I really don't feel good. Can I see the nurse?"
The teacher looked at her, eyes narrowing for a moment, before she heaved a sigh. "Alright. Adrien, you'll be responsible for making sure she has notes on what I discuss today."
"Of course, Miss." Nodding, he made his way down the aisle and not-too-subtly bumped into whatever was standing near Chloe. Whatever it was, he could feel its glare as he tugged at Chloe's wrist, pulling her out of her seat.
The two packed her up in silence, and it was only once she was out of the room that she whispered, "You're not Adrikins."
"Hm?" He turned slightly to look at her out of the corner of his eye. "What makes you say that?"
"My Adrikins wouldn't grab my wrist like that." Tugging it out of his grip, her eyes narrowed at him. "Where is he, Felix? Out sick again?"
For a moment, he kept up the act a little more. Then he heaved a sigh, as if this was a waste of his time, and shrugged. "You always were frustratingly astute, weren't you, Bourgeois?"
"Answer me."
"Alright, alright, yes, he's sick." Rolling his eyes, he folded his arms across his chest and inched away from her. "He and I mutually agreed I'm far superior at acting like him than he is acting like me, so this was the compromise. He gets to rest, and I get to keep up his attendance."
The girl didn't say anything in response, merely squinting at him.
"You should be thanking me," he mused. "I got you away from an akuma."
Her heart skipped a beat. She stopped short, uttering a shaky, "... What?"
"Oh come now, surely you noticed that little invisible person following you around." Rolling his eyes, he gestured to the classroom. "I was wondering to myself why you were suddenly so jumpy - luckily they're not just invisible, they're stupid. Didn't even bother dodging when I threw the book at them."
"You-?!"
"So who was it? Who did you upset this time?" Felix rounded on her now, eyes narrowed impatiently. "Or should I make a guess?"
"How should I know?!" Chloe finally exclaimed, crossing her arms and taking a step back. "More importantly, why should I care? It's not my fault they got akumatized - they should've said no!"
"How should you care? How about because many of the attacks we've had this year has been your fault?" He shot back, ticking the names off on his fingers. "First, Ange, the cat-girl akuma, because you harassed Aurore over her akumatization, then Nathanael, because you made fun of his art and his crush on Marinette, then that kid from the other class because you made fun of his earrings, then that girl - what's her name, Colette, from Mendeleiev's because you ruined her new shirt, and now this one seems oddly fixated on you - face it, Chloe, almost every single akuma we've had at this school has been because of you."
"The shirt wasn't even my fault! I tripped!"
"And judging by your track record, that seems as likely as Adrien telling Uncle he's dying his hair green." Rolling his eyes, he leaned in. "Chloe, whoever you pissed off this time, you need to tell me who it was. If we're dealing with an adult, the police will need to be involved."
"It- it's not an adult!" She squawked, indignant. "What kind of adult would be that obsessed with me?! The akuma was in my room!"
Felix cast a deadpan look off in the corner of the building for a moment, as if staring into a hidden camera. "You'd be surprised," he muttered to himself.
"Anyway, why are you even mad at me? If anything, I'm the victim here! I've been harassed all day by that thing!" She insisted.
"Oh, I'm not mad," Felix casually rebutted. "I'm disappointed as bloody hell that you're the kind of person my cousin still calls a 'friend', but I'm definitely not mad."
"Oh, what, and someone like Dupain-Cheng would be so much better?" Chloe sarcastically shot back with an eye-roll.
"Yes." He deadpanned. "For one thing, she doesn't go out of her way to make other people so upset they make deals with a magical terrorist just to get back at her."
"Oh come on. Give me a break already." Groaning, she moved to push her way past him. "Don't you dare give me that speech. I already have to hear it from Bustier - I'm not taking it from you."
As she took her first step down the stairs, Felix noticed something in his periphery. "Chloe, watch out!"
The girl whirled around just as Felix tackled something down the stairs, landing hard on the bottom with a yell. She stepped back with a sharp breath, only for Ladybug to swing in and scoop her up.
"Agh! L- Ladybug...?!" Chloe looked frantically up at her savior. "Oh thank goodness, you have no idea how awful today has been!"
"I have a clue," the hero wryly answered. When she landed near the principal's office, she pointed to her with a stern, "Go into Damocles's office and wait there until I come get you. I'll deal with our mystery akuma."
Chloe nodded dumbly, but as the girl moved to swing away, she called, "Wait!"
Ladybug paused, turning to look at her.
The blonde bit her lip, frowning at the ground before admitting, "I- I think it's Sabrina. We got into a fight yesterday."
The spotted heroine nodded in reply, lips pressed together. "I thought so," she quietly answered, before swinging away.
"Where are you?!" The invisible akuma shouted as she tore her way through the art room, looking for Felix. "You coward!"
C'mon, Ladybug, he thought impatiently to himself, peeking over the art table as another easel was thrown to the ground.
As if on cue, the heroine slowly made her way in through the cracked-open door, narrowed eyes surveying the akuma. As she scanned the room, she locked eyes with Felix, who nodded firmly as she mimed a dumping motion with her hands.
Thank God they have paint cans in here, he mused as he found an open can of pink sitting nearby with the lid askew.
"Hey!" The heroine yelled, making the akuma pause with an open sketchbook in her hands. "Put that down, that's Nathanael's!"
"Welcome to the party, Ladybug," the invisible akuma sneered, dropping the book. "Unlucky for you, you won't be able to touch me!"
"Is that so?" She challenged, readying her yo-yo.
"Hawkmoth has made it so that nobody can!" She boasted, and Ladybug could feel the grin from where she stood. "I, Vanisher, will be the one to do what the others couldn't, and I'll take your earrings! And once Cat Noir shows up to save you, I'll take his-!"
Her monologue cut off into a screech as Felix threw the can at her, bright pink paint splattering all over her and finally revealing her form. The akuma - unmistakably Sabrina - yelled in frustration, whirling around and causing paint droplets to splatter on the floor. "You," she seethed.
"Go!" Felix exclaimed, leaping to the side as she lunged for him.
Ladybug swung the yo-yo and caught Vanisher by the ankle, making her slam down with a shaky gasp onto the floor. Felix took the opportunity and wrenched her arms behind her back, steadying himself with a foot to the back of her head.
"Where's the akumatized object?" She inquired, finally making her way over. "Chloe said she got into a fight with Sabrina yesterday - what could the butterfly have...?"
"It would've been nice if she'd told you what they fought about," Felix grunted, struggling to maintain his hold on Vanisher. "Hold still, damn you!"
"You'll never find it!" Vanisher taunted, grunting as she squirmed on the floor.
Muttering a swear under her breath, Ladybug knelt and started patting around for something. When she got close to Vanisher's pocket, the squirming increased - and she ordered, "Wait, I think I'm close. Hold her still."
"Stop it!" The akuma yelled, wriggling around as Ladybug dipped her hand in her pocket, pulling out...
"A brooch?" Ladybug squinted at the object, turning it around in her hands. "Whoa, this looks expensive."
"Just smash it already," Felix snapped, grinding his foot even more into the back of Vanisher's head.
Dropping it to the floor and crushing it with a stomp revealed a panicking butterfly, and within the minute it was purified and Sabrina was sitting up, holding her head groggily.
"What... happened?" She asked, looking up with wide eyes at the heroine. "Ladybug? Did I...?"
"You and Chloe had a fight," she reminded her, helping her to her feet.
"Oh... oh, yeah." Her shoulders slumping, she let out a sigh. "Chloe likes to play Ladybug and Cat Noir sometimes. I don't know where she got the costumes from, but I like playing with her, so I go along with it. Well... yesterday, Jagged Stone came to the hotel and thought she was Ladybug."
"Seriously?" Felix spoke up, wrinkling his nose. "But she's a blonde."
"I don't know how he fell for it either," she shrugged with a scoff. "But eventually, he found out she wasn't actually Ladybug when I came down and asked her about our game. He got pretty upset and scolded her in front of his camera crew, and she was so mad at me for it that she... she said we weren't friends anymore."
With a shaky sigh, she shook her head. "She gave me that brooch for my birthday. I thought our friendship meant something."
"It's Chloe," Ladybug reminded her, placing a hand atop her shoulder. "You know she says things she doesn't always mean."
"But this time she meant it!" The redhead insisted, nudging her glasses up to wipe at her eyes. "No matter what I said, she pretended I didn't exist to her. She hates me."
"She doesn't," Felix interjected, making both girls look at him quizzically. He sighed. "She throws tantrums a lot. She'll forget all about it in a week, trust me. She just hates it when people don't act the way she expects them to." Gesturing to himself, he raised a brow. "Example A."
"Why not get her something to make up for it?" The heroine encouraged. "A favorite snack, a new accessory, a bunch of her favorite flowers...?"
"Well..." Cupping a hand to her chin, Sabrina hummed. "Maybe if she got an autograph from the actual Ladybug..."
Ladybug groaned at the sudden expectant look she received.
"Ladybug!"
The spotted heroine stumbled back a few steps at the sudden hug from the blonde, eyes comically wide. Awkwardly, she patted the girl's back. Felix made to step forward, but Ladybug shook her head.
"Oh, thank you for saving me," she gushed, pulling back to stare at her in awe. "You're my favorite hero!"
"Er, yeah, thanks..." Ladybug cleared her throat. "Well, the akuma was taken care of, but there's still someone you ought to hear out."
Stepping out of the way revealed Sabrina, timidly fiddling with her fingers.
Chloe's awestruck face turned sour immediately, and she folded her arms with a scoff. "Why should I listen to anything you say?"
"Chloe," Principal Damocles spoke up in admonishment.
With a groan, she capitulated. "Fine," she snapped. "But it better be good."
"I'm really sorry for what happened yesterday," Sabrina began. "I didn't know you were being interviewed by Jagged Stone. I thought we were still pretending. I didn't mean to embarrass you like that."
"Hmph."
"Chloe, give her a break," Felix snapped. "You aren't the sole victim here. Sabrina was really hurt by what you said to her yesterday."
"Yeah, well, I meant every word of it!" She retorted, turning away. "You embarrassed me in front of Jagged Stone! I made the news last night as a- a wannabe! A fake!"
Sabrina's eyes looked suspiciously shiny now, and as she bowed her head to hide her face Ladybug frowned. "Chloe, because you reacted the way you did, you caused yet another akuma. Don't you get it? You need to be more kind!"
"I'm kind!" She insisted. "Kind enough to remind everyone else of their place!"
"Enough." The principal interjected, folding his arms across his chest. "Chloe, Sabrina has apologized to you. Now it's your turn."
"But I didn't do anything wrong!"
"You threw a tantrum and caused your own misery." Felix's eyes flashed with anger, and he stepped forward. "The only one Vanisher targeted today was you. She could have gone after anyone else - Jagged Stone for humiliating you, your butler, myself for throwing a book at her, even Marinette or Ladybug for intervening - but she chose you. You were the cause of her hurt, and it's your responsibility to make things right."
"Uh, wait, you threw a book at-?"
"Chloe," Ladybug folded her arms and gave her a severe look. "I understand you're hurt. But you being hurt doesn't give you the right to hurt others. If that was the way the world worked, Hawkmoth would've taken over Paris by now."
"I don't care," groused the girl, her voice surprisingly low.
With a sigh, the hero turned away. "And here I was gracious enough to grant Sabrina's request for an autograph."
Hook, line, and sinker. Chloe turned, rubbing her eyes. "What? Autograph?"
"She felt so bad for making you upset yesterday that she asked if I could give you my autograph," she continued, shaking her head. "But since you don't care to make up..."
"Wait," the blonde interrupted. Chloe looked halfway between ill and angry, face blooming red - out of anger or shame, who knew. Finally, she huffed an exaggerated sigh. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?" Felix goaded.
"I'm sorry for acting like you were invisible." Hugging herself, Chloe looked determinedly at the floor.
Sabrina clasped her hands together, a smile creeping onto her face. "I forgive you," she answered, moving to hug her.
"No," Chloe snapped, moving away. "No hug."
"Okay, okay," Sabrina held up her hands and stepped back. "Do you... still want that autograph?"
Wordlessly, she extended a hand.
Ladybug pulled out a piece of stationery and quickly scribbled a loopy autograph, trying to make it look different from her usual handwriting. Once satisfied, she handed it to the blonde, who took it and began to study it, her grumpy expression smoothing out into one of wonder.
"Now that that's been taken care of," Felix started, catching everyone's attention as the bell rang, "We're late for class."
"Yes! Yes, you are!" Ladybug seemed to suddenly realize, saluting them and making for the door. "I'm off! Uh, make sure to do your homework!"
A/N: Surprise! I didn't put that "Chloe Redemption" tag in the list for no reason. Even though she's a spoiled brat I still refuse to believe she can't change if given a push in the right direction. This doesn't mean she's going to be totally good - it wouldn't be Chloe if she was - but instead of causing trouble for her own amusement, perhaps it could work to other people's benefit... as well as for her amusement, I mean c'mon, it's Chloe.