Chapter Text
The smell of fresh bread filled the air as Marinette fluttered open her eyes, absorbing the moment of calm. “Marinette honey - you’re going to be late to school!” “AHHH!” Marinette scrambled up in bed, hitting her head on the ceiling “owwwww! Tikki I’m going to be late!” Marinette scrambled down her bed’s ladder so quickly it was more like falling and then she promptly tripped over her schoolbag. Tikki put the spilled contents back in Mari's bag, as she got dressed and then they ran downstairs to the Boulangerie.
“Have a good day at school sweetie!” Sabine said, passing her daughter a croissant on her way out the door. “Bye Maman!” the bell jingled and Marinette ran across the street to school, leaving her concerned mother in the shop behind her. But Sabine knew that if things got unbearable, Marinette could handle it herself so she hadn’t interfered, just observed. Because of this she knew that things would take a turn soon- whether for the worse or better she didn’t know, just that something had to happen.
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The bell rang just as Marinette walked into the building, so she quickly ran up the stairs to her classroom and sped down the hall. “Today we’re doing a partner activity, with our desk-mates.” she could hear Mrs.Bustier say as she snuck into the classroom “Marinette? Late again? I’d like you to meet me after class.” “she sighed and walked to her seat, the whole class's eyes on her. “We already paired up so you’ll have to work by yourself-” “you can be in our group Marinette!” Lie-la piped up“are you sure Lila? She’s really mean to you!” Alya loudly whispered to her partner “yeah you sure?” The cluster of classmates around her asked, “It's okay, she doesn’t have a group, and I want to give her a chance!” the class echoed with praise, talking about how kind she was and all Marinette could do was sit there.
“Come over here Mari!” exclaimed Lie-la, turning her head just right so that only Mari could see her narrow her eyes. “I don’t think I will.” “what?” Lie-la replied, making herself sound insulted. “I-I mean I guess we could come to you,” “No thanks, I can do the project myself.” gasps filled the room “oh and Lila?” “yes?” “only my friends are allowed to call me Mari.” Lie-la was shocked into silence for a minute, but then she regained her senses and started to sob. “I-I I only want-t-ted to help you,” she cried. Marinette's classmates flocked to comfort Lie-la, but in a small gap, she could see Lie-la smirk.
After class she didn’t bother to see Mrs.Bustier. Every day she was late the same thing happened, and when she went to see Mrs.Bustier she just Spouted some BS about how she needed to be a role model for the class. Like, Marinette wasn’t the teacher! Instead she just walked past her and slipped a note of resignation from class president onto Mrs.Bustier’s desk.
“Wait Marinette! Let’s talk about this!” Mrs.Bustier said, following her into the hallway. “Sure. What do you want to talk about?” “You can’t quit!” “and why not? I barely get any sleep working on things for the class, you refuse to do anything about their treatment of me and I’m not even supposed to be the role model!” she said. “You just need to take the high road, and show them how it’s done,” Mrs.Bustier replied “No. That hasn’t worked, and I’m done.” Marinette walked down to lunch already tired from her day, but happy that she had finally quit.
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Marinette set her lunch tray down on the table in the far corner, mostly out of site and easy to ignore. Before Lie-la had come she had been in the middle table with all of her friends, but they weren’t her friends anymore. She had been expelled because of Lie-la, and none of her friends had stood up for her, in fact they continued to believe Lie-la and when she said that Marinette had done something to her, they would take action, tripping her in the halls and moving her bags. Lie-la of course didn’t join in - she needed to keep up her innocent act, but when they weren’t looking she made faces and whispered hurtful comments in Marinette's ear. Those were the worst. And then every once in a while Lie-la would spill something on Mari’s clothes, and Blame it on some condition. Marinette pulled her sketchbook out of her bag and pulled out a pencil, trying to finish her design for Clara Nightingale's next red Carpet in a month. She was trying to figure out what shade of Purple to use when her sketchbook got drenched with water.
“Oh no! I’m so sorry! My arthritis is acting up!” Marinette clenched her fists. Lie-la. She stood up, brushing water off her lap and stared at her ruined Drawings, months of work gone in mere seconds. “Oh gosh, did I wreck your sketchbook? I’m so sorry! It was an accident!” however Marinette knew it wasn’t, and as she watched blues and greens swirl together in a pool of water something inside her snapped. “Yes Lila. you did Ruin my Sketchbook.” Lie-la started crying, choking out “I’m sorry” every few sobs. “Yeah I know Lila, But you being sorry won’t fix this. I’ve been working on these for months.” Lie-la picked up the soggy spiral-bound paper “oh,” she looked downcast and so genuinely sorry it almost convinced Marinette “what can I do to- wait,” she said, apologetic tone dissipating.
“These are my designs!” she said accusatorially. Marinette reached for her book but before she could reach it, Lie-la’s ‘friends’ descended on it like a flock of crows. She had been hoping to dry it and salvage some of the drawings when she got home, but all hope of that was gone now she thought as a torn piece of Clara’s Ball Gown drifted into her palm. Imid the chaos she somehow managed to grab what was left of it and escape to the locker room. She took one look at it and sank to the floor crying. When she was done, Tikki comforted her as she wiped the tears from her eyes and snapped a picture of the book. Just then the bell rang and everyone filled out of the building onto the front steps of the school. Mari watched the wind blow a few pieces of one of her drawings out the window and drift away on the wind.