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“Yeah,” a bunch of her classmates agreed as Lila mentioned that as Class Representative Marinette hadn’t done much for them lately…
“Yeah, we should get a new class rep, Marinette’s so flaky,” Alya said.
“She’s a flaky croissant,” Lila joked making them all laugh.
A few seconds later Marinette darted in and rushed to her seat. She looked a little shaky but Alya doubted she’d heard anything, since Marinette was such a space cadet lately. She no longer spoke unless spoken to, no longer brought them pastries or desserts… She kept bullying Lila by not interacting with her classmates unless Lila wasn’t around, making the new girl feel uncomfortable when they all wanted her around besides Marinette.
They went to Miss Bustier during lunch. Lila volunteered to tell Marinette and told them she would tell Marinette since the girl already disliked her anyways she said sadly.
Once class started back up Miss Bustier opened with, “We need to pick a new class representative, as…”
Before she could finish Marinette burst out with a loud, “What!”
“Lila told you dude,” Nino said, “We want a new more responsible class rep.”
“Lila didn’t tell me,”Marinette said as her eyes filled up with tears.
“Just because you don’t like Lila doesn’t mean you can play the victim…” Alya started to say.
Juleka took over, “Stop lying Marinette, we don’t want you anymore.”
“Who needs your fake crying,” Rose said. Her voice was mean. Clearly she’d finally had enough of Marinette’s immature behavior Alya noted.
Marinette ran out of the classroom fake tears dripping down her cheeks. Clearly she wanted them to feel sorry for her and change their minds but they didn’t care. They were done with her.
Then with a loud snap, Adrien shut his book, shoved his book into his bag and ran out of the room towards Marinette. Adrien was too naive, too trusting to know how much of a manipulator Marinette was, then again Alya thought, they’d been fooled too, until Lila had shown them how fake and false Marinette was. Adrien would see it too. They’d correct him when he came back to the classroom.
The rest of them elected, Lila as their class representative, volunteering to help her with all the duties it entailed, because Lila was so busy unlike Marinette who had all the time in the world and still couldn’t get her shit together enough to be class rep. The only thing Marinette had going for her us that she wasn't Chloe.
They were all happy, they had a real class representative now, they were going to get what they deserved rather than just class picnics and the occasional field trip. With all Lila's connections maybe they could go see some of them.
Adrien never showed back up at school. Neither did Marinette.
Alya tried to call Marinette because she was over her pouting and avoiding school for something so silly besides her and Nino needed a babysitter so they could go on a date. The number was no longer in service. How immature could that girl get. She was lucky Alya still considered her a friend.
She tried to go to the bakery only to be told that her and her friends were no longer welcome at the bakery by a glaring Tom and Sabine, some of the other regulars glared at her too. Clearly, Marinette had been a whiny tattletale manipulating the adults to her side.
Alya left thinking to herself that she’d yell at Marinette for being such an immature baby about this the next time she saw her at school. How could she overreact like that and get her parents and others in on it too? When would she grow up?
How could she spread lies about how they were the one at fault for her jealous behavior? Why was she playing the victim? Maybe she shouldn't be her friend anymore.
She texted Nino that since Marinette was being a whiny little pissbaby she couldn’t go to the movie they wanted to go to.
“Yeah, Adrien’s ignoring me too,” Nino replied.
“If they want to be like that who needs them,” Alya replied.
“Yeah,” Nino agreed.
The next day at school, they found out that a field trip Marinette had arranged for them that they were supposed to go on that week was cancelled. Apparently, Jagged Stone was no longer willing to allow them near his studio.
“You should call him Lila,” the class encouraged. “You saved his kitten and her wrote a song about you, you could get him to change his mind.”
“I wouldn’t want to take advantage of our friendship,” Lila said shyly.
Alya smiled, Lila was so modest, they were so lucky to have her as class rep, surely they could come up with a field trip even better using the many connections she had. She was so much better than Marinette the flake.
Later on that day, Miss Bustier announced that Marinette had transferred schools.
Talk about an overreaction, Alya thought as the rest of the class muttered things like good riddance, who needs her and various other thoughts.
She noticed Lila smiling, clearly happy her bully was gone.
The day after that it was announced that Adrien had switched schools as well. That one was met with disappointed sighs. Lila looked very unhappy. Such a pity they couldn’t hook Adrien up with her they would look so good together. But clearly Adrien’s father had finally decided that he should be homeschooled again. They’d try to visit him today.
They were denied at the door. Adrien was attending an elite boarding school for people with talent. His father's secretary told the group with a sneering tone and an upturned nose that implied she thought all of them lacking in talent.
Adrien had an approved list of people and they were not on it.
Clearly Marinette the manipulator had already gotten her claws into him.
A few weeks went by with the class helping Lila and waiting for the epic events Lila would arrange for them with her connections. Everyone was buzzing with excitement even though Lila cautioned them that it might take some time to set up something truly epic.
That's when it happened. On main mainstream news media the Ladyblog was called a tabloid with some of her favorite journalists pointing out all the untruths in the interviews she'd posted with Lila.
"A good journalist always checks their sources and verifies the facts. The Ladyblogger, is a talented young lady, but her blog is posting these interviews without even basic fact checking that could be accomplished with a basic google search, making it a tabloid and not a reliable source," one of her favorite journalists said.
Alya started to cry. Then there was an akuma and a new fox was on the scene along with a turtle that clearly wasn't Nino. They didn't even struggle with their powers, they were better than Alya and Nino, and they worked flawlessly with Chat Noir and Ladybug.
Ladybug… Alya wept in her hands. She'd claimed in multiple posts that Lila was Ladybug's best friend. Was that why she wasn't trusted with the fox miraculous any longer?
The class began texting her about easily proven false lies Lila had told them. One of them was about Jagged Stone not owning a kitten. One of the ones they'd turned on Marinette for pointing out the first time Lila had come back.
Alya felt enraged and sick. Marinette had told her Lila was lying and she hadn't believed her. Maybe it wasn't Marinette who'd been a bad friend but Alya.
She couldn't sleep that night.
The next day at school Alya and her classmates confronted Lila demanding to know why she would do such a thing.
"Simple, I lied. It was so easy to turn you into a pack of rabid wolves who destroyed the one classmate who spoke out against me. I wasn't able to get Adrien swayed to my side, such a pity, but all of you ripped apart your everyday Ladybug until she ran away without me lifting a finger. What does that say about you?" Lila sneered before walking off.
The classroom was empty. Not literally, most of the students were still attending classes in this classroom but it felt empty and joyless.
Alya remembered a time when she looked forward to school not necessarily for the lessons but because of the fun and laughter she used to have with her friends.
She knew why the joy was gone and while it would be easy to blame the victim just so that she wouldn’t have to feel guilty she knew the truth when she looked around the classroom. It was their fault.
The next day they ran into Marinette and Adrien along with a few others having a picnic in a nearby park.
"Marinette, Lila lied we're sorry," they said all at once in different variations.
Alya expected her former best friend to run to them and hug them, she was always so forgiving.
Marinette, Adrien and the others stared at them blankly for a few seconds.
"That's nice. I don't care and it's way to late now," Marinette said.
They tried to continue the conversation appealing to Adrien who could maybe convince Marinette to forgive them. He continuously forgave Chloe after all so he was bound to forgive them right.
"Let's continue our picnic indoors the atmosphere is no longer appealing out here," he said as he placed a hand on Marinette's back. Making it clear who he stood with and who he did not.
The group packed up their belongings and walked away ignoring their pleas to wait.
"Those were your old friends?" They heard one of the others ask.
Marinette and Adrien nodded in unison and replied, "clearly we upgraded."
Neither of them ever spoke to Alya or any of them again.