Cupid's Canvas《Marinette Dupain-Cheng》

˚₊· Her Art

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THE IDEA OF "romanticizing school" never worked for her. Marinette never understood how the hours of class, studying, and homework could be seen as appealing.

As she walked through the large brown doors and into the building, Claire practically clung to her, not moving more than a few feet away from her when they were together. But she didn't mind. Being the new girl was hard enough. Doing it in another city must be a whole other story.

"Sorry," Claire said, brushing their bangs out of their eyes. "You're the only person I know so far, so..."

Marinette gave her a warm smile. "Don't worry," she assured her. "Most people here are super nice--"

There was a soft "oof" as Claire bumped into someone. Before Marinette could say anything, the person turned around and she felt her heart sink.

"Dupain-Cheng? Do yourself a favor and watch where you're going," Chloe said. Marinette simply rolled her eyes. With blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and the power that came with being the mayor's daughter, Chloe Bourgeois was one of the reasons that school wasn't romanticizable.

To her surprise, Claire quickly spoke up. "Um, she wasn't the one who--"

"Oh?" Chloe interrupted. "So little miss baker girl actually found someone to spread her loser disease to." She laughed like she'd just told the world's funniest joke, and then turned her attention back to Claire. "Better ditch her fast before the effects become permanent," she sneered.

Claire narrowed their eyes, but Marinette could still tell they were intimidated. "Sorry," they said quietly. "I didn't mean to--"

"S-sorry. I-I didn't m-mean to." Chloe looked her up and down, disgust written all over her face. "Grow up, will you?"

That was enough. The day had barely even started, and Chloe was already finding people to put down.

"Back off Chloe," Marinette said sharply.

Chloe looked like she was about to say something else, but another look at Marinette changed her mind. "Whatever," she muttered. "C'mon Sabrina. You have homework finish anyway."

Marinette watched as Chloe stormed away with Sabrina right behind her.

That girl gets on my nerves, she thought.

She suddenly remembered Claire and quickly turned to them. "Hey, are you okay?" she checked.

Claire nodded, but she still seemed a little shaken. "I need to go," she said, taking a step back.

"No, Claire, wait--"

"I'm fine, really." Claire gave Marinette a small smile. "I just have stuff to do."

They were gone before Marinette could get another word out. Part of her wanted to go after the girl, but at the same time, she didn't want to pry. If she really wanted to be left alone, then Marinette had no choice but to respect that. She started walking in the direction of her homeroom, her mood dimmed.

Damn. It's her first day of school and Claire already has to deal with Chloe, she thought. Maybe I'll look for her later. Oh! I can ask if she wants to walk home with me!

If Claire was up for it, maybe the two of them could stop by the bakery. Growing up surrounded by sweets, it always made her feel somewhat better.

Marinette tried to take this positive thinking throughout her day, but having Chloe in multiple classes didn't exactly help. The mayor's daughter was probably in a bad mood that day, because it seemed that pushing her buttons was the only way to feel better. Her whining and whispers were hard to ignore, no matter how much she heard them.