Everyday Ladybug

Chapter 7: Grow Up

Third Person pov:

Marinette was not having a good day. She woke up late because her alarm didn't go off, and Chloe just barely managed to get her up and ready before the bus left. They made it though, much to Lila's dismay. Getting onto the bus they'd be traveling in for the day took longer than needed thanks to the girl, but once everyone was seated, it was semi calm again.

The drive was a little longer than expected thanks to morning rush hour traffic, so as they sat in the back of the bus, waiting to arrive at the Gotham Gardens, Marinette's group of friends were all entertaining each other in different ways. Luka sat with Nathaniel quietly discussing the music Luka had been working on the night before, while Marinette and Chloe sat across the aisle, playing games and laughing loudly at their swapped jokes.

The girls were oblivious to the glares they were receiving from Lila and Alya, but most of the rest of the students were more than aware. They had been privy to the animosity that permeated the air between the rival groups anytime Alya and Lila confronted Marinette and her friends, but they didn't know how to stop it.

Still... several of the students had been slowly disillusioned with Lila's tall tales for several weeks now. Alix and Nino in particular.

Nino had noticed a change in his best friend over the past couple years since Lila had joined the school. He didn't want to admit it, but Adrien always seemed to wilt when the girl was around. He would go rigid when she touched him on the arm, and his smile was robotic. It never used to be like that... He noticed his friend's gaze following Marinette around the school, watching her friend group with sadness. At first, Nino thought it was because missed the way things used to be when they were friends with the girl. But it had to be more than that.... Right?

Alix was struggling with similar thoughts. She was seated across the aisle from Nino and Adrien, watching how the boys didn't really know what to say to each other anymore. Kim was oblivious as always, texting Max and Ondine while listening to music and drowning out the world. He had a bad habit of not paying enough attention to his surroundings, but he was working on it and Alix was proud of him for that. She wouldn't push him to worry about it while they were trapped on a bus in traffic.

She tapped a steady rhythm on her knee while eavesdropping on the people around her. Her friends... Or they were supposed to be. She hadn't had a long conversation with any of them since Lila started to notice her calling her out more on things that sounded too good to be true. She wasn't sure why the girl felt the need to stretch the truth like she did, but she also wasn't too concerned at the moment. A little embellishment here and there wasn't hurting anyone... right?

She glanced back at the group in the back of the bus.

Marinette's smile came easily as Chloe told her something under her breath, pointing at her phone screen. When had they become friends? When had she last seen Chloe with Sabrina again? Weeks...? Months...? Longer...?

Alix shakes her head, turning back to Nino and Adrien so she could talk to someone. "Hey, it's weird being stuck in traffic like this, huh?" The boys both look over at her with owlish looks, as if they'd been dragged out of their thoughts kicking and screaming.

Adrien is the first to respond as he sends her a practiced smile that he used with everyone. "Yeah... I guess it's a little different than Paris."

"You've got that right, dude. Gotham seems like a different planet compared to home." Nino shakes his head, adjusting his ball cap to stay on his head before looking out the window at the cars beside them.

There's an awkward beat of silence before Alix breaks it again. "Do you know when Chloe stopped hanging out with Sabrina? I haven't seen them together in a while."