Ladybug Blues

Her Last Words

Marinette Dupain-Cheng always had bad luck.

She could trip over a blade of grass, and jumble an entire sentence together. The one thing she always had plenty of luck in, was making friends. She adored her friends, loved them all like they were her own flesh and blood.
Even back in grade nine, when Lila Rossi had vowed to make everyone hate her, she never faltered. The truth always comes out, she would tell herself.
And that was enough. She could sit through her high pitched rants of being best friends with Ladybug, because Marinette knew the truth.
But somehow, her friends would drift away. Waves in the hallway turned into rolling eyes and sneers.
All she had left were Adrien, Alya and Nino. Her closest friends, no one could tear them apart!

Right?

**********

Marinette forced her eyes open, groaning as she pressed every button possible to turn off that godforsaken alarm clock.
Pulling the covers off, she took a deep breath, and hopped down from the bed.

Rummaging through the closet, Marinette selected her outfit. Her style had changed since she was fourteen, she had thrown out her tacky blazer and pink jeans long ago, settling for a more casual look. Her signature pigtails were gone, and her hair was usually loose.
Jeans and a hoodie would suffice for the day, just like any other.
Perhaps it was growing up that had prompted Marinette to reshape her entire wardrobe, it had to be. It couldn't have had anything to do with the isolation she'd been experiencing in the past six months, only going out once in a blue moon when Alya and Nino weren't with everyone else who had opted not to invite her.
No, that definitely wasn't it! Besides, it gave her more time to design, and draw, and bake!

Not that she'd designed anything since Rose cancelled her commission, or drawn anything since Nathanial suddenly didn't need help with his proportions anymore. She still baked, but that was her job. Nonetheless, Marinette didn't really need to go out and see her friends! She could stay home and watch the bakery while her parents went on a date, or— or do her homework! Yeah, she loved homework!

With a sigh, Marinette pulled on her shoes and opened up her purse for her beloved kwami to fly into.
"Let's go, Tikki, Alya said she wanted to talk about something before class, so we have to be there early." She murmured sleepily, opening the trapdoor.

"What do you think she wants to talk about, Marinette?" Tikki chirped, getting comfortable in the soft purse Marinette had made for her.

The girl stepped down the ladder and shrugged.
"I don't know, let's go find out.."

As soon as Marinette spotted Alya, her stomach churned. Her best friend gave her the same look everyone else had been giving her for the last six months.
She knew what Alya wanted to talk about.

Marinette smiled politely and nodded through their conversation, ignoring the lump that had formed in her throat.

"...I'm sorry, Mari, I.. We just can't hang out anymore, it makes me look bad, y'know? Nobody really trusts you anymore.. You understand, right?" Alya grimaced.

At that moment, Marinette expected to be angry. The lump in her throat faded, and she was left with numbness. She just nodded her head and walked away, entering the school.

Marinette slumped against her locker and chuckled dryly. "I have no one, Tikki."

The kwami slowly hovered out of Marinette's purse and gave her a sad look.
"You still have Adrien, don't you?" she whispered, nudging the girl's cheek.