Summary:
Marinette ends the charade on her own terms.
Marinette had enough she decided, watching her classmates from the back of the room. She hated liars, and took down emotionally manipulated citizen monsters in her spare time. The only way to stop this was to stop the monster.
“That is ENOUGH!” she snarled, fists clenched at her sides and howled, “WHY WON’T YOU LISTEN TO ME?” She prowled down the steps towards the front of the room.
“First, who has worked with Jagged Stone personally? Me. Know what he has? An allergy to cats, and a large pet crocodile named Fang.” She leaned into Alya’s face, “I recorded a television special with him. IN MY HOUSE.”
Stalking over to Max, eyes narrowed, “Do you know the speed a paper napkin would have to travel to break GLASS? I don’t even need a computer to tell me it’s faster than I could ever throw.”
Spinning on her toes, she prowled back to the front of the classroom and cleared her throat. “Lila darling? Have you ever ONCE asked for Adrien’s consent before touching him? No? Do you know what that’s called? Sexual harassment. As class president, I have already reported you to the principal along with documentation, at the request of Adrien. You think he doesn’t know how to deal with idiots like you? Please. He’s been in the public eye since he debuted at age 4. He also is held to not making a scene, which you should be VERY GRATEFUL FOR. You do not want to make an enemy of his fan base, they will destroy you.”
“AND ANOTHER THING,” jerking her head towards Alya. “How much does Ladybug value her privacy? And this girl comes in spilling all her secrets? Either Lila is LYING, or she is an awful, toxic, friend. Take your pick. But be quick, because you already put her stories up on your blog. Check. Your. Sources. Besides, if….kwami forbid...Lila’s family is targeted by Hawkmoth because they are “best friends,” YOU WILL BE THE ONE THAT TOLD HIM. Honestly, girl. Watching you flush your dream down the toilet is just sad.”
Marinette lowered her voice, seeming to lose the strings that had been holding her up. She backed up to stand in front of the teacher’s desk, arms folded and head down.
“For seven years, I have been a classmate. I have kept secrets, brought cakes, invited you to my home, cheered you on, gave you my time and my heart. It took one girl to convince you I was an honest to goodness bully. And that’s the saddest thing of all. Not watching you believe her stories, not watching her manipulate you into warping your lives around her. I told her on the first day I didn’t believe her, and she said I was either with her or against her. And if I was against her, she would take all my friends and leave me alone. But honestly? If this is all it took for you to shut me out, accuse me, and forget me? You may have had me, but I never had you to begin with.”
“She’s only ever told one truth, and I’ve told one lie: she said she would turn all my friends against me, and I said it was impossible.” Marinette shook her head sadly as she went back to her seat and put her head on the desk. She didn’t speak to anyone for the rest of the day.
