The Salt Files: Additional Cases (MLB)

Exposure

Was questioning friendships at the time I started this idea cuz it's making me question if I still wanna be friends at a distance or cut them off completely. I'm choosing to still be friends but at distance and more closed off about some stuff.

And of course I like to use my emotions in my writing 😅

Basically Marinette realizes some of her friends are fake when they abandoned her for Lila and her lies. So she moves on without them.

Honestly, Marinette had to thank Lila for this. After all, if she never appeared, she would have never known that some of her friends weren't true friends.

But how did this all come to be?

Well, it all started when Lila came back from her "trip" to Achu. She immediately had the class wrapped around her finger and Alya was sadly (not really) the first to go. All it took were a few stories here and there and she was gone, hook, line, and sinker.

Next was Rose. In all honesty she wasn't really gone, but she started prioritizing Lila's needs over her own, especially when it came to her health. It literally took Juleka stepping in for Rose to see she needed to take a step back but still ended up in the hospital. Lila was able to recover her miscalculation by asking the class to help her make a get well soon card for her and she was back in the good graces.

Next was Kim. It didn't take much for him to turn, plus everyone knew he had a crush on the liar. Marinette still had no idea what he saw in her either. He didn't do anything physical to Marinette, he would just nag her or ignore her. It was more of an annoyance than a real enemy, but it still changed her perspective on him.

The rest of the class was neutral or stayed out of it. They would listen to Lila sure, but wouldn't seem to actively believe everything she says. The only ones she was sure didn't believe her were Max, Nino, Juleka, Mylene, Ivan, Alix, Sabrina, and even Chloe. Chloe actually got better and being nicer after Lila showed up, and it took everyone by surprise. What really took Marinette by surprise though was how quickly they both connected after Alya left her. But Mari wasn't complaining, she was just glad she saw the goodness that Adrien kept preaching about.

Speaking of Adrien, he was the one person Marinette wasn't sure on for class stances. He would be more neutral than on sides, but Marinette could tell something was up. He would shoot her sad glances every once in a while when he saw her and Alya apart, and his face would have a flicker of disgust whenever Lila touched him. Which also didn't seem like he consented to it either.

On the bright side, losing Alya helped Marinette focus on other things. She took priority of her fashion talents, and even caught the attention of a few students in Mendeliev's class. That's how Marinette reconnected with Kagami, Marc, Aurore, Mirelle, Zoe, and even Luka.

Luka was...Marinette didn't even know how to describe him. The best she could describe it was that he meant everything to her and she couldn't imagine what her life would be like without him.

"Probably still running after my Adrikins," Chloe huffed as she did her nails at the sandwich shop. Marinette rolled her eyes as Kagami sipped her drink.

"Mari-chan, you have to tell him how you feel eventually. If you don't, it's going to drive you insane." Kagami made sure to look her friend in the eyes at that statement. Marinette spazzed out, turning red.

"B-but what if he rejects me? Or says no? Or doesn't think we're meant to be together? Or what if he hates me?"

"Or what if he wants the same thing?" Kagami pointed out, freezing the girl entirely. "Think about it. He acts more affectionate with you than anyone else besides his sister, especially with how he talks, gestures..."