Numb (FINISHED!!)

Chapter sixteen

The principal's office was a quaint little room, filled wall to wall with shelves books with maps of Paris adorning the center of each. The back wall was barren besides two large windows and multiple owl pictures. On the floor was a red a white carpet, it was pinned down by a rather large desk with a lamp and computer resting on top. Marinette found herself sitting in one of the comfy chairs placed in front of the desk she had once stared at so frequently from being sent to the room for being late.

In the other chair beside her, which she remembered to have always been empty on her trips here, was Lyla. The girl was feigning innocence and worry as she sat inside the chair, looking around the room rather than at Mr. Damocles the principal who was reading the note she had slipped to Marinette via student transport. She could still remember the words she wrote, and was quite proud at how much it was affecting the girl who sat in the seat beside her.

Marinette was still shaking, her eyes still puffy from crying over Lyla had no idea about. Marinette was, unlike Lyla, look somewhat at Mr. Damocles, still trying her best to be respectful to him while keeping to herself. Mr. Damocles wasn't the best reader despite his age, this caused him to read aloud, the words echoing into Marinette's skull, pounding against the bone.

"How does it feel to know that you akumatized somebody and are playing with two people's feelings? Everyone hates you, they just put up with your shit because they feel sorry for you. Even Hawkmoth won't akumatize you because of how disgusting you are, it's no wonder why Chat Noir hangs around you but I bet that won't last any longer, he's probably going to leave you and your shit once he learns that you akumatized poor Kagami." Mr. Damocles mumbled aloud, Marinette having flinched when she heard her partner's name.

"Lyla did you write this?" He demanded, looking up from the paper with a look of anger. He hated bullies, that's why he took up helping Paris's superheroes and became a superhero himself. "Why no sir! I would never hurt my friend Marinette." Lyla says with mock innocence. Marinette stayed silent the entire time, only processing half of the situation. The only thing she truly cared about in that note was the fact that Lyla was right.

She had akumatized Kagami! Chat was going to be mad. Not only that but she was Ladybug, the Ladybug, the only person who's able to deakimatize Hawkmoth's victims forcefully, for the most part anyways, turned villains. Marinette wasn't only scared about losing her best friend, she was scared of herself. She was disappointed in herself.

Words kept ringing around in her head: two-faced, horrible, dumbass, nobody, no good, replaceable, forgettable, liar, worthless, unreliable. Each word a different attack to her pounding head. She knew she should calm down, Tikki was trying to help by hugging her hand hidden within her pocket, but she just couldn't. Not when she thought that she had failed Paris. That she had failed her friends.
That she had failed Chat.

"Marinette? Marinette can you answer the question?" Madam Bustier asks quietly, suddenly appearing in front of the sweating Marinette who was quietly failing at hiding her panic attack. "I'm sorry, wh-what was the question?" She whispers softly, no longer attempting at making eye contact as she ties to hide the tears swimming in her eyes.

"Does Lyla bully you a lot?" She asks quietly despite them having Lyla stand outside with Alya who had been standing at the side of the room and asked for the removal of Lyla to hopefully calm Marinette down. Marinette doesn't say anything as she hesitates. Silently she recalled all the times that Lyla had confronted her in the past few years, including the times that Lyla had beat Marinette up.

She could still remember blaming the bruises on her clumsiness or being caught in the crossfire of an akuma attack. Which of course she did get a lot of bruises and injuries from akuma attacks so it wasn't exactly a lie when Lyla had beat her up after or before an attack. She hadn't done it recently though, Marinette was always surrounded by her friends now. Before Marinette was alone and wouldn't fight back despite having the muscles of a demigod.

Silently Marinette nodded her head. "Yes ma'am." She says quietly, only to receive Madam Bustier's nod and quiet thank you. "We've confirmed it is her handwriting and that other students helped pass the note, not knowing what it contained of course. If you want you may go home or you can stay." She offers and Marinette looks at her. "How much longer will the day last?" She asks, causing her teacher to smile.

"Ten more minutes, think you can handle it?" Her teacher says with a sweet smile. She too had noticed the change in Marinette, just as she could see her calming down from the panic attack, at least, she thought she could see her calming down. In all truth Marinette had seen the computer sitting on Mr. Damocles desk and had been reminded that if she were to be akumatized the entire city of Paris would be doomed.

She already knew that her partner had good news to tell her and that she had bad news to tell him. She didn't want him to find out after him battling against her as an akuma victim. "I'll stay." She says quietly, soaking her emotions back into herself like a sponge. She was still shaking, though it wasn't as bad as before, but she had stopped sweating and tears no longer threatened to fall out of her eyes which were still red and puffy from her hour long cry in the bathroom.

"Alright then, head on back to class with Alya and I, Mr. Damocles will handle Lyla." She says, standing back up and smiling sweetly at her student. Nodding, Marinette shakily stood up from her chair, returning her cold hand that had once held the paper back to her pocket, right where Tikki began to hold both hands. She could sense her holder hurting and only wished to make her feel better.

She hated seeing Marinette cry and knew that as soon as she got home she'd start crying, close up and put on a mask to get through patrol, come home and break down again. Whether or not Chat Noir would show up was the only variable that she couldn't confirm would come or not. She didn't want to leave Marinette either to visit Plagg, afraid that any moment spent away from her holder could be the girl's last.

She could only hope that Marinette would get whatever it is she needed to help her. And she hoped it would happen fast.