Work Text:
Outside the Louvre
Alix was skating around the base of the glass pyramid, trying to beat her previous time. As she turned a corner she lost control and slammed against someone. “Sorry about that,” she said. She got up and looked to see her friend Marinette looking distressed below her. “Marinette, what’s wrong,” she asked.
“Oh hi Alix, it’s nothing, I should get going,” Marinette responded. Alix helped her up and then noticed her nose was bleeding.
“You’re not going anywhere until that nose is clotted, come on,” the shorter girl said. She grabbed and friends hand and led her inside the Louvre building to her family’s apartment. Her brother was sitting at the table eating an omelette.
“Hey,” he said.
“Ignore him,” said Alix. She sat her friend down and walked over to the cupboard where the first aid kit was. Taking it out, she found an instant ice pack and gave it to Marinette, who began pressing it near her nose. “There, better?”
“Thanks, but I should be going,” Marinette said.
“What’s wrong, asked Alix, you can trust me, I’m your friend.” She sat down, placing her hand on her friends knee only for her to leap back with a cry. Alix pulled back the trousers to reveal a big red wound the size of a tennis ball. “Oh my god, what happened?”
“You wouldn’t understand, Marinette responded, no one in the class does!”
“What are you talking about?,” Alix asked.
“It doesn’t even matter, I feel all alone, beatings, insults, sabotaged homework, threatening texts, all because I called her out,” Marinette cried.
“Who,” asked Alix.
“Lila,” Marinette responded.
“What, but why, next to you and me, she’s the most popular girl in school, asked Alix, she has so many connections and…” She didn’t get to finish as Marinette slammed her head on the table.
“She’s lying, it’s all lies, Jagged Stone is allergic to cats, none of the charities she supposedly does are real, she framed me to get me expelled, she threatened me in the bathroom, Marinette cried, and yet no one believes me!” Alix couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“But why, why would she lie, is she just jealous of you or something,” she asked.
“Not from what I found out, Marinette said, I was looking for any evidence of her lies last night and, I found this blog, I’m not the only one.” She was looking very upset. “She’s been doing it at every school she’s been to, she tells tall tales about herself, gives promises and falsehoods she can’t keep, when someone calls her out, she begins mercilessly destroying their lives, the last one, the previous one, a boy named Max tried to kill himself, all because of Lila’s lies. Every time, she just skips town to avoid punishment, leaving behind broken trust, traumatised victims and shattered friendships. I’ve tried to tell her to stop it, maybe if she was just honest, maybe we could be friends but…she doesn’t care.”
“Have you told anyone,” asked Alix.
“Only you, Alya is completely fooled, even when I trust her with one of my biggest secrets, Marinette responded, who know that I broke up with Luka, it wasn’t because I don’t like, heck, he’s amazing, I had to because there’s something I can’t tell him, it’s bigger than any of us.”
“We can tackle it together, we can take down Lila, I promise,” Alix said.
“And I’m, I’m Ladybug,” said Marinette.
“Well that makes sense,” said Alix’s brother.
“Shut up Jaili,” Alix yelled.