22. Day 2 Part 7

Chloe continued to relentlessly march back towards class, heedlessly scattering those foolish enough to venture into her path like bowling pins. With a murderous expression set on her usually coquettish features, and more steam coming out of her ears than at your average kettle convention, she ploughed through the hapless masses while images far too graphic to describe here played in her mind.

Clue: They mostly involved the mutilation of a teenage male model and a pigtailed baker's daughter, using a repertoire of cutting tools that would make a butcher green with envy. I think we'll leave it at that.

All this time, one of the 'stars' of her imagined snuff film chased after her, stopping occasionally to help up the kids from lower grades that his ex-friend had mown down in her wake, and profusely apologising to them on her behalf.

Of course, with the nefarious reputation Chloe had accrued after years of running roughshod through the place, none of the victims of her latest rampage believed those solemn words of regret from Adrien for a second. But the majority accepted them anyway in good grace, eager just to get out of the corridor and escape the ongoing melee as quickly as possible.

Eventually, a few yards away from the classroom door, Adrien caught up with his irascible target. Moving in front of her, he attempted to state his case before their argument spilled out into a more public setting.

"Listen… what I said… you don't understand.. " He was notably out of breath at this point, drenched in sweat and beginning to smell worse than some of the pungent cheese he carried around for a little sidekick of his.

"I understand everything perfectly well, Agreste." Chloe humphed, eyeing him like someone would a clump of dog mess at the base of their shoe. "I've wasted most of my life worshipping a boy who'd rather hang out with the dregs of society than the likes of me and Daddy. If you must go and wade in the sewer, fine. Just don't expect me to swim behind, after all, who wants to stink like you do right now?"

He couldn't help himself. Despite the intensity of the situation, Adrien still had some of the vanity of a model. Upon hearing Chloe's criticism of his hygiene, he instinctively went to sniff his armpits, giving the heiress the perfect opportunity to barge past him, with a quote for the ages. "Smell ya later. Or in your case, I'd rather not. Ha ha ha ha!"

Adrien watched her go with a palpable sense of loss. Not because he had apparently gone in an instant from being her personal idol to just another dweeb to sneer at. He could live with that, as tragic as it would be to lose the first true friend he ever made.

No, what really weighed heavily on his conscience was the fact that he was unable to reach out to the heiress, to show her that destructive behaviour could only have negative ramifications in the future, to let Chloe know she could be so much better than this repellant persona she was demonstrating to the world at large right now. Oh Andre, what did you do to that sweet little girl…

In the meantime, the object of his distress was strolling back into their classroom like she owned the joint, absent all of the feelings of apprehension and fear she'd experienced earlier. I'm Chloe Bourgeois for goodness sake. I should be treated like a queen wherever I go on name recognition alone, and I should be able to do whatever I like to whomever I choose. Who cares what a four-eyed creeper and a vacuous model think, anyway? No-one's going to change me… I'm quite happy as I am. Yes… that's right…

Sabrina knew that posture as soon as she saw it. When Chloe swaggered inside initially, the redhead wore a look of optimism on her face, hoping against hope that her earlier words to the blonde had bore fruit, or failing that, Adrien had been able to knock some sense into her. Figuratively speaking, of course.

Now, just by studying Chloe's arrogant demeanor for a split second, Sabrina knew that both of their respective missions had been complete failures. This conclusion was emphasised subtly by the heiress making a point of moving her chair as far away from the glasses wearer at the desk they shared, whilst giving her a lethal glare that could curdle milk.

Yep, seems like my 'old friend' is here to stay. What a shame… Sabrina bowed her head in sadness. It looked like she'd be making her 'fresh start' alone after all. Oh Chloe, why?

Finding some small gratification in Sabrina's quiet tears, Chloe was nevertheless was in the mood for more mischief to alleviate her rage. She frantically looked around for something to aid her to these diabolical ends, her eyes eventually falling on an unopened pack of erasers her Daddy had insisted on buying her for the new term.

Now, obviously she'd never actually needed to use them, because as everyone knows, Chloe Bourgeois is perfect in practically every single way and never makes any mistakes whatsoever, the teachers only consistently give her F's due to their inadequacy at their job, but right now none of that mattered. She'd finally found a purpose for these seemingly useless items, and it was time to put them into action.

She stacked up a heap of rubbers either side of her, also simultaneously grabbing a nearby ruler, before taking the first eraser and placing it on the measuring device. Take aim aanndd….

Fire! That'll teach you to blame me for breaking your stupid watch, Alix!

Fire! Force me out of the school picture would you, Juleka?

Fire! How dare you imprison me in a gelatinous glob for more than a hour, Mylene! .

Fire! Oops Nino, you shouldn't be sleeping in class!

Fire! I can't tell you how much I enjoyed that Marinette. In fact, Have another. And another….

Damn, I've almost run out of ammunition. If that blue-haired freak wasn't so hateful, I'd have more left. Only one eraser remaining… and I think I know who I'll be pinging it at. My second most hated person on this planet, the boy who took my heart, threw it in a blender and hit 'frappe'. I am, of course, referring to…

Unfortunately for Chloe, at this point everyone around her had been inundated with small rubbery missiles, particularly a certain pigtailed girl who was positively festooned with them. They knew exactly who the culprit was too, and were loudly complaining to the teacher, who'd stopped writing on the blackboard and walked over to the heiress to find out exactly what was going on.

"Chloe, what do you think you're… OW!"

The rubber destined for the back of Adrien's head never found it's way there, instead ending up smack dab in the middle of Miss Bustier's delicate nose. Oops.

The teacher winced a little, while Chloe recoiled in shock at her faux pas. " I-I'm so sorry Miss, but it wasn't my fault. It was that idiot Adrien that made me act out like that when he broke up with me in the ladies bathroom, and Marinette for encouraging him. If you want to punish anyone, then those two miscreants should be where you should start…"

"ENOUGH!" Miss Bustier barked, while caressing the general area the projectile had hit. Everyone present, Chloe included, immediately sprang to attention upon hearing the usually mild-mannered member of staff raise her voice. On the rare occasions it happened, you knew she meant business.

"Miss Bourgeois…" she continued, at a lower volume but a similar level of exasperation. "I have had just about had it up to here! First of all, you swan around like this school like it's your own private palace, treating staff and pupils alike with no respect whatsoever! Then, when you're reprimanded for your atrocious attitude, you either pin the blame on innocent parties, or call your father to get you off the hook! I'm at my wits end, I really am, and… what do you mean, when he broke up with you in the ladies bathroom…?!

The teacher took a moment to cast an accusatory glance at Adrien, who by now was attempting, without much success, to shrink himself to the size of a pea. "When I let you leave this room Mr Agreste, during lesson time to have a word with your friend here, what exactly did the two of you get up to?!"

"Yeah, that's what I'd like to know, too…" Marinette was taking an interest in the conversation now, and warily turned round to face the model, erasers falling out of her hair en masse like snowflakes while doing so.

"N-nothing, I swear…" Adrien still hadn't the gumption to leave his hiding place to face his aggressors, while Nino couldn't help but stifle a giggle nearby.

"Well, we can get back to that discussion later…" Miss Bustier sighed, wondering if it was perhaps time she took up an easier profession, like lion-taming. "Right now, of far greater concern to me is what we do about our resident troublemaker Chloe here. Really, isn't it bad enough you seem to directly help create half of the akumatised victims around the city, must you bring that discord into the education system, too…?!"

"Actually…" Max couldn't help but raise his hand. " Statistically speaking, she's responsible for exactly seventy-two per cent of akuma attacks in Paris. I don't know about anywhere else…"

"Yes, thank you, Max, that's very useful information. I'll give you an extra gold star for that later, Can I return to the point I was making, please… and no more interruptions, everyone. Thank you." Not being well versed in the art of sarcasm, Max sat down with a real sense of pride, while his teacher just wanted to finish off a sentence.

"Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, for the life of me I don't know what to do with you, Chloe." Miss Bustier was on the verge of admitting defeat. "If I did set you extra homework, you'd probably pay one of your underlings to do it for you. If I gave you detention, you would no doubt spend the entire duration on your phone, without a care in the world. If I went as far as suspension, you'd have the capability to convince your father to strike it from the permanent records, rendering the whole thing pointless. Short of having you deported from our fair country for the protection of everyone else, I have no idea what our next step should be…"

Ignoring the supportive calls of those around her who thought that last flippant comment from the teacher was a serious proposal, Chloe responded smugly. "Finally, Miss. It's taken you long enough, but you've at last figured out who holds the true power around here. The fact that a measly public servant like you has the audacity to try and tell me what to do, shows there's a complete lack of class perception in our nation. When are you peasants going to see, you can't fight the system, which dictates that whatever I say, goes. Look at you all, sitting there in your charity shop clothes, wishing you were me. Later, you'll all go back to your sorry hovels, to partake in whatever dumb hobbies you have, while I'm out on my private yacht in the Riviera topping up my tan. I almost feel sorry for you… almost…"

Chloe then let out the nastiest, most scornful laugh she'd ever expressed, while those around her were so irked at her shameless impertinence that a public lynching seemed inevitable.

In the eye of this poisonous storm was Miss Bustier, with her head slumped in a state of complete despondency. There seemed to be nothing she could do besides throw the spoiled brat nearby to the baying mob like red meat, Perhaps a bit of a thrashing might do her some good, the long-suffering educator mused, though she felt guilty the minute the savage thought left her head.

Ease up there, Bustier. You're dealing with a teenager, who while she might be very aggravating, is still just a child. It's a mark of how infuriating she is that she's even testing you, the teacher who's never given up on a student in her life, to the very depths of your soul. There must be a reason why she acts out like this… if only Adrien would confide in me a little more about her past. But I'm not a psychiatrist, so that would be against regulations. How do I get her to see, that carrying on in this way is only going to lead to ostracization, isolation and ultimately complete rejection by her peers. She's going to have a very unhappy future ahead of her unless… hold on, her peers...

A metaphorical light bulb appeared above the teacher's head. Just in time, too… the natives were getting restless, and poor old Chloe was about to get a salvo of pencils, chalk dust and unwanted packed lunches thrown in her general direction..

"Cease and desist!" Miss Bustier was quick to stick her hands in the air upon recovering her senses, and realising what was going on. "Keep your various implements in your own personal areas, please. I don't want anyone in this room to stoop to Miss Bourgeois's level, as tempting as it might be for some…"

Initially preparing to shield her precious, precious hair from the peasant's revolt, Chloe put her arms down upon hearing the teacher's declaration, before grinning insolently. "That's right, you ignoramuses. Listen to the lady… because if you don't my Daddy…"

"Your 'daddy' this, your 'daddy' that…" Miss Bustier shook her head. "When are you going to stand on your own feet, Chloe?! Will you be living with the Mayor forever, relying on him to solve every little problem that crops up? Surely the time will come when you have to learn to be self-reliant, after all every little bird flies the nest at some point…"

"I-I'll have you know I'm very independant…" Chloe said with a degree of uncertainty."I-I just happen to be of the opinion that if you have the connections, you should use them. Like for example, I was going to let you keep your job for defending me against that rabble, but because of that last remark, I won't now. Get ready to receive your severance cheque in the mail any day soon…"

"Well, I think it's about high time you made a few more 'connections', don't you?" Miss Bustier chose to disregard Chloe's last threat. "Starting from tomorrow, as part of your punishment, you're going to spending a few hours with each member of this class, participating in whatever activity with them as they see fit. This should make a nice change from all the butlers and maids you usually hang out with, and allow you to judge for yourself if their hobbies are 'dumb' or not."

"WHAT… NO WAY! Y-you can't do this to me. I-I'll sue! I'll tell my..." If Chloe found this idea objectionable, that was as nothing compared to the rest of the students, who howled their dissent so loudly they almost blew the roof off.

"Calm down, everyone!" The teacher told all those present. "Sorry Chloe, but you have no choice in the matter. I have a signed affidavit from your father here that any penalty recommended to the school by me as recompense for your recent misconduct should be administered to you. It's my decision that what you need is to see how 'the other side' lives, then maybe once you understand your classmates a bit better, you'll think twice before your endless bullying of them. As for the rest of you, if you do this favour for me, in the next few days, no homework at all for the wee…"

Lots of murmurings around. People not impressed.

"Okay, how about the rest of the mont…"

A few satisfied grunts, but still more persuading needed to be done.

"Oh, what the heck… let's just make it the whole term!"

Miss Bustier said that half-jokingly, but the class took it as gospel, and immediately erupted into euphoria. The educator wanted to retract her promise, but seeing as everyone had accepted these terms, and it seemed the only way to put her plan for her most disruptive pupil into motion, she decided to keep her mouth shut.

With Chloe still standing there with as much movement as one of Madame Tussard's famous creations, and the entire year still in raptures, the bell rang for recess. There then followed a sight no-one thought they'd ever see: Nearly every single student there queuing up to shake the paralysed Chloe's hand and pat her on the back, jubilant at the unintentional favour she'd just done them all.

The only exceptions were Marinette, Adrien and… Sabrina, who all left together. In the middle of the ecstatic crowd, Chloe could see them involved in quite an animated discussion as they departed, talking about… Probably me. The heiress thought she saw Sabrina glance back quickly before leaving with the other two, but she couldn't be sure. All she knew is she felt sick again, and she needed to talk to someone… or, something.

That's when the vision of a certain kwami popped into her head, and when the congregation around her gradually dispersed, she rushed over to her seat to retrieve her bag, desperate to ask for Zzubo's advice on this weighty predicament, even though she was loathe to admit it.

Except, it wasn't there.

She tried looking in her desk. Underneath.

No sign of it anywhere. Oh, where could it be?

That's when the thought struck her. Marinette! She took my bracelet once, I don't care what anyone says. I bet her sticky fingers have struck again. I'll go and check…

The heiress dashed over to her rival's work area, hoping for once that her worst suspicions were correct, and the pigtailed one was a thief.

Well, if she was, then obviously she'd stolen a lot of writing jotters and pictures of Adrien, because that's all that was in there.

"Oh no!" Chloe wanted to scream. "As if this day couldn't get any more horrible…"

"Miss Bourgeois, what on Earth do you think you're doing?! Why are you intruding in other student's desks?" That was the teacher, just returned from grabbing a well-deserved cup of hot coffee.

"It's gone… it's gone…" was all Chloe could wail in response.

"What is it this time… your diamond ring? Your pearl necklace? I know my patience has been 'gone' for a good while yet…" the sassy teacher replied bluntly, while blowing on her drink to cool it down.

"No… no…. It's…" Chloe tried to enunciate, but the words seemed to stick in her throat.

"Well…?"

"I-I…"

"I believe what she's looking for is this, Miss Bustier."

A petite figure stood at the door with an Italian accent, long brunette hair and a sly expression on their face.

"Now, why would you be so careless as to leave something this valuable lying around?" Lila said with mock seriousness, as she held aloft a plush leather bag. "Just think of who could have wandered off with it. Good job there are honest people like me around…"

Chloe had been keeping it in for a while, but seeing this sneaky, lying Ladybug hater with her mitts all over her personal property was the final straw.

SCREAM!

Author's Note: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to all those people in Nice who died yesterday, on Bastille Day, especially the 10 children. The world can indeed be a cruel place, but we must never give up hope. That's it. I hope you all have a good weekend...