66. Intermission: Lila At Lunch

Despite everything she'd been through, everything she'd seen and all the strange anomalies that seemed to encircle her of late, it would appear as though Lila Rossi just couldn't 'quit' Chloe Bourgeois-Marigold and her wacky life.

The olive-skinned Italian with the long chestnut hair, alluring smile and the penchant for lying through her teeth had kept a low profile that morning, silently observing the heiress's arrival at school earlier through a sea of Nathanael's humiliating 'love' sketches.

She'd afforded herself a little chuckle at that, and at Chloe's subsequent mental breakdown in class when she'd shamefully burst into tears in front of everyone. Lila was considerably less amused however, by the blonde's apparent success in befriending Max and Rose, especially taking into account the fact that both apparently hated her guts only yesterday.

How can those two losers go from being complicit in having a bucket of sludge dumped on her head… Lila had growled to herself, her nails digging so tightly into her balled-up fists that they nearly drew blood, ...to suddenly becoming bosom buddies with the stupid snob? I've noticed Mylene, Ivan and even Alix give her the occasional pleasant side-glance, too. Has the world gone insane?! I bet it's that enchanted bee thingie she carries around with her, pretending to be a cuddly toy, which is making them fall under her demonic spell. I just know it…

Yes, despite every logical atom in her body trying to convince her otherwise, Lila was one hundred percent sure that the disturbing vision of a giant yellow and black striped bug hovering over her in the cloakroom was not in fact, a panic-induced hallucination, but was actually a living, breathing beast.

Having awoken from her mini-coma it put her in and sprinted home at a speed which Usain Bolt or a cheetah might have found excessive, she did her best to block out the usual depressing news from her now regularly coughing father about the hopelessness of the French job market and how much weaker he now felt with every single passing day, to plot her next move like a true chessmaster.

Obviously, I can't confront her head-on, because that creepy creature is always watching her back… Lila had sighed at the dinner table, while absent-mindedly stirring the pallid slop she was given to eat. Was it soup? Gruel? Who cares… all she knew was that it was all they could afford. She didn't have the courage to enquire as to its contents, either. I don't want anymore late night visitations from weird, floating, squeaky-voiced spectres either. What to do? What to do?

Anyone who knew Lila well, would tell you she could be as stubborn as a dog chasing it's tail in circles. Despite all the dire warnings she'd had from mystical forces beyond her control to leave well alone, she was still completely determined to seize whatever diabolical power Chloe wielded and use it for her own ends. For a better way of life for her, and her pops.

If it was powerful enough to turn most of the blonde's 'haters' into friends in such a short space of time, or send the Italian into an extended slumber in the middle of the day, than it was worth all the risk and danger that could possibly exist. She just had to be smarter about procuring it next time, that's all. No more sudden, hasty moves… she was going to do everything by the book from now on.

At this present moment it was lunchtime, and Lila was quietly watching Chloe from the back of the cafeteria with a growing sense of outrage. Not only was the class hunk Adrien sitting with her yet again, but Rose was there too, and they were all laughing at some no doubt stupid joke as if they didn't have a care in the world.

Despite her now overwhelming hunger, Lila was in no mood to take a bite of her 'nutritious' macaroni and cheese surprise (the surprise was it was properly cooked this time), and bent her fork almost in half at witnessing this sickening spectacle of kinship.

It's just not fair, she complained in her head bitterly, while aiming a stray bit of slimy pasta at the back of Ms. Mendeleiev's head, how come that uppity bitch gets to treat people like the dirt under her toenails, dress in shabby clothes despite being rich and have a great privileged lifestyle everyone should be jealous of, yet still come out smelling of roses? I-It takes so many lies and duplicity to get me what I want, but all she has to do is wave her little pinky and all her problems go away just like that. I bet she could already do anything she wanted before, and now she has a magical bee genie to boot?! I hate her. I hate her so much. I-I want to shove that silver spoon she was born with in her mouth right up her...

Then, to crown it all off, images of the heiress's flawless naked figure (aside from the inexplicable hairy feet, of course) began assailing Lila's senses from the little espionage operation she'd conducted in the changing room the other day, and Lila had just about had enough. No one person deserved to be that perfect. No single individual warranted that abundance of good fortune. Especially not her.

She was going to take it all away from Chloe. Everything. Fancy hotel, fancy outfits, the money, her beloved mutant insect, the works. But she didn't quite know how to start this newfound vengeful scheme…

Trying to kick her ever-cunning brain into gear, Lila's attention finally moved away from the three nauseatingly giggling students at the centre table to scan the remainder of the dining area, hoping against hope that a flash of inspiration, or the proper stooge, would fall into her lap at the right moment.

Marinette? No, she might loathe Chloe too, but she's too much in love with that stupid Ladybug character, plus she's always disappearing at the most inopportune moments. I can't rely on her. Alya? Possibly, but she's still mad at me for fibbing about everything in the interview I gave her soon after starting at College Dupont, so I guess she's out. Who else is there, who isn't in the wealthy brat's pocket alread…

That's when Lila spotted her ideal patsy. A small, withdrawn figure, hunched at an isolated table just as she was. Also like the Italian, the ginger's eyes were glued to the heiress and her two companions enjoying themselves, a strange mixture of desperation and… envy?, present in her bespectacled eyes.

Lila recalled her nemesis and this poor, pathetic figure were once lifelong besties before a very public break-up, and they'd been at other's throats as early as that very morning when the blonde had arrogantly dissed her in front of everyone present.

In other words, it didn't look like they were going to reforge their old friendship anytime soon, and unless Lila was very much mistaken there was more than a little animosity lurking under the surface of that seemingly docile nerdish facade.

Like a predator eying its prey, Lila's mind was made up that very instant. I can use this mutual distrust to my advantage. I've been to so many schools in my home country before and met girls like her, hopeless wannabes who have no willpower of their own, always the follower, never the leader. I think I'll go over and introduce myself, maybe take her under my wing if she's lucky. Here I go…

Wasting no more time in pointless internal conflict, Lila left her now distinctly inedible, stone-cold meal behind to prance confidently over to where her new target sat alone, to lean casually on the table as the nearby occupant there went to gaze up nonplussed at the new arrival through clear lenses.

"Hi there... Sabrina, is it? This seat taken?"

…...

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, you're not dreaming. This IS an actual update. I haven't got long so I'm going to make this short, but I hope you enjoyed it and the next one will follow very soon. Ciao! Don't forget to comment! ;)