34. Day 3 Part 9

Chloe slumped back in her chair inside the classroom, after what could possibly be described as the longest and most exhausting lunch period of her entire life.

A lot of the blonde's malaise could be traced back to her undesired dining companion earlier, who first of all ordered the most expensive item on the menu (at the heiress's expense, naturally) and proceeded to waffle on endlessly while chewing, about everything Chloe could do for her in their new not-exactly-mutually-beneficial relationship.

The noisy eater was of course, Lila Rossi, and in between mouthfuls of spaghetti and meatballs, she ruthlessly laid out a unnegotiable pitch for Chloe to adapt to, which involved copious donations to her private fund, a free clothes-hire service comprising the blonde's formerly well-stocked wardrobe and personalised invitations to all the top soirees that the Italian wouldn't usually dream of being asked to attend.

Lila might have been surprised by how much she was able to exact from her new reluctant 'best friend', just to preserve the secret regarding Chloe's love of holding a two-way conversation with a cuddly toy, but the reality of the situation wasn't quite so simple.

Not only was the 'cuddly toy' a very much alive kwami, but if Hawkmoth got a whiff that one of the Miraculous he so desperately coveted might belong to Chloe, not only would he pull out all the stops to obtain it from her, but the lives of the heiress and her father might be in jeopardy, too.

So, she had little choice in the matter, but to play the part of Lila's willing stooge for now. Just like Sabrina used to be, although the rich irony escaped Chloe entirely for now.

It was while she was being bombarded by tiny pieces of chewed-up meat and stringy pasta that projected themselves from Lila's mouth, during the blackmail presentation (which was so professionally done, the blonde couldn't help but think she'd done this sort of thing before) that Chloe found herself glancing round the dining room, mostly out of sheer boredom.

The majority of the diners were too immersed in their peasant dishes to pay any attention to Lila's impression of a pig sty during feeding time, and Chloe's dainty sipping of a cup of honey tea. Some students however, still coming to terms with the heiress's far less flashy fashion ensemble and much quieter demeanor, found themselves glancing over in astonishment, with even an occasional eye rub thrown in for good measure.

After this humbling week, Chloe thought ruefully, I'll never want to hog the limelight again. Miss Fades-Into-The-Crowd, is what I'll be known as from now on.

One of the tables where the majority of the more positive attention originated from was where Marinette, Adrien, Alya and Nino sat together, as they usually did. Previously, Adrien would've been the only member there to look Chloe's way, either to nod a silent greeting or to make sure she was staying out of mischief. Mostly, the latter.

This time though, things were very different. Now that Chloe and Alya were on much better terms, the blonde found herself being smiled at and waved to by the blogger, who even gestured at one stage that her and Lila should join them, so they could make a sextet.

The heiress shook her head at that kind offer, as in her opinion, no-one else should be subjected to her associate's less-than-stimulating conversation mostly consisting of half-truths, or the fragments of edible missiles fired from her mouth at regular intervals.

There was also the small matter that she couldn't stand at least two of that party, of course. But she chose to not let that prevalence affect her better judgement.

Adrien still seemed as pleased for his old friend though, that raised thumb on his right hand hadn't dropped since he saw Chloe making such a determined effort to intermingle with the rest of the class. Even Nino, who'd must've heard a few good things from his girlfriend about the 'new' Chloe seemed less hostile than usual, even offering her a tentative half-grin during the brief moments they made eye contact.

Marinette, though... she just seemed weird. Well, weirder than usual, Chloe smirked to herself. The baker's daughter kept gazing anxiously between Lila and the heiress, before mouthing a few quiet words to Adrien, who seemed to laugh off her concerns.

Her curiousity piqued, Chloe moved her seat forward to try and work out what was being discussed, but it was impossible to hear over the general lunchtime hubbub, and the blonde was no lipreader. The only two words she could interpret were 'bad influence' and shockingly, they seemed to be depicting Lila, not her good self. Huh, maybe the girl with breadcrumbs for brains has more nous than I thought, the heiress mused.

It was at this stage the bell had rang, the final scheduled lessons began for the afternoon, and Chloe found herself hit with a large bill for Lila's meal, even though most of it had ended up on her jeans and T-shirt. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to wear some scruffy togs today, she realised.

"Get used to it..." The Italian had smirked, as Chloe opened her wallet to pay. "It's the first little 'favour' you'll be doing of many for me. In fact, I think I'll preserve this moment in our 'special' new relationship by means of taking a selfie. It'll be amazing to look back at this souvenir in a few short years, when I've worked my way up from exhorting you for spaghetti bolognese to diamond earrings. The more dirt I dig up on the Bourgeois, the more rewards I get along the way, and I accept the challenge with relish. Smile for the camera, doll!"

The picture having been taken, Lila moved away stealthily, a mocking laugh left echoing down the corridor in her wake. Chloe hadn't really felt like grinning for the image oddly enough, the same way Ladybug never looked happy when the heiress had taken selfies of them together. The superhero always seemed to be fed up and uninterested in the pictures afterwards, and... Oh my gosh, does my idol hate me, like I hate Lila?

That flash of realisation hit Chloe like a ton of bricks, before a whole range of other obstrusive thoughts struck her on this day of unexpected revelations. Does she despise me because of my terrible behaviour? After all, I did cause most of the akumas to appear. Was Zzubo right, and I'm mainly responsible for her and Cat Noir's huge workload? Maybe if I was a better person, I might see Ladybug genuinely smile at me. I'd love that so much...

So deeply entrenched was Chloe in her own mind, she failed to return to the present in time to see the class fill up once again. Only when the teacher began speaking did she snap back to reality, as Miss Bustier did a headcount to make sure everyone was accounted for.

"...Hmm, I see Kim's not back yet from his little sojourn around Paris. Oh well, it's detention if I see him again today. Also, I've noticed Sabrina is missing. That's not like her at all, and the next lesson is her favourite... long division. Chloe, have you got any idea where your best friend is?"

"E-er, she's kinda not my bestie anymore Miss.." Chloe stole a look at the sneaky girl who'd forcibly promoted herself to that esteemed position, receiving a cheeky wink and a smirk in return. "We're sorta seeing new people, broadening our horizons a bit, weighing up our options..."

"Okay, okay... I get the message..." Miss Bustier raised her hands to get the heiress to settle down. "You don't know where she is. That's all I needed to know, Chloe. Though, if I may say on a personal level that I hope you two patch up whatever it is you're going through. Seeing you two drift apart after so many years would be a tragedy. At least, that's what I think."

Yeah? Well, I 'think' you should mind your own business, Miss Big Mouth! Chloe hit back, but only in her head. The heiress's brain was seemingly the only safe haven these days from her new step-parent Zzubo's hairy arms of discipline, where she could be herself and allow her abrasive views to run riot... unless, kwami's have the ability to read minds as well. Now, there's a terrifying thought. I'll have to find out if that's true from her later on, not that she'd tell me if it was...

Meanwhile, Miss Bustier continued on, completely oblivious to her blonde student's negative opinion of her. "Anyway, I think we can honestly call Chloe's programme a roaring success so far, considering how well she and Alya connected earlier, and how nicely Lila was talking with her at lunchtime, too! Let's see if we can keep it going... Ah, yes Juleka! You're next, so stand up, please..."

But the girl with the purple streaks in her hair and uniquely dark fashion statement didn't do as she was told. This was no great surprise, as she was notoriously shy, but considering she was about to spend ninety minutes in the company of the girl who helped shut her out of picture day, turning her into a grotesque replicating clown monster in the process, her reticence was perhaps understandable.

The always sweet Rose, seated nearby, put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but they both knew there was no wriggling out of this one. The whole class had promised to spend time with Chloe that week in return for no homework during the term, and they couldn't renege on their commitment now.

Without a word, Juleka eventually got up, silently thanking Rose for her support, and shuffled her way out of the room, taking as long as possible en route. It was obvious to everyone that Chloe's latest host didn't want to spend one second alone with her, a sentiment plenty of them shared. To the blonde herself, who'd lanquished in the false belief that everyone in the school absolutely adored her for so long, it was a massive wake-up call.

Now she knew the awful truth, that she was about as popular as a virulent case of the headlice, it upset her a lot more than she thought it would. She might have loved nothing more than to dismiss their contempt with a haughty laugh, and say she didn't give a damn about what the poorer margins of society thought of her fine self, but thanks to Zzubo's unwanted help in opening her eyes to her untapped potential, their singular opinions started to matter. A lot.

"Be nice to our Juleka..." Miss Bustier whispered a slight warning as Chloe followed the purple haired girl out through the exit. "She's a gentle soul, and doesn't handle pressure very well..."

You wouldn't be saying that if you'd seen how she reacted to the Horrificator... Chloe noted in her mind, before following Juleka in the direction of the Arts and Crafts room.

...

A few minutes after the pair of girls left, just as the rest of the class were getting into the monotony of tedious mathematical equations, Sabrina returned. The redhead quickly poked her head around the corner, sighted that her ex-bestie was nowhere to be seen with relief, before strolling back into the room to take up her assigned seat, next to the empty one.

Her late entry wasn't missed by the teacher, of course. "And where exactly have you been since lunch, Miss Raincomplex?" She inquired, with a raised eyebrow.

Sabrina decided not to contradict the teacher in the mispronounication of her surname. She understood it was a mouthful, and besides, she had much more important things to focus on right now. "Oh, nowhere Miss..." she told the educator, feigning a relaxed smile. "Just dealing with normal, everyday teenage girl problems..."

"Oh..." Miss Bustier blushed at the thought of what was being implied there, and decided not to push the matter any further, out of sheer embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Sabrina was sitting down. Yes, 'teenage girl problems' indeed, she thought to herself, a crooked smile present on her face.

...

SPOILERS BELOW

Author's Note: I have a prediction to make. Chloe, as a superhero, isn't going to be called 'Queen Bee' in shoppingmode canon at all... but Bumblebee. I also don't think Alya will be called Vulpina, but something else. My money is on 'Vixen'.

I might be right, I might be wrong. But if I'm correct... you know who you heard it from first... ;)