The Missing Purrincess

Chapter 33: What's Bothering You?

 She needed to stay focused. That was the whole point of letting her vent.

---Alya's POV---

I didn't mean to read it. She literally handed me her yoyo/phone/thingy I guess to read the bottom message and I started at the top. I'm a fast reader. I didn't even notice that I probably wasn't supposed to read that until I did, then I was already mad.

"You weren't supposed to read that Alya! I don't know what I was thinking. Clearly, you..."

"Look, I'm sorry Ladybug! It was an accident!"

"I can't believe you! After everything with Lila, I don't know why I though that I could..."

Ladybug threw her hands in the air, the sudden movement adjusting the position that she had managed to wiggle herself into and she flinched as her leg moved across the concrete.

"Are you okay Ladybug?"

"YES! Clearly, I'm fine Alya Césaire! That's why I'm in pain! Because I'm OKAY!" She fumed, releasing something that she was probably scared to let out.

I inched away from her, seeing an anger that I knew I didn't like. One that was familiar, and I couldn't quite place in my guilt. 

"Ladybug, I really didn't mean to read the text."

"ALWAYS A TEXT MESSAGE! What is it about phones and you that leads us to these situations."

She muttered that last part, a tear running down her face. I don't think I was ment to hear her say it, but it boke my heart. I was trying my hardest at this point to shut off the detective part of my brain and give my full attention to the scene in front of me, but something about what she just said bothered me and I couldn't place it. 

"You know what Ladybug? Let it out. Everything. Clearly, I messed up, but you're so levelheaded most of the time that I don't think this is just about me reading a message on your yoyo phone thing. So just let me have it."

"I CAN'T! If you got akumatized because of me..."

"NO. There is currently no chance of that because Karma is out right? Unless Scarlet Moth is active, which according to my research needs to happen BEFORE akumatizing someone, then there can only be one akuma at a time. Which mean that there is no chance of me getting akumatized if you say something."

Ladybug looked at me, and for a moment, I feared what was about to come my way. Something was wrong and if I was right, she had nobody to talk to about it. Especially if causing an akuma was a daily concern of hers. Maybe Cat Noir was a normal outlet, but if they weren't getting along at the moment, she would have just been building up anything that bothered her. Who knows when the last time she opened that bottle was?

"You want to know what's bothering me?"

"Yes Ladybug. I do."

"You. You, and Lila, and Cat Noir, and Sabrina, and your whole freaking class minus Nino!"

Minus Nino? 

"You just keep taking everything! Anyone who wants to be friends with you needs to be on their tippy toes all the time because you're so gosh dang unstable! Seriously! I mean Max was akumatized for LOSING A GAME!"

"I mean, he worked hard for that tournament."

"Yeah, but the second time it was because his friends were too busy to play! He didn't even ask everyone! He didn't try to find a more reasonably time to schedule playing or anything! Nope! I'm unstable enough now to kill people!"

Yeesh. I could actually see how that would have been annoying. But how did she know who he asked? Actually, how did she know about the inner parts of that tournament? Max didn't actually say that much as an akuma did he? No, I needed to stay focused. That was the whole point of letting Ladybug vent.

"What about miss here take this family heirloom WITHOUT ME ASKING YOU then get mad when I skated over it Alix? What about Nobody notices me, so I'm going to make everyone look like me so nobody can actually tell who I am so everyone notices me Julika? How does that plan even make sense?!" Ladybug huffed.

Still, she continued, "And don't get me started on the rest of Paris. I mean I said ONE thing about your ice cream not being literal magic, and BOOM! Freaking snowman monster! I have to sit in the second row because one of the actual DESIGNERS got to sit in the first and there's not enough room? EVERYONE'S GLITTER NOW! "

"It would be okay if people could just... understand? I don't know! Nobody can know who I am really, so I can't TELL anyone why I'm constantly disappearing! OR why I was too busy to work on the group project, or why I didn't have time to plan anything special for Hero's Day and basically had to make something up on the spot, I have to take MORE responsibilities as a citizen because I can't tell anyone why I can't! And WORSE OF ALL, I have to listen to my bully claim to be all this and that and Ladybug's Best Friend and say NOTHING!"

---Adrien's POV---

Stupid Kwami. Karma's been wreaking havoc on the city since I left Ladybug, and Plagg was goofing off?

"Cat Noir! Down here!"

I looked down as I slid down my pole to get a look at who was trying to get my attention. Ivan and Chloe were waving their arms around like crazy, so...

"Took you long enough." Chloe complained, "Here!"

She shoved a first aid kit into my arms and turned away, her ponytail out of place like she had been running.

"For Ladybug. We saw her while we were leaving the school. Her leg looked pretty bad and..."

"Thanks I... uh... Sir."

"Oh! We left Alya with her. The Ladyblog girl?"

"What happened to Alya?" 

"Lila pushed her off the stairs on her way out the building. If you can, there should be enough supplies in there to help her too."

"Uhg. This is ridiculous! Miss Blogger will be fiiiine. Ladybug is your priority mister," Chloe turned again, pointer finger to my face. "Cesaire just twisted her ankle. Without Ladybug, we're doomed."

"Yeah. No offence man, but without Ladybug's magic cure thing..." Ivan started, a bit shy. I'm guessing because he didn't really get to talk to me as Cat Noir often.

"Thanks for the heads up. You guys better hide, this particular akuma may have it out for your class."

With that, I vaulted towards the school, wind in my hair and first aid kit in my arms. Keeping an eye out for Karma as I went to make sure she wouldn't follow me to where I left the injured hero.

When I got there, I saw Ladybug pretty much in tears, and a very quiet Alya staring at nothing in particular.

"Am I interrupting something?"