I believe in you Ladybug!

Part 8

Months. Actual Months. I'm so sorry. On the bright side, we're getting really close to the end of this book, and since it's becoming clear that my steam for this story is starting to waver, I'll get the last chapter (maybe two? Maybe) out as fast as I can. In the meantime, have 2500 words.

On Monday Chloe woke up at her normal time, and was ready to leave after an hour. She packed her bag with the unfinished homework unperturbed – Sabrina would have copies of her homework Chloe could turn in. The material wasn't the most difficult, and it wasn't like Chloe couldn't pull a few strings on the off chance that she did fail one of her classes.

After some debate, Chloe buried the necklace she had bought on Friday in the bottom of an inside zipper pocket in her bag. She didn't necessarily want to leave it behind on the off chance that Marinette would genuinely appreciate further help from her, but for some reason Chloe couldn't help but treat this like it was some sort of secret – something she didn't want anyone else to know about. As if it was a damning piece of evidence against Chloe rather than Lila. Maybe in some ways it was.

The school was quiet when Chloe arrived. Granted it was still nearly a half hour before the bell rung, her usual time to arrive to school if she had some drama she was trying to control, but for some reason it felt odd. She had no one her back, nothing special against her, there was no reason she couldn't just arrive with everyone else. It was almost as if she wanted there to be, and that made her act as if there was.

Was last week's fiasco really something Chloe saw as better?

Of course it was, for the first time in a while Chloe felt . . . well, she didn't know exactly what it was she felt, but it was something. Something important, something she had never quite felt before.

Ms. Bustier's classroom was empty, and Chloe took her usual seat. It was odd, to get to school early and not have anything specific to do once she got there. So she pulled out her phone and wasted several minutes, carefully avoiding anything Ladybug or Chat Noir related.

Chloe barely noticed when voices quietly punctured the silence, but she definitely caught on once she heard her own name.

"But doesn't she wait until the most people are outside to show off her limo?" It was Alya.

"I think so, usually, but she's been bringing me to school early so I don't have to walk in with everyone else." Marinette. "If it was last week, we would've been here for fifteen minutes already."

And then the two girls were entering the classroom, a hesitantly smiling Marinette followed by a very suspicious Alya. Neither of them greeted her as they both put their things at their shared bench. That was enough for Chloe. There was absolutely no reason for her to be here this early, and now she was stuck in this classroom with Dupain-Cheng and Cesaire. She wouldn't leave, she wouldn't bend, but the way Alya was looking at her made Chloe want to storm.

Luckily, she was saved by Adrien, who poked his head into the classroom. "Hey, Chloe, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Chloe stood up, bag still on her shoulder from when she came in, and made her way to the door walking in the way that made her shoes click as much as they could for being flats.

Marinette stopped Chloe in the doorway – "Will you meet us for lunch again?"

Well, at least it sounded like she wanted Chloe there, so with as much hesitancy as her rush to leave the room allowed, she nodded.

"Is everything okay?" Adrien asked at a volume that made Chloe wince. She dragged him downstairs by the elbow and into the empty locker room, closing the door behind her.