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6- Secrets

     It's the first day of a brand new school year for Marinette, and needless to say she's quite excited. On one hand, she will be getting a (somewhat) fresh start and be able to make plenty of new friends and show off more of her designs, but on the other she wants to see how Lila and the others would react to the new her.

     Call Marinette 'salty' as you would, but she's quite curious to see Lila dig herself into an even bigger hole now that her lies have backfired on her (thank you very much, maman). From what Marinette has heard from her friends, things haven't been going out well for the rest of her former classmates; Alya's grounded for making her babysit Ella and Etta without getting paid, Nino and Adrien's friendship is slowly deteriorating (as well as his relationship with Alya), Alix sucker-punched Lila in the face after finding out about all of the lies she's been feeding everyone (Marinette forgives Alix for everything that she's done, but she's going to have to work harder in gaining back her trust and friendship), and Kim is attending some much needed anger management classes after getting akumatized for the third time after loosing a bet. Marinette finds amusement at the thought of her former friends crawling back to her after everything they've put her through (the uncomfortable plans revolving around Adrien, the horrible messages, the voicemails...). After all, weren't they the ones who sided with a liar who only spins the narrative to cater to their fantasies,

     Either Lila is a compulsive liar or there could be a very good reason as to why she acts the way she does. Could it be neglect? Past experiences with bullying? A mental disorder? The possibilities are endless, but regardless Marinette still thinks that Lila has a shot at redemption...if she doesn't screw it all up in the end....

     Regardless, Marinette is positive that today will be a good day. One could only hope that Hawkmoth will be merciful and not akumatize someone for once...She would like to at least have one day where she doesn't have to transform, thank you very much.

     Putting on a new design she had just created a few days ago, brushing out her hair, and grabbing something quick to eat for breakfast as well as making sure Tikki had a macaroon to snack on, Marinette confidentially walked towards school (which ironically enough was right across the street from her house). Heading towards her new classroom, Marinette looked around and noticed there was a girl sitting in the back all alone..who looked eerily similar to Chloé....Either she must be Chloé's secret long lost sister or Chloé herself.

     Knowing what it's like to be alone, Marinette decided to walk over to her and sit down at the table. Flashing a warm smile and holding out her hand, Marinette introduced herself to her.

     "Hi, my names Marinette. What's yours?"

     The girl smiled a bit, "Zoé, Zoé Lee."

     "Zoé? That's such a pretty name," Marinette complimented.

     "Thanks, your outfit looks absolutely stunning. Are those embroidered paw prints on the shirt?" Zoé asked her as she pointed at Marinette's shirt.

     "Yup, I made it myself! You could say I'm a huge Chat Noir fan," Marinette chuckled at the mention of her feline partner, who inspired her to make several outfits based off the two of them.

     Zoé giggled, "My half-sister is a huge Ladybug fan. You know Chloé Bourgeois, right?" 

     Marinette nodded, "Yeah..I know her all too well...We don't exactly get along, but I can say that she's not a bad person."

     "She's actually pretty nice to me, which is strange considering that we had just recently found out about each other. Chloé may seem very cruel at times, but I believe that she has the potential to be a better person with the right guidance," Zoé smiled at the thought of her sister being included in group activities, "Our mom isn't exactly a nice person, and my step-father is a huge pushover...I'm forever grateful that Ladybug stepped in when she did, or else my sister probably would've went down the wrong path."