Change

3- Concern

     When Marinette finished what she was saying, everyone immediately hugged and apologized for not noticing beforehand.

     "Granted, the only concrete proof we have of her lying is the message from Prince Ali and that my parents can confirm that I was grounded off of the internet for two weeks," Marinette sighed, "I'm just so glad I don't have to be burdened with all of the threats and lies this girl has told me all by myself anymore."

     "But why exactly is Lila targeting you?" Mylene asked, "Could it be that you were the only one out of the rest of us to see through her lies?"

     Marinette nervously chuckled, "Well I probably would've fallen for them too had I not trusted my gut. Last time I checked, Jagged Stone was allergic to cats and Prince Ali doesn't even know who the heck Lila is."

     "Or that she knows Stan Lee personally and once collaborated on a comic book with him," Ivan added on, "From what I remember, Stan Lee died back in 2018 and she said they created one together in 2019..."

     "Seriously, this girl has some serious issues," Juleka said, "It's one thing to fake being sick, but it's another thing if she's targeting someone I've known since first grade who would never lie to anyone."

     Marinette internally chuckled, "But it's for a good reason though."

     "Either way, we got your back!" Rose determinedly said as she did a dramatic pose, "We won't let Lila put you down any longer!"

     Marinette smiled, "Thanks guys, you're the best."

     "So, can we change the topic now?" Ivan asked as he nervously looks at everyone in the room.

     Mylene nodded as she gently patted her boyfriends back, "Mhm!"

     "Oh, I heard there was a music festival going on next week all over Paris. I was thinking maybe we could all start a band?" Marinette said as she saw Rose eagerly nodding.

     "I can be the lead singer, Juleka and her brother can play the guitar, Ivan can play the drums, and both Marinette and Mylene can help us set up!"

     "Wait, you have a brother?" Marinette asked Juleka.

     Juleka nodded, "He goes to a different school than us, but yes I do have a brother."

     "His name is Luka and he's really sweet!" Rose added on as she excitedly clapped her hands together, "I'm sure you both will get along swimmingly!"

     "So, who's in?" Juleka asked the group as she got up and stood beside Rose.

     "I'm in," Marinette said, "Though I probably won't be able to attend practices on Wednesdays since I'm attending weekly therapy now."

     "Oh that's completely fine with us," Rose smiled warmly as she looked at the other two, "Are you guys joining in."

     Ivan nodded, "It sounds like fun."

     "As long as I'm not the one singing or performing, I'll be fine," Mylene smiled back.

     "Now all we need is a super cool name for our band," Rose said before coming up with one, "Kitty Section!"

     Juleka chuckled.

     "Well I don't see anything wrong with naming the band 'Kitty Section'" Ivan responded as Mylene nodded.

     "Mhm!" Marinette agreed.

     Rose clapped her hands together, "It's all settled then, we will have our first band practice this Friday at Juleka's house!"

     Marinette internally sighed, "Let's just hope this doesn't turn out to be a total disaster..."

—

"So you managed to reconnect with some of your friends yesterday and discuss the whole Lila situation with them?" Mary-Jane asked as she wrote down something on her clipboard.

Marinette nodded, "And I explained to them, more specifically Rose, that my crush on Adrien was more of an unhealthy obsession than it was love. Thankfully my friends are very understanding and have since stopped asking me Adrien related questions. Now we're busy focusing on our newly formed band Kitty Section and we have our first practice in two days!"

Mary-Jane smiled, "Well I'm glad you're able to have fun with your friends despite everything that has happened over the past four weeks."

"Mhm! Oh, my back to school collection is going to drop next month on my website! I plan on working on the designs after I finish up Jagged Stones new costume for his upcoming music video," Marinette flipped to a page on her sketchbook and showed off the design.

Mary-Jane gasped, "That's the most extraordinary costume I've seen in a long time. You have a lot of potential, Marinette."

"Mhm! I also designed the derby hat Adrien modeled at the last Gabriel fashion show and got an internship from Audrey Bourgeois herself. Maybe once I finish up high school (and defeat Hawkmoth) I can head over to New York and work there as an intern," Marinette said as she closed her sketchbook, "Though my future plans haven't been set in stone yet, so it's gonna be a while before I make any decisions regarding my career as a fashion designer."

"And that's perfectly fine," Mary-Jane smiled as Marinette showed her some photos of the mock-ups.

"My parents said they'll back me up on whatever path I choose in live, just as long as it isn't illegal," Marinette put her sketchbook away in her bag.

Mary-Jane nodded, "I just hope these weekly therapy sessions are helping you out in the process."

"Oh they have. I wouldn't have realized that I had an obsession with Adrien if I didn't attend them and realize that I'm better off without the toxicity of my former class. It's gonna be so stress reliving going back to school and being far away from Lila, or well as far as I'm going to get," Marinette stood up and dusted her pants off, "I already know a couple of kids from Ms. Mendeleiv's, so I know I won't be alone there."

"Well I'm happy you're looking forwards to the new school year. Make sure to tell me how band practice went next Wednesday!" Mary-Jane said as Marinette headed out the door.

"I will! Goodbye, Ms. Gardner!"

"Goodbye, Marinette!" Mary-Jane responded as she got up and walked over to her desk, "Now, time to get this paperwork all sorted out..."