Time To Move On

A Drink of Water

It was a Wednesday afternoon on a quiet Spring day. Marinette sat in class completely lost in her train of thought. As the weather grew warmer less people were being akumatized and as more people began practicing mindfulness the risk for akumatization dropped tremendously.

Of course some part of her knew this would happen, she had seen examples of this sort of thing happening so many times in her life but only now had it struck her and she was completely fascinated by the complex real world example of simple cause and effect.

Marinette wanted to take an online psychology class to learn more about human behavior and how different factors can effect someone's mental health. She knew it could be very helpful in defusing akumatized victims and since there hadn't been an akuma attack in weeks she thought she could try taking one. A voice from the back of the classroom pulled Marinette out of her train of thought.

"Miss Bustier, I don't mean to interrupt it's just that I noticed some of us aren't taking notes and seem to be falling asleep, don't you think it would be nice if we could take a little brain break to stretch and get a drink of water. The change in season can be hard for people's bodies and sleeping patterns to adjust to." Lila smiled and though Marinette couldn't see it she knew it was an evil one.

Marinette then noticed that she was the only one in class who had not been taking notes, her head had been proped up on her hand and she had been starring aimlessly out the window. Every one was looking at her.

"That's a good idea Lila, looks like some of us could really use a moment to wake up. Marinette why don't you go get a drink of water." Chloe giggled and made a comment to Sabrina as Marinette stood up her face flushed pink with embarrassment.

"May I go get a drink of water too?" Lila stood and began walking toward the door before waiting for an answer.

Out in the hall Marinette grinded her teeth and walked in silence next to Lila who seemed to bounce with every step, filled to the brim with energetic evil as always.

"Have you been getting enough sleep Marinette? You look just awful." She laughed. Marinette decided not to respond. She bent down to drink from the water fountain, Lila sneakily slid Marinette's foot right out from under her. Marinette fell chin first into the fountain and bit down on her lip. Her entire face and most of her head getting soaked by the fountain in the process and before she even realised what had happened she had blood dripping down her chin.

Lila pushed her out of the way and took her drink of water. Marinette stood there stunned, holding her hand to her chin to catch the blood when Alya came running down the hall.

"Marinette what happened?" Alya asked. Marinette just stood there trying not to bleed into her own mouth; the taste was awful. Lila grabbed Marinette by the arm and hugged it tight to herself.

"Poor Marinette is just so tired she slipped on some water and bashed her chin into the fountain, I'll take her to the nurse right away." Lila paused for a second to see what Marinette would say, when she didn't say anything she pulled Marinette along.

Alya was suspisious, accidents seemed to be happening to Marinette more often when only Lila was around to witness it. Alya took a few pictures of the crime scene, she observed that there was blood in the draining water and some blood and water on the floor but the water was to the left of the fountain and no where near where Marinette's feet would have been. She saved the photos for future evidence and went back to class.

"Oh dear, what happened to you now clumsy girl?" The nurse stood when the girls entered. At this point Marinette's shirt was wet from the water dripping out of her hair.

Lila repeated her lie, the nurse didn't question it for a second she just shrugged it off as another classic Marinette accident. Lila stayed with Marinette and played on her phone while the nurse helped her. After the bleeding slowed down and Marinette had rung the water out of her pigtails Lila walked with her back to class.

"This isn't going to be fun if you don't fight back." Lila said cooly, the fake concern and the bounce in her step now gone.

"This isn't fun in the first place. Why give you the satisfaction of a fight?" Marinette held a wad of gauze against her lip, she felt a huge bruise forming under her chin and the metallic taste still lingered in her mouth.

"So what you're saying is I'm finally getting to you, you're giving in and giving up."

"No, I'm saying I'm better than you." Marinette entered the classroom first and was greeted by an immediate fit of uncontrollable laughter from Chloe.

"Cute bra Dupain-Cheng." She said between laughs. Marinette looked down in horror to see that her pink bra was very visible through her still wet white shirt and though most of the students were deliberately looking away a wave of embarrassement hit her like a tsunami. She threw her arms over her chest and ran to her seat completely mortified.

"That was a very inappropriate comment Chloe, shame on you. Why are your clothes wet Marinette and what took the both of you so long? Are you trying to disrupt class?" Miss Bustier asked.

"No Miss please, I would never do this on purpose." Marinette defended. "Ask Lila what happened."

"Well Marinette thought that she wouldn't have to take notes if she hurt herself while getting a drink of water so she slammed her chin into the drain and busted open her lip, that's why she's soaking wet but the nurse told her she was being over dramatic and her lip isn't that bad so she needed to go back to class."

Marinette closed her eyes and took a deep breath while Alya stood up to defend her for the millionth time that month.

"Miss Bustier that's not true! When I went to get some water Lila told me that Marinette slipped on some water and that it was an acident. When I came back to class after I got water I told you that Marinette had to go to the nurse. Further more I can prove that Marinette got plenty of sleep last night because she texted me at precisely 8:53 last night to tell me she was falling asleep."

"Please calm down Alya." Miss Bustier rubbed her forehead.

"In fact I would go as far to say that it wasn't even an accident either! I took a picture of the water fountain right after Marinette went to the nurse and as you can see in the photo there is not a single drop of water near where Marinette's feet would have been. And I bet if we check Marinette's shoes we'd see that they are completely dry. I say Lila tripped Marinette to hurt and embarrass her."

By this time Lila had began to fake cry and started blubbering about how she only ever tries to help people and no one ever trusts her. Some of the students began scrunching their faces deep in thought at this new evidence, this was now the fourth time a bystander had provided seemingly irrefutable evidence against Lila.

"Alright that is enough, we have wasted enough time on this. Marinette please go find something to cover up with and Lila just go sit down. We will discuss this after class."

"There's nothing to discuss, it was an accident." Marinette sighed, she picked up her bag and left the classroom. She went home and didn't come back.