Chloé Bourgeois was fashionably late, a factor that Marinette hates more than anything.
After surviving her brush with social death by being in the same vicinity with Lila earlier that morning, her fight or flight instinct told her to flee whenever she made eye contact with her or Alya. So, once more, she was in Damian's seat, and people were starting to ask questions that she didn't want to answer.
Like how Rose kept asking why Alya didn't remind her to hand in her physics homework today or how Nathaniel was passing one worded notes on the corner of his sketches in deep concern as to why she looked so down.
Miss Bustier couldn't make the breakup more obvious by expressing her shock to see Marinette at the front row of the class again.
She had been holding onto her pencil case for dear life the whole with her left hand, and she was going numb from her fingertips to her wrist. In her mind, the only thing she could do was curse Chloé's "the only time is my time" mentality.
The class was seated, with the exception of Damian and Chloé, and within the fourth thirty minute period. That in itself would have been the only complaint that Marinette would have had if the mayor's daughter hadn't burst the door open with her foot and held her nose high as she strutted in.
But it wasn't the thud of the door slamming against the wall that made her drop the case. It was the fact that the black-haired kwami walked in right after her.
Marinette's jaw dropped as the plastic container and its pencils rattled against impact with the floor.
"Wow, who's the new kid?"
Some students stared in awe and wondered, whispers and murmurs filling around in the air as the bluenette picked the case right up from the floor and scrambled to her feet.
"Chloé!" She half yelled before realizing she was right in the middle of class and shifted the attention from Pollen onto herself.
"Oh, how excited I am to see you," her voice stiff as she clasped her hands together in fake joy.
"Chloé, you don't not kick school property and Marinette, I understand how happy you are right now, but please save the noise for after class."
Marinette mouthed a small apology before reclining into her seat, but her eyes were set on the bee kwami. She couldn't be more furious as the blonde crossed her arms and cleared her throat.
"I'm sorry I'm late, Miss Bustier. My hands were full with the new student, and "
"Detention."
"What? That's ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"
"If you want to argue with the rules, you can go to the principal's office," she said much to Chloé's dismay as she crossed her arms and pouted.
"Apologies for that," the teacher turned to Pollen. "Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?"
"No," Marinette whispered to her as Pollen looked straight at her before nodding.
"I would love to Miss Bustier," she placed her hand on her chest and fluttered her eyelashes.
Marinette sucked in her lips and shut her eyes.
"My name is Pauline Combs. I'm from London."
Marinette opened her eyes and sighed in relief. At least she had the common sense to use a fake name."
"Oh, wonderful. Why don't you take a seat right next to Marinette? And Chloé you can take the last seat available."
The blonde frowned at Marinette's screwed up face as she sat next to Alya, who grumbled.
"What are you doing here?" Marinette softly whispered in Pollen's ear as she sat beside her.
"What do you mean,Marinette? This is a school, and I'm here to learn what Chloé learns," she said with a smile.
"Wow, she's pretty too."
Marinette mentally recoiled as their classmates whispered about Pauline. Chloé must have asked her to put brown contacts on because she knew those golden eyes could turn everyone into golden statues if she tried.
Pollen was mostly quiet for the whole lesson, only giving out ohs and ahs whenever the teacher said something she didn't know or found to be oddly fascinating.
Meanwhile, Marinette was trying to figure out how to make the handover go smoothly if Chloé's seated behind her. Maybe she could wait for breaktime, but by then, there would have been too many people to witness her give them to her. Damian already booked her one free period of the day, too. So, the best possible option seemed to be the end of the day. Risky but doable.
Perhaps Pollen could hold onto it. She looked over to the Bee kwami as she decided to break her pencil like a twig with one hand. That option seems to throw itself out of the window.
As soon as the lesson ends, a flood gate of students come rushing through to welcome their new student into class.
"So how's London?"
"How are you liking Paris?"
"How's your French?"
Pollen gives the crowd a sweet smile before answering, "Cold. Fabulous. Bonjour."
Her answer seemed to intrigue the teenagers further as she received compliments about her appearance and how soft her voice was.
Marinette could feel Plagg stirring about in her clutch bag. She'd be damned if allowed him to expose himself. The high warning of Marinette giving her bag a loud whack was enough to have him stop moving.
"Have you made any friends yet?"
"Yes. Chloé."
That answer surely made the teenagers shocked.
"You might have to reconsider your choice in companionship, Pauline," Alya said loudly, drawing attention.
"Oh please," Chloé mocked as she waved her hand. "Don't act like you wrote the book on friendship."
The air grew tense as Alya decided to turn and face Chloé for the first time of the entire morning.
"Well, I wouldn't expect the middle school bully to know what being a good friend is," the brown skinned girl crossed her arms. "Or am I missing the part where you didn't throw a tantrum to get what you want."
Chloé flipped her ponytail. "If you have a problem with me, just come up to my face and say it like you always do. I allow everyone else that same privilege."
"Oh yeah?" Alya stood to her feet and found herself face to face with the blonde.
The room went silent. Some of the students gave each other unsure looks as Marinette bit her lip and gripped the pencil case tighter. Pollen looked like she was about to jump out of her seat and lying over to Chloé but with some grace, the blonde gave her kwami a glare, making her press her lips together.
"Okay, everybody, let's all calm down," Marinette's lips moved without her realizing it.
Everyone's head whipped around to the bluenette, who gave mentally facepalmed herself for getting involved in a drama that was shining with bright neon signs.
Chloé's not exactly the kindest student out of all of them and she could work on her word delivery, but having everyone gang up on her would be a countdown into another meltdown.
Alya has a way with words that could rile up a mob, Marinette has seen it first hand on multiple occasions but never against someone she personally cared for.
"Well, it doesn't take a lifetime to become good friends with someone," Pollen spat out.
"And it doesn't take long to see through Chloé's stuck-up act," Alya leaned back into her seat.
"Then publish your article," Chloé said in a low voice. "Show the world how much you think I'm a terrible monster for having friends, or are you going to commit another breaking and entering with Lila too?
The bluenette's eyes went open. What was Chloé talking about? What did she mean with Lila?
"I don't know what you mean," Alya's voice dwindled.
"I think you do," Chloé stood up. "Both of you."
Chloé pointed to the brown haired girl who gave off a small little titter before looking out the window to avoid the accusing glares on her. Rossi was trembling.
"The next time you want to cook up a storm, you should keep my name out of it. It's already bad enough that you're disgracing the class with your sour presence."
"Chloé's right," a gruff voice interjected. "Maybe you should just cut it out, Alya.
A pink haired tomgirl groaned as she emerged from under the desk she was pretending to nap, with a cast on her leg and frown on her face.
"Look, I hate Chloé as much as the next person-"
"Rude."
"-but I don't wanna be on the receiving end of a gossip rag about putting skid marks on the hallways again." Alix Kubdel groaned as she turned her body to face Marinette."And I've read the student's handbook like a thousand times in detention so I'm pretty sure that posting dirt on the school's newspaper counts as bullying and misuse of school property, right Class Rep?"
Marinette nodded with uncertainty.
"So let's all cut it out and forget that this never happened and I won't write a report about it," she rubbed her neck.
As the tension dissolves, Marinette takes the chance to drag Pollen and Chloé out of the classroom and into the nearest ladies' room.
After confirming that every stall was empty, she flipped the switch.
"She can't be here!" Marinette's voice came out harsher than she wanted it to, but her anger was bubbling to the tip of her tongue.
"Yeah!" Plagg opened the bag and flew out, flailing his stubs in the air in panic.
"Believe me, I've tried to get her to stay home," Chloé crossed her arms and pouted. "Jean-Pierre is basically a statue. Frozen!"
"I apologized, didn't I?" Pollen said innocently.
"I won't do it again Chloé."
"I don't want to talk about that!" The blonde steamed before massaging her temples as Marinette uncalled her fists and took a few deep breaths.
"Okay.This is fixable. Pauline," Marinette narrowed her eyes at the clueless kwami, "needs to stay at home and un-paralysis her butler."
"But he startled us with the alarm bell this morning and what would happen to Miss Bourgeois when I'm not around?" The black-haired kwami sulked. "If she fell or got attacked by Hawkmoth, I wouldn't be able to live with myself."
"Fine! Fine. I get it," Marinette placed her. hand on her shoulder, which seemed to put Pollen in a good mood.
"It's not fair!" Plagg protested. "If I have to hide in some dank bag for the whole day, then she does too."
Pollen began swatting the cat kwami out of the air in retaliation.
"Stop it!"
Marinette put herself between the two beings. The damage was already done. If she just came to class once and then up and disappeared, people would ask more questions.
"We'll deal with this later. For now, it's about the miraculous."
Marinette pulled out the black box and pencil case and handed them over to Chloé, who promptly put both of these in a jewelry box that took up most of the space in her school bag.
"Do you even carry books?"
"If I did, I would be top of the class by the end of the year," Chloé boasted.
In that case, seeing would be believing.
"Please, don't let anything happen to them.
"I know," Chloé smirked and put her hands on her hips as she slung her bag over one shoulder.. "I'll protect them with my very life."
Marinette gave her a nervous smile, hoping it wouldn't have to come down to it.
"Oh and Chloé," Marinette said. "I know it's hard with whatever's happening between Alya and Lila, but could you please try not to get yourself into any attention drawing behavior."
"But the drama finds me,"Chloé rolls her eyes before her chest falls into a deep exhale. "But I'll try to keep my nose in the clear."
"Thank you," the bluenette half smiled.
Things were not going to work out at school as smoothly as she thought.
"Anyways, I have to run. Call me if anything comes up."
Chloé and Pollen nodded as Marinette pushed Plagg down her clutch bag.
She took out her phone and bit her tongue. It was 10.32am, and the French within her told her that Damian wasn't going to take kindly to her being late for their little meet-cute by the lockers.
Before Marinette could even muster an apology for her running behind time as she entered the school gymnasium, her mind went blank as she saw two familiar figures.
Robin, who was securing a rope to a weight and Alix, who was blindfolded and dangling in the air like a juicy carrot from the ceiling vent.
There wasn't a good enough excuse on the planet that could explain to any teacher what was going on.