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It started off as a regular day. Marinette go up a little too late and had to rush off to school, scarfing down a slice of avocado toast that her mom had prepared for her at the last minute. She raced down the streets of Paris on her way to Francois Dupont High School. The brunette didn't stop running until she was skidding to a stop in the high school's courtyard. She quickly shoved the rest of the toast in her mouth and chewed frantically. Glancing around, she made sure no one was around before she pinched open her purse and called quietly for her Kwami.
"Tikki," she whispered. The tiny red and black spotted creature flew hesitantly up to the teenager's face.
"Marinette," she asked carefully.
"Please tell me I don't look like a complete mess," the brunette begged. "I was in such a rush I'm not a hundred percent sure that I even bushed my hair before I left."
The Kwami looked over her owner carefully, taking in every feature and looking for something out of place. "No, you look beautiful as ever, Marinette," Tikki grinned, sweetly.
The teen laughed at the adorable look on her Kwami's face. "Thanks Tikki. You're a life saver. Now, c'mon, we're already late for class as it is."
Tikki flew back into Marinette's purse before it snapped shut behind her. Despite the kwami's assurances, the brunette patted down her hair and smoothed her hands over her clothing, wiping away any left over crumbs from her hurried breakfast. Then she popped a piece of peppermint pink gum into her mouth to mask the scent of her 'meal'. Then she scurried along the halls as she made her way to her first class, Miss Bustier's. She peeked in the window as she approached the classroom and thankfully Miss Bustier had her back turned so the teen was able to slip into the classroom without being noticed for once. Her seat next to Alya was now occupied by Nino and the golden seat beside Adrien had been stolen by none other than Lila Rossi. Not having the liberty to fight for her seat back, Marinette slid into the open seat in the far back row. By the looks Alya, Nino and Adrien were all sending her, Miss Bustier hadn't called roll yet, thankfully. She'd arrived just in time.
Twenty minutes later, Marinette and Lila were sent to the principle's office after an altercation in the classroom. It seemed that the snotty girl was determined to make her life hell. Before she knew what was going on, she and Lila were sitting before Mr. Damocles and being accused of pushing the hateful girl down the stairs and stealing from her. Even Marinette's parents were starting to believe the liar's lies. The next thing she knew they were all standing at her locker with a good chunk of her class standing around them watching. She was forced to open her locker and out fell the very pendant that Lila accused her of taking but Marinette couldn't understand how it had gotten there. She'd never seen the thing in her life. And besides that, she wouldn't dare to touch any of Lila's things with a ten foot pole. But no matter what she said, no one believed her. Lila's lies were so complete that no one would dare not to believe her.
Adrien tried to jump in at one point to defend her but Mr. Damocles talked over him. Alya even tried to talk him out of his near decision to kick her best friend out of the school. Nothing they said did a damn bit of good and Marinette was starting to lose hope that someone would put that hateful Lila in her place. That is until Kagami walked out from behind a line of lockers and forced her way into the conversation. She was talked over and ignored for a few precious moments before she gained all attention.
"Enough," the Japanese girl shouted over the clamor of the Dupain-Cheng's and Mr. Damocles. "I don't even fully attend this school and even I know that this girl," Kagami sneered at Lila. "Is an undeniable liar. And if that isn't proof enough I also watched her slip the necklace into Marinette's locker this morning. I know this because Marinette was late, as usual, and didn't even stop at her locker this morning. I on the other hand was here first thing and caught this," Kagami paused to look over Lila for some sort of description. "Spoiled child in the act."
"That's all fine and well Miss Tsrurugi but unless you have visual proof, it's just you word against Lila's," Mr. Damocles remarked.
"Oh, that's her name," Kagami scoffed. "I would have gone for 'Whiney Immature Child'. And clearly you adults don't have this 'under control' otherwise you would have realized that this is an egregious waste of time months ago. That you're supposedly preparing us for adulthood and that this," the Japanese girl scoffed. "Is absurdly childish behavior from an obnoxiously immature girl who seems to be of the idea that the entire world should revolve around her. It's exasperating, mindless, and tiresome to have to watch all the time. Let alone be the friend of the true victim in all of this.
"Marinette has never once done anything wrong by this monotonous girl. All Marinette is guilty of is telling the truth. The complete, whole and honest truth. And anyone that dares to take this pathological liar's side over Marinette's is clearly too blind to see what's standing bold-faced in front of them. As for your evidence Damocles, I have it all recorded on my phone. And if that's still not enough then you should check your school's security cameras because they will also clearly show this," Kagami laughed humorlessly at Lila. "Twit walk down the stairs, lay on the floor and scream. My six-year-old cousin does the same thing when she doesn't get her way. If you want to expel someone make it the girl who sent the better part of the school year hiding at home because she didn't get her way on her very first day. Lying to her parents about the school being closed due to 'akuma attacks' when it's clear that there's an app for that now."
Kagami huffed in annoyance, arms crossed over her chest as she stood between Marinette and Lila, a glare so fierce that Lila was lucky that looks couldn't kill. More than a little shocked and confused, Mr. Damocles looked between the three girls for some sort of answer to his many, many new questions but he got none. Marinette only leaned forward to murmur in Kagami's ear about how she didn't need to do what she did. The meeker brunette always so fearful of overstepping bounds with the fencer's strict mother.
"You wouldn't happen to have proof of that accusation now would you Miss Tsrurugi," Mr. Damocles scrambled for something to pin on someone. "Surely you weren't at Lila's house to find all of this out."
Kagami scoffed again, this time sounding meaner than the last. "Of Course not! I wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near this snake. But I have however seen her peering out of windows near downtown as I waited with my mother in traffic as we drove to my private lessons. Every time I saw her, school was in session and there's not a chance that she was on lunch or finished for the day. Transferring in the middle of the year leaves you with plenty to catch up on. I say this from experience. I even have photos, dated and timestamped if you'd like to see them. My mother has taught me many things and being through was always her most important. And when I didn't see her peeking out of windows, I saw her walking the streets during school times. But never once in the school proper. I have proof of those times as well. If that's all that matters to you. The way I see this is, a petty, immature girl transferred part-way through the year with big plans and dreams of being the most popular and was slapped, rather hard I might add, in the fact by the truth of life. It sucks. Welcome to the real world. No more living your fantasy life anymore, Snake."
With all the mounting evidence showing up against her, Lila started to panic and struggled to find her way out of this sticky situation. The only way she could see to do that was to dig herself deeper into the hole she was in. So she started complaining of some 'rare' fake illness that she supposedly suffered but no one was believing her. Even Mr. Damocles was starting to look at her differently. Kagami smirked back at the lying teen deviously.
"Could I see this proof you spoke of Miss Tsrurugi," the principal asked.
"Of course you can," Kagami replied easily, pulling her phone from inside her blazer's pocket. She unlocked the device and tapped away at it until she reached her dirt on Lila. Then, she passed the electronic off for the school's principal to peruse.
A good fifteen minutes later and Mr. Damocles was convinced. He turned his wrath on the petty, lying snake that had been just under his nose all this time. With a stern look and a point towards the door, he stormed Lila out of the locker room and up to his office with the warning that he was going to be calling her mother and telling her everything. With Kagami's permission, he asked her to email him every bit of evidence she had against the petty student so that he could share them with Lila's mother when she arrived. He issued a formal apology to Marinette and her parents, even forcing one out of Lila as well. When the locker room doors swung shut behind them, the whole room erupted into cheers for Marinette and promises to never doubt her ever again. Marinette attacked Kagami with a bone-crushing hug before the swarm could engulf her. Adrien commended Kagami for helping out their resident moral compass. Even Chloe seemed grateful that Marinette was saved from expulsion.
The Dupain-Cheng's left their daughter to the company of her friends and promised her a big surprise when she got home from school. In the end, everything worked out the way it was meant to and the encounter only served to strengthen Marinette's friendship with Kagami.
Fin.