⚠⚠⚠ (!!Warning!! Suicide, abuse, self-harm and bullying are mentioned throughout this chapter and I advise sensitive readers to be cautious reading ahead.) ⚠⚠⚠

Lots of love Abs xx

The summer holiday came to an end and it's back to school for the kids at Francois Dupont.

Recently, the high school decided to expand into a college, now for some this would be a good thing but when your Marinette it really isn't. When your class has a pathological liar and her mindless sheep who has a strong grudge against you, you don't want to go to school.

Marinette sat at her desk sketching away, she hadn't been able to sleep last night due to some disturbing dreams. "Marinette, It's time to go" Tikki said, with a small flicker of hope that today would go alright.

"Alright Tikki, let's go." Grabbing her purse that was now designed differently from when it was back in high school; white with red lace. Walking down the stairs and totally ignoring the food she had prepared she left the isolated bakery, making her way to the college.

Walking through the busy corridors, she stumbles upon her class door preparing herself for the year ahead, hoping to have a change of class. I mean who wouldn't, starting college for the first time you would want a new class, a class who didn't absolutely despise you.

Opening the door she's immediately met with the classes conversations that eventually die down, she caught all their attention, not exactly how she wanted to start the new year. Looking up to see her classmates, she stops breathing for a second recognising the students, it was them. She still hadn't fully healed from before they broke up, they beat her up pretty bad on the last day that she was forced by Chloe, to get herself checked up at the hospital.

Now you may be wondering where Chloe is and why she isn't with our darling Mari, well it's because over the summer Audrey Bourgeois came from New York wanting to see how Paris had been holding up and by the end of her stay, had offered to take her daughter with her to New York. She initially invited the two girls but our Marinette turned it down using several good points and a few pathetic ones too, in the end Chloe didn't want to leave her alone but reluctantly left not being able to win the argument and was unaware the classes weren't going to change from the ones they had in High school.

The only thing Marinette wished for in that moment, was to have her blonde best friend by her side.

Rubbing the ring that sat on her finger she cautiously moved to her spot, not in front but at the back all alone, the poor girl had been pushed to the back but was using it to her advantage to get some peace and quiet, but it seemed she wouldn't be getting any of that today.

"Omg, it seems we have the bully in our class again, and the classes won't change till college ends. Don't worry Lila, we'll make sure she doesn't touch a single hair on you!" Alya, Marinette's ex best friend glared at the girl from the front being sure to be loud enough for the supposed 'bully' to hear.

"T-thank you so much Alya, I don't know what I'd do without you." The lying snake began her crocodile tears that seemed Oh so fake.

"Without her you'd have no one to lie to and use." The bluenette mumbled quite loud though, enough for the whole class to hear.

"Don't listen to her girl, she's the one who's lying and jealous, you did so much over the summer, who wouldn't be?" Alya started to console Lila with the whole class glaring at Marinette but one.

Alix never believed Lila's lies from the start and due to a special visit from her future self, Bunnix, she was told who to follow but for her own sanity stayed with the liar getting intel on each of their attacks, somewhat benefitting Marinette but that never happened. The sheep's never went by the books or plan and did what they deemed was fair payback and no matter how hard she tried to stay away, it was never enough.

Turning away from her classmates, she took in a long breath preparing herself for the school day. The first lesson was a double lesson for literature, once again this year they had the same incompetent teacher, Ms Bustier.

Now you may be wondering 'but she's an amazing teacher' well teaching wise she is very good at that but dealing with the kids, not so much. She believes in 'equality' and by this she just favouritism's other students over the others, these students would be the one's who had influential parents that held enough power for her to loose her job, this is one of the reasons no one dealt with Chloe bullying everyone before she became Marinette's Bff, her dad was they Mayor.

Lila's mum is a diplomat and is actually good at her job and loves what she's doing yet is unaware of her daughters doings, her mum is one of the head Diplomat's in Paris and holds quite some power, enough for Caline to loose her job; this is why she dismisses Marinette's complaints and asks her to be a good role model for the rest of the class, that's what all Class Presidents do anyway.

*****

After the two hour long lesson, everyone fled the class to go 'get a snack to eat' but were really going to do something else.

In the girls bathroom, Marinette was drying her hands after her pen leaked on her hand in lesson and wasn't expecting a pack of girls storming their way in, all with angry looks but one who had fake tears. Marinette wouldn't lie but this girl was always somehow bothered to make fake tears, she did it so many times a day that it was hard to keep a count and if anyone genuinely cried that much a day, they wouldn't have enough tears to cry for the rest of the year.

Chucking the blue paper tissue away she faced the girls with an unbothered face, she already knew the drill. It starts with the accusations,

"How could you do that Marinette!?"

"Lila only wants to be your friend"

"You just had to send those messages to her over summer, didn't you!?"

"Lila would never listen to you. Don't jump off the Eiffel Tower okay Lila?"

Then came the name calling and verbal abuse,

"Your the one who should jump"

"Your so mean!"

"Your such a bully!"

"Why don't you just leave?!"

"Do us a favour Marinette, Get lost."

Then came invading her personal space, this normally happened during the name calling till she was against a wall or cornered.

Finally, the last step was the physical abuse: slaps to the face, punch to the arm, kick in the leg, she's now on the floor, kick in the stomach, flicking her head, step on her hand or feet and then they'd probably all take turns slapping her again on her face.

This was how it normally went but not all the time, luckily for them they weren't all strong but strong enough to leave a mark and together, strong enough to put her through pain. "We better not catch you sending death threats to her again. Understand?"

They walk out the room not hearing her soft whimpering.

Standing up from under the sink, she inspects her face, she can already feel bruises forming all over and doesn't bother to check her arms. The girl always wore long sleeves to prevent anyone seeing the scars scattered all along her arms, Marinette also wore dark colours more often with a few hints of colour, today it was her bag and headband.

After inspecting her face, she lets our a loud sigh, the pain was nothing new really but today they really packed a punch, did they all work out over the summer?

*****

Walking back to class she can hear the school's whispers. She used to be one of the most popular and happy person there, but ever since Lila's arrival she's changed and the whole school's noticed besides Mr Damocles since he's is too blind and incompetent to admit it, and turns her down each time.

The whole school pities her and so do the teachers, they try to help but she puts on a mask saying everything's fine but deep down she's screaming for freedom, for peace, to be loved but no, the world hates her, there's not enough love to go around and she has to give up hers to share for the sake of others happiness.

The whole day went by in a blur and by the end she stood by her locker putting her maths book away but she couldn't do this without being interrupted.

She heard the girls bickering behind her and honestly, she couldn't care about them any more and at this point, would love to go to see her 'babysitter' at the hospital.

Marinette blocked out the gossiping she heard knowing that they were talking about her, at this point she knew before she even heard the voice who the person was. Honestly, all she can think of is how unfair the world is, she's meant to be the embodiment of luck, Guardian of the most powerful things in the world yet here she is being abused by her so called 'friends'.

She tries not to feel their lingering stares, yet all the can feel is the heat of their gazes burning her from behind. Sometimes, Marinette would love to get some time to herself to be her, the happy and sociable girl that everyone loved, that everyone cared about, that everyone listened to, the one who practically radiated happiness. The Marinette that had feelings, the one who has a heart, the one who matters, the one who had confidence to stand up for herself and what was right. Can't she be the heroine Ladybug and the Great guardian of the miraculous? The one who decides whether or not to end the world, the most powerful thing to ever exist, the teenage girl who holds the world's future and carries everyone's deeds on her shoulders.

Can't she get just a minute or a second to herself where she can be her?

The real her without being worried of being judged, watched or bullied?

Can't the bullies and Hawkmoth disappear for 60 seconds?

Can the world just stop spinning?!

Stop... stop...

For God's sake, just stop spinning!!!

The bluenette slings her backpack over her shoulder, and was more than glad that the school day was over. Going home sounded like a delight but she had somewhere to be first.

~~~ Half an hour later ~~~

Sitting on the hospital bed, the girl was waiting for a familiar woman to appear, she sat patiently and inspected the room she was in.

Basically everything was white from the walls, flooring, door, blinds, pillows and bed frame but things like the lamp and blanket were blue and brown. Could hospitals be anymore sadder?

Fiddling with her finger nails her phone started to ring, interrupting the silence. Looking at the ID, her eyes widened, she totally forgot about the schedule. Her and her family had a schedule of when they would call and she lost track of time and here she was getting a face time call from her father. Looking at her state in the window, all she had was a plaster on her forehead because being her usual clumsy self, she bumped into a door frame while she was talking to someone and it made a little scar that a nurse insisted to put a plaster on. Picking up the phone, she payed no attention to the baby hairs that was a mess all over. Here goes nothing.

"Hey papa" her voice was barely over a whisper, she hadn't talked much since she came to the hospital and didn't want much human interaction, she just wanted to see one of her favourite humans and get home.

"What's wrong?" Was the first thing she heard. No 'hello' or 'how are you?' but what did she expect?

She made a mistake, her father was one of the worlds best detectives and knew when something was wrong. Whenever she talked with a low and soft voice, something was always up and that's exactly how she sounded. She looked at her father not answering his question and watched his gaze, he looked around the room she was in, shoot.

He recognised her normal room and must've noticed the white walls and bright lights, a feature every typical hospital had.

His gaze met hers again and his brows furrowed "Where are you Marinette and what's with your forehead?"

His voice showed concern and she couldn't help but wish she was back home, but she was hours away from being in America.

"I-I um... came to visit Cassie and wasn't looking where I was going, which ultimately lead me to bumping into a door frame."

Marinette wasn't about to lie to her dad about how she got hurt because she had to admit it, but it was always hard lying to her family for the past 3 years about being ladybug and a guardian. She had no friends besides Chloe, she lost a bit of her clumsy self over the years but some of it was clearly still in there somewhere. By the look on his face she could tell he was having an internal battle with himself about whether or not to believe her excuse.

Bruce had heard it all over the years, and this wasn't as creative as what he would expect from his youngest but was it really that hard to believe?

"Hey B, whose that?"

As soon as she heard her brothers voice, her eyes instantly brightened and her back straightened from its slouched positioned and a smile appeared on her face.

Before she could reply with a very energetic hello, she was interrupted by another voice that she knew all too well.

"Oh! Is it Marinette? I missed out on the last facetime."

It was Tim, with what she thought was his coffee as he cut himself off mid sentence.

She loved her brothers very much, more than anything in the world, they meant everything to her and she would sacrifice anything for them but they were the same as her dad, they were excellent detectives despite not being related by blood.

Marinette smiled as she replied with a newfound energy that she hadn't had all day. "Hellooo!!"

This smile wasn't fake, it was genuine, just seeing her brothers put a smile on her face, even if it was on the phone. "I wasn't looking where I was going and bumped into the doorframe."

She rolled her eyes hearing her two adopted brothers attempt to hide their snickers after hearing what happened to her. No matter how far they were, there wasn't anything that they would use to their advantage and use to poke fun at each other. Marinette instantly regretted what she said knowing that they would forever use that against her in the future.

Just as one of the men on the other side of the phone was about to speak up, they were cut off by the door opening catching Marinette's attention.