Chapter Text
As everyone glared at her, Marinette was torn between bewilderment and hurt. They believed Lila. They actually believed her blatant lies. And so much as not automatically going along with it without question warranted such horrible looks? At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to disappear. Or to scream, though whether in frustration with her classmates being so easily fooled or anger that they would see fit to disregard her so easily, she couldn’t really be sure.
“Tinnitus is the persistent ringing in one’s ears.“ Came a new voice. “If you are claiming to hear things that no one at any point has said, then perhaps your disability should be diagnosed under mental health rather than hearing.”
All of her classmates immediately turned to the new student standing at the door who was the source of the cutting remark. And though she couldn’t help but feel relief at no longer being the center of her classmates’ ire, her eyes similarly snapped to the owner of the voice as well, though for a different reason. The others were confused, but growing angry at the clear insult. She, on the other hand, was seeking out the one other person who was willing to see the obvious lies and manipulations for what they were, even if that person was a stranger. And how much did that have to hurt that it was someone she didn’t even know who was willing to side with her instead of her own best friend?
What she saw was a blond haired-boy wearing a grey dress shirt and black pants. His steely grey eyes almost seemed to glimmer as he took in the scene of the classroom. She couldn’t explain it, but just upon seeing him, she felt a strange coldness regardless of how warm the room had been only seconds prior. It seemed her classmates had gotten the same feeling, as she could almost see the growing tension in the room that, surprisingly enough, was not centered around Lila for once.
“Who exactly are you supposed to be?” Alya demanded.
The boy barely gave her a glance before looking back over the rest of the class until his gaze settled on Marinette. He seemed to look her over, as if assessing her before starting to speak again.
"I have to say, it’s hardly impressive when the first thing to see upon entering a new classroom is everyone bullying a single student."
Marinette blanched at that. “They’re not—no one is bullying—“
His steely glare cut her off. “They pushed you out of your seat without your knowledge or permission—a seat that isn’t even needed for the one who is claiming to have a special need, at that—and are requiring you to sit alone in the back where you clearly don’t want to be, only to gang up on you when you express unhappiness about the matter. What is that if not bullying?”
It was phrased as a question, but it certainly in no way sounded like one and brokered no room for argument. It left Marinette stunned and the rest of her classmates actually looked a bit sheepish at that.
“He’s right.” Came a response from Lila that brought the tension right back to Marinette’s shoulders. The girl had her head lowered and brought a hand up to her eye like she was trying to wipe away a tear before it formed. “I’m causing so much trouble. I could go to the back after all. It’s fine. I probably shouldn’t even be here.”
Oh god, was she actually sniffling?
Yes, yes she was. The rest of the class rose in their seats at that, as if to rush to the liar’s side and try to comfort her. The clear ploy only made Marinette more frustrated.
Fortunately, this time she wasn’t the only one.
"If you’re quite finished with your self-inflicted pity party,” The strange boy continued. “Perhaps you could acknowledge that the issue here never needed to be about you.”
That gave Lila pause, actually bringing a stop to her fake tears. “What?”
“In order to accommodate you, only one student would have needed to move. There was absolutely no need to move everyone in the class, especially to do so without all members of the class present to be able to advocate for themselves, or do you all regularly make decisions for classmates without consideration as to their feelings?”
Finally, Ms. Bustier intervened. “Felix, please. There’s no need for harsh words. I’m sure the class meant no harm.”
So the boy was named Felix? Marinette looked back at him, taking in his features. He was tall and standoffish, exuding an air of seriousness and sternness that would be off-putting to most people. But he stood up to Lila without hesitation and seemed prone to speaking his mind
She was wary, but also curious.
Felix, on the other hand, was less than appeased with the teacher’s attempts to calm the situation. “Then shouldn’t you have been the one to arrange the seating? Or have the class wait to make changes until after class starts and everyone would be present?”
Seeing the way Bustier’s eyes widened and the rest of the class gaped, Marinette chose that moment to jump in.
“It’s fine!” Marinette insisted, waving her hands up and causing the boy to turn to her. “I mean, it was really my own fault for being late.”
“You weren’t late. The bell hasn’t even rung.” He shot back.
She hesitated. “Still…“
“Such decisions that affect everyone should be agreed upon by everyone before being implimented. That they made the choice when not everyone was present only to turn on the one who was not allowed a say speaks volumes.” His eyes narrowed. "Or do you regularly let others make decisions for you?"
Marinette froze. She really had nothing she could say to that. Neither did the rest of the class.
Ms. Bustier coughed, bringing everyone’s attention back to her. “Marientte, perhaps as the class rep, you can take Felix on a tour of the school and help show him around?”
It wasn’t something they normally did, but separating them for now seemed the best move. This would hopefully allow the class time to calm, and maybe Marinette could help Felix to acclimate. At the very least, it would prevent a fight from breaking out.
“Uh—sure!” Marinette agreed, uncertain but willing to try to help diffuse this growingly tense situation.
Felix was smart. And fully willing to speak out if he felt it necessary. Those were admirable qualities, even if they seemed to turn people off. Marinette had hopes that maybe if they got to know each other, they could perhaps become friends.
Desperately trying to ignore the intense stares from her class, Marinette stepped down to the bottom floor and smiled at Felix. He simply raised an eyebrow in response.
She coughed, then forcefully smiled again. “Shall we go?” She asked, as she gestured to the door.
A moment passed. Then thankfully, he nodded and moved to follow her as she started for the entrance.
However, once he reached the door, he turned back and looked up at the class with a critical eye.
“My first impression of this class is…I don’t like any of you.”
Marinette managed to pull him out of the room right before the shouting started.