"Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!" That was the oft-repeated phrase which emitted from the flawless lips of one Chloe Bourgeois, as she haughtily emerged from her limousine from just outside College Dupont.
What had made her pettily utter those words seemingly out of nowhere and to no-one in particular was dwelling on what had transpired just yesterday, a chain of events so annoying it was like the whole world conspired against her.
First, she'd missed out on her chance to become Queen Of Paris, due to the inconvenient exertions of that spotted do-gooder known as Ladybug (of whom she was definitely now not a fan) and her mangy feline sidekick, sometimes referred to as Chat Noir.
Then, just as it looked like she was about to get a fresh start in New York with her mother, the simpering idiot had only gone and made up with her father from their earlier tempestuous quarrel. I always wanted them to get on better as a child, but why did they have to leave it until… now? At the worst possible time?!
To top it all off, ever since that fateful incident everyone around her seemed to be acting… odd. Nothing major perhaps, but there was definitely a change in demeanour from those she interacted with on a daily basis (mostly servants, of course: they tended to be the only ones who knew their proper place).
A dirty look there… a whispered remark here… it certainly seemed as though a new unwelcoming hostile atmosphere affected every room she wandered into.
She didn't like it. One bit. She'd fire the ungrateful peasants on the spot if she could get her Daddy's permission, but the lovestruck fool was so focused on his 'second honeymoon' with Audrey, it was impossible to get through even by shouting directly into his ear.
Which she'd already tried. Repeatedly.
No matter. She would soldier on as always, and bat away the snide comments and jealous frowns with her all-round fabulosity. Obviously losing both Pollen and the Bee Miraculous was a major blow, but even without it she ruled the roost around here, whether those sniveling morons liked it or not. Speaking of which…
"Where is that useless packhorse Sabrina?!" The irate blonde fumed through gritted teeth, as she waited in vain for the usually punctual redhead to meet her by the front entrance. This is exam week, so I have an extra-large load of books to carry today. I need her help to take them in, put them on my desk… before letting me copy her answers. She better get an 'A+' this time instead of that miserable 'A' like last year, or I won't lend her my cute beret again. Occasionally, it helps to have the right type of bone to tempt the dog.
But whilst her scowling chauffeur drove away and the rest of the student body sauntered past her without so much as a second glance, Chloe realized with a sinking feeling that Sabrina, for the first time in ages, was not going to be there to transport her heavy load indoors…
...And then it started raining. Heavily.
Seeing as Chloe had no intention of getting her beautiful golden tresses drenched, not to mention her expensive outfit (that she never seemed to change) the cursing heiress saw no other option but to struggle inside with the miniature library herself.
Wait 'til I get my hands on that treacherous nerd. They'll be hell to pay, mark my words… hey, that rhymes! I'm ssoooo clever, why does no-one else see it…?!
Splish-splash.
….
If Chloe thought the somewhat subtle undertones of disgust for her back at the hotel were bad, she hadn't seen anything until she staggered into the college that morning.
Unlike the servants who lived in fear of losing their jobs and mortgage, the pupils at the school had no such boundaries preventing them from expressing their contempt towards the shocked blonde.
And do so, they did.
W-What on Earth is going on? Chloe struggled to contrast the high opinion she had of herself with the various insults and threats she received wherever she turned. Don't these parasites know who I am? I could have any of them expelled in a heartbeat! They're lucky to even be breathing the same air as me! A-And yet, they're not scared of my influence? My heritage? My intimidating sense of style? W-Who do they think they…
"Oopsie, better watch yourself, Blondie!" A lanky girl who's name she couldn't quite remember (though there was a vague recollection of calling her Pizza Face last term) 'accidentally' stumbled into Chloe, causing her to fall head-over-heels to the floor with her books scattering everywhere to boot.
"H-Hey, that was no accident!" Chloe thought out loud, as the hateful expressions of the various students turned to looks of amusement as they swiftly gathered around to mock her dejected form as one. "Y-You did that on purpose!"
"Ya think?!" The spotty ruffian responsible for the heiress's humiliation spat in return, before striding off defiantly to the accompaniment of many a firm backslap and warm cheer.
"W-Where do you think you're going? S-Stay here and help me pick these things up this instant! That's an order!" Chloe tried to instill fear in the normal way by means of her commanding voice, but unlike before all this seemed to do was further increase the endless taunting and laughter around her prostrate form.
"T-That's it! I'm telling my Daddykin… no actually, he's pretty useless at the moment." Chloe withdraw her threat hastily, considering how obsessed he was now with his sappy wife. I know! I'll tell my teacher! She'd never ignore me or reject me! After all, I brought her that present for…
But whilst the blonde reflected on the few remaining people she might be able to confide in, the bell ominously rang in the background, signifying the beginning of lessons.
The people cloistered around Chloe reluctantly abandoned their sport to trudge off to their respective classes, leaving the heiress all by herself at long last.
She'd never been more grateful to be alone.
…..
"M-Miss Bustier! M-Miss Bustier! I've been a victim of systemic and prolonged bullying! It's so like, not fair! T-They called me horrible names and looked at me funny… one soon-to-be-dead girl with freckles even dared to shove me over! That's why I don't have my books with me today, because I'm not picking up those things again. Besides, Sabrina was supposed to help me with them, and she didn't even turn up! Now that was just plain rude… huh?!"
Chloe arrived in her classroom like a tornado, bursting through the door and running straight for her teacher's desk, all whilst gesticulating wildly and grinding her teeth to a fine powder.
The blonde's flight of fury didn't last for very long, however. For a few irregular things caught her attention even in the midst of her public meltdown, and caused her to simmer down in abject surprise.
"S-Sabrina, what are you doing sitting next to that fibbing liar?" Chloe reacted with astonishment at her bestie adjacent to a smirking Lila. "I didn't give you permission to move… hey, look at me when I'm talking to… why is everyone acting so weird today?!"
"Chloe, so nice to see you today! Well actually, I already saw you on the News At Nine last night, but still…" Something was different about Miss Bustier. Gone was the common bond that'd previously existed between pupil and teacher, to be replaced by something much frostier altogether. "What was that I just heard you complain about? 'Bullying'? Well, I suppose if anyone would be an expert on the subject, it might be you. Tell you what… after this lesson is concluded, you tell me all about what happened and I'll take the appropriate steps. But for now, we have a much more important matter to address."
"I told you! I can't do any work now, because my books are outside!" Chloe insisted in earnest, pleading with the unmoved adult. " If I tried to drag them any further, I'd probably come down with a bad back. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a decent masseur these days…"
"No Miss Bourgeois, I can't say that I do." Miss Bustier snapped at the blonde, clearly unimpressed with her veiled boast. "I'll tell you something I do know, though. Want to hear it?"
"E-Er, I don't see how it could compare to my life-ending problems, but alright." Chloe was not in the habit of listening to the tedious gripes of the lower-classes, but never let it be said she didn't have the occasional moment of generosity. "Go ahead, tell me then. I haven't got all day."
"I know about a person who aided and abetted a known terrorist, betraying their entire city in the process, and they would've gotten away with it too if it wasn't for the thankless heroics of two well-known superheroes. Now, I'm struggling to know what to do with them. I suppose I should take into account their terrible upbringing and young age, but really that's no excuse for almost bringing the entirety of Paris to its knees. Perhaps you might be able to help me decide what to do next…"
"Oh, that's easy! Lock them up, and throw away the key! Give them nothing but moldy old bread and stale water to eat and drink! Take away everything valuable to them, so they know what true deprivation and punishment is! There's only way to deal with terrible traitors like that… and that's to make them suffer!" Whether Chloe was being completely stupid or wilfully blind, who can say.
In any case, Miss Bustier grinned pleasantly at her pupil, apparently happy at the contribution the blonde had made to her big decision. "Thank you, Chloe. I can now speak the following sentence without fear of guilt, knowing you feel that way: 'Oh Officer Raincomprix… you can come in now'."
It was only as the local lawman entered the room to regard the nonplussed blonde with distaste, combined with the other stony-faced expressions from those around her (aside from Adrien's look of sad disappointment and Lila's undisguised snickering) that she finally realized who they were talking about…
...And it looked like a certain wealthy blonde was in a lot of trouble.
"Y-You mean… me?!" The utterly shellshocked Chloe stated matter-of-factly.
Oh dear. Still, maybe a chance for some of those overpriced lawyers to start earning their keep.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yeah, yeah… I already have other stories I should be working on, but after watching the S3 finale and Chloe's end to a wasted redemption arc (which never ever really got going TBH) I just had to write this about the possible aftermath.
I'll add more to it soon, and hopefully finished it before S4 starts up. See you later! :)