< Thursday >

Chloe stared at the pictures of Adrien and Marinette. She wasn't really sure on how to feel about this, but one thing for sure, she had to stop Marinette. Marinette and Adrien could get married for all she cared, but Marinette could not keep doing this. If Marinette was suddenly dating a popular guy, her popularity would rise. 

I'm trying to get more popular than her, and she's already thinking way ahead of me?! She didn't realize when she stepped inside the mall, but she didn't care either as her eyes were glued to her phone. Marinette, how do you do it?! How do you get guys to fall for you like this?! I'm the Mayor's daughter, yet no boys pay any attention to me. How did you get so many fans?! I'm the Mayor's daughter, yet no one talks about me as much as they talk about you! 

She then put her phone in her purse after checking the time, seeing that it was 10:32am, and looked in front of her. Well since I'm ready here, why not shop around for a bit. 

Today wasn't school due to a meeting all the teachers were having, which was okay for Chloe because she got to at least think more about how to ruin Marinette completely. 

She started walking over to the clothes section, but stopped once she saw someone from school there as well. 

"Hey Alison, do you think this dress would suit you?" Bette ran up to Alison, holding unto a short dress. 

"Nah," Alison rolled her eyes. "Keep looking. The dress has to be perfect!"

"Hey guys," Chloe walked up the girls. She remembered they were the ones who posted the pictures, making people either ship Marinette and Adrien or just go against her, saying she was only using Adrien. 

"Oh hey, Chloe," Alison turned back to her. The Rumor Girls and Chloe weren't exactly that close, but they've bumped into each other more than once now. Chloe used to hate the girls, because they had always been the fans of Marinette. She hated Marinette's fans. But what happened now? Did they change their minds? 

"I just wanted to know why you girls posted the pictures of Adrien and Marinette and lied that it was Marinette who told you to?" Chloe started with a simple question. 

"Life was getting so boring," Bette shrugged. "We needed some drama, and what perfect drama than the rumors of Marinette and Adrien?"

Chloe nodded with understanding. "I just thought you guys used to be her fans, so I don't understand why you would go and do that to her, trying to make Adrien hate her."

"We weren't trying to make Adrien hate her," Alison explained. "I just wanted to see if Adrien was that close to Marinette to believe her, or if he was going to believe us. Him running away though wasn't really on the list."

"Hey Alison, we're back with a few options," Celia and Amelia walked back holding some heels. 

"So here are the ones we got for you. Just take out whichever ones you like." Celia said, going through the heels she and Amelia had collected. There were some sting-back, ankle strap, t-strap, platforms, mule and stilettos. 

Alison turned to Chloe. "You're very great when it comes to fashion. Mind helping me pick out the perfect dress and shoes to wear for my date."

"Oh, okay." Chloe was so glad that someone at least knew that she was perfect when it came to fashion. She had a feeling she was going to like Alison so much. "Here, take these." The blonde took out the t-strap, and mule. "Pick one between them, but pick a new colour if you're going to be choosing the t-strap!"

Alison nodded, telling the other girls that she didn't need their help anymore. 

Chloe walked over to the dress sections and searched around, trying to find the perfect dress for Alison. "Anyway, I want to ask. Do you guys hate or like Marinette? You're sort of confusing me."

"I don't exactly know how I feel about her. She did tell us to take down the pictures the other day," Alison chuckled. "But I haven't done that yet and it seems that she doesn't care."

"Are you trying to get her together with Adrien?" Chloe looked back to the girls. 

"No, we're definitely not," Bette rolled her eyes. "I don't care about what you girls say, I just want to take Marinette down!"

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Chloe laughed, giving Bette a high-five before searching for more dresses. 

"Not that I'm jealous," Bette quickly added. "I just don't think she deserves to be on the Popularity list. I just don't think she's good enough, but she acts as if she is. She acts as if she's better than everyone, which she isn't. Because she's popular, she uses that as an excuse to get more better things than the other."

"So, exactly what are you trying to say?"

"I want to ruin her reputation! I want her to be just like us."

Chloe smirked. If she and Bette worked together to ruin Marinette's reputation, she would have better chance of becoming popular. She was totally in! 

"Here, Alison," Chloe handed her a 1-shoulder dress, before she turned to Bette. "Listen, I'm on your side as well. Marinette doesn't deserve to be popular and have all these fans, and you know what? We can stop her if you're willing."

Alison chuckled. "I don't really care. What about you two, Celia, Amelia?"

"Uh," Celia looked down at the floor while Amelia looked away. "Marinette has done nothing to us, so why should we?"

"Pfft, boring!" Bette rolled her eyes. "We need some drama around here and we need to create that drama. Get some rumors going up, have some people believing. We're not the Rumor Girls for nothing!"

"Celia is right though," Amelia sighed. "Marinette has done nothing wrong to us. Plus when we were posting those pictures online, when we were lying that Marinette was part of it, I thought it was just to bring Adrien and Marinette closer."

"That's what you want to do?!" Alison glared at her. "Bring Marinette and Adrien close to each other?!"

Celia shrugged. "Sorta. I do kinda think they make a cute coup-"

"Stop! This is getting too boring for my taste," Bette gagged. "What good are you going to get from bringing Marinette and Adrien closer anyway?—you know what, nevermind. Don't answer that question."

"Do you guys really enjoy torturing others?!" Amelia yelled! 

"Isn't that what we've been doing all these years that we've been together?" Alison asked. 

"No, you and Bette have been torturing others. The only thing Amelia and I participate in is just spreading rumors or anything," Celia pointed out. 

"Ugh, if that's how you girls really feel, then maybe you should leave this group!" Bette yelled back at them. 

"Maybe we will," Amelia grabbed Celia's arm, and both girls started walking away. 

"Good. We never even needed you!" Alison laughed, yelling back at them. 

"Sh," Chloe laughed. "Remember this is a mall. Don't yell." She could see some people frowning at them, some were glaring, telling them to keep it down. 

"I can't believe Celia and Amelia just walked out like that," Bette folded her arms. "You're right. We never needed them in the first place."

"Hey, maybe I can join your group," Chloe smirked. "I can help you two spread more rumors. Spreading rumors is kinda my specialty now."

Alison and Bette looked at each other with a smile, then they turned back to Chloe and nodded. 

                                                                               ❣❣❣️

"Father, I wanted to ask yesterday," Adrien walked over to where his father was madly typing on the keyboard, his eyes never leaving the screen of his laptop. "Where were you yesterday? When I came back home, you weren't here, and you came back in the middle of the night."

 Gabriel didn't say a word as he tried to look away, though he was sure that his son could see the redness visible on his cheeks. He didn't want to tell Adrien that he had been over at a woman's place, that he had almost slept there, and that he wanted to go over there soon. 

Emilie was exactly what he needed. Whenever he was around her, he never seemed to bring his mind over to Nathalie. It was amazing to enjoy some time with a woman without worrying about anything as well. 

"Alright, I take it that you're not going to answer," Adrien sighed. 

"What about you? Were you really over at Nino's place?" Gabriel asked, returning the question back to him. "Where were you?"

Adrien turned away from his father, covering his cheeks. "Just out with friends."

"Who are these friends of yours?"

"Hey, if you can't answer my question, then I can't answer yours either," Adrien glared at him a little. 

"Alright, alright, we'll say it at the same time, but you can't lie, okay? Because later on, if I find out you were lying, it's not going to end good for you," Gabriel returned his glare. "Okay?"

Adrien breathed in and out, clenching his fists, before he finally nodded. 

"Alright then, three... Two... One..."

"... Emilie!"

"... Marinette!"

"Wait, what?!" Gabriel stood up. "Why were you with Marinette?! Remember what I told you before, Adrien?!"

"We just have to finish up our art project. We're going to be handing it out next week on Friday, so we have to finish up. You don't want me to get such a low mark on my school work, do you?" Adrien smirked, knowing that he chose the right excuse. 

"Alright, alright, as long as it was for the art project," Gabriel sighed. 

"And what about you?" Adrien folded his arms. "You were out with a woman. A date? Where did you guys go? To her place? What happened to the rule of "No females allowed in our lives"?"

"Nothing happened, okay?" Gabriel turned the other way. "We just talked about stuff."

"Yeah, sure, you just talked," Adrien laughed silently to himself. "What did you guys talk about? Your next date?" He smirked, knowing he got his father pinned down. 

"Adrien!" Gabriel made a reach to grab him, but Adrien stepped away before he could. "It was not a date. We're just. . .friends." He seemed to smile after he said that. Yeah, I made a friend. 

Adrien smiled at his father's happiness. "Well, I'm glad. It was just a joke, Father, don't punish me for it." He and his father laughed. 

"Whatever, just don't say that again next time."

"Oh, there's even going to be a next time," Adrien wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Okay then." He took off before his father could get to him again. 

It feels so nice. . . To finally be able to laugh with him and joke around. When was the last time we even did that? 

Adrien opened his bedroom door and entered his room, the memory rushing inside his head. 

"Father, what's wrong? Do you want to go play ball like we always used to?"

"Adrien, go away. You're old enough to play ball with your friends now!"

"But I like playing with you. You make the game way more fun. It's fun to be around you."

"Adrien, I said go away!" Gabriel threw the picture frame he had in his hands against a wall, making it break. 

Adrien backed away. The last thing he saw before he rushed out of the room was a broken picture frame with a picture of Gabriel and a woman. 

Adrien walked over to his bed. She broke him. It's all her fault. She made Father like this. She made him turn into a scary bossy person, a cold person. And seeing that she had kids with another man, it means that she doesn't even care. 

She doesn't care about Father. 

She doesn't care about me. 

She never did. 

Adrien laid on his back on his bed. 

She never wanted to! 

                                                                          ❣❣❣