The Exposure

                                    

                                          
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   Marinette has to give it to Alya. She can write one heck of an article! 
                          
   It took about three days of gathering information, finding evidence, photos, and spying (which was mainly Alix's job). In the end, Catching a Ly-la-ing Fox turned out to be brilliantly written. 
                          
   Marinette is nothing less than impressed with this masterpiece, this article probably being the best thing her best friend has ever crafted. The small red flags to discover the lies and the pillars of evidence to support the truth. The bluenette's jaw nearly dropped to the floor after reading it! 
                          
   The day the article was posted, Lila didn't come to school and making her look more guilty. It wasn't until the next morning that Miss Bustier told the class that Lila is moving back to Italy.
                          
   "Wow, she even deleted her Silly Social Phrase account," Alix chuckled a bit, "We definitely ruined her life and I'm here for it."
                          
   The girls are gathered in the library, deciding to spend the rest of their lunchtime working on homework together. Yet, they quickly drew away from their assignments to indulge in talking about recent events.
                          
   "I can't believe she's been lying to us since her arrival," Rose sadly spoke, getting a sympathetic pat on the back from Juleka. Mylene nodded in agreement, feeling ignorant. Alya turned her gaze over to Marinette, who is still staring at her phone.
                          
   "Girl, are you sure you're okay? You've been pretty quiet ever since we got the news Lila is moving back to Italy. You should be celebrating! We beat the bad guy!" Alya said, enthusiastically. When she still didn't get a reply, she frowned, "So...why are you down in the dumps?"
                          
   "Don't get me wrong," Marinette started, "I'm glad Lila got a taste of her own medicine. Even so...I still can't help but wonder if we could've approached this differently. I'm starting to think Lila's lies were more than just for popularity. It could've been a defense mechanism or she had a hard time making friends in her other school or-"
                          
   "You are too pure for this world, Marinette," Alya cut her off, "You always try to find a way to see the good in people, even when they sometimes don't deserve it."
                          
   Marinette turned off her phone and pocketed it. She felt somewhat guilty for exposing Lila the way they did. Yes, Lila bullied Marinette and somehow got away with tricking everyone for a few years. Yet, it didn't seem just or honorable. She felt like a child tattling on someone.
                          
   Did they really defeat a villain or hurt someone who could've been crying out for help?
                          
   The bluenette may never know.
                          
   She sighed before someone clearing their voice caught the attention of the group of girls. 
                          
   "Oh, hey, Kagami! Did you need something?" Rose politely asked, brightly smiling and ready to offer her assistance. Kagami shifted her brown eyes from the chipper blonde to the quiet bluenette.
                          
   "I was wondering if I could borrow Marinette for a moment?" Kagami asked, earning some confused looking in Marinette's direction. However, Marinette knew exactly why Kagami needed her. She promised to talk with Kagami "later" and it has already been a few days.
                          
   "Can you come with me to the bakery after school?" Marinette asked the fencer before adding on, "That is if you can come over!"
                          
   Kagami stared off, thinking over her schedule for the day. She usually has some sort of extracurricular event happen after school yet nothing came to her mind. No fencing practice, no extra classes, and no social parties to prepare for. Still, her mother is a stubborn woman, who always wants to know her daughter's every move.