The Price of Revenge

Marinette walked out of class, the weight of the morning’s events still hanging heavy on her mind. She barely noticed Chloe strutting up beside her until the blonde spoke.

"Marinette," Chloe said, in a tone that was surprisingly less condescending than usual. Marinette glanced at her warily.

"What do you want, Chloe?" she asked, folding her arms. "Don’t you have better things to do? Like bossing Sabrina around?"

Chloe rolled her eyes dramatically. "Please. Sabrina’s running some errands; I don’t need to babysit her every second." Her voice dropped slightly, and she gave Marinette a calculating look. "I just want to know… you’re not actually buying any of Lila’s lies, are you?"

Marinette blinked, startled by the question. Of all the things Chloe could have said, this was the last she’d expected. "Of course not," she replied quickly. "I know what she’s really like."

"Good," Chloe said sharply. She glanced around, then leaned in conspiratorially. "Because if you ask me, it’s about time someone taught that snake a lesson. I mean, I usually stay out of your messy little drama-"

"You? Stay out of drama?" Marinette interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

"Ugh, okay, fine!" Chloe snapped, throwing her hands up. "But this isn’t about me. This is about Lila and all the nonsense she’s spreading. And you," she added, pointing at Marinette, "have every reason to want revenge."

Marinette’s eyes widened. "Revenge?" she repeated, a nervous laugh escaping her. "I’m not that kind of person, Chloe."

Chloe smirked, crossing her arms. "Maybe not. But don’t you think it’s starting to sound like a good idea? I mean, come on. How many times are you going to let her walk all over you?"

Marinette opened her mouth to protest but found herself pausing. Deep down, she hated to admit that Chloe might have a point. Lila had made her life miserable, and no amount of ignoring her seemed to make it stop. The idea of fighting back… of doing something to tip the scales, even just a little, was tempting.

Marinette shook her head, trying to clear the thought. "Revenge doesn’t solve anything," she said, though her voice lacked conviction. "It’s not worth stooping to her level."

"Suit yourself," Chloe said with a shrug, though her smirk suggested she wasn’t convinced. "But if you change your mind… you know where to find me."

As Chloe sauntered away, Marinette stood in the hallway, her thoughts swirling. She had always believed in taking the high road, in doing the right thing. But now, for the first time, she found herself questioning if that was enough.

Maybe revenge wasn’t such a bad idea after all.