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"Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!"
"You heard us Chloe," Alya crosses her arms. "We're not including you in the Secret Santa."
"Why would we, after you've been so mean to us this year?" Kim adds.
Scoffing, Chloe storms off, knowing that there is no one she can complain to who can force them to include her.
Miss Bustier would be her usual go-to since she'd made the class include her in these things for years before, but she was currently on maternity leave.
Squeaking, Sabrina hurries after her, mentally going through the list of what she can pull together quickly to manage the inevitable tantrum-
"Wait, Sabrina! You haven't pulled yours yet!"
Confused, she turns around.
"Huh? But- but you didn't include Chloe?"
"Yeah, Chloe. Not you, girl." Alya smiles.
Sabrina pauses, unsure if she should smile back.
They...
Outside, she hears Chloe screech her name.
Jumping, she darts forward, grabs a slip and runs out into the hallway, calling out a thank you! over her shoulder.
Rose , in cute pink writing.
Rose Lavillant.
At least she got someone who would be nice when they told her that her gift sucked... but ideally, she'd like it.
They only had a week, and Sabrina has no idea what the girl likes and dislikes, or-
Wait.
Wait, yes she does!
Turning to her bookshelf, Sabrina tugs out what she secretly calls the Binder of Shame, aka all the notes Chloe's forced her to take over the years on their classmates to find the best way to blackmail and bribe them into voting for her as president.
She hadn't used it this year, since they were running too short notice to go through everyone, but maybe...
Flipping to the tag labelled Rose, she's surprised to note how sparse the section is.
Skimming the notes, her eyes land on something in particular.
Often cold. Dislikes being cold.
Maybe... she could get her a jacket?
And since it's a jacket, it doesn't have to be perfectly sized, so long as it's not too small!
To the shop it is, then!
Sabrina flicks through the racks, hyperfocused on any hint of pink.
This is the third store, and she hasn't found anything Rose-worthy yet.
She doesn't know why she's so obsessed with this being perfect.
(Yes she does. She feels bad, she wants the class to like her despite the schemes Chloe drags her into. This Secret Santa felt like an olive branch, like a chance, and she was determined to not waste it.)
Walking out of the store with a polite wave to the cashier, Sabrina sighs heavily.
She passes a few stores, eyes flicking over the displays.
Then she doubles back on one.
Sabrina pushes through the multicoloured ribbon curtains and looks around the store, noticing it's helpfully sorted by colour.
Fiddling with her purse in the pocket of her jeans, Sabrina makes a beeline for the pink section, sorting through each item with consideration.
She feels it before she sees it.
Soft, woollen material.
A cropped pink cardigan, thick but not puffy.
Sabrina grabs it and heads to the counter in seconds, not even checking the price.
"That's all for today?" The friendly cashier asks.
"Ah, yes, thank you."
"That's 22.90, thanks."
Well within the set budget... she'll probably go grab some other smaller things later.
She opts out of a bag, draping it over her arm instead.
Sabrina goes to the craft shop next, following a loose idea that had popped into her head when she first saw it.
The buttons were exactly the same colour as the wool, meaning they didn't stand out much, and made the cardigan look a little... plain.
Sabrina's no Marinette, but her aunt taught her some basic sewing and embroidery, claiming it was always good to know how to fix up your own clothes.
On her way to where the employee pointed out the button section, she passed the embroidery section.
Hmm... maybe...
Friday, lunchtime, in the classroom.
That's where the exchange was happening.
Chloe had stayed home, so Sabrina was free to attend.
They'd decided to pick names to retrieve their presents, then once it was opened, the giver would own up.
Alix got Ivan, Kim got Alya, Juleka got Adrien, and Adrien got Marinette.
(The last one was equally amusing as adorable, and Sabrina was glad to be able to enjoy it with others for once.)
Then Rose's name came out of the box.
Sabrina's heart skips a beat, feeling a cold sweat break out.
Rose opens the soft pink bag carefully and smiles.
Sabrina knows that she's looking at the chocolate that she'd strategically placed on top.
"Oh wow! My favourite type too, oreo!" Rose laughs.
Sabrina never thought she'd say this, but thank goodness for the Binder of Shame.
Setting them to the side, Rose tugs out the folded pink cardigan.
Oohs echo from around the room as Rose spreads it out across her lap.
White, pearly heart buttons replaced the old pink ones, with embroidered designs of butterflies across the top, and little flowers growing from the bottom.
The back had the outline of a large rose, with highlights of pink thread around the white.
Sabrina was very proud of the back, it had taken hours of careful work to get right.
"Marinette, did you give me this?" Rose gasps, looking at the girl in question.
A fair guess, considering she hadn't owned up to a gift yet.
Marinette shakes her head.
"No, it wasn't me, honest!"
As the murmuring begins, Sabrina slowly raises her hand, not all the way up but hovering beside her head.
She's shaking.
Rose notices immediately.
"Really!?" She stands, clutching the cardigan with a beaming smile.
The rest of the class follows her gaze, and soon all eyes are on Sabrina.
"Yeah, um... I hope you like it."
"I love it! Thank you, Sabrina!"
"Where did you get it from? The embroidery is so pretty!"
"I did the embroidery myself, actually..."
"Woah!"
Her cheeks are red from the positive attention.
Rose hugs her in thanks, and Sabrina has never felt more amazing.
The next week, Rose wears it to school.
When she notices Sabrina looking at her, she flashes a bright smile her way, and the world feels just a touch more wonderful.
The rest of the class seems more welcoming too, with Ivan grabbing something off a tall shelf for her, and Alix asking her opinion on if hot pink and electric blue would be too much together in an artwork.
Small things that mean the world to her.
At the end of the day, Chloe grabs her by the wrist, storming out of the school and demanding they go do... something, or whatever.
It's all the same anyway. Every time, she'll follow Chloe, nod and smile and hum at the right moments, and she expects nothing different.
But today, Alya sends her a smile as she leaves.
And today, this time, Sabrina doesn't hesitate to send one back.