The Forgotten Ring

Chapter 12: Artists

I wake up with a groan to the sound of my alarm going off. I slowly turn to switch it off, immediately cuddling back into the blankets. It's a Sunday—why did my alarm go off?

I stretch my legs a bit under the covers when I bump them into something. I crack open my eyes and see a large black lump in my bed.

I shriek and jump up, falling to the ground. I let out an oof as I hit the floor, suddenly recalling the events of last night.

I look up and see two large green eyes staring nervously down at me. I giggle awkwardly, standing back up.

"Are you okay?" Chat Noir asks, his voice still rough from sleep.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I laugh. "I'm just not used to having someone in my bed."

A light blush forms on his cheeks as he looks at anything but me. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize," I yawn, stretching my body and hearing the joints pop. "Want anything for breakfast?"

He looks around my room and sits anxiously on my bed. "Uh, no, thank you, I should probably get going, it's—" His eyes suddenly widen in panic. "Oh shit, it's Monday!" he exclaims, leaping off the bed and rushing to the balcony doors.

"Wait, no it's not!" I call. "It's Sunday." I look down at my phone for reassurance. I gasp. It is indeed Monday.

No wonder my alarm went off.

"Um, I have classes today!" I say frantically. I start walking to my drawers, picking out some clothes for the day.

"And I have, uh, stuff to do," he announces rapidly, throwing open the glass doors and stepping out onto the balcony. He looks back at me with a smile. "Thanks for everything, I owe you!" he shouts as he leaps away.

I walk slowly to close the doors again, checking to see where the cat had gone, but he had already vanished over the rooftops.

~ ~ ~

"Alright students," Professor Smith starts, "today we are going to start a new portfolio, this time with partners of your choosing."

The class erupts into mutters as some students try to decide whom to partner with. I simply sit with my head in my palm, waiting for Mr. Smith to continue instruction.

"The portfolio will consist of three pieces, each one a full body portrait of your partner," he instructs. "Use a different medium for each portrait, and remember to use a different pose or picture for every piece. This will be used to practice both anatomy and multimedia. Further instructions will be passed out to you now." Mr. Smith clutches a stack of papers and begins to hand them out to each student. "Feel free to choose your partners now and get any supplies you need."

The class buzzes with noise as I simply drum my fingers on my desk. I don't know anyone in this class that personally yet, except for...

"Psst," I hear Adrien hiss. I glance in fake boredom at him as he stares at me with a bit of desperation in his eyes. "Work with me? Before the fan girls find me."

I let out a little snort as I hear multiple sets of footsteps approach our corner of the room. Adrien's eyes flit behind me for a split second before returning to me. "Please," he begs.

I huff sarcastically. "Sure, blondie."

He leans back in his seat in relief as four people crowd around the former model, asking him to be their partner.

"Sorry, ladies," he starts with a kind smile on his face. "I already have a partner."

The girls walk away whining sadly as I raise an eyebrow at Adrien. "Are they gonna hate me now for working with you?"