SUMMER VACATION | miraculous

f i v e

[swimming]
-chapter five

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i woke up rather confused, until i began to recollect yesterdays events. we really were finally here, and it was time for me to enjoy myself properly. slowly, i got up and began getting dressed soundlessly, figuring it was still rather early and adrien wouldn't be awake yet. my midday nap yesterday meant i didn't really need to sleep so long. i chose to wear a satin style pink dress, as opposed to my usual pink jeans due to the heat.  i also heard that the first day was mainly relaxing and some boat rides.

footsteps were heard upstairs and soon enough adrien was down im the kitchen. i said good morning and quickly went outside on the terrace. it was a warm summer morning and as i checked my phone i realised it was only 8:54, well it's early for me considering i'm practically always late to school. then again so is adrien. i always considered opposites to attract but i seem to be proven wrong again and again.

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walking outside i sat down, took my shoes off and dipped my feet in the pool, the warm rays of the sun on my back despite the early hour. i had always looked forward to summer vacation and now i can really appreciate it. squinting i saw a glint of auburn at the gate, the hair of none other than-

"mari, hey!" shouts alya as if I couldn't hear her from two metres away. she sat down next to me and showed me today's plans. "free time till 12, cruise around the island at 12:30, dinner at 5, swimming, curfew at-". i froze up all of a sudden.

"wait swimming?" i shriek. alya flinches at the sound. "sorry" i mumbled.
"its ok, anyway, why are you so scared?" she asks quizzically, unsure of what else to say.
i suppress a shy smile.

"i uhhh- well, can't swim...very well."
alya sighs deeply, visibly suppressing a scream of frustration. "seriously, that's the most frequently occuring activity, and now you tell me!" she half shouts- half laughs.

"i can teach you" says a voice in the background. oh no. i whip my head around to see my roommate (currently nameless in my state of shock and confusion).
"sorry, couldn't help listening" smiles adrien while rubbing the back of his neck shyly with a supressed grin. he was dressed similarly to how he always was, in jeans and a t-shirt, one of his father's designs no doubt.

i must've had a look of utter and complete horror on my face because he quickly said
"if you want to, i mean... uh you don't have to".

having noticed this, i quickly agree, and as i do I feel a sharp pain in my waist. of course it was alya nudging me; i mean what else could it be? although it could hardly be called nudging at that point, the sharo pain in my side was rapidly spreading around my abdomen. ouch.

"hey dudes!" shouts nino waving from the small path outside our cabin.
"come in!" shouts Adrien, motioning him to open the gate.
"neat place you've got here dude- oh and you marinette," he says casually "but ours has a built in sound system, you can't beat that"
"actually," i say matter-of-factly "we have a huge office, so I can make some designs."
"and food!" adds adrien, as if it were some very important thing everyone overlooked.
"well yes we do happen to have a pantry on the lower floor!" i added

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"hey, we've gotta go girl but see ya later at swimming" she gives me subtle wink and walks hand-in-hand with nino back to their cabin.

"so when do we start?" i ask turning to adrien and standing up.
"well, go get changed, i'll teach you the basics first."

i run up the stairs to my room and screamed in a pillow. yup, much better.

honestly, i do not like wearing swimming costumes and i definitely do not look like a supermodel in one. i guess I'm scared people will judge my figure. or just scared of adiren seeing me like this. as it is, i slip on a one piece and run downstairs.

i put on a little overthrow and head back outside. great, i can't swim. my crush is teaching me, he also has a crush on me. maybe, does he? i dont know.
i'll probably humiliate myself or accidently drown him.
fantastic.

i walk over to the pool and then see him also come out. (obviously no longer in jeans, as he had also changed) think positive thoughts marinette, positive thoughts!

we greeted each other and went through theory first. it sounded easy enough.

after about 10 minutes of talking, i got in and followed his instructions on how to move my legs and arms and how to breathe steadily. breaststroke was definitely my strongest area, so we worked on that.
i wouldn't say i am a good swimmer but it doesn't take long before i am good enough to go in the ocean. it wasn't as bad as I thought- apart from the part where I kicked his face- that was bad. I did apologize though so.

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it's just passed 12, meaning most of our class will be heading down to the north shore. i put my pink dress back on, now slightly crinkled, and we also make our way there. it was a short walk and we mainly have some small talk, it fetl awkward all of a sudden. i didnt know why. when we arrived my jaw dropped.
the sand was soft and warm, the water is a beautiful aquamarine blue and the sun was hot, yet not too hot. it was perfect.

as we got back we went to the beach.
it was all going great, until I saw chloe running over, i sighed. her existence ruins so many things.

she threw her arms around around adrien and pushed me away, as if by accident. wow. somebody please give this girl her medication, I think she forgot it today.

quickly I spotted alya and ran over to her, the sand making me feel almost weightless.
ive always admired her confidence and 'i don't care what other people think' state of mind.

we talked for like 2 minutes and alya then suddenly burst out laughing.  "what is it?" i asked. she pointed behind me.
i saw chloe trying to talk to adrien, basically like a little leech, but what alya was laughing at was her phone. adrien had texted her two words

'send help'.
soon enough i too was laughing. yup chloe needs to get help.

I walked over to them and said to chloe "did you know there was something in your teeth? sorry to bring this up now but it's very off-putting." she shrieksed at this and ran off. i immediately burst out laughing again, along with adrien. "thanks" he says in between laughter, i just smile. we walk back over to alya who was updating her blog. honestly, she'll either be a reporter, or a world class diva.

as of now she's both. i lay out my blanket on the sand and also lay down, soaking up the midday sun.

this was the first blissful day of many to come.