Tales of the Bug and Cat: Book 2

Chapter 13: Evil Lurks

Thursday, July 27th

Adrien sat on his couch, waiting for two hours to pass. He checked his phone, he still had 1 hour and 50 minutes.  

"You okay?" Plagg asked, while flipping channels on the tv. "It's all pretty crazy."

"I'm fine."

"Liar." Plagg muttered as he rolled his eyes.

"I'm fine!" Adrien said once more, turning away from Plagg. 

"Your father is Hawkmoth!" Plagg did his best to keep his voice down. "You are allowed to be mad and sad, okay? You don't have to act cool!" 

"Okay, yes, I'm mad and sad! Of course i am! But...that...man never cared, why should I?! He's barely my dad, he's definetly lying about my mom. So i'm mad, but not becuse of who he is to me, but because of how he's tricked me!" Adrien and Plagg glared at each other.

"Adrikins!" Chloe ran into his room. Plagg quickly hide, and Adrien's anger quickly turned to confusion. 

"Chloe?" He questioned, not even trying to dodge her hug.

"Chloe, I told you, Adrien is busy." Nathalie ran breathless into the room. 

"Nonsense, the ex told me to come." Chloe persistied, and giving Adrien once last squeeze before letting go. She was wearing her usually outfit, except she was wearing shorts.

"What?!" Adrien breathed out.

"She mentioned something aout not being able to help you out since you're not together, and Nino isn't free for some reason, so she asked moi to cheer you up! I already know exactly what to do!"

"Chloe.." Nathalie warned.

"It's alright, Nathalie. I'm free for two hours. Um...I'm going to just use the bathroom..."

"Hurry, two hours is barely enough time." Chloe cried!

Plagg sneaked into the bathroom after Adrien went in.

"Why didn't you send that queen bee out of here?!"

 Adrien didn't respond. He was texting someone.

Adrien's Phone

Adrien: Mari, did u send Chloe?

Mari: Yep, i'm sry I didn't ask. I can tell u r upset about ur father, so i thought that hanging out with a friend would help.

Adrien: So, Chloe? (btw i'm not mad)

Mari: Nino was busy, so i texted her. She is ur oldest friend.

Adrien: True, so i'll still see u ltr?

Mari: Ya. Have fun! 

Mari: And remember, we r not together ;0

"So we're hanging out with her?" Plagg complained, looked at the texts.

"Yep." Adrien said, opening his light jacket for Plagg to hide in. He left the bathroom.

"Come." Chloe ordered. She dragged them out of the house and into the car. Gorilla was in the driver's seat waiting.  "Take us to the open fair on Rue Lafayette, s'il tu plait."

"Is that the one with the good honey and apples during September and October?" Adrien reminisced in the memory of gooey honey with crisp granny smiths. 

"Yes, and the amazing fruit during the spring and summer. Remember when we used to go together with our moms, when we were just wittle kids!" Chloe added, shaking Adrien's arm in delight.

A few minutes later, they arrived.  Gorilla parked the car and carefully stood near Adrien as Adrien and Chloe entered the open area with a small fountain in the middle. The open food fair had stands with different varieties of fresh foods; from pastas to fish to spices to fruits to vegetables. There were even a few stands with some trinkets and clothes.  "Daddy has all the food in the hotel come from fresh from Paris. This is his favorite fair to get fruit at." 

Adrien picked up two free lemonade sample from a booth selling lemons-in solid and liquid form. "Here." He passed one of the samples to Chloe, then offered Gorilla one, but Gorilla shook his head. 

"Come, Adrien. We should finish walking through before you have to go." 

"Okay." Adrien followed her to the next stand, where Chloe tasting a pineapple sample. "You know, I never thought you'd be so down-to-earth. Or, at least, not as down to earth as when we were younger."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Just because I love having everything in solid gold, and I love expensive stuff, doesn't mean I can't be simple at some times." She said, putting the plastic cup in the garbage. 

As they made their way through the booths, the subject of conversion changed like lightening. 

"How's Sabrina? Usually you're always together."

"Good. She and her mom went away for the week."

"Okay."

...

"I really want to buy this pie." Adrien eyed a blueberry pie.

"You're rich aren't you?" Chloe joked.

...

"-DON'T MENTION THAT!"

"Chloe, All I was saying was that there's only a month or so until school-"

"Ah ah ah..." She shook her finger and booped his nose. "I refuse to hear anything relating to school.

...

"So, why'd you break up with her?" Chloe finally asked. 

"Marinette? Um..." Adrien flustered.

"Because she still likes you so whatever you did to break her heart failed." 

"Why do you think I broke up with her?" He responded.

Chloe put on her sunglasses.  "She has been crushing on you since the beginning of the year. You were just oblivious. No way. No way she broke up with you."

"It was neutral, wasn't right for either of us." Adrien lied. "We're just friends. Why do you care? And didn't you not like her because she liked me?"

Chloe narrowed her eyes and raised an eyebrow. "Because you're my friend. And I might have had  a crush on you, but it was also because of popularity and status-and you are cute. Sabrina's the closest thing to a sister. And you're the closest thing I have to a brother, I realize that now. And with Marinette, I've hated her long before you joined the school. I've just, you know, not been filled with as much hate recently." Chloe admitted. 

"Because of Nathanial?" Adrien softly asked, looking Chloe's sky blue eyes. 

Chloe scowled. "As if!" She retaliated! She opened her phone. "You know, we should be leaving soon.  I'll see you later." She tried to walk away, but Adrien stopped her.

"I'm sorry, Chloe. I didn't mean to bring him up-"

Chloe sighed and backed down. "It's fine. I'm just going to walk home. See you, Adrikins." She smiled once more before leaving.

"Bye." Adrien said as Chloe walked away. Unknown to him, there was another reason she was taking a different route home.