Forgotten

Chapter 9

When Adrien checked his phone, his screen was practically filled with messages from his friends. Most of them were about Chloe, but a few from his friends were checking in on him after the day he had. He replied to those first, including the one from Marinette asking if he wanted more bakery goods.

After he told her that Chloe was awake, she sent back a few happy emojis and that she would bring some extra food for Chloe. Then a second message that she would see him at school tomorrow morning.

Only a few hours later, Adrien was lying in bed, happy. Chloe was awake. Lila had been put in her place once and for all, with any luck. Sleep slowly washed over him, this time absent of the nightmares that had filled his dreams for the past few days. It was a pleasant change and Adrien woke up the next morning felt like he had slept for a year. What a change.

He almost floated into school the next day, something noticeable to everyone he passed. The various reporters that had written stories about the initial crash hadn't yet heard about Chloe's awakening, which meant Adrien's sudden change in mood was incredibly unexpected for everyone he hadn't told. Even then, Adrien had only really told Marinette that Chloe was awake. None of their other friends knew.

Adrien caught up to his friends just in front of the stairs heading up to the classrooms. Alya and Nino both looked apologetic while Marinette listened to them. When Adrien walked over to them, he noticed Marinette was holding a bakery box in her hands, careful not to crush any of it.

When Alya and Nino noticed Adrien they turned to him, trying to appear like everything was fine. Marinette turned and smiled, holding the box out to him. "Hi, Adrien! Mama and Papa sent this for your family."

"Do you mind thanking your parents for me?" Adrien took the box and tucked it gently into his bag before looking back at Marinette. "And thank you, Marinette, for everything."

If either of them had looked behind Marinette they would have seen Alya and Nino's jaws dropping at their seemingly casual conversation. Adrien did suppose it was weird, especially since before all of this Marinette had acted quite awkwardly around him, even to the point that Adrien had thought she didn't like him.

"You seem happier today, Adrien." Alya walked over to where Marinette and Adrien were standing, cutting Marinette off before she could reply.

"Probably because I'm much happier today."

"Does it have something to do with Marinette here?" Just as she had countless times before, Alya threw her arm around Marinette's shoulders and pulled sideways until their heads almost bumped together.

"Chloe woke up yesterday!" Happiness was radiating off Adrien, almost to the point it was visible. "And she seems almost completely fine!"

"That's good," Alya said, pausing for a moment, almost like she was contemplating her next words, "even if she is a brat."

Maybe she should have contemplated her words a little longer. That might have made her realise calling Chloe a brat when she couldn't defend herself was rude and uncalled for, incredibly so on both counts.

"Don't speak about her like that. You should know that she was trying to change before the crash."

"How long would that have lasted? Face it, every single time she said she would be a better person lasted all of however long it took to get what she wanted. Then it was gone. Back to the old Chloe. She wouldn't have changed this time, either."

"I can't believe you." He didn't have to put up with this. There was nothing keeping him here, listening to Alya spout nonsense about Chloe. She knew only what she was told, just like everyone else, and yet she felt like she knew everything. Adrien turned and walked away, ignoring Nino trying to call out to him.