___________Luka's POV__________
"Okay, so what did we all decide on for the project?" Eden asked, immediately getting down to business. Nathaniel, Eden, and I were all sitting on the deck with lemonade and cameras, trying to pin down our project idea. So far, we had no decisions made.
"I liked the skit idea," Nathaniel said, and Eden nodded, writing something down on her paper.
"What about you, Luka, what do you want to do? So far, we have one vote for the skit and one vote for the music video."
I shrugged, not caring what we did.
"Please pick one, this would be so much easier." She said, sipping her lemonade.
"It would be even easier if we all just did a skit," Nathaniel chimed in, and Eden rolled her eyes.
"But then we'd have to write a script and get props and act and stuff. That's too much to do in two weeks." She sighed, and I saw her line of thought. But I also saw Nathanial's point of view. I also didn't care what we did.
"Why don't we take a break and come back to this?" I offered, and Eden shook her head.
"We can't move forward until we figure this out, Luka, so we just have to pick something and then we can get to the fun stuff."
I looked to Nathaniel for support, and I could tell he wanted to get this over with too. I'd have to convince them both.
"Okay, well then let's keep talking about it, but in a different place? How about we go get ice cream?"
Nathaniel smiled and started packing up his stuff. Eden wasn't so quick to relent. She set her pen down but otherwise didn't move.
"Come on, Eden, it'll take like, ten minutes," I added, and a slight smile made an appearance.
"Fine, but y'all, we have to get this figured out before Monday, or our project is gonna be trash."
"Yes ma'am," I said with a mock salute and Nathaniel grinned.
"Come on, Eden, we're wasting time," he teased, and Eden laughed.
"Oh, shut up, Nathaniel," she retorted, still laughing. "You were twenty minutes late here, don't talk to me about time management."
"Touché."
<time skip; now they're at Andre's because I'm not writing them walking there>
"So, do you get to choose the ice cream, or does he just pick it for you?" Eden asked Nathaniel, confused. He smiled evilly, having only just finished filling her in on the legend surrounding Andre's ice cream.
"He picks it for you and the ice cream he picks represents your soul mate."
"Uh huh, sure. But what if he picks something nasty?"
"He won't, he's a professional."
"But what if he picks something I'm allergic to?"
"Are you allergic to certain foods?"
"No, but I could be and he wouldn't know."
"Maybe you're just allergic to love?"
"Shut up, Nathaniel."
"Make me."
I rolled my eyes. They were always bickering back and forth over everything. Thankfully, they were still friends at the end of the day, otherwise, this group would be a nightmare. Andre smiles kindly at our dysfunctional family.
"Hello, would you like ice cream?"
I nodded, about to apologize to the two behind me when I spotted a certain blonde teenager approaching us.
"Hey Adrien," Eden says, and Nathaniel stops smack-talking to her for a moment to say hi as well.
"Hi guys," He responds, brushing his bangs back and smiling wide. Andre smiled at the boy briefly before getting back to making the ice cream.
"Okay, pal, I have a question for you. If you had to choose between making a skit or a music video, which one would you pick?" Eden asked, elbowing Nathaniel.
"Oh, don't bother him with that, Eden," Nathaniel protested, but Adrien answered anyway.
"Huh, that's a tough question. But I'd have to go with a skit."
"Ah ha!" Nathaniel cheered, and Eden frowned.
"Adrien, wrong answer. And here I was thinking we made a great team..." she teased, shaking her head in disappointment.
Adrien rolled his eyes, punching her in the shoulder good-naturedly.
"Ah, come on, don't be that way! You know I love you!" He said with a wink, and I froze for a second as a memory resurfaced. Marinette, Alya, and Eden standing together just inside the locker room. "Is this about you liking Adrien?"
Back in the present, Eden laughed. "Yeah? Sometimes I wonder." She winked at me, crossing her arms.
"You'll back me, won't you Luka?" She asked, and I was saved from responding by Andre's sudden flourishing of four ice cream cones. He distributed them, smiling at each person in turn, and explained the flavors.
"Blackberry, Lime, and Candy Apple for Nathaniel."
"Blueberry, Honey, and Raspberry for you, Luka."
"Cherry, and Vanilla with a dark chocolate swirl for Adrien."
"And for the lady, Java, Carmel, and Strawberry."
He smiled once more at Eden's confused face, before returning to his cart to serve the next set of customers.
"I should go pay," I said, excusing myself, but Adrien turned to walk with me.
"I, uh, didn't ask for ice cream, but here," He said, handing me twenty bucks to pay for the ice cream Andre had made for him. All of them together didn't cost that much.
"No, it's cool Adrien, I can cover-" I started, but he shook his head, smiling, before running off.
"Yours." I finished, but he was gone. So I handed Andre the twenty, told him to keep the change, and walked back over to Eden and Nathaniel.
"You look like you've never seen ice cream before. Is ice cream something else in the US?" Nathaniel was saying and Eden was still staring dumbfounded at her ice cream.
"Who is this supposed to be?" She muttered, eyes darting up to meet mine. I shrugged, staring at her ice cream. Unlike the other ice creams I'd seen from Andre, I had no idea who her ice cream was supposed to represent.
"Hey, your ice cream is starting to drip," Nathaniel pointed out, and Eden nodded, finally snapping out of her daze.
"Right, okay. So, what did we say we were doing for our project?"
"Well, so far we have one vote for a music video and two votes for a skit."
"Adrien doesn't count, Nathaniel."
"Sure he does. Wow, Eden, you are terrible at accepting defeat."
She shrugged, smiling.
"How could I not be, when I never lose?"
"Bull."
"You're bull."
I sighed, getting both of their attention. "I vote you both knock it off. We should walk around the park." I suggested, and Eden nodded.
"I vote you actually vote on what we're gonna do for the project," Nathaniel told me, crossing his arms.
"I already told you, I don't care what we do," I said, and Eden sighed.
"Not helpful," She said matter-of-factly.
"Agreed," Nathaniel said, and I rolled my eyes.
"Fine, then I agree with Eden," I said, just to spite him.
"HA!" Eden shouted, poking Nathaniel in the ribs.
Pouting, he declared, "Hey! You both suck," causing Eden to erupt into laughter. I couldn't help joining in, the look on Nat's face being too funny to restrain myself. He needed a little humbling every once in a while anyway.
"Okay, music video it is." She sang, and Nathaniel shook his head. He never accepted defeat willingly.
"Oh no, now there's two votes for each idea. We need a tie-breaker."
"Adrien doesn't count!" Eden and I both said at the same time, and she laughed harder.
"Then why'd you ask him!"
"Because I thought he would agree with me," She sighed, and Nathaniel laughed.
"That worked well for you, huh? I can't believe you sided with her, Luka."
"Be better," I replied, and he smirked.
"Can't, I'm perfect already."
At that, Eden rolled her eyes and Nathaniel stuck out his tongue at her. A gust of wind rustled the leaves that stubbornly clung to the trees, a few of them giving up the fight and fluttering to the ground. My phone buzzed at the same time Eden's began to ring. Nathaniel glanced down at his silent phone sadly waiting for a message as well so he wouldn't be left out.
"Sorry, guys, I have to take this." Eden apologized, and she sped up to talk in private.
Looking down at my phone, I saw I had a message from Mari. She was asking when the next band practice was. Smiling, I typed back a quick "tomorrow" and returned to the present, but Eden was gone.
"Where'd Eden go?"
"Said something about her mom calling and that she had to meet up with Adrien before they got in trouble for staying out too long. She's so weird," Nathaniel said, and I nodded. She was certainly different.
"Yeah, you should see her at lunch. She just randomly starts talking in Spanish sometimes, and so then we all talk in French and she starts saying 'Oui' over and over again until Adrien or someone translates for her," he rambled, "I mean, can you imagine moving to France and then not knowing any French except for 'Oui.' At least she'd got Alya and Adrien to help her out, or she'd be completely lost."
I nodded, realizing for probably the first time how close Eden was to Adrien now. I didn't know the guy very well, but Marinette, I knew, thought highly of him. Very highly.
"Are you even listening to me, or are you off in your own world again?" Nathaniel blurted, and I rubbed my neck in embarrassment.
"Yeah, I'm listening, sorry," I replied, but Nathaniel huffed.
"No you're not, but it's okay. How are things with Marinette?" he asked, changing the subject.
My smile slipped a little and I let my hand drop to my side.
"She's still pretty hung up on Adrien, and I don't want to push anything on her. Plus, Adrien's a great guy, so..." I trailed off, and Nathaniel patted my back sympathetically. I knew he was a strong Adrienette shipper, but he wouldn't say it to my face, being one of my closest friends.
"It'll get better, Luka," he promised, and I gave him my best smile.
Everyone always promised me that. Dad leaves. "It'll get better." Hawkmoth starts akumatizing people. "It'll get better." Dad comes back a stranger and Mom hates him. "It'll get better." Love of my life loves someone else? "It'll get better." Some days I wondered when exactly everything was supposed to click into place and turn positive.
"Thanks, Nathaniel. I've got to go, I'll see you later." I said, and he nodded, walking back towards his house as I continued to mine. He was a good friend, but I needed some time by myself.
"Bye Luka."
The air had long since turned chilly, the sun setting early these days and twilight reflecting off the ripples around our boat. The lights were on, but no one was home. Julika was having a sleepover with Rose and Mom was picking up some last-minute groceries. I probably had homework to do, but I grabbed my guitar instead. My mind was running away with me again and I had to let it out, shake it, empty it.
The notes flowed from my mind to my fingers and out into the open air. I hummed along in harmony, my breath crystallizing and scattered by the breeze. All my thoughts weaved together into the simple symphony that filled the space and escaped over the still water. There and then gone, the feeling being both freeing and shackling. Bitter and sweet.
"That's beautiful." A voice whispered behind me; they were a song of their own, soft and sweet and warm. I shuddered at the cold when the notes ended, lingering in their phantom.
"Er, sorry, I forgot my jacket," Eden said, awkwardly crossing in front of me to grab the worn black jacket with stretched-out sleeves and a broken zipper.
"You're alright. I thought Gabriel was going to be mad that you were late." I replied, setting down my guitar.
"Yeah, well he said I could grab it real quick." She smiled, pulling the jacket over her shirt, shuddering from the cold. The air was slicing through my sleeves and I wished I had brought a jacket from my room.
"I was about to go inside and grab some hot chocolate, did you want any?" I offered, but Eden shook her head.
"I can't stay long enough for a drink, but thanks anyway. Adrien and I planned a movie marathon tonight." She replied, smiling to herself.
"On a Sunday night? Won't that make it hard to get up for school tomorrow?"
Eden nodded, "Oh yeah, getting up is going to suck, but it was going to suck whether or not I watched a movie. Plus, Adrien has never seen The Matrix, and I can't let him continue without bringing meaning to his life."
"You guys must be close," I said, leaning on the railing beside her. She looked over at me, the loose strands of hair that had fallen from her bun to frame her face were gently waving in the breeze. The strings of lights around the deck glinted like stars in her eyes, and I could see my own reflected in them.
"Adrien is the best guy I could have hoped to spend the semester with," She admitted, her gaze looking past me and out into the open river, taking the stars with her.
"I mean, imagine if I had to live with Kim for four months," She laughed, and I nodded.
"I guess I got pretty lucky, huh?"
"Yeah, lucky," I said quietly. Beside me, Eden stood silently, staring off with a faraway look on her face. Forgotten words flashed in my mind once more. Is this about you liking Adrien?
"Hey, Eden? Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"Do you like Adrien?" Eden's eyes suddenly snapped up, locking on mine. Her smile slipped and she shifted off the railing.
"Oh, umm, no, he's like a brother to me. A lot of people have been asking me that recently. Why?"
I sucked in a breath before answering.
"It's just, the girl I like, she really likes Adrien, and I thought that if you liked him and he liked you then maybe-," I started. Maybe I'd have a chance with her, I finished in my head.
"Oh, I see."
"But if you don't like him, then I guess it doesn't matter."
Eden laughed awkwardly, "Yeah, I guess not. Who do you like, do I know her? Maybe I could set you guys up or something?" She had a weird look on her face.
I smiled at her, but she was staring across the water again. "Thanks, but I don't think that would work. We tried dating before, but it just didn't work out."
"Well, I-," she started, but her phone buzzed again, and I recognized the profile picture to be Adrien. Eden glanced at me and I noticed for the first time the freckles that dotted her nose.
"I should probably get going, Luka," She said.
Without giving me time to respond, Eden rushed off the boat and into the brewing night. She looked back once over her shoulder to shout "Good luck with your crush!" before disappearing into the night.
___________Luka's POV (the next day)___________
"How was The Matrix?" I asked as Eden sat down beside me.
"Huh? Oh, it was great. Adrien and I only got through two movies before we fell asleep on the couch, though." She said, yawning. The image of the two of them fast asleep together on a couch flashed in my mind's eye before the image flickered to Marinette and Adrien on the couch. I blinked a couple of times to get rid of the thought. Eden was sleeping with her head on the desk and Nathaniel was using a pencil to flick pieces of paper into her hair.
"Ms. Spiel, may I remind you that there is no sleeping allowed in class," The teacher called, and Eden groaned.
"Yes sir," She muttered, propping herself up on one elbow.
"Wow, you look awful," Nathaniel commented.
"Thanks." She deadpanned, and he smiled.
"Bad dream?" He asked, and Eden gave him a weird look.
"Not tonight, surprisingly."
"So I take it you just look this bad naturally?" he asked her, smirking.
"Go choke on your water, Nathaniel."
"Good morning to you too, Eden."
She sighed, rubbing her eyes and opening her computer to check her email. The teacher began walking around the room, distributing back past assignments. A piece of paper drifted down from her hair and Eden instinctively reached up to find the nest Nathaniel had piled in her hair. She glared at his smile before pulling them from her hair. It was a painstakingly slow process.
"Nathaniel, I swear if you do this again, I will give you a haircut with my machete."
He ignored her and started taking photos of me.
"Dang, you look tired too, Luka," he told me in French.
"Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?" I asked him.
"I'm just saying. Anyway, did you hear about the contest Ivan was talking about?"
"What contest? I know he and Myleen were saying something about a big surprise after practice today."
"Yeah, apparently it's a contest Bob Roth is holding with all the local bands. It's like a talent show, but the first and second-place winners get to perform with your dad at Gabriel Agreste's next live show as the opening and closing acts." He was telling me, but Eden cleared her throat loudly.
"Hello? English speaker here." She sighed. I realized then that I'd also been talking in French and that Eden hadn't understood a single we'd said.
"As I was saying," Nathaniel said, in English this time, "we should have Kitty Section join the contest and then we could video that for the music video instead of planning one."
"What contest?" Eden asked, but Nathaniel was looking at me.
"Wait, so the contest is also a live performance? Last time we had to record a video to send in," I asked, and he nodded.
"Hang on, you guys already have a music video recorded? Why don't we just turn that in?" Eden said.
"Because the teacher's already seen it," Nathaniel snapped, glancing at Eden.
"Okay, well I didn't know that," Eden replied shortly, before resting her head on the table once more.
"So you're saying we just record our audition in the contest as our project? When is the contest, because our project is due in two weeks." I said.
"The contest is this weekend, so we should have plenty of time to edit the footage in class before it's due."
I grinned, knowing this idea was going to save me a lot of time.
"Guys, what about Julika's party? Isn't it this Friday?" Eden asked, her voice muffled by her arms.
"The contest is on Saturday, so we should be fine," Nathaniel answered.
Eden gave us both a thumbs up but didn't say anything else.
"Of course, we'll need to have some backup footage in case the contest doesn't work," Nathaniel said, pulling out a sheet of paper to sketch his thoughts.
"How about you and Eden come to the band practice tonight and see if you can get some videos there?" I offered, and Nathaniel nodded.
"What time is it?" Eden mumbled, and I told her it started at 4:00 after school.
"Is Gabriel gonna let you go?" I said, and she lifted her head from the table. There was a red mark on her cheek where she'd been lying on her notebook.
"Sure he will, as long as I tell him it's for academic purposes and whatnot," she said with a mischievous grin.
"Great, so it's settled then! So, what do we want in our video?" Nathaniel cheered.
________________________________________________________________________________
A/N-
Word Count: 3,325
Hey guys, to be completely honest, I have no schedule for updating. I tried to do it weekly, but I kept forgetting and patience isn't really my strong suit, so... yeah. Anyhoo, I hope you guys enjoy the update!