Saturday came too quickly for my liking.
I prepared a few books I had borrowed from my father's study. A notebook and a few pens should be enough.
I looked at myself on the mirror. I had made an effort to dress simple and not too flashy. A long skirt, with a long sleeved shirt and my favorite earrings. I was going to work with Descamps, nothing glamorous about it. I put those thoughts to the back of my mind. I was supposed to leave now if I didn't want to be late.
I put a jacket on and locked the door behind me.
The weather was cold but sunny. I took the time to enjoy it on my walk there. The rays of sunshine brought my sour mood up. The situation didn't deserve such a sunny day.
I quickly got to the address he gave me. I double-checked I was at the right place before knocking. As I waited for someone to open the door, I looked at the facade a bit more cautiously. It was a cute white house with those big windows on the first floor.
Finally, the door in front of me opened. Descamps looked less than happy to see me. He motioned for me to get in without saying a word.
« Hi, how are you Honora? Oh, thank you so much for asking Descamps ! I'm great, how about you ? » I said sarcastically. I could see him roll his eyes.
« We're going to work in the living room, there should be nobody home until 8 » he said.
I sat down and started getting my books out. He sat just beside me, a bit too close if you asked me.
« So I borrowed some books about art from my father, I thought we could look through them to see if we found an artist we'd want to cover » I started, passing one of the books to him. « Since we are currently talking about painters, it could be relevant to chose one » I was about to keep on going but Descamps had not even opened the book.
« Descamps, did you hear me ? » I asked, a frown noticeable on my face.
He looked me in the eyes.
« Yeah » he flatly said. « But I'm not doing any of that » he put his hands behind his head, leaning on his chair.
This was not going to be easy.
I raised a brow, frustration starting to take over me.
« What do you mean « you're not doing anything » ? » I asked
« You're going to do the work alone » he said.
That's it.
« Let me tell you exactly how this is going to work, Joseph. You're going to open the book in front of you, choose a fucking painter and we're going to work together on this project. Understood ? Or do I need to repeat myself ? » I threatened, my hand getting close to the book in front of me. One wrong word and I would smack him with this encyclopedia.
He simply stared at me.
And then.
He laughed.
He just laughed at me. So hard, he almost fell of his chair.
« You should have seen your face » he laughed. « I planned this the moment you knocked on the door »
« It's not funny ! I was about to smack you with that book » I pretended to be hurt, but truly I was glad the atmosphere felt lighter.
He took one last look at me, a smile still on his lips, before opening the book in front of him.
We had been working for 3 hours non-stop and I could tell he was getting bored. He was sighing every 5 seconds, writing 10 words a minute.
« Stay focused, please. We are almost done » I pleaded.
He looked at me.
« I don't know how you can still be motivated, my brain feels like mud » he whined.
« For that, you should have a brain, Descamps » I responded, without looking up.
There was a short silence before he started speaking again.
« That's it, I've had enough » he exclaimed. He got up from his spot and started walking away.
« Where are you going ? »
« I need a cigarette, you're coming ? »
I nodded, fresh air would not hurt. He led me the balcony, facing the small garden. The silence was surrounding us in a comforting way. He reached in his pockets, pulling an almost empty pack out. He offered me one, which I refused politely. I couldn't understand the appeal of cigarettes.
He was the first to break the silence.
« You're interesting, you know »
Huh ?
« What do you mean ? » I asked. He was leaning against the wall, blowing puffs of smoke, careful not to do it my way.
« You don't have your tongue in your pocket but not in a mean way. You're nice »
« I would like to think of myself as nice, indeed »
« What I mean is that most of the girls at school, they avoid the boys. Except the ones they wanna hook up with, that's it. You ? You introduced yourself to Pichon as soon as you spoke to him on the first day, even though he probably shat himself. » He laughed. « You didn't hesitate to yell at me that day, nor did you hesitate to speak back on that bench in PE either. » he leaned against the wall, taking a good look at me. « You're interesting, Honora »
I laughed, trying to cover my nervousness.
« Well, boys don't impress you when you have three brothers. You have to fight for everything »
« Did you ? I mean, fight for everything? » there was real curiosity in his eyes. « Yeah, I did.. but I miss it, I think » he took a blow and urged me to keep going. « The house is way too calm, nowadays. But when I was little, there was always noise. It could be one of my brothers playing, my dad listening to the radio. Literally anything. » I said. « Then, my brothers left the house one by one, and now that my dad isn't home often, it just feels empty »
« What about your mom? » he asked.
I debated telling him about the deal, but I kept my mouth shut. I put a playful smile on.
« What ? You want to know all my secrets, Descamps? I know nothing about you, except for the fact you like to bully people and you can't go more than, what, 3 hours without smoking? It's not fair »
He chuckled.
« You're right, maybe I want to know all your secrets, Verssel. » he brought the cigarette to his mouth.
The way he said my name brought shivers down my spine. I tried to hide by giggling and nudging him.
« You're being mean, Descamps » I told him
He leaned towards me, his mouth only a couple of centimeters from my ear, a serious look suddenly on his face.
« I never said I was nice » he whispered.
I felt my heart stop. He had been so nice this afternoon and I had genuinely enjoyed working with me. But what if he was making a fool out of me ? He had made his disdain of us girls very clear, he was probably still blaming me for his eye and he knew Pichon was a close friend. What if he just wanted to hurt me ?
I took a step back.
« I know » I suddenly felt like a massive idiot, telling him about my home life, things I had not told my friends. He looked confused as I cleared my throat.
« We're almost done and it's getting late. I should go home now » He didn't say anything « I'll finish it and I will divide the parts for Monday » I said as I got back inside. He followed me in the hallway, unlocking the front door.
« Goodnight, Nora » I heard him say.
I left without looking back.
Monday morning, I was running late for the football match. Laubrac had insisted it was a tradition at Voltaire, and honestly, it sounded fun.
I arrived just as the last players arrived on the field. I was surprised to see Miss Couret among the teachers playing. She looked so excited, it must've been something she was waiting for.
Almost everyone was under umbrellas except the players and Mr. Bellanger. I quickly noticed Laubrac and joined him, an opened umbrella above the head.
« You were about to miss the beginning » he laughed.
« I spent half an hour looking for my umbrella. This rain would've ruined my hair » I explained, still breathless from my semi-run. « Couret looks determined, it's hilarious » I added, staring at our English teacher.
Then, Mr. Bellanger blew his whistle.
I didn't know the exact rules of it but I could tell our classmates were not bad at all. Our teachers neither, even though some were less experimented than others. It quickly came to 2-1 in favor of the teachers, which had the students shouting in disapproval. Mr. Bellanger announced a timeout, probably to wipe his foggy glasses.
I looked around the field, trying to find a familiar boy with an eyepatch, only for him to find me before.
He was scowling, which was not usual, but this time it was probably because he was soaked. Laubrac excused himself to use the bathroom.
The match resumed and Miss Couret made a mistake, allowing the students' team to score a goal. One last point and we would win. The ball was back in the center and the battle was fierce. But then, the unexpected happened, Miss Couret scored, meaning the teachers had won the match. I was happy for Couret, who was clearly putting of the students back in his place after he doubted her. It was bittersweet as we had lost, but there are worse things to lose.
I spotted Simone alone, Michele gone who knows where. As I started walking towards her, I accidentally looked across the field. Descamps. Had he been staring at me for the entirety of the match? I held his gaze, not wanting to break first.
Those were the longest 8 seconds of my life. He was the one to tear his eyes away, starting to follow the other students inside.
I came to a realization. No matter what was happening, we always ended up with each other. It didn't matter if it was for the best or worst. The real question was: what would this lead to ?
It might sound mean but I never know if I should say his eyes or his eye 😭 play pirate by everglow
It's Nora's turn to be conflicted. She knows theres something starting to flourish between them but she doesn't know how this is going to end.
Midterms are biting me in the ass. So I think it's a shorter chapter. Still like it though.
Laubrac and Nora's friendship is cute and I'd like to make it deeper between them (still as friends, no worries. I can't stand fics who start with one live interest and change in the middle of the story 😭)
That's pretty much it ! Let me know what you thought of this one 🩷
Take care !!
Edit : we're over 1k reads 😭 I didn't think my little fan fiction (which truly, only is my scenario before going to sleep) would get this much attention. Thank you so much to everyone who enjoys wasted eyes and Nora 🩷