The students had been put to the test and were instructed to craft an exposé of some sort in pairs. They were told that this would be have to be done in their own time. Simone was quick to ask Michèle hearing this and with a little hesitation looking towards Dahlia she accepted. Dahlia didn't even turn around she just sat there and waited. She could hear the clutter of the students shuffling to get in their pairs. Annick and Pichon being Dahlia's only hope had seemed to pair up together. She had wished that the teacher had hand picked the pairs, saving her the embarrassment.
Through all the excited talk of what they could write about, Descamps watched the girl feeling the humiliation radiate from her. He pitted her. So much talk for a girl who always ends up last. He knew the boys were dying to be her partner but no one had the courage to ask her. Especially, not after the rumours from the brawl at the party, no one was going to take their chance. To go against a boy who had already lost something in a fight meant that they were more reckless and willing to go further. Although, it wasn't true he had lunged at a boy because of Jean-Pierre, who had aggravated him earlier. Still he watched the idle girl his eye tracing her frame. Her shoulders did not slump and her poise stayed perfect despite everything. He pitted her so much that he even considered asking the pathetic girl to be his partner for a second. "Guess no one wants you Beaufort, look even piggy has found a partner before you." Descamps said burying his own previous thoughts as he laughed at his own joke. The room looked at her and some of the boys started chuckling and sniggering at her. They were embarrassed for her.
Suddenly, Dahlia felt as if she was back where she was before all of this. A classroom full of students and yet she still was the unwanted one. Her heart thumped in her chest. She focused on not caring and controlling her expression by plastering a pleasant look on her face. Moving here she thought that she could finally be happy but she realised that it's just a state of mind. That whatever she did she would be isolated from the rest.
Simone and Michèle walk up to her clearly feeling guilty, "you alright, we can ask to be a three?" Michèle suggested but they all knew how the teacher wouldn't stand for it and would argue that there is enough for a pair each. "No that's alright it's really not a big deal." Dahlia forced a smile as her eyes looked frantically around a room for a victim to be her partner. She finally got up and walked up to the welfare child, who was also sat aimlessly looking around alone. "Dahlia Beaufort, partners?" She asked hoping that he would say yes, or at least be forced to. He shrugged, "Laubrac, sure." He said giving her a flat awkward smile. Dahlia was relived. "So I was thinking how much can you do?" She asked him trying to figure out the logistics of their project. Laubrac unfortunately said he could only do a part of the project since he had work. Dahlia nodded her head whilst conversing, she understood his predicament a little too well. "I'm glad you're contributing, that will be great thank you. I'll do the rest in no time don't worry." She said with a sweet smile, her words full of firm assurance as she took most of the responsibility for the project not wanting it to worry Laubrac. Many would be agitated by their partners lack of work in a project but Dahlia sympathised with Laubrac's hard life and feared herself if money didn't come quick into her family, soon she would find herself in a similar position.
Descamps couldn't help flicking his glance towards the pair across the room. Dahlia stood over the filthy orphan. At one point she chuckled. Descamps eyes narrowed at the pair, what could that homeless comedian be saying that could bring out such a smile or even a chuckle? Joseph quickly turned back to Dupin not trying to raise his suspicions further. Since the fight Joseph could feel Dupin's questions linger in every time he would glance at her in class.
Dupin was listing his ideas for their exposé which really showed the hollow density underneath his skull. "No we are not going to find Anna Karina's house in a week, that would take a month and we probably go to prison." He waved one of his odd ideas off. Dupin started again filling Joseph's silence, "She kinda looks like Dahlia, am I wrong she's like a mix Hepburn and Anna Karina." Dupin adds strangely which wasn't wrong she looked very similar to the two stars, maybe more so because she was brunette. "she's not that pretty." Joseph scoffed trying to humble her image as he watched the girl slip out the room rather slyly.
A few seconds later, Descamps got up and followed her leaving Dupin to come up with other idiotic ideas for their project. The girl was at the end of the corridor standing in the sunlight falling out the window. In front of her was Jean-Pierre, he studied the exchange every smile and movement although he could not see her face. Filled with curious suspicion he watched from afar trying to not draw any attention to himself. Jean-Pierre stretched an open hand towards her and she took it her hands tracing something on it. Of course it had to be that worm. Whatever they had going on he wouldn't let it occur peacefully, especially when it involved Jean-Pierre. Joseph couldn't help to envy this intimate moment between them, where they spoke to one another like friends. He realised that every time Dahlia and him talked it was forced by some fate or predicament.
Dahlia departed from the prim boy leaving him standing there alone. His eyes met Joseph's only seconds after. He gave him a terrible scowl and mouthed 'what?' through gritted teeth. An awful smile crept onto Joseph Descamps face, one that could be seen on the face of the devil when he had come up with his wicked idea and even after when he fooled mankind. Joseph Descamps was not to be trusted, he was reckless and cunning. With this new information he had come to know, he took a gleeful step into the classroom.
Dahlia had finally reached the library where she was going to find some information on her exposé about some French president. Along the way she had bumped into Jean-Pierre. It started with a polite smile but they started talking. It was if they had been friends before and they had known each other in some past life. "How is your meeting going? hopefully good." Dahlia said knocking on the wooden frame so supposably the devil wouldn't hear. "Didn't know you were so superstitious, do you do palm readings too?" He chuckled at her strange behaviour, her brown eyes brightened in the sunlight that stroke her face. "Yeh why you want a reading all of a sudden?" She joked her mind drifting to her mother, if her mother had heard her words she would be in a nunnery for doing the work of the devil.
He nods putting his large hands out she takes it and pretends to read his hand by tracing some unusual wrinkles in his hand. "Hmm it says you will have one wife but two lovers." She spoke her wisdom to the boy. "Wow bet it's Audrey Hepburn. Anything about today?" He said smiling trying to contain his serious composure. She couldn't help but laugh about his ridiculous delusion, "Yeh look, that's an A for Audrey looks like your fated," she added pointing at a nonexistent wrinkle that formed the initial A, "The verdict for today is you'll be fine." She dropped his hand. He felt the warmth of her hand leave his and the stir in his stomach stopped. With that beauty she probably had the same affect on every boy she came in contact with. Even the slightest brush was enough for them to fall in her trance. She patted his well padded shoulder and left him standing there in the shadow of the frame of the window. His eyes slowly fell on a dark figure who to his fear may have been looming over this moment. What? He mouthed at the boy who stood staring at this new opportunity to cause havoc. A smile stretched slowly from one side to the other before he slipped back into his classroom. Jean-Pierre was sure that the silly boy would tell Dupin what he saw in an instant. However, he wasn't bothered as it was utterly nothing. He brought the same hand she touched and looked at it as if something had miraculously changed.
Dahlia hadn't showed up in her last classes of the day causing the girl to worry a bit. Like a kettle the worrying feeling bubbled until at the end of class when she stilled hadn't appeared. Even the teacher had questioned her absence. "Where could she be, imagine she got hurt?" Simone said her imagination running past her about all sorts of things that Dahlia could fall victim to. Michèle thought about who she could have been speaking to last, "let's ask Laubrac they were talking about their project maybe he knows." Michèle shrugged hoping he had an inkling of where she could have wondered off to. They walked towards the boy who although was aware of the girls approaching didn't stop shoving stuff in his bag. "Laubrac have you seen are friend Dahlia she was speaking to you last right?" He looked up at Michèle slightly nervous. He shook his head to their dismay, "no we were talking about are lack of knowledge on French presidents and I haven't seen her since she stepped out of class." He said feeling bad about how unhelpful his knowledge was. The girl thanked him and started talking Annick who was equally worried, "she fine I doubt it anything big, you give me a call if you don't find her or if something happened though alright." Annick tried to reassure Simone who was really beginning to worry. They left the classroom collectively still talking about Dahlia's disappearance when Simone had bumped into Jean-Pierre and they began to talk about his meeting. Jean-Pierre's meeting had sounded like it went as good as it possibly could and that he was able to just get by deep consequences. Michèle was relieved some part of her felt slightly guilty for that day, "Seems like father will be happy. by the way have you seen Dahlia she didn't come back to afternoon classes?" She asked but ultimately doubting he had as they weren't very close.
"Urh actually I did, she was heading towards the library." His answer had shocked Michèle slightly but Simone more as her eyes widen in suspicion. "What? And you guys spoke?" She asked rather nosey about their encounter. He nodded with a straight smile, "I'll see you at home Michèle." He turned to his sister before leaving with his group of friends into the courtyard. Michèle and Simone decided it was best to check the library just incase she had fainted or something in there and no one had noticed. When they had gone in it was desolate and in the far corner was a girl slumped over pile of books. Simone nudged her, "is she dead." She said scared by her unresponsive body. Michèle decided to shake the girl which made her jump up from her seat in a fright, "what was that!?" She said looking around her messy hair falling into her face. "You fell asleep." Michèle stated laughing at her frantic state. "You had us worried sick don't you know?" Simone said holding her heart that was just racing with fear earlier. "Well it's fine now I'm awake let's go to class, are we late?" She asked completely clueless of the time. Simone shook her head, "you slept through it, let's go home." She said tugging on her sleeve. Dahlia couldn't believe it she hadn't realised that the few seconds that she had closed her eyes for had spanned out into a long hour or two. The girls had laughed about endlessly and Michèle pulled a few of her creative jokes.
Heading home she felt an odd freshness an effect from her slumber. The feeling that evokes when she would wake up in an exotic country, sun blaring down at her and past her fingertips. Creating large shadows of memories into the pavement.
WRITERS NOTE:
Dear fellow readers,
Forgive me, I accidentally published the wrong chapter. IM JUST A GIRL, oops.
Mes plus sincères condoléances.