I have to admit, I didn't call her when we got there.
When we got there it was hell just trying to find Marinette and the rest of her family. There was also an auburn-haired girl there for some reason that I questioned immediately.
"Sel, this is my best friend Alya." Marinette introduced. "Alya, this is my second cousin Sel."
I was surprised at how choppy her English was. Didn't most French people speak English? Well, this was going to be bad... I was hella bad at French. Failed the course, unlike Shadi who breezed right through. I wasn't surprised at that, to be honest... she practically memorized the Agreste magazines.
"Bonjour, Alya." I greeted Marinette's friend. "I'm not fluent in French, please pardon me."
"It's fine, girl!" Alya grinned at me. "Do you know how awesome this is? I get to know the new kid before anyone else! I mean, you're from America. How cool is that!"
I sighed in relief... someone who actually spoke English like they knew what they were doing. "Girl, how did you learn how to speak such good English?"
"My aunt lives in America." Alya admitted, pushing her glasses back onto her face. "Girl, we have got to get you to the bakery to try some of Marinette's croissants!"
Marinette flushed. "But Alya, Adrien's coming over to work on the project and I can't make croissants right now because I have to get ready for him and-"
"Girl, Adrien's your boyfriend." Alya interrupted. "You don't have to be so uptight!"
"Wait." I held up my hands in a time-out motion. "Marinette has a boyfriend, and that boyfriend's name is Adrien?" I cracked my knuckles. "I can't wait to meet this... Adrien. Time for a protective older brother!"
"Wait." Alya interrupted. "But you're a girl."
"Minor detail I forgot to mention." I chuckled. "It's... um... a long story. But I'm, uh, genderfluid. Meaning that-"
"I know what it means, girl!" She laughed at me. "So you're genderfluid, and from America, and you're going to my school? Your popularity level is going to exceed Chloe's by a 3.5, girl! I mean..." She chuckled nervously. "Then it's going to plummet, because nobody ever pays attention to kids like you. But if you hang out with Marinette's boyfriend here..." She nudged Marinette, who blushed at the mention of Adrien. "Then you'll do just fine in my opinion. Also I'm sleeping over with you tonight so I hope you're okay with that...?"
"Look, I'm not going to magically turn into a boy overnight, okay?" I laughed.
"Yeah, yeah, I know." She shared my laugh. "I've just... I don't actually know any genderfluid people."
"Well, well, look at dumpster trash!" A mean, annoyingly high voice taunted behind us.
I turned, greeted with an annoyingly bright shade of blonde hair, paired with blue eyes and a yellow jacket with a white striped shirt. Her heels were too high for Kim Kardashian and her makeup was beat, which made me hate her on-sight. Nobody should have both beat makeup and higher heels than Kim Kardashian. If Shadi couldn't pull it off, nobody could.
"If you're looking for the trash can, I believe it's over there by that pole." I offered, attempting to be helpful.
Alya nearly choked on her mint. Marinette turned bright red.
"Um, no. I'm not touching that germfest." The girl's nose wrinkled in disgust. "I was talking to little bo twerp there in the corner."
"Thanks, but Marinette knows where the trash can is." I attempted a smile.
The girl huffed. "So, where'd you get your dumpster clothes, an orphan's recycling bin?"
"Actually, my friend May made them for me." I twirled around so she could see all of it. All I got was a wrinkled nose.
"That's a terrible outfit." The girl laughed. "Is May blind or something?"
"No, she's actually just deaf." I told the girl sweetly. "But she has a hearing aid."
"That's so retarded!" The girl laughed, her face scrunching up into a cruel, mocking expression.
"It's a form of life." I shrugged.
"Sel, this is Chloe." Alya introduced me, finally. "Chloe, this is Marinette's second cousin, Sel."
"Oh, so you have the Dupain-Cheng stupidity, huh?" Chloe spat at me. "My daddy is the Mayor. Want to be my friend?"
"Chloe, you don't have friends." Marinette spat. "You're a jealous bully. If I'm stupid, how come Adrien chose me?"
Chloe humphed and stepped smartly away, her curls bouncing slightly. Alya sighed at my confused expression. "Girl, we'll explain in the car. You're going to love Adrien."
--
Once we got to the bakery, I knew two things.
One, Chloe was a terrible person.
Two, Uncle Tom was a terrible driver.
Marinette and Alya chattered in the car, apparently unaware of the blasted French radio and the impending doom that I was sure would come upon us at any moment. I wasn't allowed to swear - I busted an experimental one and mom gave me a killer look - but my voices were blowing up. I nearly shouted for joy when we pulled up next to the bakery.
The only thing that seemed off? The limo also parked in front of it.
"Adrien!" Marinette squeals, opening the car door and promptly falling on her face. I got out on the other side as Alya helped her out and they swarmed the limo. An extremely large man got out of the front seat and opened the passenger door, letting out one of the most handsome boys I had ever seen.
His blonde hair sparkled in the wind... yes, sparkled; there was no other way to explain the affect that his hair had. It sparkled. His eyes, which were either blue or green - they were indistinguishable from the distance I was - lit up as he embraced Marinette in a large hug, exchanging murmurs. Alya coughed, hands on her hips, and Adrien pulled her into the hug as well. Uncle Tom and Aunt Sabine smiled fondly at them before slipping inside with my mom, probably to show her around.
I crossed my arms, protective older cousin mode established. Adrien's eyes met mine and he coughed awkwardly, slowly pulling out of his hug. "Um, hello." He raised an eyebrow at Marinette, who flushed on cue.
"Introductions." She remembered. "Right. Adrien, this is my genderfluid cousin, Sel, who I believe is being a girl right now."
"Are you kidding me?" Adrien cleared his throat as Alya inspected me. "Sel's definitely a boy, how can't you see the overprotectiveness?"
"Sel Hughes-Harrison." I said monotonously, holding out my hand for a handshake.
"Adrien Agreste." He grasped my hand.
"Agreste." My eyebrows went up immediately. "Oh, I've heard of you practically every minute of every day."
He glanced at Marinette. I realized, with a sinking heart, that this boy indeed did not speak English.
"I haven't told her anything." Marinette promised. "Sort of."
"You didn't tell me that he was in the line of my best friend's most favorite magazines." I reminded her. "A pleasure, Agreste. Rest assured, I won't peg you with endless modeling questions."
"Pardon me," Adrien asked in perfect Enlglish, "but your accent is distinctly American. Where are you from?"
I nearly spit out my non-existent water. Here I'd been, assuming that he didn't know any English and Marinette would have to translate for the rest of our lives, but I daresay that he knew English better than I did.
"Texas." I let my weight settle on one leg, my normal Southern twang venturing back into my voice. "It's in the US of A, real South."
Adrien raised an eyebrow. "I've never met a Texan before, though I have been in the Americas. I hear that Monsieur Dupain has pizza for us, shall we go in?"
I swallowed, my throat dry. I had never tried French pizza before, and while I would miss Shadi's mom's barbecue sauce on it, I'm sure it'd taste fine... right?
"Sure." I took pride in my voice being lower than Adrien's as I swung open the door, letting the model venture in before me before letting it gently fall shut.
"We'll have to order the pizza." Uncle Tom admitted in poor English. "What does everyone want?"
I let everyone order, piping in with their own requests while I stayed silent. When Uncle tom pulled up his computer to order, Adrien took the computer and paid, taking a gold credit card from a hidden location.
"Dang." I commented, leaning against the wall as I watched it flash. Not a centimeter of me doubted that it was real gold.
Adrien shrugged uncomfortably, no doubt used to it. I wondered how big his mansion was - probably huge, considering that he and his father were technically internationally famous.
"It will be here in thirty minutes." Adrien announced.
"Enough time for you to be settled in." Marinette gestured to my suitcases. "You'll be sleeping in my room until you and your mom can find a place of their own."
Of course, then, my laptop had to ring.