After the small bump in the road, the ride there was quiet which I had expected. Neither of Adrien's caretakers were very talkative, both were serious to a fault. I could count on one hand how many times I had seen either smile.
I filled the time by snapping a few of my friends back silently, taking pictures of my forehead rather than a selfie. Something that Caleb had cussed me out for countless times. I shot Adrien a 'thank you' text as well, telling him to feel better soon. We were almost to the theater when Miss. Sancoeur turned back to face me.
"Mr. Agreste would like to know what your parents do, on the account that you live mainly alone."
She tapped the iPad in her hand and then held it up to me.
"Please speak into this."
I looked at her, taken aback slightly but I scooted forward to do as told.
"My foster mom is a talent agent for Young Blood Entertainment. They produce musicians and bands popular all over the world. That's also why she isn't home all the time because she has to travel for her line of work."
She tapped the iPad and ended the voice recording just as we arrived.
"Can I ask why Mr. Agreste wants to know about my home life?"
"I can't share but I will say that he does extensive background checks on Adrien's friends. You must know how it is. Your foster mother works with Blue Moon, right?"
Fear gripped my heart for a split second.
'Do they know?'
"To be honest with you I don't know a lot about what Poppy does. Anything involving Blue Moon is kept under wraps so she isn't allowed to talk about it."
This seemed to satisfy the calculating woman because she nodded. The limo finally pulled up onto the curb and parked. I all but flew out of the car to escape the onslaught of questions. Not before turning back to the open car door.
"Thank you guys for the ride, I appreciate it!"
I shut the door, not bothering to hear a response. Making my way through the cold into the grand theater.
By the end of practice, I was drained. My arms and legs were littered with shades of blue and purple from being lifted off the ground with the harnesses.
'Adrien will not be looking forward to learning to use these.'
I set my bag down on a bench in the grand foyer, my castmates were thinning out only three or four of them waiting for their rides to arrive.
I on the other hand was rifling through my things to find the snack I had packed for after practice. I always put it in the side pocket of my bag, but today it vanished. Which had been happening a lot recently whether it be my script when we used them or my homework. My friends were always there to spot me but it was getting ridiculous at this point.
"Whatcha looking for kid?"
Mr. Laurent passed by nonchalantly, stuffing his clipboard into his brown leather tote bag. I sighed, zipping up my backpack and rubbing the bridge of my nose.
"I can't find the protein bar I packed. I don't know why everything I put in my bag seems to disappear."
"I'll make an announcement that stealing is an automatic suspension from the production."
"Thanks, Mr. Laurent, I should get going. It's supposed to snow tonight."
I smiled weakly at him, his brows knit together in unrest behind the frame of his glasses.
"You have a ride right?"
"Nah I'm walking tonight. Usually, Adrien takes me and I didn't want to bother Marinette or Rose about it."
He looked conflicted for a moment, looking around wearily before he spoke.
"Stick around Louis and I will give you a ride once we lock up the theater."
"You don't have to. Really, I've walked farther to get home."
It was like watching gray hair grow in a sped-up version. He shook his head.
"No, we can give you a ride, just wait a bit. Will get food too."
The food was ultimately what put me over the edge. I plopped down on the bench and rested my head against the marble wall behind me. The foyer was grand that was for sure, marble walls, pillars, and a shiny chandelier hung high above. I closed my eyes as a tired fuzz set over my body. I lost track of how long I was sitting when a voice drew me out of my halfway sleep.
"Ya, that tired kid?"
"You weren't the one thrown around in a harness all day."
I didn't have to open my eyes to know I was responding to Louis. I couldn't help the smirk that grew across my face as his raspy chuckle floated through the air. My eyes opened to find him standing to my right.
"I'm gonna heat up the car and park it out front, start getting your coat on."
He left no room for debate as he walked out the large glass doors into the cold darkness of the night. I had begun to grow on the man, anyone with eyes could see that. Deep down the relationship I had with both Mr. Laurent and Louis helped fill a space I tried to bury deep down in my heart. I couldn't help but play into their fondness for me, seeking out their approval. A dangerous game, one I had played and lost before.
No one could replace the parents I never had. It was an irreversible empty mass that I had tried to fill as a kid. Poppy was the closest I had ever come to a mother, and she wasn't exactly caring. Even now I traveled to Paris as a way to feel closer to the parents I never knew.
I played with the zipper of my coat a bit until Mr. Laurent rounded the corner, to which I promptly zipped the coat up to my chin.
"You ready?"
"Yep, you want help with your bag so you can lock up?"
"This is why you're my favorite."
He handed his tote bag off to me as we walked through the glass doors. The weather had picked up and snow was beginning to float down softly in the darkness. I shifted his heavy bag on my back a bit while he pulled out a set of keys and locked the doors.
Once we were done we turned to the curb where a black Nissan was parked waiting for us. Right as I made it to the door Mr. Laurent tugged on the bag strap for me to give it back. I lifted it off and into his hands. The blonde reached up and ruffled my hair fondly before ducking into the passenger seat. I frowned at the loss of contact but slid into the backseat.
The fact that Louis listened to ACDC came as no surprise to me. That was what I was met with in the warm car. There were papers on the seat that pushed over so I could sit and an overall stench of espresso. Exactly what I would've imagined from the two.
"So you promised me food?"
"You can't be making promises like that Micheal. It's bad enough driving a student around."
Louis grumbled as he pulled onto the main drag. Rush hour had come and gone so most of the roads weren't busy.
"She's not just any student, she's my star student. And someone needs to look after her and make sure she has dinner."
"He's right I would have walked home without the promise of food."
"So you just get in the car with anybody that promises you a meal."
"What can I say, I'm easily persuaded."
"You're no better than a stray."
"Hey, I pride myself on being an above-average stray!"
I received no response in return, but I could see the quirk of the man's lips in the rearview mirror. After a few moments of silence, Mr. Laurent broke it.
"We should take her to Ippudo!"
"As long as we get shrimp instead of beef. Do you like ramen?"
I nodded my head vigorously, which drew a laugh from the blonde.
That's how I ended up sitting in a family-owned ramen shop with my music teacher and stagehand. Mr. Laurent sat on the same side of the booth as me which made me feel less like an interrogator and more like a kid with their parents.
I was struggling to teach the drama teacher how to hold chopsticks properly when Louis popped the question.
"So you and Adrien?"
I choked a bit on the noodles I had stuffed in my mouth a moment before.
"Me and Adrien?"
"Yes! We're finally talking about it!"
I poke the food in my bowl in a circle, curls of steam pouring off it.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You're not stupid, don't act like it."
"Gotta agree with Lou on that, Adrien isn't exactly subtle."
I found anything but their faces interesting, my eyes wandering down to the table lined with cups and plates of food. Mr. Laurent continued.
"I think you guys would be adorable together."
"A relationship seems too complicated for me right now."
"Do you not like him that way?"
I shrugged, a blush blooming on my face.
"It's not that, the chemistry is definitely there."
"There's that blue-haired kid, logan or something."
Louis mumbled into his cup of some unidentified soda. Mr. Laurent cut in animatedly.
"Luka, he's another star student in my advanced music class. Good kid."
My face becoming redder must have been a dead giveaway because they both laughed a bit. I chewed a shrimp indifferently. Mr. Laurent leaned into me in false dramatics.
"Luka's a great pick too, how will you decide between such great options."
"You're just like the girls, they have a running bet on who I'll end up with."
"That bet is gonna last forever at this point."
"Who believes in Adrien like me?"
"Only Alya. Rose and Marinette are rooting for Luka. Juleka is between Luka and Trevor surprisingly, even though it's her brother."
"Wait there's another one?"
I nodded sheepishly, Mr. Laurent slung his arm around my shoulders.
"She's a little heartbreaker!"
"My life is hectic enough without a guy being thrown in the mix. Plus even if I did date Luka or Adrien it would throw off the group dynamic."
"Your right with that but it shouldn't stop you from pursuing what your heart wants."
"I don't even know what I want at this point."
Louis butt in before the blonde.
"You don't need to, you're young. Now eat your ramen before it gets cold."