"Y/n?" The sound of my mothers voice took a few seconds to register, slowly winding its meaning about my awakening brain. "Y/n? Why are you on the floor?"
I blinked rapidly, trying to wake up faster than a dead body and groggily forced myself up on my elbows. "Um... I don't know." I lied, rubbing my eyes.
Charlie approaches still in his ladybug pajamas. "She left our room at like... 2 in the morning, and she wouldn't shut up." He complained through a yawn and stretch.
My heart rate sped a little as I casually scanned the room for Evee.
Mom hummed to herself, then crouched down to me with an inquisitive stare. "Must've sleepwalked." She said scrunching her nose in concentration, placing the back of her hand all over my face. "Huh... could just be stress." She smiled at me and ran her hand over my hair. "Okay let's get this ball rolling. First official day of school for you kids!" She cheered happily, standing back up and walking to the kitchen.
"Shower, brush your teeth, get dressed, you've both got an hour before you have to leave." She announced, padding to the kitchen while wrapping her housecoat around her body tighter.
I laid back on the floor with a big sigh, staring at the ceiling. Today was the start of my unwanted life in France. The only solace about moving here so late in my education meant that in only a year, I'd be out on my own and could move back home.
Just a year. Then I'll be out of here.
With that final thought I cleared my head and climbed to my feet.
The hour came and went and Charlie and I walked out the door. His school was only a few blocks from mine, so It wasn't a huge detour to walk him.
"Oh man Y/n! This is so cool! I can't wait to meet my class, can you?!" He chuckled in what could almost be described as an evil way. "Haha ha! They're all going to love me."
I restrained my concern with mild amusement. The fact that he could only speak the most basic French and still managed to be this confident was astounding.
"I'm sure you're right, Charlie." I mused ruffling his hair.
"Hey, Hey, Hey! Stop!" He whined, swatting my hands away, gaining a few passerby's casual glances. "That took me like, twenty minutes to do!" He grumbled sourly, meticulously placing each hair as it was before.
"Oh! Uh, sorry." I apologized to the grumbly boy, despite it not looking any different then the way it did before. "I don't think anyone will notice though!" I said with a gentle, encouraging voice.
"But I will Y/n!" He sneered, turning to look at himself in the window of a shop next to us, still picking and plucking at his hair. "I'm not dressing for anyone but myself." He stated pridefully.
A smile slapped itself across your face at this tiny feminist. "That's a very good policy." I praised and wrapped my arm over his shoulders, guiding him away from the window. "But we've gotta keep moving if we wanna get to school on time, fix it on the way."
He continued to grumble away, but didn't outwardly object.
After about another ten minutes of navigating the bustling morning streets of Paris, we managed to get to Charlie's school on time. He grinned widely at the school and bounded towards it, almost leaving me behind.
"Hold your horses there bud!" I grappled his backpack and pulled him back.
"Ugh, whaaaaaat..." His eyes never left the bright yellow doors of the middle school.
"Remember your manners!" I unzipped his backpack and rummaged through it, pulling out his excessively highlighted schedule. "Pay attention to the teachers." I turned him towards myself, locking eyes with him like I mean business.
"And speak French! Don't expect people to accommodate you with English." I warned in my near perfected French.
"Yeah, I will! Now let me go! I'm gonna be late!" He cried, looking back to the school where students were all filing in, idly chattering amongst themselves.
I sighed with a faux annoyed look on my face. "Okay, geez." Just as my fingers unfurled enough from his pack, he shot off running towards the doors with a zealous I'd never expected from him. "Have fun Charlie!" I called after him.
He just waved back at me before he slowed down next to a few kids.
An unexplained anxiety bubbles inside of me as I watched him for a few more moments, and reluctantly walk off, leaving him there.
I stuck my hands in my pockets as my mind scurried, Charlie no longer there to distract me from my own nerves.
"Y/n!"
The sudden call of my name sent a jolt through my nerves, nearly knocking the air out of me.
I peered down at my now partially unzipped bag, meeting Evee's big eyes staring up at me. "Are you okay?"
"Evee! When did you get here?! I thought you were hiding at home!"
She shook his puffball of a head proudly, as if tsking my confusion. "Oh Y/n, you never know when you might need a kwami, it's for your safety." A pause ensued as I kept my eyes trained on her. Her confidence cracked as the pride she held defeated. "... That and I didn't want to be alone at home."
The softness in her voice ebbed away at me.
"So... really, how are you feeling about all this?"
I hummed and looked forward at the imposing school now in view down the street. "Uh, just a little anxious." I shook my hand around a bit, trying to warm my chilled, clammy hands. "I should be okay though."
Her eyes held a deep empathy to them. "Well, don't worry, I'll be right here for you. If you need me just put your hand in my bag and I'll comfort you best I can until we can talk!" She said gently, her little paws crossing over each other in a hugging motion.
The genuine care made soup of my heart. Not necessarily the best thing to happen when trying to remember how to act around strangers you would see every day. Nonetheless, it was a comfort to know that she was there, and willing to help.
"Just let me know, okay?" She said, a bit quieter while zipping the bag closed.
"Heh, I will, thanks."
She fully zipped the bag back up as I timidly met the base of the steps, stopping momentarily.
A numbing, dusty feeling settled over my very being, dulling the emotions ripping through me as best as I could. There were a few students loitering around the doors and on the oddly pearly steps of the prestigious school.
Cars cruising past behind me became the perfect white noise I needed. I took in a deep breath of preparation closing my eyes to focus on balancing my mind and gradually ebbing away the anxiety.
"Hello!" A cheery, French voice from beside me practically yelled.
I flinched away, losing my cool as the metaphorical dust fled off my body. "Holy shit!" I screeched back, flailing arms lifted defensively overhead.
"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" The voice spoke through a small laugh. It sounded softer this time, but no less excited.
I peeked through my arms to see an unassuming, blonde girl dressed head to toe in a pastel pink. Her dress reached just below her knees, paired with pink flats and tiny stud earrings shaped as stars. "I uh..." I cleared my throat, switching to my French speaking brain. "It's no problem." I said, swiftly sticking my arms down to my sides.
She smiled brightly up at me. "You're a new student, right?"
"I—Uh—y-yeah." An unwelcome warmth started to rise to my cheeks at her friendly nature. I attempted the same kind of smile, but it came out a bit more embarrassed as I closed my eyes. "Did the English give it away?" I laughed nervously, scratching the back of my neck.
She laughed lightly. "Well, that and I've never seen you around the school before today. I know pretty much everyone that goes here." She stated, adorably rocking back and forth on her heels.
"Oh well, yeah, you're right. I-I'm Y/n." I stuck out my hand for her to shake, suddenly regretting the choice at the slight tremor running through it.
She took my hand and gave it a gentle yet steady shake. "Nice to meet you Y/n! I'm Rose."
As she let go she started up the stairs. "Come on. We better hurry up, everyone's probably wondering where I am." She said with a small laugh.
"Oh! Yeah, sure!" I ran up the few steps that separated the two of us until I fell in stride next to her.
"I think you're really gonna like it here, Y/n. Everyone in our class is pretty close, so I don't doubt after a few days you'll be a part of the..." She paused for a moment before giggling to herself. "I guess you could call it a family, if that's not too weird to say."
A huff of amusement fled through my nose. "Well, it's probably not as weird as you made it sound." I laughed, in a good natured tone of course.
Unfortunately, nothing but a shy laugh pulled itself out of her as she looked off, face turning red as an awkward air floated around her. "Oh... heh, yeah."
Oh my god, what did you do Y/n?!
"I-uh... I didn't mean to offend you, I was only joking."
"Ah... okay!" She said in a lacklustre exclamation.
Yikers
In dire need of a change of subject another voice from atop the steps called out just in time. "Good morning, Rose!"
We both looked forward to a girl with a flannel tied around her waist where her high waisted jean shorts and black tank top met. She waved with a bright mischievous smile beaming down on us.
My heart nearly leapt into my throat at the sight of her.
"Alya!" Rose squealed and ran up the stairs towards the girl, throwing her arms around her, which was quickly returned with just as much enthusiasm.
"Hey girl! Did you have a good summer?" Alya asked, pulling back to look at Rose's smiling face.
"I did! I went waterskiing for the first time! It was so much fun!" The pink adorned girl squealed, pushing back a short lock of her blond hair from her face.
As I approached, more and more people came into view who were standing in a group a few feet farther behind Alya and Rose. A... sizeable group.
Who's attention turned to me, one by one.
Alya tipped her head with a crooked smile. "Rose, who's this?" She asked as her eyes locked on me curiously.
Rose turned to me with an eased smile. "Oh! Yes of course!" She beckoned me closer towards the many pairs of eyes lying on me. "This is Y/n! She's from abroad."
Alya perked up and wove around Rose, striding towards me. "Hey! I'm Alya, it's good to meet you Y/n!" She reached out towards me.
I placed my hand in hers with all the bravery I could collect. "Likewise." I said confidently, despite my racing heart.
She took a step back and placed her hand on her hips. "So... Abroad, huh? Where are you from?" She asked.
"Oh! I'm from—" I didn't get a second to respond before I was interrupted by a girlish squeal from Rose.
"Juleka!!" She exclaimed, running back down the stairs she'd just climbed.
Alya and I turned our attention to the girl sprinting towards a dark green, dated car pulling to the curb. A tall, lanky girl with dark, silky hair that caught every little gust of wind stepped out of the passenger side, backpack in hand. Her eyes were glued to Rose with a strange relief floating around her before a huge swell of joy spread across her face.
She dropped her bag to the ground just in time for Rose to jump into her, wrapping her legs around this 'Juleka' and burying her face into her neck.
A redness flushed across Juleka's face as Rose pulled back and held her cheeks. They exchanged a few words before Rose pulled her into her lips.
I coughed and looked away, suddenly embarrassed for watching.
Alya laughed at my reaction. "They'll be like that for a while, they didn't see each other all summer." She explained. "Next week, the pda will probably be at a normal level."
Alya looked back towards the pair and called out. "Hey Luka!"
The name drop seemed to catch the entire groups attention as the rest of them walked towards the edge of the stairs, around Alya and I.
I turned back around to the car. spotting a guy with blue at the ends of his black locks. He stood on the other side of the car while resting his tattooed arms on the top of the car as a casual smile lifted his lips, waving back slowly. "Hey."
His eyes traveled to the two girls, still kissing and cuddling. A laugh emitted from him as he shook his head, lifting his gaze back to Alya. "Do me a favour?"
Alya smirked, popping her hip to the side. "Sure."
Luka jutted a thumb towards the two girls. "Make sure they actually learn something today."
"I can't promise anything." She responded, coyly shaking her head.
He only laughed then spoke a few words to Juleka before waving to everyone. "See you guys!" He said before slipping back into the car and puttering off.
As he pulled away the large group went back to talking amongst themselves.
"So, you're Y/n?" A voice next to me spoke with the clearness of porcelain bell.
I looked to my left, meeting a pair of rich green eyed guy that felt startlingly familiar.
"...Uh, yeah..." I stared at him for a few seconds, noting his blond hair and friendly yet collected manner with a frown forming in concentration. "Do I know you?"
Taken aback, he tilted his head awkwardly. "Uh..." After a couple seconds of searching my expression, he cracked a nervous smile. "..Heh... No.. I'm actually trying to introduce myself right now." He said, chuckling uncomfortably.
The rudeness of my words hit me, jerking my brain into gear. My eyes widened as I waved my hands frantically as if to swat away the possible petulance. "O-Oh! I'm sorry! No I mean like... I feel like I've seen you before."
A look of realization crossed his gradually widening eyes. "..Ooh!... yeah, well I get that a lot." He nervously scratches the back of his head as a bit of red dusts his cheeks. "I'm, uh... Adrien Agreste."
I nodded to him politely then looked to Alya. "Ah, nice to meet you Adrien." But there was a deep nagging in my stomach, insisting that I had indeed seen him, maybe even had met him before. But Nothing was clicking. I returned my eyes to him. "...I'm sorry, but, I swear I've seen you before."
He looked a bit confused before an amused, playful smile warmed his complexion. "Yeah... I'm, Adrien Agreste."
"... I know... you already told me." I said through a chuckle, thoroughly confused but I couldn't help the unsure smile that mimicked his.
"I-I'm a model." He said plainly, cheeks reddened despite the amusement clearly playing through him. He waved what he said away quickly, as he elaborated. "Have you ever heard of Gabriel Agreste?"
I shook my head, as a bout of embarrassment started to fill up inside my stomach. "S-Should I?"
He laughed, placing his hands in his pockets of his jacket. "I guess not. I'm just usually recognized because of him, he's my dad." For some reason, I felt a certain amount of pride for not knowing who he was and for possibly bruising his ego.
"Oh, that's probably it then." I caved with a small laugh.
The bell rang, signalling all students to get to their classes soon. I looked farther into the school then back to Adrien. "Do you have english as your first class?" I asked, hoping at least somebody I've met already was going too.
He pulled out his phone and looked at the Lock Screen. "Ah, no I have math 30-1." He hummed, pocketing the device. "But Nino and Alya have English now too." He gestures to the pair already walking to class. "Hey Nino!" The call of Adrien's voice made the guy with Alya turn around.
"Yeah? What's good?" A calm vibe hung around this guy as he looked over his shoulder.
"Y/n is going to English too." The blonde said, gesturing a tilt of his head in your direction.
Nino chuckled before waving you over. "Alright then come on Y/n, we're gonna be late."
I almost felt comfortable for the first time since I got here as the welcoming energy drew me towards him and Alya. But before I could get too far I turned around to Adrien, momentarily while still walking their way. "Thank you." I mouthed, then spun back around to catch up to the pair.
Alya is a bit preoccupied with her phone, but still greets you. "Hey again." She chuckled lightly before going back to tapping on the screen.
"Hi." I greeted politely before looking to Nino. "I'm Y/n."
"Nino." He chuckled then swung his arm around Alya's shoulders. "And you've already met Alya, huh?"
A slight feeling of envy floated into my head as he did this, my eyes watching his hand closely as she intertwined a free hand with the one of his slung over her. "Uh, yeah we're acquainted."
"Coolio, Hey! You wanna sit with me today? I don't have a set desk partner for this class yet so maybe you could sit with me this year! Desk buddies, y'know?" He chuckled.
I blinked rapidly. "Oh! You two aren't desk buddies?"
"Heh, unfortunately for me no. Alya always sit with her friend Marinette, ever since middle school." He said, tipping his head towards the girl who was aggressively typing on her phone. A mix of frustration and worry swirled over her, causing Nino's easygoing smile to fall a bit. "Uhh... Alya? Are you okay?" He asked, lowering his voice a little.
Alya groaned and pushed up her thin rimmed glasses. "Marinette isn't answering my texts, she hasn't been for like, four days now." She huffed, exasperated.
I would always answer your texts, Alya.
Nino pressed his lips in a thin line, thinking. "Well, she might be stressed, this is our last year of school and you know how she is under pressure."
The girl sighed, and let her phone hang in her lowered hand, slipping it into her back pocket. "Yeah..." She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "It doesn't matter anyway, I'll catch up with her later."
Nino gave her a firm squeeze against his side, gaze lingering on her with a solemnness in his eyes.
"So, Y/n." He turned his attention on me. "What brings you to France?"
The familiar nip of annoyance tied to mom bit at the corners of my mind. "Oh.. Uh, yeah my mom... she just kinda decided to move out here. It was a bit of a 'on a whim' of decision." I chuckled, scratching the back of my hand.
His thick brow lifted high in surprise. "Really?"
It was no wonder he thought it was odd. Who in their right mind would make such a move without as much as a plan before buying the one-way tickets.
"That's pretty cool!" He cheered, shaking my entire belief system momentarily, putting a stutter my steps.
"W-What?" I muttered, aghast. I shook my head a little, hoping to clear my head from whatever nonsense was just spewn. "What do you mean? You wouldn't be upset?" I questioned genuinely confused.
He shrugged, scuffing his shoes on the well polished corridor floors with a soft squeak. "Well, at first, sure. But honestly moving here was the best decision my family has ever made. I can't think of a better place to live." The boy said, running a hand over his head.
I squinted up at him, adjusting my backpack. "The constant danger isn't a deal breaker for you?"
A kind of nervous look flashed across his face and he peered at Alya, who just shrugged with a mischievous smile. "Uh heh, I guess not." He laughed and leaned into Alya a little. "It doesn't really bother me very much I guess."
He peered back at me as I stared on confused. His free hand flew into a defensive position. "Okay, but aside from the akuma attacks there really isn't a cooler place to live."
The unconvinced look on my face must not have moved at all, which is why Alya leaned forwards to get a better look at me. "I know that sounds crazy but, just give it a chance." She urged earnestly.
The warmth in her eyes bathed me in a gentle, friendly light.
"I-I—uh..." I broke eye contact, the only option if I wanted to form a proper response. "Okay. If you say so."
She smiled and aimed the killer gaze up to Nino again, who smiled back at her.
A few of the classmates ahead of us started to funnel into a classroom, excitedly chatting with each other. I gulped nervously at the sight of the future waiting for me. That was until my attention was nabbed once more by the pair next to me.
"Ah, don't stress too much about this class." Nino reassured, pulling me from my tailspin.
"Yeah, Miss Cousy is a cool teacher so I don't think you'll have too much of a problem as long as you pay attention." Alya agreed, unwrapping herself from Nino's hold and pulling her phone out one last time.
"Well, it's English, so I should be good at it." A fleeting glint of amusement flickered through me as I broke out into a playful chuckle. "If I don't get straight A's I'm retiring as a human person."
The three of us funnelled into a clean, undecorated classroom with raised desks almost totally filled up. Alya gave Nino a squeeze of the hand and left to an empty desk.
Nino and I sat at a desk second closest to the back, one away from where Alya sat, switching her attention from staring at the door to the ticking clock. Her knee bounced up and down and she did a once over of the almost full room.
"Is... Is Alya okay?" I asked while managing to pull my eyes from the girl to Nino, who was spinning a ring he took off his finger. He slapped his hand overtop the band of metal and casually raised his head towards his girlfriend.
A look of empathy swallowed his expression as his stare wondered off. "Oh, well, I'm not sure." His lively attitude shrunk with his sinking shoulders. "It's just her friend, Marinette. I guess you could say they're going through a rough patch." He momentarily met my eyes before they flicked away again, a bit more bitter than before. "It's been going on for a while."
I hummed and looked at Alya again. "Hm... I take it you aren't a fan?"
This question seemed to catch him off guard momentarily as his face drained of colour. "N-Not a fan?"
"Uh... yeah, y'know, you don't like her friend?" I clarified, a confused smile accompanied my basic explanation. I could have sworn I used that phrase right.
"Oh! Okay, I getcha, I getcha." He laughed uncomfortably. "Well, uh..." His eyes travelled to a lonely Alya two desks away then down to his fingers that fiddled with a ring around his finger. "... I don't really talk with her a lot, but..." He took in a deep, annoyed breath, only letting it go through his strained words. "I don't like how she's been pushing everyone away. Especially, Alya. I don't think Mari realizes just how much it hurts her."
We both looked to Alya, who had her head resting in her hand.
I wasn't sure how deep I could dig with this, but my boldness seemed to only reflect off how much it felt like he wanted to talk about it. "And this is her... best... friend?" I asked, tilting my head with a squint while looking back to Nino.
A quietness engulfed him with his eyes trained on Alya, oscillating between a soft gaze to hardened stare until he finally lowered his eyes and slouched down farther onto the table. "Between you and me... no." He placed his chin on the back of his hand that lied flush on the table. His head bobbed up with every word. "I couldn't even say with confidence that she's a good friend at this point. Just someone close with history that Alya is holding onto by a string."
He sighed as a casual, understanding smile lifted his face. "Honestly though, I was never that close with her anyway, so I have less of a problem disconnecting from her than Alya does." He flicked his pencil around in a circle. "It just really sucks for people who were actually close with her."
I frowned slightly. "Where is she?"
Just as Nino was about to say something, the classroom door shoved open and in walked the most exhausted looking person I'd ever seen. Her entire look was put together, but the shuffling steps and the dark bags under her eyes begged to differ.
"Ah! Marinette! Glad to see you, although you are a little late." The brown haired teacher stated with a nip of annoyance, only to be met with an unenthused hum of apology from the girl.
Nino then gave me a pointed look while tilting his head in Marinettes direction.
"Ooh..." I stared with the rest of the class as Marinette greeted Alya quietly and plopped in the seat next to her.
The teacher cleared her throat, off-put before turning to the board and beginning to write down page numbers.
Staring at the back of this girls head felt like I'd seen her before. She was the same girl that was in that shop Sabine worked at.
The iciness that leaked from this Marinette girl made me wonder if maybe she was a distant relative of Sabine's. They couldn't be closely related.
The English class slipped by pointlessly and easily, I was only interrupted by the occasional question from Nino. I'd almost finished the assignment handed out by the time the bell rung. Marinette stood up almost instantaneously and started to leave class with Alya scrambling behind her.
"Hey! Alya, Marinette! Hold up!" Nino called after them as he carelessly threw everything into his backpack, turning his fleeting attention to me for a brief moment as he slung his bag onto his shoulders, half zipped.
"..Oh!" I shoved the four paged handout into my backpack, hurrying after Alya and Marinette alongside Nino, holding onto my bag by its zippers while awkwardly jiggling it up and down in front of my uncomfortably wide-stanced legs.
"Yo! Wait up!" Nino called again, me hot on his tail as we swerved through the cluster of classmates.
Nino disappeared into the jumble of students, moseying out of the narrow doorway.
"Oh man." I heaved a giant sigh and poked a hand into my purse, trudging into the bustling mass of peers.
The sight of Nino was the life line I was desperate need of finding while clambering through the endless sea of peers.
Evee's soft paws held my hand while I attempted to to maneuver through everyone. "Nino?" I called timidly, trying to peek over anyone I could. "Alya?" Still nothing.
"Erm... Marinette?" My voice was gradually getting quieter as my resolve to find them diminished to nearly nothing.
Fuck this.
I turned towards the path of least resistance to escape, and pushed myself out from the heard and off to the side. Instant relief pulled its comfort over me as I slowed my breathing, resting against the rail that overlooked the large space full of students below.
I huffed, newly marooned as I watched nearly everyone shuffle down the steps without me. Finally able to compose myself, I peered down into my purse to see Evee still petting my hand.
Her big brown eyes lifted to meet mine, concern written all across her face. I smiled in response, she nodded somewhat hesitantly and retracted her soft little paws from my hand.
A bitterness then swept through me as I stood alone, waiting for the stairs to clear enough for me to walk down. I dropped my overstuffed bag to the ground and moved the books and binders around inside it to properly zip it up. Once I finished I peered down at the students again.
Everyone looked so friendly. The amount of kids wandering to their next classes was surprisingly more than I expected, and yet, none of them were on their own. They all walked together, joked together, teased each other. They just meshed so well, from what I could see people who didn't look like they'd ever be friends were walking to class together.
This was a great group of people who already knew and grew up with each other. They had no real need for another to come in, especially one that didn't really want to be there in the first place.
A strange loneliness settled in.
A little push on my crouched thigh caught my attention. There sat Evee, reaching her paw through the bag and against my leg.
"Hey Y/n."
The call of my name shot a fresh feeling of fear into my veins. I grabbed the top of Evee's purse closed as I whipped my attention over my shoulder.
There, standing with a curious smile, was the blonde guy from earlier.
"Oh, hey Adrien." I greeted while turning my back to him momentarily to situate my bag again. Quickly, I tossed it onto my back while standing up to my feet. "How was Math?" I asked, facing him again.
He shrugged, pulling his bag farther onto his shoulders. "Pretty good, it's nice to see everyone again." He looked around, as if searching for someone. "Uh, where's Nino and Alya?"
I couldn't help the bitter smirk that slapped it's irritation on my face for the world to see. "Ah, I'm not sure." My eyes glided over the sea of people below. "We got separated in all these people."
He stared out into student body then back to me. "Avoiding the crowds then?"
I chuckled; looking at the mess of people alongside him with a strange feeling of insignificance. "Yeah, I'm not fantastic with big crowds." I rested myself against the railing, exhaling an exhausted sigh.
Adrien laughed lightly and leaned against a vertical beam in the railings that reached the ceiling. "You never really get used to them." He comments, mostly to himself.
A silence settled between the two of us, a delicate balance of awkward and content. We both stared off at the rest of the students rushing about on the stairs.
I took a breath, collecting up all my feelings and tossing them away. There was no way I could hold onto everything that happened to get me to this school and still be in a good enough mood to give this place a chance.
I lowered my eye lids and looked to Adrien, who was already looking at me. He coughed awkwardly and looked off suddenly.
I couldn't help my amused smile at this fluffy haired guy. "So what's your next class?" I asked, crossing my ankle over the other.
"Oh," He checked his phone. "Uh... Biology 30." The phone then slipped back into his pants pocket.
I grinned and pushed off from the railing. "Hey me too! Wanna be desk buddies?" The question floated about with a certain lightness as my feet puttered their way square in front of him.
Adrien blinked his widened eyes a few times, clearing away any surprise from his brain before smiling back. "Oh! Sure!" He looked up to a clock on the wall. "We'd better get going now if we want to get a seat together though."
"Lead the way then." I stepped to the side for him as he walked forward while adjusting his bag strap again. I fell into stride with him.
"Sooo..." The word stretched along my tongue as it slipped into the air, trying to figure out where it was headed. "Are you gonna go to university after high school?"
He peeked down at me, a curious frown crossed his face. "I, uh... well, I kinda have my modelling thing." He replied, rubbing the back of his neck.
My face scrunched a bit on the left in acknowledgment. It made sense he would already know from what little information about him I'd been given, and the general 'put-together' vibe he had. "Oh, already got it all figured out eh?" A light chuckle floated from my lungs. "That's pretty cool, lots of people have no idea what they want to do, long after they graduate high school."
He tilted his head a little, sending a few fluffy stray hairs atop his head to flop over to the other side of his hairs part. "Do you know what you're gonna do?"
The question elicited a surprisingly strong feeling from me that I couldn't quite put a name to. "Ha! Me? No, It would be a miracle if I could commit to one thing and not constantly wonder if I'm actually doing what I want." I puffed my chest out. "You're looking at a future freelance couch surfer."
A gentle snort pushed itself out of Adrien despite his casual effort to suppress it. "Is that... a goal of yours?" He asked, genuinely interested with a healthy amount of concern.
"Heh, nah. I'm just setting the bar low, y'know, so if it does happen I won't feel as blindsided." I said as a mischievous grin pulled across my face.
He held back his light laughter to utter out a playful banter. "You're kinda cynical, y'know that?"
"Ain't that the truth." I looked up to him as a grin spread across my face, nudging his elbow as light as a feather. "But you have to admit it's pretty lucky you already know what you want to do."
He hummed and set his gaze forward.
"... or, do you even want to model?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.
He ran a hand through his fluffy tresses, getting the out of his eyes. "Of course I do, it helps my father."
A cold moment of silence passed between us.
Suddenly the bell rang, coaxing movement from large groups of friends to get a move on to their respective classes. "We should hurry up. It's gonna get crowded again." He commented, surveying the copious amount of students starting to flood the walkways again.
Adrien and I weaved through the student body together. He made sure not to get separated from me, standing close enough to make it clear we were walking together, but kept a respectful distance as best as he could in the crowd. He strode ahead slightly with his held high, gliding through the students with little resistance.
"Ha, maybe I should walk with you to every class." The comment didn't fall on deaf ears, despite the loudness of the school around us.
He stared straight forward, seemingly losing focus on what he was doing. "... uh, yeah... Maybe."
The absence in his voice elicited curiosity. My sight went from him to everything in front of him, scrutinizingly surveying until catching one of the few people I was somewhat familiar with. Marinette trudging towards us, in her own little world. The exhaustion radiated off of her in tidal waves.
Adrien's stayed glued on her with an undecipherable mix of expressions, but there was definitely worry. Whether for her or himself was unknown.
As she slugged closer her eyes finally noticed Adrien's, locking for only a moment before she fixed her gaze forward once more. I wasn't sure if it was possible at this point, but she looked even more grumpy now.
Adrien stepped in her direction timidly. "Uh, Marinette can we..?"
She brushed straight past him. "Not today, please." Despite the twinge of anger playing across her face, her voice was rather melancholy.
I opted to remain a quiet observer behind the blonde as Marinette passed. But that didn't stop her from noticing me.
Her dull blue eyes lit with sparks of alertness once they found me. She furrowed her eyebrows with the slightest bit of curiosity, as all the air sucked out of me. Luckily, she didn't decide to say anything and continued on her route down the hall.
Once she was out of earshot I turned back to Adrien who was still staring after her. The emotion swirling in his eyes was something I didn't exactly want to delve into. "Uh, well, we better get to class!"
I swerved around him, taking the lead. His eyes reluctantly pulled away from the retreating girl back to me. "The good seats might be taken already."
"Yeah... uh..." He took a moment, his eyes flicked across mine only briefly before they looked back over his shoulder again.
Seconds ticked by as students rushed past, but Adrien was stuck in a pocket dimension, with a vortex that only seemed to want to pull me in.
The thought of leaving him here and getting a good seat bounced around in my head. I looked away from Adrien towards the class starting to fill up down the hall.
My eyes fell back to the blonde who was entranced. I couldn't spy his face, but the space around him folding in on itself reeked of personal complications.
Complications that weren't important enough to entangle myself in.
Impatience finally filled up enough to reach my mouth. "I'll go grab us some seats."
I dodged his eyes by only a hair as I pivoted on the heel of my foot, quickly striding down the opposite way while doing my best to filter through the rest of the students still buzzing about.
I managed to beat another wave of students to the door, slipping inside and quickly scanning the room. There weren't many free desks open so I made a bee-line for the first empty one I saw. There was no way I wasn't getting a seat with Adrien and end up having to introduce myself to someone new. I've been lucky so far with getting people to introduce me to their friends with little effort from my side, and I didn't want to end that streak of luck.
The desk was in the back, second from the one in the farthest corner. I sped towards it while hopping up the raised levels of each row, careless with tossing my bag onto the top of the desk in an obvious claim.
I hummed, satisfied with my small accomplishment while plopping myself down into the chair on the left. An unseen weight slipped from my shoulders, presenting an opportunity to take solace in how smoothly today was going, quite the opposite of the garbage fire I predicted.
Just then, a remarkably dressed blonde girl walked in... maybe rolling in on leering thunder was a more accurate description.
Everyone around perked at her appearance but avoided looking directly at her. The irritated scowl etched into her features didn't move an inch as she stormed towards me. Her ankle boots thudded powerfully under each step as two locks of hair free from her ponytail fluttered along against the sides of her face.
An embarrassing need to cower swelled within, so I averted my eyes once she was within six feet of me. I held my breath as she stopped dead in her tracks next to me.
However, nothing came of this. If she didn't kill me, anticipation might.
Against my better judgment, I hesitantly let my eyes wander over to the blonde flame of raw emotion. Just as she came into view it was blatantly apparent she wasn't here to fight me. A healthy dose of humble slid down my throat at the sight of her sitting in the desk next to mine, thumbing through her phone aggressively. I let a breath out, letting go of my nerves to only be replaced by the overwhelming feeling of idiocy.
She was grumbling to herself angrily, something about someone being ridiculous. I couldn't quite decipher it, but it didn't really feel appropriate to. Besides, I wouldn't even be able to utilize any gossip I might pick up, I know all of five people in Paris so far.
After a few seconds of scanning the room of strangers, I decided to be ready for this class. I pulled out a new scribbler and my designated school tablet, squarely lining them up next to each other along with a cheap, black fountain pen.
Just as I fished out my whiteout, the girl at the desk next to me cleared her throat rather aggressively. I took a moment before timidly glancing in her direction.
Her demanding blue eyes were fixated directly on me, like she was trying to light me aflame with just her concentrated glare.
Awkwardly, I slowly looked back to my whiteout.
"Wha—Hey! Don't turn away from me!" She scolded sharply. I inwardly groaned and peered over my shoulder at her even more intense eyes. "Do you not understand simple social cues?!" The chastising tone in her shrill voice was like a heavy rain of sharp rocks.
"Uh... I guess not." I shrugged, sitting straight in my chair with my bottle of whiteout clutched in hand.
I didn't really want to talk to you...
She looked like she was about to explode as her mouth opened, ready to unleash some type of hellfire. However, Just as her tongue formed the first syllable, she suddenly snapped her jaw closed. Her hand clutched in a fist around the zipper of her yellow bomber jacket as she closed her eyes, breathing slowly and loudly. After a few seconds the air let out, leading to the bonfire in her eyes shrink to nothing more than an agitated, glowing ember.
"I was just going to ask if you had a pen I could barrow. All mine have... been stolen..." She nearly spat the last word as irritation ran hot through her veins.
"Oh! Yeah, sure." I rummaged through my pencil case as fast as I could, grabbing the first writing utensil I could get my hands on. I pulled the old blue pen out and handed it to the girl. "Here you are."
She almost smiled as the pen met her hand. "Ugh, finally someone useful." She popped the cap off the pen, ready for use. She paused for a moment then stiffly faced me again. "Erm... thanks."
A grin pulled across my face, hiding my desperate want to laugh. "Don't mention it." I returned my attention to my scribbler, opening it to the first page. "I'm Y/n, by the way." I said passively.
"Chloe Bourgeois." She said proudly, eyes set straight down on her paper. "I guess your the one from abroad then."
I looked over to her as she kept her eyes locked on. Just as I was a alit to say something she spoke again. "Talk has been buzzing around the school since you first stepped foot here."
"Oh... anything good?" I plopped my head in my hand.
She shrugged and sat back. "Not a lot. Just that you aren't from here and can maybe speak English... and apparently kind of cute." Her voice was nonchalant as she picked at her well maintained fingernails.
That caught me off guard. "Really?" A smile started to spread across my face, confidence suddenly raising along with my chin lifting slightly higher.
"Oh wipe that dopey smile off your face. You're ...not bad." Chloe huffed.
That deflated me a little.
I glared in her direction. "Dude, come one, I just gave you a pen!"
She chuckled to lightly herself, void of any malice. "Fine, fine... you're okay."
"Is that supposed to be better?" I questioned, turning my whole body towards her with my legs pointed directly at her. A playful air now surrounding us both.
Chloe tucked her loose hair behind her ear as she finally looked at me. "That's all you're getting, Anglophone."
"Anglophone? Are you 80?" We both started to chuckle. "What kind of dated insult is that supposed to be?"
She shook her head gently, turning towards me as while resting her arm along the back of her chair. "All my good insults have been revoked. I'm trying to 'turn a new leaf' as it were." She air quoted.
"Well I'd say you've been pretty good at it so far." A new voice chimed in.
We both followed to voice up to Adrien who was standing there with an amused grin.
When did he get there?
Chloe's face dusted a distinct red as she frowned weakly. "W-What? Ha! That's a nice notion, Agreste. But we both know I'm a lost cause!" She snapped defensively looking away with pursed lips. She brought her knees back under her desk and pouted. "A bit ridiculous that you've know me this long and can't get this through your thick head."
The blonde guy laughed, unaffected and unconvinced. "Sure, Chloe. Whatever you say." He made his way around to his saved seat next me and sat down heavily.
"Thanks for saving me a seat." He said, collecting his things from his shoulder bag.
"No problem." I said, swinging my legs back under our desk. I didn't really know what else to say to him, I definitely didn't want to bring up his weird behaviour before but that seemed to stick to the forefront of my mind. No matter how desperately I tried to pry it off my brain and throw it into the abyss, it stubbornly defied me pleading it's defence of curiosity.
I squeezed my eyes shut tightly as if to reset my mind until I could manage to focus on something else. With a slightly more docile headspace, I opted to search the rest of the classroom and figure out if I recognized anyone else here.
A few desks in front of us were Rose and Juleka, with the cute pink girl cuddling her girlfriend happily amongst the light chatter of the now full room.
I leaned towards Adrien with a small, gentle voice. "Hey, so.." The blonde perked at my words, glancing at me. "What's the story with them?"
He took followed my eyes to the duo ahead of us. "Rose and Juleka?" He tilted his head with a small frown and looked back at me. "Why?"
I shrugged, unable to hold down my blank expression as a smile lifted my eyes. "I guess I just want to know the social climate here." I met his eyes as I rested my head in my hand. "They look so happy."
His sight flicked between the pair. "Yeah, they've been close even before they started dating, so it only makes sense."
"Must not be too bad here then." I mused, looking back to them again. "Rose must've really meant it when she said you all were like a family, huh?"
Adrien started to smile fondly at the pair. "Heh, that's a very Rose thing to say." We both chuckled a little. "But she isn't wrong. We look out for each other."
"Hmm... that's honestly a relief." A warmth of hope swelling in my heart took me by surprise.
"Yeah? Well what we're you expecting?" He asked, looking back to me.
"I mean, I wasn't expecting everyone to be nice." I fiddled with my pen idly. "At my last school there were only about two people who were actually nice, one of them being an ex if you could believe it. It was more than suffocating at times." I chuckled lightly, a twinge of bittersweet drizzled atop my words.
Adrien's brows shot up a bit. "Oh! T-That sounds... kind of awful." He started to laugh a bit. "I kind of know how you feel though."
I hummed, and tipped my chin at him skeptically. "Really now? How so?"
"Well... I was actually homeschooled for a long time before coming here. I was barely allowed outside without a bodyguard." He confessed, leaning forward on his forearms. "My best friend for years was my dad's secretary. She's like... 40." He said, a whisper of a laugh floating within his words.
"Oh, Adrien..." I paused as I fought the urge to smile. "...that sucks." I commented through a now nervous laugh, unable to stop for some reason. The thought of little Adrien being best friends with a grown adult was sad, but funny in a kind of adorable way.
He leaned back away from me as if betrayed. "Hey! Don't laugh I told you that in confidence!" He cried despite the playful smirk on his face.
"You laughed at my story!" I retaliated, still smiling like an idiot.
"Just because it sounded like mine!" The blonde exclaimed through a playful scoff as he tossed his hands out to the side, as if that would emphasize his point.
I landed my hand on the desk with wide eyes before I started to laugh again. "Well I laughed because... because you're best friends with a middle aged person!"
"Was! I was best friends with a middle aged peRson!" His voice cracked, and he flushed instantly. This silenced us both for a moment until another, more vigorous fit of laughter fled between us.
Just as we were giggling amongst ourselves the teacher shuffled in sourly. "Hahah—!" The moment I caught sight of her I immediately zipped my lips together, holding my breath in hopes to shut up.
My sides started to ache with how much laughter, nervous and genuine, I was holding back to keep my volume close to nothing. Adrien didn't seem to be doing much better with the way he was covering his face in his hand while his whole body shook rhythmically.
"Alright class. Today we will be going over the types of cells throughout your body and their anatomical purposes." She shuffled through her papers before plucking one from the rest. She readjusting the sharp, purple glasses honing her stern stare down her nose at the little fly-track letters. "But before we do so it seems there is a new student with us."
Oh no oh no
All joy was instantaneously torn from me as I weakly hunched down, meekly meeting Adrien's eyes who peeked over at me. He was barely keeping himself together at this point.
"A... Miss Y/n L/n?" She called, lifting her eyes to scour the classroom.
I took a deep breath, and slowly lifted my head, raising my hand. The whole class turned to get a peek at me.
"Ah! Yes, welcome. I hear you're not from France." She said casually, organizing her papers further. "I hope you're adapting well."
I nodded, swallowing the hysterics as best as I could. "Yes." I croaked unevenly. that was all I could manage.
"Ah, good, good." She said as her eyes stayed on her desk. "Well, I guess we can start ice breakers with you. Go ahead and stand up, tell us something about yourself and what you did over the summer." Her voice was passive and uninterested, but I knew she was probably the type to get mad if her orders weren't followed.
I inwardly groaned and stood to my unstable legs. "I'm Y/n..." I took a second, letting the chuckles die down before continuing. "I uh, heh, like art stuff... and I learned French over the summer break."
I stood there awkwardly for a couple moments until she finally looked up again. "Yes yes, next student please."
I didn't need any more urging to as I plopped down in my chair again. Adrien turned to me with a small whisper. "I didn't know you just learned French! Your pronunciation is really good!"
I smiled warmly. "Thanks."
He returned the smile with a little nod then stood to talk about his summer.
I looked down at my blank page in the scribbler as my thoughts started to fold and flip within my head. The one thought that reoccurred more than a few times was the possibility that this might not be an awful year.
Like hell I'll say it to mom, but I'm gonna be open minded about France.