Translate the following sentences to English and circle the prepositions.
1. Richard était debout sous l'arbre.
I stared at the same question for almost half an hour. How was I to know which one is a preposition? I couldn't even understand the stupid sentence for crying out loud. Groaning, I set my book aside and lean back on the chair, looking up at the ceiling. A sigh escaped my lips and I shut my eyes.
"Maybe I should go to the store and grab myself something."
Saying so to myself, I stood up and stretched myself in the most un-ladylike way ever. Grabbing my pants, I struggle to put it on while skipping all over my room when there's a knock on my door. I scream "coming" and continue with my dance when the door fly open stopping me in my place. The ass must have heard 'coming' as 'come in'.
urgh!
"Uh. Am I disturbing you?" Adrien asks raising a brow not feeling embarrassed at all seeing a girl getting dressed up. Thank the lords I had my shorts on. I just stare at him.
I mean hello? Who ignored me all these days? Why should I respond to him!?
"You going out somewhere?" He asked. I sigh and turn to face him completely, once I've successfully put on my pants.
"Just to the store," I say coldly.
"Oh. Uh well. Well, then I'll come by later." He says almost stammering. The fuck is he getting all flustered for?
"It's fine. Just get on with it. I've time to hear whatever you gotta say."
Adrien walked inside shutting the door behind him and leaned on it. I sat on top of my study table once I stack my open books aside. The room grew silent. Neither spoke a word.
"So." I start.
Adrien scratches the back of his head still not looking at me.
"C'mon. You said you had something to tell?" I press on. A ghost of his usual smirk which I never realized I had missed a teeny tiny bit appeared on his face.
"Technically, I said I'll come back later. I never said I wanted to tell you something." Cocky bastard. I'm chasing him out right now!
Before I could say anything, Adrien speaks up.
"I'm sorry." He apologizes so very quietly. I stare at him dumbfounded. Don't blame me, I've always thought he didn't have the word 'sorry' in his jerktionary.
"For being a jerk these couple of days." He continues. These couple of days? Wasn't he a jerk ever since I moved? I don't say it out though. Adrien clasped and unclasped his hands staring at the floor.
"And about the other day when I yelled at you."
The other day?
"I just got mad that you were spouting nonsense in Esmee's presence. She's the type to overthink and worry."
Oh my god! Now I get the damn thing.
"You're in love with the Student body Secretary!" I exclaim. Shit, how could I have not possibly thought of this? Adrien lets out a humorless laugh.
What's so funny?
"Love, huh." He leans back staring at the ceiling now. He looked so lost and broken.
"Adrien?"
"I did." His voice was barely audible.
"What? I couldn't hear you."
"I did." He said much louder now.
"So uh... confess? Problem solved?" I say and he stares at me now like I'd grown a second head.
"So you're saying, I should steal my best friend's girlfriend?" He asks in a mocking tone.
What? Wait what? Who?
Then it hit my stupid brain.
"Evan and Esmee are dating!?" I practically scream. He gives me a glare at my outburst but then sighs rubbing his temple. Wow. What kind of a combo is that! I mean a super-hot guy and super cute girl dating. They're like the school's hottest, not to mention the perfect couple!
"Back when we were in junior high." Adrien began. I never took him for someone who'd be willing to share secrets. Let alone well-hidden ones.
"Evan, Esmee and I became a team. I fell in love with Esmee during our second year." He stops and takes a deep breath.
"And?" I press on.
"When our final year started, Evan and Esmee had started dating." He finished clenching his fists, his knuckles turning white. That happened like two years ago. He's still in love with her?
Wait so why are we talking about the President and his girlfriend now?
"I don't really care who's dating who or who's heartbroken. What I really wanna know is what's gotten you in such a pathetic mess." I say.
"Since when have you been worried about me?" He asks raising a brow looking at me skeptically.
"Uh since you've been looking dead? Since you've been getting into a lot of crappy situations both in school and at home? I mean c'mon. You might be delinquent material, but you've never done anything out of order in my opinion. So, of course, anyone would wonder what the hell is going on." I say walking back and forth like some lecturer lecturing her stubborn student.
He doesn't say anything. Just remains silent.
Oh for crying out loud!
I crouch in front of Adrien and look at him directly, now that we're eye-to-eye. He looks straight at me yet he seems so distant. His alluring deep green eyes which were one of the things I found mesmerizing had lost its glow.
"Look. You need not tell me anything. In fact, you can keep every single thing you do a secret from the world. But..." sighing I place my hands on top of his clenched fists.
"Remember you're hurting those around you by being so secluded." I finish remembering the devastated faces of his Mom and Dad and Uncle Cam these past days, due to Adrien's actions. I know so well since I had been in the same position secluding myself and hurting friends and family.
Adrien unclasps his fists and holds mine. His touch so gentle, I'm left in shock. And then the most bizarre and unthinkable happens. Tears run down Adrien's beautiful face.
"A-Adrien?" I didn't know what to do. Fuck!
Tissue? Pat him? Tell him don't cry? Wait, why the hell is he crying in the first place!?
"I can't take this anymore." He weeps shattering my soul in the process. Adrien never cries.
"What am I even doing? Damn it. Damn it all!" He continues mumbling, his gentle touch now firm and rough.
"Adrien, what's wrong?" He doesn't say anything but continues weeping in silence.
I take my hands off of his grasp and get to my feet. A month ago, no, a week ago tell me I'd do this and I would have clearly laughed in your face. But now, my actions took over my mind.
I embrace Adrien's slouching self. His shoulders rising and falling. I rub his back trying to comfort him. Adrien's arms go around my lower body and hold me tight. I'm pretty sure he has no idea what he's doing. I mean why'd he even want to hug me back?
And then, he spills everything out in a single breath.
Seems like Esmee's beauty aroused even local thugs. They had kidnapped her when she was on her way home from school. It happened to be a day when the President had to go straight home and couldn't accompany her. Those asses hadn't done anything apart from taking lewd pictures of her. They had wanted to blackmail her but she changed her usual route and they never saw her again, until a few weeks back when one of them had spotted her. They've been in waiting when Adrien had seen them before Esmee and picked a fight.
"Since those bastards had the upper hand what with them possessing Esmee's pictures, I was forced to make a deal." Adrien stops talking for a minute.
"What... what was it? The deal I mean?" I ask wanting to know what it is he'd been doing making him look like trash.
"Accompany..."
"Accompany?" Why do I feel dreadful even before he finishes?
"Girls."
"WHAT!?' It's natural for me to scream right?
Adrien doesn't seem to mind me screaming in his face. More like he's not in this world but in a world of regret and disgust. That's what's shown in his face.
"That's what I had to agree for. No matter the time. No matter the person. No matter the situation, when I'm called I have to go. They would choose the hotels."
"Y-Y-You... You... You were accompanying girls to love hotels!?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Adrien hung his head in shame.
"Nothing happened to be honest. I always made sure I got the girls drunk and when they had gone unconscious I would leave quickly. But it was disgusting and horrible. Those filthy women and their approaches. I get sick thinking back. It felt like I was dying every time I got a call from those people." His voice broke and it hurt me every second.
Oh my God.
Before I could think of what the hell I'm doing, I hugged him. Tight.
"Why are you hugging me?" His voice was mumbled, with me crushing his face on my chest. His tone was more of a doubt than an annoyance.
"I don't know. I just felt like doing so." I reply.
Why do I feel like crying? Shit! Damnit!
"You're... not disgusted?" His voice was unstable. Like he'd start sobbing again.
The oh-so-great Adrien Valentin in tears and unstable. I'm gonna freaking bomb those shitheads hideout!
"I would never be." I murmur softly.
Adrien had been tainted. He's had to pleasure shitty women. All because he's blinded by the love for Esmee. Yet I couldn't be mad at her. It's not her fault. No one's but those bastards.
"Don't go anymore," I say pulling back and looking at his face more clearly now. He doesn't respond.
"I'm begging you. Don't go back to those people." I stop myself from shaking the life out of him.
"Just a little longer." He replies taking my hands in his.
"Why? Why do you still want to continue!?" I yell at him. I don't understand.
"Until I get them arrested." Adrien looks at me straight in the eye, a determined look overtaking his regrettable expression.
"How?" I inquire.
"I'm going to get Camille's help."
"Woah... what!?" He's going to tell Uncle Cam about all this? I mean I bet Uncle Cam has connections and would most definitely be able to help this guy out. But getting to know his precious nephew had been asked to sleep around with women isn't a pleasant thought.
"I know what you're thinking. But this is the only solution I've got." Adrien says ruffling my hair. I give him a solemn nod and a tight smile. Anything to get this idiot out of the mess he's in.
"As long as you have the determination to put an end to all this," I say.
"I didn't before. Heck, I just went with whatever was thrown at me. But something someone said hit me straight on the face. And so, I'm going to make a difference what so ever." Adrien says, looking straight into my unblinking, unflinching eyes.
A ghost of a smile appeared on his face and he looked at me from sideways.
"Since when did we start being all chummy with each other?" He jokes. I couldn't help but chuckle.
Wow, look at us. Acting like childhood friends or something.
"Ever since you became a mopey baby." I tease him earning a scowl.
Before he could counter, he's interrupted with Uncle Cam's loud and extravagant entrance into the house. He always has to do things with a flare. That man!
"Perfect timing. While I'm feeling all pumped and bold, I'd better have a talk with him before I chicken out." Saying so Adrien gets to his feet and begins walking towards the door.
"You know," I begin. He stops and turns slightly, watching me. "After all this shit is over and done with, you should man up and go confess to Esmee."
"What?" He asks his eyes going wide.
"Only then will you be able to move on Adrien. Or you'll forever live with the regret that you never confessed and things would have been different." He doesn't say anything. "Maybe there wouldn't be a change, but still you can breathe easier with the satisfaction that you've done what needs to be done." I pause. "After all isn't there a French phrase that goes 'Qui n'avance pas, recule'?"
'Who does not move forward, recedes'
Thank heavens I remembered the correct phrase.
"Well aren't you a cheeky little French genius now." Adrien's smirk is back.
Is that a compliment or an insult?
He turns back facing the door. He ponders a while and then says. "I'll think about it, Mia."
Wow, how long has it been since he called me Mia? Wait am I actually enjoying him calling me that!?
"One more thing." He says as he turns the doorknob and opens the door. I wait for him to go on. He looks back over his shoulder, a gentle smile overtaking.
"I never thought I'd be saying this but, I've missed your ridiculous sugary omelets." And he closed the door behind him.
Why oh why does he play with my poor heart.
Wait.
My heart? Pssh... I'm imagining things.
I contemplate everything he had said to me. One thing was certain.
Adrien was willing to go to such lengths for Esmee. It's understandable with her being the girl he loves.
So why, do I feel like I've been betrayed?
What's this pain I'm feeling?