The entire weekend had been a blur for Sam. She got all kinds of fun paperwork stuff taken care of. She discovered that she cannot stand a "dry" wine, as her dad jokingly took her out for her first taste of an adult beverage. She had done everything in her power to be at least toddler level in French and still had no idea how well she had accomplished that goal. It was textbook after study book after worksheet to learn as much as she could and when she listened to the news, she still felt like she understood nothing. She had tried watching Sesame Street in French, which had been mostly intelligible for her. Still, her confidence waned even more when it came to the idea of writing or speaking French.
That's why she had her dad help her with a short introduction on paper so that she could at least get that right if she needed to. Things like who she was, what she likes to do, where she's from. Stuff like that. Even with that, she wondered just how much she could manage to communicate. It felt hopeless but today was the first day back and she'd have her first French class today as well.
Head held high, she walked into the school for the second time. No one would see her cry today, and that was a fact.
The weekend had been a blur for Adrien. Shoot after shoot, one fan questionnaire, a short filming rehearsal for a skincare commercial that would feature him. And of course, an akuma to deal with on Friday and another on Sunday. All he wanted to do was think about anything but his home life.
He rubbed his temple as he sat in his usual spot in the classroom. Monday mornings tended to be the quietest. He felt extra tired this morning and it was mornings like this that he debated taking up the habit of drinking coffee with his breakfast. The problem was, he'd need more sugar than coffee to make it worth it to him. The bitter flavor just wasn't his favorite but he'd dealt with it on plenty of late night sets and shoots before. It was just an acquired taste but it may be one that he considers taking for himself.
Nino was chatting with Alya behind him about something that Adrien had zoned out a while ago, and it seemed Marinette was late again. Class was about to begin and he looked around. It seemed almost everyone was present.
A figure walked through the door and he expected Marinette, but instead it was Samantha. She was dressed as peculiarly flashy as she was Friday. She wore sunshades, a black and grey tartan camisole dress, an oversized pleather jacket, and short black boots. Her split dyed hair was loose and fell down straight around her face, the silver glitter hair clips did little to help restrain it. Her large silver hoops swayed with her movement. Instead of choosing a seat, she went straight to the teacher's desk and quietly said something to her. Mrs. Mendeleiev nodded and pointed towards the back of the classroom.
She hurried past him and to the back, where she placed her backpack and drug out a piece of paper. She turned back towards the front and Adrien tried to look like he was minding his own business. There were a few stares and a couple of murmurs, but so far no one said much. He had told the class a little more about the new student Friday when he had returned. Some of the classmates changed their minds a bit and were less harsh, but not everyone. The new student didn't have the best reputation yet.
The new girl had stopped at his desk, placing her hand on the corner of the table. He looked up at her and she pulled her shades down, to look him in the eye.
"Good morning." she said in French, only to revert back to English for him, "Really quick, I want to say that I super appreciate what you did Friday. I know that had to suck for you, but it meant a lot to me." she said and Adrien noticed that Nino had stopped talking to Alya to listen.
"It's no problem. You got your schedule sorted out, right?" He asked and she nodded.
"Yes, I'll be having French in place of Mixed Media." She confirmed, a smile on her face. A stark change from Friday's Samantha. She looked to be full of energy and smiling and even talkative… even if only to him too far. Only to him. "If it's no big deal, do you mind if we try introductions again? Since this is the smoothest it will get for me today." She asked, giving a half-hearted laugh.
"Oh um sure?" He responded. He'd never had this before but he'd give it a try. She seemed well-intentioned enough. She reached out her hand to him. He took it after a moment and she gave it a firm shake.
"Hi, my name's Sam. I'm an American who can't speak French despite moving here with the intent of living for a while. Dumb, right?" She gave sarcastically. Sam instead of Samantha? She tilted her chin up as if to cue him.
"I'm Adrien, I'm a French guy and dumb… wait, no." he paused when he realized what exactly he had said in English. She raised her eyebrows at him for a moment. She dropped his hand and held her hand up for a high five.
"And you're funny too. Awesome." She said and didn't hesitate to slap her hand to his when he held his hand up.
"Ah, yeah…" He said. He didn't know what else to say. It was really strange to him but going along with it wasn't so bad.
It was different from the usual interactions he had. She gave him a salute and went to the front, flapping her paper around. He noticed she hadn't talked to anyone else besides him yet. It was strange but it was probably only because she felt comfortable talking to him in her native language. She acted like she wasn't aware of who he was as if she was blind to the prestige he had with his modeling position unless… she didn't know? She did say she was from out of the country. He didn't know and he didn't want to think about it too much. Recently with his fame being brought more and more into the Parisian spotlight, talking to others just felt harder.
"Wow, this is different. She sure is talkative today, huh?" Alya observed.
"Yeah, she's got someone who understands her, I guess." Nino shrugged. Adrien was going to say something but got distracted.
Marinette had come through the door right as the bell for class rang.
She was about to make her way in a hurry to her seat but she was stopped by the new girl. It was the first attempt to speak French outside of the good morning she had given him.
"Hey, Marinette. I want to say you my thanks. The chouquettes you gave gift to me were um… good… no, delicious. Very good. I will buy them with money on a day… later." She fumbled out. It vaguely made sense but it was choppy and her accent was very thick. Although, he had to give her props. For just a few days, it wasn't so bad. Still, he tried to hide his face from secondhand embarrassment.
Marinette gaped happily, placing her hands together.
"You're learning so quickly, good job! I'm glad you liked the treats." Marinette beamed back. Sam smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, delicious. My dad made love to them." She said with confidence. The blue-eyed girl looked back with shock.
"Oh, he what now?"
Adrien couldn't help it. He burst into a burst of small laughter that he immediately tried to cover up with a fake cough.
The new girl wasn't fooled though, and she looked right at him, her smile had faded away and she looked as surprised as Marinette but with a dash of anxiety.
"Adrien, what did I say? Was it bad?" She asked back, taking a step towards him. He tried to compose himself but she once again called out, "Help me!"
"You said your dad made love to them, like in a romantic way. You should say instead " My dad really liked them" so that it's not um… weirdly intimate." he responded in English, giving the proper French translation. Sam nodded and looked at the ceiling for a moment.
"I told you it was going to be rough." she nodded in his direction before directing her attention back to the kind girl.
"Marinette, sorry. I am not good at French. Anyway, thank you a lot. It made me happy." Sam responded.
"Hey, it's okay. You're learning. I want to introduce you to my friend Alya." Marinette began and Sam followed her words slowly.
"Ah, yes. Introduce myself. I have this paper." She said, holding up the paper. "I will do the introduction to the whole class. If Alya wants, I can talk after to her more with information at lunch. And you too." Sam promised. Marinette nodded.
"That sounds great, Sam. I look forward to it." Marinette waved, and headed off to her seat. Sam was left standing for a moment and looked over to Adrien. She gave an awkward smile and a thumbs up and he gave a thumbs up back. She seemed nice, he decided. Strange but nice and in need of a little friendly encouragement.
Chloe and Sabrina walked in late, both with a latte in hand.
"Oh, I thought they kicked you out but it looks like you managed to sneak back in here." Chloe spouted upon seeing the new girl standing at the front. She took a long sip from her latte as Sabrina nodded along. Marinette whispered something behind him but he hadn't made it out.
Sam tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.
"I know what you say to me is…" she thought of the word, "...rude. So I learned a phrase just for you." the girl gave with a sickly sweet smile.
"Oh, it's an apology, right?" Chloe returned, giving Sabrina an anticipatory look. Sam shook her head.
"No. Here it is, are you prepared?" She asked rhetorically before she cleared her throat and paused for dramatic effect, pointing to a spot on her paper. "Shut your mouth and take a hike. There, just for you."
"Oh wow, Sabrina, look! I'm being told off by little miss grammar whiz. Listen, cornbread, you've made a mistake getting on my bad side. I don't think you know who I am. When I get the chance, I'm going to-" Chloe began her verbal strike and the chair behind Adrien slid out but the situation was handled quickly.
"Chloe Bourgeois, are you really picking on the exchange student?" Mrs. Mendeleiev asked, her question was warning enough.
"She disrespected me!" Chloe argued and Sabrina nodded along. The teacher folded her arms over her chest.
"She can't speak French, how can she disrespect you? She's even reading her introduction to the class off a script." she asked, and glowered down her nose at the blonde girl. Sam looked at the teacher and nodded along.
"I don't say good yet. My apology if my speaking is rude." Sam gave, an innocent look on her face.
"Ugh whatever." Chloe gave up, and glared at the new girl before she flipped her ponytail and retreated to her seat. Sabrina tailed along and they both grumbled to each other.
Mrs. Mendeleiev looked to the new student and closed the classroom door before heading back to her desk.
"Class will be starting soon, but before we begin, the new student has requested to introduce herself to the class. Last week she wasn't yet on the morning roster so we didn't provide the chance to her then. If everyone is settled, then I'll let her begin." The teacher announced, having a seat in her cushioned rolling chair.
Sam went to the front and pulled her sunglasses off, tucking them in the front of her dress where they hung down. Pulling the paper in front of her, she cleared her throat and let her eyes drift over what had been written. Murmurs began but the teacher silenced them with a pointed look.
"Hi, my name is Sam. Last Friday I could not tell any of you that but I worked hard this weekend to be able to greet you all in the way you deserve. France is the first country outside of the United States that I have ever traveled to, let alone lived. Please be patient with me as I try my best to understand and speak clearly as I learn this new language. Full transparency, the only reason that I am able to have proper grammar now is because I had help." She began, and Adrien followed. Her accent at least seemed a little better than just a few minutes ago, he noticed.
"A tad bit about myself, I lived in six U.S. states. I have lived in Fresno, Nashville, Boston, Baton Rouge, Manhattan, and just left Atlanta. For a hobby, I did cheerleading, gymnastics, and kickboxing. I am actually very talkative and my old friends say that I never shut up once I begin. Um… that's all." She finished and lowered the paper.
Mrs. Mendeleiev had a question and leaned forward to ask, but she did so slowly so that Sam could understand.
"What inspired you to start kickboxing?" The girl stared at her for a moment and cocked her head to the side.
"Pardon, "inspired"? I don't understand that word." She admitted and the teacher rephrased.
"What made you want to kickbox?" Her question was pondered over for a moment.
"Ah. Good exercise. I would compete, it was fun. The start was for… um, health? For me and friends. Health for my body from harm. Sorry, the word… I don't know." She admitted, fumbling her words.
"Protection? Keeping yourself from harm is protection." The teacher offered and Sam nodded.
"See, bad French from me." she excused with a shrug. "Protection." she repeated to herself.
"That's a useful thing to know, I'm sure. Another question for you. What is something fun you would do in the states?" She asked, again slowly for her to understand.
"For fun?" She paused and thought about it, "I buy a ticket in Nashville to um… music listen event? Also Fashion Week in Nashville. Atlanta, I go to Six Flags. It was an um… I have no word for this." She decided hopelessly. Then, she looked Adrien in the eye. He wasn't expecting it since she hadn't looked at him once since she started talking.
"Help me, please? Can't get word." she asked, placing her hands together in a silent plea. He nodded.
"Do you know how I can say amusement park, like with roller coasters?" She asked in English and he again nodded, mulling over the words she had said.
"Amusement park, the kind with roller coasters." He translated and her face lit up and she nodded.
"Yes, amu- um, Amusement park." She repeated. She mouthed thanks at him, surprisingly mouthing it in French. He smiled to himself at being able to help.
"Oh fun! We have Disneyland close by, maybe you could visit it. Thank you so much for the introduction, Sam. Does anyone have any questions for Sam before we start class?" Mrs. Mendeleiev asked, and it wasn't long before Marinette spoke up behind him.
"I have a question, if she doesn't mind of course. What's something that you'll miss from the United States?" Marinette asked slowly. That's a thoughtful question.
Sam looked over to her and frowned.
"My sister, yeah." Her melancholy answer sat for a moment before she cleared her throat and gave another answer, "Also my car and Girl Scout Cookies." The latter object was in English, but Adrien knew what she meant. Those cookies were only an American thing.
"I have a question too." Chloe blurted, "Is that considered fashionable where you lived?" her question was vague enough it didn't warrant reprimanding but still rude. Sam crinkled her nose up in a short, sarcastic-looking smile.
"Sorry, I don't understand. No more questions, please." She answered with a wave of her hand. "Class time now?" she asked the teacher, turning her attention towards the woman. She looked at her watch.
"Yes. You may be seated." the teacher permitted and took to her feet, pulling a dry erase marker into her hand.
"Yes ma'am. Also, warning, I am record this class on my laptop so I can hear it later when I understand better the language. No loud secrets said near me if you want it to stay secret." She announced, already heading to the back of the room where her bag lay. She'd be sitting near Nathaniel, who seemed like a good seatmate.
"Alright then. A late but fun start to class but now we have to focus on calculus. Today we'll be starting chapter four in your textbooks. The page number is page fifty-seven…"
The drone of the start of class began and Adrien began taking notes. His mind kept drifting to the new girl and the start of the day as opposed to Friday. It was completely different today and he couldn't help think that Friday should have been like today, but if that were the case, would he feel like he was supposed to help her? He didn't know why, but when she asked him for help, it felt nice to be able to do that for someone. It would probably be short lived, as she would get better and better at French and probably forget all about him. Not that she seemed like she was using him, but he knew how things went. Once she realized that she'd like to hang out with people that she could actually spend time with, he was sure he'd hear less and less of her.
For now, he could give her a goofy American thumbs up and help her until she didn't need to ask anymore and hope it'd be enough for her to consider him her friend.
"Sorry, excuse me, but what does that word mean? The one you used moment ago?"
It was regrettably the fifth time she had asked that question. Each time, she'd get some looks, some annoyed and others sympathetic. Class would come to a halt and the teacher would try to explain it in silly toddler speak for her. She knew it had to be annoying, but not saying anything would just lead to confusion and then she'd have nothing to scribble in English in her notes. Each time, she hesitated and truly asked herself if it was worth being the one person in the class to make everything slow to a crawl, and she had passed over many explanations and was left with a blank in her notes.
The teacher was always patient, but even she could see the beginning of frustration on the instructor. This time was no different and she paused, shaking her head.
"Why don't you sit next to someone who can help you? Adrien, can you help out Sam?" Mrs. Mendeleiev asked, not to Sam, but the blonde guy on the front row.
"Y-yeah, I can do that." he answered with a nod.
No, this was the last thing she wanted. To burden someone all through class. She panicked for a moment, forgetting the french words for what she was going to object to. She waved her hands and shook her head. Several people looked at her as she gestured, including Adrien. She took a moment and tried to remember.
"Ah, no. Please." She found the words, "I am okay. No help for me, thanks." She managed, cringing at her own lack of smoothness in her ability to speak. It's okay, she told herself, of course she's not perfect yet and she just started but she still wanted to at least seem capable. So far, that wasn't how it was.
"If you can't understand the lecture, it's best to have someone to help you out so you don't get lost." The teacher stated matter of factly, and despite being able to understand most of it, there was just one word.
"Pardon, what does "lecture" mean?" She asked, realizing that her question immediately voided any conviction she had in proclaiming she didn't need help. She offered a cute smile but it didn't help convince anyone. The teacher shook her head and placed her index finger and thumb on her forehead.
"Sam, go sit next to Adrien. He already agreed to help you out." She ordered and motioned to the desk at the front.
"Yes ma'am." Sam deflated, deciding not to argue. Besides, she knew a way she could try to smooth it over if Adrien was annoyed with having to help. Although, she had the impression that he wasn't the type to be abrasive.
She tried to be as noiseless as possible, whispering farewell to her previous seatmate and snatching up all of her books. The lesson had begun again once she quietly took her seat, Adrien and his friend, whom she hadn't talked to yet, scooted down to make room for her. The teacher was turned and Sam took her chance to whisper to her seatmate.
"Hey, looks like you're stuck with me, huh? I'll try not to bother you much." Her hushed voice was thankfully heard and the blonde looked over to her, his bright jade eyes studied her.
It was the first time she had seen him close like this. The guy could be an actor or a model if he wanted to. He had a nice face, not just handsome but his eyes looked so genuine as if everything he felt could be seen on his features. It was that strange feeling of honesty that he seemed to show on his face that made his helpful smile warm her instead of making her feel as though it wasn't all just pointless niceties. His face was framed by that blonde hair that surely had product in it, as it was thick and held a good bit of volume.
And of course, she admired someone with a semblance of fashion sense, his outfit was simple but stylish. A grey and white striped button-up that had been unbuttoned to show a navy shirt and had been rolled to his elbow. He was wearing studs in his ears and a simple silver chain necklace. The hand that held his pen had a silver ring to match. She betted that he had admirers based solely on his appearance.
"Stuck with you? I don't think it's like that." he returned, his voice low.
"That's nice and all, but seriously. Being my personal translator is gonna get old. If it's too much, just elbow me and tell me to shush." She whispered, half joking. Quietly, she dug through her bag and found tucked in the inside pocket what she was looking for. "Here, as a little thanks for now."
She pulled out a stick of gum and held it out to him, just as he had Friday. A brief surprise lit up his eyes, a soft smile accompanied his acceptance of her gesture. Once he had taken the gum, she gave him a smirk.
"Don't think I had forgotten. It's spearmint, just like the kind you had." She cooed in a hush, "Besides if we're stuck together, might as well make it worth it." She admitted, watching closely for any sign of rejection on his features. Instead, he tilted his head in confusion.
"What do you mean?" He asked. She had been vague, but she tried to come up with a better way of saying 'let's be friends' that frankly like that.
"Oh, just that you're the only one I can talk to with any smoothness right now. A girls gotta have at least one friend she can talk to. But of course, if it's too annoying to constantly switch languages then I can't blame you there." Her vapid, roundabout way of saying 'please be my friend' seemed good enough as he pulled the gum into his palm and gave a sunshine bright grin.
"It won't annoy me, I promise." his vow silent, but despite her wanting to believe it, in practice she was sure at some point he would have it with her. Oh well, she's not a fortune teller so she let herself believe it for now.
"I'll hold you to that… and you can hold me to saying you can elbow me to shush. Is that a deal, bestie?" she quipped, and despite knowing that the two were far from best friends, it felt fun and natural to say.
"It's a deal."