Jan 11th
Collège Françoise Dupont
Lunch period
"That's heavy, dude." was all Nino could say in response.
"You really think so?" Gabriel says, choking back a sob.
"Grow a sense of humor." Nino says. Quite frankly he was appalled that Alya would argue over slang that apparently even Gabriel found amusing. "He was laughing wasn't he? What do I think I am? I'm not some pocket Shakespeare. I don't always have some speech prepared that's deep and super meaningful." Whatever response he was expecting from her. It apparently wasn't it as Alya stared back at him in shock.
Alya's eyes widened in her own disbelief.
"You aren't saying anything Alya, what's wrong?" Marinette asks.
"...Maybe I felt embarrassed." Alya says, a little hesitant.
"I thought women liked guys with a sense of humor." Nino says. With startling clarity. He could feel his heartbeat accelerate. His question suddenly catches Alya unguarded. For a very long moment she appears to be lost in thought.
"This is Gabriel Agreste we're talking about," Alya says, with impatience. Again, she's ready to explain herself. "This is Adrien's dad! None of us ever met him in person until yesterday. I remember reading all about him in those trashy tabloids at the grocery store but-"
But what?" Nino says. His voice had grown quiet. He really couldn't ever recall a time when Alya spoken that way to him. He couldn't remember a time when she acted so angry. "You're ashamed about being around me? Is that what you're saying?"
"We're supposed to practice professional decorum outside of school aren't we," Alya says, simplifying an obvious answer. "I guess I never realized what kind of person Gabriel actually was like when journalists aren't trying to nose their way into his business all the time."
"Nino's badly timed humor really brightened up his day didn't it?" Marinette says, laughing out in agreement.
"Father told me you had him in tears." Adrien says, through a yawn.
He bothers himself to display a disjointed dialogue from this morning's brief SMS conversation his father had texted him when he awoken from his restless sleep.
He handed Marinette his smartphone to examine his father's reaction.
- Adrien -
Monday 5:00 AM
5:00AM
Adrien - Tears? What do you mean by tears? Are you okay?
5:03AM
Gabriel - It was something your friend Nemo had told me. I had tried explaining what it felt when I was comatose.
5:05AM
Adrien - Do you feel angry? Did he somehow make you feel sad or upset? If so I'll talk to him when I get to school to clear up any misunderstandings.
5:10AM
Gabriel - It was something he said. I can't remember what it was. But it had me in tears.
5:14AM
Adrien - He made you feel happy.
5:20AM
Gabriel - Yes. Happiness. I was laughing so hard he made me cry. I could hardly see when it was over.
"He called me Nemo! Your old man called me Nemo!" Nino says loudly. The very notion. Apparently he felt it was hilarious. Which only forces him to laugh a bit harder and a few more minutes longer.
"What are you chuckle-heads laughing about?" Chloe's offhand comment surprised Adrien more so. He's a little concerned that he can't quite tell whether she's joking or not.
"It's about my father."
"I heard about your dad."
Chloe regrets her sudden outburst.
"We were just talking about how Nino made him laugh really hard yesterday." Adrien says. He's surprised at first but satisfied that she finally broken her absurd psychological warfare with stonewalled silence. They stare back at each other, and he can practically see the gears turning inside's Chloe's head as the words slowly sink in.
Adrien looks back at Chloe. Chloe stares back, waiting patiently. Finally, she breaks the silence once again. "You keep talking about him all the time," she admits. "I-I uh, was just wonder-wondering if maybe he had anything to say about me?"
"Chloe," Adrien says, in a more questioning tone. And he says so a little more quietly out of earshot. "Are you okay?"
"Of course I'm okay, what's with the third degree?" Chloe says, oddly defensive, but for some reason her hands begin to tremble.
"It's not just because I saw you sitting by yourself eating lunch a few minutes ago nursing a bottle of orange juice and a protein bar." Adrien says. A heavy silence fell between them after his words. When suddenly a soft noise catches his attention. He wasn't quite sure whether it sounded like a sob or a sigh.
"I'm sorry, Adrien." Chloe says, growing light headed again. Her eyes slightly go out of focus. Adrien suddenly looks a bit blurred.
"You can go ahead and apologize in the nurse's office if you want," Marinette says, suddenly speaking up. "whatever diet your mom has you on is gonna make your blood sugar crash if you don't do something about it soon!"
Marinette was aware of models who starved themselves for thinner waists.
Chloe pushes a frightened Marinette back. "I don't wanna talk to my mom," she yells. She was loud and clearly upset. Fury radiated off of her as she stood on unsteady, shaking legs. "I'll be fine but I'm sorry Adrien okay! If I go, spending my life in isolation to go making up for how I treated you! How I treated Marinette and everyone else ever since I begged my mom to let me attend this stupid public school."
"Chloe, Chloe please calm down." Marinette pleads. "Whatever's been bothering you, we can talk it out instead of bottling up your emotions."
"I am better than this Adrien and I can prove it! Just give me a second chance! PLEASE!"
Chloe begins to hyperventilate.
"Chloe!"
"Chloe are you okay?"
"CHLOE!"
