School Days & Second Chances
Since the weekend is over, it was now time to go back to school. Unlike most kids, I liked going to school because it gave me a chance to be like a regular kid. I know most kids would dream of the life I have now but honestly it's overrated. Turns out homeschooling is not all it's cracked up to be. I get various tutors to help teach me and I appreciate their efforts especially since it helps me become more academically prepared. However, there was always something missing in homeschooling that I never understood. The first day that I went to school proved that I was missing out on so much when I was at home. The people that I have come to know were really interesting in various ways. I already mentioned the people that are closest to me but one other person that fits this description is Alya. She is Nino's girlfriend and an aspiring reporter. Ever since that one time they were stuck in the zoo, they became inseparable. I can't imagine a better person to be Nino's girlfriends.
Other classmates that I have come to know, would include Ivan, Kim, Alix, Juleka, Max, Nathaniel, Mylene, Rose, Luka, Marc, Sabrina, and (unfortunately) Lila. I like the teachers and my classes and when I am at school I'm a lot happier.
After writing in his journal, Adrien got ready for school. Once at the school, Adrien saw his best friend Nino waiting for him alongside Alya and Marinette.
"Hey dude, wassup." Nino greeted.
"Hey Nino." I replied. "So are you ready for that math test for Ms. Mendeleiev?"
"Oh man, I totally forgot." Nino frowned.
"Don't worry, I can help you study for it." Alya replied.
"Thank you, I busy looking after my little brother Chris. I didn't have time to study." Nino remarked.
"You know Nino; I could babysit for Chris." Marinette suggested. "I already babysit for Nadja Chamack, I can handle another kid."
"You would? That's would be awesome! Thanks Marinette." Nino stated gratefully.
"Thanks for helping Nino out." I told her. "It's nice to have people like you for a friend."
"…I know right, I'm…glad I can be that friend." Marinette replied struggling to get her words out.
As the group of 4 went inside the school, all the students in the courtyard were talking to each other before classes were to start. In the courtyard, Adrien saw the usual pairs interacting.
"Juleka!" Rose shouted, running up towards Juleka.
"Rose. You are really happy to see me." Juleka said, accepting her friend's hug. "Are you doing okay?"
"I'm more than just okay, ever since Heroes Day, my parents wanted me to make sure I was feeling okay. We just didn't want a repeat of me turning into Princess Fragrance." Rose explained. "How about you?"
"I've been doing okay. I went home as soon as I saw the akumas, my mom and older brother were worried sick but I managed to calm them down." Juleka mentioned.
"Oh man, this math test is going to be brutal." Kim complained.
"By my calculations you have a 50/50% percent chance of passing that math test." Max reported. "However if you study now, you will have a 65% chance of passing."
"Awesome!" Kim shouted. "Now what did we learn about?"
"Hey Marc. How's the story coming?" Nathaniel questioned.
"It's been going well." Marc replied. "I'm sure your drawings are also going well."
"They are, at least after all of this craziness at least we have new ideas for our comics." Nathaniel commented. "Alongside some perspective on what really matters."
"True." Marc said while both he and Nathaniel were secretly blushing.
"You should have seen me out there on the battlefield as Queen Bee. I was fighting all the akumas, and then I saw Hawk Moth himself." Chloe mentioned to Sabrina.
"No… way. It must have been so scary." Sabrina commented.
"Not really, that clown couldn't be bothered to fight on his own and only waited until now to actually do something." Chloe recalled confidently. "That's ridiculous, utterly ridiculous."
"Do you think Ladybug and Cat Noir will need you again?" Sabrina questioned.
"So did you see the documentary Nadja Chamack made about the akuma attacks?" Alya asked to Marinette. "I was able send some footage from the Ladyblog."
"I have seen it and it's just awful about how many people were taken advantage because of Hawk Moth." Marinette lamented.
"There are people who still feel guilty for what they done while akumatized and their mental health has suffered because of that." Alya mentioned. "I wonder if Hawk Moth will ever be defeated?"
"I don't know; no one knows who he really is. I heard that he left his lair to join in the fight during Heroes Day, but he escaped before Ladybug could catch him." Marinette recounted.
"Hey man, how was your weekend. You seem to have something on your mind, I mean more than usual." Nino figured out.
"Well…." I started to say.
"It's about your father isn't it." Nino deduced.
"No…. yes, it's about him. But it's not just him." Adrien admitted. "Wow, Alya's detective skills are really rubbing off on you."
"They are, so what's the problem? If you don't want to talk about it than that's fine, just please learn to take care of yourself." Nino remarked.
"Throughout my life, I'm always bond to the expectations and responsibilities set by other people and at times myself. When I tried to be more than what they expect me to be or to become the person that I want to be, no one took me seriously. Any problems or concerns I have in my life doesn't matter, and any chance of me forging my own path for the longest time has been denied. Even though things started to get better recently when I first started going to school, the things that happened last weekend proved that this problem was never truly fixed." I started to say.
"For starters let's just say, someone close to me really let me down, I was just a big joke to them and to them I'm just supposed to accept that." I commented, thinking about Ladybug. "Also with my father, all he ever cares about his perfect vision of how things are supposed to be. He was badmouthing the victims of the akumas and justified them being manipulated by Hawkmoth. Then I called him out for everything he has done to me and how that we both need professional help. I mean, seriously I never got to know any of my other family members and he won't let reach out to them. We argued for a little bit and then I…. said something that he didn't want to hear and then that was the end of that conversation."
"And to think, when my father surprised me by showing up to eat dinner with me. Only to not want to talk to me." I muttered.
"Wow…. that's a bummer dude. You don't deserve this." Nino acknowledged. "It's just not right."
"Let's just get on to class." I suggested, not wanting to think about this anymore.
As Adrien and the others went to class, we see all the various subjects the students are taught on a normal school day.
We first see Adrien, Nino, Alya, and Marinette in their Math and Physics class with Ms. Mendeleiev, where a test was given to the students.
"Class, you have 30 minutes to complete this test and it will be worth a quarter of your grade." Ms. Mendeleiev remarked.
"Okay, I should pass this. I managed to study enough to understand the test." I thought.
"Looks like everyone else is nervous about the test. Except for Max and Marinette." I observed.
Then we see the rest of the class in Ms. Bustier's class as they are learning about French history and Literature.
"Okay class, please turn to page 66 of your textbook as you read along with me." Ms. Bustier instructed.
"This is really interesting. It's amazing how investing these lessons are when it's being taught to you instead of learning on my own." I thought seeing how warm and friendly Ms. Bustier is.
"Hey is Marinette okay?" I questioned as she looked me funny. "Never mind, she seems fine."
Afterwards during lunch, Adrien was with Nino, Max, and Ivan as he was eating his food when he overheard Marinette talking to her friends and working on her schoolwork.
"Okay, I need to design Jagged Stone's next album cover, study for Ms. Bustier's test, help my parents with the bake sale over the weekend, and schedule a class representative meeting. If I do it all while eating in about 1 hour, I'll be good." Marinette said out loud.
"Marinette. Look at me girl, you need to take a rest." Alya stated.
"Yeah Marinette, look at you those bags under your eyes are so big they can be used as purses." Alix quipped to see a glare from Alya.
"What?" Alix said confused.
"Anyway, we think it's best that you take a break. You don't have to do everything." Mylene suggested.
"I can't, if I stop doing one thing everything else will be thrown off track and I will have even more to do." Marinette remarked.
"Okay, why don't we try to help you." Mylene said.
"Yeah girl, we totally got your back." Alya reaffirmed and then looked at Alix.
"Yeah we have your back." Alix commented.
Eventually Alya, Nino, and Marinette went their own classes while Adrien and the rest of his classmates went over to their PE class.
"I want you to run 20 laps around the track for today. Come on let's go people!" Armand D'Argencourt stated.
'Oh God, why did they invent this class!" Chloe remarked.
"If I had the choice to do extra homework or stay in this class, I rather get extra homework." Max said.
"I don't know what you all are complaining about this awesome!" Kim remarked.
"Bet you can't run 20 laps before I can!" Alix challenged.
"You're on!" Kim answered.
Finally, after recovering from an intense PE class, Adrien and the other had their last class of the day: art class.
"Alright class, since we are done with our project about painting a cityscape, it's time for a new project." Mr. Beauregard Robillard stated.
"You have to create a piece of art that reflects on what kind of person you are and who you wish to be. It can be a collage, abstract art, a sculpture, a drawing, or anything. All you need to do is make sure that it's original." Mr. Robillard said.
"And that you make it yourself." Mr. Robillard added, looking at a few of the people in the class, including Chloe.
"The project will be due in about a week and a half. I expect great things from you, so really dig deep and answer this question: who are you?" Mr. Robillard advised. "Class dismissed."
After Mr. Robillard gave his assignment, the class finished cleaning up art supplies and getting ready to go home. Adrien was of course not looking forward to going back home, which caught the attention of a certain blonde haired girl.
"Adrien, are you okay?" Chloe asked sincerely.
"Chloe for the last time don't call me Adri-kins, I…" I started to say. "Wait you got my name right."
"Look, throughout the day you didn't seem like yourself. Something must have happened earlier and it might have something to do with him." Chloe stated to me, both knowing who "he" is. "But this moping is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous."
"Sometimes the people who you care about the most don't always have your best interest in mind. If you are not careful you can be overly wrapped up in their warped picture of who you should be that you lose any sense of self, you once have. If I had known that before, I wouldn't act like a selfish bitch who makes everyone's life miserable." Chloe admitted.
"Chloe, don't say that about yourself! You're not…" I remarked, disgusted by what she referred herself to.
"Let's be honest, we both know that I was a terrible person to be around. So that word perfectly describes how I was back then. I looked up to Mom so much but I allowed her to change me. I have done all sorts of nasty things to people and at the end of the day, she never loved me at all." Chloe explained.
"I'm sorry, Chloe I…" I tried to apologized.
"I'm not telling you this to gain pity, I'm trying to help you. We have known each other for a lot longer than most, you feel trapped by your father expectations. Even here, you always seem lost out here, never knowing what to do or how to act. You don't want to disappoint the people you care about, so you scared stand up for yourself or when to make your needs a priority." Chloe spelled out to me.
"You heard what Mr. Robillard said who is Adrien Agreste?" Chloe reminded. "It's about time you find out."
"It's great to see you finally change for the better. If only everyone else can see that." I praised and lamented.
"Like I said, I am finally trying understand who I truly am as a person. I'm still the strong willed, take charge, entertaining person but I do want to be nicer. Since at this point everyone has already made up their mind about me, if I start apologizing to everyone all at once people will think that I'm being fake about it or just gaining attention. For now, I am just going to try be a better person until I find the right moment to apologize." Chloe remarked, as I put my hand on her shoulder in sympathy.
"Deep down you know who you are and what you want, and if the people in your life are worth keeping around. They should be comfortable with you expressing that part of yourself." Chloe finished as she left the school.
"Who is Adrien Agreste?" I pondered as I saw the limo waiting for me.
Eight Years Ago - September
We see the same beautiful woman, at this point time in her late 20s with her 6-year old son where she was finished homeschooling her son. We also see her husband who is in his early 30s.
"Gabriel, since the school year is starting up again maybe it's time for Adrien to meet some other friends." the woman said to her husband.
"I don't know if he is ready, I don't want him to become disappointed if he doesn't make any long lasting friends. Besides he will be ready go in the world when he has finished his schooling." Gabriel stated.
"How can he be ready if he doesn't start trying now. This isolation isn't healthy for any of us, besides we could use a break from uncovering the secrets of these special accessories." Emilie remarked.
"Emilie…" the husband tried to say.
"Please Gabriel." the woman requested looking into her husband's eyes.
"Alright, he can go." The husband gave in.
"Adrien!" the woman called out.
"Yes, Mom." The boy replied.
"Your father and I decided to take you the park to go today so you can make new friends. Since it's the weekend there will be a bunch of other kids, what do you say?" the woman said.
"I don't know, what if they don't like me?" the boy questioned. "I have awesome parents who have everything. So what can I do?" the boy commented.
"Son, you are a very bright and energetic boy. I'm sure that you will have no trouble making friends. And if there is a problem, I will personally take care of it." the husband reassured.
"Your father is right. You have so much to offer by being your funny, creative, sweet self. Anyone who wants to be your friend would be very lucky. And if something does happen, we will help you get through it." The woman tried to convince.
"Are you ready to go now, Adrien" the husband questioned.
"Yeah, let's go." The boy answered, secretly thinking about how he should see himself.
A/N: Happy New Year! Before I go any further, on my profile I have a poll of stories that will have on the site in the future and I want you guys to vote on which one you are most excited for. I have plenty of different stories to offer and it would be great to hear what you guys think. If you see my profile you will know what to do. Anyway, this might be the hardest chapter for me to figure out due to writing the other classmate characters. Despite having episodes completely dedicated to them (the episodes where they first get akumatized), we really don't know them beyond shallow character traits. The only characters in Ms. Bustier's class that consistently matter are Marinette, Adrien, Alya, Nino, Chloe, and possibly Lila (if you count season 3). I hope I have portrayed the other classmates the right way considering that this might be their last major appearance in this fanfic. As for Chloe, at this point in the show I see her in a similar situation as Helga Pataki from Hey Arnold. Basically someone who acts tough and nasty on the outside but she would treat people who she likes/respects with kindness. Only with her she would be more self-aware about her awfulness and actively try to fix herself. I also gave the art teacher from "Reverser" a name (Mr. Beauregard Robillard). Also I am going to keep Chloe's redemption arc because we already have a worse antagonist in her place, and her name is Lila. Speaking of Lila, there is this fanfic I recently found where she gets exposed for all the horrible things she has done before and during the events of the show. It's called "Crumbling Down" and it's available on (under the author name: SlumberingVoid) and also it's available on (under the author name: OminousPredictions). It's 20 chapters' wrong and I definitely recommend it (be warned some of the things Lila does are very despicable). In the following chapter we will see Cat Noir learning about the true extent of his powers. Until next time.