Chapter 7: The Pain of a Queen
After that whole scene in the hotel's lobby, Chloe felt like she had been shot through the chest, tearing her heart into a million pieces. Only the bullet that hit her was not a physical one, but a psychological one. She had humiliated Sabrina in front of Audrey, as well as everyone who happened to be in hotel's lobby at that time, making her run with her eyes filled with tears, and her heart shattered. The blonde knew that there were times in the past that she had called Sabrina an idiot, an imbecile, a klutz, and even an airhead. But she had never called her a nobody. She had called many others that, but never Sabrina. And the more she thought about it, the harder it became to her, as she kept reliving the whole scene in her head.
Audrey did not even notice that Chloe did not look okay after it, so it was no surprise when she did not notice either that she was gone, while she received a phone call from New York, this time with good news, which made her forget what had happened moments before, and focus on what had happened on the other side of the Atlantic.
Chloe made her way up her suite, her eyes filled with tears and her heart broken. Though she had begun to cry before, it was not until she saw herself alone in her bedroom, that she began to cry like she had never cried before. Dropping her backpack on the floor, she threw herself on the bed, tears continued to drop from her eyes, as she tried to forget all the nasty things, she had told Sabrina, without much success. Crying and sobbing, she just wanted for that pain inside her chest to subside. But it would not subside. She could feel the pain and the remorse slowly eating her from the inside.
An hour went by, then two, and then three, and Chloe continued to cry her eyes out. Even when she ran out of tears, she continued to sob, nearly uncontrollably. When it was time for dinner, Jean, who had watched the whole thing happening, brought her dinner, knowing that she would not be joining her mother for dinner after what happened. Also, he knew that Audrey would dine alone, given her husband would arrive later that night, so he used that as an excuse to see how Chloe was doing.
Entering the suite, with Chloe's dinner on a tray, he called her out, only to be told to go away. It pained him to hear her crying, but he knew from experience that when Chloe began to cry like that, the best thing was to let her do it, and come back later to comfort her. Telling her once more that he had left her dinner on living room's coffee table, Jean exited the suite, knowing he would check on her in an hour or two, hoping that Chloe would eat her dinner, while it was still warm.
But right then, the last thing on Chloe's mind was food. She was too sad, too anguished, to even feel hungry. All she wanted was for someone to tell her that what happened had been a bad dream, that she and Sabrina were still the best of friends, and that her mother was still in New York, where she spent most of her time. But she knew that that was not going to happen. She knew that what happened had been real, and that there was no way to turn back time. It was then that hit her that the reason why she did what she did to Sabrina, was because of her mother; because she desired her mother's approval.
Through most of her young life, Chloe had always dreamed of hearing her mother telling her that she was proud of her, for one reason or another, which never happened. That had been the reason why she began to act like her, imitating her in every aspect… and that had been the reason why she had treated Sabrina the way she did a few hours prior. She did not want to, but seeing Audrey paying attention to her, had triggered something in her brain that made her act like her old, nasty self.
"Curse you mom… I might have said all those nasty things to Sabrina, but you're the reason why I did it! Because you can't even tell me that I'm worth anything to you, forcing me to do these awful things, just to get your attention" -Chloe thought to herself. –"I hate you so much!"
Those thoughts should have made her yell in anger, but instead, it just made her cry even more than before. Deep down, she knew that even if Audrey was to blame for what happened, it did not excuse the fact that it had been her, and not her mother, to humiliate Sabrina like that. And that just made her feel even worse than before, which she thought would be impossible.
Pollen, who watched as Chloe continued to cry, wanted to tell her that everything would be alright. But she felt that if she tried to do it, her words would be in vain. The little kwami was still a little baffled with everything that went down in the hotel lobby. She had seen Chloe acting a little spoiled before, but this had been the first time that she had a true glimpse of just how mean and nasty she was to people, before they had met. Still, she was not there to judge her. As is happened with all the other kwamis, over the course of her existence, she had had holders that were not the best kind of people, but that with time learned to be better and to be the kind of people the world so desperately needs. Chloe was just the latest one, and she knew that Chloe was sorry for what happened. Her tears and her cries of regret were proof of it. Unless one's a manipulative psychopath, which was not Chloe's case, there was no shred of doubt that those tears were a sign of regret. She had hurt Sabrina, and she was deeply sorry.
"Poor Chloe. I wish there was something I could do to make that pain go away." -Pollen thought to herself. –"Any words I might tell her… of, stop it! You are her kwami, and one of your duties is to cheer her up and make her feel better, when she's feeling like the world has ended. So, go to her, and tell her that everything will be alright, even if she doesn't believe in it!" -she thought to herself.
Floating in the air, the bee kwami made her way towards Chloe's bed, where the blonde was. Landing next to Chloe's head, Pollen closed in on her left ear.
"Chloe…" -Pollen practically whispered at the blonde.
"Leave me alone, Pollen…" -Chloe told her kwami, between sobs. –"I want to be alone!" -she said, as she continued to cry.
"I know you want to be alone, but you can't. The longer you spend alone, the longer that pain inside you will continue to grow, and the worse you will feel." -Pollen said.
"I… I don't care…" -Chloe sighed, lifting her head from her pillow, revealing just how red her eyes were, and how smudged her make-up was. –"I deserve this pain I'm feeling." -she stated with a voice from someone who did not believe in what she had said. –"I deserve this pain, more than anyone else in the world."
"No, you don't. No one with a kind heart, such as yours, deserves to feel that kind of pain, Chloe." -Pollen told her.
"I don't have a heart… I just pretended to have one." -Chloe said, between sobs.
"No, you do have a heart, Chloe, and it's hurting." -Pollen told her. –"I know things don't look good, but I know that Sabrina will forgive you, Chloe."
"No, she won't, Pollen… if anything, she'll hate me for the rest of her life!" -Chloe wailed, as the tears continued to run down her cheeks. –"You didn't see the way her eyes were, when I told her that she was nobody, and that she never was my friend, and that she was less than a pet to me… every single one of those words must have felt like a dagger on her chest, when I told them to her…" –she told her kwami, while feeling like she had several lumps on her throat, which made it harder for her to breathe.
"I'm sure…" -Pollen said.
"Y-You're sure of what?! That I broke her heart, when I told her all those nasty things?!" -Chloe asked her, with an angry voice. –"If so, then you're absolutely right! I broke the heart of the one person who was always kind to me! The one person that no matter how I treated her, she was always there for me! The one person that I felt was like the sister I never had, even though I never told her…" -she told her. –"In less than 30 seconds, I made my best-friend hate me! So, go away and leave me alone to die in peace!"
Determined to cheer up Chloe, Pollen tried to think of a way to do it. She knew that the blonde was in no mood for talking. The pain in her heart was too great. But she was not going to just stand there and watch her cry herself to sleep. Dashing towards the wardrobe, she looked for the one thing she knew would cheer Chloe up. Still hearing her sobbing, Pollen tried to remember where Chloe had placed the box she was looking for. After a couple of seconds, she found it. Using all of her strength, she pushed it out of the shelf it was on, and as it hit the ground, it opened, revealing its content… an old yellow teddy bear, by the name of Mr. Cuddles. Grabbing it, Pollen dragged it out of the wardrobe and set it on the bed, next to Chloe. Feeling it against her hand, the blonde turned to see the teddy bear looking at her.
"Mr. Cuddles?" -Chloe sniffed, as she grabbed it and sat on the bed.
"I thought that maybe having him near you, it would cheer you up a little?" -Pollen smiled at her. –"I know it's not much, but I just wanted you stop crying. You know I hate to see people crying." -she said.
Holding the teddy bear in her hands, Chloe stopped crying momentarily, as she looked at it. Pollen had had the right idea. Among her possessions, there were very few things that Chloe valued more than that old teddy bear. Mr. Cuddles had been her very first friend, and though it now spent most of the time inside a box, in Chloe's wardrobe, from time to time, she would get it out of the box, to remind herself of simpler times. Times when she walked around, carrying the little stuffed bear. Smiling at it, Chloe whispered something to its ear that Pollen could not understand, before shedding a single tear.
"What's the matter, Chloe?" -Pollen asked Chloe, who was clearly trying to hold her tears.
"I-It's just that… I just remembered something that happened last year… something related to Sabrina." -Chloe told her, as she tried not to start crying again.
"Do you want to talk about it?" -Pollen asked her. She knew the odds of her wanting to talk about it were slim, but
"I'm not much in the mood… but perhaps you should know about this." -Chloe sniffed, while holding Mr. Cuddles against her chest. –"This is basically the story of how a sweet and kind girl, taught another girl, who happened to be a spoiled, obnoxious and bratty girl, a lesson she desperately needed to learn… this is how Sabrina taught me the true value of friendship." -she sniffed once more.
(Flashback)
It was the last week of May, and the weather was especially hot for a spring day. One could see that summer was just around the corner, with the torrid sun that was felt that day. It was the perfect day for people to walk around Paris, while wearing their coolest clothes and enjoying the sun. And in Françoise-Dupont, it was the perfect day for a class photo. Like it happened every year, every class was photographed, thus fulfilling a tradition that began on the year. It was a day when everyone wanted to look good in the photo. So, it was no surprise when everyone showed up wearing their best clothes, their best accessories, their best hairdos, among other things, that would make them look perfect for the photo.
All classes would take their photo, following the usual order, starting with the youngest classes and ending with the oldest classes. And that meant that Miss Bustier's class would have their photo taken, right after recess.
But not everyone was happy with the fact that their photo was about to be taken. Or better yet, not everyone was happy with a small technicality. Chloe Bourgeois did not like when Miss Bustier decided that Juleka was going to stay next t Adrien in the photo, when she wanted to be the one next to him. Pacing back and forth, she was positively mad with that decision from Miss Bustier, having only Sabrina to listen to her complaining.
"How can Miss Bustier do this to me?! I mean, it's bad enough that I'll have to stand next to that Dupain-Cheng, but not letting me stand next to Adrien?!" -Chloe yelled into the air.
"I understand your frustration, but there's nothing you can do about it, Chloe." -Sabrina told her.
"Don't tell me there's nothing I can do about it, Sabrina! If I wanted your opinion, I would have asked for it!" -Chloe berated at her.
"I know you don't want to hear this, but there's no way you'll convince Miss Bustier to let you change places with Juleka." -Sabrina said.
"But I want to stay next to Adrien in the class photo!" -Chloe complained about it. –"I don't care what Miss Bustier decided, I'm not letting Juleka stand next to him! That Goth doesn't deserve to stay next to my Adrikins! And we're going to prevent that from happening, Sabrina!" -she told Sabrina. –"Every year, before the photograph, she goes to the girls' room to fix that hideous hair of hers, as if that helped her look less Goth, and I bet that this year, she's going to do the same. When she goes to the girls' room, you're going to lock her in it. That way, she won't be in the photo, and I'll be able to stay right next to Adrien! It's the perfect plan, Sabrina."
Sabrina had been listening to Chloe rambling about that issue for the past 15 minutes, only speaking occasionally, trying to convince her best-friend that no matter how much she wanted, she was not going to stand next to Adrien in the class photo. But when Chloe ordered her to pull that stunt, she decided that the blonde needed to hear something she was not accustomed to hear from her.
"No." -Sabrina said.
"No?! What do you mean "no", Sabrina?!" -Chloe asked her, not understanding why she had answered "no".
"I mean that I'm not going to lock up Juleka in the girls' room, Chloe." -Sabrina told her, with a serious voice. –"Why are you even suggesting anything like that? It's not like Juleka chose to stand next to Adrien in the photo. Like you said, it was Miss Bustier who decided everyone's places in the photo. Also, you know that Juleka doesn't even like to be photographed. Doing that to her, is just mean." -she reminded her.
"But she's going to stand next to anyway, and there's no way, I want her to stand next to him!" -Chloe exclaimed, enraged. –"If she doesn't show up, the photographer won't have any other choice but to take the photo, even if she's not there, and I'll be able to stand right next to Adrien. Now, are you going to help me with this, or not?!" -she asked her.
"No, I'm not going. I'm sorry, Chloe. I've helped you with a lot of nasty and mean things before, some of which I didn't agree with, but I still helped you with, because I'm your friend. But this… this is just wrong." -Sabrina answered her. –"Count me out of this." -she told her.
It came as a shock to Chloe, when Sabrina told her that. She was used to having Sabrina agreeing with her, and doing anything she asked for.
"Fine! If you don't do it, I'll do it! You think I've got any problem doing that?!" -Chloe told her, raising her voice at her, clearly angry.
"Chloe, if you do that, I'll never speak to you again, you hear me?" -Sabrina threatened her. –"I may be your best-friend, but even I have my limits. Like I said, I've helped you before with this kind of things, but not anymore. I'm tired, and so should you. By doing this kind of thing, you're making people think that you don't have a heart. You don't want people to think that you're someone so heartless, that you don't care about others, do you?" -she asked her.
"I don't care about others think of me! I'm Chloe Bourgeois! And if I say that I want to stand next to Adrien in the class photo, I mean it, even if I have to lock someone up!" -Chloe yelled at Sabrina. –"Now, get out of my way! The photo is going to be taken in 15 minutes, and I've got a Goth girl to lock in the girls' room, who's probably already there." -she said, as she pushed Sabrina out of the way.
The redhead saw that Chloe was determined to go ahead with her plan to lock Juleka in the girls' room, preventing her from being on the photo. Still, she hoped that by threatening her, one more time, that Chloe would come to her senses and understand that she was doing was wrong. It was a long shot, because she knew how the blonde thought, but she still had to try it.
"Chloe, please, don't do it! If our friendship means anything to you, then, please stop and listen to me. Because if you don't, I'll never speak to you again, Chloe! I mean it!" -Sabrina warned her with a stern voice, hoping that was enough to make her forget such idea.
"Who cares if you never speak to me, and who cares about something as stupid as friendship?! If you never speak to me again, that's fine with me! Who needs advices from an idiot like you?" -Chloe shot at Sabrina, before storming out of the classroom.
(End of flashback)
"I was so mean to Sabrina, just because Miss Bustier decided not to let me stand next to Adrien in the photo. And I did it… I locked Juleka in the girls' room." -Chloe sighed, clearly ashamed of what she did. –"Of course, Sabrina went behind my back, released her, and she showed up for the photo. I was pissed, to say the last. And when Juleka told everyone what happened, I didn't care about it. I also didn't care about everyone being angry with me, even Sabrina. I knew that eventually they would forget about it, and that on the following day, Sabrina and I would be friends again." -she said, petting Mr. Cuddles, as if he was real. –"Unfortunately, that did not happen. The others, and even Adrien were still mad at me the day after, but part of me was already expecting that to happen. What I wasn't expecting was for Sabrina to still be mad at me. She didn't address me a single word on that day, and on the following two as well. I didn't want to admit it, not even to myself, because I was too stubborn, stupid and prideful, but I missed her… I missed having my best-friend around. And when I finally managed to get her to talk to me, she told me that unless I apologized to everyone, including her, she would never speak to me again."
Chloe had never told her that story, so Pollen listened to it, wondering how it all ended. She knew that it had ended well, but she did not how it had ended well.
"When I heard that, I became even more furious with Sabrina, and I told her that I was not going to apologize to her or anyone else. I told her that apologizing would not solve a thing, and that if she did not want to be my friend anymore, I could get someone else to be my best-friend." -Chloe said. –"That's when she told me that if I did that, that would mean that I was a bad friend, that I had no heart, and that our friendship never meant a thing." -she said. –"She gave me an ultimatum, which was something she had never done before. And as the cherry on top, she erased my cell number from her contacts, to show me, she was not joking around. All that just made me even more pissed at her."
Hanging on every word Chloe spoke, Pollen imagined the whole scene in her head, picturing the two friends arguing.
"I don't have to tell you that I ignored that ultimatum, believing that she would come to her senses, sooner or later. But I was so wrong… This went on for a few more days, on which she didn't speak to me, and I continued to feel… well, to feel that I had lost the only real friend I ever had. And that made me feel miserable. Made me feel like… well, it made me feel like there wasn't a single person in the world that really cared about me, and it was all because of the way I acted towards everyone… Like I was better than everyone else, and I loved to rub it on people's faces." -Chloe sighed. –"I hit rock-bottom there. There's just no other way to put it." -she told her.
It was clear to Pollen, the way Chloe was talking, that the whole thing had left an impression on her, so the little kwami decided to let her continue the story, without ever interrupting her.
"Finally, a week after the whole picture day incident, I swallowed my pride, put my stubbornness aside, and I apologized to Sabrina for the way I behaved… it was a real apology, by the way. It was not something I rehearsed or anything. But you know what happened? She said that she didn't want me to apologize to her first. First, she wanted me to apologize to Juleka and the rest of the class for the way I behaved… can you believe it? She was more worried about the others getting a proper apology from me!" -Chloe said. –"That's the kind of person she is. She's always more worried about other, than herself; something I couldn't understand back then… So, I once again swallowed my pride, and I apologized to everyone. They all accepted my apologies… some more than others, but they all did it. And then finally, Sabrina allowed me to apologize to her. I apologized and she gave me a really big hug, and she told me that if I ever did something like that again, that she would cease be my friend for good, but always with a smile on her face." -she sighed. –"You're probably asking yourself, where I'm going with all this… and the answer is simple. It's thanks to Sabrina, who decided to stand up against me and one of my stupid and selfish ideas, that it hit me that if I continued to behave the way I did, I would end up alone. And I didn't want to end up alone. I wanted to have friends… people who cared about me, and wanted to hang out with me. But most importantly, I wanted Sabrina to be my best-friend for the rest of my life. It took me the fact of almost losing the friendship of my best-friend, to realize what kind of person I was, and how I didn't want to continue to be that kind of person … and now, I know I lost her. I lost my best-friend, because I let her down, when I shouldn't have… because deep down I am a heartless bitch and a monster!"
Finishing her story, Chloe started to cry again. The minutes it took her to tell that story, had successfully drove the sadness away from her heart and her mind. But as soon as she finished it, the sadness came back, feeling more unbearable than before. Pollen had listened to it and she could tell that even in the past, when Chloe was still the nasty version of herself, that there was good and kindness inside her. Otherwise, she would have never cried as much as she did during that last couple of hours, feeling bad about herself and her actions.
"Chloe, you're not a monster." -Pollen told her, trying to cheer her up.
"I AM A MONSTER, POLLEN! I'm a heartless monster! I broke Sabrina's heart. I broke her trust, and threw our friendship into the trash bin, just because I wanted my mother's approval. If that doesn't make me a monster, then, what it does?!" –Chloe screamed at Pollen, before removing the bee miraculous from her hair. –"Your miraculous… I'm not worthy of it! I never was, and a couple of hours ago, we both had the definite proof of that fact!" -she yelled her lungs out in frustration, before throwing the bee miraculous away, forcing Pollen to dash towards it to catch it, before it hit the floor. –"So, do me a favour and go! Go and take your miraculous and give it to someone who truly deserves it! Someone who deserves to wear it… Someone who doesn't treat her best-friend like garbage, just because she had the sudden urge to have her mother's approval, which never happened in her life, bust still believed that that could happen, even if that meant hurting that one friend who was always there for her! In sum, someone who's not me! Because I deserve it as much as I deserve Sabrina's friendship, or anyone's friendship, which is zero!"
Sinking her head into the pillow, Chloe burst into tears once more, this time holding Mr. Cuddles against her chest. She did not have any more tears in her, but that did not stop her from continuing to cry.
"No. I don't believe that. I don't believe that someone else deserves my miraculous more than you." -Pollen told her. –"I won't give my miraculous to any other person, because you were chosen to wear it, and the Book of Prophecies is never wrong, Chloe. You deserve to wear it, because you're a good person. You've proven that you deserve the honour of wearing it, over and over. And I know that right now, you feel like you're not worthy of anything. because of the way you treated Sabrina, but you're still worthy." -she went on. –"What you did to Sabrina was bad, there's no other way to put it. But if you did not have a heart, you wouldn't be crying for what you did, or feeling that you're not worthy of Sabrina's friendship or my miraculous. You would be like your mother, who seemingly doesn't care about anyone, but herself."
Chloe just wanted her to shut up. She just wanted for Pollen to go away and leave her alone. So, she continued to cry, while ignoring her voice, and hoping she would give up talking.
"I know that right now you just want to be left alone, but let me tell you something, Chloe Bourgeois." -Pollen told her with a serious voice. –"It's when one wants to be alone, and feels the most vulnerable, that one must do the opposite. I'm not going to leave you, because I know one thing. You're not a monster. You're a girl whose mother never showed her a single gesture of kindness or love, and wishing for that to happen, by insulting your best-friend, doesn't make you a monster. It makes you a misguided friend, but definitely, doesn't make you a monster." -she declared. –"And I don't care if you're not listening to me right now, Chloe. I'll keep saying it, over and over, until it reaches your ears and your heart, and makes you realize that what you did was awful, but can be mended. If Sabrina truly is your best-friend, and we both know she is, and she's just as amazing as you have described her, and once again, we both know that to be the truth, she will find the strength in her heart to forgive you. You just need to apologize to her, while speaking from your heart."
Chloe heard everything Pollen had spoken. Deep inside, she wanted to believe what the little kwami said was true. But it was hard. She knew she had hurt Sabrina in a way she had never done before, and that just made everything worst. In her mind, she saw no reason for Sabrina to ever wanting to talk to her again; not after what she told her. But Pollen's words kept echoing inside her head, and after a few more minutes of tears, they started to produce the effect Pollen wished they did. They pierced through all the negative thoughts Chloe had in her mind, and made her believe that there was still a slight chance she could mend things with Sabrina. Still holding Mr. Cuddles against her, Chloe got up and locked eyes with Pollen, who merely smiled at her. A few seconds went by, but a tearful smile also appeared on Chloe's face. And on that moment, no words were needed between the two of them. Their eyes were enough to tell one another what we needed to be told.
"Now, put it back on, and please, try to eat your dinner. You're no good to anyone, if you're sick, from not eating." -Pollen said, as she placed the bee miraculous on Chloe's right hand. –"After it, we'll call Sabrina, so you can talk to her. And if needed, I'll lend you my powers, so you can go to her place and apologize to her in person." -she told her, making her smile once more.
It was hard for her to eat more than a few bites from the chicken parmesan that Jean had brought her, especially because it was already cold. Still, Chloe did her best to eat at least half of it, with Pollen encouraging her. Once she finished, the first thing she did was to grab her cell phone and check for any missed calls or texts. Opening it, she saw that she did not have neither one of them, and that was a blow to the stomach and to her feelings, because it meant Sabrina had not tried to contact her. To Chloe, the fact that Sabrina had not tried to contact her, after what happened, was a clear sign that she had hurt her feelings. Following this, Pollen encouraged her to call her. Calling her, she hoped she would she would pick up, but what she heard was "The number that you're trying to reach is unavailable. Please try again later."
"She's not answering, Pollen… I knew this would happen. She'll never talk to me again." -Chloe as she began to sob.
"Don't be so pessimistic, Chloe. Maybe she…" -Pollen said, when she was interrupted by the blonde.
"Don't… please don't do that. Don't tell me that it ran out of battery, and she didn't notice it, or something like that, Pollen. I'd rather believe that she'll… she'll never want to talk to me, or even look me in the eyes, than… than to believe that her cell phone ran out of battery." -Chloe told the kwami, while sobbing –"I might as well face the fact that I've lost Sabrina's friendship forever…" -she said, as she continued to sob.
Sobbing, she heard someone knocking at the door, and for a moment, in her mind she believed that it was Sabrina, only to realize it was Jean, when he spoke from behind the door. Pollen quickly hid, as the butler opened the door, and entered the suite. He had come to see how Chloe was doing. Seeing her sobbing, he quickly asked her if she was alright, or if she needed anything, to which she told him that she was fine and that she did not need anything. Jean still attempted to get her to talk about how she was feeling, but she insisted that she just needed to be alone. Carrying the tray with what was left of her dinner, Jean asked once again, if she needed anything
"Are you sure you don't need anything else, Miss Chloe?" -Jean asked her.
"Yes, I'm sure, Jean. Have a goodnight." -Chloe sighed, as her butler left, closing the door behind him.
She knew Jean was just trying to look out for her well-being. But she believed he could not help her, not matter how much he wanted to. After Jean left, Chloe tried to call Sabrina a few more times, but the result was always the same. That just contributed to make her feel even sadder than before. In her mind, she started to imagine how things between her and Sabrina would go, once they were in school. She imagined the redhead not talking to her, and if she addressed her, she would tell her that she had no heart and that she was just as bad as her mother. And that was just the best-case scenario. The worst-case scenario was far too terrible to even think about it, and Chloe wished it would not come to it. Pollen tried her best to cheer her up, even suggesting her to call someone else, just to talk for a bit, saying that it was not healthy for her to just sit there, thinking that Sabrina hated her. The trouble was that Chloe believed that what she had done was too awful to even mention it to anyone else. She was afraid that they would judge her, after hearing her say what she had done to Sabrina.
"Chloe, I know I'm repeating myself, but call someone. Call Adrien, or Marinette, or even Ivan! Just call any of your friends and tell them what you're going through. You need to get this out of your system, for your own good." -Pollen told her.
"I-I can't, Pollen. I just can't." -Chloe said, as she stared at her cell phone's screen, where you could see the names of most of her friends in her list of contacts.
"But why not?" -Pollen asked her.
"Because I'm afraid that they'll hate me, okay?!" -Chloe snapped at her kwami. –"I-I'm sorry, Pollen. I didn't mean to…" -she apologized to Pollen.
"It's okay, I get it. It's just your nerves talking." -Pollen told her, forgiving her. –"But I insist that you need to talk to someone. It would do you good. Also, I don't think any of your friends would blame you for what you did, if you explained to them how things happened, and why they happened." -she said.
Before Chloe could answer her, they both heard a tap, but this one was not coming from the door. It was coming from the balcony. Looking out, they both saw someone who they were not expecting… Louve Grise.
"Sabrina!" -Chloe exclaimed, while feeling she had just been punched in the stomach. –"What's she doing here?" -she asked herself.
Doubt stroke her mind and her spirit. What was she doing there? Getting up from the couch, Chloe made her way to the window, followed by Pollen, never taking her eyes from it. Part of her was happy to see her best-friend, or former best-friend, given what she had done to her, while the other part feared what might happen next. Sliding the door open, she allowed Louve in. Entering, the wolf heroine looked Chloe in the eyes. She had a stern, almost harsh expression on her face. Her amber-coloured eyes which usually looked so cheerful, when she transformed, looked cold and angry. The blonde also noticed her right fist was closed, and that was never a good sign.
"She's going to slap me or punch me in the face, I know she's going to do it… and I deserve it. I'm not even going to try and dodge it." -Chloe thought to herself. –"Go ahead, Sabrina, I deserve it. Slap me or punch me in the face as hard as you can. You earned that right, after what I told you." -she thought, as a tear ran down her face.
But then, the serious look on Louve's face melted away, as a kind and heart-warming smile replaced it. Also, her cold eyes changed as well. They were no longer baring a cold and angry look, but instead a heartening and affectionate look. And as this happened, she opened up her arms, and hugged Chloe, while placing her head on her shoulder, surprising her. Stunned by what was happening, it took the blonde a couple of seconds to properly react to it. And when she did, she began to sob almost uncontrollably.
"I-I'm s-sorry, Sabrina… I'm so sorry f-for all… for all the t-those nasty things I told you." -Chloe apologized to the wolf heroine, while placing her hands on her back. –"I-I… I didn't… I didn't want to, but…" -she said, while continuing to sob. –"I… I'm sorry I h-hurt your feelings… and broke y-your heart…"
Louve Grise did not say a word. She just hugged Chloe, listening to her apologies, while gently patting her on the back. And when she finally spoke, she said only one thing:
"Do you want to go for a walk?" -Louve Grise asked her.
I was going to post this one last night, but then I decided to do it today, because with most of you, who read my fics being from the United States, and being so focused on the presidential elections, that perhaps the day after it would be better, because you would need something to get your heads from it. So, here it is. This particular chapter had been on my mind for a very, very long time. As you might have noticed, I decided to rewrite a portion of the "Reflekta" episode and have it fit in with the story. You all remember me saying that there had been a particular event that had led Chloe to change her ways, on "Miraculous Team: Origins"? Well, this is it. It was during photo day and what happened after it, that Chloe started to change into what she is in this AU.
It was not an easy chapter to write, because I didn't want it to just be a chapter where Chloe apologizes to Sabrina, and Sabrina forgives her. I wanted Chloe to realize just how low she had suck, because of her mother's influence. I wanted her to feel bad about herself, while also realizing that what she did was wrong and that she neeed to put the hypothesis of Sabrina never forgiving her. Still, the answer to that question remains. Sabrina has showed up, and it seems like she has forgiven her, but has she forgiven Chloe? We'll have to find out In another subject, I also wanted to feature Mr. Cuddles, Chloe's teddy bear in this story, just like I did during "Miraculous Team: The Collector", and I'm going to tell you this. That little teddy is going to play an important role in this fanfic, so you have been warned.
I must also thank you all, who take the time to read my fics. I take great pleasure when one of you takes the the time to read them and then to review each chapter. It gives me the strength to continue. Anyways, as I always, feel free to comment, fav and leave your suggestions to improve this fic, and future ones.