A Ride
Lila missed the moment when Felix and Amelie met the rest of her class in front of school on Monday. Rosa, her teaching assistant just happened to have so much spare time and even more interest in how Lila was keeping up with her studies.
Then, the next day Felix arrived to school and did that prank on her. She was angry and ready for a revenge, but then she schooled herself. The boy looked just like Adrien, his mother was there to claim the Gabriel fashion empire, and to continue chasing after Adrien was useless.
By the end of the second school day, she had a plan to weasel herself into his home, well, into his room in Le Grand Paris. She was a master at that at least. But his mother picked him up to go to the Agreste mansion and the girl had to abandon her initial plan to simply get into the car with him.
She did not get herself free from her chaperon, pardon, the learning assistant, to just go home and sit on her ass, so she walked over to the hotel, a little compliment there and a little lie here and she knew in which room her classmate stayed.
The room was locked and when she tried to get someone from the staff to unlock it and let her in, she heard Chloe on the other end of the corridor and hid just metres away from the hotel room. Chloe and Felix walked over to his room while she talked.
Lila expected from Felix to slam the door in the heiress face, but he actually invited her in when Amelie appeared on the end of the corridor and joined them. Lila clenched her fists. Then the three left the hotel room together and Lila was left alone to make plans for another day.
The next day, Lila was not so lucky to shake Rosa away. After the afternoon classes, they went to the library and Rosa worked on her concentration of all things. Rosa somehow concluded that Lila was scatterbrained and unable to concentrate.
The problem was, Lila was concentrated on how to make friends with Felix, regain her former story telling glory and reach the ultimate popularity each school girl strived for and she deserved (in the world according to Lila). Rosa reminded her to focus on the studies.
It was rather annoying. Lila never strived for true friendship, she never had that, she never had the time for that and she never stayed in one place long enough to achieve it. Besides, true friendship was a lot of work, being popular, at least for false stories, was far easier.
She loved attention, she basked in it, it wasn't her fault that she was gifted to know what people wanted to hear. And she was willing to give it to them. Yet, she was rather annoyed when her teaching assistant referred to that as a psychological disorder that should be treated.
Of course, Lila would not be Lila if she did not think of a way to turn that to her advantage. She finally had a real illness to whine and complain about, to make a pity party around herself to call anyone who called her out on it a bully and discriminating because she was just sick.
Of course, it was just her illness that made her do all those things, to make a deal with Hawk Moth, pardon, to make a deal with Gabriel Agreste, all those lies she told, the interviews she made, it was all her illness that made her do it, she wasn't evil, oh no, you got it all wrong.
And the best thing was, the class had forgotten about most of her stories as soon as she did, a few of them remembered several false promises she made, but she forgot about them. It was a sad fact that Marinette probably remembered her lies better than she herself who had told them.
Lila already sold a story to her mother, a poor and innocent girl was pulled in the life of crime by the powerful Gabriel Agreste, the father of her boyfriend (she insisted on that) who had offered her a career in modelling in exchange for a few services.
Rosa decided to end her work for the day because Lila was not paying her any attention at all, the young woman concluded that the girl was probably exhausted and lost in her own thoughts and worries so she tried with a few comforting words that landed on bare soil.
Because Lila wasn't listening. She had schemes of her own, new schemes on how to return to her former glory or even rise higher than ever before. All she needed to do was to get attention from Felix, or even better, his mother, and the rest was going to be history.
Lila got out from school and noticed that her luck had just changed. Felix stood there with Adrien, Marinette and Kagami. The red car had just arrived, Felix opened the door to the red car like a gentleman he was, he let Kagami enter, and then he followed inside.
"What?" Lila screeched. Those few moments she had a plan to latch on Felix and follow him or even propose to take him around, to give him a tour, preferably find a nice place to sit alone, have a talk, let her advertise herself.
Marinette heard the screech and turned around. She noticed Lila who just slipped back into school behind the large entrance door, but she and noticed her. She nudged Adrien and motioned with her head to turn around and look towards the resident liar so he knew too.
But the two of them had to switch their attention to a few reporters who just wanted to know how the two heroes were doing back in school after the holidays. They were able to leave after a few minutes and Lila, who remained hidden, was again alone.
Felix was probably the only one from the group who noticed Lila who just lurked out from the main school gates. The rest of the group was too consumed in their conversation. He had a strange feeling in his guts that he was the next target of the girl.
"Could you give me a lift?" Felix asked politely when he let Kagami enter the car. It was an odd question for her, of course she was able to give someone a lift, but she never did such things, because nobody ever asked her to. So she complied with one firm nod and a serious face.
Felix entered inside and actually looked forward to a little more time with the girl. She virtually stared at him and studied his face and his posture without any shame, hesitation or apology. So finally he stared back. They dared each other who would speak first with their eyes.
"You are a skilled fencer." She stated flatly. If she lost two of her fencing duels, she might as well give him some credit. For her, that was the highest praise she could give to another boy, she surely hoped he appreciated it.
"You're not so bad yourself." Felix remained as expressionless as she was. If this was a poker face competition, he was determined to win. He did not fully comprehend what this girl's story was, she was difficult to read.
"It is a family tradition." She replied calmly. He praised her fencing and since the praise came from a boy who had shown exceptional skill, the reply was a sufficient compliment for her. The attempt to continue the small talk was well earned.
"There are fencers in my family too." He countered. At first, he winced at his own words, because the first association Kagami could get from his words was his former supervillain uncle who now awaited his destiny in China.
"Yes, I know Adrien." She confirmed. It was her assumption that Gabriel also used to practise fencing, especially when she looked at the battles where Hawk Moth participated, but she chose not to mention that particular family member.
"Not just him, my father and my uncle too., then … " He replied in a tone that was saying something like 'you should have known this already' or ' haven't Adrien told you any of this'. But she produced absolutely no reaction.
"My mother is a world famous fencer." Kagami stated with subdued pride.
"Do you do competitions often?" He was looking for a weak spot.
"Yes, and I tend to win any duel I engage in." She stated.
"So, what happened today? Not challenging enough? Or you intentionally let us win just to join the academy?" He teased, oh now he knew her weakness and he was abut to use it.
"You won fair and square." She replied without a hint of embarrassment. "I can lose, I lost to Adrien once."
"Once ..." Felix repeated. "And then you lost against his girlfriend."
"I lost one point." Kagami spoke as if she was explaining something to a child.
"And I lost two, okay, I get it." He replied. "But you wanted her in, that is why you lost."
"That is not the reason why I lost one point." She replied.
"You did not say that you did not want her in." He was searching for buttons to push, he was certain he found them, but the reaction was not what he wanted.
"No, I did not say that." She confirmed.
"So you did want Adrien's girlfriend on the team." He concluded.
"Her name is Marinette and yes I did." She made one firm nod.
"Why?" He inquired.
"Because she is my friend. Because she wanted to?" She had nothing to hide there, she was not even willing to hide her reasons. "She made a fair effort and she scored on her own. There was no help from me needed."
"Okay, if you say so." He wanted to smirk, but the poker face competition was going on without a winner.
"I do. So why did you lose to Marinette? Did you want her on the team too?" She asked so calmly as if she was searching for anything meaningless to say just to continue a polite conversation.
"I … um … no." He pushed the words out.
"So you do not want her on the team? You don't like her?" Her tone never changed form emotionless and the questions did not even contain a tone of curiosity.
"I don't care." It took all he had to keep the tone flat and with no emotion involved.
The car had stopped and Felix got out and held the door for Kagami.
"But this is where I live." She noted with only a hint of surprise in her tone.
"Of course, that is where your car was programmed to take you." He concluded and closed the door.
"Haven't you needed a ride." She raised her eyebrows.
"Yes, thank you, I needed a ride, away from there, I did not care where you took me. Your place is just as fine as any other and now I know where you live. I'm going to take a walk to Le Grand Paris now. See you around. Bye." He greeted.
"Okay. You're welcome. Bye." She replied with determination in her eyes. This boy had just pushed all her buttons and he wanted to know where she lived? She was awkward at making friends and unsure if this was a common way to do it. At least for that guy.
Lila walked away from school, determinedly, in the direction of Le Grand Paris. Kagami had simply given him a ride. That was all. It was really a reasonable decision, to share a car ride, save on money, pollution and congestion, not bother the bodyguard, it really was, but it was not her style.
She already knew where to go so she forego any sly compliments and lies and went straight for the elevator. Felix should have arrived already, he should be upstairs, she just had to go up there and knock, she had her story ready.
She knocked and there was no answer. She tried again and there was no answer. She leaned her ear on the door and she heard no noises from the inside. She knocked on the door again and flinched her head away from the door because her ear was still on it.
"Stupid." She muttered and kicked the door with her foot.
"The persons you are looking for are not yet back, Mademoiselle." A cleaning lady noted. "Would you like to leave a message?"
"No, no message, thank you." She turned around and walked away. Felix probably went to his room and decided to go somewhere else, probably Chloe or maybe to have tea with his mother or something. She sneaked around the hotel and checked the cafe and the restaurant.
She eavesdropped on different conversations of all those finely dressed people. On the first floor, there was a conference room and people were released for a coffee break and a chat and all those men and women in suits impressed her.
But then her eyes met oh so familiar face and eyes of her mother and Lila ducked and quickly skidded away through winding hallways. She had no idea that her mother was there, but of course she was, it looked like an important meeting with important people.
She found a side exit and ran. Once outside she walked away from the hotel determinedly. She needed an excuse for her mother and she needed a better plan for the next day. Felix was almost at the hotel entrance when he noticed Lila sneak out from the side door and then run away.
He chuckled and shook his head. Adrien told him about his classmate and how she got inside the Agreste mansion once, she wanted to go to the mansion with him and he learned from the hotel staff that a girl fitting her description was looking for him already the day before.
He started making schemes how he was going to fool her in the next few days. She was looking for it, rather literally and he would be a poor boy not to oblige to her wishes. He reached his room and his mother was not there yet, probably dealing with the business.
He sighed and decided to take a shower. He needed something to do until dinner and he was not in the mood for more Chloe. He took out his phone and wrote a message. He needed her number and he was certain that Adrien would share.
Adrien did not share Kagami's number. His reason was the prank Felix pulled with his other friends for his last visit and if Kagami wanted him to have her number, she would have given it to him, herself. That was not enough for Felix. He called.
"Felix, you'll have a chance to ask her for her number on fencing tomorrow." Adrien told him over the phone.
"Did you and Kagami have a … thing … before you went to China." Felix inquired.
"What thing? Kagami and me are friends, Felix." Adrien replied calmly.
"And you were only friends?" Felix knew that there had to be more than that.
"We went on a few dates, as friends." Was Adrien's reply.
"Right. What kind of dates." He was going somewhere.
"Look we went ice skating, to my friend's boat to hang out with friends, my film premiere, the anniversary of Chloe's parents, ice cream … I don't remember. Why do you need to know ans of this, Felix. Don't hurt my friends." Adrien was alert.
"I'm not going to hurt your friends." Just have some fun with them and here we are not talking about friends but more like ex-girlfriends and stuff. "So your first date was ice skating?" He inquired.
"Yes, it was Marinette's idea, she arranged it." Adrien confirmed.
"Marinette … arranged … a date … for you and Kagami?" Felix spoke slowly. He remembered rather well her confession in that video, as pathetic as he thought it was.
"Yes, she was there too, with Luka, because I asked her to." Because I was too intimidated to go on a date with Kagami on my own, Adrien added inside. Perhaps he was worried about Kagami for no reason, but then he remembered how Lila hurt her. "Why do you want to know?"
"I don't know why." Felix replied and was not aware how much truth he just said. That girl was not irritating as Chloe, he did not find her pathetic as Marinette, she was not a pushy and sly attention seeker and amateur manipulator like Lila.
Adrien really wanted to ask his cousin if he liked Kagami but Nino put a stop to that conversation with just one quirk eyebrow. Who was he to ask because he was no aware of his own feelings for most of the people and most of the time.
"Okay, got to go, got a gaming session with Nino." Adrien was about to hang up and then remembered. He looked at Nino expectantly and got back one firm nod. "Would you like to join us and play some video games and hang out."
"No, thank you, maybe some other time." Felix cut the connection. He did not do games, he did not hang out and he did not have a best bro to do it with and he was definitely not that desperate to borrow one from his cousin.