Warpaint – 'Billie Holiday'
School happens. Gang vs Gabriel! Fight!
RIIING! The class started to pack their things immediately at hearing the bell, signalling the end of the morning class.
"I've never said you could leave." Miss Bustier protested earning a few groans from the students "I want you to read the articles in pages 154-160 for tomorrow, and you have to answer the questions at the end of each article."
"That is totally impossible!" Kim protested.
"Well Kim, if you don't want to do the homework that's fine by me. You, on the other hand, will have zero on the homework parameter and we both know you need all the points you can get to pass my class."
That response was followed by a few giggles and a resigned sigh from the Vietnamese student.
"Ok, you can all go now, have a good day! Nino, Marinette and Alya, can I speak with you?"
Miss Bustier and the small group of friends waited for everyone to leave. Once they had been left alone, Miss Bustier closed the classroom door.
"Is something the matter, Miss Bustier?" Marinette asked worriedly.
"We're not in trouble, are we?" Nino added, reflecting the thoughts present in their minds.
The teacher chuckled "No, Nino, I promise you, you're not in trouble. What I want to speak with you is something regarding Adrien. I know you are all friends, so I wanted to inform you about something I've learnt today that had me a bit worried."
At these words, the three friends looked at each other, considering what might have happened to the fourth element of their group. "Go on," Nino said.
"Well, I don't know if you have spoken with Adrien recently, but today, Mr Damocles informed me that his father had pulled him out of school."
"WHAT?" The three asked in unison.
"Oh, so he hasn't told you yet."
"He hasn't picked any of my phone calls. He must be devastated. School is everything to Adrien, do you know why his father did that?"
"From what the principal had told me, his father is worried about the Akuma attacks near the school and has stated that Adrien is safer at home. I know how school is important to him, and he's such a brilliant boy, that is why I wanted to speak with you, I'm not quite ready to abandon him, so I thought you could help me bring him back, maybe together we can change his father's mind."
Nino laughed at that, don't get him wrong, he was seething with this news. His best friend was trapped at that damn house because of his damn father, and Miss Bustier wanted to TALK? That man wouldn't change his mind, even if they pointed a gun at him.
"I'm sorry, Miss Bustier, but from what Adrien tells us about his father, I don't think we will be able to change his mind. UGH! Why didn't Adrien say anything? I don't understand why he wouldn't tell us." Alya questioned.
Marinette was quiet. She was watching how her friends were riling up, but she couldn't follow them in their anger. Hearing that Adrien, her love, was not coming back shattered her when would be the next time the four of them would hang out? She was so ready to be his friend, to listen to him, and to learn about him as much as possible, and now… now she would only see him on patrols. But most of all, she was worried, Adrien was all alone now, she knew how he craved for even the smallest of affections, reflecting the lack of love and warmth in his house. The minute she got home, she would call him, Chat-him, to meet her on the Eiffel Tower, if there's anything that that boy needs right now is a friendly ear to listen to his problems which seemed to have increased exponentially since Gorizilla.
"We're going there now! That man deserves to be yelled at for doing what he did! We will get him back!" Nino interrupted her thoughts.
"Please do that, but don't start any fights with his father, try to make him see that studying here was the best thing that happened to his son." Miss Bustier advised.
"Thank you for telling us, Miss Bustier." Marinette thanked quietly.
"You welcome, I just thought that you deserved to know." The teacher explained.
Adrien was once again in his room, he was bored to tears, not even Ultimate Mecha Strike could lift his spirits, but between that and looking at the walls, he guessed he could play a little.
So that's where he was, lying on the couch and playing video games. His father seemed pretty intent on isolating him from everyone else, or maybe he just wanted to drive the teen crazy, he didn't know. What he did know was that he didn't even have any activities outside of the manor for the week, which was a first actually. He never thought he would be saying this, but he would even pay for a photoshoot if that meant he could get out of the house.
What he wouldn't give to have Plagg by his side again, to be able to transform and get out of that damn room and run on the rooftops freely. He had searched the room so many times since he lost the ring, he also searched the dining room in the hopes the ring was lost during dinner. Perhaps he could ask his father or Nathalie if they had seen the ring, he could tell them it was a gift from one of his classmates or something since his father only seemed to notice the ring for the first time after Jackady.
The doorbell distracted him from his thoughts, and curious as ever, he went to his bedroom door to see who it was, the last time they had a visit, it was from Nino, who was trying to convince his father to let him have a birthday party. Despite all the events that followed that encounter, Adrien kept that memory fondly, no one had ever fought for him like that. On that day, Adrien learnt what true friendship meant.
However, when he opened his bedroom door, his bodyguard was standing right in front of it, blocking the passage 'Of course he's here' Adrien thought bitterly.
"I want to see who's at the door, please let me through." He asked politely. Gorilla didn't answer, and he didn't move either. The model understood the message, he was not to leave the room it seemed. He sighed, knowing all his attempts to pass through his massive bodyguard were futile, he went back to his bedroom.
"Yes?" The voice coming from the eye-shaped camera asked.
"Uhh… Is Adrien home?" Nino asked, suddenly much less confident, he remembered the last time he was at the manor, and it didn't end well, he surely didn't want a repeat of that day, so he tried to remain composed.
"He is, but he doesn't want to see anyone." The voice answered stoically.
"We know that you are keeping him from seeing anyone, please open the gate so we can speak to him directly," Alya argued, she was the most frontal of the group, being a journalist, she was used to confrontations.
"I'm afraid you have come here for nothing, you won't speak to him." The voice said, showing a subtle hint of annoyance.
"Can we at least speak to his father?" Marinette asked shyly, hoping that they could at least put some sense in that man.
This time, the camera didn't answer, in fact, it retracted back to its hiding spot on the stone wall. The teenagers waited anxiously, after what seemed like an eternity, they looked at each other and decided that they had been ignored. As they were starting to walk away, the camera popped out of the wall, making them stop in their tracks. "Come in," it said, and the huge gate keeping them from entering opened.
When the three friends entered the manor, taking in all its grandioseness and coldness, they couldn't help as a shiver ran through their spines.
Mr Agreste was already at the top of the white marble stairs, hands clenched behind his back, and a slightly annoyed frown on his face, "What do you want?" He asked coldly.
"Uh- We- huh – We wanted to see Adrien." Nino started.
"Well, I believe my assistant already told you that my son is not seeing anyone." All eyes turned to Nathaly who was standing next to her boss stoically as always.
"OHHH, WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP!" Alya exploded "I bet Adrien is in his room, and for whatever sick reason you're not letting us see him. Now, I know you want to protect him, but he's old enough to watch for himself, this last decision of yours does not benefit anyone except yourself, it certainly doesn't benefit Adrien!"
Marinette and Nino could only stare between their friend and the designer, who was now sending daggers with his eyes to all of them. All of them knew how strict Gabriel was, he was certainly not used to be yelled at.
"You listen here, young lady!" The designer started, clearly furious "Who do you think you are to come to my house and speak to me in that tone? I'm glad I managed to take my son from that horrid school of yours, he certainly doesn't need such scum in his life!"
"SCUM? He's calling us scum! Ah! We are probably the only thing that's keeping your son sane, at least we care about what he thinks, and he knows that! The same can't be said about you!" Alya countered.
"What Alya is trying to say, Mr Agreste, is that Adrien cares so much about school, and I know that you're concerned about the Akuma attacks near our school, but is it really fair for him to keep him here?" Marinette defended, she had finally gathered all her courage and started to reason with the stubborn adult "If I recall, there's been a few akumas here as well, Jackady… Volpina… You…" She knew she had hit a spot with her last words as Gabriel's face softened a bit.
"Well, I'm glad at least one of you knows how to speak politely" Gabriel looked at Alya defiantly, earning a scoff from the redhaired girl, "However, I've made up my mind, Adrien won't go to school so you might as well forget about him. Nathalie, escort them out." He ordered, turning his back to the teenagers.
Nino opened his mouth to protest but was interrupted immediately by Nathalie "You'll only make his situation worse if you keep arguing" She said, her message clearly understood by all, as they showed no resistance to being escorted out of the manor.
When the hall door closed, Gorilla stepped out of the entrance, leaving it clear once again.
However, the teen stayed inside the room, shaking from head to toes, as the words that were exchanged in the floor below kept being registered in his mind.
Tears were making trails down his face, as Adrien stared at his bedroom entrance shocked. His friends had come to his house and tried to convince his father to let him return. And then, his father told them that he would not change his mind and that they could forget about him, and that was when Adrien broke. He would never go to school again. He would be forgotten by all the people he cared. He would only be a poster boy, a doll to be looked at but never to be spoken to.
Despite all the water that was running down his face, he didn't make a sound. He was just staring blankly at his door, with fisted hands on his sides, shaking with tension he had yet to release.
Adrien stood like that for what seemed like ages, it was like, he was there physically, but not mentally. In his head, he was still replaying the conversation he heard between his father and his friends. Why hadn't he shouted? He could warn his friends he was there, then the Gorilla would have to step aside and let him go. But he didn't do anything, he just stood there, the entire time listening, while his friends were fighting for him. He didn't do anything at all.
A shadow loomed over him, pulling the blond out of his drowning mind. As Adrien looked up, he saw his father with a serious expression.
"Son, we need to talk."
UHHH! Now, what does Gabriel want this time?
All will be revealed next chapter, Gabriel has yet to make the second part of his master plan happen. So… Expect more angst (I'm so sorry Adrien!), I promise you that this will have a happy ending, but we are still far from that.
I just want to thank you all again for the wonderful reviews, I hope you liked this chapter. And I'll try to post a new one tomorrow, I must warn you, buckle up your belts, next chapter will be quite a ride. Oh, and there will be an Akuma attack pretty soon.
Until next time.
Next chapter: "You want me to do what?"