26: Antibug

It felt like a huge weight lifted off of me when I came clean to Adrien. But there was still a bigger weight still on my shoulders when I saw Marinette. She deserves to know that having dreams of my boyfriend returning her love is useless now.

Adrien more than once proved to me that he loves only me. And I trust him.

Nino and Alya are going on a date and asked if I could babysit Chris for him.

I had nothing urgent to do, so I accepted.

"You're a lifesaver, Jolene," Nino greeted me as he opened the door to his apartment.

"It's cool, man," I smiled wryly. "I'm sure I can keep Chris entertained until you return."

"Jolene!" Chris yells as he runs up to me and hugs me. "So glad you are my babysitter."

"Oh really?" I grinned as I playfully gave him a noogie on top of his head when we broke the hug. "Why is that?"

"'Cause you are the coolest babysitter ever! Duh!"

We laughed and I saw Alya walking towards us with a wry smile on her own.

"I thought I was the coolest," Alya says playfully.

Chris put his hands in a 'so-so' motion, "You are cool. But Jolene is just the coolest. She makes cookies."

"Hmm, I guess cookies are kind of hard to compete against," Alya nodded sagely.

The three of us laughed.

"Hey, Alya," I waved. Then I playfully said, "Make sure you don't lose sight of Nino. He'll get lost."

"Hey! It was one time!" Nino playfully yelled.

"Oh, I got to hear this," Alya smirks.

"I'm sure he'll tell you by the end of the day. Now, shoo. I'm sure you guys will have plenty of fun without us."

"Okay, okay," They said and waved before finally leaving.

Then I looked back at Chris who was eyeing the bag that I had brought over.

"Are we making cookies again?"

"Yeah," I smiled softly. "So, how have you been doing in school?"

Chris and I were in an intense game of connect-four when my phone rang.

I looked at the caller ID.

It was Sabrina.

"I'm taking a quick break, okay?" I said as I stood up from the coffee table.

"Okay," Chris sighed.

I went into the kitchen, just to make sure Chris was still in my eyesight.

When I answered, I barely finished my first syllable when I heard crying.

"I-I d-d-didn't know wh-who to call," Sabrina cries, sniffling every couple of words.

"Whoa, Sabrina, slow down," I said concerned. "Are you hurt? Where are you?"

"I-in my house," She sniffed. "But I'm not hurt like that.

"I just got in a b-big fight with Chloé. A-and I don't know what to do."

She cries harder.

Between Sabrina and Chloé, I'll take Sabrina any day. She's actually sweet without Chloé's influence. Or so that is what Marinette said when she had to do the group project with her and Chloé.

"Hey, Sabrina, take long deep breaths with me," I coached her softly, making sure to hear me breathing. "Breath in. Hooold. And now release."

I went on until I couldn't hear Sabrina sniffling.

"Look, Sabrina, what if I went over to your house and talk about it?"

"Okay," she said softly.

"Right now I'm babysitting, but," I looked at the clock and answered, "I'll be free in less than thirty minutes. I'll let you know."

"Okay," she said again.

"Text me the address and I'll call you when I'm at your front door, okay?"

"Okay," she repeated after sniffling.

"Okay, see you soon."

I hung up and sighed. I really didn't want to do this, but Nino has taken his sweet time and he isn't even paying me.

I'm texting him.

He answered five minutes later and said that he was in his way.

Good.

So I returned to the coffee table and continued the game with Chris.

"Sorry for the long break- hey, did you move some things," I said as I'm pretty sure my yellow chips were very close to making a winning move.

"No," he immediately denies.

I smiled wryly as we continued the game where I didn't let him win.

If he was honest, I would have. But I got to show him that lying isn't right.

Just as we finished our game, the door opened to reveal Nino.

"Sorry, Jolene, didn't think I took that long," Nino apologized.

"I hope you guys had fun," I said as I was quickly grabbing my things and after a second of hesitation, got half of the freshly baked cookies to go.

"Tons," Nino replied with a grin. "Are you going somewhere?"

I nodded with a sheepishly smile, "Yeah. Sorry if I cut your date short."

"No, you were fine, girl," He says. "I was just walking Alya to her house when I got the text."

"Wait, you wanted to leave?" Chris asks, a pout already forming on his face. "Did it have to do with the phone call you had?"

"Phone call?" Nino asks.

"Someone called me and they need me. They sounded very distressed. I'm going to go to the store to buy some supplies, just in case they need something." I quickly explained as I finally had all of my things. Then I looked at Chris with a small smile, "Hey, spending time with you is fun, kiddo. But right now, a friend needs me. You understand, right?"

Chris still pouted, "I guess. I mean, did you have to take the cookies too?"

I laughed, "As much as I would love to leave all of them here, but I think these cookies are good for cheering someone up, don't you think? Especially with a cup of warm milk."

Chris had to agree with me.

I said a quick goodbye to both of them, before I got out of them and made a quick stop at a grocery store. I have a feeling ice cream would also help.

When I knocked on the door, Sabrina opened up.

Her eyes were puffy and her nose red like a cherry tomato.

I lifted the ice cream bag as an offering, "So you want to talk about it?"

She sniffled and nodded as she motioned me inside. She led me to her room where there was a trash can almost filled with tissue paper.

Sabrina sat on her bed, while I sat on her desk chair and rolled it to be closer to her. I offered her a spoon as I opened the vanilla ice cream. Then I took out the mini chocolate and strawberry syrups, sprinkles, gummies, chopped peanuts and almonds and a can of whipped cream. I wasn't sure what kind of flavor she was in, so I chose the basic hoping that the extra toppings would be able to help.

"Chloé and I like to play a game where we dress up. She would be Ladybug and I, Cat Noir," She started as she stabbed her spoon into the ice cream.

I let her talk.

She got sidetracked a lot, but she got to the point.

And I still can't help wondering how the hell a girl as nice as Sabrina would let Chloé treat her like that?

"What do I do?" Sabrina cries as she eats a spoonful of ice cream and sprinkles.

If I were her, I would have officially ended my friendship with Chloé . But I'm not her. And with all her sidetracked stories, I can tell that she's very loyal to Chloé. A loyalty that Chloé doesn't deserve.

"Well, I'm not sure to be honest," I started. "What happened was an accident. And as your friend, Chloé should forgive you after she cools down, of course.

"A lot of people say things they don't mean in the heat of the moment. It was probably that type of situation."

Sabrina sniffled again, but this time there was a small smile on her face, "You think so?"

I smiled softly at her, "That's what I hope."

Internally, I was hoping that I was right. Chloé doesn't seem like the forgiving type, but maybe I'll be surprised. Afterall, Sabrina is her only friend that actually cares for her.

"I didn't know you babysat," Sabrina says as she adds whipped cream.

"It was as a favor for Nino. He had a date with Alya."

"Oh, yeah. They're an item now," Sabrina said softly. But then she smiled shyly at me. "You, Nino and Adrien are really good friends, aren't you?"

I nodded, "They are my best friends."

"It must be nice to have friends like them," She said softly. "You guys seem to have fun all the time. And when you got… hurt," She trailed, "They helped you."

"That's what friends are for," I answered softly. "They are supposed to help you when you need it. And count on them in your time of need."

"Just like how you are helping me?"

"Yeah," I answered. "You never know just what kind of friends you have until you need them."

Sabrina then touched the brooch on her vest. "I know Chloé isn't the easiest person to be with, but she's nice. Deep down. And I know she sees me as her best friend."

"But that doesn't mean you can't have other friends that can help you too," I said wryly. "Look," I sighed, "I know we haven't talked to each other much, but why did you call me?"

Sabrina looked down at her ice cream as she played with her spoon.

Patiently I waited for her answer.

"Because I think you are the only one who seems fair when it comes to Chloé," She said softly. "I know you don't like her. Not a lot of people do, but you don't do anything to stop Adrien and Chloé from being friends."

"Oh," I blinked, surprised at her rather unexpected answer. "Well, I'm not the type of person to tell other friends who they should be friends with."

"That's a nice thing to do," Sabrina says.

A notification on my phone brought my attention and saw that it was a text from Adrien.

I opened it.

Where are you?

Quickly I texted him.

But then just as quickly he replied.

What happened?

I'll tell you later when I get out. I answered before hitting send.

Sabrina looked curiously, but I wasn't going to tell her any of that type of information soon.

"I hope you feel better and that things will work out between you two," I said as I then took out the cookies I had wrapped in plastic. "I made these earlier today. I hope you like them."

Sabrina took them in her hands and she smiled, "Thank you. Do you have to leave already?"

I nodded, coming up with a lie as I stood up. "My aunt is asking to help her to prepare dinner. Lots of prep to do."

"Ooh? What are you going to do?" Sabrina asks curiously.

"I have no idea. She didn't want to tell me. Wants it to be a surprise," I smiled wryly. "See you at school tomorrow?"

She nodded and stood up. "I'll walk with you to the door."

Adrien and I were cuddled on the couch, our bellies full from dinner. The television was playing some show that I wasn't really paying attention to.

My focus was how soothing it was to feel Adrien's chest rise and fall with his breathing as my head was snuggled against it.

"Chloé is my oldest friend," Adrien suddenly spoke up. "I know she isn't perfect, but… I still care for her."

"I know," I answered softly. "That's why I told Sabrina to wait for her to cool off before approaching her again tomorrow."

"That was nice of you to offer that advice," He sighs. "I was worried that something bad happened to you."

"Why would you think that?" I sat up as I looked at him.

Adrien grabbed my hand, "Nino texted me if I knew where you were going. And I might have worried a lot when I tried to find you in your apartment and didn't see you there…"

"That's a little extreme reaction," I raised an eyebrow. "You didn't think to ask me before you went to the trouble of doing that?"

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, right after."

I sighed, but I smiled fondly as I kissed his lips. "It's sweet that you're protective. But try not to grow any gray hairs over me. I promise to keep you updated from now on when I have to leave somewhere."

"Good," He sighs. "I just-" He then brought me into a hug. His head rested on my shoulder. "I don't want to lose you."

I hugged him tighter. "Me neither."

The next day, I didn't see Sabrina.

But what was curious was that Chloé didn't look so good either.

A little warning bell rang in my head, so when I was able to approach Chloé the first opportunity, I took it.

"Baudelaire, what do you want?" She scoffs.

I hesitated, but I just had to ask.

"Do you know what happened to Sabrina?"

It's like she changed completely. Her eyes were cold and her face scrunched in disgust. "I don't know any Sabrina," She crosses her arms as she holds her chin up in her signature haughtiness.

Something putrid was building from inside me and I didn't waste time in running towards the restroom.

I saw my classmates giving strange looks, and others shouted my name, but I went into the nearest available stall.

I leaned towards the toilet and heaved and coughed. But nothing came out.

There was a knock.

"Jolene? Jolene, are you okay?"

It was Alix.

I took a couple of deep shuddering breaths before answering, "I'm going to be okay."

"Did you puke?" She asks.

"No," I answered as I went to open the door. A squeak almost escaped my lips when I didn't expect her to be face to face.

She didn't either, but she played it off better than me as she gave us space.

"What happened? Did you smell something bad?" She asks.

"Um… not really," I answered as I went towards the sink to wash my hands. "I was just talking to Chloé and then I rushed here."

Alix smirked, "That sounds about right. But why were you talking to her?"

I nibbled my lip as I grabbed a paper towel and started to dry my hands. "I was just wondering about Sabrina. I thought she would know something about her, but it's safe to say that Chloé is mad at her."

Alix rolls her eyes, "That sounds about right too.

"Personally, I think you shouldn't butt in with Chloé at all. Not that I'm worried, we all know you can handle her just fine," Alix smiled wryly. "But I'm surprised you are worried for Sabrina. I didn't know you guys are friends."

"Not close friends," I elaborated, "But I wouldn't say that we aren't friends either. She's actually nice to me."

Alix shrugged, "Fair enough. But I'm sure that Sabrina is okay. I mean, she's no longer with Chloé, that's a start."

I shrugged, not feeling right about the situation. But I let it go. I'm sure if something happened, Sabrina would have let me know. Even if it's just to cry or vent.

With that said, we both walked out of the restroom.

And just waiting nearby was my worried boyfriend.

"I saw you running here," Adrien said as he walked up to me, "Are you feeling okay?"

Beside me, I could feel Alix and someone else observing us quietly. And I could see Adrien's hands twitching as they tried to grab my own hands.

"I'm fine," I say easily. "Just a false alarm. No big deal."

"Are you sure?"

"Very," I answered wryly, "Stop being such a mother hen. That's my job."

That made Adrien and even Alix laugh.

Okay, things were feeling better. And the extra eyes that were observing us were gone.

Something is up, but I just can't figure out why. And I don't think I want to know.

Right after school, I decided to text Sabrina.

Just checking up on you. Are you okay?

Not even a second passed before I had a reply.

Better than ever. Thank you, Jolene. I just know what to do.

I turned around feeling someone approaching me in the locker room, but it was just me right now. But the feeling of someone having their eyes on me didn't stop.

If you are feeling better, then why did you skip school? We have a science test tomorrow.

I didn't get a reply. When I looked up, I saw Alix approaching me.

"Yo," She greeted me as she opened up her locker.

"Hey," I replied back. "Are you going to study for tomorrow's test?"

Alix groans, "I don't want to, but I gotta."

I smiled wryly, "I understand."

Then Alix grinned at me, "You have good grades. Can you tutor me?"

I blinked, "Me?"

"Yeah you," Alix smirked. "Rose says that you are very patient and you give great advice and examples. Think you can do the same for me?"

"That's for English," I pointed out, "But if you really need a tutor, I'll do it. Though, I can't promise any results."

"It's better than trying to figure it out on my own," She smiled wryly. "Can I come over towards your place? My big brother can be a little nosey and I don't want him to tease me in front of you…"

"Yeah that's fine," I agreed. "Meet me at my place in an hour."

"Wait, are you guys doing a study group for tomorrow's test?" Mylène asks as she came towards the locker room.

"Yeah?" I answered with a shrug.

"Can I come too? If you don't mind," She says as she rubs the back of her neck. "I would like to have a better grade."

"Yeah, you can join," I said. "Though as I said to Alix before, I can't promise the desired results."

And so that is how the three of us formed a study group at my place that afternoon.

When I went to my apartment, I made sure that the guest room and my room was under lock and key.

I know they would never snoop inside, but I have to be careful.

I've had study groups before, but I've never hosted because of my sister.

And now I have an opportunity. So I made sure to have snacks ready and drinks available.

When the door rang, I ran towards the door and opened.

"Hi, come in," I said as I opened the door wider and let the girls in.

"Are we studying in your room?" Alix asks.

"No," I replied, slowly remembering that they don't know I live alone. "My aunt and uncle won't arrive here until late, so we have the house to ourselves.

"The dining room has more table space than my room anyways," I finished, hoping that they won't get mad.

"That's fine," Mylène says. "Well, let's get settle and start studying."

Alix groaned, "I know I signed up for this, but still not ready for it."

Mylène and I giggled as we placed our science books and notebooks on the table.

We laughed when Alix whines as she slams her forehead on her own textbook.

When Cat visited me that night, he sneaked up on me while I was washing dishes.

I jumped when I felt arms wrapping around me, but instantly relaxed when I smelled his unique scent of earthy musk.

"Had visitors?" He asked as he kissed my cheek.

"Alix, Mylène and I had a study group for tomorrow's test," I answered him.

He pouted, "You know you could have asked me."

I smiled wryly, "I know, but it was them that asked me to tutor them."

"My smart girl," He purred into my ear, making me squirm and giggle at the sensation.

"Felino," I laughed, "Let me finish my dishes and then we can play."

"Play? I want food," He rubs his cheek against mine.

Huh, he is over my place earlier than usual.

"What are you hungry for?" I asked instead. "I can make… Caesar salad wraps…spaghetti with meatballs. Which one are you hungry for?"

He only hugged me tighter as his rest his chin on my shoulder.

"Spaghetti with meatballs," He says.

"What's wrong?" I asked softly.

"Nothing," he immediately replies. "Sorry I came here without warning."

"It's fine. You know you are always welcomed here," I answered. "But you know you can tell me what's bothering you, right?"

"Yeah, I know," He sighs quietly. "It's just," He paused as he snuggled his face into the crook of my neck. His warm breath tingled my skin, in a good way. "I can't wait until I'm old enough to leave my house."

Oh no.

"Did something happen between you and your father?" I asked softly as I turned around to face him. I dried my hands against my jeans before cupping his face.

"More like what didn't happen," He grabbed my hand and held onto it tightly while the other one was resting on my hip. "I've lost count on how many times I've eaten alone ever since… ever since my mom left."

I stayed quiet, letting him talk. Letting him vent.

He talked about how lonely he feels in his own home. How he would rather stay out for as long as he can just so he doesn't get reminded that even though his father is still living in the same house, Gabriel is just a phantom that only makes rare appearances. Never sticking to a schedule so he could spend time with Adrien.

My heart broke as I heard him whisper, his voice cracking at some points. I pulled him into my arms as I rubbed his back.

"Mi vida," I whisper. "I'm here for you. Don't forget that."

He hugs me tightly before moving just enough so he could see my face and kisses me deeply and tenderly.

I poured all my love to him before we had to separate for air.

"Let me help you make dinner," He smiles at me.

"I'd like that," I smiled.

Later that night, Adrien and I went to my room while Plagg was in the guest room where we told him not to come to our room until one of us visits him.

It was our longest make out session yet.

Our hair was so messy that we needed combs to be able to fix it. Our lips are swollen. I had hickeys on my neck. Adrien has long scratch marks along his back.

And our clothes were a mess.

"I love you," I told him as we lay on my bed, our legs tangled with each other as our arms pulled our bodies as close as we could.

Adrien kissed my forehead, "I love you too."

We stayed silent and I wondered how late it was already.

"I've been researching," Adrien starts, "I can get emancipated, since I'm already sixteen. I just need my father to agree."

"…Are you sure you want that?" I asked instead. "There are requirements that need to be made."

"I know," He sighs. "But I really hate coming back to an empty house."

I understand that feeling all too well.

"Adrien," I started, "I love you. And because I love you I want you to know what it means to be independent." I paused for a moment before I continued my train of thought.

"And I'm basing this from my experience.

"My circumstances were unfortunate. My family was killed and I had to pretend to be dead to the remaining family that I loved.

"In other circumstances, I would have been placed in a foster home. But I had a UTube career where I had saved all my money ever since I started. I never had to use it until then.

"From that money I had accumulated, I was able to rent my place and buy my supplies.

"Because I am in the Program, the government has only helped me in giving a monthly allowance for food and paying for half of the rent of whatever place I had decided to settle.

"Anything else, I had to buy on my own."

"… I didn't know that," Adrien says softly.

"Yeah, but your circumstances for wanting to be emancipated will be different.

"You will have to completely depend on yourself. Your only job is your modeling career and that's because your father hired you.

"You can look for a different job, but you will have to also juggle school with it.

"You've seen me when I spend long nights working on my projects. It's not going to be easy, but it is doable if you set your mind to it.

"When it comes to the living situation, I have no problem letting you live here," I said with a soft smile, which Adrien returned.

"Sounds like a dream," He pushed a strand of hair away from my face and tucked it behind my ear.

"But let's be realistic. If your father finds out, I'm scared of what he will do to both of us."

Adrien presses his lips together in a thin line. "I don't want anything to happen to you because of me."

"Same here," I replied. "But what you are thinking of doing needs to be talked about seriously.

"And I will support whatever you decide. If you really want to be on your own, give me a heads up so I can pack my things and call the Embassy."

"Huh? Why?" Adrien asks, a little worried.

I only laughed, "Mi corazón. It's so that we can run away together. Live in a place where no one can find us."

Adrien leans in to kiss me. When he broke away, all I could feel was love surrounding us like a protective cocoon.

"I would love to do that."

If I thought yesterday was strange. Today was bizarre.

There was definitely an Akumatized victim around here. Something invisible was harassing Chloé, grabbing her things and making her trip. To the point that Chloé had to run out of class as things were thrown at her.

But when I saw Adrien running away from the room.

I knew that things would be okay.

And they did.

It didn't surprise me that Sabrina was akumatized, but I'm glad she was okay.

And it didn't surprise that Chloé soon became Antibug.

It was Alya's Ladyblog notification that made me rush to see the news.

I got worried as Ladybug ran away, leaving Cat to fight alone.

I was holding my breath when Cat was trapped. I didn't know that I was holding my cup so hard until the glass shattered.

Immediately I cried in pain and hurriedly went to the sink to wash off the blood and tried to take out the glass shards.

But then ladybugs filled my vision and I was healed.

I went to my living room and saw no traces of blood on my floor or couch.

Yeah, everything was fine once again.

Omake 15

Sabrina knew that Jolene was a good person, no matter how much Chloé didn't like her. But Sabrina would pick Chloé over Jolene anytime, except when she can't pick Chloé anymore.

She'll forever be grateful for Jolene's kindness and discretion.

And for that, she'll forever do whatever is in her power to stop Chloé for ruining Jolene's life.

Sabrina knows that Jolene and Adrien are close. And she might not know if there's anything more between them, but she does know that it drives Chloé green with jealousy.

Yeah, she'll make sure that Chloé's jealousy will not ruin whatever Jolene and Adrien have. She'll give her new friend the benefit of the doubt.

Afterall, Jolene is a good person.

AN: Huge thank you's to starrat and leenap1105 for reviewing. And thank you to Dorisangel and FlowersHeart17 for following/favorited this story. You all are amazing.

Next chapter is Volpina... any predictions, anyone?