19. Day 2 Part 4

Every single bone in Chloe's body was itching for her to say 'no'. Call it like asking someone who's used to wearing a comfortable pair of slippers, to suddenly walk around barefoot. On glass.

She was a heartbeat away from informing Sabrina: Thanks for the idea, but since when did you tell me what to do? I'm the Lord Mayor's daughter, and you were just some lonely geek I took pity on in one of my weaker moments. So go if you must, but don't expect me to call, write, text or even acknowledge your presence. I got along just fine without you before, and I can cope perfectly well minus you now…

Except, that would be a complete lie. Even though she always acted as though the redhead was far more of an annoyance than a proper companion, it was only now that Chloe truly realised that if the 'geek' were to leave her life, she would be missed terribly.

The heiress had always taken Sabrina's presence for granted. She would always be there, to help Chloe out with her dastardly schemes, to finish that particularly tricky geometry test and be an efficient sounding board for her personal problems, mostly involving her father.

Now, it looked like all of that was in danger of collapse, Chloe could no longer feign her indifference to this matter. In her mind, since nearly everyone else in the school was so jealous of the blonde they barely gave her the time of day, there were only four individuals who she could really relate to now. One was barely ever there, another seems more distracted by a blue-haired temptress these days, and the latest addition to her retinue of confidantes… was a talking bee.

That just left Sabrina as the only ever-present, guaranteed, human associate. The singular person who could understand her. Be there when she was needed. Take orders without hesitation. That was what friendship was… right?

All that was in danger of being wrenched away, and Chloe, although she'd never admit to it, felt like she was being ripped asunder. How can I possibly give up everything that I am, just to prolong a coalition which looks like it's dead in the water anyway? Sabrina just said it herself… she won't follow my lead anymore. She wants us to be… equals. Not only that, but she expects me to be courteous to all of the guttersnipes, who don't even deserve to feast on the scraps from my table. Including Marinette. Being nice… to Marinette…

That did it. There was no way in hell she was going to degrade herself to that extent, even if it was to keep the little four-eyed clinger onside. She was still a Bourgeois for goodness sake, and that still meant a great deal in this city, even if this woebegone school refused to acknowledge that stringent fact.

There was nothing else to do. Chloe opened her mouth, fully resolved to telling the girl next to her the impossibility of her plan ever working…

When something stopped her.

What was it, you may ask?

It was Sabrina's eyes. They say that is where the soul lies, and certainly in the case of the redhead, you could tell almost an entire story about what was going through her mind there and then.

How regretful she was for the mistakes of her past. How she was determined to forge a new, promising future. Most of all though, how she didn't want to lose a friend that she'd know for years.

She knew Chloe could be better than this. She'd seen glimpses of it, when the blonde had let down her mask of pomposity and superiority briefly when they were together.

They shared a laugh, not at someone else's expense. They'd had a conversation, which didn't revolve around the heiress. Sabrina knew Chloe loved animals, corny romantic comedies, her mother… yes, there was an actual person under all the layers of petulance, as difficult as it was to concede. The phone call the previous evening just confirmed her suspicions, and made her resolute in her current intentions.

Not many people ever saw this side of Chloe, but now it was Sabrina's mission to bring this hitherto unseen facet of her character kicking and screaming into the open. She didn't want the first person to ever befriend her properly to be hated forever.

Now there was a chance for both of them to begin anew, and they were going to grab it with both hands. Together.

Every single harsh word that was about to find it's way onto Chloe's tongue melted into nothingness upon seeing those eyes. They belonged to someone who cared. Who wanted the best for her. A person who'd seen the best and worst of times by her side, and knew the heiress almost inside out. You couldn't say 'no' to those eyes, because that would be like denying yourself.

Upon feeling her own organs of sight well up once again with even more moisture than her friend, Chloe cursed her weakness. The fallibility that had allowed anyone to get this close, and have this kind of impact on her. There she was, about to blubber like a pathetic little baby once again in front of all of her inferiors, which would be perfect fodder for the downmarket rags to have a field when word got around.

No way. Unable to tell the desperate, snivelling Sabrina next to her where to shove her proposal, yet not wanting to give up her stubborn pride for anything, Chloe decided to take a third option.

"I-I… don't know..." was all she could say, before she abruptly jumped up, flipping her chair over and almost knocking over Sabrina in the process. In running off, she broke the circle wide open, leaving behind her a host of confused and angry individuals.

Only one was really concerned, though. "Miss Bustier, can I go after her? I really do think she needs me right now…"

"Sabrina, this is something Chloe needs to work out on her own. You've said your piece, now it's up to her how she responds to it. Might I just add though, how impressed I was on hearing your very mature speech just then. It's just a shame it took such a tragic turn of events to get you to see the light. I just hope some of your words of wisdom have reached the ear of your friend…"

"T-thank you, Miss. I want nothing more than that to happen, too. I actually promised my dad last night I wouldn't hang around with her any longer, but if I can convince him that she truly has changed, I should be able to persuade him to give her a second chance…"

"Well Sabrina, both me and him have something in common now, in that she's threatened to get the two of us fired . The scary thing is though, although I'd never tell her this, that sort of miscarriage is way within her power. Why is it always the most despotic of individuals, who wield the most authority?"

"I agree with you Miss… on many occasions I've seen Chloe buy dresses she'll only wear once and order expensive meals only to throw half of the food away, while later ordering her chauffeur to drive through deep puddles to splash homeless people on the street with for her amusement. If only she'd shower them with money instead of water, she could make a lot of difference to plenty of people's lives. But I guess helping others for no reward, other than the satisfaction of knowing you've improved someone's outlook isn't her style."

"She really does that? Why that little… whoops, sorry Sabrina. I suppose, after seeing her behaviour around school, nothing should surprise me about what a little monster that girl can be. Also, you're right… if Miss Bourgeois utilised the influence and the wealth she undoubtedly possesses for the right reasons, a lot of positivity could be generated in Paris by her alone. Ironically, the one thing that might give her the popularity and admiration she obviously craves is the single most trait she strenuously avoids, generosity. I don't think I've ever met anyone more selfish in all my…"

"She never used to be like this, you know…"

"Oh, you have something to share, Mr Agreste?"

"N-not really, Miss. I just wanted to ask you not to give up on Chloe, as tempting as it might be when she's at her worst. As you know, I grew up with her, and even though it seems so long ago now, I remember when she was a completely different person. If you'd compared her now to when she was a little girl, you wouldn't believe the contrast. You would also understand why I was so shocked at her attitude the first day I started here, when she tried sticking gum on Marinette's seat…"

"Adrien, I'd already suffered through four years of Chloe's bullying up till then. That chewing gum prank was by far, one of the mildest things she'd ever done…"

"I know Marinette, but the old Chloe wouldn't have even done that. She was one of the sweetest, kindest, people I'd ever met, along with her mother who she really looked up to and took after. Of course, after what… happened, Andre was able to get his talons into her and… well, the rest is history."

"Adrien… you mean to tell me, there was once a Chloe Bourgeois who didn't pick on others, who was humble, nice and… well, just like you?"

"That's right Marinette, as hard as it is to believe, and thank you for the compliment, by the way. Ever since I arrived here, I've been looking for traces of the girl I grew up with, for some far-off hope that one day she might come back. Sadly, for the most part my optimism has been dashed, and I'm afraid Sabrina is right… I haven't been very active when it comes to telling Chloe off for her rudeness. It's hard when you've known a person for most of your life, and suddenly it's like there's a completely different being under their skin…"

"You mean… like aliens?"

"Ayla… knock it off! We're trying to have a serious discussion here!"

"What do you mean, Marinette? I am being serious! It would explain an awful lot… sudden change in personality? Unable to interpret common human emotions? An evil capable of influencing many others to assist in their sick, twisted desires? Sounds like Chloe might have been taken over by the first ground troops in a full scale invasion! What a scoop… wait til' I stick this on my blog later on…"

"Ayla, you'll do no such thing!"

"Oh, C'mon Mari… this is like, a golden opportunity! We can get the government to take her away, and dissect her in great detail to discover their secret plans. We might just be heralded as the saviours of the world…"

"What about if it turns out she's normal ?"

"Well… that would be a shame, but hey. No pai, no gain… right?"

"Miss Cesaire! There will be no wild accusatory speculation on the internet about a fellow student, or your online access during the school day will be cut to less than zero. I would also be having a word with your parents to limit your computer time at home , seeing as it appears to be warping your imagination. Do I make myself clear?!"

" B -but… I-I… S-she…"

"Well?"

"... Crystal, Miss."

"Good, glad we've got that settled. There is one thing I am interested in though, Adrien. You say the tipping point in Chloe's transformation was something that occurred in her childhood. I assum you are referring to the loss of her mother…"

"Y-yes, Miss."

"See, that's the thing that puzzles me. Plenty of children lose parents at some point in their lives. I myself lost my when I was just a small chil . It's an awful thing to have happen, and can completely devastate your life. I myself spent months patiently waiting by the window, wiljng him to walk up the front path, drop his briefcase as soon as he came through the front door, and give me a rough little kiss on the chee. But, he never did. I cried, and cried… but eventually, I got ove… actually no, that's a lie. I accepted it, would be a more accurate description."

"... If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you trying to say, Miss?"

"What I'm getting at Mr Agreste is, while a parental figure dying is possibly one of the worst things you can endure, especially as a, very rarely does it lead to the affected party completely changing almost overnight to someone almost the exact opposite to the way they were before. Add to that, the fact that I know, you're keeping something from me just by looking at your face, and I can't help but ponder… what did happen back then?"

"... B -but Miss… I can't betray… in front of all these people…"

"No, Adrien. I would never dream of asking you to do such a thing. I only ask because, if the circumstance around the incident are as serious as I suspect they are, I get the feeling that the only person who can help Chloe out with her current feelings is the one who was there for her at the time . Just the opinion of an uneducated educator, of course. In the meantime, seeing as the main reason for this circle existing seems to have fled the nest, we might as well return to our seats and begin the proper schedule for the day. Lesson number one: A study of the great book Les Miserables, about an uprising of the peasants when they'd finally had enough of being treated like second class citizens by an arrogant aristocracy. Hmm… I think considering events this morning, you all should be rather good at this…"

It was as Miss Bustier started waffling on about 'The Great Revolution' that her earlier, far more insightful words finally clicked in Adrien's head.

He knew what he had to do now. He knew who he wanted to see.

He knew exactly where to find her, too.

Marinette watched him as he got up from his chair. She gave him a silent nod of approval.

Sabrina wanted to tag along, but Adrien reseated her with a single gesture of his hand. This was just between him, and his oldest friend.

Even the teacher gave him an encouraging wink on his way to deliberately skipping class. She knew his mission was far more important than hearing about the meaning of 'Let Them Eat Cake'.

Only Nino failed to react, caught in slumberland as he was. Amazing how one teenager can sleep so soundly, Adrien mused, while listening to loud music which is as far removed from a lullaby as is possible.

It was an all too short moment of levity, before what he was sure to be a difficult encounter ahead.

He steeled his nerve, and left the classroom.