67. Day 5 Part 5

"...And that was the last time I ever touched raspberry jam again!" Rose finished her surprisingly amusing anecdote, to a raucous chorus of guffaws from her nearby dining companions.

"Gosh Rose, who'd have thought you could be so funny?" Chloe stated with a loud titter. "I mean, I always took you for a feeble little wimp who was nice to everyone because you didn't have the courage to say 'no' to anything, but after spending half the morning with you and hearing so many interesting stories about your life, I'm starting to think maybe I was totally wrong!"

"See what I mean, when I told you so often in the past that you should try and 'give people a chance'?" Adrien told the heiress with a small smirk, while giving her a playful elbow. "All this time you wasted, with your nose in the air, looking down on 'common' people, when you could've been making so many new friends! Better late than never, wouldn't you agree?"

Unwilling to totally capitulate to Adrien's wild claims, but unable to stop the embarrassed flush from gathering in her cheeks, Chloe attempted to counter the model's accusation with an unconvincing display of stammering. "H-Hey, who said me and Rose were friends? S-She's just hanging around with me today to give me some advice about Sabrina, that's all. I-I'm trying to decide if our relationship is worth saving, if you must know. D-Don't jump to such stupid conclusions, 'Adrikins'!"

The heiress pronounced the model's self-imposed nickname in a mocking fashion rather than the seductive tone she might've used in the past, but if he was offended it didn't show up on his face one bit. Instead, his amiable nudging got more deliberate and the knowing grin on his lips became ever wider. "How many times do I have to tell you this, 'Chlo-Chlo'? I've known you pretty much your entire life, and you can't fool me for a second with this false 'tough' act you're putting on. You love having me and Rose with you today to keep you company, and I want you to be openly honest with us for a change. Otherwise…"

At this point, Adrien had one of his rare 'naughty' moments, and he unexpectedly grabbed Chloe's plate full of delicious honey sandwiches to hold them aloft, and with the model being at least a head taller than the heiress (whatever she might have said previously on picture day) there was little chance of her retrieving the snack, even as she stood on her tippy-toes as high as she could.

"Give. Those. Back. To. Me. Now!" Chloe was in no mood to mess about with her ex-crush, and she pulled quite the most grotesque expression, while straining every sinew to lay one finger on her precious midday meal.

"Not until you tell us both how much you appreciate and adore us... then say the same thing about Sabrina so I can tell her later on, too!" Adrien was becoming more and more cocky, but in a jovial fashion which indicated he was merely teasing an old friend rather than doing anything truly malicious.

"Oh dear… I hope this doesn't get out of hand. Be careful, you two." Rose had returned to her designated role of caring classmate, but even she could see right through Chloe's flimsy barrier of denial regarding her new outlook on life.

She knew her and Chloe had become fast friends, and she was also certain that not having Sabrina back soon would severely affect the heiress's chance of future happiness. So she intended to stick around until the pair of estranged pals were reunited once and for all. That'll be something pretty amazing to put on her C.V when it came to following in her parents footsteps as a Good Samaritan. Though, getting the job done was the most important part, obviously.

In the meantime, she could do nothing but sit back and watch in silent bemusement as a defiant Chloe refused to back down one iota, and Adrien's hidden mischievous streak became more and more apparent. "Come on Chloe, be nice! You know you love us really!"

"Adrien, this sort of thing is beneath you! Now return my lunch to me, right now! It's not like I can have anything else on the menu anywa… oops."

"Huh? What are you talking about, Chloe?! Are you saying that the food here isn't good enough for the Mayor's Little Princess? We're not going to return to the day when you ordered an unbelievably extravagant meal from the hotel and ate it in front of the rest of the school, just to make them jealous, are we?"

"N-Not at all, Adrien. I-It's just that thanks to my… I-I'm allergic to… look, it's too difficult to explain. Just give my sandwiches to me pronto, unless you're ready for some serious trouble."

"Oh really, Chloe? I must admit, that intrigues me a little. What are you going to do? Push me in the middle of a muddy puddle again, like when we little? Promise to never forcibly smooch me in public again, which I've gotta say is more of an incentive for me than a threat? Come on… do your worst! I'm wwaaiittiinngg!"

"Ooh! It is so on, Adrien! I hope you're prepared for the hell I'm about to unleash, and don't say I didn't warn you in advance. Here we go then…"

With that final declaration of intent, Chloe's dreaded Tickle Factory was yet again open for business for the first time in years, though she'd lost none of the memories of where the once mop-haired little nipper in front of her kept all his most vulnerable weak spots.

It wasn't long before he was begging for mercy, as the heiress probed every facet of his tender areas around the sensitive region of his neck and chest. This bizarre spectacle was being played out in front of the rest of the faculty, who postponed their various conversations and lunches to watch the mismatched duo battle it out in earnest.

Eventually, unable to tolerate the heiress's digits probing every delicate part of his body relentlessly, Adrien at last had to submit to shameful defeat, but instead of returning Chloe's meal to her as he'd fully intended to do, the usually well-poised model floundered for once. He ended up toppling over backwards, the plate he'd held onto so carefully finally departing his grip to land squarely on…

...The long purplish hair of the approaching Juleka, who, with the obvious exception of the old Chloe, cared more about her cherished follicles than anyone else in class. And as everyone who isn't bald knows, unless it's used as a minor ingredient in certain fragrant shampoos, honey and hair don't really go well together. At all.

"What have you just done?!" shrieked the usually subdued new arrival, as she went to swat at her scalp to remove the bread and it's sticky contents. "I only just dyed and washed my hair this morning! Now I'm going to have to start all over again! It's been ruined!"

"S-Sorry Juleka…" Adrien proffered a somewhat worthless apology, attempting without much success to remove some of the gooey gunk with a nearby paper towel. "I-It was a total accident, let me assure you. I-If there's anything I can do to fix it…"

"Oh, can you find the exact colouring that I have to order online, have it send down to me and schedule a hair appointment for me in the middle of a school day?!" Adrien's well-meaning yet useless attempts at reconciliation weren't going down too well, and the formerly reserved Juleka continued to yell out loud like someone who was the exact opposite.

"Hey, leave him alone! If you want to blame someone for this 'tragic' accident, then come and have a go at me." Chloe found herself in the unfamiliar position of defending others, but seeing as it was her childhood friend under fire, she had little choice but to stand her ground for him. "A week ago, I could've actually used my connections to get you everything you just requested in a flash, and I'd have been more than happy to do that. But seeing as how I'm kind of penniless at the moment, and my Dad kind of hates my guts, I'm afraid that I don't think that's possible right now. I'm so, so sorry…"

A momentary look of surprise appeared on Juleka's face after having witnessed Chloe of all people trying to take responsibility for a mishap, but that grudging admiration soon faded upon memories of Alya's mother's plight appearing in her mind. Instead of bothering to utter one syllable to the heiress, Juleka turned directly to Rose to address her in a far less harsh tone than her last previous outbursts.

"If you don't mind me asking…" the pale-skinned girl asked, almost pleadingly. "What the heck is going on right now?! Why are you sitting here, laughing up a storm with the girl who got our friend's mother sacked, and even now is probably plotting something even more horrible to do to us next? When it comes to Adrien, I can just about accept his support… she was his sole childhood friend and he'd never ditch her, even if she was accused of murder. But, you? Don't tell she's got inside your head, as well? You know I love your charitable spirit Rose, and you want to save the world every single day, but you really have to learn not to be so blindly trusting all the time..."

"J-Juleka…" Rose, who all this time had been standing in the background while shaking like a leaf, attempted to parley with her longterm friend. "Y-You don't understand the whole picture. I-If only you knew what Chloe's gone through, t-the pressure she's been put under every single day, a-and what her f-father…"

"Oh great, she's given you the same sob story most of the rest of us here have been eating up for the last couple of days…' Juleka sneered in annoyance, glancing all around at some of the nervously fidgeting seated figures. "Yes, don't think I haven't noticed. The 'poor little rich girl' persona is really paying off for her, isn't it? Well, excuse me for not having much sympathy for the girl who bullied us for years, and almost caused disaster with numerous akuma infections due to her own selfishness... if it hadn't been for Ladybug and Cat Noir who knows what might've happened! You know what a master manipulator she is, I can't believe any of you would fall for such an obvious scam! Is there no-one here brave enough, apart from me, to call this out for what this is… another stupid trick that she'll just throw back in our faces when she betrays us all in the end?!"

Juleka's passionate words, delivered in a cool and collected way by someone who normally did her utmost to stay on the periphery of the main action, seemed to strike a chord with many in the room that Chloe had won around recently. Some of them, as much as they enjoyed their time spent with her, were starting to a few latent doubts that she could change so fast, and there were slight murmurings and pointed looks coming from all around the room.

Even Rose seemed to wear a look of partial hesitation on her face, and Chloe felt her body and spirits almost slip off the chair in sadness. D-Don't tell me all my efforts were for nothing, she lamented to herself, feeling utterly desolate once more, I-I'd love to stand up for myself and argue back against Juleka, but how can I? She's absolutely correct in everything she says… I may not have had anything to do with Mrs Cesaire being fired, but for so long I was a complete nightmare to everyone around me. I have no right now to demand any trust, the only reason I got this far was because of the invaluable help of my beloved Zzubo. I-If my mission to win over the rest of my class is destined to end in failure, perhaps that's what I deserve. I-I'm still never going to return to the monster I was before, a-and hopefully I can still convince Zzubo to make me Queen Bee if I prove I'm worthy of the title. Maybe it'll be better this way, after all… most superheroes live a pretty solitary existence."

Chloe's myriad of thoughts were so distracting and complex, she completely failed to see the male occupant of the seat adjacent to her rise firmly up, before it was too late. Adrien had just decided he'd got something to say as well, and what was a pretty flavourless and colourless lunch (just like most of the fare on offer) up till now was suddenly transformed into a meeting of the Debating Society.

"Juleka, you have my most sincere sympathies for everything you, and the rest of College Dupont have suffered through with my friend here, both while I've been in attendance and before I arrived." He declared in a strong voice, obviously borrowed from his rather brusque father. "I have to confess from my perspective, that I was totally shocked the day I became a student at this fine institution to find Chloe completely transformed from the nice girl I used to hang around with as a child, to a merciless bully who picked on anyone she concluded came from a lower caste. That sort of appalling attitude is unacceptable under any circumstances, and I'm not defending her actions at all during that period."

Great Adrien, way to speak in my defense. Chloe sarcastically rolled her eyes, wondering how many clients the model would put in jail if he was ever dumb enough to become a lawyer.

"However…" It was at this juncture Adrien veered off-script, and some of the more ardent Chloe haters in attendance were about to be disappointed. "I never stopped trying, since I saw the terrible effect her behaviour was having on others and herself, to convince my old friend that she could be a better person. That the good girl I knew as a kid was still lurking in there, somewhere, screaming to be let out. That she shouldn't let her history define who she is. And, you know what? None of it worked. Because she eventually decided on her own that she wanted to change for the better. And 'change' she has, of that I am absolutely certain. This is coming from her first real friend, someone who's known her since she was old enough to watch the stars at night with me. My confidence in her might not count for much, but I'm pretty sure it means something. And that 'thing' is, I believe, the ability to see through any fake performance she might be putting on to fool the rest of you. I can tell you all right now, I have no doubt in my mind she's completely genuine in her attempt at turning over a new leaf. The rest of you are free to disagree if you like, but I'm sticking with my friend. I have nothing else to say, you can either choose to let the past dictate how you perceive a person forever, or you can choose to take a leap of faith every now and then by extending a hand of friendship in their direction. It's entirely up to you. Now if you don't mind, I'm off to replace Chloe's dearly departed honey sandwiches. I really should ask Gustav to help me work on my balance…"

As Adrien blankly turned away at the end of his long speech to approach the food counter, many of those who were potentially about to turn on Chloe again after originally forgiving her or at least wavering that way, began to look at her with fresh eyes. They recalled in the fondest way possible how she'd done her utmost to be kind to them and help them out with their problems, and decided as a block unit to continue giving her another chance, letting the chips fall where they may.

All around her, Chloe was met with friendly gazes from those willing to take up Adrien's challenge, the exceptions being long-standing holdouts like Kim, and most of Marinette's inner circle. Juleka had already long since stormed away in a huff, along with Sabrina and Lila, who the heiress could've sworn had been having quite an animated discussion in the corner.

Oh well, no matter. The fact is, Adrien had just saved her bacon once more. As if I didn't already owe him enough already, now he's going to add this little piece of inspired oration to 'The List'. Great. Just, great… Chloe let her head collapse in undisguised relief on the table at how close she came to permanent social exclusion, only to find that for some inexplicable reason Rose had chosen not to follow Juleka outside, but stay and hold onto her hand in an oddly comfortingly way.

"W-What are you still doing here?!" Chloe asked in amazement, staring directly up at her new empathic associate. "Didn't you hear what your best friend just said? She hates me with a passion! What kind of effect do you think it'll have on your relationship if you carry on hanging around me? I don't want you to end up like me and…"

"Please don't worry about me and Juleka, Chloe!" Rose smiled down at her confused classmate, while using her other hand to slightly tousle the heiress's blonde and pink dyed hair. "Our friendship is strong enough to withstand spending time apart with other people each of us doesn't necessarily like! You didn't hear this from me, but some of Juleka's other friends are a bit creepy. Besides, did you forget? I still have a job to do, which is getting you and your own bestie back together! I'll be around for as long as it takes, so please try not to get bored of me! By the way, I loved what Adrien said just then, and I agree with every single word. One day I'd like a sweet, strong guy to defend my honour like he did. Don't you feel the same way?"

"Y-Yes, I suppose s-so…" Chloe answered half-heartedly, her mind once again careening back to the enigma that was Sabrina Raincomprix. Where had she gone, in such a hurry? The heiress may have thought she spotted the redhead having a cordial chat with Lila, but surely that can't have been the case. The two had even less in common than her and Chloe, so what could they possibly have to talk about? Maybe, in the midst of all my stress, I was just imagining things…

"I thought you might want fancy a change from honey sandwiches, so I got you marmalade ones instead!" Adrien had returned early from his short mission to bring Chloe some replacement grub, the queue at the cafe being much less than usual now the fireworks generated from his speech were beginning to peter out.

"What?!" Chloe reacted in horror as she stared down at the useless food in front of her, before glancing back in anger at the pretty-pleased-with-himself Adrien.

Expecting a nice 'thank you', or at the very least a subtle nod of appreciation, Adrien soon found himself the victim of assault by sandwich the same way Juleka had been before him, only in his case the crime was a little more intentional.

As Chloe smiled ruefully at the model and even Rose did her best to withhold a giggle, Adrien wiped a stray bit of dribbling orange peel off his cheek before commenting with an exasperated sigh:

"Still plenty of work for you to do on your everyday conduct, I guess. Especially when it comes to showing gratitude…"

…..

AUTHOR'S NOTE: We're on a roll here, everyone. I've decided October (time permitting) is going to be my writing month, but whether I update this story regularly as I am now or share the love amongst some of my other works is entirely subject to my mood.

And yes, I AM going to watch the English subbed Miraculous Season 2 episodes which'll be broadcast from later this month onwards. I think I've been waiting for the new shows long enough… and no more spoilers, please. :)