24. Day 2 Part 9

Chloe was so glad to have her little kwami back, the rest of the day went like a breeze. Now that the heiress knew she had at least one loyal friend fighting in her corner, she felt as if the likes of Sabrina and Adrien were no longer necessary, and made faces at them whenever the opportunity presented itself through each period.

She knew that her former associates were collaborating with the enemy (e.g Marinette) behind her back, in the way they talked amongst themselves and gave her constant sideward glances, but honestly she couldn't care less. She had Zzubo now for her social requirements... a virtually indestructable eternal being who'd be guaranteed to stick by her side until almost forever, and she didn't even need to plug her in and charge her up every morning.

Far better than a couple of traitors who'd literally stabbed her in the heart the first chance they'd got. Her decision to eradicate the pathetic nerd and the brainless model from her life was the best choice she'd ever made. Less associates, less complications, less chance of treachery. Perfect.

She still had to keep an eye out for Lila though, who was scrutinising the blonde like a fox tracking a chicken for the majority of the day, no doubt with some nefarious scheme in mind to humiliate her or wrench some 'hard earned' cash from her person. Oh well. Zzubo can help me with her when the time is right. Won't it be hilarious, when my 'baby's toy' comes alive and beats Lila The Liar to a bloody pulp. Ha Ha Ha.

Speaking of which, there was also the small matter of what to tell the kwami regarding developments while the bee creature was absentia. After their tearful reunion when the heiress repeatedly insisted that her comments about 'always wanting Zzubo around' were purely said in the heat of the moment, and were not to be taken seriously (the insectoid just grinned broadly upon hearing this) Chloe made a promise.

She pledged Zzubo she'd fill the kwami in on everything that had been organised regarding the arrangement for the next few days, when the blonde would be forced to spend a lot of 'quality time' with her inferiors... but she'd do it after class. Even though the bee creature was eager to be bought to speed on the latest happenings, she reluctantly agreed to the proposal, as she had certain informants that could be consulted in the very likely event her mistress was going to tell her porkie pies again. (Chloe didn't doubt it either, after what happened last time...)

So, after a pretty uneventful day was just beginning to peter out, and the class were generally in high spirits (the prospect of having no homework will do that) it was almost time to head home. Chloe grabbed the precious bag containing her only true friend in the world, and was just about to exit through the door, when she spotted Adrien leaning again the frame, watching her approach. Ugh, what does that loser want now?...

Intending to ignore him and just carry on walking past, Chloe was forced to acknowledge the model's presence when he called out to her: "And where do you think you're going?"

"Er... not that it's any of your business, but as far away from you as possible..." Chloe flipped her hair indignantly, and started up her march past Adrien again. The nerve of that guy, still talking to me so casually after what he did. Well, he's the one that'll miss out. I'll find someone much better to marry, then come back to show him and everyone else, that I'm still the best around. Yeah...

To her surprise, Adrien responded to his former friend's hoity-toity attitude with a little chuckle. "Aren't we forgetting something, mademoiselle...?" He looked at her sincerely, as if he expected her to know just what the heck was talking about.

Chloe was almost apoplectic with rage. How dare he be so glib, after... She spun around on her heels to confront him with undisguised vitriol, her index finger pushed into his chest with each saliant point made. "Hmm, let's see if I've 'forgotten' anything, shall we? How you led me on for years, so I'd think we had a chance together? How you never came to my defense when the other students bullied me at this rathole? How you refuse to admit that as members of the upper class we're much better than the rabble here? How you chose to date the local dough mixer, rather than the most eligible beauty around? Would you say that just about covers it, Mr Agreste?"

From the beginning of her tirade, it had been Chloe's intention to rile Adrien up, to get him to display some strong emotion that encapsulated just how much her departure had affected him, but she was about to be disappointed. Rather than making the model cross and allowing herself the pleasure of bathing in his misery, the heiress instead found herself with a caring hand on both of her shoulders, and a compassionate look from the teenage boy in front of her. "Y-you actually believe all that, don't you?"

Chloe instantly took a step backwards, swiping off both of Adrien's palms in the process. "Of course, why wouldn't I believe the truth?! For as long as I can remember we've been together, supporting each other when our fathers were too busy for us. I was your only friend, and I knew from an early age that we were destined to be inseparable. Then, that piece of trash turns up one day, and all of my years watching the stars with you, hiding under the tables at fancy parties together and comforting you after your mother vanished? All wasted. As far as I'm concerned, you are the scum of the earth Adrien Agreste, and if I had my way I'd never see you again."

Chloe was extremely pleased with her thorough evisceration of the model, and she was sure now she'd at the very least spot a bit of negativity in his eyes, to help her satisfy this growing need in her system to cause him some level of discomfort, the same way he'd devastated her psychologically by abandoning her for the local pondlife.

What she actually got in response to her venom only added to her sense of frustration and annoyance. A sympathetic look, and a shake of the head. Not even a hint of irritation. It's impossible to shake this dude up. All he ever does when I try to belittle him is look at me in a sad way, almost as if he feels sorry for me. I bet inside he's churning, though... yeah, that's it! He's just got the best poker face around! What a douche, keeping all of his torment on the inside! Oh well, as long as I know I've won, that's all that matters...

"So, anyway..." Chloe smugly stated, pressing home her imagined victory. "Now that I've said exactly what I think of you, why are you still here? Shouldn't you be falling off some catwalk somewhere, with hopefully fatal injuries?"

"Believe me, I'd rather be anywhere else than here..." Adrien ignored the heiress's callous remark with an exasperated sigh. "But I got word from Miss Bustier that I had to see her after school, something to do with our little rendez-vous in the ladies toilets? From what I hear, you were invited to attend, too. So, unless you want to get in even more trouble than you are at the moment, my advice would be to stay put. Not that I expect you to listen to 'the scum of the earth', of course..."

Meeting after school, about the... Damn it! Chloe could have facepalmed there and then, if she hadn't wanted to not show weakness in front of her 'old flame'. Of course, she'd forgotten all about their detention after that nitwit wandered into the female facilities. This would mess up her schedule for the entire night. She'd have to delay trying on some dresses for the big soiree next week... telling Zzubo all about the unwarranted punishment she was about to suffer... and most importantly of all, ways to plot her revenge against all the misanthropes who'd attempted to make her life a living hell of late. Present company included.

Noting the heiress's angry reaction to this unanticipated revelation and her growing hostility towards him, even more so than before, it was all Adrien could do to shrug his shoulders. "Listen, I know this is all my fault, and I'm the last person you want to be with right now. Believe me I have certain other... duties to perform urgently as well, that this is eating into them, too. But if we can at least try to be civil to one another for the duration..."

"Speak for yourself!" Chloe fumed, with her arms crossed and a huge scowl covering her face. "Don't think I didn't see you, that blue-haired manstealer and your new pal, the 'geekazoid' talking about me all day. I bet you were all having a good old moan about me, weren't you? Well, you can say whatever you want, call me all the names under the sun if it makes you feel better. I'm done with you, and every other waste of space in this class. All I need in life is my Daddy, and Zzu... I mean, money. Yes, money." The heiress breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She thought she'd covered up that last little verbal slip rather well.

Adrien, at least, didn't seem to notice. "You're right. We were discussing you..." He said, with a rueful smile. "But, as usual, you've completely misinterpreted the situation. No-one insulted you in any way, we were just concerned about the way you've been behaving lately, that's all. One minute, we think you've turned a corner by appearing less flashy in public and owning up to all of your bullying, next you're worst than ever when you're rude to everyone in class and flicking erasers around like some kind of child! Sabrina came to me and Mari for help, because even though you two aren't friends anymore, she's genuinely worried sick about what's going on in your life to make you act out in such an unpredictable manner, Chloe. As am I..."

"W-well, you can save your tears for someone who cares..." For some reason, Chloe felt her bottom lip quiver, but she quickly stopped that. "I feel perfectly happy the way I am, and I certainly don't need the unrequested interference of a trio of imbeciles to ruin things for me. My Daddy is the lord mayor of Paris, and he can get me whatever I want! I'm beautiful, rich, live in a grand hotel... life couldn't be better... Why are you shaking your head?!"

"Because you forget Chloe, I've known you for far longer than anyone else here, and I can tell when you're lying." Adrien gave his ex-friend a mournful look. "The saddest thing is though, the person you're lying to the most is yourself, and you're just accepting it. I can't help but think this has a lot to do with Andre, who hasn't exactly raised you in the proper way. Listen, I know what it's like to have a demanding father who constantly sets strict rules and regulations, and expects you to behave a certain way at all times. The difference is, I did my best in the face of it all to be the person I want to be, whereas you seem to have fallen for his bad lessons hook, line and sinker. I hesitate to say this, but if your mother hadn't passed on when she did, things might have worked out differently, and I might still have my old friend..."

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY DADDY THAT WAY!" Chloe totally lost control, lashing out at Adrien's exposed face as if her nails could get him to shut up. "HE WAS THERE FOR ME WHEN NO-ONE ELSE WAS THAT DAY, APART FROM YOU... AND NOW I FIND OUT THAT WAS ALL AN ACT! I LOVED MY MOTHER... BUT SHE DID A LOT OF WEIRD THINGS, LIKE TREATING COMMONERS AS EQUALS, GIVING MONEY TO PEOPLE WHO WE DON'T EVEN KNOW AND EVEN REFUSING TO LET ME HAVE A PROPER ALLOWANCE WORTHY OF OUR WEALTH! AT LEAST MY FATHER KNEW THAT OUR KIND ARE BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE, HANDOUTS ARE A COMPLETE WASTE OF RESOURCES AND IF YOU'VE GOT MONEY YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SPEND IT WHENEVER YOU WANT! I CAN FORGIVE HER FOR THINKING THAT WAY HERSELF BECAUSE SHE CAME FROM A POORER BACKGROUND, BUT SHE SHOULDN'T HAVE TRIED TO PUSH THOSE STUPID BELIEFS ON ME!"

After her breathless shouting session, which left her exhausted but the model in front of her strangely unmoved, Chloe thought she detected a disapproving murmur from the bag at her side. It must be my imagination. Zzubo is my friend now, like Sabrina was before she was corrupted by that dumb cop father of hers. She'll do, and agree with, whatever I say.

Adrien again seemed oblivious to the noise around him, fully committed as he was to shielding his flesh from Chloe's claws. "Actually, I look on it another way. She was trying to protect you from the worst excesses of your father's behaviour, to bring you up right and not as the spoiled brat a lot of other children your age grow up to be, and you know what? It worked! I remember you saying 'Please' and 'Thank You' to everyone you met, doing your own dishes because you thought the servants worked too hard as it was and regularly inviting other children who were less well-off in to play. Do you recall what your nickname was, around that time? 'Little Angel', because of your golden hair like a halo, and your good-as-gold personality. Sadly, all that came to an end once Juliette died, and your father really went to town on you. I just wish I could have been there for you more, to stop him from influencing you wrongly as much as he did, but then we moved away and I didn't see you for years. I knew when we met up again you might have changed a bit, but not to this extent..."

"W-whatever, I-I don't care any more..." This time Chloe felt both of her lips quiver, so she turned her back to Adrien, refusing to let him see that he was getting to her. "The person you knew back then is dead and gone. Your 'Little Angel' is no more. I've seen the world for what it truly is... a place full of evil, deceit and hate, and the only way you can survive is being strong. My Daddy taught me that helping others and being kind is nothing but a sign of weakness, a trap that you're falling into now yourself, which is why we can longer be friends. The lower classes are like ants to be stepped on, and if you show them any mercy, they'll just spawn bigger and bigger armies until they take over. Have you ever heard of the phrase 'Nice Guys Finish Last?' Well, I'm looking at the very definition of that saying right now! So keep your do-gooding to yourself, because I'm living the high life, and no-one is going to stop me!"

Chloe thought she heard more disagreeable mumbling come from her bag at this point, but chose to ignore it.

In the meantime, Adrien's next question was straight to the point. "Chloe, why do you think I enjoy Marinette's company so much?" He asked, with genuine interest.

"I don't know..." Chloe shrugged her shoulders. "Poor standards? Desperation? Free profiteroles on a Sunday?"

"No..." Adrien exasperately rolled his eyes. "It's because she reminds me a lot of how you used to be, when I last saw you. Nice. Humble. Generous. Always putting others before herself. That could have been you, Chloe, if that tragedy hadn't happened. You and Mari could have even been good friends now, if not for what occurred on that day. As far as I'm concerned, I kind of lost two important people to me back then. My best friend's mother, and spiritually at least, my best friend as well. But, I won't give up hope. Somewhere in that self-centred, vicious, stuck-up, mean, selfish facade, there's a spark of the old Chloe left, and I'm determined to find it, no matter what you say."

Chloe had heard quite enough of this sanctimonious drivel, and Adrien speculating on the possibility that her and that... thing could have been bosom buddies in any reality was the final straw. "T-that's it, I-I'm leaving. I'm not staying here to listen to this rubbish, and you can tell the teacher whatever you want. If I get into trouble for it, I'm sure my Daddy would bail me out, anyway. Dream about the past as much as you want, but what you see is what you get with me now, so you better get used to the 'new' me. You can quote me on that to your future wife Marinette and your new family pet Sabrina, too. Just remember: she isn't housebroken. Anyway, all of you need to stay out of my life, and don't any of you even try to speak to me again. Goodbye."

As she left, she heard the loudest groan of all emerge from her bag, a noise so loud that even Adrien, in all of his consternation, started glancing around to see where it was coming from. Almost instinctively, Chloe gave her bag a little nudge to shut up the noisy kwami inside, before running as fast as she could... away from her demons and ghosts, into the light...

...But not before colliding head-on with Miss Bustier, who was carrying a whole stack of heavy encyclopedias.

Not realising who it was she'd run into at first, Chloe began shouting at the shellshocked teacher. "Hey, you myopic moron. Why don't you look where you're go..." Needless to say, as soon as she raised her head, she closed her mouth and turned appropriately ashen-faced.

"C-Chloe..." Miss Bustier started speaking, looking somewhat comical with an open hardback resting on her head like a fez. "What on earth do you think you're..."

"E-er, sorry Miss, no time to chat..." Chloe quickly picking herself, and ran in the opposite direction. "M-my Daddikins called and I have to be at this urgent charity function straightaway. It's an emergency, because the whole thing will be called off it I'm not there soon. Yes, all of those homeless dogs... I mean, cats... I mean, hippies would be lost, if not for my glorious presence, so I'll make up the time at some other point... maybe. Au Revoir."

With that final stammered excuse, the heiress made good her escape, but not before stealing a final peek at Adrien on her way out.

He was helping Miss Bustier in picking up all of her stuff, and apologising profusely on Chloe's behalf. For the umpteenth time that day.

That figures. What a sap. I don't know what I ever saw in him.

...

Almost as soon as she left the building, Zzubo shot out of her bag like a rocket, without even bothering to see if they were alone (fortunately, they were). She did not look pleased at all... in fact, she was more visibly upset than at any point since she'd forcibly ingratiated herself into the heiress's life. "Chloe, we need to talk. Now."

Still recovering from her draining encounter with Adrien, Chloe was not in the mood for yet another debate. "Listen Zzubo, can we go over this later, please?. I'm very sorry I nudged you in there, but you were making a bit of a racket, though who knows why. Is this about you running out of nougats again? Tell you what... I'll have an extra large bag of them bought up to you, when we get home, as an apology..."

"No, this is not about nougats, for a change..." Zzubo sighed, although she was a bit hungry, she had far more important questions to put to her mistress. "Did you... actually believe everything you said back there? Also, was that true, about how you were in the past?"

Upon hearing this, Chloe nodded her head with regret. "Sadly, it is. It's not a part of my life I look back on with pride. I used to think of the hired help as my equals, rather than the minimum wage slaves they are. I used to give all my money away to people who who hadn't even got the decency to sleep indoors. Worst of all, I was friends with filthy children who dressed terribly and smelt funny. All of these bad lessons were taught to me by my mother, who as much as I adored, was slightly eccentric in a lot of ways. Still, thanks to my Daddy I've now grown out of that phase, and my future couldn't be better... especially now I have you to do what I want!"

Zzubo had been listening to the heiress yammer on with an increasing sense of horror, but she had the feeling it was only going to get worse. "How do you mean?" She dared ask.

"Well..." Chloe replied smugly. "You've seen how horrible everyone in class treats me. Even Sabrina and Adrien, who I thought were my friends for years, turned out to be just as much fibbers as Lila The Liar. So I figured... why bother trying to be nice at all? It's all a deception to get what you want anyway, as my Daddy says, and now I have an everlasting kwami at my beck and call, I don't even need to bother faking my hatred of those toerags anymore. So from now on, i'll have no constraints on my behaviour, and if anyone steps out of line, I'll just use you to sort them out for me with your super-strength, or transform me into an alter-ego with your weird powers, and do it myself! Of course, I might endeavour to save the world a couple of times, but only to get a few positive headlines, not because any of the losers I rescue would actually deserve their miserable lives spared! So, how do you like my new plan? Sounds a lot better than your silly scheme to turn me into a goody-goody and put me hard at work aiding people who wouldn't even appreciate my brilliance, don't you think?"

Zzubo was so taken aback by the sheer chutzpah of everything she'd just heard, that even the chatty little kwami was lost for words. "I... Well...What... Why... How..." She struggled to formulate any proper sentence, her yellow face turning a slightly odd shade of orange.

Meanwhile, Chloe just tapped her foot impatiently and sighed. "What now, are you broken or something? Is there a place where I can take you to be fixed, and do you come with a guarantee? If that is the case, then tell me now... Don't forget I have a limo on standby, which you're holding me up from entering, might I add."

Chloe's latest helping of scorn seemed to snap Zzubo out of her lethargy, and she gazed upon her new mistress with a look of complete exhaustion. "Yes, Chloe Bourgeois, you're absolutely right. Something does need to be fixed around here quite urgently, but it isn't me. I'm actually here as the repair kwami, but the problem is, going by what I've just heard, I'm not sure if it's a job I can do alone anymore. Listen... I have to go now and seek out some advice, but rest assured, I'll be back in a few hours, and this conversation is not over. In fact, it's only just getting started. As is my time with you. Farewell for now."

With that, the bee creature set off into the sky, and was soon a mere blip on the horizon. Chloe's annoyed call of "Hey, I didn't give you permission to leave!" Fell on deaf ears, because as soon as the first word left her mouth, Zzubo had already completely vanished.

"Those weird kwamis, always talking in riddles..." Chloe muttered, as she made her way to the limo. "Just for that, I'll make her eat the chocolate covered nougats again tonight! That'll teach her... Oh, hey there Jeeves! Drive me to the mall please, I wish to have a celebratory shopping spree. I have a feeling that my life now is going to be very different... No, it's a left there, stupid!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Not much to say, apart from the next chapter is the end of Day 2, and this particular part was a lot of fun to write. See you all again soon! :)