40. Day 3 Part 12

Chloe froze on the spot, unable to quite process the improbable spectacle that lay before her eyes. My Daddykins... Lila... does. not. compute...

She had no idea what sort of freaky face she was pulling at this specific time, but she was certainly grateful the vast majority of the student body had already packed up and gone home. She'd suffered more than enough humilation lately, thank you very much.

It was as the heiress was caught in this flux of utter bewilderment that Mr Bourgeois spotted her, and a frown as deep as his pockets set on his forehead at the sight of his precious looking so tawdry, especially out in public. Lila, ever the perceptive one, observed her conversation partner's abrupt change in mood, and immediately guessed correctly who'd emerged from the building behind her.

"Chlo-Chlo!" What happened next defied all convention, but it unfurled anyway. With the cutest shriek imaginable, Lila spun on her heels and literally flung herself at Chloe, encasing the heiress in the tightest hug she'd ever had, with the possible exception of Zzubo's super-strong embraces.

Stunned as she was by recent events, Chloe, or 'Chlo-Chlo' as she was apparently now known, was powerless to prevent the Italian from resting her head on the blonde's shoulder, while her father continued to glower in her direction with his arms firmly crossed. All she could do was wait and see where this crazy day would take her next...

"You better play along, or you know what'll happen next..." Lila's unveiled threat in the heiress's ear suddenly bought her back to reality, and suddenly she was being dragged towards the mayor by her new 'friend'. Still struggling to put a cohesive thought together, let alone say two words in a sentence, Chloe had little choice but to let Lila do most, or rather all, of the talking.

"...So, as I just telling your darling Daddy here, Chlo-Chlo..." she gushed, without missing a beat. "I've only been in your charming city for a few short weeks, and already we're the bestest of buddies! When I came here, from my tiny little village in Italy, I had no idea that I'd make such a special friend who could do so much for me, least of all that she'd be related to the handsome mayor. I feel so lucky!"

Hearing Lila's nauseating sucking-up make Chloe want to vomit, but it had quite the opposite outcome on the easily flattered Mr Bourgeois. The quiet fury he'd displayed up until now seemed to soften a bit, and if Chloe was sickened at the Italian's mendacity, then at least her shameless fibs had the desired side-effect of cooling her father's ire. Lila wasn't quite done yet, though.

"...It's just such a nuisance that you've been under so much strain lately, what with that old nerdy friend of yours with the glasses's betrayal... what was her name, again? Sarinda, or something? The way she abandoned you for that clumsy girl who always comes to school covered in flour... disgusting! Fortunately, I was around to pick up the pieces and put you back together again, not that I want to take too much credit..." Lila boasted, and while it was all Chloe could do to not roll her eyes in disbelief, her father seemed to be eating up all the nonsense like it was filet mignon.

"I can't believe how close we've become in such a short space of time!" Lila continued to lie through her pearly-white teeth. "We've done each other's nails, exchanged beauty tips, and started our own little clique! We've even invited all the 'misfit' girls to join, like that weird reporter and that loner with purple hair, to show how inclusive we are! So sad, when they're left on the sidelines just for being different, isn't it? They can't help being the way they are, after all. And now, we have our own special bestie nicknames, too! What was the one you thought of for me, again? I seem to recall, it was something very nice..."

Lila mockingly cupped her ear in Chloe's direction, and the heiress was sorely tempted to either a) Give it a good whack or b) Come up with her own unflattering nickname for the Italian, something that rhymed with 'Flying Witch'.

As it was, she had little choice but to carry on the ridiculous pretense, so under great duress, she put on her phoniest smile and concocted one on the spot. "Why, Li-Li of course! Don't you remember, Lia... I mean, Lila?"

The Italian bristled slightly at Chloe's not-quite unintentional slip of the tongue, but managed to maintain her poise. "Yes, that's right! Oh, and before I forget, your Daddy was asking me if I knew anything about your, ahem, unique wardrobe at this present moment, and before you made your unexpected arrival, I was just about to tell him..."

Uh oh. What's she going to say now... Chloe glanced nervously between Lila's smug demeanor, and her father's annoyed counternance.

"...That you were just trying to make the less well-off members of the class feel better about themselves, by putting yourself on their level, for once!" Lila's grinned like a shark, while patting her 'prey' on the shoulder. "It just goes to show what a kind, thoughtful girl you are, that you should go around looking that scruffy for their benefit, and how blessed I am to have you as my new bestie!"

There then followed a knowing wink from Lila to the completely nonplussed Chloe, before the Italian turned around once more to address the clearly impressed Mayor. "I know you've been worried about your daughter's mental health of late, Mr Bourgeois sir, and I can't say I blame you. In some regards, she has been acting very pecularly. But now that I'm here, all of your fears can be put to rest. I'll look out for her from now on, and make sure she doesn't get into any more mischief! In return, I'm sure she can do a lot for me... a naive foreigner in a strange, new land. Well, I gotta go... I promised my dear mother that I'd help her bake cookies tonight, and my father, who used to work for the Italian government, is always strict about curfews..."

"Did he, now?" The Mayor spoke for the first time, as he stared in awe at the brunette so fondly, you'd think she was his own daughter.

"Yes. He helped organise the welcoming committees for all the visiting dignitaries. You know... diplomats, kings, queens, that sort of thing. I think we even met the President of the United States once. Not the new one though, thank goodness. He sounds like a bit of a douche. Anyway, it was lovely to meet you! I'll see you tomorrow at the front gate, Chlo-Chlo. We'll have an even funner day tomorrow than today... won't that be something? Well, toodles!"

And with an exaggerated hop, skip and a jump, Lila was on her way, leaving Chloe all alone to face the music. She braced herself, for what was bound to be a verbal onslaught of the highest order...

But it never arrived. Sure, her father looked like he was about to say something, but he was still too captivated by the dazzling Italian student to concentrate properly. A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he decided to call after the brunette just as she was turning the corner. "Miss Lila!"

"Yyeess?" Lila stopped mid-trot, almost as if the fact she was being asked to return wasn't a surprise at all.

"It probably isn't much compared to what you're used to..." The Mayor admitted almost apologetically, his eyes trained on the pavement. "But we're having a bit of a ball in the town hall a few days from now, and I think it'll be quite pleasant. The British Prime Minister will be there, if that means anything to you. You don't have to say anything right now, go home and think about it if you like. However, and I think I speak both for me and Chloe when I say this, we would be honoured if you'd humble us with your benelovent attendance..."

"Why yes, of course I'll come!" Lila smugly replied, as she watched the Mayor's face light up and Chloe's almost dropped to the ground. "You're absolutely right, it most likely isn't much in comparison to some of the more flashier parties I've been to, but I'll go to yours in support of my good friend Chlo-Chlo. It sounds like a lovely, homely kind of affair... and besides, from what I hear, there's a boy I really like who'll be there..."

"Oh, and who might that be, then?" Mr Bourgeois asked, a goofy smile covering his features.

"Well, I'm not sure I remember his name..." Lila scratched her head vigourously, pretending to think. "He's blonde, got the most gorgeous green eyes I've ever seen, quite softly-spoken, always comes to school stinking of Camembert, but I can forgive that. I don't know, he might be some kind of... model, perhaps? I think he's the son of some... fashion designer?"

"Oh, you must mean the Agreste boy!" The Mayor laughed jovially at Lila's so-called confusion. "Yes, my Chloe here used to play with him when he was just a little snot-nosed brat, don't you remember, dear?"

"Y-yes f-father." Chloe snarled through grit teeth. The blonde was beginning to wonder just how much more of this she could take before her imminent explosion.

"I thought it might be him..." Mr Bourgeois nodded, either unaware or ignoring his daughter's petulant tone. "Anyway, I'm so glad you've decided to patronise our little get-together with your glorious presence, my dear. You'll need a written invitation, of course... the bouncers at the door can be quite strict. We want to keep out the riff-raff, you understand. Don't fret though, I'm positive I have one somewhere tucked in the back of the limo. Just give me a minute..."

And as The Mayor rummaged around in the interior of his posh car, Chloe's attention was suddenly drawn to Lila, who was making all kind of rude expressions at her. Sticking her tongue out, waggling her fingers, screwing her face up... and all this time, the heiress showed remarkable restraint not to go over there and clobber her.

The only other witness there, Jeeves the chauffer, saw what was going on, but wasn't sure what to make of it. Those two together look like many things, but most definitely not friends... he mused to himself, but wisely decided not to speak out of turn.

Just as Chloe was on the verge of losing control and kicking the Italian back to her home nation, her father found what he'd been after, and withdrew his expansive form from the expensive vehicle. "Here you go, my dear..." He said smilingly, handing over a personally handwritten note to the Italian. "I'm sure you'll have a lovely time. And, as an added bonus, because you've taken such good care of my little pumpkin here, I'll make sure you're seated right next to Adrien Agreste at the banquet table later on, and you can try your luck with him there. He could do with cheering up anyway from what I hear, after his mother disappeared mysteriously a few years ago. Won't that be nice?"

"Oh gee... thanks, Papa-Bourgeois!" Lila lightly kissed the Mayor's cheek, before saying in a very 'innocent' way. "I-I mean, Mr Bourgeois. Sorry I just called you that, but even though I do love my real father, he's always at work, so I don't never get to see him enough. I've only known you for a short while, but in that time you seem like a much more committed Daddy than he's ever been, the sort I always wanted, so I guess it kind of slipped out. Chloe is so lucky to have you all to herself..."

"You may call me Papa-Bourgeois, if you so wish..." Clearly amused by the Italian's 'cute' interaction, he gently patted her on the head. "You better get home now though, love. I don't want you to get in trouble with your real father, and it might spring back onto me, too. After all, he sounds very important... he is, isn't he?"

"Oh yes, of course he is!" Lila giggled, as if this was a very silly question. "In fact, he has hundreds of people working for him, and when I tell him how well you've treated me today, all of them are going to vote for you! Otherwise, he'll have them fired. Pretty cool, eh?"

The Mayor raised an intrigued eyebrow on hearing about, from his perspective, a kindred spirit. "That's your Daddy, eh? I like him already. Tell you what... let me just see if I can find another invitation in my car, so he can go with you. He sounds like the kind of man I could share a glass of champagne with, and debate about business practices, while we exchange connections..."

"NNNNOOOO!" Lila's suddenly raised voice shocked both Chloe and her father, as for once the Italian's seemingly unpenetrable facade showed a crack. "I mean... I'm pretty sure he's working that day, which is a shame because I'm sure he'd have loved to have come. Yeah... he's always working..."

The last part of Lila's sentence there carried real resentment, and for a moment Chloe revelled in seeing the formerly ice-cool temperament of her new 'friend' shatter so easily. But before she could enjoy the brunette's discomfort for much longer, she'd already began to dash off again, this time at a much faster pace.

One person who hadn't seemed to noticed Lila's bizarre mood swing was The Mayor, who was still caressing the spot on his cheek where the Italian had smooched him. "S-she called me... Papa-Bourgeois..." He said over and over to himself, as if in a trance.

"Hello? Daddykins?" Chloe attempted to get her father to snap out of his stupor... waving her hand in front of his face, snapping her fingers, shouting his name... but it was all to no avail. She sighed in frustration, and decided the only way to get his attention was to nudge his not inconsiderable girth.

"Ow!" That seemed to have the desired effect. "What do you think you're doing, girl?" He said, while rubbing his now vibrating belly. "All you had to do was ask to get my attention, but instead you decide to resort to physical abuse! This is all down to that policeman's daughter you used to hang around with, isn't it? I knew I should have fired him when I had the chance! Well, just because that rough stuff works on the streets, it's unacceptable to use those methods on me! Are we clear on that, young lady?!"

"B-but D-dad..." Chloe began to protest, but eventually decided it wasn't worth it She never won these battles. "...Yes, sir."

"Good." Mr Bourgeois nodded proudly at yet another fine piece of parenting. "And you are not to see that 'Sarinda' ever again. I'm so glad you've finally come to your senses, and decided to make friends worthy of our family name! That Lila girl is lovely, and I want you to stick close by her and copy her behaviour from now on. As for the rest of your recent conduct, though..."

At this point, he opened up the passenger side of the limo, and gestured at his daughter to climb in."...We'll discuss it more when we get back to the hotel. Home, Jeeves."

The chauffer looked almost apologetically at Chloe as she got into the car, while the heiress could only stare despondently at her bag with the kwami inside, as the door was slammed shut and the vehicle sped off. She'd sat through enough of her Daddy's lectures to know how tough they could be... and he looked especially ticked off this time.

Oh Zzubo, what am I going to do?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, first new update of 2017... HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Hope you got everything you wanted for Christmas, and spent lots of time with your folks... My answer to both of those questions would be YES (Kind of) and a bit too much time, hence the slight delay of this update...

Today's question for you is: When the Bee holder is revealed in canon, do you think she'll able to fly? Looking forward to reading your comments... ;)