63. Day 5 Part 2

"...So as we can now see, when we carefully analyse the scenario in microscopic detail, the position of x is in direct calibration to y, but when we approach the obtuse angle from a ratio of one hundred and eighty degrees, I think you'll find the eventual outcome is quite different… Chloe? Are you even paying attention to this unparalleled feat of trigonometry and mathematics? You seem to more engaged in the ancient art of nephology rather than absorbing this fascinating combination and all of its numerous calculations…"

"...Nephology?! Sorry Max, I simply haven't a clue what that is. If it involves deeply thinking about one's place in life though, you've got it spot on."

"No, Chloe! The official school dictionary clearly states that nephology is the study of clouds. I'd read you the whole entry, but I appear to have left my copy of that esteemed publication in my desk today, back in our main classroom. Why doesn't anyone know these things?! You've been scrutinising that skyline so much I was starting to wonder if you had a secret hobby I wasn't aware of. I sometimes do it myself on more sedate days, but the only shapes I can usually locate are the very common stratus and cumulus. If only I could embark on an expedition to South Africa, I hear tell there are much rarer specimens there…"

"...Well, good luck with that, Max. I hope you find as many of those grey and white fluffy things as you can possibly stomach. I've got enough of my own problems thank you very much, without concentrating on such silly things…

"W-W-What?! I'll have you know Miss Chloe Bourgeois, that nephology is one of the fastest growing pastimes in the entire world! Why, I'm a proud member of the Official Junior Cloud Watchers Club Association, which boasts over two million representatives nationwide! I tried to start a similar club around College Dupont a little while back, but nobody seemed intrigued enough to pay the fee of five euros to join or even enquire as to its purpose. My fellow students don't know what they're missing out on… why, only the other day, I saw an exhilarating formation that looked just like Picasso's last great work…"

"Believe me, Max. If I ever need someone to cram with regarding future coursework, extracurricular activities or weird shapes in the wild blue yonder, you'll be the first name on my list. In the meantime, I have a splitting headache and not a paracetamol in sight, so if you would be so kind as to lower your voice just a tad and stop with the endless information dump for a few moments, I would be most grateful. Oh, and it's Chloe Bourgeois-Marigold from now on. Don't forget that. And tell all your study buddies, too."

"...Your loss, Chloe Bourgeois-'Marigold'. This is the kind of good stuff they don't teach you in general lessons, and you're passing up a golden opportunity in turning it down. I shall solve my intricate equation in silence then, but do let me know if you change your mind..."

"I will do Max, I will do. But don't hold your breath."

Aside from blocking out the pathetic teasing from a few other pupils regarding Nathanael's unseemly obsession with her that morning, and her own ongoing withdrawal symptoms from not digesting anything honey-related for breakfast (Zzubo having firmly slapped away any attempts by the heiress to steal any of the kwami's own precious candies in the bag), Chloe still had a great deal weighing on her mind.

She'd forgotten all about her loud escapades in the infirmary the other day with a comatose Lila, and now faced a double detention from the long-remembering Miss Bustier. Not to mention, there was also the strange matter of Adrien's oblique yet amused glances over at her during morning roll call, and the model looking away instantly when she spun around to question him about them.

I hope he hasn't suddenly developed an infatuation for me, just when I've got over him as a crush… she'd thought worriedly, while attempting to find the reason behind his bizarre behaviour. Best of childhood friends yes, but never anything more than that. I better let him down gently later on…

Adrien wasn't even sitting next to her anymore, the previous day's arrangement where Nino swapped seats having long since expired. Instead, in her usual place adjacent to Chloe was the unwelcome sight of Sabrina, who did all she could to turn away from her former bestie without actually falling off the chair. Of course, Chloe was more than happy to oblige in a similar manoeuvre, and the feuding pair didn't exchange a single word that first period before the heiress's first one-to-one of the day.

Now, courtesy of that wicked, wicked hat full of random names, the heiress found herself stuck with yet another bespectacled geekbait, only this one was far more interested in talking her ear off rather than leave her in blissful peace.

At least he's too interested in neurons and electrons and bon-bons to mock me about my lovelife… Chloe tried to find a silver lining on the raincloud that hovered over her life presently, pun not intended. After all, he's the type of hopeless loner who'll still be a virgin by the time he's… wait a second, why am I being rude about Max?! He doesn't deserve it… I'm just taking out my frustrations on him like I've done to so many others over the years. Damn it, if I'm going to totally turn over a new leaf, I'm going to have to learn to be nicer to people both in real life and my head.

Wanting to make things up to the boy genius, despite the fact he'd no idea about the negative opinions running through her head (he was indeed very smart, but Chloe was pretty sure he couldn't read minds), the heiress attempted to speak to the deeply-absorbed Max.

She still hadn't a clue how to solve his overcomplicated sum or any interest in it whatsoever, but if she could find common ground with Mylene, Ivan and even Alya (temporarily) surely she stood a chance to win Max's friendship.

"E-Er listen Max, I'm sorry if I offended you by not showing much enthusiasm for the project you're doing…" Chloe did her best to break the ice. "...But it all just sails right over my head. Is there something else we can talk about for the next ninety minutes now, which might help pass the time? After all, surely anything's better than sitting here doing virtually nothing until first recess…"

Oddly enough, Max seemed intrigued enough by Chloe's unexpected suggestion to glance up briefly from his deliberations. He opened his mouth to say something… then closed it. He then opened it a little wider… before deciding to shut it once more. It then seemed certain he was going to let the words leave his lips… but, nope.

Chloe waited impatiently for the nervous boy to utter one blessed syllable, but whatever he wanted to say had apparently given him the jitters, and the long run of goldfish-like empty mouth posturing continued unabated.

At last, at long long last, just as Chloe was about to give up and say something highly inflammatory to her companion which would've shattered her earlier vow to be 'nice' once and for all, Max's mental constipation finally receded. "A-Actually, there is something I wouldn't mind discussing with you, but my prediction is that you're not going to like it."

"At this stage, I don't really care!" Chloe blurted out, ready to hurl herself out of the second floor window in sheer boredom. "Just tell me what it is! If I get mad, you have permission to tell me to shut up. Come on, out with it!"

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you in advance… geez, I'm not used to talking about this category of topic. Give me a decent video game anyday…" Max took off his glasses to give them a wipe, before clearing his throat and preparing to reveal his secret. "I-It's about your lovelife…"

"W-What?!" Chloe began to bitterly regret coaxing Max so much into a conversation, and beads of sweat began to appear on her creased forehead. "D-Don't tell me you have a 'thing' for me as well…"

At this point, Max let out a raucous laugh that echoed all around the almost-empty room, so much so that Chloe was offended by the mere implications of it.

"I-Is the thought of dating me really so terrible?" Chloe remarked in consternation, unsure whether to be angry or sad, but ready to clout Max in either case.

"No, no, not at all…" Max wiped away a few stray tears of merriment, before going to pick up the paper with his work on that he'd dropped in the midst of his joviality. " I'm sure you're lovely… at least, you've never really done anything to me. Oh, apart from that swirlie you administered on myself during the first day you were here. And who can forget about that itching powder you deposited in my book bag a few months previous to now…"

"J-Just get to the point, please…" Chloe nearly facepalmed there and then, as sick of this endless obfuscation as she was hearing about her unsavory past behaviour.

"Oh, okay. Sorry, it's just that I like to keep a diary of things bullies to me over the years in my head…" Max informed the heiress, with a slight frown. "Still, it doesn't matter… it's just water off a mallard's back to me. After all, when they're serving burger and fries at the local fast food joint, I'll be saving the world in Silicon Valley! Some people help the planet by donning a costume and beating up bad guys, I'll be doing it in front of a computer screen! I'll love the work and get paid for it! It's a win-win situation…"

"Come on Max, save all that for the careers advisor…" Chloe sighed, almost in defeat. "I genuinely want to know… what did you mean when you mentioned my 'love life'?"

"Oh, yes..." Max nodded, postponing the big announcement of his future plans for now. "I was just asking for a friend, basically."

"Oh really… and who might that be?" The heiress wondered which of Max's little pals he played Advanced Dungeons & Dragons with in his basement might have professed a passing interest in her, and prepared to deliver the devastating news there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell of it ever happening.

"Yes, someone you might know very well…" Max carried on heedlessly, as if playing an extended guessing game with the heiress. "Pointed hair, sturdy physique, likes to challenge tomboys to track races and winds up zookeepers? I am, of course, referring to my good buddy…"

"Kim!" Max didn't have to reel off one more clue as to the identity of the not-so mysterious individual concerned, as Chloe suddenly yelped out his name anyway. A whole host of memories came flooding back at the mere sound of the jock's name ringing through her ears. The bridge humiliation, spider threats during class election season, the gift he threw over the Seine which he never got chance to give me…

"That is affirmative." Max nodded in return, before an uncharacteristically expression of sadness suddenly covered his face. "I've got to say, I have been experiencing some major concerns for his welfare of late. If he shows up at school at all he barely focuses on his work, in track and field he usually finishes around last place when he used to whup the competition, and he doesn't laugh at my hilarious Mickey Mouse impressions the way he used to! It's a big invasion of privacy me telling you all this now, but I am extremely worried about him, and I think if anyone can help me with him, it's you."

"Oh I see, and you want me to date him just to make the dude feel better?" Chloe humphed with her arms folded, not liking where she thought this was going. "Don't you think that's a little unfair on me and my wishes? Besides, if your Mickey Mouse impressions weren't doing any good, I don't see how my faked affections would achieve anything better…"

"No, no… you've got it all wrong." Max waved his hands in the air, indicating that not for the first time Chloe had gotten the incorrect end of the stick. "What I'm basically saying is while his depression probably was triggered by whatever you said him on your little rendezvous outside school a couple of days ago, he doesn't want to actually go out with you now."

"O-Oh." Chloe raised an eyebrow, her initial concept of the situation proven most inaccurate. "So, if Kim knows we're never going to become an item and yet he's still moping about as you describe, what could be causing him to go through the funk he is now?"

"A number of things, really." Max hummed, as if charging up the inner workings of his brain. "After careful diagnosing the ongoing problem, and observing all possible conclusions, I carefully weighed up…"

"In French, if you'd be so kind, Max..." Chloe rolled her eyes at what she perceived as an over-elaborate solution to the problem.

"Oh, right… brevity. Quite a novel concept. I shall try and give it a go." Max conceded to Chloe's demand and for once, spoke in plain terms with no technobabble. "Kim is currently undergoing a massive female related crisis of confidence, caused by his unmitigated rejection by the most unpopular girl in school. He feels that if you won't date him, he doesn't stand a chance with anyone else. And he has his eye on a certain pink-haired lady at the moment, but due to his overall feelings of worthlessness…"

"Yes, okay, I get the gist of it. It all sounds like yet another mess I have to clean up…" Chloe sighed, bitterly regretting her initial contempt of this whole session week with all of her classmates now. "So, you really think that by just talking to him, it'll improve his mood?"

Max nodded his head affirmatively at this suggestion. "If you could give him a pep talk, and tell him the reason behind your rejection of him was nothing to do with his imaginary unpleasantness, I'd really appreciate it. You don't know how hard it's been watching him stumble about, a shadow of who he used to be. If you could get him back to something resembling his old self, perhaps it might make up in some small way for…"

"Look, as I've already told countless people the last few days, I totally regret anything bad I might have done in the past and am doing my best to rectify my mistakes!" Chloe snarled, wondering when people would start coming around to accepting the 'new' her. "Also, for your information, I had absolutely nothing to do with Alya's mother being fired. Gosh, you make a few wrong turns in your life, and you're blamed for absolutely everything! Don't people believe in second chances anymore?!"

"W-Well, in all honesty…" Max dared to intervene in the middle of Chloe's tirade, with a single shaking hand raised. "In your case, there have been more than 'a few'. Here, I've put together a dedicated pie chart which clearly shows, that ever since four years ago, the gradual escalation of your bullying in the graph…"

"Alright, alright, I get you. Please, I'm trying to look forwards, not backwards." Chloe sighed in realisation of the fact it would take a lot more than warm words to erase all vestiges of her old self, but then a sudden question pertaining to what they were discussing before popped in her head. "Err… Max, could I ask you something too, please?"

A little irritating at his mathematical conundrum being interrupted once more, Max slowly lifted his head up to stare at Chloe quizzically. "Yes, what is it? I can answer nearly any query you might have, unless it's from a few grades higher."

"No, it is not an educational question…" Chloe smiled slightly in amusement, before getting serious once again. "I was just wondering, if you don't mind my asking… how did you and Kim become such good friends in the first place? I mean… and forgive me if I sound kind of rude, I can't really imagine such polar opposites as you two getting along. How did it happen?"

"Well it was quite simple, really…" Max grinned slightly, while recollecting the story. This wasn't the first time he or Kim had been asked this before. "He needed extra help with his homework one day, and I gave it to him. After he passed his test with flying colours, we got talking to each other… and we soon discovered we had a lot more common than we thought! Just because we're from two different cliques, doesn't mean that we can't be the best of friends as well! I still help him out with his homework occasionally, but he's much better at it than he used to be. That's what good pals do after all, help each other out..."

As Max continued to ramble on, Chloe's mind began to wander to other matters. The boy genius's ebullient reconstruction of his friendship with Kim had reminded her of a broken relationship with an ex-bestie of hers, and not in a comfortable way.

He could be describing me and Sabrina there, after all we're both very different people who seemed to get on alright once upon a time … Chloe winced, while comparing the two scenarios very closely. The only difference is, I didn't give too much back in return in our friendship, and she used to do all of my homework, not to mention a bunch of other horrible stuff at my bidding. This doesn't mean I want anything to do with the useless nerd now, b-but…

"...And I'd never seen such a big blister in all my life!" Max had just finished telling a no doubt chucklesome anecdote, but with the heiress being stuck in daydream land, she hadn't heard a single word of it. "Hey Chloe, are you alright? You look as though your conscious thoughts are someone on Pluto, which of course wouldn't be possible as it is scientifically proven that brainwaves cannot transmit that far, and it will be at least a thousand years before we possess the advanced technology to venture anywhere near that non-planet…"

"S-Sorry, I was just dozing off a bit there…" Chloe snapped to attention once more, swiftly erasing all trace of old memories from her head. "Now, I shall definitely have a serious talk with your friend later on, but in the meantime, do you have anything else you want to do that we can enjoy together? You know, something that won't fry my primitive brain."

"Well…" Max thought deeply for a moment, before rummaging around in his large knapsack. "Let's see now… I have a fully stocked chemistry set, but I don't want to set off the fire alarm again and get my sulphuric acid confiscated. I have a rare board game called Curtsa Samoht, but it's mostly in Swahili so you might not understand it yet. Hmm… what about this 1000 piece Star Trek puzzle…"

"Yes, yes… that'll do fine!" Chloe literally ripped the jigsaw out of his bag, desperate for something, anything to do at this stage.

"Oh, okay…" Max exclaimed, somewhat surprised at Chloe's eagerness. "I've completed it many times before, but I don't mind starting again. It's heaps of fun! I tell you what… I'll start with this side, which is the Starship Enterprise, and you begin with the other side, which is dark uncharted space. I think you'll find it slightly easier than my end. Now let's go… and see if we can beat my all time record."

"Okay, and what might that be then, Max?"

"Wait a second Chloe, I think I've got it written down around here somewhere…"

"E-Er, forget about it, then! Let's just get started."

"Alright. Shall I lay down the first piece?"

And the two of them spent the next hour-and-a-half laughing, joking, pondering, thinking, indulging in a lot of small talk…

And you know what?

It was heaps of fun.

…..

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm not often one to toot my own horn, but I'm particularly proud of this chapter. Did you enjoy reading it, too? Let me know in the comments section down below!

Also, the new season of Miraculous has now been delayed until December. Yes, you heard me right… December. WWAAHH! ****Goes off to smash something****