Chapter 9: Let's go to the zoo.

When we arrived near the fountain, there were the three boys from last time. One of them greeted us directly in a friendly tone.

''Yo! ''

''Hey, how are you boys? ''

asked Carole, approaching them with a beautiful smile.

"It's ok on our side! ''Replied the three boys.

Their synchronization left me speechless.

Carole then turned to me, then she introduced me. It was a decisive moment. Not being aware of the contract that had been between me and Carole, they must believe that they are facing the man who destroyed all their efforts at seduction. What's more, this person is inferior to them in every way. It must be hard to digest.

"I present to you my best friends, I also call them the three musketeers. Here is Konny, Adrien and finally Morelle. ''

''Hello...'' I said in a low voice.

If I understood correctly, the boy with red hair is called Adrien, the one with blond hair pulled back is called Konny and finally the last one is Morelle.

First of all, they didn't answer me right away, they rather smiled at me. Their smile seemed natural, but also gave the impression that they were happy about something.

Now that I think about it, Carole probably told them we broke up. There was reason for them to rejoice. I see that I was worried for nothing. They no longer have any reason to hate me.

Lost in my thoughts and busy analyzing their reaction, I felt an icy wind tickle my back. This feeling gave me chills and intensified even more when a voice came out of nowhere called out to me.

"I conclude that it's you, the famous David…"

I jumped and slowly walked back. This voice out of nowhere came from behind me and belonged to a strange girl in a black dress.

She had long, straight black hair. Her tanned complexion and beautiful face did not leave anyone indifferent. On the other hand, his gaze... It was piercing and showed no emotion. She was beautiful, but unlike Carole, her beauty was cold.

I stared at him for a few seconds, what seemed like an eternity.

Carole took her directly into her arms. Immediately, this girl who seemed on guard softened. I saw her smile.

"But where were you? I thought you weren't going to come. '' asked Carole, stroking his head.

'' Ah good ? Yet I was there from the start, it's not okay to ignore your comrades. ''

''Ah. It's me who apologizes then. '' Said Carole then she turned to me.

"David. This is Myriam, my best friend. "

Myriam, is that what her name is?

''Hello...'' I replied shyly.

"In this kind of situation, we would rather say delighted or happy to meet you. You could use a little effort, Zombie. ''

Myriam... This girl spoke to me without mincing her words. The worst part was that she always looked at me with her piercing gaze. I felt a strange sensation, it was as if I found myself naked in front of her.

''I suppose you two get along well. '' Said Carole with an ironic smile.

Get along well? She rather scares me.

Myriam took a step towards the three boys in the group and gave them a dark look.

''Hey boys, can you stop showing that smile? I'm in a foul mood if you know what I mean. ''

The three boys did so immediately. I was not aware of the type of relationship that existed between them. But at this as far as I could see, Myriam exercised domination over the boys in this group.

Without asking anything, Carole came closer to me and whispered a few words.

"We didn't make a bet on the gender of the next person who would join our group. Myriam had bet on a girl so that we would be balanced. And the boys bet otherwise. Since you're a man, that means Myriam lost, which is why she's so upset today. Otherwise she's a nice girl. ''

I simply replied "I see…". So their satisfied smile was in no way linked to my so-called breakup with Carole but just because of a won bet.

So they smiled at me like an athlete admiring the trophy he had won during a competition. So I was wrong from the start.

On the one hand, this situation did not suit me at all. Now I had to face the wrath of a sore loser. I felt these negative waves hovering over my head.

"So friends, what do we start with today? '' asked Carole.

''It's been a long time since we went to the Zoo, we could take a trip there. '' Said Morelle.

''Yeah why not? ''

"So let's not go there…"

So we decided to go to the Zoo.

After having our entrance tickets we headed towards the area dedicated to animals.

I had isolated myself a little from the group. It wasn't like I felt uncomfortable, but I preferred to watch them from a little distance. Walking with them would have reminded me of my life before and also the mistakes that followed.

The same mistakes that risk happening again if I let myself go.

Casually, they still seemed happy. They talked about everything and nothing. A warm atmosphere seemed to envelope them. I became aware of the friendship that Carole wanted to preserve. Unlike me, she gave her all and in a way managed to preserve what was dear to her heart.

In the middle of their discussions, Carole turned around then came closer to me.

"Are you okay? '' She asked me.

''Yes, it's okay. ''

"I'm really happy to come here. Otherwise tell me, is there an animal that you would like to see first? ''

''Not particularly. ''

''A rabbit...''

I jumped straight away. This voice accompanied by an icy atmosphere still came from behind me.

I turned around and saw him.

It was Myriam...

''I love rabbits. And you zombie, do you like them? ''

She looked at me with her piercing gaze and her emotionless face. I was a little tense. This girl scared me. She could start by speaking to me normally and not talking to me without me expecting it.

And why is she talking to me about a rabbit?

''Let's just say... I don't hate them. ''

I responded as quickly as I could.

''Um...I see. ''

''You know, I don't think we can find rabbits in this zoo. '' Said Carole.

''I see... It's a shame. I'll settle for a black cat. ''

Icould feel a lot of pressure being exerted on me. This girl was not normal.

While I was lost in thought, Konny grabbed my shoulder. He spoke to me while making strange gestures.

''Don't be so tense buddy! '' he said.

My friend?

I looked up and saw him smiling at me.

"As you can see, you have a majestic man in front of you. ''

''... ''

''And nothing better than lions to go with a man as majestic as me! ''

If I understood correctly, he wanted to go see the lions. But I didn't know why he was making all this cinema. People stared at us. I was ashamed to stand next to him.

''So, are we going to see the lions David? '' He insisted again.

''Okay...'' I replied shyly.

I was starting to regret having come...

'' So here we go! ''

He and the other two rushed me forward. When I turned my head back, I saw Carole smiling at me.

As planned, we went to see the lions. They were huge and very impressive. We took the opportunity to go see the penguins who were standing a few meters from the lion cage.

"Come see Myriam. Penguins, they're cute. '' Carole shouted.

'' Yes. It's true that they are very beautiful. ''

"The girls are actually penguins. '' Said Adrien.

'' It's true ? ''

''Either way, they're the same. ''

We spent a moment in front of the window observing them. I watched them without being overexcited like the others. They were just simple animals after all, no need to make a big deal about it.

Then, I noticed that among the penguins, one had moved away from the group.

''Hey look at this one. He slides all alone in his corner, it's sad. ''

Said Carole, pointing at the penguin I had spotted.

''Yes it's true, you think he doesn't have any friends? '' Said Konny.

"Oh poor guy…"

To hear them talk, they seemed to be worried about this penguin. For them, being alone and not identifying with a group was sad. But I didn't agree.

''Can we at least do something for him? '' asked Carole.

I didn't want to intervene but given the turn of events. I was worried that they would decide to break the glass to interact directly with this penguin.

''You know, you don't have to do anything for this animal. If he decided to be alone, it's because he prefers that. Don't you think so? ''

It was absolute silence. They didn't answer me anything. They just looked at me. I felt like I had said something wrong. Carole clenched her fists and moved closer to me.

''Don't talk nonsense David, penguins are animals that live in groups. It is therefore impossible for someone to prefer to isolate themselves from the group. ''

''Yet he is alone at the moment. ''

"So that means there is a problem. So we can't leave it like this. ''

She took my hand and forced me to move forward.

''Where are we going? ''

''Spoke to the Zoo manager. ''

'' What ? You don't really think about it. ''

''If there is a problem with one of his animals, he should be informed, don't you think? ''

"Yes. But not in this kind of situation. ''

I felt someone tap my right shoulder. I turned around and saw Adrien. He smiled at me and said a few words to me.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to this kind of lame plan. ''

Hearing that, I lost all combativeness. For them, this kind of conditions was the norm.

So we went to explain the whole story to the head of the Zoo in his office. I was so ashamed that I didn't know where to stand. I also felt sorry for the person responsible. He was going to be bothered by young students for nonsense.

Surprisingly, Carole's words were quite convincing and seemed like she was talking about a much more important subject. As a result, one of the Zoo staff members entered a few minutes in the penguin enclosure and moved the penguin closer to its peers.

At first, the penguin was hesitant. But little by little, he began to adapt to the group and was surrounded by many of his peers. I observed it from the same place where I had first noticed it.

"Don't you think he looks happier like this? ''

This question was asked to me by Carole. I didn't give him any answer. In reality, I didn't have any.

We continued our visit.

There were all kinds of animals in this Zoo. Monkeys, zebras, snakes, elephants and even a polar bear.

It was entertaining.

But from walking too much, fatigue quickly set in. It's been a long time since I walked this much in a single day.

I was completely exhausted.

''I think we should take a break...'' Adrien suggested.

We went to a small restaurant within the Zoo. Inside you could buy ice cream and coffee. We drew straws and it was Carole who was responsible for collecting our orders.

I found myself alone with his friends. Watching them discussed, I felt nostalgic. That's when it appeared to me.

End of chapter.