Gris Vipére

14 - Travis

Travis stared at them in surprise and wonder, as though she's looking at something new.

She rarely met kids around her age. But if she does, before, they would just nod or turn their cheek and wouldn't spare her a second glance as they follow their parent's footsteps. As if she wasn't significant in their business.

If they did acknowledge her, it'll be because of her status.

Lefévre? The daughter of Antoinette Lefévre the owner of that fashion botique?

Is one of the things they usually ask. They would look at her like someone to get money from once befriended.

But now, here are they, looking at her like a normal person. Even glaring, noticing the blonde girl. But she didn't mind. She smiled again.

As long as I don't mention my surname it'll be fine.

"H-hi! Nice to meet you!" Travis piped up.

They introduced themselves one by one. The guy she saw earlier greet Adrien at the entrance was Nino.

The pretty girl with dark blue hair in pigtails was Marinette. She took note of her look of surprise and slight panic when she first saw her, and assumed that she likes Adrien.

The cool looking girl with the glasses was Alya.

The brunette with almond-shaped  eyes was Lila, while the blonde was Chloe.

She pictured her as one of the popular girls in their school. Chloe also boasted that she's the mayor's daughter and she better not cross her or else.

"It's all nice to meet you" she said, clasping my hands as she was on her mini cloud nine.
"Chloe, she doesn't need to know that" Marinette warned.

"Oh, of course she doesn't mind. Right, Adrien?~" she curled up to Adrien, slipping her arm around his as she purred.

Travis almost snickered but she noticed Lila and Marinette's glaring at Chloe.

Travis was right, Adrien was their popular boy.

"Ugh, Adrien, don't you think Chloe is being a bit insensitive? Of course that'll bother Travis here" Lila gave her a brief look as she took Adrien's arm and tugging him away from Chloe.

Adrien was trying to keep a cool face, but a look of panic kept passing as the two bickered.

"A lady's man, huh?" Travis tried to joke as she stood beside Nino, watching the small scene unfold like a movie.

"Yeah" Nino chuckled "Ever since Lila came, the rivalry intensified" he scratched the back of his neck as he gazed at them looking all calm and cool. As if he'd seen scenes worse than this.

Travis noticed Marinette fuming behind them, Alya was by her side, trying to calm her friend down.

When Marinette stepped forward, that's when she noticed something on her back.

"Hey, Stop it—"

"Marinette, you have something..." Travis stepped to her and she stopped. Reaching over her shoulder, Travis pulled the white paper taped from her back away.

The scene paused for a while as I looked at the paper in my hands. Written in ink said

Your a loser!

Travis blinked. Marinette looked at it in surprise before reaching behind her back, as if she's looking for anything else that was stuck on her back.

"I didn't notice that..." then her gaze glared at Chloe "...Chloe did you?"

The blonde rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "And so what if I did? It states a fact about you!"

"You!—"

"Hm," Travis interjected before a fight could emerge. She held the paper in hand, still looking at it.

"You have a cute handwriting, Chloe" she said, admiring the paper like a work of art.

Chloe was taken aback. But for someone who gets all of the compliments, she reacts like she always do.

"Oh, of course~ everyo—"

"But your grammar sucks" Travis gazed back at the girl with an unreadable expression "Please don't use it in your bullying"

Adrien pursed his lips. A simple action to surpress a smile. Marinette has her eyes wide as she stared at Travis in surprise.

Chloe was shocked at first but then her face turned red from embarrassment "Why you—! Ugh!" she stomped her foot, clearly irritated by her own mistake "Whatever! I'm out of here!" She stormed away from the group.

Travis read about bullies from books or articles, and she despised them. Seeing how they take advantage of their superiority as well as other people's weaknesses, it was something she couldn't stand.

"Chloe! What about the bookstore?" Adrien, being his selfless self, still called out to the enraged blonde.

"Leave her be, Adrien. Interrupting her while her pride is too high would only make things worse"

Travis sighed, crumpling the paper "What a bully..." she tossed it into a trash can nearby "and there I thought she was a nice person"

"Well she isn't" Lila glared at where Chloe went off.

Marinette finally spoke. "That's just Chloe being Chloe" she turned to Travis, smiling "Anyway, thanks for standing up to her"

"Oh no proble—"

Travis was interrupted mid-sentence when a banshee scream resonated around them, shattering the mirrors in the shops in the process.

Instinctively, they fell onto their knees as they clung their ears shut from the shrill noise that could almost turn them deaf.

The scream stopped and the ringing was strong in Travis's ears. She slowly uncovered her ears as she rose to look around only to be pushed into a shop nearby.