I'm always here for you

14

———Adrien's POV (a few days later)———-

"Adrien?" Nathalie asks through my closed door. "Your father would like to see you in his study."

"He does?" I ask, opening the door. It's unlike my father to want to speak to me.

"You should get dressed quickly and join him there soon," she advises. I nod, and close the door to get out of my PJs.

"I wonder what he wants to talk to me about," I mutter as I pull a shirt over my head.

"Maybe it's about all those wheels of Camembert I made you order," Plagg offers.

"Honestly, that could be it," I laugh. "You're very demanding, you know, Plagg."

I finish getting ready and hurry to my father's study. I open the door slowly, somewhat nervous.

"Father?" I call into the room as I enter.

"Adrien," he replies irritatedly. "I'm working right now."

"You asked for me," I say, keeping my head down.

"Oh, right. I wanted to talk to you about your next photo shoot."

I make a confused face. Father never really speaks to me about my photo shoots directly; I normally get the details from Nathalie.

"We had one booked for this Friday," he starts. "But I'm afraid you won't be attending."

"I'm sorry?"

"We've hired another model for the shoot; one that fits the theme better."

"I... I don't understand... why can't I do it?"

"The other model is taller, and his build is... stronger," he explains.

"So... you're saying that my body isn't the right type."

"Yes, pretty much. And I don't think you can really pull off the same charismatic aura as our other model."

I'm speechless. How am I supposed to respond to that? I'm used to criticism—I get it all the time—but he doesn't need to be so... rude about it.

"Oh, look at the time," my father says, looking at the clock on his desk. "You should be getting ready for school."

I turn around and head back for my room without saying a word. I practically run down the hallways.

I can't believe he would say that to me, I think, tears threatening to fall. Why am I never good enough for him?

I throw open the door to my room and step into the bathroom. I stare at myself in the mirror, silently criticizing the things I don't like. Which is pretty much everything.

I don't want to go to school. I'd rather just stay at home and hide under my covers until the end of the world.

"Hey kid, you okay?" Plagg asks, flying up beside me.

"Yeah," I lie, and turn on the tap. I'm too lazy to take a shower, so I just splash some water on my face. I take a towel, press it against my face, and resist the urge to scream into the fabric.

"If you need to talk, I'm here for you," Plagg says, hugging my arm.

"Thanks Plagg," I mutter, placing the towel back down. "We should get to school."

————Mari's POV——-

"Adrien's late today," I whisper to Alya. "That's not normal."

"And neither is you coming in on time," she replies with a smirk. "He probably just slept in."

"Yeah, I hope you're right," I say. I don't know why, but I have a strange feeling that something isn't right.

Finally, after the longest 5 minutes of my life, Adrien walks in the door. I breathe a sigh of relief, thankful that he's okay.

"Hey Adrien, can I sit beside Nino today?" Alya asks, yeeting out of her seat.

"Um, yeah, sure—" he says. He's not actually given a choice; Alya is already in Adrien's normal spot before he has time to reply.

Adrien sits beside me, but doesn't acknowledge that I'm there. He stares down at the desk, a distant look in his eyes.

"Kitty?" I whisper. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he answers, still not looking at me.

"You're not a very good liar."

"I'm fine, really."

I back down after that, but I know he's not telling the truth. The hunch I had earlier about something being up with Adrien seems to be right; he isn't acting like himself.

Mlle. Bustier starts taking attendance, and I can proudly call out "present" for once. After she's done with that, she points to a poster taped to the blackboard.

"For those of you unaware, we have a very special event coming up," she says. "'Bring your Kid to Work Day' has been a tradition for many years. I'm sure you're excited to skip school and spend the day with your loving parents—"

"May I go to the restroom?" Adrien interrupts, shooting his hand in the air.

"Now?"

He nods, but doesn't make eye contact.

"Well, I guess so," Mlle Bustier says reluctantly. Once he's out of the room, she gives me a questioning look, as if asking if Adrien's alright.

I shrug, because I don't really know. Mlle Bustier gives a slight nod of her head towards the door, as if telling me to go after Adrien. I guess I'm not the only one who suspects something's wrong with him.

I head towards the bathrooms, but before I can reach it, I notice a dark flash outside of the window. I rush to the glass to see what had caused it, but whatever it was had already gotten out of sight.

Suddenly, I hear a weird rumbling sound, and turn my head towards a pile of rubble that used to be a lamppost. There's no mistaking the cause—that was the work of Chat Noir.