Broken Girl [Arthur Leclerc]

Monster ✔

"One after another, they've always come and gone
So what if I'm a monster that's been here all along
They're dropping like flies whenever I'm around
So used to goodbyes, there's comfort in the sound."
Monster; Gabbie Hanna

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*TW - attempted assault*

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"First of all, I want to thank you for agreeing to listen. To be honest, I was losing hope, but as I thought, you are a clever guy," Ismaël was standing in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by everyone. Arthur was right on the opposite of Ismaël, his arms folded over his chest. Jacqueline was watching the whole scene from some distance. Just being in the same room as Ismaël was hell. Apart from Ismaël's voice, there was silence, no music was playing anymore, people stopped talking, everybody's attention was now on Ismaël Duclos. Everybody was dying to know what he has to say.

Jacqueline always had a bad feeling that her happiness with Arthur won't last long, that something is going to come between them. But she wanted to believe that she is just overreacting and that this time, no-one and nothing is going to come between them. That Ismaël is nothing but benign this time. Why would he even try to sabotage her relationship? They broke up, he did his revenge, he left the city. Case closed. There is no need to re-open it. At least Jacqueline believed that.

"First, I want to say that I'm not doing this because of envy or other bullshits. Jacqueline and I broke up a long time ago, we both have our own lives now..."

"Then WHY are you doing this?" Jacqueline interrupted him, and everybody looked at her.

"Jacqueline," Arthur sighed, giving her a clear signal that she should back off. Jacqueline was staring at him in disbelief, not able to understand what changed. She remembers him saying that Ismaël had something evil in his eyes, that he was fake. And now he's listening to him like he's enchanted or under hypnosis. He's turning away from her, like everybody else. One after another, they come and leave, they never stay. And one day, Arthur will leave her too. He would not be the first and definitely not the last to do so. But part of her wanted to believe that he is the one this time. How foolish and naive she was, falling for that stupid butterflies again. And she thought that she learned her lesson.

"You know," Ismaël spoke up, "I just don't want him to go through the same as I did. I want to warn him, so he knows what he got himself into," Jacqueline rolled her eyes, looking away. She noticed a waiter with a tray full of champagne glasses standing near her, "I just want the best for everybody, and I don't want him to get hurt. And there are a lot of things that he probably doesn't know about. I think it's time for him to drop the pink glasses he's wearing, " Jacqueline made eye contact with the waiter and waved at him to come closer. She took one glass of champagne, and after a few seconds of hesitation, she took a second one. Alcohol is disgusting, but she is gonna need it. This is going to be a long night.

"So what if you start talking instead of sugar-coating everything," Artur interrupted him, taking Ismaël a bit off guard. Jacqueline giggled quietly and emptied the first glass. It doesn't taste that bad at all.

"Straight to the point," Ismaël was trying to laugh it off and ease the awkward situation, "alright, alright. Where should we start? Maybe with the fact that she is toxic and abusive..."