Manchote

Chapter Two

AN: Hey guys! Sorry, I definitely said I would update weekly and then haven't updated in over two ish months! I've been very busy with school and honestly have forgotten to update even though I already had the chapter written. From now on, I plan to actually stick to a weekly update schedule that I can hold myself accountable too, so the next chapter should be here next week around the same time!

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"Umm, bonjour!"

The large man seated behind the desk smiled brightly. "Bonjour, mademoiselle."

"Erm, parles-tu anglais?"

The man nodded. I exhaled, relieved. Hopefully that would make this easier.

"How may I help you, mademoiselle..."

"Blanche," I finished. "Corinne Blanche."

"Mademoiselle Blache! You're the new transfer from America?" I nodded. "I'm principal Damocles. Wait here, I'll go retrieve your new schedule."

Before long, I was thanking Mr. Damocles as I left his office, a paper copy of my schedule in my hand. The words were in French, but I understood enough to get a basic grasp of my schedule and the locations of each class. But, then again-

My leg caught on something. Suddenly, I was falling face first towards the floor. And then I wasn't. I looked up to see a blonde girl around my age looking down at me past her nose. She laughed and said some words in French I gathered to mean something along the lines of "stupid American" and a description of my fall. Bitch. I thought popular girls like her only existed in teen dramas. Then, I turned around to see who's arm had wrapped around my waist, preventing me from tumbling to the floor.

My breath caught in my throat. The prettiest boy I had ever seen was only inches. His green eyes stared at me past locks of almost perfectly golden hair. Something flickered across his face, but it happened too quickly for me to put a name to whatever it was he was thinking. I scrambled to remember what words to say.

"Um, pardon, je suis désolé!"

The boy smiled as I found my balance. "It's okay. Need some help?" He asked gently in English. He put a hand on my back My face flushed with heat as I readjusted my backpack and took a step away from the boy so we weren't so uncomfortably close.

"Sorry about Chloé," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "She tries to be nice." I raised an eyebrow. "Emphasis on the tries."

"Yeah, no kidding," I said. "Wait." I paused. "You're speaking English."

The boy's brow furrowed. "Hm?"

"You're speaking English."

He smiled, blushing. "I know a lot of languages."

"No, I mean, how did you know to speak to me in English? We haven't met, have we?" I struggled to sift through the faces I had seen since I had arrived in Paris, but everything other than my attack and rescue was meshed together in a blur.

The boy's green eyes widened. "Umm, I, uh-" he stuttered. "Oh! I, uh, had heard we were getting a new student from America. Since I've never seen you before, I assumed..."

"Oh. Yeah. That's me." I held out my hand. "Corinne."

He smiled and shook my hand. "Adrien."

I twisted the ring on my finger, feeling the conversation stagnating.

"Umm, so," I started, but stopped when I noticed Adrien frowning. I followed his gaze to my ring. He looked up at me when I stopped speaking. He looked pale; something was clearly bothering him.

"Can I-" He held out his hand.

"Uh, yeah." I placed my hand in his. "Is... is something wrong?"

"No, I just- Your ring. It looks familiar, is all. Where did you get it?"

"Oh, uh, I'm not sure. It's kind of a family heirloom.

He searched my face. I found myself twisting the ring again.

"Ummm, anyway, we should probably get to class."

"Oh, right. Sorry. Where's your first period? I can show you."

I pointed it out on the schedule, and he translated the name of the class for me before letting me know we shared it. We walked together to class, and although the walk wasn't silent, my mind was elsewhere. Adrien seemed like a really good person, but something about his reaction to me felt off. As if... as if we'd met before. I brushed the idea away, though. I was certain I would have been able to recognize him if I'd seen him before. But, then again.... He did look strangely familiar. Something about his eyes- I couldn't shake the feeling that we must have met before.

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The classroom was filled with hushed and frantic whispers I couldn't understand when we walked in.

"Where should I sit?" I asked Adrien. He scanned the room.

"Why don't you sit by me?" He suggested. "I'm sure Nino wouldn't mind, and I can help you with translations if you need it!"

He had a quick conversation in French with a boy seated in the front row. The guy nodded, smiled, and then moved his stuff to sit farther in the back. Adrien turned and smiled at me before gesturing to the empty seat. I laughed, and he blushed, sliding into the seat. I followed, sitting next to him and placing stuff on my desk.

The teacher, Miss Bustier, didn't bother introducing me. I was thankful. I'd gotten enough attention today, especially with Chloé tripping me and Adrien acting all weird about my ring. The awkward energy between the two of us seemed to have dissipated, which was nice. I wondered briefly if we could be friends, but I didn't want to raise my expectations to much. Then again...

It would definitely be a lot easier to survive in Paris with a friend.

The class went surprisingly smoothly. There were a few moments when, still being far from fluent, I'd get lost. When that happened, though, Adrien was always there to help me.

"Thank you so much," I told him after class. "I'm sorry for all the questions I asked..."

"Of course! And, don't worry, I've gotten great at multitasking." He paused. "If you want, I could help you with your french."

"Like... like a tutor?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"I- wow. That would be amazing."

"Then it's settled. I can meet you after my fencing lesson tomorrow?"

"Yeah! Thank you so much, Adrien. You're a lifesaver."

He smiled. "I try. Can I have your phone number?" I grabbed a slip of paper from my backpack and wrote down my number before handing it to him.He gave me his, and I added a contact to my phone for him.

"Thanks," I said. "See you later?"

"Definitely."

I gave him a small wave as he left.

Maybe my expectations weren't too far fetched. Maybe I could make friends, even so far away from home.