Heartless pt.2

Caffeine

Nathalie was out first, then Gabriel came out of the room, still dressed.

G- Nathalie, my tie got caught in my jacket.

N- Jesus, alright, I'll help.

She climbed out of the water and dried her hands off on her towel, working on untangling his tie, witching 3 seconds she'd swung it around her finger.

N- Stuck? 

G- I couldn't get it.

N- Your a grown man.

G- I have big hands.

N- You stitch tiny lines and hold even tinier needles.

G- I'm not wearing my glasses.

N- Alright, go change.

She threw the tie back at him and smirked before jumping into the water. He went back into the change room and put on his swimming trunks, and dove in with them, when Briand came back, he put on his bathing suit and had to show off, by climbing to the top of the diving board and doing fancy flips on the way down.

N- You really do never change.

B- Got a problem with that, Natty?

He grabbed her and pulled her under the water, she resurfaced after struggling and splashed him with water.

L- You look like a couple of 5 year olds.

N- Considering I'm a year older than you.

L- And?

N- Nothing.

She gave up and swam over to the stairs and sat down, cheering as Adrien and his friends took turns doing flips off of the diving board. At some point in between Gabriel came over to her and sat beside her on one of the lower steps, she kept her arms around his shoulder and rested her chin on the top of his head.

G- Your brother's definitely a unique soul.

N- Why? What did he do?

G- Nothing, just mostly telling me things you'd done as a child.

N- I'm afraid to ask, but like what?

G- Well, mostly stories about how much you like to pick apples, but you'd only eat them if they were picked in the fall. And you'd only go on walks, if you asked to. 

N- So, specifically the things I asked for or did as a child.

G- Yes, my dear.

They kept watching as Alya won the canon ball contest, at around 5, they decided to go home for supper. Nathalie dried off her hair before changing back into the dress, and making sure the shoes were dry. Chloe folded her Queen Bee bathing suit and put it back in her duffel bag, her and Nathalie went out to the lobby to wait for everyone.

C- Nathalie?

N- Yes?

C- Thank you for standing up to my mother, I know she's horrible to you, and I was too. Thank you.

She hugged Nathalie and smiled sadly.

N- Nobody deserves to be treated that way by their own mother, I wanted to help you.

C- Thank you...

Was all she could say, Chloe let go of her once her phone rang, her father had called, she stepped away to talk to him. And Nathalie was left alone, a moment to herself, a moment to think about everything. She'd realized, if her landlord had never kicked her out, she probably wouldn't be where she was right now, so as much as she hated the thought, she had to thank that jackass.