Bad Influence - popular girl x nerd boy

5.5

surprise hehe... I've decided to have a few sub-plot chapters throughout the book. so far there are <4 planned and they all center around Adrien/Chloe. this might change. absolutely not necessary to read for the main plot, but it does reveal a lot about the character and it's essentially a short, additional story with a completely different but just as beautiful trope.

so, enjoy! 

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The second Adrien catches sight of the fiery girl with as much attitude as blonde hair, he starts thanking his gods. He knows who Chloe is, of course, and like all of the other boys in their grade, her reputation does more to draw him in than scare him away. In her three and a half years of high school, few people have had anything good to say about her personality. She is known for using and abusing men, not trailing after them with teary eyes or waiting for her heart to be broken by them.

That is what Adrien likes about her.

Chloe is powerful in her own manipulative way, where she won't ever let another person hurt her, let alone give a man that chance. Most of all, he likes the fact that she will probably end up hurting him.

The second Chloe hears the soft laughter of the school's best athlete, all she wants to do is turn around and walk back out of the kitchen. She steals glances at the door frame, calculating how fast she can get out of her conversation without being noticed by Adrien.

The only problem is Chloe has never been good at blending in.

Soon enough Adrien's eyes wander around the rest of the room, finding hers. His green eyes glow in recognition and he looks away with a small grin across his face.

It's not that Chloe doesn't find Adrien attractive, no, to Chloe's annoyance it's the opposite. There are times when Chloe wonders what he tastes like or when she wishes that he held her the way he often does with other girls at parties. But no physical attraction has ever been able to distract her from the way he treats her.

Never once has Adrien ever made a comment about her body.

He often flirts without hesitation, but it's not sexual. Compliments fall from his mouth easier than air does, and every time Chloe is unfortunate to talk to him he always manages to add a few into every other sentence. But he doesn't speak the same way that other boys do to Chloe. He notices her eyes and her smile, comments when she tries a new nail color and has never so much as looked at her chest while talking to her.

It's respect that she isn't used to.

To Adrien, Chloe isn't a prize to be won or flaunted to make his friends jealous. She is an enigma so interesting, with a hidden personality like riddles he would spend years attempting to solve.

Chloe couldn't even remember the last time a guy had wanted to get to know her. Not how she felt or how she kissed, but who she was.

And that scared her.

Being messy or a "slut" was easy, but her emotions were not. As a freshman, it started as a way for her to receive easy validation, a way to be compared to others, and for once, win. Being called the prettiest, the hottest, or simply the best was all she craved. Then, too soon, she caught feelings for the wrong boys, who would always leave her for the newest option available. She learned quickly that people are either the players or the ones getting played, and she refused to lose that game again. So now she cuts off the boys she gets too close to, trying to stay in control of her emotions and her heart so no one else can.

Chloe starts filling three cups up with whatever concoction she can make, moving her hands and counting the seconds to keep her mind off of the boy slowly approaching.