|MIRACULOUS| Flipped

15- Detached

Mari slowly buttoned up her yellow blouse with a scowl on her face. She didn't want to go over to the Agreste's, and the more she thought about Adrien, the more determined she became not to go.

As I was getting dressed for the Agreste's dinner party, I found myself staring at the painting my father had given me and became furious all over again.

Adrien had never been a friend to me, ever. He hadn't taken my side about the tree, he'd thrown away my eggs, and he made fun of me at my uncle's expense.

"Mari, let's go!" She heard Sabine call. She sighed heavily before turning and storming out of her room.

When my mother called that it was time to go, I went out with every intention of telling her that I wasn't going to the Agreste's. 

"Please hold these," Sabine was saying to Tom, and Mari stopped in her tracks to observe the scene. Her mother was clearly worked up, stressing over the dinner. She was trying to get her dad to take the pies that she had baked to bring over with them to the Agreste's.

"I need to check my hair really quick, one more time."

"What?" Tom asked, exasperated by how stressed she was. "Honey, your hair is perfect."

"Really? You think so?"

But she looked so happy, and she'd gone to so much trouble over the pies that I couldn't.

"Hold it!" Sabine exclaimed when Tom almost dropped the pies, and Mari rolled her eyes with a small smile as she hurried over to help. "Ooh! Oh my gosh. Oh, God, what a disaster."

Tom muttered an apology as Sabine took the pies back. "Okay," she tried again. "Here, hold one," she told Tom then handed the other to Mari. "And you hold this."

"I don't wanna hold it," Tom complained, and Sabine took it back from him before he stepped away to head to the door.

"I won't have you hold it," Sabine told him then turned to Mari to quickly add, "Don't drop that, please. Let's go, boys. Come on, hurry."

But that didn't mean I had to be nice to Adrien.

"And I don't wanna speak to you. Not now, not ever." Mari turned her back on Adrien and smiled to herself proudly as she approached Chet and her father, listening to their conversation and soon after joining in. 

It felt good to take charge. I felt strong, in control. I told Adrien what I thought, and I was determined not to talk to him for the rest of the evening.

At dinner it struck me that we were sharing a meal with a group of strangers. We'd lived across the street from the Agrestes for years, but except for Chat, I didn't know these people at all.

Mr. Agreste was clean and smooth on the outside, but it seemed like there was something rotten buried just beneath the surface.

By the end of the evening, all I felt was detached, neutral. No fireworks, no leftover anger, no flutters, nothing. 

"See you," Mari said to Adrien before turning away and following her family out of the Agreste's home to go back to her own.

"Are you okay?" Sabine asked when Mari caught up to them.

Mari smiled and nodded, for the first time in a while truly feeling fine. "Yeah." She moved between her parents and the three wrapped their arms around each other as they walked, all wearing warm smiles. 

I went to bed that night feeling peaceful. I was grateful that I had the family I had.

And it felt good to no longer care about Adrien Agreste.