|MIRACULOUS| Flipped

17- Flipped... Again

It was strange. Here I was, having lunch with the hottest girl in school, and I was miserable.

"We're going up to the lake," Chloe was saying. "My dad has a cabin there, and you get the most outrageous tan. And I mean... Do you remember what I looked like at the beginning of the year?"

Because less than twenty feet away from me was Mari. My Mari, with Max Kante.

Adrien had lost Chloe when she mentioned some 'outrageous tan' as his eyes drifted to Mari. He had a perfect view of her right over Chloe's right shoulder. She started laughing, and it sent a surge of jealousy rush through him.

She's laughing. What was she laughing about? How could she sit there and laugh, and look so beautiful?

"Adrien, are you alright?" Chloe brought Adrien's attention back to her.

"What?" He asked.

Chloe's smile faltered when she realized his eyes hadn't been staying on her. "What are you staring at?"

Adrien's eyes went back to Mari for a second, and he couldn't help but smile. He looked back to Chloe and shook his head. "Nothing," he said, then decided to look down rather than to stare at Mari again.

"Lunch is really delicious, Adrien," Chloe said, smiling now that it seemed she had his complete attention.

Adrien couldn't help himself. When he looked up to look at Chloe, his eyes went to Mari again and he longed to be with her. Chloe noticed that his eyes were not on her, again, and she grew annoyed.

"Adrien, did you hear me?" She asked. "This is a really delicious lunch."

"Can we not talk about tans or food?" Adrien asked, looking down, then back at Chloe.

"Well," Chloe was taken by surprise by the direct question but smiled. "What do you wanna talk about?"

"I don't know," Adrien started, but his mind was still away from his conversation with his date. "Perpetual motion? Do you know anything about that?"

"Perpetual what?"

Adrien looked at Chloe for a second longer before his eyes went to Mari again. Before he could stop himself, he was standing up.

I don't know what came over me. It was like I was possessed or something.

He walked away from Chloe and straight to Mari's side. He leaned slightly closer to her and said, interrupting something Max was saying, "Mari, I got to talk to you."

"What?" She questioned as she got out of her chair and let Adrien lead her a few steps away when he took her by the wrist. When he didn't say anything, just stared at her with his lips slightly parted, she felt confused.

"What's going on, Adrien?"

Adrien couldn't form the words. He wasn't sure how to say what he was thinking or feeling. He moved a little closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"What are you doing?" Mari asked, feeling more confused and a little embarrassed as they were drawing more attention.

Adrien still didn't say anything. His eyes closed and he leaned in. Mari realized what was happening and jumped back. 

"Adrien, stop it!" She exclaimed and ducked away from him, running off and out of the multi-purpose room.

Adrien felt stupid. He didn't know what had come over him, but now he was realizing that trying to kiss her wasn't the smartest move. 

"Adrien, you didn't even make it to first base!" A boy called out as all of the other students laughed and stared at him.

"Hey, Adrien," a girl called. "I'll kiss you! ha, ha."

Adrien stood, hardly hearing the teasing. He felt confused and frustrated at himself. He felt embarrassed by what he did. But mostly, he felt desperate to make it up to Mari, who he was sure was more embarrassed than he was. So, without saying a word to those who had been watching, he turned and ran after her.

"Mari!" He called as he came out of the front doors of the school. "Mari!" She was marching over to her bike, so he slowed. When she aggressively took it from the bike rack, he rushed forward.

"Mari, wait!" His voice cracked in his panic. "Can we talk?"

She rode away without saying a word. Adrien stopped walking and watched her ride away, though she called her name again.

"What's the matter with you?"

Adrien rolled his eyes, just now realizing his cousin had followed him outside. "Leave me alone, Felix," he said and started to walk away from the school.

"You get a date with the finest girl on campus," Felix pressed as he followed Adrien. "And you blow it for Mari."

"You wouldn't understand!"

"I completely don't understand!" Felix yelled back. When Adrien offered no explanation, he continued. "We're talking about Mari Dupain here. Nightmare neighbor, know-it-all nuisance. The coop-poop babe."

"Shut up!" Adrien yelled and pushed Felix away from him. Felix stared after his cousin in shock as he stumbled backwards and watched Adrien continue walking away. 

"Hey, have you flipped?! What's the matter with you?!"

Adrien didn't turn around, and it made Felix more annoyed. "You know what," he started. "If you're gonna be like this, I don't need the association!"

Adrien finally turned around. "Well, good," he said. "Because neither do I."

"Yeah," Felix agreed, and his voice cracked as he shouted. "Neither do I!" He shrugged at Adrien and sighed in frustration as his cousin kept walking away from him, choosing the strange girl over him.

As I walked home with the dirty dishes clanking inside my picnic basket all I could think about was Mari. And I realized that Felix was right about one thing: I had flipped. Completely.

Adrien stopped walking on the sidewalk when he noticed Mari's bike at the edge of her lawn. He looked up to her house, and knew he had to try again. He walked up the Dupain's walkway and knocked on their door. He knocked a few times, but there was no answer.

He sighed and went home, but he hadn't given up yet. He put the picnic basket down on his family's table and went over to his family's phone. He called the Dupains, and felt hopeful when he heard Sabine's voice answer.

"Oh," He stumbled over his words, taken by surprise that he actually got an answer. "Hi, Mrs. Dupain. Is Mari there?"

Sabine was quiet for a moment. "Oh," she finally answered, and it was obvious she was hesitating. "I'm sorry, Adrien. Mari doesn't want to talk." Before Adrien could respond, she ended the call.

The next day, Adrien went over to the Dupain's house again and rang their doorbell. Sabine answered, and he felt his desperation showing. 

"Please, Mrs. Dupain," Adrien all but begged. "I got to see her."

"I'm sorry, Adrien," Sabine said, and he could tell she genuinely was sorry. "But I'm afraid she's locked herself in her room."

Adrien looked down, crestfallen. He wasn't sure what to do or say as Sabine slowly closed the door. He knew that there was nothing he could do to convince Mari's mother to let him in and try to talk to her through her bedroom door. He would have to give her space for a while longer.

I tried to go to bed early that night, but I couldn't sleep. I watched her house from my window for hours. I had to find a way to show her how I felt.