Paris is Weird

Chapter 7: An Unusual Offer

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Nino Lahiffe

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The last few days had been awkward, to say the least. If he were to be brutally and truthfully honest...the last few days had been a whirlwind of confusion, secondhand angst, varying levels of pain via a fiery chick he found unfathomably attractive, more second hand angst, and a general sense of DUDE WHAT THE HELL! So, it's just easier to say the last few days had been awkward.

There had been no akuma attacks, to his delight and Alya's dismay. Seriously, sometimes he thought that girl had a screw loose. Apparently he liked them crazy...man, he had issues. Either way, even he knew they must be about due for something terrible.

Adrien had lost some gift for some 'friend' and freaked out....until he spotted Mari talking to Juleka's bro and seemed to go bonkers about that instead. Weird much? Alya said on the phone later it meant Adrien was jealous...maybe. But the DJ knew his man Adrien had never said anything about being into Marinette. He was reserving judgement.

He did think Adrien had noticed Marinette's behavior around Luka (the blonde boy said that much) and was curious about it. That didn't automatically equal jealousy, though. Leave it to a girl to read way to much into a situation...that was why he would never understand girls.

Couldn't they be all soft and pretty and smell nice the way they do but, like, with dude logic?

And then today, Chloe shows up acting completely not Chloe! He was freaked out, sure. But Alya was like...She soaked up the lost Chloe juice! Seriously, that chick got vicious; and Nino wasn't sure if he should be impressed or scared.

It had started with Alya's admittedly cool revelation on the Ladyblog that there was a new superhero: Le Paon Mystique. Chloe tried to one up it with a personal encounter, and Alya wanted none of it. Especially the excuse of phoney friendship.

Okay, Nino couldn't blame her.

Nathaniel sticking up for Chloe (barely audible but it HAD happened) was a shock to everyone. That shock might have been the only reason for the extremely short lived truce that allowed class to begin.

Extremely short, because no more than five minutes later, Madam Bustier announced a class project which required groups of three. They were supposed to pick a topic involving the arts and how it influenced France's history.

Nino had been just about to turn around and suggest he work with Alya, which probably meant Marinette or Adrien would round out the group; then it happened. His dark brown eyes widened behind his glasses as he saw Chloe and Sabrina flounce up to Alya.

"Alright, Alya," Chloe huffed, folding her arms. "I'll give you one more chance to have the privilege of being my friend. You're in our group."

"Why would I want to be in your group?" Alya's eyes narrowed dangerously as she stood up, turning her intimidation to full power, "It's not my fault you can't find anyone but Sabrina to do your work for you!"

"Hey!" Sabrina gasped in the background.

"Yikes..." The class could practically feel the waves of aggression rolling off Alya, but it was only Nino who dared to step up next to the her and timidly reach out to place a calming hand on her shoulder, "Easy, babe..."

Alya jabbed an accusatory finger toward Chloe as she brushed aside his attempts to sooth her, "Uh-uh! Not for one second do I believe-"

"Well believe it! I was trying to be nice!" The Mayor's daughter yelled, body shaking with anger or some other unidentified emotion.