For You

Chapter Ten

The auditorium erupted with laughter and excitement as students gathered together with their partners. Everyone seemed to be having the time of their lives, but the same couldn't be said for a certain green-eyed blond.

Adrien was suffering from a pounding migranine, which was primarily due to an extreme case of insomnia. He groaned as he tightly gripped his forehead in agony.

"Adrikins... Are you okay?" A high-pitched voice chanted.

Without looking at his partner, Adrien hesitantly nodded his head, "Yes. I'm fine... Just pass me the clue!" His tone was harsh, and his eyes were cold.

Chloé looked at the model with hurt in her eyes. They had been friends for years, and not once had he spoken to her like that. She couldn't understand his unusual behavior, but she shrugged her shoulders, as if nothing had happened.

She could sense the unwanted tension in the room, which made her feel a little nervous, but she chose to ignore it.

"Here you go," Chloé muttered while handing him the piece of paper that was locked between her delicate fingers.

The blond reached for the paper without looking at his childhood friend.

His lips formed a straight line when he glanced up and saw Luka holding onto Marinette. Her eyes seemed to light up whenever Luka made a bad joke, and her whole demeanor had changed completely.

When she was with the talented guitarist, she was confident, and hopeful, but above all else, she was happy. She seemed so comfortable with Luka, and Adrien couldn't help but wonder if she would ever act like that around him.

If he hadn't acted so harshly towards her in the very beginning, perhaps things would be different...

"... Earth to Adrien!"

As he heard his name being called out, he was instantly brought back to reality. He looked up, only to see Chloé's big blue eyes gawking at him. He felt a little insecure, and quickly hugged himself for comfort.

"Yeah, what?" He asked, a little annoyed.

The mayor's daughter frowned, and looked at the green-eyed boy with sympathy. She wasn't naturally empathetic, but she knew enough about Adrien to know that there was something bothering him.

Without thinking, she scootched over, wrapped her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes.

When she felt him tense up, she only tightened her grip around him.

"Oh, Adrikins... What's bothering you?"

"... Huh? Nothing is wrong, everything is just fantastic!" He rolled his eyes in annoyance while trying to push Chloé away.

The blonde sadly looked at her friend as she hesitatly released him from her unnaturally tight grip.

When Adrien saw how depressed Chloé looked, his expression immediately softened.

"Look..." he sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry for snapping at you like that... But today, is just not a good day..."

Chloé gave him a soft smile when she remembered what today was. "It's fine. I get it... Today would have been your mother's birthday... And I can only imagine how difficult it must be for you-"

The model sadly looked away, as he was forced to relieve those distressing moments for a second time. He had always found different ways to distract his mind from the pain, but today, it was impossible. Everything reminded him of his mother. And that made him feel heartbroken; knowing that he would never get to see her again.