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It was a gusty, Fall afternoon. The sky was gray with rolling clouds as brown, dry leaves crinkled and blew along the cement walkway in front of the Louvre. Near the entrance stood Kim, who was finishing up his stretches. Next to him was Alix, who was casually adjusting the straps on her roller blades. Nearby, their classmates stood cheering.
“Kick his butt, Alix!” Rose was cheering and clapping for her diminutive friend.
“You can do it, Alix!” Nathaniel called out. He and Marc were holding a banner brightly adorned with her name.
Everyone was there, even Chloe. The blonde stood off to the side, arms crossed but her eye on the two contestants. “Really, how many times do we have to go through with this? You know what the outcome is. She’s obviously going to win. Honestly, this is ridiculous!”
“Not quite,” Max said as he checked his phone. “I’ve been working with Kim on time trials for the last two weeks. He has gained an additional 3.2 seconds on average by focusing his training on sprints. Based on his determination and Alix’s lack of any focused training, I predict he has a 73% chance of winning.”
“You hear that, runt?” Kim said through a grin. “Today’s the day. Your days are numbered.”
“Pfft. Fat chance,” Alix smirked at her gigantic friend/rival. She stood and quickly stretched. “Honestly, I don’t know why you keep challenging me. You know I’m the fastest person in Paris, but you just won’t give up, will you?”
Kim shook his head and grinned. “You think you’re all that, but this time? I’ve got it in the bag. You are going down. Boom! Done!”
Kim pointed at Alix and made a ‘boosh’ sound, which Alix assumed was supposed to be an explosion. Or maybe a really pathetic cough. It was kinda hard to tell.
Alya crossed her arms and frowned. “So, what are they racing for this time? I tuned out the stupid to take notes in Lit.”
Next to her Ondine stood holding a small sign that read, GO KIM. “Well, Kim was really fired up, so it was kinda hard to tell. I think it had something to do with lunch?”
Marinette nodded. “I heard it all. Kim was picking on Alix about her lunch, and while they were fighting, they made a racing bet. If Alix loses, she has to buy Kim lunch for a week. If she wins, Kim has to bring her a gourmet meal every day for a week.” She glanced at Ondine’s sign. “That’s really nice, Ondine. When did you have time to make that?”
Ondine blushed and squirmed a bit. “Oh! Um, I, um, kinda keep this in my locker for occasions like this?”
Alya blinked. “You keep a sign on hand to cheer on your boyfriend on the off chance that he’s in a random competition?”
Ondine blushed harder and nodded.
Behind Alya, Nino flashed a thumbs up. “I can totally get behind that, dude.”
“You keep a sign to root me on?” Alya asked.
Nino shook his head. “No, but I pack things.”
“Things? What kind of things?” Alya asked, intrigued.
Nino shrugged. “You know, just things you might need. Like, I always carry a spare charger for your phone in case you're filming for the blog. I carry an extra notebook and some pens because you sometimes forget them if you’re in a rush because of your siblings. I pack your favorite snacks and juice in case your sister gets to the fridge and your lunch sucks. I bring an extra set of headphones and your favorite song mix in case we’re on an impromptu field trip. I try to pay attention to my calendar and make sure I’ve got some tampons and chocolate on hand, just in case. You know, things?”
Every girl the group stopped and turned towards Nino.
“You do all that?” Mylene asked, her eyes shining.
“Dude,” Juleka said. She squeezed Rose’s hand.
“What?” Nino asked, confused. “I mean, it’s just being a decent human being. It’s not a huge deal, guys.”
Alya, her face beet red, gave him a huge hug. “You are the best boyfriend in the universe. You know that?”
“Thank you?” Nino said, hugging her back.
“Wow,” Adrien said from behind Marinette. “Nino’s extremely considerate.”
Marinette, who had jumped a country mile, flailed a bit and then let out a series of high-pitched giggles. “A-a-a-drien! You’re here too! Now! In Paris!”
Adrien rubbed the back of his head and nodded. “My Chinese lesson was cancelled, so I came to support my friends.” He turned to Marinette and smiled. “I didn’t get to thank you for the macaroons you brought to school this morning. That was really sweet of you.”
“Marry me,” Marinette said. She then rebooted, shook her head and said, “Mary! Mary asked me to! From the other class! Mary from another class that is not ours.”
“Oh,” Adrien said, slightly confused but going with it. “That was still nice of you. You’ve got a great heart, Marinette.”
“It’s yours. Your opinion! That’s, yep. That’s what that is Alya help your opinion is your own and I respect it Alya please help and I think your opinion is very handsommmmmley crafted ALYA HEL…”
“Marinette,” Alya cut in. “Can you please come stand over here? The lighting is better.”
Marinette gratefully moved a meter to her left and stood beside Alya. Adrien looked around in confusion, as there was nothing he could immediately see that was altering the light. He then shrugged it off and assumed the girl who filmed things for the Ladyblog probably knew something he didn’t.
“Thank you,” Marinette whispered to her friend. Alya patted her on the shoulder.
“It’s cool. You can pay me back later.”
“Alright!” Kim yelled. “Are we gonna do this or not?”
“Let’s go, monkey-man. It’s been a hot minute since I kicked your butt!” Alix crouched down into a takeoff position and got ready.
Max stepped forward and raised his hand. “The race is to the pyramid, one lap around, and then back.”
Both contestants nodded.
Max waited an extra second to be dramatic. He then sliced the air in front of him with a karate chop.
“Go!”
Both Kim and Alix took off at blinding speed.
Well, as blinding as someone running and someone skating can be. It’s descriptive. You get the idea.
After three seconds, it was clear to everyone that despite Kim’s newfound speed, Alix was clearly smoking him. She was a demon on wheels, rounding the pyramid just as Kim reached it. In fact, she was doing so well that she took a moment to look to her cheering friends to salute and grin.
Which was why she didn’t see the small rock right in front of her.
Alix’s wheels locked up hard on the stone. She tumbled forward and crashed shoulder-first into the pavement. To the side, her friends let out a collective gasp. Rose, Marinette and Adrien all moved to help her, but Max put out his hand to stop them.
“Wait until the race is done!” Max yelled. “They both asked for no interference if something happened until someone crossed the finish line.
Alix cursed and wiped at her chin as Kim breezed by her. He even turned around and started running backwards to yell at her. “HA! Eat pavement, Kubdel! I told you I was the best! I tooaaaaagh!”
Aaaaaannnnd of course Kim tripped and fell.
Alix scrambled to her feet and took off, her outfit scuffed. She had a small trickle of blood coming out of her nose, but aside from that, she seemed okay. She skated around a flailing Kim and crossed the finish line just as the giant teen made it to his feet.
The crowd cheered Alix and was around her in an instant with a chorus of “Are you okay?” And “That was incredible!”
Alix grinned but flinched when Ivan patted her on the shoulder. She also blinked in confusion when Chloe handed her a monogrammed handkerchief.
“You’re bleeding,” Chloe said, her attention focused elsewhere.
“Um, thanks, Chlo.” Alix dabbed at her nose and noticed the hankie smelled faintly of Twilly D'Hermes perfume. She tried to hand it back, but Chloe made a disgusted sound and notably stepped away. Not knowing what else to do, Alix slipped the hankie into her pocket.
Meanwhile, Ondine was standing beside Kim, who was visibly put out. She patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. “Well, I thought you did great, honey.” She then stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek.
“Thanks, hon.” Kim blushed and smiled, his eyes on the celebrating group in front of him.
***
Later that afternoon, after everyone had gone their separate ways, Alix sat on a bench in the entrance to the Louvre and checked her phone as she waited for her dad and brother to finish up with work. She was so wrapped up in her phone that she didn’t notice someone standing next to her until Kim cleared his throat.
Alix glanced up in surprise at Kim, who was holding a small box towards her.
“What’s this?” Alix asked, confused.
Kim shrugged. “A deal’s a deal. I figured I’d get started early, so here. One slice of German chocolate cake from Marinette’s parents’ place. Enjoy!”
Alix gingerly took the cake and a plastic fork from Kim and stared at him for a moment.
Kim, grinning, mutely stared back.
“Where’s Ondine?” Alix looked around. “Aren’t you two joined at the hip?”
“I asked her for some alone time,” Kim said, smiling. “She’s really great, you know? She was actually hoping for a chance to spend time with Aurore. They haven’t been hanging out as much since we started dating.”
“Huh,” Alix said. “So, you ditched your girlfriend to come stand by me?”
“Yep!” Kim nodded.
Alix stared at him.
“You’re an idiot, you know that?”
Kim shrugged. “That’s your opinion, short stack.”
Alix finally let out a long sigh and set the cake down beside her. She hunched over a bit, her elbows resting on her knees as she looked across the lobby of the gallery. “You didn’t have to let me win, you know.”
Kim slumped a bit and sat down beside Alix. He nodded. “I wouldn’t have had to if you hadn’t tripped. Seriously, when do you of all people trip?”
Alix shrugged. “I was distracted today, okay? I just lost focus for a second.”
Kim ran his hands across his face. “Still! It ruined everything! I bent over backwards to take your mind off things and bam, you had to go figure everything out.”
“Yeah, I’m awesome like that,” Alix sighed. “And since when is running a race 'bending over backwards?'”
“I asked Marinette to bring in your favorite macaroons today,” Kim said in a dejected tone. “And I worked all night on that banner with the members of Kitty Section. And I picked a fight with you at lunch so you’d be distracted! Everything was going perfect, and then you tripped.”
They continued to stare at the crowd wandering by. Both sat in silence for a minute before Kim spoke up in a small voice.
“So, do you remember when we were seven and I challenged you to a race down the Rue Foyatier steps?”
Alix snorted a bit. A tiny smile crossed her lips. “You tumbled so hard I thought you broke your neck. Dork.”
“I was convinced I’d broken my nose. I was so freaked out, but then your mom was right there with a napkin. She was so cool. I remember her holding my head back and telling me how fast I’d been. She even cracked a joke to take my mind off how bad things hurt.”
Alix glanced at Kim. “She did? I don’t remember that.”
“It was while you were running to get an ice pack.”
“Oh.” Alix glanced at Kim. “What was the joke?”
Kim smiled and laughed to himself. “You know the best thing about Switzerland?”
Alix thought about it and shook her head. “No, what?”
“I don’t know, but the flag is a big plus.”
Alix snickered. “That, yeah. That sounds like her.”
Both relaxed at that moment, as if they had been waiting for an unspoken cue.
“Your mom was always so good to me,” Kim said. “She was kind, and she was funny, and I liked her a lot. I remember, do you remember when she’d make us monster grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch?”
“Oh man, with the food coloring on the bread? Yours always looked so sad. Like, pathetic sad,” Alix said.
“Yeah,” Kim agreed. “Like, I want to argue that point? But no, you’re right. They were sad.”
Alix smiled and glanced at Kim. “You didn’t have to do all this, you know. I’m, like, I’m mostly okay.”
“You sure?” Kim asked. “Because, like, if you need to cry or something, I won’t judge. I promise.”
Alix waved him off. “Nah, I’m good. Later on, dad and Jalil and I are going to pay our respects by the Seine. I figure I’ll get all my crying done then.”
“You guys doing the paper lantern thing?” Kim asked. “Because that was kinda cool last year.”
Alix nodded. “Yeah. In fact, you can join us. If you want.”
Kim shook his head. “That doesn’t feel right. I mean, thank you? But no, that’s, that should be you and your family.”
Alix picked up the small box with the slice of cake. She gingerly inserted the plastic fork and took a bite. “This is really good,” she said through her chewing. “Thank you.”
“It’s the least I could do,” Kim said, slightly proud of himself. “I mean, aside from trying to take your mind off things and letting you beat me in a race. I remember your mom used to make that for you.”
“I would have kicked your butt and you know it,” Alix said. “And yeah. This was always my birthday request. Jalil hated it. Honestly, that was 90% of the reason I kept asking for it.”
“Yeah, I figured,” Kim said. “Still, it’s a good cake.”
Alix started to take a second bite, but then stopped. She stared at the small morsel of cake on her fork and then gently put it back in the box.
“You didn’t have to do this,” Alix sniffed and set the cake down. “This was cool of you, but like, you really didn’t have to do this.”
Kim nodded. “Yes, I did.”
“Dude, I told you. I’m cool.” Alix wiped at her face. “I mean, it’s always rough today, but, like, it’s cool. It’s not like any of this is going to bring her back, anyway. You…”
Alix stopped as she felt a strong arm wrap around her and gently pull her close. She let him hold her like that for a second as she slowly relaxed. The familiar smell of leather and chlorine was faint but noticeable in the air. The scents she associated with her friend.
“You’re my oldest friend,” Kim said in a quiet voice. “I grew up at your house. I ate dinner at your table. My first sleepover was with you. We learned how to swim together. So, of course I had to do this. Like, you’re, you’re my sister, you know that? I love you.”
Kim kissed the top of Alix’s head as she leaned into his side. “I love you with my whole heart, and, and I loved your mom. She was like a second mom to me, and, and I miss her, too. And it hurts so bad when I think about how great she was to me, and I was just her kid’s friend, you know? And, and if I’m missing her this bad, then I know, I know you’re…”
And just like that, Alix, who had been fighting for the entire conversation to keep her composure, broke.
Kim choked up as Alix turned and gripped him in a fierce hug. She buried her face in his shirt and let out a halted sob. Kim turned to fully hug her as she gripped his jacket and dug in, her teeth clenched as she at once fought back her tears and let them come roaring out of her.
They stayed like that for what felt like hours. It was only two minutes, but for both of them, it was two minutes that lasted a year. Around them, patrons of the museum hurried by, either not noticing or not caring.
“It’s not supposed to hurt this bad!” Alix finally choked out. “It’s, not supposed to, to hurt like this anymore!”
Kim held her and gently rocked back and forth. “I know,” he said. He tilted his head and rested it atop her own.
“She, she’s been gone so long now, and, and sometimes when I come home I can still hear her saying my name or, or I’ll go to bed and find myself waiting for, for her to come and say g, good night and, she, I, I still, God, I just…”
Alix’s entire body shuddered against Kim. She went limp in his arms.
“It’s not fair,” she said. Her voice was cracked and broken. Kim could hear how strained her throat was from crying. “I was supposed to grow up with her. She was supposed to see me graduate. I just…”
Alix took in a long breath.
“I want my mom back.”
Kim sniffed, his own tears freely running in hot tracks down his cheeks.
“I want your mom back, too.”
***
Later that night, after her brother and father had walked with her to the banks of the river and lit a lantern, Alix took an insanely long shower to try to shake off how she was feeling. It had crossed her mind that she should have been akumatized, but despite how terrible she’d felt, the butterfly hadn’t come. Maybe Shadowmoth was out of town? Or…
‘Or maybe this was a little too much, even for him,’ Alix thought.
Now in her PJ’s and combing her hair, Alix sat at her desk with her small, brass lamp illuminating her workspace. She looked at the pictures on the wall in front of her desk and smiled. There were some of her with all her classmates, a couple with Marinette, some with Mylene, tons with Kim…
Alix looked at a photo of a redheaded woman with her hair in a long braid holding a younger Alix by the shoulders. In the photo, Alix was trying to keep balanced on a scooter.
“Hey mom,” Alix said to the photo. “I, um, I know I don’t talk to you much, but, like, since today’s the day you, um, that we said goodbye, I figured you might hear me?”
Alix set her comb down and ran her finger along the side of the photo. “So, I’ve got friends now, you know? They even came to cheer me on for my race against Kim. I still hang out with him. Yeah, I know, right? Remember how you always said you thought I was sweet on him?”
Alix smiled to herself. “Well, he’s got a girlfriend now. You don’t know her, but she’s nice and all. And, like, we still hang out. He, um, he even…”
Alix took a moment to compose herself.
“I just wanted to say I, um, I miss you. And, and it’s not easier. Like, I know it’s been a while? And, like, things get duller? Less sharp? I don’t know how to say it right, but… You’re still there every day in my thoughts. It still hurts, but, like…”
Alix glanced at the photos on her wall.
“I have friends now. Lots of them.”
She reached into the pocket of her PJ’s and took out a small, wadded handkerchief she’d salvaged from her shorts before tossing them in the hamper. She idly rubbed her thumb along the monogramed CB embedded in the silk.
“And, like, they all say they care in different ways, you know? And Kim… Even if he’s with someone else? He still loves me. And that’s enough for now, you know? I mean, it’s not normally, but, like today? Today it was what I needed to hear and, and that was a good thing.”
Alix slid open a drawer on her desk and gently set the handkerchief inside. “I guess I just wanted you to know that I love you, and that I’m okay. And that I’m, I’m loved. And that’s what’s important, right? That’s what you always told me. And yeah, that’s, that’s what’s important. I’m loved.”
She looked to the pictures of her friends.
She looked at a photo of her and Kim making goofy faces at the camera.
“I’m loved, and I’m going to be okay. I just wanted you to know that.”
Alix kissed her fingers and gently touched the photo of her mother. She then clicked off her desk light and climbed into bed. As she snuggled under the covers, she looked to the wall of photos above her desk.
“I love you,” she said to the quiet darkness around her.
If there was a reply, Alix didn’t hear it as she drifted off to sleep.
***