Beau and the Beetle

Bridgette entered Caline’s classroom, windswept and speckled with rain, to greet three absurdly grinning friends. Alya and Nino looked a little shifty though, while Adrien looked positively gleeful. Immediately, she wondered what he’d done.

‘Bridgette,’ Alya hailed her. ‘Come sit for a moment, there’s something I want to talk to you about.’ She patted the seat beside her in invitation.

‘Ok,’ she replied, suspiciously.

Adrien was bouncing in his seat as she passed, giving her the sudden urge to flee. Instead, she straightened her spine, and sat beside Alya, facing her resolutely.

‘So, I was talking to my dad last night,’ Alya began. ‘He had the idea that since we never got to attend a funeral for Marinette, then we ought to have our own little service. We’ll do all the work, like find a location, supply flower petals, and all that, but we wanted to run the idea by you, first. Do you think this is something your aunt and uncle would like to get behind?’

Bridgette paused, taken aback, as she understood the reason for their earlier shiftiness.

‘I don’t know. It sounds all right to me, but we can ask them during lunch, if you want.’

‘Yes, perfect, thank you,’ Alya gushed.

Bridgette tilted her head. ‘What did you plan to do for this service? It’s not like you have a body to bury.’

‘We were going to use flower petals to symbolise the scattering of ashes,’ Alya explained.

She then went into more detail, describing her plans, supposing she got Tom’s and Sabine’s approval.

Bridgette nodded along, seeing the appeal the longer Alya went on. It was a lovely gesture, and they had all been robbed of the opportunity to say goodbye after Marinette’s disappearance.

She agreed to take them to see Tom and Sabine during lunch, where she hoped they could all sit down and plan the service Marinette deserved.

Bridgette turned to the boys next. ‘Did you two know about this?’

Nino’s expression took a decidedly guilty cast. ‘Alya texted me last night. I have no idea what he’s grinning about.’ He jerked his head toward Adrien.

Suddenly the centre of attention, Adrien paused momentarily before a grin lit up his face once more. ‘Oh, I was just thinking about our economics assignment.’

Bridgette’s face fell as Nino gave him a flat look.

‘Seriously?’ he asked. ‘You’re smiling about homework?’

‘No, you walnut. I asked my dad, and he said we can study at my place.’

Nino leaned back as his eyes widened. ‘Whoa, really? Monsieur Paranoid is going to let strangers into his house?’

‘Ha ha, so funny. But yeah, we’ll have the entire library at our disposal. Felix may even deign to come out of his lair and help.’

Adrien’s’ eyes slid toward Bridgette as he smirked. There was something wicked in his eyes, but she couldn’t fathom why.

Boys, she thought with a mental shrug.

The rest of their classmates filed in, seeking shelter from the inclement weather. Alix shook her head like a wet dog, flinging droplets all around her immediate vicinity, to the protestations of many. She remained unrepentant.

Bridgette got up to take her usual seat, but was forestalled by Alya’s hand on her arm.

‘You can stay if you want.’

Bridgette glanced from Alya’s hand to her face, and back again.

‘Are you sure?’

Alya’s answering smile was genuine. ‘It’ll be nice to have company again. Besides, this corner of the classroom is seriously lacking in female influence.’

Nino swivelled around in his seat, to glare at her in confusion. ‘Was that an insult? Did she just insult us?’ he asked, turning to Adrien.

Adrien just shrugged.

Bridgette giggled at the camaraderie, then drew her tablet and stylus from her bag as Caline entered, calling them to order.

Bridgette considered Alya’s idea of a service, the notion growing more appealing the longer she thought about it. After everyone had been deprived of a funeral, this seemed like the best solution, and maybe she could finally get some closure.

Nothing had come of her suspicions against Tom and Sabine. After she had applied some extensive reasoning, Bridgette had come back to her original conclusion that her aunt and uncle had done most of their grieving prior to her arrival, and did the rest in private.

Bridgette had wanted to show them that she could be mature, to deal with their loss like an adult, and this was her chance. She would champion Alya’s cause, and if Tom and Sabine didn’t like it, Bridgette would encourage her friends to go ahead anyway.

After they were let out for lunch, Bridgette led her small group to the bakery with cautious optimism. There, Alya pitched her idea, with Bridgette, Nino, and Adrien behind her, watching on with wide, pleading eyes.

Tom cleared his throat. ‘I, for one, think it’s a grand idea.’

‘Yes, it’s a lovely sentiment,’ agreed Sabine.

Bridgette and her friends exhaled a collective sigh of relief.

‘Let us know if you need anything,’ Tom went on. ‘We’ll be glad to help.’

‘You’ll be invited too, of course,’ Alya informed them. ‘We aren’t asking in the hopes you’ll provide anything.’

Tom and Sabine exchanged a look, before turning back to Alya.

‘We thank you, that is very generous. We’ll be honoured to attend,’ Sabine replied.

Alya explained what she wanted to do, with Tom and Sabine nodding along with smiles of approval. Then, after a quick lunch in their kitchen, they headed back to school.

Bridgette felt happy, finally ready to shed the weight of her grief. She missed Marinette, but it was time she allowed herself to move on without feeling guilty. Marinette wouldn’t want her to be sad for ever, after all.