Chapter Text
Five minutes left until summer. Until freedom. Until students flooded down the halls, each one dying to escape the stifling tension that filled the classrooms.
As M. Damocles droned on about the art of Shakespearean love, the students glared at the clock on the wall, willing the hands to tick away faster.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Summer was so close, and yet, so far.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Gabriel Agreste turned halfway in his seat, catching the eyes of Nathalie Sancœur. She smiled at him, her dimples showing before she flicked her eyes back to the front of the room, telling him to pay attention with her eyes.
He turned willingly enough, his eyes returning to the clock.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Summer couldn’t come fast enough.
A crumpled-up piece of paper landed on Amélie Graham de Vanily’s desk, and she smoothed it out without the teacher noticing. Émilie’s handwriting was easy to recognize - after all, she’d been reading it since they learned to write. You ready? , the note read, and Amélie glanced at her twin and nodded.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
One minute left. The class sat on the edges of their seats - it was almost time. Soon, the bell would ring, and they would rise as one, gathering what few signatures they cared to get from their classmates before rushing into the halls to their lockers for the last time. The school would race through the maze of hallways until they reached the front doors, and then they’d dash for their cars and -
BRRRRING!
“Émilie! Sign my yearbook?”
“Émilie! Over here - here’s a pen!”
“Émilie, could you sign mine?”
“Hey, Nathalie.”
Nathalie looked up at the sound of Gabriel’s voice. “Hi, Gabriel.” A glance at the door told them there was no chance of getting out anytime soon, as Émilie Graham de Vanily had a mob gathering around her at the door.
Gabriel’s voice drew her attention once more. “Are you excited for summer?”
Nodding, Nathalie smiled at him, her books clutched to her chest. “I’m excited to be done with school, not excited to be working over the summer. It means I'll get to see you less.” Her frown was not lost on Gabriel.
“Ah, well, that only depends on whether you make time for me or not,” he responded. Reaching into her locker, he grabbed her bag for her and put the grey strap on her shoulder.
“I decided to get you a last-day-of-school present,” Gabriel smiled, reaching into his pocket. “Turn around.”
Nathalie rolled her eyes but gave a small smile as she followed his directions. Gabriel was cocky but sometimes very sweet when he wanted to be. A cold solid weight rested against her neck and she instinctively brought her fingers up to touch whatever had been placed there.
“It’s a G,” Gabriel stated nervously, “for uh, Gabe.”
“I know that, dumbass,” she said, turning around to face him. Nathalie only had a split second to look into his eyes before he leaned down and his lips met hers.
For a second, everything stopped. School was over for the year, Gabriel was free of homework and his father’s ridiculous expectations, and he was kissing Nathalie Sancœur.
“Uhm, Nathalie?” A voice pulled the pair apart as an underclassman in the same language club as Nathalie offered up his yearbook.
“私の年鑑に署名する?”* the boy asked sheepishly. Nathalie responded with a smile, kissed Gabriel’s cheek, and signed the boy’s yearbook with a flourish of his pen.
Audrey and Gorilla poked their heads into the classroom after the boy left happily and Gorilla teased his friends with a knowing smirk.
“Come on, lovebirds, it's time to get going.” Audrey pulled Nathalie away from Gabriel and ushered her away. Nathalie looked back at Gabriel and mouthed a quick ‘sorry’ before he was out of view.
When Gabriel arrived home, his father was waiting for him. “You excited to design this summer, Gabriel?” His father asked, clapping him on the back as he entered the house.
“Sure, Dad,” Gabriel responded, sitting down at the island in his kitchen. He didn’t have the heart to tell his dad that he didn’t actually want to design. He wasn’t good at it. No matter how hard he tried, his designs were always subpar and nowhere near the perfection of his father’s.
A buzzing from his pocket pulled him out of his thoughts.
“Hello?”
“Yes, this is he.” Gabriel leaned back in his chair as he listened to the man on the other side of the phone.
“A job?” He questioned and grabbed his father’s branded pen. After a stern look from the owner of the pen he quickly let it tumble onto the counter and his hand found his regular fidget, his hair. He could hear his girlfriend’s voice in the back of his head telling him not to mess with it but she wasn’t there at the moment so he could do whatever he damn well pleased.
“Mhm. Mhm. I will definitely consider this, thank you,” his father gave a nod of approval at his farewell so Gabriel hung up the phone and slipped it back into his pocket.
“Who was that?” His father moved from behind him to the other side of the kitchen counter.
“A man who works for the Graham De Vanilly’s. He was offering me a job.” Gabe’s hand moved its way up to his hair but paused before he could run his hand through it, now hyper aware of how often he actually messed with his blonde locks.
“But you already have a job lined up for this summer, Gabriel,” his father pointed out. “You talked to the contact I gave you last week.”
Gabriel bit his lip slightly and his eyes shifted away from his father’s. He intended on calling, he truly did, but when he picked up the phone Nathalie had texted him to remind him of the work he had procrastinated on and they had spent the whole night working on it together. He forgot about calling again after the work was done.
‘I really need an assistant,' he joked with himself but then remembered his father was expecting an answer.
“I got his voicemail,” Gabe lied and the disapproving gaze from his father told him everything he needed to know.
“Then you shall take this job, I will not have you sitting around the house all summer doing nothing,” he grumbled. “You know son, I try to help you, but you are so ungrateful sometimes.” His father pulled away from the counter and walked out of the kitchen. End of conversation.
Sighing, Gabe took out his phone and texted Audrey.
Gabe
Can we meet up?
Audrey
yeah, everything good?
Gabe
My dad is being his wonderful self, plus I need your opinion on a job opportunity
Audrey
oh did that fancy man call you too?
Gabe
Wait he called you???
Audrey
yeah lol. I dnot really have anything to do this summer soooo
*don’t
Gabe
Meet me in 10?
Audrey
See ya