Fairmoore

1

Trouble will find you.

A short story of friendship, lies and the obsession with secrets inspired by the film, Saltburn.

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Fairmoore

Bartholomew Fitzgerald's body was found at precisely 6:09 am by the groundskeeper of Fairmoore Preparatory College, formerly known as Fairmoore School for Troubled Boys. The name change came after years of dwindling pupil numbers. They hoped to reflect a new, positive outlook on the school.

The college lay in the middle of 40 acres of lush green land. It had 20th-century architecture, cobblestoned driveways and a large water fountain that protruded from the ground, an angel figure extending in the middle. The figure's nose had long been missing, the work of a former student.

Two large gates kept unwelcome visitors out and the students in. Despite the name change, troubled boys had not stopped attending Fairmoore.

Bartholomew had fallen into the very essence of trouble. It wasn't necessarily his fault. Being born into the world of privilege had deluded his mind. He wasn't an unkind person, but he knew little about the world around him.

He is found at the back of the school, three floors beneath his living quarters, precisely in line with his window. His brown hair sprawls out around him like a halo. His green eyes lay unblinking. The girls would say his eyes were what drew them in first, then his smile. He knew how to hold the attention of any room he entered, something that became increasingly obvious to his lifelong friend, Augustus Green.

Augustus hears the news at 7:30 am whilst eating his breakfast in the student hall. He's surrounded by numerous other boys, some from his year and a few from years below. All their faces seem to blur together. He stares at the uneaten pieces of toast and the hard-boiled egg on his plate. It will stay there until the cleaners come to collect it.

'Did you hear about Barth?' a student whispers.

The window to Bartholomew's room had been found wide open. Rumours were beginning to spread across campus, but Augustus had tried to ignore them all. He wasn't one to speculate.

'He had everything. Surely he wouldn't..you know..."

This Augustus could agree with. Barth did have everything. Augustus and Barth's parents had been friends for many years. The two boys had grown up right next door to each other, but their lives had always seemed a thousand miles apart. Bartholomew, like Augustus, had been born into generational wealth. Unlike Bartholomew's family, Augustus' father had pissed the money down the drain on a bad investment.

Augustus hadn't even wanted to attend Fairmoore, but it had become somewhat of a family legacy. His father had attended, mostly due to an alcohol addiction that his parents had wanted to bury before the news spread.

The only reason that he attended the school, after gaining the family legacy scholarship that the college provided, was Bartholomew.

You knew, didn't you?

'Gus?'

Augustus feels a single tear begin to roll down his cheek, but it is gone just as fast as it falls. He looks towards the boy who has spoken, forgetting his name despite their years of education together.

'Are you alright?'

Augustus realises quite suddenly that the entire hall filled with students is staring at him. It isn't in his imagination, either.

'I'm fine,' he answers curtly.

'Augustus Green.'

The chatter that had restarted across the hall is suddenly silenced by the booming voice of the Headmaster. Mrs Summerton is the only female at Fairmoore. Even the teachers were all male.

Augustus turns, hearing Headmaster Summerton call his name again. He stands slowly, ignoring the stares this time. One pair of eyes in particular watches Augustus until he loses sight of him.

'Follow me,' she says as they descend the stairs away from the hall, down towards the staff dormitories. They stop outside of the Headmaster's office.

Augustus finds that he has to focus on the name plaque stuck to the door three times before his breathing returns to normal.

'Take a seat, Augustus.'

The room overlooks the front of the college. From here, you can see the fountain and the long cobblestoned driveway that leads to the two spiked gates.

He wonders what Bartholomew was thinking about as he fell.

Check out the official Saltburn trailer starring Jacob Elordi and Barry Keoghan!

'I've called you in today to talk about...' she pauses, leaning towards the drawers attached to her desk as she begins to rummage through files.

Augustus feels a bead of sweat run down the side of his neck. He's too focused on what the Headmaster is about to reveal to notice the eyes watching him through the window. When Augustus looks out towards the grounds of the school, the eyes are gone.

'Your examination results,' she finishes.

He hadn't expected this. He had thought that maybe she knew how close he was to Barth, how tight they had been growing up. Everyone had always known them as a twosome, best friends through thick and thin.

Until recently.

'You received full marks on all five of your examinations,' she sits back in her big leather chair, raising her eyebrows in appraisal. 'Congratulations on a stellar year. You've finished top of the class.'

The news of Bartholomew's death seems to take a backseat in Augustus' mind as he feels the triumph of being the best yet again. He had always strived to be better and this was the only way he knew how.

How long have you known? How long, Augustus?

He pushes away the sudden memory trying to resurface.

'I just wanted to inform you that your scholarship has been renewed for your final year. Your marks are extraordinary. We haven't had a student like you in years.'

'Thank you, Headmaster.'

On the way out of her office, Augustus feels the cold chill that often extends through the stone flooring of the buildings. It was early summer, only a few weeks before the end of the schooling year. The walls never seemed to care about the season. Fairmoore had a cold heart.

Augustus smiles as he passes a group of students. They know him by name, but he does not. Barth would have known their names. He was always good like that.

He can feel the tightness sprawling across his heart. If Barth were here, he would know how to calm him down with some stupid joke. He knew how to stop a panic attack before it became embarrassing.

Bartholomew wasn't here, though. He was lying under a white sheet in the morgue being identified by his father.

Augustus suppresses the image as he strides towards the student accommodation building across campus. He feels eyes all over him, watching him move. He wonders if they are scrutinising his face, wanting to see the pain etched in his expression. He feels like they are undressing him bit by bit until he is nothing more than a naked body stuck in the courtyard of the school.

One pair of eyes in particular follow Augustus before he suddenly stops. They follow what Augustus has begun to stare at and when they realise, a smirk crosses their face.

For Augustus' secrets, would begin to eat him alive today.