The Faustian Love Bargain (COMPLETED)

Chapter 8

Stella was constantly yawning during class. She had only just reached the middle of the second book and she was afraid she would have to have several sleepless nights to finish reading all the books. Hard work equates to money, she comforted herself.

During lunch, Felicia, the best gossipmonger in the group, announced that a new student is entering their class. “But it’s almost finals, what’s the point of entering school?” Germaine asked. “I heard he already has places in the top universities, he was homeschooled and he wanted to try out what high school is like,” Felicia shrugged. “Must be some kind of weird nerd,” Megan laughed. Stella was intrigued that anyone would want to enter school for less than a term, “Yeah, I agree with Germaine. That’s so weird!”

“Well, I don’t really care because I heard that someone saw him entering the principal’s office the other day and he was like tall and handsome!” Felicia gushed. 

Megan became reminded about her idol, Nick Smith, and started talking about how he recently bought a black Ferrari (which was the newest model available and Nick always purchased the newest of everything for the trend in modern society was consumerism at its best) and the seats in the car was custom-made to be more comfortable and spacious. “After the Smiths shifted their businesses back to this city, they rebuilt a house at Jardin Lane, spanning a few acres. That place is almost impossible to go near to because of security but fans have managed to see Nick Smith around Gordon Bay, where his apartment is situated at,” Megan told everyone. Germaine and Stella were both awed by how rich his family was, especially because Jardin Lane was a place for multimillionaires to stay at. Every city had such a road where housing prices were minimum in the eight digits. No one knew what these houses looked like. That was how high society remained a mystery to the ordinary people. Of course, there are reasons why such an uncertainty should exist. If people knew about the hard truths of the divide, there would be feelings of inequality and other nonsensical notions of taxing the rich for the sake of an egalitarian society. 

Felicia added, “Did you hear about the rumours regarding Kaela Parker and Nick Smith? I personally dislike Kaela Parker but I heard they are engaged or something.”

“Engaged!” Megan exclaimed, “How is that possible?”

Stella was curious as to who Kaela Parker was. Of course, she was not surprised that Nick Smith had a girlfriend, but she reckoned that the girl must be extremely beautiful to attract anyone like Nick Smith, who looked like he cared about no one but himself.

“Who is she?” Stella asked. Megan googled Kaela Parker on her iPhone and showed a few photos of her. Wikipedia stated that Kaela Parker was the heiress of Parker International, a multinational company that deals with high street and haute couture labels as well as the heiress of Kwan Hotels, the leading hospitality company. She was indeed very pretty and Stella ended up looking through tens of pictures of Kaela. She had large blue eyes, thick and long eyelashes, a unique face shape, a pointed nose with a cute tip and thick lips. Stella found Kaela to be a very sexy woman as Stella scrolled through numerous photographs of her in a tight-fitting and low cut body lace dress. She was tall and slim, just like one of her friends often pictured with her, named Celine Bishop. Stella thought that both of them could be Victoria Secret models if they wished to, and catch any man’s heart with their perfect features, long hair and sexy bodies. That was the difference between a typical girl like her and a girl in Nick's society. 

Yet, Stella thought Kaela came across as a pompous vanity. She wondered if it was because of the way she posed in photographs when arm in arm with Nick Smith, who had the same expressionless and inscrutable face in every picture while Kaela would smile broadly at every camera directed towards her.

“Their families have always been close and besides, Kaela Parker is also of aristocratic blood,” Felicia explained.

Megan replied, in an agitated tone, “I bet that she is only after Nick Smith’s reputation and wealth. Anyway, did you read her Twitter? She is like the biggest show-off and all her photographs on Instagram are bimbotic. That is so unlike my perfect Nick Smith who only posts nice pictures of his new fashion collection on Instagram and cute selfies.”

Felicia rolled her eyes, “I think they make the best couple because they are both so scandalous. I don’t understand why you like Nick Smith so much.”

Germaine added, “When you talk about Nick Smith, only two things come out. His extreme luxury lifestyle and his sex scandals or playboy behaviour.”

Stella’s eyes widened. Was all these remarks about Nick Smith true? Nick Smith, to Stella, appeared like he was too dandiacal to be sexual conspicuous. However, it was obvious that Nick Smith led a profligate lifestyle, along with Kaela Parker, Celine Bishop and two other friends- one was called Brandon Grange and the other Isaac Carolle. The media had lionized them and their hedonist lifestyles and labelled them as the “It Clique” of the twenty first century. They often had leisure trips on private planes to go on shopping, sight-seeing or gastronomic trips. 

Furthermore, Kaela Parker and Celine Bishop were always at the front row seats of prominent haute couture fashion shows. All of them were famous for partying with supermodels and top celebrities, and wardrobes with clothes worth a few millions. Nick Smith, especially, was known for his fetish for cars, changing cars every two months for fun, as well as his penchant for expensive alcohol. The Smiths family had a personal wine cellar that contained a few hundred thousand bottles of wine, some dating to the eighteenth century. 

Megan was clearly irritated that her friends were criticising her love of her life so when Stella spoke up for Nick Smith, she was triumphant. 

“Nick Smith doesn’t seem like someone who likes to have sex with anybody,” Stella said, before she could continue that this does not mean he is some angelic virgin, Megan cut in, smiling, “Can you believe it? Stella agrees with me! Those are probably rumours created by those bitches wanting to have some sort of sexual connection with him.” Germaine was unconvinced. “His party photographs look wild. How many people don’t have sex after such parties?”

Felicia, Megan and Germaine started discussing about the sort of parties that the “It Clique” had, that ranged from buying large blocks of ice during summer to create an “Ice Castle” party in one of their huge private gardens, hiring top deejays and superstars to have a personal concert in their parties, and having fireworks at a private ship party, when Stella felt a message come in. 

It was Nick Smith. 

I’ll be waiting in my car near the park at 3pm. Don’t be late. Regards, Nick.