The Price of Gold | Fortune's Fool #1

01 | now or never

• [ n o w o r n e v e r ] •

♥ louisa ♥

MY EYES GLAZED over Ashlei's pleated skirt that came to a stop mid-thighs, giving a clear view of her long legs. Her bright eyes carried a sheen of excitement as she blinked energetically, unable to contain herself at Talisa's question. "Yeah, I got it from Dior yesterday! What do you think?"

Talisa paused from brushing her silky brown hair, that always cascaded down her shoulders, to give Ashlei a one over. The skirt was in a green tartan pattern and hung from her slim waist elegantly. "You look like a damn nun. It almost touches your mid-thigh, babe. You'll be joining chorus any second. What were you thinking?" She rolled her eyes, "Oh wait. You're stupid, aren't you?"

I continued applying another coat of mascara, careful to avoid it from clumping while ignoring the bickering two. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Ashlei tint red and hastily roll up her skirt, embarrassed at her mistake. "Yeah you're right, it looks out of season," she responded deflated whilst fiddling with her blonde hair.

Ashlei's Ukrainian looks were incomparable, placing her in the highest tier at Forteux Academy, backed by the fact her father was one of the most powerful traders in the country, wracking up billions of dollars in a year.

Her appearance made up for the common sense she severely lacked.

Together Ashlei, Talisa and I made up the most affluent girls at Forteaux. Our group was made complete with Logan, Arlo and Prince.

Turning to face her, I rolled my eyes, hiding a smirk. "Ignore her Ash, Talisa's just being a bitch because her allowance has been halved for the week. Her mum found out that the ancestry vase was smashed at the party she threw last weekend."

Talisa exhaled deeply, shaking her head. "Yeah, I didn't mean that. It looks great Ash, I'm just in a bad mood." By now, most of the elite were aware that that was the best apology you could get from Talisa. Never in the past 7 years that I knew her, had she ever said sorry.

My eyes fluttered to the toilets door as it opened ajar and a ninth-grader walked in. Her eyes locked with mine as I shot her a cold glare until she stepped back. "Uh, s-sorry..." she stammered before running out, her shoes pattering against the marble floors. The Guildhall toilets were the biggest of the four blocks, composing of a wall-size mirror decorated with a detailed border of swirls and flowers - all encased in silver.

Behind me, Talisa let out a laugh, folding her tanned arms. "And you say I'm the bitch? Come on, what did that girl ever do to deserve the infamous stare of Louisa Darling?" Talisa taunted dramatically.

I briefly looked away from my reflection to the half Caribbean, half Russian beauty beside me, meeting her murky green eyes and highly amused. "Shut up," I muttered to Talisa, my mind wandering far from the poor girl. This was the right time to find out about him. "Have you heard anything about the new boy?"

Talisa pursed her lips, "Oh, the one who started yesterday? I haven't seen him yet but from what I've heard he's quite the looker. Dark brown hair, stormy grey eyes and 6 ft ish."

My hands trembled at her response, but I quickly clenched them into fists. I raised an eyebrow at Ashlei. She worked effectively as the news feed, finding out most of the Academy gossip before it had even started. Mostly because she was the one creating the rumors. "Well, I saw him yesterday. He's in my Psychology class. Apparently, he's moved from Brighton because his parents kicked him out after bailing him out of jail for the 6th time. He's relatively rich but nothing compared to us."

That captured my attention. I tilted my head towards her, thirsty to find out more information, "Oh really? What else?"

She paused thoughtfully. "I think that's about it. I didn't get to speak to him much because we had a test. He's so attractive though! Logan's gonna have some serious competition," Ashlei added laughing, as Talisa joined in.