The Price of Gold | Fortune's Fool #1

05 | count of three

• [ c o u n t o f t h r e e ] •

♥ louisa ♥

AFTER SLIPPING INTO some nude pumps, I transferred my school things into a Louis Vuitton handbag before walking downstairs. On the hallway, I bumped into Maria, the maid that had been working at home since before I was born and by now, she was more or less family.

The 57-year-old woman had small patches of grey littering her brown hair and her ageing skin lifted at the sight of me. "Ah, good morning Louisa. Sleep well?"

Hardly with the issue of Gabriel tormenting me.

"Morning Marie! Yeah very well, actually," I paused contemplating whether to ask the question I was already pretty certain of the answer to.

"That's good, honey. Isn't today an inset day?"

"Yeah, it is but I needed to get some work done so I thought I'd go in anyway." That was code for I was failing History and needed to buckle up. There was an essay due on Friday which I hadn't even started. Today was Thursday. "Any news on when Mum and Dad may be back? Their visit here was supposed to be a few weeks ago now."

Her kind eyes softened in sympathy at the mention of them. "Yesterday, I had heard that your mother will be staying an extra week in Singapore however there has still been no news of your father. Julia said that she was watching television and overheard Mr Darling say on an interview that he was planning on remaining in India for another month, but he hasn't told us personally yet."

I forced a smile, nodding politely.

I doubt he would.

After a year, I was accustomed to finding out what my parents were doing from other people, considering they didn't trust me enough to tell me themself. I hardly blamed them, to be honest. "Thank you, Marie."

I felt a soft hand on my cheek as she looked at me with her hazel eyes. "Never give up hope, honey. Good things do come to those that wait. Your time will come too, I'm certain of it." With that, Marie smiled encouragingly before walking downstairs.

•••

"I'm going to give you till the count of three to get your ass down here," I hissed loudly, looking up at a smashed Gabriel who sitting on the roof of the Music building. He burst out laughing, dangling his long legs down as he sat on the edge of the very slanted roof.

I'd planned on getting to the Academy's Athena library early so I could finish up the essay that was due today. Yet as soon as I entered the empty school, I heard a very drunk Gabriel belting out my name at the top of his lungs, actually my surname, as he waved hysterically from a five-story building.

Not going to lie, I had considered turning around and pretending I hadn't heard anything but as soon as I saw him stumble, I had made the mistake of making eye contact with him.

It was 7.30 and within 15 minutes the teachers would start rolling in for teacher's training day.

He had passed the stage of being drunk. Considering how early it was, he must have been drinking through the night to be in a state like this.

I could not be seen with what was probably a raging alcoholic calling my name out.

He proceeded to burst out laughing, "How about no? The view of the city's so nice up here and- and..." He said the end of his sentence so quietly that there was no chance of me hearing it.

"Get down, right now! If the Principle sees you, you're gonna get expelled within the first few days of being here."

"Hah, that'd be a record!" Gabriel shouted before bursting into hysterical laughing again. I presumed it wouldn't be the first time he'd been kicked out of school.