The Taste of Silver | Fortune's Fool #2

13 | change is good

[ c h a n g e   i s   g o o d ]

♥ louisa ♥

"I THINK I'M in love. Like she's terrifying. But incredulous. Beautifully terrifying."

A loud longing sigh of wistfulness filled the air. "A single look into her eyes gives me chills. So strong and ruthless that I could only stare at her."

"You could only stare at her because she's Medusa and turning your soul into stone, idiot."

"I'd happily turn to stone if it meant spending eternity gazing at her. My heart had been stolen the second I looked at her. To think I just stood there like a moron. What can I say? Pretty people make me uncomfortable-"

My eyes fluttered open in time to see Lexi get up to throw the serviette from her chocolate waffle in the bin. "Oh, shut up Pierre. You're not in love. You're blinded by her sheer stupidity so much that it feels like love but it's actually pure loathing."

"Lexi!" I scolded, folding my arms across my chest. "That's a bit too far."

"Too far? No, it's not," she countered, baby blue eyes mirroring the sky above the three of us. "Did you even hear all the stuff she was saying about you two days ago?"

Of course, I did. But her anger was justified and I did deserve it for what I had done to her.

This time I didn't mean it in a self-abhorrent way. I meant it with sincerity. She was hurting. Just like everyone else around here.

"Ma cherié, that reminds me; we need a chat," a velvet voice interrupted. I glanced to my left to Pierre who was wearing a thin maroon turtleneck. The three of us were sitting on a bench in the centre of London.

I adjusted the lapels of my beige trench coat and glanced at him from my mascara coated eyes, half expecting him to begin confessing his attraction to Talisa again.

His eyes widened as he shook my shoulders lightly. "Ma cherié! How come you never told me how popular you were? I wish I was you. At the ball, everyone was looking at you as if you were the only woman in the world. I feel like such an idiot. And there I am gossiping to you about the Espirit Barbie Dolls for the past five months..."

"Popularity comes with a price," I settled on, deliberately keeping things vague. This wasn't the time to explain everything in detail to Pierre. He knew the basics and that was enough.

"Anyway," I began, standing up and gazing at the passers. It was coming to noon and my appointment was at 1 pm. "I've got to head off now but I'll see you guys-"

"-tomorrow," Lexi completed in a nasal voice that was half an octave higher than mine, a wide mischievous smile stretching on her ashen face. "Welcome back to the life of a Forteaux Student. Bet you're excited."

There was a tone of humour to her voice but I could tell she was also worried. My heart sped up a few notches as I held back a groan and stopped myself from saying that I was dreading it.

You set yourself a motive when you agreed on coming here. Stick to it, honey.

"I'll see you then."

At least I'd be sticking around with Lexi all day as her exchange partner. "Before I go, have you spoken to Prince?" I questioned, my dark eyebrows pulling together.

Her hesitation gave me my answer. I hated what happened on Friday with a passion, to the extent where I was tempted to just pretend it never happened and tell myself it was a figment of my imagination.

Chills crept up my back as a face came to mind. I shouldn't have been surprised to meet a ghost when I'd been the one to leave him in a tank of water and at the bare minimum, not teach him how to swim out.