Fortune's Fools

Prologue

 Prologue

Two households, both alike in dignity,

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes

A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;

Whose misadventured piteous overthrows

Do with their death bury their parents' strife.

The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,

And the continuance of their parents' rage,

Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,

Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;

The which if you with patient ears attend,

What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

Louis sat in the armchair in his dimly lit room, the last rays of sun on this beautiful summer eve made the city that laid below him look like it had caught fire. He had just picked up the manuscript he was assigned to read over the summer. Shakespeare, really now? It was 2012 for Christ's sake, he would've hoped his college teachers would've come up with something else by now, 500 years later.

He couldn't really concentrate on the old fashioned language, and after sitting here for an hour, he still hadn't gotten any further than the prologue. He found it rather amusing though, the prologue could've been about him and his family. The Tomlinson family was famous throughout the city, not only because they were wealthy and they supported a lot of good causes, like the LGBT-lobby, but most of all for the hatred they held against the other big clan that held the power in Manchester: the Styles. And the numerous fights they all got in because of that conflict. Well, all of them but Louis. His parents made a great deal out of him staying out of the spotlights. He shouldn't be seen by anyone who wasn't close to him or who didn't happen to attend the same classes in college. All to make sure he wouldn't get involved in some drama and end up in bits and pieces in some dark alleyway. Louis didn't exactly know what it was all about, only that it had something to do with one of the Styles betraying the Tomlinson family in a way. He didn't even know why anybody cared about it any more, he sure as hell didn't.

“Louis?” the frail voice of the girl he loved the most in the world echoed in his bedroom.

“Yes El?” he put his book aside and got up from his chair, walking up to her to wrap his arms around her slender body. He pressed a sloppy wet kiss on her cheek before she could say anything else.

She scoffed at him, wiping his spit of her face with the back of her hand. “Your mother sent for you. It's about Midsummer's Ball, I believe.”

He sighed. His mother and her crazy balls. She always expected him to be there, hold the family's name up high and court some girls, or boys, for that matter, that she approved of, and that were of high importance for his father's career. Most of the girls were dumb sluts, but at least they made a fuck, be it good or bad in one of the bathrooms in the house when his parents didn't notice them gone. Him swinging both ways was something they were fine with, and even supported, but having sex before (gay) marriage was still a big taboo. Good thing his cousin Caroline didn't exactly stop herself from the occasional fuck and she somehow knew how to get family packs of condoms, which she gladly shared with him. 

“I'm sorry Lou, I know you hate these balls," she added, half a smile on her face, looking appologetic even though she couldn't change a thing about it.

“It's fine El, you can't help it that my mother likes to brag.” He smiled at her while tapping her cute little nose before he left the room in search for his mother, leaving El to do whatever she had to do. They had both grown up together, El was the daughter of his mothers first servant, and she had been assigned to be his companion and first servant when they had both reached the age of twelve. They were best friends as long as Louis could remember, which made her completely out of his league if it came to anything romantic. 

He found his mother in the dining room, seated on one of the posh designer chairs at the enormous dining table that was already set up for the next day, picking from the twenty-something different plates that were around her.

“Mum? You needed me?” he asked as he walked up to her side, suppressing the urge to bow to her. She looked like she was the friggin' queen of England, he thought.

“Oh Louis, yes! I was just wondering if El got your costume for tomorrow ready.” she said, licking her fingers that were covered in crab mousse.

“I suppose so, she always has, so I don't know why it would be different this time.” he shrugged.

“Because this time it's a Masquerade Ball, make sure you don't forget about the mask before you come down, alright?” she demanded.

“Yes mum.” It took all his willpower not to sigh, not ready for another rant from his mother about being respectful like she had done last time when she had called for him to taste if the lobster seemed off to him.

“Oh, and just so you know, Josh Devine will be attending. Please be nice to him this time. His family means a lot for your father's career.” The stern look she gave him didn't leave room for any doubt that she meant he was supposed to court him.

He huffed. Good thing this time the guy that they wanted him to like was actually kind of good looking, but still, Louis didn't like his love life to be arranged by his parents. And this Josh guy was a brat, the only thing he could talk about was drums. And he probably even couldn't get a good shag out of him either, since his parents were even stricter about sex before marriage, and he seemed a bit like a mummy's boy. 

“Would that be all mum?”

She sighed. “Yes Lou, that would be all. Go say goodnight to your sisters when you go back upstairs, they like it when you tell them a story," she called behind him as he was already running up the stairs.

  

Meanwhile, on a playground at the other end of the city.

“Come on Hazza! It will be fun!” Niall whined. His bright blue eyes shone with mischief as he tried to convince his friend to come with him to the party his cousin Josh had told him about.

“Come on, a Masquerade Ball? Hosted by the Tomlinsons, how can that ever be fun?” he snorted.

“Well, there's always tons of pretty girls at their party, the Tomlinson sisters aren't exactly hard on the eyes Styles!” Liam chimed in, making Niall giggle because of the rhyme.

“Fine! But at least get me some happy pills Niall, and real ones this time!” Harry reluctantly agreed, only hoping he would find an interesting lady to spend the night with.