New Me
A Louis Vuitton. Neverfull MM from the past collection. A Rolex, blue emerald faint taints. This model is rare. A very beautiful piece, I admit.
“My dad offered me this yesterday as an apology for missing my first day at school,” said the girl beside me, full of pride. Her pink lipstick smelled of strawberry, and her bag rested on a desk.
My desk.
Earphones off, my eyes kept closed as I feigned not listening to them. But my mind was casting all their luxury items as if I could taste them. Eat them. Every pearl has its face. The glow needs a model of their own. You can not be rich and ugly. It’s chemical and biological. Pretty eyes aren’t enough, and a graceful body can’t match an ethereal species. At Ewynlore High School, no one is awful. Because no one can be.
Every week, the most beautiful students of both genders are selected by the council. As my classmates evaluated their worth through luxury items, I estimated who was richer than me. Who was smarter than me?
The answer? No one.
Who was prettier than me?
My eyelids fluttered open as I scanned every single face until I landed my sight on the bag on my desk that wasn’t mine.
“And you? Leonette? Is that your name ?”
I stayed silent and arranged my red headband while staring at her very light manicure. Recent.
“Your bag.”
The girl looked at me, confused, before smiling widely.
“Brand new ! The velvet color is absolutely my favorite, even though I asked for the cotton candy! I guess he will apologize by bringing home another one”.
Her friends were fawning over her until I pushed the gift, which fell on the floor with a loud thud. Everyone stopped smiling, and a dead silence grew in the classroom. The girl stood up instantly and yelled.
“Hé !”
I looked up at her without breaking eye contact, and I set my handbag right on the spot it belonged. A few students gasped in surprise as I gave a faint smile. Fake but polite. The girl next to me looked too ashamed as she cleared her throat, glancing at her friends, who don’t bother defending her. I understand them well; you can not be the devil’s advocate because I am always the angel. My last black Burkin 25, calf leather made, was the Queen today, and no ministry could change anything about the crown order.
“This is my desk; I hope this is okay ?” I said slowly, tasting each letter like a grape. Juicy, sweet, and yet, crunchy enough.
The poor girl sat back on her chair, bringing her bag to her thighs as she mumbled softly. “This is just an object, no need for all of that”.
My smile wasn’t reaching my ears as I could catch some classmates staring at me. This is it. Now, it’s my time to shine. I passed my hand over my new blue-shaded uniform, logo pending on my chest pocket. My chair squeaks as I stand up, noticing the professor walk into the classroom. The others stand up too, almost forgetting the false incident from a few seconds earlier.
“Hello everyone! It is with honor and pride that I welcome you to my class this new year. I am Mrs. De Lavenue, and I will be teaching you mathematics. I recognize some faces, but… Oh, I almost forgot!”
The tall, slender lady took an envelope out of her bag and tore it open before our eyes. I looked at the restless glances around me, without really understanding what was going on.
“The neatest and most polished student of the first week of September is… Leonette De Lys.”
I gripped the sleeves of my blazer tightly as I felt thirty pairs of eyes staring at me. The Louis Vuitton girl’s whole face fell, unable to swallow the news.
“And the neatest student among the boys… Dereck Weiner.”
“As usual,” sighed one of my classmates, rolling her eyes. “Always Dereck.”
I lowered my head, readjusting my headband. Nothing bothered me as long as I had a place too. And the front row was always the best. Wealth goes with beauty. It is an intrinsic rule. Nothing can change or alter it. So when I saw one of my classmates stand up, his hair tousled, I knew very well that he was not like me, and yet.
“You will therefore be the two students in charge of the year’s introductory speech at next week’s welcome ceremony.”
I crossed my arms, ready to protest, when a chair scraped beside me. My seatmate was on the verge of tears.
“Mrs. De Lavenue! This is a disgrace! And me then? Where is my name?!”
“Sit down, Miss Leah Clarins. Our criteria are always the strictest, don’t bring shame to our motto.”
Leah shot me a dark look before grabbing her things and leaving the classroom in tears. Whispers erupted across the classroom as the teacher tried to restore order.
“Silence!”
The students spread the news among themselves in a matter of seconds, relaying what had just happened before their eyes. Fingers quickly tapped on screens, and knowing glances were exchanged. I watched each of them, wondering how much this place I had just earned would bring me. And whether Ewynlore High would share its secrets with me. My skirt pocket buzzed, and I discreetly took out my phone, glancing at Mrs. De Lavenue, who had started explaining the schedule.
“DON’T TRUST YOUR NEW FRIENDS. ONE OF THEM KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED LAST SUMMER— L”
“Silence, I said!!”
The shrill voice made me jump, and my phone fell to my feet. My chest tightened as I felt the air growing thin. I loosened my tie as I bent down to pick it up, but when I looked again, the screen was blank.
The message had disappeared.
Welcome to Ewynlore High, where beauty prevails over intelligence. But be careful, because some paths look alike.
