Gilded Apples; Chapter 3

"Hey, girlie." I glance over as Nadia slides into her desk. "Have you seen Celine? I've been texting her all morning but she's not responding."

I give her a look. "If you really think about it for a second, I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Nadia rolls her eyes. "With Hugh again?"

"Yup." I turn back to my notes. "I could not get away from my locker fast enough."

Nadia makes a gagging sound. "You'd think she'd never had a boyfriend before."

"Well, if you'd get one, you'd be less judgemental," Celine slides into her desk behind Nadia's.

Nadia turns on her. "I'll be less judgemental when you stop ignoring us in favor of your current fling."

Celine gaps at her. "They are not flings. They're boyfriends."

"Call it whatever you want, but your boy toy messed up your lipstick."

"That's fine," Celine responds, pulling out her compact, "Because he gave me this first." Celine produces a tube of lipstick from her pocket. "Ta-da!"

Nadia gasps as I study the tube. It's clear and made to resemble a crystal whose tip had been dipped in gold. There's also no mistaking the signature cursive script imprinted along the side in gold. Fairest.

"Oh. My. God. He got that for you?" Nadia asks in awe.

"Mh hm. The newest from Fairest. Blood Ruby from the Crystal Kiss collection."

"I thought that collection wasn't dropping until next month?"

"Apparently his sister works there as an intern or something and so she gets lots of stuff for free and he snagged this for me."

"Okay, I take it back, he's a keeper."

"Oh, don't make that face Eira," Celine says, rolling her eyes as she pops the tube open. I blink, suddenly realizing my lips had pressed into a thin line. "I get it, you don't like Fairest, but you don't have to be such a downer about it."

"Seriously. And you don't even have a good reason for not liking Fairest. Like, I'd get it if it were some stance against animal cruelty or some bad ingredients they use, but they don't so it's still really weird."

I shake my head. "Sorry, I just think they're overrated. I don't get the appeal."

Celine rolls her eyes as she applies the lipstick. Finished applying she rubs her lips together before giving me a once over. Pursing her lips, she looks at Nadia. "Just let her have her 'not like the other girls' moment."

I'm saved from having to attempt to restore my dignity by the ringing of the bell. Mr. Gringer wastes no time, calling the class to order. I let myself turn back to the front of the room and my notes. It was for the best anyway. This wasn't one conversation I could exactly finish.

As far as they and everyone here were concerned, I was Farley. There were those who were aware that I wasn't a Farley by blood, but they weren't exactly people my mother was worried about gossiping. Besides, Celine and Nadia thinking I was a Farley worked to my advantage. The Farleys were known for being a tad eccentric. The only daughter in the family having something against only the most popular makeup brand could just be passed off as a Farley eccentricity. And them knowing the truth would only complicate things.

How was one supposed to explain this odd situation? How was I supposed to tell my friends that I actually had a very good reason for hating the Fairest brand, or rather the CEO and head of development who was supposed to be the person raising me? Hey, Nadia, Celine, my last name isn't actually Farley, it's Blanc. Yes, Blanc as Merlin and Tatiana Blanc who founded Fairest. Oh, why aren't I being raised by Quinnlyn Everly-Blanc my stepmother and actual lawful legal guardian? Well, she actually hired an assassin to kill me but he decided to take me home and adopt me instead. Yeah, that sounded so perfectly sane. Not to mention the thousand and one questions that would lead to about the Farleys.

It wasn't like I actually cared to be a Blanc anymore. I had been too young to remember much of my life before the Farleys when I had been a Blanc, but I remembered it well enough to know I much preferred being a Farley. Being a Blanc had meant constant publicity. It's amazing no one connected the dots between the new Eira Farley and missing Eira Blanc back then, though I had little doubt a large portion of that was due to special meddling on Dad and Mom's part. Yes, the Farleys were still public figures, but they weren't 'followed by paparazzi and press at all hours' public figures. My life wasn't on constant display. I could be me without someone hovering over me and constantly reminding me to be on my best behavior.

Did it sting a little to lose what my parents had built? Yes. It did. Was it worth going against Quinnlyn for it? No. Definitely not. She hired an assassin once. I doubt she was against trying again. Besides, as a Farley, I was still an heiress. And I could find my own way without the expectation of doing one specific thing. That was the nice thing about belonging to a family known for being eccentric. No one questioned you when you wanted to do something off the wall or completely divergent from what everyone else was doing. And besides, when you're the darling of the family, you can get away with just about anything. Yeah, being a Farley was so much better.

By the time the next bell rings, the incident is far from Nadia and Celine's minds. I wave to them as we part ways in the hall. I won't see them until lunch, provided Celine doesn't ditch us for Hugh, which surprisingly she doesn't.

Celine crosses her arms, giving both of us a look as we walk up. "Were you going to tell me at all?"

I glance at Nadia. "Was there something we were supposed to tell her?"

Nadia shrugs. "I have no idea."

Celine lets out an exasperated sigh. "How is it that I live in the dorms yet am more plugged in than both of you?" She waves a hand to dismiss her question before either of us can answer. "The mayor, your dad," she says with a pointed look at Nadia, "Is going to be throwing a party for the city's hundredth anniversary."

"Oh, is it official now?" Nadia asks as she slides into a seat at the table. "Last I heard it was a maybe."

"Why would I know that?" I ask, slipping into the seat next to Nadia. "I'm not the socialite of my family."

"Like the Farleys aren't going to get an invite," Celine counters.

I shrug. "Then I'll hear about it at home."

Celine gives me a look. "I cannot miss out on what is bound to be the event of the year in this town."

"Well don't look at me. If I go, I'm probably going to be a plus one. A plus one can't bring a plus one."

"You have seven brothers all wrapped around your little finger. I'm sure you could convince one of them to bring your friend."

Sighing deeply, I hold up a hand so I can count off my brothers. "Don doesn't like parties so he'll either pick up a shift or volunteer to be the on-call. Dom is equally likely to be on duty as he is to be free and if he does agree, we aren't getting away with anything. I'm fairly certain Bash's plus one is already taken by Allura so he won't say yes. Greg may say yes, but he's out on a case and I have no idea when he'll be back. Harv has a strict policy against taking my friends anywhere as a plus one and that is your fault. Slade's plus one is probably already being fought over by all the girls at his firm and will probably already be claimed by the time I get to ask. And Snider is probably your best bet, but you know exactly why I'm not going to ask him." I return her look.

She rolls her eyes. "I promise I'm over my obsession with your brother."

"I'll get you in," Nadia says, reaching across the table to grab Celine's hand.

"Thank you. But now that it's established that we're all going, you know what this calls for?"

Celine and Nadia catch each other's eyes across the table before they both crow in harmony, "Shopping spree!"