An Art

"Skillful Eye Contact Is-

An Art."

*plz note that the whole book is already published at wattpad under the name A Wisp Of Silk and my username is NickRusset*

—

  Angelique Arcane was never the type of person to be easily vanquished. So by burning her book and telling her to fuck off had only repercussed in Asher acquiring himself, yet another enemy.

  Angelique's ruby lips vaguely parted for a warm sigh to abscond. She surveyed the half burnt polaroid between her slender fingers with a melancholic frown pulling her lips down, the remnants of yesterday's mishap still causing the depressive dip at the bottom of her stomach to pull further below.

  That dipshit was gonna pay for it. She slipped it back inside and shut her locker only to realize... people around her going silent.

  Her eyes swept around to behold the crowd cleaving for The Asher Roosevelt. When the same crowd split for anyone else in The Elite, there still were evident whispers floating around but when they parted for Asher, everybody stayed silent.

  Why won't silence leave me the fuck alone?

  Angelique inclined back on her locker. The white bandage around the palm of her hand was a soft contrast against the dark hues of her hair as her fingers spun the few wisps of her straight hair which had shuffled out of her sleek ponytail. She gazed at him, somewhat enthralled. He was perfection. Clad in black full sleeved Gucci t-shirt, his black basketball varsity jacket, black Puma basketball shoes and a black Balmain bag hung indolently over his broad shoulder.

  The only pint of color on him was the gold Crowndale Cosmoses logo on the left side of his chest.

  The aura that glazed him was dark, mysterious and confident.

  She plugged her Airpods in, once again getting rid of the obnoxious, tumultuous silence. The bandage around her palm felt rough against her skin.

  Asher didn't acknowledge anyone, his hands in the pockets of his black jeans and eyes persistently locked straight ahead as he sustained his phlegmatic swaggering, unaware of of the pathetic, gossip-hungry student body.

  No. He was aware of them, he just didn't give a fuck. His strides were confident and he walked as if he dominated the fucking world.

  Angelique was engrossed in lionizing his hauntingly handsome profile when precipitously, his gaze converged with hers. Piercing grays clashed against her amber ones with an intensity that made Angelique wonder if he could peruse her soul only with a glimpse.

  She could feel his fingers that were wrapped around the nape of her neck just the day before. It was still burning, scorching really.

  Her breath hitched as she blinked a couple times, a dusky rouge blushing her cheeks as she remained utterly stupefied before quickly swishing around and fumbling with the code on her locker to busy herself once more.

  She shook her head and scoffed lightly. She was Angelique fucking Arcane. She didn't lionize anyone. They lionized her.

  He can't mess with her head.

—

  Angelique hummed to the soft sound levitating in the background as she brushed through her long hair, untangling their knots before swiping them into a high ponytail, clearing the strands from veiling her long neck and eminent collar bones as she slightly tilted her head in front of the mirror to catch a glimpse of her birthmark below her ear which was a prominent 7 previously but now was 6. Weird. Whatever.

  Her day wasn't atrocious, if you neglect her to tolerate the asshat again, eventhough his face was a goddamn alluring sight. His imperturbable appearance and tranquil gray eyes not giving away anything, his knuckles, red and busted.

  Stepping into a red Dolce & Gabbana pullover with black jeans and red Vans, she applied some La Roche Posay moisturiser and her red Clarins matte before grabbing her car keys and red Ray-Bans. Angelique twisted, pulling the crystal doorknob to descry Blevine looking up at her with her arms folded in a scolding stance.

  Kid.

  "Guess who's bored? Me. I'm bored. Give me attention." She said flatly causing Angelique to roll her fiery orbs.

  "Want some hot chocolate?"

  The question caused Blevine's face to brighten at once, childish innocence glinting on her countenance as she, spun around, shouting "Come on, Blevery! Angel is taking us out!"

  Blevery came sprinting out of her door, not bothering to camouflage her state of incredulity.

  Geez! They behave as if I never take them out with me.

  Evelyn was leaning against her Bentley, wearing an olive green Ralph Lauren top with a cashmere sweater, typing away on her phone when Angelique pulled over at the cafe and stepped out.

  She unchained her eyes from her phone screen to lock with Angelique's and guided it to her pocket, walking up to her. Angelique shrugged off her blood red Zara trench coat and slid off her Ray-Bans, revealing her honey eyes which glistered in the golden streaks of sunrays.

  "I got the twins too." She sighed, a weary expression on her enchanting face as she stuffed her expensive coat into her car.

  Azure irises, glinting in the pale orange and yellow hues of sunlight, widened in sheer perplexion at which she held her hand up.

  "What? It is surprising." Evelyn chuckled softly as she smoothed the sleeves of her cashmere sweater, feeling the silken texture under the coarse ups and downs of her fingertips.

  "Of course." Angelique pursed her lips and rolled her eyes at the platinum blonde's comment before leaning into the car.

  "Arcanes, we're here, in case you didn't notice. Surprising. I know."

  "Then what are you waiting for?" Blevine rolled her eyes.

  "Open my door." Blevery said in a duh tone.

  Kids.

  She suppressed another sarcastic comment, threatening to tumble down her velvet lips as she straightened up, securing the driver's door. She inhaled deeply and turned her head over her shoulder to bestow Evelyn with a look.

  "If I could go back in time, the only thing I'd change would be how I annoyed my parents because apparently I've started believing in karma." Angelique twisted around to support her back against the car, folding her slender arms around herself as her cherry lips forged into a small pout.

  Evelyn giggled before speaking "They looks in full mood today so we both know they're not coming out themselve...." she turned towards the café in a wordless signal for Angelique to delineate her gaze straight through the glass panel and encounter three pairs of eyes anchored on herself.

  One of which, the dangerously alluring faced jerk, Asher, diverted his attention while the other two, Edward and Jace smile heartily, boyish grins buckling their lips heavenwards, showcasing milky white teeth. The girls requited the smiles before emphasizing their own business.

  "Have to say this, Blevine's eye roll is as perfect as yours." Evelyn's cerise lips extended into a widened smirk.

  "Yeah, isn't her eyeroll the most important thing right now?"

  "Woah! I didn't even try to piss you off."

  She classically rolled her amber eyes, walking to the supplementary side of her red Ferrari and unsecured both the doors, not wanting a scene in presence of him.

  Was it too late to go somewhere else? She had to ruminate.

  Angelique dropped her iPhone and Ray bans on the hardwood tabletop before sidling into the booth, rolling her eyes at a group of teens who were discreetly trying to snap her pictures before fixing her gaze beside her at the twins who sat bickering about anything that sounded stupid enough.

  As the waitress scribbled down on her small pad, Evelyn slipped her a forty along with a genuine grin, blue eyes sparkling as she spoke, "You know what you have to do, right?"

  The girl giggled, pink blush coating the apples of her cheeks as she nodded before walking away. Angelique frowned at Evelyn.

  "What? Please don't tell me you didn't want your drink spiked."

  "Fuck that. Here I am, following a fucking diet and there you go, ordering half the things on the menu, but still being as thin as a stick. Why?"

  "Thin as a stick. Without any curves whatsoever... but yeah, I do have a great metabolism." Her cupid's bow arched into a grin and she fluttered her light eyelashes as their orders arrived.

  "Whatever."

  "So Angel," her gaze whizzed at Angelique whilst clasping her fingers together, stitching them tightly "Had the privilege of meeting Natalie Lintez?"

  "Because that's what I came for to Manhattan." Angelique mumbled to herself before leaning her elbows on the table and arose her fingers up to tucked a few stray strands of her caffeinated hair behind her ear as she scoffed "Not like met, I saw her. Pretty sure she doesn't wanna talk to me. And I'm totally fine with it."

  "Doesn't even matter anyway. What actually happened though?" Evelyn said tossing a fry in her mouth as she chewed rather hurriedly.

  Angelique's nose slightly crinkled in an eccentric manner as she tried to crush the smile threatening to pull at her lips.

  "She's a doll, I swear," she said slurping her strawberry smoothie before permitting her tongue to swipe her lips and hooking another hairpiece behind her ear "Remember a couple year ago Lauren had her Christmas ballet concert?"

  "Hmm." Evelyn nodded in understanding as she ratified her to recommence, her oceanic eyes focused on the other girl's.

  "Well, Natalie drugged her drink. That stupid girl wasn't even subtle about adding drugs in someone's drink. Childish much?" She chuckled acquiring an amusement congested smile from Evelyn "I saw that. But I still don't understand how she reached backstage, in the first place."

  "Of course her brother helped her." Evelyn said aiming to shove away the odd strands of her snow hair that scarpered her top knot while licking the cheese on her first finger.

  "So d-" Angelique's eyes squiz to Blevine who was attempting on climbing up the table and her smile enervated instantly, all colour percolating from her face as she whisper shouted "Blevine, what are you doing?!"

  "Attention everyone," Blevine ignored her as she stood atop, becoming the cynosure of all eyes. "Oh nothing, I just love attention."

  Blevery giggled lightly causing Angelique to accept that Evelyn was precisely accurate about them being in downright mood for devilry.

  She plopped her head to the table with a small thud.

  Sympathizing with her friend, Evelyn volunteered to beg, "Blevine, get down sweetie, good girls don't do that."

  Too much had happened and candidly, Angelique wasn't even chagrined at this point.

  A shouting distance asunder, Jace and Edward chortled at the furore but Asher didn't even glance there. His eyes were rerouted at the beauty who had her forehead pressed against the back of her bandaged hand. A small smirk contorted his arousing lips and he rubbed his stubble engraved jaw, eyeing her with amusement hidden behind stormy gray orbs. He elevated his highly caffeinated drink and took a sip in order to hide his smile.

  "I am a good girl," Blevine scowled "I had to do it for the bet."

  Angelique slanted her head to uplifted an eyebrow at her, "Who told you about bets?"

  "You and Charles have them all the time."

  "Then this is utterly your fault." Evelyn chided.

  Needless to say, Blevery was laughing all though it, even banging her fist on the table.

  "Shut it, Evelyn and you, down. Now."

  "No."

  "Doll, are you forgetting whom you're talking to?" She smirked up at the little girl a silver of arrogance floating in her eyes full of molten lava.

  Blevine stared down at her as moments flickered, the pale sunlight dimming outside. In a couple hours, the sun would be submerged in the horizon, this part of the day was exceptionally blissful, not today though. Angelique could feel the unabridged attention of each soul in the café on them causing her to roll her eyes.

  So much for not causing a scene?

  "So we're just gonna stand her looking at each other," Angelique's tongue clicked sharply, a sly smile playing on her lips as she folded her arms "Sounds fun to me."

  "Fine." Blevine pouted, the bottom lip protruding in a displayed desolation whilst getting down.

  "I won't be surprised to find you two in jail someday." She said perched down beside her. Blevine sent her a jumbo grin before returning to her hot chocolate.

  "I really love your sisters." Evelyn chuckled, crossing her left leg over her right one before retracing her gaze to Angelique.

  Take them.

  "Anyways, you were saying something?" She said, her eyebrows scarcely raised in quizzed.

  "A cousin." Evelyn commenced as she drummed her manicured fingernails on the wooden tabletop "They're like super close besties. And let me tell you this, he may be kinda hot but he is literally the biggest asshole in the whole world."

  "I refuse to believe that, Evelyn," Angelique traced her fingertips lightly along the brim of the glass, her eyes now zeroed on it as she mused on Evelyn's utterance "I'm afraid that title belongs to someone else."

  Her gaze involuntarily landed on Asher, just as his collided with hers. And there it was. A split second when her heartbeat dipped and her breath hitched. His piercing gray eyes giving away nothing as he held her captive under his spell. She didn't look away. She just couldn't. His lion eyes were extracting and the power in them was too much for her to disregard.

  "Angel?" Angelique heard a distant voice evoke her when Asher decided to emancipate her from his hypnotic gaze.

  "Huh?" She gulped, her eyebrows upraised as she averted her concentration to Evelyn who had her forehead furrowed and eyes thinned.

  "What happened?"

  "I was..." she cleared her throat, letting her tongue trail over her upper front teeth as she attempted on untangling her knotted thoughts "Anyways. What were you saying? About Natalie's brother, I guess?"

  "He loves getting in illegal stuff. Because, you know, he has so much money. I don't know very much about him but yeah, The Elite is not very fond of him."

  "How unsurprising," Angelique placed her chin in the palm of her beautifully manicured hand, not quite gripped by Natalie's life anymore, "And what's up with your lover boy?"

  "First of all, he's not my fucking lover boy, he is just a friend. And you know that."

  She detached her chin from the cup of her palm, rolling her eyes at Evelyn who manifestly had a crush on Angelique's bestfriend since virtually a year and wasn't primed to embrace it.

  "Yeah yeah, where is he though?"

  "You don't know?" Evelyn questioned confusion printed on her face.

  "We haven't talked in like a couple weeks I guess." She shrugged, lightly pulling her shoulders up before dropping them back on their place as she slid the emptied glass of milkshake to a side.

  "He's in Abu Dhabi." She waved dismissively causing Angelique to quip an eyebrow in a silent signal for her to elucidate further "To spend some time with his mother. Her retail therapy..... I guess."

  Hannah and her retail therapies.

  "Why won't you just accept that you like him?"

  "Cause I don't." Evelyn nibbled on her lower lip as a pink blush coated her cheeks. Angelique sighed, gradually shaking her head in incredulity.

  "Wait, where are your sisters?"

  She twisted her neck beside herself, cocoa hair pulled into a ponytail, shifting on her shoulder and her carmine colored lips tugged up in a soft smile.

  They were gone.

  "Um Angel..... are you okay?" Evelyn asked, a bit perturbed, watching her smile at the peculiar circumstances.

  "Yeah," Angelique shielded her face with her hands, her elbows reposed on the tabletop "Completely at ease and my mental situation is absolutely fine. Don't worry."

  "Angel?"

  "Hmm?"

  "Look at the table where the boys are sitting."

  Angelique pulled her hands away, her lips vaguely parting.

  Edward's lips flitted as he vocalized something causing them all to laugh. Her eyes flickered to Asher. He looked inescapably desirable as he chuckled lightly. The man was literal forest fire. Angelique was fascinated by his messy black hair... she briefly wondered what it would feel like to glide her fingers through their midnight depths.

  A frown warped her lips at the thought. He literally burnt her last family photo and this is what her brain was conjuring. She reluctantly gazed back at Evelyn.

  "It's okay. Let them be." Evelyn said sifting her deep frown, the warm air around seeping into her bones.

  "I kinda... erm... intensely dislike Asher Roosevelt." Angelique gnawed on her lush bottom lip, looking out of the glass panel with her brows furrowed as she leisurely fidgeted with the diminutive crown dangling from her bracelet.

  "Why?" Evelyn questioned making Angelique's flaming orbs focus on her as her lips curl down into a sneer.

  "Firstly, he's an asshole. Secondly, he's an asshole. Thirdly, he's an asshole. Wait. Did I mention he's an asshole?"

  "Oh my god. I have never seen you get so riled up on some guy. Fancy explaining?" Evelyn's slender eyebrows raised in amusement as she giggled causing Angelique to roll her eyes.

  That's right. Angelique Arcane doesn't get effected by guys. They did.

  "Anyways," she straightened up, pulling the trivial creases on her pullover as she firmly changed the topic "What's happening with that guy?"

  "Charles?"

  A perfectly plucked eyebrow elevated, as Angelique twirled the miniature pensile crown around her finger, regarding Evelyn charily "Do you love him, Evelyn?"

  "Nonsense!" Evelyn said immediately, astounded at the mere thought of it.

  "So what?" Angelique's eyebrows furrowed in mild confusion as she decided to credence it.

  "You know him, Angel," she let out a sigh, staring at her nails with her eyebrows clinched together tightly "Charles isn't him. Also not the dating type and... we've been friends for long and... I don't know..."

  "He doesn't like you?"

  "Exactly what I don't know." Evelyn lazily swiveled her straw in the half drunk blueberry milkshake. "Anyways, party at my house tonight."

  "Why?"

  "Because my bestfriend shifted here. Duh." Her lips perked up in a benign smile and Angelique smiled back.

  Missed partying for some time now.