Closed Admiration comes with a price

[Sam Mackintosh]

Sam wasn’t yet going in hysterics about how much she had to study as it was the second week of the semester. She wouldn’t admit it out loud but deep down inside she knew she was a nerd. She had decided to take all the classes possible due to her indecisiveness but at least she was one hundred percent sure that she would have a secure future and a backup plan in case she didn’t end up doing very well in one or two. During one of her study breaks, the girl was taking a walk around the castle. She had been sitting down for two hours straight and she wanted to clear her mind before she would go back to the common room or the library to study some more. Upon noticing the trophy room, Sam took a quick look around before she quietly opened the door and slipped inside. As she looked around at all the achievements of past students she wondered, a bit ambitiously, if her name would ever appear on one of those too some day. ​

 

[Brayden Chevalier]

Brayden Chevalier walked into the trophy room once more. It was his favorite of rooms considering the shiny objects, and how his face reflected off of them. Glorious faces of Brayden. That would be heaven on Earth if everyone shared the same appearance as himself. Aside from Jemma Potter, he found that no one else really shared his opinions or dressed the way he did. With perfection. He heard the door open up and reveal a female that was in his house, but did not care to know. After all, he only took notice in the pretty faces, the perfect clothes, and the overall attitude. He scoffed as he looked over her, and continued to browse the trophies, looking for an extra shiny one to make sure not a single strand of hair was out of place.

 

[Lavinia Benivieni]

Lol ​

 

[Sam Mackintosh]

Sam had been too busy admiring the view in front of her to notice that anyone had entered the trophy room. She was looking at the details of the trophies and prizes. To her, it was really intriguing how the staff kept them so shiny all the time. It mustn’t be that easy to keep them so clean. She was sure at least one student came to visit the room every day or two. When she heard a scoff, she didn’t think it would be directed at her, but when she noticed who it was her mouth opened a bit in shock. Was he being serious? "Oh, it’s just you," she tried to dismiss, recovering from her initial surprise. "What, observing your own good looks?" she told the fellow Slytherin, not realising she had indirectly called him handsome. She remembered she met him once before, though tried to recall where. She doubted he recognised her but if he did, then all the better.​

 

[Brayden Chevalier]

Brayden heard the girl speak about him, how it was ‘just’ him. Well, he was definitely more than just a person. Brayden hated it when someone would address him in such a common manner. He was way more than that. He was a part-veela, and the most handsome boy in the school! He deserved more acknowledgement than that. Then, she asked if he was observing his own good looks. He stood up straight and turned to face the girl. Samantha? Or just Sam? Like it mattered. Brayden smirked and replied with a cocky smile, “Good looks? At least you can see it too, then.” Brayden folded his arms across his chest, as he gave her another once over. If he could just style her up a bit, she would make a passing effort to look decent. “What are you and your lack of a proper hairstyle doing down here? Doesn’t your reflection make you cringe?”

 

[Sam Mackintosh]

Sam knew she had struck a nerve when the boy stood up straighter. It was amusing, really, but nothing more. In fact, she was beginning to feel annoyed already at his attitude. He was so self-absorbed. She folded her arms, meeting his gaze evenly. He wasn't intimidating, nor was he all that good-looking. Deep down, however, Sam knew she was simply in denial. It was quite obvious he was handsome, except that she was never going to admit to him another time. He didn't need a boost to his ego. Maybe it needed to be deflated. "Brayden, right?" she asked, convinced that was his name. "Hey, don't look at me like that," she snapped suddenly, surprising by how sharp her tone was. Then she sighed. She didn't show in her expression that that comment had hurt, but it stung. "I'm allowed to be anywhere I want, thank you very much." Did he seriously not have anything better to do with his life? "Some of us aren't so narcissistic. Unlike you," she shrugged. "Don't you have, like, other people to impress or something? Leave me and my beautiful reflection, alone," she finished, her tone sassy. He was not going to get away with it...whatever he was trying to do.​

 

[Brayden Chevalier]

Brayden nodded softly as she confirmed his name. It had to be Sam. He didn’t know a Samantha. He barely knew many people in the school. She got on to him about looking at her like the way he was. He smirked, snickered a little bit since it had touched a nerve for him to look at her like a person judges the book based on the cover. Unless the cover was interesting, Brayden would read further into it. “I never said that you weren’t allowed to be down here, just wondering how you can tolerate it.” He shrugged his shoulders as she said that some of them were not so narcissistic, which he was to an extent. “I don’t need to impress anyone. Just my own natural charms do that.” Brayden approached her, and stopped within a few feet. He looked over her hair. “You know, give me about fifteen minutes, and I can show you the best hair products and styles to make your hair worth having, you know,” Brayden offered, though it was worded as an insult, it was a genuine offer. “I know you know of Jemma Potter. She lets me do her hair all the time.”

 

[Sam Mackintosh]

Sam tried not to yell at the guy to stop smirking like that, it was seriously getting on her nerves! No, actually, he already was on her nerves. It was like he didn’t even think about his comments or how hurtful they could be. It made Sam rather self-conscious, something she never used to be. Thanks to Mr Thinks-He’s-Good-Looking. Though, he wasn’t bad, she noted and a light blush spread to her cheeks as she thought this. He was almost insulting her and she liked him?! "Of course you do," she said, rolling her eyes and just playing along at this point. She didn’t even bother responding to his previous statement. She hesitated, at first not believing a word of what he was saying. But what if he did have a really cool hairstyle that suited her better than the one she was used to her entire life? It was worth a shot. She’d seen her classmate Jemma and she had flawless hair. "Oh, um, okay, I guess," she said, suddenly shifting uncomfortably. "It doesn’t... hurt, right?" Then, when she realised how stupid that had sounded, she corrected herself. "I mean, please try not to tug at my hair too much."​

 

[Brayden Chevalier]

Brayden smirked a little more, as she seemed to go along with what he said. Yes, he was good looking, and yes, he could turn her hair into something fabulous. Though, did he have time right now to assist her? Perhaps. After all, he had the muse to do something good, and it was almost like charity. Making the world a better place, one head of hair at a time. “As long as you don’t move your head while I am working, then it won’t hurt. My younger sister has a tender scalp so I know how to be gentle.” Brayden started to walk toward the exit of the trophy room, while motioning for her to follow. “You see, my mum is a model, and my dad is a former model. I have all these products, for all sorts of hair. Follow me to the common room and I’ll fix your hair up. And no, none of the products I use will change your hair color or has been tested on animals or magical creatures.” Brayden assumed that was on the mind of girls nowadays. Brayden didn’t mind magical creatures, after all, he wasn’t even fully human anyway.