Author's note: Sadly, I don't own the characters or the show :) This story is highly AU and will most likely be rated M in later chapters. There will probably be a fair share of drama as well as Regina and Gold are trying to 'destroy' each other. I'm also going to write some chapters from Gold's POV and some from Lacey's POV.

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Gold's POV

Breaking up with Regina Mills in her own house, during her own stupid birthday party was calculated, cruel and not very gentleman-like at all. It was also the best thing I had done in weeks. Being a queen bitch, she may or may not have deserved it, it didn't matter to me. It had been a clever plan from beginning to end, and not once during the course of our so-called relationship did she suspect that I was manipulating her like there was no tomorrow.

Make no mistake, she was actually pretty smart for being the top cheerleader and most popular girl at Noble High School, but her emotions were standing in her way like the Great Wall Of China. On top of that, I had another clear advantage: She didn't know that I was playing a game.

She fell for me and that was her mistake. If she hadn't, she would have seen the bullshit I was pulling with her sooner or later. She was never that foolish. But they say that 'true love can blind you' and nothing is more accurate. For me, it made everything a whole lot easier. It was the proverbial 'cherry on top', because as soon as she was in love, she signed all the power over to me. And I did what was best for myself: I crushed her in front of everyone, ensuring that I was going to be the most popular guy at Noble High for what was left of my senior school year. I had unofficially 'ruled' the school for the past two years and I wasn't going to let anyone take that from me. Regina Mills, being the popular bitch she is, was always my biggest threat and I damn well recognized that.

She could twist just about anyone around her little finger and she knew how to get what she wanted. And she wanted popularity. There was just one tiny thing she sought more than that: ruling the school with someone at her side and that someone happened to be me. I'm sure after I broke up with her, she realized just how foolish she had been to think I was going to share any power with her.

The morning after the party, the news about our break-up was spreading all over Noble High and everyone seemed to avoid eye contact with me more than usual, which I was completely fine with. I didn't need them to like me. They knew by now that I wouldn't hesitate to bring anyone down, not even someone who was just as popular as I was.

Regina didn't show up to school at all that day, which was slightly disappointing. Was she really so much weaker than me that she was hiding in her room, weeping and crying herself dry? I had to admit that even I had expected more of her. She never seemed like the type of girl who would easily back down, not even when her heart had been broken. Maybe I had overestimated her competitive spirit or maybe it was just a clever way of trying to freak me out by wondering whether or not she was going to strike back. If she thought her absence would make me nervous, she was terribly wrong though, because I wasn't going to waste a second thought trying to over-analyze her actions.

The Queen Bitch didn't show up until a total of five days later. Her two 'besties' at her side, she walked through the hallways of Noble High like she owned the damn place, which made me inwardly smirk. She had lost a lot of power and followers the moment I broke up with her. People, especially high school students, are stupid and simple. If their beloved Queen gets treated like dirt by someone who is equally popular, it chips away at her image. Regina knew that just as well as I did. She had sunken a lot lower than she had ever wanted and it was all because of me. At the same time, I had managed to make her actually like me before dropping her like a hot potato and it was obvious by the cold look on her face, that she was completely and utterly done with me too. And not just that, she wanted revenge. The glare she shot me said it all, she was going to try to destroy me. It was war and I was fine with that.

It became silent around us when Regina walked towards me, her high heels making a clicking sound on the floor. The other students seemed to just freeze during whatever trivial conversations they were having, their eyes following the Queen Bitch as she came to stop in front of me and my locker. I slammed it shut with a loud noise, which made a few people flinch, but Regina kept a straight face. Whatever she was feeling at this moment was buried under a thick layer of make-up and ice, but looking into her eyes I saw through that shell she had built around herself. The flicker of pain that was hidden behind them reminded me of myself four years ago, but it didn't make me sympathize with her or regret any of what I had done. Instead, it just further encouraged me to be an asshole.

"Took you five days to find a make-up strong enough to cover up the lines of tears on your face, Regina?" I commented, looking directly at her.

She narrowed her eyes at me and if looks could kill, I would have dropped dead on the spot. "I always thought you were smarter than that, Gold." Her lips curved up into a small, deadly smile as she spoke.

"What can I say? I'm not really the relationship type, dearie," I retorted, watching her closely as if she was a hurricane just about to be unleashed. And in a way, she was.

I could see how she worked hard to find some sort of reply that would insult me in any way or at least leave me speechless, but I was pretty sure she would have no such luck. It took a lot to really get to me and I was fairly certain that Regina Mills had no idea where to poke and prod to hit on a raw nerve. She would, without doubt, try to find out and that was why I had to be at least semi-careful.

"I noticed that. You seemed inexperienced," she finally said, running a hand gracefully through her short, dark hair. The sexual innuendo of course didn't go unnoticed by me or our bystanders. My lips curved up into a mischievous smirk at her pathetic attack against my ego. It wasn't that easily destroyed.

"Really?" I asked with an amused undertone in my voice, "Because you were loud enough for the two of us." I didn't miss the soft pink flush that rose up her cheeks or the fury in her dark eyes that only grew wilder each time I spoke. Before she could verbally strike back, however, I added: "Is there anything else you want? If you came to drop on your knees and beg me to take you back, hurry up, because I have other important things to attend to."

A moment followed in which we simply stared at each other. Outstanders would have easily misinterpreted our little power struggle for foreplay and come to think of it, it probably wasn't that far from the truth. To some extent, the air between us was filled with a good amount of pure, dazzling chemistry and under different circumstances, this might have very well lead to a round of purely angry sex. But we were very well aware of our surroundings and the part of Regina that wanted to strangle me right now was most likely a lot stronger than the part that wanted to rip my pants off.

"I suggest you watch your back, Gold." The maleficence in her voice would have sent a wave of cold chills down my spine if I hadn't been about as ruthless as Regina. She shot another derogatory look my way which I replied to with a simple smirk, then she walked away.

The rest of the day went by as usual, people were mostly avoiding me or giving me brief looks when they thought I wasn't paying attention to them. They were all talking about my break-up with Regina, but as soon as I walked past them, they went silent. Out of fear or respect, I didn't care. To be honest, I was seeking both. Being on top of the world and looking down on everyone else, that was my thing. And during the past four years, I had perfected it.

A sudden bump into my side took me by surprise and had me stumble back. The girl that had run into me in the hallway hadn't been able to keep her balance and fell to the ground, alongside with the four books and the purse she had been carrying. "I am so sorry," she immediately exclaimed, looking up at me as she began to gather her stupid books and purse. I raised an eyebrow, my expression displaying nothing but annoyance at the fact that she had run into me. Lacey Isabelle French. She was a junior, but most students knew who she was. She wasn't one of the popular girls, but her outstanding beauty was hard to miss. Her skin was pale and her eyes light blue, which created an amazing contrast to her long, brown hair that fell over her shoulder in light curls.

During my fake relationship, Regina had bitched about Lacey French's natural beauty many times. Jealousy and Envy were just two of Regina's long list of bad and utterly annoying character traits. I didn't pay much attention when she told me for the tenth time how she wished her eyes were as blue as Lacey's or how she would give anything to have longer hair. The only reason why Lacey French had never made it to number 1 of Regina's most hated students at Noble High list was that she didn't care about popularity at all. Lacey was, if anything, a strange girl. She had either never realized how strong of a weapon her looks could be or she didn't care. There was no doubt that if she wasn't so busy sitting alone in a corner reading books, she could have easily become one of the most popular girls at this school. But as it was, she was just a nobody. A damn beautiful one, but a nobody nevertheless.

"Watch where you're going." She was obviously taken aback by my rather harsh reply, but I didn't give two cents about what she was shocked about. I wasn't here to play nice and friendly with someone who was of no use to me.

Instead of just taking her things and walking away, she stood up and took a moment to look into my eyes. If she was trying to figure me out, she might as well just give up. There was no mystery for her to be unsolved. If anything, her staring at me like that angered me.

And then it hit me. She was the key to further humiliate Regina. As of now, the Queen Bitch was hurt, but more than that she was furious. I had seen it during our little exchange earlier. She was planning her next strike against me, but if I could beat her to it, I would once again make it clear to her that she would never be able to 'win'. And thus, I would send a message through the entire High school that it was better not to mess with me.

And what would be a better move than to start 'fake' dating the one girl Regina was so jealous of so shortly after our break-up? It would devastate and irritate her at the same time. Getting to sleep with the beautiful Lacey French was only the bonus. As the wheels in my head were turning, I barely noticed that Lacey had moved past me and was walking off. I let her go for now, but I would have her soon. I was determined to make her mine.