CHAPTER THIRTY

"If you don't get your fat arse out of my face right this second, I am going to shove this shoehorn up it, do you hear me?"

Cameron and Mohammad only snickered in reply, ignoring Hannah's threats as she glared at the two of them. The idea that girls took ages to get ready was completely ridiculously, considering the two of them had been arguing over the mirror for the past thirty minutes and still weren't done. Hannah had been ready for ages, bored to death as she waited for them to stop being such drama queens for once in their lives. It was the following week and the much anticipated day of Premrose's annual Winter Ball had arrived.

Much anticipated by everyone but Hannah, of course.

Ashlyn had been looking forward to the event ever since they first joined high school, all those years ago at the tender age of eleven. The vast majority of her family had attended Premrose, the Janek name far too prestigious for anything other than their snobby private school and all the women had been crowned Queen. There was nothing more Ashlyn was waiting for other than the moment the silver crown touched her golden locks – she'd had the speech she would say at that moment prepared for the past few years.

But whilst Ashlyn was definitely still the ruler of the school in terms of social standing, Hannah was no longer a hundred percent positive that her best friend was going to win. There were whispers floating around, muffled voices mumbling her name beneath their breaths.

Hannah hoped with all she had that she was incorrect but a part of her knew she wasn't. She knew that there was a good chance that she would be voted Queen instead, the school's attempt to rattle their actual queen off her high horse. As loved as Ashlyn was, she was also hated – her poisonous words ready like rattlesnakes, always on the edge of attack to push others down in order to remain at the top.

There was a petty part of Hannah that wanted to see her former best friend not receive the award or attention she expected but there was a greater part of her that didn't want to anger Ash even more. She knew better than anyone how low Ashlyn could stoop to hurt her and after all these years, all her insecurities were well known.

"Okay," Cameron finally said, one last tug at his hair as he spun around to face his cousin. "We're ready, c'mon, let's go party."

As they trooped downstairs and into Cameron's car, Mohammad burst into an obnoxiously loud singing. "C'mon, Barbie, let's go party, oh oh oooh!"

His stupidity, surprisingly, made her grin and push the negativity out of her mind. "Honestly, I have no idea why I agreed to come to this Ball with you. You're way too embarrassing!"

He gave her such an outrageous look that she burst into giggles, trying to stop her eyes watering in order to keep her makeup on neat. If the rumours she heard were true, enough people would have voted for her for all eyes to be on her and there was nothing she wanted to do to compromise it. She had to be perfect.

"Oi," Mohammad responded with disdain, tugging at the gleaming silver tie around his neck that perfectly matched her dress. "You agreed to come with me because I'm amazing and you can't live without this amazing-ness."

She only rolled her eyes at his words, her gaze running over the buildings and lights they were speeding by. Her stomach was contorting in itself, a gut feeling of something brewing. But she focused on the fact that both Becky at the library and Rayne in English had offered for her to sit with them if she wanted to. She knew that neither of them expected her to take them up on their offer – after all, she still had a lot of people claiming to be her friend and they were barely known in school, somewhere near the bottom of the social ladder. But truth be told, she would much rather hang out with them than the vultures around her.

"Ready, guys?" Cameron asked, pulling off his seatbelt and smoothing his tie out. The dark purple matched the dress of a girl Hannah couldn't remember the name of, in fact, she highly doubted that Cam knew her name either. It was something they had argued about a handful of times over the week but to no resolve. Hannah was adamant that his flirting on multiple random girls was unacceptable now that Ty was in the picture but her cousin wasn't anywhere near ready to come out in their highly homophobic school.

The walls of the Hall were covered in panels of soft white and pale blue fabric, cool-toned lighting brightening the faces around them and waves of chattering surrounded them as they stepped in. Cameron immediately left them to wander off with the name-less girl and Hannah took an instinctive step closer to Mohammad, keeping a radiant smile on beneath the curious stares piercing her skin.

She knew that people would talk about their attendance together but she couldn't find it in her to care, she needed the familiarity beside her. And after what Gabriel had almost done, she couldn't stand to have anyone around her that she didn't trust.

They mingled with friends, writing down their votes on small slips of paper and handing them back to the Art teacher who was supervising it as conversations became slightly less sober. As only the final year students were allowed to attend the Winter Ball, an astonishing amount of alcohol was lacing the tables, a beacon of light for the masses of recent eighteen year olds.

"Thank you," a voice whispered, stuttering against the words as Hannah handed a purse back to the girl in front of her that had fallen against the gleaming floor. It was a girl she had never met before but one who evidentially knew who Hannah was. The thought made her frown slightly – she had tried to fool herself over the winter holidays that she was just a normal person with superficial worries like everyone else in school but with all that had happened recently, how could she?

The entire school knew about her cheating ex-boyfriend and former best friend and the relationship they always tried to flaunt in front of her. Everyone knew of her mother's fame and about how not a word of her existence ever made it into the press. Hannah had heard many whispers still floating around the school; about her false friends, non-existent family and complete lack of sex life. It was beyond humiliating, especially as random guys were constantly stopping her to attempt to flirt, in hope she would believe their sweet words and fall into their beds. It was as though her virginity had become a competition, the thought leaving a bitter taste.

"Idiots," she very quietly grumbled to herself as she made her way through the crowds of bodies, gowns glinting beneath the bright lights. "Fucking idiots."

She didn't intend to sound vain, even inside her own head, but Hannah knew she looked good and with the way people were gaping at her, she wasn't the only one. After much deliberation regarding her pride, she had decided to wear the Jazz dress Ashlyn had brought her for Gabriel's sister's wedding.

Whilst she felt physically sick to wear a dress her mother had designed and manufactured. She knew her former best friend and boyfriend would take it as a slap in the face. She knew she was being petty but there was a part of her that revelled in making them as uncomfortable as they had been trying to make her ever since that fateful day she had punched Gabriel in the corridor.

By wearing a dress intended for Gabriel's admiring eyes, at an event with another guy – even if Mohammad definitely wasn't anything more than a friend – she was proving that her ex no longer dictated her choices like he had been doing for so long. 

It was just an additional bonus that the soft grey wrapped around her frame, shone bright, making her look almost ethereal.

"You wanna go over to Rayne?" Mohammad's voice grazed against her ear as Charmaine and her boyfriend Patience excused themselves from them to raid the drinks table. His words were a little too close for her comfort but the teasing glint in his tone made his intentions clear. Cameron had teased her about Rayne in front of him, despite her adamant claims that she didn't like him. Not like that anyway!

She wanted to say no just to wipe the suggesting look off his face but at that moment she caught sight of Ashlyn from the other end of the grand hall. She was dressed in a pale blue, sequins lacing tightly around the curves of her body and her lips a startling crimson red. She looked beautiful, as usual but the cold glint of her eyes subtly ruined it.

"Sure," Hannah mumbled, raising her head high as though seeing the betrayal of a girl she'd considered like a sister for so many years didn't affect her at all. "Where are they?"

He didn't bother responded, rolling his dark eyes at the fact she hadn't responded to his teasing quip about Rayne and instead, tugged her along. Rayne, Becky and Carter were all seated at a table on the corner of left side of the Hall, almost hidden amongst the shadows. "Yo," Mohammad called out when he got there, giving Becky a side-hug with one arm whilst dragging Hannah along with the other. "Mind if we sit?"

Becky's eyes were opened wide, surprise painted over her even sepia skin as she looked the two up and down. Evidentially she hadn't expected Hannah to actually take her upon her offer but here they were.

"Er, course," Becky finally answered, shuffling her chair over to make room around the large round table, her violet dress swishing as she did so. "Momo, this is Rayne and my loser of a brother, Carter."

The slight awkward feeling Hannah felt brewing in her bones at the way the three looked her up and down soon disappeared with Becky's words. "Momo?" she asked, unable to prevent a snort spilling out of her lips as Mohammad only rolled his dark eyes in response.

"Nice to meet you two," he said in reply, tone rising as he smirked. "Especially you Rayne, I've heard a lot about you from Hannah here."

It wasn't true of course – she hadn't really said anything about her newfound friendship – but that didn't stop her cheeks tinging pink at the suggestive tone in her friends words.

Thankfully Rayne didn't take it that way and instead laughed, the sound sending a spark towards her as it broke the somewhat tense atmosphere. They were soon all talking amongst each other, as though they had been friends for years, whilst the rest of the school scurried on around them.

Rayne tried not to look at her too much in case he couldn't stop but, God, he just couldn't help it. Hannah looked beautiful, a pearly grey chiffon hanging off her curves of her body as though it was made for her, as dark tendrils of hair fell softly against her neck.

Hannah had always been beautiful, that much was obvious to anyone who possessed a pair of working eyes, but never before had he realised just how much it affected him. The thought made him wince slightly, raising a glass to his lips as the alcohol content in his body went higher and higher. He didn't usually drink so much but there was only so much of her laughter he could stomach without feeling faint.

"There you are," a voice came from behind their table as Cameron appeared amongst the blue-ish lights, arms wrapping around his cousins bare shoulders. "Save me; the damn girl can't stop talking about random shit, she's doing my nut in!"

Hannah giggled in reply, smacking him with her palm. "Serves you right for even deciding to come with some random-ass girl, then." Her words were teasing but Cameron tensed, knowing perfectly well that his cousin was still annoyed at his choice. She thought that because he was with Tyler, he shouldn't be attending such a social event with someone else. But Hannah didn't understand, she couldn't possibly understand the fear that laced his bones when he thought of what would happen if everyone found out about his boyfriend.

He loved Tyler, he truly did, but there was a resentful part of him that wished he'd never fallen for a guy. It was too complicated, or at least, too complicated whilst he was in Pemrose.

Just a few more months and the two cousins could stop pretending they cared about all around them, just a few more months until they could escape from the societal pressures intertwined in the traditions of their private school.

And speaking of stupid traditions.

"Settle down everyone," a scratchy voice came over the microphone, their head-teacher fumbling on the grand stage at the front of the Hall. "I'd just like to extend a warm thank you to all those on the Ball committee who have worked hard this winter to put on such a spectacular event. Please join me in giving them a round of applause."

They all clapped dutifully, a slowly rising excitement brewing in the air. Hannah knew what was coming – the crowning of the King and Queen of the Ball – and something about the thought made her nauseous. She wanted it to be Ashlyn, she really did because she had no energy to deal with anymore drama. But there was a part of her that knew what was coming.

The head-teacher droned on about the founding of the school and the importance of Premrose's legacy – whatever that meant – until it was time to announce the results of the vote.

"And without further ado, the results of the Winter Ball King and Queen of 2014 are..."

Unlike the vast majority of the female population gazing up in excitement, Becky couldn't care less about the stupid vote. It was all a goddamn popularity competition anyway and she despised the fact that they were forced to acknowledge how important popularity was in the school.

From beside her, Mohammad was thinking the same thing. Whilst he had always been popular due to his devilish handsome looks and rich family, he'd always had a lot of more pressing things going on in his life and so, hadn't fallen into its trap. But for once, he was actually paying attention to what was occurring. The whispers spreading the school hadn't evaded his ears and his dark eyes were trained on Hannah from across him.

"Mr Gabriel Slade and Miss Hannah Adem."

Hannah's skin paled instantly, her stomach tightening in something resembling panic. "Aw, fuckballs," she muttered, as voices began rising and heads began turning. Whilst she'd had an inkling she would win Queen due to the rumours being spread around, she honestly hadn't thought about the King.

But now, watching Gabriel stride to the stage with all the confidence in the world, she was seconds away from slapping herself in the face for it. How could she have forgotten? Not only would Ashlyn be absolutely furious and do something drastic in return, but she was being forced to acknowledge her bastard of an ex-boyfriend.

"Hannah?" their head-teacher called out, neck craning as he searched for her amongst the crowds of people as Gabriel sneered from where he stood, silver crown perched on his golden curls.

From behind her, Cameron lowered his head onto hers, his chin resting against her fringe. "You can do it, babe," he whispered, the worry in his voice hidden beneath a carefully calm exterior. He had spent his whole life pretending, they both had, and so it was no wonder that he could remain so passive despite wanting to rip Gabriel to shreds.

Slowly, Hannah stood up from where she was seated, face stone cold. Her expression gave nothing away, a wall put up in front of her expressions as she waded through the huddles of her classmates.

With one hand holding the layers of chiffon up, she climbed up the few steps with ease in her towering heels, her back straight as she faced her ex-boyfriend. He was beaming at her but after knowing him for so many years, Hannah could see the contempt behind his icy blue eyes.

"Congratulations Mr Slade and Miss Adem," their head-teachers voice said, cutting through the tension, as he placed the matching silver crown on her head. It felt heavy against her skull, the sheer force of what it represented almost making her kneel over but in the last moment, she cast an eye against the table she had been sitting at.

She ignored the whispers amongst the student body and the way she could feel glares penetrating her façade, instead focusing on her friends. Cameron was looking directly at her, all the love in the world shining through his eyes and a feeling of pure tenderness ran through her veins at it. Mohammad was beaming with pride, one arm swung around Becky's shoulders who was clapping politely although it was evident she didn't care about the stupid title. Carter was smiling in her direction, fingers wrapped around the glass as he continued his conversation with his best friend.

But Rayne wasn't listening, his mind completely on Hannah.

Amongst the stage lights, Hannah's pale grey dress looked even lighter, as though it was a stark white contrasting against her cinnamon toned skin. Her hair was wrapped in an elaborate updo, loose tendrils falling down as the silver crown gleamed. Her posture was perfect, back straight and chin up as she smiled with a perfectly practiced smile at the crowd. But it was her eyes that did it, the swirls of gold and warm copper glinting against the light warming him up from the inside.

How did she do that?

How did she find it in herself to go and stand up on a stage in front of everyone they knew, her bare shoulders almost rubbing against the man she hated and still smile at them? How could any one person be so good at the art of pretence? And most importantly, how had he possibly managed to get past that barrier of defence?

He didn't have to be a genius to know that nobody truly knew Hannah Adem, other than her cousin of course. She was undoubtedly beautiful and undoubtedly popular but she was nothing more than a mystery. And yet, he had somehow managed to get close enough to uncover some of her secrets.

He knew about her absent father, about the mission she was on to find him. He had pieced together enough about her mother from the few sentences, enough to know that Jasmine Adem was too ashamed of Hannah to admit she had a daughter.

But how could that be possible, how could anyone possible be ashamed of someone so goddamn incredible?

"Oh for fucks sake," Cameron swore, his anger evident just from one look. "The slimy fucking bastard, I'm gonna fucking murder the little fuck."

Gabriel had grabbed hold of Hannah's hand in what seemed like a genuinely loving way to everyone else but the tightness of his grip was cutting off her circulation. She tugged her arm away but his hold was too tight, nausea running through her at the realisation he was touching her once again.

"One dance," he said, loud enough for the crowds to here. "One dance with my Queen."

Hannah felt physically sick at his touch, at the way his eyes had darkened in something that sent a shot of fear through her bones. With all the energy she could possibly muster, she yanked herself back, pulling herself out of his tight grasp and instead turned towards her head-teacher.

"Thank you," she murmured. "But I need to get back to my friends."

Gabriel was furious, she could feel it from the way the back of her neck burned against his glare but she did all she could to ignore it. She had rejected him, in front of everyone they knew and she knew it would come with a price. Her shoulders were tense, fingers digging deep into her palms but she didn't betray an ounce of her disgust. But it was only when she caught sight of Ashlyn as she was walking back towards her friends did she realise the enormity of what had just happened.

Ashlyn wasn't glaring at her, wasn't frowning in annoyance or wasn't shouting at her. Instead, she was eerily calm, her expression neutral and her eyes blank. But that was so much worse.

"Fuck me," she groaned with frustration as she finally sunk back into her seat, letting her head drop forward and bang onto the table.

Cameron laughed loudly although his fingers slowly traced along her wrist from under the table, his comforting feel rubbing away the feel of Gabriel's possessive touch.

"Are you okay, Han?" he whispered, close enough that only she could hear. "I still haven't murdered him for you yet but every day I get more and more closer to doing that, y'know, just say the word."

She wrapped her arms around his head at his words and pulled him closer, planting a soppy kiss on his cheek as he groaned in protest. "I love you, you loser."

Mohammad leaned forward from where he was sitting, his lips curling up in mischief. "You're not the only one, your royal highness."

Hannah was about to throw a fork at him when a squeal came from behind her, one that was so high she genuinely jumped in her seat. Rayne sniggered at her reaction and instinctively, she blushed slightly beneath his gaze. "Shut up," she mumbled, lips curling into a smile as the others began to also laugh at her.

A girl in a poofy dark purple dress approached them, her ginger hair in wild curls around her head and a ditzy smile on. "There you are, Cam," she squeaked, almost bouncing on her heels as she beamed at them all. "I've been looking for you!"

Cameron looked physically pained at the girl's excessive enthusiasm and Hannah found herself relieved. It served him right for having a date when he had a brilliant boyfriend! "Er, hi, babe," he mumbled, one hand tugging at his hair as he struggled to remember her name. "How about a dance? I'm just gonna go for a piss and I'll be right back, okay?"

Hannah pursed her lips as he clambered up from his seat, pushing past the poor girl without a glance. "Lovely," she muttered to herself as the girl slowly trailed back to the dance floor.

Rayne shuffled over, taking a seat where Cameron had been moments before. "Congrats," he said, jade eyes twinkling beneath the bright lights as he gestured to the silver crown on her head.

She laughed at that, the sound rising from her throat in a rare moment of unadulterated happiness. "Why thank you, kind sir," she replied, bowing her head in a dramatic stance as he only grinned at her. 

"How's everything been with... the, erm, the thing we were doing?" Rayne asked, tripping over his words as he tried to make it obvious what he was talking about without making it obvious what he was talking about. He wanted to ask about her search for Chris Davis, her maybe father, but didn't want everyone around them to know.

Hannah grinned in reply, the act making her eyes shine beneath the false lashes. "I put it on the backburner for a bit, to be honest, but I'm working on it. Maybe after Rome?"

He nodded, understanding that it wasn't easy for her but respecting it all the same. Instead of making her feel more uncomfortable, he changed the topic to their school trip to Rome, the conversation flowing naturally. Becky and Mohammad also joined in, also in their English class and therefore also attending as Carter grumbled about how it wasn't fair that he couldn't go.

And as they all spoke, Hannah couldn't keep the smile off her face. The storm may have been coming but for the meantime, she would enjoy what she had.