forbidden || riara

01. the masquerade ball

the kooks' party.

it was once again summertime, the time for the ball - the masquerade ball. an elegant music played softly in the background, various people moved to the beat while others set up the buffet. it was just before the start and ward cameron and his family had been present for a long time.

the children of the famous father had the task of greeting the attendees warmly, so that the atmosphere was lightened right from the start and the cameron family was once again in a good light. the reputation they are used to. a picture book family.

so rafe cameron, the oldest of the three, stood bored at the entrance, squinting now and then at wheezie, whom he had lost sight of, trying to show the guests his best side.

he wore his light blue blazer, matching pants, and his favorite nike shoes, which his father found hideous for some unfounded reason. lightly, he leaned against the door, pressed his head strongly against the wall, and exhaled - 123 people. and each of them got to hear the same phrases from him. it was exhausting.

he couldn't even found topper,
it was so crowed here.

»rafe cameron, you are an angel.«, a soft voice addressed the blond brother of sarah cameron, causing him to turn in surprise and notice the face of a familiar woman.

his eyebrows rose in confusion, while his brow furrowed. »oh.« was all that escaped his lips before he stuck out his hand and gave a friendly, pained smile. "i'm glad to welcome you here today."

he knew who she was. he knew her and she knew him. but still she played off her anger in a friendly way. rafe swallowed, ran his hand through his hair uncomfortably. »are you here alone?« - the question was unnecessary. now she could read his thoughts.

"no, no. my husband is here and kiara, of course."

rafe froze for a moment, looking at the person in front of him a little longer. his eyes quickly darted to the crowd, hoping to see the person he was looking for. but he didn't find her.

»have fun.«  he gave her a last, light smile before turning around with a quick movement and walking with short steps to sarah.

his sister was busy explaining the way to the toilet to another person, when rafe arrived out of breath in front of her. »sarah!« he said, grabbing her by the shoulder, causing her to roll her eyes. »your best friend is here.«

»maya? of course she's here-« rafe's little sister looked at him in confusion. »kiara fucking carrera.« he looked alternately into one of her eyes, unable to identify her facial expressions.

»that bitch dares to show up here.«, sarah got louder, shaking her head in bewilderment. rafe looked back, pulling his sister strongly into a quit corner. »don't you dare ruin dad's evening.«

sarah angrily looked to the side before pushing him aside. »if that fucking pogue girl looks at me once; i'm not just going to ruin dad's night.«

rafe watched his sister disappear silently before wrinkling his nose and walking slowly in the direction of his father. ward stood alone this time, looking at his cell phone. rafe approached him. »the masks are about to be put on, my boy. don't worry, you'll get one.«

rafe bit his lower lip and secretly shook his head. »good, dad. i've been looking forward to this for months.«, eye-rolling, he turned around to continue looking for topper. but the familiar sound of the many bells next to him suddenly rang out - time for the masks. time for fun.

just as he was about to put on his mask, his eyes caught sight of a person who just arrived. his heart suddenly almost stopped. »fuck.«

while his fingertips began to sweat and the air became more and more stuffy, the blond boy felt sick. as if someone had kicked him in the face.

a few meters in front of him stood kiara. kiara carrera. his old love. his old love with jj maybank. his longtime enemy.

rafe wrinkled his nose in annoyance, slowly running his hand through his face before daring to look in that direction again. jj put on kiara's mask, making her laugh with a few words. »fucking asshole.«

he clenched his fists, continuing to watch the couple in front of him.

»rafe.« rafe recognized topper's voice, who tapped him on the shoulder. "put your mask on, you spoilsport." topper brought him back to reality. he would have lost himself otherwise. lost with jealousy.

»yeah, don't ever call me like that again.« , rafe put on his mask, moved away from topper and exhaled heavily. he really wanted to make an effort for his father today, he really intended to. but his thoughts wanted to knock a person's teeth out violently from this point on.

»dear guests, dear kooks of our beautiful area. i am happy to welcome you here.«, rafe recognized ward's voice, turned around jerkily to listen to his father. »we will now let the masquerade ball begin. grab a partner and head to the dance floor.«

after a long applause, people ran straight to the dance floor while the music was turned up louder. rafe's eyes watched jj and kie as they happily danced along as well. »fucking pogue has no place here,« rafe muttered.

but he knew exactly how to solve the problem.