09. INSECURITIES & GOLD

ACT TWO SCENE THREE

INSECURITIES & GOLD

sahar glacé

PERSPECTIVE

THE MID SUMMER BALL. A ball where the upper class members of society meet up to build alliances and grow their businesses so that the rich get richer: benefitting capitalism as the poor get poorer. My mother and I were attending this ball for the first time, it confused me how she wanted to go to the exquisite event when Luca's family announced they're hosting it.

I glance at my reflection still not satisfied with my appearance. The elegant blue dress hugs the curves my mother calls 'fat'. The fancy embroidery on the top halve of the dress and slit made the dress look profound: in addition to that in a slight way complimented my tall figure gracefully.

But yet I still felt insecure. Nothing could ever make me feel confident with my body due to the way my mother body shames me constantly for having thick thighs and a large butt which she believes that no boy would ever love me for. But I wasn't looking to be loved, not by a boy who would body shame me just like my mother. I wanted to be loved by a boy who accepts my body.

My hair was sleeked back and tied into a low bun. My mother has always told me to look professional and clean, she'd never let me go to a party with my hair out: she states it makes me look rowdy and untamed.

I apply a layer of lipgloss on to my lips, for some reason it always completed the look: the way lipgloss felt on my lips made me feel luxurious. As I apply the lipgloss on my lips I hear the door slam open: causing me to drop the lipgloss on the floor.

"Why are you wearing that?" my mother exclaims, gesturing towards the lipgloss on my lips. Her words cause me to frown; was there nothing I could do by myself? Wasn't there anything in this world that I could do? Instead of my mother constantly telling me what to do.

"I feel comfortable with it."

My words cause my mother to glare at me. "Take it off and wear a lipstick, you can't be wearing that cheap rubbish on your lips: you look like a clown." she mutters cruelly, pushing me out of the way to look at her reflection. "Come down in five minutes, the driver is waiting." she looks at herself one more time before leaving my room.

I wipe the lipgloss off with a wet wipe.

Applying a crimson red lipstick quickly before my mother shouts at me for being late. Looking at my reflection once more I frown, this wasn't how I wanted to look. Instead of feeling confident with the makeup and exquisite dress, I was insecure. Too insecure to leave my home.

I walk down the stairs with the six inch heels my mother insisted I had to wear with a frown, I knew that wearing heels like these would cause me to limp in a few hours: those were the harsh consequences.

Beauty is pain.

It's hard enough I feel insecure with my body and how I look, there's clearly no hope for me when I'm told all my insecurities by my mother, someone I'm meant to look up to not fear and question.

I leave my house with a deep sigh, endlessly hoping for this day to finish already so I could return back to my normal life: sulking and wondering why; wondering why my mother hates me so much.

THE MID SUMMER BALL FELT like a paradise for rich people, from the fancy drinks to the exclusive interior and bright, prepossessing chandeliers hanging from the marble walls. It even smelled nice, the aroma of expensive perfumes mixing together filled the atmosphere: making the room smell exquisite.

"You better behave, I don't want people to think I raised an animal." my mother whispers ruthlessly, falsely smiling at the people around her. "Now get us some drinks, we've got a lot of connections to establish with these rich people." she pushes me towards the area where a waiter was handing out drinks.

I stumble, expecting to fall on to the ground but someone catches me with ease. I sigh, looking up to meet the eyes of Helius, the golden boy of Devon Academy. He throws me his classic beguiling smile, mesmerising me with his elysian looks.

"She doesn't seem to treat you well in public either." he murmurs lowly, gripping my waist securely.

From the corner of my eyes I could see my mother glaring at me, I straighten my back: pushing Helius away from me gently. "I'm sorry, I can't talk to you, I have to get drinks for my mother." my words however are ignored by Helius who pulls me closer towards him.

I could smell his expensive musk, it was slowly intoxicating me. "The only way to pretend you have a perfect life is to ignore those who prevent you from doing things against their rules." Helius murmurs, watching me with a flaxen gaze. Him and his golden boy traits were slowly consuming me.

"You do realise if I rebel, she still is the same person I return home to, she'll murder me."

Helius chuckles. "You're funny to assume she isn't happy that you're talking to me, I mean look at the woman: I could feel her fake smile from miles away." his words cause me to turn my head, only to find my mother smiling at the both of us. Right, Helius is a billionaire.

"She's so fake." I whisper.

"Aren't they all?" Helius retorts, looking at a tall older woman with a scowl on his pretty face.

"Is that your mother?"

Helius simply nods his head. I don't talk further on the situation, he seemed to hate his mother just like I did with my own.

"You look pretty today," Helius compliments, looking at my face with a complacent smile. "Not that you don't every day." he murmurs, causing me to slightly blush from embarrassment, it wasn't like me to get compliments from people.

"I don't, I didn't want to leave my house today." I take a glass of water from the waiter, taking a sip of the cold liquid.

Helius frowns. "You don't? Did you check your reflection before leaving because you clearly look pretty today."

"I did," I murmur, looking around the exquisite room. "I left feeling insecure like always but this time I felt more insecure than usual; don't we all have those days?" I force a laugh, but my laughter doesn't reach my eyes.

"Tell me, what makes you feel insecure?"

"My body." I whisper, suddenly feeling dejected. Helius' eyes scans my body, he probably thinks the same as my mother: the same profound words, the same ruthless comments. I close my eyes, waiting for him to comment on my body just as ruthlessly as my mother.

"What's wrong with your body?" Helius mumbles.

"Can't you tell, the large thighs and stomach; clearly something is terribly wrong according to my mother." I murmur, the comments my mother makes towards my body is unfortunately unforgettable and most definitely unforgivable.

Helius chuckles. Right. He believes my mother too. They all do.

"I think your thighs are perfect," he says shyly, his cheeks slightly pink. "That's a good thing because I like my girls thick." he says something else under his breath but I can't decipher what it was.

"What did you say?"

Helius widens his eyes, he seemed to be hot from the heat. "I said I think girls like you are cute." his words cause me to feel a little ounce of confidence, his words were enough to make me feel a little better.

"Don't let your mother force you to be a specific weight or make you feel uncomfortable with the way you are now," Helius says, watching me with a indecisive gaze. "You're beautiful, don't forget that Sahar, you're a confident girl just believe in yourself."

"Because if you don't believe then who will?" he states, rubbing the nape of his neck embarrassed. "I'm sorry if I sound a little too angry, situations like these make me feel furious because everyone is beautiful: it doesn't matter about their weight, their looks..." Helius murmurs, his heavenly eyes burning into mine.

"Everyone's simply beautiful in their own way." he finishes, his golden smile compels me to smile.

"Thank you Helius," his words were enough. "I think you look great today, the bow tie really makes you look cool." My words cause Helius to smile widely, lighting up the room with his golden aura.

"It's my fathers." the atmosphere suddenly becomes tense. "I could just imagine the look on his face if he saw me wearing his tie, he would've shouted at me." Helius chuckles, touching the bow tie with a frown etched on his appealing face.

Right. His father is in a coma.

Before I could respond I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist, a cologne fills the atmosphere, one that I'm very familiar with. It was Asher, the platinum haired devil.

"Sahar, it's a pleasure to see you here." Asher's velvet voice causes me to sigh, his motives seemed unclear and hard to decipher. I watch as Helius' smile falters at the mere sight of Asher but there was something else to his smile faltering as if he was guilty for doing something.

"I mean it's the mid summer ball."

"I'll leave you guys so you could have some privacy, I hope the both of you enjoy the party." Helius smiles, walking off without another word.

"You've never attended the other mid summer balls, it's surprising to see you in the one the Valdez family are hosting." Asher says, watching me with a mysterious glint in his pretty eyes.

"You should say that to my mother, she's the one who wanted to go to this one, specifically."

"Seems like a good idea but I'll pass, the day I talk to your mother is the day we both become a couple: that will happen sooner or later." Asher says with a complacent smirk, he was too cocky. This cockiness could lead him to his downfall.

I remove his arms around my waist. "Don't touch me like that in public, people will assume we're dating!" I exclaim, Asher simply raises his eyebrows.

"So it's not okay in public but it's okay privately?" Asher says smugly, holding my hand. "Let's go somewhere a little private Sahar."

"Remember our deal, we're companions."

"Companions can do things together." he responds smoothly.

"Not in that way, you even know it."

"I know, I just like messing with you Sahar: it's amusing to see you react." Asher chuckles, releasing my hand in an instant. It's crazy how he has many sides to him, it's weird how he could make something feel so real when it's not. That's one trait I liked about Asher, he makes me feel so special even though I'm not.

"Why are you even here talking to me? Don't you have your little club to talk to?" I refer to the billionaire bad boys club bitterly, the only member that I find enduring is Helius.

"I'd rather talk to you, after all, you're my companion," Asher states, pulling me closer towards him. "They can wait because being with my friend is more important than discussing things I could discuss another time." his words seemed so real, I almost believed them myself.

"You really love using the word companion, don't you Asher?"

He nods his head. "It could mean we're friends and it could also mean we're dating: who knows?" he shrugs his shoulders, his face nearing closer towards mine.

"Why didn't you wear lipgloss?" his words cause me to feel awestruck. Does he really notice the smallest details about me? From not wearing lipgloss and wearing lipstick. I didn't know he noticed the difference.

"I ran out." I lie. I couldn't tell him my mother told me to wipe it off, that's embarrassing.

From Asher's expression I could tell he didn't believe me.

"Why? What's wrong with wearing lipstick?" I ask him, it confused me how he was concerned with what I wore on my lips.

"Nothing, you just seem more comfortable with lipgloss that's all." his words stun me; how does he realise that? The littlest things don't seem to go unnoticed by this boy and it shocks me how accurate his words are.

"Wow, keep this up and then we'll be best friends." I joke, Asher's eyes widen at my words.

"Really?"

"I guess so."

"I feel like I'm getting a hang of this friendship thing, maybe we can go up one level by becoming a couple." he says smugly, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Dream on, loser."

"Oh trust me I do, Sahar."

do you like helius? and the way sahar's mother treats her, do you think she should tell someone? do you like asher? any ships so far?

thank you for 20,000 reads!