Uriel stepped out of the bathroom, a pristine white towel draped low on his hips. His snowy hair, still damp from the shower, cascaded over his neck, a single defiant strand clinging to his forehead. With each deliberate movement, his sculpted abs and defined muscles flexed, a testament to his disciplined physique. He walked to the carefully arranged pile of clothes on his bed, his vibrant golden swim shorts waiting. The lion's head tattoo on his side, a striking piece of art, seemed to shimmer in the light.
He swiftly changed, tossing the towel into the laundry basket, and headed to the mirror for a final inspection. Just as he was admiring his reflection, a loud, impatient knock rattled the door.
"Yo, Uriel! Are you going to keep us waiting or what?" Zack's voice boomed from the other side, a mix of frustration and excitement. "I can't wait to see the ladies on the dance floor, so if you don't mind, hurry up!"
Uriel's fists clenched at the sound. A surge of old anger, sharp and hot, flashed through him. He took a deep, steadying breath, his jaw tight. He was a changed man, he repeated to himself. He had control now.
Zack was about to knock again when the door swung open, stopping his hand mid-air. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Uriel's voice was a low, dangerous growl. "How many times do I have to tell you I hate people knocking on my door?" He strode out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
Zack simply shrugged, unbothered. "That's none of my business. You know I'm just going to barge in anyway, so a knock is me being modest." He grinned, a glint of mischief in his eyes.
Uriel groaned in exasperation, giving Zack a sharp smack to the back of his head.
"Ouch! What was that for?" Zack rubbed the spot, feigning pain. "It's not my fault my dragon's hungry and my eyes want to feast."
"You're a psychopath," Uriel retorted, a hint of a smirk on his face. "Well, tonight that dragon of yours gets to feast, but not on my couch, not in my kitchen, and definitely not in any of my rooms."
Zack just laughed, running his hand through his fiery red hair and pulling it back into a sleek ponytail. The move highlighted his sharp, chiseled chin and cheekbones. His black, mid-thigh swim shorts only added to his handsome, confident look.
As they headed downstairs, they saw Hugo, deep in concentration, his legs crossed as he sat in a chair. His eyes, and only his eyes, were scanning the pages of a book. He was dressed in a red, mid-thigh swim short and a button-up cotton shirt left open. His wild, curly hair covered his forehead like a mop.
Zack gestured toward Hugo, and Uriel rolled his eyes, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. He walked over to a passing server, grabbed a glass of champagne, and downed it in one gulp.
"Sup, man? What are you reading?" Zack said, his voice laced with boredom. Hugo didn't respond.
Zack reached out and yanked the book, flipping it to the cover. Hugo lunged, trying to snatch it back, and a brief struggle ensued. Zack held it just out of reach, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Hmmmm, you're reading 'Little Red Riding Hood?'" he scoffed, his voice dripping with condescension. "Such childish novels. Too bad fairytales aren't real, or you'd be living a delusional life."
Hugo finally snatched the book back, dusting it off as if Zack's touch had soiled it. "That's right. What would a playboy even know?" he shot back, his tone sharp. "Let's just get this party going so I can leave."
Uriel dropped the empty champagne flute onto a passing tray, gesturing for the server to leave. He sauntered toward Hugo, a smirk playing on his lips. "Then if you're not going to be patient, use the backdoor. I don't want you here."
Hugo didn't even acknowledge him, instead handing the book to a servant and standing up to meet Uriel's gaze head-on. "I'm not here because I want to be, but because I want Z3 to maintain its best image and to get my father off my back," he explained, his voice low and firm.
"Maybe if you left Megara, he'd be off your case," Uriel taunted, his voice a sly whisper. "She's way out of your league, so why would he want her?"
Hugo let out a short, humorless laugh. "I don't care if she's out of my league, Uriel. But why do you care about her status when you don't even want her?"
"Let's just say she's like an art piece," Uriel said, a cold, calculating look in his eyes. "And I love art. And just like any art piece, I'm going to get bored and discard her." He paused, seeing Hugo's eyes darken with fury. "So you better not stand in my way. She doesn't want to leave the school, so I'll give her a reason to."
A wave of uncontrollable rage surged through Hugo. He lifted his hand to punch Uriel, but Uriel remained calm, the smug look on his face a silent dare. Suddenly, Zack pulled them apart, his earlier happy mood completely gone.
"Today is the day, guys! Don't blow it up over some random girl," Zack pleaded, trying to diffuse the tension. Both Hugo and Uriel shot him a fierce, unified glare.
"She's not a random girl," they said in unison, their voices tight with anger.
Zack held up his hands in defeat. "Alright I get it."
"She's Megara," Uriel said quietly, the statement a final word on the matter. He turned and walked toward the door. "Look alive, people. Your time starts now."
He opened the door, and the entire backyard exploded with light as fireworks burst into the sky. Inside the mansion, confetti rained down from the ceiling, a shower of color celebrating the grand opening.
Zack stared at Uriel, disbelief etched on his face. He and Hugo walked toward Uriel, a silent, tense understanding passing between them. They both forced a fake smile to the crowd, then headed for the backyard, a throng of excited students pouring in behind them.
The moment the party kicked into full swing, the DJ switched the music. Soon, everyone was lounging around the big pool, dancing to the new beats. But Uriel and Hugo stayed in their lounge chairs like a couple of old men, just watching the crowd.
Zack, on the other hand, was dancing with a blonde girl who was grinding against him. His hands roamed all over her body, and she was doing things that seemed highly inappropriate for a public party.
Uriel felt his stomach turn as Zack grabbed the girl and shoved his tongue down her throat. "Ewwww! You two should get a room and stop contaminating my party!" he shouted.
Zack pulled away, giving him a funny look before flipping him the middle finger. "Fuck you, dude," he shot back. "Don't just sit there being an old-man asshole. Go get a girl and dance." He then pulled the girl further into the crowd and out of sight.
Hugo, meanwhile, sat with his legs crossed, his hands vibrating as he stared at his phone. "What's taking her so long?" he muttered to himself, his eyes scanning the crowd.
"You look like you're about to piss yourself, dude," Uriel jeered. Hugo simply rolled his eyes before giving him the middle finger. "Fuck you, too!" he replied. "What is wrong with everybody?"
Pedro, in white swim shorts that highlighted his toned abs, made his way over to Uriel. His black hair was plastered to his forehead, and his silver eyes gave him a seductive look. Girls along his path couldn't help but fawn over him. He leaned in and whispered something into Uriel's ear. Uriel smiled, gesturing for him to leave, and Pedro did as he was told.
Meanwhile, Megara and her friends stood in the front yard, having just returned from the ladies' bathroom. Jane and Laura had forced her to wear makeup. After making a fuss, she finally gave in, and they looked at her in fascination.
Megara's hair, usually in a ponytail, was now curled. A small amount of powder made her face shine, and pink lip gloss and mascara made her eyelashes look thicker. Laura had tried to get her to just wear a bikini, but Megara refused, insisting she would only wear her clothes.
As they stood in the front yard, Megara kept asking if it was normal to go to a party with all that makeup, and her friends assured her it was fine. She was so nervous and thirsty that she spotted a table with drinks that looked like water. Without thinking, she ran over and downed one after another before her friends could stop her.
"Oh my God!" Laura screamed, grabbing Megara by the arm.
Megara looked at her as if she were crazy. "What's the problem?" she asked, looking between Laura and Jane, who both stood there dumbfounded.
"Are you okay?" they asked.
"I'm fine, nothing's out of the ordinary," she replied, "except I feel this new surge of energy in my body."
Jane panicked. "You just downed a full glass of tequila! Of course you're not okay!"
Megara ignored her, insisting, "Why is the party inside and we're outside?"
Laura, not knowing what else to say, agreed that they should go inside.
Once in the backyard, Megara saw the big pool and the crowd of people. She turned to her friends. "Why is everyone dressed in swimsuits and bikinis, and I'm in a sweatshirt and pants?"
Her friends were shocked. "You're the one who wanted to wear that outfit," Jane said.
"Only a nerd and a loser would wear that," Megara insisted. She then pulled off her clothes, revealing a hot pink bikini that matched Laura's lavender and Jane's cobalt ones. The outfit revealed her slender waist and flawless abs—a body she had tried to hide ever since she was told in ninth grade that she looked like a boy and no one would ever like her. But the tequila-fueled Megara didn't care about any of that. All she wanted was to have fun.
The three girls strode confidently into the party, and everyone turned to stare. Catcalls echoed through the crowd.
Hugo looked toward the commotion and saw Megara in a bikini. He stood up, muttering to himself, "Why is she dressed in something so revealing?"
He found himself speechless, every word feeling inadequate to describe how stunning Megara looked. "She's stunning," he finally managed to murmur, his Adam's apple bobbing as he forced his gaze away.