Betraying Marco [Book 2 of the Stavros Series]✔️

9 |Helen and Paris|

"Oh please I know you two want to get closer," Maria chastised, "why are you avoiding each other like the plague?"

"Ma," Marco yelled with a red face.

"Just pull her to your side boy," Leo said. "Your mom won't stop until she gets a good picture of you two."

Awkwardly, Marco pulled me to his side, an apologetic smile on his face. I wanted nothing more than to slap it off.

I knew that if I didn't look as happy as a kid on Christmas for this picture then Maria would throw a fit and make us re-do it all over again.

"Please don't hate me," Marco whispered in my ear.

"That's adorable," Maria gushed, oblivious to the fact that none of this is as romantic as it seems to her.

"Too late," I said with a fake smile towards the camera.

"Please El," he squeezed my waist in his hand, "let me explain."

"Look at the camera Marco," Maria demanded of her son. Reluctantly he did so, a fake smile on his lips as well. "I can't believe you two are going to Prom!"

"We aren't going together Maria," I told her sweetly, faking a small laugh even though it pains me to say it.

"Well it's just my son's misfortune now isn't it because you look absolutely stunning," she said behind her camera.

I blushed, despite the anger in my heart at the moment. It took me five hours to get ready but I did look amazing thanks to a makeup team that Maria threw at me.

"Don't you think so Marco," she asked her son.

"From the way his eyes nearly popped out of his head when he first saw her at the top of the stairs I would say he agrees with you dear," Leo said to his wife.

"Um well I think that's enough pictures now," I said, pulling away from Marco and heading towards the front door.

I opened the door and nearly got punched in the face by Riley Michelle.

"Oh," she said, her smile dropping as her eyes roamed over my expensive dress and pinned up hair. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I live here Riley," I told her through clenched teeth.

Her hair was pinned up in curls with real or fake diamonds running over parts of her hair, and her dress was tight but fancy, making her look like a princess. The crown atop her head of course just added to the look. When Marco broke the news to me that Riley was going to be his date to our senior prom I loathed the tradition where the former Prom Queen would attend the senior prom to give away her crown to the next Prom Queen.

"What I meant is why are you dressed up as if you're going to the dance too," she asked with a snarl.

"You already have Marco as your date, what else do you want from me tonight?"

"I want you to disappear," she seethed, "it would do us all a favor."

"Just like your mother did," I asked with a smirk. "How is our father dealing with that by the way? It's been eighteen years now Riley, is he still heartbroken that she left him after she found out about me?"

"Do not call him our anything," she yelled before raising her hand in the air and slapping me hard across the face.

I held my hand to my throbbing cheek, feeling the tears run down my face and ruin my perfectly made make up.