Beautiful Lion

Prologue

Arabella 🌹

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"WE'RE GRADUATES BITCHES!" My best friend Madison yells then shots whatever clear liquid is in her cup. It's safe to say she is wasted.

Everyone else in the party yells and the music intensifies.

"Come on Bella! Loosen up! We are finally out of high school! This is where the party starts let loose." Mads yells to me over the music and hands me a drink.

It wasn't that I was opposed to drinking but tomorrow I would be interning at my Father's company for the summer before I go away for college. I practically begged him to let me work there and learn the ropes before leaving. He thought it was weird for a teenager to want to work instead of party with her friends.

I didn't care for it though. Anything to get ahead. I could always party when my goals are achieved.

"Maddy babe don't you know she'll never lighten up."

I groan when I hear the voice of the last person I would ever want to see.

"Asher.. lovely to see you here." I force a grin towards the biggest pain in my ass.

Asher has been nothing but a nuisance to me ever since we were little. Even though our fathers owned two of the biggest companies in Atlanta, they have coincidentally sent us to the exact same schools ever since we were born. It didn't help that at every business event I had to see and deal with Asher. He is arrogant, annoying and a complete jackass who has apparently made it his life mission to annoy the hell out of me.

"Always a pleasure Arabella," he says dragging my full name knowing how much I hate it when he does.

"I told you to stop that." I say annoyance now growing.

"If I haven't stopped calling you that for the past eighteen years what makes you think I'll stop now, Arabella."

I go to say something else when I hear Maddy giggling on the side of me.

"You two are unbelievable. Just get together already."

We both snap our heads towards her with our faces in pure disgust.

"I would never."

"Have you seen her?"

I snap my head back to Asher.

"And what's that suppose to mean?" I argue.

Asher laughs and shakes his head taking a sip of his drink. "Let's not."

"No tell me what is so horribly wrong with me."

I cross my arms now waiting for his response. I turn to Maddy and she is trying to busy herself with something imaginary in her drink.

"Alright, but you asked for it. Your a priss Arabella."

Madison chokes on her drink and I'm too shocked to even make sure she's alright.

"You act like such a holier than thou person and that's saying a lot in a room filled with rich stuck up kids. You're so concerned with yourself and school work you don't even realize how stuck up and a total buzz kill you really are. I mean I give you props for actually bothering to come to a party but I bet you haven't even touched your drink. And I also bet you think your better than the rest of us because you haven't. Why do you think Lucas left you for loose Lucy? Because your the definition of a stick in the mud. Let's not even get talking about the way you dress-"