The Heart's Rebellion

Katrina’s P.O.V

My cousin, Siobhan, and I are what you might call thick as thieves. We virtually grew up together and even though she was two years older than me, we were regarded as twins. She is the only friend I have ever known and the person I trust most in the world, even though sometimes I do find her insufferable. Let’s just her reputation precedes her.

Siobhan Cooper, the daughter of my father’s brother Elias Cooper and his bitc-, I mean wife, Sheila Copper nee Rivaldo. This three are what you might call the picture-perfect family; with money, power, fame and good looks. I don’t think there was anybody in Los Angeles who didn’t know them, much less the entire state of California. They have it all, but who’s to say that it will stay that way forever.

Since my parents died in a car crash when I was 13, my uncle took me in and treated me as one of his own, much to aunt Sheila’s dismay. In her head, I was just there to steal the spotlight from her beloved daughter; a very deluded way of thinking. I was virtually an underdog compared to Siobhan. Not many people knew I was, and they didn’t know my parents either. My dad, Ezekiel Cooper, was a history professor and my mother worked in a flower shop. We had our little idyllic life away from the glitz and the glam, that is, until that one fateful night that decided to take it all away from me. From then on, my world was tilted on its axis and I had to adjust to a faster, much harder way of living.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am very grateful for everything uncle Elias has done for me and I have no idea where I would have been without his astounding generosity and support, but just like everything good has a downside to it. I ended up leaving the public school I’d been attending and went to an elite private school that Siobhan was also enrolled at. It was hard adjusting to rubbing shoulder with the children belonging to the high society, but Siobhan had my back always. Even when she left when I was in my junior year, I survived with little difficulty.

From lavish holidays, shopping sprees to big parties, I slowly learnt how to enjoy the finer things in life but remained rooted in the humility and principles my parents had left me with. Trust me, it was easy to get carried away with this kind of lifestyle and I didn’t want to end up being just another stuck up snob. I left the snobbery and uptightness to Siobhan and her mother. And damn, were they really good at that.

Overall, life was moving as smoothly as ever. I was in the last year of my degree in business admin and Siobhan was already learning the ropes at uncle Elias’ company so that she could one day takeover. I had just gotten back from Princeton and it felt good to be back in my childhood city, close to the people who I was familiar with. Being a stranger in a foreign place just didn’t sit well with me. Presently, Siobhan and I were in her spacious bedroom, watching re-runs of Gossip Girl on Netflix whilst snacking on some Ben & Jerry’s.

Siobhan was sprawled across the king-sized bed on her stomach, her blond curls up in a messy hairdo. Even when she wasn’t trying, my cousin was just so effortlessly stunning. Sparkling aquamarine irises, button nose, high cheek bones and plump lips, plus a curvaceous body. Getting any guy she wanted was easy for her, and that is why she was well hated and well admired by people back in high school. However, Siobhan has some serious commitment issues that sometimes it made me question whether or not she would ever settle down. Aunt Sheila was always on her ass about getting a man and eventually getting married to start a family but all these requests fell on deaf ears.

Her daughter is a serious rolling stone and you know what they say about those; they gather no moss.

I, on the other hand, am the complete opposite of my cousin dearest. A light shade of green for my eyes, somewhat thin lips and a slightly chubby face framed by dark brown hair, I am a plain Jane in my own right. I am nowhere near as curvy as Siobhan but I was taller and had an athletic build due to the many sporting activities I did back in high school. My skin complexion was caramel, a stark difference to her milky white tone, and that was due to my mixed heritage. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked the way I looked but in her overpowering presence, I always felt less.

“We should go out tonight,” Siobhan chirped in her higher pitched voice, propping herself up on her arms. “You know, to celebrate you almost completing your degree.”

I laying on the bed with my head upside down on the edge, slowly liking my spoon. “I thought the celebration comes after I get the degree,” I told her, sarcasm dripping from my alto voice. Classic Siobhan, always wanting an excuse to go to the club and grind her body on some hot guy. That, decidedly, was not my kind of scene. I always preferred to stay home and watch something on Tv.

She sat up and began to shake the bed with her folded legs. “Come on! We haven’t hung out in such a long time. Work has me feeling all shades of boring. I need to discover my youth again. Come on, Kat. Please!” she whined with a rather convincing pout.

Having had enough of her childish behavior, I rose from the bed and rolled my eyes. “Okay, fine. We can go but for the record, I don’t like clubbing. You better not make me wear anything scandalous,” I warned her, picking up my now empty ice cream tub from the carpeted floor.

Squealing in joy, she began to jump-clap like a happy monkey. “Yay, I cannot wait to pick our outfits. I better send a memo to some of my friends so we can rendezvous there. This is going to be so much fun!” she said in jubilation and leaped over to the bedside stand to retrieve her phone.

I face palmed. I had a feeling that tonight was going to spiral out of control.

                                                                                                   ***

The music at the club was so loud that I think people over in the next state could hear it too. Apparently, one of Siobhan’s friends came from a family that owned a chain of them all over the world. As per usual, only the elite of the elite were granted entrance and I could tell that I by no means belonged in such a place. I shouldn’t have let my cousin convince me to do this.

For starters, the black dress she’d made me wear was so tight that it literally was cutting the circulation to my legs. The matching black stilettos were so high that if I wanted to, I could kiss the sky. By the looks of it, this was the dress code and some of the women were barely dressed. As we walked in further, I tried to make out more of the scene but the thick mascara was making it difficult. My palms were already starting to get sweaty, matching the humidity that surrounded us.

Siobhan sidled up to me, wrapping one arm around my shoulder. “Relax, Kat. We’ve been to many places like this before. Besides, you look amazing. A lot of guys are staring at you,” she spoke hazily into my ear. She was a bit tipsy from all the champagne she’d consumed on the way here in the limo. It wouldn’t be long till she was fully inebriated and I’d have to chaperone her.

I patted her hand. “I’m sure they’re staring at you. You’re easily the most beautiful woman here,” I admitted shyly, earning a low chuckle from her. This was so unlike Siobhan, to respond to a compliment without a witty one liner. Now that I think about it, she had been acting strangely since I got back a few days ago. “Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked her. Her smile faltered for a split second before it came back fully plastered, only this time it was very artificial.

“Nothing’s wrong. Why would you think that?” she replied a bit sharply, left my side and went back to join her friends who were now over by the bar.

I took a seat too, trying not to fall over due to the aforementioned constriction of the dress. Siobhan and her friends were chatting loudly and placing orders for some very alcoholic sounding drinks. I decided to get a club soda, opting to stay sober the whole night. I know how wild outings with Siobhan can get, and when we get back home I needed to help her get back to her room and stuff, while trying to be as quiet as possible so as to not wake anybody in the house up. She tended to be a loud drunk.

After a lot of rounds of drinks, and only two sodas for me, the girls moved to the dancefloor but I remained seated at the bar. Dancing wasn’t really my thing and I am painfully coy. I decided it was best to just sit down and keep myself occupied with my phone. I’d already been doing it for about twenty minutes when a deep, alluring voice interrupted me.

“What’s a young beauty like you doing sitting in a club all alone?” Looking to the side, I found probably one of the most devastatingly handsome men I had ever laid my eyes on. Steely eyes, a million-dollar smile, ruffled black hair and an all-black outfit; this guy was your typical heartthrob. Realizing that I was beginning to stare for too long, I turned my neck back to face forward and nervously took a sip of my room temperature soda.

He chuckled, and the sweet melodic sound tickled my eardrums soothingly. “So, she can’t speak,” he added jokingly.

I cleared my throat and placed my glass down. “I can speak. You just caught me a bit off guard,” I replied gingerly, my voice sounding a bit strained. I really wanted to face palm at how dumbstruck I managed to sound. Great, now he’s going to think his good looks are affecting me, which they clearly aren’t.

He leaned against the counter. I could feel his penetrating gaze on the side of my face. I was trying so hard to keep my composure, but I was failing dismally. “To answer your earlier question, I prefer not to get lost in the shadows of lust and debauchery.”

“That’s rich considering you are in a club. Did you expect there to be choirs and nuns here?” he remarked jeeringly, and I gave him a look.

“I know where I am.”

“If you did, then you’d be on the dancefloor shaking that fine behind your hiding from everybody.”

His comment caught me off guard. “Perv!” I fired, my nostrils flaring.

He held his hands up in mock surrender. “I’m just stating a simple fact. You have this whole guarded, unapproachable aura going on trying to block people off, but not me. I got you figured out the moment you walked in,” he said with supreme confidence, smirking for effect.

My eyes narrowed at him. “So, you just go around reading people’s minds, don’t you? Well, I’ll have you know that I had you figured out the moment you spoke,” I told him, turning my chin up for good measure.

His brows rose in fake astonishment. “Is that so, little miss?” he voiced and I snarled at him. “You’re probably younger than most people here, I’d say twenty-one. That make up you have ages you but any one with a keen eye would notice your college student tendencies.” Those words took me aback. How can someone who barely knows me know such things about me.

I pursed my lips in displeasure, but turned my body to fully face him. My knees gently brushed the side of my leg, sending a spark of electricity up my spine. That was a weird feeling but for the sake of not wanting to dignify it, I ignored it completely.

“Okay, I’ll give you props. Now it’s my turn to psychoanalyze you. Judging from your posture I’d say you went to boarding school at some elite academy, your posh accent being a dead giveaway. You’re giving off mature-ish vibes, so my best guess is you’re either in your very late twenties or early thirties. The watch you’re hiding beneath the sleeve of your leather jacket seems like a family heirloom; you must come from old money,” I said smugly then smirked too.

He gave me a respectful nod. “Not bad. Do I really look like I’m in my early thirties though? I’m actually only 29,” he responded sheepishly seeming a little bit hurt by assessment of his age. It made him look like a wounded puppy.

“Here,” I said, standing up in front of him. I smoothed my hands through his hair to made it look a lot unrulier. “If you stop doing it like an old retired tycoon, people might mistake you for 25,” I joked.

We were now standing really close to each other, me between his legs and his hands now somehow resting on my hips. My cheeks heated up when I noticed this. I didn’t get to dwell in the moment for much long because one of Siobhan’s friends frantically rushed up to me.

“You cousin is having a meltdown!” she shrieked, eyes wide and forehead shiny with sweat.

Within a second, I was heading towards the secluded corner I’d last seen her in. And there she was, Siobhan Cooper slumped on the floor next to a puddle I was hoping was not vomit. Black streaks were meandering down her cheeks, making her look like Wednesday Adams. She was crying hysterically and babbling some incoherent things.

“What the hell happened?” I asked indignantly, crouching down and grabbing her arm so I could help her up. “When you guys left with her, she was fine.”

“She was, until she just started getting angry. At first, we thought it was the liquor but now it seems there’s something more to it,” another friend of hers piped in. I rolled my eyes at the useless information and studied Siobhan on her feet.

“Get us a cab. I need to take her home,” I ordered, as we began to make towards the exit. Looking back, I caught a glance of the hot guy I’d been bickering with earlier and to my surprise, he was already watching me. We broke eye contact when I looked away and headed out the front door.

So much had already happened and it wasn’t even 11 pm yet.

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