ALEX #6
Slowly, I convince myself, forcing some reasoning into my head, that they probably won’t show up again so soon, because one of them most likely had a broken arm. My mysterious defender, aka stalker, must have scared the hell out of them.
Even so, I still stay extremely cautious. After every class, I try to join a group of students, and sometimes that means taking a much longer route, but it helps me avoid the more dangerous areas around campus.
A kind of second-stage paranoia gradually starts to creep in.
I look around wherever I go, jumpy and tense, and sometimes I even feel uneasy inside the building when I have to navigate through the empty hallways.
I’m like a walking ball of nerves, this giant, wound-up bundle of anxiety.
I barely talk to anyone and focus only on my studies.
Dereck sometimes asks in this shy, hesitant way if everything is okay, if he can help somehow, but I always give vague answers.
A few weeks after that incident, something unexpected happens.
One of the professors is giving a guest lecture at a neighboring college and asks me to come along to help with the projector since his assistant is sick.
I agree, because of course I need to keep earning positive points with the faculty.
When we return, the professor keeps talking endlessly about things I don’t care about, and then he drops me off at the farthest teachers’ parking lot, saying he has to go back to the main building to handle a few things. Unfortunately, it’s already past seven and getting dark.
There isn’t a soul around, so I look around nervously, and I have no choice but to push through that dense patch of park again before I reach my little side street off the campus.
As I walk through, I notice a group of people standing there, but they aren’t the Tanners. They’re some tipsy students, mostly alphas.
They’re smoking and drinking beer hidden in paper bags.
Unluckily, I’m already too close to turn back without looking like some weirdo fleeing the scene and drawing even more attention to myself, so as I walk by, one of the students turns toward me and says,
"Hey, aren’t you Alex Strada?"
I look up in surprise and see that among the alphas there are two omegas and one beta. And the omegas are none other than… Zion and Kaen!
"Well, look at that, I didn’t know you went to this college," Zion calls.
I slow down reluctantly, because all eyes are on me with the kind of attention I never want, and they’re all drunk enough that this can’t lead anywhere good.
"Hey Alex, we transferred here after some issues at the start of the semester. I always wondered what happened to you," Kaen adds.
He turns to the others and explains, "Guys, Alex and his boyfriend were kind of famous. They got a few alphas expelled from our high school over some stupid prank. When your dad’s a prosecutor, you can get away with that stuff, hahahaha."
That introduction definitely doesn’t make me likable to anyone, but Zion and Kaen never liked me anyway. I knew perfectly well they were into Bay.
"My dad is dead," I whisper, but they ignore it.
"So how’s Bay? Where’d you leave him? You two seemed glued together like some lovesick doves," Zion says mockingly.
"We’re not together anymore. Turns out we weren’t compatible," I say, because it’s better to give them some negative information about me, something that might make them pity me instead of getting annoyed with me.
"Oh, poor thing. And here I thought you two would grow up to be True Mates."
They both giggle. They don’t care. They’re pretty drunk; I can guess why they had to change campuses.
One of the alphas keeps staring at me and says, "You’re kinda cute, a pretty little nerd. I remember you from statistics. Want to go to a party at Dorm G with us?"
"Oswald, what’s with you and nerds," Kaen mutters and laughs.
But the alpha doesn’t give up. "The party starts in ten minutes. We’ve got plenty of supplies," he says, wiggling his eyebrows and pointing at what I assume are beer six-packs.
"No thanks. I spent the whole afternoon at a lecture with one of the professors, and I’m tired."
"Nothing like relaxing after a long day. Come on."
Zion and Kaen step toward me and grab me by the arms, tugging me firmly toward the others.
I could resist and make a scene, but I know that would only make things worse, so I decide to let it go and slip away at the first opportunity.
The whole group, loud and rowdy, heads toward Dorm G. Unfortunately that dorm is even farther across campus, and I grit my teeth in frustration.
Kaen and Zion chatter nonstop about random high school memories and some mutual acquaintances and how their lives turned out, but their sudden friendliness feels completely fake. I know they always talked about me behind my back and were jealous of me.
"So you’re saying Bay is single now. Maybe I should slide into his DMs," Zion murmurs dreamily. "He’s seriously hot. I saw his pics. He’s bulked up like crazy, and he’s got that sexy vibe, mysterious and a little dark, haha."
I feel a flicker of irritation. Does he really think I’m going to give him my blessing? I really don’t want to talk to these guys.
We reach Dorm G, where a mixer is already going strong downstairs.
Loud music, people bouncing around in some messy attempt at dancing.
I feel more and more uncomfortable because this isn’t my world.
I hate places like this. My personality is the polar opposite of an extrovert.
I don’t understand why people flock to noisy gatherings filled with drunk, screaming students.
I desperately scan for a chance to slip away, but Zion and Kaen keep steering me toward some big floor cushions along the wall, pushing me down into one while Oswald brings us drinks.
Obviously I’m not stupid enough to drink anything. I know how mixers work. Drinks aren’t always what they look like.
So I hold my cup and listen to the omegas’ nonstop chatter, interrupted here and there by comments from Oswald and another alpha named Tobias.
They drag me into the conversation now and then, asking stupid questions. They’ve heard about my chess achievements and that I hold a college state champion title.
Zion asks if I’d play against all of them at once. They would team up, and I’d play alone.
I agree, because at least it gets us off their boring topics onto something I can focus on.
Kaen pulls out a tablet and sets up a chess game on some chess app.
I let them start with White, but none of them knows much about chess, so despite their intense efforts and endless discussions, they soon start playing chaotically without any plan, which makes my job extremely easy.
They whisper to each other, trying to come up with ‘elaborate’ strategies, but they have no idea what they’re doing on the board.
Oswald thinks he knows something, but he doesn’t.
He keeps correcting Zion’s ideas and giggling at Kaen’s which makes them furious with him.
The whole game lasts maybe twenty minutes only because they take forever arguing crazily about every possible move.
Eventually they overexpose their queen, I manage to take it, and once they lose her they completely… lose their spirit too. It’s typical for people who think losing a queen is basically the end of the game.
They immediately start blaming each other.
"You said to move it here!"
"Well you said to put it there!"
"I didn’t! It was your idea!"
And I just watch them with pity. This is why I rarely play with people who aren’t at least semi-pro. Losing always makes them frustrated. Eventually they get so bored by the mental effort that they decide to go dance, and that’s my chance.
The moment Zion and Kaen leave, I stand up, but Oswald suddenly says, "We could go dance too," and reaches out his hand. "I’ve never danced with a chess master."
I grimace and dodge his hand with a desperate little move.
"I really have to go. It’s late, and I have early classes tomorrow," I say, trying to slip away.
"One dance, Alex, let yourself be convinced."
He stares at me with such intensity I know he isn’t going to back off, so again I give in.
Oswald grabs my hand and pulls me onto the dance floor, and I let out a groan because his touch sends an unpleasant shiver through me.
He’s the first alpha to touch me since Bay, and it’s a shock to my system.
I’m trembling, feeling this nervous spasm twist in my stomach.
I yank my hand back, but there’s nothing more I can do, so I force myself to give in to the dance, and soon we’re swaying.
Thankfully, the music doesn’t invite close contact and instead encourages stupid little hops.
Good, his touch would probably make me throw up if it lasted; it feels that way.
So I go through these awkward, flimsy little movements, swinging from side to side and feeling unbelievably uncomfortable, especially because Oswald keeps staring at me the whole time.
Every motion he makes is pretty obvious; he shifts his hips slightly forward, he tries to catch my hand and coax me into spinning, but I dodge every time, and his whole body language tells me how intensely he’s keyed up about me.
Eventually the music fades and I use the moment of confusion to whip around and head for the door.
But of course Oswald rushes after me, and I hear his footsteps as I run down the stairs outside the building.
"Hey Alex, what’s going on? Why are you running off like that? We were having fun."
I don’t say anything, and maybe that’s a mistake, and perhaps I should stop and calmly explain why it’s a bad idea for us to spend any more time together, but I don’t do that. I just bolt down the walkway like some feral creature, putting as much distance between me and the dorm as possible.
Another huge mistake, because for many alphas a fleeing omega is an omega worth chasing, that animal part of their nature is hard to suppress, especially with Oswald being drunk.