Chapter 2
Two
Ethan
I t’s five in the morning and I’m headed out for my morning run. It’s my preferred time to do this because the rest of the world is sleeping.
Strapping my phone to my bicep to listen to music, I grab my water bottle as well before I walk out of the house. We’re living in a nice neighborhood by the school, though it’s still a townhouse.
Dad and I don’t need a lot of room, so we didn’t see a reason to buy something bigger. Locking the front door behind me, I wrap the stretchy key ring up my tattooed arm. It ensures I won’t lose it, and that’s good enough for me.
There’s an SUV on the street that I don’t recognize, making me frown.
Did a neighbor have someone spend the night?
I’m struggling not to blow this out of proportion, but there are privacy window clings on all of the windows.
It seems like a bit of overkill. What the hell could someone be hiding in their car?
Turning my running music on, I allow Eminem to flow through my AirPods. If the vehicle is still here when I get back from my run, then I’ll look into it. This is a really nice area, and I don’t want to have to worry about the wrong kind of people moving in.
Lip curling at the thought, I jog down the steps, shaking my head at the car that doesn’t belong, before I start my run.
I warmed up inside of the house, so I am pacing well as I time myself. I recently graduated and used to run track, so now I only compete against myself.
The hour flies by, and I find myself back in front of my house. The SUV is gone now. My Mercedes is in the spot in front of where this person parked, and now I’m fixated on finding out who she or he is.
Blowing out a breath, I walk up the stairs slowly, stretching the muscles in each leg carefully with a grunt. Unlocking the front door, I turn off my music as I walk in.
“How was your run, Ethan?” Dad calls out from the kitchen. He told me he finished up his grading, so he was going to sleep in this morning. Midterms are riding him hard, and I know he had to proctor a few exams this week.
“It was good,” I respond, pulling out my AirPods as I close and lock the front door. The sweat slowly dries on my skin as I walk through the house to find him. “I think the neighbors had someone over though. There was a car I didn't know on the street.”
All of our neighbors are elderly and don’t often have late night guests. “That’s odd,” Dad murmurs as he makes toast and eggs for us. “I wonder who it was. It’s possible someone has guests, but there wasn’t anyone parked there when we both got home after grabbing pizza.”
My lips twitch as I remember how late he was meeting me and why. My father’s proclivities just make me laugh and feel better that I’m just as bad.
He hasn’t been the same since his ex-wife divorced him for someone with more money than him, so I no longer bat an eye at anything that he does. He’s very discreet, and even if he wasn’t, he doesn’t need this damn job .
Dad works for the University of Lyons because he loves it.
“Thanks for making breakfast,” I tell him, grabbing plates from the cabinet. “I have class at eight so I’m probably going to eat, shower, and go straight there.”
I went right into a masters program in communications after I graduated, so I guess I’m sort of a professional student right now.
I also tutor at the library as well because I enjoy helping students make the connections necessary to succeed. Sometimes, it just means explaining it in a different way than it’s taught in class.
“Such a scoundrel,” Dad teases as he scoops food onto the plates with the toast.
“We can’t all be perfect,” I snort, unable to say it without breaking into a laugh. Sitting at the island with him, I start to scarf down my food.
Dad always makes sure we eat before we leave for the day, because our schedules won’t always allow us to eat for hours after.
“I can’t wait to get through midterms,” Dad sighs. “The students are always so whiny in their emails during this time.”
Smirking, I finish my food. “You signed up for this, Dad,” I remind him. “I’m sure you’ll work out your frustrations in healthy ways.”
Dad barks out a laugh because we don’t hide things from each other and I know all about why he was late to dinner yesterday.
Although, I didn’t mention how I almost ran over a student because she was rushing.
He’s very particular about safety and it would just piss him off.
Putting my plate in the sink, I run upstairs to shower and get dressed for the day.
I wonder if I’ll bump into that girl again, though hopefully not with my car.
Lifting my backpack to my shoulder, I glance around the room to see if I missed anything. There’s an old photo of my step-mom and step-sister, and I wonder how she is. Nina was kind of a princess, so I doubt she’s any worse for wear.
My step-mother spoiled her, and Nina would whine about how she didn’t want to get dragged to the stuffy events her mom would ask her to go to. Ugh, I can’t stand rich girls, which is why I tend to go to a bar downtown if I want to get my dick wet.
There’s no strings, just sex in a bathroom or in an alley.
Dad just shrugs and says things may change when I meet the right girl or my scent match, but I saw how ruined he was after Vivian left him.
While she wasn’t his scent match, I know he loved the rich bitch.
I don’t want to give anyone that kind of power.
I can hear my dad in the living room as I leave, muttering to himself as he answers emails.
No matter how much he tries to delegate, he can’t help himself and will still end up responding to his students.
As much as he denies it, he’s a good man and an incredible teacher. The university is lucky to have him.
The streets are quiet as I drive through them, and I know that there will be snow on the ground before I know it. Didn’t the news say there would be a cold front coming in soon?
Nina
One month later
I survived my midterms, but this weather may kill me. There’s the beginning of snow on my windshield and I’m shivering as I take off my window coverings.
“It's not even Thanksgiving yet!” I yell, thumping on the steering wheel in anger. I kept shivering last night no matter how many blankets I covered myself with, and this explains why. “Fuck.”
I’m supposed to work tonight, but don’t know if the owner will open up in this weather. Though, it’s a Friday night so he may. People will want to party, and alcohol is supposed to keep you warm.
I’m parked in a grocery parking lot and pull on jeans, two long-sleeve shirts, a hoodie and combat boots to go to school. This southern girl is not prepared for snow. “I’m so fucked,” I sigh as I pull my blonde and pink hair into a messy bun.
The problem with being alone so much is that I talk to myself a lot. I try not to mutter to myself while I’m on campus, but I have no friends even after months of living here, so I guess it doesn’t matter if people think I’m insane.
How do I tell someone that I can’t have them over to my dorm room to hang out because I don’t have one? All of the little things other people take for granted here are made more difficult for me since I live out of my vehicle.
Turning on the car and blasting the heater, I blow on my hands to attempt to get warm. I worked two shifts this week and my car needed an oil change, leaving me without enough money to get a little heating pad to sleep on.
I found out that a space heater might kill me if I leave it on inside of my car, so I decided against it.
At this point, everything might kill me. Taking a deep breath to keep from spiraling as tears prick my eyes in frustration, I check my phone to see if I have any texts from my boss, breathing a sigh of relief when I see one from Mikey.
Mikey:
Snow just means people drink more! Bottoms up, Nina. See you tonight.
Me:
I’ll be there .
Praying for an easy drive today to school, I’m grateful that my tires are for all terrain. I’ve never driven in the snow before, and I’m deathly afraid of sliding into a ditch.
Mom didn’t spare any expense when she bought this car, and I’m pretty sure she’s forgotten to stop paying for my car insurance.
My entire life is tenuous at best, because Minneapolis is fucking expensive as a student. I’m considering looking for a second job, so that I can finally move into an apartment before this snow gets worse.
I’ve heard whispers of a center that accepts omegas who are going through a rough patch, but I haven’t allowed myself to look into it. While I presented at seventeen, I haven’t had my first heat yet. I’m hoping it stays away for as long as possible.
Two jobs, full time student, and no sleep. Sounds like an absolute dream.
Struggling to pull myself out of the dark cloud I woke up in, I park in the school parking lot by my first class.
Now that I have an official permit, there are more school lots I can park in. I’ve considered staying here overnight, but I’m scared a security guard will get curious and knock on my car window.
I don’t want to have a conversation with the school administration about how I’m homeless attending this prestigious school.
Lips pressed together, I turn off the car and attempt to settle myself as I grab my backpack. I’m definitely going to hang out in the common area in the Student Center because more of this awful white stuff is falling from the sky.
Throwing open the door to my car, I jump out, looking up as snowflakes fall onto my face.
“At least it’s pretty,” I mutter, slamming the door closed as I pull on my backpack and lock the car.
Walking carefully through the cars, I cross to the sidewalk, my long legs bringing me closer to my nine-thirty class. My history teacher, Dr. Adams took a leave of absence starting last week, so I have no idea who is filling in for him.
His wife is having a hard pregnancy, and he wanted to help her in the upcoming months.