Chapter Five
My first day back at school is hell. I swear I can smell Connor in the hallways, even with the load of emergency blockers the hospital shot me up with.
I skip the classes we have together, thankful we chose different electives this year. In the past, we made sure our schedules matched up as much as possible. But this year, he wanted to take bodybuilding while I took figure drawing. He took AP Physics and I took AP Euro.
The thought of seeing him sends my stomach into knots.
I don’t think any of the other ceremony attendees were still in high school, but I keep my guard up regardless.
A few people ask if I’m feeling better after my week out sick.
A nasty flu, I tell them. I smile and nod.
None of them see through it. Connor’s the only one who ever did.
At the lunch bell, I follow the rest of the class to the cafeteria without thinking.
I thought I’d be able to handle it when I inevitably saw him again.
I was a fool.
I step through the cafeteria’s double doors and freeze.
He’s sitting across the room at a table with his friends. Not the table we usually sit at on red sauce days.
Cassandra is perched on Connor’s knee, and he has his large hands wrapped around her waist. The table laughs at something Cassandra says.
I whimper .
Alpha?
I can’t force my feet to move. Blood pounds behind my eyes, and the world goes blurry.
Sweat slicks down my brow. The cache of pain buried in my chest begins to crack back open. Like a freshly stitched wound being ripped apart.
Alphas begin to turn their heads as the scent of omega distress floods the cafeteria.
I have to get out of here.
Connor turns his head toward the door, scenting the air, but I’m already gone. I run to the parking lot, a bag full of textbooks banging bruises against my legs.
I find a curb hidden in the crowd of cars and collapse on it.
Pain threatens to swallow me. I pull my knees to my chest and hold myself tight, as if that could keep the hurt sealed away.
I fumble for my phone and dial Mac Masters.
He answers on the second ring.
“Lana? What is it? Are you okay?”
“I need your help.”