Hopefully that won’t last long. They promised me a car, so with any luck, I’ll be free of that guy soon.
Throwing glances around, I walk into the cafeteria. It’s huge. Franklin High is way bigger than my small suburban school. It’s full of kids from the city, a totally different vibe from what I’m used to.
The cafeteria is humming with the usual noise. The line’s long, and the crowd is giving me a headache.
I wait, quiet and grumpy, as people grab their trays one by one.
Finally it’s my turn. I pick up my lunch and scan the room, but most of the tables are full.
A few have open seats, but I’d have to be like,"Hey, can I sit here?"And yeah, no thanks.
Searching, I weave between tables, and then suddenly I hear:
"Hey, new kid!"
A table full of jocks. Team captain jackets. Stylish haircuts. Those types of faces you can’t mix with anything. They’re clearly the elite.
One of them gestures for me to come over. There’s a seat next to him. I hesitate only for a second before walking over as he pats the chair beside him.
Wow. Day one and I’m already getting invited to sit with royalty?
Part of me wants to laugh bitterly, but I don’t. I flash a friendly grin and sit down.
"Hey. I’m Sun Nolan."
"I’m Misha. That’s Zana, Diego, Stephen, D’jean, and Kalib."
"Nice to meet you all," I say, smiling again, being totally fake.
Misha’s eyes stay locked on my face. He studies me like I’m some rare painting.
"Damn. You’re really pretty, for an alpha. You sure you’re not just a tall omega?" His eyes sparkle with mischief.
"I wish I was an omega. Unfortunately, I’m stuck with this," I grin, baring my teeth even though I don’t feel like smiling.
Misha grins back, wide and easy.
He’s still staring. Like, almost too much.
"Wow. Yeah. Really pretty," he mumbles. Then, "Sun Nolan… so, what’s your story? You got into trouble or something?"
I want to say,"Yeah, my boyfriend killed a guy and I had to change schools for my own safety."
But no. I can’t bring attention to all that shit.
"My parents thought this school had a better music program," I lie smoothly. "Great classes. I play guitar, ukulele, and harp."
Diego, I think it’s him, chimes in, "My brother’s in the school band. I heard they’re looking for a second guitarist. You should try out."
Everyone’s looking at me now, clearly interested in my response. Or just in me.
The alpha thing doesn’t scare them off. It never does. People always said I was prettier than most omegas, and quite frankly, that’s my cheat code. I don’t even try, and it still works. To the point where it’s annoying, because I never cared much about my looks. I cared about Dogger. I didn't give a shit what the world thought.
But that’s in the past. And I may as well start to use the advantage, since it works so well. My looks handle everything for me. Earn me smiles, kindness, curiosity, and… this kind of interest that can mean a lot of fun.
Dogger used to have to chase people off me. But now there’s no Dogger.
And to be honest, I don’t know if I even want to keep pushing people away.
