THE ALPHA'S BEAUTIFUL REJECT

THE EVERWOOD HIGH SERIES BOOK 1: THE ALPHA’S BEAUTIFUL REJECT CHAPTER ONE 1. A BOY NAMED MATEO Highschool can be a real, f*****g b***h. Especially when you have a whole lunch tray being dumped on your head by one of the minions of the school’s Queen Bee and the people around you are just snickering as if this is the funniest thing they have seen in their entire lives. I guess, Valentina’s has always considered herself too pretty to get her hands dirty. Her minions Ariel and Destiny on the other hand, would do just about anything to please her. She chews on a piece of gum, arms crossed before blowing a pink bubble. The same conniving smirk I was used to for as long as I can remember, curls over her lower glossed lip. “Mutt,” You’d think by now I’d be used to hearing that condescending tone and that revolting word. But it never gets easier. Especially with my birthday being in three days. My seventeenth birthday. That one day which will seal my fate at the bottom of the pack ladder. The day my wolf appears. I grip the edge of my lunch tray, biting hard on my inner cheek. I’m never going to give her the satisfaction of seeing me cry. That’s the one thing my mother made me swear since I could remember. No one, especially your enemy should ever see your tears. “Let’s go girls,” She is about to walk away when suddenly she stops, eyes falling at the open cafeteria door much like everybody else’s. Like every cheesy romance movie you know, there is always that hot trio of boys in every high school flick ever made; the Greek-gods replicas, the ones from the rich families in town. The ones you either want to kiss or be associated with in any way. Well, Everwood High is no different. And right now, the cliché group of boys are walking through the double doors of the cafeteria, exactly like a taped slow-motion scene of a movie. On the right, is Brian Sinclair with his sandy brown hair, a darker shade of green eyes and sporting a blue varsity jacket. It doesn’t help that not only is he book smart but he happens to be the captain of the football team. His entry into Yale is almost a guaranteed direct pass. Right in the middle is Theodore Fairchild with his face, as usual drawn in a permanent scowl. If there is one thing everyone in school can never dispute on, it’s the undeniable fact that Theo has got it all. Money, looks, the right friends, a powerful last name and of course, the perfect girl on his arm; Valentina Baldwin. Yeah, I know. The premise of every cliché teen romance movie. The popular guy dates the popular girl. Almost a year into their very public relationship. Oh, to add salt to the injury of almost every boy in school, he is the Alpha of the town’s pack after his older brother passed away with his cousin in a car accident three years ago. No one has seen him smile since. Understandably so. And last, on the left, is the guy I secretly ogle when he is not looking. Mateo Ortega, dark brown eyes, sporty build and oh, that f*****g smile. He could ruin my life and I’d let him. To make it worse, he lives just across the street from me. Well, technically I live in the servant quarters of the Baldwin home with my mother while he casually stays in a very luxurious townhouse with servants at his beck and call. I’m staring at the boys like everyone else and only get startled when someone slams a tray next to me. “They rejected my new proposal for the robotics contest again. I don’t know what Mr. Mwangi wants from me at this point. I’ve literally exhausted every single idea I can think of,” There is a pause before a sadness coats my all-time best friend’s voice, “Valentina got you again, huh?” “One would think it adds an extra day to her life,” I sigh, accepting some wet wipes from him. “Go get yourself cleaned up,” he says. I nod, getting up from the table amidst the usual snickers. For as long as I can remember, Jack and I have been best friends. We were both bullied when we were younger by the same perpetrator until someone anonymous reported him and he was forced to change schools. Then we discovered our love for anything anime and that sealed the deal between us. There is only so long one can go before they break. I find myself in a bathroom stall, hand clamped against my mouth, tears flowing down my cheeks while my body racks from the sobs. There is a reason why Valentina bullies me. Its nothing I did. Well, except being born poor to a single mother who happens to be working as a live-in maid for their family. Oh, and as if being the bottom feeder isn’t enough, she abhors me for being smarter and sportier than her. Ever since I beat her in an interschool math contest in middle school, she has not stopped. For a long time, she made people believe that I’d cheated my way to first place. It’s something she loves pointing out every five seconds. But I guess that is high school for you. It never used to be anything physical. Just pure back talk. Until seven months ago. I have no f*****g idea where that came from but I do know that deep down I abhor her so much. I spend every waking second of my existence, working my ass off. Because there is nothing more, I would want than to ditch this town for good. The moment I get into a good university with full scholarship, I’m never looking back. I’ll settle in the city with my best friend, get myself a good job and get my mother the hell out of here. That’s my plan. All I have to do is get through the rest of junior and senior years of high school. “The pack is going to start the next batch of training next month. Your wolf is coming. So any plans of joining?” Jack questions as we head to AP biology class. He has lent me his hoodie and I’m quite glad for the warmth the cotton fabric is spreading against my skin. “I want to get out of this town first chance I get. There is no way in hell I’m training with the rest of the pack,” I point out, settling into my seat. “I’m just saying it wouldn’t hurt to pick a defense lesson or two,” he shrugs, adjusting his glasses, “Oh, and my mum is making muffins today. Want to swing by after school?” “Strawberry flavored?” I question, already getting giddy. “How else is she going to make them?” a smile spreads across his face just as Mr. Augustus, walks into class, looking like he had just been in a heated argument with his wife or something. It’s not a new look on him. The day drags on and eventually comes to an end. We get in the school bus, chatting about random stuff before stopping at Wilson street where Jack lives. His mother, Mrs. Astor, is on the phone when we walk in. Just like me, Jack is a single mother’s kid. Unlike me, his father had died from advanced heart failure disease when he was nine. On the other hand, I have no f*****g idea who my dad is. Mum would never tell me and now I’ve made peace with it. There is no use to reawaken scars when she has been the best mother anyone could ask for. She signals for us to remain quiet, her eyes growing large from whatever the person on the other end of the line was telling her. She nods, muttering the words Yes, every few seconds. When she eventually ends the call, she remains frozen for a few seconds before she screamed excitedly then clamped her mouth shut. “Kids, how would like to earn an extra good buck over the weekend?” she questions after composing herself. I reach for a muffin, biting into it, “I’m off this weekend. They are making some renovations at the bookstore,” “Good. Because the Ortegas are hosting some huge family function and they just hired us to cater for them,” “The Ortegas?” My ears are perked up now, my back straightened and I’m certain one can see the goosebumps spreading on my skin. The idea of seeing Mateo, being in close proximity with him, is enough to make me feel like I just won a lottery ticket. A girl can dream. “Yes. You kids can help out. I mean, we are understaffed especially with Raine out of town to visit her sick sister and Diana about to give birth,” Mrs. Astor points out, shrugging as she leans over the kitchen counter. “I mean, why not? We still need more money for our anime convention savings fund,” Jack shrugs. The anime con has always been our thing for as long as we can remember. Every year, we’d spend hours watching the events on YouTube and this year would be our first time attending one. Well, only if we actually end up saving enough. “Yes,” I high five Jack. I can already feel my heart thumping at the idea of seeing Mateo.