Chapter Two: Paige

I turn the car out of the driveway and head toward school. My heart panics as we get closer. I don’t know why I’m letting Cory have this much power over me. It’s school. I shouldn’t be afraid of it because of him.

“Paige! Watch out!” I was so lost in thought that I didn’t see the car brake in front of us. I stop just in time, though I regret it when I see whose car it is. Amber’s.

“Ugh. I should’ve hit her!”

“Yeah, probably should’ve. Though Dad would kill you.”

I think about it, and he’s right. Amber is the Beta’s daughter, and that earns her a soft spot in my dad’s heart. That’s why I haven’t told Dad or Mom what Cory did. My mom would probably point out the ways Amber is better than me, and my dad’s heart would be crushed. I can’t tell him he doesn’t really know his goddaughter. I sigh and pull into a parking spot. Peyton barely waits for me to park before hopping out of the car and running off. I rest my head on the steering wheel, trying to muster up the courage to go into school. There’s a loud knock on my door. Startled, I look up to see my best friend, Valerie. I sigh and exit my car.

“Well, damn girl. You trying to jump into someone else’s bed already?” Valerie says, eyeing my tight jeans and revealing top.

“Yeah, the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else. Isn’t that what they say?”

I roll my eyes. I can’t even imagine letting someone else near me right now. What’s the point? They will just leave. Sensing my sadness, Valerie links arms with me as we walk in through the large wooden doors that greet us into school.

“Did you talk to him?”

“I told him I knew, but he said nothing.”

“Not even to apologize?”

“Not even to apologize.”

Tears threaten to spill, but I refuse to let them. I’m not spending another second crying over that dickhead. Arriving at class, Valerie and I take seats next to her mate, Thomas. I’m glad that Cory doesn’t have any classes with me, and I won’t have to see him or Amber until lunchtime.

The hours seem to have flown by when the lunch bell rings. The loud ring causes me to groan. My stomach rumbling tells me I’m not allowed to skip lunch. I slowly make my way to the cafeteria, smelling that chicken wraps are on the menu long before I get to the doors. I go through the line and scan the room for my best friend and her mate, finding them in the very back locked in a make-out session. I roll my eyes. Mates can’t help themselves around one another.

Thomas and Valerie only found each other about three months ago. Valerie turned eighteen, and Thomas was the new kid in the pack. They’ve been inseparable ever since. Even with my heartbreak, I can’t help but admit how cute they are together. Valerie is a tanned, athletic blonde, while Thomas is almost as pale as his platinum hair, but somehow, they fit. They fit because the moon goddess made them for one another. With that thought, I cry.

Valerie, pulling her face from Thomas’s, takes notice and rushes to my side. Thomas packs up our table and pushes us both outside, away from prying eyes. He has no idea how grateful I am for that gesture. I can’t tell him because the lump in my throat is holding back my words. Guess I was wrong when I said I would not cry anymore. Once the tears subside and we’ve eaten our food, we go back inside and go straight to class.

The rest of the day goes by without much of a fuss. I’m thankful it's Friday, and I’ll have the weekend to get over Cory. Peyton rides home with his girlfriend, and I’m grateful to have the drive home to sort my thoughts. A jolt goes through me as I pull into my driveway and spot Cory’s car. I guess he wasn’t at school today, or he never would’ve beat me here. The images of him stroking Amber’s murky brown hair flash through my mind. My sadness is replaced with anger. I exit my car, slamming the door. I walk through the foyer and march up the stairs to my room. I know Cory is in there waiting because I can smell him. He smells of pine. I push my door open to see a crying Cory. The sight of this tightly muscled man with his head in his hand crying is laughable.

He looks up with confusion. “Something funny?”

“You are,” I say while throwing my bag down. “Did you really think you could cheat on me and then come crying to my house for forgiveness?”

“I am sorry. It was a total mistake.”

“It was a mistake, probably one you’ll regret for a long while. I guess there’s nothing we can do about it now, though. You can leave now. We’re done. Have fun with that skank.”

“Please, Paige. It won’t happen again. I swear.”

“I know it won’t. Because you don’t have me to cheat on.”