Chapter 5-Revon

Adam’s football friends strode towards us, and I felt a cold sweat on the back of my neck as I saw the expression on his face.

Adam was nowhere to be seen.

As soon as they were close to us, Annalise sprang to her feet and rushed to them.

“Oh, Jaice, AJ! I just wanted to sit with my friends,” she pleaded with teary eyes. “And he just pushed me, Jaice! I just wanted to talk to him.”

“Yeah, we saw,” Jaice, the linebacker, bared his teeth. “Never thought you’d be this much of a bastard, Revon. Who the hell pushes an Omega like that?”

I wanted to laugh. Did he think Omegas were so delicate that we couldn’t stand a little push?

Annalise’s blatant, manipulative behavior pissed me off, and I didn’t see the point of holding back my anger anymore. Damned if I did, damned if I didn’t.

I regretted confessing my feelings to her so, so very much.

“You must’ve had a little too many concussions, Jaice, if you think I’m the one who pushed her,” I snapped back. “You want me to call the nurse for you? Is everything getting blurry?”

“Cut the crap, loser, we all saw it,” AJ, the running back, sneered. “She just tried to touch you and you pushed her away without thinking twice.”

“I didn’t do it,” I replied. “I didn’t even touch her.”

“Revon will never hurt anyone like that, even if they deserve it,” Eaton jumped into my defense.

“Yeah, he was literally pulled out of his chair. I’m the one who had to keep him from falling!” Avery joined him.

“She’s just crying for your attention, and you’re giving it to her,” KC scoffed. “More muscles than brains, the whole lot of you.”

“I’m not crying for attention,” Annalise sobbed. “It really happened. Revon’s my friend, I don’t want everyone to talk badly about him. But he really hurt me!”

“Hurt?” I asked before I could control my mouth. “That was barely a fall!”

“You think an Omega like Annalise is strong enough to manhandle a Beta?” Jaice inquired.

“Calling him a Beta is generous,” AJ replied, giving me a once-over. “Look at those twig arms. Pathetic.”

“Admit it, Revon. You’re just a sore loser who can’t handle it when a girl turns you down,” Jaice mocked. “And the kind of man who lays his hands on an Omega. Classless.”

The footballers closed in. I felt like an animal who’d been cornered.

“You know what they say. It doesn’t matter if the trash is out of the can, it’s still going to be trash.”

“Think you can hurt Adam’s girl and get away with it?”

“Good thing he’s not here, or else!”

“Or else what?” I asked.

“Or else this.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, AJ plucked my still full lunch tray from the table and upended it over my head.

Spaghetti sauce splashed all over my hair, face, and shirt. Laughter erupted all around us, and students started chanting “Sauce him! Sauce him! Sauce him!” from all corners of the cafeteria. My friends started screaming. I stood there frozen, unable to come to terms with what had happened.

When I looked up, I saw Annalise hiding behind Jaice.

There was a tiny smug smile on her face, like the one she had whenever she managed to pin something she did on her brother and get away with it.

My heart broke into pieces.

She’d planned all this. The first humiliation was not enough for her. She had to break me down even more.

Without a word, I turned on my heel and fled the cafeteria while everyone jeered around me.

I didn’t stop until I reached the nearest bathroom and ripped off my shirt. Then, I turned on the tap and dunked my head under it.

Only then did I let the tears come out.

Why would she do this to me? All I wanted from her was a date! If she was angry that a Beta dared to ask her out, she could’ve just told me in private. We had been friends since diapers. When had she gotten so vindictive? The slight manipulation was always there, but it wasn’t too malicious. Just blaming someone else to avoid punishment.

What else will she do to me? How long will she drag this out? I’d told her so many of my secrets. Will she use that knowledge against me?

I raised my head, wiping away the tears. I couldn’t do this anymore. I wanted to go home, cooped up in my room, and never come back. I thought my life turned upside down yesterday.

If only I’d known what the next day would bring.

Suddenly, a noise came from the farthest bathroom.

I froze.

It sounded suspiciously like a grunt.

I waited, straining my ears. I didn’t notice anyone else occupying the bathroom when I came in, but then again, I wasn’t paying much attention. Perhaps it was the pipes.

And then it came again, followed by a low moan.

“Oh, hell no,” I muttered to myself, holding back a groan. “Are you being serious?”

Why was someone hooking up in a bathroom stall while my life was falling apart?

I inhaled harshly as I ran my fingers through my hair. The air smelled a little more pleasant than normal bathroom air did. Maybe the janitors had started using a new air freshener. My skin tingled a little. That was strange.

Okay, I needed to focus.

There was no way I could get out of here looking like this. I didn’t have any spare clothes in my bag, but there was a spare shirt in my locker, just in case. I needed to call Eaton and ask him if he could bring it by.

I walked to where I’d dropped my bag.

Suddenly, someone kicked a door.

It was my unwelcome companion or companions. I rolled my eyes. This time, I couldn’t control myself.

“Hey, I don’t care if damaging school property is a kink of yours, don’t do that shit while I’m in here,” I yelled out. “I already have enough crap on my plate without getting blamed for that too.”

The sounds stopped. Perhaps the couple inside was mortified. I felt a little bad.

Whatever. They should’ve known better than to hook up in a frickin public bathroom.

I bent down to fish my phone from my bag.

And then, a weak voice came from across the bathroom.

“Help me…”

Oh, shit. Was the guy not there with someone else? Was he being forced? Was he in danger?

Without a word, I rushed to the corner stall. The door was unlocked, and I yanked it open.

Only to come face-to-face with Adam Kennedy.

Except he wasn’t as put together as he was that morning. For one, like me, he was shirtless, but he’s stripped out of his undershirt, showcasing a fairly impressive set of abs. His skin was dotted with perspiration, and his chest was heaving. He was gripping the bathroom walls like he couldn’t stand.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that something was terribly wrong.

“Hey, dude, are you okay? What’s going on there?” I asked.

Instead of answering, Adam did this weird thing where he gritted his teeth and just rolled both his head and shoulders, but in opposite directions.

“Hurts…!” he grunted.

I started panicking.

“Hurt where? Oh, my god, are you injured? Where does it hurt? Did you hit your head? Why is your shirt off! I need to get the nurse, oh, my god-”

That’s when I registered it.

The same pleasant smell from before intensified until I could hardly breathe. Musky and deep with a hint of earth and rusted metal, but for some reason, so enticing. My stomach constricted as I breathed it in involuntarily, and my knees went weak. 

Deep inside me, something released like a strained spring. 

Understanding hit me like a lightning bolt.

“Oh, dear God,” I breathed. “You’re going into rut!”