Ava’s POV
I froze as soon as Steve said it.
“I’d rather take Ava,” he’d said, his voice calm, but the impact of those words hit me like a punch to the chest.
Sarah’s face hardened immediately. I could see the anger flash in her eyes, even though she tried to hide it by forcing a smile. My stepmom was watching too, her lips pressed tightly together, and I could already feel the Anger.
I needed to fix this, fast!
I swallowed hard, trying to think of something that would smooth things over. Then, without giving myself time to hesitate, I grabbed Steve’s hand and gave it a little tug. His hand was warm and strong, and for a second, my mind w
Ava’s POVThe sting of the slap still burned on my cheek as I stood quietly. I could feel my eyes watering, but I refused to cry in front of her. She had already hurt me enough, but I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of seeing my tears. “You humiliated Sarah in front of the three brothers!” she lashed out again, her voice sharp like a knife cutting into me.“I didn’t humiliate her,” I said softly, careful not to raise my voice. I was hurt, yes, but I still respected her enough not to yell.“You’re lying!” she snapped, raising her hand and slapping me again. My head jerked to the side, but I didn’t move. I didn’t fight back. I just stood there and let the pain settle on my skin. “You need to stop talking back and just admit that you embarrassed Sarah!”My face throbbed, but I pressed my lips together and stayed silent. There was no use arguing with her. No matter what I said, she wouldn’t believe me. She never did.“I didn’t mean to embarrass her,” I said after a moment, my v
Ava’s POV“Can we be friends?”Friends? With Vanessa? I didn’t see that coming, and from the look on Vanessa’s face, she didn’t either. Her eyebrows shot up as she stared at Sarah like she’d just grown two heads.“You want to be my friend?” Vanessa asked, her voice dripping with pride. She tilted her chin up and gave Sarah that smug, know-it-all look she loved using to make people feel small. “Do you even realize who I am? I’m the Alpha’s daughter. The one and only Alpha’s daughter.”She said it like she expected Sarah to back down, like just hearing those words would make her rethink her decision. But Sarah didn’t even flinch. Instead, she smiled wider and let out a soft laugh, like she wasn’t intimidated at all.“I know exactly who you are,” Sarah said sweetly. “And that’s why I want to be your friend. You’re strong, confident, and, well… I can tell you’re a good person deep down. I think we could really get along.”For a moment, Vanessa didn’t say anything. I could tell she wasn’t
Ava’s POVI rush to the rooftop, my breath coming out in quick gasps, my chest rising and falling as though I just ran a marathon. My head spins, and I press my hand against the cold wall to steady myself. Everything feels like it’s caving in on me all at once, like I’ve somehow lost control over everything happening around me.What’s going on? I don’t even know anymore. First, there’s Sarah, acting all friendly with Vanessa. Then there’s Vanessa and her weird conversation with Sarah, Zach suddenly acting like he cares, and Irish stepping in and punching Zach in front of everyone. And now… now I’m here, on the rooftop, feeling like I’m losing my mind.I lea
Ava’s POVSteve’s lips brush against mine softly at first, like he’s testing the waters, and my heart skips a beat. I don’t know how it happens, but before I can think straight, I’m kissing him back. His hand cups my cheek gently, and for a few seconds, I let myself melt into the moment.It feels… strange. New. His lips are warm, and there’s a softness to the kiss that makes my chest tighten. I’ve never felt anything like this before.But then, like a slap of cold air, reality comes crashing down on me. I pull away, gasping, my face flushed, my heart racing so fast it feels like it might burst out of my chest.Steve stares at me, his green eyes wide with
AVA’S POVSarah smirks at me, like she’s already won. I can feel my pulse pounding in my ears, and my chest is rising and falling fast, but I don’t care anymore. I’m tired of letting them walk all over me. Tired of being treated like I’m nothing.“You’re not getting this letter,” I say firmly. Sarah raises an eyebrow, clearly surprised by my sudden defiance. My stepmom crosses her arms, her eyes narrowing. “What did you just say?” she asks, her voice sharp and cold.“I said,” I repeat, more clearly this time, “I’m not giving you the letter. Vanessa invited me to the party, not Sarah. If Vanessa wanted Sarah to come, she would have given her the invitation, not me.”For a second, there’s silence, and I can tell by the way their faces twist with shock that they weren’t expecting that. Sarah looks like she’s just been slapped, and my stepmom blinks at me, trying to process what I had just said. “Sarah is Vanessa’s friend, she’d have given her the invitation letter if she wanted her.”M
Ava’s POVI stand there, frozen, staring at my stepmom and Sarah as their words sink in. A VIP customer is waiting for me at the stripper house.I feel like the ground just shifted beneath my feet. My stomach twists, and my hands clench at my sides. “Why can’t Sarah go instead?” I blurt out, unable to hold it in. I know it’s dangerous to talk back, but the words slip out before I can stop them.The moment I say it, my stepmom’s face twists in anger. Her fake smile vanishes, replaced by that familiar look of pure disgust she always has when she looks at me. “Don’t you ever say that again!” she snaps, her voice sharp and cold.I flinch but stay where I am.“Sarah will never be a stripper,” she hisses, like the thought alone is insulting. “She’s too good for that. You, on the other hand… You’re the one who’s fit to be a stripper. That’s who you are, Ava. You’re nothing but a filthy little girl who belongs there.”Her words cut through me like knives. I feel tears burning the back of my e
Ava’s POV“Let go of me, Zach!” I screamed, thrashing as hard as I could.His grip on my wrist tightened. “Stop fighting me, Ava. You’re my mate, and you belong to me.”“No! I don’t belong to you!” I yelled, shoving at his chest, but he didn’t budge. His strength was overwhelming, and the fear in my chest tightened like a steel grip.“Stop acting like this,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous. “I’m not going to hurt you.”“You already are!” I snapped, tears stinging my eyes as I tried to yank my wrist out of his grip again. “You tore my clothes, Zach! You’re hurting me right now!”He paused, his eyes flickering as if my words hit him somewhere deep, but it only lasted for a second. His jaw clenched, and his face hardened again.“You’re mine, Ava,” he said through gritted teeth. “You can’t keep running from me.”“I’m not yours! You rejected me, remember?” My voice broke as the memories flooded back. I could still hear his cruel words ringing in my ears. I could still feel the pain
Steve’s POVI was walking back from the pack, my fists clenched, my jaw tight. The Alpha had said something that really got under my skin, and I couldn’t shake off the anger. My mind was spinning with thoughts, and all I wanted was to get home, take a cold shower, and try to calm down. But that plan changed the moment I reached the front gate.There she was. Ava.She was sitting on the ground, huddled against the gate, crying. Her clothes were torn, her shoulders shaking, and she looked completely broken. My heart twisted in my chest, and all the anger I had been feeling vanished in an instant.I was surprised to see he
Author's POV After Zayne walked away without saying a word to her, Vanessa knew that she got him pissed off. Not only him, but the triplets.The word about her planting the paper had spread through the school like wildfire, and even though Zayne didn't say anything to her at that moment, she was going to face the consequences of her actions."Shit...!" She huffed and bit her lower lip as she shot Zach a glare.She walked away as well, in anger.She didn't even get the response she hoped for from Zach or change his mind about Ava because he was still playing helper-good guy.As she made her way home, she grew even more angry at the turnouts of events. She could have lied to her brothers, telling them that it was all plotted against her, but now, Zayne had already heard her admitting what she did to Zach."Perfect! Just perfect! Suspended from school and caught red-handed by my brother, who would no doubt spread the news to the others, who would most likely see me as a bad person now.
Zayne POV "Did you hear what happened during the exams?" A student asked her friends, who nodded frantically. "Is it about the Ava girl? Of course, we did." Another replied.My ears flared at their words, but I did not stop walking."I saw everything unfold from the exam hall window. I must say, Zach saved the day." The third girl added with a cheesy smile that made my stomach churn.What Zach did for Ava that day was all over school, and different students had different things to say concerning it. While some said that Zach saved the day, some of them strongly believed that Zach had feelings for Ava and that his act was just a means for him to show it to her.All the theories didn't sit well with me, but I wasn't going to do anything about it. Not yet. Until I spoke to my brothers, and I was going to meet them. We agreed to meet behind the school library after school, and I got there just in time to see Iris and Steve waiting for me.Steve looked troubled, pissed even while Iris r
Author's POV Vanessa walked out of the cafe and down a street not far from the school they attended. She settled on one of the pavements along the path.She was sure that Zach was going to walk the path home, so she waited for him.Those words Jessica and Barbie said concerning Zach never left her mind as she constantly thought about what Ava had on her that made Zach follow her around like a pauper.She thought they had a connection, but Zach's movements towards Ava crushed whatever hope she had of being in like minds with Zach. 'Where are you, Zach? We do have a lot to talk about...' she spoke inwardly as she dangled her legs forward-backward while waiting on the raised pavement.She waited for hours and almost lost hope of seeing Zach. While she was waiting for him, some students passed by the path and they shot glances at her. Some were mocking glances, some were pitiful glances, and others were irritated glances."Ahh, shit..." Vanessa bit her lower lip as she cupped the side o
Author's POV After the unexpected outcome in the exam hall, Jessica and Barbie waited for Vanessa in the school's cafe to deliberate on the issue.They knew that they were in deep shit. Vanessa kept them in charge of lookouts, but somehow, someone was able to record a video of her planting the paper. And it wasn't just anyone, it was Ava"Oh my God, she's coming, she's coming. What do we do?" Barbie announced with panic as she sighted Vanessa closing in on them."Hey..." Jessica greeted, unsure of the response she was going to get."Don't hey me!" Vanessa replied a lot louder than intended, causing the customers in the cafe to shift their gazes."Don't do that. How did that witch get the evidence? And she didn't just get any evidence, she had a freaking video of me planting the cheat. I wonder how she was able to make that video when I had two grown women look out for me!" She said with anger etched in her voice as she folded her hands across her chest, expecting an explanation. Jes
Ava's Pov "I have what you need," he smiled, but I wasn't ready for any of his games.I had an agenda, and I didn't have the time to waste with Zach. The corridor was sparsely populated, and he had dragged me to a corner."Leave me alone!" I wriggled myself out of his grip, and he released me. "Fine, but at least hear what I have to say to you before you completely rule me out." He blocked my path, I noticed an unusual sincerity in his voice and eyes, so I paused."What do you want from me? You heard and you want to rub it in my face, or maybe you are part of it, aren't you?" I folded my arms across my chest and raised a brow."How lowly you think of me, but I won't blame you. I was mean to you in the past, but I want to right my wrongs.""How?""Is this what you're looking for?" He handed a phone to me.My eyes doubled their size when I watched the content playing. I didn't quite have good experiences with random videos, but thankfully, this was not a video of me stripping; it was
Ava's PovIt was not just a quiet walk of shame since I was literally dragged to the council. The teacher from the disciplinary committee had been diligent enough to make a very big deal about the situation as she interrupted my exam."Can I at least finish my exam first? I promise, I don't know how those papers got there." I had tried to plead with her earlier, but it was pointless to reason with her."You want to write what you memorized, not so?" She had cruelly seized my answer booklet and handed it over to the invigilator before calling the security to drag me out like a criminal. My life of peace was often short-lived, and this was just another ditch as usual, and like the rest, I couldn't see any light at the end of the tunnel. Malpractice was a huge no-no in our school, and they gravely frowned against it.I saved my tears and explanation for when I stood before my persecutors. Actually, since they were convinced I was guilty of the charge.I waited several minutes before it
Ava's PovThe days after that day stretched easily into a week; my mates had put in so much effort, and they had wiped every trace of that day from the school.No one dared talk about the day, the videos were taken down from the server where it was uploaded, and out of fear, no one dared have them on their phone.They were trying hard to erase the day from the calendar, if possible, from my memory too.I could tell."From now on, you will go to school with us," Iris had informed me."And if you don't have classes?"
Iris' Pov"I love you, Ava.""So do we, too," I had to add it when I heard Steve saying it to our mate.She was in a pathetic state, she looked frail and fragile in his embrace.She didn't take her face away from his chest, but I could imagine how swollen it was from crying for whatever they did to her.When she had calmed down a bit, he adjusted her in his hold, and soon she was snoring lightly.Zayne had not come very close, he stood a little bit of a distance away while I sat on the floor where Steve sat with Ava in his arms.
Steve's PovI got to school early and noticed a fuss. As I walked to my classroom, my heightened hearing picked up the comments."She's so hot when she's shirtless, I really wish I could tap that ass."For some reason, I had an odd feeling about the comment. More students lined the hallway whispering in hushed tones and holding fliers, the suspense got the better part of me and I stopped one."What's that?" I asked a group of guys invested in a flyer. For a second, they seemed to lose their ability to hear as they stared at me with pale faces.I couldn't deal with their drama."Hand it over, I requested to see the flier that seemed to be the same in every hand of every student that arrived before me."I promise, I have nothing to do with it, I saw it in my locker, believe me." One of them stumbled over his words as he tried to defend something. "Hand it," I demanded in a firm tone when I noticed his reluctance. The other two were also fidgeting, they looked like they had been caught