4

ZAC’S POV

I slammed the door of the taxi shut and got my luggage out. Hillary joined me, standing to look at the house. It was a storey building, the walls a sky blue and the window panes white. It looked like one of those houses you would see in the movies with happy families.

“We must be at the correct address, right?” Hillary asked, voicing my thoughts. He checked his phone and confirmed it.

“It’s…,” I searched for the right word. “Small.”

That was the nicest thing I could say about it. It was smaller than our own place in my father’s estate. My mother could afford something better. I’m not sure how to explain her choices.

“It’s like a matchbox,” Hillary added. We could agree on this.

“Boys!” my mother squealed, rushing out of the house to hug us. She pressed kisses into our cheeks. “My newest Student President is finally here.”

“Mom, what is this? What did you see here?” Hillary said after hugging her.

“Well, for one, I can tell that it is a sorry ass of a town,” I said, shaking off the snow on my boots and looking around the neighbourhood.

“Zac, always so mean. It’s not that bad,” my mother said, coming to stand between us to look at the house.

“If beneath your standard, in the middle of nowhere and quiet and sad is the vibe that you’re going for then yes, it’s not that bad,”

“I wanted something that feels warm and like a home. This town,” she sighed, standing between Hillary and I, and giving our arms a squeeze, “it just feels like Christmas. Something magical is going to happen.”

“Yeah, like me leaving,” I turned, walking down the sidewalk.

“Where are you going?” mom asked in that voice I hated. Whenever she saw me, she liked to baby me. She felt guilty that my father pushed me hard and there was nothing she could do about it. I had a feeling that this move was about Hillary and I.

Still, I wasn’t kind enough to make her feel good about her choices.

“To see if he can find someone new to torment probably,” Hillary replied. I heard him wheel our luggage towards the house.

I flipped him the finger, grateful that I had a coat on. It was colder than I expected. Hillary was right though. I was walking around to see who I could torment. But the truth was, I wanted to see if I could notice the power play here. Someone always made the rules, even in small towns like this. I wanted to be able to control it.

I must have walked for twenty minutes, passing my many diners and a sheriff’s office. I wondered how long it would take me to spot other wolves.

“Thank you. Enjoy your movie,” a lady said.

I stopped in my tracks, looking around. The voice sounded very familiar. I don’t hear it often but I could recognize it. My eyes found the theatre across the road. There was a short line of people at the ticket booth. I couldn’t see anyone I knew but my body started to move before I realized.

I joined the line, sticking my hands into the pocket of my coat and regretting that I didn’t put gloves on. When it was my turn, I stepped forward, fishing a note from my pocket to hand it to the person there.

“That would be five ninety-nine,” she said, absent mindedly.

I froze for a moment as the voice washed over me. It was her – Daphne Curtis. She sat behind a glass, those curly brown hair tucked behind her ears and a red scarf around her neck. It made her eyes look larger and prettier than it usually was.

I shook my head. What the hell? Did I just think the plus size omega was pretty?

I quickly gave her the note and as she handed me the change, she looked up. “Thank you. Enjoy—”

She froze, whatever she wanted to say dying in her mouth. Her hands began to shake, holding onto the change and ticket. I didn’t know what to say to her because she suddenly looked trapped. She looked like she would run if I uttered one wrong word.

I reached forward and took the ticket. “Thank you,” I turned quickly and walked towards the entrance.

I didn’t know what I was thinking when I walked up to that ticket booth. I didn’t come there to bother her or to remind her of her place. I just heard her voice from across the road and came there with zero thoughts.

My heart was racing uncontrollably. I made a mental note to visit the doctor. Something was undeniably wrong with me.

The doorman checked my ticket and smiled kindly at me, letting me in. I didn’t know what I was doing but, for some reason, I didn’t just want to leave. I felt the need to apologize. I was Student President, why should I care if the omega was scared to see me?

As I took a seat one row from the exit, I wondered what she was doing in Lousieville. Was she visiting family? Was this where she lived? And why was she working in the ticketing booth?

I was so curious and it irked me. A few minutes later, the lights went out and the movie came up on screen. I had no idea what was showing but it didn’t look that bad. It was a romantic comedy, the usual where the girl or the guy returned to their hometown and reunited with an ex or best friend and fell in love.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I caught myself laughing more times than I expected.

When I looked back, I noticed two people standing at the back, whispering to themselves. I would have ignored it but then, I noticed that red scarf around her neck when the screen turned brighter.

Daphne. And she was with a guy.

I watched her carefully, realizing just how different things were now. This was Christmas. I was in a new place, in a new house and in a theatre: three things I rarely ever did. I guess I could do things differently. And surprisingly, what I wanted to change had something to do with the brown head, plump sized, beautiful Daphne Curtis.