"Hello?" the young man replied in the same questioning tone. The first thing she noticed about him was his scent. He was powerful. Not an Alpha but almost as strong. A Beta most likely.
The second thing was the shape of his lips—top heavy and downturned. He looked like a young Johnny Depp. Young Johnny Depp was an obsession of Scarlett's. She would watch his films on repeat, despite being terrified of Freddy Krueger.
The guy on her doorstep had lighter hair, and his brown eyes had flecks of green, but there was a strong resemblance.
'I need to stop staring like a lunatic,' Scarlett realised.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"Riley, just come on in!" Adrian shouted from the living room.
Riley looked at Scarlett with a patient smile, waiting for her to move and let him inside.
"Oh," she uttered, stepping to the side and holding the door open for Adrian's guest. "D—do you want a cup of tea or coffee? I just boiled the kettle."
"Coffee would be great," he said.
"He takes it without milk or sugar because he's a psychopath," Adrian shouted to her, making his friend laugh.
The pair of them bumped fists before Adrian pulled the taller boy in for a hug.
"I miss you so much," Adrian cried.
"It's been two days," Riley said in a deadpan voice. "And I only live an hour away."
As Scarlett placed the coffee on one of the wooden coasters, she noticed the way Adrian was fawning over the guy and wondered if he might be gay. That would be super convenient.
"Alright, alright, she's going to think we're lovers," Riley said, pushing Adrian away and dashing Scarlett's last hope.
‘I’m kinda glad this visitor is straight,’ Scarlett thought, checking him out with her peripheral vision. He was tall—even taller than Adrian, and his chest muscles were visible beneath his t-shirt as he shifted, getting comfortable on the sofa.
She took the space spot on the sofa and checked her messages to find a couple from Sienna.
"Well, what did he say?" and simply, "Well?"
She could see the little wheel spinning, telling her that Scarlett was typing.
'What can I say?' Scarlett thought.
In a panic, she typed, "He said yes!"
The wheel stopped spinning for a second before it continued and the words, "Yay, great!" appeared.
'Yay, great,' she thought, looking at Adrian with a guilty smile.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, looking increasingly perturbed. "What did you do?"
"I told her you said yes," Scarlett said, breathing out the sentence in one quick burst.
"What's this?" Riley asked. As Adrian filled him in on the situation—not painting Sienna in a very generous light—Scarlett made her best puppy dog eyes at him.
"Well you're gonna have to tell her you lied," Adrian said at last.
"I can't," Scarlett protested and pushed out her bottom lip.
"Well I think she's going to figure it out when she turns up to the date and he's not there," Riley said.
Scarlett glanced down at the phone and saw a tonne of messages from Sienna about what to wear and where to take him. She felt a prickle of guilt over getting her friends hopes up. This was so much worse than just telling her no, she realised, but it was too late to take it back.
"She's so excited," Scarlett said, hoping she could guilt him into saying yes.
"Why did you tell her I said yes?" Adrian asked.
Both Adrian and Riley turned to regard her, hungry for an explanation.
"I don't know." Scarlett shrugged. She didn't want to admit she was terrified of her only real friend. "I just... figured you would change your mind."
Neither boy was satisfied with this explanation, and it showed on their faces.
"Oh please, please say you'll go," Scarlett begged, running out of options, but he shook his head slowly.
"I'll do all your chores, your homework, anything." Scarlett pressed her palms together. "Please?"
Adrian and Riley exchanged glances.
"Explain why you seem so desperate, and I might consider it," Adrian offered.
After a long, drawn-out sigh, Scarlett proceeded to spill all the details of her friendship with Sienna and the other two girls—Tamara and Rose. Both Tamara and Rose were nice enough on their own and even as a couple, but when Sienna was in the picture, they became vicious, and would always pick Siennas side. She explained what had happened when Tom Grady flirted with both girls but ultimately chose Scarlett.
Looking back, Tom had treated them both cruelly and deliberately played the girls off each other. Scarlett did her best to avoid him these days, but he was always there, lingering about with his annoyingly sexy face.
'Tom is ugly next to Riley,' she thought, her mind running off track temporarily.
She looked up at the boys, who had remained silent during her speech.
"Look, I know I've been a bitch to you, and you have no reason to help me out, but please could you do this for me? You might even have a good time with her," Scarlett asked.
Adrian said nothing, just stared at her with a strained, pitying smile.
Scarlett pictured what Sienna’s face would look like when she found out about the lie. She could see everything unfolding in her mind's eye. The three girls looking at her like she was the devil, telling her she no longer had the right to be in their group. Like last time, the other, not-so-popular kids would gloat and join in with the bitching and sly looks, and she would be forced to hide away, eating her lunch in the toilet with only the graffiti and smell of urine for company.
That sick, dreadful sensation came flooding back. Nobody could make you feel quite so worthless and disgusting as her crew of popular girls.
Tears formed behind her eyes, and before she could force them away the warm little droplets tumbled down her cheeks.
"I'm begging you," she said, pleading with her eyes. "Please say yes."
"I'm sorry—" he started to say.
"Please, Adrian," Scarlett cried. She flung herself from the sofa to the floor with dramatic flair, kneeling at his feet. "I'm begging on my knees, please, please say yes."
As she stared up at Adrian, she saw the indecision in his face.
"When?" he asked after a world-weary sigh.
"Tonight?" Scarlett said, squeezing her hands together in prayer and giving him her most winning smile.
He turned to his friend with a questioning look.
"It's okay, I can go," Riley said.
"No, we were supposed to hang out this weekend," Adrian argued.
"Hmm," Riley looked down at Scarlett. "I'm sure your stepsister will entertain me while you're out with her friend, right?"
"Uh, erm," Scarlett stammered. The way he was looking at her made her nervous. Plus the way he worded it... entertain him? What was he expecting her to do?
She nodded, deciding it didn't matter. Anything was better than the alternative and a night with Adrian's insanely hot friend was just an added bonus.
'What's the worst that could happen?'
Sienna downed the last of her vodka and coke and eyed the bottle of clear liquid with indecision. Getting too drunk before the date was a bad idea. Puking, slurring your words and wobbling about the pavement were not endearing behaviours.'But I'm so nervous,' she thought. The single drink had done nothing to ease the knot in her stomach or the flutters in her chest.Sienna had been on plenty of dates before, but this was different. It almost felt like a blind date. Usually, her dates were with guys from her school—ones who knew her and had a good idea of what to expect. They understood she was at the top of the food chain and they were interchangeable trophies for her arm. She never genuinely cared for any of them besides Tom, and he had trampled all over her heart.Tom had been different. There was just something special about him. A spark. Adrian had that same spark, but even brighter. She was a moth, drawn to his dark flame. His odd choice of style and clothing might an issue, b
Adrian gave Scarlett a final withering stare as they heard a knock at the door. She smiled, took his hand, and thanked him profusely before he pulled the door open and left.With a grimace, she turned back to Riley. "I hope they don't kill each other," she said. It was a major overreaction, but her worries were valid."Oh, you don't have to worry about Adrian." Riley chuckled. "He'll eat her alive and use her bones to pick his teeth afterwards.""You haven't met Sienna," Scarlett said."I've met plenty of Sienna’s," he said, looking her up and down with narrowed eyes."I'm nothing like her!" Scarlett cried. "If my Mum had called me something normal like Rebecca I wouldn't even be in the damn popular group."Riley looked like he wanted to say something but thought better of it. She knew what he was thinking: until her wolf made an appearance, she was basically a human girl. A late bloomer her mother said. It wasn’t at all uncommon to remain shiftless until the age of eighteen. Most wo
"Dance for me," he said.Scarlett giggled, but the laughter become soft and tapered off as she took in his facial expression."I can't dance," she said. "I'm... terrible. I have all the style and grace of a greased up, three-legged warthog on an ice-rink."Maybe it was the vivid mental image that made him snort with laughter. He looked her up and down with suspicious eyes."Adrian said you are a cheerleader," he sternly pointed out."Oh God," Scarlett covered her head with her palm. "Only because Sienna forced me. Little Miss Gymnastic gold champion has to take every opportunity to show off her limber frame. Meanwhile, you have me in the background, tripping over my own feet like a hopeless lummox. You’d think I’d have some sort of natural grace!"He burst into laughter again."Show me a routine," he demanded, staring up at the ceiling.When Scarlett dropped her shoulders in defeat, about to begin the silly cheer, Riley sat up on the bed and waved his arms."Woah, woah, woah, sweet ch
After changing back into her regular clothes, Scarlett scoured the internet for memes that were funny or relevant enough to share on her social media. It was a full-time job, taking up more of her time than homework, but somebody had to drudge through the sea of endless posts to pick out the gems.There were a lot of memes about men, due to the trending hashtag #notallmen. Scarlett steered clear, careful not to take a stance one way or another. She couldn't deal with people arguing on her posts. The only valid response was a laughter emoji.It wasn't long before the dreaded message appeared in her inbox. She was going to have to deal with Sienna’s bitching for weeks, maybe even months if she still wanted to hang out here with the same frequency. Deep in her heart, Scarlett almost hoped that her bestie would stop hanging out here so much. Yes, it was a normal teenager thing to do, but sometimes she wished to be… herself. Abnormal. Animal.Scarlett’s brow shaped into a confused frown as
Scarlett closed her eyes and prayed, but it did no good.His response was innevitable, she realised, seeing the cruel sneer materialise across his lips. "I only went out with you because my stepsister begged and pleaded with me," he revealed.Sienna's previously smug face dropped immediately. She slowly turned to Scarlett, eyes smouldering like lasers. Anger radiated off her in waves, almost visible and hot."Seriously?" Damien asked with a mouthful of food, choking on his salad."Yeah," Adrian told him. "She fucking begged on her knees with tears in her eyes because she was so worried her so-called best friend would blame her if I said no."As Sienna stared into the eyes of her best friend, she could see her rage and pain. Little tears formed before she threw her tray full of food at Scarlett's feet and ran from the cafeteria. Everyone turned to stare at Scarlett. The entire student body. She'd never felt so exposed and open. Staying out of the limelight was important--her mother
Sienna looked at her face in the mirror, inspecting her otherwise flawless skin for red blotches. Seeing speckles of pink beneath her eyes, she applied a final layer of concealer before fixing her makeup with powder. Her mother always bought her the best brands so it should last the school day. She didn't want anyone to know she'd been crying nonstop since yesterday—not even her remaining friends.Covering the marks didn't mean she couldn't still feel them. The skin of her cheeks was taut and sore, and her eyes stung despite using drops.Her chest rattled as she breathed in a shaky breath, giving herself a final once over before exiting the bathroom.She stood in the hallway as the students milled about her, chatting, and louting about as they made their way to the canteen or the picnic area. When she saw Adrian, her heart fluttered. It felt like it might burst, the rush of adrenaline being too much of a load to bear. Everything about him was perfection, from the shape of him to the
Sienna felt her cheeks burn with shame. Yes, it was cringy and humiliating, but it had worked for Scarlett. If begging was the only card she had to play, she was willing to give it a shot. It wasn’t as if she had any dignity left to covet at this point. He would probably tell people, but she couldn't care about that right now—it was a bridge she would cross in the future if it came to it."What?" he asked, one brow raised. "Are you for real?"Sienna nodded without looking up, feeling her hair tickle her face. She tucked it behind her ear, glancing up at him to read his reaction."Well, you're welcome to try it," he said, looking amused.She didn't feel hopeful. Something about his expression, the cruel curl of his lip, suggested he was making fun of her. Still… any hope was better than no hope at all. As she explored his face, she knew there was no way she could go on without him. He was just too perfect. Life would be devoid of meaning if she couldn't make him her own. The life she h
Sienna neared her home after taking a shortcut through the park and a walkway loving known as 'dog shit alley' by her friends. She was careful, staring down at the uneven paving slabs as she stepped, knowing from experience that the name they'd assigned was apt.As she neared her front door, she got a message but left it until she was inside. It was probably just Tamara or Rose checking up on her for the millionth time. It was sweet of them but completely unnecessary--everything was perfect in her world now.Her heart pounded when she saw Adrian's name on her screen. That instant burst of adrenaline made her eyes swim, making it hard to read the text."Come over. You need to apologise to Scarlett. You will come to my room after," she eventually read.An unconscious little smile formed on her lips as she pulled her clothes from her wardrobe, getting dressed in a blind panic.She wanted to look hot enough to make him swoon, but at the same time, she didn't want to keep him waiting. Shov