4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Beth

Two Years Ago

Sneaking out of my bedroom window is basically the only way I ever leave the house, and that's only partly because I'm grounded half of the time. I don't like my parents or my sisters knowing what I'm up to. They're always making fun of me for one reason or another. I prefer it when they have no idea where I am or who I'm with.

I walk to the corner of the street where I lean against the wall that surrounds the biggest house in the neighborhood to slip out of my sneakers and into my only pair of heels.

Well, actually, the plain black leather heels used to belong to MJ, and she has no clue I stole them when she bought a new pair a few months back. They're a size too small, I guess, but somehow that makes it super easy to walk in them. Heels always feel precarious when I try them out at the mall, but these are fine, and I feel good when I wear them.

Maybe not sexy, exactly, but close enough.

My little black dress is probably still a bit prim and proper despite taking up the skirt a little and removing the sleeves, but it's the best I can do on my limited budget.

Too bad none of my sisters are busty with wide hips.

Their shoes are the only thing I can consider stealing.

Waiting for my ride makes me a little impatient.

Carla's the first of my friends to learn to drive, and it's cool that she can borrow her mom's car and all, but I really wish she wasn't as slow and hesitant behind the wheel as my grandmother.

She's always running behind schedule.

I guess at least we'll be fashionably late to the party.

Whatever the hell that means.

It's not like we're in with the cool crowd, or anything like that.

I'm not sure why the new guy invited everyone from our grade to his place tonight. Maybe where he comes from that's how parties are done. Sapphire Valley might be a Beta town, for the most part, but everyone here still plays by the same popularity rules that go everywhere else.

Cool kids hang with other cool kids.

Cheerleaders, basketball players and anyone else who's considered above average attractive are the ones everyone wants to be, or date, or be friends with. A handful of less pretty and handsome people are in their orbit and included, but that's about it.

The rest of us are ignored, if we're lucky.

The unlucky ones are the kids that get picked on for being too weird or geeky or whatever.

Me and my girls are invisible, so it's kind of exciting that we're on our way to an actual party with all the cool kids and the geeks and everyone else.

Rourke Mariner has no idea what he's done.

Just thinking about him makes my heart beat a little faster.

He has one of those lazy smiles that go so well with his dark, come-to-bed eyes.

He's not what I expected from an Alpha, at all.

The guy doesn't seem to care about sports.

He's tall, and blond, and slim rather than muscular.

He can be kind of sarcastic and he speaks with a slow drawl.

It's oddly hot how opinionated he is about the stuff our teachers discuss.

I never once thought a topic in class could be interesting before he showed up.

Now, I listen to his impassioned rants, and I'm shocked to admit that I might actually be learning something.

Of course, I'm well aware that the guy is seriously out of my league, but a girl can dream, and boy do I ever …

Carla arrives and slows to a jerky stop beside the sidewalk.

She pushes her glasses back and smiles at me with glossed-up hot-pink lips.

"Wow, Beth, that dress …" she says as I approach the car.

"Is it too short?" I ask, doing a little spin.

I had to leave a bit of length to cover my backside properly so it's not quite a mini.

Girls with some junk in the trunk need a little more fabric back there. I don't want to flash my crack at anyone who might take it as an invitation. I mean, unless it's Rourke. I don't think I would mind giving up my V-card for him, even if it wouldn't make us a couple.

"It's perfect," Annie calls out from the passenger seat. "Get in!"

As usual, she's freaking out about arriving a minute late and missing the whole thing. We're always late, and we never miss anything important, but Annie always gets like this anyway.

Carla rolls her eyes at me, and I get in the back seat, dropping my sneakers onto the floor.

"Get going," Annie moans at our driver.

"Don't get your panties twisted," Carla protests. "The door hasn't even closed."

I close it and belt up. "Now, we can go."

So, of course, Carla stalls the car.

Sighing, Annie pushes her head back against the headrest.

"Sorry, okay?" Carla says. "I don't drive well when I'm rushed."

"You don't drive well, ever," Annie mutters under her breath.

Oh my God. Please don't tell me these two are going to fall out.

Not tonight. Any night but tonight.

I clear my throat. "No one turns up to these things on time, so it doesn't matter how quickly we leave. Let's just relax, okay? It's our first big party. We're supposed to be having fun."

Carla makes an irritable sound. "I drive you two around like a chauffeur, and I get nothing but shit for it. I'm not starting the car until Annie apologies."

"Ugh! Fine. I'm sorry," Annie mumbles, crossing her arms and looking out of the window.

"We appreciate you, Carla," I add, leaning forward to touch my friend's shoulder.

She lets out a sigh. "Do you guys really think this is a good idea?"

"Uh, what?" I ask, wondering where this is coming from. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"All the popular kids will be there," she says, as Annie turns back toward her.

"So will everyone else," I remind her.

"Yeah," Annie says. "It's not like we were mysteriously invited for no good reason. The new guy made it an open invitation to everyone."

"It just feels kind of weird, you know?" Carla turns in her seat, giving me a worried look.

"Annie's right," I tell her. "We've not been targeted for some kind of humiliating prank. He invited everyone."

"I know," she mumbles. "But why?"

I look at Annie. She shrugs.

It's a good question, and I don't have an answer.

"None of us have ever met an Alpha before, okay? Maybe this is just what they're like."

"I've heard about Alphas," Carla says. "They're usually not super nice."

"Dude!" Annie exclaims. "If there's anything weird about it, we'll leave. You don't need to worry so much."

"Dude?" I ask, raising an eyebrow when she looks back at me.

She smiles. "I don't know. It's usually my brother I'm talking to when someone's worrying too much, I guess."

Her kid brother is an anxious little guy, but he's six years old and his worries usually include checking under the bed for monsters and going into the occasional meltdown if he can't find one of his favorite toys.

Carla's not usually this paranoid, but it is an unusual situation.

It's the first time we've met an Alpha, and it's our first high school party.

I have my fingers crossed that it's the first of many.

She's probably just hoping we make it through this one alive.

This time, when she starts the car, it doesn't stall.

"Everyone quiet," Carla says. "I'm trying to drive."

I make a lip-zipping motion when Annie looks at me.

She shakes her head, but she doesn't do anything that might distract Carla this time.

A few seconds later, we're on the road to Rourke Mariner's house.

I can't help but smile out into the darkness as we leave my neighborhood behind.

This next year is going to be awesome.

I can just feel it.