"I didn't know that I was starving till I tasted you

Don't need no butterflies when you give me the whole damn zoo."

I shut my locker with a slam and ducked my head. I hugged my books closer to my chest as made my way out of the corridors, trying not to pay attention to the murmurs that followed me.

From the corner of my eye I noticed students shamelessly pointing at me and whispering to themselves. Some held pitiful looks, whereas others gave me a cold look and snickered at me.

I clenched my books closer to me and ducked my head to hide my face with my hair. More than half of our school population was werewolf. And more than 90% of them knew all about yesterday.

The scene that Chance created on my birthday, paired with what happened yesterday have flamed up to me becoming the center of gossip of Lincoln High.

Great. Just great.

I am two seconds away from being a part of Mean Girls 3.

I won't be surprised if a director comes to me to take my life as an inspiration.

Everyone believed that me and him had it last night. And now I was counted as one of his "conquests".

I don't how they thought that or who made this rumor spread, but it was bad.

It was really really bad.

Because I hate attention. Especially this kind of attention.

"God. She's such a slut. So desperate for attention." Someone whispered in my right. "Did you see how much of a scene she created yesterday? Attention seeking whore."

"But... wasn't she drugged?" Her friend asked her.

She snorted. "You don't believe that do you? Are you dumb enough to believe that some guy would bother to drug her? Look at her. She's ugly."

I clenched my jaw and fisted my palm. I hate it when people throw around words like slut and whore so easily.

Don't react Oli. Ignore them.

"She obviously teamed up with that boy to get attention. She wanted to have sex with Chance and she got it.

Uh, I am sorry? But are you talking to the mirror?

Her friend hummed in approval. "Yeah because there's no other way he would have slept with that."

Yup, definitely the mirror.

"He did it out of pity. She probably begged him to do it." That girl snorted. "Desperate bitch."

My palms fisted and I closed my eyes as they watered. I refrained the urge to cover my ears and scream.

I wanted to shout the truth to them and tell how painful it was for me. And how I would never wish that you anyone.

And why are they even talking in front of me? Atleast they can refrain from whispering here! They know I have werewolf hearing and that I can hear them!

Why does everyone like to hurt me so much?

•°•°•

I ran to the girls washroom and got into a cubicle. I locked it from inside and rested my back on the door.

I tried to calm my breathe for good 5 minutes before breaking down.

I covered my mouth to choke a sob but tears flowed down my face nonstop.

I slide down to the ground and hugged my knees. I whimpered and wheezed, trying to catch my breathe and cried some more.

My body shook and my stomach ached like hell.

Why has this all happened in the past few days? I was so happy before my birthday. Why now? Why can't my mate just love me like other people's mate do?

Getting rejected from my mate, to him playing games with me, to Reece trying to flirt with me, to me almost getting raped by my ex, to me meeting Ryder after 3 years, to Chance hitting Ryder, to these rumors and me being called a slut- so much happened in just 2 days and now I feel overwhelmed.

This is too much. Way too much.

I feel like I am being crushed from the amount of pressure and hate on me and I want to escape.

I just want to escape.

I sniffed and rubbed my eyes, trying to stop the tears, but it was like they have been bottled up. And they won't stop now.

And I didn't stop them either. Because you know what, sometimes it's good to just cry it out.

•°•°•

Today in the morning when I woke up, I had a massive headache. My stomach throbbed and it stung to even move.

Reckon how much it hurts during periods?

Yeah, multiply that by like a hundred, and that's how hurtful it was.

The consequences of your heat not being quenched are immediate cramps and pain. Your body punishes you.

The fact that Chance came near to me, kissed me, and made my body feel like we would get a release- didn't help either.

The fact that he left Midway just increased the pain even more and my body punished me for having a mate like that.

I mean, a part of me was happy that he decided against doing anything to me in that state.

I am a virgin and losing my virginity to a mate that hates me just because I was in heat wasn't something I wanted.

But then there was this other- tiny part of me- that actually wanted him that night. Heat or not, he is my mate. And my body reacts to his touch in every positive way possible.

When he left like that, a part of me felt dejected. Rejected and trampled upon.

Males can't control over themselves when their mate is in heat. But he did. He left.

If this doesn't prove the fact that he doesn't want me- then I don't know what does.

He shouldn't have come to me and given me hope if he hated me that much.

Atleast my heat would have been less painful then.

"Is it true?" Andrew as me, nudging my arm with a pencil in the English Lit. class.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "What is true?"

His lips fell in a frown and he clenched in jaw in a bitter expression. "That you and Chance Sommerfield were together last night."

My eyebrows shot up and I gasped. The rumor has spread to humans too? Oh god.

I shook my head furiously at him. "Of course not! Do you think I am naive enough to give into him? That is just a pathetic rumor."

He gave me a suspicious look before sighing in relief. "Good." He muttered.

"Good?" I grinned.

He chuckled and ruffled my hair affectionately. "Good."

Our English teacher is a werewolf. So she held me back after class to talk to me a bit.

And by talking, I mean gushing about how pitiful and sad she was about what happened yesterday.

She said that it is a disgrace people have decided to stoop this low and she also told me that Reece exiled Xander from the pack.

Yeah, I know. Shocking.

Exiling someone is big deal and I was shocked he did that. But I guess, that jerk deserved it.

After a while, the teacher left the class saying that she was getting late for her next class and I walked over to my seat to fetch my supplies.

I hummed under my breathe as I slung the bag on my shoulder and turned around.

I stopped midstep and my jaw dropped when I saw Chance leaning by the classroom door, with his arms crossed across his shoulder and a smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

I pursed my lips and waited for him to say whatever he wants to. But he didn't say anything and, I was kind of tired.

"Is there something you need?" I asked, dryly, wearing a bored expression.

He needs to know he isn't needed here.

His smirk dropped and a surprised look fleeted past his face like he didn't expect me to say so.

Pushing himself off the door, he started walking towards me. I knew his intentions, so I started to back off.

But my butt hit the desk and he stopped close enough, so his body touched mine.

Jesus. He doesn't get the concept of personal space, does he?

"Back off," I murmured.

He didn't listen.

"I said, back off," I said louder this time and he just moved a step back.

I sighed. He's unbelievable.

Before I could argue with him, he said something I didn't actually expect him to say.

"Are you okay?" He asked. And it was a genuine kind of a question. Not forced. No formality.

Did that mean he cared? It did sound genuine..

Or maybe it didn't?

I don't know.

"I'm fine." I said, choosing a safe answer.

His lips turned down into an adorable frown and he looked down at the floor, stuffing his hand in his jeans.

"Look, about last night..." He began but was cut off by someone.

"Livy?" Ryder's voice came out of nowhere and I looked at the door, perplexed.

He was standing at the same place as Chance was before but he didn't lean against the door.

My eye brows furrowed and I wondered what he was doing in the school.

He's 2 years elder to me.

"Ry, what are you doing here?" I asked but he didn't listen to me. He came rushing to my side and grabbed my hand in a hurry.

"Come with me, I need to show you something important."

"Ryder, wha—" I tried but he pulled me away with him.

I look back to see Chance standing there with a livid expression, before we exit the door.

"Oh my god, Ryder, stop!" I panted as I forced him stop. We have been running for past 5 minutes to reach the football field and I was already tired.

Yet, I am kinda unfit.

Okay, not kinda. I am very unfit.

But, bleh.

"Fatass!" Ryder laughed and teased me as I pouted.

"I am not fat!" I said in a stubborn tone and punched his shoulder.

He didn't even move. Rather he chuckled as if I tickled him.

I huffed in annoyance. Damn hunkies.

"So," I asked, sitting on a bench.

Ryder came and sat beside me. He took my hand in his and started softly rubbing unconscious circles on my palm.

I smiled.

"What do you want to show me?" I asked.

Ryder blinked as if trying to remember something and then grinned.

"Nothing!" He said and shrugged, making me gasp.

"But..." I began.

"I know you don't like being around him," he said. "I just saved you."

I raised my eyebrow. What he said was both kind of right and wrong but I was still thankful.

"Well .. thank you?" I said. He just winked.

His blue eyes crinkled a bit on the sides when he laughed and I smiled at him.

We sat there in silence for a while before I remember something I had wanted to ask him since I saw him.

"What are you doing in school?" I asked, looking at him questioningly.

His eyes widened and his expression turned kinda sheepy as he looked at me with a nervous smile.

Uh oh...