The Alpha I Hated

Chapter 6 - Unwanted Advice

A buzzing sound ripped through my dream, dragging me out of my sleep with a groan. I rolled over, blindly reaching for my phone. Whoever was bothering me at the c***k of dawn on a Sunday morning better have a damn good excuse.

It wasn’t a call.

It was my own stupid reminder:

English assignment. Finish today, or fail forever.

I squinted at the screen, my brain sluggishly trying to process the information.

Oh, right. Homework. I had, once again, procrastinated myself into a corner.

I sighed, tapping the snooze button. There was no way I was going to do that right now.

After a few minutes of lying there, contemplating both my homework and my existence, I finally mustered the strength to get up. I grabbed my hoodie and rolled out of bed. If I was going to force myself into educational suffering, I definitely needed caffeine first.

The smell of butter and something sweet filled the air as I stumbled into the kitchen, already dreading another run-in with Caleb. But, to my relief, it wasn’t him standing at the stove. It was Aunt Wendy, flipping pancakes in a pan while Uncle Mike sat at the table, scrolling through his tablet.

My aunt caught my eye and smiled. “Hey, sweetheart, I was about to call you. Jeez... you look tired," she said, her brows furrowed as she took in my disheveled appearance.

I ran a hand through my tangled hair. “I streamed,” I said flatly, heading straight for the coffee pot.

“Oh, right… Saturday night…” she murmured, like she had just remembered. “And how many people watched you last night?”

I shrugged, pouring myself a cup and taking a careful sip. “I dunno. I think like… three thousand?” I replied, not one hundred percent certain.

Uncle Mike made a soft hmmph sound, finally looking up from his tablet.

“Is that a lot?” he asked, genuinely curious.

I always forgot that my aunt and uncle were so technologically out of touch that they had no concept of streaming numbers.

“Yeah, it’s decent,” I answered.

Aunt Wendy shook her head with a small chuckle. “It’s still so fascinating to me that people just… watch other people play video games.”

I leaned against the counter and smirked. “Yeah, it’s almost like how people watch football instead of playing it.”

Uncle Mike snorted into his coffee. “That’s actually a fair point.”

Aunt Wendy sighed. “Alright, alright.” She slid a plate of pancakes onto the table, gesturing for me to sit. “Eat something. And don’t just say you’ll ‘eat later,’ because we both know that means never.”

I let out a low groan, but slumped into a seat and grabbed a plate anyway, knowing she wasn’t wrong. I was one of those people who forgot to eat until I was starving and then ate an entire day’s worth of calories in a single sitting.

I doused my pancakes in butter and syrup then grabbed a fork and began to tuck in as I watched Aunt Wendy make her way to the doorway.

“Caleb! Breakfast!” she called up the stairs.

I groaned internally.

So much for a peaceful morning.

Uncle Mike cleared his throat, setting his mug down in front of him. “So, Ashleigh, have you thought about it?”

I paused mid-bite. “Thought about what?” I asked innocently, trying to feign ignorance, but I knew what was coming.

He lifted a brow. “College. Last time we spoke, you said you’d think about it. Most applications are already closed, you know. You’re running out of time.”

I exhaled sharply, setting my fork down.

This was it... The conversation I’d been avoiding like the plague.

“I…” I hesitated, but there was no getting out of this. “I just… I don’t think I want to go to college,” I admitted. “I’m happy doing what I’m doing now.”

Aunt Wendy frowned, pulling out the chair beside me. “Ashleigh, you have great grades. You could get into a really good school.”

“Yeah, but… what would I even do?”

Aunt Wendy sighed, giving me the look. You know the one... that 'we're just trying to help you' look.

“Sweetheart, it doesn’t have to be a big university,” she said, trying her best to remain neutral. “There’s the community college in town. You could start there, take a few classes, see what you like.”

“I already know what I like,” I muttered, stabbing at my pancake.

Uncle Mike rubbed the back of his neck. “You mean streaming?”

“Yeah, I mean streaming.”

The room went quiet.

Neither of them outright disapproved of my streaming, but they didn’t understand that it was more than a hobby. To them, it was just a side gig. Something casual. A way to pass the time. But to me, it was so much more than that.

Aunt Wendy shifted. “Ash, you’re doing well with it now, and that’s great,” she said carefully, “but what if it doesn’t last? What if the views drop? What if you decide one day that you don’t want to do it anymore? You know the Alpha hates it. What if he tells you to stop? College gives you options.”

I let out a slow breath.

“I get that. I do. But things aren’t the way they used to be. A degree doesn’t mean as much as it used to. People without college degrees start their own businesses every day. I already have a career. I’m doing something I love. Why should I waste four years on a degree in something I don’t even care about?”

Aunt Wendy opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Caleb walked in.

Of course. Perfect timing, as always.