Fighting Fate

Chapter 2 - The Clique

Chapter 2 - The Clique

"Well, I'm off to advanced Math" said Wendy, closing her locker door.

"Show off" Ash rolled her eyes, snorting.

"You're just jealous" she retorted and they laughed as Wendy left for her class.

"Ugh, Why does Math have to be the first subject of the school year?" Cara groaned. Ash patted her shoulder comfortingly while Steph giggled.

"C'mon, we don't want to be late" Ash closed her locker and the three headed towards class.

~*~

At lunch, the gang sat at their usual table, away from the popular group, and chatted.

"No, my blouse! Damn this spaghetti sauce" Cara grumbled, trying to clean a small red tomato stain off the front of her blouse.

"Maybe it's a fashion statement about the murder of young souls in the education system" Ash suggested, a far off look in her eyes.

"Isn't it a bit early for your nihilism?" Wendy complained.

"It's poetry, Wendy" Ash deadpanned.

"What's up with you anyway? You've been daydreaming more than usual today" Wendy asked.

"Oh, nothing, I just had a weird dream again..." Ash turned her focus to her food, hoping that they wouldn't ask her about the dream. She could feel Cara looking at her.

"Is it the one..." She started but Ash cut her off midway "yes, but I don't want to talk about it here" Cara furrowed her brows, curious and worried, but nodded anyway. Steph and Wendy were looking at the two confused.

"What's with the secrets? Aren't we friends?" Steph pouted.

"Best friends!" Ash assured her and she smiled happily.

Again, Ash felt eyes on her, which wasn't a rare occurrence. Being an Omega, hanging around with humans, she drew unwanted attention to herself and Cara, but she tried to ignore it as best she could, knowing that engaging with them would only make things worse.

Thankfully, Cara changed the subject, and Ash let her mind wander, her heightened sense of hearing picking up on some conversation from the "cool" table.

"Did you see the omega has pink hair now?" Ash picked up the distinct voice of Alicia, the most popular girl in school.

"I like it"

"Of course you'd like it, Dakota. I don't get what she's thinking, as if it'll help her fit in more"

"I don't think she wants to fit in, Alicia, that's why those two weirdos are hanging out with humans" one of the boys said.

"I can't wait for them to turn eighteen and get kicked out of the pack. Such a disgrace"

"They're not getting kicked out, they haven't done something wrong" Caleb, the future Alpha and Alicia's boyfriend intervened.

"As if! That Omega b***h is always up to something, she's always dreaming of ways to undermine the alpha and expose us"

"Alicia, that is enough. I know how much you dislike Ashlynn but she hasn't done anything to you in years, you need to let it go" Caleb harshly cut her off, surprising his posse and Ash herself.

"Humph, why should I? She started it" Ash could feel the sulking all the way from her table.

Alicia Reed was a spoiled brat, in Ash's humble opinion. They became enemies in kindergarten, when a boy shoved Ash in the playground onto Alicia, who then fell face first into the sand. From then on, the girls had disliked each other, both at fault at times, like the time Ash hid Alicia's clothes after Gym class and in retaliation Alicia stole Ash's first crush, Kevin Simmons. But that is a whole other story, really, years ago at this point, and Ash since tried to keep her head down and away from trouble. What was actually surprising in the conversation she overheard, was Caleb putting his foot down, defending Ash in front of his girlfriend. He was never particularly mean to Ash and Cara, but he never seemed to care that some of his friends were harassing the two.

Ash wondered if it was because of his birthday. A week from now, Caleb will be turning eighteen, and will officially start his mate search in order to take over as Alpha. Maybe he was trying to act more maturely, as he was soon to become the leader of the pack. The future Alpha's eighteenth birthday party was a huge celebration, even Ash and Cara were invited, as were several neighboring packs, all in the hopes of the Alpha finding his mate, his Luna, among them. Ash dreaded the possibility, trying to think of the odds. So many women out there, she could be anyone and anywhere, it was becoming rarer these days to find your mate within your pack as it were. She breathed out, relaxing at the thought. The last thing she wanted was to be Caleb Ryan's mate.

~*~

"Oh, I forgot to ask, what are you wearing to Caleb's party?" Steph asked as she drove them home.

"Oh, actually, Cara and I can't go, we both have to work that day" Ash gave an excuse.

"Both of you? Why can't he let you go for one night?" Steph was surprised, and Ash and Cara exchanged looks.

Truth is, they begged their boss, who was an old rocker hippie, to let them work that night so they wouldn't have to go to Caleb's party. They worked at a small indie record shop, owned by an eccentric former musician.

"It's mandatory stock count" Cara meekly explained.

"Ugh, that sucks! Can't he move it a day? So unfair!" Steph complained, Ash and Cara staying quiet. Both girls did not want to be Caleb's mate, nor to find their mate amongst the party goers. Cara was a lesbian, and so afraid that her mate would be a man, forcing her to either reject him and become a rogue, or accept him and never be allowed to live life truly. Ash, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than freedom. She wasn't opposed to what her parents had, eventually, but she wanted to pursue her music, travel and experience life before she is forced to settle down with a mate and have pups. It was common for she-wolves to marry and have pups very early in life, and being around humans showed Ash that she had a choice, in fact. Humans took their fate in their own hands, and Ash was going to do the same, she was never the type of person to be told what to do.