Alpha's Vet

I was lying in bed, waiting for my alarm to go off, staring at the ceiling like it would suddenly give me answers. I had the weirdest dream last night—one of those dreams that clings to the edges of your mind like mist, but the moment you try to grab it, it slips right through your fingers. I know I was feeling… content. Maybe even happy. Or maybe just warm. Okay, fine—hot. There had been a man in it. A very big… very gorgeous… very tall man. Although, considering I am shorter than most average humans on the planet, he could’ve been medium-height and I would still think he towered like a sequoia tree. All I know is the feeling of him—bigger, broader, warmer than anyone I’d ever met. And that is all I can remember, which is beyond irritating. “Ugh,” I groaned into my pillow, rolling over dramatically like that would magically bring the dream back. Right. No use obsessing over some mystery giant who will definitely be out of my league in real life. Let me rather think of the things I actually need to do today. I start ticking them off one by one in my head—so much more fun than thinking about some gorgeous dream man who made me feel things I have absolutely no time for. 1 – School. 2 – Take a half-hour nap. 3 – A few hours of work at the kennels. 4 – Get home and start homework. Responsibility. My favorite flavour of anxiety. “Shoot,” I muttered to myself, “I forgot to add shopping to my list.” Right on cue, my ‘Eye of the Tiger’ alarm started blasting from my phone like it wanted to punch me awake. “O well,” I sighed, rolling out of bed, “I’ll just skip the shops and eat whatever is left in my fridge. Not that I have money for food anyway. Who needs food when you can eat words?” I snorted at my own joke. Great. Laughing at my own bad jokes. I really need to get out more. This is my last year of studies, and after that—finally—I can start working full-time as a vet. Just a few more months. A few… painfully slow… crawling… never-ending months. But I’m close. So close I can taste it. And if the universe is even a tiny bit kind, maybe my boss will hire me permanently. I love this town more than I care to admit. The forest surrounds everything like a living, breathing wall—green as far as you can see. In winter, the whole place turns white, quiet, and magical, like a postcard someone forgot to Photoshop. The people, however… a mix. Aloof. Quiet. Some downright rude. But I’m hoping once I’m not “just another student,” I’ll make some friends. This is the dream. My dream. My passion. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that,” I whispered to myself. Maybe repetition does make time go faster. Or maybe it just makes you sound crazy. “Lara! Lara!” My best—and realistically, only—girlfriend screamed from the other side of my door. I groaned. “Argh, I’m coming! I’m coming!” I yelled back, dragging myself to the door. Roxy stood there like a ray of hyperactive sunshine with a massive smile plastered across her face. Seriously, how does anyone smile like that at six in the morning? “Really, Roxy,” I mumbled, shuffling past her toward the kitchen, “must you be this friendly before sunrise? Can I at least drink one cup of coffee before you start smiling?” She followed me, bouncing like she had absorbed caffeine through the air. “Come on, Lara! You can’t be that bad. We’re young, we’re almost done with school, everyone is going to the club tonight—” “No.” I stopped her. “Nope. Nada. Nee.” I pointed a finger like a strict librarian. “This is why you came this early, isn’t it? Because you want me to go to the stupid club with you? When you know I have a full day planned? I can’t even go buy food!” She didn’t need to know that the only reason I couldn’t buy food was because my wallet contained enough to maybe buy… a gum. A single gum. Roxy’s eyes widened, and I knew—knew—that nothing I said would convince her otherwise. The face. That face. The one no one in the history of humanity has ever said no to. “Come on, Lara,” she whined, dragging out my name, “you know I don’t like going alone. You know I get into trouble if I go alone. Pleeease? Pretty pleeeaaaase? Can’t you do your homework or whatever boring responsible thing you were planning to do on a Friday… tomorrow?” That sweet, manipulative face. Ugh. “Okay, okay—” Roxy squealed, grin stretching to the moon. “—BUT,” I said loudly over her excitement, “I need to go to work first. We just got a new litter of puppies, and I promised to help feed them.” Technically, the “club” isn’t really a club. It’s more like a pub with a dance floor someone slapped on as an afterthought. But the upstairs room with tinted windows? That part feels like a club—or like someone is spying on you from above. Gives me the creeps every time. This is going to be a very long day. I love this woman with all my heart, but she is pure chaos. She attracts trouble like a magnet dipped in glitter—shiny, dramatic trouble. And somehow I always end up dragged right into it. I’m not against crazy, don’t get me wrong—but I need to finish this year. I need to stay focused. I haven’t had a boyfriend in three and a half years. I’m still a virgin, for crying out loud. All because I’ve been tunnel-visioned on this goal. And because the last time someone tried to stake a claim on my future—Jeff—I nearly threw up. Jeff and I? Absolutely not. I’d rather scrub public toilets than carry that man’s ego around for life. He thinks the world revolves around him. News flash: it doesn’t. “Happy thoughts, Lara,” I muttered. “Happy thoughts.” Maybe the club wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe I do need some kind of break. I’m already dreaming about big, mysterious men who are definitely not my type. No. I like plain. Average height. Average build. Maybe glasses. Glasses are cute. Big guys? Not my type. At all. I glanced at the clock and my stomach dropped. “I’m late!” See? This is what happens when Roxy arrives at 6 a.m.—it ruins lives. Or at least schedules. I’d have to skip my defense class and settle for a quick run and shower before my first lecture. I grabbed my backpack, headphones, and whatever dignity I could salvage. Today is going to be a very long day. Roxy was still babbling about the club as we rushed out the door, her voice blending with the sound of birds waking up and my internal screaming.