Page 52 of For All My Effort
When Seb stood up from the couch, I was already shaking my head. “Let me just look it over one more time, and then I’ll be done.”
“Princess, you finished this quiz almost half an hour ago. It’s one grade. I promise, whether you do bad or good, it won’t make too much of a difference.”
I ran my hand over my head, only slightly wishing I had hair long enough to pull on. “I have to do well. I need good grades if I’m going to graduate.”
“Look at your grades before. They were all good. You’ve never taken these classes for granted. You need to trust yourself. And more importantly, this was supposed to be an opportunity for you. Not a punishment. Don’t stress yourself out.”
Seb continued to walk around the island as he spoke, coming closer, and pulling me into a hug so that my gaze was forced away from the screen. I heard my laptop make a small clicking sound that had me gasping.
“Did you just—”
“Look at that. A perfect score. Congrats, princess.”
Seb’s words got the rest of my alphas jumping up, celebrating and distracting me from the espionage of submitting my quiz literally behind my back.
“Time for a break now, rebel,” Jackson said, pulling me back to the living room and setting me on his lap.
“Just for a little,” I agreed.
“You don’t want to burn yourself out,” Seb said, coming to sit next to Jackson, pulling my feet onto his lap and starting to rub them. “Trust me. I did years of schooling. A little bit everyday keeps you consistent and makes sure you don’t get mindless on accident.”
I groaned when I felt the deep pressure against my foot’s arch.
A blanket was laid over me, the slight scratchy texture of the sarape on my cheek was perfect. The weave meant tiny holes so I wouldn’t overheat which was why I usually hated the extra soft, fluffy blankets.
“I just feel like…” I trailed off for a moment, trying to find the right words. “I guess I’m worried that something will happen, and I won’t be able to take the classes anymore. I want to get them done before I’m kicked out.”
“You won’t,” Seb said. “I know it’s hard to fully understand since all you know is being an omega, but betas are simply allowed to attend college. Your student account is set. Hannah Baumgartner exists, regardless of what happens to you as an omega.”
“But what if it’s the schools that change? You saw that protest the other day on the news. Betas are getting tired of being treated as less than alphas and omegas. And they’re so infuriated about it that they want to have their own parts of the city. Their own schools and malls and places of work and neighborhoods.”
“Even if it did happen, it would take years. You have time, princess. I promise.”
I snuggled deeper against Jackson. His chest was vibrating gently, not enough to make any noise, but strong enough to make all my muscles relax. The three of us were silent for a while, even the TV had been muted, the only sounds from the crackling fire.
“Where are Han and Zeke?” I wanted all my mates to come cuddle with me.
“Getting dinner.”
I wished they’d said a temporary goodbye, but I didn’t think much about it. For the next few minutes, the three of us just relaxed together. It was a temporary solace that I was basking in.
When Han and Zeke came home, smelling of arousal and delicious food, our lighthearted mood continued into the night.
Even into the weekend.
We kept the TV off, mostly stayed off our phones—both Jackson and Seb struggled with that portion—and had a lazy, safe weekend.
As we were getting ready for bed, my mates grumbling about needing to get back to the ‘real world’ the next day, the doorbell went off. I had been in the bathroom with Jackson, just finishing brushing my teeth as my alpha was doing the same.
My curiosity had me quickly rinsing my mouth, ignoring the shouts from Jackson telling me to wait, but I couldn’t. Strangers at the house, especially in a neighborhood like ours, weren’t solicitors. And I lived for drama.
Zeke beat me down the stairs, and rather than continuing with me to the door, he wrapped his arms around me and kept me off to the side, letting Jackson pass us by, smirking the whole time. “Nice try, rebel.”
“Who is it?” I asked.
Han and Seb made their way down the stairs too, yet none of my alphas had an answer for me.
I watched Jackson check who it was, his mood immediately plummeting, his scent blooming with frustration.