After spending a week at the hospital, and another long week in therapy, Damian Grant had finally adjusted to his new body. He had gotten himself familiar with the memories of his old host, and now they were his. He was now essentially one with this body, and had come to accept that he was an ordinary boy now, and not an Alpha.
The day he had been waiting for, yet so afraid of was finally here. It was resumption day, and despite countless attempts from Laura Grant to make her son consider changing schools, the boy had remained adamant. She agreed to his demands of course, she didn't want to make him feel like he had no desire to live anymore.
Damian remained in his bedroom despite his mother having called him downstairs over two minutes ago. He stared himself down at the mirror, unsure if he really wanted to go to school. But he had to, he had promised Amanda that he would come to school. And there was also, Zayn Hale. He might be delusional, but Damain felt like they might become friends. And maybe, just maybe, something more than that—
"Damian!" His mother's voice interrupted his thoughts. Throwing his school bag over his shoulder, he raced down the stairs to find the anxious woman by the mouth of the stairs, probably on her way to come fetch him herself.
"You okay, honey?" she asked as they stepped outside into the cold air.
"Yeah," Damian said, the lie coming out steadier than he felt. "I'm fine."
They walked to the car in silence. Once buckled in, Laura reached over and squeezed his knee before starting the engine.
"Call me if anything goes wrong, okay? I'll drop everything."
He nodded, managing a small smile that he hoped looked convincing. "I will, Mom. I Promise."
Laura returned the smile before finally stepping down on the acceleration pedal. She hoped he was being honest, and still felt like going back to Redwood was a bad idea. But she chose to trust her son, and if he said he'd be fine, she would believe him even though she was worried sick for his safety.
Ten minutes later, the familiar brick buildings of Redwood High loomed ahead. Laura pulled up to the curb, leaned over to kiss his cheek, and whispered, "You've got this."
Then she was gone, and Damian was alone on the sidewalk. Heads turned immediately, and it wasn't long before the whispers started. Damian expected it, and he didn't care one bit.
"That's him."
"Did you hear what he did?"
"He's actually back?"
He kept his eyes forward, chin up, forcing one foot in front of the other. Aside from the new students, Damain could tell every other eye was on him. And while it made him feel madly uncomfortable, he couldn't do much besides walk and pretend like they didn't exist.
"Damian!"
Amanda's arms locked around his neck, jolting him back to his environment. He hugged her back, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
"Ignore them," she muttered against his shoulder, pulling away just enough to link their arms. "Every single one of them. They don't matter."
Damian managed a smile. He felt a bit better now that Amanda was by his side, but it still wasn't enough to completely calm his nerves, especially when he could see his enemy just in front of him, leaning against a row of lockers with his usual crew. It was Gregory Murphy, and he had sighted Damian too.
Damian's stomach tightened. He had told himself that he wasn't going to be afraid this time around. He would fight back even if it meant he'd get beaten. Regardless, he prepared himself for the worst.
But nothing happened as they walked by. Gregory didn't shove him like he used to, there were no slurs being thrown around, just silence.
Gregory's gaze met his for a split second. But Damian kept walking forward.
"Welcome back."
The words were quiet, awkward, barely audible over the hallway noise. Damian didn't respond, didn't slow down. He and Amanda kept walking until they reached their homeroom.
He slid into his usual seat near the window, exhaling shakily. Amanda dropped into the desk beside him, squeezing his hand under the table.
First period English began a few minutes later. Mr. Gallagher cleared his throat at the front of the room.
"Before we start, I'd like to introduce a new student who's joining us mid-year."
The door opened. A boy stepped in. Tall, broad-shouldered but not bulky, skin a rich deep brown, close-cropped hair, and features so striking Damian forgot to breathe for a second. High cheekbones, warm hazel eyes, a smile that looked like it could light up the whole room.
"This is Ethan Brown," Mr. Hargrove said. "He just transferred from out of state. Ethan, why don't you take the empty seat next to Damian Grant? Damian, you'll show Ethan around during recess, help him get his bearings."
Ethan nodded politely to the teacher, then crossed the room with an easy, confident stride. He dropped into the chair beside Damian, backpack sliding to the floor.
"Hey," Ethan said, turning to him with that bright, disarming smile. "Looks like you're my tour guide."
His voice was low, smooth, with a faint accent Damian couldn't quite place. He kept his gaze on the boy for a second, taking in every little detail he could. That was until he felt a slight nudge by the side. He had stared too long, and Amanda had come to his rescue.
Damian felt heat rise to his cheeks. "Hi. Yeah… I guess I am."
Ethan's eyes lingered on him for a moment, a moment too long for Damian who had immediately turned his gaze away.
Ethan smiled, the kind that suggested that he knew what he was doing. "Cool. Looking forward to it, Damian."
He nodded nervously, turned towards Amanda for a second before returning his focus back to the teacher. Ethan seemed like a nice guy, and unlike everybody else in the room, he hadn't laughed or bullied him yet. Perhaps they would get along, and if things go well, he might just get himself another friend.