Chapter Text
Kylo sits in the parking lot, lighting a Lucky Strike while he sulks in his car. Fucking high school. What a joke. He only has one more year until graduation, but it’s going to feel like an eternity. It always does. Will probably be slower since it’s his last year.
Summer was shitty. He got a job at the local auto factory and worked under his Dad. Worst thing he’s ever done. He hates being told what to do by an Omega, and especially by his own father. Han is a dick, but only to him. Leia practically abuses her husband, but Han’s Omega hormones force him to submit. Kylo thinks it’s bizarre. Omega men are weird. Anything out of the ordinary is frowned upon in Tatooine.
Could be worse, though. Han could be a Beta. Betas are treated like second-class citizens. They live in their own part of town—have their own schools and hospitals. The law states they’re to have fair and equal treatment, but everyone knows it’s bullshit.
Kylo doesn’t really think about Betas all that much—doesn’t have any in his family and doesn’t go to that part of town for any reason. He’s got more important things to worry about.
Like Principal Snoke.
Snoke’s been trying to get rid of Kylo since he was a freshman. Kylo was caught smoking in the hallway, which apparently is just as bad as burning the building down, at least according to Snoke. Ever since, he has been trying to reign Kylo and his friends in.
Only one more year to go until he’s free.
“Hey…Ren!”
It’s Armitage. He’s Kylo’s best friend—another Alpha. Hux’s parents are swimming in dough. He’s the kind of Alpha that does everything his parents ever tell him to do, and that includes going to Harvard to get his law degree. Kylo really doesn’t have a lot of ambition. He just wants to graduate and move away—get a menial job somewhere and be left alone. Definitely get away from his parents. And it’s imperative he get away from his mother.
“Hux, you look like you’re ready for your first day of Kindergarten. Nice tie.”
The redhead scowls, loosening said tie and shoving it into his pocket. “Mother wouldn’t let me leave the house without it. Stupid bitch. Wish she would lay off. At least Leia doesn’t do it to you.”
“She’s still a pain in the ass,” Kylo said, blowing smoke into the humid air. “She just gave up years ago.” Kylo looks around. “Where’s Bazine? She finally dump you?”
“No, but we got into a fight this morning. She wanted me to pick her up, but Jesus, she lives on the other end of town. There’s only so much I’m willing to do.”
“Aren’t you the good Alpha, taking care of your Omega,” Kylo points out sarcastically. “It’s no wonder she won’t sleep with you. Do you even try to fuck her?”
“You don't get it. I can’t marry a girl like her. If I sleep with her, she’ll get the wrong idea. My parents wouldn’t dare even let her in the house.”
Kylo rolls his eyes. What a prick.
“How classy,” Kylo says.
“And what about Kaydel?” Hux asks, wiggling his eyebrows. “See her any this summer?”
Kaydel. That’s a topic Kylo would rather not speak on. He and Kaydel were an item last year, but they broke up over the summer. Kaydel wanted to be his mate, but he’s just not ready for all of that responsibility. He doesn’t want to take care of some helpless, simpering Omega. He sees the way his father acts around his mother—deferential and submissive—and he refuses to put up with that shit day in and day out.
“Yeah…we split,” he says, throwing his cigarette onto the pavement. His arm rests on his car door. He still hasn’t gotten out.
Hux winces. “Sorry. I didn’t know.”
Kylo shrugs and lights another cigarette. “No big deal,” he says. “Wasn’t gonna work out. She’s too needy.”
Hux leans against the side of the car and shakes his head. “You do realize someday you’ll have to find an Omega. You’ll go crazy if you don’t.”
“I’ll survive.”
“Let’s go inside before Snoke finds us,” Hux suggests.
*****
Kylo and Hux find their lockers and stand there chatting, waiting for their other friends to show up. The girls are always late. Omegas spend way too much time doing their hair and makeup. Alphas don’t necessarily care about stuff like that. They just care about how an Omega smells.
“Ah. There they are,” Hux says, nodding down the hallway toward the double doors.
Phasma is leading the pack inside. She’s an Alpha—always wears tight pedal pushers and low-cut shirts. Her clothes always look like they are painted on. Her hair is platinum blonde, lipstick deep red. She looks like an incredibly tall version of Marilyn Monroe.
On her left is Kaydel. She’s wearing the typical Omega outfit—a pink poodle skirt and a white buttoned-up shirt with a lace collar. There’s a matching pink ribbon in her ponytail and she’s sporting shiny new saddle shoes. She stares at Kylo, and he averts his eyes. Clearly she isn’t taking the breakup well, but what is he supposed to do? They’re in the same friend group. She’ll have to get over it.
To Phasma’s right is Bazine. She’s got a dirndl dress on, her emerald green skirt billowing around her knees. It’s obvious she’s sewn it together herself. Her family is barely lower middle class. Kind of pathetic. Kylo’s mother talks shit about them.
“Morning boys!” Phasma says, shoving her books in her locker. She touches up her red lipstick in her compact mirror. “Are we behaving?”
“As well as can be expected,” Hux says. “Tired. Desperate to leave.”
Phasma pulls at the red scarf around her neck, making it a little tighter. She leans forward and shifts her breasts around. Jesus. She has no shame.
“Awwww. Cheer up. Only one more year before you’ll be skipping off to law school, Armie.”
“Don’t remind me,” he grumbles. “Brendol is as insufferable about it as ever. I’d much rather work with Ren.”
“You’ll look like a greasy little monkey if you work there,” Phasma said, spritzing perfume over her chest. Kylo coughs. It’s strong. Why in the world would Phasma wear it when she has her own scent? Doesn’t she want to attract a mate?
Then again who is Ben to talk? He doesn’t want to babysit an Omega either. Sex? Yes. Relationship? No.
“Hi Kylo.” Kaydel holds her books closer to her chest and bites her lower lip. She’s trying to be sexy—shy and cute and defenseless like all Omegas, but Kylo isn’t falling for it. He’s done with relationships. Period.
But he’ll try to be nice.
“Hi,” Kylo answers, keeping his eyes down. He’s not saying more than that. He doesn’t want to encourage her.
Bazine, however, is giving Hux the silent treatment. She smells like the bus. It’s like sweat and piss and exhaust all mixed together. Yeah. Kylo doesn’t blame her for being pissed off.
Hux clears his throat, and steps toward her. “Omega…?”
She glares at him and Phasma lets out a giggle.
“My, my. Aren’t we all in a good mood this morning! What—oh dear God.”
They all follow her eyes down the hallway where they see something so incredibly bizarre that it leaves them completely silent for at least a minute.
There’s a young girl standing in the middle of the hall looking as lost as Bambi. Her boring, brown hair is half-up, unwashed and unbrushed. No ribbon tied in it like the other girls. No earrings or necklace either. Her eyes are hidden by a hideous pair of glasses that look like they were worn by someone at least thirty years ago. Her sweater is puke green, several sizes too large, so much so that the sleeves keep falling over her hands. The skirt she has on is dowdy—matronly even. It goes all the way down past her knees, and it’s a white and light brown. Her collared shirt is half tucked in in the front, and her fingernails are dirty.
As she pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose, Kylo tries to scent her.
Holy shit. Nothing.
She’s a Beta.
“What the hell?!” Phasma growls.
Kylo doesn’t blame her for being surprised. Betas are not permitted to go to schools with Alphas and Omegas. It’s against the law for schools to discriminate based on designation, but the law is never followed. No governing body or politician will ever be able to override what comes naturally in this world. The hierarchy is in place and has been for centuries.
And Betas are at the lowest rung of this hierarchy.
Which begs the question: why has a Beta been permitted to attend Tatooine High School?
Hux stutters. “She’s…she’s a Beta! Who the fuck let her in here?!”
Kaydel stupidly hides behind Kylo, shivering scared as if the brunette (who still looks lost) is going to charge at any moment. Bazine sports a scowl that matches Phasma’s. She’s just trying to match the Alpha’s nastiness so she fits in.
“I don’t know,” Phasma says. “But I’m going to find out right now.”
Before Kylo can protest (because he doesn’t want to deal with a fight), Phasma storms up to the Beta and smacks the book out of her hand. It makes a loud smack onto the linoleum and the girl keeps her eyes on the floor. Kylo steps closer, wary of what’s about to happen.
“Who the fuck let you into my school, you filthy Beta? Hmm?”
The girl pushes her glasses up (must be a tick of hers) and her eyes shift upward before going right back down to the floor. They’re pretty—hazel.
Phasma shoves her finger into the girl's face. Her red pointy fingernail looks like a claw.
“I asked you a question. I said who the fuck let you into my school?”
“I…I’m a student.”
“No you’re not,” Bazine chimes in. “Your kind aren’t supposed to cross the town line.” She points her haughty nose in the air. “I think we should call the police. She should go to jail.”
Phasma grins, looking wicked. “Jail is too good for filthy little pig Betas like her. Can’t even believe that they own half of this town. What a waste of space.”
“I think they should be put back in institutions like they were before,” Bazine says. “They’re not fit to be in society. They’re dangerous.”
“And contagious,” Phasma points out. “Just smell her,” she says, leaning over to sniff the Beta. The girl steps back as Phasma kicks her book down the hallway. “Disgusting.”
The girl swallows and lifts her chin. “I…I have a scholar…a scholarship. P- princ- princip- principal Sn- Snoke said…said”
“Get out,” Phasma orders her, pointing to the front doors. “Now.”
Kylo sees that it’s going a bit too far now. The Beta is clearly on the verge of tears. He notices how her hands clench into her ugly skirt and her chest heaves under her blouse. Kylo is a dick, but he picks on people who deserve it.
“Phas…come on…pick on someone your own size.”
She whips around and rests her claws on her hips. “She’s a Beta. She’s asking for it. Don’t tell me what to do, Alpha. I’m not a little simpering Omega that you can push around.”
Kylo is about to say something sarcastic (something about cutting her tits off) when the bell rings for first period.
Phasma gets into the Beta’s face and snarls. “I better not see you show up here again. If you do, you’ll be sorry.” She shoves the girl and leads Bazine, Kaydel, and Hux down the hall to their Algebra class. Kylo has Biology. Typical.
“See you in World Civ!” Hux yells from down the hall. Kylo still has a few minutes before the bell rings.
He looks at the poor Beta and sighs. What is she doing here? It’s dangerous for her to be surrounded by all these demi-humans.
Kylo hates people. He barely tolerates his own friends, but she’s so pitiful standing there with her wet eyes and shaking hands.
He runs down to the end of the hallway and grabs her book. Oh. It’s Biology.
“Here,” he says, handing it over to her. She keeps her head down.
“Thank you,” she says, taking it from him. “I’m sorry, Alpha.”
He shrugs. “Nothing to be sorry about. Don’t really need to call me Alpha either.”
“My father says that Alphas are to be addressed appropriately.”
Oh. Well. Okay.
His eyes skim down to her legs, where he spots white socks that go up to her knees and the ugliest pair of loafers he’s ever seen. Yikes. She needs some girlfriends to help her out. Omegas. Then again, no Omega would go near her. Sad.
“It’s fine,” Kylo says. He looks up and down the hallway and pulls out a cigarette, lighting it up. He expects her to scold him. She looks the type—definitely a rule-follower.
But she’s silent.
“You have Biology first period?”
She nods, clutching her book to her chest.
“Me too. I’m Kylo. You are…?” He trails off, expecting her to say her name.
“R- Reyla. But I go by Rey. I have to go to class.” She makes a little bow as if he’s the King of England. “Excuse me, Alpha.”
She disappears down the hallway, loafers flopping off her heels as she goes.