Eleven

Amira has been able to go through the rest of the week without anymore random popups during school or surprise visits at work from Isaac. This hasn't stopped her from being on edge every time her phone goes off, or has it kept her from checking over her shoulder ever time she walks the school hallways or leaves a class. 

      After an entire week though, it seems Isaac really is going to keep good on finally leaving her alone, while Calix is also keeping good on his word of pursuing her every chance he gets. At school the following day on Tuesday, when she went to the cafeteria as usual to buy her lunch, she was gifted with a free meal, the lunch lady telling her she is able to get whatever she wants, courtesy of a secret admirer. 

      Amira knew better than that who was really behind it, with Calix making his grand appearance minutes after she had sat down to enjoy her meal. He followed that up with having a large bouquet of wild flowers waiting for her at her father's office this morning when she showed up for her usual Thursday shift. The flowers came with a note, Calix writing sweet words of wishing her a great day and a reminder that these flowers are a symbol that he is thinking of her, claiming he doesn't yet know what kind she likes, so he picked one of each kind you can purchase to include in the bouquet. 

      She thought at first that she would be annoyed with Calix's advances and attempts to win her over, but so far she has been enjoying the small gifts he has been giving her, never having Isaac pursue her like this when they first met, and he has been the only other person she has been with, thinking he was going to be the only person she ever will be with. 

      Realizing her new future and how she is already on the path to getting to know someone else, the whole thing feels surreal but surprisingly bearable. Amira had at some points in her relationship wondered how she would react if she and Isaac had broken up. She always imagined she would be so devastated she wouldn't be able to look at another guy for awhile. 

      It's clear though that Calix isn't just some other guy, he is vastly different from the guys Amira has dealt with until now. Even though she had been in a committed relationship for the last five years, it doesn't mean other guys haven't tried asking her out and most only had one intention with their interest in her. 

      She is well aware of how nice a body she has in the eyes of male attention, and she is exhausted from their constant blatant looks of lust and disgusting comments. Even with Isaac, he always complimented how pretty she is and how hot her body is, but he was never really someone who made her feel sexy or desirable in that way. 

      Not in the way Calix does. Just one look and she can see exactly what kind of dirty thoughts he is thinking. It's more than enough for her to feel like a piece of mouthwatering meat placed in front of a feral dog and gives her a fair idea of what a night in bed with him might be like. 

      "Mimi are you hearing anything I'm saying?" her father asks, then bangs the table when she doesn't respond. 

      "Ah, oh my god, what?" she cries out. 

      He shakes his head. "You haven't been listening to anything I've been saying, have you?" 

      "Sorry, Dad, I was thinking about an issue I have at school," she mutters with flushed cheeks. 

      "An issue at school? What is it?" He perks up, concern written all over his face. She should have known better to mention school in her lie, but she doesn't dare try and lead on about her true thoughts. 

      "It's nothing really, I've just had a bad start in my Business Ethics class, but my teacher reassured me that I can go to him after class hours about anything I don't understand." 

      Her father nods with a satisfied smile. "That's good to hear, it sounds like they've picked a good batch of faculty for that school. Your mother and I have been a little worried that the teachers at a community college might not be the best picks due to such low standards." 

      Amira rolls her eyes and hopes she can avoid another one of her father's comparison rants between community college's and the rich schools he and her mother attended. Amira's original plan was to attend Morrowfalls College so she can stay in the city and be close to Isaac and attend the same school together. Now, those future plans have changed, but she still sees no reason to attend another school outside of the city where she has to stay far away from her friends and family, when there is a perfectly good business school where she is. 

      Checking the clock to see how much time she has until the end of the day, she almost cheers out loud to see that it has already been five minutes past 5 o'clock.

      "Anyway, Dad, it's time to clock out," she says and points over his shoulder. 

      "Oh, look at that. All right, meet me at the car in the garage, I'll be down in a few minutes." 

      Amira doesn't hesitate to grab her bag and jacket then heads to the elevator. Her father is right behind her when she gets to the underground garage. 

      When they get home, her mother is already waiting in the foyer to help her father with his jacket and ask how his day was, giving Amira a kiss on the head as she kicks her shoes off and goes to run up to her room. 

      "Oh, darling wait, there is mail here for you. It's from the Lund family," her mother says. 

      Amira freezes on the stares and turns around slowly, guessing the contents before grabbing the sealed envelope. She rips into it and takes out the handmade letter, reading with red edged vision the invitation to Isaac's Alpha ceremony this weekend. 

      Her fingers grip the paper, recognizing every detail of it as the very created and handwritten invitations she made for Isaac months ago for this very day. It has only been a few weeks since they broke up, but it isn't that hard to make emergency invitations, or not send her one in the first place. 

      They are shameless enough to not only use the same ones she created, but to still send her one in the end. 

      "Oh, how exciting! Do you have anything to wear?" her mother asks. 

      Amira shocks her parents by ripping the invitation up and tossing the bits in the trash by the front door. 

      "I'm not going, we broke up," is all she says and walks past them to continue up to her room. 

~*~ 

      The next day at school she tries her best to focus on her class and get the Alpha ceremony tomorrow out of her head. She barely makes it to the middle of the day when she can finally eat, feeling like she should call it quite and ruin her perfect attendance for one day. 

      Like always when she is feeling like the world is ending, Calix seeks her out wherever she is, popping up in the cafeteria once more. 

      "I had a feeling you aren't doing the best right now." 

      She chuckles and pushes around her macaroni. 

      "Because of the Alpha ceremony? Yes, I got the invitation, the ones I made for this ceremony, it was lovely." 

      "Does that mean you aren't going?" he asks. 

      She narrows her eyes at him. "Of course, I'm not going. Why would I?" 

      "Did get some nice revenge on him, even if it is brief." 

      "How is going and watching as he enjoys all the good things happening to him, as someone other than me stands beside him? I helped prepare for this day, the last thing I want to do is see him enjoy it with the girl he left me for." She rolls her eyes to hide that she does still care about everything just a little. 

      "That's why you attend with the last person he would want to see you with," he pauses and points to himself with a large grin. "Me." 

      She shrugs, half agreeing with his point, but she has never been the kind of person to stoop to that level. She knows it won't make her feel any better. 

      But Calix isn't willing to give up. "He sent that invitation as an excuse to see you again, which means he still has feelings for you, but he doesn't have the courage to be a man about it, he's stringing you along again. I think you're owed a little bit of harmless revenge at this point." 

      She rolls her eyes again. "You just want to show off to him that I attended but as your date instead." 

      He grins. "Guilty as charged. So, will you do it?"

      She can't believe the words out of her mouth. 

      "Sure, why not?"