Chapter 324

Victor was gone when I woke up the next morning. I was tempted to call him, but I knew he was probably busy after yesterday’s events at The Association. Plus, I had classes to attend. I couldn’t afford to miss more of them.

After sending Victor a heart and a flaming kiss emoji, I climbed from the bed to prepare for my day. I showered and dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers before putting my hair in a braid and applying light makeup.

With a cup of coffee in a travel mug, I went downstairs to my car and started the drive to the university.

I parked in the student lot and walked to the coffee shop to meet an Alpha Sophomore named Mia Johnson. She was a business major, studying to take over her family’s convenience store chain.

Like me, Mia had a Beta best friend who had been denied admission to all the better Universities, including Frampton U.

Mia wanted to arrange a meeting between me and her friend. She was angry because her friend couldn’t attend classes with her even though her friend’s test scores were much higher than her own.

Despite my attempts to keep our meeting discreet, Mia didn’t care who knew what we were discussing.

“I hope your article changes things,” she declared as we sat at a table in the crowded coffee shop. “Skye should be here with me right now instead of the community college. It’s not fair.”

Most of the coffee shop patrons were staring. Some were whispering behind their hands, and I saw anger on some of their faces.

After explaining what I hoped to accomplish with the article, I gave Mia my phone number and email address to give to her friend. Then she and I finished our coffee, and we left the coffee shop for our first classes.

History of Journalism was my first class. Professor Malory grinned slyly when he saw me enter the classroom.

When everyone was seated, he began writing questions on the blackboard. Finally, he turned and addressed the class.

“We studied a decade of newspaper articles yesterday,” he said. “So, it’s time for a quiz. Answer these questions in the next twenty minutes and bring it to my desk to be graded.”

He looked at me. “Be careful how you answer. This quiz will count toward your semester grade.”

It would do me no good to remind Professor Malory that I wasn’t in class yesterday. He knew it, and the quiz was his way of making things more complicated for me.

However, I did my best to answer the questions. My love of history helped, and I thought I had a good chance of a passing grade.

Professor Malory seemed disappointed to see me at his desk with my test before the time was up.

He snatched the paper from my hands and took out his red pencil. But he only had to use it twice. I had answered eight out of ten questions correctly.

“Did you cheat, Miss Wilson?” he asked. “Since you weren’t here yesterday, how did you know the answers?”

“I enjoy history, Professor,” I replied. “And I read ahead in the textbook.”

“Return to your seat,” he grumbled as if I had ruined his day.

The rest of my morning classes were the same. The professors were rude or tried to use my one-day absence against me.

Later, when I walked into the cafeteria, everyone went silent. The staring and whispering started while I bought a sandwich and a cup of soup. It was far worse than what I experienced in high school.

I ignored it and took my tray to the table where the two Mikaylas sat, but I was turned away.

“Please sit somewhere else, Daisy,” one of them said.

I didn’t understand. How had things gotten this bad so quickly? Did something happen yesterday that I didn’t know about?

“Sure, I’ll sit somewhere else,” I said and leaned close to the two girls. “But please, tell me why everyone is acting like they hate me or are afraid of me.”

“Mia Johnson was expelled this morning after talking to you in the coffee shop,” the blonde Mikayla replied. “Everyone knows you’re trying to help the Betas take over the school.”

“No, I’m not!” I couldn’t believe anyone would say such a thing. “Equality doesn’t mean anyone is taking over. It just means you can’t be discriminated against because of who gave birth to you.”

“Please, Daisy,” she hissed. “Just go away and leave us alone.”

“Sure,” I said and walked out of the cafeteria with my lunch. I sat on a bench under a tree and ate by myself.

I was cheered a little because Dr. Clark’s Ethics class was next. Maybe I’d stop by her office for a visit this afternoon.

I needed to talk to someone, and she always helped things make sense.

But there was a substitute professor teaching her class who gave no reason for Dr. Clark’s absence. It was a worse blow than the way the student body was treating me.

My next class wouldn’t help my mood, but I went anyway. Dr. Cooper’s News Reporting class was as bad as I expected.

Afterward, I returned to my car, thinking about Cara losing her job and Mia being expelled because of me.

A tear was rolling down one of my cheeks by the time I arrived at my car. I wanted to climb inside, go home, and climb into a hot bathtub to think.

I was lost in thought and didn’t notice them at first. But when I tried to unlock my car with the fob before climbing inside, the fob was snatched from my hand. I looked up and saw I was surrounded.

There were only two of them, but they were large Alpha males. Their letterman jackets told me they were college athletes.

“What do you want?” I asked as I hit the record video button on my phone.

“Don’t talk to us like that, Beta-lover,” the dark-haired male sneered.

“We are here to tell you that if you like Betas and Omegas so much, you should go to school with them,” the blond Alpha said.

“You aren’t welcome at Frampton anymore,” the dark-haired Alpha growled. “Don’t set foot on our campus again, or you’ll be sorry.”

“Threats from jerks like you don’t scare me,” I told them. But I backed away a few steps.

“Then you are stupid,” the brunette said. “Nobody wants you here. You’re getting people expelled and fired. A secretary is in the hospital.”

“It’s time for you to suffer if you don’t drop out and stay away from our school,” the blond threatened.

Tears filled my eyes again, and I didn’t know what to say. Maybe they were right. People had lost and suffered because of me since I started classes at Frampton.

“Hey, she’s recording us,” one of them said. “Give us that phone!”

They moved closer and grabbed for my phone. I couldn’t let them take it from me. Many of my interviews were on the phone, along with personal pictures and contacts.

“Go away, and leave me alone!” I shouted. “Help! Someone, help me!”

“Nobody around here is going to help you,” the blond growled. “Now, give us that phone.”

Even if I gave them my phone, there was no guarantee they would let me leave in peace. I had no choice but to fight.

I slipped between them to the other side of my car and stood with my back against the passenger door. My heart was pounding, but I was ready for them.

The blond came from the rear of my car. I did a half spin and kicked him in the chest. He flew backward and landed on his butt near my car’s trunk.

He bellowed curses and told his friend to get me.

The brunette was angry about his friend. He approached me from the front of my car with one of his fists raised.

I waited until he was close before dropping and sweeping his legs from beneath him with mine.

I popped up and began to run for help. But would anyone on campus help me?

Suddenly, I was knocked to the ground. The blond was back on his feet and had taken me by surprise.

He stood over me with his hands on his hips. “Give me the phone,” he demanded.

“Why are you worried about anyone seeing how you treated me?” I asked. “Aren’t you proud of yourself?”

He snarled and brought his foot back to kick me.

There was no time to get out of the way. I braced myself for the blow a second before I heard a male voice say, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Back off and leave her alone, or deal with me!”