* * *

"We're here, Sir Reese. The Madam asked me to give this to you when you arrived at school today because she had an early appointment," the driver said with a kind smile as he opened the door for the petite 19-year-old. Reese looked at the blue lunchbox handed to him and nodded as he picked it up. After isolating himself from others for a year, he had finally decided to return to school, prompted by his mother's persistent pleas.

"If you need to go back home, feel free to call me anytime," the driver added as he nodded and closed the door.

Truthfully, Reese did not want to go back after what had happened at his previous school, but he decided to go anyway because his mother promised she would not bother him again if he just finished senior high school. It was already his last year, so he figured if he could just bear it for one more year, he would finally get what he wanted: to forgo college, move to where someone doesn't know him, and run the small business he had always dreamed of.

"Well then, I'll leave now, sir. Good luck with your studies," the driver said again. Reese replied with a slight nod. The driver sighed helplessly, knowing he wasn't in a position to meddle in his employer's affairs. However, he genuinely felt bad for the young boy. In the three years he had been Reese's driver, he had witnessed far more than the Madam. He remembered when Reese's lips were filled with joy and innocence, and also the time when it all vanished. Unfortunately, he was just a driver and could do nothing but observe. He had tried to talk to him, but it seemed the young boy had already closed his heart to people.

After the driver had left, Reese finally sighed as he turned to look at the massive building in front of him. Despite transferring to a new school, he couldn't help feeling nervous. Even though it was a huge school where no one probably knew him, it was filled with young masters and mistresses from elite families all over the world. Although the campus accepted scholars from normal family backgrounds and promised not to discriminate, it didn't erase the fact that the majority of the students were spoiled children who didn't even know how to wash their own underwear.

"20% Omega population, huh? I hope this time I stay away from their eyes," Reese mumbled to himself before finally deciding it was time to find his dorm room. Thankfully, since his driver had dropped him off in front of the building, it wasn't too much of a hassle to locate his room. Initially, he was confused because his room was labeled A201, but he later figured out that "A" corresponded to the building, "2" to the floor number, and "01" to the actual room number. It took a good 20 minutes because he didn't want to go to the front desk and ask for help, but it was worth it since he got to explore the building a little, even though he had to avoid gazes as he walked along the corridors.

"Finally," Reese breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took out the room key—a card—before swiping it to open the massive door. He wasn't sure why people were suddenly staring at him as he stood in front of the door, but he was glad he could get inside without much of a problem.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Reese pressed his back against it and sighed. It took a couple of seconds, but when his eyes landed on the room's interior, he gasped in shock. He knew his new campus catered to the wealthiest of the wealthy, but he hadn't expected their dorm rooms to resemble five-star hotels. There was a chandelier in the middle of the room, a fully equipped kitchen and dining area, and even a balcony. The living room was unnecessarily huge for a school dorm, and there was a mezzanine library and study area on the second floor.

"Mom, you're unnecessarily spending Uncle's money again," Reese sighed in frustration. While he was thankful, he also knew that staying in a room like this, even with a roommate, had to cost a huge amount of money.

"This is why we're being called gold diggers," Reese muttered as he walked towards the living room. He briefly set his lunchbox on the coffee table before sinking into one of the couches. "I didn't even ask for this. I could have just gone to a normal school like before. It didn't have to be this school," he added in frustration. Back then, his life wasn't as complicated as it is today. After his biological father passed, he and his mom lived a simple life running the small business his dad left them. But three years ago, his mom remarried a wealthy man, completely changing their lives.

The whole area where they used to live found out about it, and people started calling them gold diggers. At first, he didn't really mind because, for the first time in a while, his mom seemed genuinely happy again. His stepdad also seemed to love her. However, the situation took a bad turn when he started getting bullied at school. He was used to getting teased a lot due to his appearance, but it got much worse when everybody found out he was gay. Pictures of him kissing his then-boyfriend spread, and people assumed it was okay to touch him without permission, saying it was better to touch him than an Omega since there wouldn't be a risk of pregnancy.

He thought it couldn't get any worse than that, but then his then-boyfriend denied their relationship and broke up with him. His mom was losing more and more time for him, and there was no one he could talk to. Even the people he thought were his friends avoided him. He was heartbroken and in so much pain that at some point, he thought it would have been better if he were to follow his dad.

In the end, he couldn't take it anymore and decided not to go to school. He was supposed to graduate from Senior High, but he didn't and had to repeat a year. His mom tried to make him open up like they used to, wanting to know why he suddenly stopped going to class, but Reese felt like there was no use to it. He also didn't want to hurt his mom, who was finally happy after so many years, so he decided to just isolate himself. He thought if he removed himself from the world for a while, he'd be back to himself in no time.

Fortunately, his plan worked, and he even took a part-time job to distract himself. Unfortunately, seeing that he seemed to be fine already, his mom came to beg him to go back to school and at least finish high school as it was her promise to his dad.

"No use crying about it now. I'll just have to endure for a year, and I'll finally have my freedom," Reese cheered himself up before finally sitting up. He looked around the room again and silently wished his roommate would be someone he could get along with.

* * *

The next day, even though class wasn't starting until the following day, Reese woke up early to cook breakfast. It was just something he used to do ever since and still did even when he was told he didn't have to anymore. Back then, he was always excited to eat breakfast because he had his mom complimenting his food and eating with him. However, after she remarried, she ate along with her new husband and step-daughter. Since his step-sister refused to eat what he cooked and complained about how it looked and smelled, he decided to only cook a small portion that was just for him and ate alone.

"It's only been a year, but I don't remember having a school orientation at 7 am in the morning," Reese complained to himself, quickly plating the scrambled eggs that he had cooked along with tomato, spinach, and cheese. On cue, his bread finished toasting, so he set the table after pouring himself a glass of coffee, which he recently started enjoying every morning.

"I'm lucky the fridge had all the ingredients that I need, even though class hasn't started yet," Reese mentioned, looking at his freshly sliced avocado and banana, which he soon used to make a sandwich. The school obviously has a huge cafeteria offering gourmet food for the students, so he didn't really think there would be something inside the fridge. He thought it was just for the sake of aesthetics to make the students feel at home, but he was wrong. Still, he wasn't so sure. It could be his mom arranging it, or it could be his roommate enjoying cooking. He highly doubted it, but the possibility is not zero.

Shrugging off the thought, he quickly ate his breakfast, washed the dishes, and then prepared for the orientation. The school had already sent him his uniform, so after putting it on and adding a hoodie on top, he headed to the gymnasium where the students were gathering. As expected, everyone looked elegant, which made him feel a bit out of place. Some students were just walking like him, while others arrived in expensive luxury cars. He was in awe, but at the same time, he didn't really care, so he quickly headed inside the gym and found himself a seat in the corner where no one would bother him much.

Thankfully, it didn't take long before the orientation began. However, there was no way he would listen to some old man talking about the vision and mission of the school or its history, so for the most part, just like everyone else, Reese wasn't listening. He was getting so bored that he regretted ever coming. He contemplated leaving and just heading out to unwind at his favorite place, but before he could decide, his eyes caught someone on the stage, and the students began to act excited.

"???" Reese frowned at the girls giggling not far from where he was sitting, but he soon froze at the sight of the most attractive man his eyes had ever laid on. He was a fan of movies and had a fair share of actors and actresses he adored, but looking at the person on the stage, he could tell none of them could beat him. He was the epitome of good-looking, and his voice sounded so soft yet so deep.

"He's as handsome as ever... He's the only reason I even came today," one of the girls whispered as she giggled, looking at the teenage boy giving a speech on the stage.

"Me too. Heck, he's the reason I even continued going back to school," the other girl whispered back, making Reese roll his eyes. He looked at the person on the stage again, and for some reason, his heart started to pound faster when it felt like he had locked eyes with him for a brief moment. Quickly, he looked away and held his chest. He couldn't believe he had let himself be swept away just because the guy was a little bit more handsome than the rest. Besides, he's probably an Alpha and straight. There's no way a Beta like him would have a chance.

"Oh my Gosh! Did he just look this way?"

"I hope we all have the best last year in our Senior High," the person finished his remark with a smile before finally leaving the stage and receiving applause from the audience.

"What a fool," Reese told himself before finally deciding to leave.

* * *

To be Continued...