Chapter 12

Louis's POV

I looked up from where I stood near the movie theater's front entrance, fidgeting anxiously with my fingers. I've been waiting for about fifty minutes. I've been telling myself that I could use the excuse that it's because I arrived early. Every second that passed with no sign of him seemed to be torturous.

I finally summoned the courage to text Jason as he instructed. We had both decided to see a movie and planned to arrive on Saturday evening. In my excitement, I had foolishly left my phone at home.

The line for purchasing tickets had vanished as everyone had filed inside, leaving only me and the Human teenager to sell tickets. He kept staring at me, which made me feel more worse. The romantic comedy Jason had been looking forward to was about to begin, and I knew we wouldn't be able to obtain good seats. I went ahead and purchased the tickets.

I kicked at the sidewalk, hugging myself against the cold and pondering whether I should just walk home. Was it common for people to be thus late for events? I've always believed that it's best to arrive early.

Mom had dropped me off and had kissed my cheek in front of everyone before shooing me out of the car. She was ecstatic to learn that I was going out with a pal. For me, it was a first

.

I'd told Jane all about my intentions for the night at work this morning. She had even gone out of her way to advise me on what I should wear. She advised me to wear something more casual because trousers and a button down were apparently too formal. I was hoping Jason would enjoy the dark blue pants and forest green sweater. Mom thought I was adorable. But she's my mother, so it doesn't really matter.

I sighed as I looked up at the clock in the ticket booth. We've been watching for an hour and have already missed twenty minutes of the film. Before turning away, the boy behind the glass gave me a sorrowful smile.

I pushed any negative ideas to the back of my mind and waited, determined not to give up.

Maybe something went wrong? I hope he's okay; I don't want him to be in any danger or for anything to happen to his family. Surely, the Alphas were fine. If they weren't, the rest of the pack would know.

An hour slipped into two, and before I knew it, people were spilling out of the theater, giddy with excitement over the films they'd just seen. Perhaps he misread the times and assumed we were attending a later showing. I spent another thirty minutes after deciding that that had to be it before accepting that he wasn't arriving.I placed my hands in my coat pockets and strolled down the sidewalk to the cafe I had intended to go to with Jason after the movie, tossing the two movie tickets in the trash. I didn't expect to be traveling alone.

Hanging out here was popular among high school students, and I wasn't shocked to see large groups of them at some of the booths.

"Sit down, hun, and I'll be right there." With a smile, the waitress said as she passed me with a tray of drinks.

I sat down in one of the unoccupied booths near the window, my head resting on the red vinyl table.

"Are we expecting someone?" As she dropped a flimsy menu in front of me, I looked up at the smiling waiter. With a sigh, I shook my head

. "Can I get you something to drink?"

I quickly glanced over the menu and pointed to the chocolate milkshake.

"I'll get back to you as soon as I can." I couldn't look her in the eyes, so I didn't pay attention to her.

Recently, everything had been going so wonderfully. I had hoped that things had finally improved for me. I mean, I was still clumsy and frequently tripped or inadvertently injured myself, but people were really speaking to me. My folks were overjoyed. I even had a job now, which I liked.

Was hanging out with me really such a negative thing?

I ordered a BLT with onion rings after the waitress returned with my milkshake. When I noticed Jason walking to the diner, I was distractedly sipping my delicious drink and looked out the window.

My mood suddenly improved as a smile spread over my face. I had a feeling he'd show up! He must have been stymied by something extremely essential. Jason isn't like the rest of us. He's sweet, considerate, and caring.

As he walked in, the doorbell rang, and I tugged at my sweater to make sure it was presentable. I admired his typical preppy clothes as I sat up straight.

As I saw Jason stroll past without a glance in my direction and meet a group of schoolchildren, the waitress set my plate of food in front of me.

My heart sank when I realized he wasn't there for me. He didn't intend to meet up with me. He was just like the rest of them. He wasn't much better. I'm just a nobody, the runt of the litter.

I sat there for 20 minutes, scarcely eating and listening to Jason's laughter. I was embarrassed. Was this supposed to happen? Why would Jason act in this manner? He's always been such a nice guy. He was there for me the first time I went into heat. When everyone else pretended I wasn't there, he always said hello. He seemed unique to me. Was I mistaken about him?

When I finally saw Mom pull up outside as planned, I stood up and placed the money on the table. I reached for the untouched milkshake I had ordered after completing the first.

No one saw me until I was standing in front of the school's booth, which was packed with students. Determined and very upset, I threw the cups cold contents onto the front of Jason's shirt. When I opened the door, Mom gave me a warm grin.

"So, how did it go? Did you have a good time? What did you think of the film?" She babbled on and on, asking question after question.

"It was a lot of fun." I lied, reverting to my usual act of deception.

"I wish I had more popcorn,"