Jun Yibai thought things would change when he entered middle school but very little did. At most, his dad had more meetings and chose to drag him along sometimes. The teen had very little interest in the talks and used the time to study.

He might never be as great as an Alpha but he took pride in what little he managed to do despite people's expectations of him.

Upon entering middle school, he felt less nervous than before. Here, he didn't have to worry about his father's disapproving of his choice in friends. Everyone in the school, from the faculty to students, were betas.

This meant that Yibai could bring his dad to school without him glaring at his teachers because they were mated to an omega or something.

Yet for the first few days, he was sullen.

Despite being so far from B city, Yibai couldn't help but think about Suren. He told himself he shouldn't, that the boy was bound to forget him soon enough anyway. It was only a matter of time.

They were different after all. Being friends was just a silly thought.

I swear, I'll be your mate in the future.

Those words echoed in his mind, amusing him with how silly it was. Yibai knew what his life would become. It would be the same life as most people in his position.

Uneventful.

His time as Li Suren's rival was nothing but a brief wave in his life of still water. Something to remember but nothing to dwell on.

***

His first year of middle school passed by in a flash. As expected, Yibai couldn't change himself so far into his life.

He was a general loner.

While others made friends easily, Yibai couldn't get himself to talk to others. There never seemed to be a common point of interest and even if there was, he couldn't make himself talk.

His words would get stuck in his throat and his expression would unconsciously dampen the mood.

In the end, he was friendless and classified as a gloomy guy.

He had thought... no, he had hoped things would be different in middle school. Everyone had presented so he knew who to associate and who to avoid yet...

He couldn't bring himself to open up to anyone.

Perhaps his rejection of others had become a habit but he couldn't make himself be friendly. Even when some nice beta came to help him, he couldn't smile warmly at him or even reply back.

It was distressing, to say the least.

Still, his first year at his school was nice. After rejecting enough invites, his classmates quickly learned not to bother with him.

It was peaceful.

It was quiet.

It was boring.

For a while, he found himself peeking over at the door as if expecting something to burst through them. Yet every time the door opened to reveal just another beta, Yibai felt angry at himself.

He shouldn't be thinking about that person.

It had been over a year and he still couldn't stop thinking about Suren. How was it that when they were together, he wanted nothing more than to get rid of him but now that he was gone, it was all he could think of?

Worse yet, he knew it was a one-sided feeling. Considering how flighty Suren was, he knew that the omega had long since forgotten him, probably finding some other person to pester.

The thought annoyed him a bit, though he chose not to ponder why. Instead, he chose to focus his mind on his studies. While there weren't any high achieving students he had to contend with, Yibai refused to lower his standards.

Perhaps it was a bit uncharacteristic for a beta but Yibai liked to rise above what was expected of him.

It was because of this that he found himself sitting in the school library studying after school. Very few students chose to stay at school longer than they needed and rushed through the gates as soon as the bell rang.

Yibai had nowhere else he could study in peace. Home was nice but his dad had been a lot more bothersome since he grew into his body more fully. Gone was the short child who barely reached his father's chest. In his place was a young man who was only a head shorter than his dad.

Jun Yulan was ecstatic, wanting to show off how strong his son was despite being only 13. Suddenly, the man wanted to hang out more and train his son to be like him. To take him to his job and introduce the boy to his possible future co-workers.

Yibai didn't want to do that.

He loved his dad and admired his work ethic but Yibai could only deal with the man so much. He already attended his father's community meetings despite how boring they were yet the man wanted to intrude on his studying time too?

Wasn't that just too much?

So Yibai found refuge in the library. While his father might want his son to follow in his footsteps, he wouldn't complain if he knew his son was studying rather than being irresponsible somewhere 'like those wayward delinquents'.

"Did the book do something to you?"

"Eh?" Looking up, he suddenly noticed a girl sitting across from him. How long she had been sitting there, it was hard to say. He feared she had been there for a while.

She laughed, seemingly aware of Yibai's thoughts.

"The book." She replied, pointing down at the notebook. "If you press down any harder, it might burst into flames from the friction."

Thinking about how many missed opportunities to study was lost before Yibai found a place his father couldn't bother him had him pressing down on his notebook hard. Had he not been using a pen, he was sure the point would have broken.

He hadn't even noticed.

"It'll be fine."

"Will it? How daring~"

Looking this girl over, he found himself staring. How could he not? She was a pretty face with a cat-like smile that stretched across her face, making her look devious.

Like a Cheshire cat.

“What?” She pressed, her smile growing. “You think I'm pretty?”

“I've seen prettier.”

“Ack!” She clutched her chest, looking wounded. “You are pretty ruthless for a delinquent.”

“What makes you think I'm a delinquent?”

“Clearly you are. Look how sour-faced you look, sitting in the corner like a loner.” She stated, though she didn’t look too bothered as she stared Yibai down. “Who knows what goes through your head.”

“Mostly just studying.”

“And someone prettier than me.”

“There are a lot of prettier people. Omega's for example.”

“Oi, that's not fair!” She cried, pouting. It was cute and the desire to pet her rose within Yibai. She continued to complain. “That's like comparing a casual jogger to an Olympic athlete. Clearly, omega's are a standard of their own. Don't be so cruel as to compare a beta and an Omega.”

It certainly was a cruel comparison. In a school without Alpha’s or Omega’s, it was easy to forget about them. Perhaps in a world without them, the world would be a bit more fair.

***

After that day, Jun Yibai was then haunted by that girl, who introduced herself as Min Yang Ru. She was like a ghost, appearing whenever one let their guard down. Much to his surprise, she was a fairly low key person in the school.

She was notorious for outing some bullies who tried to mess with her on her first day. Somehow, within a few hours, she had those once haughty and arrogant girls begging for forgiveness.

No one knew what she had said or did to get such a response but they quickly learned not to touch her bottom line.

Despite her reputation, Yang Ru was a very friendly girl, making friends easily and being admired for her tenacity. Those who would be targets for bullies stuck close to her, seeking her protection as if just being close would protect them.

In a way, that was true.

What placed her name on everyone's lips this time, however, was how the notoriously clever cat had become close to the silent bear residing in class 2-B.

Jun Yibai paid no mind to the rumors, allowing Yang Ru to occupy his space.

She was nothing like Suren, who would pester him regardless of how often he told the boy to go away. If he said nothing, she would talk around him, seemingly content to make commentary without needing his input. If he told her to leave, she’d smile and leave, going off to talk to someone else.

She’d always eventually drift back over to Yibai and the cycle would continue. It was a comfortable dynamic.

He eventually stopped telling her to leave.

“Are you waiting for someone?” She asked one day, sharing a desk with him. Yibai frowned.

“No. What makes you think that?”

“You keep peeking at the door. I notice you do it a lot.” She pointed out, smiling in her usual cat-like way. “At first, I thought you were checking me out.”

“Humble as ever, I see.”

“What can I say? In a school full of 4's, a 5.5 is queen.”

It was true that Yang Ru was very lovely. If not for her counterattack on her bullies, he was sure many would be clinging to her with their hearts in hand. Yet most were too scared of offending the girl and chose to stay a safe distance.

Cowards.

“By the way,” She continued, laying her head down on his desk. Yibai could almost imagine the pair of cat ears atop her fluffy haired head. “you said you were looking to get a part-time job, right? Well, my parents just happen to be hiring.”

“Your parents?” This was the first time she had ever mentioned anything about her personal life. They both chose not to talk about it after he resolutely told her he didn’t want her at his house.

Beta or not, he was sure his dad would make things awkward.

“En.” Yang Ru nodded, her gaze drifting elsewhere as she explained. “They own a gym in the city. It's pretty small but I think you’d fit in really well.

“Really? I’m not into fitness.”

Most people assumed he was someone suited for sports. His body had grown strong and fit, mostly because of his father's insistence on making him help out at his site. He chose to maintain his figure just because he disliked the thought of losing his hard-earned muscles.

Despite all that, Yibai was a very studious person, wanting to keep out of those kinds of things. Had it not been for his fit build, one would classify him as a nerd.

“I know!” she conceded, pouting. She sighed. “But my folks really want to meet you.”

“Why? They aren’t my in-laws.”

“Right? But they heard me talk about you and they wanted to meet you.” She grumbled, sounding like a scolded child. It was clear she was reluctant to ask but had to.

Yet none of that curbed his mild annoyance.

“What did you say about me?”

The beta quickly recovered her charm, blinking cutely at her friend. “Nothing bad, I promise~”

She was smiling that cat-like smile.

He didn’t trust her words.

Yet despite all that, he chose to take her up on her offer. Mostly because he really did need a job and working at a gym would allow him to more easily maintain his figure. That and the notion of gaining a paycheck was very appealing to him. Better to work somewhere you know the owners than somewhere you don’t.

Yet no one told him there would be such a troublesome guy there to make his job so much more complicated.