CHAPTER TWO
FRIENDS ARE OVERRATED

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     It wasn't easy by any means, but Alana Jane was able to get herself out of bed and into the shower as soon as her alarm went off. Once she was out, she dried her hair so it wasn't dripping with water and went back to her room to get dressed. She put on a pair of baggy light wash jeans and a tight fitting beige long sleeve shirt with a V-cut and a pair of white socks. She combed her dark pin straight hair and pulled it behind her shoulders so it all rested against her back. Her toothbrush was held between her teeth and the scent of mint filled her nose as she tied her shoelaces. She could still taste and smell mint even after spitting the white toothpaste into the sink and rinsing her mouth. She grabbed her bag, phone and keys and went downstairs to the empty kitchen.

     Her parents had already left for work so it was just her in the house with very little time to eat something before heading to school. She grabbed a granola bar from the cupboard and headed out the door with the chewy bar of granola and chocolate chips held between her teeth as she locked the door. She got inside her car and put her bag in the passenger seat so she could put on her seatbelt. Alana Jane started the engine and switched the car to reverse so she could pull out of the driveway. She made sure no one was behind her and once she was out of the driveway, she switched the car from reverse and pressed her foot on the gas pedal.

     When Alana Jane got to the parking lot and found a spot, she turned off the engine and took her seatbelt off. She grabbed her bag from the passenger seat and got out of the car and made sure it was locked. She looked to her left and saw the same blue jeep from the previous night right before she saw the large man with the talons. She saw the owner of the jeep standing next to it with a short haired brunette and the pale boy suddenly made eye contact with Alana Jane. The dark haired girl sighed as she turned away and walked right into the school.

     She stopped at her locker while avoiding contact with everyone else. Her main goal was to simply get through her senior year, get into college in another location and leave Beacon Hills for good. Unfortunately, Alana Jane knew it wasn't going to be that simple but nobody could stop a girl from dreaming.

     "Alana Jane."

     She turned around and saw the same tanned boy who was almost taken down by the large man the night before. She shut her locker and turned around to face him with her arms crossed.

     "What do you want, Scott?" she asked while looking him dead in the eye.

     "You were there last night," Scott said slowly.

     "At the senior scribe? Of course I was there, you saw me," Alana Jane said while shrugging her shoulders.

     "I'm not talking about the senior scribe," Scott said cautiously. "I'm talking about that guy we fought. You were there and you helped us."

     "So, what?" she questioned. "Don't think my helping you means I want anything to do with you."

     "Listen, we haven't really talked or said anything to each other since you left," Scott said while looking down at the floor.

     Alana Jane scoffed. "Since I left? Is that what you've been telling the rest of the pack for all these months? That I left?" she asked.

     "Alana─"

     "No, Scott! You and I both know the real reason I am not a member of your precious pack no more and so does Stiles. Unless you want the rest of your pack to know what kind of person their Alpha really is, stay the hell away from me," Alana Jane said before walking right past him.

     What happened between them before she departed was one thing but to lie about it for months after was another. It was like it was just yesterday where she had to part ways from the people who were supposed to be her friends. They told her to leave so she did, but that was just a simple way of saying what happened.

     As she was walking, someone gently tapped her arm and she turned around to face this person. A taller brunette boy with blue eyes stood right in front of her and smiled slightly. She didn't recognize him from anywhere and she really didn't want to talk to anybody, especially someone she didn't know but she didn't want to be rude so she tried to smile nicely but it felt fake so she just nodded.

     "Sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for this classroom," he said as he pointed to a specific spot on the copy of his timetable.

     Alana Jane looked to where he was pointing and she automatically knew where he was going.

     "I'm also going there so you can just follow me," she said casually as she kept walking.

     "Thanks," the boy said as he followed her down the hallway. "I'm kind of new here."

     "I can tell by the way you asked me where to find room two fifteen," Alana Jana replied.

     "I'm Theo, by the way."

     "Alana Jane."

     The brunette nodded but Alana Jane didn't know what else to say. She had never met this person before given the fact that he was a new student and she was leading him to his first period class of the day.

     "Do your friends just call you Alana or do they use your full name?" Theo asked.

     "Everyone just calls me Alana Jane," the dark haired girl said. "We're here, pick a seat."

     Alana Jane took a seat in the second back row and when she turned around, Theo had taken the seat to her right. She narrowed her eyes at him but all he did was shrug casually.

     "What? You said pick a seat but you didn't say I couldn't sit next to you," he said while smiling innocently.

     Alana Jane sighed because she knew he had a point. She did say to pick a seat but she never said he couldn't pick a seat near her so he got her there. Not only was he charming, but he was also a real smartass.

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     After her first period class, Alana Jane was no longer Theo's personal tour guide from that point on. He said he knew how to find his way around the school on his own and she believed him. So when she sat alone in the cafeteria and he decided to place his tray right in front of her and sit down, she couldn't help but look at him and ask.

     "Why don't you want to sit with other kids?" she questioned.

     "Did the other kids help me find my classes?" he countered.

     Once again, he had a point and she internally cursed herself. This boy was clearly on a whole new level and she couldn't tell if she liked it or hated it.

     "You're a real smartass, aren't you?" she asked while taking the cap off her orange juice.

     "That's a new one. People usually say I'm charming," Theo said with a crooked smile.

     "Sounds to me like they were just being nice," Alana Jane said before taking a sip of her orange juice.

     That was kind of her lying to herself because she had to admit that he was a charming boy. Theo had the kind of eyes that many love songs talked about and that kind of smile that always made the girls in the movies swoon. But of course, she wasn't going to let him or anybody else know that.

     "So, where are your friends?" the brunette asked while looking around.

     Alana Jane scoffed. "Who said I had any friends?" she asked with her eyes narrowed.

     "You said your friends called you Alana Jane."

     "No, I said everyone calls me Alana Jane. I never said anything about having friends."

     She nearly smirked when she saw the dumbfounded look on Theo's face but he was just realizing why she was alone when he sat down.

     "So, you just sit by yourself everyday?" he asked and Alana Jane's brows pulled together.

     "Well, considering it's only the first day, that was kind of the plan," she replied. "Besides, I'm not here to make friends."

     After what happened with Scott and his pack, the idea of having friends was like asking to be tossed aside like garbage all over again. And if she was trying to avoid making friends, then why was Theo there and why did she let him sit near her? The last thing she wanted was to get attached to the wrong people and make the same mistake she made months ago.

     "Here's my word of advice to you, Theo. Friends are overrated," she said and got up to throw out her garbage and leave the cafeteria.

     Even in the hallway, Alana Jane always saw Scott either talking to his best friend or his girlfriend. She couldn't deny that she missed them but she had to remind herself why she's in this position and what she had just told Theo five minutes ago. And with that, she turned around and walked in the opposite direction away from Scott and his girlfriend.

     Friends are overrated.

     The more she told herself that, the more she wished it never came to this point. Yes, being alone hurt but at least this way, she could guarantee that nobody would be able to stab her in the back as long as she didn't let herself or anyone for that matter get attached. That was something she needed to learn the hard way but she learned and now she knew that the only person she could truly count on was herself.