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3. Coming-of-age ceremony

Penulis: Lino
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2024-12-11 04:23:48

Lia

When I was called to the administrative office the next day, I was a bundle of nerves. I didn’t understand why they called me here. Wasn’t it enough that I handed in the form?

With a shaky sigh, I tucked a blonde lock behind my ear. My blue eyes darted around the room, waiting for the staff member to come into the room and talk to me.

“Thank you for coming here, Lia Brown.”

I resisted the urge to squirm in my seat, even though the urge was great.

“I signed the paper and returned it. Why am I here?”

She blinked. “Miss Brown you're not in trouble. We just have to move your ceremony to next week to accommodate a speaking guest we booked at the last minute. The staff will be busy with preparations so I hope you can understand.”

“What?” I blurted out. “I want to get this over with; not wait another few days!”

“Miss Brown please calm down,” the woman muttered, glaring at me from across the desk. “I understand you are eager to find your mates—”

“No, you don’t understand because that’s not what I want. I don’t want to do this at all. If I had my way I would never go through this mating ceremony for as long as I live!”

Her face fell, eyes rolling dramatically.

“Ah, so you are one of those. Well, let me tell you Miss Brown that not going through with the ceremony—”

“—is social suicide, yes I know. I’ve been through this already with my best friend.”

“Then you should listen to your friend because she is very bright. You don’t have to go through with this ceremony, but I would strongly suggest that you do otherwise you're going to find it hard to live in society.”

I resisted the urge to glare back.

“I know that, Ma’am.”

“Then put on a brave smile and understand that you’ll be having your coming-of-age ceremony next week rather than this week. If anything changes then we’ll let you know.”

When I left the office, I wasn’t expecting Simone to be hovering just outside the door. I collided with her, stumbling backward and nearly falling flat on my ass.

“Lia!” Simone cried, holding out her hands towards me. “I’m sorry! I was just waiting for you.”

Even though I was angry, I took her hand without much fuss. “It’s fine, Simone.”

“So what did they want?”

“They are postponing my coming-of-age ceremony until next week because some guest speaker is coming by.”

Simone frowned. “Guest speaker? Wait…”

“What?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Simone, it’s something! You're not even looking me in the eyes.”

Simone grabbed my wrist, pulling me down the hall until she found an empty classroom where we could duck inside. I was getting confused and more agitated by the second, trying to figure out just what my best friend was keeping from me.

“I was bringing some papers into the teacher's lounge and I heard that the guest speaker is going to be the Crimson Chargers.”

I paled. “As in the Rugby team from Ironwood College?”

“Yes.”

“As in the Rugby team that my brother and his friends are on?”

“The very same.”

I sat in the closest empty seat, wishing I could sink into the ground and take myself away from here.

“Why are they coming here as special guests? Isn’t it enough that our school is affiliated with them?”

Wasn’t it also enough that I had to see them several times a week when I got home from school? This school was my one sanctuary from them. I didn’t want to have to walk through these halls, fearing that anytime I turned the corner I could run into one of them.

But now my sanctuary was turning into a bloody nightmare.

“I’ll skip class.”

“Attendance is mandatory, Lia. If you don’t go they’ll write you up.”

I huffed. “So? What do I care if they write me up? I have good attendance and grades!”

“Lia, you know how this school treats the Rugby team. They are royalty. The principal won’t hesitate to screw you over if you skip it.”

Sometimes I hated the fact that my brother and I went to this private academy. Our parents had been aluminis here so tuition was cut in half. Once they died, the school did the charitable thing and waived the rest of the tuition. It was done out of pity, but it was affordable.

The same went if we went to Ironwood College. Our parents were aluminized so tuition would be waived.

“Shit.”

“We’ll just sit in the back where they can’t see us,” Simone assured me.

I smiled weakly. “They are very familiar with my scent, Simone. I don’t know if it’s going to work.”

They would seek me out away from the prying eyes of teachers, students, and anyone who could call out their behavior to torment me. I could appeal to my brother, but what was the point? He’d always take their sides.

“We’ll figure it out,” Simone assured me.

When lunch came around, I didn’t even want to eat. My stomach was doing flip-flops and any food would cause a dangerous reaction. Sighing, I pushed my food away, ignoring the disapproving look from Simone.

“I don’t feel like eating,” I told Simone who sighed.

“You need to eat to keep up your strength! The coming of age ceremony can take a lot out of people, especially with that bitter medicine they force you to eat.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Is it that bad?”

“It’s very strange,” Simone admitted. “That’s the best way I can describe it.”

None of this bodes well for me at all.

***

Any doubt I had that Simone may have been mistaken by what she heard in the teacher's lounge was dashed when I received an email the next morning sent to all students.

Subject: Exciting Visitors on Campus This Friday!

Dear Students,

We are thrilled to announce that this Friday, Aspen School will welcome some special guests from Ironwood College: the Crimson Chargers, the college’s esteemed rugby team! This is a fantastic opportunity for all of us to meet these talented athletes, learn about their experiences, and gain insights into college life and sportsmanship.

The Crimson Chargers will be visiting our school at 9:00 Am sharp and will host a special session in the auditorium. During their visit, they’ll share their journey, conduct a Q&A session, and possibly showcase some rugby techniques.

We encourage all students to attend and show Aspen School’s signature spirit of hospitality and curiosity. If you’re passionate about sports, teamwork, or considering college in the future, this event is not to be missed!

Let’s give the Crimson Chargers a warm Aspen welcome!

Best regards,

Aspen School Staff

I glanced at my brother across the table who was eating his breakfast without a care in the world.

“Michael, why the hell didn’t you warn me about this?”

“Warn you about what?”

“About the fact you and your friends are giving a speech at the school on Friday!”

Michael blinked. “Oh, I didn’t think I had to. Why does it matter?”

“Well, because of you and your team, my coming-of-age ceremony was pushed back.”

“Lia, the coach, and the dean are the ones that set up everything. We were just told when and where to show up. That’s the extent of the information we were given.”

I huffed. “I still would’ve liked a warning!”

When I looked at my brother it was like looking at a mirror. We had the same blonde hair, ocean-blue eyes, and pale skin. Even our facial features were the same. It was a shame I hadn’t been gifted with height like my brother.

“Again, it was out of my hands. If it makes you feel any better, none of the guys are going to be there, Lia. It’s just me. The coach chose a few of us to go. I was the unlucky one.”

“I’m sure they’re giving you a hard time about that too.”

Michael grinned. “That’s an understatement, little sister.”

My anxiety had faded, but I wondered if this was one of my brother’s tricks. Sometimes he liked to tease me as much as his friends did. Rarely did he like to do it more than them.

“I need to get to school.”

“Need a ride?”

“No, Simone is picking me up.”

I needed to learn to drive sometime soon to give myself more independence.

With one last glance towards my brother, I left the house. I still had a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach that I couldn’t shake no matter how hard I tried.

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    LiaThe school was buzzing with excitement from the moment the email was sent out. Come Friday, it was all anyone could talk about. It was like they forgot that the championship Rugby team members once went to this very school.I don’t know how they could forget such a thing. This was something I remembered every single day, unable to forget no matter how much I tried.But I believed what my brother said. They weren’t going to be there. It was just going to be him.Until I ran right into Colby of all people. He looked surprised so I don’t think he was trying to seek me out. I jerked away as if I had been burned, flattening myself against the wall and trying to become as small as possible.“Hey Lia,” he purred, grinning from ear to ear.He ran a hand through his damp dirty blonde locks, clearly having just gotten out of the shower not long ago.“Colby,” I spat, trying to make a run for it.Before I could, Colby crowded me against the wall. He had me pinned with both hands on either sid

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  • Brother’s Best Friends Are My Mates   5. Mates

    LiaI sat in the nurse's office, trembling from head to toe. My skin was pale and my eyes wide, filled with anticipation, and none of it was good. Today was the day—I was going to discover who I was going to be mated to. This was provided it worked out.The nurse was preparing the medicine, rattling off a bunch of medical mumbo jumbo to me. I was only half listening and the stuff I did hear didn’t make sense to me. What was the gist was that this medicine was going to react with my omega hormones. Then alphas nearby would react to my scent if they were my chosen mates.If, on the rare chance no one reacted, then they would take a sample of my blood and put it into the database. From there, they would test against others in the state to see if I had a potential match.It wasn’t to say people didn’t seek out relationships from those they were mated with but our state was very stuck in its ways. Those who deviated from the norm were not treated well by society. I had thought about leaving

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  • Brother’s Best Friends Are My Mates   6. She was my omega

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  • Brother’s Best Friends Are My Mates   7. Alphas

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  • Brother’s Best Friends Are My Mates   193. Love you

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  • Brother’s Best Friends Are My Mates   192. Revenge

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  • Brother’s Best Friends Are My Mates   190. Weapon

    MattI found her on the porch, curled under a blanket like a cozy little woodland creature, mug in hand, book in lap. Honestly? Not fair how good she looked doing absolutely nothing.“Hey,” I said, leaning on the railing and trying to sound casual. Which meant I sounded like I was overthinking breathing.She glanced up, smiling. “Hey. Why do you look like you’re about to give a presentation in front of the school board?”“Because I’m brave,” I muttered. “And because I came to ask if you wanted to go for a walk. In the forest.”Her smile widened. “A walk?”“Yeah. Just us. Trees. Quiet. No one is trying to set the microwave on fire.”She sat up, already pulling off the blanket. “Of course I’ll go. I love when you get all woodsy and mysterious.”“I am always woodsy and mysterious.”“You spilled coffee on your shirt this morning and said, ‘The mug betrayed me.’”“It did.”She stood, and I thought that was that—until we heard it.Crunch.A very loud, very obvious crunch from behind the scr

  • Brother’s Best Friends Are My Mates   189. Bad strategy

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  • Brother’s Best Friends Are My Mates   188. Successful date

    JesseAfter learning that Rain had a successful date, I decided that it was my turn to take Lia out. I had something in mind. It was a bit of an odd date—the two of us were going to play chess. Or I was going to invite her out to play chess.Chess was an awesome game that I loved. I tried to teach some of my friends the game, but only Michael was interested and now he had kids. Colby just didn’t want to waste time on it, Matt had no patience and Rain was well… Rain.If Rain ever came to me and said that he wanted to learn chess, I think I might die from shock.“I’m taking you out,” I said.She blinked. “Okay… where?”“The park,” I replied, dropping my hands into my pockets.Her head tilted slightly. “Just the park?”I nodded. “Yeah. We’re going to learn how to play chess.”Lia stared at me. “Chess?”“Chess.”“Like… with the little horses and castles and tiny guys in helmets?”“They’re knights and rooks and pawns,” I corrected, lips twitching at the corners. “But yes. That chess.”Ther

  • Brother’s Best Friends Are My Mates   187. Romantic picnic

    RainI had a plan and the plan was to do something romantic with Lia. It didn’t matter if it led to something more, but I wanted the two of us to spend some quality time together. The two of us hadn’t spent any time together with it just being us.None of the guys had been able to spend any quality time with her either because of all the shit going on in our lives.This wasn’t going to happen any longer.I had racked my brain, trying to think of something to do, and then I realized that I was going to surprise Lia with a private picnic in a meadow that was nearby.So I decided to go to her door to talk with her, letting her know that I was taking her out on a date.Well, if she wanted to go out on a date. She was perfectly capable of saying no. and could say no. I didn’t care if she did or not.No, that was a lie. I wanted her to say yes, but if she didn’t want to go, then this was fine too. Lia was her person and could decide what she wanted to do.“I’m taking you out tomorrow,” I sa

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