Victoria's POV

"But Daguerre wasn't the only person working on trying to turn photography into something more than a miracle of science," the new photography teacher droned on. He'd taken over for Jefferson after the police found out about some shady practices that he'd had been using. According to what little information I could get out of my mom after she'd had a couple glasses of wine, he'd been kidnapping girls and sedating them for days so he could take pictures of them or something. Fucking creep, if you ask me. But since he wasn't around to impress anymore, it was even harder to focus on this redundant class than it had been before. At least Jefferson had been a real photographer, someone who'd managed to make something of himself in what was one of the most cutthroat industries of all time. I mean, he was a fucking psychopath and a perv, but still. At least he had real, helpful things to tell me instead of repeating the first six chapters of the textbook.

But, despite my annoyance, I sat quietly at my desk, even holding back a sigh of irritation when he started going over how the idea of photography had actually been in the works for thousands of years, blah, blah, blah. I tapped my pen against my notebook, staring blankly out the window that Christian chick always sat in front of. She was sitting at a different table today, though, so I didn't have to give her a death glare when she made eye contact with me while I watched the sun move across the sky at a snail's pace.

One of the other nice things about staring out the window was that I could see Caulfield out of the corner of my eye. She always caught my attention for some reason, there was something strange about her. It was almost like she was hiding something about herself from the rest of the world around her and I kind of wanted to know what it was.

Ok, I really wanted to know what it was, but there was no way in hell that I'd ever admit that to anyone, ever.

Almost like she had read my mind about how boring this class had gotten, Max groaned to herself, letting her head fall onto her desk with a thunk. I wasn't sure why, but that groan sent a tingling sensation down my spine and I had to fight to keep my body from reacting. Suddenly feeling warm, I resisted the urge to shrug off my cashmere, even though I could feel the sweat at the small of my back causing my clothes to stick to my body. I spared her a momentary glance, seeing that she was just resting her head on her notebook, but it didn't look comfortable. It was a silly, childlike reaction to her impatience, even if I understood where it was coming from. This class was so boring that I would've slammed my head down on my desk too if it wouldn't make me look like a freak. I rolled my eyes, turning around in my chair so that I was facing the teacher again as he spoke, trying to ignore the way the classroom had just gotten a little too warm to be comfortable. He was an older man, his hair graying and thin as he pushed his thin framed glasses back up the bridge of his nose. It wasn't that he was a boring person, there's no way I could possibly know that from the few conversations I'd had with him. In fact, he's seemed just as passionate about photography of Jefferson, though he lacked the intensity that had drawn everyone to Jefferson's class to begin with. And to make it all worse, he wasn't even half as interesting as Max was in that moment. He seemed to notice this, because he paused, clearing his throat.

"Um, Maxine," he said, causing Max to lift her head from her notebook. When she saw that everyone was staring at her, she sat up completely, shrinking back against her chair as she swallowed. I couldn't help wishing I could feel the small thump of her pulsepoint against my lips as I watched her throat bob.

The thought made me grip onto my pen so tightly that the plastic gave a desperate, quiet crack in my fingers. No one seemed to notice since Max had spoken at that same moment.

"Yeah?" she asked, looking up at the teacher with those big doe eyes and stupid freckles. Fuck, I hated those goddamn freckles.

Victoria, snap out of it, I thought to myself, sitting up a little straighter as I shook my head to clear it. What the hell is wrong with me today? I was usually a perfect example of ignorance to Max Caulfield's existence. Or, I was outwardly, anyway. It was just something about her, she was so different from everyone else, so much more interesting than the history of photography could ever be to me. Why would I care about the history of photography if people Max and I were supposed to be the future of it? It wasn't just that she somehow managed to be my main competition for first in this very class, but something about her scent was even different than everyone else's. It was almost impossible for anyone to tell what sex she was. Some people said she was probably a beta and that's why some people like Warren had managed to fall for her. Others insisted that she was an omega because of how quiet she was and how easily she seemed to submit to everyone else and never seemed to compete for other omegas when they went into heat while they were on campus. But a few whispered that she was actually an alpha, even though it was a ridiculous thought.

But the idea somehow managed to send a shiver through me, regardless of how far fetched it seemed. Images flashed through my head before I could stop them, causing my insides to go practically molten. Just the idea of Max being an alpha did something to me I couldn't explain, something that no other alpha had ever done to me. Maybe that was partly because of the suppressants my parents sent me for my heats. They were just pills, but they did wonders and were probably the most expensive brand on the market. Not only did they suppress the scent an omega gave off during their heat, but it could also lessen the hormonal effects so I wouldn't be one of those crazy omegas who just went out and had sex with whoever could satisfy their body at the time. I had never really had the chance to be that person in the first place since my parents had immediately put me into isolation during my first heat and had given me suppressants ever since. I was thankful for it, honestly. The last thing I needed was to accidently get pregnant to mate with someone when I was trying to make my way in this world first. Plus, you couldn't really get attached to anyone who wasn't in the same economic class since it often caused disagreements. Especially in more well off families like mine. If anything, my parents would have me mate with Nathan to keep the peace with the Prescotts. But part of me knew that the suppressants weren't the only thing that made everyone except Max disappear from sight within the sea of pheromones that Blackwell had become.

The sound of the bell ringing broke me from my trance. I must have spaced out for awhile there. Or maybe class had been about to end when I did space out. Whatever. Taylor was talking to me about the upcoming Vortex party while I was putting my notebook in my bag when I felt something warm and solid run right into me. My notebook fell from my hand and slammed onto the floor. I bristled, starting to yell at whoever it had been that run into me.

"Watch where you're going you moron…" My voice trailed off when I came face to face with those stupid blue eyes that had sent me spiralling into a world of daydreams in the first place, but they were staring blankly at me, like they barely saw me. Her scent wasn't as overwhelming as I had thought it would be up close. And man were we close. She was practically pressed up against me before she took a step back to lean down and pick up my notebook. She stood up again, holding it out to me with a tired smile.

"Sorry, Victoria, I was looking at my phone," she explained. Swallowing dryly, I tried to ignored the way my heart thundered against my ribs just from the fact that she was smiling at me.

"Jesus, Smallfield, are you high or something?" Taylor cut in, glaring down at the smaller girl. Max looked away, acting weirdly submissive considering Taylor was a beta. When Max just shrugged, I rolled my eyes, scoffing to hide how dry my mouth had gotten.

"Yeah, and keep your stupid hipster hands off of my stuff," I snapped, snatching the notebook from her fingers. She sighed, murmuring a quiet "whatever" as she walked past me and out the door. I watched her go, my stomach tightening as I remembered the way her features had gone from sleepy bliss to exhausted resignation. When she was out of my line of sight, I looked down at my notebook, shoving it into my bag before looking up at Taylor to see her eyebrows raised in suspicion. I rolled my eyes and turned to walk out of the class. "Come on, we have to study and get ready for the party on Friday night." We walked out into the hallway, Taylor close behind me as we walked past a group of alpha jocks, their stench making me want to crinkle my nose in disgust.

"Are you sick or something?" Taylor asked me after a minute of awkward silence. I threw her a glare as we kept walking.

"What the hell kind of question is that?" I asked, letting my irritation seep into my voice.

"You were just… staring at her," she replied and my stomach sank when realization hit me, but I kept standing tall and kept my steps brisk, looking away from her as I raised my nose in the air.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, walking out of the main building to head towards the dorms.

"Seriously, Vic?" Taylor was walking right beside me, looking at me with a tinge of frustration and concern in her eyes. "You looked like she'd just asked you what color your underwear was or something." I felt my cheeks heat up at the idea, but I stayed firm, keeping my eyes ahead.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Taylor sighed at my reply, shaking her head.

"Vic, really, I'm not blind," she said, making me pause. When I hesitated, she kept talking, grinning a little, ignoring the sideways glare I threw at her. "You're totally thirsty for Max, Vic. Everyone knows you want in on that Maxine Mystery meal." I whirled around, my hands balled into fists at my sides as I stared her down.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" I snapped, my embarrassment turning to anger when she chuckled and didn't back down, taking a step into my personal space. I shouldn't have been surprised, Taylor knew I wouldn't do anything to her if she continued to tease me, but that only made me more pissed off. The worst thing I'd ever do to Taylor is not talk to her for a few hours. She was my best friend for fuck's sake, I couldn't just ignore her for the rest of the year or make her life miserable. She was one of the only people who knew more about me than most and was still willing to put up with me.

"Come on, we both know that you wanna ride the Max mobile," she said teasingly, grinning down at me. Curse the universe for making her taller than me.

"Says who?" But the idea was already causing chaos in my head, images of Max lying beneath me, completely naked as I - No, stop that right fucking now, you moron!

"Says the way you started drooling over her like a month and a half ago," Taylor replied, pulling me, gratefully, from my thoughts. I rolled my eyes, forcing my muscles to loosen in my shoulders as I turned away from Taylor and walked into the dorms.

"You must be delusional," I retorted lamely, hearing her follow me down the hall to my dorm. "Because Victoria Chase doesn't drool over anyone. Especially nasty hipster trash like Max Caulfield." But something in me pulsed at the sound of her name, the way it felt as it passed between my lips.

"If you say so," was all Taylor said as we reached my room. I opened the door and she followed me in, setting her bag down on my couch before plopping herself down beside it. "So, do we really need to study or can we just watch some TV?" I rolled my eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that day, closing my door before walking over to my desk and collapsing into the office chair in front of my computer.

"Some of us actually care about their grades, so yes, we're actually going to study," I said, pulling notecards out of my bag. It was quite the hefty stack of cards and looking at it made the small headache growing against the back of my skull throb in protest.

"You can't be serious," Taylor whined, looking over at the cards in my hand. "I've helped you study those damn things at least five times over the past three days. If you haven't learned it all by now, you never will." I scowled at her, walking over to the couch to stand in front of her, holding the cards out to her.

"You know chemistry isn't my best subject and I really need to pass this next test if I want my car around for the rest of the year," I said, giving her the best pleading look I could. "Please? You know that my parents have already threatened to take it away twice for getting B minuses on the last two tests. If I don't keep my grades up, they take my car and then you and Courtney and I are stuck in this shithole unless we want to bum a ride from someone else." Taylor sighed, taking the cards from me before leaning back and staring at them ruefully.

"If you wanna pass so bad, why don't you ask that weird science geek to help you?" She grumbled.

"Who? That freak who follows Max around like a lost puppy?" I had to stop myself from letting a scowl crawl onto my face as I crossed my arms over my chest. "He's a creep. Why would I ask him for help?" When I looked down at Taylor again, she was smirking at me. "What?" I snapped, but she only laughed and shrugged.

"Nothing," she insisted. "It just seems like you hold quite a bit of resentment for someone who doesn't even pay attention to you." I scoffed, running my fingers through my hair before sitting down on the couch next to Taylor.

"I'm not resentful," I mumbled, trying and failing to sit up straight.

"Oh, please," Taylor laughed, summoning another one of my death glares her way. "You are so fucking jealous."

"Why the fuck would I be jealous of that weirdo?" I snarled defensively, but that just made Taylor laugh harder.

"Maybe because Warren totally wants her dick and you're just as thirsty as he is, you're just too uptight to admit it," she explained, only making me bristle.

"I am so not uptight," I protested, trying to ignore the twinge of disgust I felt in the pit of my stomach when I thought about Warren wanting to sleep with Max. No one even knew if she wanted to sleep with anyone. Plus, I didn't like the idea of Max sleeping with anyone in the first place. Especially Warren. He was a creep.

"You're so strung up that you'd cut a person in half if you snapped," Taylor teased, but her gaze had gone soft as she spoke, watching me carefully. "Oh, come on, don't look so crestfallen."

"How do you even know what that word means?" I grumbled, sinking further into the sofa. She just chuckled and criss-crossed her legs before turning to face me.

"You underestimate me," she teased, showing me a card that said acculturation in my own handwriting. She smiled at me from behind the card. "Now what's the definition of this one?"

"The process by which a culture is transformed due to the massive adoption of cultural traits from another society," I said with a sigh, my mind wondering a little as Taylor asked me questions about the stuff on the other side of the card. I got it all right on my first try, which was surprising since I wasn't thinking about cultural anthropology at all. Max was still on my mind, smiling drowsily and apologizing for running into me, her deep blue eyes shimmering with flecks of silver as she looked at me. I wondered if I made her as confused as she made me. At least she knew things about me. All I knew about her was that she was a mystery to everyone and too talented for her own good. Not to mention that she was even less motivated than Taylor when it came to school. I seriously doubted that she was studying for the test that we were supposed to be taking tomorrow, or the English quiz, or that she'd even started her math homework.

"Do you think Max is an omega?" I asked. It was supposed to just be a thought to myself, but it must've slipped through my filter when I wasn't looking. When Taylor didn't answer, I looked up, seeing a confused look on her face.

"What?" She asked, lowering the card in her hand. "I don't know, why?" I felt my entire face heat up and had to look away to keep what was left of my dignity intact.

"I don't know, it's just weird that no one seems to know," I mumbled, crossing my arms over my chest again. "And she doesn't even broadcast any pheromones or get into fights like alphas and she seems much more submissive than a beta. But I seriously doubt that her parents would be able to afford suppressants and she's never had a heat at school. Isn't it just a little suspicious?" I hadn't noticed that I was ranting until I looked back at Taylor, her features tight with a grin that she was barely holding back.

"Why don't you just ask her if you're so curious?" She suggested. I knew she was baiting me into snapping at her again, but I ignored it, scoffing and rolling my eyes.

"It's not like I'm obsessed, I can live without knowing the answer," I replied indignantly. "It's just weird. We know what everyone else's status is, she's the only unknown in the whole school."

"Oh my god, you are so fucking obsessed," Taylor practically squealed, pressing the notecards into the couch cushion beneath her to balance herself as she leaned towards me, getting into my personal space. Her scent had never gotten to me, not even when she teased me like this, but there was something about the triumph it contained in that moment that got to me a little.

"Am not!" I snapped, a growl escaping me before I could stop it. She backed down, but her grin never faltered.

"What's the matter with you today, anyway?" She asked, setting the cards aside before looking at me again, her features only tensing in concern for a moment. "Are you about to go into heat or something?"

"No, of course not," I said, getting to my feet and opening my phone to look at my calendar before showing it to Taylor. "See? It's not supposed to start until Saturday."

"Isn't it possible to start a few days early?" She asked, her brows furrowed in legitimate concern this time as she got to her feet. Slight panic prodded at the back of my mind, throbbing with the headache that had only just begun to fade a moment ago.

"No," I insisted, but it was a little breathless. It was possible for an omega to go into heat early, but that had never happened to me before and I hadn't taken any suppressants since my last heat. Hell, I had even managed to run out that time. "Oh no." I flopped down on my bed, staring blankly at the floor.

"What?" Taylor asked, going to sit down next to me.

"I ran out of pills a few months ago and totally forgot to get more."

"Why don't you just call your parents?" Taylor asked, sitting beside me, but leaving space between us. "I'm sure they'd bring you some."

"Are you kidding?" I laughed harshly, burying my face in my hands. "They'd sooner kill me for forgetting them in the first place. Not to mention they'd probably put me into isolation again." A shudder ran through me at the memory of what felt like an eternity in a small, dark room with only a bed, a toilet, a sink and a tiny hole in the door for people to shove food through. It was more like a prison cell than anything else. I had been so miserable the whole time. The insatiable emptiness I'd felt, the tears that stained my pillow when nothing I did for myself could make the pain go away. Then, when it was finally over, my mother greeted me like she hadn't just locked me away for three days straight, smiling down at me and telling me that what I'd just endured was a sign that I was ready to be a worthwhile omega when I was ready to finally mate with someone.

"What are you going to do?" Taylor asked, pulling me from my memories. Her scent was suddenly much more prominent than I was used to, making me shake a little before I got to my feet and walked to the other side of the room, my arms wrapped around myself. I couldn't look at her. I didn't want to see the hurt in her eyes.

"I just need to stay here and think for a little while," I told her, taking a deep breath before meeting her eyes again. She nodded, though I could see the way she was struggling with something beneath the surface. Taylor was a good person and my best friend, but she was still a beta and her instincts often won out over friendship when shit hit the fan and I would hate for our friendship to fall apart just because I was an idiot. A soon to be very hormonally driven idiot. "Alone." Taylor nodded again, getting to her feet and pausing for another moment before speaking.

"Just text me if you need anything, ok?" She said, giving me a smile that made my heart ache. I smiled tightly and nodded, watching Taylor grab her bag and leave me alone in my room. I sighed when she was gone, the room suddenly feeling lighter in her absence.

"This is going to suck," I said to the empty room, going to sit down at my desk. I decided to do some research, looking up ways to help me get through the next few days with limited shittiness involved. Luckily, I found that some people had come up with cheap and easy ways to lessen the scent of an omega's heat and even lessen the symptoms, but they were nothing compared the pills I'd been taking. The best thing I could find was herbal tea, but I didn't know anything about tea.

The idea hit me like a ton of bricks and I was on my feet and out my door before I could think twice about it. Within seconds, I was standing at Kate's door, knocking loudly so she'd hear me over her violin. The soft, slightly shrill sound stopped and there was shuffling behind the door before it opened. Kate's smile wavered when she laid her eyes on me, but it didn't go away completely.

"I'm sorry, Victoria," she said before I could speak, making herself look smaller before me. "Are we being too loud?" The we part of the question caught me off guard and I was looking over her shoulder before I could stop myself. Max and that blue haired alpha she was always hanging around were sitting on Kate's floor, both watching me with more intense interest than I was used to. I swallowed dryly, my core pulsing when I met Max's eyes. She smiled nervously at me, waving a little.

"Hey, it's Sticky Vicky," the blue haired girl greeted me, getting to her feet and walking up to stand behind Kate, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl's waist in a way that seemed much more than just a friendly gesture. Looking at Kate, I wasn't surprised to see her blushing furiously. "Katie here was just showing us a piece she'd been working on. Didn't it sound amazing?" Kate was avoiding my gaze and I really didn't blame her. I had never been less then extremely unpleasant to her.

"We can be more quiet if we were disturbing your studying," Kate said sheepishly, leaning further against the blue haired alpha, like she was a lifeline or a barrier of protection against me. "I would hate to bother you."

"No, it's not that," I said, waving the comment away dismissively. "I was just…" I trailed off, looking up to see that Max had stood and was setting her guitar aside to come stand next to the other two girls. There was a strange flare of protectiveness in her eyes that I'd rarely seen before. It made my knees feel a little like jelly, but I kept myself standing as straight as I could. "I have a question. A tea question. I was wondering if you had any I could use." Kate's eyes seemed to light up with understanding almost immediately and I felt a mixture of embarrassment and relief wash over at the sight. At least I wouldn't have to spell anything out or try to explain myself.

"You always struck me as more of a coffee person," Max said, looking a little more relaxed. I rolled my eyes to keep myself from staring at her. This was probably the longest I'd stood near her and not said something nasty.

"I need it to help me stay calm while I study," I lied, crossing my arms over my chest. The alpha that had her arms around Kate smelled so strongly of alpha that I had to practically hold my breath against the way it had started to sting in my nostrils. It definitely explained her dominant attitude from what I knew of her.

"What are you studying for?" The taller girl asked, her blue hair poking out under her beanie as she looked down at me. She was definitely the tallest out of the four of us, but she wasn't all that scary to me. It was almost like she wasn't trying to show her dominance over me like most of the other alphas in the school did. Not that they ever succeeded, anyway.

"Who are you, anyway?" I asked, her name escaping me. She grinned, holding out her hand for me to shake.

"I'm Chloe," she said, her grin turning into a lopsided smile. "Sorry I didn't introduce myself before." I shook her hand, disengaging as quickly as I could.

"How did you know who I was?" I asked. It was a stupid question, really. Most people knew who I was. Whether it was because they hated me or not was a different story entirely.

"Maxaroni's told me about you," she replied, letting go of Kate who walked into her room and was rummaging through a drawer. I looked over at Max who had started blushing and now refused to look at me. Chloe smirked, looking from Max to me as she wrapped her arm around Max's shoulder. "She talks about you all th-" she was cut off by Max elbowing her harshly in the side, but she just laughed. "Jesus, Max. You have the boniest elbows of all time."

I was saved from having to say anything when Kate brought back a kettle and a small box of tea bags along with a colorful mug to her bed, putting them in a tote bag that was covered in little, cartoon bunnies before bringing the bag over to the door and holding it out to me. She smiled sweetly at me as I took the bag.

"The instructions are on the box, but if you have any questions, let me know," she said. I smiled as best I could, nodding to her.

"Thanks, I owe you," I replied, but the words were hard to say. I probably owed her for a lot more than some tea if I thought about it.

"No problem," she insisted, walking back into her room with Chloe close behind her. I turned and started walking back to my room, watching the ground as I tried to process what the hell had just happened.

"Hey, Victoria," Max called after me, walking up to me before stopping just in front of me, her eyes on the carpet that she was kicking with the front of her shoe. "Just, um, let me know if you need help with studying for the anthro test tomorrow. Warren helped me come up with a few things that helped me memorize the definitions and theories and all that stuff." She looked up at me sheepishly, rubbing her elbow through her hoodie. My face started to burn under her gaze and I had to look away, my heart thundering in my chest as her sweet, subtle scent filtered around me. It seemed strange, out of place, like she was hiding whatever it was that helped other identify her sex just from smelling her. But even though it was subtle, it made the warmth washing over me unbearable.

"Thanks, but I think I've got it," I said, turning to make it the rest of the way to my room. Hurrying to get into my room, I shut my door, leaning back against it. I closed my eyes, heaving a sigh to help me clear my head, but all I saw was Max. Her silly smile and sparkling eyes, her soothing voice filling my ears. I let my mind run away from me, wondering what her voice would sound like a few octaves lower, words breathed against my skin. Her fingers running over my body, her mouth laying claim to my skin with small red and purple marks, her teeth sinking sharply into the cord of my shoulder.

My eyes snapped open, my chest heaving as I stared into my empty room.

"I am so fucked."