This cannot be real.

Seth is heartbroken over the news of Sean being dispatched back to England because he lied on his admission form about having a criminal record. How can anybody have missed this?

Well, here is the truth about the story.

Sean does not have a criminal record, per se, because charges were never filed against him. He was busted by the police with some weed back when he was still in high school, but his father - who is a well connected Alpha - got them to not file possession charges.

So, in reality, what he had was just a police report of what happened, but no criminal record. However, when a man like Frederick Stronghold orders a background check, he gets his money's worth. So, he emailed Headmaster Lockwood Sean's arrest report from London, England and the rest is history.

And now Seth is devastated over losing Sean, the boy who had completely won him over.

He did not stop crying from the moment he heard Lockwood's announcement to the rest of the afternoon. He was in no shape to attend any classes, so I stayed with him inside our dorm room, comforting him in the best way I could.

My poor friend is not only left without a prospect, he is completely broken-hearted.

I told Seth that maybe there would be someone else for him out there, but Sean was the best of the potential prospects. He had a certain quality to him that when he listens to you, he makes you feel heard. He actually pays attention to what you're saying instead of picturing you naked or whatever people do when they space out of conversations.

I really liked him for Seth and the two of them were so happy together.

Later that evening, we had to get ready for the Harvest Ball. Though I was no longer required to attend it, I would be there to support Seth and I didn't want to miss it anyway. It's a party and I don't have to dance with anybody I don't want to.

With difficulty, Seth pulled it together to go to the soireé that was mandatory for him. We met Jayden at the front of the second tower and walked together with Skylar, who also had to attend it.

He asked his brother how he was doing, to which he replied terribly. He never could have expected that Sean would be rejected by their father after the amazing weekend they had when he went to Texas to introduce him to his parents.

"The only reason I am even coming tonight is because I don't want to be stuck cleaning toilets for the rest of the weekend." Seth muttered, disgruntled.

I have said this plenty of times before, they take rules very seriously here in Ravenwood. And when they say mandatory, it's never a suggestion. You have to dance with everyone who has not yet secured parental approval of their prospect.

The intention behind the rule is: to get the unpaired students to mingle with each other once again. If you already have parental approval, it makes less sense for them to make you dance the night away with the same people you danced the last time around.

At this time, there are about 100 people still single. That is a lot of people to dance with, though obviously, he is not going to dance with the females, Gammas, or other Omegas. Just the Betas and Alphas.

The third tower was open tonight for us to use the ballroom. It was beautifully decorated once again and the place was crawling with well-dressed students. Even those who didn't need to attend came tonight to enjoy the music and the occasion. If anything, it's a date night for couples like Jayden and I.

I am relieved to not have the pressure of worrying about dancing with a bunch of people who would never prospect me. I am thankful to have Jayden by my side, though I hope he knows I can't desert Seth right now. But we will have our moments when he is busy dancing.

Considering none of us had any dinner tonight, we went straight for the food and beverage tables. We served ourselves some delicious finger food and took our plates to a partially empty table. Jayden and Skylar were estranged from each other for two people sharing a room, but I am not exactly surprised about that.

To be honest, Skylar has not been doing any better than his brother since he returned from Texas. He is heartbroken and it shows. I wish I could comfort him without causing Jayden to be jealous. I miss our time together, I cannot lie. But I would never compromise my relationship with Jayden, that is not what this is about.

I think of him more as a special friend.

The DJ is playing cool, ambient music and the pairs started to form to get the dance going. It's going to be a long night. Awkwardly, Seth is invited by an Alpha for his first waltz of the evening. Skylar did the same and asked a female Gamma to the dance floor.

"Thank you for coming tonight. I didn't want to miss this, especially now." I told Jayden, before taking another bite of my food.

"Of course, my love. Anything for you. I am actually excited to not have to dance with a bunch of people tonight. I can focus my attention on you, the way you deserve." He said, romantically. I swooned at the supportive partner.

The ebony god is simply dazzling tonight. I imagined he would look amazing in formal wear and he did not disappoint just like last time. I am in awe of how good looking my prospecting partner is.

"You look so hot tonight. I have to resist the urge to take you somewhere and have my way with you." I flirted, looking at him naughtily.

"Calm down, boo! Not until the contract is signed! Do you think I am that easy?" He snickered, playing offended. I laughed at his charming reaction. See, this is exactly why I love him. He won't compromise my integrity as an Omega until a contract is signed between us.

I was just joking anyway, I would never do that with anyone before my mom approves of him. Though he is putting up a good fight for my raging hormones right now. He is so dreamy. Damn! *drools*

Sometime later, we made the rounds and greeted our fellow students, complimenting them on how everyone was so good looking tonight. Seth has embarked on a series of dancing routines with his prospective candidates.

Skylar is the waltz king of the dance floor. He has not stopped dancing since we arrived, except for the ten minutes it took for him to eat something. I am glad he is keeping himself busy tonight because I am worried about his lack of will to prospect again. I do not want him to suffer on my account. We were never going to happen and I knew that from the start. Unlike Jayden and I, there was never any hope for us.

But I wish him happiness with whoever he chooses. I do not bear him any ill will.

Jayden and I were making out in a corner of the ballroom in between dances when I heard Skylar's voice in the crowd.

"Stop it, please. Don't push it. I am required to dance, not kiss you. Respect my boundaries." A female Gamma was all over him on the dance floor and it was kind of embarrassing to see how uninterested Skylar was in her.

He looked uncomfortable while the girl was pushing herself closer to his body while they danced. I was cringing at the scene. But Jayden pulled my focus back to him, so I had to continue what we were doing.

A few moments later, we returned to our table where Seth was resting for a minute, eating some more finger food and washing it down with a ginger ale. Skylar had ditched his dance partner and was doing the same. Sort of.

"If you want some vodka with that ginger ale, I got you covered, brother. Let me know." He offered Seth, drinking a spiked punch. The Alpha has Santos replenishing his liquor cabinet weekly. Though none of us here are of legal drinking age, the school does not involve itself with the private packages students receive here, but they obviously do not sell alcohol.

"Thanks, I might take you up on that later, but for now I need to be sober to face some of these Alphas." He said, sounding annoyed at the obligation.

"If they ever get handsy, I am here for you, brother. I don't know why it is hard for some people to understand that consent is key." Skylar complained, still irritated after his last dance partner.

"Look at me, I am so attractive that girls throw themselves at me. Poor me!" Jayden poked fun at Skylar and I glared daggers at him. That was uncalled for.

"They are not throwing themselves at me because of how I look. They are doing so to become the next Mrs. Stronghold." Skylar spat at him, livid.

"Yes, it must be hard being a chick magnet." He teased him. Except I am not finding this conversation even remotely funny. Or fair to Skylar, for that matter.

"I am not any more attractive than several of my housemates. I am definitely not more attractive than you, for example. The only thing that distinguishes me from all the other Alphas is that my father has graced the cover of Forbes magazine. So yeah, poor me who can't get a girl interested in getting to know me for who I am. Not my last name." He defended himself, fuming.

Skylar got up from the table and left to pick another partner. I pulled Jayden aside because I did not want to embarrass him in front of my friend or any of his.

"That was completely uncalled for! You know he has been struggling to find his place here after his father's rejection. What is wrong with wanting more than a floozy who only wants to be with him for his money?" I growled at him, irritated at this demonstration of lack of empathy.

"He will find somebody else, Jake! Come on! He is Skylar Stronghold! Do you really think he will remain single for the next six months? You're coddling him for what? Are you jealous of his date for trying to kiss him?" He asked me in an accusatory tone.

Okay, now I am really mad.

"First of all, I respect the fact that he is striving for something more. Like what you and I have. Second, I don't care if he remains single or not. It's not about that. What I do care about is that he is happy because he deserves it just like any other student here. Now, are you seriously asking if I am jealous of some slut embarrassing herself in front of the entire school? Really? What could she possibly have for me to be jealous of?" I ranted, incredibly mad at him. My eyes are shining in rage at him for that insult.

"No, I am not jealous. I feel affection for Skylar because he proved himself a man who can admit his wrong doings and grow from them. I like him because he was courteous, humble, sympathetic and non-judgmental when he met my family. I want him to do well here, but no. I am definitely not jealous. If I wanted to kiss him, I would have already done that. Trust me, there were plenty of opportunities during our trip." I set off, rabidly.

"I am so disappointed in you right now! Listen, I don't care about you two bickering on a daily basis, that is not my problem. But if you think I am with you because I could not get Skylar, you haven't been paying attention. I thought we were together because we loved each other. My mistake, I guess." I ranted, impossibly mad at him.

Jayden tried to walk back his declaration, but I rushed out of the ballroom towards the patio outside - that connects all three towers. I am fuming! How dare he accuse me of being jealous? I am only speaking about what happened earlier because he decided to tease him about it. I wasn't even going to say anything. I don't care who Skylar kisses or not, I want him to be happy! I really do!

Seth found me outside moments later and asked me what was wrong. I mean, he figured it was because of his brother. But it is not like I have been neglecting my date or making him feel insecure. I thought we were past all that.

Some time later, we returned to the ballroom where Jayden looked mortified by his behavior and apologized to me non stop. I caved eventually because I didn't want us to be mad at each other.

"Trust me, Jay. I am not the type of guy who would devote myself to you while harboring feelings for another guy. I am all in. But I will never forget how honorable Skylar was with me. And how kind he was with my family on our trip." I explained to him, not wanting to leave a single doubt. I know what I want, but I will not tolerate disrespect.

"I understand, Jake. I am sorry for shooting my mouth. I think maybe I was the one who was jealous of your connection." He admitted, painstakingly. The two of us were dancing cheek to cheek while he was pampering me with kisses.

"There is nothing to be jealous of. I have nothing but respect for him and I wish him a great match. Even if that sounds unlikely at the moment. But I am all in with you, with us." I told him, incisively.

Around midnight, some of the students were finishing their dance obligations. Seth was already done. Jayden and I were talking at our table with a couple of other students. Suddenly, Skylar appeared before us and asked me to dance with him.

"He is not on the roster, Sky." Jayden fought back, referring to the list of available students for him.

"I am fully aware of that, roomie. But I promise you it's just a dance. Nothing else." He insisted. I looked at Jayden and whispered to him everything was going to be okay.

Skylar and I took to the dance floor for a respectable waltz, but it shifted songs mid way through it, and he pulled me closer for a more intimate dance. But still not as close as Jayden and I were before, of course.

"I was listening to a music playlist in shuffle mode the other day and came across this song. I decided it's our theme." He whispered to me as the song played on. The more I listened to the song, the more I understood what he meant.

"I see. I am sorry we could not Rewrite the Stars." I snickered.

"You are not as sorry as I am, trust me." He spoke with grief.

"I can't help but to think that you are my destiny." He whispered to me as we danced.

"I never thought that you were so romantic." I was impressed to learn this.

"You inspire me to be a better man." He declared and I swooned.

"As long as you don't provoke your roommate or jeopardize our relationship, I am happy to do it." I cautioned him, eerily.

"I would never dream of wanting you to be as miserable as I am right now. You're safe with me." He smiled at me and I swooned again. Damn, he is so charming. I forgot for a minute how nice it is to be close to him. He has such a wonderful scent.

https://youtu.be/20iOlPwz0J0

A|N: Okay then.

What the future holds for these characters? What will happen to Seth?

Will anyone appear to cure Skylar's broken heart?

Who knows?

If I were you, I would set a reminder for the next chapter that shall be posted on Wednesday. Just saying...

Next is "Listen".

OFF: Do me a favor, will you? Listen to this song pretending Zac Efron is "SKYLAR" and Zendaya is "JACOB". Have a listen and tell me if it's not the most romantic song they could possibly sing to each other? Pay close attention to the lyrics. I sobbed. :'(

https://youtu.be/b3UBdTHYfp4

Love,

Léo.