I gripped the steering wheel as I drove to school, feeling numb. There's an alien working on my family's ranch. 

I would have laughed if I hadn't seen how strangely true it all was. Orion's words had burrowed deep inside, leaving no room for denial. I had to make a choice. Do I help him, or ignore the chaos he has brought to my home? 

I had nothing but time to think over Orion's words all weekend. My plan had been to ignore it all until I had no choice but to think about it. Denial at its finest.

But with the harvest over and my dad and Orion giving me the weekend off in celebration of my first place in the Bull Riding competition, I didn't have much else to do besides think. I had gotten third place in the singing competition, which was the biggest shock the entire weekend. And the fact that that was the biggest shock made me feel like an idiot. 

I found out that aliens exist and I still thought getting third place was the most outrageous information. Clearly, I've lost my mind.

I hadn't believed I would place at all, especially since my focus was shot near the end of the song when I saw the Destrocomet in the back of the tent, looking like a hungry monster at buffet. I hadn't even been sure I was singing the right words or in key when I realized it was there. But I must have done something right because I had a third-place yellow ribbon to prove it. 

And even as my dad continued to shout about it all weekend— his version of my victories growing more elaborate and outlandish with each telling— I hadn't felt much like celebrating. But with my dad beaming with happiness and proudly displaying my ribbons up in his office, I had done my best to be excited all weekend, for his sake. 

He doesn't know that everyone almost got taken out by a rock creature that's after his best employee... and Orion.

I parked my car in the school parking lot and sighed. Orion would be in my first class. I couldn't ignore him or his question anymore. 

Taking a deep breath, I tried to process something that was way beyond my ability to comprehend. 

Orion is an alien. Rock monsters are after me and he won't tell me why. 

I ran my fingers through my hair, pulling it up into a frustrated ponytail, then slamming the car door closed, I made my way to class, still no closer to making a decision.

I slumped down into my chair, head spinning with a never-ending list of nagging pros and cons that I couldn't seem to weed through. 

Should I spend time helping an alien guy look for a material that he doesn't even know how to describe? Do I want to put myself in danger? Can he be trusted? Can I afford to not help him and leave him to run around acting like a glowing strobe light of chaos for who knows how long?

"Alina?" Orion asked cautiously. His beautiful voice shattered my concentration.

I looked up at him startled. "Oh, hi."

He smiled shyly. "Hi." He looked more flustered and nervous than I had ever seen him.

"Hi," I said again like an idiot. I wasn't even sure what else to say at that point.

His smile grew more confident, purple sparking in his eyes for a moment. He leaned forward, his mouth close to my ear. His breath touched my neck, sending my heart fluttering in my chest. "So... are you going to help me? Or are you going to leave me to terrorize the town like a beacon of trouble for those monsters?" he whispered in my ear.

A chill ran down my spine and it took physical effort not to melt. A combination of emotions swarmed through me. 

I closed my eyes for a moment, organizing my thoughts and tucking away unwanted reactions. I looked into his eyes and found myself answering before I was fully aware I had decided. "Yes. Yes. I will help you." 

More than anything else, I needed to get him away from me, from my dad. And the only way to do that was to help him. I just had to keep my wits about me until then, unless he got me killed first.

His smile widened. "Great." He leaned back but I moved towards him, bringing myself to bridge the gap he had just created.

"I have conditions."

A slow smile spread across his lips. "I'm listening."

"I want you to answer all of my questions every step of the way. I need to know what is going on. And I want to learn how to defend myself against those things in case they come back. I refuse to be a clueless pedestrian in this weird war of yours."

He looked startled. "Really?"

I crossed my arms, narrowing my eyes. "I took you down didn't I?"

Orion laughed, looking like he wanted to argue before deciding against it. "Fair. But they aren't easy to take down."

I nodded, my eyes narrowing further. "I don't care. Let's just say I found a new dangerous hobby. I won't feel safe until I know how to defend myself and you're gonna teach me."

He looked surprised and then intrigued by the idea. Leaning forward again, his smile stormy, eyes bright with mischief. "Whatever you say, Ranch Girl."

He tried not to laugh when I shot him a glare. "Sorry. Force of habit. I'll behave." 

I raised a brow at him and then turned to face the front of the class, doing my best to focus. I heard him chuckle as class started, amused with himself. I kept my face serious even as I fought a smile. I didn't understand what was wrong with my brain. I thought he would put up a fight when it came to fight training, but considering I had two run-ins with them already, I think logic won out.

As the class came to an end, Orion stood up and offered me a grin. "We'll start this weekend." He shot me a wink before walking out of class, leaving the girls behind me to gasp, envious.

I pulled my eyes from his and shoved my book into my bag, doing my best to ignore the whispers. Great, more fangirl ammo.

...

"Girl, I didn't know you could sing?" Ashley hit me as she sat down next to me in our usual lunch spot out in the sunshine.

I rubbed my arm and shrugged, trying not to feel too embarrassed. I forgot how many students would be at the festival and I had been receiving compliments all day on my performance. "I don't normally sing in front of anyone," I mumbled down at the grass, face turning red.

"Well, you sounded AAAAAMAZING!" Ashley sang out the last word with flair, throwing her arm up in the air dramatically. "And Orion playing along was a nice touch. I've never seen so many girls drooling and glaring with jealousy at the same time." She threw her head back and laughed maniacally. "I shoulda recorded it."

I glanced towards the tree to see if Orion was in his usual spot, reading a book under the shade of the tree. But the spot was empty. I had grown used to seeing him settled there. Strange disappointment settled inside of me. Dumb alien given disease.

"Looking for someone?" Orion asked, suddenly appearing on the ground next to me.

"What are you doing here?" I stammered.

"Eating with you. Figured since we have plans this weekend I would just start the party early and join you now."

He released his award-winning smile on me, causing my breath to stall. I blinked and stared at him confused. "Why?" I said before I could stop myself.

Ashely laughed, surprised by my rudeness. "Alina!" I don't know why she was shocked, I was always rude to him.

"Because I want to sit next to you," he said, reaching for one of my curls and giving it a playful tug. My face flamed red.

What the heck? "Why? Did you run out of books to read?"

Orion's eyes locked with mine, full of mischief. "No. This just seemed more interesting."

An annoyingly large grin spread across Ashley's face as she glanced between us, her eyes twinkling. "You have plans this weekend?" She looked like she was going to tackle me for information.

I gave an uncommitted shrug. "Yeah. Kinda."

"Like a date?" Ashley squeaked with excitement.

My eyes went wide and I glared at her. "On what planet—?"

"Yes," Orion said, interrupting me. He was grinning, his smile matching Ashely's. Both of them had clearly lost their minds. "Like a date."

I choked on a sip of water I had taken at the exact wrong moment. "Orion, can I talk to you for a moment?"

I stood up and without another word, dragged him to his feet and towards the tree where he normally sat. He moved his hand into mine so I was pulling him by his hand instead of his wrist, earning us whispers and gawks as we moved. 

I pulled him behind the tree and removed my hand.

"What the hell?" I hissed angrily. "I know you aren't from around here. No, scratch that. I know you're from a whole other universe, where things are probably all glowy and stuff, but here, we," I motioned between us, "are not dating. Me helping you get outta here is not anything close to romantic."

"You say that a lot," he replied with a grin.

"What?" I asked confused by the sudden halt of my angry monologue.

"What the hell," he repeated me, "you say that a lot."

"Yeah, that happens when someone pisses me off as much as you do. Seriously, what was that? We aren't dating!"

He leaned towards me and it was oddly difficult to take a step back, away from him. "No. But I figured it would be a good cover."

"Look, glow boy, no one is gonna figure out your secret. I had to literally be tackled by monsters in order for me to put two and two together. So stop lying to people!"

He raised a brow at me. "Glow boy?"

I shrugged. "A nickname. You do glow like a nightlight."

He laughed. "Okay."

"And why are you always so happy when you piss me off?"

Orion gave a mischievous smile and took another step towards me. "I'll answer that one another time."

I moved back and found myself backed into the tree. I was trapped, pinned in place by Orion's night sky eyes. Sparks of purple flecks rippled across them, making me lose focus for a moment. He leaned in and placed a hand on the tree next to my head. The smell of citrus and pine filled my lungs. His hair fell forward, perfect ink-black brushstrokes across his strong jaw.

"You said you would answer my questions." I breathed.

"And I will. The ones that have to do with my mission. But others, not a chance." His dark eyes swallowed me whole, pulling me down into a place without air, without light, with nothing but darkness, a darkness I was reluctant to leave. "What would be the fun in that?" He asked, his voice husky.

My heart nearly gave out under the open curiosity in his eyes. "This isn't a game," I replied tautly.

"I know," he said softly. He leaned in and murmured in my ear, his voice warm against my jaw. "I just need the girls over there to think there is something happening between us. This way, they will leave me alone, and we have a cover for why we are together this weekend." I glanced over his shoulder and saw Kristi and several other girls openly staring at us.

I turned back to Orion, ordering my entire body to not react to how close he was. To ignore the fact that his face was inches from mine. "Well, I'm not on board with your stupid plan. So pass on playing along." 

Angry, I stalked back to Ashley and sat down in the grass, taking my first full breath in what felt like an eternity.

"Were you two just making out? Is that why your face is so red, Alina?" Ashley was on the verge of humming with excitement. She looked like she was going to burst like an overstuffed piñata.

My eyes were on fire with anger. "No way. Don't be gross." I glared at Orion as he sat down next to me. "And this weekend isn't a date."

"Oh what is it?" she asked curiously.

I was suddenly silent. I didn't know what to say. "It's a... Two friends hanging out." I replied exasperated.

Ashley burst into a fit of giggles. "You? Hanging out willingly with him? You hate him! A date makes WAY more sense. The whole hate to love thing. It's a classic."

Orion chuckled. "She does have a point. Seems far more believable than your terrible reason." My mouth fell open, irked by the idea. I rubbed my temples and sighed. Orion leaned back looking at me with curiosity. "So, what is it?"

"We're just working on something," I explained, receiving a raised eyebrow from Ashley.

"What?" Orion asked laughing. 

He really wasn't helping the situation. On getting your butt off this planet! On keeping everyone I know safe! 

But I couldn't say any of that. I was stuck in a world where going on a date with someone I could hardly stand was far more likely than the actual truth.

I stared at him. "You tell her what we are doing then."

He shook his head and shrugged. "You keep changing things up. I don't know what's going on anymore." 

Freaking traitor.

"Alina?" Ashley asked, looking confused. I was a terrible liar. I had no plan. I looked to Orion for help. He looked at Ashley and smiled. "It's a date. She's just being shy about it." 

I leaned back in the grass in defeat. I heard Orion chuckle next to me. 

---

Thank you for reading chapter thirteen! I hope you are enjoying the story! Or are at least curious to see where it goes!

UPDATE DAYS - A NEW CHAPTER EVERY WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY!

Looks like Orion is going to teach Alina how to defend herself from the monsters! How will that go? 

Will things get worse at school now that Alina and Orion are "dating"?

Will Alina be able to help Orion find what he is looking for? 

What else is Orion keeping secret from Alina?

Will those monsters come back?

CHAPTER QUESTION - Have you ever changed your mind about someone that you once hated? How did your friends/ family react to your sudden change of heart?