My Nerdy Alpha's True Masks

A Honda Rebel 500 tore across the school grounds, its engine letting out a thunderous, rhythmic roar. Students currently in the middle of their lessons peered out through the windows.

They already knew exactly who was behind the handlebars. Given the stunt she was pulling, everyone wanted to see the spectacle that was bound to follow.

Indiana pulled into the motorcycle lot on the side of the school building, parking in a frantic rush.

"INDIANA!!!" A shout, no less thunderous than her engine, echoed through the entire campus. Indiana, mid-pull as she removed her helmet, jolted in surprise.

"Mr. Yang, I'm sorry! I only did it because I was already late!" Indiana pleaded with the disciplinary officer.

"No more excuses! Not only are you late, but you’ve also cost the school a fortune by tearing up the field’s turf! Go to the Principal’s office. Right. Now!" Mr. Yang barked. The small man, possessing a face carved from hard, unforgiving lines, glared at her with fury.

"N—No! Can't I just do something else for detention? Please, anywhere but the Principal's office..." Indiana begged.

Mr. Yang shook his head firmly.

Indiana let out a defeated sigh and gave a reluctant nod. She had never wished more for the Principal's office to be further away; she took tiny, agonizingly slow steps just to kill time.

But there she was. With a wave of overwhelming dread, Indiana knocked on Principal Mary's door.

"Enter," a cold voice called from within.

Indiana took a deep breath, bracing herself for the inevitable.

Principal Mary was facing away from her. From her posture, Indiana could tell the woman was massaging her temples.

"Can't you go just one day without embarrassing me? Just one day, Diana, where you act like the daughter of a respectable principal," Mary muttered, her voice low and dangerously controlled.

Indiana’s brow furrowed at the sound of her mother calling her "Diana." Mary knew Indiana hated that name; it sounded weak, soft, and overly feminine.

Her late father had named her Indiana, and that was the name she would carry with pride.

Their relationship had been fractured ever since her father died six years ago. Her mother had become a workaholic, drowning herself in her career and leaving a young Indiana to nurse her wounds alone. It was that abandonment that had forged her into the hardened, rebellious girl she was today.

"It’s Indiana. Please respect that. And let's cut the small talk—which hall do I have to scrub after school?" Indiana challenged.

Mary swiveled her chair around to face Indiana. In her hand was a stack of Indiana's quiz papers. Indiana’s jaw tightened instantly, and she looked away, trying to swallow the surge of shame rising in her chest.

"What do you plan on becoming if you keep slacking off like this, Diana?! Isn't it enough that you act like a delinquent? Do you have to intentionally sabotage your future, too?!" Mary finally snapped, losing her composure. She threw the papers toward Indiana, letting them scatter across the floor.

Indiana’s expression turned dark. So many emotions were bubbling up, screaming to be let out, but she refused to give her mother the satisfaction. She wouldn't let herself look defeated.

"What do you care, Mrs. Mary? This is my life. I’m the one living it. Why do you suddenly care now?! Oh, right—it’s probably because I’ve finally succeeded in trashing your precious reputation," Indiana spat.

Mother and daughter locked eyes, glaring at each other like two predators ready to pounce, separated only by the mahogany desk between them.

"Fix this. I don't care how, but that is your punishment. Your grades must meet the passing requirements for Oxyord University. If you fail, I am stripping the name 'Stuart' from your last name. Your father would be ashamed to claim a daughter like you. You have until the end of next semester," Mary delivered the ultimatum without a hint of emotion.

Tears welled in Indiana’s eyes before she could stop them.

"You are the most hateful woman in the world! I'm ashamed to call you my mother! It’s no wonder Dad died early being married to you!" Indiana cursed, her emotions finally overflowing.

Mary simply smiled. She had won. She had shaken Indiana’s defenses; she still held the reins.

"You’re going to study with this boy. Whatever it takes, he’s the one who’s going to help you reach your goal," Mary commanded, once again throwing a stack of papers toward Indiana. These ones, however, were test results with perfect scores.

Indiana picked up the flawless papers and read the name printed at the top.

Finnick Axton.

Is there even a kid by that name in my class? Indiana thought.

Indiana didn't offer a reply. Burning with rage, she stormed out, slamming the door behind her so hard the frame rattled.

Crazy old hag, Indiana cursed.

However, the thought of losing the name 'Stuart' made her heart sink. It was the only thing she had left of her father, and she wouldn't let her mother take that away from her.

Mary, for her part, knew Indiana wasn't stupid. She just needed motivation, and Indiana’s greatest motivator had always been a challenge. It was a game Duncan—her late husband—and their daughter used to play all the time.

Indiana made it back to class, ignoring the teacher at the front as she walked to her desk.

Her eyes swept the room and landed on the quiet boy who, as it turned out, had been sitting directly in front of her all along.

He was an awkward guy who looked like he didn't belong in this world. Every move he made was silent, as if he’d be eliminated if he made even the slightest sound. Indiana wouldn't have even noticed he existed if it hadn't been for Mary’s orders.

To Indiana, Finnick was just a useless NPC—background noise in a game.

Who would have guessed that this very boy was about to flip Indiana's life upside down?

On the other side of the desk, Finnick felt his back burning. He was acutely aware that Indiana was staring a hole through him, but he couldn't fathom why. He had never crossed her path before. What could possibly have caught the delinquent girl's attention?

"Hm—" Finnick shifted uncomfortably, but he had to endure it for the remainder of the period.

As soon as the bell rang for lunch, Finnick tried to slip away toward the library to put some distance between himself and Indiana. He had a bad feeling about her.

Unfortunately, he ran straight into Jax and his crew of bullies in the hall.

Jax shoved Finnick into a locker with a loud, metallic thud. The flow of students heading to lunch came to a halt; they gave the troublemakers space, settling in for the free entertainment.

"Where do you think you're going, rat? Why don't you just disappear? You're an eyesore to the rest of the planet," Jax sneered, his face twisted in disgust.

"Don't be like that, Jax. He's actually pretty useful, you know..." Brock, one of Jax's lackeys, interjected.

Jax looked ready to snap at Brock for talking back, but Brock quickly added, "Wait for it—he’s useful as a punching bag! Hahaha!" Brock’s laughter was echoed by Jax and Rhett.

"You're right about that," Jax smirked.

A second later, Jax’s fist buried itself in Finnick’s stomach, making him gasp for air and slump to the floor.

"Tsk—crap, I touched his clothes. Now I smell like a coward," Jax insulted, shaking his hand as if brushing off invisible filth, his friends laughing along.

Indiana watched the whole scene and scoffed.

'What a total NPC. He can't even make a sound when he's hurt. Pathetic creature,' she mocked silently, watching Finnick lie on the floor, pretending to be out cold.

Jax raised his foot, looking like he was about to deliver a heavy kick to Finnick’s head.

Wait, he's no use to me if he's dead, Indiana decided.

"Baby!" Indiana shouted at Jax.

Jax’s kick froze in mid-air. He turned to Indiana with a wide grin.

"Babe! I didn't think you were coming to this zoo today!" Jax greeted her, swaggering over to Indiana and kissing her deeply.

Indiana glanced at Finnick, who was peeping at them from the floor with an expressionless gaze. Indiana glared at him, her eyes screaming a single command:

This is your chance. Run!

And just like that, Finnick slipped away unnoticed, exactly as he was meant to.

'Was it just my imagination, or did that delinquent girl just help me?' Finnick wondered.

He couldn't shake the nagging thought.