Alpha Stepped on my Toe

Age Six

       Ten years ago

 I stared down at my tinkerbell slippers in disbelief and tried my hardest not to cry at the sight of slimy mud covering them. I was too grossed out to try and take them off of my feet. Sawyer, my big brother, said that it was my fault for wearing them outside to play tag. He said I should've put on tennis shoes or gone bare footed like him and some of our other friends. I just wanted to show them to my best friend, Elspeth, soooo bad. At the thought of Elspeth seeing them like this, I couldn't stop myself from crying. She always had nicer things than me. 

        "Why ya cryin, Momo?" I looked up to see Valentine peeking up at me curiously from the bottom of the steps, "Aren't ya gonna come play hide n seek with us?" 

        "My tinkerbell slippers are... are... ruined!" I wailed, burying my face in my hands, "Everybuddy will laugh at me!" 

        I heard Valentine hop up the small flight of stairs, taking a couple steps at a time and almost tripping, and then sit down beside me and pat my back a few times, "It's gonna be okie-dokie, Imogen. I'll beat anybuddy up if they laugh at you. That's what best buddies are for, yknow!" 

        I peeked up at him and couldn't suppress a smile at his windblown hair and rosy nose and cheeks. Valentine already had the curliest, poofiest brown hair and now he looked like he'd gotten into a fight with a bush, "Lemme fix your hair, Val." I snaked my hand through it and tried my hardest to pat it down. It was a vain attempt. 

        "Oopsie daisie," I felt my cheeks heat up as a sudden gust of wind rushed past us and messed up his hair again, "You are a lost cuz." 

        Valentine arched an eyebrow at me and I could tell by the mischevious glint in his eyes that I was in for it. I slowly stood from my spot on the top stair and gripped the rail, fully prepared to bolt down the stairs and away from him, and that's what I did. I kicked off my ruined slippers and made a run for it, squealing all the way. 

        "Elspeth!" I called out breathlessly, "Els, help me!" I looked behind me to see Valentine gaining on me. His legs were much longer than mine. 

        I turned back around only to crash into a very surprised Tucker, sending him flying backwards with ahold of my wrist. I fell with him, and landed with a thud on top of him on the mush of the forest floor. His hair was turned a dirty blonde from the mud and his eyelashes were fringed with rain drops, and he stared up at me with big, blue eyes. He still had ahold of my wrist, and his gloved fingers were wet against my skin. 

        "Sorry, Tucker, sorry!" I whisper-yelled, blushing profusely. He still hadn't said a word, he just stared at me. I suddenly realized I was still sitting on his stomach, and scrambled up onto my feet. I offered him my hand to help pull him up, but he refused and slowly sat up by himself. 

        "I'm gonna beat you up," He narrowed his eyes at me, "You messed up my hair, Imogen!" 

        My stomach fluttered at his words, and I realized that Tucker of the Sunrise pack was my very first crush! With that realization, he stomped towards me and stepped on my toe as hard as he could, eliciting a howl from me. And then he turned and ran off into the woods, probably to find some of the other kids. 

        "Are you okay, Momo?" Valentine ran up beside me, "That wasn't very nice of him." 

        I couldn't erase the smile from my face, Tucker was the cutest boy alive! I hoped he'd be in my class this year in first grade. 

        Fall break passed by uneventfully with no other interaction with Tucker, much to my disappointment. I spent the last couple of weeks looking around for him and playing with my friends from my pack and sometimes Elspeth. Elspeth was in the same pack as Tucker, and she was the only one I told about my crush, and she told me that Tucker is a snotty-nosed pea brain. 

        I think she was wrong.