Tom Adams was working like a man possessed. Alternating between typing on his computer and writing on his notepad, he lost track of time, until he saw Becky’s massive figure standing over him. He looked up, still deeply into what he was doing.

Becky asked him if wanted to order lunch. It took Tom a few seconds to realize the time. He said yes, and she asked him what he wanted. He told her a ham sandwich made for his size, because his refrigerator was too small for an Alpha doggie bag. Becky chuckled and placed the order with the kitchen. 

She asked him what he was working on. He motioned for her to come around beside him, and showing her the screen, he took her step by step into the first part of her ideas. And he organized them neatly for her, and listed them in priority order, with detailed explanations and estimated costs clearly marked and defined. He told her that he believed that if just submitted this first, the budget department would seriously have to consider accepting it. He pointed out the her idea to streamline the employee scheduling process was a fantastic opportunity to improve company profits and worker morale.

He explained that Alphas, for all their increased size and strength and stamina, were still human beings that needed to spend time with their families. Her proposal allowed that by reducing unnecessary overlapping between shifts, and tackling the issue of machine maintenance. If the machines ran and ran efficiently, the work would get done quicker, saving the company on Overtime costs, and allowing the employees to get home sooner. And that meant getting the plant mechanics trained. A little upfront cost now would save 10x the cost down the road.

Becky could have hugged Tom right there. She had been working on that for months and months, but could never present it in a way that made sense to the company. Here, Tom, on his second day, did what she thought impossible. He took what she had worked on and gave it a fresh presentation. Becky asked him to send her what he had just worked out, and she would double and triple check everything, and if all went well, it would be given to the budget department early the following week.

Back at school, the morning seemed to drag. Both Meg and James couldn’t wait for lunch, but the clocks weren’t cooperating. And Biology, normally very interesting due to dissecting dead rats, seemed to the one class where time stood still. 

Mercifully, it was finally time for lunch. Meg and James got their food and grabbed a couple of seats. James thought his prayers were answered with the history project. He would go to Meg’s house and work on the report with her, order pizza, and pay for it. It would be the best of both worlds. Plus, it would give her parents the opportunity to meet him. He knew it was inevitable. He was going out with their daughter. They should know what kind of person he was.

Meg and James finished eating early, and after cleaning up, they went out into the hallway. Meg told him that she needed to talk to him about something very important. James had no idea what it was about, but told her that he was all ears.

Meg didn’t know how to bring up the topic of her parents. She was extremely unsure of what to say. James looked up at her, took her hand, and told her to take a deep breath and just relax. 

That seemed to calm Meg down enough for her to start talking about her parents. She told James that she loved her mom and dad. But they weren’t nice people. James asked her in what way. Meg then recounted everything that she ever experienced since she started growing taller, and how any boy that she ever liked always seemed to be chased off by her mom. And it seemed like her mom relished the opportunity to physically intimidate Beta parents, especially the dads. She couldn’t explain it. It seemed to give her great pleasure. 

And both her mom and dad were outright hostile to any Beta. They ridiculed them, belittled them, and treated them worse than dog poop. They were terrible people for the way they treated Betas. They were drunk on being Alphas. And she just wanted James to know that if he had to come to her house to work on the project, her parents, especially her mom, couldn’t find out that he was her boyfriend, because it would be terrible for both him and his father.

James grew quiet. When Meg said that she needed to talk to him, he had this far out notion that she was going to tell him that she was filthy rich with hundreds of servants. But if he understood her correctly, all she wanted to tell him was that her mom was a raging psychopath. No big deal. But James did grow concerned, because he felt himself growing ever more attracted to Meg. Now, if her mom found out, his dad would be in trouble. 

He looked up at Meg and saw the concerned look on her face. He still had her hand. He gave her a smile and said things will be alright. He was lying, because even he didn’t know how to overcome this obstacle. But he really wanted to reassure Meg. 

The two of them walked quietly to their next class, still holding hands. Just before they entered the room, James looked up at Meg and told her that whatever she needed him to do, or however she needed him to act, he would, and without question.  Meg smiled down at him and caressed his cheek.

Back at the office, once lunch was done, Tom quickly went back to his computer. But the problems he was trying to work on were more difficult than he imagined. These were the parts of Becky’s proposals that didn’t have a workable solution as yet. But Tom kept working at. 

He was intently focused on something when he noticed a fresh cup of coffee at his desk. Becky just stood there looking at him working like a madman. She suggested that they stop working and just have a conversation about nothing in particular. 

Tom wanted to keep at it, but understood why she suggested stopping. It would allow his mind to unwind and help him get a fresh start the next day.

Once Tom turned his computer off, Becky asked him how he came to work in the mine. Tom responded that his father and Grandfather started working at the mine just as it became operational. So it seemed like a natural for him. They pay was great, as was the health insurance. And then, he applied for the foreman job, and got promoted. 

Tom asked Becky why the engineering field, why not finance or business like Susan. She couldn’t give one definitive reason, she just felt more comfortable in the engineering field. It was odd, because she was only one of three women to graduate in that particular area. And when she was growing up, she would look at how things work, and immediately thought about ways to improve them. So there she was, working for the mining company. 

They kept talking until it was time to leave. And they said goodbye to each other and drove off. Becky decided to drive over to Susan and thank her in person for sending Tom over to her department. He was already proving to be invaluable. 

Tom drove home, thinking about what solutions needed to be achieved in order to get the rest of Becky’s proposals approved. He would start fresh in the morning.

Meanwhile, back at school, Meg and James made it through the day. The bus ride home was subdued for them. Tom and Meg understood that he needed to be just some boy from school that was going to be her with her project. He hated the idea of acting like some random character from a movie, but if it made Meg happy he would do it. But whatever happened, or whatever her parents were like, he was determined to make a good impression on them.