As you walk down the hallways with Liam, one of your closest friends, he keeps bugging you about your boyfriend. "Besides that fact that he's an awful human being, the two of you make no sense at all together!" Liam exclaims, ranting and raving about your relationship with Brett for the millionth time.
"Liam, you know I love you, but your problems with Brett are your problems." You try explaining to your best friend. "Not mine."
"He's not just a jerk to me." Liam continues arguing with you.
You start shaking your head as you finally reach your locker. As you put your combination in and open your locker. "Well, he's nothing by sweet and charming to me."
"Because he wants something from you!" Liam explains. "Believe me, Brett always has ulterior motives."
"Liam, I appreciate you trying to look out for me, but I'm a big girl. I can make my own decisions." You place your hand on Liam's shoulder and give it a gentle squeeze.
"And, she chooses me." Brett tells Liam when he walks up to the two of you. You turn around and smile up at your boyfriend to greet him while Brett leans down and places a soft kiss on your lips. When you two pull away, Liam is still giving Brett a death glare. "You heard her, Dunbar. She's a big girl."
As Brett wraps his arm around your shoulders, you look back over at your friend. "I promise, Liam. Everything's alright." You tell him before letting Brett lead you to your next class.
Later that afternoon, you're walking towards the lacrosse field with Lydia. You were going to watch the boys and Kira practice. "I get that he's sexy and charming to boot, but I think you could do a little better is all." Lydia whispers to you.
Unlike Liam, Lydia wasn't trying to get you to break up with Brett because of him at all. She was just trying to convince you that you were out of Brett's league. She was all for you using Brett to have a good time and let off a steam, but she didn't think you should get yourself in deep with the bad boy werewolf. "Lydia, he's not as bad as you think he is."
"Y/N, you are beautiful and intelligent, even classy and graceful." Lydia starts explaining. "Brett is... Well, he's a brute. He's a typical pretty boy jock who cares for nothing more than scoring goals and scoring even more girls." He lifts her eyebrows over at you. "You know you deserve better and that you can do better."
You let out a deep, frustrated sigh as you sit down on the bleachers. "Lydia, you don't know him like I do."
"That's what we all say." Lydia shakes her head while flipping her long hair over her shoulder. "When I dated Jackson, I thought no one knew him like I did and that if I just gave him enough time, he'd change and be a better person..."
"Brett isn't Jackson, and my relationship with Brett is nothing like yours with Jackson." You interrupt Lydia. "He may not show every side of himself to everyone, but Brett is kind and gentle. He's compassionate, loyal, and protective." You pause while you look across the field and see your boyfriend's eyes on you. You know that he's listening to every word you're saying. He smiles at you to let you know that he appreciates your defense of him. "I love Brett, and just because you, Liam, or whoever else can't understand that, it doesn't mean that I'm going to break up with him."
"Y/N, the person he presents himself to be in front of everyone is who he actually is." Lydia tells you, trying to make you understand.
"And what about the way you used to present yourself, Lydia?" You ask your friend, remembering what a mean girl she used to be. When you were sophomores, before Allison moved to town and Scott was ever a werewolf or true alpha. "You're no longer that selfish, vein girl who only cared about popularity." You remind Lydia of the girl she used to be. "You used Jackson or whomever else you wanted, to be the most popular girl in the school."
"I loved Jackson." Lydia argues with you.
"Maybe so." You nod your head at her, honestly believing that Lydia once had genuine feelings for the werewolf now living in London. "But, it didn't stop you from using him." You pause while you and Lydia just lock eyes, staring at one another. After a moment or two, you break the silence. "All I'm saying is that you're not the person you used to be so why can't you accept that Brett isn't the same boy who tortured Liam and made his life a living hell?"
Honestly, you were sick of everyone telling you that your relationship with Brett wasn't good or good for you. Everyone was entitled to their own opinion, but you were done listening to them. You knew the real Brett, and all that mattered to you was how you and Brett felt about one another. "Lydia, all I'm asking is that you give Brett a chance to show you who he really is."
Lydia purses her lips in thought before letting out a deep breath. "Fine, but only because of you."
"Thank you, Lydia." You smile over at her.
A couple hours later, after lacrosse practice, you're waiting for Brett by his car. Your car was in the shop so he was going to drive you home.
You're leaning your back against his car and playing with your phone so you don't even notice when Brett walks up until he has his hands wrapped around your waist. When you look up, his face is only a few inches from yours. "I'm sorry your friends don't like me."
"My friends don't even know you, Brett." You tell him while locking your phone and then wrapping your arms around his neck. "If you let them see the side of you that you show me, they'd love you just as much as I do."
"Nah." Brett shakes his head. "They've already made up their minds. They think that you, the straight-A nice girl is too good for me, scum-of-the-earth werewolf who hurt Liam's feelings."
You roll your eyes at your boyfriend's pity party. "Well, no matter what they see, I know who you really are." You stand on your tiptoes and kiss Brett's lips. "And, I love who you are." You whisper to Brett when you pull your lips away from his.
"I love you, too." Brett whispers to you sweetly before kissing the side of your head, pulling you up against his own body and holding your tightly.
