Despite Gabriel being an Alpha as his first rut proved, he was still ostracized by the main populace at school.
He wasn't a quitter, and so never begged to not go to school; he still wanted to be a successful fashion designer, but he felt that his designs were going nowhere lately.
There was no spark to them, no sudden bursts of passionate enthusiasm; Gabriel sighed.
Being fifteen was a lot like being thirteen, just he was less squeaky.
He'd beaten Sam in many, many fights, and yet nothing had stopped the other teenager from constantly trying to prove his worth by beating up a moth.
His eyes flickered up from the gray gown that he was drawing that design wise felt way too flat, and he managed to catch sight of a cat that he'd never seen before.
Her blond hair fell down her back, her black ears perked up high, as she laughed; she was talking to a couple friends of hers: one, a peacock, and the other, a smaller fox.
She, still giggling, separating from the group with a cheery wave before walking over to Gabriel, "Hi, I'm sort of new here, and I was wondering if you'd mind giving me a bit of a tour?"
His eyes darted up to her, and suddenly, he realized that she could be a model; long, lithe figure, gorgeous green eyes that stood out like gemstones, and blond hair gently falling past black cat ears. A tail flickered distractingly behind her.
"I wouldn't mind." Gabriel took her hand as he stood up, hating the fact that his mouth suddenly went dry, and his heart began to race.
"Is that a dress?" She pressed closer with that same cheery smile, way too kind for her own good.
"Yeah." Gabriel took another deep breath, holding his sketchbook further away from her sight; he could do way better, had a sudden onslaught of new ideas bursting through his head.
"It's pretty." She smiled back at him, and suddenly Gabriel wondered if it was possible to fall more in love with someone without yet becoming friends with them.
"Thank you." Gabriel remembered his manners belatedly, but led her carefully away, already asking what her next class was and what her favorite subject was.
She leaned closer to him as she smiled, "It's so hard to decide." Her eyes twinkled. "You know, I've always liked fashion, but I can't design a single outfit, and I know that I'm not pretty enough to be a model." She shrugged as if it was an easy thought to come to her.
"You are pretty enough." Gabriel felt his cheeks flush under that admittance; he wasn't used to talking to anyone like her.
She smiled back at him as she turned towards him, "Thank you."
Gabriel figured that he just liked being around her; she'd walked up to him and talked to him, liked one of his worst designs, and even hadn't realized that he was a moth yet which meant that she couldn't possibly judge him for that.