Lesson #20: Brett Talbot is Not an Asshole

A/N: I was gonna make this the last chapter, but then I got consumed in the whole Brett story, and now there's gonna be one more chapter lol. Thanks for reading!

I absolutely dreaded going to school the next day, but I couldn't stay home because my dad wouldn't have understood. Not that I wanted to tell him anyways, but if I did, I doubt he would have got it. Derek didn't cheat on me, technically, since he and Brett were on a "break" but that wasn't the problem. The issue was that Derek lied to me about breaking up with Brett. He could have been lying about anything at this point, if he lied about that.

Despite me not wanting to show up to school, I did anyways. I walked in with my head low, avoiding anyone's eyes, in case Derek tried to talk to me. I wasn't ready to get into with him yet, but I knew he would try to talk to me if he saw me. I didn't want to say something I might regret, and I wasn't over being angry yet. I didn't want to stop seeing Derek, but right now, I couldn't see him.

When I heard someone approach my locker, I held my breath, scared to shut it and have to face him. When I closed my locker, however, it was only Lydia standing there, a look of pity on her face. "I tried calling you all night. Derek texted me and told me what happened. I haven't spoken to him because I'm so angry with him right now, but-"

"Lydia," I cut her off, shaking my head. "He's your best friend. We just started hanging out, so you don't have to act like you hate him for my sake."

Lydia rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's not for your sake, Stiles. He is my best friend, which is why I'm so angry with him. He told us both he broke up with Brett. You deserve better than that. I thought Derek was better than that, but apparently, I was wrong." She followed me as I walked away from her, hoping to end the conversation. "Stiles, what exactly happened last night?"

"I thought you said Derek told you," I snapped, not meaning to sound rude, but I just wasn't in the mood to get into this with her.

She sighed, grabbing my arm to stop me from walking any further. We still had ten minutes until class, but I didn't want to talk anymore. "He texted me that you guys got into a fight, but I didn't answer, so I don't know what happened. Did he apologize? Come up with any excuses? Are you okay?" she rambled on.

I shook my head, trying not to relive Derek and I's argument. "He tried to give excuses, but I didn't want to hear them. I told him to leave me alone. That was it." I felt the urge to cry resurface from last night, but I didn't want everyone at school to see me sobbing over a stupid boy.

"Are you okay?" she repeated, as if that was what she cared about most. Maybe she did care if I was okay, but it was hard to believe, considering we'd only been friends for a couple of weeks, and only because of Derek.

I was silent for a moment, staring at my feet as my surroundings blurred from the tears in my eyes. Lydia's small hands grabbed my arms, holding me hostage with my feelings. "I-I told him. . ." I trailed off, shaking my head. Lydia squeezed my arms, encouraging me to get it all out in the open. "I told him I loved him, Lydia," I finally got out, the tears slipping down my cheeks as Lydia enveloped me in her arms. "I was yelling at him, I was so angry, and it just slipped out. I didn't give him a chance to say anything, Lydia. I just left," I cried, hugging her back.

"It's okay," she whispered, rubbing my back soothingly. "He messed up, but he'll fix this. He feels the same way, Stiles. I just know it."

"Maybe," I sniffed, lifting my head away from her shoulder. "But if that's true, he wouldn't have lied to me. I just don't know what to believe anymore." I stepped away from her, looking past her for only a moment, but just my luck, I met Derek's eyes. He was in the middle of the hallway, staring at me and Lydia. He probably saw us hugging and assumed the worst, but at this point, I didn't care what he thought. "I gotta get to class," I mumbled, giving her a small smile to assure her I was okay.

"I'll meet you after school," she promised, letting me go reluctantly. I hurried off to class, taking the long way to avoid running into Derek.

After school, Lydia met me at my locker as promised. Coach gave us today off since we were practicing every other day this week, so Scott made plans with Allison, leaving me all alone. I would have been with Derek, but obviously those plans changed. Lydia seemed to have picked up on the fact that I was lonely, so now she was following me around.

"Want to go to the mall?" she wondered, linking her arm through mine as we walked outside to the parking lot. Before I could answer her, and before we could even step off the curb into the parking lot, we both stopped in our tracks. "What the hell is he doing her?" she asked, her voice quiet as she glared at Brett Talbot, who stood leaning against his car, arms crossed as if waiting on someone.

"Probably waiting on Derek," I assumed, loud enough for Brett to hear the pettiness in my voice. "Let's just go," I grumbled, not wanting to stick around to see what he and Derek were going to talk about.

"Actually, Stiles, I'm here for you," Brett said, stopping us from walking past him. Lydia and I shared a confused look as she slipped her arm out of mine. "Can we talk?" he asked, when I didn't reply. "Please?"

I shifted uncomfortably, not really sure what to do. "Why do you want to talk to me?" I asked, my heart racing. I was terrified about what Brett might do to me, considering I was the reason Derek broke up with him.

"Just get in the car," he said, not really in a rude tone, but it wasn't exactly friendly. "It's important, Stiles. Please."

I looked at Lydia again, who shook her head. "Alright, fine," I sighed, despite Lydia's disapproval. "I'll catch up with you later," I promised, giving her a small smile before walking away from her and to the passenger side of Brett's shiny car. Once we were both in the car, he peeled away from the curb, driving off down the street to god knows where.

After a few minutes, I realized we were going to the mall, which made me feel slightly better. We would be in a public place where he couldn't kill me. We drove there in silence, not a word from Brett what he wanted to talk about. Finally, we parked in the mall lot and I followed Brett inside to the food court. He found a table and we sat down across from each other. The silence was awkward before, but now it was worse.

"So I guess you heard that Derek broke up with me yesterday," he said, finally breaking the silence. I stared at the table, tracing circles with my finger as Brett talked. "And I know he broke up with me because he's in love with you."

At this, I looked up, meeting his eyes. I was trying to determine what he was feeling. He didn't look angry. "Love?" I asked, unsure.

Brett rolled his eyes. "Yeah, dumbass." He laughed, shaking his head, only making me more confused. Brett didn't seem angry at all. I thought he'd at least be annoyed that I stole his boyfriend, but he was actually. . . amused? "Look, Derek and I never should have dated. We were toxic. Derek was using me to get over you, and I was using him to get over a guy who probably doesn't realize I exist. I didn't love him, and he definitely didn't love me."

"What's your point?" I snapped, looking away from him again. I felt like he was trying to get me to forgive Derek, but he wasn't doing a great job. I also didn't understand why he was doing it either.

"The night that Derek and I fought, at that party," he said, reminding me of how angry I had been that night. "Do you know what made me so angry?" he asked, and I shook my head, still confused why this had anything to do with me. "He was so drunk, he was rambling on and on about you, Stiles. He told me he was in love with you, and even though I already knew it, I hated that he was brave enough to admit it out loud. Especially when I couldn't even speak to the guy I liked. I treated Derek like shit that night. I treated him like shit in general, actually. But nothing was worse than begging him to stay with me because I was too selfish to let him be happy."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, swallowing hard. I could feel the lump in my throat. Derek did love me. If what Brett was saying was true, then Derek loved me back. Still, it didn't change the fact that he lied to me. "You begged him to stay?"

Brett looked guilty as he shrugged. "Yeah. I mean, when he came to me the other day saying he wanted to break up, I pushed and pushed until he agreed we could just take a break. He told me the outlook wasn't good for us, because he loved you. He didn't think you wanted him, but he said he couldn't pretend to want to be with me anymore. I just. . . I wasn't done using him to mask my own pain, so I begged him to come back to me if things didn't work out with you. I got into his head Stiles. I know he shouldn't have lied to you, but it's not all his fault."

"Why are you doing this?" I wondered, looking up to meet his eyes again. "Why do you care if Derek and I make up or not?" It didn't make any sense. Derek left him for me, yet Brett was trying to get me to forgive Derek. Why would he want that?

Brett stared back at me for a few seconds, his expression unreadable. Finally, he smiled. "Derek is a great guy. If I hadn't been so hung up on another guy, I would have been able to see that. I would have treated him better. Honestly, I could have fallen in love with him. But I fucked up, Stiles. And Derek deserves to be happy. You make him happy. You always have."

"I always thought you were an asshole," I laughed, my nerves slowly fading as I realized Brett was being real with me, and he didn't plan on killing me. "You're not that bad, I guess. You're just suffering from a broken heart. I can relate."

"Yeah, except your broken heart can be easily fixed by just forgiving Derek for being a stupid boy who made a stupid mistake," Brett replied easily with an amused smile. "Me, on the other hand, well, I'm screwed. I've talked to him plenty of times, but I don't think he knows my name. He plays lacrosse, so that's how we met. He probably just sees me as an enemy, but I can't stop thinking about him."

I laughed, but I felt pity for Brett. "He plays for Beacon Hills?" I asked, genuinely curious. Danny was the only person on the team who I knew for sure was into guys, but Danny didn't seem like Brett's type.

"Yeah, he's a freshman," Brett answered, blushing. "The first time I saw him was at the mall. When I found out he played for Beacon Hills, well, I knew there was no way he'd ever go for me." He seemed so much sweeter talking about this boy than he ever was when he was with Derek. "Anyways, this talk isn't about me, Stiles. Are you going to forgive Derek, or what?"

"I was going to forgive him no matter what," I admitted. "But after hearing your side, I think I'll talk to him tonight instead of taking more time to think it over. I thought he was still into you, or something, and that's why he lied."

"Definitely not the case," Brett promised, smiling softly. "Are we cool, then?" he wondered.

I hesitated, finally nodding. "Yeah. Friends?"

He laughed. "If you could put in a good word for me with the guy I'm in love with, I might consider being friends," he suggested, in a joking tone.

"Hey, you give me a name, I'll set you up," I replied seriously, making his face red again. "You helped me and Derek, so maybe I can help you and. . ." I trailed off, waiting for him to tell me a name.

Brett sighed, shaking his head in embarrassment. I didn't stop staring at him expectantly, so finally, he caved. "Alright, his name is Liam," he admitted, looking away from me. "He probably has a girlfriend, or whatever anyways, so-"

"Liam?" I asked, surprised. "He's definitely single, and lucky for you, one of Scott's close friends. Scott being my best friend gives me the perfect opportunity to talk you up. Liam and I are on good terms." I had no idea if Liam was into guys or not, but I knew he wasn't seeing anyone, so I would help Brett if possible. Because if any lesson came out of today, it would be that Brett Talbot is not an asshole, contrary to popular belief.

"I would appreciate it," Brett mumbled, still red in the face. "And tell Derek I'm sorry about everything. I already told him, but I feel like he needs to hear it again."

I looked up as a group of boys came into the mall, Liam Dunbar right in the middle of them all. "Don't worry about it," I said, dismissing his apology. "I'm about to make your day." I stood up, waving my arms in the air until Liam saw me. He said something to his friend before running over to meet me, his friends walking off without him. "Liam, how are you?" I asked, punching his shoulder in a friendly way.

"Good!" he chirped, happily, his eyes drifting to Brett, who was still sitting at the table, his face burning even brighter red than before. "What's up?"

"This is my good friend Brett," I said, dragging Liam closer to the table to take my place.

Liam smiled, glancing between me and Brett. "Yeah, we, uh, we've met," he said, his face matching Brett's as he blushed. "You play lacrosse at Devenford Prep. You're good," he added, his blush only getting deeper as he complimented Brett.

"Thanks, you too, Liam," Brett replied, biting his lip to bite back his smile. Stiles grinned, happy this was working.

"Anyways," Stiles said, interrupting the weird staring thing they had going on. "Brett and I had plans to hang out, but I have to go help my dad with something, so would you mind keeping him company?" I wondered, innocently.

Liam hesitated, his hand grabbing the back of the chair. "Uh, yeah, I'd love to," he mumbled, his voice quiet. He looked at Brett now, unsure. "I mean, if you're okay with that?"

"Of course," Brett answered, almost too quickly. Liam grinned, taking the seat across from Brett. "So, I'll see you later, Stiles," Brett said, giving me a grateful smile.

I returned it easily, stepping away from the table. "Yeah, talk soon," I answered, turning to leave them alone. I had more important things to do, like make up with my soon to be official boyfriend. I was still slightly angry about the whole lying thing, but Brett's side of the story cleared a lot of things up. If Derek really did love me, that was all that mattered. I wanted to be with him.