Thirty

THEO RAEKEN.

A boy Scott, Stiles and Sierra all used to know.

He looked entirely different from elementary school, where Sierra remembered him as kind of reserved. Theo never held the same desire to instantly join in the races during recess and liked to read more in the library.

From what Sierra could recall, he did talk to her more than other kids--always wanting to sit with her and the boys at lunch. But when he moved away due to a job transfer, Sierra never thought she would see Theo again.

She glanced over at Scott with questioning eyes, but he didn't know how to respond either. Theo wasn't close with him when he lived in Beacon Hills. To Scott and Stiles, he always just wanted to hang out with Sierra or be alone. Scott never bothered to get to really know him, but still always acted nice like Melissa taught him to do. After all, any friend of Sierra's became his friend too.

As if he could see the gears turning in her head and Scott's, Theo spoke up. "Trust me, I never expected to see you all again either."

His eyes flicked between the duo and the other strangers surrounding them, especially noticing Stiles step closer to Sierra. He knew all their names; he had heard the stories. "Couple of months ago, I heard of an Alpha in Beacon Hills," he explained his sudden appearance. "When I heard his name was Scott McCall and Sierra Page was a True Empath at his side--" He shook his head. "I just couldn't believe it."

"And not even just an Alpha, but a True Alpha," Theo emphasized. "Your bond with Sierra is something I only thought to be a myth."

Scott glanced down at Sierra, who had pursed her lips as she studied Theo. "What do you want?" she finally asked, saying the question replaying in both hers and Scott's heads.

"I came back to Beacon Hills," Theo told her, smiling. "Back home with my family...Because I want to be a part of your pack."

Scott and Sierra didn't want to believe that their names had spread far, but Theo quickly said their names were like wildfire. Everyone knew who they were—especially since they had been at the top of the Deadpool and survived.

The duo knew they couldn't make a decision right then and there. Adding someone to the pack was a conversation Scott and Sierra needed to have privately, to weigh the pros and cons without everyone trying to jab in their opinions. The others needed to trust that they'd make the right choice, but that would take time.

A lot of it.

*^*^*^*^*^*

Now, Stiles held a different view about his former classmate, Theo Raeken.

Just the name rubbed him the wrong way and seeing him in person...ugh. Stiles wanted to throw up.

As soon as he stepped through the high school's double doors, he relayed his thoughts to Sierra and Scott. Sierra held onto his hand, Scott on her other side with Kira next to him. After assuring Liam they'd be okay, Sierra and Scott sent him home--even though he still whined about not knowing about Senior Scribe.

"We haven't seen this kid in years," Stiles continued to express, making Sierra snap back into focus. "You two don't find that highly suspicious?"

"I'm kind of more concerned about the guy who just tried to kill me," Scott responded honestly.

Sierra nodded, coming to a stop in the hallway. "Scott has a point, Stiles. We know nothing about where this guy came from or how he had glowing claws. I mean, I didn't even think that was possible."

"I can't even accurately describe what it felt like," Scott said, his face scrunched up. "Just that I thought I was dying."

"Well, let's be glad that you didn't."

"I still think we need to talk about Theo," Stiles tried to reel the pair back in, but got interrupted by an excited shout.

"Sierra! Stiles!"

The couple turned from hearing their names, both of their heads tilting from seeing Malia sprinting towards them. A giant grin stretched across her lips and she held her phone up in the air as she skidded to a stop before she ran into Scott. "Guess what?!"

Sierra couldn't help but laugh from seeing Malia so energized, especially as the werecoyote held onto her shoulders. "What is it, Mal? Did you finally talk to that girl you liked from English last year?"

"Oh, who cares about them!?" Malia brushed it off, bouncing on her toes. "I have more important news. I passed my test!"

Stiles widened his eyes, "Wait, really!?"

"Yes!" Malia squealed and pulled him as well as Sierra into a tight hug. "I'm in!"

"Awe, that's fantastic," Sierra gushed, hugging her back with a joyful smile. "I knew you could do it!"

Stiles, slightly taller than both girls, added over their heads, "We told you all your studying would pay off."

The three split apart, allowing Scott and Kira to congratulate Malia as well. "I'm officially a senior," she murmured, feeling happy tears spring into her eyes. Kira and and Sierra hugged her again out of excitement, squeezing Malia between them.

The summer had allowed the girls to all become much closer, even though Kira had been in New York and Malia had summer school. When they could they'd all text and have afternoons without Scott, Stiles—or Liam for that matter, prying in. And all of them were aware of Malia's nerves regarding her test, and they were beyond proud she passed.

"Hey, did you ever find Lydia?" Stiles questioned, noticing their strawberry-blonde friend was still missing.

"Huh." Malia turned around towards the hallway she came sprinting down. "She was right behind me. I guess I got too far ahead."

"Thank God!" Sierra smiled again from hearing Lydia's voice. "Where have you guys been?"

The girl came into view, her wavy hair draped over her shoulder as she walked through other groups of students.

Clothed in a simple pair of navy shorts with a cute light blue top, Lydia reached them with a worried expression dawning her pretty face. "The entire senior class is already here and before I found Mal, I thought you all bailed on me."

Her movements came to a slow stop when she reached them, and she flicked her green eyes to Sierra. "Are we doing this or not?"

"Oh, we're so doing this," Sierra assured her, stepping forward to throw an arm around her shoulder. The others chimed in their agreement, and they all started to walk. Sierra and Lydia led everyone to the library, Stiles going on Sierra's other side so her arm could wrap around him as well. Scott, Kira and Malia exchanged looks of amusement but still followed them nonetheless.

The library looked completely different from the school year before, having been renovated from the multitude of supernatural occurrences. Now, there was a staircase that led to a second floor full of the shelves past seniors had signed. And now, it was their turn.

By the time they arrived, multiple seniors already signed their names to the bookshelf while others waited patiently with their friends. Sierra didn't mind having to stand in line, claiming to Stiles that it built up the anticipation.

As they neared closer and headed up the library's stairs, Sierra started to fret about her signature. "I mean, I don't want it to look scrappy. It's going to be on this shelf forever, you know?"

"Babe, no matter how you write it, it's going to look beautiful," he promised, rubbing her arm in assurance. "The whole point is to write in our own handwriting because we're leaving our mark. Don't try to make it all fancy, okay?"

Sierra sighed, knowing he was right. "Okay."

Stiles smiled. "Good, now come on. We're up next."

L.M

Lydia had already signed her name in confidence, handing the marker off to Kira, who had her mom's worry ringing in her ear. "This isn't vandalism, right?" She asked Lydia, who shrugged.

"I mean, not technically."

Kira pursed her lips, hesitating before releasing a deep sigh. If her friends could sign, she could too.

KY

Then came Malia's turn. And to her friends, it was painfully obvious she was struggling to decide what to write. Her adoption had rattled her, because the family she thought she knew turned out to be completely different.

Malia cast a glance over her shoulder to Sierra and Stiles, both of them offering her an encouraging smile. However they stayed silent. They didn't want her to feel pressured to put one name or the other. She needed to decide if she wanted to let the legacies define her. In her heart, Malia needed to choose whether if she was a Hale or a Tate.

And thinking back to Sierra's words about how family didn't have to be blood...Malia knew what to do.

A soft smile overtook her face then, her eyes lighting up as she came to a conclusion. With pride in her identity, Malia signed the bookshelf.

MT

Lydia gave Malia a hug after she passed the marker to Sierra, who also smiled at the girl happily. Stiles stayed back as Sierra stepped towards the shelf, wanting to give her some personal space.

A sigh similar to Kira's escaped her from the stress she had placed on herself, knowing she didn't want to screw the moment up. After all, this was her mark on Beacon Hills. She was signing her name to let everyone know that she had survived, and she wasn't done fighting yet.

Her eyes glanced over the other signatures, her mouth twisting as she thought about how to sign the metal casing. And then she spotted something that perked her interest.

"Stiles?"

Sierra called to him and he appeared with his chin on her right shoulder, his arms slipping around her waist.

"What's up, string bean?"

"Look at that."

Stiles followed her gaze, which was focused on the shelf below where they were supposed to place their initials.

D. H.

J. P.

P. C.

At first, he didn't understand the small bunch of letters. Why had they caught Sierra's eye? And then he realized their significance, the pieces slowly falling together. "Well Jemma always did say they were quite the trio together," he recalled and Sierra nodded in agreement, a smile slipping onto her lips.

S.P.

He kept his gentle hold on her as she finally wrote her initials, her cursive lettering next to the were-coyote's and the banshee's, and only let go to grab the market she held out to him.

S.S.

"Awe, and here I thought you were gonna sign M," she playfully teased him about his first name and he just shook his head, handing the marker to Scott.

"Yeah, right," Stiles scoffed, staying beside her as they joined their friends. "If my name is going to be forever written to yours, my initials will be S and S, thank you."

"Fair enough," Sierra chuckled, yet stopped when she saw Scott pausing in front of the bookshelf.

Too many thoughts were running through his head the second he accepted the Sharpie from Stiles. The first being, We made it.

Especially with all the hardships he and his friends had faced, making it to senior year looked impossible. Yet here he was, standing there with them alive and well. Thinking about the achievement, Scott signed his name.

SM

And then a thought dawned on him, a name pulling on his heartstrings. Because even though he made it senior year, one of the people he loved didn't.

Sierra's face softened, watching Scott's brows furrow together. She knew he was sad even without using her abilities and it wasn't hard to figure out why.

When he started dating Allison sophomore year, Sierra remembered thinking the two were going to be something special from the very beginning. Allison drew Scott out of his shell, helped him control his shift when he started out. And even when her father forbid them to go out, Allison took the risk because she thought Scott was worth it.

She always believed in him.

Without her, Scott wouldn't be the man he was today. And for that thought alone, he knew what he had to do.

AA

Right underneath his initials, he wrote Allison's.

Watching him with a heavy heart, Sierra wondered if anyone would ever look at their signatures years down the road. They'd see how two held the same font, and think about the incredible yet heartbreaking story behind the letters. They'd share theories about how great the love must've been between those two people, even though they'd never know the truth.

Allison would always remain in Scott's heart. And she deserved to be standing in the library senior year just as much as Scott and Sierra did. That's why he wrote her name. He didn't want her to think he'd ever forget her. He wanted her to live on.

Scott then passed the marker on, joining Kira's side and wrapping an arm around her. Everyone stayed quiet for a moment, as they had all seen what Scott wrote.

Stiles broke the silence from where he stood between Malia and Sierra. "She would've been with us."

Scott smiled softly, nodding in agreement. Lydia barely shook her head and corrected his statement, "She still is."

"And always will be," Sierra agreed, leaning into Stiles as he kept his hand on her hip.

The friends exchanged smiles between each other, a sense of peace settling over them. Their final year of high school began tomorrow and none of them could believe it. Sierra glanced over the other students in the building, seeing them laugh and enjoying themselves.

"Hey, what's your all's opinion on not going home?" she asked them, an idea brightening up her face. She didn't want the night to end, not yet anyways.

"Oh, I know that look," Lydia replied knowingly. "You wanna go to McDonald's, don't you?"

"It's the only place in Beacon Hills that's open twenty-four hours," Sierra defended, clasping her hands together hopefully. "Wanna go?"

Lydia shrugged, "Why not?"

Kira seemed to be the voice of reason. "Shouldn't we get some sleep before classes start? I mean school starts at eight."

"Normally I would agree that any opportunity to get sleep, we should take," Scott added his thoughts, a smile breaking out onto his mouth. "But I am pretty hungry."

"Yes!" Sierra grinned and cast her focus to the others. "Who else?"

"I go where you go," Stile stated and leaned forward to peck her cheek to show his agreement. "Mal, you in?"

"I'm never against food."

Everyone's heads turned to their last friend, Kira looking hesitant. It was when she glanced at Scott and his smile that she finally released a heavy sigh. "Fine," she caved. "I'm in too."

"Yay!"

"But just to warn you all, if I get grounded, I'm taking everyone down with me."

"Easy, tiger," Sierra chuckled, stepping forward to grab her arm. They began walking down the stairs, the rest filing in behind the two girls. "Remind me when we get there to order you a milkshake."

"Chocolate?"

"Is there any other kind?"

*^*^*^*^*

"So you are telling me that you don't find it odd that he decided to show up right before senior year?"

Stiles's voice carried from where he stood in his bathroom, brushing his teeth. He arrived home only twenty minutes before with Sierra, the clock reading one-thirty in the morning. The couple knew they had to be up soon, and were rushing to get ready for bed. Though, Stiles couldn't help but bring Theo into their conversation. Stiles still was suspicious of his sudden appearance.

Sierra, laying in his bed under the comforters, answered, "Not really, no. People move and sometimes they come back. I don't think we should overthink it."

"I'm sorry, you do know who you're talking to, right?" he retorted with his toothbrush sticking out from the corner of his lips, making her chuckle. "And you have to remember Theo isn't just a normal person anymore. Somehow, in the years we haven't seen him, he became a werewolf."

Stiles paused to rinse his mouth and placed his toothbrush back in the holder before he continued. "And we don't know who bit him." He leaned against the doorway of the bathroom, his gaze focused towards the ceiling as he thought aloud. "What if it's another rogue alpha like Deucalion who wants to kill you and Scott? You know, maybe you can read his mind and sense his aura--let us know who we're really dealing with."

When Sierra didn't answer, his eyes finally lowered to find her head barely poking out through the multitude of blankets piled on top of her. His lips quirked up in amusement. "You cold, string bean?"

Her response was muffled, but Stiles managed to make out a quiet, "Maybe a little."

Stiles chuckled, shaking his head before flicking off the bathroom light and heading towards her. Knelt down on her side of his bed, he brushed some loose strands out of her face and smiled. "Are you willing to share?"

Sierra pretended to ponder, pursing her lips before she shook her head. "Not really."

Stiles couldn't help but stare at her with eyes full of adoration. Truly, he was crazy about the girl in front of him and it was little moments like this... treasured seconds where he only fell more in love.

He kissed her forehead and then raised back to his feet, releasing a dramatic sigh. "Oh that's okay, then," he expressed, turning off the lamp and moving to the other side of the bed. He then climbed in beside her. "I'll find another way to keep warm."

Stiles shuffled closer and pulled her body closer to his. Wrapping his arms around her waist, Stiles rested his head on her shoulder. "Ah," he breathed, fluttering his eyes closed. "Much better."

Sierra couldn't stop herself from giggling at his antics, knowing times like this with him were her favorite. "I guess you can have one blanket," she decided slowly.

Stiles popped open his left eye. "Oh, can I?"

Sierra bit back another laugh but nodded and allowed him to cuddle even nearer. She shivered from the sudden warmth, yet didn't dare to break away. "Goodnight, Stiles," she breathed, the exhaustion already taking over her.

"Goodnight, string bean."

*^*^*^*^*

The first day of school--an event in which students and teachers both despised. The long, relaxed summer nights disappeared under graded papers and research projects. Late nights fell rare due to early mornings and backpacks became filled with textbooks and broken pencils. However, Sierra didn't allow the usual dread to consume her.

She woke up with a bright grin and excitedly shook Stiles until he begrudgingly opened his eyes as well. Running on only a few hours of sleep, Stiles thought his girlfriend seemed too joyous to return to the building in which she almost died in multiple times. Yet he allowed her to drag him downstairs and watched in amusement as she made pancakes while dancing along to the song in her head.

Sierra practically bounced as she ate, and it was because she knew school wouldn't be the same. This year wasn't like the others. They were seniors now. They held more freedom and got to be a part of more school activities. And since Sierra technically had all of her credits for graduation already, she knew the homework load would be lighter. She wouldn't have to stress as much about tests and essays--unless she counted AP Biology.

For wanting to pursue a degree in international business, Sierra didn't really need the extra science credit. Yet, she didn't want colleges to think she slacked off during her senior year. She wanted to keep her GPA well above the top.

Stiles on the other hand just wanted to graduate. The supernatural world had taken over his life the past two years, and he desired the final months to be worry-free. He only signed up for one advanced course--just in case another incident rolled around. He didn't want to have to worry about his grades while fighting for his life. He wanted to focus on moving his relationship with Sierra forward and getting his diploma with his best friends.

Walking calmly outside, Stiles smiled to himself at the sight of Sierra tapping her fingers against the Jeep's hood. She looked stunning.

Her long hair lightly curled down her back. Tan sandals covered her bouncing feet. Her summer skin stood out against a ruffled-sleeved black T-shirt, which neatly tucked into a pair of loose, army-green pants that tied into a cute bow against her hip. Her studded earrings matched the ring hanging from her neck. Not to mention the giant grin that spread across her lips from seeing him walk towards her.

"Well, don't you look beautiful," Stiles complimented, immediately resting his hands on her hips when he got close enough. Up close he noticed she had chosen to highlight the sun kisses covering her nose and the way her long lashes accentuated her ocean eyes.

Her cheeks flushed pink at his words. To hide it, she quickly kissed him and set her hands on his chest. "So do you," she cheekily replied, making him shake his head and laugh.

Stiles sported a simple navy hoodie with khaki pants, his thick dark hair fluffed up. Sierra fiddled with the strings on the sweatshirt, amusing him further as she smiled up at him. "So, you ready to get this school year started?" she asked him excitedly, squinting from the morning sunlight.

"Because you're with me--" Stiles paused to kiss her nose, grinning when she scrunched it up. "Of course, string bean."

"Then let's do this!"

"Okay," Stiles agreed, stepping back from her so he could get to the driver's side. "But after we pick up Mal, I gotta stop by the station to talk with my dad."

Sierra turned towards him once she reached the passenger side and frowned. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, he just left early this morning and I didn't get to ask him a question," he explained vaguely. "You and Malia can just wait in the Jeep--it'll be quick."

Sierra chose to simply nod in reply, not wanting to push him. Yet she knew something was on his mind or rather, someone. Sierra realized Stiles disliked Theo, and it traveled back to the time before Theo moved away. She never found out why but it was obvious to her that his reappearance didn't settle well with Stiles. Not in the slightest.

And since he held a tendency to overthink and question the trust to people outside his best friends, she knew Stiles was going to do everything he could to relearn about Theo Raeken.

*^*^*^*^*

After picking up Malia, who seemed just as excited for the new year to begin as Sierra, Stiles sped to the police station. Sierra stayed in the passenger seat as he headed inside. Malia leaned forward between the seats, puzzled. "Why are we here?"

"Stiles is still suspicious about Theo," Sierra sighed, scrolling through her phone to pass the time. "And since I refused to read his mind, he thinks the next best option is to make his dad start a report...or something like that. The law enforcement system still confuses me so I really don't know what he's doing."

"Aren't you gonna at least listen in to the conversation?" Malia asked her, being able to see Stiles enter his dad's office through the giant window.

"Nah," Sierra shook her head. "If he finds anything, he'll sprint out and tell us."

Malia nodded and sat back against her seat, choosing to rest her eyes while they waited. The sound of Sierra's phone beeping made her ears perk but she didn't sit up. "Who texted?"

Sierra answered, her voice laced with confusion. "Scott. He worked with Deaton early this morning to find more information about the talons from that guy last night. Apparently, they're not normal claws. They're from a harpy eagle."

"So what does that mean?"

"I have absolutely no idea."

Inside the station, Stiles pestered his father to investigate Theo and his family. "I know his family left town around the time Theo was nine or ten," he rambled, closing the door to the office to give them some privacy. "His older sister died in an accident when he was eight."

"Please go to school," Noah stopped him from going on.

"Dad, this kid is a werewolf!" Stiles exasperatedly pointed out.

Noah stared at him in disbelief.

"Your best friend is a werewolf," he snapped back to make the point go through Stiles's head. "Your girlfriend is an empath. I still don't know what Kira's supposed to be." Stiles went to disagree but Noah just continued in exaggeration. "When the flying monkeys come soaring through this station, you will have my undivided attention. Until then, just go to school!"

Stiles held up his finger, noticing something strange out of the blue. "What did you do?"

"What?" Noah squinted from the sudden turn in conversation. Though he wasn't surprised since his son never held a long attention span. "What do you mean, 'What did I do?'"

Stiles studied him, looking for a difference in attire or weapons in his belt. "There's something different about you."

"What are you talking about?"

Stiles stepped close to his dad, trying to see if perhaps he wore a new cologne or if there had been a change made to his uniform. "What is it?" He racked his brain, unable to pinpoint what was throwing his dad off to him. "What's different?"

"For the love of God, Stiles," Noah gently shoved him back so he could regain his personal space, "just go to school!"

"I will go if you promise to do a full background check of the Raekens," he attempted to compromise.

"No."

"Dad--"

"You know what?" Noah interrupted him. "Just because I'm the only law enforcement officer who knows anything about this, does not make it my responsibility to do something every time you have a minor suspicion."

A thought dawned on Stiles. "Except you're not the only one."

Noah suppressed a groan as Stiles whirled around to see Parrish working at his desk through the window. He knew he wouldn't win this battle against his son. And even though he didn't want the deputy to get involved, he didn't have a choice.

"Parrish!"

*^*^*^*^*

"So you found nothing."

Sierra concluded the background check Stiles received from Deputy Parrish with four simple words. She walked beside him up the main set of stairs outside of the high school. Malia followed on her other side, interested in what Stiles had failed to find.

Stiles sputtered a reply, "No, you know I found, uh—it might seem insignificant but—"

"Stiles, it's just a speeding ticket," Sierra stated firmly.

"Yeah, but it was signed by Theo's dad eight years ago," he pointed out.

Malia didn't understand why that mattered to him. "So what does that mean?"

Stiles sighed, stopping in the middle of the pavilion to face the girls. "Who speeds?" he asked rhetorically. When Malia stared at him, he explained, "People trying to get away from something."

"Well, how many tickets do you have?" Malia inquired as Sierra crossed her arms.

Stiles, his hands on his hips, instantly stated, "None."

His response made Malia reword her question. "How many tickets would you have if your dad didn't get you out of them?"

Stiles pursed his lips, grumbling under his breath, "Seventeen."

"So Sierra's right. You found nothing."

Sierra hid her laugh behind her hand, more than amused by Malia's bluntness. Hearing his girlfriend's quiet giggle, Stiles narrowed his eyes at her and pointed his finger. "Don't even, string bean," he warned her. "Might I remind you the time Officer Devon pulled you over. In my Jeep."

Sierra dropped her jaw. "Hey! That's not the same thing. I only got pulled over because when trying to learn stick, you grabbed the wheel!"

"Minor detail," Stiles waved his hand. "Main point is that I am not the only person with a ticket here. And we need to look into the one Theo's dad got."

Malia deeply exhaled, now annoyed that Stiles wouldn't drop the very small fact about Theo's father. "Look, Stiles. You just need to chill. I mean I see why you're worried. Theo is really hot. He's got like great hair, perfect body. You should definitely feel threatened if anything."

"Gee, thank you," Stiles scoffed sarcastically. "Because I do. Now more than ever."

"You want me to torture him?" Malia questioned, moving her hand to adjust the bag on her shoulder.

"Woah, we are not torturing him," Sierra interceded with wide eyes.

Malia looked at her in confusion. "Are you sure? I'm pretty sure I can take him."

"How do you even know what he looks like?" Stiles demanded. "You weren't at the fight last night. You didn't see him."

Malia and Sierra both shifted their gazes to the concrete, the were-coyote whistling under her breath. Stiles raised his eyebrows and glanced between them expectantly. "Um, hello?"

"We, uh, kind of found him on Instagram," Malia told him awkwardly, tucking her short hair behind her ear. "And we might've looked through his profile."

Stiles locked his jaw, aggravated as cocked his head to the side in order to look at Sierra.

She smiled at him guiltily. "Oops?"

He rolled his eyes, and she quickly defended their actions. "Okay, it's not like we added him! When you were in the station we just decided to conduct our own investigation.  You know, see what kind of life he's been living before he came back."

"And?" Stiles motioned for her to go on. "What did you find?"

"He's really hot," Malia bluntly stated making Sierra wince.

"What she meant to say is that his Instagram page didn't have much," Sierra forced a chuckle after Stiles huffed and folded his arms. "He didn't have a lot of followers and it was mostly workout videos on his timeline."

"Just perfect," Stiles muttered under his breath. "There goes the plan I had then."

"What plan?" Malia asked.

"Look, there are steps to doing this right," he informed her. From watching his father work and spending many afternoons in the station when he was younger with Sierra, he knew the procedure they needed to follow. "We get the story and verify the facts. Find the piece that doesn't fit and catch him in the act. That's how you do it."

Stiles didn't bother to suppress a groan then, his eyes catching sight of Theo in the parking lot. "Oh, come on."

Malia and Sierra looked over their shoulders and followed his gaze to see the boy climbing out of a silver SUV. Theo felt their eyes and turned, his lips widening into a grin from seeing people he knew. He waved politely at them, his backpack hanging off one shoulder.

"Why are you so suspicious of this guy?" Malia questioned Stiles once more, keeping her focus on Theo as he headed inside.

"Because I remember Theo from fourth grade, okay?" he replied, feeling his stomach twist with discomfort. His eyes flicked towards Sierra, a memory playing like a broken record in his brain. Sierra stared at him, confused, but he just looked back to where Theo had disappeared.

"That's not Theo."