WHILE SIERRA AND LYDIA WERE WITH TRACY, Stiles made use of his free period with Scott to question Theo.
Stiles chose the lacrosse locker room for privacy, since the topic of conversation didn't really need to be spread around. He wanted to know more about Theo's sudden reappearance and transition to becoming a werewolf. Yet he still had to force himself to not scoff at every word that came falling from Theo's mouth.
He studied his old classmate while he leaned back against a set of lockers and crossed his arms over his chest.
"I was skating in a neighbor's empty pool, trying to do a hand plant," Theo answered, sharing the story of how he was bitten. "Nobody was home."
Scott listened intently, in front of him to hear his heartbeat while Stiles was more off to the side.
Theo continued, "I'm not that good of a skateboarder but...I guess I was feeling pretty determined because I completely lost track of time. I didn't even realize it was night until the yard lights came on."
He paused, reminiscing the night. "Like I said, I wasn't very good. On my last try I went down hit hard. Really hard." Theo lifted his eyes to glance between the boys, though it seemed like he was in a daze. "I was sitting there at the bottom of the pool and I realized something. I never heard the board come back down....It came at me fast. I barely had a chance to turn around before it bit me. Right here."
He pointed to his right hip, the same place Peter bit Scott back when the mess first got started.
Scott spoke up, "It wasn't an accident. He wanted to turn you."
"Right," Stiles agreed, but he wasn't affected by Theo's story.
His brain worked logically when new people entered his life, especially with people who had powers. He knew people lied, and in his life, they usually used emotions to make others believe they were being honest.
Learning from the past allowed his persona to harden and let him ask the tough questions. "So why aren't you part of his pack, then? Why didn't he come back for you?"
"Because by the time of my first full moon, he was dead," Theo explained, making Stiles raise his eyebrows.
"And how did you know that?"
Theo went on to say that he met a member of the alpha's pack a couple weeks later. He told Theo that the man who bit him was killed by two of his own betas. "They were twins."
Aiden and Ethan.
Scott glanced at Stiles, his eyes slightly widened.
Stiles just inhaled sharply, letting his best friend know that he remained skeptical.
Theo noticed the exchange, realizing that if Stiles felt hesitant Scott would most likely follow his lead. "Scott," he brought the true alpha's eyes back over to him so he could show his sincerity. "Listen to my pulse. I'm telling the truth."
"Maybe," Stiles replied instead, pushing himself off the wall to join Scott's side. "Or you just know how to steady your heart rate while you're lying your ass off."
Scott looked at his best friend in warning. He knew Stiles held a tendency of getting defensive when new people started showing interest in being their friend, and he held a right to. After all, Scott and Sierra had been deceived in the past. Stiles simply didn't want them getting hurt again.
But, Scott also didn't want Stiles to push away a potential ally.
Theo asked him, confused, "Why would I lie?"
"Because maybe you're not who you say you are," Stiles suggested. He just couldn't shake the bad feeling that twisted his stomach when Theo looked at him.
Theo turned to Scott completely, as that's whose opinion mattered the most to him. "In fourth grade, you had an inhaler," he recalled, making Scott lift his head. "I had one too. I remember this day where I ended up in the nurse's office with an asthma attack. A bad one. I was waiting to be taken to the ER and you were waiting for the principal."
Stiles locked his jaw, but stayed quiet while Scott's lips parted in remembrance.
Theo went on, "You told me what would happen when you go to the ER for asthma. How they give you oxygen, an IV of prednisone. You made it sound easy...like everything would be okay."
Based on the look that dawned across Scott's face, Stiles knew his best friend's wallâwhich wasn't very high to begin withâ was beginning to crumble. Scott believed everything Theo said.
"I've been by myself this whole time," Theo told them seriously. "And everyone knows that lone wolves, they don't make it on their own." He looked Scott straight in the eye. "I swear I am that same kid from fourth grade. I was hoping you are too."
The bell rung before Scott could reply, leading Theo to sigh. "I better not be late for class," he said as he picked up his backpack from the bench and offered the two a small smile. "You guys aren't the only ones I need to make a good impression on."
Scott and Stiles watched him leave quietly before they started to gather their own belongings together. After Scott adjusted his bag on his shoulders, he tilted his head at Stiles.
"No," Stiles declared the second he saw Scott's face. "Don't give me that look."
"Dude, we have to give people the benefit of the doubt sometimes," Scott argued calmly.
Stiles shook his head, exclaiming, "Not this time! All right, I am right. There is something off about him, I can feel it. "
"Lydia's the psychic, not you," Scott teased, heading towards the door.
"First of all, Lydia is not a psychic, she's a banshee. Okay? There's a difference," Stiles stated firmly as he followed him out into the hallway.
"And secondly, Scott, bringing someone into the pack is not a spur of the moment decision," he reminded the true alpha. "Theo might've convinced you, but there's still one person he needs to talk to if we want to find out the truth."
"Who?"
"My girlfriend."
*^*^*^*^*
While they were calming Tracy down outside, Sierra and Lydia found out that she also had been feeling incredibly sick. Earlier that morning, while in a counseling session with Lydia's mother, Natalie, Tracy threw up all over her desk.
Except, what made the girls concerned is Tracy described it as black tar with feathers mixed through.
Tracy waited in the hallway as they talked with Mrs. Martin, holding her books close to her chest with her head down.
Lydia tried to pry information from her mother, but the woman believed that Tracy was simply suffering from parasomnia.
The night terrors, as they were also described as, didn't seem strange for Natalie to believe because of the trauma Tracy had been through. But Sierra knew there had to be more.
"What about the feathers?" she pushed the subject, standing beside Lydia with her bag on one shoulder.
"People with night terrors have done far stranger things than eating their own pillows," Mrs. Martin replied, making Lydia scoff in disbelief. "And anyway, I already told her to take the rest of the day off, but she didn't want to miss the first day."
"Let me try," Lydia suggested, but Natalie shook her head. "Oh come on, I don't have anymore classes. I can take her home and talk to her."
A sigh escaped her mother's lips. "Girls, she's having trouble sleeping. If she needs help beyond that, we'll find her professional help. Got it?" Mrs. Martin placed her glasses back on the bridge of her nose.
"We couldn't agree more," Lydia nodded her head, and Sierra gave her a funny look. Surely, they weren't dropping the subject already.
The girls left the office and rejoined Tracy, who seemed more calmed down than before.
Lydia pulled her and Sierra out of earshot from her mom. "Okay Tracy, we're going to take you home. I know someone who can check out your room and make sure everything is alright."
Sierra raised an eyebrow. "And who might this someone be?"
"Parrish," Lydia shrugged her shoulders innocently, yet Sierra knew better. Her strawberry-blonde friend had gotten closer with the deputy while trying to discover what creature he was, and opened up to Sierra about having a slight crush.
Sierra cautioned her, since she was still in high school, but agreed that he was their best bet for the situation.
"Tracy, I'd love to go with you but unfortunately my sister has cracked down on me for skipping class," Sierra frowned. "Are you okay with just Lydia going?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Tracy nodded her head. "Thanks for your help this morning."
"You're welcome," Sierra smiled kindly. "Maybe when you're feeling better we can go on a run like we used to?"
Tracy returned her warm grin and nodded once more. "I'd like that very much."
"Awesome!" Sierra turned to Lydia and let out a small sigh. "Text me if you need anything, alright?"
"I always do," Lydia promised and then motioned to Tracy. "Come on, we gotta go sign out through the front office."
Sierra waved to them as they left, before turning around to head to her next class.
*^*^*^*^*
One of the best things Sierra loved about senior year was all the free time she had throughout the school day. Besides AP biology and two other normal classes, her day felt like a breeze. She finally made it to the library to help Scott study after lunch, sitting beside him at one of the tables.
Kira joined them once she found out they were going to read their textbook before the practice exam, pulling out the notes she had already started to take. She sat on Scott's other side, and eventually Malia came trudging in too.
Except, due to her failed driving lesson with Mr. Yukimura, she didn't have high spirits. To keep her mind clear, she worked on her math homework, only nudging Sierra when the formula confused her.
Thirty minutes had passed when Stiles came flying through the doors, his eyes darting around before he finally spotted his friends.
He didn't say anything, just approached Sierra and set two papers down in front of her and Scott.
"I take it these mean something?" Sierra questioned her boyfriend, tilting her head back so she could see his face. Scott informed her when she first arrived about their talk with Theo. From his description, Theo seemed sincere, but acknowledged that convincing Stiles was a whole other story.
Stiles nodded, resting his arms on the back of her chair. "Another signature." His friends leaned closer to look at the papers as he explained. "Look, this is Theo's dad's signature on a speeding ticket from eight years ago."
He pointed his finger to the green form. "Now this is his signature on Theo's transfer form to Beacon Hills High School from just a few days ago."
Kira furrowed her eyebrows and questioned, "How did you get his transfer form?"
Sierra shifted in her seat so she could look at him without her neck hurting. "You broke into the Administration Office, didn't you?"
"No," Stiles scoffed. "I did not break into the Administration Office." Sierra and Scott stared at him knowingly, making Stiles huff. "Okay, I might've broken into the Administration Office. Can we just focus on the signature, please? They're different."
"They're sort of different," Malia concluded after glancing over the papers, looking at the others to see what they thought.
"No, they're completely different!" Stiles argued. "Come on, look!" He moved so he could stand between Scott and Sierra and pointed to certain letters. "The garlands don't match, the undulations of the sinuous stroke are totally off. And look at this, it's a perfect example of the Criminal Tremor!"
"I think you're spending way too much time at the police station," Sierra stated bluntly, yet couldn't disagree that he could be onto something. "But I can see where you're coming from."
"This is why you're my favorite," Stiles declared. He set his hand on her shoulder and grinned, happy to have someone on his side.
"Hold on," Kira caught his attention. "Even if they are different, what does that mean? Theo is Theo, but his parents aren't his parents?"
"Someone's not someone," Stiles nodded his head firmly. "And when I figure out who that someone really is, someone's in big trouble." He winced, realizing how confusing his words sounded once in the air.
Scott spoke up for the first time, reminding Stiles, "But no one's done anything wrong."
"Yet," Stiles emphasized. "If Theo's parents are both psychotic killers, then obviously, we should not trust him, right?"
"My parents are Peter and the Desert Wolf," Malia deadpanned.
Sierra pursed her lips. Even though she knew Stiles had a point, she couldn't deny Malia's words. She could see both sides to the argument.
Kira and Scott just looked back at Stiles, their minds already made up. They didn't see a reason to not trust Theo.
"Okay," Stiles rubbed his forehead and sighed. "It's fine. You know what?" He snatched up both forms. "I'll figure this out myself. Right?" He looked at his friends, pointing to each of them. "I don't need you or you, or you."
His eyes landed on Sierra, who looked at him expectantly. "Okay, I need you, string bean, but I respect that you have to study."
Stiles leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek before straightening his back. "I'll see you later," he muttered and then turned around to stalk out of the library.
Sierra watched him go with a frown on her lips, feeling guilty.
Scott noticed and nudged her with his elbow. "He'll be okay, Sisi. You don't need to worry about him."
"I'm sorry, have you met me?" she joked, forcing a smile in his direction. "I'm always gonna worry about him." She looked down at her textbook and remembered why they were in the library. "Anyways, back to biology. Do you remember the vitamin that's absorbed in the stomach via parietal cell production of a glycoprotein?"
"B-12," Scott recalled correctly and she nodded, flipping a page.
"Okay, next topic. What do you know about mitosis?"
"My-what-is?"
*^*^*^*^*
In the times Stiles hung out with Liam by himself, it could be counted on a hand. Though it was nothing against the sophomore.
Stiles just preferred to spend the little free time he had with Scott playing video games or taking Sierra out on a date. He had forgiven Liam for the way he treated Sierra during the dead pool and over time grew to not dislike his company.
The kid was still annoying and sometimes made Stiles want to scream, but Sierra told Stiles that little brothers tended to do that kind of thing. And the more Stiles thought about it, the more he didn't mind hanging out with Liam.
So, because Stiles respected Sierra's decision to study and his other friends didn't see Theo as a threat, the senior turned to Liam to help him out after school ended.
Stiles was simply protective over his best friends; that's the main reason he wanted to continue the Raeken investigation. He knew Liam would be on board because if anyone cared more about Scott and Sierra than Stiles did, it was him.
"What's a Criminal Tremor?" Liam questioned, sitting in the passenger seat of the Jeep. Stiles hadn't told him much, but as a naturally curious being, he wanted to know more. All he could tell is that Stiles was suspicious of Theo, but wouldn't reveal why.
Stiles grabbed the forms out of Liam's hand and shoved them under the visor above his head. "Nothing." He turned the key, the vehicle rumbling to life before Stiles quickly shifted gears and sped out of the school parking lot.
Trailing Theo seemed to be pointless at first. The boy drove straight home and didn't leave until it was dark outside.
Stiles recognized the preserve coming into view as he followed him, his brain whirling with all possibilities of what Theo could be getting into. He watched Theo climb out from his truck and pull something out of the trunk.
"I told you he was up to something," Stiles hissed under his breath, directed towards Liam. They had abandoned the Jeep earlier and were now crouched behind a set of bushes.
"We just spent three hours watching this dude play video games in his bedroom," Liam harshly replied in a whisper, pushing a branch away from his face so he could see Theo walking away from his truck.
"He better be out here covering up a mass murder."
Stiles decided, "Let's find out."
They crept out from their hiding place and started to slowly follow the direction in which Theo disappeared.
Walking a step behind Liam, Stiles asked, "You still got his scent?"
Liam nodded. "Yeah, but I don't need it." He pointed to the ground, which revealed boot prints etched into the mud.
Stiles picked up his pace at the new trail, but Liam hesitated and looked back to where Stiles parked the Jeep.
Noticing Liam had stopped, Stiles turned back around. "What? What's wrong?"
"I forgot I was supposed to meet Mason at the school gym," Liam shared, his lips tugging downwards.
Stiles didn't understand the issue. "Okay, why didn't you just tell him?"
"Tell him what?"
"Anything."
Liam shook his head, "I can't just tell him anything."
"Why not?" Stiles inquired, furrowing his eyebrows together in confusion.
"Because I haven't..." Liam groaned, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets. "I haven't told him everything."
"Still?" Stiles didn't mean to sound so surprised. "We told you it was okay."
Scott, Sierra and Stiles all agreed that Mason could be trusted. Not only because he was Liam's best friend but because the boy already held suspicion about the supernatural from his incident with the Berserker.
"Yeah, I know," Liam exhaled deeply, feeling frustrated with the situation, "but it's not that easy. It's...It's a lot to accept."
"He watched my dad blow up a Berserker with a land mine," Stiles deadpanned. "I think the groundwork's been pretty thoroughly laid for acceptance." Seeing Liam cast his gaze to the grass, he sighed. "Look, Scott, Sierra and I have all been through this. Okay? More than once. It's just, it's always been better when they know."
Stiles started to walk once more, Liam processing his words.
"But what if he freaks out?" Liam demanded after a moment, trying to catch up to him. He let his fears spew words out of his mouth. "What if he doesn't want to talk to me? What if he tries to stab me with something silver? Or what if--"
Stiles blinked in surprise from Liam cutting himself off, only hearing a large thud from behind him. He whirled around, not seeing the sophomore anywhere.
But he did spot a hole.
Stiles stalked over to it, huffing in annoyance from the sight of Liam brushing the dirt off his shoulders. "What the hell are you doing?"
Liam rolled his eyes, "Yeah, cause I totally made myself do this on purpose."
"I swear," Stiles started but stopped, his ears perking from the distance sound of footsteps. "There he is," Stiles whispered, spotting Theo. He glanced down at Liam. "Hurry up and stop screwing around."
After Liam managed to wipe the mud from his phone screen, he jumped out of the hole and rejoined Stiles, who had moved to hide behind a huge tree branch.
At least ten yards away, Theo stood in the middle of an old bridge that was above a creek.
"Try and get his scent," Stiles whispered to Liam and waited a second before asking, "Get anything?"
"Soap," Liam answered quietly and shrugged. "It's nice. It smells good."
"Not his soap," Stiles snapped, careful to not raise his voice. "His emotional state. Chemosignals, remember?"
"Oh, yeah, okay," Liam nodded before focusing in on Theo, who just stood still with his head down. "I, uh...he's sad."
"He's sad?" Stiles echoed, scrunching up his nose.
Liam looked at him, unsure. "Well, not just sad...it's more like grief."
"Grief?" Stiles racked his brain for an explanation on how Theo of all people felt grief. But as Theo pulled out a beautiful lily and slowly dropped it into the water, the puzzle quickly came together.
"Oh my god," Stiles muttered, the realization striking him suddenly as his eyes widened. He turned around and grabbed Liam by his hood. "We have to go. Now."
"What?" Liam fired questions but Stiles didn't have time to answer them. They just needed to leave before Theo found them. "Why?"
"Go!" Stiles urged him. "Right now, just go." He waited until they were closer to the Jeep before he spilled, "That's the bridge where they found his sister."
"What sister?"
"The one that got lost and died from exposure," Stiles recalled with a groan, guilt twisting his insides. "He's leaving a flower for her."
Liam tilted his head, but didn't stop walking. "That doesn't sound evil."
"I know," Stiles sighed, dragging his fingers down his face as he tried to think. But he didn't have time to say anything else as Theo appeared in a tree.
Theo jumped down into the leaves, and raised his head. "What're you guys doing?" He took a step forward, making Liam growl threateningly.
Stiles held out his arm to keep the young beta from charging.
"Whoa," Theo immediately threw his hands up in defense and forced a chuckle. "Why do I get the feeling this kid's tougher than he looks?"
"Only when we let him off his leash," Stiles retorted, Liam continuing to glare in Theo's direction.
A crinkle appeared on Theo's forehead as he wondered aloud about their appearance. "We were in Little League together," he reminded him, hurt. "Why are you so suspicious of me?"
Millions of reasons were on the tip of Stiles's tongue, ready to be flung into the air. Instead, he sighed and pulled out the two forms out of his back pocket. "Because of these," Stiles stated, and handed them over.
He watched Theo unfold the papers in confusion and explained. "One's a speeding ticket signed by your dad eight years ago. The other one's a signature on a transfer form to Beacon High. They're different."
"Huh," was the phrase that fell from Theo's lips as he studied the two sheets of paper. "Yeah, they do look a little different."
"No," Stiles disagreed with a shake of his head. "They're totally different. Signed by two different people."
"So my dad's not my dad?" Theo struggled to follow his classmate's accusation. "Like an imposter?"
"Yeah, something like that," Liam defended Stiles, curling his hands at his sides just in case.
Theo simply folded the forms together and looked up at Stiles. "Who do you think I am?"
"We don't know yet."
"Want me to give you a DNA sample or something?" Theo attempted to lighten the tension.
Stiles's natural wit allowed him to quickly snap back a reply. "No, I don't have anything from the fourth grade to match it to."
Theo's small smile faltered. "You know, Stiles, I came back here for Scott and Sierra," he said first, making Stiles scoff, "but...I also came back for you."
This obviously caught Stiles off guard, and he stared at the boy, puzzled as to what angle he was trying to play.
"Someone like you," Theo went on. "Someone who's willing to walk in the woods in the middle of the night to protect his friends. I don't have anyone like that, but Scott and Sierra do." His eyes flickered to Liam, who had relaxed his posture. "You all do."
Stiles and Liam exchanged unsure glances. After all, they never considered how lucky they all were to have each other. From the outside looking in, it must've been desirable to others to have the protective bonds they shared.
Theo stated firmly, "I know I'm in the right place. I'm meant to be here. I'm meant to be a part of this pack."
*^*^*^*^*^*
When Stiles and Liam said goodbye to Theo and trudged back to the Jeep, they were not expecting to see Scott and Sierra waiting for them.
The girl leaned against the Jeep's hood, balancing on one foot and folding her arms over her chest. Scott remained next to his motorbike, only lifting his head once they arrived.
Stiles withheld from cursing at the look on Sierra's face. Her lips pursed and brows cinched together. He knew she was upset he had disappeared all afternoon without filling her in.
"All right," he sighed, glancing between her and Scott. "How'd you know we were both here?"
"The first clue was Liam not answering mine or Sierra's texts," Scott told him, his hands tucked into his jean pockets.
Sierra finished, straightening her back, "The second was that we know you better than anyone, Stiles, and figured you tailed Theo."
"But how did you know we were at the preserve?" Liam asked curiously, but dropped his head from the disappointment flicking across Scott and Sierra's eyes as they looked at him.
"Followed your scent," Scott shrugged his shoulders.
"So, did you find anything?" Sierra asked with her eyebrows raised, taking a position across from them and beside Scott.
Stiles replied quickly, "Nope."
He brushed past them to get to the driver's side of the Jeep, while Liam awkwardly stuttered. "I fell in a hole."
Scott and Sierra ignored the statement, Stiles climbing inside his car. They both approached the window, watching him fumble with his keys.
"Is was the bridge where his sister died, wasn't it?" Sierra asked, her voice soft.
"Yes, it was," Stiles let out a heavy sigh, refusing to meet their eyes. "Very embarrassing. So, we are gonna leave now." He turned the ignition, but instead of hearing the engine roar to life, it sputtered and faded. Stiles closed his eyes at the horrible sound and rubbed the skin between his eyebrows in frustration. "Son of a..."
"Liam," Stiles changed his words and got out of the Jeep. "Do me a favor, please. Get in the car and turn the ignition when I say."
Liam did as he was told without speaking a word, feeling the stress building between the trio.
Stiles walked around his best friends to get to the hood, huffing as he forced it back up. Scott and Sierra exchanged concerned glances when he didn't even look their way.
"Stiles," Scott tried first.
But he just continued looking at the engine and fiddling with random parts, muttering, "Be with you in a sec." He raised his voice so Liam could hear him. "Try it!"
Liam turned the key, but the Jeep simply sputtered again. Stiles rested his elbows on the side of the engine and cast his gaze to the ground while Sierra approached his side.
Setting her hand on his shoulder, she said his name calmly. "Stiles."
"Yes?" He raised his head, his words sharp from his anger. "Okay, we followed him out here. what do you want me to say? That I'm a stalker, huh? That I'm crazy, totally paranoid?" His body sprang up, and Sierra stumbled a few steps back in surprise. "None of this is new information!"
Another sigh escaped him from seeing his girlfriend move away from him, yet Stiles forced himself to continue messing with the engine to get it working.
Scott spoke up, recalling their conversation from earlier that afternoon. "So you're not gonna at least try to give him the benefit of the doubt?"
Stiles's finger shook to disagree as he argued, "I give people the benefit of the doubt. I've given a lot of benefit to a lot of people."
"Like Derek?" Scott asked, purposefully bringing up their friends that they were once suspicious of. "Kira? Liam?"
"I was right about Matt." If Scott wanted to play this game, Stiles could to. "I was right about Peter."
He stopped working and once again made Liam try the ignition. Just like the first time, nothing happened.
Stiles clenched his jaw, wanting to spew curses. But he swallowed them down and shook his head again. "You know," he said first, glancing at Scott as he brought up the former alpha. "I bet you think that there's still something about him that can be saved."
"Maybe."
Sierra watched worriedly as Stiles withheld from snapping back by pursing his lips together. She hated when Scott and Stiles fell into disagreement. It was a rare occurrence, but when it did happen, it hurt both boys and Sierra severely. Every time.
The frustration of the Jeep not working and Scott not understanding his concern bubbled in the pit of Stiles's stomach. He twisted a gauge and then yelled at Liam, "Try it again!"
But like the other times, the Jeep's engine failed to turn on completely.
Scott asked him, his voice barely above a whisper, "Why can't you trust anyone?"
"Because you trust everyone!" Stiles spewed before he could stop himself. His anger made him spaz, his hand slamming into the edge of the Jeep's hood.
Immediate bursts of agony shot through his bones and caused tears to prick in the corners of his eyes. He harshly bit down on his lower lip from the pain and turned his head away from his friends, not wanting them to see just how badly his hand hurt.
Sierra immediately sprang forward. "Stiles, are you okay?"
Though his heart rate had escalated and he felt like screaming, Stiles forced himself to answer, "I'm fine."
Liam, who had been in the driver's seat, listened to Sierra and Scott express their worry about how Stiles could've broken a bone. He felt tempted to involve himself into the conversation, but knew better.
The trio were all individuals he looked up to for different reasons. And getting to know them taught Liam that during their internal squabbles, outside input only worsened the situation.
"Let me see it," Sierra insisted Stiles hold out his hand once he assured them it wasn't broken.
"Sierra," Stiles sighed.
"Stiles, let me see it," she cut him off before he could argue.
Scott watched Stiles lift up his hand slowly and felt guilty from the wince Stiles made every time he slightly moved his fingers. After all, he was the one who made Stiles get so angry in the first place. He shouldn't of pushed the subject.
Sierra carefully wrapped her own hand around his, offering Stiles a small smile of assurance. Then, she focused on the pain. She inhaled once the heavy energy flowed from Stiles into her own body and without a second thought, she connected to him.
After a flood of memories flitted past her brain, Sierra reminded Stiles of peace.
His shoulders felt lighter from the calming emotion, the positive energy allowing him to relax. His tight grip on her hand released and a deep sigh escaped him.
Scott could only describe the sight as Sierra bringing more light into Stiles, the bruising on the boy's knuckles fading almost immediately.
Stiles didn't say anything once Sierra reopened her eyes, but offered her a small, grateful smile. He then nodded at Scott just as the Jeep's engine suddenly rumbled to life.
"Can you take Liam home?" Sierra spoke first, her question directed at Scott.
"Yeah, of course," Scott answered, but felt concerned. "Are you two gonna be okay?"
Sierra glanced at Stiles, who then cast his eyes back to the ground. "We're gonna be fine," she said, turning back to Scott with a smile. "I just wanna go on a drive before we head on home."
Scott looked at her, unsure, but didn't disagree. "Okay, then." He called out to the sophomore who was still waiting behind the driver's wheel of the Jeep. "Liam! Come on out, I'm gonna take you home on my bike."
Liam climbed out while Scott faced the pair one last time. "Don't stay out too late," he told them and then focused on Stiles individually. "Stiles?" His best friend lifted his gaze and Scott stated seriously, "I'm sorry."
"You're okay," Stiles forgave him. "I'm sorry too."
They exchanged small smiles before Scott turned away to help Liam with his helmet.
Stiles straightened his back once the two drove off, nervously glancing at his girlfriend. "Am I in trouble?"
Sierra looked up at him, but he couldn't tell how she was feeling. Her face didn't twitch up in a smile or fall into a frown.
She simply asked, "You wanna go on a drive?"