Hazel and Lydia were walking to school when Hazel spotted Stiles and Scott chatting by the entrance. Lydia smirked, waving goodbye.
"I'll see you later." Lydia said, her tone playful as she headed inside.
Hazel approached the boys with a smile.
"Hey, Lydia, you lookâ" Stiles started, but Lydia breezed past him without so much as a glance. "âlike you're gonna ignore me."
Hazel winced at Stiles' attempt to engage Lydia. His efforts always seemed doomed.
"Hey, guys." She greeted.
Stiles lit up. "Oh, hey, Hazel. Didn't see you there. How are you?" Then, turning to Scott, he added, "This is your fault, by the way. Dragging me into your nerdy depths. Hazel's guilty tooâshe can nerd out sometimes."
The bell rang, and the three headed inside.
"I'm a nerd by association," Stiles continued, his voice dramatic. "I've been scarlet-nerded by you."
The trio made their way to class, settling into their seats as the teacher began writing on the board.
"As you all know," the teacher began, "there was a body found in the woods last night."
Scott shot a glance at Stiles, who winked.
"I'm sure your morbid little minds are crafting wild theories," the teacher continued. "But the police have a suspect in custody. So, please direct your undivided attention to the syllabus on your desks."
Groans filled the room as students reluctantly picked up their papers. Hazel focused on hers until the door opened. In walked the principal, followed by a girl.
"Class, this is our new student, Allison Argent. Please make her feel welcome."
Allison smiled nervously as she made her way to an empty seat behind Scott. When he offered her his pen, Hazel's brows furrowed.
Why is he giving her a pen? she thought, confused.
Allison thanked Scott, her expression just as puzzled as Hazel's.
"We'll begin with Kafka's Metamorphosis, page 133," the teacher announced.
When class ended, Hazel noticed Allison by her locker, just a few feet from Scott's. She saw her brother watching the new girl and decided to make her move.
Sneaking up behind Scott, she teased, "Already falling in love?"
Scott jumped, turning to his sister, who grinned knowingly.
Stiles joined them, his expression matching Hazel's amusement. Another student walked up, her face questioning.
"How is it that the new girl's been here five minutes, and she's already hanging out with Lydia's clique?"
"Because she's hot," Stiles replied. "Beautiful people herd together."
Hazel rolled her eyes.
That afternoon, Hazel joined Lydia and Allison on the bleachers as Scott and Stiles warmed up for lacrosse practice.
Sitting beside Allison, Hazel smiled. "Hey, I'm Hazel. You're Allison, right?"
Allison nodded. "Yeah, nice to meet you."
The two turned their attention to the game. Hazel noticed Allison stealing glances at Scott, who surprised everyone by playing goalie.
"Who's that?" Allison finally asked, her tone casual.
Hazel smirked. "That's my brother, Scott. Why?"
"No reason." Allison shrugged, looking away.
When the game started, Scott seemed off, flinching as if his ears hurt. A ball slammed into his helmet, sending him to the ground. Coach laughed, along with the team.
But in the next round, Scott shocked everyone by catching the ball effortlessly.
"How... did he do that?" Hazel murmured, her eyes wide.
Scott continued to block every shot, including one from Jackson, who looked furious. Lydia cheered loudly, much to Jackson's annoyance. Hazel couldn't help but chuckle.
"That's my friend!" Stiles shouted, jumping in excitement
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Later, Hazel, Scott, and Stiles headed into the woods, searching for Scott's lost inhaler.
As they walked, Scott spoke up. "It's weird. I felt like I had all the time in the world to catch those shots. And it's not just thatâI can hear things. Smell things."
Hazel raised a brow. "Smell things? Like what?"
Scott hesitated. "Like... the mint mojito gum in Stiles' pocket."
Stiles scoffed. "I don't evenâ" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of gum, his jaw dropping.
Scott smirked triumphantly and kept walking.
"This all started after the bite," Scott muttered.
"What if it's some kind of infection?" Hazel asked, her voice laced with concern.
Stiles chimed in, smirking. "Oh, yeah. It's called lycanthropy. Happens once a monthâon the full moon."
Scott glared, unamused. Hazel shot Stiles a look as well, but he just grinned.
"Okay, kidding. But seriously, if I start melting silver in shop class, you'll know why."
Eventually, they reached the spot where Scott thought he'd dropped his inhaler. But instead of finding it, they found a man dressed in all black, his expression cold and intimidating.
"What are you doing here?" the man demanded. "This is private property."
"Uh, sorry," Stiles stammered. "We didn't know."
Scott added, "We were just looking for something, but... never mind."
The man tossed Scott his inhaler before turning to Hazel. His gaze lingered for a moment before he walked away.
"That was Derek Hale," Stiles whispered, stunned. "You remember, right? His familyâburned to death in a fire ten years ago. What's he doing back?"
Hazel barely heard him. She was too busy staring after Derek, her cheeks flushed.
"Hazel?" Stiles called.
Snapping out of her trance, she ran to catch up with the boys. "Coming!"
S/T: I think about me now and who I could've been.
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