Lydia sat in one of the study cubicles, doing her best to study up on her chemistry test that was next period. She was surprised how difficult this chapter was, but she felt like she was getting it.
"What the hell is this?" a voice asks, from behind her. A notebook is then dropped on top of her chemistry textbook. Lydia turns around to see Stiles standing before her, his nostrils flared out in annoyance and a bit of anger.
"Excuse me?" Lydia asks, furrowing her brow in confusion.
"Did you honestly think that I wouldn't find out about these notes, if one would even call them that, you gave Malia?" Stiles asks, his voice level higher than normal speaking, but not quite at yelling.
"What are you-" Lydia asks, grabbing the notebook Stiles dropped onto her desk. She's caught off guard by the random letter and number combinations written on fifteen pages. "What the hell…"
"Yeah, Malia and I were saying the same thing last night when I was helping her study," Stiles says.
"You two study together?" Lydia asks, doing her best to not falter her voice.
"Uh yeah, last night we did," Stiles says. "We also, wait, that's not important." His face goes red.
"You also did what?" the banshee asks, with curiosity filling her voice.
"We-we sort of became a couple," Stiles says, diverting his eyes away from the girl sitting before him.
"Oh, wow! Congrats, I guess," Lydia says quietly, her voice now full of pain, which causes Stiles' eyes to turn back to Lydia.
"Lydia, are you okay?" he asks her.
"Yeah, of course! Um, I sort of have this test next period, and I would like to review this chapter…" Lydia trails off.
"Oh right, of course! Sorry I came in here all accusing you," Stiles says, turning to walk away.
"Tell Malia I'll give her my notes after school. I basically have the lesson memorized, so she can just have mine," Lydia says.
"Will do," Stiles says, flashing a smile, which causes Lydia's heart to melt. He turns to walk away, but suddenly turns back. "Hey Lydia?" Lydia turns back around to look at him. "Um, why have you been so…distant from us lately?"
Lydia's throat closes. She squeezes her eye shut to stop the slowly forming tears from falling down her face. "Like I said, I have to study," she says turning back to the textbook.
"Right," Stiles says, turning back around to walk away. Once she knows that he is out of earshot, Lydia lets her tears and cries escape her body.
Lydia gave Kira her notes to give Malia because she knew that if she saw Malia or Stiles, regardless if they were together or not, she wouldn't be able to contain herself.
When she returns home, she begins working on her AP Biology homework, slowly trudging through the countless pages of questions her teacher assigned to her and the rest of the class. Lydia didn't realize just how hard she was working, because when her doorbell chime echoed through the house, she noticed just how low the sun was.
She walked down the steps and opened the door to find Stiles, his shirt and hair soaked with sweat. He just got out of lacrosse practice. "Stiles? What are you doing here?" Lydia asks him, tucking wrapping her arms around herself do to the rather cool night.
"I want an answer to the question I asked you earlier. In the library," Stiles states, crossing his arms.
"What? What question?" Lydia asks, baffled.
"Why have you been avoiding us? Me, Kira, Scott, Malia," Stiles reminds her.
Lydia rolls her eyes and answers, "I don't have time for this, Stiles, I have homework I need to be working on."
"I just want to know. You and I have were so close and then all of the sudden, you push me away," Stiles says.
Anger boils inside of Lydia. "You have to be fucking kidding me, Stiles. I have been pushing you away!? How delirious are you?" Lydia shrieks, catching the tall brunette boy off guard. "I cannot believe you're that ignorant."
"Lydia-"
"No! No! Do not 'Lydia' me! Do not give me that puppy dog look! I have done nothing! You were the one that pushed me away when Malia waltzed into the halls of Beacon Hills. You pushed me away. And the reason why I've distanced myself from you and the rest of the pack, because I'm the odd one out! I'm the fifth wheel! Sorry I don't want to see you and Malia as well as Kira and Scott make out at every pack meeting, or whatever! Sorry I've been dealing with my best friend dying in the only way I can. Sorry I've been dealing with my crazy banshee powers alone because my friends are too busy dealing with their relationships to see that I need help," Lydia would go on with her rant, but she forces herself to gasp for air. Her eyes burn with tears.
"Lydia, I'm sorry," Stiles says softly.
"No! Don't," Lydia warns him, taking a step backwards. Tears are running down her face like slow, but persistent waterfalls. She doesn't bother wiping them away because she knows they'll soon return. "Stiles, I think you need to go home. Or go see your girlfriend," she pits out the word 'girlfriend' like it's vinegar, "just leave me alone." She slams the door in his face.
Stiles waits at her locker the following morning, waiting for the girl who ranted at him last night to apologize, even though he knows that she won't accept it. "Stiles, can you, like, take a step to your left or something?" a voice asks him, snapping him out of his trance. Kira stands in front of him.
"Oh, right, sorry," Stiles says, stepping aside so that Kira can get to Lydia's locker. "What are you doing? Where's Lydia?"
"I'm getting her books for her first couple of classes," Kira answers. The two teens sink back into silence as Kira piles Lydia's book into her arms. For a girl who is a genius, Kira was surprised she only had to collect one textbook and three notebooks. "Lydia called me after you left her house."
"Is she really this mad at me?" Stiles asks.
"Well, she's avoiding you so much she's getting me to get her books," Kira responds, closing Lydia's locker door. "So yeah, I would say she's pretty pissed." Stiles bangs his head against the locker next to Lydia's. "I hope you realize that she wasn't avoiding the whole pack, Stiles."
"What? What does that mean?" Stiles asks, dumbfounded.
Kira wants to say something else, but she can't because she knows Lydia would murder her if she does. She just shrugs and walks away.
He manages to corner Lydia when she's leaving after the school bell rings. "Leave me alone, Stiles," she says as she walks to Kira's car, where her friend sits in the driver's seat. "Don't you have another study date with Malia, or something?"
"She's staying after for math help with Mrs. Boston," Stiles says. "Lydia, will you please just talk to me?"
"I have nothing to say to you," she says.
Stiles grabs her wrist softly, but firmly, and spins her back to him. "Look, I know that you won't accept this apology, but I'm sorry. I'm sorry I pushed you away in favor of Malia, it wasn't right for me to do. I'm sorry you had to deal with Allison alone, and I'm sorry I haven't been there for you with these banshee problems like I used to," he says before Lydia can get a word out of her mouth.
Lydia slides her hand out of Stiles' grasp. "You're right, I'm not going to accept that apology," she says climbing into Kira's car. She goes to shut the door, but Stiles' hand blocks the way.
"Why the hell are you so mad at me?" he asks, doing his best to control his anger.
Lydia rolls her eyes because she can't make it clearer for the boy. "Because I love you, you idiot," she says bluntly. Stiles jaw goes loose as Lydia slams the door shut and Kira pulls away. He can't believe what Lydia just told him.
Stiles came to her house later that night. When Lydia answered the door, she found herself staring at the boy she slowly fell in love with: freshly showered hair, a plaid shirt, jeans, and converse. "Do you really love me? You weren't just saying that?" he asks her before she can question what he was doing at her house.
Lydia swallows. "Yes, I really love you. I would never 'just say that'," she answers.
"Are you sure? Because I just broke up with Malia, and I don't want to go crawling back to her after it turned out to be a way for you to get me to let go of Kira's car door," Stiles rambles.
The two stand quietly at each other, their eyes burning into each other. Lydia makes the first move; she grabs Stiles' flannel shirt and pulls him down to her. He acts quickly; he grabs her by the hips and brings her to him. "I'm one hundred percent positive, Stiles," Lydia says, before kissing the boy.