Stay High

Lydia sat in the bathtub eating Chinese food from the container. Mascara stained around her eyes and she wore a little black dress with her hair long and messy. She sat there for a few minutes thinking back to when he left her; when Stiles left her. She'd been broken ever since. Everything she did was to forget about him, but she couldn't. She got out of the bathtub and threw the carton of noodles in the trash. She stood in front of the mirror and brushed her hair and fixed her makeup. You couldn't even tell she'd been crying. She grabbed some heels and her purse and took a sip of whiskey. She grabbed a coat from the rack by her front door and left. She arrived at a club twenty minutes later. She grabbed a shot of tequila at the bar and went to dance. She saw couples all over making out and grinding and decided to have fun and let go. She found a random guy, he was hot and she was drunk. She grabbed him and started making out with him.

Stiles Stilinski came into her life quite suddenly. He lived across the hall from her, and they had both just moved to the city. She'd moved from a small town in New Jersey, and he moved from an even smaller town in California. He was a cop and she was still studying at Columbia. They started hanging out all the time and became best friends. It was rare that they didn't hang out.

Lydia was sitting at her dining room table alone. She'd set a place for Stiles directly across from her. She was wearing shorts and a t-shirt with her hair in a bun and no makeup on. She was planning on telling Stiles how she truly felt about him. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. She got up and opened the door. Stiles ran in ranting about something. He normally did this, but tonight was different.

"Stiles. Slow down. What happened?"

"Lydia. I just got a job offer."

"Congratulations!" Lydia hugged him with a big smile on her face. They let go and Lydia noticed the expression on his face.

"What's the problem?"

"Lydia, it's… it's in California. My dad got it for me. It's way more money, and I'd be close to family again… I gotta take it." He noticed the plates of spaghetti and the big salad bowl and glasses of wine on the table.

"You should take it." She said with a fake smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I mean, it sounds… amazing."

"If I leave… we won't see each other. Maybe ever."

"Yes we will. Stiles, we'll skype, and talk on the phone… Our friendship doesn't have to change."

As Lydia walked through her front door she suddenly felt an intense hunger come over her. She went in the kitchen and pulled out a box of twinkies. She started shoving them in her mouth, one by one. She ran to the bathroom, feeling sick, and ended up throwing up in her bathtub. She sat back against the toilet and started crying. Why hadn't he called? Why did she drink so much? She took a shower, and with wet hair, climbed into bed. She laid there remembering the night he told her he was leaving. She remembered every detail.

Stiles and Lydia sat at the table eating and drinking, talking about all the good times they'd had together since they both moved to the city.

"I'm gonna miss you." Stiles said.

"I'll miss you too."

"I love you, Lyds."

"I love you too, Stiles." She smiled.

Stiles put his fork down and moved to the chair directly next to Lydia and grabbed her hand.

"Lydia, I mean it. I love you. I've been in love with you since I met you. Since the first time I saw you." Lydia smiled. She leaned in and kissed him. Still kissing the two got up and walked into her room, undressing, kissing, and made love for the first time. When it was over, Lydia laid on her side with Stiles' arms wrapped around her.

"Don't go." She said.

"Don't let me."

Lydia woke up the next morning in her bed, hungover. She knew it was Saturday, and she didn't have to go to class. She was making coffee when her phone rang and she answered it

"Hi."

"Lydia? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Not that you care."

"You know that's not true. I love you."

"If you did, why did you leave?"

"Why did you let me?"

Stiles came over the next day. It was obvious that their relationship had changed after last night. In a good way. Lydia opened the door for him and he hugged her and picked her up and kissed her.

"Hey, gorgeous."

"Hey." She smiled.

"So… um, I was thinking… the whole job thing."

"Oh yeah, did you tell your dad you're not going?"

"No."

"Why not? After last night I thought-" Stiles got closer to her and held her hands.

"Last night was amazing. But… this is my career. What if you come with me?"

"Stiles… I'm still in school. I can't just move across the country."

"Do you love me?"

"I do, but… I have to finish school."

"Okay. You can transfer. Lydia, please, take a risk with me."

"I can't."

"Lydia… I'm going."

"Then go."

"What?"

"If you expect me to move with you, I'm not. If you expect me to stand here and tell you not to go, I'm not."

"You don't want me to stay."

"I don't want you to go. But I can't make you stay. You have to make that decision yourself."

"Lydia. I'm going."

"Stiles. I'm staying."

"So that's it?"

"I guess so."

Stiles turned around to leave but suddenly turned around and kissed her.

"Lydia… I love you."

"I love you too."

"I'll call you every day. We'll skype all the time."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Lydia nodded.

"We can do this."

"Stiles, I told you that I wasn't making the decision for you. You easily could have stayed here with me, but you didn't. Not my fault."

"I didn't want to leave."

"Then why did you?"

"I thought it was best… but I miss you."

"I miss you too."

"I'm coming back."

"Stiles… a lot has happened since you left. I'm not the same girl you fell in love with."

"What did you do?"

"A lot."

"Why?"

"Because you're gone… I have to constantly be doing things to keep you off my mind… I spend my days stuck in a haze to try and forget you… but I just can't."

"Lyd-"

"I've been drinking a lot… and going to clubs… I made out with some guy last night… I don't even know his name. I was drunk, you hadn't called…"

"Lydia. I didn't call because it hurts to let you off the phone. I'm sorry."

"So I should feel bad."

"No. It's my fault. I should have called. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too, Stiles. Sorry that we're stuck like this right now."

"I'm coming back."

"Sti-"

"I'm coming back."

"Promise?"

"Promise. I'll be there. Next week."

Lydia waited for Stiles to come over. She'd cleaned her apartment, she hadn't had a drink in over a week, because she finally had something to hope for. She re-created the night he told her about leaving. She was wearing the same outfit, she'd made spaghetti and salad again, and had even bought the same bottle of wine for the two of them to share. She was fixing her hair a bit when her phone rang.

"Hello? Is this Lydia Martin?"

"Yes. This is she."

"Hi, ma'am, I'm afraid I have some bad news…"

He continued to tell her the news and she stopped listening. She dropped the phone on the floor and collapsed, crying and screaming. She sat on the floor for hours crying. She kept hearing the man on the phone in her ear over and over again.

"I'm afraid there's been a plane crash… we found this phone on the body of a Stiles Stilinski? Ma'am, I'm sorry. He didn't make it."

She would never see Stiles Stilinski again. He was… gone.