It didn't take long for Amanda and Nick to get into a routine. They had one before Amanda started school, so it was easy for them to adjust it to fit. Amanda went to school during the day while Nick worked at the vet's clinic, trying to gain the trust of Deaton, the Hale's emissary. Their nights were spent with Amanda working on homework on the floor in front of the couch and Nick on the couch, asking her about her day over whatever Nick made for dinner. She told him that she had found out that the Hales had a son her age and in her class, so of course Nick urged her to get close to him, not realizing that Amanda already knew it was what she had to do.

Yet, Amanda had kept her distance from Derek, spotting him here and there and realizing they shared a few classes and a lunch period. Instead, she focused most of her attention on Paige, trying to start one friendship with the quiet, but stubborn girl while she figured out how to make natural contact with Derek.

And it seemed whatever higher power believed that Amanda deserved a natural way to meet Derek—besides making her run into his locker. One day, Amanda walked out of her last class to see the basketball team in their uniforms and letting out cheers as they ran down the halls. Amanda pressed her back against her locker and watched as Derek ran past her, not even giving her a second glance. She watched him run down the hall and follow the pack to the gym, students following along. Amanda joined, merging with the sea of high schoolers and getting to the gym. The social aspects of high school still confused Amanda. As soon as she thought she had it all figured out, there was something new to adjust to, like whatever was going on in the gym.

As soon as Amanda entered the gym, she spotted Paige sitting in the corner on the front row of the bleachers. Amanda maneuvered her way around groups of people, getting to Paige. She dropped her pink backpack on the ground as she sat down next to Paige, who glanced over to her.

"What…is going on?" Amanda asked, taking in the amount of people in the gym. There were streamers and balloons, even the band was set up.

"It's a pep rally." Paige answered as if Amanda was stupid, "The first round of semi finals starts tomorrow night for the basketball team."

"Oh." Amanda felt her brow furrow. She had never been to a pep rally before, so she was a little confused as to what was going on. Paige obviously noticed and raised her eyebrows at Amanda.

"Have you never been to a pep rally?"

"No." Amanda scoffed, making a face, "Of course I have." Paige continued to eye Amanda until she cracked, "I mean, well…" Amanda looked away from Paige, trying to come up with a lie. She was terrible at lying; people always figured it out, "My old school didn't have a lot of organized sports." Amanda carefully said, not making eye contact with Paige, but instead watching the cheerleaders warm up. She quickly glanced at Paige, seeing her nod and make a face,

"It's not super interesting." Paige shrugged, "Have you seen Bring It On?"

"Uhm, yes, it's my favorite movie." Amanda turned in her seat, pressing her hand to her chest, "Is it like that?"

"A little lamer." Paige crinkled up her features and Amanda gave a disappointed sigh, turning back to face front and drop her hand to her lap.

"I guess basketball's a pretty big deal here, huh?" Amanda asked, seeing the posters and students decked out in their school colors, all cheering.

"Yeah." Paige sighed, planting her elbows on her thighs and leaned forward. Amanda glanced at her, seeing how bored she looked.

"Do you even like basketball?" Amanda asked, raising her eyebrows at Paige.

"God, no." Paige scoffed, rolling her eyes, "I'm just here because I can't practice until they're done. It gets so loud."

"Right." Amanda nodded as the band started to play.

Paige and Amanda sat through the pep rally, Paige looking bored while Amanda clapped along to the cheers, trying to learn them as the cheerleaders went. Paige even cracked a smile at Amanda's ridiculous movements, which made Amanda feel satisfied as she laughed along with her new friend.

When it came time for the basketball team to come out, Amanda clapped along with the rest of her peers, Paige was lazily smacking her hands together, not paying attention. Amanda studied the basketball players, remembering their faces and numbers so she could keep up if she needed to. Derek's name was called somewhere in the middle and Amanda sat up a bit straighter, trying to get a better view as Derek ran through the cheerleader tunnel. He came out to the whoops and hollers of the crowd and did a special handshake with the captain before waving to the crowd. Amanda caught his eye and gave him a small wave, just out of habit—she wasn't thinking.

"Wait, do you know him?" Paige asked, getting Amanda's attention as Derek ran to get in line with the rest of the players.

"What?" Amanda asked, turning to look at Paige, "No, oh, no." Amanda shook her head.

"Then why'd you wave?" Paige asked, brow furrowing.

"Cause he was waving…" Amanda trailed off, making her eyes wide. Paige laughed at her and shook her head, obviously amused with Amanda's actions.


Nick entered the vet's clinic, shoving his hands into his pockets as he looked around the empty waiting room. He could hear the cats and dogs in the back room and when he glanced at the examination room, he saw Deaton walking in front of the door. Stepping forward, Nick walked through the small gate that separated the examination room from the waiting room and tapped his knuckles against the door window. He opened the door as Deaton looked over to him, giving him an easy smile.

"You're early." Deaton commented, going back to examining whatever he had pulled out of a patient. Nick had gone straight from dropping Amanda off to the clinic.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something." Nick started, rubbing his hands on his thighs as Deaton looked back up at him, brow furrowing.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, no." Nick motioned with his hands, "It's not about work either."

Nick hadn't yet figured out how to bring up Deucalion or Marin, but Nick knew he had to do it sooner rather than later. Especially because Amanda was asking questions and he couldn't lie to her. She wasn't doing it to be mean, she was just genuinely curious about Deaton's involvement and how Nick was doing. Nick knew that, but he still felt guilty whenever he shrugged it off and changed the subject.

Deaton eyed Nick for a moment, deciding to let the young man off the hook. Marin had already warned him that Nick was coming and Deaton was happy to let Nick play the role of employee as he tried to get closer to Deaton—hell he always could use an extra hand or two. But it was clear that Nick wanted to bring up the subject, just that he wasn't sure how to.

"I know what it's about." Deaton admitted, getting Nick to raise his eyebrows as Deaton went back to cleaning his tools, "You're a friend of Marin's and Deucalion's son." Deaton simply said. Nick made a face and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning forward slightly,

"You know?" Nick asked, brows furrowing.

"Have since you walked in a few days ago." Deaton responded, looking over at Nick. Nick gaped at him and dropped his arms from his chest,

"Then why—what did they even need me to do?" Nick sputtered out, feeling frustrated with his dad's orders.

"I suppose it was more of a keep Amanda safe task than anything else." Deaton mused, getting Nick to look back at him.

"You know about Amanda?" Nick raised his eyebrows at his boss. Deaton gave him a knowing smile,

"I know more than you think." Deaton set his tools down and turned to look at Nick, "My sister and I may not see each other often, but she always knows to keep me informed of the pack's doings."

"Great, so you know that I need your help." Nick stated, "I need you to—"

"Get Talia on your side." Deaton cut Nick off, nodding a bit, "I'm well aware of how sought out my Alpha is." Nick swallowed and licked his lips, suddenly feeling nervous that Deaton wasn't going to help him. "I'll see what I can do." Deaton finally said, glancing at Nick, "Now, don't you have some work to do?" Deaton finished the conversation and Nick nodded.

"Thank you." Nick seriously said, swallowing a bit; he wasn't used to thanking people, let alone emissaries. Deaton gave him a small smile and nodded back at Nick.


Once the pep rally was over, Paige gathered up her things and immediately stood up, ready to get back to the music room. Amanda grabbed her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder and giving Paige a small smile,

"Would you wanna go to the basketball game with me tomorrow night?" Amanda asked.

"Why?" Paige's brow furrowed at the invite.

"Well, cause it's my first sportsball game and I would like to go with a friend." Amanda said, hopefully raising her eyebrows.

"You could just not go, you know they aren't mandatory, right?" Paige asked, studying Amanda.

"Oh, right." Amanda moved her torso to the side before facing forward again, "Right, yeah, I mean, basketball's boring anyway." Amanda made a face, laughing a little, "I'll just see you on Monday." Amanda gave Paige a small smile and a little wave before walking past her.

As she walked out of the gym, Amanda shook her head at herself. Of course Paige wouldn't have wanted to go to the basketball game with her; she obviously hated basketball. Honestly, Amanda hated all forms of organized sports, but she needed to go to the basketball game so Derek would see her and Amanda could slowly start building the bridge.

"Hey, Amanda!" Amanda turned to see Paige jogging up to her, her messenger bag thumping against her thigh. Amanda waited for Paige to catch up to her and gave her a small smile, "Uh, I was thinking that…I don't know, maybe it'll be fun to go to the basketball game tomorrow night."

"Really?!" Amanda lit up and gave Paige a happy smile, "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Paige grinned back at Amanda, rolling her eyes, "I'm sure you'll make it ten times more fun." Amanda reached out and took Paige's hand, squeezing it as she bounced a little.

"Okay." Amanda stopped bouncing and took in a breath, dropping Paige's hand, "I will see you tomorrow night." Amanda gave Paige another grin before walking away from her new friend.

Since Paige had agreed to go to the game with Amanda, Amanda figured it meant they were friends and she was relieved she was going to have someone to suffer with her. Plus, Paige was right, Amanda would make it fun just so they wouldn't be so incredibly bored.

Amanda continued her walk down the hall, checking her Razr to see that Nick had texted her that he was on his way to pick her up. Luckily, he had worked his hours out with Deaton so that he only worked during the day, letting him finish his shift right around the same time Amanda finished school. She snapped her phone closed and looked up just in time to avoid colliding with someone coming around the corner.

"Oh, hey." Amanda blinked a bit at the sudden person standing in front of her, one arm out as if to stop her from walking into him, the other wrapped around a basketball. She glanced from her hand to the person's face, realizing it was none other than Derek Hale. He was actually a couple of inches taller than her, she realized as she stood extremely close to him. And his eyes were more of a dark green than the brown she thought they were. Amanda blinked, realizing she was staring and stepped back from Derek.

"Sorry." Amanda laughed, placing her hands on her backpack straps as Derek gave her an easy smile.

"All good." Derek nodded at her before stepping to the side, trying to get around her. Amanda stepped in the same direction and soon the two of them were involved in a small, little dance, each trying to get around the other, but being blocked by each other. Amanda stopped moving and let out a small laugh,

"You go." She swept her arms out and to the side, letting Derek walk past her. Derek gave her a small smile and nodded, walking past her. His brow furrowed as he glanced behind him at the girl before he turned fully,

"Hey, wait." He called out to her, getting her to stop and turn to look at him expectantly. "You're the girl who ran into my locker, aren't you?" Derek pointed at Amanda and heard her heartbeat start to pick up in embarrassment. She blushed and looked down at her feet before looking back up at Derek,

"Yep, yeah, that would be me." Amanda rocked back on her heels as Derek gave her an amused smile, eyebrows raising.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah." Amanda rolled her eyes, "I can afford to lose a few brain cells, thankfully." Amanda joked, pointing to her head and making a face. Derek's smile grew and Amanda couldn't help but smile back, "I'll see you around, Derek." Amanda rolled back on her heels, turning in a small circle and giving him a wave. Derek's brow furrowed when she used his name, but he quickly shrugged it off; he saw her at the pep rally and they announced his name.

"Hey, wait, what's your name?" Derek called out after her. Amanda turned back, still on her heels and gave Derek a grin,

"It's Amanda." Amanda introduced herself, rolling forward so she was flat on her feet, hands on her backpack straps.

Derek nodded at her, which Amanda took as a sign that she could go. He watched her walk, almost skip, away from him, her pink backpack standing out in the otherwise dull hallway. For some reason, Derek couldn't help but smile at the sight of her semi-skipping down the school hallway, watching her until she disappeared around the corner. He shook his head and continued down the hallway, basketball bouncing with each step he took.

The girl, Amanda, had certainly got his attention. First with the slamming into his locker door, then later at practice and again during the pep rally when she waved back at him. She seemed to be everywhere that he was and Derek wasn't complaining — he was actually kind of curious. If her pattern kept up, Derek knew she would be at the basketball game.

Amanda walked out of the school and let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. She heard Nick's motorcycle before she saw him, so she took the minute she had to collect herself. She just had her first real interaction with Derek Hale and somehow didn't blow it completely. Honestly, Amanda was pretty proud of herself; she for sure thought she was going to say something stupid, but she handled it with grace. Plus, he knew her face and her name, which was step one in getting close to Derek Hale and step one in doing exactly what Deucalion asked of her.

Waving at Nick as he pulled up in front of her, Amanda bounded over to him, swinging her leg over the back of the motorcycle and wrapping her arms around his waist. Nick revved the engine before kicking off, maneuvering out of the school parking lot and onto the road. The two of them were quiet as they rode through the town, getting back to their apartment for dinner and homework.

Nick leaned the bike on the kickstand, letting Amanda slide off before he did. She fixed her baseball tee and gave her best friend a grin as he ruffled her hair, walking past her and into the apartment building. Amanda followed him up the stairs, already talking about her day at school as Nick took out his keys. He unlocked the door and Amanda walked in after him, shutting and locking the door.

"And then there was a pep rally!" Amanda excitedly said, "Nick, it was the coolest thing. It was like straight out of Bring It On." Amanda put her hands out, moving them away from each other as she painted the scene in the air. Nick laughed as he shrugged out of his leather jacket, hanging it on the hook.

"Well, I'm glad it lived up to the hype." Nick grinned at her as Amanda slid out of her backpack straps, hanging up her jean jacket.

"How was work?" Amanda asked as Nick went over to the fridge, grabbing a package of individually wrapped and sliced cheese and the butter. He grabbed the loaf of bread and set it on the counter next to the stove, reaching for a frying pan,

"Good." Nick nodded, opening the cheese with one hand and then turning on the stove with the other, "You know, I think we should get a dog."

"Really?!" Amanda perked up, walking over to Nick.

"Fuck no." Nick laughed, getting Amanda to slump down and grumble to herself. She grabbed a slice of cheese from the package and unwrapped it as she went to the fridge.

"Did you talk to your boss?" Amanda asked, leaning her back against the fridge and looking at Nick as she opened the cheese slice.

"Mhm." Nick nodded, "Apparently I'm doing so well I get a pay raise of a whole dollar."

"Oooo." Amanda grinned at Nick, "Maybe we can afford real cheese." Amanda joked, waving the cheese in Nick's face.

"You know these make the best grilled cheeses." Nick said, taking a bite out of the cheese slice as Amanda gasped at him. Nick grinned at her as Amanda rolled her eyes, folding up the rest of the cheese and shoving it into her mouth.

"You know, maybe I should get a job." Amanda thoughtfully said. Nick glanced at her as he set the sandwiches on the frying pan, "I can help out, buy my own cheese." Amanda grinned at him.

"Deucalion has us set on rent and stuff." Nick shrugged, "It really be just so you have your own spending money."

"Perfect, because I found this really cute top in that magazine the other day and I really want it." Amanda settled back against the fridge,

"What would you do?" Nick asked, "I mean no offense, but you've never really had a job."

"I could babysit." Amanda shrugged, "Isn't that what all teenagers do?" Nick let out a little laugh before responding,

"How are you gonna find someone to let you babysit their kid?"

"I'll put up flyers." Amanda shrugged again, "It's a small town, I'm sure someone needs a babysitter." Amanda made her eyes wide as she reached over the stove for another slice of cheese.

Eating her piece of cheese, Amanda walked out of the kitchen, going over to the door to grab her backpack. Nick was humming a mindless tune as he moved the sandwiches on the frying pan. She liked their comfortable little life in Beacon Hills; it seemed almost normal. Sure, they were in town because their werewolf Alpha/dad told them to go, but still. It was just the two of them. There were no other werewolves or emissaries walking around the apartment, just two humans. And to anyone looking in, it would look like a brother a sister were settling in for the night, completely normal and ordinary — which is exactly what Amanda wanted. To be a hundred percent normal and ordinary.

Nick finished up dinner as Amanda was finishing up her Algebra problem set. She moved her things to the side so Nick could place her plate down on the coffee table before he fell onto the couch above her. Amanda pushed out of her sitting position and went to get two bottles of water, tossing one to Nick before folding herself back up in between the couch and the coffee table.

"Besides your pay raise," Amanda started as she picked up half her sandwich, "Did you talk to Deaton about Deucalion?"

"Actually, yes." Nick said around a mouthful of grilled cheese, "Apparently, he's known about me…and you the entire time." Amanda felt her brows furrow and she looked over at Nick, who shrugged, "He said he was gonna help, so…" Nick trailed off, examining his sandwich before taking another bite. Amanda screwed her mouth to the side and turned so she was opposite of Nick, but able to see him. She figured she might as well tell him about what Deucalion really wanted her to do in Beacon Hills.

"Okay, then I have to tell you something." Amanda said, wiping the corners of her mouth. Nick looked down at her, eyebrows raised, "So I told you that Deucalion told me to just look out for the Hales, right?" Nick nodded, " And you've been telling me to get close to Derek, but..." Amanda paused, leaning forward, "I've actually already been doing that because Deucalion told me before we got here to get close to Derek…specifically." Amanda looked down at her sandwich, peeling off the crust.

"Oh?" Nick raised his eyebrows at Amanda, "And?"

"And I just thought you should know. I felt bad keeping a secret from you." Amanda simply said, tilting her head back at dropping the crust into her mouth, "And because of this—getting close to Derek," Amanda waved the corner of her sandwich in the air, "we're going to a basketball game tomorrow night."

"Oh, no way." Nick gave a little laugh, "I'm not sitting through a high school basketball game. You have to get close to Derek, not me."

"Please?" Amanda whined, pouting at Nick.

"Nope." Nick shoved some of his sandwich into his mouth, "I don't need to watch some teenagers trip over themselves as they attempt to play basketball, nor do I need to watch you fail at flirting with a basketball player."

"I will not be flirting." Amanda quickly blinked, trying not to let her face heat up. "I—I have a mission."

"Mhm, sure." Nick raised his eyebrows up before looking down at Amanda with a smirk on his face, "You know what?" Nick reconsidered his original statement, "I'll go, but only to watch you epically fail at trying to get a guys' attention." Amanda grumbled to herself as Nick got off of the couch.


A/N: Please let me know all of you thoughts!