Lydia sighed as she stared at the pile of discarded clothes that now decorated her bed. That wasn't just a consequence of her spending hours trying to find the perfect look for her first day, but it also was a sign of her nervousness. Her mom always used to say she was able to know her daughter's mood by the state of her room: the messier, the more nervous or anxious she was. That didn't happen just because she needed to feel pretty; she also needed to feel confident, strong. And even if she didn't feel quite this way, she would have to make everyone believe her. She would have to build the perfect armor, and that took time.

The strawberry blond turned around to check her reflection on the mirror. She had decided to go with long-sleeved dark floral dress, which ended just above her knees, one of her favorites. Her makeup was delicate and her hair fell in waves down her shoulders. The girl in the mirror didn't feel butterflies in her stomach, didn't feel her heart racing in anticipation, didn't want to run and hide. No, that girl was ready for anything.

Lydia knew how to build armors. She was a professional.

"Lydia, come eat breakfast!" Her aunt called from down the stairs.

"I'm coming!" She yelled back.

She hung her bag on her shoulder and looked at herself on the mirror one more time before leaving the room she still didn't claim de be hers. She descended the stairs and was immediately hit by the smell of fresh coffee and eggs. Her stomach did a somersault and she wrinkled her nose; if she ate, she was almost sure she would throw up. She grabbed an apple and sat by the table.

"You're not hungry?" Monica asked.

"No, I don't eat much in the mornings," Lydia answered, and her aunt gave her a sympathetic look.

"You're nervous, hun?" The girl arched an eyebrow, surprised. Of course she was, but no one had to know. So she scoffed and shrugged.

"Of course not," she said, taking a bite of her apple. Monica let out a laugh, shaking her head.

"My god, you're just like your mother."

Lydia frowned, confused.

"How?"

"Natalie has this thing with displaying her feelings, she said it made her look weak. Even when everybody knew she had reasons to be at least upset, she insisted in saying everything was great," Monica explained.

Lydia chewed thoughtfully. That wasn't new to her; her mom had taught her all her tricks. "Be cold if it makes you stronger," she was always saying. The girl admired her mother for going through all her marriage crises without smudging her makeup or climbing down her high heels. And that was how she intended to deal with all her problems in life: without letting it bring her down.

"It doesn't have to be like this," Monica said as if she could read her niece's mind. She reached out and grabbed the girl's hand. "It's okay if you're..."

Lydia slid out her hand carefully and stood up, grabbing her bag.

"I'm not nervous. I just want to get it over with, ok? I want this year to be over so I can come back home. That's all," she said. "Can we go now, please?

Monica sighed and nodded, getting on her feet and putting her mug in the sink. Lydia didn't really care if she let her aunt down in any way, she just wanted that day to be over. She waited until Monica grabbed her bag and car keys, then went to the car. The ride was short and quiet, but Lydia felt her nervousness grow as they got closer to the school. The palms of her hands were sweaty, and her heart race refused to slow down. How slow would that day pass if she didn't calm down?

"We're here," Monica announced as she pulled over next to school building. Lydia took a deep breath and opened the door, stepped out and smoothed her dress. Her aunt called her as she closed the door, and the girl leaned on the window. "Everything is gonna be fine, okay? Don't worry."

Lydia couldn't help but smile a little. Satisfied with the response she got, Monica waved and started the car. The girl turned around and started walking towards the building. She liked hearing those words, but they didn't really make a difference; she still wasn't convinced everything would be fine.

She walked with large steps to the office, where she got her schedule and her locker number and the combination to open it. She ignored the looks she got as she walked down the hallway. Apparently, nothing gets more attention at a school than a new girl who arrives a month after vacation is over.

Lydia had just gotten to her locked and tried to open it when she heard her name being called.

"Lydia?" The girl turned her head and spotted Allison, standing not too far from where she was. Her dark hair, which once went all the way down to her back, now ended just above her shoulders. She had gotten taller since the last time they saw each other, but she had the same large, dimpled smile that was hard to forget. "Lydia Martin?"

"Allison Argent?" Lydia smiled, her chest tightening because she had forgotten how much she had missed that girl.

"Oh my god, oh my god!" The brunette ran to her friend, embracing her in a bear hug, which the strawberry blond reciprocated gladly, laughing out loud. Lydia and Allison's friendship began in kindergarten, where they became inseparable. They were sisters from the heart, and where one of them was, the other was too. Before they lost touch, the conversations with Allison were one of the few things that kept Lydia sane in New York, and even after all those years, she never had a friend like the brunette. "Oh, I've missed you. I thought you would never come back!"

"Yeah, me neither," she confessed. They stood there, smiling and just letting the fact that they were together again sink in until Allison jumped.

"Let's go find Scott, he will love to see you," she said, hooking her arm around Lydia's and dragging her along as she walked down the hall. Lydia laughed as she almost stumbled trying to follow her old friend's large steps. "Scott!"

The boy, who was busy putting some books inside his locker, turned his head when he heard his name being called. Allison gestured frantically towards the girl beside her, and his whole face lit up when he recognized who that was. Scott had gotten larger, more muscular. His face had the same charisma, and he still smiled like a child. He approached them with arms wide open and hugged Lydia, whose feet left the floor. The girl laughed as he spun her around.

"Scott, I'm wearing a dress!" She yelped, almost out of air.

"Oops, sorry," he said, putting her down. Lydia put a hand on his shoulder as she regained balance on her heels, pushing her hair away from her face. "I almost didn't believe when my mom told me you were coming back. You haven't changed a thing!"

"Can't say the same about you. What have you been eating?" she asked, squeezing his biceps. Scott laughed and shrugged.

"Basically anything slightly eatable," Allison said, putting an arm around his waist. "I swear, Stiles and him..."

Scott's eyes went wide.

"Oh, we gotta find Stiles!" He exclaimed, almost jumping up and down with excitement. "The pack is back together!"

Lydia smiled, but her stomach started turning again. A big part of her was genuinely happy to see them again, but the other part kept asking if all that joy was just about the heat of the moment. "The pack", as the four friends liked to call each other, had stopped being a thing years ago, and she had accepted that. But she felt strange because so far things were going exactly the way she least expected, with her old friends welcoming her with tight and truthful hugs.

Scott placed one arm around Lydia's shoulders and Allison grabbed her hand as they walked out of the building, almost like she would fade away if they let her go.

"I think he's somewhere out here," the brunette said, looking around.

"He must be with Malia," Scott said. "There they are."

Lydia turned around and looked in the direction he was pointing. Stiles walked to the building with an arm around a beautiful blonde girl. She laughed openly as he said something to her with a playful smile on his face. Stiles had let his hair grow and now it was a mess on his head, like she didn't even try to put it in place before he left his house, and like Scott, he had gotten taller.

"Stiles!" Scott called, waving.

Stiles lifted his head and looked at them. The moment his eyes laid on Lydia, his smile faded. The strawberry blonde's heart started race and he looked at her like she was a mirage, something that didn't quite fit the scenario, something that only he could see. The blonde eyed him with confusion, and dragged him by the hand closer to their friends.

"Hey guys," she said, smiling politely at Lydia, waiting for someone to introduce them. Stiles still stared at her like he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Malia, this is Lydia," Allison said. Lydia gave her a closed lip smile and waved lightly.

"The famous Lydia, hum?" Malia arched her eyebrows. Lydia frowned and she explained: "These two have been talking about you nonstop for days. I feel like I already know you."

The strawberry blond felt her face get hot and smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to say. She landed her eyes on Stiles, who still wore an almost chocked expression.

"Hi, Stiles," she said, amused by his face. He blinked rapidly.

"Hi, ahn... Lydia, you..." he stuttered, gesturing with his hands, a clear sign of his nervousness. Giving up, he opened his arms. Lydia laughed and took a step forward, hugging him. "Wow, it's good to see you."

"You too," she said as he let her go.

"So, it's official?" Allison asked, smiling widely. "The pack is really back together?"

"Looks like it," Stiles answered, without taking his eyes off Lydia.