Chapter Three: Erica and Boyd
I wake up, the sound of something sizzling in a pan from downstairs. Part of me wants to just ignore it and go back to sleep. But, my stomach betrays me, and soon I smell some kind of food. Wait, we don't have a ghost butler… and I definitely don't remember having hot kinky sex with someone last night, so… is my Dad cooking?
He sure is. And it doesn't look too bad, I think to myself as I enter the kitchen that morning, saying hi. But, I don't want to risk it, so I offer to finish cooking for him, and he happily obliges, refilling his coffee.
"So, what are you doing home, Dad? I thought you had to work today." The eggs are almost done, so I turn to look at him.
"Oh, yeah, I decided to take today off. Thursdays are normally the slowest anyways. But I'm on call, so if they really need me, then I'm there." He looks like he's pretty sure that he won't be called in, but there's always that chance. I dish out the majority of the pan and set it in front of my Dad, getting a look of concern from him. "You aren't hungry?" he asks, getting a head shake for an answer.
"Not really hungry. I was thinking of taking some time to myself; give myself some thinking space as well." And maybe grab some non-decaf coffee, but not everything needed to be said aloud. "Dad, put the salt down, or I swear-" Too late, he was already shaking it on his eggs. I ripped it out of his hands before he could put more than necessary on.
He grew stern. "Stiles, give your father back the salt." When I wouldn't give it up, he gave me one of his signature looks, before I caved and gave it to him. "Now, was that too hard?"
I scoff. "Just don't put too much on there." That just falls on deaf ears, sadly. After I clean up and get him a refill on his coffee, I go get ready for today. I think I would get coffee first, before anything else though.
Even though it was Saturday afternoon, the coffee shop was not that busy, just the occasional odd group of people. It was nice. For about two minutes.
I didn't get a good look of the people sitting, just that they were all going about their day. When I looked closer, I saw Erica and Boyd sitting in one of the booths.
"Erica? Boyd?" I ask, moving a bit closer. Erica turns around, looking slightly annoyed, before turning back to Boyd. He definitely looked a lot more civil.
"Stiles, it's interesting to see you here." Boyd replies. Interesting? Huh. Interesting choice of words.
"Yeah, I decided to get some coffee. Can't go wrong with wanting that." Neither of them show traces of a smile. They just look at me. "So, I was actually curious about something and was curious if-"
Erica cuts me off. "It's about Derek, isn't it?" She says it with a tone that says "You're clearly not getting an answer." But I was persistent with my case. He was my boyfriend anyways.
"Well, yeah. Obviously." She laughed, tossing a golden lock of hair over her shoulder.
"Oh god, I wish someone had given you the bite so you wouldn't be so god damn stupid. I mean really, how obvious is it, Stiles?" She looked slightly smug, but mostly annoyed if anything. Ever since Erica became a werewolf, she knew she had the ability take me out with the flick of a wrist. It was something she had used daily. And I didn't need superhuman anything to see it.
"All the power in the world wouldn't make me any less stupid. So stop dancing around the issue and just say it." It didn't have the impact I wanted it to; my voice shook a bit at the end, my confidence not nearly as high as I wanted it to be.
Erica laughed once more, turning to face me fully now, eyes bearing into my face. "Oh Stiles; you just keep trying to be intimidating, it is just too funny to me." She takes a moment to pause, before going on. "Stiles, it's obvious what Derek thinks of you; how he has to make sure he touches base with you, before continuing on with his day; how instead of spending nearly waking moment making sure you're included, and how you're taken care of, he has to deal with you at least once a day; how he smells less and less like you and more like someone else, that person who has yet to be identified.
"He doesn't talk about you like you're his moon anymore; he doesn't bring you around to pack meetings anymore or treat you like you're his anymore, and don't even let me get started on the fact he doesn't look at you Stiles." She rolls her eyes at my face. "He looks at you, sure, but he doesn't look at you anymore. He doesn't love you anymore Stiles; he loves someone else." She takes some sick satisfaction that tears were forming, and that I was shaking. "Now, if you don't mind, Boyd and I have some business to return to." She smiled once more before returning to her seat. Boyd gives me a sad look, before ignoring me fully.
I didn't expect the words to cut so deep. I knew they would when she opened her mouth, but it still didn't prepare me for it. Especially that final sentence.
He doesn't love you anymore; he loves someone else.
Someone else.
I was shook out of my thoughts by a bell ringing behind me, signaling my coffee was done. I was grateful I had paid for it before my eminent meltdown, because I took it and ran, barely making it to my car before the panic attack set in; the shallowness of my breathing, the loss of sight, and the tightness of my chest. That was always the worst part for me, almost always.
"Breathe," I tell myself, gasping for air. The breaths come out in choking gasps, along with coughs, but it definitely helps a little bit. However, I'm still in no state to drive, so I focus on trying to breathe.
About an hour and a half later, I'm on the road, heading home. My hands are a little shaky still, but they're tolerable. "Never again," I mutter to myself, rubbing my face with one hand.
When I open the door, Dad is sitting at the table, going over what looks like a file from work. Seriously, it's his day off, why should he have to work? But, I was too tired to even argue about it.
"What are you doing?" I ask, leaning against the wall. "I thought it was you day off?"
"Yeah, well I'm on call still." He looks up. "How was your day out?" Asking me. I tense a bit, before relaxing. I had no intention of repeating what happened previously.
"Um… Pretty good. Nothing too eventful went on, just walked around and thought about some stuff." It was best not to say anything, not wanting to put more weight on his shoulders. "I think I'm going to head upstairs. Just come get me if you need anything, alright?" He nods, and I head upstairs. Even after today's happening, there was one more phone call I needed to make. One that might get me somewhere.