AN: Sorry for my absence. I haven't had much time to write with work and blah, blah. Whatever, right? I do hope you are all enjoying the pain Teen Wolf is causing us this season. I know I am. Lastly, the rest of the story will be in Hayley's POV. I think it's best to see the events unfold from her view. Thanks for reading and enjoy.


Hayley

Stifling a yawn, I stumble through the halls of the school clumsily waving hello to my peers. Last night wasn't very restful. After that nightmare with the burned man, I drifted in and out of consciousness. Every time I closed my eyes, I feared he would come back. Reason number one why the nightmare was terrifying, the man was half burned. Sure, I feel awful for whatever happened to him, but his face scared me shitless. Two, he made me feel helpless because how can I help a figment of my imagination? How can I help a nightmare? He's not real. Or is he? There was something about him that seemed familiar, so I wasted part of the night trying to decipher what was it about him that unsettled me, besides being half burned. Why is he even appearing in my sleep? Why in the Hale house? Eventually, I came to the conclusion that I am simply stressed out by the current situation with Isaac Lahey and Derek Hale. At around six am, I finally allowed myself to drift off to sleep; however, not too long after, my alarm started blaring announcing that Monday had arrived, and I had to prepare for school.

At my locker, I struggle with the lock still very drowsy and cursing myself for letting the fear of a stupid nightmare get the best of me. A rational part of me says it's normal to be afraid after what I experienced last night with Isaac and his wolfing out on me. I curse under my breath and hit the locker in frustration earning several odd looks from the crowd in the hallways. Before heading to bed last night, I made a vow to never again think of the "w" word or any variation of it. I am striving for normality again, and I will be damned if I let the werewolves…

"Fuck!" I shout rather loudly punching the locker again.

"Wow. Someone's in a bad mood today. What happened, Miss Sunshine? Woke up on the wrong side of the bed?" Lydia leans casually against the locker to my left with her shiny, red coated lips parted in a satisfied smirk.

"Not in the mood, Lydia," I reply taking a deep breath and trying my combination again. "Walk away."

"Ok," she shrugs and pushes herself away from the locker. "Before I go you should probably know that's not your locker."

Letting go of the lock, I step back and frown. Indeed, the locker is not mine. Blushing slightly, I take one small step to my right where my locker is this time. Lydia follows me and can't hold back the laughter at my expense. I hold back an insult and an exaggerated roll of my eyes because I will not indulge Lydia Martin. Instead, I focus on getting my things ready for Biology and not on punching Lydia Martin's pretty face or tugging on her beautiful shiny hair. God, I hate how perfect she is. It's only because she's a werewolf, I try to make myself feel better but thinking of the 'w' word brings back memories from last night. Isaac's unnatural yellow eyes filled with blood lust, following my every move savoring my flesh no doubt. But what unsettles me the most is the way Isaac cowered in fear of Derek. All his life, Isaac has lived in fear, and now that his tormentor, his father, is gone only to be replaced by a freaking Alpha… Isaac deserves to be free.

"Um? Hello! I do not like being ignored, and you know that, Hayley," Lydia crosses her arms over her chest and narrows her eyes at me pursing her lips obviously annoyed with me.

"What did you say?" I ask my mind still thinking of last night when I should be forgetting all about it. I should be moving on. I shouldn't be lingering on thoughts of how happy Isaac and I were when things were normal. When it was just two teenagers madly in love, when werewolves didn't exist, when I didn't fuck Derek Hale, when I wasn't confused about my feelings.

"You're totally not listening again," Lydia huffs and turns her full glare on me. "I guess you don't care if I tell Isaac…" She trails off and begins to walk away, but my arm shots out and grasps her forearm tightly.

"Lydia," I gasp barely able to breathe. How did she find out? No. She can't possibly know about Derek and me. I need to get a grip on my sanity. As she narrows her eyes on me, I slowly let go and smile sheepishly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to ignore you. What were you saying?"

She doesn't say anything for a while and continues to narrow her eyes on me in that annoying way she does when she's deep in thought. Lydia can be a lot of things including an annoying bitch, but she is naturally brilliant, and I can admit that, so if she thinks too much, she's bound to figure everything out if she hasn't already.

"You're hiding something," she states tapping her chin with her index finger. "Your heart is racing…" Well, I'm fucked. Whoever thought giving Lydia werewolf superpowers was a good idea must be an idiot.

"I don't know what you've heard or from whom, but there's an explanation for it…" I trail off when I can't come up with a plausible reason why I slept with Derek other than me being super drunk and seriously attracted to that hunk. Ok, shut up stupid hormones.

"I doubt Danny would make this up," she tosses her hair to the side.

"Danny?" I shriek followed by groaning wondering if the whole freaking school knows. I shake my head and laugh half hysterical. The school can't know. Danny can't know about Derek. Unless my peers saw me climb on Derek's car, but then again, that doesn't necessarily mean they know what happened afterwards. Taking a deep breath, I shrug tossing my books into my bag. "Whatever he said, it's not true."

"Hmm, yeah, sure," Lydia nods her head though I can see it in her face that she doesn't believe me. "How about we ask him? Hey, Danny!" She waves to someone behind me, and I try to remind myself to breathe evenly. To calm my racing heart and stop my palms from sweating profusely. Danny doesn't know. Nobody knows. This is a secret Derek and I will carry to the grave.

"What's up?" Danny makes his way towards us with a sheepish smile. When he stands next to me, he hesitates which is odd. He and I have always been quite friendly, and he usually greets me with a hug or a kiss. Maybe his awkwardness has to do with what he told Lydia or that at her party we were getting… physical.

"No good morning kiss for me, handsome?" I joke trying to lighten the mood and let him know we're good. He chuckles quietly then plants a kiss on my forehead.

"Sorry about the other night," he clears his throat as the cutest blush colors his cheeks. "I don't know what happened… Okay, I do. Alcohol is the devil. I didn't mean to kiss you."

I fake pout. "I thought what we had was special. Fine, I'll forget about you, Danny. Somehow, someday, I will."

"Shut up, Drama Queen," he teases by throwing his arm around me and hugging me tightly. "I'm also sorry about Isaac…"

The good mood is gone. The smile and laughter fades from my lips, and I hang my head to hide the stinging in my eyes. Everything comes crashing back over me. The breakup, the drunken sex, the werewolves, the fear, the confusion… I take a deep breath and force my lips to smile again as genuinely as I can.

"Thanks," is all I say though I lean into his hug and let him comfort me.

"Yeah, yeah, boohoo." Lydia rolls her eyes already bored with us. She must be eager to move on and terrorize the rest of the school. "Whatever. For what I hear, you're already moving on, Hayley." She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively as she smirks evilly. "Why don't you repeat what you told me earlier, Danny?"

Danny stiffens and drops his arm from around me. He steps away a little and avoids making eye contact. The way he reacts to Lydia's questioning makes me wonder if he truly knows what happened between Derek and me. I almost feel like I can't breathe when he hesitates in repeating the gossip in front of me.

"I told you, Lydia, I doubt Hayley would do that. It's not like her." While the words are for Lydia, Danny finally makes eye contact with me as if pleading me to believe him; to believe that he'd never make up anything to hurt me in any way.

"What is it, Danny?" I ask rather numbly feeling the walls closing in on me. The secret is out. I will be forever marked as the town whore.

He inhales sharply and looks at Lydia as if disappointed she brought it up. He must have told her not to repeat the gossip. After a few more seconds of hesitation, Danny turns to me. "Matt told me you two are dating."

And just like that, the air returns to my lungs making me almost stagger with relief. This gossip I can handle because it's true. I can explain this. Sleeping with Derek? I can't even understand it myself. I am not sure what I feel for him yet. I can love two people according to Allison. I just can't keep both. Not only am I afraid of Isaac's reaction; I'm afraid I'll have to choose. I can't choose. I don't know how. Then I remember I'm not supposed to choose. In fact, I have already chosen: I choose being normal. Human. Matt. I choose Matt.

I laugh nervously, which I hope neither Lydia nor Matt notice. "That's true. Well, we're not exactly dating, yet. But Matt asked me out on a date. I said yes."

Both Lydia and Danny turn to each other. They really didn't expect this to be true. Danny opens his mouth to say something, but he decides against it. In fact, he looks rather uncomfortable and even… terrified? Christmas seems to have come early for Lydia because she smiles widely.

"Hey, Isaac! Bye, Isaac!" She says cheerfully, and grabs Danny's hand.

I stand frozen unable to turn around and face my ex. Inwardly, I curse Lydia for leaving me to face the big bad wolf alone. That's gotta be reckless, right? The whole reason everyone conspired against Isaac and me was because they didn't trust him alone with me. Yet, she is walking away when Isaac clearly heard me admitting to going out with Matt. By the way he's breathing heavily behind me, I can tell he's not pleased one bit. And like the coward that I am, I try to walk away. I say try because I don't even take one step when his hand is around my waist, and he's pulling me back.

He pushes me up against the lockers and places both of his hands on each side of my head. When I look at him, his eyes glow yellow, and I know he's about to lose it. Panic twists my stomach, and I look around for help. The hallway is empty. The ring must have sounded without me being aware. Great, I'm going to be late, and I'm alone to deal with a werewolf. Then I realize this can't be easy for Isaac. It's not easy for me, so I can't even imagine what it's like for him dealing with a breakup and not clawing my face off, literally.

"Isaac," I whisper tentatively. "Breathe. Just breathe."

Forgetting it all, I reach up to his face. My thumbs caress his lips then his cheeks. Slowly, his breathing slows down, and he opens his eyes. They aren't bright yellow; they are the crystal blue I love so much. The world around me disappears when I look at him. For a second, I believe this is a normal day. He's going to kiss me hard and passionately leaving me lightheaded before heading to class. I'll be thinking about him, and the next time his lips are against mine. His arm will be around me during lunch, and he'll give me his glorious crooked smile when I say something stupid. But all of that is in the past. I am reminded of such when I recall Derek, Stiles, and I busted Isaac out of prison last night.

"Isaac, what the hell are you doing here?" I glance around even though I know everyone is in class. "They are looking for you."

"I came to talk," he begins to tremble again only this time he seems to be in control of his werewolf side. "What…" he spits the word through tight lips. "What do you mean you're going out with Matt?"

I roll my eyes striving for annoyance though a part of me is terrified yet delighted of his jealousy. If he is jealous, he still cares. But his reaction over a date that hasn't happened yet makes me scared for what might happen when or if he finds out about Derek. Pushing the alpha out of my mind, I decide to deal with one screw up at a time.

"What is it to you? We are no longer together. I can date whoever I want so…" I try to push him, but he ends up moving closer, so he's breathing my air, and I can feel the heat radiating off his body. "Move, Isaac."

"No," he breathes out as his hands move towards my waist, and his lips hover over mine. "Tell me you don't love me anymore, Hayley. Tell me you have feelings for Matt, and I'll leave you alone. But you should know I will know if you are lying."

"Because you're a werewolf?" The word I promised to erase from my mind comes out of my lips before I realize it. But it's like a bucket of cold water. Saying it out loud reminds me that I can't want Isaac. I want to be normal. I want to be human. I don't want to be involved with them. Stiles said he wanted to keep in the dark, to keep me safe. I wish I could go back to that.

"No. Because I know you, Hayley. You can't lie to me," his right hand moves up from my waist to my jaw. His touch makes my knees go weak and my breathing, already ragged, becomes even more labored. "You still love me."

"I don't…" I stop as his lips are suddenly against mine swallowing my words. Several thoughts cross my mind in that moment. Like why am I wrapping my hands around him, gripping the back of his shirt as I pull him against me? Or what would I have said if he wasn't kissing me? Would I have told him I didn't love him or that I didn't know? The questions stop flooding my brain when his teeth graze my lower lip in that way that drives me wild, and his body presses me against the lockers so that I feel his erection against my belly. And I just know we are close to going to Coach's office to have sex.

"Excuse me. I'd like to access my locker." His voice is hard. He is upset about finding me like this with my supposed ex-boyfriend. But I can't find it in myself to care about Matt. Not when Isaac is looking into my eyes with lust, love and even satisfaction. Isaac got what he wanted. He got me to admit to my feelings for him without even actually saying them out loud and in front of Matt.

I lower my head and move away from Isaac and Matt as I gasp for air. I can still smell him, Isaac, I mean. His comforting smell of rain, grass, and that Armani perfume I got him for his last birthday.

"Sorry, Matt," Isaac begins though he sounds not sorry at all. "Hayley doesn't know how to control herself around me."

I stop halfway to picking up my bag which I had dropped when Isaac pulled me back. Mouth agape, I turn to face him as red colors my cheeks. True, I can't control myself around him, or Derek apparently. In my defense, Isaac initiated the kiss. Flustered, I turn my glare away from Isaac and turn to Matt, who simply avoids looking at me and pretends to be getting his things ready for class.

"Matt," I begin sheepishly, but he's not having any of it. He slams his locker closed and turns to glare at me.

"Don't explain yourself, Hayley. I get it. You two are back together. I just wished you hadn't played with me, again. Congratulations, you're dating a fugitive." Before he walks away, I get a glimpse of the pain I've caused him. I just can't do anything right anymore.

Next to me, Isaac smiles all smug, not even bothered at being called a fugitive, knowing he has ruined my chance with Matt. My chance at being human again. My chance at getting away from the supernatural before it swallows me like it has swallowed Scott, Stiles and even Allison. With the rage and desperation burning inside me, I turn to Isaac and slap him as hard as I can.

"We are done, Isaac." I hiss cradling my burning palm. "You choose that. You choose power over me. Be a man and own up to your choices. I am going out with Matt, and you… Stay away from me."

Just like Matt didn't give me a chance to explain, I don't give Isaac one either. I stomp away as he recovers from the shock of me striking him. Still upset, I don't head to class. I make for the nearest bathroom knowing the tears are about to flow. Inside, I rush to the nearest stall and slam the door just as the sobs wreck my body. Why can't everything go back to the way it was? Why can't it be just Isaac and me again? And if it can't be like that anymore, then it shouldn't be this hard to get back to some normality. I shouldn't have this hard time forgetting Isaac or dismissing Derek like I have done most of my life.

I'll be damned, though, if I let Isaac or Derek get in my way. I'm going to forget about them, about their world, and Matt is going to help me. Of course considering what he saw, he must be pretty tired of chasing after me only to be pushed aside over and over. Then again, I don't need a guy to help me heal and forget. I am Hayley Stilinski. I am a strong independent young woman whose Dad raised her to be a fighter, and I will fight for my happiness. With a new purpose, I wipe my tears with the back of my hand and begin to gather my things.

Before I leave the stall, I hear the door to the bathroom open. I wouldn't find it strange at all if the pair of shoes that appear outside my stall weren't that of a man. For a second, I consider the possibility of some teacher checking for ditchers or smokers in the bathroom. However, the man doesn't say anything. He stands outside my stall for a few seconds before walking out again. Worried we might have a delinquent on school grounds, I chase after him. Granted, that's not the smartest idea as I could get hurt, but I reason that I have learned enough from my father not to get in trouble, and if I do, I'll know how to get out of it.

The man walks swiftly through the halls like he knows where he's going, like he knows this place. I consider dropping my chase because he might be a teacher after all. Something in the back of my head tells me, I need to keep going. I need to know where he's going, and who he is. Eventually, I realize he's heading towards the main lobby where the school's trophy shelf is. He stops there and gazes intently at one of the trophies. I try to conjure up my voice to call out to him and get a glimpse at his face, but again, something in my head tells me to just observe. He doesn't do anything; he simply stares at the trophy then walks away. Not once do I get a look at him. Knowing I can't keep chasing him throughout the school, I make my way towards the trophy shelf and try to pin point which one he was interested in. None of them stand out except for one: Peter Hale.

I go through the day in a daze. I can't forget the man I was following or the trophy with Peter Hale's name. I didn't know how they both fit together; maybe they don't at all. Except I find it strange I had a nightmare about being in Peter Hale's house talking to a burned man. I didn't for a second think Peter, the man in the bathroom, and the man in my nightmare are the same. How could they? Peter is dead. He died years ago. The man in the bathroom looked pretty much alive. And I wasn't even sure the man in my nightmare was real. So why couldn't I just dismiss it all? My gut told me this was all linked together somehow.

All of that is pushed to the back of my mind when I see Matt walk by talking with Danny and other guys. My priority is now fixing this with Matt. Even though I know I don't need a guy to be happy, it's worth the shot trying to work things out with him. Mostly though, I feel like I owe him at least a date. He has been hurt by me repeatedly, and I have to make it up to him somehow.

"Matt," I call out rushing after the guys. "Can I talk to you? Please?"

The guys go on their way except for Matt and Danny. Danny seems to be still trying to wrap his mind around me accepting to going out with Matt. It's no secret Matt is not my favorite person. Matt, on the other hand, just looks depressed. He shares a look with Danny, who shrugs and goes on his way.

"I guess," he sighs and leads me to an empty table.

"I just want to apologize for this morning," I begin knowing he deserves first and foremost an apology. "I… I, uh,"

"I told you, Hayley. You don't need to explain yourself." He begins to get up, but I reach out and grab his hand. He frowns but doesn't shake me off. Instead, he lowers himself back in his seat and sighs. "Don't make this harder for me, Hayley. I'm depressed enough."

"I'm not with Isaac anymore." I blurt out unable to take the sadness in his voice. I have spent most of my time complaining about Matt's infatuation, but not once did I ponder whether his feelings went beyond an infatuation. Sure, our freshman fling was short lived and meaningless, at least to me. Then Isaac came, and I became blind. Matt is clearly in love with me, or at least has very strong feelings, and I have been dismissing and hurting him. I simply don't know how to make good choices, but this time, I choose right. I chose right in giving Matt a chance.

"You're not?" He frowns though I can tell he's happy to hear the news by the way his shoulders lift, and he squeezes my hand, which I had not removed from his. "Then why were you…"

"Kissing?" I finish for him and grimace. I don't know why Isaac and I were kissing. Okay, I do. I am still attracted to him, but I can hardly tell Matt that. "He kissed me actually."

"And you kissed him back," he points out.

"Yes but…"

"I get it," he interrupts as he keeps his head bent. For a second, I think he's going to dismiss me again, but when he looks up, he's smiling. "It's not easy to forget your ex especially when you've been together for so long. A part of me wonders if you're just using me for rebound, but another part of me doesn't care."

"I'm not using you for rebound," I gasp a little outraged at his assumption that I'm that low. Then again, he's not far from the truth. I am using him but not for the reason he thinks. I want someone human, and Matt is the most human boy in the world. He's crushing hard on me, and he's not that bad now that I really think about it. His only flaw, as far as I can see, is that he's persistent. Right now, I'm glad he is. I'm glad he has waited so long for me.

"It's ok," he shrugs. "Like I said I don't care if you are or not. I just care that you're giving me a chance."

"No, you're giving me a second chance. Thank you. Again, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you." And I didn't. Not even when I thought he was creepy.

"Forget it. It's all in the past," he smiles widely, and I can appreciate how cute he looks. Why I didn't see it before?

"Ok," I laugh nervously and begin to get up. "So text me the details of the date?"

"I will," he gets up and kisses my hand. "Thanks, Hayley."

I watch him walk away, well, more like prance happily towards him friends, who greet him with congratulatory slaps on the back for scoring with the girl of his dreams. Wow, that sounded really conceited even for me. I turn away about to go look for Allison when some knuckle head collides with me. With an expletive ready to fall from my lips, I realize it's only my idiot brother.

"Stiles!" I whine pushing him away. "Watch it."

"Sorry, sorry, Hayls. I'm busy." He walks around me and sits not far from where Matt and I were. Across from Stiles sits Boyd, the quiet kid from my Literature class. I narrow my eyes on Stiles wondering what he's up to with Boyd, who doesn't seem to be capable of speaking.

Stiles and Boyd seem to have a discussion proving that Boyd is in fact capable of speech. When I see Stiles slide what looks like a bill, I stomp towards them catching a brief part of their conversation.

"Come on, man! Have you seen the piece of crap of a jeep I drive?" Stiles whines searching for more money in his pockets.

"Have you seen the piece of crap of bus that I take?" Boyd answers clearly annoyed with Stiles. There's no one in this world immune to Stiles annoying personality I suppose.

"I don't have any more money," Stiles seems flustered as he keeps searching in his pockets.

"What the hell are you doing, Stiles?" I hiss sitting down next to him. "Are you buying drugs?" I turn to Boyd. "Are you selling this idiot the drugs? Unbelievable. I did not expect this from you, Boyd. You seem like such a nice person. And you, dumbass, I knew you lacked a brain but drugs? What the hell, Stiles? Our dad is a cop!"

"Hayley," Stiles hisses right back all the while looking around to make sure no one is eavesdropping. "I'm not buying drugs."

"Then what are you…" I trail off when Boyd lifts up a set of keys. "What is that? The keys to some suitcase with weed?"

"I don't do drugs, Hayley," Boyd states flatly.

"They are the keys to the skating ring where Boyd works." Stiles continues to explain now looking through his bag.

"Oh, sorry, Boyd." I blush deeply and avoid looking at Boyd. "Wait, why do you need the keys to the ice skating ring?"

"Must you meddle in everything? I swear, you're so annoying!" Stiles snaps clearly annoyed at being short in money.

"I meddle? No. You are the worst meddler in the world! And you're the annoying one of the two of us." I snap back as I smack him in the forehead.

"Don't do that!" He rubs his forehead and tries to shove me. "And only you would think I'd buy drugs. Who's the dumbass now?"

"Still you, dumbass!"

"Ok, as amusing as this is, I have things to do." Boyd chuckles amused by the sibling bickering. "Are you giving me fifty or not?"

"Hayley, can I borrow thirty bucks?" Stiles turns to me with fake puppy eyes and a pout on his lips.

"Thirty bucks?! You already owe me forty, Stiles. Get a job you, freeloader." I get up from my seat when Stiles grabs my hand and pulls me back down.

"Please. I'm going on a date with Lydia. She finally said yes! I'm taking her to the skating ring. Please? Please? And you'll be the best sister ever." He pleads pitifully, and I almost say no when I consider that a date at the skating ring sounds pretty awesome. Not for Stiles and Lydia, but for Matt and me. We'll be alone, well, except for Stiles and Lydia, but I'm sure Lydia won't last ten minutes with Stiles.

"Ok but what am I getting out of this?" Out of my bag, I pull out thirty dollars.

"Besides being the best sister ever? What do you want? I'm a freeloader remember? I can't offer you much." Stiles rubs his head which he often does when he's either frustrated or thinking hard.

"Don't siblings do things for each other without anything in exchange?" Boyd asks as I pretend to tap my chin considering what I want out of Stiles though I already know.

Stiles and I turn to look at him at the same time. Then together, we start laughing. "Clearly you are an only child." Stiles comments as I say, "That's not how Stiles and I work."

Boyd shrugs and returns to his chips.

"Ok, loser, here's what I want. I get to use the skating ring, too." I tell Stiles taunting him with the thirty dollars.

"Why? You'll be the fifth wheel." He frowns though his eyes never leave the money in my hands.

"Fifth wheel? Who else is going?"

"Scott and Allison. It's a double date." By his grimace, it's like he let out a big secret. Briefly I wonder if they all wanted to keep this double date a secret to spare my feelings since I'm newly single. That's kind of a douche move considering they're supposed to love me and all. I figured Allison would hang out with me and a bucket of ice cream. Whatever. I don't need pity anyway.

"Well, make it a triple date. I'm bringing Matt." I shrug off the hurt in my chest.

"Matt? But you hate him!" Finally Stiles stops looking at the money and stares truly concerned for my sanity.

"I never hated him!" I explain hastily wondering if I have been truly a bitch about Matt. "I just didn't like him much."

"I don't know, Hayley. There's something about him…" Stiles trails off unable to explain what he is trying to say.

"Ok, seriously. I don't care about who likes who or whatever. Pay me the fifty bucks or go away." Boyd sighs frustrated. I guess I inherited the annoying trait too.

"No wonder you don't have any friends," Stiles grunts.

"Stiles! That was rude," I turn apologetically to Boyd and hand him the rest of the money. "Thanks for your business, and I'll see you in literature."

Stiles takes the keys and walks giddily away. I grab him by his bag and pull him back. "Not so fast, loser. You're letting me tag alone with Matt."

"If I don't?" He snorts, and I know I should have gotten him to agree before I paid Boyd off.

"I'll tell Dad you had sex with Lydia." I blurt out recalling how Stiles and Lydia disappeared sometime during her party. Though I'm not sure whether they went all the way, I figure Stiles will give a clue about it.

"I didn't," he admits sadly hanging his head in shame at still being a virgin.

"Who cares? It's your word against mine." I do feel bad about blackmailing him with something that is not true and clearly embarrasses him, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

"Do you think Dad will believe I'm not a virgin anymore?" He fights me hard for the first time in his life. Usually he admits defeat to my blackmailing or threats. I guess he really doesn't want me to tag along, but I'm not giving up.

"Do you really want to test out that theory?" I arch my eyebrows at him challenging him to run the risk of getting in trouble with Dad.

"You are the devil," he sighs admitting defeat though glaring murderously at me as we walk towards where Scott sits. "Fine." Stiles sits next to Scott and quickly informs him that I am now joining the group outing.

"Matt?" Scott frowns also surprised with my choice, but unlike Stiles, he says no more just gives me a look I know means 'do you know what you're doing?'

"He's nice," I explain though he didn't ask me to. "Besides, he's human unlike… Anyway, what time are we going?" I clear my throat uncomfortable with the direction I took the conversation to.

The guys give me the details of the outing, and I thank them. Before walking away, I pinch Stiles cheeks a little too hard leaving a mark and causing him to yelp. I give Scott a tight hug, leave the boys be and head towards the table I usually occupy with Allison and Lydia. Today, it seems they are running a little late because they're nowhere to be seen except for some of the other girls we hang out with. I greet them when I get to the table and take my seat by the window followed by getting my phone out of my pocket. I send a quick text to Matt giving him the details of the date. He quickly texts back agreeing with a winking smiley face at the end of the text.

I smile as I put my phone away and turn to unpack my lunch from my bag. At that moment, I get the feeling of being watched, and it gives my skin goosebumps. Slowly, I raise my head and look out the window which happens to have a clear view of the front of the school. My heart races, my palms sweat, and I cross my legs uncomfortable with the feeling between them. Derek leans against his sexy car which is parked illegally out front. Even though he wears sunglasses, I know he's watching me. I can feel it.

For a long time, I sit frozen unable to remove my gaze from him with his arms crossed over his chiseled and yummy chest… As that thought occurs to me, I shot up from my seat and without another word to my friends asking if I'm okay, I stalk out of the lunch room and stomp out knowing full well everyone is looking at me. But this is too much. First Isaac shows up disregarding his safety and endangering my fragile situation with Matt. Now Derek is here to do who knows what. I thought I told them to stay away? What does a girl have to do get some peace? I don't stop until I'm in front of him, my nostrils flaring and hands fisted at my sides.

"You are trespassing, Hale," I spit venomously. "Go away or I call the sheriff."

"This is a free country. I can do what I please. But do humor me, what are you going to tell your daddy, Hayley?" He doesn't remove his sun glasses and looks past me. "That we had sex and now you are so full of guilt that you want me ten thousand miles away?"

At first, the air is knocked out of me like I've been punched in the gut. I never thought Derek would say such a thing to me. He didn't seem the type to gloat about his conquests. Then again, I did kind of hurt him. Still, his words hurt and a lot. Slowly that hurt gives way to other feelings making my cheeks burn with shame and anger. I step forward, hand fisted ready to punch him, but his right hand shots up and grabs my wrist and holds me in place without much effort.

"How dare you?" I breathe out both scared and hurt. Scared because he can hurt me very easily. I am simply a fly to him, and he can squish me anytime he wants. And I'm hurt because, well, he makes me sound like a whore, which I don't need to be reminded that I am.

"How dare I what?" He sneers pulling me up against him. "How dare I remind you what we did? How dare I feel the way I do Hayley? What are you angry about really?"

"Let me go," I pull weakly away because I know I can't and won't break away from him.

"You came to me, Hayley. You have something to say. Say it." Derek loosens his hold on my wrist, but he doesn't let go. In fact, he sneaks his other hand to my lower back, and he gently pulls me closer.

I can't breathe. Not with him so close to me. I can't speak. Not with the images of what we did flashing before my eyes. So what do I do? I burst into tears because I don't even know what I'm doing. I'm making all the wrong choices again. He's right. I came to him, and why did I do that? I can't even remember in the first place. In fact, it was on impulse that I left the lunch room. I could have ignored him, but I didn't. Whether I like it or not, there's something going on between us. What that is? I don't know.

Derek lets go of my wrist. And instead he places both of his hands lightly on my waist. He sighs and seems unsure of what to do. I think he expected me to shriek and try to hit him again. He must be used to me being feisty, but I don't think he knows quite how to deal with a crying Hayley. He proved as much the night we slept together. Recalling how my tears, and alcohol consumption, eventually lead to us having sex, I pull away and angrily wipe my tears away. I turn my full glare on him, and his features harden. He knows I've pulled myself together and feisty Hayley is back.

"I'm here to say, to demand that you leave me alone. I told you to stay away and here you are. Why? What do you want from me?" I shriek and feel treacherous, angry tears roll down my cheeks. I know I should probably be quiet, but I can't hold back my anger and hurt.

"Nothing." He states flatly turning around to open the door to his car. "I want nothing from you, Hayley. You made your choice, and I will respect it. I'm not here for you."

Even though he's looking away from me, I can hear the sadness in his voice, and I hate it. I remember how he sounded when he talked about his family dying, and I just wanted to take the hurt away. Again, I just want to make him feel better. I don't want him to hurt, so I once again make the wrong choice and step closer to him. And though I'm not sure what I'm about to do, I am for once thankful for her presence.

"What are you doing out here, Stilinski?" Erica Reyes stops next to Derek interlacing her hand through his arm. She gives me her best bitch smile and leans against Derek, who is still giving me his back.

Before I can give her some bitchy remark, it dawns on me what Derek meant by 'not here for you.' He is here for her. My stupidity comes crashing down so heavily on me that I feel I might crumble under the weight of it, but I won't give Erica the satisfaction of seeing me fall apart. However, I also don't feel like indulging her in a cat fight, so I simply glare and walk away.

"Congratulations on your date with Matt," she calls after me, and I know I should stop walking, but I do anyway because what's one more bad choice on top of all the ones I already made? "Another guy for you to screw with. Pretty soon you'll be the school whore."

So she knows. She knows what happened between Derek and me. I turn around with all the hatred in the world reserved for her but aimed at Derek.

"You pig!" I shout and run towards him fists already flying. I don't even lay a finger on him because strong arms wrap around me from behind pulling me back. "You are a pig! I hate you! I always hated you. Stay away from me!"

"Hayley," Scott whispers in my ear still holding me back. "Let it go. Breathe."

"You should leave," I hear Stiles snap angrily somewhere near me.

I don't know if he's talking to me or Derek and Erica. When Derek climbs into his car, I know my brother was talking to him. Before leaving, Derek spares me a glance. He still wears his sunglasses, but again, I know he's looking at me. I don't know what he's feeling, but I can guess: he's done. He's made his own choice. He's moving on. For some reason that hurts just as much as my hand hurt when I slapped Isaac. Not because of the physical pain but the emotional one of pushing him away, of ending what we had and loved. I will never know what I feel or felt about Derek because it ended before it began and that was my choice. I told Isaac to be a man and own up to his choices. It's time I take my own advice and own up to mine.