Act 1: Daydreams

PART ELEVEN

Scott smiled as Allison kissed his nose then rested her head against his shoulder. They sat together at a lunch table in the center of the cafeteria. Lost in their own private, little world.

"Can you believe we've only been together for a week?" Allison asked, slightly giggling at the end. She tightly held on to Scott's hand, she loved the warmth of his fingers intertwined with her own. It felt so comforting.

Scott shook his head. "I feel like we've been together our whole lives."

Allison agreed; Scott had become her everything. "I can't even remember what it was like before we got together."

"Why weren't we always dating?"

Allison sat up and started in on the food in front of her. She shrugged at his question. "I don't know." She looked back at him again, still smiling. "Something changed last week. I'm not sure what it was, but I'm glad that it did."

The couple exchanged glances once more, their eyes locking on to each other. Of course Scott knew exactly what had changed, but he couldn't tell her that.

Stiles, who had done his best to ignore the couple in front of him, decided to jump in and change the conversation. "So, are you going to the game tomorrow, Allison?"

Allison smiled at Stiles. "Of course. I get to see my two favorite guys play first string. It's gonna be great." Scott looked at Stiles and smiled as well.

Stiles tried to give Allison the most unforced smile he could muster. He knew she was trying to be nice, but something about her really irked him, or maybe it was that dream-like airy feeling he got from being around Scott and Allison? Whenever they were in the same room as each other they emitted that 'love at first sight' sensation, all the time. It was sickening.

Maybe Stiles was bitter because he didn't feel that way over anyone? Either way, he always seemed to lose his appetite when he was around them.

Stiles looked around the cafeteria in an attempt to distract himself when Scott and Allison started whispering to each other. He had to wonder if Scott really thought he couldn't hear them. As his eyes wandered, he spotted Jackson and Danny sitting together at a lone table, away from the rest of the lacrosse team.

The team had made it very clear during the week's practices that if they didn't win tomorrow, the blame was going on Jackson. So until then, they were treating him like a leper. For reasons Stiles would never understand, all the guys agreed that their teammates' suspension was Jackson's fault and that he should have had better control over the alcohol at his party. If he had, those five guys wouldn't have gotten kicked off the team.

Stiles would have felt bad for him if he wasn't Jackson, but it was Jackson and he was still threatening to expose him if he didn't give into his demands. Though, Jackson hadn't actually done anything yet, besides give Stiles more menacing glares. So far he'd only been talk, not action.

Stiles ran a hand over his face. He had tried to gather the courage to tell Derek about his little mishap, but he couldn't do it. He had gotten to the point where he didn't even want to see Derek anymore. He hadn't seen Derek in the past couple of days. He knew he'd breakdown again if he did. Stiles felt his shame and self-disappointment begin to resurface. He took a deep breath and pushed it out of his system. He had to get through the day.

·

Jackson had barely picked at his food, lately he'd been losing his appetite. He and Danny sat opposite from each other in silence. Jackson was thankful for Danny, he was the only person on the team that wasn't trying to make him feel like shit, but he could see that yearning in Danny's eyes to be with his other friends.

"You think that if we win the game tomorrow the guys will really let this grudge go?" Jackson asked, looking up at Danny. Danny quickly glanced at the team, then back to Jackson.

"I hope so." Jackson could see the pained look in Danny's face. He knew what Danny was thinking that he was a lost cause and Jackson couldn't blame him. But something specific about the look in Danny's face signaled a red flag. He wouldn't look Jackson in the eyes.

"They haven't been giving you any crap, right?" Jackson asked, truly hoping that wasn't the case. He could take the guys bitching at him, but taking out their frustration out on Danny would be too much. He was very protective of him.

"No. It's just.. I thought I heard some of the guys saying that they want you to take a fall during the game. I think they're planning on getting you hurt tomorrow." Danny said, finally looking Jackson in the eye.

Jackson felt his heart fault, then his mind wrapped itself around what Danny was saying. His team really wanted him gone. Jackson pushed his food away and ran a hand nervously through his hair. "You don't think they'd actually let me get hurt or.."

Danny looked back at the lacrosse table again before speaking. He looked just as scared as Jackson felt. "I'll try talking to some of the guys, and see if that's even what they're planning. I could be wrong. I might've misheard them."

Jackson felt his chin begin to tremble. He hated his life. Besides Danny, there wasn't anybody else that didn't want to just take from him. His team had only wanted him for his talent. Lydia was only dating him for his popularity and social status. His parents didn't care what happened to him so long as he didn't end up in jail.

Jackson tried to compose himself and looked around the cafeteria. He spotted Stiles staring at him. He glared back at him and rose from his seat. Now he only felt anger. How dare Stiles and his stupid face look at him? He had no right he was a freak. He was some kind of monster.

"Where are you going?" Danny asked, watching Jackson leave their table. Jackson ignored him and left the cafeteria.

·

After he finished his lunch, Stiles left Scott and Allison to get his backpack. He was surprised to see Danny standing besides his locker, like he was waiting for him.

"Uh, hey Danny." Stiles said, unsure how to act. They may play for the same team, but that didn't make them friends. "Did you need something?"

"No, it's just.." Stiles could feel Danny's nerves, it felt like he had put a hot/cold patch over his chest. "I think Jackson put something in your locker."

"Like what?" Stiles suspected that Danny wasn't nervous about what they were talking about, but something else.

"I don't know, maybe a piece of paper or a note. The point is, just ignore it." Danny shifted like he was going to walk away, but didn't. Instead he stayed rooted to his spot. "Jackson's going thought a really rough patch right know. I'm sure whatever he wrote, he doesn't actually mean."

Stiles scoffed as he opened up his locker. "I think Jackson means everything he says." Stiles caught the folded up paper as it fell from his locker.

"Maybe.." Danny said as Stiles turned back towards him. There was definitely something else going on. "I know this is going to sound weird, but if you know that some of the guys on the team are planning something I hope that you would try to stop them. I know you're not a bad guy. You're kind of strange sometimes, but you're not cruel."

"What are talking about?" Stiles had no idea what was going on, and Danny wasn't making any sense.

Danny sighed. Stiles could sense some of his frustration. "Are the guys planning something against Jackson?"

"I don't know, I hardly talk to anybody on the team." Stiles said examining Danny's face. Now things were starting to click together. "Do you think some of the guys want to hurt him?"

"I don't know." Danny leaned against his back against the row of lockers. Stiles suddenly felt immense sympathy for Jackson, like he needed to protect him as well.

"Danny, I really don't know anything. I'm sorry I can't help." Stiles put his hand on Danny's shoulder, but quickly drew it back. The contact amplified his emotions. Stiles felt like it was Scott who was at risk of getting hurt.

It felt awful.

Danny stood up straight and repositioned his backpack. "It's fine, I'll figure something out."

As Danny walked away Stiles felt himself relax. He didn't care about Jackson anymore, he couldn't care less if Jackson got injured. Stiles shut his locker and unfolded the paper Jackson had left for him.

In sloppy, rushed handwriting the paper read:

Give me what I want by the game tomorrow or I'll expose you and Scott

Stiles groaned, he wasn't scared or intimated by the note, just annoyed. He crumpled up the paper and shoved it in his pocket. Now he had no choice but to tell Derek about this. Maybe he could scare Jackson into keeping his mouth shut? At this point, Stiles was too annoyed to even worry about how Derek might react. He wanted Jackson out of his face.

·

After lacrosse practice Allison met Scott by her car. They were still there after everyone else had left the campus.

"So, I was thinking we could celebrate our one week anniversary by going to the same restaurant where we had our first date." Allison said, grabbing Scott's hand.

Scott smiled back at her. "That sounds great." Scott heard his phone ring from his backpack. He checked his messages, there was only a text from Stiles.

Emergency meeting in the woods

Scott bit his lip, he would much rather spend his night with Allison. He heard another little beep and looked at his screen again. There was another message from Stiles

Be there in 15 minutes

Scott rolled his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Allison asked, slightly tugging at his hand.

"I just remembered that I already promised Stiles he and I would hang out tonight. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry. It's fine." Allison let go of his hand and kissed his cheek. "The last thing I want to do is get in between you and Stiles. You guys are best friends, that has so much more leeway over our one week anniversary. Don't even worry about it, we'll have next week to celebrate."

Scott smiled at Allison. "You are literally the best girlfriend ever."

Allison playful shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I am." She bit her lip, trying to hold back her smile. "So do you want a ride to his house?"

"Um, no. He's coming to pick me up." Scott scratched the side of his head, he felt uncomfortable lying to Allison.

"Okay. Do you want me to wait with you?" Allison asked crossing her arms, she couldn't understand why he was acting so peculiar.

"Nah, I'm good. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay." Allison hugged Scott and kissed his cheek again before driving off.

Once Scott was sure she was gone he took off running, keeping himself as well hidden as possible. Sticking to dark alleys and trees for cover.

·

Stiles couldn't take the look on Derek's face. It was a mixture of anger and disappointment. He knew he should have waited until Scott showed up, but once he was in front of Derek the truth had spilled out.

When Scott encountered the strange scene, Stiles was leaning against a tree staring down at the ground while Derek had his arms crossed and was glaring. For the first time Scott could physically feel the tension between them.

"What's wrong?" Scott asked, instinctively moving to Stiles side. He wished he had gotten there sooner, he didn't like the way Derek was looking at Stiles. Scott put his hand on Stiles' shoulder. He could feel his shame."What happened?"

Stiles tilted his head up higher, his face looked pained. "I messed up Scott. Jackson saw me shift. He knows about us now."

Scott tightened his grip on Stiles' shoulder, trying to reassure him. "It's okay. It's not that big a deal."

"What are you talking about? Of course it's a big deal." Derek said, angrily jumping back into the conversation. "He exposed us to some kid."

"I didn't mean to. He cornered me and I freaked out." Stiles said looking at Derek, trying to defend himself. "And he only knows about Scott and me, you're still in the clear."

"So long as he knows there are werewolves in Beacon Hills, none of us are 'in the clear'. He could be a hunter or know who the hunters are." Derek resumed brooding against the tree and feel silent for a moment, giving Scott a chance to speak.

Scott removed his hand from Stiles' shoulder. Then he addressed only Stiles. "How does he know about me?"

Stiles turned towards Scott. The look on his face was as genuine as they come. "He figured it out and I couldn't deny it. I'm really sorry, Scott."

"You know, it's not just that you exposed us," Derek said, moving in closer to Stiles. "You lied to me. You looked me in the eye and told me that nobody saw you shift. How am I supposed to trust either of you? And you refused to pledge your loyalty to me." Derek looked at both Stiles and Scott. "Both of you refused to pledge your loyalty to me then something like this happens. And where were you Scott? How could you let this happen?"

"Don't blame Scott for this, it was my fault and I'm sorry." Stiles said. Scott thought he might have missed something by the way the other two looked at each other. He could see the sincere regret in Stiles' eyes and the betrayed looked on Derek's face. "I got nervous and didn't know what to do.. I didn't want to disappoint you."

Scott wrapped his arm around Stiles. He wanted to soothe his pain and make it go away.

Stiles looked at Scott again. "It was after tryouts. When I was leaving the locker room, Jackson followed me out and started accusing us of taking drugs and steroids. Then he said he was going to ruin my dad's reputation and get him fired. I got nervous and couldn't control myself."

Scott looked at Derek, his arm still securely wrapped around Stiles. "What are we going to do?"

Stiles pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Scott. "Jackson left this in my locker."

Scott read the note. "He wants the bite? Why?"

"He's crazy." Stiles said shrugging. Scott laughed, making Stiles smile.

Derek started walking away from the two teens. "I'll handle it."

"What are you going to do?" Stiles asked. Derek silently looked back at the pair, his eyes shifting from Stiles to Scott and back, but continued on his way.

Scott and Stiles watched him until he was out of sight. They were silent until they were sure he was gone.

Scott took his arm away from Stiles and turned towards him. "What do you think he's gonna do to Jackson?"

Stiles crossed his arms as well. "I don't know, but I hope it's painful."

"I hope so too. It'd be pretty nice to see Jackson at school with a broken nose or a black eye."

Stiles sighed and ran a hand over his face. "How mad at me do you think he is?" Stiles asked, referring to Derek. "On a scale of one to ten, ten being Derek wanting to kill me in cold blood."

Scott laughed. "Probably a nine."

"Yeah, nine sounds about right."

"..I shouldn't have you left you after the tryouts." Scott started as he moved around and settled on leaning against the same tree as Stiles. They were shoulder-to-shoulder. "I shouldn't have left you to celebrate with Allison, you and I hadn't even celebrated yet and I totally ditched you."

"Scott..."

"Have I been spending too much time with Allison lately?" Scott asked, turning towards Stiles. He needed an honest answer. "I have been, haven't I ?"

Stiles let his head fall forward. "I already said this isn't your fault Scott."

"Yeah, but I should have been there to back you up, or help, or do something."

Stiles sighed. "I'm tired, lets go home."

Scott stood, glued to his spot, looking at Stiles. "I've been a terrible friend to you Stiles."

"Scott, you don't have to..."

"No. I'm going to make more time for us to hang out, alright. I'm going to make it up to you."

Stiles sighed, but smiled. "Alright." He knew that Scott meant what he said, right now, but the moment he saw Allison things would go back to how they'd been.

Scott patted Stiles' back as they walked to Stiles jeep besides the road. "You know, I think Derek's only gonna hurt Jackson a little bit. Maybe break a couple of fingers, but that's it."

"Just as long as he leaves his face alone."

Scott took a slight pause in his step. "You don't still—"

"No. I meant that if something very visible or out of the ordinary happened to Jackson people would start to ask questions.. It's not like that anymore."

"Oh.. Are you sure?" Stiles nodded as they reached his jeep. "Did your window breaking have something to do with Jackson?"

Stiles sighed as he sat in the driver's seat. "Yeah, I tried to punch him, but I missed."

Scott laughed. "How did you miss? His ego is so big it literally doubles the size of his head."

Stiles laughed with him, starting up his car. "Well, Jackson's like a snake. He slithered away when I tried to get him."

A/N:: Sorry for any and all spelling/grammatical errors and over all meh-iness. Also, this is not beta'd.. :o

So just four more chapters left of 'act one' then act two commences! [I outlined this story like a five act play.] Can you tell I was a theatre kid in high school ;)

Side note, I got an AO3 account, so I might put this story on that site as well. Maybe this week? I don't know, I was so nervous to upload Quiescent here, can I handle AO3?

Well, have a good week! And thank you for the wonderful comments [I kinda love you guys for taking the time to read my story then typing a review :D.. just sayin'], favorites, and follows!