Stiles turned out to be a great addition to the team. His speed and agility - that probably came from his hyperactive mind,- helped the Cyclones to score the goals they needed to win.
The boy did what he could to stop himself from thinking about what happened before he went to the field, and that was why he did so well; Stiles was a hundred percent focused on the game. It was that or he would end up sitting in a fetal position in a corner, drooling as he stared at the emptiness.
Lydia, on the other hand, couldn't say who was winning. On the bleachers, she cheered automatically, using Allison as an alarm to when she should celebrate, clap her hand or curse really loudly. She didn't pay attention to the game, and actually counted the minutes until it ended. She wanted to go somewhere quiet where she could think about what had happened, because all those thoughts seemed to be piling up in her mind. She needed to figure out what the hell she was going to do next.
Stiles was her best friend, almost like a brother to her. Wanting to kiss him wasn't just weird for her; it was crazy confusing. Lydia had never felt any kind of physical attraction towards him, she didn't know what changed in her and what to do about it. Kissing him made things even worse. When she played that moment in her head - and she caught herself doing that a lot,- she couldn't tell who moved first, who leaned in closer. Suddenly they were two magnets too close to each other, two cars going in opposite directions, speeding to a collision.
But Lydia didn't want to believe they were not inevitable, like Monica had said. She simply didn't see how that could be true: it was too confusing, too messy, just nonsense. That's why she couldn't see that kiss as anything else than a mistake, something with no explanation that definitely shouldn't have happened.
People around her started to yell insanely and she realized that the game had ended. By the way they cheered with passion and the way Allison jumped and grabbed Lydia by the shoulders, they had won. The redhead hugged her and jumped along, but soon they joined the crowd who took over the field. Lydia had never been a fan of sports, but she couldn't help but love the energy coming from the students.
Allison ran towards Scott, who tossed his helmet on the ground, took her in his arms and spun her around, kissing her passionately. Lydia looked away, giving them some privacy. She spotted Stiles surrounded by teammates and supporters, who congratulated him with excitement. The boy had an astonished expression on his face and a large smile on his lips. Lydia was happy for him, she always knew things would be fine. Their eyes met and suddenly all he could hear was his heart pounding on his chest and all he could see was the beautiful redhead smiling at him. Lydia raised her hand and waved at him. Stiles did the same, as if he was hypnotized. He was a second away from pushing all of those people out of his way and go to her, take her in his arms.
But he turned around and went to get rid of all his gear along with the rest of the team. It was amazing how silly he felt for thinking that the game would be a disaster. Now he could feel the excitement from the victory vibrating on his bones and it felt incredible.
The ground vanished from under Stiles' feet as they left the locker room and before he knew it, he was being carried out of the field on the shoulders of half of the team. There was nothing he could do but throw his fists in the air and scream along with them, which he was happy to do. From where he was, he saw Theo walking alone to his car, and Stiles didn't mind at all to not having him there for the celebration. The crowd met at the parking lot, where they put him back on the ground as Liam, the co-captain, climbed on the back of his pick-up truck and picked up a megaphone:
"You guys, celebration at my place!" He announced, earning another loud cheer from the crowd, that immediately started to find their way to the cars.
"Hey Stiles, you're going, right?" Danny, a teammate, asked him.
"Ahn... I don't know..." Stiles stretched out his neck and looked around, trying to find a person in particular in the middle of the crowd. "I'm not sure if it's a good idea."
"Come on, it's just a couple of beers. Everyone's gonna be alive for class tomorrow," Danny insisted. Stiles pressed his lips together, still trying to find her as he debated with himself. At last, he sighed.
"Okay, I'll go," he gave in. Danny smiled and tapped him a little too hard on the back, probably to cheer him up. Stiles quickly smiled back, not as excited, but convincing nonetheless.
He spotted Scott's head in the crowd. After a few "excuse me" and "sorry", he finally managed to cross the parking lot and get to his friend.
"Congratulations!" Allison cheered, jumping as she hugged Stiles by the neck. The boy laughed and hugged her back.
"Thanks," he said when they broke apart. "Are you going to Liam's?"
Scott looked at his girlfriend, who shrugged. "Yeah, sure."
"Cool. Hey, have you, ahn..." Stiles looked around one more time. "Have you seen Lydia?"
"She went home. Headache," Allison answered. "She told me to tell you congratulations."
"Oh... Okay." The boy tried his best not to look as disappointed as he felt. But now that he thought about it, what would he tell Lydia? What would he do? Make an idiot of himself, that was for sure. Or panic and run off. He should be relieved she wasn't there anymore, it would give him time to process everything. "Okay... See you guys at Liam's, then."
Stiles waved and walked to his Jeep. He ended up giving a ride to some classmates, who suddenly thought his car was the coolest. Liam's house seemed to be already full when they arrived. As soon as he stepped on the grass, Stiles was welcomed with a beer bottle and taps on his back. It was really weird being treated so well by people he barely even knew. The Cyclones were the center of everyone's attention, and that was the first time he actually felt part of it.
The "celebration" lasted more than expected. Between long silly conversations and beer, no one noticed the time passing. Scott didn't stay for long: he left holding hands with Allison, and by the look he sent his friend, they were up for a private celebration that Stiles didn't want to know about. Hours later, the boy plopped down on the host's couch and fished his phone out of his pocket, only then noticing the missed calls from his dad and that it was past four a.m. He jumped to his feet and said goodbye to everyone on his way to his car.
Stiles tried his best not to make any noise when he arrived home, which obviously didn't work. He didn't turn on the lights, and bumped into the kitchen table when he went to grab a glass of water, knocking down one of the chairs. He cursed under his breath and put the chair back to its place. He drank two glasses of water and went to the stairs, where he stumbled on the last step and almost rolled his way down. He planned to tiptoe to his room, but found the Sheriff leaning against the wall with his arms crossed against his chest.
"My job would be so much easier if there were robbers like you," he said.
"Guess I shouldn't drop out of school then, hun?" Stiles joked, but his dad only narrowed his eyes at him. "Sorry I didn't answer your calls, I didn't hear my phone..."
"Scott told me were you were. At a party, on a Monday."
"Well, yes. But hey, we won the game!" The boy raised his arms theatrically. Noah let out a laugh and nodded.
"Scott told me that too. Congratulations, son," he said, going to the boy and giving him a hug. "Sorry I couldn't make it. I heard you were the star of the game."
Stiles shrugged when they broke the hug. "Scott may have exaggerated a bit, but yeah, it's true."
"I know how much work you put into this. You deserved this, kid, I'm proud of you," Noah said, putting a hand on his son's shoulder.
The boy smiled. "Thanks, dad."
"But no more parties on a school night, okay?"
"Only when we win another game, right?"
"We'll discuss that later," Noah said. "And boy you smell like beer. Tell me you haven't been drinking and driving."
"No, I haven't, I would never ever do that," Stiles quickly said. The Sheriff narrowed his eyes again, clearly not buying it.
"Right. Now go to bed. And take a shower first, for the love of god."
Stiles laughed, said goodnight and went to his room. He threw his gym bag on the corner, grabbed fresh clothes in the wardrobe and went to the bathroom for a relaxing shower. After that, he collapsed on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
Laying there, Stiles felt like his life was somehow going to change after that night. He had already had a taste of what that victory would make to his social life. Scott, who had never been stuck on the bench, already knew how to deal with all the attention, but Stiles, who had always been his best friend, never quite fitted in that circle. Now he didn't mind at all being a little popular; it was been a great experience so far.
And there was his kiss with Lydia. Stiles had kissed the girl with whom he had been in love since he was a kid. And she had kissed him back. Lydia Martin. Kissing. Stiles Stilinski.
The boy smiled and put an arm over his eyes. Holy shit, that really had happened. He had pictured that moment so many times, and in so many ways, and it ended up happening in the most unexpected time and place. Stiles could still feel her lips against his, he could still smell her perfume. Aside from that, it all still felt like a dream. He almost panicked as he looked to her face, so close to his. Her green eyes were still closed, and he thought his heart was going to explode in his chest. If the coach hadn't interrupted them, he would've told her everything he felt; the words would just spill out from his mouth, he knew it. Finstock actually saved him from the embarrassment and from a probable death by humiliation.
Stiles knew the kiss didn't mean the same to Lydia. After all, he was the one stuck on the biggest friendzone in history, gladly accepting his spot as long as he still got to be near her. A friendzone so mean and well-built that actually tricked him into believing he didn't have to be there anymore while she was gone. It was obvious Lydia only saw him as her friend. Stiles wished he could find out what she was thinking about as he laid there. Probably nothing specific, since it was almost dawn, but still it was enough to leave him awake. Did she hate the kiss? Or did she like it? Would things be weird between them now? Would she be up for another kiss?
"Jesus, Stiles," he murmured, laying on his stomach and burying his face on the pillow. He shut his eyes and focused on falling asleep.
"Boy, wake up!" The Sheriff called from the other side of the door, banging on the wood. Stiles slowly opened his eyes and blinked, disoriented. The sun coming from his window illuminated his whole room, making him frown. He had slept for what, five minutes? He groped his nightstand as he searched for his phone, and when he found it, he saw that he should be ready to leave at that time. The boy grounted and sat up, not feeling rested at all.
He got dressed, grabbed his backpack and went to the kitchen. As soon as he sat by the table, he filled up a mug of coffee and took a large sip.
"Morning, champ," his dad said, smiling. "Sleep well?"
Stiles muttered something under his breath and took a bite from a toast. Coffee always helped him to wake up a little, but he was already planning on taking a few naps during the day. He checked the time on his phone again, and if he stayed a little longer he would be late for first period.
"I'm out," he said, finishing his mug and filling it up again, basically forcing caffeine into his body. Stiles put a toast in his mouth, hung his backpack on his shoulder and waved goodbye to his dad. Noah waved back, watching the boy run to his car with a toast between his teeth like a dog and holding a mug that would definitely never find its way back home again.
Stiles climbed in the car, placed the mug on the dashboard and started the engine. He had his breakfast as he drove to school, which could be dangerous if he wasn't so experienced. He parked the car and ran to the building, slipping into the classroom just in time for the first period. He sat at a desk in the back and finished the now warm coffee in two large gulps. A girl sitting by his side frowned as she eyed his mug, but he only nodded at her and tried to focus on the teacher.
"You look terrible," Scott commented with raised eyebrows when they met in the hallway.
"You look radiant," Stiles said, placing his mug in his locker and taking out a book. "Looks like we both had amazing nights."
The other boy smiled, his eyes becoming distant. "Oh yeah, I did..." Stiles immediately understood what he was thinking about and made a face, closing his locker with a loud bang. "What time did you get home yesterday? Your dad was pissed when he called me."
"Around four. Sorry about that." A group of freshmen walked past them, congratulating them for the game. The boys smiled and thanked them, and Stiles found it funny the way some of the freshmen seemed to be really excited about receiving attention from two seniors from the lacrosse team. "Do they bring flowers and chocolate too?" He asked as they walked away.
"You're not a diva, Stiles,take down a notch."
"Ah, don't tell you've never won anything from your fans. Not even, I don't know, a card on Valentine's day?"
"I don't know if we can call them fans, but yes, I've gotten some stuff for Valentine's day."
Stiles arched an eyebrow. "Does Allison know about that?"
"Of course she does, it's free chocolate," Scott said. "But... Well, she doesn't know about everything I get. Some things are better kept as a secret, you know."
A smile slowly spread across Stiles' face. "What level of dirty are we talking about?"
"The highest," Scott answered, dead serious. "Wait until Valentine's. It's insane."
Stiles nodded, suddenly very curious as his low expectations for Valentine's day grew a little higher.
At the end of the hallway, he spotted Lydia talking to a brunette girl whose name he didn't know. Stiles blinked, his heart already racing in anticipation. She turned her face and looked directly at him, like she could feel his eyes on her. It was a weird moment where everything seemed to move in slow motion around them. Lydia opened a small smile and waved at him. Stiles raised his hand and did the same, opening his mouth to say hi despite the distance between them.
The ring of the bell echoed through the hallway, putting an abrupt end to their moment. The girl blinked, said goodbye to Hayden and turned on her heels to go to her classroom. Stiles pressed his lips together and sighed. He couldn't wait to know what she thought about the kiss, even though he knew he would probably never have the courage to ask.
A few minutes later, while he was in class, Lydia's face appeared behind the small window on the door. She gestured for him to go meet her, and the boy didn't hesitate before throwing his hand in the air and asking to go to the bathroom, jumping to his feet as soon as the teacher cleared him. Lydia was already walking when he closed the door behind him, and Stiles followed her down the empty hallway to a more private corner.
The girl turned to face him, nervously biting her bottom lip. She could barely pay any attention to her class, just thinking about that conversation. Lydia searched for the right words in her mind, trying to find the best way to bring up the subject. There was no need to drag it too long; a simple talk to make things clear would be enough to avoid any problems between them before they even came up. Lydia was putting their friendship before any kind of weird attraction she had developed towards Stiles.
"So, we need to talk," she started, then mentally rolled her eyes because she couldn't have said something more obvious. "About... You know."
Stiles nodded. "Yeah, I know," he said, his heart pounding in his chest. His throat was dry like a desert while his hands sweat like crazy. He hoped she didn't notice how nervous he was. They weren't standing so close to each other, but they were in a nice hidden corner, so he couldn't help but wonder if they would get caught if he kissed her right there.
Lydia wet her lips. "I don't know exactly how that happened. I mean, I'm not even sure about what happened, it was all so... fast and..."
"Unexpected," he finished.
"Yes! Yes, it was unexpected and just... crazy." The girl let out a nervous laugh, which wasn't like her. "None of us saw that one coming, right?"
"You can say the word 'kiss', it's not a curse," Stiles said, shrugging. Lydia nodded.
"Right. Ahn..." She ran a hand through her hair, his heart beating faster with every passing minute; the boy would probably faint before he found out what she had to say.
"Lydia," he said, tried his best not to sound too impatient. "Just talk to me."
She nodded again, taking a deep breath. "I didn't want things to be weird between us. Okay, we kissed, and it was... Well..." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, it happened. But we're friends, and it's not like it meant anything, right? I mean, I think it's best if we just forget about what happened and... Yeah, that's it."
Stiles was definitely not expecting her words to hit him so hard. Even though he had already accepted that she didn't feel the same way as him, he realized that he had been unconsciously nurturing a tiny hope that he was wrong. And now that she had said with every word that their kiss had meant absolutely nothing to her, he could feel his heart breaking piece by piece. The boy clenched his teeth and raised his chin; that had happened before, she had broken his heart before, and he wasn't going to let that happen again. Never again. Lydia didn't see what she did to him. She didn't realize the weight of her words. Part of it was really Stiles' fault; he had gived her that kind of power, he had chosen to keep the secret over staying away from her. But everything has a limit, and he had reached his.
"You agree with me, right?" She asked.
"Yeah, I do," he answered without thinking twice. "Absolutely."