God, Leah could not be more angry with Scott. She knew, deep down she knew, that this wasn't actually Scott—that the full moon was affecting him just as it had the first time, but for some reason, it felt worse than it was before. And Leah hated it, hated what it was doing to Scott. She just hoped he would come to his senses and realize his massive mistake—mistakes.
Sighing, Leah walked onto the lacrosse field, immediately spotting Stiles on the bench, going through his duffel. Leah debated on telling Stiles what had she had seen between Scott and Lydia, before deciding it wasn't her story to tell. She glanced over her shoulder to see Scott walking up behind her and she turned away from him, not wanting to be near him.
Leah sat down on the first bench, the one that didn't currently have Stiles sitting on it. Scott walked past her without a word, sitting next to Stiles. Leah saw Lydia step onto the bleachers, looking as if nothing had happened. Leah knew she had to be mad at Lydia too; she had broken the one rule that Leah knew was very important—best friends aren't supposed to go after the other's exes. Lydia didn't even wait a full week before she pounced on Scott, or whatever had happened in the locker room, all Leah knew was that Lydia didn't look like she was trying to stop it. Leah was mad, sure, but she wasn't surprised; Lydia always wanted the best and Scott, currently, was the best.
Finstock blew his whistle, getting everyone on the field to start drills. Leah was in front of Scott, facing the two defensemen. The goal was to get past the two defensemen and shoot, scoring past Danny. Leah readied herself before Finstock blew the whistle, and once the whistle blew, she scooped up the ball in her cradle and ran down the field. Harry came at her, but Leah twisted herself around him and dodged another defensemen, Eli, before flicking her wrist and sending the ball flying past Danny. She grinned to herself as she ran up to Danny to give him a high five.
Everyone liked Danny, he was the chillest guy on the team and one of the nicest, even though he was Jackson's best friend. When they were freshmen, Leah had a tiny crush on him and he was nice enough to tell her that he was flattered, but liked hot dogs instead of tacos. Leah, on the other hand, was so embarrassed that she didn't talk to him for weeks. But somehow she just got over it and everything went back to normal. Danny and Leah weren't close but she trusted him on and off the field—which is why she went to him to help track down her brother.
Leah jogged over to the sidelines where a couple other of the guys were watching. Leah pulled off her helmet and gloves before she got a high five from Kyle, "Welcome back to first line, Kane." He said with a grin. Leah returned the grin and went to stand towards the front of the group watching as Scott took his position.
She crossed her arms over her chest as Scott scooped up the ball after Coach blew his whistle. Harry and Eli teamed up and blocked Scott, knocking him to his ass. Leah bit her lip as the guys she was standing with started to laugh.
"Stop." Leah said, elbowing Kyle in the gut.
"Oh, come on, Kane." Kyle groaned, "You can't tell me you really appreciate the fact that Scott's the co-captain." Kyle threw his hand out to where Scott was still on the ground. "I mean, he's great don't get me wrong, but if anything, you should be the co-captain." Leah heard Jackson snort and she looked over to him, daring him to say something. Jackson just made a face and shrugged, looking away from Leah.
"I think Scott's going to do a great job as co-captain." Leah said, looking back at Kyle, "And it would help if you guys thought so too." Leah looked back to see that Scott was back up and standing in front of Stiles.
She noticed that his stance was a bit more rigid and his breathing was heavy. Leah watched as he scooped up the ball and went full force down the field, knocking over Harry and Eli like they were bowling ball pins and heading straight for Danny. Danny stepped up, getting ready, but Scott plowed him down, throwing an elbow straight at Danny's face as he shot the ball into the net.
"Oh! My God." Leah reacted, jumping a little bit as Danny went down.
"Still think he'd be a good co-captain?" Kyle asked before running after Jackson to huddle over Danny. Leah sighed before she jogged over with the rest of the team.
She pushed to the front and saw that Danny was bleeding from the nose and when she looked up, she saw Stiles step out of the crowd, going over to Scott, who was standing a little ways off. Scott brushed Stiles off, stalking away from his friend as Leah watched. She felt someone push her aside and glanced over to see that Lydia had inserted herself into the circle. Leah made a face as Lydia looked down at Danny, seemingly worried,
"Is he okay?" She asked out as Finstock and some other team member helped Danny to his feet. Leah watched them walk off as Jackson answered Lydia,
"Yeah, it looks like he just has a bloody nose—" Jackson stopped as he looked to Lydia. Leah followed suit, seeing that Lydia's lipstick was all smudged. Lydia noticed Jackson's look and raised her eyebrows,
"What?"
"Your lipstick." Jackson motioned to his mouth as he spoke. Leah sighed as Lydia pulled out a compact to check her lipstick. The team had disbanded, going off to get a drink of water as Finstock took care of Danny. Leah glanced over to see Stiles staring at Lydia as she wiped the corner of her mouth, getting rid of the smudged lipstick. A look of realization dawned over him and he looked back over his shoulder to where Scott had stomped off.
"Oh, huh, wonder how that happened." Lydia nonchalantly said, getting Leah to look back at her. Jackson eyed her, seemingly unconvinced that it was a mystery to Lydia,
"Yeah. I wonder." Jackson mumbled before walking away from Lydia. Lydia snapped her compact closed and gave Leah a charming smile, one that Leah didn't return. Instead, she rolled her eyes and walked away from Lydia, over to the bench where the rest of the team was.
The rest of practice went by smoothly and Leah found herself going home alone, the sun setting behind her as she skated home. Scott had disappeared after he mauled Danny down and Stiles had disappeared after he saw Lydia's smudged lipstick. Leah figured he put two and two together and a part of her did feel bad for not saying anything, but it wasn't her mistake to tell—it was Scott's. He needed to take responsibility for his actions.
On her way home, Leah made a pit stop at the drugstore; she was reminded of her conversation with Lydia about how to get out of the friendzone. As much as she hated Lydia, Leah couldn't help but be aware that Lydia was so desirable because of the things she did and wore. Hell, Lydia got both Scott and Stiles' lustful attention and Leah couldn't, currently, even get a hello from either of the boys. She walked through the aisles, her bags across her shoulders as she went to the makeup aisle. Her eyes traveled over all the different brands and shades, while her brain tried to understand the names and uses of certain things. Leah spotted purple eyeliner and made a face; it could be cool to wear purple eyeliner. But then she remembered Lydia telling her to start small and Leah figured purple eyeliner was a little too much too soon. She moved over to the lipstick part, letting her fingers trail over the tubes.
"Leah?" Mrs. McCall's voice made Leah jump and knock something off of its shelf as she turned to look at Scott's mom.
"Uh, hi, Mrs. McCall." Leah responded as she tried to fix the display, trying to act casual as Mrs. McCall stepped up to Leah. Melissa was in her scrubs, hair tied back and a motherly smile on her face.
"What are you doing here?" Leah asked, trying to play it cool.
"Oh, just picking up my dinner." Mrs. McCall held up a frozen TV dinner. "Cafeteria food isn't all that great." Leah nodded and looked back at the lipstick display, "Lipstick, huh? Can I help you with picking out a color?" Mrs. McCall asked, raising her eyebrows
"Uh...yeah." Leah bit her lip and turned back to Mrs. McCall, trying not to be embarrassed, "I've never worn any of this." Leah said, waving her hand to the makeup.
"You're pretty enough without any of it." Mrs. McCall commented, laughing a little, "Consider yourself lucky." Leah raised her eyebrows and nodded as Mrs. McCall stepped up to Leah, looking over the options.
"Is it for anything in particular?" Mrs. McCall asked. Leah looked at her, opening her mouth a little bit before closing it and making a face.
"Just daily wear." Leah shrugged as Mrs. McCall nodded.
"Here." She said, selecting a clear tube with some sort of light nude substance in it, "Just your basic lipgloss."
"Gloss?" Leah asked, eyebrows raising as Mrs. McCall handed the tube out to her.
"Something to get you started." Mrs. McCall nodded at Leah as she took it.
"Okay, yeah, uhm, thanks, Mrs. McCall." Leah gave her a small smile, tapping the tube against her palm.
"Anytime, sweetheart." Mrs. McCall gave Leah another of her motherly smiles, "Have a good night. Stay safe." She said, reaching out for her.
"Yeah, you too." Leah nodded as Melissa patted her arm before walking past Leah. Leah stared at the lip gloss for a moment before taking in a breath. Simple.
Leah paid for the lip gloss— it was five dollars and Leah almost put it back before just sucking it up, and walked out of the drugstore, putting the lip gloss in her pocket and keeping her hand there. She skated the rest of the way back home, watching the moon rise and feeling a bit anxious about what it would bring.
Getting home, Leah set her lacrosse stuff outside before heading back into the house. She went up to her bedroom, checking her phone for any new texts. Realizing she was running a bit later than she intended, Leah quickly showered and redressed herself in a pair of leggings and a graphic tee crop top, grabbing a hoodie and slipping it over her shoulders. She ran her fingers through her wet hair, messing it up a bit before stepping up to her mirror. Leah turned the lip gloss in her fingers, chewing on her bottom lip as she debated what to do. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror before she unscrewed the cap. She swiped the wand over her lips, making a face at the feeling—it felt like she was putting glue on her mouth. It didn't make her look any different, but her lips were definitely shinier than they were previously.
Before Leah could back out, her phone buzzed on her desk, getting her attention. She reached for it, seeing Connor's name on the screen. Answering it, Leah shoved the phone under her ear and held it there with her shoulder.
"Hey." Leah said as she went around her room, grabbing various items and putting them in her backpack.
"What are you doing?" Connor asked.
"Uh, I'm about to head out to Scott's." Leah explained, grabbing her taser and shoving it into her backpack before slinging it over her shoulder. "Full moon and all." She reminded him.
"No, hey, no, you can't go to Scott's tonight." Connor sounded like he was shaking his head, "It's too dangerous."
"Oh so now you wanna play protective older brother?" Leah questioned, standing up a bit straighter and pulling her phone from her shoulder, "I think it's too late for that, bro."
"At least tell me you have a plan." Connor said, ignoring her comment. Leah sighed and Connor took that as an answer, "Leah…"
"We have a plan." Leah shortly answered, "I think." She added on, glancing to Scott's window, seeing that the light was on.
"I've dealt with this before, sis. There's a lot—you need to have a plan. Not just for Scott, but for you too." Connor explained, "In case something goes wrong."
"Nothing's going to go wrong." Leah shook her head. She heard Connor scoff and Leah rolled her eyes,
"Really? How was he today? A little aggressive? Impulsive?" Connor asked, knowing the answers before he asked the questions. Leah took in a breath and wrapped an arm around her midsection,
"If you're such a know-it-all then how bout you, oh, I don't know, come help?" Leah asked, shrugging, even though Connor couldn't see it, "You said you came back to help, but you haven't done anything."
"Uhm, yes, I have." Connor sounded offended, "I've been trying to find Scott's Alpha before he finds Scott."
"Great." Leah sighed out, "Glad that you have your priorities in order. Just know it's your fault if I get eaten by Scott tonight." Leah said before hanging up the phone. She rolled her eyes at her brother as she walked out of her bedroom.
For as much as Connor preached about being there to help, he had left Leah and the boys high and dry. They had to figure out a lot of stuff on their own after Derek disappeared and Leah felt a bit annoyed that Connor had disappeared just as Derek did; she needed her brother, especially when it came to dealing with Scott.
Leah hurried down the stairs and out the door. She hurried across the lawn that separated her and Scott's houses, taking the porch stairs two at a time and pushing into the McCall house.
Just as she went inside, Leah heard something clatter to the ground from upstairs and then Scott's yell. She walked to the bottom of the steps, looking up the staircase and hearing Stiles' voice,
"You kissed her, Scott, okay? You kissed Lydia!" Stiles was saying, "That's, Iike, the one girl that I—And, you know, the past three hours, I've been thinking, it's probably just the full moon, you know, he doesn't even know what he's doing, and tomorrow, he'II be totally back to normal. He probably won't even remember what a complete dumbass he's been. A son of a bitch, a freaking unbelievable piece of crap friend!" Stiles finished with a shout. Leah chewed on the end of her hair as she crossed one arm over her stomach. There was a moment of silence before Leah heard Scott's voice,
"She kissed me."
"What?" Stiles asked back, but Leah knew he had heard Scott perfectly fine,
"I didn't kiss her. She kissed me." Scott sounded different than normal—there was zero regret in his tone, almost like he was proud of what he had done, "She would have done a lot more, too. You should have seen the way she had her hands all over me." Scott taunted Stiles as Leah quietly started to walk up the stairs, "She would have done anything I wanted." Leah swallowed as she got closer to the top of the stairs. Stiles stepped out of Scott's bedroom as Leah got to the top of the stairs.
"And we would've done a lot more if Leah hadn't interrupted." Scott said, a bite to his voice as he said Leah's name. Leah froze on the stairs and took in a sharp breath, making Stiles' eyes flicked over to her.
"You knew? You saw?" Stiles asked, not accusing Leah, more like he was surprised at the fact that Leah knew. Leah didn't respond, not moving from her position on the stairs. She heard Scott laugh darkly and her eyes flicked over to Scott's bedroom door as she took in a breath,
"I—I—N—Yeah." Leah finally managed out. She clenched the railing, her knuckles turning white as she waited for Stiles' reaction.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Stiles asked, swallowing back as he blinked rapidly at her. He felt a little confused; if anything, Leah would've taken great pleasure in telling him that his crush and Scott were making out—just so she could watch him fall apart.
"I…don't know." Leah quietly said with a small shrug. She felt her stomach worms begin to squirm around and Stiles looked at her for a moment before looking back at Scott's room and then back at Leah. His jaw clicked and he headed for the stairs—Leah pressed herself against the railing so he wouldn't touch her as he thumped down the stairs.
Leah took her top lip into her mouth, looking down at her feet. She swallowed, blinking rapidly before looking back up at the hallway. Slowly, she let go of the railing, feeling her fingers flex as they moved out of the uncomfortable position. Taking another step, Leah got to the second floor hall and peeked her head in to see Scott sitting on the floor, handcuffed to the radiator. He looked up at her, tilting his head at her and Leah licked her lips before stepping into the doorway, crossing her arms over her chest,
"Usually I'm the bitch." She stated, raising her eyebrows at Scott, "The asshole, the one ruining Stiles' life." She paused for a moment, "This isn't you, Scott."
"Let me go." Scott ignored her, not caring what she thought or what anyone else thought. He didn't care about the effects of his actions.
"No." Leah shook her head.
"Then why are you here?" Scott lowly said, "If you aren't going to help me." Leah opened her mouth to respond, but Scott cut her off, "Or are you here for Stiles?" Scott bit out, "He isn't very happy with you, is he?" Leah rolled her eyes and let out a scoff,
"Oh my God, we are not doing this right now—"
"You think I don't know?" Scott laughed darkly, "You like him, Leah. I know it. Your heart upticks every time you see him, that disgusting smell rolls off of you. It makes me sick."
"Jealous?" Leah asked, raising her eyebrows. She wasn't going to let Scott get on her nerves. She wasn't going to give in to his tactics.
"You like him and it's killing you that he doesn't like you back." Scott paused, tilting his head at Leah, "In fact, he'll never like you." Leah took in a deep breath, dropping her arms to her side, letting her backpack slip off of her shoulders and onto the ground. If Scott was going to continue with this attitude, Leah was already tired of it and needed to stop him.
"I heard his conversation with you last night, asking you about Lydia." Scott continued, "He'll never love you as much as he loves Lydia." Scott lowly said, laughing darkly. Leah felt her breath catch and she looked over at Scott, giving him the reaction he wanted,
"Scott, stop." Leah quietly said, "This isn't fair."
"It's true!" Scott shouted out, "He hates you." Leah ignored him, trying to remind herself that it was the full moon, as she dropped into a crouch, going into her backpack, "God, it's pathetic, watching you watch him, like you actually have a chance." Scott scoffed. Leah swallowed, blinking rapidly as Scott continued to wail on such a sensitive topic for her. She pulled out what she was looking for as Scott taunted her, "You and I both know that it's always going to be Lydia, no matter how much lipgloss you put on." Leah pushed out of her crouch and stood above Scott as he delivered his final blow, "Compared to Lydia, you're nothing."
Leah swallowed and raised the taser up, pulling the trigger and sending the bolts of electricity into Scott's body. He convulsed back, slumping over onto the radiator after a moment. Leah started to crank up the taser, stepping over to him and crouching in front of him.
"I really fucking hate you right now." Leah quietly said, taking the bolts out of Scott's chest and licking her lips.
"What the hell did you do?" Stiles asked catching himself on the doorway. Leah looked over her shoulder and opened her mouth to explain—a part of her worried that Stiles had heard everything, but Stiles figured it out, not letting her answer him "Did you tase him?"
"He wouldn't shut up." Leah simply said, pushing out of her crouch. She went over to her backpack as Scott let out a low groan. She picked up her backpack and stuffed the taser inside, zipping up the pocket, "He's fine." Leah explained said, slinging her bag over her shoulder and walking past Stiles.
"You didn't have to tase him." Stiles glanced from Scott to Leah, "I'm sure whatever he said, it wasn't that bad." Leah shrugged and walked past him, not saying anything.
"Wait, where are you going?" Stiles asked, hand catching on Leah's arm as she walked past him. Leah glanced at him, feeling her stomach worms return as Stiles continued, "I thought we were gonna do this together." Leah glanced over at Scott, who was slumped against the radiator. She debated with herself with a moment; she wanted to be there for Scott, but she couldn't be with Stiles, alone, for such a long time. Leah swallowed and looked back at Stiles,
"I can't." Leah quietly said, shaking her head. She pulled her arm out of Stiles' grasp and started for the stairs,
"Wait, Leah, why?" Stiles asked, following after her, "What did he say to you?"
"It's not because of Scott." Leah shook her head, not turning back around as she headed for the stairs.
"Then what…?" Stiles paused, "Wait, is this because of what I said to you last night? Because I barely remember the night. Like it's all fuzzy and half of it seems like a dream—" Stiles started rambling as Leah started down the stairs, "But I have the texts and I'm sorry if I was annoying, but we both did some things we probably didn't want to do this weekend."
"What did I do, Stiles?" Leah asked, finally turning around. She was on a lower step than Stiles was, so she was looking up at him, eyebrows raised, "The kiss?" She asked, lowering her head, but still looking up at Stiles, "Do you think I'm leaving because of the kiss?" Leah asked, knowing full well that the kiss was part of the reason she was leaving, but Stiles didn't need to know that.
"Well, yeah…" Stiles lifted his hand up before letting it scrub over his head, "I mean you kissed me!"
"I was drunk! Allison dared me! Trust me, I wouldn't have made that mistake sober." Leah laughed out, trying to play it off, "And you were drunk last night and made some mistakes!" Stiles rolled his eyes and Leah scoffed, "Calling me, for one, telling me you missed me." Leah made a face as she counted on her fingers, "Excessive texts—"
"Okay I get it!" Stiles cut her off, raising a hand.
"We were drunk, Stiles! It didn't mean anything! What we did or said or texted—it doesn't change anything!" Leah raised her shoulders up, making her eyes wide as she tried to play off the past few days. Stiles took in a breath and glanced away from Leah for a moment,
"Then why are you leaving?" He asked, looking back at her. Leah took a breath in through her nose and then let it out,
"I'm not." Leah rubbed her hand over the side of her face, "I'm not." Leah repeated herself, heading back up the stairs. She walked past Stiles and went into the hallway, sliding down the wall and dropping her backpack by her as she sat down on the floor. Stiles followed suit, extending his legs as Leah pulled her knees up to her chest. She eyed him for a moment before looking down at her fingers,
"Can we just agree," Leah started after a moment, looking up at him, "to not drink anymore?"
"Yes, yeah, a hundred percent." Stiles bobbed his head in agreement, "Just leads to—"
"Mistakes." Leah finished for him. Stiles licked his lips and nodded, looking to the side.
The two of them sat there in silence for a few minutes, and occasionally they heard Scott jiggling at the handcuffs, trying to get out.
"So we just wait it out?" Leah asked, changing the subject.
"Better than last time." Stiles answered, tapping his fingers against his leg. "Where we drove around the woods all night."
"A lot warmer than your piece of crap Jeep." Leah commented, looking around the hallway, "And roomier."
"Alright, stop bashing the Jeep." Stiles held up his hand. Leah couldn't help but smile as she looked back at him,
"Just saying." She said, shrugging and rolling her eyes to the ceiling. Stiles tried to hide his smile, ducking his head and looking down at his hands,
"Uh, I'm sorry." Stiles said after a moment, "About last night. I saw the texts this morning and I, ah," Leah raised her eyebrows at Stiles as he looked up at her, "guess I'm a bit of a lightweight."
"You and me both, pal." Leah sighed, extending her legs out, "I'm sorry I kissed you." Stiles pulled the corners of his mouth down and raised his hands up,
"Just don't do it again." Stiles said, glancing at her.
"Oh, trust me, I won't." Leah scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Twice is more than enough for me, thank you."
"Good." Stiles nodded, licking his lips as Leah swallowed. She caught herself glancing at Stiles' mouth and quickly realized she needed a distraction.
Pulling her backpack onto her lap, Leah unzipped the first section, pulling out a pack of Twizzlers and setting them next to her before she flipped her bag over, dumping out its contents. Things came spilling out: highlighters, pencils, her notebooks and planner and other various items.
"What's this?" Stiles asked, sounding like he was smiling. Leah looked over at him, seeing that he was holding the tube of lipgloss she had bought earlier in the day. Leah completely forgot that she threw it in her backpack. Stiles met her look, an amused smile on his face,
"Is this what's on your face?" He asked, eyebrows raised.
"Maybe." Leah mumbled.
"Thought it was just pizza grease or something." Stiles laughed lightly as Leah reached for the lipgloss. Stiles pulled his hand back, studying the brand, "Woah, peaches." Stiles made a face, "Interesting."
"Stop." Leah groaned, reaching out for the lipgloss as she rolled her eyes. She snatched the tube from Stiles' fingers and stuffed it back in her bag.
"Finally embracing your inner Barbie?" Stiles teased. Leah glared at him as Stiles smirked at her
"Shut up." Leah responded as Stiles reached for the pack of Twizzlers. Leah started putting some things back into her bag, realizing that Stiles had noticed the lipgloss, even if he just thought it was pizza grease. He noticed the small change and Leah couldn't help but smile at that small fact.
"So, what are you going to do about Lydia and Scott?" Leah asked after a while. The two of them had managed to talk around the subject of Scott and Lydia—talking about lacrosse, how they were both on first line, or their shared classes, but topics were running dry and Leah figured she might as well bring it up. Stiles raised his eyebrows up, Twizzler sticking out of his mouth,
"Probably nothing." Stiles sighed, sitting back against the wall, "I mean, it sucks a lot but…" Stiles shrugged as if that was enough of an explanation.
"Yeah, well, just remember Scott's not the only one to blame. Lydia was just as willing and didn't do anything to stop it."
"Oh, I'm well aware, thank you." Stiles said as he snapped a Twizzler between his teeth. Leah licked her lips and reached for the Twizzler pack, taking out a couple for herself.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it." Leah said after a moment. Stiles raised his eyebrows at her and Leah let out a sigh, "I mean, I don't know why I didn't tell you." Leah continued, sticking a Twizzler into her mouth, "Usually, I'd be all for destroying you emotionally with that piece of gossip."
"Oh, I know." Stiles scoffed. Leah rolled her eyes. There a small moment of silence as Stiles watched Leah chew on her Twizzler. He noticed there was a handmade bracelet with a complicated pattern on her wrist, "Where'd you get the bracelet?" Stiles asked, motioning to Leah's wrist.
"Oh, I ran into Heather O'Connell over the weekend." Leah shrugged, "We had, like, a mini reunion and she gave me this as a birthday gift along with some camp stuff." Leah shook her wrist in the air, showing off the bracelet. Stiles raised his eyebrows at Leah and nodded,
"Cool, cool." Stiles paused, "I keep forgetting that we were all friends once." He laughed to himself, "God, it feels like a lifetime ago." Stiles rested his head against the wall, "When everything was so normal."
"You mean sitting in a hallway as our best friend shifts into a werewolf, isn't normal?" Leah joked, brow furrowing. Stiles laughed a little and shook his head,
"Definitely not." He responded, getting Leah to give him an amused smile.
Suddenly, the two of them heard Scott's pained voice call out, "Leah? Stiles?" Scott paused, both Leah and Stiles looking to the closed door, "Please let me out. It's the full moon, I swear. You know I wouldn't do any of this on purpose. Please, guys, let me out." Leah swallowed, trying not to react to the pain in Scott's voice. It seemed that whatever Scott they had been dealing with earlier in the night had been replaced by the normal Scott they knew.
"It's starting to hurt." Scott continued, "It's not like the first time. It's the full moon. It's Allison breaking up with me. I know—That it's not just taking a break." Leah tied her Twizzler in a knot, trying to tune Scott out, "She broke up with me. And it's killing me." Leah looked over to Stiles to see him rub a hand over his mouth,
"I feel completely hopeless. Just, please, let me out." Scott begged. Stiles scrubbed his hands over his head, trying to not give in. Leah took in a breath, trying to resist the urge to go in there and let Scott out. Even with all the horrible things Scott said to her, Leah knew that deep down he didn't mean any of it. Scott was her best friend, so it was hard not to want to forgive him and let him out.
"We can't." Stiles softly responded.
"No, no, no!" Scott started yelling out, jangling against the radiator. There was a low roar before complete and utter silence. Leah looked at Stiles, eyebrows raising.
"Scott?" Leah called out as Stiles got to his feet. She slid up the wall as Stiles slowly opened the door. He peeked his head in, calling out for Scott as Leah walked behind him. Stiles opened the door fully and Leah felt her stomach drop at the empty space where Scott once was, handcuff broken and blood on the floor.
"Shit." Leah whispered out.
Stiles pushed by her, running out into the hall. It took Leah a moment, but soon she caught up with what it meant—Scott was missing, Scott was outside on a full moon, controlled by the urge to maim and kill someone. Leah took a few quick steps back before turning and running out of Scott's room. She grabbed her bag as she went, slinging it over her shoulder before running down the steps after Stiles. Leah got into his Jeep and he started up the car as soon as the door was shut.
"Where are we going?" Leah asked as Stiles asked her, "Where did Scott go?"
"Like I have a clue!" Leah cried out, "He just jumped out the window!" Stiles let out a groan, "This is not my fault, Stiles." She seriously said, pointing at him.
"I'm not saying it's your fault!" Stiles waved his hand around, "It's neither of our faults! We just need to find him."
"So we're driving around the woods for the rest of the night." Leah stated, falling back into her seat.
"Do you have a better plan?" Stiles asked.
"No." Leah sighed out, arms crossing over her chest. Stiles nodded and started for the Preserve.
For a few minutes, Stiles drove in silence until Leah spotted the familiar lights of squad cars, "Stiles…" Leah said, getting his attention. Stiles slowed the Jeep down as they got closer to the scene. There were deputies milling around, talking to each other as a body was rolled out onto a gurney.
"I wonder what happened." Leah mumbled out as Stiles stopped the Jeep.
"I don't see my dad." He said before pushing out of the Jeep. Leah got out after him, looking for her mom. She walked up to some of the other deputies, looking to see if any of them were her mom. Soon, she began to start to panic at the thought that her mom was the on the gurney,
"Mom?" Leah called out, looking away from the gurney and turning around. "Has anyone seen my mom?" She asked, going up to one of the other deputies. He wasn't paying attention to her, writing something down on his pad of paper.
"Mom?" Leah moved past the deputy, searching the crowd. Her stomach began to knot up as she feared that her mom was the dead body—that Scott had killed her mom.
"Leah?" Leah heard her mom's voice say. Leah whirled around to see Tara giving her a confused look. She stepping up to Leah, one hand on her stomach, the other on her hip, "What are you doing here?"
"Oh thank God." Leah sighed out, feeling a wave of relief wash over her. Leah stepped up to her mom and pulled her into a hug, squeezing her tight. Leah pressed her face into her shoulder for a moment before looking over and seeing that Stiles was hugging his dad. Releasing her mom Leah stepped back as Tara gave Leah a look.
"What are you doing here?" She asked her, hands on her hips.
"Uh…" Leah tried to come up with an excuse, but the sheriff cut her off by coming up to Tara and Leah, Stiles standing next to him.
"Stiles was just telling me that he was taking Leah to the sports store." The sheriff said, looking doubtful. Tara raised her eyebrows, pursing her lips as she looked to Leah. Leah made a face and nodded, going along with the lie.
"Yeah, uh, I wanted to check out their new stuff. Since I'm back on first line and all." Tara's eyes went wide and she reached out for Leah,
"You're back on first line?"
"Stiles and me both are." Leah said, jerking her head to Stiles. Tara's face broke out into a wide smile,
"That's fantastic!" Tara cheered, throwing her arms around Leah again.
"Proud of you." Leah heard the sheriff say to Stiles and then heard what sounded like a pat on a shoulder.
"Yeah." Stiles laughed out, "Then we saw the lights and decided to stop…" He trailed off.
"What happened?" Leah asked as Tara let her go. Tara and the sheriff shared a look before Tara answered Leah,
"Two burnt up bodies found in the rock park." Tara answered, arms crossing back over her chest.
"A couple of college kids found 'em." The sheriff added on, "Popular place for drinking." Stiles and Leah made matching faces, nodding as if they had no idea that the rock park was a place for drinking.
"Do we know who they are?" Stiles asked.
"They were burnt to a crisp, Stiles." Leah said, rolling her eyes, "Highly doubtful."
"Leah's right." The sheriff sighed out, nodding at Leah, "We'll get more on them once we get to the hospital."
"And you'll tell us…? Leah trailed off, face hopeful. Tara and the sheriff gave Leah an unamused look.
"Nice try."
"We've told you two enough as it is." Tara added on. The sheriff and her were well aware of how curious Stiles and Leah were when it came to their police work. They had grown up in the station, coloring while surrounded by police work, getting to know some of the regular offenders by name and spending time playing cops and robbers—locking each other up in the holding cells. As they grew up, nothing changed—the pair just tried to get more involved and tried to weasel information out of the sheriff and Tara, almost as if they were trying to solve the cases before them.
"Well, we should get going. The, uh, sports store closes in an hour." Leah said, getting Stiles to go along with the lie.
"Uh, yeah, we're gonna head out." Stiles ran a hand over his head, "See you at home." He said to his father. Leah hugged her mom again, happy that she was okay.
As the two teens reunited with their parents, they were unaware that a car was across the way, both passengers watching them intently,
"That one's Stiles?" Chris Argent asked his sister, nodding to the teenager.
"Another friend of AIIison's." Kate confirmed Chris' question. Chris looked to Kate,
"Are you gonna tell me about that talk you had with her?"
"You tell me something first." Kate prompted, "That night you came across those two betas, one of them was smaller, right?" Chris hummed in response, "Well, was he just smaller? Or could he have been younger, too?"
"What are you saying?" Chris asked, looking back at the scene,
"Maybe it's not a he at all." Kate raised her eyebrows as she continued to watch Leah. Chris raised his eyebrows, waiting for Kate to explain, "Think about it." Kate looked to Chris, "Her brother is best friends with Derek Hale. And he comes back into town a few weeks after Laura was killed? What if it was because he needed to take care of his sister…"
"You think a new beta could be out on a full moon, completely fine?" Chris asked, looking at Leah.
"Maybe Derek and Connor tag teamed her and helped her find an anchor because they knew we were in town." Kate suggested, "Listen, I don't know, but I do know that Connor was very defensive when I asked about his sister and what she knew about the werewolves…almost like he knew something that he didn't want me to know…" Kate trailed off as the two Argents stared at Leah and Stiles, watching them walk off, "What if she's the second beta?" Kate asked.
"Scott didn't kill them." Leah said, breathing out a sigh of relief as she got into the Jeep.
"Yeah, but someone did." Stiles responded, tapping his hand on the wheel. "And I bet they're the guys we saw last night." Stiles continued.
"The guys who almost jumped you?" Leah asked, getting a nod from Stiles. "I wonder why they were killed." She continued, "And who killed them." She added on, brow furrowing.
"Maybe the Alpha did." Stiles turned down a street. Leah shook her head, not buying it.
"Yeah, but, that didn't look very werewolfy to you, right?"
"Maybe he wanted to be creative." Stiles shrugged. Leah made a disgusted face.
"Ugh, by burning them alive?" She asked back. Stiles shrugged again. Leah felt her phone buzz in her hoodie pocket so she pulled her phone out, seeing that Scott's name was displayed.
"Scott?" Leah quickly answered. Stiles slammed on the brakes and Leah had to brace herself on the dash so she didn't fly through the windshield,
"Hey." Scott softly answered Leah.
"Scott, where are you? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm home." Scott coughed, sounding tired, "Where are you guys?"
"Out looking for you, dumbass!" Leah all about yelled into the phone. "Stiles, he's at his house." She said to Stiles, who started to drive again, turning around and heading to Scott's, "Scott, we're on our way. Just stay put, okay?"
"Okay." Scott tiredly said before hanging up.
Leah let out a sigh of relief and felt herself relaxing; Scott was human again. Part of her was anxious to hear what happened—fearing that he had done something stupid, but a bigger part of her was just glad he was okay.
Stiles pulled up in front of the McCall's house and Leah noticed that Scott's bedroom light was on. Pushing out of the Jeep, Leah headed up the front steps to the porch, letting Stiles unlock the door with a key that he somehow had—Leah didn't comment. She followed Stiles inside the house, looking in the living room and dining room to see that both were empty. Stiles went for the stairs and Leah was right behind him.
"Scott?" Stiles asked out as they walked down the hall to Scott's room.
"In here." Scott called back. Leah pushed past Stiles and went into Scott's room first, seeing her best friend sitting on his bed.
"Thank God." Leah whispered before going over to him and hugging him tight. Scott paused for a split second before he hugged Leah back.
"Dude, what happened?" Stiles asked as Leah let go of Scott. She stepped back, hand on her bag as Scott looked at them before taking in a breath.
"I shifted and basically stalked Allison." Scott admitted, "She was the sports store with Jackson and I was seeing all of these scenes that weren't really happening. Like them making out and—I tried to attack them." He paused, waiting for their reactions.
"Well, are they okay?" Leah asked, raising a hand and then letting it drop. Scott nodded before continuing,
"Derek came out of nowhere and—"
"Derek?" Leah cut Scott off. Scott nodded at her and Leah let out a disbelieving laugh, "Derek's alive." She said, rolling forward on her toes.
"Oh my God." Stiles groaned out, not pleased that Derek was still kicking it.
"He said that I was doing exactly what the Alpha wanted." Scott explained.
"Killing us off." Leah clarified, getting a nod from Scott, "But you didn't kill anyone!" She raised a hand to Scott, "Right?" Leah asked, second guessing herself.
"I didn't kill anyone, Leah." Scott softly said, "But I asked Derek about a cure."
"What!?" Stiles and Leah both shouted out.
"Yeah…" Scott heaved a sigh, "Apparently…I have to kill the one who bit me."
"Oh Jesus." Leah groaned out as Stiles rolled his head back.
"You mean the psychotic werewolf who trapped us all in the school and killed six other people!?" Stiles burst out.
"Six?" Scott's brow furrowed, "Who else…?"
"'Member the two guys from the woods last night?" Stiles asked. Scott nodded, "Tara and my dad found their bodies in the rock park, burnt to a crisp." Scott raised his eyebrows in disbelief,
"Seriously?"
"We think it was the Alpha." Leah explained, "Well, Stiles does." Leah backtracked, "Who we apparently need to find now so you can kill him and be cured." Leah realized, brow furrowing.
"Will you help me?" Scott asked, looking up at his friends. Leah took in a breath and glanced at Stiles, trying to gauge his reaction, before looking back at Scott. Leah wanted Scott to be happy and if that meant tracking down a murderous Alpha so that Scott could be cured, then she would help.
"Derek said he would help me kill him." Scott added on, as if that would be a selling point. Leah scratched her head and let out a sigh.
"Fine, I'll help you." Leah agreed.
"Yeah, same." Stiles nodded. Scott gave them a small smile.
"Thanks, guys." There was a pause and Scott looked up at Stiles, "I'm really sorry, man. About Lydia." Stiles took in a breath, hands on his hips, "I—I don't know what happened."
"The full moon is what happened." Stiles said as if it were obvious, eyebrows raised. Scott looked guilty and Stiles obviously noticed. He shared a look with Leah before letting out a sigh, dropping his hands, "I mean, yeah, you did a shitty thing, dude, but…I forgive you." Stiles finished,
"Seriously? That easy?" Scott raised his eyebrows at his friends, not used to Stiles forgiving him so quickly,
"Yeah…" Stiles paused, "We all do stupid things when we're under the influence." He quickly glanced to Leah, who didn't notice, "Your influence just happens to be the full moon." Stiles motioned to Scott. Scott gave him a small smile, "It's fine." Stiles made a face,
"I feel really bad about it." Scott raised his eyebrows, "Like really bad."
"Yeah? Good." Stiles nodded, stepping over and patting Scott's shoulder, "You continue to feel guilty and we'll, uh, talk in the morning, okay?" Stiles asked, getting a nod from Scott. Stiles turned and looked at Leah, "Cool if I just go?" He asked.
"Yeah, totally." Leah said, nodding slightly. Stiles nodded back at Leah and walked past her brushing his shoulder against Leah. Leah felt her stomach worms start squirming and she took in a breath, waiting until she heard Stiles' footsteps on the stairs before she let it out.
Leah shook her head and let out a sigh as she settled down next to Scott on his bed, "Glad you're okay." She said, giving Scott a small smile. Scott gave her an apologetic look,
"Listen, the stuff I said to you, what I did—I'm sorry." Scott turned his apologies onto Leah. Leah swallowed and gave him a small smile,
"Full moon free pass." Leah softly said, "It's okay." She paused for a moment before glancing at Scott, "I'm sorry I tased you." Leah apologized.
"I kinda deserved it." Scott said, looking back up at Leah with a slight smile. Leah returned the smile and shook her head, "Full moon free pass." Scott added. Leah nodded and looked away from Scott, playing with her fingers, "You really like him don't you?" Scott asked after a moment,
"I don't know why." Leah tilted her head back and she took in a breath, "But it's pretty obvious that he doesn't feel the same." She looked back at Scott and gave a shrug,
"What are you gonna do?" Scott asked her, raising his eyebrows,
"Hopelessly pine over him until he falls in love with me, duh." Leah joked, getting a small smile from Scott. She sighed and looked down at her lap, "Probably just try and act like nothing's changed and just shove this feeling down until it just goes away." Leah seriously said.
"For the record," Scott started after a moment, "You don't smell desperate, you aren't desperate." Leah looked over to him, "And…it's a nice smell." She raised her eyebrows at him, "Kinda like peaches." Leah tried not to smile, but failed,
"Stop smelling me." Leah joked, nudging Scott with her shoulder. Scott let out a light laugh and nudged her back. The two of them exchanged amused smiles before Leah patted Scott's knee. Scott shook his head at her before getting to his feet with an exaggerated sigh,
"I'm gonna shower." Scott motioned to the door, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. Leah nodded and glanced at the clock, seeing how late it was,
"Do you want some food?" Leah asked, looking back at Scott, "Werewolfness has got to take a lot out of you." She joked, getting Scott to give her a small smile. He nodded in response,
"I don't know what we have but—"
"Don't worry, I can figure something out." Leah cut him off with an amused smile, "Go. Shower." She waved her hands at Scott as she got to her feet. "I'll bring it up here."
"Thanks." Scott nodded at her, turning to go into his bathroom before turning back after a moment, "And thanks…for staying tonight."
"Always." Leah nodded, rolling her lips in nodding. They exchanged small smiles before Leah walked out of his room, jogging down the stairs and into the kitchen. She started rummaging through the McCall's fridge and cabinets, searching for something she could make Scott. Her phone buzzed as she went and she answered Connor's call with a simple,
"Not dead."
"Well that's good to hear." Connor responded as Leah grabbed the stool so she could reach the top shelf of the cabinet, "How's Scott?"
"He's fine. I'm making him food now." Leah nodded, "Derek got him to shift back." She nonchalantly said, "Brought him home too, I guess."
"Yeah I know." Connor said, making Leah pause,
"Wait, did you know he was alive this whole time?" Leah asked, standing on the stool as she tilted her head closer to her phone.
"Uh, yeah, yep. We've been looking for the Alpha for the past few days."
"Wooooooow." Leah drew out the word, "Wow, Connor." She was offended and Connor took note,
"Yeah, I know, I should've told you, I know." Connor responded. "It was just easier to lie. God, I hate that this is what's become of us." Leah let out a sigh as she raised her shoulder up, pressing her phone against her ear so she could have both hands free.
"Just…no more secrets, okay?" Leah asked.
"Yeah for sure." Connor agreed, "I'll be home soon, I swear, and then we can talk about everything."
"Sounds good." Leah said as she finished up what she was making for Scott, "Okay, I'll see you later." Leah said, bidding her brother goodbye before hanging up.
Shoving her phone into her pocket, Leah retrieved what she had stuck in the microwave before Connor called, pouring it over the dish. She carefully grabbed the plate and a few napkins before heading back up to Scott's room.
"Nachos a la Sceah." Leah presented her dish as she walked into Scott's room. He pulled his shirt over his head and glanced over at her, an amused smile on his face.
"You mean the shit we used to make when we were kids?"
"All Mexican based condiments and food piled onto some tortilla chips, yes." Leah gave him a wry grin as she settled onto the floor in front of Scott's bed. Scott sat down across from her, taking a loaded chip and shoving it into his mouth. He made a face, forgetting how it kinda tasted good as Leah's phone buzzed with an incoming text.
Pulling out her phone, she saw Stiles' name on the screen and she slid her thumb against the screen with one hand, the other picking up a chip. Her phone opened up to the message thread from the previous night, letting Leah see the drunk texts Stiles had sent her. She went through and deleted all of the individual texts before she landed on the one she didn't read all the way through: i miss you wish you were here with us i did like that u kissed me.
Scott watched Leah read a text, noticing how her heart picked up a bit and she took in a deep breath before shaking her head and swiping her thumb across the screen. Leah met Scott's gaze and gave him a small smile, setting her phone by her—not bothering to read Stiles' latest text.
"Listen, these are much worse than I remember." Leah said as she used a chip to scoop up more of the dip. Scott paused for half a second before laughing lightly at Leah's statement; if she wanted to pretend nothing changed, then he would happily go along with it until she figured herself out.
A/N: Any questions, comments, concerns or cries of outrage?