"What is going on here?" Bella asked as she and Lydia walked into school Monday morning.
"I have no idea," Lydia said as they looked at the police surrounding the school bus.
"It looks like someone got hurt," Bella pointed out as she noticed the blood.
"Jackson!" Lydia called out as they saw him walking towards them. "What happened?"
"Some guy got attacked apparently. No one knows what exactly happened," Jackson answered. "Come on, let's get inside," he said directing them into the hall.
"I have chemistry first period," Lydia said to them. "I have to go the other way."
"You going to be ok?" Jackson asked.
"Yeah. Completely," Lydia nodded. "I'll see you guys at lunch," she said before walking off.
"Come on," Jackson said to Bella. "I just have to get my books and we can go to English."
"Ok," Bella nodded as she followed him to his locker. "Dude," she said tapping his arm, "what happened to your locker?"
"What the hell?" he hissed. The door to his locker was completely distorted. It looked as though someone had punched it in. He ran up to the locker and wiggled it around trying to bend it back into shape.
Bella ran her hand over the indent in the door. "How can that even happen?"
"I have no idea," he groaned. Someone caught Jackson's attention out of the corner of his eye and he looked over to see Scott McCall staring over at them. "What are you looking at ass wipe?" Jackson sneered.
"Be nice," Bella whispered.
"You go to class," Jackson said grouchily. "I'm going to have to go to the office to get this fixed," he said as he stormed off.
"You're doing the formulas wrong," Bella whispered to Isaac as they sat in Chemistry class later that day. "Here," she said as she grabbed his sheet of paper and drew out the formula. "You see?"
"Yeah, yeah I think so," he nodded quietly as they checked to make sure Mr Harris couldn't hear them. "I just can't get my head around it."
"It's just practice. I'll help you."
"I'm never going to get it," he said stressfully as he ran a hand through his hair.
"Not with that attitude," Bella smiled softly. "We can meet up at the library after school or a house sometime and I'll help with whatever you're confused with. Just let me know what day you're free."
"You're still wanting to help me?" he asked nervously.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I?"
"Well I just thought you'd back out," he said sheepishly.
"Isaac, I said I'd help, I'm not going to change my mind," she smiled.
"Mr Stilinski," Mr Harris called out, making Isaac and Bella go quiet as they prayed he wouldn't call them out. Bella turned her head around to see Stiles and Scott had been talking loudly a couple of desks behind them. "If that's your idea of a hushed whisper, you might want to pull the headphones out every once in a while. I think you and Mr McCall would benefit from a little distance, yes?"
"No," Stiles protested.
"Mr Lahey, swap with Mr Stilinski," Mr Harris instructed.
"You want me to sit next to Bella?" Stiles asked, his eyes widening.
"Yes, Mr Stilinski. Now move," Harris said firmly.
Stiles started frantically gathering his things before quickly standing up out of his chair and falling face-first onto the ground.
Bella groaned as Isaac packed up his things. "Ok, we'll talk later and work out a time to study sometime this week ok?"
"Yeah, that sounds good. Thank you, Bella," he smiled before making his way to the back of the class.
"Let me know if the separation anxiety gets to be too much," Mr Harris mocked as Scott and Stiles moved desks.
Stiles then clumsily slid into the seat next to Bella, making a racket as he dropped his books onto the desk. "Hey," he stuttered.
"Hey," Bella whispered as she continued on with her work.
Stiles nervously tapped his pen on the desk as he looked over at her work. "Wow you're really flying through those questions," he said.
"Um, yeah, they're probably all wrong you know, I'm just guessing," Bella giggled.
"No you're not," Stiles said quietly.
Bella stopped writing and looked over at him, "sorry?"
"You know the answers. You don't need to pretend you don't," he muttered before looking down at his work.
Bella looked back down at her paper, she didn't know how Stiles knew she was smarter than she let on. It made her nervous.
"Hey, I think they found something!" a girl in the class yelled and everyone looked up to see her making her way to the window overlooking the bus at the centre of the crime scene. Everyone else in the class then leapt up out of their seats and made their way over to the window to take a look themselves.
Bella moved in front of Jackson to watch as a man was placed in a stretcher and wheeled out of the bus and towards a waiting ambulance. As they all watched on intently, the man suddenly leapt up from the stretcher, grabbing at the paramedics and began screaming.
This shocked everyone in chemistry class and everyone yelped and jumped back. Bella jumped right back into the front of Stiles and he grabbed her arms to steady her. "You ok?" he asked.
"Yeah, yeah, thanks," Bella nodded as she turned her gaze back to the man on the stretcher.
"Well suffice to say that's enough creepy for me today," Jackson muttered to her.
"You and me both," she agreed.
"So tell me again, why are we doing this?" Bella asked Lydia as they spotted Scott and Stiles sitting at their own table in the cafeteria.
"Allison wanted to have lunch with Scott. So we either join them, or we leave Allison by herself with them."
"I'm sure Allison would be fine," Bella sighed.
"Probably. But I want to hang out with Allison, and that means we're sitting with them," Lydia said decidedly as they approached the boy's table.
"Allison owes us big time."
"Agreed," Lydia smiled. "Figure what out?" she asked Scott and Stiles as she came in at the end of their conversation. Lydia then put down her lunch tray on the spot next to Scott.
"Oh my god," Stiles gasped and sat up straight when Bella took the seat beside him. "Ha," he laughed as he smiled towards Scott.
"Just, uh, homework," Scott answered quickly as he shot Stiles a quick smile.
"Yeah," Stiles nodded with a wide smile. He then leaned across the table towards Scott, "why are they sitting with us?"
Bella rolled her eyes with amusement as the rest of their group came and joined them at the table. "Hey Danny," Bella smiled as he came and sat down on the opposite side of Stiles.
"What's up Bells, how was your date Saturday night?" he asked.
"Average," Bella smirked.
"Second date going to happen?"
"I'm sure Lydia will orchestrate one," Bella sang as she gave Allison a quick smile when she sat down next to Scott.
"It was with Chad right?" Danny asked and Bella nodded. "Yeah he's a bit boring," Danny laughed.
"Get up," Jackson said to Ben who was sat at the head of the table near Lydia and Bella.
"How come you never ask Danny to get up?" Ben complained.
"Because I don't stare at his girlfriend's coin slot," Danny smirked.
"Nice one," Bella laughed as she leaned behind Stiles to high five Danny.
"So I hear they're saying it's some kind of animal attack," Danny announced to the table. "Probably a cougar," Danny guessed.
"I heard mountain lion," Jackson replied.
"A cougar is a mountain lion," Lydia said absentmindedly. Bella gently kicked Lydia under the table and her eyes widened as she realised what she said. "Isn't it?" she added in a high pitched voice.
"They're all just as scary," Bella laughed, flipping her hair.
"Who cares? The guy's probably some homeless tweaker who's going to die anyway," Jackson said dismissively.
"Actually, I just found out who it is. Check it out," Stiles said as he pulled out his phone and showed the table a news video.
'The Sheriff's Department won't speculate on details of the incident but confirmed the victim Garrison Meyers, did survive the attack. Meyers was taken to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition.'
"I know this guy!" Scott exclaimed.
"You do?" Allison asked.
"Yeah, when I used to take the bus, back when I lived with my dad. He was the driver."
"Can we talk about something slightly more fun, please?" Lydia groaned. "Like, oh, where are we going tomorrow night?" she asked leaning over to look at Allison who's eyes widened. "You said you and Scott were hanging out tomorrow night, right?"
"Um, we were thinking of what we were going to do," Allison choked awkwardly.
Bella glared across at her sister before flinging out her leg and kicking her again.
"Would you stop kicking me?" Lydia hissed as she swung out her own leg and kicked Bella's shin, making her groan. "I am not sitting home again watching lacrosse videos so if the five of us and Chad are hanging out, we are doing something fun."
"And there is the classic Lydia Martin meddling," Danny smirked to Bella as he leaned across Stiles.
"You're so annoying," Bella smiled as she lightly shoved his face, sending him back into his seat.
"Hanging out?" Scott asked nervously as he looked over at Allison. "Like all of us? Do you wanna hang out, like us and them?"
"Oh my god," Bella muttered.
Stiles slapped his hand over his face as he cringed with second-hand embarrassment. "It's like watching a train wreck," he whispered to Bella.
"Yeah," Allison lied whilst nodding. "I guess. Sounds fun."
"You know what else sounds fun?" Jackson asked. "Stabbing myself in the face with this fork," he said holding his fork in the air. Lydia rolled her eyes and quickly grabbed the fork out of his hands.
"Stab me first?" Bella asked.
"Don't encourage him," Lydia scolded. "How about bowling? You love to bowl!" she said to Jackson excitedly.
"Yeah. With actual competition," Jackson rolled his eyes.
"How do you know we're not actual competition?" Allison challenged. "You can bowl, right?" she asked Scott.
"Sort of," Scott shrugged.
"Is it sort of, or yes?" Jackson pressed.
"Yes! In fact, I'm a great bowler," Scott said leaning forward.
Stiles immediately choked on his water and Bella slapped him lightly on the back. "You right there?" she asked.
"Absolutely!" he nodded enthusiastically.
The next night Lydia and Bella were in Allison's bedroom helping her pick out an outfit for their big group bowling date.
"Well, why didn't you tell me you didn't like Chad?" Lydia asked.
"I did! You just went and organised a second date for me."
"Well you didn't make it clear enough," Lydia shrugged.
"As soon as I got home Saturday night I said, and I quote, 'there will be no second date'," Bella deadpanned.
"I'm sorry ok? I apologised before."
"Want to make it up to me? Keep him off of me," Bella instructed. "I'm serious. You're running interference. If he even so much as tries to hold my hand you get him away."
Allison spun around to the girls holding up a top for their approval.
"Mmm, pass," Lydia shook her head and Bella gave the outfit a thumbs down. Allison turned back to the wardrobe and pulled out another top. "Pass," Lydia said quickly.
"Urgh, oh my god Allison. That top is horrific, just… just burn it," Bella suggested.
"Let me see," Lydia groaned, getting up from Allison's bed and looking through her wardrobe. "Pass, pass. Pass on all of it," she shook her head as she sorted through the clothes. "God Allison, my respect for your taste is dwindling by the second," Lydia laughed.
Lydia hummed as she pulled out a top and walked towards Bella so she could see. "Yes," Bella nodded. "That's the one."
Lydia smiled and turned back towards Allison. "This," she said, waving the top in the air.
Allison walked over and held the top up in front of the mirror and nodded slightly. Her dad then wandered straight into her bedroom and the girls all froze. "Dad, hello," Allison smiled.
Chris pulled on his jacket and smiled before freezing as he read his daughter's frown. "Right. I'm sorry. I completely forgot to knock."
"Hi Mr Argent," Lydia smiled flirtatiously as she plopped herself back down beside Bella.
"What are you doing?" Bella hissed as she slapped Lydia's leg, making her sit up.
"Dad, do you need something?" Allison asked irritated.
"I wanted to tell you that you'll be staying in tonight," he informed her.
"What?" Allison protested. "I'm going out with my friends tonight."
"Not when some animal out there is attacking people."
"Dad, Dad…"
"Hey, it's out of my hands ok? There's a curfew. No one's allowed out past 9.30 pm. Hey no more arguing," he smiled softly before walking out of Allison's room.
Allison sighed angrily as she looked around her room. Lydia stood up next to Allison and smiled, "someone's daddy's little girl."
"Sometimes. But not tonight," Allison smirked as she walked over to her desk and put on her beanie. She then walked across the room and opened the window and climbed out.
"What in the world," Bella asked as she jumped up from Allison's bed and stuck her head out the window with Lydia to watch Allison walk across the roof.
"What are you doing?" Lydia asked.
Allison then flipped off the roof and Bella gasped, leaning further out the window only to see Allison had landed safely on her feet.
"Eight years gymnastics," Allison explained. "Are you coming?"
"Not like that," Bella shook her head.
"We'll take the stairs," Lydia smirked.
"Need help picking a ball?" Chad asked coming up close behind Bella.
"Nope," Bella said quickly, grabbing a ball and walking over to their lane.
"I can help you bowl it if you want?" Chad offered as he followed her.
"Actually I'm pretty good at bowling," Bella smirked. "Now if you could give me some space please?" she asked sweetly and Chad quickly leapt back. Bella took a deep breath before she bowled her ball and managed to knock down 8 pins.
"Not bad Martin," Jackson taunted.
"Oh, I'm not done, Whitmore. I'm about to show you how to get a spare," she smirked as she grabbed the next ball and bowled it, knocking over the two remaining pins. "Yes," she cheered before turning around and winking at Jackson before sitting down in her seat next to Chad.
Lydia proceeded to knock down only 2 pins. Lydia was a champion bowler. she was putting on her ditsy act. Allison then stepped up and scored a strike.
"Wow," Bella nodded. "I'm impressed."
"Somebody brought their A-game," Lydia agreed as Allison sat down next to Scott and high-fived him.
Bella looked over at the boy and noticed he was looking down nervously. "You'll be fine," she encouraged him and he shot her a small smile while Jackson stood up to score a strike.
"You're up McCall," Jackson called out.
"You can do it Scott," Allison nudged him encouragingly and he stood up and managed to send the ball straight into the gutter.
Jackson immediately burst out laughing and Allison glared. "Jackson," she scolded. "Mind shutting up?"
Bella leant forward and slapped Jackson's shoulder lightly and he attempted to stem his laughter. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm just flashing back to the words 'I'm a great bowler."
"Maybe he just needs a little time to warm up," Allison defended.
"Yeah, maybe he just needs the kiddie bumpers," Jackson taunted and Lydia laughed.
"Lydia shut up," Bella hissed in her sister's ear.
"Just aim for the middle," Allison instructed.
"How about you aim for anything except for the gutter?" Jackson teased.
"Let him concentrate." Scott then bowled and it looked as if it was headed straight for the middle until it veered off into the gutters at the last moment.
"Great job, McCall. Man, you are a pro," Jackson sniggered.
"Oi, you two," Bella hissed leaning forward into Lydia and Jackson's ears. "If you two don't shut up I'll tell our mom exactly what Lydia was doing last Sunday night when she told her she was studying with Allison." This shut both Lydia and Jackson up straight away and Bella leaned back into her seat victoriously.
"Thanks," Scott smiled softly at her.
"It's fine. They're being jerks," she said quietly back.
Bella rolled her head back in boredom as Scott lined up his shot for the second round. She didn't even want to come to this and now she'd spent the whole night sitting beside Chad.
She pulled up her phone and opened up Isaac's contact and sent the text:
Hey! It's Bella, if you still want help with Chemistry homework I'm free Friday after school? Just let me know
"Wow," Chad laughed from beside her and Bella looked up to see Scott had scored a strike.
"Woah," she frowned. His previous round had been terrible.
"What did you say to him?" Lydia asked Allison.
"Uh, I just gave him something to think about," Allison smiled shyly.
Bella's phone buzzed with a text and Lydia immediately looked over. "Who was that?" she asked.
"Um, no one. Don't worry about it," Bella smiled as she looked at the reply from Isaac:
Absolutely! Thanks so much. Do you want me to come to yours?
Bella glanced up at Lydia. Her sister would definitely not be happy if she invited Isaac Lahey over to their house so she wrote back:
I can come to yours if that's easier? You live opposite Jackson, don't you? My dad's place is around the corner so it's super easy for me. I can be there at 5?
"You're up Bella," Chad muttered from beside her and Bella stood up to bowl, scoring another spare before she returned to her seat and checked her phone to see Isaac had already replied.
That's perfect. I have a few jobs I'll need to do first so 5 works perfect. See you then
"That is seriously amazing!" Allison laughed as Scott made his way back to his seat. "Jackson, how many strikes is that?" she asked teasingly.
"It's 6," he scowled. "In a row."
"Killing it McCall," Bella nodded as she stood up and bowled her eighth spare.
"Something just clicked, I guess," Scott smiled at them all proudly.
"Maybe it's natural talent?" Allison suggested.
Lydia stood up from her seat and looked over at Scott. "I could use a little natural talent," Lydia flirted. "You mind helping me out this time Scott?" Bella paused in her step and glowered over at Lydia.
"No, you're good," Scott shook his head. "Go for it."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she said awkwardly, pulling down her shirt before storming off.
"Hey, I'll help," Jackson said as he hurried after her.
"How about I just try this on my own?" Lydia asked and Jackson nodded returning to his seat.
"Hey," Bella hissed running after Lydia. "Seriously what is up with you tonight? Don't flirt with Scott, he's totally into Allison just leave it alone."
"Sorry," Lydia replied bashfully.
"Ok just… bowl properly ok?" Bella suggested. "You're a better bowler than I am. Just bowl, who cares." Lydia's face hardened up and she nodded to Bella and turned back around to concentrate making Bella smile as she returned to her seat to watch Lydia bowl a strike. "Yes!" Bella cheered her sister on.
"I think I'm getting the hang of it," Lydia smirked as she plopped herself back down in her chair.
"That was sort of perfect form," Allison noted.
"Was it?" Lydia smirked as she twirled a piece of hair around her finger.
"Great," Chad laughed to Bella. "Now I'm the worst bowler here."
Bella smiled tightly at him not knowing what to say to that.
"So there'll be no third date?" Lydia asked as the girls put on their proper shoes at the end of the night.
"Not a chance in hell," Bella shook her head. "If you pull another stunt like this again I will come for you," Bella joked.
"I promise I won't set you up with Chad again."
"Woah. No," Bella held up a hand. "You're careful with your words. You won't set me up with anyone. Got it?"
"I'm confused," Allison frowned at them.
"She said she wouldn't set me up with Chad, that leaves the opportunity open for her to set me up with any other guy she wants," Bella explained.
"Smart," Allison smirked.
"Oh come on I have other guys in mind for you!" Lydia whined.
"Lydia I can find my own guys."
"Not one's that meet my approval," Lydia smirked.
"They don't have to meet your approval," Bella smirked back.
"No they have to meet dad's," Lydia joked. "You know how you're a daddy's girl?" Lydia asked Allison. "So is Bella."
"I am not!"
"You totally are! I swear if you didn't have me to lead you on the right track you'd probably be living at dad's right now," Lydia joked.
"Would not!" Bella laughed shoving her sister's arm. "Also can we please never do group dates like this again? I mean what a crappy second date for Allison here who actually likes Scott."
"I do like him a lot," Allison giggled.
"Hey, you ready to go?" Jackson asked Lydia.
"Can you drive me home?" Bella asked.
"Yeah totally," Jackson agreed immediately.
"What?" Lydia whined. "I thought we were going straight to yours?"
"Yeah but Bella needs a lift home," Jackson shrugged.
"Oh my god fine! Let's go."
"You going to be ok getting home?" Bella asked Allison.
"Yeah completely fine," Allison nodded. "I'll be with Scott."
"Ok well it's getting late so we should probably head," Jackson said jerking his head and Lydia and Bella stood up and left with him.
