Theo keeps checking his phone every five minutes even though it's pointless. He isn't going to have service until the storm lets up. Which is unlikely to be soon from the looks of it. Nights like these remind Theo of stories his grandfather used to tell him and Tara when they were kids. He talked big of ghost riders riding the sky by storm. It's no wonder where Tara got her crazy ideas from. Theo stopped believing in all of that a long time ago.
Theo — tired of the traffic moving at a snail's pace and he still has no service — gets out of the car again. He tells his parents he'll just walk, which shouldn't be too far. It's definitely faster than sitting in that car for another 2 hours. He tries not to let it bother him that his parents don't say anything to him, not even an "Okay".
Theo trudged through the rain. Three minutes in and he's already regretting it. It's cold, it's wet, and he's pretty sure he stepped on a dead animal.
Theo lets out a sigh of relief when he sees the high school. The lights in the library were on and he could see people moving around inside. It was better than walking through the rain. And if Theo was being totally honest, he didn't exactly know where he was going. Regardless, drying off and waiting out the storm in the library sounded way better than what would wait for him at home. Theo wondered if his parents even knew he had left. He wondered if they cared at all.
Theo was completely drenched from the rain as he headed for the archway to the high school. He expected to just go straight to the library, but is surprised when he is stopped by a group of teenagers. They all turn to look at him and Theo instantly feels like he walked in on something serious. He was even more surprised to find that he recognized two of them.
Scott and Stiles were the only two friends Theo has ever had. He usually kept to himself after he left Beacon Hills. So, it's not that anybody tried to be his friend. Theo was just really closed off and quiet. He never liked getting close to anybody. Plus, it wasn't a big deal once people learned he had his sister's heart in his chest. He's not all that interesting anymore once that comes to light.
Theo became friends with Scott first. Stiles was absent that day because his mom was in the hospital. Scott and Theo became instant friends. They shared common interests and hobbies and found it really easy to talk to each other. Stiles and Theo didn't talk much at first, but eventually, he warmed up to Theo. It was probably their equal fondness for Star Wars that bonded the two boys. They were only friends for a short time before Tara died.
He didn't expect them to remember him. Not at first, anyway. He was hoping he'd see some familiar faces in this town with too many bad memories.
Theo looks at them with a grin on his face. "You don't remember me, do you?" Scott looks at him with surprise on his face as he walks closer to him. "I guess I look a little different since the fourth grade."
"Theo?" Scott asks him, incredulous.
Theo nods at him and slowly smiles brightly.
"You know him?" a girl, beside Scott, asks him. She was standing close to Stiles, and Theo had this inkling that there was something between the two.
"They used to," Theo replies, feeling a little excited to see his old friends again. "Trust me, I thought I'd never see you guys again."
Stiles stares at him in shock. They haven't seen Theo in like 8 years.
Scott swallows, still feeling on edge from the attack that happened minutes ago. "What are you doing here?"
Theo is happy to see them; he's just not sure why they aren't happy as well. Scott and Stiles bore similar grim expressions.
"I came back to Beacon Hills. Back home with my family."