People passed by us every so often, the different scents of their colognes and perfumes wafting into my nose. Distant chatter cluttered my ears, making it harder to keep my thoughts in check, while the moon hovered high above us-daunting as ever. I found myself becoming further removed from my current situation as if to allow myself a few moments to breathe. I had been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off since the moment I had arrived at school this morning. I wondered how things had gotten so messed up so fast, why I was here, and if things were ever going to return back to normal. Would I even graduate at this rate? Was college and leaving Beacon Hills even in the question for me anymore? Would I be able to maintain a healthy, responsible relationship with Lydia? I couldn't imagine how angry and confused she must be at us-especially Allison and I.

Peter had been conveniently silent in the corners of my brain. I couldn't say the same for Lydia, but it gave me a better chance to focus on her more confidently than before. I wasn't sure if it had just been a reaction to the trauma I had endured on the night of the formal, or if I had literally just been on the brink of going batshit crazy. Whatever the reason was, I decided to worship the silence I was being given.

"Tessa!" A voice suddenly broke through my thoughts, a hand wrapping around my forearm. "Tessa, come on. We gotta go!"

Before I could even react, I was being dragged towards the back of the building. Scott was pulling me along frantically, tailing behind Stiles.

"What's going on? Did you see something?" I asked worriedly, looking between the two boys.

"He's inside. Jackson is going inside the club." Scott answered, his voice shaking somewhat. "And he's going after Danny."

"Wha-Danny?" I squealed in repetition, my eyebrows shooting up nearly to my hairline. "Why would he want to kill Danny?"

"Super awesome question, Tessa. Can it wait until we figure out what the hell is going on?" Stiles hissed over his shoulder, giving me a pointed look before we arrived at a door. Stiles tugged on the handle a few times, but it hardly even moved. A frustrated sigh left him. "Aw, come on."

"Maybe there's a window or something that we could-"

My suggestion was cut off by the sound of bending metal as Scott suddenly detached the entire door handle for its place. The werewolf handed Stiles the door handle over his shoulder as if he were bored that we had even suggested something else in the first place. The spastic boy tossed it to the ground and then ushered me through the now open door, shutting it behind us.

We maneuvered down a slim hallway until we emerged out from in between a pair of black curtains. The club was incredibly active, disco balls hanging from the ceiling as multi-colored strobe lights flashed throughout the area. Partygoers bounced up and down with the song, drinks in their hand and covered with a thin layer of sweat. None of them even took notice of us, their world probably much more entertaining than three random kids appearing virtually out of thin air. There were half nude men dancing on a stage on the other side of the room, a few others spinning from the roof in long pieces of fabric.

"Dude, everyone in here is a dude!" Scott called to us over the music, sounding mildly confused. "I think we're in a gay club!"

"Man, nothing gets past those keen werewolf senses, huh, Scott?" Stiles responded sarcastically, his voice generating from a spot a bit further away from us. I turned to see that he was surrounded by a few occupants of the club dressed in colorful clothing, wigs, and extravagant makeup.

I couldn't help the bark of laughter that slipped past my lips, seeing the horrified and somewhat uncomfortable look on Stiles' features. He shot me a silencing glare and I covered my hand with my mouth, trying to stifle any more shows of humor.

"Over there!" Scott then revealed, pointing towards the bar just a few feet away from us. I followed his gesture and spotted Danny ordering a drink before diving into the crowd.

I began moving in that direction, the two boys following my lead as I did so. Both of them suddenly shot past me and bellied up to the bar, looking less than casual.

"Two beers!" Stiles ordered in a voice that was somewhat lower than his normal tone. He bumped the counter top with his fist a few times, nodding his head curtly and imitating excitement.

"I.D's?" The bartender then asked, looking between the two of them.

Without even hesitating, they both removed their driver's licenses from their wallets and I rolled my heads heavily. I pinched the bridge of my nose, already anticipating that this wasn't going to end well for either of them. I wouldn't even entertain the idea.

Understandably, the bartender smirked and snorted softly. "How 'bout two cokes?" He suggested, handing them back their cards.

"Rum and coke? Sure!" Stiles responded enthusiastically, smiling proudly and then nodding his head. The bartender simply stared back at Stiles with an annoyed expression as the spastic boy bobbed his head along with the music for a few seconds. "Coke's fine, actually. I'm driving anyway."

I finally made my way to stand in between the two of them, not wanting to have ended up in the middle of whatever the hell Stiles was trying to accomplish. It was a few moments later that another shirtless bartender served them two cokes in clear plastic cups.

"That one's paid for." The bartender mentioned to Scott, nodding his head in the direction of another club goer on the other side of the bar. He tipped a beer bottle towards us with a subtle tip of his head.

I looked at Scott with an expectant yet excited look, a grin encapsulating my mouth. The young werewolf began to blush and returned the smile, ducking his head bashfully.

"Oh, shut up." Stiles grunted in jealousy as he snatched his drink.

"I didn't say anything." Scott defended weakly, the smile still perched on his face.

"Yeah, well, your face did." Stiles responded back bitterly. He turned to lean back against the bar, Scott and I doing the same.

"Ah, look, there's Danny." I called out, pointing into the crowd where the teen was dancing with another, unsurprisingly, shirtless guy.

Scott suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer to him, almost completely behind him. "I found Jackson." He muttered just loud enough for Stiles and I to hear it. We all looked up to see that there was the silhouette of the kanima moving slowly atop the metal pipes in the industrial themed nightclub.

"What-what do we do?" I asked Scott, swallowing past the nerves crawling up the inside of my throat. "There's a lot of people here."

"Get Danny." Scott then demanded of Stiles. "Tessa, stay up here at the bar where people can see you, okay?"

"What are you gonna do?" Stiles asked his friend diligently. Scott then reached down his hand and flicked his claws out in response. "Works for me."

Both of them began to march inside the crowd, my feet staying planted as I had been ordered. Usually, I was more dedicated to arguing about my job, but, as of lately, I hadn't felt like I had been doing much to help anyone at all. It either ended up in a fight or me just simply getting in the way. Staying at the bar was probably the best thing I could do for the both of them. My eyes never left the kanima as it continued to gradually make it's way closer towards its target. Suddenly, a loud hissing noise erupted into the air and large clouds of smoke began pouring from the ceiling.

"Fog machine," I muttered to myself. "Imagine that."

Then, as if it were some sort of horror movie, I began to hear some yells from random parts of the crowd. I moved forward a few feet to find that bodies had dropped to the floor, motionless with their eyes wide open. My eyes searched for Danny and, as soon as they landed on him, I watched as he collapsed.

"No!" I cried out and my feet took off before I could stop them. I shoved through people in the crowd, ignoring the smell and the moist nature of the area. I managed to make it just to where Danny was lying on the ground, eyes darting around frantically. I dropped to my knees, placing a hand delicately on his chest. "Hey, it's okay. You're gonna be okay."

More people had begun to panic, higher pitched screams overriding the thumping bass of the club music. The crowd began to part, revealing the several bodies. I felt my own breathing picking up, my brain trying to come up with a solution to the sudden madness that had occurred. I continued to kneel over Danny, whispering words of comfort to him and gently stroking his hand with my shaky hands. I glanced around, trying to catch sight of either Scott or Stiles, but I was unsuccessful. People began to exit the building, sprinting for the exits in fear for their own safety.

A hand suddenly clasped around my shoulder and I let out a horrified scream, shooting away from their touch immediately.

"Whoa, hey, it's me. It's me." Stiles assured me quickly, crouching down my level and looking into my eyes. "You're okay."

"What-What are we-"

"We have to go. Now." Stiles told me, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me to my feet. "It's not safe here anymore."

"What about them?" I demanded, gesturing out towards the paralyzed young men scattered about the club.

"They will be fine!" Stiles answered exasperatedly. "Come on!"

Without much more fight left in me, Stiles began to drag me towards the exit we had come in through. We weaved through the parking lot and I could see someone standing in between two other cars. Stiles led us directly to Scott and then, on the ground, was a very mangled looking Jackson.

"Oh my God." I gasped, placing a hand over my mouth as I stared down at the boy with a terrified manner. "Is he…"

"-alive. He's alive." Scott assured me, acting as though he were even afraid to touch the unconscious lacrosse captain. "What do we do with him now?"

"Well, obviously we have to get him out of here." I responded, moving to go kneel down beside Jackson as well. My eyes suddenly took in sight of his incredibly bare form and I let out a surprised yelp, my arm covering my eyes. "He's so naked!"

Scott let out a somewhat frustrated sigh and then got to his feet. "I'm gonna go check on Danny out front. You two get him out of here."

"Wha-us?" Stiles asked, pointing to his chest. "There is no way I am letting a naked Jackson Whitmore get anywhere close to Tessa!"

"Why? Worried I might have sex with him while he's currently unconscious and covered in blood?" I asked him sarcastically, a bored looking terrorizing my features. I began to shrug off the jacket I was wearing. "We've got it, Scott. Go."

The boy took off running towards the front of the building and then disappeared. I draped the jacket over Jackson's lower half and then sighed, pushing hair out of my face.

"I-I will carry him." Stiles choked out, waving me away from Jackson and then lifting him up from beneath his forearms. The jacket suddenly slid off, dropping to the ground. "Oh-Oh my God. Tess, don't-don't fix it!"

"You're just gonna leave him exposed to the whole world?" I squeaked in defense, avoiding eye contact with anything I really didn't want to see.

"There is no such thing as exposure when he's willingly given it to the whole female population at Beacon Hills High School." Stiles grunted and hiked Jackson up further on his chest. He began to drag him in the direction of the Jeep which was just a few feet away. "I really didn't think I was going to be carrying this douche to safety after him nearly murdering us today."

"Who knows if he did it on purpose? I doubt he even knows that he is the kanima." I defended, keeping an eye out for anyone who might see us. Most of the action was out front, cop cars having arrived on scene by this point. "How did he even get bloody?"

"Derek showed up and decided to slice his freaking throat." Stiles replied, shaking his head. "Imagine that this guy is still the root of all of our problems."

I rolled my eyes and then opened the door of the Jeep, pulling down the passenger seat. I then climbed in the back of the Jeep and held out my arms. "Give him to me. I'll hold him while you drive."

Stiles gave me a wide eyed look. "So he can wake up and paralyze you? Yeah, no way."

An irritated growl left my lips and I clenched my teeth. "We don't have time for this! Give him to me." I ordered once again.

Stiles sighed hotly out of his nose and looked off to the side for a few moments, shifting Jackson in his arms. Finally, he seemed to come to a conclusion in his head and heaved Jackson up in the backseat. I carefully eased the boy so that I could cradle his upper half in my arms. Stiles scrambled back to grab my jacket and draped it over his exposed lower half before shutting the door and scrambling around to the front seat.

I looked down at Jackson's unconscious face in the small patch of moonlight that crept through the window, a sudden sadness sweeping over me. My lips quivered for a moment and I swallowed past the lump in my throat, pushing some stray strands of hair off his forehead. Even though Jackson and I had never had the kindest relationship, my heart still clenched at the thought of him unknowingly being a target. He was only a kid, just like the rest of us, who didn't deserve the card that he had been dealt. My brain thought back to the moment in which he had carried me out of the video store to safety, letting the facade drop.

Stiles pulled out of our parking spot and found a place to hide in the shadows somewhat around the front area of the club. Scott caught sight of us and hurried over to the Jeep, hopping into the passenger seat.

"Couldn't get anything out of Danny." Scott told Stiles, shaking his head.

"Okay, can we just get the hell out of here before one of my Dad's deputies sees me?" Stiles demanded rapidly, pointing a finger towards all of the officers crowding the scene. Scott nodded in response and, just as Stiles started the car, the wail of a siren met out ears. A cop car suddenly skidded to a stop directly in front of us. "Oh my god, you've gotta be kidding me! Could this get any worse?"

Jackson suddenly let out a soft groan, his head turning so that it leaned more against my chest. "That was rhetorical!" Stiles shouted angrily, whipping around in his seat to glare at the unconscious boy. He then looked at me. "Put your head down and stay in here!"

"Get rid of him." Scott told Stiles, jutting a thumb towards the vehicle.

"Wha-get rid of him? We're at a crime scene and he's the sheriff." Stiles pointed out.

Scott made a couple of random noises and waved his arms around. "Do something!"

Stiles let out a few frustrated noises and also flailed his arms before shoving himself out of the Jeep. It was only a minute after Stiles had left that Jackson began to move again. I tried to hold him down as he sat up, mumbling a few questions as his consciousness began to return.

"Shh, Jackson." I cooed softly, pulling him back down into my chest and holding onto him tightly. "It's okay. You just need to stay quiet."

Jackson moaned again, turning his head at a complete angle that was almost pressed against mine. I clenched my eyes shut and tried to keep my breathing to a minimum, not wanting to stir him whatsoever.

"Tess, keep him quiet." Scott hissed urgently, glancing at me over his shoulder.

"I am trying!" I whispered-yelled back at him. The boy in my arms stirred once more and he mumbled, his lips brushing against my skin and making me twitch. "Please, this isn't happening."

"What's happening?" Jackson then groaned again and sat up more confidently this time.

"Scott, do something!" I urged frantically and, like clockwork, Scott raised a hand to clock Jackson directly in the face. The boy once again went limp in my arms as he was rendered entirely unconscious. I let out a breath of relief and sunk down further in my seat. "Look, now we've both punched this dick in the face."

Stiles insisted on taking me home resulting in a short argument that ended with Scott agreeing with his best friend. I begrudgingly held my tongue and allowed them to drop me off while they decided what they were going to do with Jackson. Andre had already gone to bed and was sound asleep in her room.

I watched her for a moment, realizing how fortunate I was to have her on my side. Derek was far too gone in the deep end and I wasn't seeing much change from him in the future. My Mom was still out somewhere in the unknown, living a life devoid of her children and her old responsibilities. I had realized just how far I'd come since the day she left-finding out that I could live my life without her. Andre and I could survive with my mom as much as it hurt. We could also live on without my father and that was a wound that still stung harshly every time the thought crossed my mind. To also know that the entire other part of my family had been viciously murdered by my best friend's psychotic aunt was also not entirely easy to swallow. I hadn't gotten much time to process that thought given the fact that I had been fighting for my life ever since that night.

Lydia texted me, informing me that we had a lot to talk about the next time we saw each other. I figured that meant she would once again be driving me to school tomorrow morning and I found myself dreading it even more than usual. Today had exposed her to much more than I had ever wanted. She had also been directly in a line of fire. Her freak-out in class had now given me more to think about and worried me to no end. Her visions of Peter were much more severe than mine had ever been. Could his bite be affecting her in some way?

By the time I had woken up the next morning, I still had no word from Scott or Stiles. I tried not to let myself panic, trusting that they were fine and that they had found a way to hide Jackson. Plus, I still had to go to school and at least pretend to be a normal teenager. Gerard was still our principal and I had to keep up the façade that I knew nothing of the supernatural. I had fortunately been beneath his radar ever since the lacrosse game and wanted to keep it that way. With tensions rising, I was worried I might tip him off somehow.

Lydia pulled up right on time, a small beep emitting from her car to signal her arrival. I tossed my bag over my shoulder and left out the front door, looking across the street. Scott's bike was still chained to his front porch which meant that either he hadn't come home or that he was at school. Swallowing hard, I ducked my head and tried to not let myself dwell on it.

"You look...tired." Lydia appraised as soon as I sat down, her green eyes scanning me quickly. "Late night?"

"Uh, yeah. I-I guess." I answered softly, shrugging and then pushing some hair behind my ear. "I see you got home safe."

"Of course I did. Your gunslinging older sister made sure of that." Lydia responded sharply, whipping her attention back towards the road as she started towards school. "When were you going to tell me that she was sort of a badass?"

I let out a tight giggle and shook my head. "It never really occurred to me. Didn't seem important." I answered. "It's all just normal to me, now."

"And all of the crazy stuff that happened yesterday-I bet that was normal to you as well, huh?" Lydia inquired, her voice borderline sarcastic as she glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. "Running in front of a car, Derek showing up at Scott's house with three nobodies who are suddenly somebody, and practically kidnapping me from school? That's all normal."

I clenched my jaw for a moment and let out a deep sigh through my nose, tipping my chin down to my chest. "Lydia-"

"Look, there is obviously something you and Allison are hiding from me. If it's so freaking important, then I suppose I can try to let it go. But, if anything else happens like that again, I will demand an explanation or we all know what will happen to your shoe collection, Tessa." Lydia ranted, holding up a hand to quiet me. "I'm tired of feeling like a crazy person. Trying to get an answer out of my two best friend's is driving me absolutely nuts, so I will let it go just to spare myself the energy, alright?"

"Alright." I replied softly, nodding my head and shifting in my seat nervously. "I'm sorry."

"I know you are." Lydia hummed, a sardonic smile falling on her lips. "Now, I didn't just offer to drive you just to yell at you the whole time."

"Wow, that's a first." I retorted, bobbing my eyebrows.

Lydia shot me a silencing glare. "You're walking on thin ice. Don't make me melt it."

"Got it."

"Anyways," She chirped and flipped some hair out of her face. "I see you still haven't shacked up with Stiles which is mildly infuriating considering it's like he never seems to stop being obsessed with you."

"God, why do you always have to bring this up?" I groaned painfully, placing my hands over my face as I sunk down further into my seat.

"Because you still aren't dating him! Or kissed him...again." Lydia replied and then sighed woefully. "It's tragic, really. Especially since he couldn't stop asking about you the other night."

"What?" I whispered, removing my hands from my eyes and perking up slightly. "What are you talking about?"

Lydia pursed her lips. "The other night he conveniently found me balling my eyes out in my car over something totally stupid and he talked to me for a little while-tried to cheer me up. Once he thought I was okay, he started asking if I'd seen you and how you were doing." She explained, glancing over at me briefly. "He didn't tell you this?"

I stared back at Lydia, my jaw slightly slack. "Uh, n-no. He didn't." I murmured in response. "I actually had no idea."

Lydia hummed and then rolled her eyes. "Of course you didn't. You guys just keep toying with each other. The sex is going to be insane."

"Lydia!"

"Oh, don't act so innocent, Tessa." Lydia scolded, giving me a knowing look. "I know you're totally hot for him and you're just waiting for the moment you two finally get over yourselves."

"Shut up." I grunted and looked away from her, feeling my cheeks growing hot. "It's not like that."

"Mhm," Lydia responded, entirely unconvinced. "Whatever. Just let me know when it does happen. I'd love to hear all the juicy details."

Lydia then reached over a perfectly manicured finger and gently prodded me in the cheek to which I slapped her hand away. She giggled, sounding entirely enthused with herself.

"You're exceptionally bubbly after what happened in class the other day." I mentioned after we had gone into a moment of silence at a red light. "Are you doing better?"

"Oh, that?" Lydia asked as if she wasn't sure what I was talking about. She then waved it away. "We're passed that, friend. I am not just some crazy girl who draws backwards on chalkboards and cries in class. I was just having a bad day."

"But, you said you saw Peter." I reminded her, my brow knitting together in confusion. "That doesn't bother you?"

"Trauma." Lydia responded quickly. "That psycho attacked me. I've been seeing the therapist at school, so don't worry about me."

"What-you've been seeing the therapist? For how long?" I demanded, the news coming as somewhat of a shock to me.

"Since my mother decided I needed to go when she found me covered in blood with my mirror smashed like a freak." Lydia scoffed, rolling her eyes. "And, for someone who I told not to worry, you sound like you're being awfully worrisome."

"Of course I am, Lydia. I'm worried about you. You're my best friend and I care about you, alright?" I told her firmly, staring at my friend with a sincere look. "You are one of the most important people in my life. All of this matters to me."

Lydia was quiet for a few moments as we pulled into the parking lot. She parked the car and then looked over at me. "I...really appreciate that, Tessa." She murmured, her voice genuine. "But, I'm okay. I...I would tell you if I wasn't."

"Good." I replied, nodding curtly and then I shot forward, wrapping my around her shoulders. Lydia hesitated before her arms curled around my form to return the hug. "Everything is going to be okay, Lydia. I promise I'll always be here."

"I know you will." Lydia murmured into my shoulder and then pulled back, sniffing hard. She pushed some hair out of her face and then returned back to her normal self. "You're incredibly hard to get rid of."

I smirked somewhat proudly. "I'm going to take that as a compliment."

Lydia made a small noise of protest and then shoved her way out of the car, tossing her designer bag over her shoulder confidently. "I'm going to go study alone." She told me before spinning on her heel and strutting up towards the school.

I snorted out a bit of laughter and shook my head. For a moment, I glanced around the parking lot in search of the familiar blue Jeep, but I was unable to locate it. My lips tipped down into a frown and I felt a small pit form in my stomach, a sense of dread washing over me. I checked my phone once more for any notifications, but also came up empty. With a deep sigh, I began making my way into school, trying to assure myself that everything was fine. They would call me if something was wrong, I hoped.

I went through the first three morning classes with no sign of Scott or Stiles, the silence mutilating me slowly. Lydia seemed normal, for once, chatting about our world history midterm that was incredibly important and that I should be less focused on "those two weirdos" and more on making sure I actually pass sophomore year of high school. I knew she was right and I fought every urge to run out of school to try to find them. Allison had been absent, her silhouette making itself obvious through the window into the principal's office. I wasn't sure why Gerard was so interested in her life all of a sudden and if he was prying into her business, that involved every single one of us trying desperately to seem normal.

It wasn't until our lunch period that Lydia looked as though she'd seen a ghost. Sitting down across from me, she clenched her fists and stared directly into my eyes with her own panicked ones.

"Please tell me that you've seen Jackson or-or that you know where he is." Lydia demanded, trying not to sound as worried as she probably felt.

"What? Uh, no. I-I guess I haven't. I also haven't exactly been looking." I replied, my voice casual enough. "Why?"

"Because he isn't here. He hasn't called. He hasn't texted." Lydia went on to further explain, shaking her head. "He's gone completely radio silent and his parents are looking for him. So are the police."

My eyes widened significantly and my plastic fork dropped from my hand where I had been picking at my salad. "They-they what?" I stammered out, my mouth feeling somewhat dry.

Lydia pressed her lips tightly together and looked frustrated for a moment. "Apparently they got some weird text from him and now they're freaking out. He hasn't been home since yesterday morning." She explained. "I-I thought he went home after we all did last night."

"Me, too." I lied blatantly, now somewhat distracted by the sudden problem revealing itself to me. I quickly scanned the room for Allison, but knew she'd probably be off studying somewhere just like Lydia had been this morning. "I gotta-I got to go."

Shooting up from my seat, I snagged my tray and dumped it before nearly scrambling out of the lunch room. I clutched my bag to my chest as I weaved through kids and fought my way out to the hallway. They were nearly empty at this time of the day, and I tried to keep my focus on finding Allison. My breathing was starting to stagger and I took in a few deep breaths through my nose in an attempt to calm the nerves raging inside me.

Finally, I saw her on the other end of the hallway, finally exiting the principal's office. Throwing my back over my shoulders, I began nearly sprinting towards her. At the sound of my sneakers squeaking against the tile, she turned around quickly. Her eyes widened at the sight of me and she started to talk in my direction.

"We have a problem."

Both of us went mute for a few long seconds as we made the statement in unison, somewhat shocked by our uncanny timing. I panted heavily, a few stray locks of brown hair falling in front of my green eyes that I was sure were swimming with anxiety.

"The police are looking for Jackson and I-I haven't heard anything from the boys." I finally spoke, shaking my head and keeping my voice low.

"Yeah, I-I know. Gerard is wondering where he is. Plus, he also decided that he's going to start putting up security cameras." Allison grunted and then jerked her head to the left slightly. I followed and saw that there was a white camera perched in the corner of the ceiling, the red light flashing on it a few times to signal that it was on. "I also think he's starting to catch on. He was checking my pulse while asking me questions today, Tessa."

"Shit," I swore and placed my palm to my forehead. "Do you think that they know that it's Jackson already?"

"I-I don't know. Maybe." Allison answered, blinking her eyes a few times and shaking her head. "What I do know is that he's getting suspicious. So suspicious that he's making sure he has eyes everywhere. He's probably watching us right now."

"Fantastic. That-that is super great. Absolutely stupendous, actually." I laughed bitterly, feeling like I might be sick. "And you haven't heard anything from Scott?"

Allison shook her head. "No contact, remember?" She reminded me. "I haven't even heard anything from Stiles."

"Same." I told her and we both let out a deep sigh. "Lydia's starting to get worried, too. I mean, I don't blame her. Something went down with them at Scott's yesterday and she's on edge."

"I know." Allison murmured, looking just as guilty as I felt. "I had to lie to her yesterday. I also had to make her promise that she never saw Scott and I together."

"Yeah, she's not taking any of this well and it's just another problem on our list." I blew out a blustery breath through my lips and then glanced around the hallway. "Look, I'll give it one more hour and then I'll see if I can get a hold of Scott or Stiles."

"Okay. Okay, I agree." Allison nodded quickly and then pushed some hair out of her face. "How-how are you doing with everything? I feel like we're always so worried about everyone else that we never stop to ask each other."

"Fine." I responded almost automatically, tipping my head curtly as an affirmative. "Cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce."

"Uh, what?" Allison responded with a somewhat concussed look, her dark brows knitting together. "That doesn't make me feel better."

"Well, it should because that means I am fine." I reiterated, gesturing to myself and smiling weakly. "There are plenty of other things that are totally not fine and that need more attention, alright? I-I am not one of those things."

Allison stared at me for a few more seconds. "You are acting so weird." She mumbled, shaking her head slowly. "Did something happen?"

"No!" I replied a bit too loudly. Clearing my throat, I checked myself. "No, nothing happened."

"Are you sure? Because it definitely seems like something happened. Like, a 'Stiles Thing' happened."

"What does that even mean?"

"You know exactly what it means."

I let out a frustrated growl and placed my hands over my face, gently digging my fingernails into the skin of my forehead. "He told me that he wasn't sure if he was over Lydia. But, he also likes me and kissed me because he wanted to, I think." I finally admitted. "It was all really confusing and he wasn't exactly clear. He told me that he was still thinking he would have a chance with Lydia even after he kissed me on the lacrosse field."

Allison frowned and her shoulder sagged. "Boys are dumb." She started, a sympathetic look crossing her features. "However, you know where I stand on Stiles. He can be really, really dumb sometimes and say things he doesn't mean. I'm actually surprised he said anything to you at all. It's been a long time coming."

"Yeah, and it was all for nothing." I scoffed, crossing my arms and turning my head to look out the window beside us. "It was all just for me to be second best to Lydia."

"You are not second best to Lydia. When you stop comparing yourself to her, you'll come to understand things a lot better." Allison pointed out, giving me a knowing look. "Stiles liked Lydia. He likes you for you. Not because you're similar to Lydia or-or because you he wants you to be her. It's because you are just you. You're Tessa."

I chewed on my lip for a moment and looked at Allison hopefully. "You think so?" I murmured.

"I've never been so certain about this." Allison responded, nodding her head. "Forgive him for saying something totally stupid. Stop putting yourself through hell. The two of you guys are driving me crazy."

I couldn't help the small bit of laughter that bubbled out and Allison joined in. She then placed a hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Go get the guy, Tess."

The bell suddenly let out a shrill shriek, signaling the end of our lunch period. Allison and I both exchanged a dreadful glance, knowing that our moment of peace was short lived. Fortunately, we both had the next class together and made our way there. Once seated, other students began to fill in and I went over the notes I had taken from the last time we had been in here. Then, as if a light was shining down on us from above, a certain puppy dog, crooked jawline, lacrosse co-captain entered the room trying to look casual as ever. I perked up in my seat almost immediately and he looked at me, smiling weakly.

Knowing this was no place to talk, I simply returned his smile and glanced at Allison beside me who also looked somewhat relieved. She whispered his name a few times and, when she was about to get up from her seat, the sound of the door slamming shut met our ears. We all turned towards the person who had just entered and an almost audibly gasp shot out of me before I could even stop myself.

"I'm afraid your teacher was feeling ill today, and had to leave early. So, unfortunately, you're stuck with me as a substitute." Mrs. Argent announced, dressed in a gray sweater dress with a pair of nude heels to match. I looked to Allison who looked equally as mortified and then returned back to the redheaded woman at the front of the room, leaned calmly against the desk. "Can anyone catch me up to speed on where we are? Mr. McCall, how about you?"

The Argent's had officially made their move.

A/N: Aaaaand another chapter finished! I'm super happy with how this turned out considering I was able to get a few more conversations with other characters in which has been something I've been meaning to do. Especially the conversation with Lydia.

I hope y'all enjoyed and, as always, please leave reviews. I love them so very much.

- Laura