Authors Note: HEYO! XD Please tell me what you think; I would love to know XD I own nothing and no one apart from the following: Ms Scarlet Johnson, Octavian, Jasmine (Jaz), Miguel, Sasha,Janice (J), Jessie, Luna (Lu/LuLu), Grace (Gracie), Olivia Bishop (Olive/Livy), Skylar Harvelle (Sky) and Owen Palmer.

JUST SO YOU KNOW: like everyone else, I have no idea what Stiles' real name is, so I'm going along with what everyone else puts :) and I've made his middle name up XD

Please, please review XD

SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT, BUT I'M IN STARTED UNIVERSITY!

Chapter 21

Stiles

Monday, July 2nd, I woke up early, as usual. It wasn't easy to break a habit that had been going on for years! I mean, look at smokers... Or alcoholics, even drug addicts! Sure, waking up early was nothing like that, but it was still a habit!

Besides, my Adderall hadn't been working properly...

I could barely sleep whenever I wasn't on my Adderall and, with it playing up, it was the exact same affect. It was hellish! All I would want is a good night's sleep, but I couldn't even have that!

I made sure to stay quiet when I got to the bottom of the stairs. See, Derek's Pack had ended up staying the night, all of them collecting in the living room for the night. Derek, Scott and Allison all tried to get me to stay with them, the three of them acting like an owner trying to socialise their pet. Obviously, I went up to the room I had been given. Don't get me wrong, the time I had spent with them had been...decent enough. But I didn't want to spend the entire night with them, being pushed into conversation and knowing the majority didn't want me there.

I spent under an hour cleaning. There wasn't a lot to do, only some dusting and dishes... But my fingers were itching for something to do! I needed to do something!

So I explored.

I hadn't seen all of the house, not by far. Derek and I just never had enough time, or we would forget. I thought that, maybe, it would make me calmer; get rid of some of my built up antsy-ness.

I hadn't even left the first floor when I stumbled upon this tiny room.

The only thing inside the room was this beautiful, black Grand Piano. It was in great condition, but obvious that it had been well played. Someone had loved the instrument exactly how it should have been loved...

It had been years since I had sat down at a piano and my fingers twitched, wanting to play. It used to be one of the best things I could do to relax... Of course, the last time I touched one, when I was ten, Ms Johnson broke my finger.

Looking back down the hall, I bit my lip. No one was in the room, no one was standing at the end of the hall... But I didn't want to get in trouble.

I stood there for almost five minutes until I walked into the room.

My hands glided over the body of the piano, not one imperfection anywhere on it. I sat on the bench and began to play.

"Paint yourself a picture
Of what you wish you looked like
Maybe then they just might
Feel an ounce of your pain
Come into focus
Step out of the shadows
It's a losing battle
There's no need to be ashamed
'Cause they don't even know you
All they see is scars
They don't see the angel
Living in your heart
Let them find the real you
Buried deep within
Let them know with all you've got
That you are not your skin
Oh
Oh"

When I played, I couldn't help but sing either. It helped take my mind off of things. Skin by Sixx AM was a great song to do both with. It was a song that, kind of, resonated with me - I guess that was the right word...

"When they start to judge you
Show them your true colours
And do unto others
As you'd have done to you
Just rise above this
Kill them with your kindness
Ignorance is blindness
They're the ones that stand to lose
'Cause they don't even know you
All they see is scars
They don't see the angel
Living in your heart
Let them find the real you
Buried deep within
Let them know with all you've got
That you are not your skin
Oh"

The song was just so passionate, so powerful. It was hard not to understand the message. It was easy to get carried away with the song.

"Well, they don't even know you
All they see is scars
And they don't see the angels
Living in your heart
So, let them find the real you
Buried deep within
Let them know with all you've got
That you are not
You are not your skin
Oh
Oh."

As the last note rang out through the room, everything was quiet. Silence rang true for a few seconds after, my shoulders relaxing as it did.

"Beautifully done." a voice from behind me said.

Obviously, I jumped.

I startled so badly that the bench fell backwards, tripping me up on its decent to the floor. I scrambled away from the bench, taking me further away from, not only Peter but everyone that had been in the house. As I stood up, I righted the bench, walking backwards still after I was sure it wouldn't fall again.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have touched it, I know, but it just looked so nice and I was bored and I'm sorry, please don't break my hand!"

Derek

No one asked questions about what Stiles had said. It was kind of obvious, I suppose. They just stared, wide eyed, watching as Peter tried to help the boy in front of us.

"Why would I ever do such a thing?" Peter asked, frowning. "No one else plays; if I had known, I would have shown you when you first moved it."

With that, Peter walked further into the room, sitting down on the bench to his piano - yes, his piano. He cracked his knuckles first, putting his fingers to the keys seconds after.

Peter played Mozart. The piece he played was the first thing he had learnt on piano, or so Mom had told me. He used to play it day in and day out... Everyone would get so sick of the song, but I never did. I loved listening to my Uncle play. He always played with such passion, a small smile always present whenever he played.

He was less of the snarky, annoying asshole he was today, going back to the man I used to know.

Stiles identified the song easily, Peter nodding as his small smile grew. He asked he kid if knew how to play anything else, Stiles returning the nod, hesitantly.

"Take a seat, my boy." Peter said, continuing to play the piece. "Let's see what you can do."

So Stiles did.

He slowly sat on the other end of the bench, lifting his hands to lay his fingers gently on the keys. Peter ended the piece he was playing, only to start another that I didn't recognise.

Obviously, Stiles did.

The boy picked up his own part easily.

They both played with such fluidity, the ease with which they both played something I had never seen before in a piano duet. I mean, even with the most practiced duets, there was always that something missing. No matter how great the players...

I couldn't tell how long the piece went on for.

I couldn't say how long I stood their staring.

As soon as they had both finished playing, Jessie and Luna ran up to Peter and Stiles, the pair jumping on them. The girls begged for them to play more, Janice and Cora even getting involved.

The only thing I could take note of, however? The way my Pack were looking at Stiles - differently, better.

At lunch, we went to Johnny's.

It had become 'our' place. We had become so regular that people knew which was 'our' table, and a lot of the staff had come to know us - maybe not by our names, but they knew us.

We sat at our usual table, everyone sliding onto the benches whilst I took the chair at the head of the table. Stiles sat to my right, Scott on his other side... He only seemed to be comfortable with everyone this way.

Of course, sitting like this and coming to this diner, we had to deal with Olivia.

I didn't like the girl. She seemed far too friendly with Stiles. I didn't like her scent on him, her perfume masking his own... It was disconcerting to say the least. The entire Pack seemed to react the same, not liking the New Orleans girl near him - even if the majority didn't like him as much...

Olivia was always the one serving us. And, every time, she and Stiles always hugged. They would hug and talk about things none of us were clued in on. They almost always mentioned Olivia's Mom, sometimes talking about someone called 'Sky'.

If the food wasn't as amazing as it was, we would definitely stop coming.

Anyway - we had sat down, no one bothering to look at the menu since we all knew what we were having. Almost immediately, Olivia was at our table. And, as usual, Stiles got up to hug her.

"Well, don't I feel all kind of special." she giggled. "You've come in almost every day."

"What can I say?" Stiles sighed, grinning. "I just can't resist you."

"Ok, you know what, what the hell is going on between you two?!" Jackson demanded.

Silence.

That was what we got from the two of them - absolute silence.

Olivia looked slightly surprised, a little offended at the tone of Jackson's voice and what he could be - was - implying. Stiles? Well, he looked like a baby deer caught in the headlights, the car too close to be able to escape. He looked confused; like he wanted to run, the tone in Jackson's voice being one he hadn't heard since Scott had heard Octavian's name for the first time. I think, sometimes, the others seemed to forget what Stiles had come from...

"And what's that supposed to mean?" the girl glared, taking on a completely different persona than the one we were used to.

"Like, are you dating, or what?" Erica sneered.

I didn't expect the reaction we got from that.

I expected, maybe, embarrassment? Maybe anger?

I did not expect them both to fall into fits of laughter.

"Wait, you thought we were together?!" Stiles shrieked, struggling to contain the giggles.

"Oh, honey... Stiles has way too much dick for me - not enough boob." Olivia snorted. "Besides, Sti is strictly dickly."

"We bat for completely different teams!"

"Haven't you heard us talk about my girlfriend?"

Stiles then proceeded to tell us that this 'Sky' we kept hearing about, was Olivia's girlfriend, Skylar Anna-Mae Harvelle. Someone who walked into the diner and over to us, the moment those words were out of his mouth.

Sky was twenty years old, two years older than Olivia. She was an inch or two taller than Olivia; her hair a dirty blonde and shoulder length, her eyes such a crystal clear blue that she looked blind... Funnily enough, she did actually need glasses... Her skin was so pale that she looked almost dead, but it complimented her nicely somehow. Sky was the completely opposite to Olivia - apparently - favouring dresses or clothing that was classes as 'particularly feminine'.

Sky was definitely nothing how I pictured her...

I mean, Sky was nice, don't get me wrong - and it was great to know that there was nothing between Olivia and Stiles - but I had no idea that Stiles would be friends with someone like Sky. I don't mean a lesbian - I just mean someone so very and obviously girly. And rather flirty...

"Sti, can you please tell Livy she looks gorgeous!" Sky sighed, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's waist. "I mean, look how short they made it! And how tight the top is..."

"Sky, stop!" Olivia whined, blushing. "Why'd you always gotta say that?"

"Because it's true!"

To be honest, they were kind of a sweet couple...

Stiles

That night, the Pack were staying again.

Talia and Oliver were on a date; Jessie and Luna were at sleepovers; Grace had taken Janice, Cora and Laura to get their nails done and have a girly night out... Peter was the only one left in the house with Derek, Derek's Pack and me.

And the Betas waned to drink and do shots.

Only three of them could get drunk - Allison, Lydia and Danny - but they were all up for it... They would be; why wouldn't they? And, since they were staying at someone's home, with two responsible adults, it was allowed.

So Lydia had the idea to do a line of ten shots, seeing who could do the most. Which, surprisingly wasn't a lot, because the alcohol was burning their throats, regardless of the majority being supernaturals.

Derek and Peter didn't join in, happy to just sit back and watch the others make fools of themselves and fail, considering no one got past five... I mean, Jackson - the last one to go - could only do two! I had been silent up until that point, not being able to stop laughing!

That's when the night took an interesting turn.

Jackson, his pride hurt, tried to goad me into doing it.

"Come on, Stilinski. Think you can do better?" he glared.

"I know I could, Whittemore." I snickered.

Literally, everyone doubted me.

Apart from Scott. Scott just grinned.

"Fine. You know what? Let's make this interesting." Jackson nodded. "Ten bucks says you can't do better than me. A hundred is you do all ten!"

Then everyone started better on how many I could do. Even Peter joined in.

They didn't realise that this was easy money for me.

I pushed myself up from the kitchen table, moving around room, grabbing some salt and a lime that I cut into four. I grabbed the bottle, flipped it, reloading all the shots. I could practically hear their thoughts, all of them thinking I was just playing the part, trying to psych them out... If only they knew what was coming.

"Wait! What do I get if you lose?" Jackson asked before I could start. "You have no money."

"I won't lose." I winked. "But, if I do, I'll clean your entire house for you. Deal?"

Jackson jumped at the deal, shaking my hand.

Rolling up my sleeve, I licked a line up my forearm, very aware that Derek was watching me rather intently. I shook salt onto my went skin, before quickly downing the first shot, flipping the glass over.

I downed all ten shots within seconds, quickly licking up the salt once they were gone, shoving a slice of lime into my mouth as fast as I could.

I had to blink a few times to clear my head.

"So, this is mine, yes?" I grinned, pointing at the stack of money in front of me as they all stared, wide eyed, Scott laughing his ass off.

It was the easiest $600 I had ever made! Peter, Jackson, Danny and Lydia had all bet $100; Allison, Isaac, Boyd and Erica all going for $50... Scott and Derek had been the only ones not the bet.

"The first indication you guys were fucked was the fact Scotty didn't join in." I grinned, laughing. "Thank you, have a great night!"

With that, I just walked away from the kitchen counter where everything had been set up, settling back down into the chair I had originally been in at the kitchen table, all but downing the glass of water Derek gave me.

"How did... Just, how?" Danny stammered.

"Trick is to keep your throat open so you don't taste it. You're supposed to lick the salt and have lime after each one, but I just wanted to be fast." I shrugged.

It felt nice to have them all laugh with me...

SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT, BUT I'M IN STARTED UNIVERSITY!

Please, please review XD

Thanks XD