Bleach and latex. They smell clean, sanitized, but also pretty repulsive; that is unless someone spends as much time in a hospital as Cam does. These cleaning products hospitals use and the strong smell of latex start to smell more like her home than her actual house.

Her clothes seem to reek of the sanitary scent. It's in her hair and almost embedded into her skin. Of course, she doesn't smell exactly like a hospital but from the amount of time she spends there, she can't help but think everyone around her can smell the bleach and latex with a mixture of dread seeping out of her pores. And it's not just the smell that's gotten to her.

Eating a McDonald's cheeseburger from the dollar menu has become the best-tasting thing on the planet after hours at the hospital with the only options for food being blander than bland cafeteria food and vending machines snacks. She's found recently that homework is a hassle to do in a bedside chair. Sure, the reading is simple but taking notes and having to keep track of loose paper worksheets teachers just insists will help improve students' memory intake of the subject and test scores.

Cam has already lost plenty of papers, turned in papers late because when her mom wakes up and happens to be lucid, she doesn't waste time in keeping up with her mom. School is school but this is her mom. And maybe that's the worst part about hospitals. It's that her mom is trapped here and Cam can leave but what if she does? Will the guilt eat her alive or will things just be as they are? Or is her thinking that things could just go on just be her getting used to hospitals? Is her hatred for them just because of her mom or is it because she feels she has to be in one or be eaten by guilt?

To Cam's misfortune, she's been coming to a hospital at the very least, 3 times every month over the last five years. It originally started with doctor visits and then it turned into her mom needing to be in a hospital for a little bit, usually a week a month and as time went on, hospital visits became more frequent and longer. Cam went from visiting the hospital 3 times a month to being at the hospital seven days a week over the past two weeks. Before that, when her mom had to be hospitalized, for good, she would normally go every other day but now it's getting worse and everyone knows exactly what that means. There could be a cure tomorrow but that wouldn't help her mom because that's just not how healthcare works.

Death, that's inevitable. It happens. It doesn't matter who you are or what you are. Everyone dies. But the worst part about that is that when someone dies, they leave people behind. They might only leave one person, but that one person has to live the rest of their life without them, wondering how they're supposed to just go on without them. They have to fight the urge to call them when something happens because they were always that person they told things to. When death happens, that call goes to voicemail and if they're lucky, they'll hear their recorded voice but after a while, they won't even have that because the phone will be disconnected. And to think, that's considered lucky.

And in spite of those horribly depressing thoughts that always seem to wander into Cam's mind while her mom sleeps and she's left to her thoughts, she finds her stomach growling. And the realization hits her that she hasn't eaten in hours and she definitely doesn't have any food and the cafeteria is closed. But she has a few dollars so she stretches, shaking her head, the braid going over her shoulder sitting in place and she starts her walk to the vending machine.

The vending machine is stocked full with candy and chips. It gets restocked on Saturdays, something positive that Cam has learned from being at the hospital, vending machine stocking schedule so she has plenty of choices. So, she looks over her choices and while nearly everything is making her mouth water, she can't seem to figure out exactly what she wants. She has just enough for one snack and she's not sure when her dad will back so chips should probably the best way but candy...

"Uh, hey." An oddly familiar voice knocks Cam out of her food craving induced trance. "Candy stuck?" He asks as Cam turns to face him

Stiles.

"Oh, uh, no." She shakes her head quickly and turns back around before he can see the redness of her cheeks.

It's a little weird running into him, at a hospital no less. They used to be the best of friends. Her, Stiles, and Scott. An unstoppable trio ever since Cam moved to Beacon Hills when she was six. Her family moved right down the street from Stiles' and they became close friends immediately, attending the same school and Stiles introduced her to Scott who was just as welcoming, even as a six-year-old. But, Cam became closer with Stiles.

Living down the street from each other meant they had easy access to see each other but Cam's dad applied at the Beacon Hills police station and was hired. He's a deputy and Stiles' dad is the sheriff. So, the two of them spent plenty of time at the station in Sheriff Stilinski's office, usually pretending to be investigators or police officers themselves. There were many days after school they were there and they both loved it and loved being around each other. But, things did take a turn four years after the budding friendship began and laughs halted for a while.

Claudia died.

Cam had been around for four years and while they were only ten, she hadn't seen anything so sad. Claudia was lovely, kind and sweet, generous and just a really good mom. Her mom became friends with Claudia and then she got sick and then she died. And it broke a piece of Stiles and it was hard to see him so broken but that didn't allow the friendship between the trio to change. In a way, it made them closer because Scott and Cam were there for Stiles in ways ten-year-olds aren't expected to be. And eventually, Stiles came back to being goofy and dorky and snarky and sarcastic. But the tragedy of things didn't end there.

A year after Claudia died, Cam's mom was diagnosed with the exact same disease. Frontotemporal dementia. What are the odds? Slim to none. But it happened. And Stiles and Scott were there for her through the beginning. Stiles more than Scott. But things started to get worse, just as Stiles had watched with his mom and soon enough Cam was missing bits of school as the slow years went by and she distanced herself from the boys.

The way she saw it, she had a choice. Spend time with the boys or spend time with her mom. Her mom was going to die. She had just watched Claudia die at the age of 10. She watched Stiles grieve and suffer through it. She knew she couldn't get this time back even when her mom started to become less and less lucid so she chose her mom.

Eventually, Cam stopped talking to both Stiles and Scott which was a little easier when Cam's dad opted to allow Cam to homeschool online so she could spend more time with her mom, only enrolling her into Beacon Hills high school a few weeks ago. Things didn't just end with Scott and Stiles though, it could have ended better but they're teenagers and Cam doesn't know how to navigate through any of this and she's scared. Dreading the loss of her mom at the most crucial part of her life.

And all that being said, Cam will admit that Scott and Stiles seem happy. Which they should be. The ending of their friendship shouldn't still be affecting them, that'd just be delusional. So, it's like, even if she felt like she could, she can't try to mend the friendship. They seem happy, just the two of them, why bring up the past and potentially ruin that for them?

"Everything okay?" He asks, breaking the silence as he stuffs his hands into his jacket pockets.

"Oh, yeah." Cam nods as she faces him, looking more at his outfit than his face.

Red and grey zip-up over a blue zip-up with white stripes and a blue t-shirt (presumably) with light blue design and wording she can't quite make out with the hoodies covering most of the shirt.

"Your mom?" Stile's gestures a hand out, his voice low and sad, eyes not holding the normal glimmer of cheer.

The question catches Cam slightly off guard but it shouldn't because friends or not, Stiles is a caring person and surely, he wouldn't just forget her mom was sick. Plus, Cam's dad and the sheriff probably talk and Stiles is Stiles so either the sheriff tells him or he eavesdrops. The ladder most likely.

Cam looks to her blue and white shoes. "Yeah." She nods feeling almost ashamed, for a reason she can't quite pinpoint.

Stiles hates to ask but it's like what else is he supposed to say? "Is she okay?" He asks and gestures to move past her so he can get some candy.

"It's fine." Cam lies, not wanting to bother him with her issues, afraid of triggering memories of his mom so she moves on quickly, not allowing him to question it. "You here for Lydia?"

"How'd you know?" He gives her a half-smile, one that had fallen with the question about her mom as he puts his money into the machine.

"Heard about what happened and I've seen your dad in and out of here all weekend, popping in to talk to my dad." Cam explains, stepping off to the side so Stiles won't have to look behind him in order to speak to her.

"Right." He chuckles as he rubs the back of his neck. "She's gonna be fine." He presses some buttons and the Reese's start moving.

"That's good." She shows him a soft smile just as the candy gets stuck. "Animal attack, though?" Cam quirks a brow, ignoring the annoyance that crawls across Stiles's face with the stuck candy.

"Uh, yeah, yeah, coyote or something." Stiles says, not making eye contact with Cam as his hands go to the sides of the machine, starting to shake it.

"Ah." Cam nods her head, not saying much.

An animal attack is weird. It's weird in Beacon Hills because animals aren't typically running around hungry and attacking teenagers. Sure, sometimes a wild animal will go hungry and unfortunately attack a small child or a dog but not a teenager that's about their size or bigger. It's weird and Cam thought it was weird since she heard her dad and the sheriff talking about it but she's not gonna even question it because what else would have attacked Lydia?

"Oh, come on." Stiles huffs still shaking the machine.

"That's not gonna make it fall down." Cam rolls her eyes and moves past him.

"Well, if you're so smart, how do you expect to get it down?" Stiles quips, moving out of the way for Cam to stand directly in front of him.

Cam puts in a dollar and pushes the same buttons Stiles did and two packs of Reese's fall as the cranking sound of the spiraled metal releases the candy. Cam grabs the candy and turns to give Stiles a wide smile as he narrows his eyes at her, pursing his lips. He grabs the candy and hands one to her and takes the other for himself.

"Okay but you're allergic to peanuts so that didn't solve the problem." His sarcasm flows with winning arrogance as he opens the candy.

Cam's brows furrow as she cocks her head slightly to right, surprised he remembered that and then quickly wondering why she's surprised. It's not like they haven't been not friends longer than they were friends. But nonetheless, it's something that catches her off guard.

But, before Cam can respond, there's a blood-curdling scream echoing through the halls. "Lydia?" Stiles looks in the direction of the scream before he starts moving. "I hope your mom's okay!" He yells at Cam before running down the hall.

A scream like that, most people wouldn't have thought to think of anything else but getting to the person responsible for that scream. Especially when it comes to Stiles and Lydia. He's been pawning after her forever. All anyone has to do is live in Beacon Hills to see that Stiles is so head over heels in love with her, he would die for her and she doesn't even know his name. Some might say it's pathetic, but it's kind of sweet. His determination and dedication is a little creepy but he's a good person and if she told him to leave her alone, he would. He respects her unlike most of the guys.

With Cam being new to the school and still opting to keep her distance from the boys, she's caught onto more things than she likely would have had she had friends and other distractions besides her mom's health. One of the things she's noticed is that Lydia, while very pretty and insanely smart, she lets bad guys walk all over her. Jackson, her boyfriend, is a terrible person and anyone with eyes can see that. He'll yell at her in the hallway, shove her against a wall every now and again. He doesn't seem to care about her in the slightest. He's her type and Cam is simply baffled by it. Lydia deserves better. And Stiles is better, he's observant and caring. Persistent and better.

But, there's a part of Cam that can't help but think Stiles puts so much extra effort into remembering details, not just about Lydia, about everything because of his mom. When she died, Stiles changed a little. He might have been ten but he knew his mom's condition is genetic. Stiles did his research because even at ten he was smart and wanted to learn. He wanted to understand what was wrong with his mom and maybe, when he found out he could end up with it, he made sure to pay attention to try and remember. And maybe that's why he remembered Cam has a peanut allergy. But, there's also an anxiety factor Cam thinks about.

After Stiles's mom died, not long after, he was sitting in front of Cam in one of their classes and he just started hyperventilating. Sheriff Stilinski had to come to the school and pick him up. It happened quite a bit after that. He didn't talk about it much to Cam but that might have been because that's when her mom started showing symptoms. He did have Scott though. Scott always told Cam if Stiles was okay. But, in the midst of Stiles having the panic attacks, he found that if he could just focus, look at little details and start memorizing them, it'd calm him down. He just had to be able to find something to focus on. So, maybe that's why he pays attention, too. Maybe it's a lot of things.

Nonetheless, Cam shoves her thoughts away, looking at the vending machine with dismay as she has no money left for her snack, and she starts her walk down the almost blindingly white hospital corridors to her mom's room.

Cam takes a seat, in her chair against the wall as her mom sleeps soundly and her dad is dozed off in a chair beside her mom's bedside. She could go back to homework but, running into Stiles is a cruel reminder of the inevitable so she takes a moment to just think. Her mom hasn't had a good day in weeks. Her mom doesn't remember who Cam is anymore, she barely remembers Cam's dad. Sometimes, she'll slip into a type of delusion and think Cam is there to kill her or sometimes she thinks Cam is just a candy-striper. That always goes one of two ways: her mom telling her stories, some she's heard and others she's more than happy to hear or Cam's mom doesn't think Cam is capable to even bring her food. So, for Cam, her mom sleeping is kind of nice because, in this state, she's still her mom.

"Get your candy?" Cam's dad's groggy voice hits her ears.

She gives him a disgruntled grin, pulling the Reese's from her pocket and tossing it to him."Yep."

"You're allergic to peanuts." He cocks his eyebrow at her with suspicion and opens the packaging.

"Yep." Cam gives him a half-chuckle, leaning back in her seat and stuffing her hands into her hoodie pockets.

"Do I really have to ask in order for you to explain?" He questions as he takes a bite of the chocolate.

Cam shakes her head holding a smile, choosing not to be a smartass today. "Stiles got his candy stuck so I used my dollar to get his free."

"Stiles, huh?" He chuckles to himself before looking to Cam's mom and back to Cam. "Been a while since you've said something about him." Her dad shifts a little in his seat, almost as if he were feeling awkward. "How'd that go?"

"His candy got stuck and it happened to be the one food that can kill me." Cam remarks, the grin still plastered across her face. "Fine, we haven't talked in-" Cam pauses, pretending to think of how long it's been. "Three? Years. Asked about mom. He's here for Lydia."

"Right." Her dad nods, a little disheartened. He always liked Stiles, of course, Stiles is his boss's kid but Stiles brought something to his daughter he hasn't seen since she cut their friendship off. "Wanna...talk about?"

It's not that Cam's dad doesn't want to talk about it but him and Cam didn't have these kinds of talks. That's what her mom was for and now the main thing they talk about is her mom. And he knows the end of that friendship is something that hurt Cam and probably still hurts her. So, as her dad, he needs to make sure she's okay even if that means talking about boys.

"No," Cam laughs. "There's nothing to talk about." Cam pulls her hands from her pockets, moving her hands to her hair to tighten the braid. "Thanks, though."

Her dad gives her a soft nod and a kind smile. "Go get something else. You should have something and you're less than a joy when you're hungry." He remarks with sarcasm as he leans back in his chair, putting his hand in his pocket and pulling out his wallet.

"Yes, sir." Cam's words mock his sarcasm as she gets up from her chair and takes the dollar.

As Cam turns around to head for the door, there stands Sheriff Stilinski. "Sorry to interrupt." An apologetic frown crosses his face as he looks between Cam and her dad. "O'Riley, need ya." Sheriff Stilinski walks into the room.

Despite, Cam's mom's condition, her dad still works. He's always on the clock. He needs to put food on the table and keep a roof over their head and pay for the built-up and climbing medical bills. And it distracts him from his inevitable loss.

The sheriff, not just being who he is, but also being a friend of Cam's family, he would do anything for them to make sure they're okay and would give Cam's dad time off but her dad's denied it so far and Cam can't blame him. Even if her dad thinks she does because he gives her the most apologetic look before standing up and softly squeezing her arm before leaving just outside the room with the sheriff.

People do all types of things in grief. Some dive into it, some distract themselves, some avoid it altogether. Everyone is different and Cam doesn't blame her dad for how he's dealing with this so she takes his seat and she waits for him to get back instead of going to the vending machine. The vending machine will always be there. And it's only a few minutes before her dad comes back anyway.

"Hey," Her dad walks over to her and crouches to her level, glancing to her mom and back to her. "I gotta go, alright? I'll see you at home." He stands up, squeezing her shoulder.

Cam nods, knowing she probably won't see him until the morning but she has a feeling this is Lydia related. "Lydia okay?"

Her dad furrows his brows, the question even gaining the sheriff's attention. "How'd you-'

"She screamed, it's what made Stiles take off." Cam explains.

Her dad looks behind him and the sheriff takes a step inside.

"She's gone. We're going to start looking for her. Haven't seen her, have you?" The sheriff asks.

"Nope. Last I heard was her screaming and Stiles running towards her room." Cam explains simply.

Sheriff shakes his head as he looks to the ground. "Stiles." He sighs. "If you see her-"

"I'll call you or my dad, not Stiles or Scott." Cam reassures him, same as always.

Being a cop's kid consists of knowing random information and being told "if you know anything, you have to tell me" all the time. Not to mention, they can't really get away with anything because everyone knows they're a cop's kid. It's not all bad with her dad being a cop, this is just one downside because it's always almost a lecture.

It probably doesn't help that as kids, her Stiles, and Scott happened to get into a little trouble. Nothing big, of course. Just sneaking around trying to solve really small and petty crimes. Butting their noses into things that weren't their business. And just investigating, even if there was nothing to investigate. So, the lecture is deserved even if it was years ago. This is just something that actually is happening and could potentially be a serious lecture, potentially needed and of course, Cam has Stiles's and Scott's numbers for emergency purposes.

Sheriff doesn't move, however. He shakes his head and squints his eyes. "Or since your dad is okay with it, you can go with Stiles. Make sure he gets home." His expression of dread turns into a soft smile.

Cam was the more responsible one of the three boys so the sheriff has hope that maybe Cam can still be the responsible one, especially with them not being friends or even speaking. But, only if she's okay with it.

Cam looks at her mom and chews on her inner cheek. Maybe she should go. She might not be friends with Stiles but if there's some crazy animal roaming around, she doesn't want Stiles or Scott to get attacked and if Stiles is still who he used to be when they were friends, he won't let Cam go with them to investigate to make sure Cam doesn't get hurt.

"Yeah, I should probably leave anyway." Cam reaches down and grabs her bag before standing up and tossing one of the straps over her shoulder, the rest of the backpack hitting her back.

Cam says a quick goodbye to her dad, fully expecting this to be the last time she sees him until at least the morning, already assuming he'll be out all night looking for Lydia. Her dad goes his way while the Sheriff leads Cam down a separate hallway, finding Stiles.

"Stiles, Cam's going with you. Make sure you get home nice and safe." Sheriff says, a slight bit of sarcasm laced in his words, knowing Stiles was all set and ready to go looking for Lydia.

"Right, cool. Okay." He gives Cam a goofy grin and a thumbs up to which she nods, curling her lips, and tugging at the strap of her bag. "We're gonna go then. Come on." Stiles comes up to her and starts pushing her down the hall.

"Straight home!" The sheriff yells after them, Stiles still holding Cam's shoulders, pushing her down the hallway.

Stiles continues to rest his hands on Cam's shoulders, pushing her gently down the hallway. "Why are you pushing me?"

"Look, it's great you wanna make sure I don't go looking for Lydia, but it's fine." Stiles says in a rushed voice as he finally removes his hands from her shoulders.

Cam scoffs, rolling her shoulders. "I know you're gonna look for her." Her eyes roll, Stiles looking at her as he steps to her side but Cam keeps her eyes on the glowing red exit sign. "But I also know if I'm with you and you get busted, which you will, you'll be in less trouble." Stiles scrunches his brows, shaking his head as if to be almost offended and confused. Cam catches the movement from the side of her eyes. "Strength in numbers. We're in California, where, supposedly, we're having random mountain lion attacks." Cam's words stop abruptly as she sucks in a breath, readjusting her backpack.

Stiles watches her, waiting for her to continue but she doesn't. She just keeps walking as if that was just so supposed to be it but he knows it's not. There's more picking at her brain unless she's changed in the time they haven't spoken.

"What?" Cam asks, finally glancing to him.

"That's it? You're not gonna explain more?"

Cam shrugs, sucking in a breath, knowing she has a lot more to say about why she thinks whatever is going on is just a giant cover-up but about how maybe she shouldn't say anything because maybe what she has to say doesn't really matter. Maybe her rambling about mountain lions and her concern and random safety facts will just be a bother. Stiles is a ride home.

"Oh, okay." Stiles says, not wanting to push.

Maybe it's a little weird for him. There's a stiff awkwardness because it was just so abrupt that their friendship ended, one second they're hanging out and the next Cam won't even look at him, and now he's her ride and if things were different, if bad things didn't happen, it'll all be different but there's a deep-seated part of him that's still a little hurt by the end of their friendship. And that's why he can't let her go. He can't let go because he doesn't want her to get hurt and he doesn't want to be distracted. Not when Lydia is missing.

"We got it handled." Stiles says.

Cam nods, pursing her lips, heart sinking a little. "Right, sorry."

Stiles sighs, pushing the door open for Cam to walk through. "It's, uh, it's not...it's just dangerous, okay? You don't want to help." Stiles watches Cam as her stare just barely meets his and his heart sinks, knowing that Cam shouldn't be in the middle of this.

His best friend is now a werewolf and the girl he's been in love with forever was also bit and could have died and now they have no idea what's going on with her. The girl Scott's crazy about is in a family of werewolf hunters and it's like it's only a matter of time before it's Stiles's turn to become something other than a normal human and despite the not-so-friendship between him and Cam, he doesn't want her the middle of that because she'll be next.

He's missed their friendship, no matter how bad she hurt him, he's missed her but with her mom in the hospital, the last thing Cam should have right now is the weight of werewolves and who knows what else. Stiles might be completely obsessed with Lydia but there's a part of him that's already cared about Cam in a way that's so different from Lydia. And that part is determined to keep her away from this.

"You don't want to help, alright?" Stiles opens the door of Jeep for Cam.

"Why wouldn't I want to help?" Cam hops in the Jeep, raising a brow at him.

He looks at Cam with guilty eyes and he knows that he just has to be blunt, honest, and maybe a little mean in order to Cam to drop it. "Well, you're not friends with her."

The comment hit a nerve with her for a reason she can't even pin-point, maybe it's because technically, he's not really friends with Lydia either. She barely knows he exists.

"Not friends with you either and I still helped with your candy." Cam snarks as Stiles closes the door.

"Really, Cam?" He narrows his eyes at her with a sigh. Cam hits the same nerve Stiles just did and it's a bit spiteful, but it's not a lie. "And why aren't we friends, huh?"

Cam chews her lip as Stiles walks to his side of the Jeep and she feels guilty. Maybe Cam snapped and told Stiles he was clingy and she couldn't handle his recklessness anymore. And when he didn't take that as a hint, maybe she was the one that said she hated him and blamed him for her not being around her mom as much. Stiles is hard to leave speechless but that did it.

"Right..." Cam whispers as Stiles takes his seat, Stiles starting the Jeep, not even looking at her. "Sorry.".

"It's just dangerous, okay?" Stiles says as he starts to drive away.

Cam gains a soft but baffled grin. "How can it be dangerous when you're there?"

Stiles turns his head towards her, brows raised as if completely unsure if he heard her right but he knows he did. "What?"

Stiles always felt like a home away from home and he always made sure she was safe. When they were kids, Stiles would toss himself in front of a car for her while they rode their bikes. He'd walk first to make sure if there was an animal in the woods, it would attack him, not her or Scott. Nothing when they were kids ever seemed dangerous to Cam, because it wasn't. Because of Stiles.

But for the sake of Cam not wanting to make this any more weird than it already is, she just keeps that bit to herself and instead still tells him a truth. "You always wanted to be Batman."

Stiles has a grin, one that almost makes the awkward tension evaporate from the pale blue Jeep. "Think I could be Batman?"

Cam laughs softly. "You're already a Batman." She shakes her head, looking out her window.

Stiles always liked Batman because Batman didn't need powers to be a hero. Sure, he's got some cool gadgets and a cool car but Stiles has a baseball bat and a Jeep. Like Batman, like Bruce Wayne, Stiles doesn't need powers. Of course, that's what kids want, to be superheros.

A really weird, almost gurgling noise comes from Stiles and Cam knows it's the sound of him wanting to tell her. "Ahh, okay." He shakes his head and bares his teeth. "There's some stuff going on. It's more than what you think, okay?" Stiles caves, telling her just enough to hopefully get her to understand.

"Like what?" Cam raises a row, hoping maybe since the Batman thing worked, she could get more out of him.

"Like, like I'll tell you when I can." Stiles says.

"Promise?"

"Fine. Okay? Yes. Promise, now I'm taking you home."

Cam had more to say but suddenly, her throat started to feel scratchy. It feels like she's starting to suffocate and the only thing she can do is scrummage through her backpack, searching almost frantically for her water.

"Are you okay?" Stiles looks back at her, concern in his voice and Cam just shakes her head.. "Water in my bag." He says, head jerking towards the backseat while his eyes go back to the road.

Cam reaches in the backseat and grabs his bag that has a lacrosse stick attached. She ignores the stick and digs in the bag for a long red water bottle with a Beacon Hills lacrosse logo and waterfalls the warm water into her mouth, the scratchy feeling easing almost immediately.

"Thanks." Cam mumbles, cheeks flushing slightly.

"Yeah, of course. Everything okay?" Stiles's eyes glance to her and back to the road.

"Yeah." She nods, furrowing her brows. "Just allergies. Why are we at Scott's?" Cam changes subject as Stiles pulls against the curb of the McCall house.

"Scott's on the way to your house." Just as Stiles finishes his sentence, Scott comes trotting out of his house and up to the jeep.

His eyes widen with surprise as he sees Cam in the passenger seat. "Hey, Cam." Despite the surprised expression on his face, his voice is still cheery.

"Hey, Scott." Cam smiles as she moves forward, enough to allow Scott to get into the backseat.

The thing with the falling out between Cam and the two boys is just that it wasn't as bad with Scott. Scott didn't understand why Cam just didn't want to be friends anymore, he didn't understand any more than Stiles did but Scott was more understanding than Stiles. Stiles wouldn't let it go and Cam was just overwhelmed so while Scott made the decision that he'd always be open to having Cam be a friend again, he gave her space. Stiles was too hurt and it just lead to a blowup that makes the air awkward in classes and in this Jeep.

"How've you been, Cam?" Scott asks as he leans between Cam's and Stiles's seats.

"Uh, good. You?" Cam looks over to him, Stiles raising a confused brow at Scott.

"Good." He nods but the air feels like a cliffhanger. As if there was something more and he was waiting for Cam. "Have you been sick lately?"

"Um...just allergies...why?" Cam furrows her eyebrows and looks to Stiles wondering about the missing piece of this puzzle.

"Just something going around. Heard it's pretty bad."

"Should I ask your mom about a flu shot when I go in tomorrow?" Cam raises a brow, slightly narrowing her eyes, knowing he's lying. One thing has not changed, Scott can't lie to save his own life.

"Oh, no!" He quickly defends. "It's nothing like that. It'll pass, ya know? Don't worry about it."

"Yeah, you know. We just don't wanna catch it with the game coming up." Stiles adds in.

"You just spent the entire weekend at the hospital which, despite its sanitary smell, is full of germs..."

"Yeah but you know, breathing problems. Scott over here can't even take a cold." Stiles jokes and Scott gives him an annoyed look which makes Cam laugh.

"Are you sure I can't help look for Lydia? You two are being weird."

The boys just seem to show a knowing expression, as if they can read each other's minds which, to be fair, isn't out of the norm for them but in this situation, it's just making Cam uncomfortable. Is she not supposed to have allergies? What's it matter if she's sick? Stiles just rides the bench during the game. And Scott is never sick.

Scott looks to Stiles, as if contemplating it but Stiles is quick to not let Scott answer. "We can handle it. You're the one being weird."

"How am I being weird?" Cam scoffs.

"You're talking to me." Stiles quips, narrowed eyes and all but before Cam can even counter his remark, there's a knock on her window.

It's Allison, waiting for Cam to roll down the window. Does she know what's going on? It seems as though there's something more than just a mountain lion attack with Allison showing up. And Cam, rightfully so considering her not-so-friendship with the boys, is left out. Which makes Cam think of the other people in her classes, if anyone else has been acting weird but she hasn't been around these people more than a few weeks so really, how would she know if anyone was actually acting weird?

"Hey, Cam, right?" Allison asks with a smile.

"Yeah, Allison?" Cam responds, much kinder and more welcoming to her than Stiles and even Scott.

"Yeah." Allison holds her smile while moving her stare to the boys. "Hey, guys."

"Allison, what are you doing here?" Scott asks from the backseat.

"I'm coming with you guys." She says as if Scott should have just known better.

"Why does Allison get to help?" Cam turns to Stiles with narrowed eyes and raised brows. Someone had to tell her about Lydia and Cam knows it wasn't anyone at the department.

"Because it's dangerous!" Stiles yells in frustration. "Allison shouldn't be here either."

"Lydia's my friend, I'm gonna help you look for her." Allison snarks, just barely giving Stiles a glare before looking to Scott as if waiting for backup.

"She has a point." Scott says. "Lydia's her friend."

Stiles nods, knowing that Allison will definitely be helpful but knowing he can't very well explain why Allison can help them and Cam can't. Not the truth anyway.

"Your dad'll kill me if something happens, so you gotta go home, okay?"

"Whatever." Cam rolls her eyes, getting out the jeep to allow Allison to get into the backseat with Scott. "I'm gonna find out what you're up to." Cam looks at Stiles who just shakes his head, thumbs tapping the steering the wheel with anxious thoughts.

"No, because you're gonna pretend none of this happened."

"Maybe Stiles is right. You shouldn't get involved." Scott pipes in.

"Maybe you two shouldn't be getting involved." Cam quips, getting back into the Jeep.

"Probably not but we already are." Scott responds.

"I'm just saying that I know the woods as well as you two do."

"Why do you care so much?" Stiles starts to drive away once everyone is buckled in. "She's not even your friend. We're not friends. You haven't even looked at me since middle school." Stiles's voice grows more annoyed with every word and it stings but he's got a point.

"So? Someone from our school is missing. Should I not feel bad and worried just because we aren't friends? And you're going to look, the logical thing for me to do would be to go with you, not on my own. Regardless of the times I've spoken to you or the status of our friendship or lack thereof."

Allison and Scott look at each other with faces that only say 'yikes' and show the awkward tension that's filled the Jeep. Scott might know what happened between them and he might still adore Cam in the say way she does him, distant sibling. But, Allison is completely in the dark in the same way Cam is in the dark about Lydia. And while Allison doesn't know the story, she can't help but feel a little bad for Cam because all she wants to do is help and Allison knows what that's like. On the other hand, it seems Stiles is the one that's more hurt by all of this.

After a minute of awkward silence, Stiles pulls up to the house he spent so much time in as a kid. "See you at school." Stiles says as he leans over Cam and opens the door for her.

Cam's heart stops with his being so close to her and leaning against her. "Bye." Cam says, grabbing her bag from the floor once Stiles moves away. She gets out of the Jeep, shutting the rickety door before making her way towards Stiles's side of the car. "Just be careful." Cam says as Stiles rolls down his window. "If something happens," She lets out a sigh. "Call my dad."

Words hurt but if something happens that just gets a little sticky, her dad can help instead of getting the sheriff involved. Her dad can keep a secret.

Cam walks into her house, Stiles driving off as soon as he sees she's gotten inside. The house is dark and completely silent, not a single light or tv on, just dark and quiet besides the patter of paws coming down the stairs.

Cam's Australian Shepherd trots right to her, fluffy tag wagging as he does his "talking", Cam going to her knees to pet him and let him lick her face.

"Hey, Shep." Cam's grin is ear-to-ear with her dog, her best friend. "I know you're glad I'm home." Shep's entire body moves with every wag of his tail.

Cam always wanted a dog as long as she can remember but it was always one reason or another that it had to wait but when her mom got sick, that's when her parents, her mom still mostly lucid at the time, decided a dog might be a good idea for Cam. And it was. Especially when Cam ended her friendship with Scott and Stiles. She'd have felt more alone without Shep but now they're almost inseparable. And maybe that's why the darkness and quietness of the house don't bother her. She has Shep.

The quiet would bother her, it definitely would because Beacon Hills has an eery vibe all the way around and being home alone at night would just not feel comfortable but Shep makes her feel safe. He's not exactly a guard dog, he's a complete sweetheart, won't even chase a squirrel or a fly but if something were to ever happen to Cam, Shep would come to her defense. Shep is her best friend and he's hers.

"C'mon, Shep. Check your food and we'll go upstairs." Cam says, getting to her feet and heading to the kitchen, hitting the lights on the way.

She checks his bowls seeing he still has a little bit of food left in his dish meaning he ate his dinner Cam left him before heading to the hospital. His water is still mostly full so she lets Shep outside to go to the bathroom, going over to his treats and grabbing him one of the dog cookies PetCo sells. Once he's inside, she has him sit and high five before handing over the cookie.

Shep follows Cam, cookie still in his mouth, up to her room, Cam resting her backpack on her bed where Shep makes himself comfy.

Something Cam really likes about being home with just Shep is that is still quiet. She can play music, watch TV, whatever she wants knowing she won't be bothered unless Shep has to go out. She has time to get homework done, something she definitely hasn't missed in the time of being homeschooled. And she can edit her pictures for the school since they were nice enough to allow her to photograph the lacrosse team which she knows was probably a "your mom is dying, we're so sorry and don't know what to do" sympathy offer but Cam isn't gonna complain.

But, tonight, it's not about homework or photographs, instead, it's about her using the time she has and time alone to figure out why Lydia took off and what's going on because it's not a mountain lion.

"Shep? S'go." Cam pats her leg, grabbing Shep's attention and he follows her out of her room.

Cam heads to her dad's office, typically off-limits but he's not home so what he doesn't know can't hurt him. Shep takes a spot beside the desk by Cam's feet while turns on her dad's laptop, typing in the password her dad thinks she doesn't know and helps herself to any files she can find. The Beacon Hills police department isn't full of idiots, there's something going on and Cam knows full and well, it's likely on her dad's laptop. So, she plugs in her flash drive and starts her night of nosy research.