Chapter 4: Ice Pick Part 2

Does anyone actually read these? Maybe in the first chapter, but after that I'm sure it's just second nature to skip it because I babble a bit. Anyways, there's an important author's note at the bottom and it'd be awesome if you guys read and responded to it.

Enjoy!

The next morning I felt someone shake my shoulder in an attempt to wake me up. I groggily turned my body so I wasn't facing the curtain which was nonetheless, open. Suddenly, I felt cool air as a result of my bedding being pulled off of me.

Okay, either this person is really keen to see my bed head, or they really want me to go to school.

I eventually pulled myself up and looked around my room for my harasser only to find it empty. My guess was Isaac or the ghost of my old phone. I stumbled out of my room and went to Matt's, already knowing he was in the shower. I stole his phone to send Stiles a quick text asking (more like telling) him to pick me up this morning since Matt and I were in that weird post-asthma attack mood.

I quickly showered and dressed and even had a little time to clean up the mess I left while getting ready. I would say Isaac is a good alarm clock, but because of him, I'm picking up my bedding off the floor.

I heard honking and saw the Jeep with Scott waiting outside on the passenger's side.

"Learn something, kid," my dad advised as I went out the front door.

Words of wisdom, right?

Scott opened the door so I could take the hump. Walking past him, I felt his eyes follow me as I slung my back pack in the back and adjusted myself between the two boys. "What?"

"You smell familiar," he commented, flaring his nostrils a bit. "Like fugitive familiar."

Stiles looked over at the two of us with a confused expression etched on his face. "What are you talking about?"

Scott sent me that stupid, disappointed look. "Quit it, Scott. You're freaking me out," I defended poorly, shifting my weight in my seat. He continued to stare with same expression and waited for an explanation. "And why are you so familiar with the fugitive scent, huh?"

"Okay whatever," Stiles huffed, starting the car and putting it in gear. "You two weirdos can keep talking in code while Stiles chauffeurs and continues to be left out of the loop."

"You're referring to yourself in third person and we're the weirdos?" Scott asked rhetorically.

"By default, yes."

Despite getting a decent night's rest, school felt like dream. A foggy, far away dream. A part of this feeling is blamed on Matt—well, not him, but his asthma. The embarrassment he always seemed to feel after one of his attacks made things seem off. I can never place the feeling, but it's definitely something.

What felt like ages, the dismissal bell for lunch finally rang. Thank god, because I was close to actually dying from boredom in geometry.

I walked with haste to get to my locker while the insane lunch rush started. Shutting my locker, I jumped with a start to see a smirking Erica standing behind the locker door. "Jumpy, aren't we?" She chimed, examining her nails.

I must have been in the zone to not hear nor see her approach me. Again, the people around me have a ridiculous stealth. When Erica didn't say anything else I took a moment to take her in. She was wearing a short, tight leather skirt, a white shirt and-oh no, a leather jacket.

She has to be in Miguel's pack.

"As much as I appreciate you bringing me my stuff to the hospital yesterday," she began thoughtfully. "I just couldn't figure out why considering we've only talked about chemical equations and quadratic formulas."

I rubbed the back of my neck nervously and glanced around for any indication of Scott or Stiles. "Yeah," I chuckled. "I figured you didn't wanna hang around in a gown or sweaty gym clothes. But clearly that ship has sailed."

"You figured right," she agreed, taking a step toward me. I lifted an eyebrow skeptically and glanced around to see if anyone was watching us. Thankfully the halls were empty thanks to today's tater tots. "But now I'm feeling much better," she drawled.

Okay, she definitely got the bite.

"That's great to hear," I mused with a polite smile. Wanting to find Scott to relay the news, I pointed toward the general direction of the cafeteria. "I was heading to lunch."

"I'll walk you. Plus, I wanna turn a couple of heads," she added, walking ahead of me. My eyes found their way to her leather skirt and I found myself wondering how much could the bite do for me. "Yeah, you'll definitely turn a few heads," I murmured under my breath.

"I know," she called out, throwing open the cafeteria doors. The gush of wind blew her hair back perfectly. Meanwhile, I was tugging a few rogue strands out of my face.

Why do I feel like this is all happening in slow motion? Oh, yeah because she taking her sweet time. I can't even get to my normal table because she keeps getting in my way.

Great, now she wants to eat an apple. We don't have time for you to boost your immune system. We get it, Erica, you look amazing—I can't think of a single person who could pull off wearing that much leather (Miguel, probably). But, please, keep it moving.

"Bye," she smirked. I waved halfheartedly and began heading to my table.

"Let's go," Stiles announced before I even got a foot away from the space I was just trapped in. Scott wasn't too far ahead of him.

Ugh, I just want tots, man.

I grabbed the apple Erica had bitten and shrugged at the poor guy in response. By the time I had caught up with Stiles and Scott, Derek's Camaro was driving away.

"What do you guys think?"

"This apple is way bruised, no wonder she left it," I quipped through a small mouthful.

Stiles turned to frown at me. "Did you even see her?"

"Yeah," I shrugged, taking another bite. "She looks good,"

"Good? Out of all the adjectives you could've used, you go with good?" He asked, mocking me poorly.

"I'm hungry, give me a break, Stilnski."

"How did you even see her? You got to lunch late."

"Are you kidding me? I was right behind her," I defended, tossing the soft apple away. Stiles looked thoughtful for a moment as he mused. "Hm, at least you weren't blocking the view."

"Has anyone ever told you that you suck?"

"Guys, can we focus for a second?" Scott asked. Stiles and I turned our attention to him as we stopped in the almost empty hallway. "Okay so, Derek is clearly up to something."

"Agreed—first Isaac, Jackson, and now Erica?"

"Jackson?"

So, that's what it's like to hear things in real life stereo.

"Maybe," I corrected, biting the inside of my cheek. "The other day I confronted—well, I had a run in—more like a chat. Chat sounds good, right?" I asked without waiting for an answer. "Well, I guess you could call it—"

"Are you—sneaking away with Jackson?" Scott interrupted. Stiles leaned in in anticipation of my answer.

"N-no. No! No way. He has something that I need back," I stuttered as my face began to turn very warm very fast. That obviously wasn't the right answer seeing the look on Stiles and Scott's faces. "Something that he borrowed, okay? My point is that he was acting skittish."

"Skittish?" Scott asked. He took a deep breath before unclenching his jaw. "Did he hurt you?"

"No," I sighed. "He—" My growling stomach was the one interrupting this time. I get it, I hear ya. "I pretended that I knew something that I didn't to try to blackmail Jackson to get what I need back from him. Then he mentioned Derek and started acting sketchy. He also told me to tell you that Isaac isn't our problem, it's Derek's. So, he definitely knows something."

"He's either getting the bite soon or already has it," Scott mumbled mostly to himself. "But I would smell it on him."

There was moment of silence as we all shared a look between us. "That doesn't make any sense," Stiles said, breaking the silence.

With a shrug and a glance toward the vending machines down the hall, "Maybe he started buying steroids from Derek."

"I think I believe in the abominable snowman more than that," Stiles shot back.

"Maybe it's reinforcements then," I sighed.

"Reinforcements?" Scott said.

I nodded before continuing. "Remember that night he made you watch the omega get cut in half?"

"Yeah," he flinched.

"Oh, and the other hunter from my dad's station!" Stiles added.

"There ya go. Plus with that thing with the tail on the loose that's, apparently, tied to Isaac. He needs all the help he can get since you refuse to join his pack. Or maybe it's just a power move. Has Derek ever needed a reason to do the things he does?"

"I guess that makes sense," Scott said thoughtfully.

"It doesn't! Who does he think he is?" Stiles demanded, gesturing wildly. "Who's gonna babysit all these new werewolves come full moon time, huh? If people weren't suspicious of him before then they will be now!"

The very beginning signs of a headache had began to appear. Sure it was an easy fix that food could solve. But why miss this golden opportunity to go to the school nurse for nice, midday nap. For good measure, I began rubbing my eyes. "Guys, I think I'm head to the school nurse. Probably get some ice, maybe a band-aid, who knows?"

"Are you okay?"

"I hope so."

Remember the days where you could walk (slide across your hardwood floor with socks) around your own house without worrying about ADHD dorks intruding? Yeah, me too.

I didn't even bother to pause the music playing from my iHome when I spotted Stiles taking off his shoes and kicking them aside. "How did you get in my house?"

"I had a key made," Stiles stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I swear this boy doesn't even know what the word boundaries mean.

"Don't look at me like that. You're the one leaving your keys everywhere," he accused. I suddenly got a whiff of something seriously smelly and by the looks of it, it was definitely Stiles.

"State your business, Stilinski."

"Erica definitely got the bite."

"What gave it away?" I asked sarcastically, wafting the smell away from me. "And why do you smell worse than Greenburg after lacrosse practice?"

"She threw me in a dumpster."

"You think Erica got the bite because she threw you in a dumpster..?" I asked skeptically. He nodded dramatically as if that explained it all.

"Why? You have any other theories?"

"Whenever I went to take her clothes to the hospital, I ran into Derek who asked me why I smelled like Erica," I mocked in my best Miguel voice.

"He knows her? How did he even find her? Did he say anything else? You think he bit her at the hospital?" He asked frantically. He only paused because I sent him a stoic expression. "What?"

"I was waiting for the questions to stop," I replied, lifting an eyebrow. "Apparently. He's a creep. No, he just got really quiet and left. And definitely considering Erica wasn't in her room when I finally got there."

"Are you serious? How come you didn't say anything earlier?"

"You guys were tied up in your double date!" I argued. "Besides, I was tired and I didn't think it was that relevant," I shrugged sheepishly.

"Well, it's pretty freaking relevant now if you ask me!"

"Derek can be very convincing! It's not like we can stop him from biting people!"

"Still! Me or Scott could've—"

"What? Stopped Derek from giving her the bite? State your case?—"

"Yes, because doing something is better than doing nothing."

I huffed and looked up at my ceiling. As if my life could get any more dramatic than this. And yes, now that I think about it, Derek visiting the hospital was very suspicious. Was I going to admit that Stiles was right? Of course not. "Look, man, did you come here to stink up place while you yell at me or what?"

"A little bit of this, a little bit of that," he quipped. With that, I turned to go trudge back to the kitchen to finish up my homework. If Stiles can't tell me why he's here, then he might as well be helpful when it comes to my homework. Assuming that he followed me because of the smell which makes me wonder how long he was in the dumpster. "What did you say to make her throw you in a dumpster?" I asked, turning off my music.

"She knocked me out," he shrugged. He brought his hand up to his head and began lightly rubbing the spot. Despite our small argument, I couldn't help but to wince at Stiles. Rolling my eyes at my soft spot, I went to freezer to grab something frozen for his head. Due to the lack of ice packs in this house, I've learned broccoli works pretty well.

"Here," I offered, handing him the bag.

He eyed the back skeptically, but smirked and took it anyways. "Broccoli?"

"It's good for other stuff than insane amounts of vitamin C," I quipped, leaning over the kitchen island to finish where I left off on my homework.

"Wasn't that due yesterday?"

"Yeah, but I told Harris I was having lady issues again and he gave me an extension," I answered distractedly. "It makes me wonder if he knows how long an actual period lasts."

"Ew," Stiles frowned, adjusting the bag. I rolled my eyes shortly. I heard another person enter the room and assumed it was Matt since Dad was gone until early tomorrow morning and Isaac wasn't going to show his face anytime soon. "Hey, Matt," I greeted, still enthralled by my work.

"Hey, Scott," Stiles said pointedly.

I whipped my head toward Stiles and then to where Scott supposedly was. "How'd you get in here?"

Scott pointed up to the general direction of my room. "Window." In response, I mouthed the word 'Oh' silently. Admittedly, that was on me. Actually, it was on Isaac, but I'll split the blame this time. "It stinks in here," Scott commented.

"Erica," was all Stiles had said. Scott looked to me to explain further. "Erica threw him in a dumpster. He won't tell me why."

In unison, Scott and I turned our heads to Stiles for an explanation. "It's not relevant," was all he came up with. Man, if my looks could kill I could take down the whole town. Supernatural creatures included.

"What's up, Scott? I hope you have a better reason for coming over."

"So…" Scott seemingly brushed off Stiles and walked over to the island and began rhythmically tapping his fingertips on the granite counter. "Deaton knows."

"Knows what?" Stiles asked.

"Everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

"Meaning like every single thing?"

"Yes, Stiles everything."

"About you?"

"Yes."

"And Isaac?"

"Yeah."

"And Derek?"

"Yeah."

"Gian—"

"Okay, I think we get it. Deaton knows everything. He's god, okay?" I concluded. "What's your point?"

"He knows a lot. More than Derek maybe, but now I feel like he's another person I have to protect."

"Of course he is," Stiles agreed. "Otherwise he would have ended up being Alpha food that night we ended up trapped in the school."

"He's right. Even though you can't protect everyone, you have to try. At least until this thing with a tail is gone," I finished with a nod. I tried to focus back on my homework until Scott spoke up. "One more thing, I can smell Isaac's scent in your room."

"You're hanging out with fugitive werewolves now?"

"Is that why you came through my window?" I asked, ignoring Stiles' jab. It strangely feels like I just got caught doing something I wasn't supposed to do. But it didn't feel like I was doing anything wrong. Which probably meant that I was. Who's keeping count anyway?

"Why?"

"Because we're friends."

"Well, he can't hang around here. Or around you really."

"According to the law, he can't hang out with anyone."

This time I spun around to shoot at look a Stiles, but managed to bite my tongue before giving my attention back to Scott. "Why?" I asked shortly. The amount of people telling me what to do had reached capacity a long, long time ago.

"Because he's dangerous."

"And you were once just like him," I accused, getting frustrated. "He just needs a little support getting to the same place you are—"

"And he isn't there yet because he doesn't have an anchor, and he could kill you."

"He won't."

"He could," Stiles added from behind me. I turned around to glare at him again because he wasn't helping my case in any way. "Holding cell," he pointed out.

I rolled my eyes and turned back to Scott. "That was…different." Wow, I deserve an Oscar for that lie. "He wasn't gonna do anything."

Scott let out a short scoff. "You don't know that."

"Neither do you."

"Charlie, you even said it yourself that I can't protect everyone!" He argued.

"I know, Scott," I sighed. "You can't be everywhere at once and with that thing on the loose at least Isaac can be around when you're not."

"And you don't think that's dangerous?"

"Oh, like it's so safe for you to be dating a werewolf hunter in training? Secretly on top of that. If her family finds out you're both dead," I argued.

"Guys—" I threw up my finger to silence Stiles and was surprised when it worked.

"That's different."

"How?"

"Because—"

"You're a hypocrite?"

"No," Scott huffed. He blinked and stared down at the tops of his shoes to calm down. "Just promise me you won't see him."

Well, shit. I forgot how hard it is to say no to those stupid big, brown eyes. And if we're being completely fair, Scott truly couldn't be everywhere at once, not matter how hard he tries.

"Fine," I mumbled, looking away from him before I promise anything else. "But I can't help if he follows me anywhere when I'm alone."

"I guess that's fair," Scott said. "In a creepy, stalker kinda way."

"There it is again," Stiles began. "Your heroism. Are you sure you don't wanna try making out? Just a kiss maybe?"

"Shut up."

Aaand there ya have it! Part 2 of Ice-Pick. I already have Abomination written, I just need a little motivation (reviews~) to post it! Also I know it's kinda early for this, but who would you guys prefer to see Charlie with? So leave review letting me know what you think :)