Isaac can tell the moment that he walks into the school that everyone's eyes and attention are on him, but he can't look anywhere other than down.
He knows that everyone is whispering, he can hear them, even if he can't make out what they're saying, and he's at least glad that no one's coming up to him, talking to him. He's practically counting the number of steps he has to make, giving himself something to focus on, in order to make it to his first period class, when he feels a hand on his shoulder.
Stiles is right there beside him, like he has been since they walked into the door, smiling at him. Stiles nods encouragingly, but there are no words, they just keep walking.
They pass the door to Stiles' first period class, but Stiles doesn't take his hand off Isaac's shoulder, doesn't stop, and Isaac can't voice how much he needs that, but he gets the feeling that Stiles knows, and that he understands just how much good he is doing for Isaac by being there, by walking him to class.
When they get to the door of the classroom, Stiles stops, holding Isaac's shoulder firmly, keeping him from entering the room just yet.
"You gonna be okay?" he asks, his voice low, soft, the words meant just for Isaac, and not for any of the prying ears trying to listen in for any details, or drama, or scandal that might have been left out of the article.
"I don't know," Isaac admits, because it's really better to be honest about that sort of thing.
"Okay, well if you're not, do you what you did last time, okay? Only text me. Go to the boy's bathroom, text me, and wait there. If you need to get out, I'll come get you, okay?"
"Okay." Isaac nods, though his eyes are nowhere near meeting Stiles'.
"Okay?" Stiles smiles at him. "You're gonna be just fine, okay? Just fine. Maybe people are talking about you, but at least you know one thing - they're all on your side. None of these kids, as stupid as they may be, think that you, in any way, deserved what your father is doing to you now, or what he was done to you in the past. You got that?"
"Okay." Isaac nods again, not really sure that he can say anything else.
"And remember, if you need to get out of here, just text me. That's all you have to do, and I'm there."
"Okay." Isaac nods yet again.
"Good luck, okay? It's just school."
"I know." Isaac bites his lip. "Stiles?"
"Yeah, buddy?"
"Thank you."
"Hey, no sweat." Stiles smiles at Isaac. "That's what friends or for."
With that, Stiles is off down the hallway to his own class, and Isaac is left nervous, but with a smile on his face.
Friends.
They're friends.
The first four classes go by in a blur, in a haze that Isaac sort of misses. He tunes everything out - and it's not just the whispers of his classmates, but the lectures from his teachers, and it's probably wildly clear that he's not paying attention, but no one calls him out for it, and why would they? He's the scared little kid who's daddy knocked him around.
No one's sure what to say to him.
When lunch comes, all Isaac wants to do is run and hide in the bathroom, because he doesn't think that he can handle a cafeteria full of people staring at him, but it's like Stiles is reading his mind, and heads him off just outside of his fourth period class.
"Come on," Stiles smiles. "Eat with me."
He doesn't give Isaac the chance to say no, just starts walking towards the cafeteria, and Isaac follows.
He follows because he trusts Stiles, because he knows that, of everyone in this school, Stiles is the one that has his back, the one that will have his back, no matter what. Stiles has been there for him for awhile now, and he's not quite sure how he got to the point of trusting the other man enough to follow him into a cafeteria full of curious, rumor-laiden, hormonal, teenagers, some of whom are plain evil...but he got there.
The line for food seems longer than it ever has before, and by the time Isaac and Stiles are carrying their tray to an empty table in the back, it feels like the lunch period should be over, but it's not. It's barely begun.
Stiles sits down, and Isaac sits right next to him, looking down at his food. No part of him is hungry at all, so he picks up the plastic fork and shoves the food around on his plate. It's not bad food, all things considered - it's a high school cafeteria, and it could be a lot worse, but nothing in him is ready for food, and he's so nervous that he's certain he would just throw up anything that he did manage to swallow.
He's so mesmerized by the movement of a grape across his plate that he starts, jumping a little, as another tray is set down at their table. He dares himself to look up, and there's Scott McCall, Stiles' best friend, and reserve player on the lacrosse team, sitting with them as though nothing is weird about that at all.
Seconds later, another tray sets down, and there's Jackson Whittemore, followed closely by Danny Mahealani, Greenberg, and about 8 other guys from the Lacrosse team.
None of them say anything to Isaac about anything, none of them say anything at all, they just sit down and eat their lunches while Isaac stares at them in awe and confusion.
"What?" Jackson asks, once a good half of the team is seated around the fairly small table.
"I just…I…" Isaac shrugs, saying nothing.
"You didn't think we'd let you go through this alone, did you?" Scott asks, looking at him with those big, brown eyes of his. Scott has always been a nice guy, but he's not always been the most clued in.
"We're a team," Danny interjects. "Team stands by each other."
Isaac just sort of stares at them, his mouth hanging open, because that's really not what he was expecting. At all.
He was expecting prying eyes, and prying ears, and people wanting in on the drama of it all, but he wasn't expecting anyone except for Stiles to stand by him, to be there for him, and to have half of the lacrosse team, guys he doesn't even talk to, guys he hardly even knows at all, sit with him, showing their support for him, it's fucking amazing, but it's also really overwhelming.
Isaac gulps, shifting nervously, and Isaac isn't sure if he's really obvious, or if Stiles is just really tuned in to him right now, but he reaches out, putting his hand on Isaac's shoulder, just like he did earlier when Isaac was freaking out, and Isaac is definitely starting to associate that gesture with comfort.
"Hey, it's okay," he says with a smile. "I told you, didn't I? Everyone's on your side, Isaac."
"All of us," Greenberg pipes up.
No one says anything to Greenberg this time. No one tells him to shut up, or makes fun of him, they just nod in agreement.
Isaac relaxes, but just a little bit. He's still hyper aware of everyone, of everything going on around him, but the fact that he's surrounded by people supporting him? That makes it a lot better.
"And hey," Jackson says with a smile, grabbing Isaac's attention. Isaac pays attention to Jackson, because he knows how much he owes the other man. Maybe Jackson won't come right out and say it, and he's not being public about how much he knows, but he saved Isaac's life, and he's going to do it again by testifying in court. "If anyone gives you any trouble about this, just let us know, okay?" He gestures at the guys. "We'll keep them off your back."
"Th-thank you," Isaac mutters, looking back down at his food.
He knows he should be saying more, showing his gratitude in more intense ways, but the small thanks is about all that he can manage right now. It's an overwhelming feeling, but in the best way possible. To have that many people rallying around him, people that he thought would be cruel, people that he didn't expect to care about him at all, feels really good. It makes him feel cared about, special, and most of all, it shows him that Stiles was right.
People don't think that he deserved what happened to him, and if no one else thinks it, then why should he?
"Here." Stiles reaches on to Isaac's plate and takes the tuna sandwich. "If you're not gonna eat it…"
"Go ahead." Isaac can't help but smile, because if anyone else took food off of his plate, he'd be upset at the personal space boundary being broken, but it's Stiles, and the way that Stiles smiles back just before biting into the sandwich makes him feel good, makes him feel happy.
Stiles makes him feel happy, and more importantly than that? Stiles makes him feel safe.
A/N Alright, some people were asking for Isaac to have other friendships, and I do plan on that! I want his relationship with Stiles to be solid, trust comes VERY slowly to Isaac, so this is him, starting to get a feel for trusting other people, for letting others in. I wanted solidarity to be shown, and I hope that you guys approve of, and support the way that I went about it! Thanks so much for reading, and I love you all!