Derek sat down across from Stiles at the kitchen table, and started to set up his checkers.

"You've been getting some pretty low grades lately." Derek commented, watching the boy place his red gamepieces on the board. "You wanna talk about it?" He asked.

"I can't pay attention in class." Stiles said, squirming around in his seat. "My brain gets distracted alot, and I have trouble listening to the teacher." He said, shrugging. "Besides, it's hard to listen to the teacher all day long, when school is so boring. I'd rather listen to your stories."

Derek moved his checker across the board. "Have you been taking your Adderall?" He asked, as he watched Stiles take his turn.

"Yup." Stiles said.

"If I'm distracting you in class, maybe I should wait outside till recess. So you can focus on your schoolwork instead of listening to my stories." Derek suggested.

"Aww," Stiles said, frowning. "I guess."

For the next few days, Derek sat patiently beside the chainlink fence, at the playground entrance. His head tilted to one side, Derek kept his eyes trained on the classroom window for any sign of Scott or Stiles.

Stiles used the excuse of sharpening his pencil, to stare out the window at the wolf. He waved, and grinned when Derek thumped his tail against the concrete, giving a sharp bark.

"Who are you waving at?" Danny asked, looking curiously out the window. He only saw the empty playground. "There's no-one there." Danny said, looking back to Stiles.

Stiles gave him a strange look. "My Wolf." He said, going back to his desk.

Stiles walked home, and was surprised to see both his parent's vehicles in the driveway. He ran into the kitchen, slamming the door behind him. He could hear his parents in the living room, their voices hushed. Claudia and John stopped talking as they listend to their son dig through the fridge. Stiles grabbed a juicebox and a banana, and headed upstairs.

"Come on," Stiles whispered. "Something's important going on." He told Derek, as they sat on the top of the stairs. He sucked back the juicebox, as he listened to them talk. Stiles entwined his hand through Derek's coarse fur, as he sat completely still.

" . . . I just don't know what we'll do if you get sick." John said, sounding terrified. "It sounds like you're getting worse, and the doctors don't know what's wrong with you."

"Shhh," Claudia said. "We don't want to worry Stiles." She said, her voice sounded like she'd been recently crying.

"They scheduled an MRI, hopefully that will give us a better understanding of what exactly this is." John said. "Oh God, Claudia. How are we even going to be able to afford this? I'll have to start taking extra shifts at the station."

Stiles went back to his room, and picked up his walky-talky.

"Scotty, do you read me?" He asked. "Scott, this is important."

"Loud and clear, Stiles." Scott answered. "I read you."

"Something's wrong with my mom. I think she's sick." Stiles said. "I'm going to your house."

"Okay."

"Mom! I'm going to Scott's!" Stiles shouted, as he grabbed his bike and helmet off the porch.

"Be back by supper!" Claudia called out to him, as he pedaled furiously down the street. Derek padded alongside him on the road, easily keeping up with him.

Scott and Stiles asked Melissa, Scott's mom, if they could go biking to the park across town.

"Sure." She said. "Scott, I need you back by nightfall. It's a school night."

Scott scratched Derek behind the ears. "Hey, Derek." He said, snapping on his helmet strap under his chin. They coasted down the hill, letting go of their handlebars as they flew down the road.

Stiles repeated what he'd overheard to his best friend, as they climbed onto the playground equipment.

"Are you worried about your mom?" Scott asked, as they hung upside down from the monkey bars. "That's pretty scary." He said.

"Yeah." Stiles said. "What if she dies or something? Grown-ups aren't supposed to die, especially not parents."

"My grandma died a few years ago." Scott said, pulling himself up.

"Yeah, but she was super old, though." Stiles reminded him. "Mom's like, thirty five."

"When's her MRI test?" Scott asked.

"I dunno."

It was starting to get dark out, so the boys biked back to Scott's house. Scott hugged Stiles, and told him to call him on the walky-talky as soon as he knew if Claudia was going to be okay or not.

"See ya!" Scott said, running up the steps to go to dinner. Stiles pedaled to his house, and locked his bike in the backyard.

"Mom! I'm home!" Stiles hollered, as he kicked off his sneakers, and went up to his bedroom.