A/N: I don't own anything, except for the characters I've created. Thank you for following and favoriting my story and thank you for commenting! Sorry to have kept you waiting but here you have it: Chapter Five.

Chapter Five

Candice glanced behind her at the modern cube-shaped house, wondering how long it would take Luke to notice she had left and decide the coast was clear to scope out some other girl. She figured it probably wouldn't take him that very long.

"Are you coming?" the guy in the black leather jacket asked her, his arms folded over the roof of his car. Candice nodded and crossed the lawn to the black Camaro where it was parked alongside the curb. She gave Derek a small smile in thanks as she opened the door to the backseat. He tapped the roof of the car twice before he too got inside.

"Thanks for this," she said as she put her seatbelt on. "I'm Candice by the way."

"Derek," he muttered back.

Candice gave him her address while he started the engine. 70s rock music started blaring from the sound system, startling Candice and Allison both, but he was quick to lower the volume and switch to a radio station.

They had just started driving down the street when Allison twisted around in her seat in the front until she could see Candice in the back. "You're not catching a ride with Luke?"

"Not tonight."

"Did you guys get into a fight?" Allison asked, tucking her dark brown hair behind her ear.

"No." Candice gave a little shake of her head. "I just couldn't stay there."

"You're not worried he'll be upset you left without telling him?"

Candice lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. "I doubt he'll really care. If there's one thing Luke knows it's how to have a good time."

The brunette narrowed her eyes in deep thought, probably recalling Candice's lack of surprise after just finding out her boyfriend had been flirting with the new girl during class.

"I thought it would help me, you know," Candice admitted, lowering her eyes to her lap. She fidgeted with the tennis bracelet around her wrist. Luke had given it to her on their first Valentine's Day together. "I thought a party was exactly what I needed to get my mind off everything but… I can't just pretend everything is right in the world."

Allison cocked her head. "Have they had any progress in finding her yet?" Candice shook her head. "Not at all?" Another shake of her head. "They'll find her," Allison said, her face crumpling up with sympathy as she tried to come off as reassuring.

Candice was able to work up a small smile of appreciation as the other girl reached over and squeezed her knee before settling back in her seat.

She sneaked a glance over at Derek in the rearview mirror and froze when he was already looking at her. He was looking at her in the same way he had earlier when he had been trying to get a read on her; with a small frown. Their eyes stayed connected for another long moment before he had to tear them away to focus on the road.

Candice leaned forward between the seats when he turned in on her street, her blonde hair brushing the side of his shoulder. "It's the third house on the right."

He pulled over to the curb outside the red brick home.

"Thanks again for the ride," she said as she started to get out. He gave her a curt nod but didn't say anything. "I'll see you on Monday, Allison."

"Yeah, have a good rest of the weekend!"

Candice walked up the flagstone path to the front porch, climbed the steps, and turned the handle of the blue-painted door. She stepped into the foyer and removed her flats, letting them dangle from her fingers as she headed towards the living room.

"Candice?" her dad's voice called over the sound of whatever romantic comedy was playing on the TV.

"Yeah," she said as she entered the room. Her mother was asleep on the brown leather couch, her feet resting in her husband's lap under a plaid blanket.

"You're home early." He looked at her with concern over the back of the couch. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," Candice replied. "I'm just tired and took a ride home with Allison."

"Allison?"

"The new girl."

He nodded, the concern in his eyes still there. "How are you holding up?"

"It's been a rough few days," she told him truthfully.

"They'll find her, though. Your uncle has been in contact with the sheriff department every day. He will let us know as soon as he hears anything, okay? They'll find her."

Candice nodded and refrained from asking him in what condition he thought they might find her in. "Goodnight, Dad," she said instead.

"Sleep tight," she heard him reply as she turned and went back to the foyer where she started up the stairs.

Candice approached her locker on Monday after leaving her first period English class with Mr. Henderson. Her steps faltered a little bit when she noticed Luke was waiting for her, his shoulder leaned against the locker next to hers on the right. He was looking down at the iPhone in his hands, his thumbs moving rapidly over the small screen.

"Hey," she greeted him and bit her lower lip when he took his own sweet time to finish the text and press send before putting his phone away. "How was the rest of your weekend?" she asked tentatively as she put in her locker combination.

"Great," he said with heavy sarcasm. "Except I was a little confused as to why my girlfriend totally disappeared on me on Friday night and was seen getting into a car with some other guy."

"I'm sorry I left like that," Candice apologized and pressed a sweet kiss to his lips. Luke crossed his arms defiantly, the muscles in his arms tensing.

"Oh, so you're not gonna tell me what getting into another dude's car was all about?"

Candice reached into her locker and grabbed her American history textbook before meeting Luke's hard eyes. "It was nothing," she assured him. "I don't even know him. He's a friend of Scott McCall's and when he offered Allison a ride home after Scott took off, I asked if he could drive me home too. So, you see, it was nothing."

"Allison was with you?"

"Yes," Candice said with an exasperated sigh and took his hand in hers. She stroked the back of his hand with her thumb.

"Nothing happened? He just drove you guys home?"

"Straight home. He even dropped me off first." She watched him slowly nod his head and exhale a sigh of relief. "We're good?"

Luke smiled sweetly. "Yeah," he said. "I guess Brandy forgot to mention she saw Allison getting into the car as well."

Candice dropped his hand and hugged her textbook to her chest. "Brandy?"

"Yeah, she was at Jackson's party."

"I know she was." She smiled tightly. "Did you and she have a good time?" She held her hand up as Luke opened his mouth to deny what she was suggesting. "Save it."

She slammed her locker closed and started walking in the direction of her next class but had only taken a few steps when he snatched up her hand and spun her around so that she was facing him.

"Babe," he pleaded. "I didn't do anything with her, I swear."

"Honestly, Luke," Candice said, lifting her shoulders. "I don't even know if I care at this point what you do."

He didn't make an effort to stop her this time when she turned around but she could feel his eyes on her as she walked away.

Candice paid for her salad and bottle of sparkling water before balancing her tray over to her usual table in the school cafeteria. She purposely took a seat on the opposite end of the table from where Luke was sitting. She wasn't sure whether she was still mad at him or not but she wasn't ready to act like nothing quite yet.

Allison was sitting in the seat across from her and smiled up at her.

"Hey," Candice greeted her as she removed the plastic lid of her chicken salad.

"Hi, how's your day going so far?"

Candice glanced at Luke out of the corner of her eye and heaved her chest in a heavy sigh. "Luke and I had a bit of an argument in the hallway earlier."

Allison made an apologetic face. "I know, I heard."

Candice picked up her fork and stabbed a spinach leaf. "You know," she said in a hushed tone. "I can't believe he had the nerve to be angry with me for getting a ride home with some guy when he was probably making a move on Brandy the minute he noticed I'd left." She blew out a frustrated huff and realized that maybe she was still mad at him.

"Brandy Evans? I have economics and P.E. with her."

"He pulls this crap all the time, but do I ever make a scene in the school hallway? No. I let it go."

Allison folded her arms on the edge of the table and leaned into them. "Let me see if I got this straight," she said with a slight frown. "You're not mad your boyfriend is hooking up with other girls. You're mad because he obviously cares if you would start hooking up with someone else."

Candice groaned and asked herself about when things had gotten so complicated. She laid down her fork and buried her face in her hands. "I know it sounds stupid."

"It doesn't just sound stupid," Allison said with a small laugh. "Can I ask you something?"

Candice waved her hand in the air as if to say, 'go ahead'.

"Why are you with him?" Allison whispered. "I mean, do you even want to be?"

Candice removed her hands from her face and really considered her question but finally just shrugged. "I don't know." She glanced at Luke again. He was in the middle of a discussion with Jackson and Danny Mahealani about something most likely lacrosse related. "I mean, I've known him for as long as I can remember. It's Luke."

Neither of them said anything for a long moment until Allison changed the subject. "Listen," she said quietly. "After we dropped you off at your house, Derek asked about you."

Candice picked up her fork to resume eating. "What about?"

"If whether we were talking about the missing girl," Allison replied. "I told him yes and explained she's your cousin. Was that all right for me to do?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Candice reassured her. "He asked."

Allison looked relieved. "Okay, good."

Candice poked around the food content in the plastic container. "Did he say anything else?"

Allison shook her head. "No, he was quiet again after that and drove me home. I think I left my blazer in his car though."

"Let's go!" the coach was shouting at his players when Candice took a seat on the bleachers after school had ended. She hadn't planned to come to watch Luke's lacrosse practice and he hadn't asked her to, but she figured showing her support was a nice peace offering.

"One-on-ones from up the top. Jackson, take the long stick today," Finstock shouted. "Attaboy."

The boys got into position on the field and Finstock blew his whistle.

"That's how you do it, Jackson. That's how you do it. Greenberg, take a lap, let's go!"

Candice smiled and waved when Luke finally looked up and noticed her. He broke into a grin and returned her wave.

"Reyes! Take your eyes off your little girlfriend unless you want to join Greenberg!"

"Yes, Coach," Luke replied but flashed Candice another wide smile before putting all his focus back into the exercise.

Candice dug out her phone and checked her messages but raised her gaze just in time to see Jackson slam Scott to the ground.

"Hey, McCall! You're sure you still want to be first line, McCall?" Finstock laughed as he walked up to the boy. "My grandmother can move faster than that and she's dead. Do you think you can move faster than the lifeless corpse of my dead grandmother?"

Candice scowled at the coach but she was used to his ways after attending countless practices and games over the past two and a half years she's been with Luke.

"I can't hear you," she heard him say to Scott.

"Yes, Coach," Scott said, loud enough that all his teammates and the few spectators on the sidelines heard him.

"Then do it again," Finstock told him. Scott listened and returned to his position. "McCall's gonna do it again," Finstock announced to everyone. "McCall's gonna do it again." He blew the whistle. "Let's go!"

Candice leaned forward, rested her elbows on her knees, clasped her hands in front of her and held her breath as Scott ran straight towards Jackson. She gasped and rose from her seat when he rammed into him, effectively knocking Jackson to the ground. With wide eyes, she watched Jackson clutch his shoulder and cry out in pain. Stiles left the bench and hurried to the middle of the field and helped Scott up to his feet while everyone else created a circle around their team captain.

Candice grabbed her backpack but when she looked towards the field again something else, or rather someone else, caught her attention. Looking like the stereotypical bad boy, dressed in a dark pair of jeans, a white shirt, and a black leather jacket, was Derek. His eyes were trained on Scott as Stiles led him off the field and towards the locker room. It looked like he was just about to leave when he spotted her on the bleachers, her red backpack hanging loosely off one shoulder.

Candice eyed him curiously and he held her gaze, an almost amused glint in his eyes. He gave her a nod of acknowledgment before looking away and walking in the direction of the parking lot.

She stepped down from the bleachers and wanted to trail after him but stopped in her tracks when her name was called.

"Candice, go get the nurse!"