Never in Genie's entire life had she met someone so possessed of self as Lydia Martin. There was something reassuring about how in-tune with herself the girl was, never missing a step as she strutted down the hallway and knowing that she was the center of attention. Genie squirmed at the sudden spotlight caused by simply following in Lydia's wake, her eyes flitting nervously at the people who parted towards the lockers on either side as their group shuffled past. She couldn't understand how Lydia was so comfortable center stage when Genie herself was so uncomfortable being in the wings. Truly, she'd rather not even be in the theater, but high school waited for no one. It would just be nice if no one knew who she was and she could breathe again without feeling like she was going to spontaneously combust.
Stiles bounded past her to catch up with Lydia, talking in a hushed whisper and glancing back at Genie uneasily. She averted her eyes, looking down at her cream colored tee under her cardigan and tuning out the increase of whispers. Obviously, she had made a severe miscalculation when thinking Malia was the right kind of person to have as a friend. When the girl had told her she was socially handicapped, she had taken that as a sign that she would be safely on the sidelines at school. She had been very, very wrong. Despite her best efforts, Genie realized, she had inadvertently joined what seemed to be the most popular group in school.
"Shit, shit, shit," she muttered, hands tightening around the strap of her backpack over her shoulder until her knuckles turned white from the pressure.
"Everything okay?"
Genie's head whipped to her left, met only with dark, concerned eyes and a contemplative stare from Scott. Instead of answering right away, she turned to look ahead of them again, watching as Stiles continued to whisper and then gesture in her direction. His efforts seemed to be blocked by a brick wall, his words falling on deaf ears as Lydia continued to lead the group towards the cafeteria. Glancing back over at Scott, Genie gave an uncomfortable half-smile, looking more like a grimace as she squared her shoulders and gathered herself.
"I, uh… Look, I really don't have to eat with you guys. It wouldn't be a big deal, really. It'd be cool if-"
"Hey, hey, hey," Scott cut in, stopping in his tracks and reaching out a hand to stop Genie by her elbow. Just in front of them, Malia turned and waited as well. The other two kept walking. Scott's eyebrows furrowed and his mouth turned down in confusion. "What're you talking about?"
Stalling, Genie looked down at her shoes and pulled her arm gently away from Scott's grasp. She barely saw the small nod he sent Malia, but the girl's brown boots stepped away from her own black flats. When Scott continued to stand there after the warning bell for the period rang, she looked up again. Her face was a bit flushed from her anxiety and her hands continued to wring at her backpack strap, but she worked up the nerve to continue what she had been saying.
"I appreciate you guys talking to me, and sitting with me, and inviting me to do things, but it's really okay. I don't… I don't really do well socially. I just get really anxious. I know I'm awkward and quiet and fidgety, and it's completely okay if I don't have lunch with-"
"Stiles once walked around for an entire day asking people why gay men didn't find him attractive. Our friend Danny, my mom, strangers. You don't have to worry about being awkward, or quiet, or fidgety. Trust me, you're fine," he confided, reaching out to settle a hand on Genie's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. She relaxed slightly into the friendly touch, letting out a breath she didn't realize she had been bottling up. When he gave her a wide smile and another quick clap on the shoulder, she let a small smile of her own match his. Scott seemed to take that as acceptance, and pushed her towards the door of the cafeteria with one last piece of wisdom.
"Besides, no one says no to Lydia Martin."
"Noted," she mumbled, a corner of her mouth staying quirked as she walked through the doors, Scott guiding her through the tables to meet the others. There was one more person sitting with them that hadn't been there at during the free period, her face split in an unsure grin up at Scott as she approached the table. Her eyes flickered to Genie for a moment before settling back on Scott as he pulled out the chair next to her to sit down. Left floundering for a moment, Genie bit down on her lower lip as she hesitated just outside their circle, watching as Malia looked up at her in confusion before pulling out the chair next to her with little poise.
With a wince at the screech of metal across linoleum, Genie took a seat and dropped her bag at her feet, eyes scanning over the cafeteria for a moment before settling back on the girl she hadn't met. She was turned towards Scott, leaning close to talk in his ear, until she pulled away and faced Genie in turn.
"Hi! I'm Kira. Scott said your name is Genie, right?" she asked, smiling and glancing up at the others at the table for confirmation.
Genie nodded, her lips pulling into a tight smile as she saw Stiles dig into his food grumpily without a word. "Yeah, yes. That's- I, uh- Well, Lydia said I could sit with you guys for the day, so I hope that's alright," she replied, her voice raising to be just above the natural hum of the room.
There was hardly any hesitation when Kira's face widened into a full smile, her eyes crinkling as she leaned into Scott's side. "Of course it's alright. Why wouldn't it be?"
Another smile spread across Genie's face, her cheeks warming at the welcome. Leaning over to her bag, she listened quietly as the group began to talk amongst themselves. Lydia tried to explain a math problem over Genie's head to Malia with little luck, and Scott insisted to Stiles that Derek was okay since the incident days prior. Genie let the din around her become white noise as she pulled out a plastic baggie of carrots and began to munch on them as quietly as possible.
It had taken Genie a while to eat anywhere but a bathroom stall in her previous high school, her nerves of starting at new school only amplified by the fact that she had been the lowest of the low on the social food chain. She had been new to the town to begin with, not to mention starting as a freshman at Jefferson High School. The students were generally a little more well-off financially, something Genie herself was no stranger to, but collectively the student body was a monster of a being. For months, she had felt unwelcome in the halls, shuffling past crowds of people with her head ducked low, until she was no longer barely scraping along without a friend. A transfer student halfway through the year, Emily, was friendly enough to give her a little confidence. They were both incredibly shy, but it was something just to have someone to sit with in the cafeteria during lunch. She had been Genie's only real friend at Jefferson, though they weren't particularly close. Genie missed her all the same, and hoped she was doing well after the accident she'd had at the end of last year. Unfortunately, Genie's mom's job had just finished up its project in New York, and their family was packing up and leaving before Genie could even wrap her head around everything that had happened.
Violent coughing startled Genie from her memories, the girl shaking her head to clear her mind and looking towards Stiles. He was leaning over the table as he tried to clear his throat. His eyes, however, were locked on the cafeteria doors, watching intently as a tall figure ducked into the room and looked around uncertainly. The rest of the table looked at Stiles in concern, Malia slamming her hand against his back as he tried to wave off her aggressive tactics to helping him breathe. Still struggling to speak, he widened his eyes dramatically and looked back and forth between the table and the blonde at the door, urging the rest to do the same.
"Oh my God, it's Isaac," Lydia whispered, her hand clenching around the notebook she had been about to hand Malia. She retracted her hand and clutched the book reflexively to her chest. Taking in a quick breath, Genie sat up a little straighter, swallowing a chunk of carrot too quickly and feeling her eyes water at the burn.
"Who's Isaac?" she asked Lydia quietly, clearing her throat and rubbing at her neck as Scott stood to walk over to the boy. Lydia glanced at her quickly, shaking her head in a signal that now wasn't the time to talk about it as she watched the interaction by the door intently. The boy ducked his head a little when Scott drew near him, wary looking eyes watching him carefully. Apparently Scott didn't care for the look, shaking his head and drawing the boy into a quick, one-armed hug. Scott jerked his head in the direction of the table, waiting until the taller boy seemed to acquiesce to his suggestion to start moving back towards them all. Genie watched it all with rapt attention, unable to take her eyes off of the situation despite the obvious livewire now running through the table.
Lydia stood up when the two boys reached them, walking around to the other side and rocking up on her toes to press a small kiss against the blonde boy's and hug him. He returned the gesture only half-heartedly, the smile not quite reaching his eyes and only causing a twitch in his lips. Kira opted only to hug him before making way for Stiles to clap a hand against his back. Instead of getting up to greet him, Malia opted to give him a distracted salute and turn back to her homework quickly. An uncomfortable silence enveloped the table once everyone was settled back in their seats.
Her eyes only stayed focused on the new boy, Isaac, for a moment before she felt her face go warm in discomfort. Genie looked back down at her carrots while Isaac was riffling to grab food from his bag, avoiding introducing herself for as long as possible. Luckily, Stiles spoke up to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"How was, uh… How was France?" he asked, his voice pitched a little higher than it had been in the library. Another awkward pause ensued before the blonde cleared his throat to respond.
"Cold. Who knew that France could be cold in winter? Well, Chris knew, but I wasn't exactly prepared for the trip," he said, the chuckle at the end of his sentence sounding hollow and barely there.
Stiles let out an amused huff. "I bet you were plenty prepared, what with all of your fashionable scarves."
The laugh that Isaac let out was a little more humorous the second time, the collective mood of the table lifting with it. Genie felt comfortable enough to start gnawing at another carrot, leaning back in her seat a little. Her eyes lifted to see Isaac staring at her with an eyebrow quirked, her shoulders rising almost defensively against the look he was giving her. She fisted a hand in her cardigan, curling her fingers into the fabric tensely until Isaac looked away as Scott began to speak.
"So, did Mr. Argent get any of my messages? I've been trying to keep him updated with everything that's been happening, but he hasn't really been responding," Scott said, worrying the inside of his cheek with his teeth before taking a bite of his sandwich. Isaac shook his head a little, looking back down at the apple in his hand.
"I don't really know. He didn't tell me anything. He's just- He's taking some more time for himself."
'How strange this all is,' Genie thought, eyes flitting from person to person quickly. There was an unspoken tension she hadn't seen in the previous period, accented by the sadness in Scott and Isaac's eyes most particularly. Lydia was much quieter than she had been in the library, choosing to eat and write neatly in her notebook instead of continue to help Malia with her work. Kira, by Scott's side, wouldn't look up from her hands. Even Malia seemed more reserved, speaking in hushed tones to Stiles, who sat on her other side. Though the tension had been relieved slightly by Stiles's humor, there was an underlying current of unsettling emotion that curled deep in Genie's stomach and set her on edge. Without a word, she sealed up her bag of carrots, only half eaten, and turned instead to taking small sips of her water, trying to push down the sudden nausea hitting her.
"Okay, seriously Genie, do you have some kind of condition?" Malia questioned, looking up from her worksheet suddenly and turning towards the girl in question. Her eyes were squinted as she pointed at Genie with her pencil before starting to chew on the eraser end.
She could feel her face heat up, glancing at the rest of the table, noting how everyone was looking at her expectantly. It seemed as if the whole cafeteria grew louder, her head throbbing with the sudden noise. The anxiety sent a tremor through her, her hands shaking as she fisted them tighter in her cardigan. "No. No, I don't have a- No conditions," Genie stuttered out, voice a little rougher as she tried to keep herself from frowning too severely. The girl didn't look convinced. A cursory glance at the rest of the table told her they weren't either. Genie let out a nervous breath, leaning back in her chair and feeling her face heat up as she stared fixedly at her water bottle on the table.
"She's fine, you guys," Scott added, a tone of authority in his voice. When Genie looked up, she saw him staring everyone into submission before turning to shoot her a friendly smile. She smiled back what little she could and slumped in her seat, breathing out a sigh and taking another swig from her water bottle.
The idle chatter that had started up just before Isaac had arrived resurfaced with Scott's encouragement, the group talking about how their classes were going after break and what events they were excited for coming up. Scott and Stiles started raving about the upcoming lacrosse try-outs.
"No, seriously, Scott. You're going to get co-captain again, and I'm going to get first line, and Isaac is going to get first line, and it's going to be great. We're going to tear that field apart and-"
"I'm not trying out this season," Isaac interjected in a measured voice, taking a quick bite of his apple when he was fixed with baffled stares. The girls all kept their eyes down, not willing to push the subject, but Stiles wouldn't stop gaping.
"No, no, no, Isaac. C'mon. You've got to try out. It'll be awesome," he insisted, leaning back in his chair and spreading out his arms as if explaining it in the first place was an insult to his intelligence. Issac shrugged and scrunched his nose before settling his face back to neutral, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. "Seriously? Scott, c'mon, tell him."
Scott pulled a face, eyebrows rising and eyes wide as he opened and closed his mouth quickly, attempting to speak but unable to get out any words. With a huff, Stiles turned to the rest of the table, gesturing wildly towards Isaac, but no one else spoke up. In a fit of disappointment, he collapsed backward in his chair, stopping only to shove a handful of chips in his mouth. Isaac smiled tensely, lips pulled too far sideways and not enough upwards, as he looked away from his apple and over at Genie. He raised his eyebrow again, biting a large chunk out of the apple as he stared her down. No one else seemed to notice, all wrapped up in their own smaller conversations or homework. Genie smiled in response, her tense smile matching his own, and looked down. Her eyes remained trained on her lap for the rest of the lunch period.
When the bell rang for the next period, Genie stood with the rest of the group, promising Lydia quietly that they would talk the next day during the free period before lunch. Lydia smiled brightly, reminding Genie she was also stealing her away to go shopping after school tomorrow as well. With a nod, Genie turned to head down the hall to her next class, letting herself relax a little more in the sea of currently nameless faces. Pulling her schedule form her pocket, she glanced over the crumpled words to see that her U.S. Government and Economics class was only a few rooms down, so Genie slowed her pace. Her eyes stayed fixed on the floor just in front of her shoes as she wove her way through the crowd. Another pair joined hers, walking at the same leisurely pace by her side, the boots scuffing just a little against the ground. When she reached the door to her classroom, she paused to look up at her companion.
Isaac didn't say a word, choosing instead to raise a hand and gesture for Genie to walk in first. With a hesitant nod, she stepped ahead of him and towards the front desk to speak to the teacher. Despite the routine of introduction and textbook acquisition, she still felt her cheeks flush a little and that nervous tremble in her fingers return. Clutching her new book to her chest, she turned and made her way to the back of the room, noting that Isaac already sat in the back row. He tilted his head to the seat next to him, and Genie froze to consider for just a moment before slipping into the desk at his side. She'd hardly had a moment to settle herself when she saw Isaac lean to the side of the desk and towards her.
"So, uh…" he began, gesturing at her expectantly.
Slipping her bag off her shoulder, Genie turned to look at the boy and his seemingly perpetually raised eyebrow. She pursed her lips a moment, willing herself not to get more anxious than she already was. "Genie," she replied, her voice a little high and uncomfortable as she shifted in her seat to steady herself. Her lips raised in a half-hearted smile and she went to turn away, but Isaac was already speaking again.
"Who let you out of the lamp?" he asked, smirking a little as he leaned closer across the aisle. Even that expression was lacking something, some fundamental joy that making a joke about being a supernatural creature should have.
Genie gave a mirthless laugh in return before settling with shooting him a more sincere smile as the bell rang. Leaning on her hand away from him, she felt the heat creep into her cheeks just a little more. Isaac leaned over to tap her arm twice, a gentle call for her attention, as the teacher began to pull up a documentary on the computer.
"I'm Isaac. I guess I'll be seeing you around?"
"Well, it seems we have class together… so I would think so," she whispered back, glancing up at the teacher and back again as the lights dimmed. A small, uncertain smile flitted across Isaac's lips as he leaned away and sank into his seat. The teacher, Mr. Ryan, passed back worksheets to be filled out regarding the documentary. Genie crinkled the paper under her fingers and let out a relieved breath.
'One more class after this, and I'm done,' she thought. 'Day one, almost over.'
A/N: Thanks so much for the feedback, you guys! I'm happy that you guys seem to like it. I understand that there's a lot of character building going on, but some important information about Genie as well as the plot will be revealed in the next few chapters. We've got Isaac back in the mix now, so I'm excited to work with how he's going to contribute to both the S4 plot as well as Genie's own storyline. Comments and suggestions are always welcome, and I really appreciate any little word. It means the world.
Also just quick logistics note: these few chapters take place between 117 and muted, so it's before the try-outs and everything with the Wendigos, but after baby Derek's appearance.