I have incredibly legitimate excuses for why this was so late. Including the fact that I got the stomach flu last week, spent a day dying and sleeping, and had "hangover" days afterwards. Maybe this chapter will make up for it.
Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed this story! Keep it up with the reviews, guys. I love knowing how people are feeling about this so far.
IdaRose89: I wanted to address your review for multiple reasons. First of all, thank you! I love that you love this story so far. I'm glad to see that I'm keeping everyone in character. I'm really glad that you brought up Scott being a little more open when romance is involved. Scott, as we all know, is an established character on Teen Wolf already. For me, it kind of came naturally to write him this way. I was surprised at first because I didn't think that he would develop feelings this quickly but that's how it progressed. Allison and Marlee are two different people at different points in Scott's life. With Allison being his first love and being there at the beginning of his time as a werewolf, he was more puppy-love and not as secure about everything going on around him. By the beginning of 3A, you could tell that he's grown up a bit and he's matured. He's more confident and knows more about everything he's feeling. I also didn't expect Marlee to accept the pack that quickly and I wasn't pleased with it at first. As I've been preparing for 3B though, I found that Marlee's past fears and insecurities will be making a more prominent appearance during that time. Which brings me to Kira. I do plan on bringing her into the story and I do have plans for her. Not only will she shake things up for Scarlee (my personal couple name for them) but I already have an idea for her romance. (While rewatching an episode in 3B the other day, there was a distinct moment that let me know that I was going in the right direction.) Last but not least, since Marlee's conception, I've been planning on having this kind of dynamic between her and Peter. He's definitely a fan of her being rude and sassy.
You know the drill: Marlee's outfits can be found at my Polyvore account 'earthdiva'. I also make edits for this story but if you're not really a big fan of Polyvore, you can follow me on Tumblr 'missunderstoodxoxo' and see them. I also tag them as 'Marlee Decker' so you can look them up that way as well. I do reblog things on Tumblr that serve as inspiration for this story (you may even get an idea of where this story will head) so feel free to see what I've tagged as "Marlee inspo" and "Scarlee".
I'd also like to take the time to mention a blog on Tumblr called 'fyeahteenwolfocs'. It's focused on the amazings OCs featured in Teen Wolf stories and shares posts made by the authors and their friends. Make sure to check it out and follow!
Inspiration for this chapter: "The Kids Aren't Alright" by Fall Out Boy (don't ask me why, I just listened to it a lot while writing this chapter) and "Free Like You Make Me" by Cary Brothers
Disclaimer: I only own Marlee, Virginia, Colin, Delaney Keating (portrayed by Blythe Danner, who also happens to be Gwyneth Paltrow's mother in real life), Edgar, and the car known as Ron Burgundy. Everything else belongs to the rightful owners.
"What is Coach even thinking? This sure as hell doesn't look like cross country weather." Marlee leaned forward from the backseat of Allison's car, looking out the windshield at the storm starting up ahead.
Lydia scoffed from the passenger seat, flipping through her textbook.
"Finstock has never forfeited anything in his entire career as a coach. It could be the actual apocalypse and he'd still expect them to run."
"Well, at least they'll be in shape to run away from the zombies." Marlee fell back into her seat, crossing her arms over her chest.
The redhead rolled her eyes at that. "We have already been over this. There is no scientifically possible way for there to ever be a zombie apocalypse."
"Oh yeah? It's also not scientifically possible for there to be werewolves, kanimas, and Darachs. Yet here we are."
"She has a point." Allison commented, taking her eyes off of the road for a second to glance at Lydia.
"If it ever does come down to a zombie apocalypse, I'm leaving you both behind."
"I'll trip you and take Stiles with me instead," Marlee muttered, pulling her hood over her eyes, "he has a bat."
"Okay, guys," Allison interrupted before the two of them could take it any further, "how about we just focus on the Alpha pack and the Darach for now?"
"So, you're telling me that this 'Darach' took Harris? I mean, come on, I know the guy's a dick but he doesn't deserve to die."
"They'll probably find his body in the morning, if they're lucky." Scott responded from the other end.
Marlee let out a bitter laugh as Edgar started to wriggle out of her arms. "God, how messed up is it that we consider it lucky if the cops find the body of our physics teacher the day after he's murdered?"
A sigh was heard through the phone. "Welcome to Beacon Hills."
The struggling cat, who was still weirded out by his new owner's change in behavior, managed to escape her clutches and used his paw to open the previously ajar door.
"Screw you!" Marlee yelled after her fleeing furry companion.
"I'm sorry?" Scott sounded confused by her exclamation.
"Edgar just made a jailbreak from my room. He's probably going to go jump on the kitchen table in protest. Bastard."
"Oh, I see." There was a bit of teasing in his voice, causing Marlee to pout, even though she knew he couldn't see her.
"Speaking of new housemates, you said Isaac's staying with you now. Derek never mentioned why he needed Isaac to leave?"
"All he said was that there wasn't enough room for Isaac since Cora was living in the loft now. He threw a glass at him too."
"What a douche-canoe." She snorted.
"Am I getting too close? I'm- I'm getting way too close, aren't I?" Allison spluttered in a high-pitched voice from the driver's seat.
Despite the storm that had loomed ahead earlier, the sun had decided to make an appearance. It made the landscape around them look kind of beautiful. If Marlee didn't know any better, she could almost believe that they were just a trio of girls going on an actual road trip of sorts. Lydia and Marlee had each told their mothers that they were spending the weekend at Allison's, as both women were unaware of all the things going bump in the night. The brunette had assured her two friends that Chris Argent would back up that statement if need be.
"That depends," Lydia answered as she played with her hair, "are you just following the bus or are you planning on mounting it at some point?"
"Sexual!" Marlee called from the back, not looking up as she occupied herself by playing with the strings on her jacket.
"Yeah, I should back off."
"Well, that also depends. Oh, do you mean the bus or the ex-boyfriend you're currently stalking?"
That made Marlee look up. She turned towards the front seats and listened carefully to the conversation.
"Well, after what happened, I'm not letting him out of my sight."
"Hm." Lydia seemed skeptical at that statement.
"Plus Scott and I decided that we're better off as friends; we have different interests now. And by the way, this started when he came knocking at my door."
"For what?"
As Allison recounted what happened, each of their minds strayed just a little bit. While she herself was talking about Scott's visit, she couldn't help but remember a point in her conversation with him. They had briefly touched on the subject of their current relationship and both had agreed that things were going well the way they were. It was definitely reinforced on her part by the 'weak in the knees' feeling she had experienced when she and Isaac got Aiden's bike ready for their payback. Lydia had also mentioned the potential in Scott and Marlee as a couple recently. It honestly wasn't the worst idea in the world and as Scott's first love, she had caught the occasional looks that he had sent the blonde occupying her backseat.
Lydia was thinking about everything that was going on… and Aiden. She was definitely thinking about Aiden. Of course, since they were talking about Scott at the moment and Allison had said that the two of them planned on staying just friends…
Marlee pushed away the thoughts and questions that popped into her own head and got lost in the memory of a conversation she had been a part of not that long after she had hung up with Scott the other night.
Marlee paced back and forth, internally arguing with herself. She knew if there was anyone that she could go to for information, it was her grandmother. Marlee's great-grandmother had been Irish, which meant she had Celtic roots, while Marlee's great-grandfather was a mix of other European countries. They had married young and had four children, her grandmother being one of those kids. Finally working up the nerve to call, she dialed the number before she could chicken out.
"Marlee, dear, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Virginia's effortless elegance had to have come from somewhere and that source happened to be Delaney Keating. Marlee's grandmother was the type of woman who was tough as nails but had an air of regality about her. Sometimes the young woman couldn't help but wonder why it seemed that she had not been given this particular quality.
"Hey, Grandma," Marlee spoke into the phone, "I know this is going to seem pretty random but what do you know about Druids and Darachs?"
The line was silent for a moment before Delaney said, "Marlee, what on Earth have you gotten yourself into?"
The blue-eyed blonde's body jolted at her grandmother's words. What kind of question was that? How could she possibly know that there was anything going on?
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Oh, please, I wasn't born yesterday. Druids were wise, they were philosophers and advisors- but more so to werewolves than anything else. The fact that you're asking about them, let alone a Darach, leads me to believe you are getting involved in something you should not be messing with."
"What the hell? How do you even know about all of this?"
"You're just like my mother. Always poking her nose where she shouldn't and making friends with the wrong people- or the right people, depending on your perspective."
Despite the mild scolding she was receiving, Marlee could practically hear the smile in Delaney's voice at that last part.
"That's a story for a different day though. Now, I'm sure whatever it is that you got yourself into, you're not going to back out of it now. You're too stubborn for your own good. Here's what you're going to need to know…"
Lydia had gone back to reading and highlighting her textbook about twenty minutes before but at that moment, she pulled her head out of her book to speak.
"So, is that whole 'not letting them out of your sight' thing literal or more like a general rule?"
"Why?"
"You're running on fumes." The genius stated in a matter-of-factly fashion.
Allison glanced at her fuel gauge and groaned, "Ugh."
"Yeah- and I'm pretty sure that bus holds a lot more gas than this Toyota."
"Not helping!" Came from the back.
"What if we stop?" Allison proposed.
"Is it really that big of a deal?" The redhead lightly chuckled at her friend. "So, we lose them. We know where they're headed."
"You didn't see what happened." The girl responded with a shake of her head.
"Well, I know who started it." Lydia muttered.
Marlee's jaw dropped. Did she hear that right? Did Lydia actually think that the Alpha pack didn't start all of that bullshit? The betas on the bus in front of them did not deserve that. Derek Hale did not die for that kind of shit to be said. This was un-fucking-believable.
"Is that what Aiden told you?" The tone of Allison's question was the epitome of the phrase, 'So done.'
"Ooooooh." Marlee quietly said from the backseat, faintly wishing that she had some popcorn.
"Aiden? Whoa, whoa, whoa- hold on a second. Is that why you invited me on this whole little road trip thing? Oh my gosh, you're keeping an eye on them and me."
"So, there's nothing going on between you two?"
"I am appalled by the insinuation." Lydia responded, gesturing towards herself.
"You're full of shit! You sit on a throne of lies!" Marlee jested from the backseat.
"Nothing?" Allison smiled at their friend, teasingly.
There was a moment of hesitance before the strawberry-blonde reaffirmed, "Nothing."
"Sure, Jan."
"Marlee, enough with your memes!"
Not even a moment later, Lydia was fixing her lipstick nonchalantly and the two other girls in the car couldn't help but look at her skeptically.
"What?"
The subject was dropped when Allison's Toyota came to a screeching halt as vehicles snaked along the interstate for miles.
"What is this?"
"You're intelligent. Surely you've heard of a traffic jam. Come on, say it with me, 'Traf-fic ja-aaaaa-mmmm.'"
"Remind me why I'm friends with you again." Lydia rolled her eyes.
"The hell if I know. You basically adopted me- or did I adopt you? I'm not too sure about how all of that went down. I think Scott technically adopted me first. Or, ya know, kept me against my own will."
"There's a tractor that was jackknifed further ahead," Allison looked up from her phone, "who knows how long that's going to need taking care of?"
"Alright, I'll start off at the deli. Where are you going to go first?" Virginia looked up from the grocery list at her daughter.
"I'll hit up the fruits and veggies." Marlee offered.
"Okay, we need: carrots, spinach, blueberries, and apples. Come find me once you have those."
"Got it."
Collecting everything her mother had asked her to grab had been going well until she reached the apples. As she went to grab ahold of a bag, another hand made contact with hers.
"Sorry, I…" Marlee trailed off as she took in the two people standing next to her. One of the twins stood with an older man wearing dark-tinted aviators. Unless he was just a super douche, there was only one reason this guy would be wearing sunglasses indoors. If a twin was with him… that could only mean…
"Oh, that's quite alright. It's my fault really." He spoke with a British accent, sounding highly sophisticated despite his savage extracurricular activities. "Aiden, why don't you leave the two of us for a minute?"
Soon, it was just Marlee and the man facing her. Even though he was blind, his eyes seemed to be directed at her own, as if he could see them.
"Deucalion." She stated in a steely tone.
"Ahhh, so, you've heard of me." The head alpha smirked. "You don't sound like the Argent girl in the apartment below mine. You also can't be the redhead, Lydia, as I didn't smell any lust coming from Aiden's direction. So… you must be Marlee."
Her spine stiffened at his observation and the hairs stood up on the back of her neck. He knew who she was, he knew her by name. She did her best to suppress any rising panic. She refused to show this monster any fear.
"I'm honestly a bit flattered. I see that you have heard of me as well. Oops, my mistake. You can't exactly 'see' anything, can you?"
His smug façade faltered for a brief second.
"Yes, I heard you were a bit of a mouthy one. It seems like your reputation suits you."
"What are you doing here? It can't be a coincidence that you're here at the same time as I am."
"Why, can't a man simply go grocery shopping? Does there have to be any nefarious intents?"
"If you were anyone else, I would say 'No.' But since you're a murderous asshole, I've gotta say 'Yeah, there really does.'"
Aiden walked up at that moment to stand by his alpha- or something. Marlee wasn't really sure how that worked with everyone in that pack being alphas.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Marlee, but we really must be going. Be sure to say 'Hello' to Scott for me."
With a parting grin, Deucalion was led away by the younger man, heading towards the front doors with noticeably no purchases in hand. Before the two werewolves got too far away, Marlee whipped out her phone and took a picture of them. She opened her thread of texts with Scott and sent him the image.
'Deucalion says "Hi."'
'I'm going to kill Stiles.' Danny's text read.
Lydia's introduction of her two friends had gone swimmingly. It was impossible for anyone to dislike Danny Māhealani and in turn, the young man found Marlee Decker to be surprisingly endearing. It was probably when she had pointed out, with a completely serious face, that their initials were each other's swapped around and the two of them were 'destined to meet' that he found himself approving of Lydia's new friend.
'Well, you are on a school bus going to a CC meet. You could dump his body on the side of the road.' She texted back with a smirk.
'Glad to have your support.'
'What's he doing anyway?'
'Kept texting me about Ethan. Asked me to find out why he kept checking his phone.'
Marlee frowned at that. Why exactly was Ethan checking his phone? It wasn't like the three betas were back in Beacon Hills- except Cora and Peter were. Could that be why? Was the rest of the Alpha pack planning to wipe out the entire Hale family in revenge?
'And?' She sent Danny.
'And what?' Came the reply.
'And why was he checking his phone?' She internally sighed in exasperation.
'Not you too!'
'You got me all curious now. Spill the beans.'
'Someone who's like family to him is really sick. Might not make it through the night.'
What the fuck? Who the fuck? The only person who that could have been would have to be Ennis but he was dead, right? Then again, nobody in Beacon Hills seemed to stay dead.
"Did you call Deaton?"
Sigh. "I keep getting his voicemail."
"Alright, that's it. I'm calling Lydia and Allison." Stiles started to grab his phone out of his pocket.
"How are they going to help? They're back in Beacon Hills." Scott's voice was getting weaker with every passing minute.
"They're not. They've been following us for hours."
Stiles looked back at the girls' vehicle.
"Looks like they've got Marlee with them."
As Stiles turned towards the front and dialed Lydia's number, Scott turned his head to peer into the Toyota. He could see a head of blonde hair in the backseat.
"Pathetic." Stiles muttered.
The ladies had been messing around on their phones, trying to keep themselves entertained and avoid any conflicts. Lydia's began to trill and that's when things started to get interesting.
"Hey, Stiles" Lydia answered in a high-pitched voice, "Yeah, we're just about to walk into a movie. Uh, you know, the popcorn and that…"
Stiles' faint response could be heard before she admitted defeat and put it on speaker.
"Okay, look, Scott's still hurt."
Marlee sat up immediately and leaned in between the two girls, looking particularly concerned.
"What?"
"What do you mean 'still'? He's not healing?" Allison asked.
"No, he's not healing. I think he's actually getting worse. The blood's turning, like, a black color."
"Well, what's wrong with him?" Lydia inquired.
"'What's wrong with him?' I don't- do I have a PhD in Lycanthropy? How am I supposed to know that?"
"I'm getting real sick of your shit, dude." The little spitfire was completely aggravated at this point. The other two weren't experiencing this as far as she knew. This shouldn't have been happening.
"We need to get him off the bus." Allison's mind started to form a plan.
"And take him where? A hospital?" As if that was the most ridiculous thing the female Einstein had ever heard.
"If he's dying, yeah." The brunette nodded.
Okay, how about we don't use the 'D' word?
"Stiles, there's a rest area about a mile up. Tell the coach to pull over."
"Yeah, I've been trying."
"Well, reason with him."
"Reason- have you met this guy?"
"Tell Coach that you want to challenge Greenberg to a fight. He'd pay big money to see that, I'm sure." Marlee suggested.
"I'm not going to tell him that!"
"Why the hell not?"
"Because then he'll expect me to actually fight Greenberg!"
"Take one for the team, Stilinski!"
"Just try something." Allison stressed, slumping over the steering wheel as the call ended.
Despite everything going on, Lydia turned in her seat to raise an eyebrow and smirk at Marlee.
"You seemed pretty worried about Scott."
Marlee rolled her eyes at the scheming redhead. She needed to start keeping that girl and Virginia away from each other. Those two concocted the craziest ideas together.
"Don't be ridiculous."
"Mmhm." Lydia continued to give her a knowing look as she turned back around.
"I'm not!"
Marlee contradicted herself as she spoke, pulling out her own cellphone to text Scott. (Not that anyone else needed to know that though.)
'Get your shit together, McCall.'
It didn't take too long for Marlee to get a response.
'I'm trying.'
Marlee knew he probably was trying as hard as he could. Isaac and Boyd had already healed yet Scott was still ripped up and bleeding.
She responded with 'If you die, I'll kill you' and added a little skull emoji after it.
Right after she had sent the text, Marlee thought maybe that wasn't something she should've said, given recent events. Apparently he wasn't too affected by her words though as he quickly sent back 'That doesn't make sense' with the emoji that was laughing and crying.
Marlee smiled a bit at that, unaware of her friends glancing back at her in the rearview mirror with smiles of their own.
She shot him a text saying 'I never do' and ended it with a winking emoji without a second thought. It was only as the bus in front of them started to pull over that she reconsidered what she had sent.
"Jared, you suck!" The three girls heard Finstock yell out of a bus window as they exited their vehicle, watching as the cross country team attempted to keep from gagging.
Stiles and Allison supported Scott as the five of them made their way to a scummy-looking men's restroom; a feeling of dread grew in the pit of Marlee's stomach as she spotted the blood on his shirt. The two gently set him down and Allison gasped as she lifted up his shirt to look at the grotesque injury.
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"Sorry." He muttered.
As the other three moved back to discuss what to do about the situation, Marlee stayed kneeling on the bathroom floor in front of Scott.
"I'm so mad at you right now." Marlee said to him softly, moving his sweaty locks away from his forehead.
"Why?" He replied, barely audible.
"Well, for one, you're an idiot for not taking care of this sooner. Second, this floor is a hell of a lot dirtier than the ones at Walmart."
Scott's lips twitched up for a second, an attempt at showing his amusement and appreciation. Marlee was doing her best to take his mind off of the wound and keep him conscious. For that, he was thankful.
"Hey, Scott, you gotta stay awake. Try to keep your eyes open."
She scooted off to the side as the others quickly jumped into action. She felt a little useless but she figured she might as well stay out of the way.
You always get in the way.
Marlee sat and watched as Allison tried to thread the needle while mumbling to herself. She wanted to help the struggling girl but this seemed to be something that the brunette needed to do on her own.
"I'm trying." Allison's voice raised a bit. There was only silence in the air until she said, "My hands won't stop shaking."
Maybe talking to herself helps her calm down? It's worth a shot.
A sound of frustration filled the room, followed by a few sobs and whimpers. Marlee was about to ask her friend if she needed help but thought better of it when she blurted out, "Clinically!"
What's happening right now?
"And unemotionally- and unemotionally."
Most people would probably think about telling Allison to seek professional help of some sorts but in a way, Marlee understood. Sometimes you had to speak out loud, sometimes there were things that couldn't just be said in your head.
Taking a deep breath, Allison was finally able to thread the needle and stitch Scott up… only to find that he wasn't breathing.
"Scott…" She repeated, over and over again.
He can't be dead. He can't be dead. Marlee was freaking out, more or less. Why did this always happen? Why did this always seem to happen to the people she cared about?
She moved forward on her hands and knees- cringing the entire time as she thought about the kind of crap that was probably on this floor- to be next to the two.
"Scott!"
This time, Allison got a result. Scott jolted to consciousness with a gasp, taking in a few gulps of air.
"It's my fault."
"Scott, look at me." Allison moved his chin so they made eye contact. "It's okay."
She looked down at the stitched up wound and glided her fingertips over it, barely touching it.
"Did you do that?"
"Yeah." She breathed out.
"Nice." He commented.
Allison let out a shaky laugh as Marlee silently appreciated the fact that the boy in front of them wasn't gone forever.
"Can you stand?"
The blonde backed up to give them some space and hiked the cross country bag up on a shoulder while Allison helped a groaning Scott stand up.
"Okay, put this on."
The huntress helped him slip a shirt over his head. After he was fully clothed, their companion moved around to his other side and gently placed one of his arms around her shoulders.
"Hey, Brown Eyes." Marlee's voice was just above a whisper as she faintly smiled at Scott, relieved that he was okay.
"Hey, Marlee." His smile still made her heart stutter for a beat, even when he was an absolute mess a moment ago.
You stop that shit right now. She scolded herself.
After Allison placed Scott's other arm around her shoulders, the girls helped him walk out of the bathroom and into the afternoon light.
"Is he okay? Are you okay?" Lydia asked as she ran up to the three of them.
"Yeah," Scott breathed out, "Stiles… where's Stiles?"
"Trying to stall Coach." Lydia answered, taking the bag from Marlee's other arm and walking alongside them. "We still don't have gas."
"I'm not leaving him." Allison answered.
"He's stuck with me now." Marlee added in. "You'll have to pry me off with a crowbar."
"Then we have to leave the car."
"Sounds good."
"What? That wasn't an actual suggestion. Allison, wait!"
Lydia looked over at the Toyota for a second.
"Ahh, screw it!"
The harsh light of her phone lit up Marlee's dark bedroom as it buzzed on her bedside table. The words 'Super Scott' were all across the screen. Groaning, she answered the call and brought her phone up to her ear.
"Scott, it's the middle of the night."
"Derek's dead."
The combination of his words and the tone of despair made her sit up in bed.
"Wait, what? What do you mean 'Derek's dead'? You can't be serious."
"Isaac and I went to meet with Deucalion…"
"By yourselves?!" Marlee interrupted. "Scott, that was risky as fuck! He could have seriously hurt the two of you! He's got a whole pack of homicidal werewolves at his disposal!"
"I know but if we had just let Derek and the others go after him, they all could have died."
"So, what happened?"
"I… I got Derek killed. I didn't realize that he had shown up with Boyd and Cora but I also didn't realize that Deucalion had brought his pack. They had all of us at their mercy but then Allison showed with a couple of flashbang arrows. I went up against Ennis and he almost had me beat but Derek started after him and while the two were fighting near the edge… I swiped at Ennis' leg and he started to fall… and he took Derek with him. They fell onto the escalators below."
"Scott, you didn't mean for that to happen, alright? You were trying to help Derek. If anyone's at fault, it's Ennis."
"But if I hadn't…"
"You listen to me, Scott McCall! What happened tonight was not your fault. You didn't know any of that was going to happen and you didn't plan on it happening. Now, I want the two of you to go to bed and get some sleep. Both you and Isaac sound like you need it. Got it?"
"Yeah…"
"Good. And Scott?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you're okay."
The crowd of students was hard to miss as the four teens approached. Stiles was standing at the edge of the fray, looking on in disbelief.
"Stiles, what's happening?"
"He went after him. I told him what was happening with you and he just went after him."
"Who, Boyd?" Scott quickly moved towards the fight, concerned about whoever had decided to engage the alpha twin in a fight.
To their surprise, it wasn't the sturdy beta at the center of attention. Boyd was watching in satisfaction as an enraged-looking Isaac wailed on Ethan, whose blood had spurted out of what must have been a busted lip at one point. Marlee thought that there was a vague sense of justice in all of it. At the beginning of the week, Isaac had been wrongfully placed in lunch detention for supposedly beating up the other guy in the hallway. Now, he was actually getting to do so.
"Isaac!"
Coach was attempting to rein him in while Danny tried to pull Isaac away from his boyfriend, only to be pushed back. It almost looked as if Ethan was smiling up at Isaac, egging him on. Scott pushed through the shouting teenagers gathered around the tree, some of them filming the entire thing on their phones, to stand next to his friend.
"ISAAC!"
There it was again. For the second time in less than a week, Marlee stared at Scott in wonder. Both times Scott had used that tone, Isaac had immediately stopped attacking. The crowd had fallen silent and watched as Isaac slowly turned to look at his friend, lips twitching as he realized Scott was okay. Danny moved forward to check on his asshole of a boyfriend. The whispers of gossiping teens started to rise until Marlee spoke up.
"Okay, alright- nothing to see here. Get back on the bus, ya vultures. Come on, let's go- Hey! Greenberg, don't give me that look! I'll shove my foot so far up your ass, you'll be spitting shoelaces for a week!"
When she was sure no one else was looking in their direction, Marlee clapped Isaac on the shoulder.
"Nice job, Lahey. Excellent work."
"Marlee…" Lydia started in a warning tone.
"What? If I could actually do it, I'd kick Ethan's ass all the way to Timbuktu."
After all of the excitement, everyone got settled on the bus. Marlee claimed the seat in the very back across from Allison and Scott, stretching out so no one else could sit there.
"What?" She asked as her friends shot her amused looks. "I'm making sure that no random civilians overhear all of our craziness. You want them to have us committed? Didn't think so."
Honestly, Marlee tuned out Lydia and Stiles' conversation after the word 'Darach' was brought up. She was getting real fucking tired of this psychopath taking over every aspect of their lives- well, at least the parts that weren't already filled up with Alpha pack fuckery.
"You know, if he's really dead," she overheard Allison telling Scott, "it's not your fault."
The lone girl could see his lips form the word 'maybe', causing her to frown. She wondered how many times they would have to tell him that what had happened wasn't his fault before he actually started to believe it.
"But remember that whole thing that we talked about where I wasn't accusing you of being there and if you were there, you shouldn't be?" Scott asked his friend.
Allison nodded in response.
"Thanks for not listening."
Allison let out a quiet laugh as she looked at his eyes, like if she searched them well enough, she would be able to see that flicker of red again.
"What?"
"Just looking at your eyes." She smiled at him.
Marlee grinned at the two of them, glad that they were both doing fine after the stressful events of the day, before closing her eyes and pressing 'play' on her music. She missed the way Scott looked past Allison's shoulder to peer at her with a smile. As Marlee let the lyrics take her somewhere else, she finally started to relax a bit.
She had no way of knowing that the day was far from over…
I'm looking forward to working on the "Motel California" chapter some more. It's definitely going to be an emotional chapter.
Reviews are appreciated!