This was it. Scott's first official lacrosse game, and he was a bundle of nerves. His heart was racing and his hands felt clammy as he thought of everything that could go wrong during the game. What if his asthma flared up? What if he tripped and embarrassed himself in front of the whole school, his mom, and Allison? Oh God, what if he threw up?
He closed his locker door and leaned against it, the cool metal soothing his nerves. Taking advantage of the hubbub in the locker room, he discreetly took a few puffs from his inhaler. Being on the first line was far more challenging than he had anticipated. A few months ago, as a benchwarmer, he and Stiles got away with being lazy. A task that never strained his lungs like this.
Scott's new exercise routine and extra practices with Jackson had helped, but he knew he still had a long way to go before keeping up with the rest of the team. At least now, he could endure an entire hour of Coach's punishing practice session without wheezing for breath.
With his lungs calmed, Scott placed the inhaler back in his locker.
SLAM!
The locker door slammed shut, barely missing his fingers. He looked up and found the team captain leaning on the locker next to his.
"Jackson, what the hell?!"
"Have you found out what's up with Stilinski, yet?" Jackson asked, but he wasn't even looking at Scott. He was glancing over his shoulder, where Coach was talking to the Medic about Stiles' condition.
"I told you," Scott said, trying to remain patient, "I didn't find anything. I don't think he's taking anything, Jackson."
Jackson scoffed, "Yeah, right. No one gets that good overnight. You owe me, so you better have something better than..."
Interrupting Jackson, Scott pulled him aside, away from prying ears.
"What else do you want from me?" he said with frustration. "I followed him into the woods, practically called him a horrible friend, and even asked a nurse about the symptoms of drug use! If Stiles was taking something, I would know by now! And if not me, then either his dad or my mom definitely would. It's their job to notice things like that, and neither of them would have let him get away with it!"
But Jackson remained unconvinced, convinced that Stiles could only have improved so rapidly with the help of something illicit. He was determined to find out what it was and get the little snot taken off the team before he upstaged Jackson any further.
"I know he's on something, McCall, and you better find out what it is, or you're not gonna like the consequences," Jackson threatened before smirking and leaving Scott looking nothing short of miserable, leaning his head back against the locker.
OoOoO
Beacon Hills' eager lacrosse fans started trickling into the stands an hour before the game was set to start, desperate to secure good seats for themselves. They wielded colorful posters, flaglets, and noise makers to cheer on their team. Some even bellowed chants as they called out to their favorite players warming up on the field. The two sets of bleachers left empty by the Beacon Hills fans, soon became filled when the opposing team arrived with their army of fans and the crowd cheers became deafening.
Down on the bench, Stiles watched the seats fill up and once again felt cheated that -
a furious shake of his head and the thought was pushed out of the boy's head before it could fully form. Now was not the time to be having doubts. Not when the game was minutes away and Melissa promised to vouch for him if he changed his mind.
He had to be strong. Firm.
He was still looking out at the stands when he saw something that chased away the dark thoughts swirling around his head. Coming from the parking lot was his old babysitter, Tara, wearing a BHHS t-shirt and holding the hands of her younger siblings, Tris and Tiana. Tiana was waving a giant foam finger with his jersey number on it, and Tris did the same with a small, colorful poster that the twins clearly made themselves saying: GO STILES! GO!
Barely remembering to keep limping, Stiles stood to greet the trio.
"Stiles!" The twins let go of their older sister's hand and leaped at Stiles.
"Did you see our poster? We made it ourselves!"
Tiana, not about to be outdone by her twin, proclaimed, "I made all the drawings on it myself. Look, it's you and me and Tris."
Sure enough, on the bright poster was a stick figure in Stiles' jersey holding up a giant trophy. Beside the Stiles figure were two smaller stick figures, one in a yellow triangle dress and pigtails, and another in a blue triangle dress and wild, messy hair. The whole thing was messy and it was clear the twins refused to have their older sister help them with it.
Stiles absolutely loved it. And just like with his dad, he felt terrible that he would be disappointing them.
"I love it guys." He said. "You did a great job but I'm not playing tonight."
He thought the twins' faces would shift from joy and excitement to disappointment but to his surprise, they just giggled and hugged him tighter.
"We know Stiles." Tara smiled, "Your dad came to tell me at the station today but the poster was already made and the twins just really wanted to cheer you on."
"We love you, Stiles." The twin chorused.
If Stiles was smiling before, it was nothing compared to how he felt right now. It might be weird to sit on the bench the entire game and have his own cheering section but he didn't care. He bent down and gave them the biggest hug he could. The twins rewarded him with a kiss on each cheek and ran off to where Noah and Melissa were waiting for them.
"Your number 1 fans." Said Tara.
"The only fans I'll ever get at this rate."
"And is that a problem?"
He took a minute to think about it. Watching the twins with Noah and Melissa, waving their banners around and jumping in their seats. It was a sight he'd seen before. Even though he did nothing but sit on the bench, the twins almost always came with Tara to support him whenever Tara's shifts coincided with the match. At first, he protested greatly, he thought it was embarrassing to have someone cheer him on when he wasn't even doing anything. But now, it was just what he needed.
"No." He smiled, "not a problem, this just means I owe them a trip to the ice cream shop."
Tara groaned, "No more sweets! Every time you take the twins for ice cream, I end up dealing with three hyperactive kids on a sugar high!"
"Three?"
"Don't pout," Tara teased, "you know exactly what you're like when the twins rile you up. It's worse than when you're on Adderall."
Stiles laughed. He couldn't help it! It was impossible not to get hyped up with two of his favorite people jumping up and down and pulling on his arms. He opened his mouth for a witty reply, something about Tara being a sourpuss, but he saw a flash of blonde hair underneath the stands.
He excused himself saying, "Hang on, just a sec, Tara. I'll be right back."
He walked over to the stands, where he saw the blonde under the bleachers wearing a black jacket and knit cap. She had her arms wrapped around herself, avoiding the crowd of eager fans all around her.
OoOoO
Crowds were not Erica's thing.
They made her stomach churn and her heart race with anxiety, her school bullies didn't help either. While they never did anything when there were this many adults around, they'd find other ways to get under her skin. Like look at her and laugh with their friends or start shaking in their seats or jump up saying they peed their pants then someone would say, "Don't be ridiculous, that only happens to children and you know who."
At those events, Erica would make sure her attendance was checked and then hide in the school's basement until she could go home. It wasn't ideal but it was better.
There were only two things that made Erica willing to risk coming to this game. First, was Coach Bobby. Everyone at BHHS knew he absolutely hated bullying of any kind and if you were on the varsity team or the cheer team or any of his classes, you did not want to make him angry. Even Jackson was more mellow when the Coach was around.
The other reason she braved the game was Stiles. It wasn't the crush she'd had on him for years, after all, she's spent years contenting herself with being his almost-invisible classmate who laughed silently at his jokes and blushed when he looked in her direction. No, she braved the game for Stiles because he was a friend to her. He visited her in the hospital, gave her a copy of his favorite movies, and actually talked to her. That time they hung out at the library, he only asked about her health to make sure she was okay and then he just treated her normally. So, when she heard the news that he broke his leg at practice and would have to sit out the game, she swallowed her fear and decided to come support her friend when he would obviously need it.
Erica stood quietly under the bleachers, trying to avoid the boisterous crowd surrounding her. The noise and excitement made her uneasy, and she clutched her black jacket tighter around herself, as if creating a shield from the world.
As she tried to blend into the shadows, she was startled by a familiar voice calling her name. "Erica!" The sound came from behind her, and she turned to see Stiles limping toward her with a wide grin on his face.
"Stiles," she replied, her voice soft and unsure. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of his smile.
"You made it!" Stiles said, and his excitement was contagious, though Erica still couldn't understand why he seemed genuinely happy to see her.
"Yeah, how's your leg?" she asked, trying to show concern despite feeling somewhat awkward in social situations.
"It's fine. Why?" Stiles shrugged, and Erica couldn't help but notice that he wasn't walking with a limp anymore. She frowned, confused.
"I thought your leg was broken?" she inquired, her worry increasing.
"Oh, right! That, yeah, it is. I meant it was fine, except for the being busted part," Stiles replied with a nervous chuckle, and Erica could tell he wasn't being entirely honest. It was a relief to know she wasn't the only one who struggled with conversations.
Despite her unease, Erica couldn't help but appreciate that Stiles had invited her to the sports event. She wasn't used to being included in anything that wasn't mandatory, and it touched her that he thought of her.
"Thank you for inviting me," she said, her voice softer than before. "I don't usually come to sports events."
Her mind was battling between wanting to enjoy the moment and her instinct to retreat back into her shell. The noise of the crowd felt overwhelming, but being there with Stiles made it a bit more bearable.
"I'm glad you made an exception for this game." He said, "I'm not playing but I think you'll still enjoy it."
"Are you okay with that?" Erica asked, concerned. "Not playing, I mean."
He shrugged, "Kinda but… some things are more important than lacrosse."
Erica frowned, that was unexpected from a high school boy. Then again, Stiles wasn't really a typical high school boy.
"Besides," Stiles continued, "I don't think playing on the field with a very angry Jackson carrying a lacrosse stick is such a great idea."
"Probably," Erica replied with a small smile. "You know how Jackson can be." She recalled the incident at the hospital and how her dad had grumbled about it during dinner that night. Jackson's behavior had certainly left an impact on the whole town.
"Yeah, the words awful jackass comes to mind." Stiles chuckled and his joy forced a small laugh out of Erica.
She couldn't help but feel grateful for his friendship. He had a way of making her feel comfortable, even in situations she usually found overwhelming.
As they stood there, the noise of the crowd became louder as the game approached its start time. Stiles walked Erica to the side of the bleachers closest to the bench and told her to just ask him if she got confused during the game.
"Years of watching games from the bleachers or the bench has made me a real connoisseur of this sport."
He looked so proud of himself for using a big word even though he was kind of using it wrong. Stiles seemed genuinely thrilled about Erica's presence, and she felt a warmth in her heart she hadn't expected. She had come to support him, but being there made her realize just how much she valued their friendship.
"I'm glad I came," Erica admitted, looking up at Stiles with a newfound sense of ease. "Thanks for inviting me, and for being such a good friend."
Stiles grinned, a touch of pink coloring his pale cheeks. "Of course! You're a great friend too, Erica. I'm lucky to have you around."
For the first time in a long while, Erica felt a sense of belonging and acceptance. Stiles' words meant more to her than he probably knew. It was as if her presence mattered to someone, and that made all the difference.
The coach blew his whistle and Stiles pat her arm before joining the huddle.
Erica smiled.
AN: Surprise! I am still here.
It has been forever since my last update and I am SO SORRY about that! Since my last update, well, I got into med school! At first, I thought I could balance writing and school on my first year because first years are pretty chill, relatively. Boy was I wrong! My first year in med school was anything BUT chill. Practically every week we had 3 to 4 exams, all of them 50-100 items and covering 5-8 chapters. I really struggled and then I caved and joined a study group. That's how difficult it was.
I was able to keep writing bits here and there but for the most part, I had to hit the medical books. Paid off though coz we just got news that our entire class passed our first year!
So, here's the thing, throughout the school year, I won't be able to update much. But I will try to post something on my breaks. And if I reach the point where I feel like I can only focus on my studies, I'll post a big narrative summary of my plans for Shifted up to Season 6, because, yes, I have planned that far ahead. I'll post that so you guys will still have an idea where Shifted is going. Or I can put the story up for adoption. Hopefully it won't come to that though and I can still write every now and then because I have loved every bit of writing Shifted and your reviews all mean so much! Not kidding, when I'm feeling down and like I want to formally abandon Shifted, I read your reviews and I can't do it.
Really sorry to keep you guys waiting so long!