It was game day, and Stiles was a nervous wreck. He's been jittery all day. His dad confirmed he would be there to cheer him on, my mom was coming and, with his new budding friendship with Lydia, she promised to wave a pompom for him. Danny's been encouraging him, telling him that he is loads better then when they started, and that he had this in the bag. Even coach as told him to keep up the good work as he watched him practice, even if it was begrudgingly.
I've been trying to keep his mind off of it all together, because knowing Stiles, he's hyper focused on it. Going over moves in his head, freaking out about not being able to block one single shot and just overall thinking of the worst-case scenario. So, anything I can do to pull him out of his thoughts I do it.
By the time lunch rolled around he was just a giant ball of anxiety, it was so thick around him that I am surprised that others haven't been able to scent it. Isaac and I ended up meeting him there because he left without either of us when classes let out. He was sitting at the table in back that we had pretty much claimed, his head down, hand running continuously over the top of it and leg shaking vigorously underneath it.
"Is he going to be okay?" Isaac asked, concern lacing his voice. He's slowly getting better. He doesn't jump at every little thing and he's starting to talk more. he still wakes up screaming sometimes but when mom checks on him, he doesn't cringe away as much, as long as she approaches slowly and explains her every move. I found that me doing it still kind of triggers him. I think it's more of a male figure thing that triggers him, so though I wake up when he does, I don't go to him, I leave that to mom. But I still let him know I am there if he needs anything. Its slow going but he's not staying to himself as much at home. He used to go straight to school and straight home to his room after practice. But now he will sit, albeit stiffly, in the living room with us if we are watching TV. I was optimistic that he would be okay.
"He'll be fine. He's just nervous about the game tonight." I told him as we got in line for food.
"He looks like he's doing well though. Not on the same level as Danny but still good and he seems to be getting better." Isaac said. He hasn't really rejoined practice. He goes but sits on the bench dressed out. Everyone says coach is an unfeeling ass, but Isaac is proof that he isn't. By now everyone has heard about his dad and what he did. Coach checks with him daily to see where his head is at and, so far, has been good about letting him just dress out and attend without participating.
"Yeah, he is. He'll be okay, he just needs to relax and probably eat, because I doubt he has." I told him as I grabbed enough food for all of us to share. We made our way to the back table and the sound of the tray hitting the table made Stiles sit up. "Dude, you have to calm down and relax. You're going to be great." I told him, setting a plate of cheese fries in front of him and water.
"What's this?" he asked.
"Did you eat at all today?" I quirked a brow at him. He sighed and shook his head. "You need to eat Stiles, if you want to keep your energy up for the game and the carbs will help."
"What's the point? I'm gonna suck so bad." He groaned, leaning back in his chair.
"No, you're not. Stiles, you are doing amazing. Don't psych yourself out before you even try. Eat the fries and relax." I told him.
"But the carbs." He whined, poking at the paper plate. I rolled my eyes and sat down, Isaac snickering and doing the same.
"Fuel, Stiles. Eat the fries, drink the water, and chill out." I told him. He groaned but did as I said. After the first initial fries he scarfed down the rest in record time. After he had finished, I pushed a small salad at him, shaking my head. At least now he was no longer hangry.
"Thanks." He mumbled as he tore into the salad as well, taking a minute to gulp down some water. Isaac smirked but tried not to laugh as we each grabbed our own food from the tray.
"Hey guys, are you ready for the game?" Allison chirped as she set her tray down next to Isaac. He stiffened for a second then relaxed.
"About as ready as we will ever be. Thankfully, it's only pregame." I told her.
"Speak for yourself. I am not ready, at all. And this game could determine my place on the team." Stiles said, his voice reaching almost hysterical status.
"Really? But you look great out there during practice." Allison told him. He tried to smile but it came across as a grimace. "Lydia was just raving about how good you were doing yesterday, while we watched."
"Really?" he perked up. I bit my lip to not laugh, and Isaac turned away. Allison nodded with a smirk on her face.
"Yes really. She's sure you will be Danny's back up." She said continuing to hype him up, the best way anyone could have. The goofiest of grins appeared on his face as he went back to eating with more ease now.
"So, you are coming tonight?" I asked her.
"Yeah, I'll be there. Even my dad said he would come. I guess he wanted to check out the sport." She shrugged. "Are you playing tonight?" She asked Isaac. He looked wide eyed at her before smiling, timidly.
"No, I'm still on injury reserve right now. But probably next game I'll play."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were injured. Hopefully, it's not too bad." She said in concern.
"Nah, just a strained muscle in my wrist. I'm okay or will be." He told her, pulling at his sleeves again. It was a habit any time anyone mentioned him being hurt.
"Where is Lydia anyway?" I asked to get the attention off him.
"She should be here soon. She said she had something to do before coming. There she is now." She said looking behind her. I looked and saw a solemn Lydia carrying a tray over to our table and taking a seat next to me.
"You okay?" Stiles asked, his Lydia radar picking up on something. I could scent her anger and frustration but more then that I could scent her resolve and sadness as well. Seems like she has come to a decision about something, but she wasn't happy about it.
"Yeah, just thinking." She said with a small smile. Stiles opened his mouth to say something else, but Jackson appeared with a few of his lackeys, and Danny, and he opted against it.
Jackson took a seat next to Lydia, seemingly unaware of his girlfriend's mental or emotional state, placing an arm around her chair and kissing her cheek while continuing to joke with his friends. Danny sat next to Stiles, talking quietly. I could hear every word but chose not to pay close attention. Danny has been good at helping Stiles get over his nerves, so I let him have at it. I wasn't making any progress it seemed.
Allison, Isaac, and I kept up a stream of conversation, sometimes with Danny and Stiles joining in. Lydia would nod perfunctory at different intervals but stayed mostly silent. I could see Stiles throw Lydia concerned glances at how quiet she was being. None of us were used to that. Even Allison looked worried. I bumped against Lydia's arm gently, raising a brow in question. She nodded that she was fine and went back to playing with her lunch which she had not eaten any of.
"Dude, that sounds good. I haven't had good Indian food in ages. We should go after the game." Jackson suddenly said loudly, wrapping his arm completely around Lydia, jostling her out of her thoughts.
"Go where?" she asked.
"That Indian restaurant in the town over. We went there a few months ago, remember?"
"I remember not eating because I didn't like it." She told him. Stiles snorted, choking on the water he just drank.
"Something to add, Stilinski?" Jackson asked, looking around everyone to see him.
"Nope, it's none of my business. Carry on." He said, his voice trembling as he tried not to laugh. I snorted in return because I'm pretty sure he was thinking the same thing I was thinking at that moment.
"No." Lydia said, turning to face Stiles. "Tell him exactly why I hate Indian food."
"Uh," he hesitated, being put on the spot like that, with everyone looking at him, but forged ahead. "You don't like a lot of spices, not just the taste but the smell of it."
"You seem to know an awful lot about my girlfriend." Jackson sneered.
"Uh, to be fair. She did mention her aversion to spice last week when you kept trying to get her to eat that really hot chicken you got for lunch. Remember? She jumped up and ran out because the smell was getting to her." Allison volunteered.
"It's interesting that Stiles and Allison both knew about this but my so-called boyfriend, who I have been dating for going on two years, didn't." Lydia said.
"I just forgot, give me a break." He tried to defend himself.
"Forgot? Hmmm… well let's see what you remember. What's my favorite color?"
"What? What does that prove? It's not like you know mine." He argued.
"Blue, because you like how it brings out your eyes. Though you tend to go more towards red when we go out because you think it makes you look a bit mysterious. What's my favorite food? Music? Oh, what about my favorite movie or book since I tend to talk about those a lot."
Jackson sputtered but had yet to provide an answer to any of those questions. Lydia's brow ticked up as she watched him as were most of us. Allison looked nervously between them, and Isaac played with a fry, dragging it through ketchup as he stared down at the table.
"How about this one, it's really simple. What's my middle name?"
He was turning red with embarrassment and anger, and I twitched as if to grab her and pull her away from him. She nodded slowly before turning back to Stiles.
"I really don't mean to put you on the spot. But do you happen to know the answer to any of those questions?" she asked, he nodded hesitantly. "So, what's the answer?"
"I don't know if that's a good idea." He said, his gaze going from her to Jackson.
"Please." She pleaded.
He melted, not being able to deny her.
"Favorite color is green, forest green to be exact. Favorite food is sushi, but you have an addiction to caramel corn. You like pop music but will blast country when you are in a really good mood."
"Book? Movie?" she asked.
"Uhm, book is, well it's really a series, The Maze Runner Trilogy and your favorite movie is A Walk to Remember, because it always makes you cry. Oh, and your middle name is Lorraine, after your grandmother, to whom you were close."
Everyone blinked in surprise that he knew all of that. Even I was a bit shocked. I knew he paid attention to her, but I didn't know it was that much and wow, no wonder he has been so obsessed. We still needed to have that talk. We didn't get a chance to after the meeting with Argent and yesterday we were both catching up on homework and studying for a quiz today.
Lydia's wide eyes softened and brimmed before she took a deep breath and pulled herself together.
"We're done." Lydia said, turning back to Jackson.
"What? Just because I don't know some minuscule information, you want to break up?"
"No, it's the fact that someone that I have been friends with for less than a week knows more about me then my own boyfriend. It's the fact that you have yet to ever take responsibility for the stupid things you do that affect everyone or anyone else around you."
"Are you still on about that party? I told you it wasn't my fault. I-."
"IT'S NEVER YOUR FAULT. THAT'S THE PROBLEM." She yelled, catching the attention of other tables. She took a minute to calm down before going on. "I have put up with a lot from you Jackson, for a while now, and you continue to treat me as an afterthought or a trophy that you can flaunt. But I'm done. You don't care about me; you don't respect me, and I deserve so much more." She said, standing and shoving her chair back.
"Lydia."
"Oh, your favorite food is cilantro lime chicken, your favorite music is rock bordering on heavy metal, you don't have a favorite book because you prefer comics and your favorite movie is The Longest Yard, the Burt Reynolds version not the Adam Sandler version and your middle name is Anthony after your mom's favorite uncle." She said then leaned in close to whisper in his ear. No one else could hear but I could, and it caused me to choke on my sandwich when she told him. "And if you even think about retaliating against Stiles for knowing something that you should already know, I will make sure that everyone knows about your little make out session with James at that party last year."
His eyes widened as he looked up at her. His face went even redder in anger, but Lydia just turned her back on him.
"That thing we talked about earlier this week, I'll do it." She said to me, a determination in her eyes. I nodded quickly, fearing making her even angrier but I would double check with her later.
"Yeah okay. We'll talk later."
She nodded once before walking away. I could see Stiles itching to chase after her, but Allison beat him to it, standing and grabbing her tray.
"I'm gonna check on her." She said trailing behind her, throwing Jackson a dirty look.
"This got awkward quick." One of the other guys murmured. Jackson finally jumped up and charged out of the cafeteria. I kept an ear out to make sure he wasn't going after Lydia. He wasn't. His footsteps headed in a different direction.
*REWIND*
Its go time. We were all in the locker room getting ready for the game. Most of the guys were psyching themselves up in the weirdest of ways. Jackson was still upset but was pretending not to be as he joked with his friends. Stiles was sitting solemnly on the bench, holding tight to his stick, and silently freaking out. Danny has already come by to give him one last pep talk and was just standing back watching everyone else. Isaac and I were finishing getting ready and throwing glances at Stiles.
"Alright listen up you bunch of ingrates." Coach shouted over the mayhem. "This is our first game. Forget the whole pre part of it we are counting this. I want you all to go out there and annihilate the competition. Make them sorry they ever set foot on our turf. You got it?"
Loud ruckus went up as everyone cheered.
"Good. Now let's get going. Stilinski?" Coach snapped and Stile shot up.
"Yeah coach?"
"This is your chance. Don't screw it up." he told him. Stiles nodded but nervously shuffled from foot to foot.
"I hope you're ready to take over Danny. Stilinski looks like he's going to crumble." Jackson joked, laughing. I had to keep myself in check because I really wanted to hurt him.
"Shut up Jackson." Danny told him, shaking his head. He went to Stiles and gripped his shoulders. "Don't pay attention to him. You got this, you're ready and you're gonna kill it." he told him.
"Yeah, thanks." Stiles said, blowing out a hard breath.
We all piled out of the locker room and jogged onto the field. I gave Stiles an encouraging pat on the back as he marched out to the goal.
"Way to go Stiles." Was shouted followed by a piercing whistle. I looked to see his dad and my mom standing and cheering with everyone else. Mr. S. look so proud watching his son take his position. Lydia was sitting with Allison and her father, waving a maroon pompom, and smiling, giving Stiles a thumbs up. he grinned at her before focusing.
As the rest of us took our positions I had to keep reminding myself that Jackson and I were on the same team, so using him as a tackling dummy would be a bad idea. The whistle blew and the ball was tossed into play. Jackson wanting to prove himself grabbed for it, barely swiped it away from the opposing team before running for it. the rest of us followed his lead waiting to see what the next move was.
"Come on Jackson, you idiot. Pass the ball." I grunted, shoving a player away. Jackson was running right into a deadlock, there were four players gunning for him, but he wasn't passing the ball. They tackled him and the ball dropped then was quickly swooped up by the other team's player. Since most of our team were still a far away from him, he had free run. We scrambled to catch him, but I could see he was going for the goal. I groaned when the ball went into the net with ease, Stiles on the opposite side of where he shot from. I could visibly see him deflating.
"Shake it off." I called to him. he gave a visible shake and refocused. Four more plays happened, we scored 1 goal, but the other team scored two more, getting past Stiles as if he weren't there. Damn it, he was psyching himself out, getting in his own way.
"That's enough. I'm pulling him." I heard coach say from the sideline. He blew the whistle, and I ran over to him before he could enact that plan.
"Coach, wait. Don't pull him. not yet." I begged.
"He's stinking up the place McCall. I have to pull him."
"No, wait." I said as he lifted his hand to call Stiles in. "I know he can do this. He's just in his head right now. Let me talk to him. I promise he will do better."
Coach studied me, "are you willing to bet your spot on first line for this?" he asked. Inwardly I winced, but I was confident that Stiles could do this.
"Yes, I am. Just let me talk to him for a minute. If he doesn't improve after that then I will go back to 2nd line."
"Fine, go. make it quick. This better work McCall. I don't want to lose this game."
I nodded and jogged out to Stiles, who looked defeated.
"He's pulling me, isn't he?" he asked.
"He was going to, but I convinced him to give you another chance."
"What's the point Scott. I suck. It's clear for everyone to see. Why did I think I could do this? I should have just been happy with my spot on 2nd line and rode the bench, at least I would still be a part of the team. At this rate I'll be kicked off as soon as the game is over, if not before."
"Stiles, stop. You are not going to be kicked off and you deserve to be first line."
He shook his head.
"Yes, you do, now listen. You are too in your head. You are thinking too much about the moves, and it can't help having this many people watching you. But you can do this. You have done this. Screw the crowds, screw the other players, hell screw the coach. There is nothing else here but you and that ball. Just stay focused on that and don't think about anything else."
"Yeah, okay." he said just as the whistle blew to restart the game.
"If it helps, think of it this way. The goal is Lydia, and the ball is Jackson. All you are doing is keeping him from reaching her." I told him with a smirk. He returned it with a grin and nodded sharply. And his focus was back. "You got this man."
"McCall, line it up." Coach shouted. I gave a last nod to Stiles before taking my place. The ball was back in action and again Jackson was acting an ass, hogging the ball to score even though he was nowhere near the goal and, again, had players gunning for him. "Damn it Jackson, will you pass?"
Begrudgingly he passed but passed to another player not near enough to the goal to score. I pushed myself to get closer so that when he went to score and it fell short, I was right there to pick it up and complete the action, scoring. Cheers went up as we started a new play. This time the other team had the ball, and they were great at evasion, getting closer and closer to the goal. I watched in anticipation, quietly murmuring to myself that he catches it. I could see mom, Mr. S., Allison, and Lydia standing watching and waiting. Aiming, he shot but Stiles was quick as he followed its trajectory and stopped it, throwing it back in to play. More cheers went up and I gave a metaphorical fist pump.
"That's how you do it Stilinski." Coach said clapping.
"Yeah Stiles." Mr. S. shouted. Danny stood clapping. But Stiles stayed focused not paying any one any attention. His eyes followed every player that had the ball. Relaxing, I went back to playing.
We were in the last quarter of the game and Jackson still hadn't learned to share his toys, and his goal still seemed to be to keep me from the ball. Every time the opportunity rose for him to pass, he would pass to everyone but me, even though I was free and clear. Finally, I had enough and when the other team fumbled the ball I grabbed it up. I was closer but still at least half the field away from the goal. Everyone now seeing I had the ball; the other team came after me, but I used my advanced wolf skills to evade as much as possible. There were a lot of twirls, flips, and ducks but I got to the goal and just as I was shooting the ball someone rammed into me from underneath, lifting me off my feet. I was able to score before I fell, but when I did, I heard the snap of bone.
"Ah, shit." I screamed, holding my leg. I looked up to see Jackson standing there with clear delight and a bit of shock in his eyes. Coach and my teammates ran onto the field.
"Damn it Jackson what the hell were you doing out there? You don't tackle your own teammate." Coach shouted at him.
"Sorry coach, it was an accident." He shrugged, not looking remorseful at all.
"Take a seat, you're out the rest of the game."
"What? Come on. I'm the best player you have out here." He argued.
"Seat now, or you'll be out for the next game as well."
Jackson growled but stomped off towards the benches. Danny and Isaac helped me stand. I tentatively placed weight on my leg and cringed at the sharp pain that shot up it. but I could feel it healing as we stood there.
"McCall, how you doing? Is it broken?" Coach asked.
"No, no I'm okay. I just twisted it the wrong way when I landed. Let me walk it off for a minute and I'll be ready to play." I told him as I stood on it. Stiles was standing off to the side looking concerned.
"Are you sure?" he asked. I took a tentative step and then another, the pain started to dull, and I knew I would be okay.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm good coach, I can play." I told him.
"That's what I like to hear. Get back out there. Let's finish this strong. We just need to keep the lead." He said, giving me a slap on the back. I nodded and then turned to nod to Stiles letting him know I was okay. he exhaled before heading back to the goal. I looked up and waved to my mom who looked to be restraining herself from coming down to check on me herself. She relaxed and sat back down.
The game went on and for the most part we were able to keep them from scoring, Stiles was doing phenomenal. Without Jackson on the field to hog the ball we all played well as a team. I was able to score one more goal, when the ball was passed to me, confirming our lead. But as the other goalie threw the ball back into play one of their team members picked it up and started running to the other side. I could see Stiles watch him and we all ran to catch up, but this was all Stiles at this point, we weren't going to catch him. he never took his eyes off the players net as he watched. This particular player I knew liked to do psych outs. He liked to make a show of aiming for one side then at the last-minute switching to score from the other. I knew that was what he was going to do and held my breath as I watched. But instead of a psych out he aimed and shot from the side he started on. Everyone went silent and the crowd stood to its feet to see what would happen. But Stiles wasn't to be deterred. He caught it, stopping it from passing him with just a quick flick of his stick.
I know its cheesy, but the crowd really did go wild. Especially when the whistle blew to end the game. We won and it was in part thanks to Stiles. I threw off my helmet and made a bee line for him, as did everyone else. The first person to make it to him was Lydia and she didn't care that he was sweaty or even that he was still holding his stick staring in shock at the ball inside. She wrapped him up in a hug and kissed his cheek, congratulating him.
Soon he was bombarded with teammates giving him pats on the back, fist bumps and high fives. I made my way over, pushing through the crowd to see his dad, smiling widely at him.
"I'm proud of you kid." He told him before pulling him into a hug.
"Thanks dad."
As soon as they parted I went in for my own hug.
"Dude, you were fantastic."
"I can't believe I did that. Did I really do that?" he asked still in disbelief.
"Yeah, you did. Nice going my young padawan." Danny said giving him a fist bump.
"Thanks Yoda." Stiles snorted.
We stayed on the field for a while longer, shaking hands with the opposing team and celebrating before we made our way back to the locker room. Our parents were waiting to take us out afterwards as a reward. Allison and Lydia were going to join us.
"Alright, gather around. I want to say something before we all get out of here." Coach said, coming in last. We all crowded around to listen. "Firstly, excellent job everyone. You all made me very proud out there. But this is only the first game of the season. Let's keep this same energy for the rest. you all crushed them out there and I expect you to do the same for every game from now on, you get me?"
"Yes coach." We all agreed.
'Good, now a couple of announcements before you get dressed. First, we are changing things up starting with practice on Monday. We are now going to co-captain status. Starting Monday, your two captains will be Jackson and McCall."
"What?" Jackson barked from the back.
'Oh, you're lucky to still be a captain at all considering the display you put on out there earlier. You should be happy I'm not benching you indefinitely for going after your own teammate while in the midst of a game. Anyway, congrats McCall, you showed me what you were made of when you bartered your position on first line to keep Stilinski in play and it worked out."
"Thank you, coach." I said, ducking my head in acknowledgement. He ignored me.
"That brings me to my second announcement. Stilinski, the skill, and fierceness you showed out there is exactly what I was hoping to see. Although there is still room for improvement, you have proven that you are more than capable of handling this position. So, congratulations you are now first string. You'll be alternating with Danny on games."
Claps and congrats went up all around at the announcement. Stiles was in shock but was slowly coming around. I gave his shoulder a shake, bringing him back to the present.
"Thanks coach, I promise I won't let you down." he said.
"I know you won't. You were amazing out there, keep it up. Ugh, this is getting too mushy for me. that's all I got. Everyone get out of here, go celebrate or whatever." Coach said with a disgusted shiver before heading into his office and slamming the door.
** Hope you all enjoy a little reprieve from the drama. We had to see Stiles play in his first game. Hope you enjoyed. **