"I am never drinking again." Josie declared. She took a sip of the overpriced coffee cradled in her hands before throwing her head back against the passenger seat's headrest.

The sunglasses she had perched on her nose were doing nothing to ease her headache. At Allison's pleading insistence, Josie had agreed to meet up for a debrief on the Scott situation. She regretted that decision as soon as she hung up the phone. The regret only doubled when Allison started cackling at the sight of Josie stumbling into the driveway with yesterday's leftover makeup smeared around her eyes.

Allison snorted derisively. "And I am calling bullshit."

Sliding her sunglasses down just enough to glare over at the driver's seat, Josie took stock of Allison's sunny disposition. Her curls were wilder than usual and there was a suspicious stain on the sleeve of her hoodie, but Allison looked no worse for wear after her night at Lydia's. Placing her coffee back in the cupholder, Josie frowned. "Why the fuck do you look so good, right now?"

"Shut up," Allison flicked her turn signal on before settling in at the red light. A small smile was resting on her face. "If you're going to hit on me, please wait until after eleven in the morning."

A tight knot began to form in Josie's chest. It was either a budding anxiety attack or Josie was going to vomit all over her shoes. After convincing Allison to roll down her windows, Josie shut her eyes and let the cool air wash over her. When that didn't ease the feeling at all, she decided anxiety was the more likely option.

Keeping her hand out the window, Josie shifted her body towards Allison. The seatbelt twisted uncomfortably against her torso. She waited until Allison's attention was set on driving before asking, "Does it bother you? That I like girls, too?"

"Oh my god, what? Absolutely not!" Allison was switching between looking at the road and giving Josie a frantic look. Her smile was replaced by a panicked expression. "Did I say something wrong? Or do something? Because it doesn't bother me at all, and I'm really sorry if I made you think that."

Just as Allison took a deep breath to continue her rambling apology, Josie cut her off with a poke to the shoulder. The worry that Allison had about Josie's emotions sent a surprised but warm feeling into her stomach. "Ally, chill, you're fine."

"What did I do?" At Josie's silence, Allison sent a probing look her way. "Seriously, I want to know."

"It's not a big deal," Josie brought her chilly arm into the car and rolled up her window. "Don't worry about it."

"Josie, what did I do?" Allison paused at a stop sign long enough for her to give Josie her full attention. Her eyes were wide and serious. When she spoke, her light voice was firm and uncompromising. "If it made you feel like that, I want to make sure I don't do it again."

The intensity in Allison's eyes took Josie aback. She didn't think her anxiety-induced question would lead to this. Unable to keep eye contact for long, Josie shifted her gaze to the volume dial on the radio. "People-well, girls-get worried that I'm going to hit on them and it makes them uncomfortable."

Even though Josie didn't explicitly say Allison's joke bothered her, the other girl recognized the familiar wording. Groaning, Allison briefly squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm so stupid," She opened them and continued before Josie could interject. "That's horrible and it wasn't what I meant. I'm really sorry."

Uncomfortable with the seriousness of the topic, Josie quickly changed the topic. "What did you mean to say?"

Allison let her head loll back against the headrest to mimic Josie's position. She grinned brightly. "That I look like shit."

Before Josie could debate whether the joke was funny or not, a giggle tore its way out of her throat. The sound caused Allison to follow suit and both girls were soon bent over the console in convulsions. It was only when an impatient beeping came from behind them that the laughter finally subsided.

"Shit, I forgot I'm at a stop sign." Allison raised her arm in acknowledgment to the driver behind her before tearing into her right-hand turn. Her arm whipped out to ghost in front of Josie's chest as the force sent them both careening sideways. "Oops."

Voice still breathy and teasing from laughter, Josie asked, "Could I see your license? Just to make sure you actually have it."

"I will literally kick you out of this car." Allison was struggling to school her face back into seriousness. "Or take the coffee back."

For all of Allison's attempted threats, Josie knew she wasn't the least bit serious. Though it had been a while, she could still recognize the teasing tone that friends used. She could still identify the warmth that being around Allison created. Josie could only hope Allison felt the same way about her-she wasn't sure that she could handle losing that feeling again.

The rush of being wanted never diluted for Josie. It was still as intense and overpowering as the first time she realized Baba hugged her first, bypassing Josie's many cousins, at every family gathering. For someone whose parents consistently forgot her at stores, Josie was hooked on it.

"I dare you." Josie snatched the coffee back up and cradled it protectively to her chest. It was going to have to be pried out of her cold, dead hands.

"Yeah, yeah." Allison picked up her phone by the aux cord and swung it in the general direction of her passenger seat. "Check to see if Lydia texted back, please?"

Josie clumsily caught the phone with her free hand. "Chances that she did are slim to none."

Allison groaned dramatically. "Just do it."

Glancing at the phone, Josie let out a noise of surprise. "Ooh, she texted back." Squinting slightly, she glanced at the screen and relayed the message.

Lydia Martin

I literally went to bed an hour ago. Fuck off, please. (9:07 am)

"Safe to say that she isn't coming." Allison huffed a laugh. "We'll update her later."

By the time Allison pulled into her driveway, Josie had managed to finish her coffee and was full of caffeinated nerves at the prospect of meeting Allison's parents. The large colonial homes lining the manicured street did nothing to soothe Josie's nerves. From everything she'd seen, Allison had the perfect life-Josie was just hoping she could manage to fit into it.

"I literally look hungover as shit." Josie tugged at the hem of her hoodie, willing it to magically lengthen a few inches and cover the sliver of her stomach. "Your parents are going to think I'm a bad influence."

Allison made an amused noise. "Don't worry, they think everyone is a bad influence."

As Allison exited the car, Josie tugged at the end of her ponytail. If her friendship skills were rusty then her 'meeting the parents' skill was severely atrophied. At Allison's pointed look, Josie reluctantly got out of the car.

Much too soon, Josie was standing in the middle of the Argent's foyer. It looked about how she expected. Everything was expensive and spotless, but it was startlingly impersonal. There was nothing that could be definitively pointed to as the Argent's. Even Josie's parents had decorated their aggressively modern home in Seattle with family pictures and preschool finger paintings.

"I'm home!" Allison called out. She kicked her shoes off into a messy pile by the door before beginning to shed her many layers.

Josie was in the middle of slipping her sneakers off when two adults seemed to appear from nowhere. To prolong meeting their intense gaze, Josie quickly took them in fully.

Allison's mother was a petite woman with aggressively red hair. Everything about her was streamlined: the short haircut that framed her face, her slim and athletic build, and the way she carried herself. Allison's father had the same no-nonsense attitude about him, but he towered over his wife. His blonde hair matched the slight stubble covering his face, but he shared the same high cheekbones as his daughter.

At the unwavering stares focused on her, Josie chuckled awkwardly. She was still oddly contorted with her shoes dangling from her fingers. She set them carefully next to Allison's and straightened. "Hi, I'm Allison's friend, Josie."

Her tentative greeting seemed to knock the Argents back into the normal motions of politeness.

"It's nice to meet you, honey." Allison's mother quickly made her way across the foyer and stopped at Allison's side. She gave Josie an appraising look before nodding to herself. "I'm Victoria and this is Chris."

Even though the intense smile that Victoria Argent was giving her sent a chill up the back of her neck, Josie returned it enthusiastically. "Your house is really nice."

"Thank you," Chris moved to join his wife and wrapped an arm around her. "I have to give the credit to my wife and daughter. They did most of the hard work."

"Painting," Allison clarified with a dramatic groan. She tossed her head back and widened her eyes at Josie. "So much painting."

"And your room's not even done yet, right?" Josie asked.

"Not even close." Allison confirmed. "If I can't live with the color on my walls for a few weeks, then I can't deal with it forever."

"Not because you're putting off doing the actual painting." Chris gave his daughter a look that showed just how much she wasn't fooling anyone.

Allison smiled angelically. "Of course not."

"If we're lucky," Victoria broke in with a smile, "Josie will be able to help our indecisive daughter make a choice."

Panicked at being put on the spot, Josie could only manage a tense and dorky, "I'll do my best!"

While Josie was berating herself for the obviously fake enthusiasm, Allison took the moment to drag her up the steps. Hand wrapped loosely around Josie's elbow, Allison sent a smile back over her shoulder to her parents. "Okay, that was a great talk, but I'm going to steal Josie now."

Josie waved helplessly to Allison's parents and hoped the relief wasn't too evident on her face.

The rest of the house was just as gorgeous and severe as the foyer was. However, the atmosphere immediately shifted when they got to Allison's room. Josie couldn't help the smile that overtook her face when she stepped inside-she could see why Allison's parents disliked it so much. It was clearly Allison's.

Different strokes of paint color lined the walls and cardboard boxes covered most of the floor. Allison's clothes were haphazardly thrown around the room, the visual companion to the outfit planning the two girls had been doing over text the night before. A few pictures were stuck in the lining of Allison's mirror: a gap-toothed Allison blowing out the candles on a birthday cake with her parents on either side, a preteen Allison holding up a gold medal on a podium, and one of Allison in Christmas pajamas with a middle-aged woman with light hair. Josie paused to inspect the pictures but was quickly distracted by Allison's bed.

Wasting no time in falling onto the blankets, Josie let out a pleased groan. She wrapped a fluffy blanket tightly around her shoulders. Now that she successfully met Allison's parents and was full of sugary coffee, Josie's mood was greatly improving.

At the sound of Allison's smothered laugh, Josie primly sat up with her blanket. "I like it here."

From the seat at her desk chair, Allison smiled. "I thought you would. You look about ready to hibernate."

"I am not a creature of the cold." Josie agreed. She wriggled her way into a seated position before wrapping the blanket around her shoulders primly. "But, let's get down to business."

Allison slouched further into her desk chair and sent herself spinning. "What the fuck was up with the Scott."

Josie nodded emphatically. "What the fuck was up with Scott?"

"No clue." Allison stopped her nauseating turns to give Josie an annoyed look. "Not only did he bail as soon as we were about to kiss, but he was also my ride! If your friend wasn't there, I would've totally been stranded."

"Oh, I'm not friends with Derek. I trespassed on his property, like, once." Josie remarked. "Plus, Baba would've come and gotten us."

"That's not the point!" Allison threw her hands up before angrily scraping her curls into a ponytail. She yanked an errant strand back viciously. "He gave total mixed signals and then ditched me. It's the principle of it."

At the righteous anger in Allison's voice, Josie began to nod. "Yeah, it was a dick move. I did not expect it from him."

"That's the worst part! I really like him…"

By the time they had finished dissecting every one of Scott's behaviors, Allison had redone her ponytail four times. Josie abruptly rolled off Allison's bed, unable to stand it any longer. "Okay, that's it. I can't just sit here and watch you abuse your poor hair."

Allison dropped her hands like her hair burned her. She gave a tired smile. "Sorry, it just feels like a lot sometimes. When I get worked up, I just need it away, y'know?"

After Summerville, the first thing Josie did was cut her long hair to her shoulders. The memories attached to her hair weren't something Josie was eager to keep. In the hospital, tangled in stiff sheets and slowly coming out of anesthesia, she could feel familiar ghostly hands combing through her knotted hair.

Her first request at the inpatient facility was for someone to cut her hair. Josie wasn't allowed to be around sharp objects, but weeks of good behavior and a sign-off from Bea got her a day pass to a Seattle salon. With a reluctant nurse tagging along and a prepaid card loaded with money from her parents, Josie stopped at the first place she saw. Immediately, she felt lighter.

Now, her hair tickled the back of her shoulder blades. She couldn't bring herself to cut it any shorter-not when her memories of her old life were beginning to fade. The Josie who woke up in the hospital could afford to push her ghosts away. The Josie that was standing at the edge of Allison's bed was clinging to them.

"I understand." Josie moved to rest her hands on the back of Allison's desk chair. "You mind if I braid it back?"

"Ooh, please do." Allison's face broke into a smile. She made eye contact with Josie's reflection and schooled her face into seriousness. "Actually, I have a condition."

"What is it?"

"You tell me what you and Lydia were arguing about while you do it?" Allison's voice was tentative.

Josie had spent the silent portion of their car ride thinking through what she was going to tell Allison. Part of Josie wanted to tell her the whole truth. Part of Josie wanted to tell her to fuck off. She decided to meet somewhere in the middle. "Deal."

While Allison dug through her desk for a hair-tie and comb, Josie mentally prepared her words. The other girl handed both items over and looked at Josie's reflection expectantly.

Focused on creating an even part of Allison's hair, Josie smiled hesitantly to herself. "I'm guessing you heard her mention Summerville?"

Allison nodded before straightening herself with a murmured apology.

"The reason I moved here to live with Baba is because something really bad happened back home. I got really hurt. Some of my friends died. Because I'm a minor, my name was kept out of the paper but everyone knew anyway." Josie began to weave strands of Allison's hair together. "I stayed in the hospital after it happened, during the summer, but school was…hard."

Without moving her head, Allison gave a reassuring hum.

"We thought it'd be better if I got a fresh start in a new place. Summerville is the name of the place it happened at. I wasn't expecting anyone to know anything about it-much less Lydia. So, I lost it a bit." Josie carefully separated two tangled curls. "We're good now. Me and Lydia. She understands why I don't want anyone to know and I understand why she mentioned it."

Allison stayed quiet until Josie tied her braid off.

After patting Allison's shoulder twice to signal that she was okay to move, Josie retreated to sit on the edge of the bed. She waited tentatively as Allison inspected the braid.

"I'm really sorry that happened to you." Allison's voice was slow but calm, as though she was thinking deliberately of every word before she said it. She turned the chair slowly to face Josie. "If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here. I'm also here whenever you don't."

Josie's heart squeezed painfully at the earnest look on Allison's face. To her horror, she felt tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. "I'm sorry, I know it's a lot to randomly dump on you."

"It isn't dumping if I ask," Allison pressed her ankle to Josie's carefully. The soft scratch of Allison's socks against the worn material of Josie's leggings gave Josie something other than Allison's soft eyes to focus on.

Wiping at her eyes, Josie gave a watery laugh. "Thank you. I, uh, really don't want to keep talking about it."

Allison nodded. "We can talk about how Stiles knocked on my door last night and almost gave my mom a heart attack."

Josie let her mouth drop open. "Shut up, he did the same thing to me! I don't even know how he knows where I live. Like, I barely know Baba's address."

"He rambled on for about ten minutes before my mom made him stop." Allison's smile turned sharp at the edges. "I've never seen a teenage boy look so scared. How was he at yours?"

Though it was nearing midnight when Derek dropped Josie off on her front porch, lingering in the driveway until Josie had locked the door behind her, Baba was puttering around the kitchen. Josie was in the process of scrubbing off her makeup when Baba yelled up the steps that someone was at the door.

Eye makeup smeared down her cheeks, Josie slipped her way downstairs. Kitty trailed plaintively behind her. The cat had watched haughtily from the radiator as Josie changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth. Kitty wasn't used to a change in Josie's routines and made her annoyance known.

Whoever she was expecting at the door, it wasn't Stiles. Freezing on the last landing of the stairs, Josie assessed the situation.

Stiles was cornered between the door and Baba's dogs. Mango was audibly sniffing the bottom of Stiles's coat with a wet nose while Peaches barked from behind Baba's ankles. Stiles looked as though he was caught between laughing and freezing in fear. A nervous smile was stretched over his face.

Baba, bundled in her robe and slippers, was either unaware or ignoring his discomfort. "Nonsense," she waved him off. "Call me Elena or Baba, it doesn't matter to me. Ma'am makes me feel old."

Josie forced her legs to move. She focused carefully on not tripping over the cat twining between her legs. "As though Baba doesn't mean grandma."

Baba made an affronted face. "Ignore JJ. She's a moody teenager."

To put off looking at the teenage boy at her door, Josie reached for Peaches and shoved the chihuahua into her grandmother's arms. "Take the anklebiters to the kitchen or something to calm down. And stop harassing him."

"I just invited him in for tea!" Baba protested. Peaches made a sound of agreement from her arms.

"It's, like, midnight!" Josie waved her hands around hopelessly.

Baba waved her free arm wildly in an imitation of her granddaughter.

"Just take the dogs and make me some tea or something." Josie snapped her fingers for Mango, who had begun attempts to shove his large head into the pockets of Stiles' jackets, and gave Baba a pleading look. "Please?"

"Fine, fine." Baba whistled lowly for Mango and the Great Dane began to trot after her down the hallway. Kitty gave an upset meow before following them. As she disappeared behind the kitchen's swinging door, Baba called, "The next time he comes over, he's having tea!"

Glancing up from her slippers, Josie made eye contact with Stiles. He looked better than she was used to seeing him, with less shock and confusion than she expected, and seemed to be fighting a smile.

Josie rolled her eyes. "C'mon, we can talk outside."

As Stiles slipped out the door behind her, Josie wrapped her arms around her stomach. When she realized what she was wearing-a thin tank top with cartoon bumblebees and the matching pajama pants-Josie shifted her arms to cross over her chest.

Stiles was doing an admirable job of not looking at her chest and his eyes were focused pointedly on her forehead. Josie couldn't tell if it was to avoid looking at her cleavage or her scar.

She raised her eyebrows impatiently and Stiles jumped.

"Oh!" He cleared his throat as if it just occurred to him that he needed to speak. He attempted a friendly smile. "So, you're, y'know, you're home."

Whether it was the freezing wind creeping through Baba's covered porch, the tiredness that had settled into Josie's bones after the party, or the fact that Stiles was seeing her in a way that she didn't usually allow people to see, Josie was not feeling friendly.

"Of course, I'm here!" Josie's voice was close to a shriek. Her hands squeezed tighter around her elbows and she resisted the urge to hit Stiles across the face. "Where the fuck else would I be?"

Stiles winced and ran a hand down his face. "I don't know. Somewhere that's…not here?"

"You dragged me out into the freezing cold for this?" Josie couldn't help but stomp her foot against the ground childishly.

"Technically, you're the one that dragged us outside, I was perfectly happy to stay inside and-hey!" Stiles stopped short to rub at his bicep where Josie had punched him. He looked so genuinely hurt that it made Josie want to laugh. "That was mean."

Josie just frowned intently as a shiver rolled down her spine.

"Here," Stiles awkwardly tugged his jacket off and shoved it at Josie. When she just stared at it, he rolled his eyes. "Look, just take it. You look like a very angry toddler, right now."

Reluctantly unwrapping her arms, Josie shrugged into the jacket. Immediately, she felt better. Though it was too long in the arms, the jacket was warm and the faint smell of cinnamon drifted up from the collar.

Josie was still frowning, even as she muttered, "Thank you…"

Now out of things to do with his hands, Stiles shifted uncomfortably. "You're welcome."

"And fuck you for saying I look like a toddler." Josie finished.

Stiles's face briefly morphed into one of incredulous annoyance before spotting the small smile tugging at Josie's lips. He matched her smile and began to gesture in her general direction. "You are literally wearing bunny slippers, like, how do you even argue against that! Don't get me wrong, it's a great look-very comfy, very cozy-but not the most mature thing I've ever seen."

Josie bit down on the inside of her cheek to stop herself from smiling. "You come into my house and insult me like this. The nerve of some people."

"If there is one thing someone can say about me, it is that I am full of nerves." Stiles seemed confused if that was what he wanted to stick with. At Josie's questioning look, he shrugged.

Huffing out a breath that was half a laugh and half a sigh, Josie finally asked, "What are you doing here?"

Stiles shoved his hands in his pockets. "I wanted to make sure you got home safe after you hopped into a car with Derek Hale of all people-that you or Allison weren't dead in a ditch."

For how cold she was, Josie felt a warmth starting to rise on her face. She shifted awkwardly, hoping it was dark enough that Stiles couldn't see. "Oh."

In the warm glow of the porch light, Josie swore she could see a matching blush rising on Stiles's face. For once, he didn't seem to have anything to say.

Eager to escape the tense quiet, Josie put a hand on the door. "Well, anyways, it was nice of you to check, but I'm totally not dead. So, I'm probably going to go back inside…"

At Josie's lack of subtlety, Stiles seemed to become aware of the way he was hovering. "Yeah, of course-beauty sleep and all that. Not that you need it or anything! I'm just saying that-"

Before he could dig himself a deeper grave, Josie broke in, heart hammering in her chest. "Night, Stiles. Drive safe."

Without waiting to see if he said anything back, Josie slipped through the door and locked it behind her. Kitty was immediately at her feet and Josie scooped her up. Face pressed into Kitty's fur, Josie slowly waited for her heart to go back to normal.

Instead of explaining all of that to Allison, Josie just shrugged and ignored the heat rising to her skin. "Like he usually is." Before the other girl could do anything more than send a skeptical look her way, Josie cleared her throat. "So, how do you plan on acting around Scott at school?"

As Allison easily slipped into talking about Scott, Josie wrapped herself in a blanket. Maybe she wasn't so rusty at the friend thing after all.

a/n: you know junior year of college is kicking your ass when you come back and start working on fanfic drafts again. no beta or editing, we die like men