Venom [Book 2]

Chapter 17

My dad came into my room with a box, clearing his throat as I looked at him from my desk and took out my earbuds.

    "Hi, Dad." I said, "what's in the box?"

    "Oh, uh"—He set the box on my bed—"I found a bunch if junk in the attic from when I cleaned it out a few months ago. Thought you and your brother might want to go through it before he heads off to collage."

    I stood up and walked over to look inside the box, smiling and picking up a photo of Stiles and I playing in the backyard when we were young.

    "That sounds like a good idea." Stiles said from where he sat on the floor at the end of my bed.

    "I'll leave you two to do that then." Dad said and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

    Stiles stood up and looked inside the box, smiling at one of his old trophies. "I remember this."

    "Yeah, that was when you were in third grade and you won the sarcasm award out of your entire class." I said, making Stiles chuckle and look at me. "I'm still surprised that's a thing."

    "Mmh, well, they probably made it just for me." He replied, setting the trophy on the bed.

    I chuckled, "Yeah. Probably."

    Stiles pretended to look hurt, but then shook his head and took out the head of the cane.

   I frowned and took it from my brother's hand, turning it around in my hand. "Why do we even have this? We defeated Sebastian two months ago, and I particularly don't want a bad memory of that."

    "Then why are you still wearing that?" Stiles asked, gesturing to the green zip-up sweater I wore. "That was Theo's."

    I looked down at the sweater and unzipped it, throwing it into the hamper by my door and looking back at Stiles.

    "I was meaning to get rid of it a long time ago, but like Scott is your impulse control, you're mine. And when you're not with me to stop me, I do stupid things like keep things from my psychotic ex." I answered, going over to my closet and taking down a blue zip-up and zipping it up over my floral white t-shirt.

    ". . . does it still smell like him?" He asked, knowing that no matter how much I may say I hate him, he knows I'm just trying to push aside my sadness with anger.

    I cast a glance towards the hamper, and looked back at my brother. "No. It hasn't for a while."

    Stiles walked away from the box and wrapped his arms around my shoulders as I rested my chin on his shoulder, hugging him back.

"I miss him, Stiles. I know I shouldn't. But I do." I said quietly.

Stiles nodded and pressed a light kiss against my temple, rubbing my back. "I know, Liz. I know."

———

"Hey, Elizabeth, can I see you in my office?" Dad asked when he opened his door, seeing me at Parrish's desk helping him with details on the case about Alex's missing parents.

    "Sure," I responded and walked into my dad's office, where he sat back in his chair.

    Dad pulled open one of his desk drawers and held out his hand where he had gotten a small silver badge with my name. "You might not yet be old enough to be an actual officer, but I think you've helped with enough cases over these few months to earn yourself something to brag about."

    I smiled, "You serious?"

    "Yeah. Parrish recommend I do so. He said, and I quote: she is the best thing to happen to this office in a long time."