Gut Instinct (Teen Wolf)

1:14 Yeah, That Would've Been Awkward

Warning: Swearing, awkwardness. Mentions of panic attacks, drowning, death.

Her head shot up as she felt something hit her forehead. Her principal caught the stressball he had thrown at her to get her attention. "It seems I need to get more pens," the man said. 

Vic looked at her her lap where there was a mess of pen parts she had unconsciously created. Well, to anyone else it looked like a mess. She knew where each piece went and which part went with which pen. 

"Sorry, sir," Vic said. She picked up the first pen and slid the piece in. "I prefer to have something to do with my hands." 

"I can give you a stressball," he offered. 

"Can I have two?" she asked. 

He chuckled and opened a drawer. He fished out a colourful fidget toy with twisting pieces and coloured bits. Vic put the finished pen on the desk and reached for it. He picked up the toy and put it out of her reach. He motioned to the rest of the pens. She sighed and began on the second. 

"How about we get back to the session?" he said. 

After everything that had happened at the sheriff's station, it had become mandatory for all three teens involved to talk to somone. Stiles and Scott had sessions with the guidance counselor. Vic's dad had somehow managed for her to talk to the principal the period before lunch. 

"I kind of dazed there for a bit," she admitted. "Where were we?" 

"You told me about the police station," he said, looking at his notes. "You said the last thing you saw was your brother before you passed out." 

Vic nodded. She set the red pen down on the desk and began on the last one. "I don't know why I passed out. It might've been from panic, shock, blood loss even though I didn't lose that much. I just know that I did." 

"What happened when you woke up?" he asked. 

"I was in the hospital," she told him. She snorted with a faint smile on her face. "Again. My dad and my brother were there. My dad told me how Matt drowned in the creek nearby." 

"Do you feel bad for him?" he asked. 

She shrugged. "No. I actually feel relieved. He killed five people, at least, shot Scott, nearly shot me, did something to my brother, and hit my dad on the head so hard he had to get stitches." 

"Do you feel bad for Matt when he drowned at nine?" His eyes were curious, but held a certain level of caring she didn't want to see. 

Vic placed the pen on the desk. "I mean, yeah. What those guys did, drowning him, nearly killing him, that was wrong. But that doesn't give him a right to kill them." 

Her hands went over her pants to try and wipe the sweat off. Was it sweat? Or was it blood? Was it her blood, from the gunshot on her hip? The marks on her back? Or was it Marcel's? Had it gotten on her hands when he choked on it? Or was it Trevor's? Cleo's? Or was it just sweat? 

"Can I have the fidget toy?" she asked. 

He handed it to her. She took it and twisted the pieces around. 

"Well, at least something good happened after that night, right?" he asked. 

She smiled. "Yeah, my dad got his job back as sheriff. Honestly, he never should've lost it. I might be slightly biased since he's my dad and all, but he's a great detective. An amazing one." 

"Have you talked to him at all? About the night at the sheriff's station?"

Vic's smile fell. "No. I mean we've spoken but we haven't talked. About anything. It's the same way with Stiles. There's just this massive tension between all of us. For Stiles, it seems like he doesn't know what to say. For me, it's the fact that I can't say it. It's like every time I try... my brain stops. My throat squeezes the words on my voice before I can say them and...I just freeze."