𝕬𝖓𝖙𝖎-𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖔

ℜ𝔢𝔢𝔰𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔥𝔬𝔭𝔢

After that Stiles's life became routine: school, art, music, physical therapy, races, winning, work,chemo, repeat.

Stiles worked three jobs and raced to pay his dad's Chemo.

Stiles tweaked his car making the aerodynamics apply even further, he bought a nitro boost, and was the fastest car.

He did this routine, but without him noticing he was pushing the pack farther and farther away.

They were in AP chemistry when Miss Martin, came in.

"Students, we are announcing the first anual, Beacon Hill talent show." Stiles barely hears her, being half deaf causes that.

"If you'll sing, they have to be three songs, or another talent...." Stiles didn't payed attention.

"If we win what do we win?" A students asked. "A thousand dollars." That took Stiles attention.

"The signups sheet is out side."

The bell rang and everyone signed up, including Stiles.

Lydia was waiting for Stiles outside of his lockers.

"Pack meeting, tonight and before you say no." "I'll go." Stiles interrupted opening his locker. "Why'd you think I wouldn't go?" Stiles asked. "You've hadn't answered our text or calls." "I lost my phone." Stiles explains. "Oh."

Stiles goes to the hospital to meet up with Sebastian, everyone already knew him and Sebastian became a very good friend of Stiles.

"Ready for your physical therapy?" Sebastian asked, "Yep."

Stiles and Sebastian's friendship was an unspoken one. Meaning Sebastian didn't ask about cuts on Stiles's wrists or the semicolon tattoo, and Stiles doesn't ask about Sebastian's Medusa tattoo.

Because they both understand what they mean, they know they can talk to each other. It's a nice kind of friendship.

Stiles's therapy ends, and he goes to check up on his dad. "Hey.." Stiles says. "Who are you?" His dad asks, the tumor plus the chemo made Noah forget his son. Stiles pretends it didn't hurt. "Your son."

"I don't have a son, where is my wife?" "She died, remember dad?" "Stop, calling me 'dad'" "Its, me. It's Mischief."

"You look like a nice young man but I don't have a son."

Stiles leaves after that. He volunteers in the hospital, tutors teens, sings and tells story for kids, plays poker with the old ones.

A kid his age was in the waiting room.

Stiles sits down next to him and offers his Reese's pieces.

The kid looks at him funny but takes the chocolate nonetheless. "I'm Stiles, and I make sarcastic comments when i'm uncomfortable" He sticks out his hand. "Max." He shakes the hand

Max tells Stiles, that his mom is sick with stage four breast cancer and that his parents are divorced. Stiles tells him that his mom is dead and his dad has a progressive stage two brain tumor.

The two teens, find comfort in each others company.

"Do you have any advice?" Max ask "I'm not really good with giving advice can I interest you in a sarcastic comment instead?" Stiles responds.

"Can you try?" "I'm really not the person for this Max." "I think you are." Max raises his sleeve to show a semicolon tattoo that matches Stiles's.

"You are the only one who understands." Max whispers. "What do you want me to tell you, Max? I've lost a lot of people and it never gets easier." "You lost someone you loved. But loved, loved." Max says.

"My girlfriend died in a car crash last year. It was my fault, I was driving." Max adds.

"My best friend killed himself, I loved him, he left a letter, telling that he loved me too." Stiles says. It's not a lie. It was an assisted suicide. 

"It fucking hurts, because he didn't trust me to help him." Stiles adds. "It hurts because your love wasn't strong enough to save him." Max says, Stiles nods. "It fucking hurts, because he saved me. He was my anchor, he was my everything. And he didn't ask for help, and when he did it was to pull the fucking trigger." Stiles whispers.

"I'm not going to say I'm sorry because, I hate when people say that to me." Max says, squeezing Stiles hand. "Am I really the only one who understand?." "Yes." Max says, removing his curly black hair, from his green eyes. "The worst thing is you don't loose some one just once." "What do you mean?" Max asked.

"You don't lose someone once. You lose them hearing a song that reminds you of  their smile. Passing an old landmark. Laughing at a joke they would've laughed at. You lose them infinitely." Stiles explains. 

"We have to hope that it will get better." "Hope sucks." Stiles responded. "Hope doesn't suck. Hope is like waiting for the sun to come up." "Hope is like breaking a watch and pretending time is dead." The runner responds.

"Maybe, but It's nice to have hope, it's nice to stop thinking that our fate is written in stone, and just pretend." Max says.

 "People have this delusion of inherent purpose as if fate is written in stone when really the pen has always been in our hands" Stiles responds.

 "Maybe fate isn't written in stone but it's still nice to pretend." Max says, "We spent our whole lives together pretending, including me, but if you pretend for too long, reality reminds you one way or another that it doesn't like being insulted."

"Never pegged you for a writer, Stiles." "I'm not." "You should be." Max tells him.

"Do you ever think that life is too cruel?" Max asks. "Most times."

Max's dad comes barging in, Max pulls down his sleeves and his dad hugs him. "Let's go." His dad says. "I'm staying, Dad." "You are not staying here alone." "I'm not alone." Max turns to Stiles and gives him a smile.

After arguing his dad leaves and Max slumps down next to Stiles. "He loves me, he really does but...." Max trails off. 

"But sometimes parents love the idea of their child more than the person they are. That kind of love is suffocating." Stiles finishes. "And you say you aren't a writer." Max teases. "I'm not." "We are all passive protagonists until we learn how to write." Stiles chuckles.

They stay there for a while, talk and Max pulls out a book, 'Hamlet', "I have to go Max." "Will you be back?" "Yes."

"Why would you come back?" Max asked. "Your father is asleep." He added. "Don't ask why." "Why not?" Max asked. "I don't believe in reasons." 

"You really are a strange, beautiful thing. Goodbye Stiles, I'll see you tonight."

He heads to a car garage were he works, his boss Miguel reminds him of Jorge, mostly because he speaks Spanish. "Hijo, ya llego la pieza para tu coche." (Son, a piece for your car arrived.) "Gracias, Miguel." (Thanks, Miguel.)

Miguel gave him spare pieces of other cars, to add to his jeep, with all the new parts, it's the fastest race car around. 

Stiles then heads to the hale house, a bit worried. Today was the day he would tell Peter about his son. He just hopes it won't be his blood on the carpet.