Gut Instinct (Teen Wolf)

1:9 My Jeep Too, Âne

Warnings: Mentions of pepper spray, swearing in different languages, Jackson being a jackass, mentions of murders and paralytic substances. 

She took a breath and looked out the window to the big brown building. It was the same one as the one she went to all those years ago. It was kindergarten all over again. Same building, same windows, same playground, but at the same time it was entirely different. She took a breath and traced her thumb over the 'k' on her necklace. She clutched her brother's old blue backpack to her chest. It had everything she needed for her first day of eigth grade. She had spent her entire week, hyped herself up for this moment, convinced her dad she was ready for it. 

But now? Now she felt like she could throw up from all the anxiety. 

"Vic," Stiles said from the driver's seat. "You'll be fine." 

"What do I say if they ask where I'm from?" she asked. 

"Say you're from here," he answered. 

"But what do I say when they ask why I've never gone to school?" she countered. 

"Tell then you were homeschooled." He shrugged off her questions like he already had a response for each of them. 

"What if they ask why Mom and Dad sent you to school and not me?" 

"Tell the I was their favourite," he responded. 

She reached across the space between their seats and punched his shoulder. "Stiles, I'm being serious!" 

"So am I." He raised his hands in defense. 

She huffed and turned to look back at the school. She couldn't see the kids from here. The doors to go in were on the other side of the building, away from the parking lot. But she could still see them on the sidewalk. They all looked so... close, so connected. Like they had known all of these kids their entire lives. They all knew each other. They all had cliques, groups. Now Vic might be invading those groups. 

"Hey, look at me," Stiles requested. She turned and looked at him. His eyes were warm and caring, different from before when they were joking and teasing. "You'll be fine, okay? And if worse comes to worst, just pull out the pepperspray and blind 'em for a second." 

She let out a laugh at that. She had the pepper spray in her pocket, the container given to her just that morning. It had only been two nights since he wondered off from the lacrosse field, but he was already making up for ditching her. 

She took another breath, hyped herself up to do this. 

"I'll be here to pick you up, okay? Same spot," he told her. She nodded and opened the door. She climbed out, swung her backpack over her shoulders and followed all the other kids to where they were going. She smiled when she heard Stiles honk the horn before he left the parking lot. 

She remembered the different parts of the school where kids of different ages stayed. There were the kindergarten kids, who were all in a fenced off area that was filled with toy cars and a sand pit. Then the grades one to five had a playground, a basketball net, a soccer field and a few hopscotches that were painted onto the cement hardtop. The grades six to eight had a soccer field, gegaball pit, basketball court and two baseball diamonds with a couple four squares on the hard top. 

Vic followed the older kids to the far side of the building where everyone was waiting for the bell to go in. She kept her head high. She had nothing to be ashamed of that these people would need to know of. She chose a spot on the wall by herself. If people wanted to come up to her, they could. But if not, she wasn't going to force them to. But she still felt their stares, heard their whispers.