Heavenly. Teen Wolf (s.s)

ix. isolation

Erica walked up to some random guy and bent over, stealing the apple from his tray. She bit into the apple and smiled seductively, wiping the juice from her lips, and then tossed the fruit back to its owner.

"What the hell was that?" Lydia, who had walked over when they weren't looking, asked.

"It's Erica," Gracie explained.

Scott abruptly stood up and Stiles followed him out of the cafeteria, both of them trying to catch up with Erica. She was already out of the building when they pushed through the doors out of school, and they stopped in their tracks when they saw her walking around Derek's Camaro.

Erica smirked at them as she slid into the passenger seat and Stiles' blood boiled when Derek flashed them a grin as he drove off.

The door opened behind them and Gracie stepped out; Stiles and Scott turned around to look at her, both of them angry.

"You told Derek about Erica?" Stiles practically exploded. "What the hell is wrong with you, Grace?"

Gracie tried not to flinch away from his anger. "I never told Derek anything. Even if Derek did give her the bite, it's because she chose this. Besides, the bite is a gift."

Stiles scoffed, unable to believe that Gracie was spouting off the same shit her uncle did after he bit her.

"Yeah?" he said mockingly. "...and how's that working out for you, Gracie?" Gracie stiffened and her gaze narrowed at him for bringing up her bite. "You know what? Do me a favor and don't come with us tonight."

Gracie reared back like she had been slapped. She had been looking forward to making up with Stiles and hanging out with him, but now he didn't even want her to come. She just didn't understand why he was so angry at her.

Stiles didn't want her around and she had never felt so out of place –– never felt so unwanted.

"Okay," she finally whispered, looking away from Stiles' cold glare. "I won't come."

Stiles jerkily nodded and walked away to the parking lot, Scott following after he sent a hesitant look.

Turning back into the school, Gracie's face scrunched in pain as her eyes started to wet.

When the last bell rang for fifth period, Gracie was sitting in a toilet cubicle with the lid closed. Her makeup was messed up as the mascara started to run. She grabbed her compact mirror and took out wipes from her bag, wiping her eyes as all the mascara came off.

She took a deep breath and sighed when she heard the door open and close, not wanting anyone to find her. The last thing she needed was someone to find her crying.

She glanced up when she heard nothing but silence. Her eyes squinted in confusion when she saw a pair of feet standing right in front of her stall, and they definitely weren't a girl's feet.

"Hello?" She called out. "This is the girls room."

The feet –– or whoever was in the bathroom –– walked away from the stall. Gracie narrowed her eyes as she whipped open the door and left the cubicle to find that she was the only one there.

Gracie swung her bag over her shoulder and left the bathroom, just in time to see a man walking up the steps with his back to her. She followed him as he walked down a flight of steps and stood by the wall as he stopped in front of the school's trophy case.

The man walked away, never turning back so Gracie could never get a look at him. As he turned the corner, Gracie ran over to the cabinet, wondering what he was looking for. She soon found a photo graph with a tag underneath saying Peter Hale.

Gracie shook her head, leaning back against the wall as she let out a sob. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as the thought of Peter haunted her mind. She knew after the bite she would never be the same, but now she just wished things could go back to the way it used to be.

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GRACIE PICKED AT THE PASTA SHE HAD MADE FOR DINNER FOR HER AND Derek, but her appetite was nowhere to be seen. She had felt sick to her stomach since school ended and it only got worse when the time when she was supposed to meet up with Allison, Stiles, and Scott passed. She kept thinking about what Stiles said and the way he looked at her. He had never acted that way towards her –– or anyone really, which made her feel even worse. She felt left out but she also felt annoyed –– at Stiles and herself. She was annoyed that Stiles was so mad at her and she was annoyed at herself for being so upset that he was mad at her.

But she did feel a little sorry.

Stiles and Scott felt like she had betrayed them and she could understand where they were coming from —– only a little bit, though. Because from her point of view, Erica wanted to be a werewolf more than anything. It wasn't like Derek forced her to get the bite like Peter did with Scott or even with herself. Derek had explained everything to Erica just like he had told Isaac.

It was Erica's choice to take the bite –– not Scott McCall's or Stiles Stilinski's.

Gracie must have looked sadder than she realized because even Derek noticed how down his sister had been acting all afternoon.

"Are you okay, Grace?" He asked, setting down his empty glass.

"I'm fine," she lied when she looked up. Though, she was fooling anyone. Derek didn't need to listen to her heartbeat rise to know the truth. "Stiles uninvited me from that ice-skating thing. He thought I told you about Erica. He invited Lydia instead."

"I'm sorry they're taking it out on you, Grace," Derek said sincerely, watching her as she stared down at her food solemnly. He poked at his own food as he continued, "Well, I guess they'll be a problem when I give Boyd the bite tomorrow."

Gracie raised her eyebrows at the new information and looked up at her brother again. "You're biting Boyd? Vernon Boyd?"

Derek nodded, looking sheepish. "Yeah, Isaac and Erica are friends with him. They said he's interested."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Gracie asked, confused. "You didn't tell me about Erica, either."

"Because I know that Stiles and Scott are giving you a hard time," Derek reasoned with her. "...and I know that you're actually friends with them."

Gracie, never looking up, just shrugged. "Not anymore apparently."

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𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄:
So that's chapter nine. Poor Gracie. Caught between her brother and her friends. What will she do? I hope you liked this chapter. Please tell me what you think. If you really liked it, please share it.