Forget Me || Derek Hale.

two.

Derek.

Crowds of parents, relatives, and family friends gathered on the school field, shuffling forward to find a seat on the bleachers. And as much as Derek hated crowds, he was excited to watch Eli play his first lacrosse game. He gripped Charlie's hand tightly in his as they manoeuvred their way through the bustling crowd. The students were already on the field, running laps and stretching to warm up before the game started. Derek spotted Eli straight away. It was hard to miss the head of long, dark curly hair that was yet to be covered by his helmet. As they reached the already crowded seats, they spotted Noah. He stood beside the bleachers, arms folded across his chest as he watched his grandson run laps.

"Hey, Dad." Charlie grinned as they approached him.

"Hey, guys." Noah dipped his head in greeting before pulling his daughter into a tight hug. He shook Derek's hand before turning back to the field. "He looks great out there."

"He's nervous, but we're confident that he's gonna do great." Charlie said, watching Eli.

Stiles and Lydia appeared beside them. Derek could already feel the tension between them, and they hadn't even sat down yet.

"You made it." Charlie grinned again, hugging her brother and sister-in-law.

"Of course." Lydia smiled tightly. "We wouldn't miss Eli's first game for anything."

Charlie eyed the two of them suspiciously, but she didn't comment on the awkward atmosphere that settled between them all.

"Shall we find some seats?" Derek suggested, breaking the silence. "It looks like they're getting ready to start."

"Good idea." Noah nodded. He gave Derek a knowing glance as he passed him.

Derek wrapped an arm around Charlie's shoulders and guided her towards the bleachers, where they found seats on the second row. Minutes after they'd sat down, Scott, Kira, Malia, and Isaac arrived. It was a tight squeeze, but the all managed to fit in, taking up most of the bench. Derek found himself squashed in between Charlie and Noah, but he didn't complain. Tonight was a big night for Eli, so Derek would put up with the discomfort for a few hours.

"This is so exciting." Kira grinned, tapping her hands against her knees.

"It's weird being back here." Scott chuckled. "I gotta say, though, I do miss being on the field."

"Me too." Isaac nodded in agreement.

"I can't believe Coach is still teaching." Charlie sniggered, gesturing the none other than coach Bobby Finstock, who stood on the sidelines shouting orders at the players.

The team gathered around Coach, listening to his pregame speech. Eli stood in front of Coach but soon found his family in the crowd. He looked up at them with a beaming smile and waved. Derek and Charlie waved back, giving him their proudest smile.

"HALE!" Coach yelled.

Eli's attention snapped back to Coach, a guilty expression on his face. "Sorry, Coach."

"Yeah, Coach hasn't changed." Charlie snorted a laugh.

Ten minutes later, the players spread out on the field, taking their positions and preparing to play. Eli, however, sat on the bench along with two other players.

"I can't believe Coach benched him." Charlie scoffed. "His first game, and he doesn't even get to play!"

"There's still plenty of time." Derek said. "Don't forget Stiles was benched for most of his games."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Charlie raised a brow at him.

Derek chuckled, shaking his head. "Just relax. He'll get his chance."