inhuman [2] // teen wolf

38. coffee

"Stiles. Are you okay?"

The boy turned from the book in his hands to the beautiful and smiling girl at his doorway who was holding two cups of Starbucks coffee in her hands.

"I got you this. I figured that because you're not sleeping well, you might need it." Riley continued, stepping inside the room and walking over to him, giving him a hug before handing him his drink.

"I, um... Thank you, I actually need this right now." He replied, smiling to her. The two's eyes lingered for a moment before there was another knock on the door.

"You alright?" The sheriff asked, a cardboard box in his hands as he looked at the worried boy.

"Yeah, I'm okay. It was just a nightmare. What's that?" He asked, dismissing the fact that just a few hours ago he woke up screaming, terrified out of his mind from the night terror he experienced. All three of them had experienced really bad things since the night they sacrificed themselves for their parents.

When Riley was having her little moment with the Nemeton (where she finally understood why her family hated the Argents), Scott, Deaucalion and Derek were busy with Jennifer. Deaucalion ended up killing her after she restored his eyesight so he could see what had become of her. Scott had transformed into the True Alpha, the most rarest of all werewolves. He climbed to the top purely on his sheer will and greatness; he did not steal the power.

So great, one of Riley's closest friends is an Alpha, the other is a huntress, a banshee, a beta and one is currently going crazy. How fun. She swears that she's finally the normal one again, even if she's having flashbacks of someone else's life.

"Don't worry about it, you two get your butts to school, now." He ordered and Riley smiled as he left and went down the stairs. She turned back to Stiles with a concerned look on her face, as she put her hand on his shoulder.

"Are you actually okay, Stiles? You seem very... On edge." She commented, squeezing his arm. Ever since Isaac and Allison have grown a lot closer to each other romantically, Riley's found herself attached to Stiles for some apparent reason that may or may not be influenced by the stone old bet that she had made with Olivia all those months ago.

And she may or may not be almost succeeding. But obviously she's not going to do anything with him in this state; he can hardly distinguish dreams from reality, so there would be no way he would even comprehend what was happening.

"I'll... I'll be okay." He nodded, more or less talking to himself than to Riley. She didn't like his answer, but she decided to stay quiet. He was probably sick of being asked all the time.

"Good. Let's go then, I'll drive." She smiled, linking her arm through his as she pulled him out of his room and out of the house. On the way to school, the two sipped on their coffees quietly, until Stiles spoke up.

"How much was this coffee? I'll pay you back--"

"Stiles, relax. Coffee will always be on me. It's my gift to you on these tough mornings - you can't go through them alone. Maybe you need a sleeping buddy to snuggle up to when you get nightmares." Riley offered, and slowed down at the stop light. Stiles raised his eyebrows and looked at her, surprised, until she smiled back at him. "Like a stuffed animal, right?" She teased, winking at him as they continued on when the light turned green. Stiles smiled into his coffee, taking one more drink until they made it into the school parking lot.

The two found Scott running down the stairs outside of the school, as if something was chasing him; like his shadow.

"Scott, you alright?" Stiles asked, grabbing a hold of him as he reached the two, out of breath. He was lost for words, unable to utter an answer. He nodded his head uneasily.

"You don't look very good." Riley mumbled, sipping on her coffee and shutting her eyes because of the bright sun.

"I'm okay." Scott reassured, catching his breath. Riley wished none of these problems existed because of how beautiful the day was in Beacon Hills. Couldn't she just enjoy it without all her friends going crazy?

"No you're not. It's happening to you too, isn't it? You're seeing things." Stiles replied, pressing on his 'not okay' situation. Scott was stunned, looking at Stiles as if he told some crude joke.

"How'd you know?" He asked quietly, and Allison and Lydia popped up beside them.

"Because it's happening to all three of you." Lydia said, looking at the three with worry. Riley threw her cold cup of coffee into the bin beside her and sighed.

"This is about the Nemeton, isn't it? You know, if I knew about the Nemeton I would have probably been able to find it, and this never would have happened." Riley explained, shielding her eyes. She really needs to buy sunglasses. It is true, however, about the Nemeton. If Emma spoke up about the stupid tree, she probably would have no problem finding it. Of course Emma did not help out though, because Riley wasn't in danger. There are perks, but also cons to Emma, one being that she prioritizes Riley over anyone else.

"You don't know that for sure. Don't beat yourself up about it." Stiles answered, and the bell sounded for first period.

But Riley couldn't help but feel bad. If only she knew how to control Emma more, to bring her out at will and put her away when not needed. She needed to know how to control her, even if that meant talking to her dad about it. And God, did she feel incredibly uncomfortable doing that.