Broken

Chapter 7

Scott POV

I continue to slowly eat dinner that Mom so graciously cooked for me. Lasagna, my favorite. However, I'm not enjoying it so much tonight. I've just got way too much on my mind and there is a sort of sick and uneasy feeling in my stomach, but I can't quite work out why that is. Maybe I've already eaten too much? Or am I coming down with something? Or perhaps it's just stress from school and the supernatural world. I'm going to say that it must be the latter, but what if something really bad is happening? That uneasy feeling in my stomach doesn't fade, yet I continue eating the food, not wanting to disappoint Mom. We don't get many home cooked meals together anymore because Mom is usually working really late. So, either I just cook something quick for myself or just order take out. Usually if I order take out, I go to the hospital and give my mom some stuff too. She doesn't always have time to organize a meal for herself while she is about to go on a shift. Sometimes, I think her work is so busy that she forgets to have something to eat. At least if I go to the hospital, it reminds her that she still has to eat something.

"Okay, that's it. I don't like this silence. What's up?" Mom suddenly asks, interrupting her thoughts. I look over at her in confusion. "What?" I ask obliviously. Mom rolls her eyes a little at me in frustration.

"What's up with you? You're barely touching your dinner, it's like you're scared that it's going to eat you instead. You've been really down and quiet lately, but I know you have something big on your mind. I can almost hear your brain ticking over from here." Mom says, placing her cutlery down and folds her arms across her chest.

"What's going on, Scott?" Mom asks in a softer voice. I sigh sadly as I think about her question and think about what is really bothering me. "Stiles." I merely say, hanging my head low, unable to look at my mom anymore. I still feel so guilty for what I did to Stiles. It was the hardest thing that I've ever done. I hate ignoring him at school and not calling him to make sure that he's okay. Stiles is probably hurt and confused, not knowing why he is not in the pack anymore. I hate doing this to him, but I want to protect him. Still, there's an uneasy feeling in my stomach, as if something isn't quite right. I'm just not sure what that could be.

"Could you elaborate a bit more?" Mom asks after a couple more moments of silence. I look back up at her to see her looking at me curiously and sympathetically. I sigh quietly before answering.

"I... Well, the pack and I, we decided that if we want to keep Stiles safe and away from danger, that it would be best if he wasn't in the pack anymore." I begin nervously. Mom looks shocked.

"What?" She asks in disbelief.

"I don't want to see him hurt, Mom. I already lost Allison. She was brave and strong too. Yet, she still died. I can't let the same thing happen to Stiles. He's my best friend. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to him." I tell my mom honestly. She stares at me with surprise and sadness for a few moments as she tries to figure out what to say next.

"Did you want to... Kick Stiles out?" Mom asks hesitantly.

"Of course not. I would never want to do that, but I just felt like I had no choice. Everyone else was kind of pressuring me into that decision as well." I reply honestly, running my hand through my hair. Mom sighs and shakes her head a little and gazes at me sympathetically. "Have you talked to him since then?" She asks. I now start to feel my eyes stinging a little bit. I sniffle and quickly wipe my eyes before I start crying.

"No. No, I haven't. I want to keep him as safe as I can, even if that means I can't speak to him again..." I say, my voice trailing off at the end, my heart breaking a little. I feel like a terrible person for doing this to Stiles, especially since I haven't explained to him why I'm doing any of this.