Touched by the Fear

[7]

Stiles caught her staring and looked around him. "What? What's wrong?" His hands moved to his face. "Do I have something on my face?" He asked, swatting at nothing.

She smiled. "No. It's just that it's weird for someone else to get all this." Although both Lydia and Allison were there for her, they didn't understand what any of it was like. "But weird in a nice way," she added. Hollis stayed quiet for a few seconds, allowing the music and noise to surround them. Finally, she voiced the one question that had been nagging at her. "How did you move on?"

"It was mainly my dad." He nodded. "And Scott. They both helped a lot." Absentmindedly, he scratched at the back of his neck. "They were there for me. They helped me through the hardest parts." He glanced at her. "But you have that, right? Lydia, Carter and your dad are there for you."

Slowly, she nodded as she let out a soft sigh. "Yeah, I do," she answered. It was much more complicated than that, though, but it was something she didn't want to get into at the moment. Out of the three people he mentioned, Lydia had been her rock through it all. She couldn't deny her dad being there for her but, because things were so shaky with them since their fight, it was hard to include him. And Carter? He was another story entirely.

"Sorry for unloading all my problems on you," Hollis told him. "Guess you didn't know what you were signing up for when you asked if I was okay," she said with a light laugh.

"I don't mind," Stiles said truthfully. "You know, if you ever need to talk, I'm here."

At his words, a smile tugged at her lips. Hollis didn't have many people that she could talk to about all this. Lydia always listened but she didn't understand everything. She understood the situation with her dad but the physical loss of her parents and panic attacks were things that she couldn't wrap her mind around. Hollis couldn't explain how great it was for someone to finally understand. "The same goes for you. I'm here." She paused. "And I'm sorry about before. You know, with Carter at the scrimmage."

Stiles looked surprised. "Don't be. Anyway, you don't have anything to be sorry for."

"Actually, I do. It was something else that he said...after you left."

He furrowed his brow. "What?"

Hollis looked down and away from him. "He pointed out that we were never friends." She shrugged, avoiding his gaze. "We've known each other since like kindergarten but it took us so long to talk. I don't know, I guess I just feel like a horrible person for..."

"For what?" Stiles wore a quizzical look, searching her face for answers. "We hung out with different people, Hollis. That doesn't make you a terrible person," he reasoned. "Besides, it's not like you hated me. Well, unless you're the person I pranked in second grade. Then I wouldn't blame you for hating me. Wait...it wasn't you, was it?" He looked at her wide-eyed.

She shook her head. "No, that wasn't me. But I do remember that. It had something to do with glitter and glue, right?" She relaxed and let out a breath. "But I guess you're right. At least we're talking now."

"Better late than never." Stiles grinned.

Without realizing it, Hollis shivered. The chilly air had felt so good at first that she didn't know when it started to seep into her skin and down to her bones. She rubbed her arms to warm them up while staring straight ahead at the typically quiet street that now resembled a small parking lot.

"You're cold," Stiles said, noticing the second shiver that passed through her. Without waiting for her to reply, he pulled his jacket off and held it out for her to take.

She tilted her head to the side as her eyes went from him to the jacket. She wanted to protest but his words had made her realize that she was cold.