Calculatingly Wise

3

Tessa leaned against the bleachers while Scott and Stiles spoke. Stiles was trying to reassure Scott. "Of course you're still the team captain. You got your grades up just like Coach told you to, right?"

Scott gave him a nod. "Yeah, but he never told me I was back on the team. He just told me to show up at tryouts today."

Stiles shrugged. "We got bigger things to deal with anyway. Did you tell Argent yet?"

"Ah. I texted him, but he didn't get back to me."

Tessa frowned at her cousin. "You told him his psychotic sister was back from the dead in a text. Wow, Scott."

He turned to her and shrugged. "I didn't have the money to call France."

"See, this is why you boys need me. I need to grab something from my locker. Enjoy practice. Oh, kick their little freshman asses, please."

Tessa waved goodbye to the boys and walked away.

The bell rang and as Tessa was walking to math, she saw Malia walk into the classroom and exit almost immediately. She grabbed her shoulders and took her back into the classroom.

Malia shot Tessa a frown. "I hate math. It's pointless."

"Math is essential to the important parts in life," Tessa told the werecoyote.

"To what?" Malia asked.

"Knowing how to tip at restaurants," Stiles said.

Lydia frowned at him. "And other less important things like medicine, economics, engineering..."

"Tipping," Stiles interrupted.

Tessa rolled her eyes at them and Mrs. Fleming began class. "All right, volunteers to the board. Lydia, Diego, Malia."

Malia glanced up and frowned. "Um... I didn't volunteer."

Mrs. Fleming gave her a small smile. "You did now. To the board."

She and Lydia talked with each other while Tessa sat back to take notes.

As soon as it did, Malia, Kira and Tessa made their way to the lacrosse field.

Tessa noticed a kid who was showing everyone up; including Scott. The kid was doing well at everything; running, goal, and every position imaginable.

Malia frowned at Kira. "What's wrong with you?" She turned to look at Tessa. "Can you relax? I can practically see the steam coming from your ears."

Kira frowned. "Me? Nothing."

Malia turned back to her. "You reek of anxiety. And it's distracting. What's going on?"

Kira bit her lip nervously. "Scott and I sort of had this thing happen. But it wasn't much of a thing. And I'm starting to think it never was anything at all."

"What do you want it to be?" Malia asked bluntly.

"More."

They turned back to watch the field and the freshman was still kicking everyone's ass. Kira asked, "Isn't the captain supposed to be one of the best players on the team? Or good?"

Tessa frowned, seeing her cousin. "Yes and yes. What in holy Hera is going on with him?"

"Holy Hera?"

"Okay, just because I say something doesn't mean you have to say it."

"But-"

"Drop it."

Suddenly, the game clicked with the boys and Coach cried, "That's my boys! Those two are like sons to me."

"Yes!" Kira cheered loudly.

As soon as the freshman wonder walked up, he performed a twisting maneuver that Tessa had done in her training at camp. "That was luck!" Malia cried. "Do over!"

Tessa nodded and pointed to Malia with a smirk. "Yeah, do over!"

Coach made his way over to them and said, "Sweetheart, there's no do overs. This is practice. Moore, I thought you'd know that."

"Oh, I do, Coach. But I want to see my cousin and friend kick their prissy little freshman asses."

Malia said with determination, "Ten bucks on Scott and Stiles."

Coach smirked. "I'll take that action. Hey! Get back in there, Liam."

The boy did so and Scott ran a second time and flipped Liam. The latter stood, but it was obvious he was in pain. The boys decided to take him to the nurse and Tessa hopped down to follow.

After examining him, the nurse said, "He has a bad sprain. It'd be best if he were to go to the hospital."

They took him to the hospital to make sure he was okay. Scott talked to Kira before they took Liam to the hospital.

When they got there, Melissa walked up to them. Scott smiled awkwardly at his mom. "Uh... Hi, Mom."

Melissa smiled at Liam as she wheeled him away. She leaned down and said something to him that Tessa couldn't hear.

Tessa glanced at her cousin. "Not sure what Aunt Melissa is gonna do, but it won't be good."

They left and Stiles turned to Scott. "Tessa and I have to get going. We're gonna help Malia study."

Scott replied, "Sure. I want to check on him anyway."

Tessa turned to her cousin. "Scott, it wasn't your fault. Unless you purposefully injured that poor, defenseless freshman."

He lowered his head. "I don't know. Tessa, I thought you didn't like them."

"Doesn't mean you should injure a kid."

Stiles frowned at his friend. "Scott, if you had used any wolf power, that kid wouldn't be limping; he'd be crawling back to the other half of his body."

Scott shook his head. "If I hadn't been so worried about being captain, he wouldn't be hurt either."

Tessa patted Scott's shoulder. "You are still half-human, Scott. It's okay to do things for yourself every once in a while."

"You don't."

"Actually, I do. You just don't see it."

Scott laughed softly as Stiles drove her to his place after they'd picked up Malia. They studied for about an hour and Malia decided she was done. She slammed her book shut and kissed Stiles.

Tessa cleared her throat and looked between them awkwardly. "Focus, lovebirds."

"Hey, we're not finished yet," he said.

"Maybe you're not, but I am," Malia replied.

"Okay... I promised you Tessa and I were going to study. Then we can get back to that. Like, so much... What's with all the highlighters anyway?"

"Green is for what I understand, yellow is for what I'm working on, and red... Red means I don't know what I'm doing." Stiles pressed a gentle kiss to her lips as she continued. "Also, Lydia's notes are really confusing."

Tessa looked at the notes and frowned. "What in Zeus' name?"

Stiles took the notes from Malia's hands and frowned. "This isn't math. What is this?"