FRENEMY
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c h a p t e r t w e n t y - o n e
Carson wakes up the next morning with 30 missed calls from Stiles. Deciding to call him back while she gets ready for school, she is startled by his shrill voice.
"Do you not understand what an emergency is?" he screeches.
"Stiles, it is seven in the morning! What could possibly have been your emergency?" she sighs, washing her face.
"Uh, we sort of, maybe, kind of, kidnapped Jackson," he mumbles.
"You did what?" she yells.
"Shut up, some of us are sleeping!" Kyle shouts from his room.
"When are you going back to college?" she shouts back.
"He attacked Danny and it was our only chance to tell him what he is," he explains.
"So why did you call me?" she puts on her concealer, reminding herself to pick up some more on the way home.
"Because you know Jackson better than all of us, despite how much you hate him."
"And?"
"And I needed you to fake text his parents!"
"Oh, well you should be fine as long as you don't get too personal or sappy," she shrugs, looking for her mascara.
"What's too sappy?" he asks as Kyle comes in her room.
"Dude, get out!"
"Dude, shut up!" he barges over to her vanity snatching her phone.
"Sorry Stiles, she can't help you right now, she's busy letting the rest of the house sleep," he hangs up.
"He had an emergency," she whines.
"Well you're interrupting my sleep. How am I supposed to train a bunch of annoying teenagers like you if I'm tired?" he sighs, referring to his recurring job at the gym.
"I honestly don't care. Like, you could tell me all of your "annoying teenagers" collectively decided to jump you, and I still wouldn't care," she goes back to her makeup. "Get out of my room."
"You're actually ridiculous," he slams her door, making her pictures fall off her dresser.
"He's such a dick," she picks them up, sitting back down.
____
"Good morning," Drew greets her with a coffee as Gina places a plate on the table.
"What happened this morning? So much commotion," Ruby smiles softly, somehow being the only one in the house without a hint of sleepiness present.
"I don't know, Kyle was being a jerk for no reason," she explains, glaring at him from across the table.
"Well you were being a bi-" he starts to say through a mouthful of a bagel.
"Watch how you're talking," Gina glares.
"You're always on her side!"
"Because I'm always right," she smirks, taking a bite of her waffle.
"Whatever, I'm going to the gym," he grabs a protein shake, walking out.
"Why did he get the Mercedes?" she glares at his retreating form.
"Where is your Camaro sitting right now? Totaled in a shop? Yeah that's what I thought," Drew laughs as Carson rolls her eyes.
Finishing her plate, she places it in the sink, kissing her dad's cheek, and touching her mom's hand.
"Bye, have fun at work. Don't destroy any brains," she runs out, taking the keys to the Lexus.
___
She unlocks the car, smile falling from her face at the sight of someone she'd thought she'd never see again.
"Hey babe, miss me?" he smirks.
"W-Why are you here? The cops are looking all over for you," she shivers.
"Obviously not very hard. I've been here the whole time, watching you and everyone else," he explains. "You should really close your curtains. You can see everything from that tree right there."
"Just leave Ty, I won't tell anyone you're here. Just go," she frowns, ignoring the gross feeling at his revelation, trying to open the car door.
Slamming it back, he sighs, "Come on Carson. Let bygones be bygones. You're not even dead."
"Yeah but I'm not alive either," she mumbles.
"Oh yeah, what exactly does it take to make the claws come out? Do I have to get close?" he pushes himself against her.
"Don't touch me."
"There was a time when you used to say the opposite. In fact, you used to scream it," he winks.
"Hardly. You were average at best, nothing to brag about," she yawns.
"Lying isn't good for the mind," he seethes.
"Listen to my heart. Not a lie, just a bruise to your ego," she smirks, realizing he was still Tyler, and he didn't deserve the satisfaction of her fear.
He lifts a hand, seemingly as a threat, only stopped by her hand closing around his wrist tightly. He marvels at her newfound strength, growing a little worried himself.
"All I have to do is scream. My parents are inside," she looks at the door.
"No need, just let me see the new Carson and I'll be on my way," he shrugs.
"I can't- I can't control it," she admits.
"Oh okay, so let me trigger it for you," he pushes her against the door, using his claw to trace shapes on her arm.
"Stop," she yells.
"Not until you get angry," he starts to dig his claws in, finally making her eyes shift.
"I said stop," she pushes him, hard.
"I missed you Carson. You were always so feisty," he chuckles.
"Oh, and do me a favor, don't tell anyone I was here, or maybe next time Lydia does the drowning. Oh, or maybe Stiles. Yeah, I'd like to see that," he plays with a strand of her hair before walking away.
As soon as he leaves her line of sight, Kyle walks out, brows furrowed. "You alright?"
"Um, yeah, there was a raccoon by my door. Freaked me out," she assures, as the concerned face he was wearing didn't leave.
"Okay. You sure?"
"100%."
"Alright. Drive safe," he walks back inside.
She takes a moment to regain composure, and drives to the school.
____
"So I'm like eighty percent sure that I can smell lust," Carson whispers to Scott, while searching for a pen.
"Why lust?"
"I don't know, but I can smell it whenever Isaac comes near me, or when I walk past a group of freshmen. It's stronger when I wear a skirt," she explains.
"Okay so it's probably apart of whatever you are," he agrees, laughing.
"Gee, how'd you come up with that, Scotty?" she jokes.
"You know what?" he chuckles, passing the teacher his paper.
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself," she shrugs, waiting for the bell to ring.
____
"Good afternoon, Ms. Rivera," Ms. Morell lets her in the counseling room.
"Hi," she plops down.
"So you've struggled with getting back in the water, correct?"
"Yes, I have temporarily lost my ability to swim," she rolls her eyes.
"Have you tried? Getting back in the water, I mean?"
"I fell in the pool after the game the other night."
"And what happened?"
"I sunk, Stiles had to fish me out of the water like a child."
"You seem embarrassed to have someone helping you. There's nothing wrong with needing a hero every once in a while."
"I never needed anybody to save me before. I sure as hell don't now."
"Alright, well if you want to take back your independence, then you have to try."
"Last time I nearly drowned."
"But you weren't trying to stay above the surface. You keep giving yourself an excuse to sink because it's easier than growing and moving past what happened."
"Um-"
"You're not getting back to yourself because you're focusing on what happened every time you get in the water. Try getting in the water again, but this time, clear your mind. Find something that calms you and just be."
"You want me to just sit in the water and prune like an old person?" she scoffs.
"You don't have to do anything, Carson. But you're the one who wants to get back to your old self. Would the old Carson cower away from something just because it's a little scary?"
____
Carson walks down the hall to get to French, until Isaac pulls her aside.
"Oh my god, what could you possibly want?" she groans dramatically.
"You really need to learn to be nicer to people," he scolds.
"I don't like you," she sneers, emphasizing each word.
"But I'm so nice to you! I haven't killed you yet," he grits his teeth.
"You know, I can literally smell the attraction you feel for me, so these little "I'm gonna murder you" talks aren't that scary," she mocks him.
"Just because you're hot doesn't mean I won't kill you," he gets in her face.
"Yeah, but you won't. Because a part of you is still holding on to the hope that you'll get the chance to be with me. Of course, I'm here to tell you that you won't. Keep hoping, though. It's good for the soul," she smirks, blowing him a kiss and walking away.
____
School finally ends and she meets Stiles, Scott and Allison at the preserve.
"Why are we in the woods? My heels could sink!" she complains once she opens the car door.
"Then take them off," Scott suggests.
"And step in the dirt? Do I look like an animal to you?" she groans, looking in the back seat for her running shoes.
Finding them, she cheers, "Alright, let's go check on the lizard boy."
"How have you guys been friends for as long as you have?" Allison laughs.
"We don't even know," Stiles shakes his head.
"Okay so you put what in the text?" Carson asks.
"I said, "Staying at a friend's house. Love you." Why didn't that work?" he says.
"Cause Jackson doesn't say I love you! Oh my god," she groans.
"Maybe if you had answered the phone, this wouldn't be a problem!"
"I was sleeping! You know that thing that normal people do at night?"
"Okay well you left it further at the preserve and there's nothing we can do now. But I couldn't find the tablet," Scott sighs.
"If Jackson doesn't remember being the kanima, he's definitely not gonna remember taking the tablet," he continues.
"Why would he steal the thing if he doesn't know what's on it?"
"What if someone else took it? Like someone who knows what he is," Carson suggests.
"That could mean someone's protecting him?" Scott says.
"Yeah like the bestiary says, the kanima seeks a friend, right?"
"Hold on, let me get this straight. So somebody watches Jackson make a video of himself turning into the kanima and deletes it so he doesn't know? I mean who would do that?" Stiles asks.
"Someone who wants to protect him?" Allison says.
"There's something else. You said the only thing you found online about the kanima is that it goes after murderers. What if that's actually true?" Scott suggests.
"No, it can't be. It tried to kill all of us, remember? I don't know about you three but I haven't murdered anybody lately," Stiles disagrees.
"I'm still on the fence with that one," Carson comments, earning weird looks, "What? There was a sizable puddle of blood."
"But I-I don't think that it was actually trying to kill us. Remember when we were at Isaac's the first time, it just went right by us," Scott says to Allison.
"And it didn't kill you at the mechanic's garage," he looks at Stiles.
"But he did destroy my car," Carson whines.
"And it tried to kill me and Derek at the pool," he retorts.
"Well maybe it didn't. I was standing right there and it just stared at me, well until it kicked me in the water," Carson adds.
"But it was waiting for us to come out!"
"What if it was trying to keep you in?"
"Why do I feel so violated all of a sudden?"
"Because there's something else going on, we don't know what it is. We don't know anything about what's going on with Jackson, or why someone's protecting him-"
"Know thy enemy," Allison cuts in.
"What?" they all ask.
"Nothing, it's just something my grandfather told me," she responds.
"All right. I got it, kill Jackson. Problem solved," Stiles says.
"Loving these great ideas, Stiles. Keep em coming," Carson smirks.
"See how she supports me? Take notes, Scott."
"He risked his life for us, against Peter. Remember that?" Scott argues.
"He didn't risk shit for me, I was dead," Carson shrugs.
"And what did we just find out? He got the bite from Derek. It's funny how he got exactly what he wanted by supposedly risking his life for us, it's funny," Stiles says, Carson agreeing.
"Yeah, it doesn't mean he's not still worth saving," Scott sighs.
"It's always something with him, though."
"He doesn't know what he's doing."
"So what?"
"So neither did I. Neither did Carson, and you're not planning on killing her, are you?" Scott gestures to the brunette.
"The fact that you're even suggesting me right now is insulting," she mumbles.
"Remember when I tried to kill you and Jackson?" he turns to Allison, "I had someone to stop me. He has nobody."
"That's his own fault," Stiles says, as Carson says, "Jackson's alone because he chooses to treat everyone like absolute shit. No one to blame but him."
"It doesn't matter. If we can save him, we should try," Scott sighs.
Carson fishes her car keys out of her pocket, sighing, "Look, I have to head home. There's something I need to do, but good luck," she gets ready to drive off.
"Wait Carson, are you alright? You seem a bit jumpy, or anxious. Is there something you're not telling us?" Stiles asks.
"No, I'm fine. I really gotta go," she shifts gears.
____
"I'm making cookies, I'll let you know when they're done!" Ruby yells from the kitchen.
Standing in front of the pool steps, Carson sighs, "You can do this. There's no creepy werewolves under there, and nobody is trying to kill you. You're gonna be fine."
Stepping into the pool, she goes all the way under, initially feeling herself start to panic.
"Think of what calms you."
At this, she thinks of her sleepovers with Lydia, her movie marathons with Stiles and Scott, and even her morning drives with Allison. Once she gains some control, she opens her eyes, coming up.
"Hey Luna, do you want some cookies?" Ruby steps out.
"Uh, didn't you just put those in?"
"Yeah, twenty minutes ago," she laughs.
"What?"
"I was under the water for 20 minutes?"
____
"You got a restraining order? And you're coming to my house why?" Carson asks, stepping out of the pool after doing a few laps.
"I'm actually at your house, but yes we are now restricted from being near Jackson, and I'm here because we're gonna look up what you are," he knocks on the door.
"Okay, come in," she opens the door.
"Why are you in a swimsuit? It's winter," he comments, following her up the steps.
"We live in California, and I had to do something," she explains.
"Okay, doesn't sound cryptic at all," he grabs her laptop, as she pulls on a pair of gym shorts.
"Where is everyone?"
"Drew's cutting up someone's brain, Gina is on a jog, Ruby is watching some soap, and Kyle is on a date," she answers, sitting next to him.
"Do you always refer to your entire family by their first names?"
"Only when they're not around."
"Okay so what can you do? You heal faster, you're stronger, eyes shift, got fangs, and you have claws," he lists off.
"I can tell when you guys are in danger," she points out.
"And I can smell lust. Just lust, though. Not every emotion, I think," she adds, unconsciously moving closer.
"So you can sense when someone is attracted to you?" he mumbles.
"Sexually."
"Okay, all I'm getting is Psychic," he sighs.
"Cool, I'm like an Oracle," she winks.
"But that doesn't explain the blood."
"Okay so I'm something else, but what?"
"Maybe it has to do with who you are as a person. Like Jackson took the shape of a reptile because he's cold and evil, right?"
"Okay, so who am I?"
"Something with a lot of power," he mutters, typing.
"Lots of things have power, you have to be specific," she sighs, taking off her bracelet.
"Wait can I see that?" he grabs it.
"Sure but be careful, it's an antique," she warns, as Stiles' phone rings.
"Stiles, where the hell are you? Do you understand what grounded means?" Stilinski yells into the phone.
"I'm on my way Dad," he hangs up.
"I need to borrow this. I swear I'll give it back soon, I just need it," he stutters, grabbing his car keys.
"Don't lose it!" she yells, getting ready to shower.
STILINSKI
Carson Rivera
I also was able to hold my
breath for 20 minutes
and I can hear better
if that helps
Stilinski
Why wouldn't that help?
Carson Rivera
don't start
just get to researching
Stilinski
you're infuriating
Carson Rivera
I try
Little did they know, Ruby heard the whole conversation.
__________
author's note: nobody reads anymore :(