Chapter one
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"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."
Robert Frost stated those exact words and I've found them to be true. With everything that my friends and I have been through it would have been easy to give up, to let our lives crumble into piles of absolutely nothing. Yet, just like Robert Frost said, life goes on. Through the years I've learned that life is unpredictable, you really never know what's waiting for you around a corner. But, whatever is there, you have to be ready face it head on and then continue with your life after.
I would be lying if I said there weren't times where I wanted to give up and if I didn't have the people around me that I have, well, I probably would have done just that. The support system that all of us have within our small group is much more than I ever thought was possible, there isn't a doubt in my mind that I would lay my life on the line for anyone one of my friends.
Yes, I had already done that once before, but I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
Time had passed, six months to be exact, and with the time came a lot of healing. Not just healing from losing others, but healing from past things that still had open wounds from so long ago. Senior year was approaching head on and I speak for all of us when I say that we're going to make this the best year we possibly can.
Heading into Senior year brings along so many new things such as looking for colleges and attempting to figure out what to do in the next phase of your life. As much as I would like to think my senior year would be full of all the normal student things, deep down I know I'm anything but normal and I have no idea what will be added into the stress of school. But, for right now, watching Stiles attempt to plan out our lives for after graduation seemed pretty normal, and amusing, to me.
"You know, I thought about coming back for Senior year but–"
"Oh, whatever, Jackson." I muttered while placing a few unused chains into the back of the Roscoe, a chuckle came from his end of the phone call. "You love London too much to come back."
"You know I just don't think it's a good idea." He stated, just like always. "I just–what?...hold on, Autumn." My brow furrowed in confusion but the phone remained up to my ear, "Autumn!"
A completely different voice filled my eardrum, "Isaac?"
"Miss me?"
A small laugh slipped from my lips, "Of course. Especially since you up and left randomly after your last visit without a proper goodbye. Still mad at you for that by the way."
"I left a voicemail explaining that Jackhole over here needed my help with something and I had to go. Blame him, not me."
I could faintly hear Jackson defending himself in the background, "You blame a lot on Jackson." I glanced over at Stiles and Scott as they both sat in silence, Stiles busy circling various things on a map and Scott was sitting on the hood of the jeep just gazing at the city below us. "Of course, who doesn't?"
"See!" Isaac laughed, "Don't worry, I'll be back to vis–"
"We'll both be back to visit." Jackson had stolen the phone back from Isaac, "I promise."
"Babe, come over here real quick." Stiles called from where he was standing in front of the jeep.
"Okay, hold on a sec." I replied before putting the phone back up to my ear, "I gotta go but I'll talk to you guys soon, okay?"
"Alright, talk to you later. Stay out of trouble."
"Can't make any promises." I chuckled, "See ya." After ending the call I made my way towards Scott and Stiles, "What's up?"
"Well–" Stiles snapped the Map in the air once before continuing, "I, being the awesome person I am, found some pretty cool two bedroom apartments."
My eyebrow rose, "Two bedroom, huh?"
Stiles looked at me with a bit of confusion in his eyes, "Yeah? One bedroom for us and then another one for Scott."
"You sure you wanna share a bedroom with me?" I smirked.
His lips curled into a smile, "Of course, I wouldn't wanna share a bedroom with anyone else." Seconds after he finished talking my lips crashed into his, "I love you."
"I love you too."
"Alright, love birds, settle down." Scott laughed, "Where are these apartments you've found at?"
Stiles focused back on the map, "Well, there's a couple in the Mission District, but they're pretty expensive. A couple in Haight and Ashbury. Also expensive."
Scott nodded lightly, "That's expected. What about Berkeley? Don't a lot of students live around there?"
The red sharpie in Stiles' hand shot into the air, "Yeah! We could try Nob Hill. But, the jeep would probably burn through a lot of clutches."
"You're taking the jeep?" Scott asked as he rested his back against the windshield.
To say Stiles was taken aback would be an understatement, "Did you? Did you really just ask that?" He was definitely offended, "You know the plan, okay? No one gets left behind. That's the plan!"
"Yet you were completely okay with leaving my car here?" My arms folded over my chest, "Betsy is still offended by the way. Rude."
He only glanced at me before continuing, "Lydia's not going to have a problem getting into Stanford. Kira's thinking USF. Malia's, uh, well...she's gonna um...figure something out...And Autumn can basically pretty much go wherever her little heart desires. Which, I'm hoping is wherever I go, but I won't let her base her decision off of me." A cheesy smile was sent my way, "The plan is perfect."
"Or, wait for it...we could wait until we actually get into college and then figure out where to live." Stiles was always on top of plans while Scott sat on more of the chill side, some things never change.
"I have a vision, okay? I've always had a vision!" Stiles' body rested against the jeep while his arm wound around my waist, "And it's a beautiful vision! Don't ruin the vision. We've always said how we wanted to go to college together and how all three of us would get an apartment, I'm determined to make this happen. So, we can check out the East Bay? We haven't looked at Oakland yet, ya know?"
Scott and I were both listening to Stiles blab about the future, in the most adorable way of course, but Scott seemed to be slightly more focused on the full moon that was starting to peek from behind the clouds. "You good, Scott?" I asked, "Are you starting to feel it?"
He shook his head in reply, "Nah, just thinking."
"About how great it'll be when we're roomies?" I wiggled my eyebrows which resulted in a chuckle to slip from his lips.
"Not exactly. More like senior year."
Stiles' hand that wasn't wrapped around me shot out into the air, "Senior year, come on, that's...that's...that's nothing! That's gonna be easy."
"It's more like something Deaton told me once." Scott sat himself up before continuing, "You ever hear of regression to the mean?"
"No, I don't think so." Stiles answered.
"Yeah, what he said."
"It was basically his way of saying that life can't ever be all bad or all good. You know, eventually things have to come back to the middle. So, think about the last few months. Things have been good, right? But not amazing."
"Well, Scott, I don't know if you've noticed..." His attention turned towards me, "-but nobody's tried to kill us in six months. I call that progress and I say that's pretty amazing."
Scott nodded with a smile, "Right. But, still, we've been pretty much in the middle for a while. Which means, at some point, the scale has to tip one way or the other. Things are gonna get really good again..."
"Or horrifically bad." Stiles finished. A super loud crack of thunder brought all of our attention towards the sky where lightening was flashing like strobe lights, "Think it's been long enough?"
"Yes!"
My neck craned back to find Liam still chained to the tree where we had left him, "Oh, look, more progress! He didn't escape this time."
"We're trying to have an adult conversation over here!"
Liam gave his eyes a roll, "Alright, you're two years older than me. And I swear I'm fine. Just let me go."
The three of us made our way to our chained up friend, "I don't see any fangs, claws or glowing eyes." I stated, grabbing the key to the lock from my pocket and handing it to Scott.
"It's not that we don't trust you–"
Stile raised a finger into the air, "It's that I don't trust you."
"But...after that last full moon–" Scott continued.
"It was one slip up!" Liam's eyes shot in my direction, "Come on, Autumn! Help me out here."
Stiles let out a scoff before I could speak, "Slip up? A dozen calls to the Sheriff's department about a 'monstrous dog boy running around the streets of Beacon Hills naked.' That's a slip up?"
Scott's brow rose, "Why were you naked?"
"Yeah!" Stiles chimed in again, "Why were you naked?"
"Geez, you sound like my father. Look, it was really hot that night, okay."
I moved a little closer to the tree, "You're lucky you ended up in my swimming pool and not my neighbors."
He let out a heavy sigh, "I know, I know. You don't have to remind me again. Just, let me go. Please."
I can literally remember that night like it happened yesterday. I was just casually making some hot chocolate in my kitchen when Prada started barking her little heart out by the door. There was a growl, a huge splash, and before I knew it Liam was walking out of my pool in his birthday suit.
"You sure you're okay?"
Liam nodded slowly, "It won't happen again."
"You're in complete and total control?"
"Yeah." He nodded once again, "Complete and total."
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Stiles picked up the duffle bag of chains off the ground and him and Scott made their way back towards the jeep once again. I lingered back with Liam, "I won't say anything to them."
"Huh?" His eyes caught mine, "What do you mean?"
I grabbed ahold of his wrist and carefully opened up his hand, it was covered in claw marks and blood. "You know what I mean." I raised a brow, "You can't keep doing this, Liam."
"I know." He sighed, "Why aren't you going to tell on me?"
I placed my hand on his back and began guiding him in the direction of the jeep, "Because I believe that you can learn to control yourself in a way better way than this-" I gestured towards his hands, "You're still learning. And I'm gonna give you time to tell them yourself...Scott will be able to help, Liam. I promise."
"I know...If I end up having to do it next full moon I'll tell him, okay?"
"Okay." I nodded, "Now get in the jeep, you're gonna make us late."
"For what?"
"For something."
"Is it a party?"
"Nope..." I sighed, "It's not a party."
"What time does it start?"
My eyes narrowed towards him, "Midnight."
"If it's not a party, then what's at midnight?"
Stiles walked over and stood by the door to the driver seat, "Your bedtime."
"Why did you guys drive separately if you're going to the same place?"
"So many questions." I mumbled into my hands as they slid down my face, "I'm picking Lydia and Malia up."
Liam hesitantly opened his door, "Why won't you guys just tell me what you're doing?"
"Because it's a senior thing." Stiles stated, "You'll know when you're a senior. Now get in the jeep." He yelled as he hopped into the drivers seat. I began walking over to my car but Stiles yelling stopped me in my tracks, "Wait come back! You forgot something."
I turned around to find him puckering his lips dramatically, "Ohhh....right." The moment I arrived back at the jeep his dramatic face turned into more of a sincere one and his soft lips slammed into mine. "I'll see you soon." I mumbled against his lips.
"Don't miss me too much." He smiled as we pulled apart.
"Don't miss me too much either." Liam's head popped up in between the front seats. He had a grin on his face before he started wiggling his eyebrows and puckering his lips.
I couldn't help but to let out laugh, "Yeah, okay. I'll meet you guys at the school."
"Don't be late!"
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Welcome to Dazed :)
Ya'll better prepare yourselves...things are gonna get intense.
See you soon!
xx