LATER THAT DAY at lunch, Stiles sat down at a table in the back of the cafeteria, trying to look inconspicuous. In order for his plans for tonight to work, he needed to talk to Vernon Boyd, who was always by himself and who also worked at the ice rink in town. Stiles nodded his head to his classmate, and Boyd stared at him weirdly. "You got the keys?" Stiles questioned with his backpack still on his shoulder.
The buff, dark-skinned student pulled out what Stiles asked, dangling them between his fingers. Stiles grinned and went to take the keys, but Boyd wouldn't let go. "It's not a favor," he reminded the spastic sophomore. "It's a transaction."
Stiles nodded again, "Absolutely." He reached into his pocket and then quietly slammed his hand on the table, revealing a twenty dollar bill.
"I said fifty."
"I remember twenty," Stiles disagreed. He knew the price the guy had set, but he did need some money for gas and stuff. "In fact, I remember that distinct twa sound, "twa-enty."
"I said fifty," Boyd repeated in annoyance after he rolled his eyes. "With a fa sound. Hear the difference?" He leaned forward slightly with them narrowed. "If not, I can demonstrate some other words with that sound."
Stiles gulped, "N-no I'm recalling it." He let out an exasperated sigh once Boyd wouldn't even accept forty dollars and simply ate a Dorito with a blank expression.
"Come on, man, have you seen the crappy jeep I drive?"
"Have you seen the piece of crap bus I take?" Boyd retorted wittily and watched as Stiles dug through his pockets for another ten. Once he placed it on the table, Boyd's frown turned upside down and Stiles just pursed his lips, slightly frustrated he couldn't get the keys cheaper.
Boyd held out the keys one more time happily and went back to eating his lunch as Stiles got up with a small thank you.
Stiles joined Scott and Sierra at their normal table, placing the set of keys by the beta. Before he could say anything or before Sierra could question what the keys were for, Scott's eyes landed on a girl entering the cafeteria. The other two followed his gaze and Sierra's jaw slightly dropped in surprise.
Erica strutted into the crowded lunchroom, having found some new confidence, and didn't try to hide her smirk as everyone turned to stare at her. She had no trouble walking in leopard print high heels towards a random table full of freshmen boys. Leaning down in her black mini skirt, she grabbed a hold of a bright red apple from one of their trays, her cherry lipstick staying perfectly on her lips as she bit into it.
Her long curled blonde hair cascaded over her white T-shirt and leather jacket, matching her smoky-eyed new makeover.
Lydia appeared at the end of Sierra's table, her green eyes confused on what she was seeing as her three friends continued to stare in amazement. Stiles raised his eyebrows at the sight of a completely changed girl but put his main focus on Sierra, who was happy that Erica found confidence in who she was, but was mostly bewildered on how she was at school. She was supposed to be at the hospital. "What, in the holy hell, is that?" Lydia questioned.
"It's Erica," Scott answered, just as confused. All four of them watched as the blonde stalked out of the cafeteria, but Sierra immediately stood to follow her. Following her actions, Scott and Stiles raised to their feet and the trio hurriedly rushed outside, just in time to see Erica climb inside a dark car with Derek.
The new werewolf smiled widely, showing off her white teeth as Derek grinned from behind his sunglasses. Erica gave them a little wave, before Derek pressed on the gas and they sped away.
*^*^*^*^
"So," Stiles came up behind Sierra, interlocking their fingers and swung them dramatically back and forth which caused the girl to laugh. "Scott and I have come up with a plan for tonight," he revealed excitedly as they walked across the grass to Sierra's front porch.
She raised an eyebrow and looked up at him curiously, "Does this have anything to do with the keys you gave Scott earlier?"
Stiles squinted his eyes and slightly tilted his head, "Eh, maybe." They walked up the two white steps and Sierra fully turned to him. She didn't say anything at first and instead searched his face. His animated brown eyes sparkled in correlation with the bright grin he wore on his lips as he stared back down at her.
"Do I get to know where we're going?" she asked next, still holding on to his hand as they stood in front of the door. Stiles pretended to think, which lead Sierra to playfully punch his shoulder impatiently. A light chuckle escaped his mouth while he looked at their intertwined hands, simultaneously biting his lip. His eyes flickered back up to her and he leaned in closer.
Gently brushing her hair away from her face, he quietly teased near her ear, "Just dress warm, babe."
He didn't wait for Sierra to say anything and instead pecked her cheek quickly, not letting go of her hand until he was off of the porch. Sierra was left frozen for a minute or two as he walked over to his own house, hearing him call out one more time. "Be ready by six!" Instead of touching the scratches on her neck which had unfortunately turned into a habit, she gently grazed the skin his lips had been on, smiling softly at how it tingled. Sierra hid her blush in her sleeve as she turned on her heel and walked inside her home.
After she had finished her homework, Sierra had started to get ready for the evening. Having face-timed Allison-and Lydia who was at the Argent home- made it easier for her to pick an outfit and she had only jumped into her black leggings and a tank when Jemma knocked on her bedroom door. "Come in," Sierra replied, taking her grey and black sweater off the hanger. The white door opened and Jemma smiled at the sight of her baby sister getting ready.
The older sibling leaned against the doorframe, "What do you think Stiles has planned?"
"Honestly, I don't know," Sierra stated with a small chuckle, adjusting her shirt over her pants while looking in the mirror. She continued, "I bet it's going to be fun though, since all of our friends are coming."
Jemma raised her eyebrows, "So...like a group date?"
Sitting in front of her vanity to do her makeup, Sierra pondered the idea before she shrugged. "I guess it is, yeah."
Jemma then walked fully into her room and sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Sierra pinned a crème beanie to the back of her head. "Well, I'm just glad you and Stiles finally confessed your feelings for each other."
Sierra tensed at her sister's words and immediately turned to face her. "W-we, I-I mean S-Stiles and I aren't, um-"
"Chill, Si," Jemma laughed at the stutters and leaned back on her arms. "I was just kidding." Letting out a breath of relief, Sierra nodded and refocused back on doing her make-up. Realizing the girl didn't deny anything, Jemma smiled. "So, do you have feelings for Stiles?" Sierra dropped her mascara from the sudden question, smearing it slightly across her cheek. She groaned and pawed at her skin with her hand, furiously rubbing the substance away. "Sierra?" Jemma raised to her feet and walked over to her as now she was staring down at her fingers in her lap.
"I-I don't know what I feel," Sierra confessed once the brunette was beside her and lifted her head. "He's been more affectionate and I'm confused on why I don't seem bothered. But I know that I love my friendship with Stiles, and I know how much he means to me. I really don't want that to change."
Jemma nodded in understanding and placed her hand on the sophomore's shoulder. "Do you know what the best thing is about falling for a best friend?"
"What?"
"Your friendship will only continue to grow, in more ways than one. You talk to him about anything and everything, and he always gives you his full attention right back. He's been your shoulder to cry on as a friend, and I've honestly never seen two people laugh more together about the most weirdest things," Jemma told her and the corners of Sierra's mouth turned up. "You guys make each other into the best versions of yourself and I just want you to know that if you like-or even love- Stiles, that it's okay. I guarantee you he feels the same way about you, Sierra."
"How do you know?" Sierra asked and looked up at her sister.
Jemma smiled, "Oh, I wish you could see the way he looks at you. And to be truthful, I couldn't be more thrilled that you like him-"
"I never said that," Sierra interrupted stubbornly and the older girl just shook her head.
"You don't have to say it, because I already know you do," she said seriously but then cracked a grin. "I have been shipping you two since you first brought him over." Sierra's jaw dropped but she couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face as she pushed her sister away from her. Jemma started laughing, which made Sierra roll her eyes as she redid her mascara. A ring suddenly went out across the house and Jemma's grin widened. "I guess he's here," she stated excitedly and Sierra nervously exhaled as she stood up from the chair and tucked her phone in the waistband of her leggings.
"Do I look okay?"
"You look beautiful," Jemma assured and the two walked down the steps together to open the door. Stiles looked up from where he was staring at the porch and immediately smiled at the sight of Sierra. Little did the teenagers know, they both swore in their minds that their hearts skipped a beat at the sight of each other and Sierra returned his gesture. Jemma unintentionally let out a small squeal from seeing them together, leading Stiles to look at her from confusion and Sierra to send her a warning glare.
"Anyways," Sierra started and focused back on the boy with a buzz-cut, "I'm ready to go if you are." Stiles nodded, too flustered to say anything else, but held out his hand to which she accepted gratefully.
Jemma had to bite her lip to stop herself from exclaiming the love they shared and settled with a comment as the pair made their way to the jeep. "Have fun on your date!" she called out, chuckling, and quickly closed the front door so Sierra couldn't throw or do anything to her.
"I apologize for the way Jemma was acting," Sierra spoke first after they had buckled their seatbelts. "She was eating ice cream and going crazy just as you rung the doorbell."
Letting out a laugh, Stiles started the ignition smoothly and glanced at her. "Don't worry about it, Si. I've gotten used to her antics by now."
"Do we have to pick up Scott?" Stiles momentarily looked at the time on the radio and nodded to answer her question. Sierra unbuckled her seatbelt then, because she knew Scott would get the front seat anyways.
"Wait," Stiles stopped her once he realized what she was doing by placing his hand on her arm. She raised her eyebrows curiously and he nervously stuttered while looking at her blue eyes. "Y-You don't have to move yet, Si."
She smiled in surprise, "Really?"
He nodded once more and relaxed when she was sitting beside him again. Even though they had been best friends for years, they didn't talk on the way to the McCall household. It wasn't necessarily awkward, but both of them were becoming too overwhelmed with their thoughts to speak properly. Nothing physically had changed between the pair and the warm feelings had been there forever. However, previously they had been buried out of fear and now they had only recently began to realize that things between them were different. Neither of them could pinpoint why now, out of all the years of their friendship, had these feelings recently come to surface but they did know that they loved it.
Sierra loved how giggly she got when he simply held her hand and how wide her smiles were every time he was around. Stiles memorized how even the thought of her made his heart race and actually seeing her made it pound against his ribcage.
Nonetheless, the insecurity of the other not feeling the same kept them quiet. Scott noticed when he joined them in the old blue jeep and flicked his gaze continuously between them. "Okay, what's wrong?" he finally blurted out, not able to take the silence anymore.
"Nothing?" Sierra answered, confused.
Scott shook his head, resting his arm on the window of the vehicle. "Something's different," he persisted stubbornly. "I swear I feel like I'm going to suffocate from the tension."
Stiles exchanged glances with Sierra through the rearview mirror and offered a small smile. She returned it brightly and the boy visibly relaxed, loosening his grip on the steering wheel. "I'm just upset because neither of you will tell me where we're going," she changed the subject and narrowed her eyes teasingly.
"We're going to the ice rink," Scott replied happily. "Allison is bringing Lydia and Stiles got the keys from Boyd today at lunch. It's going to be fun, guys, and the perfect time to get your feelings off your chest." Stiles sent a glare towards the teen wolf at his last words but Scott just smirked. Tonight was perfect for Stiles to say something to their best friend, and he wasn't going to let him waste it.
When the teens arrived, Lydia and the Argent girl pulled in only a couple of minutes later and Sierra was already bouncing with excitement. As Stiles unlocked the doors and held them open for everyone, Sierra turned on the lights and then waited for him so they could get their skates together. "I'm glad I wore a sweater now," she stated once they were on the metal bleachers. Stiles sat next to her, lacing up his white skates while the other three talked down by the photo booth. "It's kind of chilly."
The boy with a buzz-cut reached down for the backpack he brought, and pulled out one of his old orange and blue hoodies. "Here," he held it out to her.
Sierra smiled as she accepted it and put it on over her shoulders, "I'm not even shocked you have this. You and your beloved Mets."
"They are the best baseball team ever," he told her with a nod and grinned when he saw her agree.
"I just wish they would pick other colors," Sierra said, tightening her laces with a double knot. "I mean you know I love the color blue, but they could've paired it with literally anything other than orange. It's just not a good combination."
Stiles bit his lip momentarily, remembering Scott's advice and processing the girl's words simultaneously. Finally, he faced her with slightly sweaty hands and butterflies fluttering around his chest. "You know, there are some things that people might not see as a good combination, but maybe there's someone else who sees it differently," he shared slowly and when she glanced up to truly listen to what he was saying, he gulped nervously. "Like, maybe there's combinations others see as perfect pairs. It could be peanut butter and Oreos, like you believe because it's your favorite snack, or maybe it could be... two people-who everyone wants to get together but they're clueless. Then, maybe they can get together because one of the them realizes the other half of his perfect combination is right in front of him, and he doesn't want to be scared about revealing his feelings anymore."
"Are we still talking about colors?" Sierra questioned softly with a raised brow, the corners of her lips turned up. Stiles had obliviously moved closer to her while he was talking, and she was wanting him to get to the point of his little speech.
He released a shaky breath and cracked a grin, staring right into her eyes. "Honestly?" Sierra simply nodded her head once, tuning out the buzz of the lights and the chatter of their friends.
She focused solely on Stiles; the way his whiskey eyes sparkled as she was his focal point, and how he kept glancing at her lips which asked a question he never spoke aloud. He couldn't keep his thoughts calm due to her close proximity and felt his heart pound as she leaned closer to him. "I don't really know," he confessed quietly. Their foreheads pressed against one another's lightly and his brown eyes closed while he brought his hand up to hold her cheek.
A large bang echoed throughout the ice skating rink, which caused Stiles and Sierra to whip their heads to the right. Millions of curse words were on the tip of the pale boy's tongue at the sight of his idiot best friend sprawled across the ice, groaning from where he had fallen.
Allison rushed to help the teen wolf stand and Scott sheepishly sent a smile to the pair because he knew he interrupted their moment. Sierra rubbed her lips together, her hands once again in her lap as she looked everywhere and anywhere but Stiles, who had sighed and let his eyes fall on his backpack.
They both knew what would've happened if they hadn't been interrupted, and it made them want to scream. Stiles felt like punching something because all he wanted was to tell Sierra how he felt, and now she was sitting beside him confused on what to do next. Her mind was frazzled and barely noticed Stiles reach into his bag and pull out one of her favorite candy bars. He had brought it for a snack, but now it seemed like the perfect thing to get them comfortable again. He held it out with a small smile and she stared at it for only a second before a wide grin stretched to her ears. The pair split the Reese's happily, stealing glances at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. Once they finished, Stiles wiped his hands on his jeans and stood up, offering his hand to her so they could finally skate.
"When's the last time you went skating?" Stiles asked her, just to get a conversation going as he unsteadily stepped onto the ice.
"I think I went with Lydia sometime last year for her birthday," Sierra replied, gripping his hand tightly, and then lifted her head to see where her friend was. Lydia gleefully twirled with her arms close to her chest before she ended in a perfect formation and smiled.
Sierra laughed, happy to see Lydia relaxed and having fun. "As you can see, she's a natural at this sort of thing," she told Stiles, was too busy staring at her to notice them coming upon a curve. Because of her experience, Sierra was able to stop but didn't have enough time to warn him. Unintentionally, he skated straight forward and rammed right into the wall, immediately falling down onto his back. Sierra covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stop her giggles from being heard as Stiles scrambled to stand.
His cheeks flushed in embarrassment but she didn't seem to care that he fell, and simply helped him up. "You've only fallen once, but Scotty has fallen more times than I can count," she said to make Stiles feel better, yet it was true. Allison tried to help the werewolf but every time she let him skate on his own, he fell down.
Sierra held onto the pale boy's hand, and he placed his other tightly on the railing. Soon the two were skating slowly around the arena with their hands intertwined and no intentions of letting go. Everything was fine for a while, and everyone was having a good time. At one point, Scott and Allison decided to take a break and ventured into the photo booth while Sierra, Stiles, and Lydia kept skating for as long as possible. At one point, Lydia was on one end with her friends on the other side by themselves.
The sophomore stopped in the middle of the rink, confused, while she bent down and picked up a purple flower.
Simultaneously, Sierra had to lean on the railing as a sharp pain entered the sides of her head. Lydia continued to follow the unusual trail of petals and Stiles looked worried as Sierra harshly rubbed her forehead with her fingers. "Are you okay?" he asked her, concerned that maybe she was too tired to keep going.
"I don't know," Sierra groaned out a response quietly, the pain becoming sharper. Her face scrunched up and her knuckles turned white due to her tight grip on the metal pole. Unaware of what was happening to Sierra, Lydia kneeled down at the sight of a bright purple and green flower sticking up in the middle of the ice. She spotted something beneath her, trapped in the frozen water and wiped away the frost to be able to see it more clearly. A clear image of Peter Hale with his gleaming eyes was revealed, causing Lydia to let out a terrified scream.
Right as this happened, Sierra collapsed on the ground with her head pounding and the scars on her neck burning.
Flashes from the night of the winter formal came and went in Sierra's thoughts but her body literally trembled as it was like she was at the Hale House again, Peter holding her up by the neck in his claws. Bright spots of different shades of purple clouded her vision and she thrashed her body around on the ice, Stiles trying to hold her steady in his arms. His brown eyes were wide with fear, not knowing what was happening to Sierra or Lydia, who was literally clawing at the ground, trying to get Peter to go away. Both girls were crying hysterically as Allison and Scott came racing around the corner, back onto the rink.
The couple stood there bewildered at the sight in front of them and all they could think was: what in the hell just happened?
^*^*^*^
The next day at school, Sierra refused to even mention or talk about what happened to her and Lydia. Stiles and Scott respected that-though they knew they'd have to ask more questions eventually-and turned their attention on who else Derek could turn into a werewolf. He needed at least three betas and he already had Isaac and Erica. Stiles noticed a certain someone, who usually sat by themselves, missing at lunch and quickly approached Scott, after the teen had a talk with Allison about her wanting him to stay out of the whole thing. "Boyd," Scott realized and decided that he needed to go back to the ice rink to see if he was there.
Lenient on going to Boyd's house, Stiles sighed and stopped walking which caused Scott to look at him weirdly. "Maybe we should let him," he stated, referring to Derek turning their classmate.
"Are you crazy?"
"Look, I'm not going to lie to you. You said Derek tells them about everything, and he lets them choose," Stiles told him. "It's not your responsibility whether or not Boyd wants to become a werewolf. Isaac and Erica are looking pretty good right now, and I wouldn't blame the guy for wanting to look like them. I mean, your life changed after the bite too and I'd say you're doing pretty well."
Scott knew Stiles had a point, but being popular was not worth being hunted. "You know this thing is going to get out of control," the teen wolf reasoned. "That makes me responsible for all of them."
Stiles pursed his lips but then eventually nodded his head to agree. "All right, I'm with you." Then, he sent his best friend a teasing grin, "And I got to say this new-found heroism is making me very attracted to you."
"Shut up," Scott rolled his dark eyes in annoyance but Stiles continued.
"No, seriously," he persisted, not hiding his mischievous smirk. "You want to try making out for a sec? Just to see how it feels?"
Being friends with a boy as sarcastic as Stiles for years has taught Scott to be quick in the mind when responding. "Now I don't think Sierra would like that," he retorted wittily, which caused the spastic teen to drop his jaw. Scott let out an amused chuckle and held up a hand to stop Stiles from trying to protest. "Don't even try," he warned playfully, a smile on his face. "I saw your little moment at the ice rink last night."
Stiles scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, a moment you ruined by the way, so thank you." He then held up his thumb and his pointer finger about an inch apart and squinted his eyes. "I was this close, dude. This close! And you just had to fall down and ruin everything."
Scott did feel terrible for causing such a loud noise, but now he thought it was obvious to both Stiles and Sierra how they felt about one another. "I didn't ruin the one at the dance," Scott shrugged. "Lydia did that."
Stiles raised an eyebrow, "Dude, how do you even know that? I didn't even see you there."
"I have my ways," Scott replied vaguely and left it at that before bringing the focus back to Boyd. "Speaking of Sierra, are you bringing her with you to go to Boyd's house?"
Stiles shook his head, "I think she should sit this one out, plus she's already going home with Lydia."
Scott started to walk the opposite way, but briefly turned around one last time. "Just remember to call her if anything happens, alright? We don't know what is going to happen."
"Well, isn't that just great?"