There was tension between Scott and Stiles the next morning. They weren't even seated next to each other in class, leaving the other students in quite a state of shock. It was rare to see the pair fight so they all wondered what had happened for Stiles to act this way.
Scott had tried apologizing on multiple occasions but Stiles heard none of it. His gaze was fixated on the blackboard like it was the most fascinating object in the world. Scott knew his friend had every right to be mad at him -- after all, it was his fault the Sheriff had been hurt -- but that his friend straight out ignored him seemed childish.
Scott had tried turning to Jamie for help but his other best friend was also mad at him. Scott hadn't visited him in the hospital, hadn't sent a single text or simply asked anyone about him. At least he still talked to him, but only in short sentences and through gritted teeth. Scott had also noticed he seemed physically in pain, a grimace appearing on his face every time he moved.
Scott frowned when he noticed the same thing happening with Lydia. What had these two been up to, exactly?
Of course, Scott didn't know about Derek training them. Derek being Derek, the training had been intense and every single muscle in their body ached. Even writing was a struggle, to the point that Lydia herself gave up on taking notes. Mr. Harris noticed and gasped. That was it, he thought, Jamie had corrupted her to the point she stopped paying attention in class.
Near the end of the lecture, Scott was still trying to get Stiles to forgive him. "Still not talking to me?" he whispered once Mr. Harris had his back turned. "Okay, can you at least tell me if your Dad's okay? It's just a bruise, right? Nothing too big? You know I feel really bad about it, right?"
Jamie shot Stiles a pointed look, gesturing for him to answer their friend. Stiles made a face at him and resumed staring in front of him stubbornly. Scott tried another approach.
"Okay, what if I told you that I'm trying to figure this whole thing out, and... That Derek offered help?"
This time, Stiles' attention was caught, "If I was talking to you, I'd say that you're an idiot for trusting him. But obviously I'm not talking to you."
Scott was about to speak again but Jamie held a finger in front of his lips, instructing him to stay silent. Stiles' leg was bouncing up and down, an obvious sign he wanted to hear more. He finally let curiosity get the best of him and turned around to look at Scott.
"Okay, what did he say?"
Scott had a big smile on his face as he explained everything Derek had told him. He knew smiling when discussing rage and a primal drive to maim people was wildly inappropriate but he couldn't help it, his two best friends were talking to him again.
"He wants you to tap into your animal side and get angry?" Stiles repeated once he was done listening.
"Yeah," Scott nodded.
"All right, well, correct me if I'm wrong, but every time you do that, you try to kill someone, and that someone's usually me or Jamie," Stiles replied. He didn't like Derek's idea and he showed it.
"Or you run to Allison and her father hits you with his car," Jamie added.
"I know. That's what he means when he says he doesn't know if he can teach me," Scott agreed. "But I have to be able to control it."
"Well, how's he gonna teach you to do that?" Stiles asked, curious to hear the answer.
"I don't know. I don't think he does either," Scott admitted.
"So what, he's just gonna wing it?" Jamie asked, incredulous.
Scott shrugged, unsure. Derek hadn't shared what he had in mind with him so he had no idea what to say. That didn't sit right with any of them.
"Okay," Stiles announced, a plan forming in his head. "When are you seeing him again?"
"He's picking me up at the animal clinic after work."
"All right, well, that gives us to the end of the school day then," Stiles stated, nodding his head. His friends looked at him with confused expression.
"To do what?" Scott asked.
"To teach you ourselves."
Jamie let out a small chuckle, of course Stiles wanted to step in and teach Scott control himself. He wasn't a werewolf, he had no idea what he was doing, but he was still certain he could do a better job than Derek. And if Jamie knew him at all, he was probably right.
When class ended, their little group was gathered on the lacrosse field. Lydia and Jamie were seated on the floor, their legs too tired to allow them to stand for more than five minutes in a row. Stiles had his lacrosse gear with him and gave Scott a helmet.
"Does that mean you don't hate me now?" Scott asked Stiles sheepishly.
"No," Stiles denied, "But your crap has infiltrated my life, so now I have to do something about it. Plus, I'm definitely a better Yoda than Derek."
"Okay, you teach me then," Scott agreed.
"Yeah, be his Yoda," Jamie butted in.
"Scott's Yoda I will be," Stiles told with a big smile. "I said it backwards."
"We noticed," Lydia deadpanned.
"But why do you want to be a small, green creature so bad, Stiles?" Jamie frowned. He didn't share his friend's obsession with Star Wars and never resisted making fun of the saga.
Stiles rolled his eyes and ignored his friend's remark. He gave Scott a heart monitor.
"Isn't this one of the heart rate monitors for the track team?" Scott frowned.
"Yeah, I borrowed it," Stiles explained.
"You mean you stole it," Jamie accused his friend.
"Temporarily misappropriated," Stiles waved off. "Coach uses it to monitor his heart rate with his phone while he jogs, and you're gonna wear it for this."
Stiles then handed a phone to Scott. It didn't look very well-maintained, the screen was badly damaged, like the phone had met the ground a couple of times in the past.
"Isn't that Coach's phone?"
"That, I stole", Stiles confessed.
It seemed his plan was basically to throw balls at Scott to get him angry and make his pulse rise, triggering his transformation. Scott's job was to remain as calm as possible to resist the urge to transform. Stiles greatly enjoyed the exercise, using the opportunity to get back at Scott for getting his father hurt. He threw ball after ball, his aim cruelly more accurate each time. Jamie would have loved participating but the soreness in his arms prevented him from raising his hands above his shoulders, so throwing balls with a lacrosse stick was out of the question.
Lydia got worried when she saw Scott actually angry. She got on her feet and painfully made her way over to him, offering words of comfort. She tried to think of something that made Scott human, that made them all human. She smiled when she found the perfect answer.
"Scott, listen to me," the young woman instructed, stepping closer to the shifting wolf. "Think about Allison. Do you want her to see you like this?"
The effect her words had on him was spectacular. Scott visibly calmed down, his breathing slowing down and going back to normal. He felt all his rage evaporate, leaving him with thoughts of Allison. He looked at Lydia gratefully and was about to thank her when Jamie interrupted their moment.
"Of course!" he exclaimed, sparks of excitement visible in his eyes. "A wolf is not capable of love, but you are, Scott! And Allison represents that, it's like she's the embodiment of your human side," he continued, explaining his theory. He got closer to Scott and squeezed his shoulder, looking proud of him. He winked at Lydia, his way of congratulating her for figuring it out first.
Stiles looked at trio, lacrosse stick still in hand. He looked almost disappointed they had figured it out because it meant he couldn't throw things at Scott anymore. Tossing the lacrosse stick aside and putting his investigative mind to work, he figured they better test this theory somehow. An evil plan formed in his head and an equally evil smile appeared on his face.
It was time to move on to phase two.