CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
SCOTT MCCOCKBLOCK
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"I still can't believe you missed your first game," I told Stiles as he steered the jeep in the direction of the school. "You know Finstock isn't going to let you play anymore."
"I know," Stiles sighed, his grip tightening on the wheel. "But it's fine. I'm used to being on the bench anyways."
The look of pure sorrow that covered his face made me feel like I had just kicked a puppy or something. I knew that all of this was hard on Stiles. Scott got to go around with all these insane powers, getting off the bench in lacrosse. And he left Stiles back on the bench with nothing else to do but research and watch his best friend move above him on a sort of social scale.
I knew that Stiles playing today was supposed to be his moment. Even his dad was coming. All Stiles has wanted since we started high school was to be first line. And he was granted that, even if it was only probationary. But then Scott kind of ruined it. I mean, it wasn't like he asked us to go to the hospital or anything. It was indirectly his fault. Actually, you know what?
It was Peter's fault. If he hadn't bitten Scott that damn night, everything would be normal and my boyfriend wouldn't be moping in the seat next to me.
He stopped the jeep in the parking lot, where everyone was leaving the game. We missed it entirely.
"Stiles," I began easily as he began getting out. "We can always tell him tomorrow if you're not up to it."
"I'm fine," he said, his voice not sounding all too enthusiastic.
I grabbed his arm. "Stiles freaking Stilinski. You are clearly not fine. I know you like the back of my hand and this is not the Stiles Stilinski I know. Seriously, I—"
"It's just that my dad is going to be so disappointed," he cut in, letting go of the door handle.
I gave him a weak smile. "Stiles...he'll understand."
"No, literally. All I do is screw up. And the one time I have a chance to make him actually proud of me, I mess up."
"Stiles, don't you think for a second your dad's not proud of you," I told him gently. "He loves you more than anything in this entire world. He'll understand if you explain."
Stiles didn't respond and his smile didn't seem to reach his eyes. "We have to go talk to Scott."
"Fine," I groaned, getting out of the jeep. I quickly dodged people from the game, making my way over to Stiles. I slipped my hand into his and stood on my tiptoes. "If it's any consolation, you would have kicked ass out there, babe."
"Babe?" he laughed, an arm wrapping itself around my waist.
"Unless you'd rather me call you something like honey boo or snookum," I laughed, practically drowning in his warm eyes.
He chuckled. "I think I'll manage without those horrible names."
I giggled, as he began leaning down towards me. It seemed like the entire world was slowed down and that everyone around us just, vanished. It was just me and Stiles, in our own perfect world. Until Kyle Peterson decided to ruin it.
It was like he practically wedged his way between us. "State! State! State! State! State!"
I raised an eyebrow, before unwinding my arms from Stiles' neck. With an exasperated groan, I took one hand and shoved Kyle out of the way. "Don't you have something better to do?"
"State?" he asked.
"Go!" I groaned, before grabbing my boyfriend's arm and dragging him away. "Jesus Christ, I swear he gets more annoying every year."
"I'm guessing we're going to state?" Stiles laughed.
"Apparently."
We made our way into the locker room. It was pitch black reminding me of the night we were trapped in the school. I gulped, tightening my grip on Stiles' arm. In the distance somewhere, I could hear the trickle of water, probably from one of the showers.
As we got deeper into the locker room, we couldn't find Scott. It just seemed to get darker. This entire place needed was some creepy music and a psycho with a knife and we'd be right smack in the middle of a horror movie. My grip seemed to be getting tighter and tighter but if it bothered Stiles, I wouldn't know. He only looked down at me with an 'it's going to be fine' look. He patted my hand and led me towards the back.
Something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. Someone was sitting on one of the benches. I let go of Stiles and walked around the corner. I could hear Stiles' whispering for me to come back but I ignored him. I just kept walking.
As I turned the corner I was met with the familiar form of Scott. I briefly noticed he was only wearing a towel, but sighed in relief nonetheless.
Stiles came dashing around the corner and perked up when he saw Scott.
"Dude, we have a huge problem," he breathed.
I nodded. "Like end of the world huge."
"Trust me, I know," Scott sighed.
"Even about the Alpha being—"
"Derek's uncle? Yeah, he and Derek we're here like ten minutes ago."
I did a double take. "Wait, hold up. Derek was with Peter? As in willingly? We were just with them like half an hour ago and they were pretty much hell bent on destroying each other."
"He said Peter made a mistake," Scott said. "That killing Laura was an accident."
"An acci- an accident? How the hell do you kill your niece on accident?" Stiles exclaimed, throwing his hands up.
Scott shrugged, as the new information sunk in. Derek was willingly choosing to follow Peter. Or maybe there was some kind of other force making him. They were just involved in a werewolf version of wrestling; there was no way Derek would choose to be part of Peter's pack. And if Peter was able to control Derek like that, it only meant one thing.
Scott could be next.
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"So you didn't bother to tell us that the Argents think Jackson's the second beta because?" I asked Scott.
I was currently in the backseat of the jeep—as per usual—holding the two headrests in front of me. I had wedged my body between the two seats as Stiles began flooring it for the school.
"I don't know!" Scott exclaimed. "All I know is that Kate seems to think that Jackson's the beta. She saw the scratch on his neck last night."
"Can a werewolf even be turned by a scratch?" Stiles asked, driving right through a stop sign. God, his dad would kill him if he saw that.
Scott shrugged. "Allison's dad seems to think so."
Stiles turned into the parking lot where Jackson's familiar Porsche was parked. A little ways away was the same SUV I had seen outside of Allison's house before. Meaning that Mr. Argent was here.
And sure enough the two of them were bent over the back of the Porsche.
"Damn it," I muttered.
Stiles tires squealed as he slammed on the breaks near them. I flew into the backseat, my head banging off the back.
I groaned. "Nice driving, Stiles," I muttered sarcastically.
He shot me an apologetic glance as Scott rolled down the window.
"Sup?" Stiles called to them. I leaned forward, popping my head between the seats.
Mr. Argent didn't look so pleased, whereas Jackson never looked happier to see the three of us in his life.
"Hi, Jackson," I called happily. "Mr. Argent."
"Everything okay?" Scott asked.
Mr. Argent put on a fake smile, his bright teeth glinting in the sunlight. "Hi Scott, Carson. Your friend here was just having some car trouble. We're just taking a look."
"Uh huh," I said with faux surprise.
Scott nodded to Jackson. "There's a shop right down the street. I'm sure they have a tow truck."
"Yeah, you want a ride?" Stiles asked.
Scott flung the door open, preparing to get out. Great, now I was going to have to share the backseat. Just lovely.
"Yeah, come on Jackson," I called, motioning my hands in a 'come hither' sort of way.
Stiles smiled. "You're way too pretty to be out here all by yourself."
Jackson gulped and nodded, practically running towards us. Scott began getting out. Mr. Argent took another look in Jackson's car and looked like he took something out.
"Hey boys—and Carson," he called to us. He walked to the front, opened the door and started Jackson's engine. It roared to life without an issue. He shot us a dangerous looking smile. "Told you I knew something about cars."
We didn't say a word as he made his way over to his SUV. He got in, turned on the ignition and peeled out of the lot. I quickly slipped through the seats and hopped out. Stiles got out of his side and came around to where the rest of us were.
"What are you following me now?" Jackson accused as the red car pulled out of sight.
Scott slammed the door angrily right as I got out of the way. I jumped back, crashing into Stiles. He steadied me as Scott began ranting.
"Yes! Because you're such a freaking idiot! You almost gave everything away right there!"
Jackson faltered but none the less shot back a, '"What the hell are you talking about?"
"He thinks you're the second beta!" Scott all but screamed.
Jackson, who has apparently never heard of that word in life, shot Scott a look of confusion. "What?"
"He thinks you're me!" Scott shouted. He turned around, slamming an elbow back into Stiles' jeep.
"Dude, my jeep," Stiles said. They ignored him.
"I could hear your heart beating from a mile away, literally! Now he thinks something's wrong and I have to keep an eye on you so he doesn't kill you too!" Scott screamed in frustration. He went to go slam the jeep again but Stiles wrapped his arms around him, pulling him away.
"Okay, why don't we all back away from Stiles' jeep, huh?" Stiles asked.
Jackson scoffed at Scott. "You know what? This is your problem, not mine. I didn't say anything okay which means you're the one who's going to get me killed. Okay, this is your fault," he yelled pushing Scott back into the jeep.
Stiles sighed, throwing his hands up in the air. "Okay, can we stop hitting my jeep?"
"I think it's a lost cause, babe," I told him right as Scott lunged back at Jackson.
Stiles immediately stepped in, putting his hands between Jackson and our werewolf friend. "Alright, yo, guys, stop. Alright?" Stiles asked.
"Bunch of idiots, I swear," I muttered. Jackson shot me a glare.
"When they come after you, I won't be able to protect you," Scott panted. He shot a look at me and Stiles. "I can't protect anyone."
Stiles and I shared a glance before asking, "Why are you looking at us?"
"Look, now you have to do it. Get me what I want and I will be fine protecting myself," Jackson snapped.
I let out a snort. "Will that be before or after you get yourself killed?"
"Carson's right. You won't be able to! Just trust me! All it does is make things worse," Scott sighed.
"Oh yeah, really?" Jackson countered. "You can hear anything you want and run faster than humanly possible. Sounds like a real hardship McCall!"
"Can I hit him?" I asked Stiles. "Like for real?"
He shrugged. "I did. Pretty fun too." I chuckled.
"Yeah, I can run really fast now. Except, half the time I'm running away from people trying to kill me!"
"He's right, you know. Dude does a lot of running away from people," I interjected, tossing a look at Jackson.
Scott nodded. "And I can hear things, like my girlfriend telling people that she doesn't trust me anymore tight before breaking up with me. I'm not lying to you! It ruins your life."
"It ruined your life," Jackson snapped. "You had all the power in the world and you didn't know what to do with it. You know what it's actually like?"
"I have a feeling you're going to tell us anyways," I sighed, leaning my head on Stiles' shoulder.
He glared at me once again. "It's like you turned sixteen and someone bought you a Porsche when they should have started you out with a nice little Honda. Me? I drive a Porsche."
Jackson stalked, slipped into aforementioned car and peeled off.
Stiles, Scott and I stared after him.
"He's going to get himself killed," I murmured.
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"So, let me get this straight," I asked Stiles as I walked into his room. "You got your dad drunk so that you could ask him questions about his case?"
Stiles sighed, shutting the door behind me. "I know, I know. I'm headed to the lowest pit of hell. Sue me."
I laughed, before plopping down on his bed. I brought my legs up, sitting pretzel style. "So what did he tell you?"
"Not much, besides the fact that Derek apparently has some werewolf high beams when he gets his picture taken and the Hale house fire is getting more and more confusing. Oh, and my dad is apparently likes to mourn the past when he's drunk," Stiles sighed, flopping down next to me. He laid his head in my lap and I ran my fingers through what little hair he had.
I smiled down at him, feeling utterly content. It felt so right being with him.
I've dated a lot of people, sure. But I've never felt as comfortable with any of them at all. Not like I was with Stiles. I think maybe it was because I had grown up with him that I had felt this feeling of pure joy when I was around him. Maybe all along the guy I had been looking for was Stiles. And he was right there in front of me.
Then something broke me from my thoughts. "Wait, what do you mean, 'he mourns the past'?"
Stiles didn't respond, just closed his eyes as if that would make my question go away. He looked in pain. It was as if the conversation was too painful to relive.
"Stiles?" I said, poking his cheek. "What did he say?"
"It doesn't matter," he said. "Trust me."
"Stiles, I—"
"Carson," he sighed. He sat up, facing me and keened his head back on the headboard.
I shook my head. "No, you keep doing that. You help me with my problems. I'm just trying to do the same."
"Car, please. It's fine. I promise," Stiles told me, clearly not wanting to talk about it.
My heart rate picked up at the nickname that hadn't been used in a long while. "Fine," I groaned.
"Thank you," he cheered, scooting towards me and pressing his lips to mine.
But what was supposed to be a short and sweet kiss turned into something more. I wrapped my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. He seemed to get the memo, placing his hands on either side of my waist, never heading lower. Our lips moved hungrily together, almost as if we never would ever again.
I began pushing him back against the headboard. He broke the kiss, his hands still on my waist.
"Everything okay?" he breathed, slightly breathless.
I nodded. "Everything's great." Well, everything but the fact that he stopped kissing me.
I got out of my sitting position, and placed myself near his waist. Each of my legs were on either side of him, straddling him. His eyes widened as I re-wrapped my arms around his neck. His were still on my waist, nearing my hips.
He gulped. "Carson..."
I sighed. "Just shut up and kiss me, Stiles."
He opened his mouth to respond but closed it. Within seconds he complied, his lips crashing to mine again. His hands tightened on my hips as I leaned on him, putting everything I had into this kiss.
We kept kissing, working together in this piece of perfection. Kissing Stiles...I've said it before and I'll say it again. It was like magic. My hands lowered, pressing themselves against his chest. I could feel his heartbeat beneath the thin fabric of his shirt.
It was as if everything rational in me clicked off with the flip of a switch. I raised my hands, blindly pushing down the fabric of Stiles' plaid shirt. He moved his arms, letting me remove it, leaving him in his tee shirt. The plaid fabric fluttered somewhere to the floor.
His hands began creeping up to the hemline of my shirt and his fingers began slipping under it. The little breath I had seemed to be taken away as I felt his cold fingers at my waist line.
And then my phone rang.
Stiles groaned, pulling back. I giggled, sitting back on his thighs. I slipped my phone out of my back pocket, checking the screen.
"It's Scott," I told Stiles, clicking the answer button.
"I swear to God, I'm going to kill him," Stiles grumbled.
I laughed, pressing the phone to my ear. "Hey Scott. Stiles says he wants to kill you."
"What? You know what, it doesn't matter. I need you guys. Like now."
"Huh?" I asked, utterly confused.
He groaned. "My mom!"
"What about your mom? Is she okay?" I asked.
Another groan. "She's on a date!"
"That's great!" I exclaimed. Another groan. "That's not great?"
"It's with Peter. As in Alpha who wants to kill us all Peter."
My eyes widened as Stiles looked confused. He had no idea what was going on.
"We'll be at your house in five," I told Scott, hanging up. I quickly got off of Stiles, handing him his shirt.
"But we were having fun," Stiles whined as he tugged the fabric back on.
I shook my head. "He needs us."
"For what?"
"His mom's on a date. With Peter Hale."
Stiles eyes widened and he grabbed my hand, before sprinting us out the door.
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"Now just don't make it obvious," Scott told Stiles as he ducked down in the backseat.
Stiles nodded. "Noted."
Within seconds, the front of Stiles' jeep collided with the back of Peter's car. Scott quickly scrambled over me and out of the car. It took the couple in front of us a minute to react. Melissa McCall got out of the car, yelling. It got worse when she saw the oh-so familiar Jeep.
"Stiles!" she yelled.
We both got out of the car.
"And Carson," I added weakly.
"Of course," she sighed.
"Mrs. McCall?" Stiles exclaimed, as if we just hadn't purposely driven into the back of her car. I quickly passed Mrs. McCall and stood next to my boyfriend.
"Yes!" she yelled, as Peter began getting out.
Stiles put on a shocked face. "Wow! This is just crazy, what a coincidence. Huh?"
She let out a sarcastic laugh. "Really Stiles?"
Rain began drizzling down. I groaned, wrapping my arm around Stiles. Mrs. McCall looked confused for a moment and then clearly decided she didn't care right now.
"I just—you guys came out of nowhere," Stiles exclaimed.
She raised an eyebrow. "Came out of nowhere? We were parked on the side of the road, Stiles."
"How about that huh? Crazy right. You know, we should probably call the cops, do an accident report, right?"
"I don't think that'll be necessary," Peter said calmly.
I narrowed my eyes, glaring at him. "I think it'll be very necessary. Get a witness report, exchange insurance. Don't want this situation to bite us in ass, right Stiles?"
"Carson's right," he agreed. "I think I'm feeling a little whiplash."
"Whiplash! You hit us!" Mrs. McCall yelled.
Peter began walking off, as Stiles and Mrs. McCall continued the whiplash conversation. I squeezed Stiles arm before walking after Peter. Mrs. McCall didn't notice, lecturing Stiles.
"You have a lot of balls doing this you know," I told him angrily once we were out of an earshot.
"And you seem to have a lot of guts to pull that back there. How do you think Melissa will feel when she finds out that her son orchestrated this thing to ruin her date?"
"We'd rather that than have her join you," I sneered.
He laughed. "Aren't you a brave little thing? Coming up and talking all justified to an Alpha."
"I'm not afraid of you," I snapped. "We're trying to keep the people we care about safe and you're jeopardizing that!"
He reached out a hand, running it down my cheek. I smacked it off.
He chuckled. "You have flawless skin, you know. And you're a spitfire. You'd make an excellent werewolf."
I furrowed my brow. "Excuse me?"
"There's a reason I learned your name, Carson," he smirked.
I shook my head. "If you think I'll join you, you're nuts."
"Ah, but you will one day. The werewolf gift will curse through your veins at some point."
I started backing away. "Not before Scott rips your heart out."
"You can only fight back for so long, Carson," he said as I headed back towards Stiles. I kept walking, not looking back.
If I did, I might start believing him.
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gonna try to get the rest of this up tomorrow!