"I can't believe you still didn't unpack," Hollis said, her eyes gazing around the room that was full of boxes.
Allison laughed at her comment. "Yeah, I know. But," she paused and shrugged. "I don't know. We move so much that I didn't want to put all the effort into making this my room only to pack it up later." A frown appeared on her face, which she quickly replaced with a weak smile.
"But you stayed in San Francisco for over a year, right? Who knows, maybe you'll actually stay here." Hollis stood up from the bed and walked over to where Allison sat at the desk. "Come on, I'll help you unpack."
Allison nodded, staring down at the box in front of her. "Let's start with this one. It's smaller." She pulled out a photo and smiled at the words on the back of the picture.
Philly Girls 4eva. We'll miss you!
Hollis read over her shoulder. "Do you guys still keep in touch?"
"Sometimes," Allison answered, slipping the photo into the corner of the mirror. "But, you know how it is. The long distance, different schedules and a few phone calls a week turns into once a month until eventually it stops."
"Well, if you ever move, which you won't because I won't let you," Hollis started, "we'll always be friends. I promise."
Allison smiled as she looked into the box, pulling out a jewelry holder in the shape of a tree. "Can you find a place for this?" She asked, holding it out for her.
"Sure," Hollis said, taking the stand. She turned, eyeing the room for a place where she could place it. She walked to the dresser by the window and put it down. Gingerly, she moved it until she deemed it stood in a good place. "Anything else you want me to find a place for?" She asked over her shoulder, moving towards the window.
Allison rummaged around in the box before saying, "Uhm, not yet. Give me a second."
As she waited, Hollis looked out the window. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw quick movement on the roof. Curious, she moved forward to see what was out there. For a few seconds, all she saw was darkness but then she saw the movement again.
"Think I should put this here?" Allison asked, stepping beside her. When she noticed Hollis jump, she laughed. "Sorry, didn't mean to sneak up on you."
"It's ok," she said with a small laugh. "But now I know how Stiles feels," she added. She glanced at the two decorative pictures Allison held and at the spot she wanted to place them. "Yeah, it's a good place for them," she said distractedly before she glanced back towards the window.
"What are you looking at?" Allison asked, following her stare.
"I-I just thought I saw something."
"Like a squirrel?" She joked but her smile fell when she noticed her expression. "There's nothing out there, Hollis."
Just as Allison went to pull the window shut, Hollis briefly caught the glimpse of a face.
"Wait, did you see that?" Hollis asked, turning to her. "I swear there was something or someone out there."
Quizzically, Allison looked back towards the window but there was nothing there. "Well, whatever it was, it's gone now."
Hollis opened her mouth to respond but the sound of a thud outside caused her to stop. "What was that?"
Allison shrugged and glanced out the window. "Oh my God. Come on!" Without another word, she moved from the window and left the room.
Hollis rushed after Allison, wondering what had happened. She ran down the stairs and then out the front door but stopped when she saw the scene before her. Mr. Argent's car was parked in front of the house with the door still open and, as Hollis peered into the night, she saw a figure lying beside the car. Horrorstruck, she realized that figure was Scott.
"Dad? What the hell are you doing?" Allison asked.
"He came out of nowhere –" Mr. Argent explained, at a loss for words.
"Are you trying to kill him?"
"Of course not. He ran out into the street—"
Scott moved on the ground, looking up at the faces peering at him. "I'm sorry. It's my fault."
Allison looked down at Scott, concern written on her face. "Are you ok?" She knelt down, brushing the dirt off of his face.
"Are you hurt?" Hollis asked, stepping beside Allison. She looked down at Scott who appeared to be in one piece.
"I'm fine. I swear," he answered them both with a weak smile. "I'm sorry I hit your car. I was just coming to say hi." He said, glancing up at Mr. Argent.
As Allison helped him to his feet, Mr. Argent asked, "You're sure you're ok?"
"Yeah, completely." He nodded, brushing dirt and gravel off his clothes. "I should go. I've got a lacrosse game to get to. "
"You decided to play?" Hollis asked with a smile.
"Yeah. Can't pass up the chance of being first line," he told her with a grin then turned to Allison. "You're still coming? Right?"
"Of course, I'm coming," Allison told him.
"We both are," Mr. Argent said, giving him a nod.
"We'll see you there. Good luck tonight," Hollis said.
"I still can't believe you ran him over!" Allison exclaimed as the three of them made their way across the field.
"It was an accident, Allison," Mr. Argent said with a sigh. "Besides, the kid's fine. He said so himself."
Hollis stayed quiet as she walked beside them. She tuned out their bickering and looked around the field and bleachers that were quickly filling up with students and parents. The team still wasn't out but it wouldn't be long until they appeared. She searched the stands for any sign of Lydia but she knew it would be impossible to see her from this distance.
Hugging her jacket closer to her, she glanced over at Allison and gave her a smile.
"Excited?" She asked.
"Definitely. It's Scott's first game. I can't wait," Allison answered, returning the smile. She looked straight ahead, nodding in the direction. "Looks like the teams coming out."
Hollis followed her gaze to where the lacrosse team made their way onto the field with Scott and Stiles at the end. The three of them reached the packed bleachers and, as she lifted her eyes to the stands, she noticed Lydia. She gave her a small wave but it appeared that Lydia didn't notice her. Instead, the redhead walked down the metal steps and approached Scott with a determined look on her face. Hollis rolled her eyes at the typical Lydia move, feeling bad for Scott who had to put up with a threatening pep talk.
As Allison and Mr. Argent began to climb up the steps, Hollis stopped. "Save me a seat. I'll be right back."
"Sure, no problem," Allison said.
Turning towards the benches, she searched for Stiles and quickly found him. She walked to where he was sitting and sat down beside him.
He looked towards her, a look of surprise on his face that quickly turned into a smile.
Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes surveyed the field then turned back towards him. "Where've you been hiding? I haven't seen you around for a couple days."
"Do you mean other than class? Because we have English and Chem. Together. I've seen you around."
"Yeah, other than class," she told him. "Are you avoiding me?" She joked.
"What?" Wide-eyed, he shook his head. "No, definitely not! I've just...."
Hollis laughed, cutting him off. "I'm kidding, Stiles."
Relieved, he smiled. "Oh. I-I knew that."
She narrowed her eyes and nodded at his answer. "Right. Of course you did."
Stiles grinned sheepishly at her. "Ok, well, I guess I thought you were kinda serious," he admitted. "We haven't really talked since that day, you know. I've just been busy. Had a lot going on."
"Everything ok?" She asked, concerned.
"Yeah, yeah. Everything's good. Nothing to worry about."
Hollis nodded, looking towards the spot where Lydia and Scott still stood. She shook her head as she watched Lydia practically threaten him. "Poor Scott," she said with a laugh.
"She sure wants to win, huh?" Stiles asked. "He'll be fine. We'll be fine," he told her. "And by we, I meant the team. We're a we but, you know, we're friends and I don't, well...I'll shut up now."
Hollis laughed into her hand at his confusing words.
"Hey, kiddo," Sheriff Stilinski said as he tapped Stiles on the shoulder. He looked towards Hollis, a quick look of surprise showing on his face before he smiled. "Hi, Hollis."
"Hi, Sheriff," she said, smiling. "How are you?"
"Good, good. Are you doing ok?"
She nodded her reply. "Yeah, thanks."
He smiled then turned towards Stiles, nodding towards the field. "Any chance you'll be seeing some action tonight?"
"Action? Definite possibility," he answered with a nod.
"Wow. You actually weren't negative! I'm so proud." With a smile, Hollis nudged him.
Stiles chuckled. "But the sarcasm stays. I'm not getting rid of that."
The sound of the whistle brought their attention to the field. She watched with interest as Jackson scooped the ball up before the opposing player could react. Despite herself, she smiled. That smile soon faded when he passed the ball to someone other than Scott who clearly was closer.
"Come on, Scott," she mumbled as he hurried across the field to take the ball. Just when she thought that he had it, Jackson swooped in and stole it. "He's not exactly playing fair, is he?"
"He never plays fair," Stiles answered with a frown.
Hollis sighed, her attention returning to the game before them. Jackson hurled the ball towards the opposing goal, scoring the first goal of the game.
"That's it, Jackson! Get fired up!" The Coach shouted as cheers erupted in the stands.
Hollis cheered mildly, but not for Jackson. She cheered for the team getting a point but she didn't like the unfair way that Jackson played the game.
"Brutal," Stiles said, getting Hollis's attention. He gestured in the direction of the stands where Lydia and Allison stood, a poster raised above their head with We luv u Jackson! written on it.
"Seriously?" Hollis asked with a shake of her head. She saw that Allison didn't look too pleased to be holding the poster, and she didn't blame her.
"This is not going to be good," Stiles said, shaking his head.
She looked at him quizzically. "What are you talking about? The game just started."
Stiles opened his mouth to respond but decided against it. "I just, well, I-I meant the poster. Not exactly a confidence boost for Scott, you know?"
Hollis nodded understandingly. She didn't get a chance to respond because their attention was brought to the game.
Scott continued to be left out of the game. It seemed that each player, probably threatened by Jackson, deliberately didn't give Scott a chance. The team played well, scoring points and doing their absolute best to beat the opposing team. Hollis watched the game with interest, cheering when they scored along with everyone else.
The first quarter of the game ended with Scott not getting any passes or chances to get the ball.
"That's so unfair," Hollis said during the break.
"That's Jackson for you," Stiles told her. "I'm sure Scott will score. Positivity, remember?" He asked with a grin.
Laughing, she nodded. "Right. Positivity." She glanced towards the bleachers, seeing Lydia and Allison in the midst of a conversation. "I think I'm going to go sit with them for a bit. Try to keep Lydia from putting the Jackson poster up."
A small frown appeared on his face but he tried to cover it up with a weak smile. "Oh, okay," Stiles said and nodded.
Hollis smiled before she stood up and started towards the bleachers. Steadily, she climbed the steps in an effort to not get knocked over or hit someone. Unscathed, she arrived beside her friends.
"Where've you been?" Lydia questioned, shooting a quizzical look in her direction.
"Yeah, you said you'd be right back." Allison added.
"I was talking with Stiles," Hollis answered, glancing in his direction. She saw him turn around and smiled.
Lydia raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
Hollis rolled her eyes at her obliviousness, whether intentional or not. "Stiles. Scott's friend "
A bare look of recognition appeared on Lydia's face and she nodded. "Right. What's up with you two anyway?"
"What do you mean?" Hollis asked.
"You guys are spending a lot of time together lately. I don't know why since he's well, him, but it's just weird."
"We're friends. We hang out at times and talk," Hollis answered with a shrug. She saw the questioning looks on their faces and decided to change the topic. "So, what do you guys think of the game so far?"
"It's good. Even injured, Jackson is great...as always," Lydia replied with a smug smile.
"And unfair. He's not even giving Scott a chance," Hollis said.
Lydia shrugged while Mr. Argent asked, "Which one is Scott again?"
"Number Eleven. Otherwise known as the one who hasn't caught a single pass the entire game," Lydia answered, ignoring the annoyed look that Hollis threw her way.
"I hope he's ok," Allison said, worried.
"I hope we're okay. We need to win," Lydia said.
"Well, maybe if Jackson would include everyone in the game, then we would win," Hollis said.
Lydia picked up the sign once more and threw a look in Allison's direction. "Allison? Little help here?"
With a sigh, Allison reluctantly picked up the sign that now read JACKSON IS #1!
"Seriously?" Hollis asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Jackson's my boyfriend. I need to support him," Lydia said. "You're more than welcome to help."
"Thanks but I'll pass."
Lydia shrugged but a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
The next quarter began when the whistle blew. Jackson and the opposing player grappled for the ball, which flew into the air. But out of nowhere, Scott appeared and snatched it before the others could react. The crowd didn't hide their surprise at Scott's quick improvement, neither did Hollis. When the ball flew into the net, scoring a goal for Beacon Hills, everyone cheered.
"To McCall! Pass to McCall!" Coach yelled to the team.
Hollis looked at Allison who wore the same look of happiness on her face. Lydia looked more annoyed than anything else, which couldn't help but make Hollis confused.
"We're down one point, Lyd. I think we'll actually win," Hollis said to her friend excitedly, which earned her a small smile from her.
Through the cheering, the ref yelled, "Set!"
Her eyes were glued to the field as were everyone else's when the whistle blew once more. With a minute down, she held her breath to see if they would score the point to win the game. Everyone watched on in surprise when the opposing player threw the ball to Scott, who quickly ran across the field and scored yet another point.
"Did the other team just give Scott the ball?" Hollis asked in surprise.
"Yeah, I think so," Allison answered.
"Well, alright then," she said with a laugh, looking towards the clock that quickly count down the seconds.
Again, the whistle blew and both teams charged across as each player tried to get hold of the ball. Scott was quick and grabbed the ball before anyone else could. He started to charge down the field but, rather to the goal, he ran at a lacrosse player.
"Come on, Scott. You can do it," Allison said quietly, eagerly watching the game.
Hollis glanced towards her, giving her a small smile. "He can do it," she said confidently.
Almost as if he heard them, Scott changed direction towards the goal and threw the ball. Everyone held their breath, watching the ball fly through the air as if in slow motion. When it hit the net, everyone cheered loudly.
"We won!" Hollis said with a laugh, looking at both her friends.
"Not bad, McCall," Lydia said with a smile. She grabbed onto Allison and Hollis's hand, and the three girls ran down the bleachers towards the overcrowded field.
"Do you see Scott anywhere?" Allison asked while she searched the faces of the lacrosse players.
Lydia shook her head while Hollis answered, "No. I wonder where he went." She took in the people around them before her eyes landed on the sidelines. "Maybe Stiles knows. Be right back."
Allison nodded mutely and continued looking around them with Lydia.
Hollis moved through the crowd, which wasn't an easy a task as she hoped it would be. She reached the bench where Stiles sat, white as a sheet. "What's wrong? Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"
He looked up quickly with a nervous chuckle. "It was, uh, the-the game. Surprising and very overwhelming." He nodded at his answer then stood up.
"Yeah, it was amazing," Hollis said, pulling her jacket closer to her against the chilly wind that had picked up. "Allison was looking for Scott. Have you seen him?"
"Wasn't he just here?" He asked, a sudden look of panic on his face.
Hollis shrugged. She turned her attention towards the field once more, scanning the large crowd for any sign of Scott. As she looked, she failed to see Allison when she spotted Lydia. Taking her phone out, she typed in a quick message, asking where she was and whether she found Scott. A moment later, her phone buzzed with a message from Allison that read: I'm in the school. I think I saw Scott going into the locker room.
"Dad? What's wrong?" Stiles asked, causing Hollis to look up from her phone.
She noticed the worried look on the Sheriff's face. "Everything ok?" She asked, placing her phone in her pocket.
"It's, uh, the case. New information." He looked at them both hesitantly, as if wondering if he should reveal anything. He ran his hand over his face and let out a sigh. "I guess you'll be hearing about it soon. We ID'd the victim. Her name was Laura Hale."
"Was she related to Derek?" Hollis asked. "I mean, of course she was. Dumb question, sorry," She said with embarrassment.
"There's no such thing as a dumb question, Hollis," the Sheriff said gently. "But Laura was his sister," he answered. "And she was killed by an animal. Mountain lion apparently."
She looked over at Stiles, who appeared to be more surprised by this news than her.
"Crap. So it's not...?" Stiles trailed off, looking at his dad.
"Afraid not. We'll have to let Derek go. He's innocent after all."
Hollis looked from one Stilinski to the other. "Wait. You two thought Derek was the killer? No offense but that's crazy. Why would he kill his own sister? She was probably all the family that he had left."
"Yeah, that's true," the Sheriff said with a nod. "Anyway, I should get back to the station. See you at home?" He asked Stiles, who nodded. With a final wave, he moved away from them and walked across the field.
"So it's just an animal?" Hollis asked, turning to Stiles.
"Guess so. I guess I was hoping for, I don't know," he answered.
"An actual person to blame?" Hollis asked. "Yeah, it would've made it better somehow. But at least we know now."
"True." He nodded with a small smile. His eyes grew wide before he said, "Scott! I forgot. Uh, he's not here, right?"
Hollis shook her head then nodded towards the school. "Allison said she saw him head towards the locker room. She went after him."
"I'll go make sure he's ok," Stiles said.
"Hey, I'm coming with you. To check on Allison." Hollis took a step forward but stopped when she saw Stiles expression. Rolling her eyes, she sighed. "Come on, let's go."
The two of them made their way towards the school, a few words passing between them as they walked. When they arrived outside the locker room, Stiles opened the door.
Hollis hesitated. "This is weird, right?" She asked with a small laugh.
"A little bit," Stiles answered, grinning.
She stepped inside and walked behind Stiles towards the sound of the voices. She could just make out the faint words that were said between Scott and Allison.
Stiles suddenly skidded to a halt. Before Hollis could walk past him, he grabbed onto her arm and pulled her back behind the locker.
She looked at him questioningly but he slowly guided her to the edge of the locker. Hollis peaked out from behind to see Scott and Allison mid-kiss. "Aw, they're so cute!" She whispered with a soft laugh. She leaned against the locker, still wearing the smile.
"Yeah. But would it kill them to get a room?" Stiles muttered.
"They kinda have one. We're just invading their privacy," Hollis said. "So, now that we found them and they're ok, should we go? I mean, I don't want to stand here like a creep spying on them."
Stiles chuckled. "Yeah, maybe. Or we can just wait outside. You know, until they're...done."
"Good idea," she said with a nod. She moved to retrace her steps back to the hallway but, before she could take a step, she saw Allison.
"Hi, Hollis. Stiles," Allison said.
"Hey," Hollis said and laughed. "Uhm, we were looking for you."
"Well, you found us," Allison said with a smile.
"Yes. Yes, we did." Stiles nodded, looking at the three of them.
"Great game, Scott," Hollis told him.
"Thanks. It was pretty awesome, huh?" Scott said and, a smile lit up his face.
"Anyway, we should probably find your dad, Ali. We'll see you guys tomorrow."
Grabbing onto Allison's hand, she pulled her out of the locker room. Once they were in the hallway, she glanced at her friend to see her blushing.
"Was that your first kiss with Scott?"
Allison nodded, her blush deepening. "Yeah. It was nice."
"You two are great together. I'm really happy for you."
AN: I told you this chapter would be longer (: Unfortunately, I couldn't find a good GIF for this chapter. If I find one later, I'll add it. So, I hope you guys enjoyed then two new chapters. If you did, please make my day by hitting the vote button and leaving a comment with your thoughts! It's simple, quick and a great way to let me know what you liked, didn't like, want to see in the future, etc. Also, if you guys like this story, maybe share it? I'd really appreciate it!