The four-day weekend had come and gone. It was Monday again, and the school was buzzing with talk of Wednesday night. The horrors of what had happened peaked everyone's interest. Everyone was engrossed in the rumors that spewed left and right, each one more unbelievable than the next. No one seemed to care what the police had stated, what the truth was because their own assumptions were deemed better and far more interesting. It would have bothered Hollis but the fact that no one knew who had been at the school that night almost made it seem as if it hadn't happened to her, Allison, Scott and the others. With the anonymity, it made her feel detached. Truth be told, she wasn't complaining. There had been enough whispers about her after the accident in the summer, and she was more than happy to not be in the limelight, so to speak.
Her eyes took in the hallway as she walked alongside Allison and Lydia. It was strange seeing the school intact and normal looking after everything. The messes had been cleaned up and there was no trace whatsoever of the destruction and terror that had happened in the confines of the building. Rather than make her feel better, a chill crept under her skin. Hollis knew what had happened. No amount of cleanup could cover it up. She stole a glance at her friends. Lydia looked like her perfect self, as if she had already forgotten that they had run down these very halls in an effort to save themselves. Allison, however, looked wary as she looked around.
"Can you believe some of these rumors?" Hollis asked, finding her voice. She had to hold back the urge to roll her eyes at the talk that overfilled the hall.
"It's just weird," Allison said. "Everyone's talking about what happened the other night. And nobody knows it was us."
"Can't say that I'm complaining, though. I'd hate to be bombarded with questions from everyone. Of having to relive that night again," Hollis said.
Lydia nodded in agreement. "Thank you protection of minors."
Allison agreed but seemed lost in her thoughts. She stayed quiet, her eyes surveying the overpacked hallway. "Guys... Do you think I made the wrong decision?"
Lydia looked over at Allison, her eyes assessing her. "About that jacket with that dress? Absolutely."
Allison exchanged a look with Hollis. "You know what I mean."
Lydia slowed her pace then looked at them both. "Hello, Scott locked us in a classroom and left us for dead. He's lucky we're not pressing charges or making him pay our therapy bills."
"Yeah, but..." Hollis started.
Lydia rolled her eyes, giving her a look. "Please don't tell me you're going to defend him after that."
"I...maybe. I mean, yeah," she said. "Look, I just don't think he had bad intentions, that's all." Hollis noticed the skeptical look on Lydia's face and sped up her explanation. "It's possible that fire bomb thing you made didn't work. So maybe the only thing Scott could do to help us was to lock us in the room. He was out there on his own with whoever wanted us dead."
"Yeah, or he was helping Derek the entire time," Lydia said.
"But we didn't even let him explain," Hollis continued.
"I don't really care for an explanation," Lydia told her, her voice rising. She sighed and gave her a gentle smile. "Look, I love that you give everyone the benefit of the doubt, Hollis, but...Scott doesn't deserve it. Not this time."
Hollis looked at her with a doubtful look, unable to agree with her words. It was true that she believed more times than not that people's intentions were good. Although there had been times when she had been wrong in her convictions, she still believed in the innocent-until-proven-guilty concept. And she wasn't about to abandon that concept on Scott.
"Look, it's not like he did something stupid. It was a life and death situation. We could have been killed," Lydia added.
In a way, Lydia was right. Their lives had been at stake. But, for some reason, Hollis knew there was an explanation. If it had been someone she didn't know, she would have possibly believed the worst. But it was Scott, and she knew he wouldn't do anything to put them in danger.
"I know, Lyd but...I can't believe that," she said, noting the look of annoyance on her face. "We know Scott. We shouldn't believe the worst."
The cafeteria was quickly filling up as students rushed past her, jostling her as they entered the vast room. Hollis stayed glued to the doorway, somehow unable to set foot into the room. It was lively now, noisy from all the conversations going on at once but the only thing she saw when she looked at the room was the grim reminder of Wednesday night and of being barricaded inside with someone, or something, trying to kill them.
Hollis shook that thought off as a shiver ran through her. She momentarily lost herself in her thoughts, only pulling herself out of her mind to take a sip of her coffee. The liquid was still hot but not hot enough to burn her tongue and throat. Hollis savored the caffeine despite the copious amounts of coffee she had consumed over the four-day weekend. With one final look, she turned and walked against the traffic of students trying to enter the room. Once she was out of the crossfires of being trampled, she turned the corner to find a different place to spend her lunch period. The hallway thinned of people the further she moved away from the cafeteria. Up ahead, she noticed Scott sitting alone against the wall.
"Hey," she said when she stopped a few feet away from him.
Scott didn't reply or acknowledge her presence. It was as if he was lost in his mind, staring ahead at the opposite wall.
"Scott," Hollis said, her voice a bit louder than before.
He snapped out of his daze and looked up at her, recognition dawning on him. "Oh, hey, Hollis," he said quietly.
"You ok?" Hollis lowered herself onto the floor and took the space beside him. She looked over at him and noted that there was something different about him. He didn't look quite like himself but she couldn't tell what had changed.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Scott replied unconvincingly before he gave her a small smile. "So, what are you doing here? I thought you'd be ignoring and hating me like everyone else."
"I don't hate you," Hollis said with a shake of her head. "The others don't either. They're just confused and freaked out over everything that happened."
Scott nodded but she could see the doubt on his face. "Did you talk to them?"
Hollis knew that by 'them', he meant Allison. She nodded before she spoke. "Yeah. She's..." She paused, trying to find a gentle way to say her next words. "She thinks that you abandoned us, Scott."
Closing his eyes, Scott rested his head against the wall. "What do you think?" He asked after a few seconds passed. Opening his eyes, he looked over at her, waiting.
"I think you did what you had to," Hollis answered truthfully. "You did it to protect us. And I told Allison that –"
"But she still thinks I left you guys," Scott said. He sighed, hitting his head against the wall, hard enough to almost crack it. "What did you really tell her?" He asked. His voice was just above a whisper and mixed with accusation.
With narrowed eyes, she tilted her head in confusion. "I just told you."
Scott turned to her, his hard gaze resting on her face. "I don't believe you," he said slowly. "You put her against me, didn't you?"
Hollis was caught off guard with his words and the accusatory tone that filled them. But it was his intense gaze that filled her with unease. There was something off about him again, and Hollis could see it clearly now. His eyes were filled with a cold rage, matching the dark expression that crossed his face. For a brief moment, she had to look away. As her eyes took in the near empty hallway, she could feel Scott's gaze lingering on her. With a sigh, she turned back to him. "Of course not," she told him gently. "I'm on your side here, Scott."
"Sure you are." His voice was strangely calm, save for the dark look on his face.
"I am," Hollis said seriously. "Look, just ask Stiles. I told him the same thing I told you. And Allison. They know that I think what you did was to protect us."
Scott nodded but he clearly didn't believe her. Although he sat beside her, he was miles away. His head was tilted, expression focused as if listening to something. But what it was, she couldn't guess. Angrily, he hit his head against the wall to an invisible beat and when he spoke again, his tone grew colder. "Right. Which is why Allison thinks I got exactly what I deserved."
"Ok, what?" Hollis asked, now completely lost in the conversation.
"Yeah. And I think you're trying to turn everyone against me, including Stiles. You always have, Hollis." He stared at her as if in a trance, yet his unsettling gaze pierced her.
Hollis shook her head, more bewildered by the moment. "That's – no. What's going on with you, Scott?" Despite feeling uncomfortable, she was concerned. "Are you having some weird reaction to the full moon tonight?" She asked jokingly, looking at him cautiously.
Scott blinked. The hostile look in his eyes vanished, and he looked at her with surprise. "Wh-What? What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing. I mean, the full moon's tonight and people tend to get weird," she said with an uneasy laugh. "I was just kidding. But are you ok?" She asked, seeing the same old Scott sitting beside her. The feeling of unease still nestled inside her, though.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm ok. I guess I'm just a bit out of it," he told her sheepishly.
Hollis nodded, managing to give him a small smile. "Ok. But if you need to talk..." She trailed off, looking away from him. The hall started to refill with students, and she took that as her cue to leave. "I should get going. I still need to get some books out of my locker but I'll see you later." With that, Hollis stood up and quickly made her way down the hallway. She couldn't get the disconcerting feeling out of her, even as she turned the corner and left Scott back there.
"You'd think they would ease up on the homework considering all that's happened here," Lydia said.
"I wish," Hollis agreed. "But I guess they need to make up the two days we missed," she said, making a face at all the work that was waiting for her when she got home.
"Still," Lydia said, also unsatisfied at the copious amounts of homework. "Are you –" She started but was interrupted by someone yelling 'Hollis'.
Hollis turned her attention towards the voice only to see a blur run past her. She tilted her head in confusion, glancing at Lydia who shrugged. The blur returned seconds later, and Stiles stood in front of her out of breath.
"Hey," he said, in between breaths. "I was...looking for you."
"Well, you found her," Lydia said. "And I'm gonna go."
"Ok, see you later," Hollis said, watching as Lydia walked down the hallway and disappeared around the corner. "So, what's up?" She asked, turning her attention back towards Stiles.
"Nothing," Stiles answered casually. "Why?"
She narrowed her eyes in confusion and tilted her head. "Oh, you were just looking for me so I thought you wanted to tell me something."
Stiles nodded slowly then his eyes grew wide with realization. "Right! I did. Want to tell you something," he said, his smile growing. "Guess who just made first line?"
"Seriously? That's great, Stiles," Hollis said as she pulled him into a hug.
"Thanks," Stiles said and hugged her back. "So, the game's this week. You'll be there, right?" He asked.
Hollis nodded, readjusting her bag. "Yeah, of course. I wouldn't miss it."
"Ok, great." Stiles grinned. "Oh, and Scott's co-captain now," he added.
"Really? Jackson must love that," Hollis said, imagining his reaction to the news and rolled her eyes.
"Definitely. He had a lot of things to say about that already," Stiles said.
"I bet," Hollis said. "Hey, so speaking of Scott, how's he doing?"
"What do you mean?" Stiles asked.
"I saw him at lunch and, I don't know, he seemed a bit..." the correct word would be dark or creepy but instead, she said, "different. A little off."
Stiles nodded as if he understood what she meant. He looked away from her, worry crossing his face at her words. But, when he turned back to her, the worry had vanished. "I'm sure he's fine. I mean, he's probably stressing over Allison and everything. But I'm going over to his house after practice so I'll keep an eye on him."
Hollis nodded, a wave of relief hitting her. She couldn't shake the weird behavior from him, the dead and hostile eyes that chilled her to the bone. It had been like talking to a completely different person rather than Scott. But, with Stiles' reassurances, she felt better.
"Anyway," Stiles said before she could talk. "I should go get ready for practice. And to find Scott. I guess I'll see –"
"I'll be there," Hollis said, answering his unfinished question. "Congrats again. I'm really happy for you."
Stiles smiled before he vanished from sight, half-running through the halls and barely missing a few people in the process. Hollis shook her head as the smile remained on her face.
"What was that about?" Lydia asked once Hollis caught up with her.
They moved through the maze-like hallway and towards the double doors that would lead them out of the building.
"Oh, Stiles made first line," Hollis answered.
"First line of what?" Lydia asked.
Hollis fought the urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she looked over at her and tilted her head as if to say 'you-know-what'. "Lacrosse."
"Are you serious?" Lydia asked with a surprised laugh. "He's been sitting on the bench since he first joined the team and now, what? Coach just decided to make him first line?"
"Yeah, I guess," Hollis said with a shrug. She took in Lydia's skeptical expression before she spoke again. "When Scott made first line everyone probably thought the same, Lyd. And now he's a great player."
Lydia nodded indifferently.
"Who just made co-captain," Hollis added, watching for her reaction.
Lydia stopped abruptly, turning to look at her with disbelief and anger. "What?!" She crossed her arms, ignoring the looks people gave her for stopping in the middle of the hall. With a sigh, she pulled Hollis to the side and repeated her question. "What? And Jackson –"
"Is still the captain. He's just sharing the title with Scott. Nothing's changed."
"Of course it changed. Everything changed," Lydia said, her voice rising with each word. "Look," she said after she took a collective breath. "I'm supposed to date the captain of the lacrosse team. Not the co-captain. It's just like...dating the vice president instead of the president." She moved aside a strand of her perfectly styled hair. "Not the same thing."
"The team's still winning," Hollis added brightly. Her words only resulted in a glare from Lydia. She tilted her head, ignoring her urge to not roll her eyes. "Come on, Lyd, you can't really care about all that. You're too smart for that."
"I-I do care," Lydia said, although her answer held no real conviction. She sighed, knowing that her words weren't full of the persuasion she had hoped to convey.
Before Hollis could reply, Scott appeared by their side. He looked at them nervously, slightly taken aback by the anger in Lydia's eyes.
"Hey. Can I talk to you, Hollis?" He asked, throwing a look at Lydia who continued to shoot daggers at him with her eyes.
Hollis hesitated. She was still freaked out by how he had acted and sounded that she wanted to say 'no'. But she saw the hopeful look and nodded. "Yeah, sure," she said and turned to Lydia. "I'll catch up with you."
The door to Coach Finstock's office closed with an audible click, muffling the slam of locker doors and conversation in the hallway. The office was surprisingly tidy, which was in contrast with the unkempt appearance of the Coach. Hollis smiled to herself of the irony then looked towards Scott. The conversation they had at lunch echoed in her mind, reminding her how different he had seemed. But with one look at him, she shook that thought off. The Scott standing before her was the same old, awkward Scott. The uneasiness she felt towards him started to fade. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly and quietly before she put on a smile.
"So, what's up?" She asked, leaning against the desk.
"I just wanted to say sorry. I was a bit weird at lunch and...." he trailed off, a sheepish look on his face. "Stiles told me what you said to him."
"Oh, yeah. I was just worried," Hollis said. "You weren't acting like yourself so..." she paused and shrugged. "But, I get it. I mean, you have a lot going on and then there's Allison."
His eyes lit up at the mention of her name. He took a quick step towards her, the hopeful and curious look returning to his eyes. He opened his mouth to talk, clearly struggling with his words. "Do you think – Does Allison still like me?"
The question hung in the air like a veil. Hollis could almost feel Scott's anticipation of the answer; see his hope hanging by a thread as the question left his lips and he waited for an answer.
"Of course she still likes you, Scott," Hollis answered truthfully. "But she just needs some time to process everything."
Scott blinked and stared at her. "Process what?"
Hollis opened her mouth to speak but Scott interrupted.
"You mean how I abandoned everyone Wednesday? Abandoned her, right?"
She saw the hurt and disbelief on his face. Frowning, she nodded.
"I risked my life to save everyone!" Scott said, his voice rising as he interrupted her yet again. "No one's even grateful for what I did. Everyone just assumes the worst because..."
Hollis saw the change in him, the way his eyes turned hard and how his expression turned grim. She was reminded of the Scott she had seen at lunch. "I know," she said quietly. She opened her mouth to say more but she didn't know what could possibly calm him down or make him feel better. The most she could say was repeat the words 'I know' but whether that did any good, she wasn't sure.
He looked at her, the anger somehow reeling back. "You do?"
Hollis nodded with a sympathetic smile. "Yeah. I know it's unfair and–"
But before she could finish the sentence, Scott kissed her. In those few seconds, she knew it was wrong. It wasn't because he was a bad kisser but because it was Scott. Her friend. Allison's boyfriend. Not Stiles. Her mind registered what was happening, and Hollis pulled back, looking up at him in disbelief. "What are you doing?"
The look he gave her wasn't one of remorse. Instead, he looked surprised that she pushed away from him.
"Is this your way of trying to get Allison back? By kissing her best friend?" She asked, incredulous.
"I – you wanted me to," Scott stated as if he believed it. "And me and Allison are on a break."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "And you think that's ok?" She shook her head, crossing her arms.
"Why not? Anyway, I figured you'd want to," he said.
Hollis shook her head. She tried to wrap her mind around what was going on, what he was thinking but she couldn't. Instead, she stood there staring at him as if he was a complete stranger. "Scott...why do you think I would want to? We're friends. Allison's my best friend and Stiles...."
He shrugged like none of that mattered. "I'm the captain of the lacrosse team," Scott answered as if that explained everything.
Hollis looked towards him, tilting her head at his words. Anger suddenly filled her. She couldn't believe he didn't care that he was hurting the girl he loved, his best friend or anyone else. "Last time I checked, you're the co-captain."
"Well, last time I checked, everyone wants to be with the captain. Just look at Lydia," he stated. "Besides, I'm a great player. I keep the team up and we won the last game because of me."
Hollis rolled her eyes. "I think this co-captain thing got to your head. That or you're getting jackass lessons from Jackson." She narrowed her eyes, holding eye contact with him. "You might be the captain of the team and a good player but you've turned into a jerk. Maybe an even bigger one than Jackson."
His expression darkened, causing her to take a step back. "I'm better than Jackson. And you're making a mistake."
"I'm not," Hollis said, trying to keep the fright out of her voice. She moved towards the door and placed her hand on the doorknob but his voice rang out behind her, causing her to look over her shoulder.
"He doesn't even like you, Hollis," he said quietly. "Not like that. Why would he? You just get in everyone's business, acting like you care but you don't," Scott said, his voice low and filled with malice. "He just feels sorry for you because your parents died. That's the only reason he hangs out with you."
His words hit her, and she tried not to let it show on her face. A frown edged its way onto her features despite her best efforts, and she looked away from him. Taking a deep breath, she let it out quietly before she opened the door and stepped out into the noisy hallway.
Walking through the hallway, Hollis had tried to push away Scott's words and tried to believe that it wasn't Scott who had said them. But the words had come out of his mouth; whether she believed him or not, the words had stung. She tried to find a reason for his strange behavior and to justify his actions but couldn't come up with anything other than that he was a jerk. Perhaps Lydia had been right in saying that she gave people the benefit of the doubt too much and that Scott didn't deserve it. She hated to think that but his actions and words had made Hollis lose all belief.
Practice was in full swing when Hollis arrived at the field. The air was alive with the sound of Coach's comments, the sound of the whistle and the chatter of the crowd. Her eyes flickered to the field every now and then, hoping not to have another run-in with Scott. A sigh of relief escaped her lips when she noticed him on the field, pushing his way towards the front of the line. Knowing that there was no way she would have to talk to him, she scanned the crowd until she spotted Lydia on the bleachers.
Hollis walked in her direction while she paid attention to the practice at hand. Just as she arrived near her, she heard a cry of pain float through the air and the loud silence of the crowd as they stared at the injured player. An EMT rushed in to help Danny, who slowly sat up. His helmet was cracked and blood dripped out of his nose. Hollis felt sickened at the sight. It wasn't the blood that made her stomach turn but the fact that Scott had caused the injury. With one look at him, she could see that he didn't even care. There was no remorse in his cold eyes, no sign of the once concerned Scott who would've apologized profusely at causing someone pain.
"What the hell is wrong with him?" Hollis asked herself quietly. With a few more steps, she stopped beside Lydia and Jackson. "Hey. Is he ok?" She asked, looking in Danny's direction.
"It looks like he's just got a..." Jackson trailed off, staring at her.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Your lipstick," Jackson said while Lydia reached into her bag for her compact mirror. Opening it, she handed it towards Hollis, who gave her reflection a once over. She could see the light smear of her lipstick and wished she had checked it before she had come out here.
"Oh. Wonder how that happened," Hollis said, quickly fixing the smear with her thumb. Once she made sure her lipstick was ok, she closed the mirror and gave it back to Lydia, who gave her a strange look.
"Yeah. I wonder...," Lydia trailed off.
The EMT fussed with Danny for a few more minutes before they decided it wasn't anything serious. When Danny stood up, reassuring everyone that he was ok, Jackson stepped away to see his friend.
Hollis took a step forward as well but Lydia grabbed her hand, stopping her. She looked over her shoulder with a questioning look. "What?"
"I think we need to talk," Lydia said, pulling Hollis out of earshot of the crowd. "Ok, spill."
"Spill what?" Hollis asked, putting on her best clueless look.
"You know what, Hollis."
She sighed, a frown pulling down the corners of her mouth. "Ok, I...Scott...kissed me."
Lydia raised her eyebrows in surprise, quickly looking at the field. When Hollis followed her gaze, she could see that Scott was nowhere to be found. She did, however, see Stiles looking her way with a frown. It was obvious that he knew, and it was like a punch to the gut. Closing her eyes, she looked away. In just a day, everything had turned upside down, and she wasn't sure if there was anyway for her to fix it.
"So, what happened?" Lydia asked, coaxing her out of her thoughts.
Hollis started from the beginning; from Scott asking if Allison still liked him and his weird change in personality followed by the kiss to the rest of their bizarre conversation. She ended her account with Scott's last words to her about Stiles. Having recounted her conversation with him, she glanced towards Lydia to see her reaction.
Lydia stood there quietly, her expression troubled with an underlying look of anger. "I knew that you shouldn't have given him the benefit of the doubt. Scott's finally showing his true colors and they're ugly."
"Maybe," Hollis said before she could rethink her answer. "I'm just saying, maybe there was a reason for him acting like that and –"
"You're seriously defending him after all of that?" Lydia asked in disbelief. "Hollis, stop trying to find excuses for him because there aren't any."
"Excuses for who?" Jackson asked, stepping towards them.
The girls exchanged a look before Lydia said, "Scott."
"What'd he do?" Jackson asked.
"You mean besides break Danny?" Lydia asked.
"And act like he didn't care that he hurt him?" Hollis added. The look of pure indifference on Scott's face was glued to her memory. The last thing she wanted to do was believe it but she couldn't think of any reasons for his behavior. Perhaps this was the real Scott and everyone had been too blind to see him for who he was, her especially. "He just...we had a fight."
Jackson nodded as if it all made sense.
"Have you noticed anything off about him?" Hollis asked Jackson. She noticed the annoyed look on Lydia's face, as if everything they had just talked about had gone in one ear and out the other. "I know, Lydia, but..." She paused and sighed, turning back to Jackson. "You guys have practice almost every day. I just wanted to know if you noticed anything...weird."
"How should I know? I don't keep tabs on him," Jackson replied harshly. His expression relaxed seconds later before he added, "But I'll see if I can find anything out. I don't care about McCall but I don't want him to mess up our chances of getting State. No promises, though."
"Ok, thanks," Hollis said. Although she promised that she wouldn't defend him, there was still that tinge of a feeling that there was more to his behavior than she knew. Her eyes went back towards the field, where the practice had ended. The crowd had thinned out along with the players and Coach. She searched the remaining faces for Stiles but couldn't see him.
"They both left," Jackson said, knowing who she was looking for. "I'm going to get changed. I'll meet you at the car," he said to Lydia before leaving their side.
"Don't believe what Scott said," Lydia said, turning her attention back towards Hollis. "Stiles like you."
"How do you know?" Hollis asked, tilting her head. Now that she had finally come to terms with her feelings, she felt like she was back at square one. She was questioning everything from Stiles almost saying that he likes her and ending with what Scott had told her just moments ago.
"I'm not blind, Hollis," Lydia said as if she had just been insulted. Her eye roll was covered up by the gentle smile that followed. "Besides, I saw the look on his face when he was looking over here. He was hurt because –"
"Because I kissed his best friend. Intentionally or not."
"Because, smarty pants," Lydia said, ignoring her comment, "he likes you. And he thinks you like Scott."
Hollis ran her hands through her hair, her hand getting caught in tangles that matched her confusing feelings. She wasn't sure what to think but Lydia's words caused a flare of hope to spark. "So, what do I do? He knows, Lyd."
Lydia sighed dramatically. "Do I have to do everything? Just go tell him what happened and tell him. And, before you ask 'what', you know what."
"Thanks," Hollis said, quickly pulling her into a hug.
"So, do I have to come with you or...?" Lydia asked jokingly.
"I can handle it. I think," she said as they started their walk towards the school parking lot.
Hollis sat in her car for the better part of a half house before she pulled out of the school parking lot. The nerves still rattled inside her despite having had rehearsed what she would say. As she drove, those words floated around in her mind and she tried to fix each sentence until it was perfect. The closer she got to Stiles' house, the more jumbled her mind became. Everything she had rehearsed had faded from her mind, leaving only remnants that made little to no sense. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly.
When Hollis pulled up in front of his house, her heart sunk. The house stood dark against the late afternoon sky and the blue Jeep was missing. She rested her head against the steering wheel and took in another deep breath. A moment passed before she recalled Stiles telling her he would be at Scott's after school. The last thing she wanted to do was see Scott again. The two times had been more than enough for her, and she didn't know if she could bear another weird conversation. After debating on whether she should just go home and call it quits or go to Scott's house, Hollis pulled away from the curb.
Scott's house came into view minutes later. The lights were on and a car sat parked in front of the house but it wasn't the Jeep she had hoped to see.
Now what? Hollis asked herself with a sigh and looked towards the house. She thought about calling Stiles but she wanted to have this conversation in person rather than through the phone. Shutting the engine off, she decided to wait a few minutes. But she didn't have to wait long. The faint sound of an engine filled the air, growing louder with each second. Headlights broke through the darkening afternoon and the blue Jeep came into view. It slowed to a stop behind the other car that was parked in front of the McCall residence. A sigh of relief left her lips at the sight of the car.
Hollis tried to ignore the fluttering of nerves that danced inside her and stepped out into the cool afternoon, the door closing with a light echo. She crossed the street just as Stiles jumped out of the car.
"Hey," she said softly. Her eyes went past him towards the house, and she kept her fingers crossed that Scott wouldn't show up at any minute.
Stiles blinked in surprise, a shadow of a smile passing his face. "Hey, Hollis." He followed her line of sight, the smile fading from his face when he realized where she was looking. "Scott's –"
"I'm not here to see him," she said quickly, looking back towards him. "Look, I...I don't know what Scott told you but I wanted to explain –"
"You don't have to," Stiles interrupted. "I already know. I figured it out."
Although Hollis suspected that he knew of what happened, she thought it was because Scott had told him. Instead, he had figured it out on his own. In a way, it made her feel worse. She opened her mouth to speak but wasn't sure what to say to that. Everything that she had thought of to say was gone and her mind was a complete blank. She wanted to tell him that it wasn't what he thought but all she could come up with was, "You did? How?"
Stiles nodded but stayed quiet as if avoiding the question.
"Stiles," Hollis said, prompting him to talk. "Just talk to me. How did –"
"Because I asked him to talk to you, Hollis!" He sighed with a frown and averted her gaze. He struggled with his words, as if unsure if he really wanted to explain. When he spoke again, he lowered his voice. "I wanted him to find out, you know, if you...liked me." Stiles looked towards her then, the frown reaching his eyes. "But I guess I have my answer."
Hollis closed her eyes momentarily. By each second, she felt worse. She hadn't wanted Scott to kiss her but that didn't mean it kept the guilt of it away, especially now after hearing what he told her. "I didn't know," Hollis said quietly. "Scott never asked me that. He...he just wanted to know if Allison still liked him. Then our conversation got weird and he kissed me and...," she trailed off with a shrug. She hoped that he believed her, that he trusted her enough to know that she wasn't lying.
Stiles looked at her, disbelief turning to surprise to hope. "He kissed you? So you didn't...?"
"Of course not," Hollis said adamantly. "I wouldn't."
"Right. Because of Allison," Stiles said, nodding as if she had confirmed it.
"Because of you." When he didn't say anything, she sighed. "Stiles, I'm trying to tell you that I like you," she said with a soft laugh as she closed the distance between them.
"Oh." When her words finally sunk in, he blinked and looked down at her. "Wait...you do?"
Hollis smiled as she looked up at him. A few silent seconds passed before she leaned forward and kissed him, her lips meeting his. Unlike the un-wanted kiss she had shared with Scott earlier that day, this one felt right. Stiles seemed to think so, too because he kissed her back and his arms enveloped her. In that moment, it was just them on the quiet street. Nothing else seemed to matter. Perhaps it wasn't the ideal time or place for their first kiss given the circumstances but it was right just the same.
Their kiss ended seconds later and, when it did, they each wore identical smiles.
"So, yes," Hollis said in reference to his question. "I like you."
"Me, too," Stiles said with a grin. "I mean, you. I like you. I always have." His smile wore off when he looked towards the house. "So, uh, sorry I thought, you know, what I thought," he said, breaking the silence that followed. "I mean, I should've let you explain but...."
"Don't be. I get it," Hollis told him.
Stiles ran a hand over his hair, sighing. "I just can't believe Scott would do that."
"I know. It doesn't sound like him," she said, frowning.
"It doesn't," Stiles agreed. "What did Scott say? You said he was weird at lunch, too."
The change in topic changed the mood, dampening it with thoughts that Hollis prefered to forget. But it was bound to come up; Stiles had a right to know, considering that Scott was his best friend. Hollis was worried about him all the same so she did want to fill him in on what she knew. Nevertheless, timing seemed to be off for everything that day.
"He just wasn't Scott," Hollis said, thinking back to earlier that day. "He looked and sounded different, too. Honestly, it was kind of creepy. Definitely not Scott," she said, glancing up at him. She wasn't even sure where to begin. Everything that she wanted to say made it seem surreal that it was Scott who did and said those things. She couldn't wrap her mind around it all or accept it. Hollis briefly looked towards the house then continued, repeating the words that Scott said during lunch and after when he asked to talk to her. When she reached the part about what Scott had said about Stiles, she paused and left it unsaid.
Stiles stayed silent, taking in what she had said. Although he looked conflicted, Hollis knew that he believed her. "What else? You can tell me the rest," he said. "I believe you, Hollis. Just...tell me."
"What makes you think there's more?" Hollis asked, surprised that he caught on to her cliffhanger ending.
"I know you. I can tell when you're not saying something," he told her. "You can tell me anything, you know that."
Hollis nodded. "I - Scott said that I get in everyone's business and just pretend that I care," she said and paused. But Stiles stayed silent as if he knew that wasn't the end and nodded for her to continue. "He also told me that you don't like me. That you just feel sorry for me because of the accident." She watched Stiles for a reaction, taking in all the emotions that crossed his face from disbelief to shock to sadness. "I didn't believe him, you know, but..." Hollis told him, breaking the silence, "it hurt."
Anger replaced the sadness and Stiles looked towards the house. "I'll kill him. He's my best friend but I'll kill him." He started towards the house but Hollis grabbed hold of his hand, stopping him from going further. "Hollis, he can't just say that, be a jerk who hurts you and just get away with it."
"Well, no, but killing him won't solve anything," Hollis told him gently, tugging on his arm to keep his focus on her than his anger at Scott. "Besides, I think there might be a reason for him acting like that. There has to be." Although she was still angry and hurt at his behavior, Hollis still believed that there was an explanation behind it all.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Stiles returned his attention back to her, his gaze softening. "I'm sorry for my piece of crap friend."
Hollis couldn't help but smile at those words. "It's ok. I mean, it's not but it's still Scott."
Stiles nodded. "I'll talk to him. Find out what made him act like an idiot. I have a plan."
Hollis watched him turn towards the Jeep and pull out a heavy looking bag. He set it down on the sidewalk and a metallic clank filled the air. She gave the bag a questioning look before looking towards Stiles.
"Oh, that. It's a project. For class," Stiles said with a nod. "Econ," he added for emphasis.
She raised her eyebrow but then decided that she didn't want to know. Hollis had enough surprises for that day.
Stiles glanced up at the night sky where the full moon graced the velvety darkness. "I should go talk to him," he said as he looked back at her. "I'll call you later, ok?" He said, pulling her into a hug.
Hollis nodded as she returned the hug. It no longer felt awkward, and she felt like a weight lifted off her shoulders for finally telling him how she felt. Again, the timing hadn't been perfect but it all felt good. Right. "I should probably get home, too. My dad's never going to let me out of the house again if I keep disappearing," she said with a laugh.
At that, they parted ways. Stiles went towards the house while Hollis went back to her car. She watched him enter the house and, only when the door closed, did she drive away.
AN: Okay, so Stiles and Hollis finally happened! Please tell me you loved this chapter and the previous one. You can do so by hitting that cute little vote button, leaving a comment saying what you liked, thought, etc., and possibly sharing the story. I can't wait to hear what you guys thought. Until next week! <3