The parking lot of Beacon Hills High School was filling up quickly when Hollis arrived. She pulled into the first available space and turned the engine off. Sitting in the quietness of the car, she mentally prepared herself for the day. There were a lot of raw emotions taking place inside of her and, they were hitting her hard. It was something that she couldn't seem to shake. The fact that Hollis was starting the school year off without her mom and stepdad there by her side hurt... a lot. Each year, they had seen her off to school but now they were just gone. Although she had accepted this horrible truth, it didn't make the pain lessen.
Taking a few steadying breaths, she looked down at her fists, which were tightly clenched. One in, one out, Hollis thought while she focused on her breathing, which had become irregular. The lightheadedness began, followed by the inability to breathe. Not now. Please, she thought, fighting for control. She repeated the mantra in her head until it started to work. Her view became clear and her lungs seemed to function properly. Unclenching her hands, she saw the faint crescent marks her nails had left on her palms.
Hollis took a deep breath and raised her eyes. The image of students piling out of cars and buses brought her back to the present. People walked in front of the three-story building, all immersed in their own lives and deep in conversation with their friends. Everything seemed so... normal. It was what she wanted. Hollis wanted to have her life back; to move on without the pain being a constant reminder of what happened.
A soft tap at the window caused her to turn her head. She was greeted by the cheerful face and red hair of her best friend, Lydia Martin.
"Did you plan on sitting there all day?" Lydia questioned, her cheery voice breaking through the loud chatter around them when Hollis stepped out.
Shaking her head, she said, "No, I just got lost in thought."
Tilting her head to the side, Lydia examined her. "Are you okay?" She placed a comforting hand on her arm.
No, I'm not okay, she thought but that wasn't what she replied with. "Yeah, I'm fine." She said, automatically. "I promise," Hollis added with a smile when she noticed the skeptical look on her face.
Her friend nodded and pulled her into a hug. That quick hug had taken away the anxiety and pain she felt. One of the things she loved about Lydia was that she never pressured her into talking. She simply waited until Hollis was ready to talk and was there for her. Sometimes, a simple gesture meant more than words. She wished that others would see what she saw rather than the popular, beautiful, and shallow girlfriend of Jackson Whitmore, the lacrosse captain. No one knew her like she did. Underneath that faux exterior laid a caring and incredibly smart girl. Hollis was happy to be friends with her, to see a side of her that not many people got a chance to witness.
After the hug ended, Lydia gave her a once over. Nodding, she flashed one of her contagious smiles. "Cute outfit." Looping her arm with Hollis, Lydia led her away from the parking lot. The number of students grew considerably once they neared the main entrance of the school. She tried to keep up with what Lydia was saying but, somewhere along the way, she lost it. It was something about fashion and a party, or was it? Hollis couldn't be sure. She knew her friend would repeat it to her multiple times throughout the day.
With a quick look around, she noticed a few curious and sympathetic looks thrown her way. Hollis was tired of those looks. She had gotten those looks a hundred times during the summer. She tried to ignore them as best she could but it wasn't easy. Although all of Beacon County knew the horrible fate that had torn her life in half, she wished she could escape the looks and the soft whispering. No matter how hard she tried to move on, Hollis was always brought back to the car accident. Yanked back was more like it. People in the small town didn't let such topics drop even if it had been months.
Stopping mid-walk, she ignored the impatient look on Lydia's face as she looked over her shoulder. "I think I left my phone in the car. I'll catch up with you later." Without waiting for her to reply, she doubled back towards the parking lot.
Opening the car door, she spotted her phone that was still plugged into the charger. Hollis reached over the seat, unplugged it and straightened up quickly. Too quickly. Her head collided with the roof of the car, and a dull throb immediately began at the back of her head.
"Ow," she said, gently maneuvering out of the car. The door closed with a soft thud and, Hollis rubbed the back of her head. It was a superficial wound but it didn't make it hurt any less. "Perfect way to start the day," she mumbled to herself and started back towards the building.
"Are you ok?" An unfamiliar voice asked. Stopping in her tracks, she turned to look at a fair skinned girl with dark hair sitting on a bench. Sensing the confused look on her face, the girl spoke again to clarify. "I saw you hit your head."
"Oh, right." With a laugh, she lifted her hand to her head. "Yeah, I'm fine. Clumsy, but I'll live." She stared at the girl, whose face she didn't recognize. Her eyes flickered to the building then back to the brunette. "Are you new here? I don't think I've seen you around."
The girl nodded, an anxious look appearing on her face. "It's my first day," she said with a big sigh. "I'm Allison Argent," she added with a smile.
"Hollis Griffin." Hollis took an immediate liking to her and had a feeling that they would become good friends. "Welcome to Beacon Hills," she added. Allison made room for her on the bench, and she sat down beside her. The stone felt hard and cool against her thighs. Placing her bag in her lap, she looked towards her. "Where are you from?"
"Everywhere?" Allison laughed with a shrug. "I was in San Francisco for a year but we had to move here because of my dad's job. Before that, I've lived in different towns and states. We don't really stay long in one place. San Francisco was an exception, though. We were there for a little over a year. But, in the end, we always seem to move." A nostalgic look appeared on her face before she brushed it off and replaced it with a smile. "I'm kind of nervous, to be honest. It's silly, right? I start over so many times that I should be used to it by now."
Shaking her head, Hollis put a smile on her face. "Don't be! Technically, it's everyone's first day. They're all worried about what classes they have and with whom. Typical first day stuff," she told her, trying to make her feel better. "Besides, you already made a friend."
With a grateful smile, she nodded. "That does make me less nervous. But, still, being the new girl never stops to suck."
Although she nodded understandingly, she couldn't put herself in Allison's shoes. She didn't know what it felt like to be the new girl. Hollis had lived in Beacon Hills her entire life. She had grown up with the people in her grade and, although she only had a handful of friends, she knew everyone. She couldn't imagine moving so often and starting over in different places. Clearing her throat, she moved a few strands of hair out of her eyes. "It won't be too bad. I promise," she said. "Let me see your schedule." Once Allison handed her the paper, Hollis studied it and compared it with her own schedule. Grinning, she looked at Allison. "We have first period together!" she stated, happily. "And it looks like we have a few more, too. See?" She handed the paper back to her. "I told you it wouldn't be so bad."
Allison nodded, clearly happy. The first day jitters had somewhat disappeared from her face.
Hollis smiled at her then looked towards the school. A few people walked inside, which made her realize that not many people were outside anymore. She turned the screen on her phone to be greeted by a message from Lydia and two more messages and a missed call from Carter. Ignoring them, she looked at the time and her eyes grew wide.
"Class starts in five minutes! Come on, we'll be late." She stood up, swinging the bag over her shoulder.
"I'm supposedly getting the grand tour from the Principal. I'm waiting until he shows up," Allison told her. "But I'll catch up with you."
"Oh, alright." She nodded. "I'll save you a seat." With one final smile, she walked towards the building.
The hallways were emptying when Hollis entered the building. She ignored the 'Welcome Back' banners and other encouraging posters that plastered the walls. Her footsteps echoed on the tiled floor, reverberating off the lockers. The path towards her locker was memorized and, she loved falling back into a familiar pattern. It was comforting to know which way to go and what was waiting for her at the end. She had been missing that familiarity, that rhythm in her life. Perhaps being back at school was exactly what she needed. Hollis had doubted it that morning but, now that she was inside the school, her opinion on the matter started to change. So far, it did a good job at keeping her occupied. She needed this. A schedule. A plan.
After a quick stop at her locker, Hollis made her way towards her English class. No sooner had she opened the door that the bell had rung. She stepped further in to find a room full of students already seated. All were in the midst of talking, which meant that class hadn't officially begun yet. Her eyes surveyed the area for several seconds. Two unoccupied desks near the back, which were behind Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinksi, caught her attention. Hollis walked through the clutter of bags and legs that littered the aisle. Taking the seat behind Stiles, she placed one notebook on the other desk to signal that it was taken.
Mr. Curtis entered just when she had gotten situated. He was a serious, middle-aged man who looked just as unhappy about the first day as the students did.
Without as much as a glance in their direction, he began to write on the chalkboard. "As you all know by now, there was indeed a body found in the woods last night."
A low hum of chatter started in the room, growing louder with each second.
It was alarming, to say the least. Beacon Hills was a quiet town and, apart from a few petty crimes here and there, nothing bad ever happened. It was disturbing to think that there was a killer in their little town; that anyone in it was capable of killing someone. At that, she shivered.
"Yeah, half a body," Stiles whispered to Scott. A knowing look passed between them that Hollis caught.
Curious, Hollis inched forward in her seat. "Did you guys just say half?" They both whirled around to face her, shock written on their faces. "Sorry, I overheard," she added with a small smile.
Scott nodded slowly but it was Stiles who answered. "Uh, yeah. It was definitely half. Not whole," he said, nodding the entire time. "But, you know," he said and, in order to emphasize the word, he cut the air in front of her horizontally, "half."
Hollis wrinkled her nose at the information. "That's insane," she said more to herself than the two boys.
"Yup. My buddy, Scott, found the other half last night," he said proudly, winking at his friend.
Scott looked horrified that Stiles revealed that bit of information. "Stiles!" He whisper yelled at the same time that Hollis asked, "What?" Nervously, Scott looked at Hollis.
"Are you serious?" She questioned. "Do you know how dangerous and stupid that was? You could have gotten hurt...or worse!"
"Yeah," Scott said guiltily. "I'll probably have nightmares for a week." He groaned. His expression became distant, as if he was seeing the body all over again. With a look her way, he gave her a wistful smile. "Just please don't mention it to anyone. No one really knows it wasn't a whole body...or that I found it." He shot a glare in Stiles' direction before looking at Hollis.
"Secret's safe with me," Hollis told him reassuringly. "But how did you...."
Mr. Curtis cut the conversation short. "McCall! Stilinksi! Do you plan on starting the year off by disrupting my class?"
The three of them looked towards the front of the room. But, before the two boys could reply, Hollis spoke up. "Sorry, Mr. Curtis, it was my fault." At this, Scott and Stiles turned and looked at her with bewilderment and gratitude.
He looked towards her before he nodded. "Don't let it happen again," he said sternly.
"It won't," she told him as Scott looked down at his notebook.
Stiles shook his head. "It's definitely not going to happen again," Stiles said with a big smile, giving Mr. Curtis two thumbs-up.
Hollis laughed into her hand. Mr. Curtis didn't seem amused but rather than reprimand him, he turned his attention back towards the rest of the class. "Your undivided attention can be given to the syllabus outlining the semester on your desks. Read it now. And by read I don't mean skim."
Hollis lowered her eyes and began to read the syllabus. She read through it quickly and zoned out when Mr. Curtis went through each point. English was the subject she excelled at, and she was excited for this class. There was something about expressing oneself through words, of diving into a different world that she loved. It was something that she had shared with her mom.
Mr. Curtis read the assignments off one by one. There were several books that her mother would've loved. Staring at the titles, she felt a stab of pain in her heart. Just before she could let her broken heart consume her, there was a knock at the door. Everyone glanced up at the principal who walked in with a student.
"Class, this is our new student, Allison Argent. Please do your best to make her feel welcome," the principal said and, with a nod towards Allison, left the room.
Her eyes darted around the room uncertainly. Hollis caught her attention with a small wave and motioned to the desk next to hers. Reaching over, she pulled the notebook from its surface once Allison made her way across the room. She didn't miss the love-struck look that Scott wore.
When Allison sat down, Scott turned and held a pen out to her. The girls shared a puzzled look before Allison smiled and took it with a quiet 'thanks'. Hollis shook her head at the exchange.
"Okay, let's begin with Kafka..." Mr. Curtis said, pulling everyone back to the reading at hand.
The discussion of The Metamorphosis seemed to drag on and on. Hollis had a hard time focusing on the material and, each time that she tried to listen to Mr. Curtis, her mind drifted.
The sound of the bell signaled the end of first period. Chairs scrapped against the tiled floor and multiple conversations filled the room as everyone rushed to collect their belongings. Hollis held back her sigh of frustration and stood up, taking her bag from the chair. Stiles stood abruptly, hitting her desk with his chair. She watched her books slide off the edge. The thud of the books was muffled by the noise but it didn't go unnoticed by her or Stiles. A few papers spilled out, going in different directions. With a soft sigh, she bent down to gather her things.
"Sorry, Hollis. I didn't mean to, uhm...it was an accident. Sorry," Stiles stammered as he helped collect the papers. He handed them to her with a guilty look on his face.
"Thanks." She took the papers from him and smiled. "And, it's OK. Don't worry about it."
Now that her things weren't strewn over the classroom floor, they stood up. She placed the books in her bag and looked up to see him still standing there. Tilting her head to the side, she shrugged. "Seriously, Stiles, don't beat yourself up."
With a smile, he nodded. "Right! I-I didn't want you to think I had something against your notes or..." He trailed off with a nervous laugh. One hand flew to the back of his neck.
A bemused expression crossed her features before she laughed. "Well, my notes forgive you." Hollis caught his brown eyes and looked into them for a few seconds too long. The noise of lockers slamming brought her back. She broke eye contact first, readjusting the strap of her bag.
"I should go," she said quietly. "I'll see you around," she stated, although it came out more as a question. With one last smile, Hollis walked past him.
Hollis made her way down the crowded hallway, lost in thought. Seeing Allison near the lockers, Hollis cut through the crowd to join her.
"What happened to you?" Allison asked when Hollis reached her.
"What do you mean?"
"I left the class and you disappeared," she explained, a curious expression etched on her face.
"Oh, right, sorry," she said with a laugh and a shake of her head. "I knocked my books over and...."
"That jacket is absolutely killer. Where did you get it?" Lydia questioned, suddenly appearing beside the two girls.
With a quizzical look in Hollis's direction, she said, "My mom was a buyer for a boutique back in San Francisco."
A smile lit up Lydia's face. "You're my new best friend," she stated with a nod. She looked towards Hollis before she spoke with a shrug. "Sorry, Hollis, I love you but that jacket."
She rolled her eyes but couldn't help the soft laugh that escaped her lips. "I thought you were done ditching me for fashion," she said. "Anyway, Allison, this is Lydia."
Introductions took place followed by an in-depth conversation about fashion. She looked past her two friends where the rest of the students were. The roar of conversations was loud, so loud that it almost drowned out Lydia and Allison. She looked across the hall, and her eyes landed on Scott and Stiles. Hollis smiled in their direction and shook her head at the still love-struck look on Scott's face. Clearly, he was oblivious to everything but Allison. She caught Stiles' eye for a brief moment but, when a strong arm wrapped itself around her waist, their eye contact was broken.
She looked up to notice Carter Reed. The smile he wore on his face faltered when he looked down at her but his grip remained strong.
"Didn't you get my texts or calls?" He asked quietly, staring at her intently. "I was waiting for you this morning but you never showed." He looked hurt that she had ignored him. It was the same look he had given her for almost all of summer break. She hated that gaze but it seemed to be permanently fixed on his face whenever he looked at her.
Hollis had dated Carter for the past year and a half. Although they had known one another for years, their relationship hadn't gone beyond friends. He was a year older than her and, she had a big crush on him for all of middle school. It wasn't until she joined Lydia's clique that he noticed her, really noticed her. Their relationship had grown over the last eighteen months to the point where they knew everything about one another. For a while, she had been happy with him. He understood her and they were comfortable around another. Somewhere along the line, something changed. She had changed. Her parents' death had transformed her. While Lydia understood and accepted this, Carter hadn't. In a way, whether it was intentional or not, she had been pushing him away.
Hollis nodded. "Yeah, sorry. I meant to text you back but this morning was kind of crazy." It wasn't a lie exactly but it wasn't the truth either. She had the time to reply, to call him back but she hadn't.
His face gave away his true feelings. He opened his mouth to speak but, before he could, someone joined their group. For once, Hollis was happy to see Jackson. He appeared beside Lydia and nodded to Carter before draping his arm around the redhead. "What are we talking about?" He asked, feigning interest.
"Fashion," Lydia answered as if that was the obvious answer.
The conversation took a turn in the direction of a party this Friday night. It was sort of a tradition at Beacon High. Each year, the four of them attended together. Hollis had typically looked forward to the party but this year, a sense of dread filled her. The idea of going out, of being surrounded by a crowd of people somehow terrified her.
"A party?" Allison asked.
"Friday night. We could all go together," Carter suggested, looking around at the group hopefully.
"I can't. It's Family Night this Friday. But thanks for asking," Allison answered with a small smile.
"What about you?" Jackson asked, looking at Hollis. "Are you coming?"
Hollis shook her head. "Sorry, I can't."
"That figures." The annoyance was clear in Carter's voice. Shaking it off, he continued. "You two sure? Everyone's going after the scrimmage game."
Hollis nodded when Allison asked, "You mean like football?"
Horrified, both Carter and Jackson looked at her. Allison looked to Hollis and Lydia for support but, before either of them could talk, Jackson spoke.
"Football is a joke at Beacon," he shook his head and laughed. "The sport here is Lacrosse. We won the State championship the last three years-"
"Because of a certain team captain," Lydia finished. She wrapped her arms around him, a proud smile tugging at her lips.
Hollis couldn't help but roll her eyes at her friend's remark and the PDA taking place in front of her. Although she didn't having anything against Jackson, the two of them hardly saw eye to eye. They would always find something to disagree on. It had been like that since they first started to hang out.
"Jackson really does hold the team up." She looked towards Allison before directing a comment at Jackson. "But, the rest of the team helps, of course. It's not a one person sport, although Jackson seems to think he's the only one that matters."
He was about to reply but Lydia nudged him, shaking her head. "Anyway," he began, shooting a glare in Hollis's direction. "Every season starts with a scrimmage to decide the new first string. You ever watch Lacrosse?"
"I'm actually not sure how it's played other than, well, violently," Allison admitted, embarrassed.
"Maybe you should just come see for yourself. We have practice today. You don't have to be anywhere right after school, do you?" Jackson looked at her, raising an eyebrow.
Nervously, Allison shook her head. "Well, no."
With a triumphant smile and nod, Lydia looked at the two girls. "Perfect. You're coming. Both of you," she stated. As if everything was decided, she and Jackson walked away.
"So, Lydia and Jackson are..." Allison trailed off, turning to look at Hollis.
"Intense," Hollis finished with a laugh. "They can definitely be overwhelming."
Carter removed his arm from her waist and went to stand in front of her. "Can we talk, Hollis?" He asked, his eyes searching hers.
With a sigh, she tilted her head to the side. "Second period is about to start, Carter. I still need to show Allison where her next class is." She winced at the look he gave her, clearly exasperated. She placed her hand on his arm before applying a soft smile to her face. "Later, I promise." It was another word that she used often these days. "Before practice, meet me at my locker."
He pulled his arm free of her grasp, as if burned by her touch. "Fine." With that, he walked into the crowd. Hollis stared after him until he disappeared into the throng of students. A sense of guilt hit her but there wasn't anything that she could do now.
Allison looked in the direction Carter went and back to Hollis. Shaking her head, Hollis wore a look on her face that stated she'd tell her later. The girls moved away from the lockers and headed towards class.
AN: Hey guys! So, I'm posting 3 chapters for you today. I used this chapter to introduce the other TW characters and their relationship to Hollis. Hope you guys liked them! Also, if you have any suggestions for future chapters or if there's something you want to see, don't hesitate to let me know. Any reviews and votes would be really appreciated <3