How to be Cool

Lesson #25: Always Tell Derek

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry about the long break, I've been working non-stop :( 

I'm going back to school this week and my classes have already started, so I might still have a few long breaks between chapters, but I promise I'm trying to keep updating! I WILL finish this book, I swear!  Thanks for reading and I love you guys!!!!

I had meant to tell Derek about my plans with Brett this weekend, but all week, it never really came up. I didn't think it would be a big deal, but it was his ex boyfriend, so if he knew, he might feel awkward. I didn't plan on making a habit of hanging out with Brett anyways, so maybe Derek wouldn't even hear about it anyways. I could tell him after I talked to Brett. 

When I got to the mall, I texted Brett to tell him I would be waiting in the food court. I found a table and sat down, scrolling through my phone to avoid making eye contact with strangers. Brett read my text, but didn't reply. Soon, the chair across from me scraped the floor as Brett took a seat facing me. I met his eyes, smiling softly. "Hey," I greeted him. 

"Stiles, thank you so much for meeting up with me," he said, stretching his legs under the table as his foot knocked against mine. "I need relationship advice, like really bad, and who better to get it from than you?" he teased, folding his hands in front of him. "How are you and Derek, by the way?"

"Oh, we're great!" I shared, offering a small smile as I tried not to feel guilty about keeping this meeting from Derek. It wasn't like we were doing anything wrong, but it still made me feel bad for not at least letting him know where I'd be. "We've had our fair share of drama lately, but I think we're finally past all of that. I got punched in the face last week by Jackson Whittmore and I thought Derek would take his head off."

"Oh my God," Brett laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "You mean Derek didn't kill him? That's surprising."

I shared his laughter, replaying the events of that day in my head. "It was actually Scott, my best friend, who beat the shit out of him for me. Derek just threatened to."

"He got what was coming to him," Brett shrugged, clearly amused by the situation. I nodded in agreement, but talking to Brett about Derek gave me such an odd feeling, I just wanted to change the subject. Brett talked about Derek fondly, which only reminded me of their relationship and Derek lying about the whole thing, which had been forgiven, but I still didn't want to think about it. "Anyways, the reason I asked you to meet with me is because I'm having some boy troubles," he admitted, finally changing the subject from Derek to something I could actually bear talking about with him. "It's too embarrassing to talk about with any of my friends at school and you helped me before, so I thought. . ." he trailed off, his face turning red. 

"Of course," I said, reassuringly. "It's about Liam, right?" I waited for him to answer, but all I got from him was a small nod, as he still seemed embarrassed to talk about it. I waited for him to elaborate and tell me what was going on, but he stared at the table instead, not making a sound. "So tell me what's going on," I urged, folding my arms in front of me as I waited to hear more. 

Brett groaned, holding his face in his hands. "This kid has me all kinds of messed up, Stiles," he sighed, clearly frustrated. "We hang out every weekend after our games. We go to each other's houses, text and call all the time. . . I mean, on paper, we're basically dating. Whenever I try to talk to him about it, he changes the subject."