IN TOO DEEP || Liam Dunbar [3]

ELEVEN

It had taken a lot for her to fall asleep that night.

Ever since coming back from the Hunt, Katherine had been keep up at night for a variety of reasons; her guilt over the situation with Brett, nightmares, the constant fear of losing Stiles, her guilt over the situation with Hayden, night terrors. Through all of them, she hadn't been alone which was nice.

Both her brothers, Liam and Mason, Melissa and Argent — who were shockingly now in the process of becoming a couple, she was almost certain — as well as her father and so many other people on her community that knew of the supernatural were all doing their best to help.

On nights when her brother was packing his things and Scott was working, Lydia and Malia would sleep over in her room with her. Mason did his best to hang out with her after school every day. Liam spent nearly every free moment with her, whether it be after school hours the middle of the night, or during their shared classes.

Even Hayden put in the effort to make sure she was okay, which meant more to Katherine than she'd ever be able to say. They'd talk on the phone occasionally, compare physics notes while she also explained them all to her because Katherine still couldn't understand shit. They texted movie recommendations to each other.

She even shared her not exactly secret comfort-before-bed movies.

What weighed entirely on her conscience, however, was Brett.

Even though it had been a week since things had gone back to normal, since the last day of school, she had yet to talk to him in person. They texted a lot, sure, but Katherine felt that the conversation they needed to have should be done in person, face to face.

So that night as she lay there in her pyjamas, in the middle of her bed with her phone off to her right, she couldn't help but think of him. Of what he was doing right there in that moment.

Did he hate her?

Unable to hold it back anymore, she grabbed it and frantically typed in a message and hit send before she could chicken out.

KATHERINE
you feel like diner
food?

Much to her anxiety's relief, the reply was almost instantaneous.

BRETT
I'll be outside in 15.

Without hesitating for a second she was out of her bed and digging around in her closet for a flannel that would do to keep out the evening chill of May. She slid on her shoes and moved silently down the hall to Stiles' door and knocked quietly so she wouldn't wake her dad up.

She was almost certain he was awake still, since he seemed to have the same troubles sleeping that she did, but she didn't want to wake their Dad up. He opened the door like she knew he would, and he seemed to understand what was on her mind before she even opened her mouth, but she still explained herself anyway. "I'm gonna go talk to Brett," she murmured softly, pulling him in for a short hug. "He deserves..."

"An explanation," Stiles finished for her knowingly, and she could only nod. "Alright, just be quiet and Dad won't notice, he's got his door closed. Come tell me when you're home, okay?"

Katherine smiled thankfully at him as she nodded, then went silently down the stairs two at a time. She only had to sit on the front steps for ten minutes, all of which she spent playing Candy Crush, before a familiar silver car pulled over in front of her house.

He rolled the window down, smiling faintly at her. "Hey, Stranger."

She slid into the passenger seat and closed the door. "Hey." She waved slightly at Stiles, who was watching them through his bedroom window, and watched as he nodded once and let the curtains fall back into place. "So I need to have a conversation with you that is going to suck but needs to be said...had...fuck it, what ever," she forced out, swallowing thickly.