Empathy ⌯ Stiles Stilinski

[13] the meetings

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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍
the meetings

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( the tell; pt.ii )

IN her whole life, there have only been two instances where Maddie has ended up at Lydia's house: the Martin girl's twelfth birthday party——which she has been trying to scrub from her brain for the past four years——and the party at the beginning of the semester——with completely different circumstances but didn't really work out either. It doesn't matter how many times she may end up here again, Maddie's certain she'll never get used to the prestige and size of it.

If she considers her own home a relatively normal size then in contrast, Lydia's is anything but——perks of having money. Lydia's house is definitely big enough to house possibly half of the school. But that might be a benefit for Beacon Hills' it girl since it means she can host a plethora of parties to keep her reputation and popularity intact.

Stiles parks at the end of the driveway, feeling like he's intruding if he goes all the way to the house, and he and Maddie climb up the driveway. Much to Maddie's relief, Stiles is the one to announce their presence, knocking on the door. A part of her feels like she's intruding, not only is Lydia recovering from a traumatic incident, but Maddie also doesn't feel comfortable in other people's houses. It's a whole other realm of unfamiliarity and you never know where you're allowed to go. The only reason she's okay with going to Scott and Stiles' houses is because she knows the boundaries off by heart and they're basically like second homes to her.

A woman with auburn hair, dressed in a white cardigan and black bottoms, opens the door and gives a confused smile. Maddie fiddles with her fingers, keeping her eyes up so she doesn't seem rude and smiles back. Stiles digs his hands in his pockets and gives a nod in greeting, a much more secure grin on his face as Lydia's mom's eyes drift over to the awkward teen. Her eyes squint, trying to guess her name. "Sorry. . . Millie?"

Well, at least it starts with the same and ends with the same letters? It's been four years since they've actually had a conversation so remembering that is good enough for her. Maddie shakes her head lightly, licking her lips anxiously as she clears her throat. "Maddie."

Natalie nods, giving a smile, asking, "How are you?"

"I'm— I'm good, yeah," Maddie replies, groaning internally at how truly awkward she is. Introductions and conversation starters are things she's not good at, or comfortable with either, Maddie finds it much easier if she dives straight into the conversation.

Stiles glances to Maddie and twitches his lips upwards in reassurance before he addresses Lydia's mom. "We just wanted to see how Lydia was doing?"

Natalie takes a second to contemplate before she nods approvingly and opens the door, allowing the teens to enter the house. Maddie glances around the house, taking in the neutral decors of the inside before following behind Stiles and Natalie. The adult leads the two up the stairs and gently knocks on Lydia's bedroom door before opening it.

Maddie moves to Stiles' side, seeing Lydia lying down on the bed, checking out her nails as she props up her head with her fist. It's strange seeing Lydia without her usual flair. While she's still wearing jewellery and a black cami that hugs her figure, her hair isn't written in its usual waves, rather its unkempt and straight, yet even with her lack of make-up, the girl is still beautiful.