Prelude

Chapter 38: Ripping Off Four Band-Aids In One Night

Guinevere walked with Liam to his house where she sat curled up on his couch while he called Scott and Stiles, crying silently the entire time as she thought of how her parents had reacted. She was vaguely aware of her surroundings as Scott and Stiles came over and tried to talk to her. Their voices were muffled in her mind, swallowed by white noise as she remembered the horrified look on her mom's face. She felt someone pick her up and she closed her eyes, gripping their t-shirt as she was carried across the house and outside, gently placed in a car that smelled like Stiles. Somebody did her seatbelt for her and the car started up, a hand finding hers and lacing the fingers together as the vehicle started to move. 

When she opened her eyes again, they were driving towards Scott's house and there were already quite a few cars parked in his driveway and yard. She recognized them as pack but didn't think on it anymore as her vision blurred from tears once more. Someone was picking her up again and she held onto their shirt again, feeling them walk across the yard and up the stairs, the air shifting to warmer as they stepped into the house. She was settled on another couch and a blanket was settled over her but she pushed it off and grabbed at the nearest warm body, pulling them until they were plastered against her. Another body joined the pile, this one softer and smelling of peppermint, and then it was like an open invitation as another body joined the others. 

Guinevere didn't stop the tears falling from her eyes or the shaky breaths that left her body but she was warm and comfortable among the pile of bodies, eyes still shut against the soft lights from the room. She could hear voices arguing quietly a few feet away in the kitchen, Stiles the loudest of them, and she burrowed down a little further into the warm body pile she was wrapped in. Everyone responded and shifted slightly so she was still warm and between them all. 

"Scott McCall, what have I told you about having this many people over at this hour?!" A woman's voice said, louder than the rest but quickly shushed by a few people. 

"I know mom but it was an emergency." Scott apologized as his mom did a quick survey of everyone in her house. 

"Nobody's bleeding so try again." Melissa said as she put her bag down on the kitchen island and propping her hand on her hip, voice a little quieter but still angry.

"Guinevere came out to her parents and they kicked her out." Stiles said, jumping in. 

"What?" Melissa asked, voice and expression both immediately softening. "Where is she?" 

"On the couch." Scott pointed to the barely visible light brown hair being swallowed by Isaac, Jordan and Lydia. 

"Oh my god." Melissa said, voice barely above a whisper. 

"We're planning on storming her house." Malia said as she looked towards the couch as well. 

"You are not going to storm her house." Melissa said, fixing the girl with a mom look Carey Martin would be jealous of. "What you are going to do," she said as she took over the situation, "is order enough pizza to feed everyone and then go to the store to buy some soda and paper plates. Stiles-" She was interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing, playing the spy song from The Backyardigans. Guinevere opened her eyes and moved so her head was out of the body pile, seeing her phone sat on the coffee table, Dallas' contact pulled up. She stared at it and Liam waited a beat before moving to answer for her, stepping into the kitchen and out of her direct ear shot as she looked at the bodies she had pulled on top of her. Isaac, Jordan and Lydia were all wrapped around her and she felt her eyes watering again. 

"Hello." Liam answered the phone, voice low. 

"Liam?" 

"Yeah."