Inferno - Stiles Stilinski

Chapter 18

The next morning, Lydia, Allison, and I walk down the hallway at school... the very same hallway we were running for our lives through just five days ago. A soft chatter surrounds us and most of it has to do with the school break in that we were a part of.

"It's just weird. Everybody's talking about what happened the other night, and nobody knows it was us." Allison whispers.

"Thank you for the Protection of Minors." Lydia responds sarcastically, gazing off into space in front of us.

"...Do you two think that I made the wrong decision?"

"About that jacket with that dress? Absolutely."

"You know what I mean."

"Hello? Scott locked us in a classroom and left us for dead. He's lucky we're not pressing charges... or making him pay our therapy bills... no offence Ells."

Allison takes a moment to look at me, silently waiting for me to share my thoughts.

"I mean I'm not really in a position to give my opinion... but maybe he had a reason he locked us in there." I nervously suggest.

How am I supposed to defend my brother when I can't say that the reason he locked us in there, was because a psycho alpha werewolf made him want to kill us... from their point of view, it probably does seem like he just left us for dead.

"What I can tell you Allison," I stop and move so I can look her in the eyes, "Is that Scott would never have purposefully put any of us, in harm's way, especially you. It's not who he is. I can promise you that every choice he made that night was to keep you safe... he cares about you so much. And I'm not just saying this so you'll get back together, because I can't decide that for you two, it's not my business. I just wanted you to be able to see the whole picture."

"Thanks Liza." She gratefully hugs me.

"Anytime..." we release each other, and I look between the two girls, "Now let's get to that stupid Econ test we have to take."

Once we get to class and sit down, I notice Stiles and Scott aren't here yet.

But before I can wonder where they are, they show up right before the bell rings, as usual. This is the first time I've seen Stiles since I heard his accidental confession of feelings via drunken voicemail.

I have no idea how to even act around him, so instead I keep my eyes on my notebook and pretend to go over my last-minute study materials. When honestly. If I didn't know the information already, I wasn't gonna learn it a minute before the test.

Stiles takes the seat behind me and tries to get my attention but is interrupted by Harris telling my brother to sit down. Scott must have been trying to speak to Allison, because her shoulders tense up and she's breathing heavily.

Well, since Scott can't calm her down anymore, I guess I could give it a try. I'll just do what I would if it were Stiles...

Other than Scott and our mom, he's the only person I have experience calming down. Worth a shot, right?

I reach up and put my hand on Allison's shoulder, squeezing it gently.

This causes her to relax and lean back into her seat, and halfway turn her head towards me, "Thanks."

"No problem."

I release her shoulder and sit back in my own desk while watching Harris pass out the dreaded packets of paper. After making sure everyone got one, he returns to the front of the class and begins to explain the testing procedure, "You have forty-five minutes to complete the test. Twenty-five percent of your grade can be earned right now simply by writing your name on the cover of the blue book." At those words I hear Stiles frantically write his name on the booklet, others around me do it too, so I sigh and go ahead and write my name as he continues, "However, as happens every year, one of you will inexplicably fail to put your name on the cover, and I'll be left yet again questioning my decision to ever become a teacher. So, let's get the disappointment over with. Begin!"